Yun Jin chased after him, saying, "Why are you crying? Let's talk when your older brother comes back."
Li Aimei turned around and smiled, leaving Yun Jin dumbfounded.
Li Aimei explained cheerfully, "Don't panic, sister-in-law, I was just pretending. My eldest brother has always been the one in charge in our family. My mother is obsessed with saving face, even if it means suffering for it. Others might not know, but I do."
Yun Jin was surprised that Li Aiguo had such a sense of responsibility and could take charge of the household.
That's true, he's a battalion commander after all, his words carry weight.
And so, Yun Jin and Li Aimei both looked forward to He Tingchuan and Li Aiguo's early return.
After arriving in Beijing and celebrating National Day, He Tingchuan made a special trip home.
Having given prior notice, He's mother was waiting for him at the military compound when he returned: "You came back alone? Didn't you say you were getting married? Where's your wife?"
He Tingchuan took off his hat: "It's a long journey. I'm here on a mission, not to visit my family. She's heavily pregnant and it's inconvenient for her to take the train, so she's resting in the family compound."
Mrs. He frowned: "She doesn't know you're back?"
He Tingchuan shook his head: "The organization does not allow us to reveal our whereabouts."
Of course, Mrs. He knew, but she didn't say a word about it in private.
It's clear that the son really didn't like his wife.
Mrs. He said, "Hmph, if you had listened to us earlier, we wouldn't have this trouble."
He Tingchuan didn't like hearing this: "Mom, marrying her was my own choice. If you have any complaints, just tell me. She's not a burden, and it's not her fault. Don't blame her."
"What did I say that you're already protecting her?" Mrs. He said irritably, clearly disliking this daughter-in-law she had never met before.
She had a son late in life and doted on him so much, but who knew he would be ruined by a country girl, and now she won't even be allowed to talk about it.
“Mom, she’s my wife, the mother of my child. How would you feel if someone said that about you to my face?” He Tingchuan stepped upstairs: “If you don’t like me, I’ll just take my things and leave.”
"You..." Mrs. He was so angry that her face turned green. Looking at her son, who seemed determined to never speak to the family again, she cursed, "You're such a nemesis. I must have owed you something in my past life."
“Mom.” He Tingchuan didn’t know how to respond.
Mrs. He waved her hand: "You're awake. I won't say anything about your precious baby anymore, okay?"
In order to keep her son at home, Mrs. He had no choice but to endure it.
He Tingchuan went upstairs, found the things he wanted to take, and opened the window to see the pomegranate tree in the yard. Its bark was bright red, and it looked ripe at first glance.
He Tingchuan quickly packed his things and went to the yard. He spotted some big, red pomegranates and, without any help, picked most of them off the old tree.
Looking at He Tingchuan, who picked pomegranates for her as soon as he came back, Mrs. He smiled and said, "You know how to care about your mother and know that I love to eat."
She reached for the biggest pomegranate, but He Tingchuan stopped her, saying, "This is for you to take with you. Mom, which one do you want to eat from the tree? I'll pick it for you."
Mrs. He: "......"
"Take them away? Where are you taking them?" Mrs. He had a bad feeling.
He Tingchuan didn't hide anything: "Yun Jin wanted to eat pomegranates at the family compound, but there weren't any for sale there. So I picked some to take to her when I got back."
Mother He felt incredibly bitter: "Do you like eating human flesh? Why don't you cut off a piece of my flesh for her to eat?"
He Tingchuan was both amused and exasperated: "Mom, she doesn't eat human flesh. If you feel sorry for her, you can prepare some delicious food from Beijing for her. She'll definitely love it."
Mother He was so angry that she waved her hand to shoo them away: "Go away, go away! You've forgotten your mother now that you have a wife. You keep talking about your wife. Tell your mother the truth, what kind of bewitching potion did that country girl give you?"
He Tingchuan wasn't angry at all: "I inherited this from my dad. He dotes on his wife, and I'm his son, so I just follow his example. It proves that my mom gave birth to a good daughter, just like my dad!"
Mother He blushed and playfully pushed him away, saying, "Get lost! What shameless things are you saying? You're nothing like my cold and taciturn son. You're like a completely different person since you came back this time."
He Tingchuan raised an eyebrow: "Really?"
"Go look in the mirror yourself. You never used to make fun of your mother like that." Mother He could tell that her daughter-in-law had taught her a lesson.
Unexpectedly, in her lifetime, she would see her cold and distant son make witty remarks. Suddenly, Mrs. He felt that her daughter-in-law, whom she had never met, was not so worthless after all.
He Tingchuan didn't think so; he was just quiet before.
My wife has been quite the chatterbox lately. She likes to talk to him all the time. She used to be known for her stuttering, but now her words are as sweet as honey. She knows exactly what he wants to hear, and what she says is so charming and endearing.
Pointing to the second-grade pomegranates on the tree, Mother He said, "Since you've already picked them all, pick them all. Your wife loves to eat them, so let her eat more and give me a big, fat grandson."
He Tingchuan frowned as he looked at her.
Mrs. He found his conflicted expression quite amusing: "What's with that expression? Wouldn't it be better to have a big, healthy boy?"
“Mom, this is a new society now. The old-fashioned preference for sons over daughters is wrong. You have to change it. Even though I am your son, you can’t look down on my second sister, right?” He Tingchuan seized the opportunity to make a point.
Mrs. He blinked: "When did I ever look down on your second sister?"
"You keep calling me a chubby boy, are you looking down on my second sister because she's a daughter?" He Tingchuan knew how to keep track of things.
Mrs. He was so angry that she almost hit someone: "Don't say anything! Give me back my taciturn, sparing-of-words son who can't utter a word even if you beat him with a stick. I wonder if the hospital has any medicine to make him mute?"
He Tingchuan: "..."
Disliked for not being able to speak, He Tingchuan could only silently pick pomegranates from the tree, leaving three or five less-than-ideal ones for the birds to eat. Winter was approaching, and the birds had nothing to eat, so they came to eat the pomegranate seeds.
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