There are three days left before the Chinese New Year, and every family is busy preparing for the festival. Ji Ling took a break and stayed at home every day. Zhu Yaowu and others who had moved out also returned home.

Like many mothers, Kong Siya started urging her children to get married.

She gave birth to five sons. The eldest had difficulty getting married and was only able to get married with the help of his mother-in-law. The remaining four had no plans to get married at all.

It was the same that day. As soon as she opened her mouth, they all found excuses to avoid her.

Kong Siya laughed and scolded, "I am a tiger, but I can eat you."

Old Mrs. Zhu brought Niu Niu out of the study, and Niu Niu was holding a picture album in her arms.

Mrs. Zhu smiled and said, "He Tong has been running home these days. If you keep urging them, how can they not be afraid?"

Kong Siya was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "If they don't like it, I won't force them to get together."

"I have also advised He Tong that this girl is determined to keep staring at Wei Ming. I wonder when Wei Ming gets married, she will give up."

Kong Siya said, "He Tong is not suitable. She is close to Chang Ya. I haven't forgotten what happened in the past few years. If we really marry her into our family, I don't know how much trouble she will cause."

Old Mrs. Zhu had the same idea, but the most important thing was that her grandson didn’t like it.

Downstairs, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking about the marriages of several boys, while upstairs, Ji Ling was listening to Ji Jianhua's phone call with a frown.

"In the past six months since graduation, Ji Ke has been nowhere to be found. The school hasn't expelled him, but it hasn't assigned him a job either."

Ji Ling asked, "What did my parents say?"

"What else can I say? We couldn't find the person. At first, my dad was angry and thought he was dead. Half a year has passed and he hasn't asked for money from the family. There is no news at all. My parents asked people everywhere to find out about him." Ji Jianhua complained that all his friends had been asked, and now even the people he worked with knew that something had happened at home.

Ji Ling didn't want to get involved in Ji Ke's affairs. She just listened without saying much, let alone mentioning her own thoughts and opinions.

In fact, in her opinion, Ji Ke was still living a very carefree life, otherwise he would have contacted his family long ago.

Ji Jianhua asked, "Can you come back during the first month of the lunar year? Dad asked me to ask you."

Ji Ling hasn't been back to her hometown for several years. The neighbors started to say that Ji Ling married into a wealthy family and looked down on her parents' family. Later, because of her background, they began to say that Ji Ling was an ungrateful person.

The reason why they discussed these things in private was nothing more than jealousy of the Ji family's current good business. However, the Ji family was in Bei County, so Ji Yong could ignore them because he still had Old Master Ji.

"Is there something going on at home?" Ji Ling noticed the hesitation in her brother's words.

Ji Jianhua told the truth, "My parents don't care about these rumors. You also know that Grandpa doesn't care. But Grandma went to Dad's house to make trouble a few times. There were many people coming to the store to buy goods. She pointed at Mom's nose and scolded her in front of outsiders, saying that she harmed the descendants of the Ji family."

I'm afraid there are even more unpleasant things, otherwise my brother wouldn't ask her whether she would go back or not. I'm afraid it has something to do with her.

Ji Ling could take a long vacation. She thought for a while and said, "How about this? I'll ask for a leave from my superiors. If I can get a long vacation, I'll go back to see my parents in the first month of the lunar year."

Over the past few years, although Ji Ling has not let go of the past grudges, she has felt relieved. The original body was not Xu Fang's biological daughter, and Xu Fang's attitude was understandable. She was worried about gains and losses, and after the truth was revealed, she chose to stand on the side of the Ji family. Xu Fang also let go of her worries, and the relationship between mother and daughter eased. They were neither too close nor too far, and they were able to live in peace. Xu Fang even took on everything that her mother and grandmother should have done.

Ji Jianhua was prepared for his sister to refuse, but he never expected her to agree. She happily said yes repeatedly.

Even through the phone, Ji Ling could feel his excitement. She had originally been hesitant about whether to go back, but now she had decided to go back.

After hanging up the phone, she turned around and looked at Zhu Weidong who was working at the desk. She stood up and walked behind him, put her arms around his waist from behind, and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"I'll take a few days off from the bureau and go back with you after the New Year."

Ji Ling smiled and nodded, "My dad and his family seldom bother me now. My eldest brother asked me to go back. I guess it was because my grandma was making a big fuss. Previously, I had kept the fact that I was not a child of the Ji family a secret from my uncle and his family. But Bei County is not big, so they couldn't keep it a secret."

"Grandpa is a wise man. Although you are not a biological child of the Ji family, you grew up in the Ji family and only recognize the Ji family. He will understand." Zhu Weidong only mentioned Grandpa Ji and did not want to say anything bad about Grandma Ji, because she was, after all, the elder on his daughter-in-law's side.

Ji Ling's face was almost touching his, and she had to admit that Zhu Weidong looked really good. Even at such a close distance, she could not find any blemishes on his face. Even in the northwest where the climate is bad, his skin was a healthy wheat color and he had not been tanned.

His wife didn't respond, but kept staring at him with burning eyes. Zhu Weidong's ears slowly turned red.

"Niuniu is playing downstairs." His voice became a little hoarse.

Ji Ling looked puzzled, not understanding how the conversation about family matters ended up involving her daughter.

The next moment, her eyes flashed and she was picked up by Zhu Weidong. Her center of gravity sank and she was put on the bed.

"Hey, I didn't think about that." Ji Ling finally understood what the man had misunderstood.

Before she could finish the rest of the words, Zhu Weidong blocked her with a passionate kiss.

On a winter afternoon, the sun shines through the balcony into the house. Those few rays of sunlight are like naughty children, scattering like playing hide-and-seek, but making the house especially warm.

Because it was daytime and they were worried about their daughter coming up, the nervousness made them feel unprecedented excitement.

When everything calmed down, Ji Ling fell asleep tiredly in Zhu Weidong's arms.

Zhu Weidong smiled and pulled the quilt over his wife, then quietly got out of bed and returned to the desk.

If you want to take a leave, you have to catch up with the work at hand.

After the New Year, Zhu Weidong also asked for a week's leave from the bureau and returned to Bei County with his wife and daughter.

Zhu Weidong worked for the General Administration of Railways, so he didn’t need to buy a train ticket. His family took a soft sleeper for two days and returned to Bei County.

Ji Jianhua and Wang Sanmei were waiting at the station early. When they saw the three people coming out, Wang Sanmei picked up Niu Niu.

Niu Niu still remembers Wang Sanmei. She was obedient in her arms and called her aunt sweetly.

Wang Sanmei is not pregnant yet. She likes children whenever she sees one, let alone a baby girl. She doesn’t know how many kisses she gave her along the way.

When Ji Jianhua saw this scene, his heart sank. He was not in a hurry to have a child, but how much his wife wanted one, how could he not know.

I could only change the subject, "Mom and Dad have prepared the food, you must be hungry, right?"

"I'm not hungry. I ate a little in the car." Ji Ling never wronged herself in this matter.

"I had lunch. It's past six now, just in time for dinner."

The atmosphere was very good along the way, but when I got home and saw the food swept all over the floor, my good mood was gone.

(End of this chapter)