Free Web NovelChapter 28: Chapter 30: People of the Li Family
That evening, Li Xiu’s home welcomed everyone from the Li family, with the exception of Second Brother Li’s household. Zhou Lian hadn’t gone to work that day. Li Xiu had told the production team captain she wasn’t feeling well, and the news soon spread throughout Shanqian Village. In the morning, First Aunt Li and Third Aunt Li had asked Li Xiu about it in the fields. When they learned she was pregnant, they decided to wait until evening to visit together.
The weather had warmed up, so Li Xiu and his wife had moved from the heated kang bed back into the east bedroom. The room couldn’t hold so many people, so Li Xiu built a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had everyone sit around it.
Grandma Li was overcome with excitement, clutching Zhou Lian’s hand. Her grandson’s wife was pregnant right after marrying into the family! Regardless of whether it was a boy or a girl, this was the fourth generation of the Li family. She was over seventy and had feared she wouldn’t live to see Li Xiu’s child. If that happened, she wouldn’t be able to face her late husband in the afterlife. But now, everything was fine. She was still hale and hearty and could even help raise her great-grandchild.
"Mom, you must be overjoyed," Third Aunt Li teased her mother-in-law. She was happy too. Her nephew had started a family and was having a child; hopefully, he would stop thinking about his heartless parents and younger siblings.
Uncle Li was also very happy. The honored grandson of the Li family now had an heir. Whether it was a "flower" (a girl) or a "fruit" (a boy), the child would be of the direct line of succession. Uncle Li was a bit partial to boys, but the line of the honored grandson was different. Speaking of which, not just any eldest grandson could become the honored grandson; they had to be evaluated for their abilities after turning six.
Li Xiu had been made the honored grandson at the age of ten. At the time, Li Hua was seven and Li Bao was six. The decision had been made by Grandma Li, Uncle Li, and four clan elders. In Uncle Li’s generation, the honored grandson was Eldest Li himself. The late Grandpa Li had five brothers, and as the fourth brother, he had also been the honored grandson of his generation.
Everyone in the clan said that the father-son pair of Eldest Li and his father were outstanding. And it was true. Grandpa Li had passed away early, but he was exceptionally clever. Uncle Li had been to war, was magnanimous, and possessed great foresight. Now, with Li Xiu, the wiser clan members had seen from his conduct during the family property division that he too had foresight and acted with integrity.
’Actually, the title of honored grandson became less and less important over time. In my last life, Uncle Li and the others wanted Li Xiangrui to take the role, but he got into university at sixteen and left for the city. He rarely returned to the village unless it was for something major. So, there was no honored grandson in Li Xiangrui’s generation. By the time of Li Xiu’s grandchildren, the concept itself had disappeared. With the family planning policy, each family only had one child, and there was no guarantee it would be a boy. For now, though, being the honored grandson is still a very big deal.’
Just as everyone was talking animatedly, the main gate opened. All heads turned to look, only to see Second Brother Li standing timidly in the doorway, holding his tobacco pouch. Everyone was stunned. ’Why is he here?’
Li Xiu was the first to react. He stood up and went to greet him. "Dad, you’re here. Come, sit!" He grabbed a stool and handed it to him, asking, "Dad, have you eaten?"
Seeing his son’s smiling face, Second Brother Li felt his heart settle. ’My son’s not angry.’ What he didn’t know was that Li Xiu was thinking, ’No matter what, he’s still my father. And no matter how much favoritism he’s shown, he’s happy to hear his son is having a child. Besides, I’ve never bothered getting into it with my timid, weak-willed dad. Arguing with him would be the death of me.’
Seeing his son’s concern, Second Brother Li said happily, "No, I haven’t. I was so excited, I forgot to eat."
Everyone looked at him with a sense of resignation. ’He’s a little too simple.’ Li Xiu quickly said, "Then just wait a moment, Dad. We have leftovers. I’ll go heat them up for you."
He walked a few steps into the kitchen. Zhou Lian had wanted to eat rice for dinner, and Li Xiu had steamed plenty, so a lot was left over. He had also bought some large pork bones at noon and stewed them with a big pot of radishes. He made some egg-fried rice for his father, heated up a small basin of the bone soup, and brought it out on a small kang table. He also prepared a small portion for Li Bo, Li Yuan, and Li Miao, figuring the children must be getting hungry watching someone else eat.
Everyone watched in bemusement as the four of them—the father and the three children—ate with gusto. Grandma Li looked helplessly at her carefree second son. ’He’s simple, weak, and selfish, but deep down, his good nature is still there.’
When he had finished eating, Li Xiu asked, "Are you full? I can get you some more if it wasn’t enough."
Second Brother Li wiped his mouth and said with satisfaction, "I’m full. A little stuffed, even." Li Xiu didn’t know what to make of his carefree father. He brewed him a cup of tea, and once the little ones were done eating, he cleared the bowls away and finally sat back down.
Grandma Li patted Zhou Lian’s hand and said gently, "Your father-in-law is just very happy!"
Zhou Lian just smiled. ’I don’t really know my father-in-law that well. In my previous life, he died early—in the spring of next year. My only impression of him was that he was too simple and uninvolved, letting my mother-in-law run the household. I should remind Li Xiu tonight. For better or worse, that’s still his biological father.’ Hearing Second Brother Li break into a gut-wrenching coughing fit, and seeing that no one else seemed to pay it much mind, Zhou Lian asked directly, "Dad, your cough sounds so severe. Haven’t you gone to the hospital to get it checked?"
Li Xiu’s head snapped up to look at Zhou Lian. She gave him a barely perceptible nod. Li Xiu turned directly to Second Brother Li and said, "In a couple of days, I’m taking my wife to the county hospital for a check-up. You should come and get yourself examined, too."
"Is something wrong with your wife?" First Aunt Li exclaimed in alarm.
"Nothing, nothing’s wrong," Li Xiu quickly explained. "I heard the hospital has a machine now that can tell the baby’s gender, and even see how many there are. The busy season is almost over, so we were planning to go to the county to do some shopping and thought we’d stop by for a look."
Grandma Li shot back, "What, are you hoping for a boy?"
Li Xiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he tried to soothe his grandmother. "No, no, I’m just curious, that’s all. It’s only been two or three months, and I heard the machine can actually see the baby, so I wanted to take a peek."
First Aunt Li was skeptical. "You wouldn’t... if you found out it was a girl, you wouldn’t..."
"Aunt, I’m really not like that!" Seeing that no one believed him except for his wife, Li Xiu started sweating profusely. These were his elders; if he couldn’t explain himself, his uncle and third uncle might actually take a switch to him.
Seeing his predicament, Zhou Lian smiled and came to his rescue. "Grandma, First Aunt, Third Aunt, he’s not like that. He wants to see if we’re having a daughter so he can buy her little dresses!"
Seeing everyone let out a collective sigh of relief, Zhou Lian’s heart warmed. ’Grandma, Uncle, and Third Uncle... they’re all good people. They were in my last life, too. When my daughter was born, it was Grandma, First Aunt, and Third Aunt who took care of me during my postpartum confinement. Li Hua made her hundred-day celebration shoes, and Third Aunt made her a little jacket. My own mother-in-law and sister-in-law, on the other hand, didn’t lift a finger.’
’I remember my grandmother saying angrily, "Shoes from the paternal aunt, socks from the maternal aunt, a yellow jacket from the paternal grandma, a belly-band from the maternal grandma, and trousers from the uncle’s wife—these are all meant to bring the child good fortune. If they won’t make them, our little girl will still have things made by her other aunts and grandmas!" Later, when my son was born, Li Gui made his shoes and First Aunt made his jacket. It was a good thing my other in-laws hadn’t made anything. Afterward, when my daughter and son became successful, they tried to cozy up to them, but I shut them down with a single retort: "My children never wore shoes from their paternal aunt, nor a jacket from their paternal grandma."’
’But I accepted the kindness from First Aunt’s and Third Aunt’s families on my children’s behalf, and I taught my children that they must always help their first grand-aunt’s family and third grand-aunt’s family if they were ever in need. That was a debt of gratitude! Two lifetimes had passed. Things had changed, but people were still the same. The kind-hearted were still kind-hearted, and the selfish were still selfish. The only thing was Li Xiu. It was as if his two most important meridians had been unblocked, leading to a sudden enlightenment. It was very strange!’
The younger children huddled together, debating whether it would be a nephew or a niece. The older men gathered with Li Xiu around the three senior brothers of the family to discuss names, while Grandma Li, First Aunt Li, and Third Aunt Li instructed Zhou Lian on the dos and don’ts of pregnancy.
Zhou Lian listened with a peaceful heart. ’Living a second time really is different. In my last life, everyone came to visit at this time too, but back then, we were short on food and clothing. I was exhausted, weary, and completely at a loss.’
’It’s nothing like now. I have six or seven thousand yuan in cash on hand. Li Xiu has prepared all sorts of food and drink. He even bought a whole bolt of cotton fabric before we were married and stashed it in the wardrobe. All spring, I’ve been doing the lightest chores. On top of that, Li Xiu makes breakfast and dinner. If it weren’t for the fact that it lets me get off work earlier, he wouldn’t even let me cook lunch. Now, I eat well and dress well, the work isn’t tiring, and Li Xiu indulges my every whim. Life is so comfortable. This is so much better than my last life!’
