Chapter 15

The New Year is approaching.

Hu Xiu has new expectations.

In addition to being busy with various meals, I have to go to the village entrance several times every day.

Even though they knew when Huo Xiao would return, their enthusiasm remained unabated.

I understand that she missed her son whom she hadn't seen for three years, especially since she almost lost him in the meantime.

So Ruiting never complained about her. At most, she would remind her to wear something warm and thick when she went out.

This day is Chinese New Year's Eve, and it is also the day when Huo Xiao should return.

After sending her mother-in-law out for the fifth time, Ruting returned to the kang and cut New Year pictures.

The dragon and phoenix twins sat on the kang, amusing themselves with the leftover scraps she had cut.

But children over three years old are the most curious.

Guoguo soon lost interest in the red paper in his hand. He used his hands and feet to crawl to the side of Ruting, sat down next to her with his chubby little body, and asked curiously, "Mom, what are you cutting?"

In fact, most of the twins are taken care of by the mother-in-law, and Ting Ting is mostly just lending a hand.

But the young guys were well brought up, or perhaps they had a natural dependence on the word "mother", so they were quite close to Ruiting.

It was precisely because of her mother-in-law's thoughtfulness and the dragon-peacock twin's willingness to accept the change in her status that Lu Ting, who suddenly became a mother, was able to accept the change in her status naturally.

She did not answer the children's question immediately, but got off the kang, fetched half a basin of warm water, and washed the children's hands.

The red paper was fading badly at that time, and the child was so young that he might accidentally swallow it.

After washing all four chubby hands, he carried the child back to the kang.

Tingcai held up the paper-cut that was almost completed and showed it: "Look, it's a little monkey."

Guoguo's expression instantly became excited: "Is it the Great Sage?"

This surprised Li Ting: "You know the Great Sage?"

Hearing this, Guoguo tilted his head, as if recalling where he knew it from.

At this time, Miaomiao also sat over and said eloquently, "Grandma took us to see the shadow play."

It suddenly occurred to me that I had almost forgotten about the performance form of shadow puppetry.

But if I remember correctly, the animated film "The Great Trouble in Heaven" should also be released.

When I get the chance, maybe I can take my children there to see it.

She laughed and said, "The Monkey King is indeed a monkey."

Guoguo was so happy to get the affirmation, but couldn't help wondering: "Why did mom cut her hair into the shape of Monkey King?"

Little Miao Miao couldn't stand it anymore: "Silly brother, grandma said next year is the Year of the Monkey, let's put this up to celebrate."

Li Ting curled her eyes and continued cutting paper while replying, "Sister is right, because next year is the Year of the Monkey."

Guoguo rolled her round eyes and suddenly became excited again: "Then... then can I be a Great Sage?"

Ruting couldn't quite keep up with the child's thinking: "You are born in the year of the snake."

"But, the new year...isn't the new year the year of the monkey?"

Miaomiao blinked her big eyes and was successfully led into the trap: "So next year I will be born in the year of the monkey?"

It was the first time for Ruiting to see such logic and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had to break it down and crush it for a long time before he could explain the definition of the zodiac to the kids.

Little Guoguo, who finally realized that he could only be born in the year of the snake in this life, was very disappointed and his mood became visibly depressed.

Ruiting stretched out his hand and pointed at the small thing. Just as he was about to tell him a story about a dragon, there was a knock on the door.

She first pushed the dragon-phoenix fetus into the kang, not allowing them to get off the kang, and then put away the scissors before putting on her shoes and going out.

Before removing the wooden bolt from the door, she asked out of habit: "Who is it?"

"Sister-in-law, it's me, Zhuzi."

It was the eldest child in the second aunt's family. After opening the door and seeing the people, before Ting Ting had time to invite the people in, two frozen fish strung together with straw ropes were stuffed into his hands.

Zhuzi is not short, but he is still growing. He is as thin as a bamboo pole and has dark skin.

After successfully delivering the fish, Zhuzi said with a red face: "My father and Third Uncle dug out the ice to catch it this morning, and my mother asked me to deliver it." After saying this, the shy young man did not give his cousin a chance to reply, and ran away as if his butt was on fire.

Ruiting shook his head in amusement and put the fish into a small ice box specially dug for storing food.

Just as she came out of the ice room, she saw a strange man appear a few steps away.

Then, when she was wondering whether the other person was coming home, he actually walked straight towards her.

The man was wearing a thick coat that had not been washed for who knows how long. He had an unshaven beard and looked to be about thirty years old.

He first stared at her again and again, until she looked so gloomy that her face fell, and then he murmured, "I'm looking for Aunt Xiu, my wife is going to give birth to a daughter."

Hearing the reluctance in the other party's tone, Li Ting, who was already feeling unhappy because of being looked at, became even more unhappy. What's wrong with giving birth to a concubine?

However, she was not in the habit of arguing with strangers, so she said directly: "My mother is waiting for someone at the entrance of the village, you can go find her there."

I thought the man would turn around and leave, but he turned around and looked disappointed: "I'm a little anxious, how can my aunt not be at home?"

She frowned, not realizing that the other person wanted her to go and call for help. She just felt that the other person couldn't tell the difference between urgency and severity, so her tone was inevitably a little harsh: "Why are you standing there in such a hurry? Hurry up and run and call for help!"

I guess teachers look a little scary when they put on a serious expression.

At least the man's obvious desire to be lazy and expect the pretty young wife in front of him to run a errand for him was gone. He shrank his neck, turned around and ran towards the village entrance.

At this time, Ruiting also reacted to what the other party meant.

I was immediately disgusted.

So you're not in a hurry to have a concubine?

It's so infuriating!

After calming down, Ruting still sorted out all the household items that her mother-in-law usually used for delivering babies.

Then when she came back to check if she had forgotten anything, he put a few candies and cookies into her pocket.

My mother-in-law is still a little weak, and delivering a baby is a physically demanding job.

After watching the two people leave, Ruting returned to the kang and told stories and cut New Year pictures with the children.

But this time, my concentration would get distracted from time to time.

I was worried whether my mother-in-law's delivery was smooth, and I was even more worried that if it was a girl, the family would make a fuss and get angry at the midwife.

Then I prayed that the family could really have a son, otherwise being reborn as a daughter of such a family would be a lifetime of misfortune.

I was worried about all this until I had dinner, washed the kids' faces, hands and feet, and put them to sleep, but I still didn't see my mother-in-law come back.

Although my mother-in-law said before she left that the time of childbirth was unpredictable and she might not be able to come back in the evening.

But as it was her first time experiencing such a thing, she couldn't help but feel anxious, so she lit a kerosene lamp, picked up her old study books, and waited to kill time.

It was 12 o'clock in the middle of the night. She was used to going to bed early and getting up early, but she couldn't bear it anymore. When she was about to take a nap, she was awakened by a knock on the door.

Tingting rubbed her eyes, put on her shoes and got off the kang.

When I was almost at the door, I realized that if my mother-in-law was knocking on the door, I would definitely shout out.

Thinking of this, the last trace of sleepiness in Lu Ting disappeared completely.

She looked around, but couldn't find a weapon that worked for her, so she picked up a stool and asked, "Who is it?"

A strange and young female voice called out to Huo Xiao who was outside the house. Huo Xiao paused for a moment before saying, "It's me, Huo Xiao."

Hearing this, Li Ting's heart skipped a beat.

She knew that Huo Xiao would be back today, but she didn't expect him to go home overnight.

However, after a moment's hesitation, Ruting asked again: "How do you prove that you are Huo Xiao?"

The man outside the door was silent for a while: "My mother is not at home?"

Ruting...is quite smart.

But she replied firmly: "At home, asleep!"

Huo Xiao laughed softly.

Actually, he is not a cheerful person, but this is the second time he has been amused by his wife whom he has never met.

Thinking of this, he curled his lips again: "Go get the kerosene lamp, I'll stand at the window and check for you?"

藺葶… “Okay!”

The illumination of kerosene lamps is not high.

Lin Ting twisted the small opening on the side a few times to raise the wick.

Although the strong flame consumed some kerosene, it was enough for her to see the man's face clearly through the window.

Huo Xiao was born with an extremely handsome and cool appearance.

The previous two-inch black and white photos were completely unable to capture his handsomeness.

However, she was certain that the man outside the window who allowed herself to be stared at was Huo Xiao.

So she took a few deep breaths, calmed her uneasy mood, and turned to open the door.

Because of the angle, Huo Xiao could only see the rough outline of his wife.

But the stool in the other hand was clearly visible.

He thought his wife had a good sense of precaution.

Ruting, who can be considered as being single since birth, relied on the thick skin she developed as a social animal in later life to avoid opening the door and blushing the moment she successfully met the man.

It's no wonder she brought shame upon modern women. It was just that in the dark, the husband's identity was too intimate.

And...her cheap husband was a little more handsome than she had expected.

In the other room, Huo Xiao, who was no more relaxed than his wife, put down his bag, hid the surprise in his eyes, and asked, "Did Mom go to deliver the baby?"

Ruting nodded, and immediately ignored her messy thoughts. She quickly told the mother about the situation at her home and her own worries. Finally, she asked, "Is mom okay?"

It's not her fault that she was worrying about nothing. In fact, it is not uncommon for female doctors to cause trouble because of their wives' marriages in later generations, let alone in today's relatively feudal society?

After hearing what his wife said, Huo Xiao stopped taking off his coat and said, "I'll go there."

This is what Li Ting meant: "Do you know which company it is? I only know it is from the Eastern Victory Brigade."

Huo Xiao nodded: "Just go there and ask."

Seeing that he was about to leave after saying this, Ruting quickly said, "I've warmed up the fish soup in the pot. Why don't you have a bowl to warm yourself up before you go out? A few minutes won't be a big deal."

Hearing this, Huo Xiao, who was hungry, softened his heart and turned around to look at the people: "Okay."

The man's eyes were not the most popular double eyelids nowadays. His eyes were long and narrow, and his pupils appeared particularly deep when he looked at people.

Ruting felt a little uncomfortable being stared at, so she quickly turned around and went to the kitchen to get some soup.

Huo Xiao hurried back as he was extremely hungry. He drank a large bowl of delicious fish soup with tofu before he felt the burning sensation in his stomach subside.

Seeing that he was not full, she asked, "Would you like another bowl?"

Huo Xiao shook his head: "No, I'll wash the dishes when I get back."

Hearing this, Ruiting did not insist on washing in order to show her virtuous side.

Instead, she stood up and followed the man.

When he sent the person to the door, he stuffed a bag of biscuits into his hand and said awkwardly, "Eat on the way if you're hungry."

Feeling like he was being coaxed like a child, Huo Xiao hesitated for a few seconds, but still put the biscuit in his pocket and said, "Thank you."

Tingting: "Ahem... no thanks, just go ahead."

Huo Xiao nodded: "I'm leaving, no need to wait for the door."

Hearing this, Ruiting paused in her attempt to close the door and said, "Then how did you get in?" She had a very good sleep quality and was not easily woken up when she fell asleep.

Huo Xiao didn't reply, but signaled his wife to bolt the door.

Then, outside the door, the dagger removed the wooden plug in just a few seconds.

Ruting's eyes widened in shock. Is it so unsafe? How could she dare to sleep?

Seeing that his wife was frightened, Huo Xiao quickly explained: "Don't be afraid, only professionals with professional training can open it."

藺葶...wasn't comforted at all.