While Zhao Qinglan and the others were celebrating the New Year together, Zhou Yunting, his mother, and Xiao Duo, who was pregnant, also returned to the Zhou family's old house to have New Year's Eve dinner together.
Mr. Zhou was overjoyed, and the old man was even more gratified.
Even though the rest of the Zhou family members were extremely unhappy with Zhou Yunting, they dared not say anything that would spoil the mood on such a day.
Neither Yi Ningxiang's nor Xiao Duo's family could be easily offended. They also had to consider the consequences of speaking rudely and angering the old man. Therefore, they all kept their tails between their legs and acted as filial and sensible juniors all day.
Now that he's married and about to become a father, Zhou Yunting has become much gentler than before.
This change brought even greater satisfaction to Zhou's father and grandfather.
At the dinner table, although Xiao Duo's belly was still not very noticeable, Yi Ningxiang was particularly careful not to let her eat some of the dishes.
This caught the attention of her former sisters-in-law, who then began to plot against it.
After one of them deliberately asked a question, Yi Ningxiang announced the good news at just the right moment.
“A few days ago, I went to the hospital for a check-up, and Xiaoduo came with me. I also got her checked out, and unfortunately, it turned out she was pregnant.”
The old man was overjoyed when he heard the news.
Everyone was shocked by this good news, thinking that Xiaoduo got pregnant right after getting married.
As for what to do if people start to have doubts after the child is born, let them have their doubts; they won't admit it anyway.
Are we all going to have to go to the hospital to investigate further?
Zhou's father was the only person in the know present, and he also helped to cover things up.
The old man was already quite satisfied with Xiaoduo, and now he likes her even more. The younger generation is filled with jealousy and resentment.
On New Year's Eve, although we ate dinner together at the old house, we still didn't stay there.
Zhou Yunting drove his mother and Xiaoduo back to their home.
Yi Ningxiang simply told them to get some rest before returning to her room.
Leaving the two of them behind, Xiaoduo couldn't help but joke about what had happened that day.
"Are we just going to keep things hidden like this all along?"
"What do you mean by covering it up? We announced it to the public today. Don't worry about it. Even if they find out the truth, so what? They can't just spread it around like that."
Even if they dislike us, we are still members of the Zhou family. If this gets out, it will be the Zhou family who will be laughed at. Even if they know something, they will know what they can and cannot say.
Xiao Duo understood. She wasn't afraid of those people finding out and mocking her. She didn't ask anything of them, and if they dared to make her suffer, she would retaliate.
The young couple reached a consensus and began to look forward to the baby in her belly.
"I don't know if it's a boy or a girl. Do you prefer a boy or a girl?" Xiaoduo asked, touching her belly.
Zhou Yunting gently embraced his lover and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"I love any child that is ours."
Outside, people were setting off fireworks. They huddled together, watching the beautiful scene unfold under the night sky, filled with anticipation for the future.
Yu Xiang has already spent the third Lunar New Year at her boyfriend's home. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, when people came to pay their respects, some of them asked how long Erwa would be able to hold a wedding.
Zhao Qinglan said that it was fine as long as the children were happy and things were done well, but she also asked her son about it privately.
"Have you and Yu Xiang thought it through? Don't drag it out if you don't mind, making Yu Xiang anxious."
After all, girls are more likely to feel insecure in this regard, especially in special cases like Yu Xiang's.
She was afraid that Yu Xiang might have some thoughts, but she didn't dare to say them.
Erwa has matured a bit now. When his mother asked, he didn't give the same answer as before. Instead, he said seriously, "Mom, Yu Xiang and I have discussed our marriage."
Zhao Qinglan immediately became interested. "Tell me about it."
"We plan to prepare for the wedding in another year. In the meantime, we will focus on improving our careers and laying a solid financial foundation for our little family."
"It's good that you have a plan."
Erwa has just left Lanxinhai City branch and started working as a food critic.
This job is not easy, and generating revenue from it is also not easy.
The second child is also actively exploring.
He saved most of his salary from work, and even lent a lot of his own savings to his younger brother.
If they didn't have high expectations, he and Yu Xiang could have gotten married long ago, but they still felt that they should try to avoid causing trouble for their families as much as possible.
Zhao Qinglan even spoke out about this.
"You and Yu Xiang don't need to worry about the expenses for the wedding, and don't refuse. Look, whether it was Da Wa's wedding or your sister's wedding, the family contributed money. This is your mother's and your father's good intention."
“When you get married, we can’t just abandon you. Even when it’s your brother’s turn to get married, we’ll still have to take care of things. As for how you live after you get married, Mom won’t interfere.”
When Da Wa got married, she helped prepare the dowry, the house, and all sorts of miscellaneous appliances, furniture, and jewelry.
When her daughter got married, she prepared a considerable dowry for her. If her second and third children were to get married, she would prepare even more, not less, depending on the circumstances at the time.
Erwa had long understood his parents' insistence on this matter, so he didn't argue. He just said shyly, "Mom, I'll have to trouble you and Dad then."
"Silly child, as your parents, we only hope that you are doing well. As long as you are doing well, that's better than anything else."
With her son's confirmation, Zhao Qinglan treated Yu Xiang even better and was able to respond more effectively to inquiries from outsiders.
For the three kids, holidays are a rare time to relax.
He is now tall and handsome, and still single. Even though he doesn't go out much, he attracts the admiration and longing of many girls his age in the residential area.
It wasn't that no one was willing to give up and keep asking Zhao Qinglan what kind of partner her youngest son, Sanwa, wanted to find, but Zhao Qinglan always dodged the question.
Zhao Qinglan really didn't have high expectations for her youngest son.
This child just wants to live a healthy and happy life; she's not in a rush to find a partner or anything like that. (She probably thinks the chances are slim.)
Even though she knew her son's personality well, Zhao Qinglan was still repeatedly shocked by his straight-male tendencies. She lowered her expectations of him again and again, to the point that she was mentally prepared for him to be alone for life and never get married.
During this time, Zhao Qinglan also checked on her overseas stocks and was satisfied to learn that their overall value had increased.
Sanwa and Zhou Yunting, who also bought some following the trend, expressed their satisfaction.
After the New Year, Zhao Qinglan stayed at home for a few days until Yu Xiang and Erwa left. Then, she and Sanwa, who had returned to school, went to the capital together.
Sanwa went to school, while Zhao Qinglan went to check on her pregnant daughter.
Although Li Huai also cared about his pregnant daughter, he felt a pang of sadness because his wife had repeatedly abandoned him for their daughter.
But what could he do? He could only swallow his grievances silently, because he knew that even if he brought it up, his wife wouldn't listen to him, so he decided not to bring it up and suffer another blow.
The results of Sanwa's many exams before leaving school have also been released.
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