After the Chinese New Year, when the post office reopened, He Dongchuan took some time to go to the city and called home to discuss Aunt Wang's visit to Pingchuan Island.

Because Cheng Xiaoman and Aunt Wang were both worried and wanted to come earlier, they decided to set out on the eighth day of the first lunar month.

He Dongchuan said: "It takes more than 30 hours to travel by train from the capital to Fuzhou. Aunt Wang left on the afternoon of the eighth day of the first lunar month and should arrive on the morning of the tenth day."

When He Dongchuan got married, he went to the capital to pick up He Yan first, and then came to Pingchuan Island from the capital. Although Su Ting had not traveled there at that time, according to her original memory, she knew that the journey was very difficult.

Su Ting asked: "Auntie Wang, can you bear to sit on the train for so long alone?"

"Mom said she'd buy her a sleeper ticket, so it should be fine." He Dongchuan was used to this kind of journey and did not find it as painful as Su Ting did.

But Su Ting was not the kind of person who was unrealistic. She knew that transportation was not that convenient at that time, and it was a great thing to be able to buy a sleeper ticket for traveling. She didn't say anything more, just asked: "Auntie Wang is coming, should I go to the train station to meet her?"

"I can just take a day off to pick her up. You don't have to go." He Dongchuan thought that if Su Ting went to the train station to pick her up with her big belly, she would be fine, but he would probably be severely criticized by the old lady.

Su Ting hadn't left Pingchuan Island for almost two months, and she didn't intend to show off, so she nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take some time to clean up the second bedroom in the next few days."

"Um."

After discussing the arrangements for Aunt Wang's visit to Pingchuan Island, Su Ting mentioned this matter to He Yan and told him that he might need to sleep with Aunt Wang for a long time in the future.

It can be said that He Yan was brought up by Aunt Wang. Although he hasn't seen her for almost a year, he still feels very close to the old lady in his heart and is happy to sleep with her.

But when his parents asked him about it, he had to be coy: "I'm already a big kid, and I still sleep with Grandma Wang, is that not good?"

He Dongchuan was surprised: "If you feel bad about sleeping with your aunt, why do you always want to sleep with your mother?"

He Yan choked when asked.

But within a few seconds, he quickly straightened up and said, "When I sleep with my mother, I can be a child."

He Dongchuan said: "In the future you can be a child for a few months."

So, it was decided that He Yan would sleep with Aunt Wang.

In the next few days, Su Ting went to clean up the second bedroom when she had nothing to do.

In fact, there was nothing to tidy up. The room was so small that no matter how skillful she was, she couldn't tidy it up. The main thing was the closet, and she had to make room for Aunt Wang to put her clothes.

The closet in the second bedroom has double doors, so there is plenty of space left if He Yan's clothes are placed alone. However, the lower level was filled with readers' letters by Su Ting, so the closet became crowded.

Now that Aunt Wang is coming, Su Ting has to consider taking out the letters and storing them somewhere else.

Just where to put it?

The space at home is limited, and there are only so many cabinets to store letters, there really isn't enough space.

Su Ting was lucky. When she told He Dongchuan about it in the evening, he took care of the matter and brought back a wooden box the next day.

The box is a bit old and has a smell when opened, but it has a lot of space. After washing and drying it, it is just right for storing letters, and you can also put the box directly under the bed.

So before Aunt Wang came, half of the closet in the second bedroom was successfully emptied.

…

On the tenth day, after breakfast, He Dongchuan took He Yan out to pick someone up.

Su Ting had nothing to do at home, so she continued to clean up the second bedroom. She took off the sheets and quilt covers that He Yan slept on and replaced them with a light-colored four-piece set. Then she wiped the desk, swept the floor, and waited for He Dongchuan and the others to come back after picking up the people.

This wait lasted most of the morning.

It was not until after ten o'clock that voices were heard outside.

Su Ting hurriedly stood up from the stool, but after taking only two steps, she suddenly stopped.

Although Aunt Wang is not his mother-in-law, she is He Dongchuan's elder after all. Thinking of facing her, Su Ting became very nervous.

It was just that she was pregnant and it was inconvenient for her to go to the train station to pick him up, but it seemed a bit too much that she didn't even go out to greet him when he got home.

Su Ting took a deep breath and walked out.

Although the original body had been to the capital and met Aunt Wang before coming to Pingchuan Island, those memories were not left to Su Ting, so her impression of Aunt Wang came entirely from the stories told by He Dongchuan and his son.

However, when she saw the real person, Su Ting was still stunned for a moment.

Aunt Wang's style of dress is a bit old-fashioned.

Nowadays, most middle-aged women have short hair, ear-length, which doesn't need to be taken care of on a daily basis, saving time and energy to spend on work. But Aunt Wang obviously has long hair, combed sleekly, and tied into a bun at the back of her head with a net bag.

She was wearing a buttoned jacket that was longer than her waist, and a pair of cotton pants of the same color. The style was a bit like the large flowered jackets from Northeast China that often appeared in period dramas, but the color was a bit plainer.

In terms of age, Aunt Wang is two years younger than He Dongchuan's mother, but in person, she is more than five or six years older than Cheng Xiaoman. This difference is not only in appearance, but also in the spirit and energy that the two exude.

Although she was surprised, Su Ting did not show it. She smiled and went over to her and called out, "Auntie Wang."

"Hey! This is your wife, right? She's really pretty." After praising Su Ting to He Dongchuan, Aunt Wang turned her head and looked at her belly. "It's been eight months, right? How's your health lately?"

"It will be almost eight months by the end of the month, and I am still in good health." Su Ting answered and then asked, "How are you? Are you tired from riding in the car these two days?"

"I'm in good health, so I don't feel tired when I ride. Xiaochuan's father asked someone to buy me a sleeper berth, and I only needed to sleep in it for two nights." Aunt Wang couldn't help but sigh, "It's much easier to travel now than when I was young. Back then, I left my hometown to visit Xiaochuan's parents in the capital. Not only was the train slow, but I also had to change trains. I didn't dare to blink when I was in the train, for fear of missing my stop and not being able to find my way back."

He Dongchuan said at the right time: "Let's go in and talk."

"Yes, yes, you should come in and sit down." Su Ting quickly stepped aside, half-supporting Aunt Wang's arm and leading her into the house.

After entering the room and asking everyone to sit down, Su Ting walked to the cupboard, found a few glass cups, took out some sugar, put some in each cup, then picked up the thermos and prepared to pour water into the cups.

But as soon as she picked up the thermos, He Dongchuan came over, took over the work in her hands and said, "Let me do it."

Aunt Wang said with a smile: "We should let Xiaochuan come. He works more efficiently than you."

Since the old lady said so, Su Ting stopped showing off. She let go of the thermos and waited for He Dongchuan to pour the water. Then she walked to the dining table with the cup of water, handed one cup to the old lady and gave the rest to He Yan.

He Yan held the glass and looked at it for a while, shook it twice, and finally jumped off the stool, ran to the kitchen, took out a pair of chopsticks, and started stirring the glass.

After the sugar at the bottom of the glass was completely dissolved during the stirring, He Yan took the cup in front of Aunt Wang and said, "Grandma, let me stir it for you. The sugar water will be sweeter."

"Really? Thank you then." Aunt Wang said with a smile.

After mixing the sugar water for Aunt Wang, He Yan took the cups from his parents and started mixing them one by one, enjoying it very much.

Aunt Wang watched He Yan's movements intently, her eyes full of tenderness and kindness.

Su Ting retracted her gaze and asked with a smile: "Auntie Wang, have you had breakfast? Are you hungry now?"

"I have eaten on the train. I'm not hungry now." Aunt Wang answered and then asked Su Ting what she had eaten in the morning.

After hearing that they bought their breakfast from the cafeteria, Aunt Wang asked, "Do you usually eat in the cafeteria?"

Su Ting answered conservatively: "I usually eat breakfast in the cafeteria."

Aunt Wang nodded and didn't comment too much on their lifestyle. Su Ting also breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and said with a smile: "I'll take you to see the room."

"I'll go too!" He Yan jumped off the stool and said with his head tilted up, "Grandma, you have to sleep with me from now on."

He Dongchuan mentioned this on the phone. Aunt Wang didn't look too surprised. She just smiled and said, "Okay."

The second bedroom was so small that one could see the end of it from the door. Su Ting did not explain much, but only mentioned that she was going to change the sheets. She opened the door of the closet and told Aunt Wang, "You can put all your clothes here."

Aunt Wang stood in the middle of the room, turned around, nodded and said, "Okay, I understand, thank you."

"Then you can rest for a while. I'll call you for dinner at the right time." After Su Ting said this, she asked He Dongchuan to take the old lady's luggage into the room.

Aunt Wang had just arrived and was not in a hurry to cook and show herself. First, she was tired after sitting on the train for two days and needed to rest. Second, she was too hot and urgently needed to close the door and take off her clothes.

It was bitterly cold in the capital in February, so when she went out, in addition to her outer jacket, she also wore a sweater, padded jacket and autumn clothes inside, and a three-piece set of autumn pants, woolen pants and padded pants underneath.

As soon as the train entered Fujian, she wanted to take off her clothes, but the train was full of people. Although she was an old lady, she had to save her face, so she had to endure it all the way.

So as soon as He Dongchuan left after delivering the luggage, Aunt Wang immediately closed the door of the second bedroom and started to take off her clothes.

…

While Aunt Wang was taking off her clothes, Su Ting and He Dongchuan were also busy preparing lunch in the kitchen.

In fact, Su Ting wanted to eat in the cafeteria. It was already this late, why were they still busy? Eating in the cafeteria was much more convenient. But through the previous conversation, Su Ting felt that Aunt Wang didn't like them eating in the cafeteria all the time. In order to avoid conflicts at the beginning, after consideration, she decided to cook at home.

Fortunately, although it was late, there were two of them and they worked quickly. Before midnight, three dishes and a soup were ready.

There was an episode in the middle. Before He Dong finished cooking Sichuan dishes, Aunt Wang came out of the room. When she saw the scene in the kitchen, she was stunned and asked, "Do you usually let Xiaochuan cook?"

From the day when they decided to let Aunt Wang come to Pingchuan Island, Su Ting knew that He Dongchuan's cooking career could not be kept secret.

Because she was mentally prepared, Su Ting said calmly: "He is a better cook than me, so most of the time, I prepare the ingredients and he cooks the dishes."

Su Ting said this not to establish herself as a virtuous wife and loving mother, but to avoid conflicts.

From ancient times to the present, the mainstream idea has always been that men are the breadwinners and women are the homemakers. In the eyes of many people, as long as a man can earn money to support the family, it is natural for him not to do any housework after marriage. However, even if a woman can earn money to support the family, she would be considered lazy if she does not do laundry or cook after marriage.

Su Ting was not afraid of others saying that she was lazy. No matter how much they complained, it would not affect her and He Dongchuan's happy life.

But Aunt Wang is not someone else, she is He Dongchuan's elder. If she is dissatisfied with Su Ting, it is likely to cause conflicts between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and then affect the relationship between the couple.

Su Ting and He Dongchuan were living a good life and didn't want these things to affect their relationship. So when she called He's mother, she deliberately concealed the fact that He Dongchuan was the one cooking at home.

Now that she was caught by Aunt Wang, Su Ting also deliberately used the art of language to make herself look more diligent.

Aunt Wang accepted Su Ting's explanation easily, rolled up her sleeves and walked into the kitchen: "I'll do the rest, you go rest outside."

He Dongchuan didn't give in and continued to stir-fry the food in the pot: "It will be ready soon. You've been sitting in the car for two days, go and rest."

"Yes, let him do it. You have come from a long way, so take a rest." Su Ting said with a smile, and left the kitchen holding Aunt Wang's hand.

Not long after they left, He Dongchuan cooked the dishes and brought out the food one by one, including braised tofu, scrambled eggs with green peppers, spicy stir-fried clams, and a bowl of seaweed egg soup. They were all home-cooked dishes, but they looked presentable.

Aunt Wang couldn't help but say, "I didn't know Xiaochuan could cook, and he cooks so well."

"Then you can taste my cooking." He Dongchuan said as he served four bowls of rice.

"Okay." Aunt Wang smiled, reached out and grabbed a piece of tofu with chopsticks, took a bite to taste it, nodded and said, "It's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, very good."

He Dongchuan continued to pick dishes for the old lady: "Try these two dishes again."

When picking vegetables for the old lady, He Dongchuan did not forget Su Ting, but finally forgot He Yan. He was unwilling to be lonely, and after waiting for a long time without his father picking vegetables for him, he yelled: "What about me? Won't you pick vegetables for me?"

He Dongchuan asked: "Can't you pick vegetables yourself?"

He Yan was very dissatisfied: "You picked all the vegetables for grandma and mom!" How could they leave him out!

Seeing that the father and son were about to quarrel, Su Ting quickly picked up a piece of each dish for He Yan with her chopsticks: "Dad won't pick food for you, but Mom will."

"Yeah!" He Yan was satisfied and started to show off by dancing with joy.

Aunt Wang saw the interaction between the family of three and felt relieved.

Although Cheng Xiaoman has a good impression of Su Ting because of Su's mother, Cheng Xiaoman herself is not completely sure whether she and He Dongchuan can live a good life after marriage.

So when Cheng Xiaoman received a call from He Dongchuan saying that Su Ting was pregnant, she was relieved. It was not because of the child, but because she understood her son. If he didn't care about Su Ting, he would definitely not be in that state when he called.

But Cheng Xiaoman still couldn't completely let go of her worry. Although her son and daughter-in-law no longer required her to worry about them, she was still a little worried about her grandson.

Although she felt that her grandson was happy and got along well with his stepmother every time they spoke on the phone, it was difficult for her to be completely reassured without seeing it with her own eyes.

Aunt Wang was the same. She had no children, but she raised He Yan by herself. She treated him like her own grandson, and even He Dongchuan was a step away. He Dongchuan said that she raised him, but in fact, he was already twelve or thirteen years old when she arrived at the He family.

After seeing what happened today, she knew that Su Ting was truly good to the child, and He Yan was indeed happier than when he was in the capital.

…

According to Su Ting, Aunt Wang had been on the train for two days, so she should have rested at least on the first day of her arrival on the island. But Aunt Wang couldn't sit still, so she showed off her skills that night and prepared a delicious meal.

Aunt Wang is a good cook, and the dishes she cooks are delicious and fragrant. Su Ting also discovered that He Dongchuan's cooking style is a bit similar to hers, and she suspected that he had stolen some of her skills.

During dinner, Su Ting never stopped talking. She kept eating and praising Aunt Wang's cooking skills.

Although Su Ting's cooking skills are average, she has a good taste and has tried almost all kinds of food from the north and south, regardless of whether they are authentic or not. She can talk about everything and when she praises others' cooking skills, her words are meaningful and not dry.

Aunt Wang has lived in the capital for so many years, and the people she associates with in the He family are all respectable people. She has seen the world, and she is not impressed by the exaggerated words that are too dry. It is just right for her to have something to say like Su Ting.

So during the whole meal, the smile on Aunt Wang's face never faded.

At the end of the day, she still had a good impression of Su Ting. Although the girl was a little thin, her features were very distinctive, and the child would definitely be good-looking.

Moreover, Su Ting speaks well and you can tell at a glance that she is educated. Although the Su family is from the countryside, they have done a good job in educating their children.

Thinking about these things, Aunt Wang closed her eyes and fell asleep.

…

Aunt Wang is indeed a hard-working person. On the first day of arriving at Pingchuan Island, she rolled up her sleeves and cooked a meal for everyone without taking a long rest.

She got up before dawn the next morning. If He Dongchuan hadn't told her to go to the military camp to eat and stop working, she would have prepared a breakfast right away.

But even so, she did not go back to sleep. After brushing her teeth and washing up, she lit the coal stove, took out some rice from the cupboard, broke off two pieces of vegetables that were not fried last night, chopped them up, and cooked a pot of vegetable porridge.

When Su Ting was awakened by the alarm clock, she got up and walked out of the room, she smelled an unfamiliar aroma of food.

Aunt Wang came out of the kitchen and saw her standing there in a daze. She smiled and said, "What are you doing standing there in a daze? Hurry up and wash your hands and get ready for dinner. I cooked some vegetable porridge and made two egg pancakes. Oh, I also went to get the milk. It's already heated up. Do you want to drink it now or during breakfast?"

"Drink it later." Su Ting came back to her senses and said, "Do you know where to get milk?"

"I know you guys usually order milk. I asked Xiaochuan before he left this morning. He went to the Women's Federation to look for Jiang Aihong, right?" Aunt Wang said with a smile, "I don't know the way, but the people in your family compound are very enthusiastic. They knew I was from your family and took the initiative to take me to the Women's Federation office."

Listening to Aunt Wang's words, Su Ting couldn't help but look back at the alarm clock on the dressing table.

He Dongchuan usually gets up at 5:30 and goes out before 6:00. It's not even 7:00 yet. How can Aunt Wang finish so many things like lighting a fire, cooking porridge, making pancakes, and getting milk in just over an hour?

Does she have four hands?

Well, maybe she is just too slow in doing things.

This is true. Although Aunt Wang is old, she is much more efficient than Su Ting.

For example, when washing dishes, Su Ting is the kind of person who can take more than ten minutes to wash a few dishes, but ten minutes is enough for Aunt Wang to clean the pots, pans, and utensils, and then wipe the dining table and kitchen countertops clean.

As for buying groceries, Su Ting usually goes to the seafood supply station first, then to the vegetable station, and occasionally to the butcher shop. After a round of shopping, she will not be able to return home for an hour.

Aunt Wang followed Su Ting to the seafood supply station. After a short while, she had selected the fish and clams and had them weighed. It was even faster when she arrived at the vegetable station. She was used to buying vegetables and was very skillful in choosing vegetables, and the same was true for buying meat.

It took them about forty minutes to go around all three places. It took so long because Aunt Wang was taking care of Su Ting, a pregnant woman, and she deliberately slowed down her pace when walking.

So the next morning, when Su Ting was about to go shopping with Aunt Wang, Aunt Wang declined, saying, "I know the place well. I can go alone, and it's better to go quickly. You just rest at home."

Su Ting: “…” She was rejected.

…

Although Aunt Wang always complains that Qi Su Ting is slow, they actually get along pretty well.

Although Aunt Wang is an elder, she does not take advantage of her status to find fault with Su Ting. She also knows her mission in Pingchuan Island, so after arriving on the island, she takes good care of Su Ting's three meals a day.

Although Su Ting is not that diligent, she is not so lazy as to not help when the oil bottle falls over. She knows to help the old lady when she is working, although most of the time the old lady will let her take a rest.

Moreover, she has a sweet mouth and praises people in various ways every day, making the old lady very happy. Now she seems to be much more affectionate than He Dongchuan.

He Dongchuan was very dissatisfied.

It was obvious that he had done a lot of work before Aunt Wang came, and Su Ting didn't say anything when she saw it. Why is it that now that Aunt Wang is the one doing the work, she has become so sweet-mouthed?

After hearing this, Su Ting thought, how could he be the same as Aunt Wang!

If there was a conflict between her and He Dongchuan, unless she was really wrong, he would have to give in first. Once he made her happy, she would consider whether to reconcile with him.

But if there was a conflict between her and Aunt Wang, unless she completely occupied the moral high ground, she would definitely be the first to bow her head.

This is to respect the elders, and also to prevent He Dongchuan from being caught in a dilemma. As for whether to get angry with He Dongchuan after dealing with the old lady, that is another matter.

To put it bluntly, this is a problem of the family food chain.

And He Dongchuan is undoubtedly at the bottom of the food chain.

After listening to Su Ting's food chain theory, He Dongchuan was silent for a long time before asking: "Who has a higher status between me and Xiao Yan?"

"Why are you competing with a child? Are you ashamed?" Su Ting avoided the question.

He Dongchuan looked frank, without any trace of shame on his face: "Of course I feel embarrassed. You are so evasive. Could it be that my family status is not as good as his?"

Su Ting thought this was normal!

But seeing He Dongchuan's gloomy face, he changed his tone and soothed him: "How could that be? You are Xiaoyan's father anyway. If you say east, he will definitely not dare to go west. If you ask him to do homework, he will definitely not dare to go to bed. Your status in the family must be higher than his."

"real?"

"Of course, why would I lie to you?" Su Ting looked righteous and solemn.

He Dongchuan was satisfied, and held his wife in his arms to negotiate with her: "I don't expect to climb to the top of the food chain, but when you treat me and Aunt Wang, can you not treat us so differently?"

Su Ting was feeling guilty, and upon hearing his "considerate" words, she couldn't help but reflect on herself: "Is it obvious?"

He Dongchuan nodded affirmatively: "Very obvious."

"So what do you want? Tell me and I'll think about it." Su Ting gave in.

He Dongchuan coughed lightly and said, "My requirements are not high. You just need to coax me once for every ten times you coax Aunt Wang every day, and make up for the compliment I owe you before."

Su Ting squinted: "Before, how long ago?"

"It's been about ten months since I moved back to the master bedroom." He Dongchuan said, looking at his wife expectantly, waiting for her sweet words.

Su Ting raised her head and smiled, her voice gentle: "Go to sleep."

"Um?"

"Dreams contain everything."