Gong Linglong prepared a lot of return gifts. She called her brother-in-law in advance and asked them to drive over in the evening to help transport the goods. She also called her grandmother in advance and asked the whole family to go to Zhou's house for dinner in the evening.
It was already dark when we arrived at the Zhou family's house. Old Master Zhou had just gotten home from get off work. Seeing them unloading the goods like they were moving house, he stood at the door and said, "You should prepare a return gift. Just a small token of your appreciation will be enough. Why bring so many things?"
"Dad, we didn't prepare much in return. Linglong said you like vegetables, so we asked a friend to bring some fresh vegetables from the south to make hot pot for you."
Zhou Lanqin got out of the car holding her three grandchildren and taught them with a smile: "Mingbao, Axiao, Xiaopeng, this is great-grandfather, do you recognize him?"
"Great grandfather."
The triplets walked over with their short legs, calling out politely. When they saw someone else coming out of the house, they looked up and called out, "Grandma."
"Hey." Mrs. Zhou smiled when she saw them and pulled her husband. "What are you standing at the door? Hurry up and bring the triplets inside. It's cold outside. Don't let them freeze."
Grandpa Zhou asked their three children to enter the house first, and then called out to his two grandsons' wives, "Xiaoyun, Linglong, let them move the things. You guys come in first."
Gong Linglong and the others had just not gone to their uncle and aunt's house, so they called them in advance. They were busy and would not be at home in the evening, so they left the prepared gifts with their grandfather first, and they would come back to get them when they had time.
"Four college students from prestigious universities, welcome, welcome."
Zhou Huaizuo smiled broadly and personally made tea for them. "Our family did well in the exam this time. Besides the four of you, Taozi got a bachelor's degree, my Qingsong, the fourth child's Qingyang, and my youngest sister's Huimin. The three of them got junior college degrees, so a total of eight of us have university degrees. It's a very good result."
Mr. Zhou was also in high spirits today. He sat down with a cup of tea and a broad smile on his face. “Qingsong and the other three have Linglong to thank for this. If she hadn’t worked so hard to prepare detailed review materials for them, they would have been in trouble this time based on their own abilities.”
Lu Jingyang smiled and continued, "My review materials were also prepared by my sister-in-law. I worked frantically for the next month, and she helped me correct my papers and analyze my mistakes every night. If she hadn't helped me with the intensive review, I wouldn't have gotten such a high score."
"We are family, so we should help each other and make progress together." Gong Linglong said with a smile.
Everyone chatted for a while, and the food in the kitchen was ready. Everyone got up and sat down in the dining room. Zhou Huaizuo took out a bottle of wine and had a few drinks with the old man and his two nephews to celebrate.
During the meal, Madam Zhou asked, "Linglong, Wan Tang has been in confinement recently. Is her health recovering well?"
"He's recovered well, but I don't have much breast milk. Chichi has a big appetite, so this is barely enough to fill him up."
"He's not even a month old yet, and breast milk is already barely enough. His appetite is getting bigger and bigger, so this isn't enough to feed him. Doesn't he want to eat any milk powder at all?" asked Mrs. Zhou.
"Yes, I don't drink any of it. I just spit it out as soon as it comes into my mouth. It's very essence."
Gong Linglong said as she picked up some food for the three children, "Uncle Han said that after the confinement period, we'll move to the military district family compound. There's a military wife there who gave birth three months ago and has plenty of milk. We've already agreed with her to help feed the baby for a few months, and then wean the baby after seven or eight months."
"That's fine. Children who grow up drinking Baijia milk are easier to raise."
This is how children are raised these days. If the baby does not have enough milk, other mothers will help feed the baby. After all, milk powder is expensive and not every household can afford it.
"Linglong, Wantang will move to the family compound after the Chinese New Year, right?" Old Madam Zhou asked again.
"Yes, we have to wait until the New Year."
Gong Linglong felt that her grandmother had something to ask her mother, so she asked her, "Grandma, is there something wrong?"
"Wantang is a good doctor. Your aunt wants to take Yan'er to see your mother, but they won't be able to return to Beijing until the New Year."
"Grandma, what happened to Sister Yan?" Lu Jingchuan looked up and asked.
Madam Zhou sighed as she spoke of her granddaughter. She told them, "Yan'er hasn't gotten pregnant since her first child. Now Nini is almost five years old, and her in-laws are constantly urging her to have a baby. They were quite nice to her the past two years, but they've become increasingly harsh and sarcastic in their attitude towards her."
"Yan'er never told us about the injustice she suffered at her in-laws' house. Last time, I was visiting an old friend and passed by their house. I wanted to go in and see her and Nini, but when I got to their door, I heard her mother-in-law scolding Yan'er. The words she said were so harsh and piercing that she even described Yan'er as a chicken that doesn't lay eggs."
"Our Zhou family's granddaughter was actually bullied and humiliated like this. I was furious at the time and scolded her severely. I also called Lan Ping and the others when I got home."
"Later, Zheng Chaolin came to apologize and repeatedly promised us that he would not let his mother bully Yan'er again. He also said that if we couldn't have another child, it would be fine; having Nini as a daughter would be enough. But I don't think he meant what he said. He was just afraid of offending us."
"At the end of last month, your aunt took some time to take Yan'er to the hospital for a checkup. She was fine, just a minor problem, and the doctor said it wouldn't affect her pregnancy."
"Your aunt is worried about Yan'er. The hospital examination said that she is healthy, but it is true that she is not pregnant. So she wants to take her to see your mother and see if she can prescribe some Chinese medicine for her condition."
Gong Linglong understood and said, "Grandma, tell Sister Yan to come home anytime and not wait for Aunt and the others to come back."
"Hey, this child, she used to be very lively and cheerful, but since she married into the Zheng family, her personality has obviously changed. Now she's become more introverted and dull, and she keeps things to herself."
"If I hadn't suddenly walked over and caught her mother-in-law scolding her, she definitely wouldn't have complained to us, nor would she have gone to the hospital for a checkup. She would have continued to drink all kinds of bitter folk remedies that old hag had prepared at home."
Gong Linglong frowned as she listened and said, "Medicine is three parts poison. Sister Yan should understand this principle. Even if you are sick, you should go to the doctor to get medicine. You shouldn't take medicine randomly."
"Yes, this medicine is not food, you can't take it carelessly."
"As soon as I entered their house, I was greeted by the pungent smell of traditional Chinese medicine. Later, I pulled Yan'er aside and asked her about it. Only then did I realize that she had been taking traditional Chinese medicine at home for over six months. These were all folk remedies her mother-in-law had bought from outsiders and forced her to drink them three times a day."
Zhou Lanqin and the others didn't know about this. Her face darkened as she listened, "Yan'er is so confused."
"Ah, her personality has changed now. She hides a lot of things in her heart. No matter how much we ask, we can't get any answers. If we ask too much, she will just cry. Before we got married, she was pretty and lively, and loved to laugh. Now she doesn't even smile, she has a sad face all day long, and she has lost a lot of weight. It makes me sad to see her like this."
"I'll go find her after dinner."
Zhou Lanqin felt a little guilty. Her niece had been wronged at her husband's house, and she, as her aunt, didn't even know about it. She felt so sorry for her sister and brother-in-law.
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