Chapter 18: Yueyue Was Different Now

“Sister-in-law, I’ve finished the tiger-head hat. Here, I brought it over early in the morning.” Grandma Zhao pointed to the hat on the kang.

“Ah! You already made it?”

“Of course. We’ve got a big family—it’s impossible for everyone to have one each. I made more so the kids can wear them during New Year too.”

“That works.”

Then, everyone began holding the babies, crowding into Si Yueyue’s room, making all sorts of comments about the two little ones.

After a while, the women carried the babies out of the room to let the men in the family get a look too.

It wasn’t until the babies started yawning one after another that the two little brothers could finally go back to their room to sleep.

After Si Yueyue carried the children back to the room, Zhang Guihua also went outside. She whispered something to her mother-in-law, and Grandma Zhao began calling everyone to take their seats.

Everyone looked at the six dishes on the table—the aroma wafted straight into their noses. It smelled amazing.

Lei Dashu, as the head of the household, gave a short speech on behalf of the family, and then the meal began.

Zhou Guifen sat beside Grandma Zhao. After taking a bite of the braised pork, her eyes lit up.

“Cuilan, which top chef did your family hire? These dishes are so fragrant and unbelievably tasty.”

“Hahaha… Sister-in-law, we didn’t hire any chef. These are just homemade dishes.”

“What? Still trying to play riddles with me? Just tell me who cooked. Don’t tell me it was you—I know what your skills are like.”

“Could it be Guihua? No, I’ve tasted her cooking too. This isn’t her style.”

“Hahaha… no need to guess anymore. Yueyue made these dishes. Just the last three—radish meatballs, cold dressed cabbage, and the pickled vegetables—those were made by Guihua, but she used the seasoning Yueyue prepared.”

“Whoa~ Yueyue can do this too?”

“Of course. She got pregnant not long after she married into the family, so she hasn’t needed to cook. But today, didn’t she show off her skills well?”

“More than well—it’s amazing.”

“Someday, Yueyue should teach us too. We want to learn. Just look at how good that cold cabbage tastes—our families would eat more porridge if we could make it like this.”

“Hahaha… sure, when there’s time, you all come over and let Yueyue guide you a bit.”

“Sisters and sisters-in-law, hurry and eat before the food goes cold and loses its flavor.”

“Alright, alright. With food this good, not eating more would be a crime against our taste buds.”

“Exactly, we can’t make food this delicious ourselves.”

Zhou Guifen was eating meat and eggs. There was also minced meat in the radish meatballs. Something came to her mind, and she frowned slightly.

She tugged at the sister-in-law beside her. “These dishes use both meat and eggs. Isn’t that too extravagant? Why not save the eggs for Yueyue and the babies to nourish their bodies?”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. The eggs are wild eggs that Eldest Brother picked up on the mountain this morning. There are still eggs set aside for Yueyue and the babies.”

“Alright, as long as you’ve thought it through.”

While the sisters-in-law ate and chatted on one side, the men at the other table also had a few drinks.

After Zhang Guihua finished eating, she returned to the kitchen, took the portion of food that had been set aside, and brought it to the second room for Si Yueyue.

Creak…

“Yueyue, come eat first. I’ll watch the babies.”

“Okay, Sister-in-law.”

Outside, Lei Yu and a few nieces and nephews sat under the eaves, resting after their meal.

He listened to the lively sounds from the house, but his thoughts turned to his Second Brother. If… if Second Brother were still here, An An and Lele would have a Dad.

In the future, he would treat An An and Lele well. Even though they didn’t have a Dad, he wouldn’t let them be bullied by anyone…

As Lei Yu thought about it, he reached up with his sleeve and wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes.

“Shanzi, Yaoyao, Xiaoyun, do you want to go see An An and Lele?”

“Xiaoyun wants to go, wants to see little brother.”

“I want to see little brother too…”

“Let’s go then. We’ll go to Second Aunt’s room.”

One big and three little ones passed through the main hall and headed straight for the second room.

Knock knock knock…

“Second Sister-in-law, we came to see our little nephews.”

“Oh, it’s Xiaoyu. Come on in.”

Lei Yu led the nieces and nephews inside and told them to keep their voices down. Then he slowly walked over to the kang.

“Big Sister-in-law is here too!”

“Mom, why are you here? Weren’t you just eating outside?”

“Mom just finished eating and brought food for your second aunt. Why didn’t you all go out to play? Why are you here?”

“Mom, we came to see little brother.”

“Little brother is still sleeping. Go play for now, and come back to see him when he wakes up.”

“Okay~”

After the children went out, Si Yueyue also finished her meal. She put down the bowl and chopsticks.

“Sister-in-law, can you watch An An and Lele for a bit? I’ll go put these dishes back in the kitchen.”

“Just leave them here, I’ll take them over in a bit.”

“No need, Sister-in-law. I’ve finished my postpartum recovery already. I’ve been lying in bed for a month—I feel like I’m growing mold. It’s good to get up and move around a bit.”

Zhang Guihua nodded. She had given birth herself and knew what it felt like to be cooped up in a room for a whole month.

“Alright then, go ahead.”

After leaving the room, Si Yueyue smiled and greeted the relatives chatting outside.

Wang Cuihua looked at her walking away and then turned to Grandma Zhao.

“Sister-in-law, don’t you think Yueyue seems different now?”

“What do you mean different?”

“It’s just a feeling. Hmm… she seems better, even prettier somehow.”

Zhou Guifen also nodded. “Yes, she’s more aware and attentive than before.”

“I think that’s great. I don’t like people who’re timid and can’t even speak up properly.”

“Sigh—Guihua told me, she changed for the sake of the two children. If she were still like before, how could she stand up for them if someone bullied them?”

“I’ve always said getting married does people good. Look at Zhenzi’s wife—she changed a lot after having a baby. If you ask me, Qingqing should get married too. I get mad just looking at how timid she is.”

“You can’t say that. She also has to find a good family, doesn’t she? Our family treats our daughters-in-law well, we don’t make their lives hard.

If we misjudge and marry her into a family with a difficult mother-in-law, she’ll suffer, and she probably won’t even dare to tell us about it.”

“Cuihua’s right. You older Moms need to keep an eye out for us. We can’t let our kids go into someone else’s home and suffer.”

“Fang’er, you won’t believe this—just so happens, there’s a young man in my mom’s village. Last time I visited, she mentioned him. He’s a hard worker, and his family’s peaceful and kind.”

The relative called Fang’er’s eyes lit up, and she quickly grabbed her arm.

“Tell me all the details—now.”

Zhou Guifen couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction, and turned to Grandma Zhao.

“Qingqing is a good girl. But after that broken engagement, she’s been afraid to show her face in public or deal with anything.”

“Of course she’s afraid. I haven’t seen her for a while. We should get Fang’er to bring her over sometime. If she stays cooped up at home any longer, she’ll go stir-crazy.”

“Exactly! I’ll talk to Fang’er about it later.”

While the older women gossiped enthusiastically outside, Si Yueyue placed the dishes in the kitchen. On her way back to the room, she glanced outside.

Hmm, the men were still eating.

Lei Zhenzhen had been sitting among the older women listening to the gossip for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, she turned to her mother.

“Mom, we should get ready to leave soon.”

Grandma Zhao, hearing that her daughter and son-in-law still had to work, quickly stood up and began packing some vegetables from their own garden for them to take back.

“Mom, I’m going to chat with Sister-in-law Yueyue for a bit.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

Si Yueyue had just sat down—hadn’t even settled yet—when she saw Lei Zhenzhen poking her head into the room.

“Sister-in-law, Yueyue.”

“Big Sister.”

“I just came in to see the two little nephews. We’re about to head back. The factory still has work this afternoon.”

Zhang Guihua looked up at Lei Zhenzhen. “You’re leaving already?”

“Yeah, if we sit any longer, we’ll be late for work.”

“Alright, I’ll go pack you some vegetables to take back.”

“Sister-in-law, no need. Mom’s already doing it. I just came in to say goodbye to you and Yueyue.”

“Ah…”

“Ah-woo…”

“Oh, An An and Lele are waking up just to say goodbye to their auntie, aren’t they?”

“Ah…”

“These two little nephews of ours are going to be amazing in the future. Just look how smart they are—just like Second Brother…”

Lei Zhenzhen suddenly stopped mid-sentence. She reached up and touched her earlobe, then quickly changed the subject.

“Um… well, let Auntie hold An An and Lele.”

Seeing Lei Zhenzhen’s reaction, Si Yueyue felt a bit guilty. She knew the family was always mindful of her, careful not to bring up Lei Zhen at home.

But she couldn’t let them go on like this. Lei Zhen was the children’s Dad, and they had the right to know about their father.

“Big Sister, there’s no need to tiptoe around me. Brother Zhen is the children’s father. We can’t avoid talking about him forever.

We need to let the children know their father was a soldier who protected the country.”