Chapter 247 - 244: Daily Life
Understanding Zhou Lian’s meaning, Mrs. Ping nodded gently. Supported by Zhou Lian on one side and Li Xiu on the other, she was helped downstairs. They walked out of the garden and into the outer courtyard, where Ping’an was already waiting with the car running. As Li Xiu helped Mrs. Ping get in, he lowered his head and whispered, "Aunt Zhou, I’ve had the Liu Family thoroughly investigated. Don’t worry."
Gently patting the large hand resting on her arm, Mrs. Ping smiled. "Alright, I understand. You two should get back and rest early as well. You’ve been busy all day!"
Watching the car slowly drive away, Li Xiu took Zhou Lian’s hand and turned around. He closed the courtyard gate and said softly, "Bao’er, you must be exhausted today!"
Shaking her head gently, Zhou Lian smiled and said, "I’m fine, just not used to this kind of atmosphere. Jin Chen, sometimes I wonder... I’ve lived two lifetimes and seen all sorts of terrible things, so why is it that I can’t even stand these petty games now? It’s a good thing you didn’t go down that path to power. Otherwise, I doubt I could handle all the ’wifely diplomacy.’ Jin Chen, you’ve truly spoiled me rotten. I feel like my mentality is getting more and more childish, and I can’t seem to control it!"
"Bao’er, I don’t remember where I saw it, but there’s a saying: ’May you weather a thousand storms and return with your youthful spirit intact.’ From the moment I opened my eyes in this life, making that a reality for you became my sole purpose. I will handle the scheming and the worldly troubles. You just need to be in my arms, smiling happily," Li Xiu said gently, his gaze full of affection for Zhou Lian.
After they washed up, they lay in bed, holding each other. Zhou Lian toyed with Li Xiu’s long, straight fingers and asked casually, "Jin Chen, are we going to have to host these kinds of balls at home again in the future?"
He chuckled, then gently lifted Zhou Lian’s hand to his lips and kissed it. "You don’t like them, do you, Bao’er?" he said gently. "I don’t either. We’ll probably have to host another one, but that likely won’t be until our daughter’s coming-of-age party. Do they bother you that much?"
"Not really," Zhou Lian said, her voice a bit distant. "I guess I’m just not used to it. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. It’s too early to say anything now. Let’s just talk about it in the future."
"Bao’er, I remember seeing a passage like this before: ’May you be warm through the winter and feel no chill of spring. May you have a lamp in the dark and an umbrella in the rain. May you have a good person to accompany you on your journey. May all your joy be real, never feigned. May you live this life to the fullest, sincere and kind. May time slow for you, and may old friends never part. May you have someone by your side through thick and thin. May the one you long for be the one to wish you good morning, and may you never feel lonely on the days you must walk by yourself. May you journey through this world with a full heart, seeing clearly what is right and what is wrong. And from that day forward, may blessings find you, and may you live a life of carefree bliss!’"
This was a passage Li Xiu had stumbled upon online in his previous life. Back then, he had thought that his most important, most beautiful wish for this new life was for Zhou Lian to live just as the words described. It was the motivation for which he strived and fought so hard.
Zhou Lian softly repeated the passage to herself. The more she said the words, the more she loved them. ’But,’ she thought, ’as a human in this world, how many people can truly live a life like that?’
As the morning sun slowly rose, the beautiful couple, wrapped in each other’s arms on the large, carved bed, opened their eyes. Li Xiu checked the time, then gently kissed the crown of Zhou Lian’s head and whispered, "Bao’er, time to get up. Ping’an is bringing his sweetheart over today. Aren’t you going to go and help him?"
Wrinkling her pert nose, Zhou Lian burrowed her face into Li Xiu’s chest and whined playfully, "Jin Chen, I’m so sleepy. I want to sleep more."
Through the blanket, Li Xiu gave her bottom a gentle pat. "Then you need to get up," he said. "You can go back to sleep after we’ve had breakfast!"
It took a great deal of effort, but he finally helped Zhou Lian get dressed. After a quick tidy-up of the kitchen, they went out into the courtyard. The rest of the family knew how mentally and physically drained the couple had been lately, so they had kept the children from bothering them.
Zhou Lian watched Nuonuo and Yanyan playing in the courtyard. The moment they looked up and saw her and Li Xiu, their faces lit up with pure joy. A pang of guilt struck her. ’In this life, I’ve been spoiled rotten by Li Xiu and completely absorbed in my studies. I’ve spent so little time with the children... No wonder they get this excited just seeing me.’
"Nuonuo, Yanyan, come here to Mommy!" Zhou Lian crouched down, calling softly to her children.
The two children shot forward like little cannonballs, rushing toward Zhou Lian and piling into her embrace. The force of the impact made Zhou Lian stumble, but in that same instant, Li Xiu dropped to one knee, wrapping his arms securely around the mother and her two children.
Looking at the three beaming faces in his embrace, Li Xiu couldn’t help but break into a happy smile. He had noticed the subtle shift in Zhou Lian’s expression earlier. He knew she cherished their children more than her own life. In this lifetime, he had deliberately guided her not to invest her entire being in them. It wasn’t that he didn’t dote on the children, but he couldn’t bear to see her like she was in their past life. Back then, when their daughter got married and their son took a wife, a look of desolation would unconsciously appear on her face—the hollow fear of her children growing up and not needing her anymore.
From a few steps away, Mr. and Mrs. Zhou watched Li Xiu’s instinctive reaction as the children rushed toward Zhou Lian. He could not have moved so quickly if his entire focus hadn’t been on her. They exchanged a smile and quietly slipped away, not wanting to disturb the family of four as they hugged.
"How are you feeling, old man?" Mrs. Zhou asked softly as she and Mr. Zhou walked hand-in-hand through the garden.
Glancing at his wife, Mr. Zhou smiled. "I’m fine. My health is great these days. Are you thinking about going back home?"
"Mm," Mrs. Zhou said with a sigh. "It’s not right for us to keep living at our son-in-law’s place. It’s not as if we don’t have a son!" It wasn’t that she didn’t like staying with her daughter, but societal norms were what they were, and she didn’t want to be the subject of gossip.
Mr. Zhou gently patted his wife’s hand. "Let’s wait a few more years," he said slowly. "If we try to leave now, our daughter won’t let us go."
"That won’t do!" Mrs. Zhou said irritably. "Just think about it. Before she got married, our daughter was so honest, quiet, and dutiful. Now that she’s married, how did she become like this? So spoiled and bossy!" Having lived with them for the past few months, she had finally gotten a clear picture of the life her daughter was leading.
"Nonsense!" Mr. Zhou retorted, looking at his wife disapprovingly. "How is our daughter spoiled and bossy?"
Hearing Mr. Zhou defend Zhou Lian made Mrs. Zhou agitated. "It’s because you and our son-in-law spoil her!" she shouted. "Everyone in this house listens to her! Even her own children have to coddle her and avoid making her angry! Have you ever seen a mother behave like that? She doesn’t lift a finger to manage the house, and her husband fawns over her day in and day out! I mean, really! I have never seen a wife who has it so easy!"
Mr. Zhou looked at his agitated wife in surprise. "What’s gotten into you?" he asked. "That’s our daughter we’re talking about. Isn’t it a good thing that she’s living well and is happy? Why do you have such a strong objection to her?"