Free Web NovelChapter 32: Chapter 34: Trip to the County Town (2)
He silently watched his son meticulously taking care of his daughter-in-law, stopping just short of spoon-feeding her. Seeing the calm expression on her face, he knew his son was always like this at home. Second Brother Li truly never expected his once hot-tempered son to dote on his wife so much.
In front of his daughter-in-law, all of Li Xiu’s former sternness and silence had vanished. He watched his son smile with such ease, his eyes sparkling as he gazed at his wife. ’Perhaps it’s because his mother and I never gave him anything,’ he thought. ’Now, just as he said, it’s best to just watch from a distance.’ Mr. Li gave a self-deprecating laugh, lowered his head, and silently tried to shrink into the background.
Li Xiu glanced at his dad indifferently. ’Good, as long as he knows his place.’ He turned his gentle gaze to his wife. "Do you still want to go? Are you tired?"
Zhou Lian shook her head, smiling slightly. "I’m not tired. Let’s go. There won’t be many opportunities like this in the future."
Li Xiu understood what his wife meant. ’Things are slowly changing, and there are plenty of smart people out there. The stuff at the scrapyard is probably getting scarce. Oh well. It’s best not to be too greedy. For us to have a second chance at life is already a great blessing from the heavens. We’ll work hard to live a comfortable life and make the most of this gift from fate!’
When they arrived at the scrapyard, the same old man was at the gate. He gave Li Xiu a knowing smile. Li Xiu, moving with practiced ease, slipped him a yuan and drove the ox-cart in. He carefully helped Zhou Lian off the cart and turned to Second Brother Li. "Dad, you can wait here and rest. My wife and I are going to go look for some things."
Seeing his father nod, he helped Zhou Lian toward the dilapidated shacks. Once inside, he told her, "Honey, take your time looking. Be careful now, don’t rush." Zhou Lian smiled and agreed.
The couple busied themselves all afternoon, gathering a small pile. The old gatekeeper weighed it all. It came to five yuan and seventy cents and filled seven bags. Second Brother Li watched his son spend over five yuan on a pile of junk just to make his daughter-in-law happy. ’He’s spoiling her way too much!’
He opened his mouth, but then swallowed the words before they came out. ’I can’t say anything, or I’ll just make him angry again. Forget it. Let them do what they want. Besides, my words carry no weight. My son won’t listen, he’ll just get mad. What’s the point?’
On the way back, Zhou Lian felt a thrill of excitement. ’It’s not because this stuff is valuable—I have no intention of selling it for cash. This is to build a foundation for our children. They say great talents can emerge from poverty, but that’s a rare exception. The starting line is different, the education is different, and your environment dictates how broad your horizons are. In my last life, my son and daughter were both brilliant, but they still lost out to peers who were just as brilliant but came from well-off families.’
’My son once told me, "It’s perfectly normal. Here’s a simple example: I knew of the Four Great Classical Novels, but I didn’t read them all the way through until college. Meanwhile, many of my classmates read them as bedtime stories in elementary school. That’s what it means to have a different starting point."’
’My daughter also said, "For a kid from a farming family, getting into a good university is the only chance to leap the dragon gate. If you can’t, what do you have to compete against the children of the rich and powerful? That’s the brutal reality of society."’
’This life, there was no way she would let her son and daughter suffer the same injustices they did before. The family now had that gold as a safety net, she and Li Xiu had just gotten over a thousand books, she knew things about the future, and Li Xiu was both capable and willing to listen to her. They could absolutely pave a smooth, golden road for their children.’
"What are you two planning to do with all this stuff?" Second Brother Li asked his daughter-in-law in a low voice. He didn’t dare ask his son, and only spoke up because he saw Li Xiu was focused on driving and wouldn’t overhear.
Seeing her father-in-law’s cautious expression, Zhou Lian smiled. "Dad, you know the two of us don’t have much money, and the children’s education will be expensive later on. The books at the scrapyard are really cheap right now, so if we collect more, we can save more in the long run!"
Second Brother Li gazed into his daughter-in-law’s smiling eyes, nodded, and said no more. At the front of the cart, Li Xiu smiled to himself. ’My father... he’s genuinely good-natured in his own way, but also genuinely selfish. But I have to say, he really knows how to read the situation.’
Back in the village, Li Xiu dropped Second Brother Li at his house, reminded him to follow the doctor’s orders and take his medicine on time, then left. He didn’t have Zhou Lian get out of the cart, having no desire to make small talk with the people in the old family home.
After dropping off his wife and their haul at home, Li Xiu drove the ox-cart back to the production team depot. When he returned, he found his wife busy cooking in the kitchen.
Li Xiu washed his hands, preparing to help, and started to fuss over her. "Honey, you don’t need to cook anymore. You need to rest well in your condition. Let me do the chores."
Zhou Lian smiled and agreed. ’I’ll still do what needs to be done,’ she thought, ’but my husband is just concerned about me. No need to argue with him over it.’
After dinner, Li Xiu steeped a cup of red date tea for his wife and had her sit and drink it while he sorted through the day’s acquisitions. There were some rare books, three paintings, and a few bronze items. Li Xiu packed everything away in the cellar. When he turned and saw his wife obediently sipping her tea, his spirits soared. He thought about the question he’d asked the doctor that morning and grew eager. "Bao’er, time to wash up for bed."
Lying in bed with his wife in his arms, Li Xiu stared at her with a fiery gaze. "Bao’er, I asked the doctor today. He said it’s fine as long as we’re careful. Not in the first three months or the last three months, but you’re over four months along now. It’s perfectly fine!"
Seeing his eyes practically glowing, Zhou Lian felt her brow twitch in exasperation. "When did you ask him? How come I didn’t know?"
Li Xiu cleared his throat and gave a sheepish grin. "At the hospital entrance. Remember when I said I forgot something? I went back to get it and just happened to ask then."
’He didn’t forget anything!’ she thought. ’He must have made up an excuse to go back and ask on purpose! The nerve of him! This isn’t some liberated future era!’ Zhou Lian snapped at him, her anger flaring, "Have you no shame? How am I supposed to show my face at that hospital again!"
Seeing his wife was truly angry, Li Xiu quickly tried to placate her. "Don’t be mad, Bao’er. The hospital sees so many people every day; there’s no way the doctor remembers everyone. Don’t worry about it. It’s been so long... I’ve missed you like crazy. Please?" He sealed his words with a kiss.
’Seeing how desperate he was, she didn’t refuse. Ever since they found out she was pregnant, he had restrained himself every single night. He would take cold showers in the freezing weather and wouldn’t even get into bed right away, waiting until his body had warmed up before cuddling her to sleep. Every night, he would only give her a few kisses and never push for more. Thinking of this side of Li Xiu made her heart ache for him.’
’She remembered something her daughter-in-law from her past life once said: "You only find out if you married a man or a monster after you have his baby." She’d said it after coming home from a class reunion.’
’Her daughter-in-law had told her that many of her old classmates had brought their children to the reunion. The women who were once so radiant in school had mostly become haggard housewives, and the get-together had devolved into a massive complaint session. This one griped about her mother-in-law, that one about her husband. Amidst all that, her daughter-in-law was the object of everyone’s envy. Even in her thirties, she looked like she was still in her early twenties. My son absolutely doted on his wife, and I wasn’t a wicked mother-in-law, either—I never meddled in their business.’
’Her daughter-in-law had said, "I must be one of heaven’s favorites. I was an only child, spoiled by my parents and elders. Then I got married, and my mother-in-law doted on me as much as my own mom, and my husband pampers me like I’m a child."’
’"Especially when I gave birth. My mom and my mother-in-law were both there with me. During my postpartum confinement, other than for breastfeeding, they barely let me hold my twin boys, afraid I’d strain myself and suffer long-term health issues. And because I had twins, my confinement period was two months long! My husband never let me wash a single diaper. My mother-in-law, worried she wouldn’t be able to provide the best care, even hired a professional confinement nanny for two months. Now my sons are seven or eight, and I still feel like a young girl. My old classmates were green with envy."’
’Her daughter-in-law had concluded, "It was then I realized that finding a good husband was the greatest achievement of my life. All my classmates agreed: before you have kids, every man seems gentle and considerate. It’s only after the baby arrives that you learn his true nature."’
