"Xiao Shun! Thank you so much for coming to pick us up!"
"Uncle, why are you being so polite?" Wang Xiaoshun said to Liu Maocai while packing his luggage.
Cheng Guangxu sat in the passenger seat, while his family sat in the back.
The child was awake, staring intently at Er Ya with his big, dark eyes.
"Mom, this child is so well-behaved. What name did my brother give the child?"
"Your dad named him Liu Pengfei."
"Dad, that's a great name!"
"Right? I think it's great too. It has a good meaning, and I hope he will be like his aunt and uncle in the future."
"Haha, I've become a role model for my nephew too."
"Mom, are you going to support your nephew from now on?"
"I don't know. Your brother is getting more and more of a worry. He handed the child over to us without saying a word."
"Mom, actually, you two are better at raising children than my brother. Look, all three of us were raised by you. Just because of my sister-in-law's wickedness, I'm afraid she'll raise my nephew badly."
"Yes, it's fine if he can't bring glory to his ancestors or become extremely wealthy, but he must have good character. Sigh! We'll talk about it later. I'm afraid it's not good for such a young child if he doesn't live with his mother."
"You won, let's not talk about those things anymore."
When Liu Maocai spoke, the mother and son stopped talking.
The car drove directly into the courtyard. Everyone got out of the car, and Wang Xiaoshun and Cheng Guangxu, carrying the luggage, followed them directly to the living room in the second courtyard.
Zhang Hongmei heard the noise and said, "Brother Zhang, help me up. Sister Erya has brought my third uncle and the others back."
Zhang Shouyi knew his wife's temperament, so he helped her up. He didn't let go, and the two walked out together.
Before they even reached the door, Er Ya was in front carrying the child, followed by Liu Maocai and his wife.
"Third Aunt, you've finally arrived."
"Hongmei, why is your belly so big?"
The two spoke in unison. Li Cuihua quickened her pace, stepped past Er Ya, and grabbed Zhang Hongmei's hand.
"Go back and sit down quickly. With a belly like that, you should be lying in bed."
"It's alright, it's alright."
"Nothing's wrong? You just need to be more careful."
Li Cuihua helped Zhang Hongmei walk back, while Zhang Shouyi on the other side busily greeted them.
"We're all family, why make such a fuss?"
Zhang Shouyi just smiled and greeted Liu Maocai.
Liu Maocai greeted the two elderly people inside the house.
"Mistress, Uncle".
"Mao Cai, sit down quickly. Taking care of them along the way must have been quite arduous."
"Mistress, this time it was really easy. The high school principal helped get us sleeper tickets, and Pengfei was a good boy, he didn't cry or make a fuss at all."
"Er Ya, can I see the child?"
The old lady took Liu Pengfei's phone from Er Ya. "Hmm, this kid looks like his great-grandfather. That big forehead, you can tell he's a smart man at a glance."
Li Cuihua quickly chimed in, "Second wife, I also think he looks like my father-in-law. The child didn't cry at all the way here; he's a sensible child."
Li Cuihua also greeted Gu Chuanming and Zhang Xingguo.
"Sister Er Ya, why don't you go and tidy up the room for Uncle San and the others first? There's hot water in the bathroom, so hurry up and relax. Dinner will be served soon."
The family of four went out. Cheng Guangxu followed along to see if there was anything he could do.
"Brother Zhang, shall we ask Doctor Sun to come over tomorrow to take a look at Auntie San?"
"Okay, have Xiao Li bring Doctor Sun over first thing tomorrow morning."
"Cuihua doesn't look well. I'll go help watch the child and have Erya bathe her mother." After saying that, Hu Aifen hurriedly went to the back to find them.
"Grandma, Jianguo gave the child to my third aunt, does that mean he wants a divorce?"
"They definitely have to get a divorce. How dare that daughter-in-law lay a hand on her mother-in-law?"
“But my third aunt will have to suffer, the child is so young and can’t be left alone.”
“If your third aunt is willing, it’s her own grandson, so she can do whatever she wants. Besides, after this fall, she probably can’t do any work anymore, so raising a child is a good thing.”
"It's only because my third aunt is in poor health that I don't want him to take care of the child."
"I'm not that delicate. Cooking and taking care of the kids aren't tiring jobs."
Zhang Hongmei fell silent. Since the old lady had said so, if all else failed, they could leave Li Cuihua behind. There were plenty of people here who could help look after her.
Aunt Li entered the living room, knowing that guests had arrived, and checked when to cook dumplings.
"Aunt Li, you'll have to wait a little while. They went to take a shower and someone will let you know later."
Er Ya led Liu Maocai and his wife to the guest room, which had been tidied up that morning; all they needed to do was put their luggage away.
"Cheng Guangxu, take Dad to take a shower. There's no showerhead at home, and Dad probably doesn't know how to use it, so you can help him set it up."
"Okay. Wait a moment, Dad's done. I'll watch the kids, you go wash Mom, she can't manage alone."
"Um."
"No need, just give me the child, and I'll give the child a bath too."
"I can wash it myself. I don't need you to."
"Mom, you still need to be careful. I'm worried. If we hadn't known you were coming, Cheng Guangxu and I would have gone back already."
Li Cuihua had no choice but to comply with her daughter's wishes, and besides, she herself was indeed feeling weak all over.
"Dad, I'll take you to the bathroom."
"Just get the water ready for me, that'll be fine. When you get back, help your aunt with Pengfei's bath."
"Okay, I understand."
Liu Maocai now has a very good impression of Cheng Guangxu. He is a sensible child who does not show any contempt or dissatisfaction because of his family background.
He helped Liu Maocai turn on the shower, showed him how to use it, and then went back to his room.
"Auntie, isn't it cold bathing the child inside? Why don't you go to the bathroom in the backyard?"
"No need, just bring me a basin of warm water. Your mother must have washed the child in the car, so he's not dirty. It'll be fine once he's had some sweat."
Cheng Guangxu does whatever you tell him to do; he's absolutely obedient.
Er Ya brought a stool for Li Cuihua so her mother could sit down. While washing her hair, she touched a large lump on the back of her head and burst into tears of heartache.
"It's okay, Mom is really okay."
"You're still saying it's okay? This big bump is all purple. It definitely hasn't gone down."
"Mom, if my brother gets a divorce, don't stop him."
"If I hadn't stopped him, your nephew wouldn't have had a mother, or he'd have a stepmother. Don't you know, once you fall into a stepmother's hands, how can things possibly turn out well?"
"But such selfish people can only cause unrest in their own homes."
Besides, how old is my brother? Does he not know what he's doing?
"What does he know? If he were truly sensible, he wouldn't have insisted on marrying that woman against my and your father's wishes. This wouldn't have happened."
Er Ya fell silent. This eldest brother really didn't know any better; he was the eldest, yet he was worse than his younger siblings.
Er Ya rubbed Li Cuihua's back, and since she was also wet, she simply grabbed her clothes and took a shower.
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