Thank the heavens that Lin Shiheng doesn’t have to suffer so much.
With a smile, she laid the dishes on the table, and He Xuezhuzhu offered to help, but Lin Shiheng waved her off. “You might get burned, let Mom do it.”
He Xuezhuzhu had never been cared for so cautiously, feeling a bit at a loss. She subconsciously glanced at her husband, who comfortingly patted her hand: “Mom is right. You’re pregnant now, so it’s better to be careful. I’ll handle it.”
Saying this, he stood up to fetch dishes from the kitchen. Seeing that he was not only concerned about his wife’s well-being, Li Chunhua felt even more comforted and although she was happy, she still complained, “There are just a few dishes; can’t Mom carry them? You should be with Xuezhuzhu, not helping me.”
“Look at what you’re saying, Mom. Xuezhuzhu is pregnant now, and weren’t you pregnant with me back then? If I don’t treat you well, who will I treat well?”
With those words, Li Chunhua felt a wave of comfort wash over her, and any lingering sourness disappeared. After leaving the kitchen, she noticed the warmth in He Xuezhuzhu’s expression and felt even happier.
“Come on, Xuezhuzhu, it’s time to eat. After dinner, I’ll tell you what a pregnant woman needs to pay attention to.”
As she spoke, she mentally went through the reasons why some women in the village had lost their children.
Pregnant women fear exhaustion, shocks, and poor nutrition, so she needed to take good care of Xuezhuzhu. The first priority was ensuring she had enough to eat. As for shocks, Li Chunhua thought about how brave Xuezhuzhu seemed and decided she wouldn’t frighten easily. Even if something did scare her, as long as the mother-in-law remained calm, Xuezhuzhu would not be afraid.
To exaggerate a bit, from the time Li Chunhua could remember, nothing had ever truly frightened her!
While she was deep in thought, Lin Shiheng said, “Mom, are you going to tell Xuezhuzhu that? Then I’ll go ahead and talk about the house.”
“I’m thinking we should buy a piece of land, build a bigger house, and hire more workers to get it done sooner.”
Li Chunhua’s expression faltered slightly. “Buy land again? Do we have enough money?”
“Exactly!” Lin Shiheng slapped his hand. “I came back and got so carried away with seeing you all happy that I forgot about the important stuff.”
Standing up to go inside, he grabbed a large bag and handed it to Li Chunhua. “Here, take a look, but don’t be shocked.”
Li Chunhua smiled and shot her son a look. “When have I ever…” Suddenly, she gasped!
Her shout startled He Xuezhuzhu, who was peeking over curiously, while her mother-in-law quickly hugged the bag, looking around cautiously to ensure nobody else was there before pulling Shiheng closer and whispering, “Where did all this money come from?!”
“Before I took leave to come back, I completed a task, and this is what they sent me from up top.”
Lin Shiheng smiled at the still dazed He Xuezhuzhu and said, patting his chest, “Mom, Xuezhuzhu, I’ll work even harder in the future to give you a good life.”
Li Chunhua was still reeling from the shock, while He Xuezhuzhu looked at her husband, recalling what he had just said about taking good care of her and the child. With her mother-in-law’s gentle treatment, she couldn’t help but smile: “Shiheng, I believe in you.”
She thought, even if they don’t build a new house, life would still be good.
***
A few days later, news spread throughout the village that the Lin family had bought a new piece of land for building a house and even hired workers.
The He family was shocked to hear this. Weren’t they supposed to be taking Lin Shiheng to see a doctor for his health issues?
They didn’t suspect Lin Shiheng was lying to them since ever since He Xuezhuzhu married, he had always been honest. It was just Li Chunhua who could be unpredictable.
He Xiaodi swallowed hard at the thought of the money. Why hadn’t he thought of becoming a soldier sooner? Every time he wanted to play cards with his friends, he was short on cash, so he immediately urged his mother to go borrow money from the Lin family.
Mother and son went again, this time bringing a gift to show their sincerity.
Upon arriving, He Mu heard the news of her daughter’s pregnancy and immediately smiled, cracking sunflower seeds as she said, “This is wonderful! Xuezhuzhu, you must be having a big boy!”
He Xuezhuzhu touched her belly and softly replied, “Mom, don’t say that; the baby hasn’t been born yet.”
“It’s fine. Just eat more sour things and avoid spicy food. Sour means a boy, spicy means a girl; just don’t have a daughter!”
Li Chunhua just walked in and instantly agreed with this sentiment—wasn’t it better to have a son?
But when she looked up, she noticed her son’s ugly expression and the way he tightly gripped the edge of the table.
Nobody else noticed, but a mother could see clearly.
Suddenly, she came to her senses.
Right! Shiheng couldn’t father children!
Who could predict the baby’s gender? What if it was a girl? She wanted a grandson wholeheartedly; wouldn’t that just hurt Shiheng’s feelings?
Li Chunhua’s expression immediately darkened as she walked in with a gloomy face.
“Who’s saying that girls are not as good? Am I, Li Chunhua, the type who favors boys over girls? As long as it’s a Lin family child, I’ll love them just the same, boy or girl!”
“Not to mention, mother-in-law, that old-fashioned mindset of yours is really something; please refrain from saying such things in the future; it’s embarrassing!”
Before, during the engagement, He Mu had discussed the topic of preferring boys with Li Chunhua; now, she sat frozen, still cracking sunflower seeds.
This old woman had gone mad?
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