Chapter 234
"Mom, Grandma seems really angry. She didn't even come out to see us off."
Sizhe was a bit worried. Getting angry during the New Year was not a good sign. Nan Sheng replied, "It would be even scarier if she did come out. Do you want me to get beaten up?"
They were going downhill at the moment, so there was no need to constantly pedal. Sizhe thought about trying to persuade his mother again. "Mom, look, my sister and I are both very well-behaved. Why don't you just listen to Grandma and give us a little brother or sister?"
Siqi also raised both hands in agreement. "I want a little sister! I'll play with her and keep her happy!"
Nan Sheng remained completely unmoved. She wasn't even afraid of the older generation, so how could she let the little ones sweet-talk her into it?
"If you want one so badly, you give birth to one. I'm certainly not going to. Just focus on pedaling your bike."
Sizhe looked utterly confused. Could boys give birth too?
However, the elderly Nan couple wasn't as angry as they had imagined. Nan Jingyu, in particular, kept trying to comfort Zhong Yanyan.
"It's a good thing that both children are healthy. It's the New Year today, so don't get so angry that it ruins your health."
Zhong Yanyan retorted, "What do I have to be angry about? By the time she gets old and has no one to look after her, I'll have long turned to dust."
"Our child is so capable, she definitely thinks much further ahead than we do. Besides, our daughter has a point. She is already exhausted from work; where would she find the time to raise a baby? Let's just stop interfering so much."
Zhong Yanyan had given birth to two children herself; how could she not know the hardships of pregnancy?
"I know. But whether she likes hearing it or not, I have to keep nagging her. Otherwise, the day she regrets it, she'll blame her parents for not guiding her. That girl has a mind of her own. What a waste of all that medicinal liquor."
Nan Jingyu murmured, "As long as you can look past it, that's fine. I was just afraid you'd actually get into a fight with her when she finally managed to come back for a visit."
Nan Jingyu also wanted to hold a biological grandchild, but he figured his daughter was so capable that there was no need for her to change her mind just for the sake of two old folks.
He felt a bit of disappointment, but as long as he understood his child's true thoughts, he would support her.
It was getting late by the time Nan Sheng and her family arrived home. Lin Han took the two children to the old family house and let Nan Sheng sleep a bit before heading over. After all, no one would dare to pick on her anyway.
Nan Sheng slept straight until seven o'clock. When she woke up, she felt a little hungry, so she got up, washed her face, and went over to the old house. At that moment, Fan Shuting had just finished preparing the filling and was about to make dumplings.
As soon as she heard her daughter-in-law was hungry, she immediately went to the kitchen and brought out the food that had been kept warm in the pot. "I was worried you guys would be hungry, so I left the food in the pot. Have a little something to tide you over."
Third Brother Lin curled his lips, thinking to himself: How come nobody paid attention to me when I said I was hungry earlier?
Besides Nan Sheng, the children also gathered around and joined in the meal. Once everyone was about seventy or eighty percent full, they put down their chopsticks, saving room in their stomachs for the dumplings and pig trotters later that night.
The ones making the dumplings now were Fan Shuting, Zhou Wei, the daughter-in-law, and Third Brother Lin and his wife. After finishing her meal, Nan Sheng wanted to help out too, but Zhou Wei pushed her to sit down on the heated brick bed.
"Just help keep an eye on the kids. You don't need to lift a finger. We'll finish making this small batch of dumplings in no time."
Fan Shuting chimed in her agreement. Seeing the family's situation improving day by day made her genuinely happy. Sun Qian, however, was annoyed by her sister-in-law's attentiveness, although she too wanted to benefit from the second brother's family's success.
She didn't expect much else, but Siyu was their own niece, wasn't she? Could they really just ignore her?
With an ulterior motive, she said, "Sicheng is the lucky one. Going to Rongcheng with Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law this time, he'll definitely have a bright future. Unlike our Siyu, who is just a useless little girl."
Hearing this, Zhou Wei knew immediately that Sun Qian was just jealous, so she completely ignored her. Sicheng was also in the room, and hearing those words made him feel quite uncomfortable.
Third Brother Lin was not as docile as he used to be. He immediately retorted, "What's wrong with being a little girl? She's my only daughter. Do you think I'd ever let her go hungry or thirsty?"
Sun Qian glared fiercely at her husband. Too angry to continue making dumplings, she sat off to the side, sulking. Fan Shuting just thought this daughter-in-law of hers was foolish. How old was Siyu anyway? Was there any need to bring this up right now?
Was she happy now that she had made everyone fall silent?
This little episode passed quickly. During the New Year's Eve dinner, Nan Sheng gnawed her way through a whole pig trotter and even bit into several coins hidden in the dumplings. Qiqi said cheerfully, "Mom is definitely going to strike it rich this year!"
Nan Sheng smilingly agreed, though inwardly she thought that if she really struck it rich, she wouldn't be far off from being sent away for labor reform...
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Nan Sheng followed Lin Han and the others out to pay New Year visits. By the time they finished their rounds, it was almost noon. After eating and taking a nap, it was already time for dinner again.
She couldn't help but complain, "In the winter, eating two meals leaves you hungry, but eating three meals is such a hassle."
Qiqi added, "If we eat too early, we'll wake up hungry in the middle of the night anyway."
There was really no winning...
Knowing that his wife didn't like to move around much, Lin Han got up to roll out some noodles. Only after he had prepared everything did Nan Sheng get up to fry some eggs in lard and cook the noodles. The broth was already delicious to begin with, and topped with plenty of braised meat, who wouldn't love it?
After dinner, the couple went for a walk outside to digest their food, while the two children also went out to play. After walking for a while, Lin Han smiled and asked Nan Sheng.
"Are you still brave enough to go pay New Year visits to your parents tomorrow?"
Nan Sheng put on a brave front. "Why wouldn't I be? The worst that could happen is I just run out of the house again."
As a matter of fact, she really didn't have to run out, because on the second day of the New Year, Yu Feng's family came to visit. There was no way Zhong Yanyan would throw a temper tantrum at her daughter in front of her future in-laws.
As the saying goes, a family with a daughter will have a hundred suitors. Logically speaking, since they were about to become in-laws, the Yu family should have held themselves to a higher posture.
However, because Nan Sheng had resolved the Yu family's difficulties, they felt incredibly grateful. Unable to hold back, they came to visit, arriving even earlier than Nan Sheng did.
When Nan Sheng's family arrived, they were acting all sneaky. Mingli nearly died laughing when he saw them. He whispered to his sister that Uncle Yu's family was there, and only then did she straighten her back and walk into the house.
Inside, the two families were chatting lively. Nan Sheng first wished Yu Feng and his wife a Happy New Year. The two children made the rounds collecting lucky money until their pockets were bulging.
When Zhong Yanyan started bustling about to prepare the meal, Madam Yu also followed her into the kitchen, bringing Luotong along. Zhong Yanyan tried to shoo her out, but Madam Yu insisted she just came over to chat, as she couldn't get a word in edgewise with the conversation happening in the main room.
Now Mingli didn't dare stay in the main room either. He remained in the kitchen with Luotong to help Zhong Yanyan out.
As future in-laws, Zhong Yanyan naturally had to show concern for the Yu family's affairs. "Have you brought the child back?"
Madam Yu sighed. "We brought him back. He was misbehaving, so we didn't bring him along today. My son and daughter-in-law have completely spoiled him."
Madam Yu had cried time and time again after learning that her son had gotten into trouble. Now that he had managed to keep his life and her husband could still retain his official position, she was content, and she spoke of their family matters much more openly.
Zhong Yanyan playfully scolded her future in-law, saying she should have brought the child over, but Madam Yu explained that her daughter-in-law had also followed them back.
This daughter-in-law of hers was now terrified that the Yu family would abandon her and her son, so she spent all day groveling and acting subservient. But once certain bonds of affection were broken, they were gone for good.
Right now, they were only providing her with meals for the sake of their grandson. Once they returned to the county town, they would raise their grandson and find a job for their daughter-in-law. They definitely wouldn't be living together like they used to.