Chapter 18: You Should Take Good Care of Yourself Now

Su Jinyan went to the bathroom to freshen up and, noticing that her clothes were still in a burlap sack, decided to go downstairs in her pajamas.

Downstairs.

Xin Huimin and Su Chengguo were bustling around, trying to feed the child some milk. The baby had evidently just cried, with tears still glistening on her face, and was shaking her head stubbornly.

“Dad, Mom, good morning!”

Seeing Su Jinyan come downstairs, Xin Huimin finally let out a sigh of relief. “Quick, come and feed the baby. She hasn’t eaten all morning and has been crying nonstop.”

Su Jinyan laughed softly, walking over to the sofa and picking up Zhao Hua. “Little girl, your grandparents are personally feeding you, and you’re still so uncooperative; back when I was little, I didn’t even have this kind of treatment.”

Zhao Hua saw her and immediately started to wail, crying very sadly.

It took quite a while for Su Jinyan to soothe her, and only after Xin Huimin added some warm milk to the bottle did, she hand it over again. “Hurry and feed her; she must be hungry after crying all morning.”

Su Jinyan handed the bottle to Zhao Hua. “Good girl, drink by yourself.”

At this age, the child could very well feed herself, and normally she did. It was probably just that seeing so many strangers today made her uncooperative.

Sure enough, the little one settled in Su Jinyan’s lap, holding the bottle with both hands and started drinking. The sound of her gulps made Xin Huimin wipe her brow in relief.

“This little one is just too difficult to handle.”

“Xiao Liu, bring some congee for Yan Yan.”

After Xin Huimin spoke, she looked at Su Jinyan again. “You should eat something to tide you over first; we’ll go to the restaurant for lunch since the whole family is here. It’s a good chance to meet.”

Su Jinyan nodded. “Mm.”

As for her in-laws and Zhao Yuanyi, she thought, no matter how much she said, it wouldn’t make a difference. Only when Xin Huimin and Su Chengguo met them would they be able to judge.
In their hearts, regardless of the Zhao family’s character and how they treated her, it was something they temporarily couldn’t accept.

Su Jinyan understood, too. If she had to marry off her daughter to such a poor family, with in-laws who were also disabled, she would be unwilling too.

Aunt Liu brought a bowl of century egg and lean meat congee and gently said, “Miss, please eat.”

Su Jinyan raised an eyebrow and glanced at her, then casually placed her hand over Aunt Liu’s. “Thank you, Aunt Liu, be careful it’s hot.”

As she let go, she turned the conversation around, saying, “Aunt Liu, why don’t you take some time off and go home to accompany your family? I haven’t been home in years and want to spend a few days alone with my parents.”

Aunt Liu was visibly taken aback, standing upright and wringing her fingers, looking lost as she glanced at Xin Huimin and Su Chengguo. Her pitiful appearance easily drew sympathy.

Su Jinyan squinted her dark eyes, realizing that she was indeed a deceptive old lotus flower.

“Just speak your mind; what are you putting on this act for at your age!”

“Don’t worry, your pay will remain the same during your leave.”

Su Chengguo and Xin Huimin were also unsure why Su Jinyan said this, but since their daughter had spoken, they naturally agreed.

Su Chengguo nodded towards Aunt Liu. “Sister Liu, take a month off. Besides, during the New Year period, Huimin and I will be homeless.”

As for Su Jinyan, they knew now that they had in-laws, she could not stay here permanently.
Aunt Liu, however, nervously continued to plead, “Sir, Madam, I won’t be doing anything at home; I can still help Miss take care of the baby.”

But Su Jinyan didn’t want to play along. She smiled slightly. “Aunt Liu, that’s not appropriate. After all, you’re a pregnant woman now; you need proper rest for your pregnancy and can’t tire yourself out.”

With a ‘thud,’ Aunt Liu was startled and stumbled back, sitting down on the floor.

She reacted quickly, speaking with a sobbing tone, “M-Miss, how can you slander me like this?”

“My, my husband is a martyr; you can’t destroy my reputation like this.”

Su Chengguo coldly chimed in, “Yan Yan! Don’t talk nonsense and apologize quickly!”

Xin Huimin glanced at Aunt Liu, who was overreacting, and didn’t easily draw conclusions. “Xiao Liu, Yan Yan is young and doesn’t understand. Get up quickly.”

Then she turned to Su Jinyan, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Yan Yan, apologize.”

Su Jinyan returned a smile, then looked at Aunt Liu and said, “Aunt Liu, quickly get up. I’m sorry, I was just talking nonsense. I remember you being quite slim; when I saw you in your pajamas last night, I thought you looked over two months pregnant.”

“I’m sorry; after being away for a few years, I thought you remarried.”

Aunt Liu forced a smile that looked worse than crying. “Miss, you can’t say things like this; it could cost someone their life.”

Su Jinyan chuckled. “You’ve worked for our family for seven years; you’re just like family. Even if you were really pregnant, we wouldn’t spread rumors outside.”
Aunt Liu’s eyes filled with tears, “Miss, please never say such things again.”

Inside, she was terrified and trembling; she didn’t understand what went wrong. How did this little girl figure out she was pregnant?

She was just two months along, and she couldn’t even tell herself!

Su Jinyan smiled and said softly, “Aunt Liu, get up quickly; you must be careful to avoid falls.”

As Aunt Liu lowered her head, her eyes darkened. All her plans had been ruined by this little girl!

No, she absolutely couldn’t let her spoil her plans.

Having gone home for just a few days, she couldn’t believe that a little girl like this, already married, would dare to bring her in-laws home for the New Year!

Aunt Liu hastily packed a few clothes and then left.

Once she was gone, Xin Huimin asked, “Xiao Yan, what happened?”