Chapter 334: Sisters-in-law's Heart-to-heart Talk
Chapter 334: Chapter 331: Sisters-in-law’s Heart-to-heart Talk
Zhou Lian entered the study and looked at the group of women, all silently sipping their tea. With a hint of exasperation, she said to Wang Xiaojuan, “Xiao Juan, honestly. Why aren’t you talking with your sisters? Are you just going to sit here in silence?”
“Sister-in-law, I don’t know what to say to the eldest sister and the others,” Wang Xiaojuan said, looking at Zhou Lian with a helpless expression. ‘What am I supposed to talk about? I’m not familiar with any of them. I’m in the Capital City all year and only come back home a few times a year. What could I possibly discuss with them?’
Zhou Lian shot Wang Xiaojuan a look before sitting down beside her. She took the cup of jujube, longan, and lotus seed tea that Wang Xiaojuan passed to her—specially prepared by Sister Fang—and took a sip. Then, she addressed her married sisters-in-law. “It’s been a long time since we’ve all seen each other. Your big brother is always worried about you all back in the Capital City. Since it’s Grandma Li’s birthday, he made me promise to have a good chat with you. It’s been too long since we sisters-in-law have gotten together, so let’s just talk.”
“How are things with you, Li Hua? And how’s your son doing in school?” Zhou Lian asked, smiling at Li Hua after glancing around the room. “I heard from Grandma Li that he’s doing quite well!”
Li Hua smiled back at Zhou Lian, her earlier stiffness melting away. “Everything’s going well,” she said softly. “My son is pretty well-behaved. It’s just… Sister-in-law, do you think I should have another child?”
“Oh? Are you hoping for a daughter, to have one of each?” Zhou Lian asked with a smile, though her eyes narrowed slightly.
Li Hua frowned. “That’s not really it. The family planning policies are so strict right now.”
Seeing the smile fade from Zhou Lian’s lips, Li Fen spoke up bluntly. “Sister-in-law, my sister is too embarrassed to say it, so I will. This has nothing to do with wanting one of each. It’s her in-laws who are pushing her to have another baby. They see that her husband is making good money now, and with our big brother and Brother Bao in the Capital City, the Li family is on the rise. They think since our family helps out its married daughters, it’d be a waste not to have another. That’s why they’re pressuring her!”
After hearing Li Fen, Zhou Lian turned to Li Hua and asked gently, “Then what do you want? Do you want to have another child? Forget about everyone else. Just ask yourself, do you want another one?”
Shaking her head, Li Hua said softly, “I don’t want to, Sister-in-law. I lost a lot of blood when I had my son. When the doctor saw I’d given birth to a boy, he told me it would be best if I didn’t have any more children. Besides, with the family planning policies being so strict, why would I want another one?”
“Then don’t,” Zhou Lian said, her expression turning stern. “To put it bluntly, you’ve already given them a son, so who cares what they say? If they take it too far, your big brother and I will go have a talk with your in-laws.” ‘Since the doctor already advised against it, what’s all this fuss about? It’s not as if she failed to give their family a son!’
‘Zhou Lian herself didn’t believe in valuing sons over daughters, but that was the reality of the world. She couldn’t possibly change thousands of years of tradition all by herself. It was a good thing all the married daughters of the Li family had given birth to sons. Otherwise, no matter how capable she, Li Xiu, and Li Bao were, they could never guarantee their sisters a happy and comfortable life.’
Li Hua smiled. “There’s no need to trouble you and Big Brother. They just grumbled about it a few times. I was the one who was hesitating. I mentioned it to my mother, and she told me I should have another if I can. That’s why I’ve been so unsure what to do.”
“When it comes to this, don’t listen to what anyone else says. Just discuss it with your husband and come to a decision together. Honestly, whether or not to have a child is a decision you have to make for yourself.” Zhou Lian was relieved as long as Li Hua wasn’t being truly mistreated by her in-laws. As for having another child, that was a decision no one else could make for her.
Glancing at the other women, Zhou Lian asked gently, “None of you have had this kind of trouble, have you?”
Li Gui’s first child was a boy, but she was desperate for a daughter, so she secretly got pregnant a second time. As luck would have it, her second child was a girl, who was now over a year old. She’d even been fined three thousand yuan for having her!
Li Yun’s first child was a girl, so policy allowed her to have a second. And what do you know—her second pregnancy resulted in twin boys. Her in-laws were ecstatic, and now both they and her husband dote on her completely.
Li Fen was the luckiest of all. She had boy-girl twins, getting one of each in a single go. She’s also thoroughly spoiled by her in-laws. Even her husband’s sister-in-law absolutely adores her little niece. Since they all live in the same village, Grandma Li was always delighted when she spoke of it.
As for Li Xin, she also had a son, whom she had brought with her today.
In truth, all of her sisters-in-law were doing quite well. Grandma Li, afraid that Li Xiu might worry, had already run through the list for both Zhou Lian and Li Xiu. There were five married daughters in the Li family, and every single one was living a good life. Even Li Xin was doing well; after all, with Li Xiu’s reputation being what it was, and with her having given birth to a boy, no one in her husband’s family would dare give her a hard time.
“Sister-in-law, you and Big Brother can rest easy. We’re all doing great,” Li Gui said. “Back when we were getting married, Big Brother and our parents vetted our husbands so carefully. Then, you and our brothers all had our backs. And look at our brothers now! Every single one of them is impressive. Big Brother and Li Bao are already so successful. Li Guo is a student at a top university. And little Li Bo already takes after Big Brother. Everyone is saying his talent is just starting to blossom. All four of our brothers are forces to be reckoned with!” Once Li Gui started talking about her maternal family’s brothers, she was simply unstoppable.
Zhou Lian gave Li Gui a puzzled look, then glanced at the others. ‘I remember Li Gui being quiet. When did she become so talkative?’
Seeing Zhou Lian’s puzzled expression, Li Yun couldn’t help but laugh. “Sister-in-law, you have no idea. You can’t bring up her brothers in front of Sister Gui these days. If you do, no one else will get a word in edgewise!”
“My brothers *are* amazing, so what if I talk about them?” Li Gui said with a pout. “Anyone with brothers like mine would be showing them off, too!” ‘My brothers are talented, and that’s a fact!’
Zhou Lian smiled and asked, still a bit puzzled, “But I remember our Little Sister Gui used to be so quiet!”
“Oh, Sister-in-law, don’t even get me started,” Li Hua said to Zhou Lian with a helpless sigh. “You know her husband’s younger brother’s wife? Well, that sister-in-law started showing off in front of her, bragging about how capable her own brothers were and how much money they made. I don’t know the exact words, but Li Gui shut her down completely. And that wasn’t even the end of it! She went on to brag about everyone, from Big Brother and you, to Li Bao and Xiao Juan, all the way down to Li Guo and Li Bo! She didn’t leave a single person out. Now, there isn’t a soul in the surrounding villages who hasn’t heard the whole story!”
Zhou Lian nodded with a smile and said gently, “You all know your brothers are capable, but you also have me and Xiao Juan. If you’re ever treated unfairly by your in-laws, don’t just suffer in silence. I said this back when you all got married: the women of the Li family don’t go looking for trouble, but we aren’t afraid of it, either. As long as you’re in the right, no matter how big the problem is, you have your brothers and sisters-in-law from your family to support you. We live in the Capital City and don’t come back often, but if anything happens, you must tell your family. Tell us.”
“We know, Sister-in-law. Don’t worry, we’re all doing just fine!”
Hearing her sisters-in-law reply in unison, Zhou Lian and Wang Xiaojuan shared a smile. ‘As long as they’re doing well, that’s all that matters.’