Chapter 51.2

Looking at the outcome now, it wasn’t too bad. The couple’s relationship seemed stable, and the daughter-in-law was nice, keeping in touch with the family. Previously, her brother rarely called or wrote.

Su Ying sighed with some emotion. “Now I just hope they give me a grandchild soon. That would make me really happy.”

Xu Xiaoling pouted and pretended to be upset. “What about my Xiao Zheng? Isn’t he your grandchild too?”

Su Ying began unpacking the items from the package and said without looking up, “It’s my grandson. His surname is Yang, not Xu. I want to hug our Xu family’s darling grandson right now.”

Xu Xiaoling was a bit displeased. “You’re so traditional, favoring boys over girls. Even though I’m doing well, you don’t seem to appreciate me much.”

Among her three children, she was the second. Her elder sister had married and moved away, Xu Zhao was rarely home, and she lived nearby. Though she felt she was very filial, her mother’s preference for boys had not changed in the past thirty years.

Since she and her elder sister were girls and Xu Zhao was a boy, their grandparents and parents had always given him more attention. She had felt unfairly treated as a child but realized there was little she could do. Girls couldn’t inherit the family business and were considered part of another family after marriage, naturally facing disadvantages compared to boys.

Su Ying understood her second daughter’s feelings but didn’t see them as a big deal. Girls were meant to marry, and raising a daughter to adulthood and ensuring her happiness in marriage was a mother’s job well done.

“Enough of that. Why didn’t you bring Xiao Zheng along?”

She also watched her grandson grow up. The little glutinous rice grew up slowly. He was well-behaved, sensible and sweet-mouthed. She hadn’t seen her grandson for a few days and missed him very much.

Xu Xiaoling explained, “He’s been coughing a bit these days, so I kept him at home to avoid the wind.”

Upon hearing that her grandson was sick, Su Ying quickly asked, “Is it serious? Did you take him to the doctor?”

Xu Xiaoling responded calmly, “It’s nothing major. We’ve seen a doctor. It’s just a bit of a cold, and he’ll be fine after a few days of rest.”

She unwrapped a well-wrapped item from the newspaper. It was a large piece of cured bacon.

“Why did they send meat back? We have plenty of meat at home. They’re in tough conditions over there. It would have been better for them to keep it. I wonder where they got such a big piece of bacon.”

Su Ying weighed the bacon in her hand and estimated it was about ten pounds, enough to last for a while. Despite her complaints about the waste of money, she was actually pleased, thinking her daughter-in-law was quite resourceful.

The bacon was also bought on the day the photo was taken, but not at a grocery store. When passing by an alley, Jiang Suihan saw someone coming in and out, behaving a bit furtively, and could not help but follow him.

If she was alone, she would not dare to go in, but with Xu Zhao by her side, she was bolder. After entering, she found another world, a spontaneously formed black market. The two of them wandered around in it, and when they came out, they were carrying a lot of things in their hands.

Xu Xiaoling couldn’t help but swallow her saliva. She was tempted by the large piece of bacon. Her in-laws were ordinary people compared to her own family, especially her grandfather, a high-ranking revolutionary with enviable monthly provisions.

Seeing her daughter’s reaction, Su Ying knew her daughter’s internal struggle and said irritably, “Take some of the bacon home with you when you leave.”

Her second daughter and son-in-law had a love marriage. Although her son-in-law was good and ambitious, Su Ying had an issue with his mother, who was biased towards her younger son and always wanted to claim the best things for him.

Su Ying couldn’t be bothered to visit her daughter’s home, unwilling to deal with her difficult mother-in-law. Her daughter’s choice in marriage was her own, and whether it was good or bad, it was her decision.

…

Grandpa Xu squinted at the photo with a smile. “Not bad. The kids look good together.”

Xu Zhenguo looked on eagerly but didn’t dare grab the photo from the old man. He leaned his head closer and took a look. He saw that the man was talented and the woman was beautiful, and they were indeed a perfect match.

He felt a sense of pride, thinking that his judgment back then was accurate and decisive. He had chosen a good daughter-in-law, and now no one could say he made poor decisions.

After his wife and daughter had scolded him, Xu Zhenguo felt a bit guilty. He knew he had acted impulsively but was too proud to admit it. He worried about whether his actions had harmed his son and the daughter of his friend, leaving them as a mismatched couple.

Fortunately, the children were sensible. Although the marriage had started abruptly, the outcome was good. With his son married, he might soon become a grandfather, and life seemed to be improving.

After Grandpa Xu finished reading the letter, he handed the photos to Xu Zhenguo and then said to his daughter-in-law, “I remember someone sent some seafood to the family last time. Please sort it out and send it to the kids. I also have some unused tickets, you can include those as well.”

Su Ying nodded, “Alright, I’ll take care of it.”

She decided to take an hour off work the next afternoon to pick out some nice items from the department store to send to Li Province. The area was remote and travel was inconvenient, so she wanted to send extra supplies to save them from making multiple trips.

During dinner, Jiang Suihan suddenly said, “I wonder if your parents received the package yet?”

She had packed everything herself, and Xu Zhao merely carried the package to the post office and paid the postage. When she asked him if he wanted to include a few words in the letter, he stubbornly sat reading on the bed, making no move to help. She wasn’t sure if he was lazy or simply didn’t like to express emotions to his family.

As a result, she wrote the letter herself. She wasn’t familiar with Xu Zhao’s family and didn’t know what to write, so she ended up rambling on, filling up two pages with trivialities. After finishing, she realized it was all nonsense and considered rewriting it but decided against it, feeling it was too much effort.

Xu Zhao estimated, “It should arrive in a little over a week.”

After a moment, he added, “I have a mission to go on tomorrow, which might last a month. During my absence, if anything comes up, you can contact Dahe. I’ve already informed them, and Aunt Cai is also available.”

He was a bit concerned about leaving Jiang Suihan and Jiang Leyun at home alone without a man around. If an emergency arose, they might not be able to handle it, and he worried that Jiang Suihan might be too shy to ask for help.

Jiang Suihan was taken aback, “You’re leaving?”

Xu Zhao replied, “Yes, it’ll be about a month if everything goes smoothly.”

As for where he was going and the specifics of the mission, he couldn’t disclose, as it was classified.

“This is so sudden. I understand. I’ll take good care of the house,” Jiang Suihan said, looking up at him, at a loss for words.

After a pause, she asked, “Will it be dangerous?”

Xu Zhao was silent. He couldn’t guarantee safety.

Jiang Suihan felt a bit down but forced a smile, “Please be careful. Don’t rush into things recklessly. I’ll be waiting for you to come back.”

Xu Zhao held her hand and nodded seriously, “Okay.”

After dinner, Jiang Suihan prepared his travel items: clothes, socks, and some food. She remembered there was still half a pack of dried pork from their last trip to the county and hurried downstairs to find it.

Xu Zhao propped his chin on one hand, watching her run up and down without making any move to help.

Jiang Suihan stood up, looking at the bulging package, “Is it a little too much?”

He was going on a mission, and carrying such a large package might make him a laughingstock.

Xu Zhao smirked, “Then reduce it a bit more.”

This was the first time someone other than Su Ying had packed his bag for him, and he wanted to savor this feeling of being cared for a little longer.

He didn’t tell Jiang Suihan which items were essential and which weren’t, just watching her like a busy little bee, spinning around. He knew he would end up rearranging things himself in the end.

Jiang Suihan struggled with what to pack. She frowned, thinking the ointment was necessary for mosquito bites and injuries, and the bottle of mosquito repellent was important. Two sets of clothes should be enough, and she couldn’t reduce any more. Two pairs of socks and an extra pair of shoes were also needed.

After some back-and-forth adjustments, she managed to reduce the load slightly.

Jiang Suihan sighed, “Is this okay?”

Xu Zhao glanced at the still somewhat large package and nodded in a nonchalant manner, “It’s fine. Don’t fuss over it. Go take a shower. It’s already 7:30; the lights will be turned off soon.”

Perhaps because he would be away for over a month, Xu Zhao had been particularly intense the previous night. Jiang Suihan felt as if she had been on a rocking boat all night, with the waves tossing her around, her head feeling heavy. She had no idea when she had fallen asleep.

In her drowsy state, she felt some movement beside her, and she struggled to open her eyes, seeing Xu Zhao getting out of bed.

Hearing the rustling sounds behind him, Xu Zhao paused in his dressing and turned to look. Jiang Suihan was hugging the blanket with one hand and yawning with the other.

He approached and sat on the edge of the bed, gently patting her head, “Why are you up? It’s still early. Go back to sleep.”

Jiang Suihan nuzzled his palm, her voice a bit unclear, “I’m not sleeping. I want to make you breakfast.”

Having stayed up late last night, Xu Zhao hated to see her get up. He pinched her cheek, “It’s fine. I’ll eat at the cafeteria. You should sleep.”

Jiang Suihan hugged his waist and shook her head gently, “I want to cook for you.”

Her voice was soft and sweet, with a lingering tone, like a gentle hum from her throat, her eyes wide and bright.

Xu Zhao felt a sudden tightening in his chest. He was quite touched by her gesture.

“Alright, then get up.”

Jiang Suihan reached out to him, “Carry me up.”

She looked up at him with longing eyes.

Xu Zhao wrapped one arm around her waist and, with a firm grip, lifted her up.

Jiang Suihan wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling with her crescent-shaped eyes. The feeling of his support gave her a sense of security.