Chapter 26.2

Despite being born in the countryside, her father could cook. Her older brother could as well, but the second brother was useless at everything, and they had to pay a higher betrothal price when he got married.

Though things were chaotic outside, life had to continue as usual. When she got home from work, the first thing she did was look at her husband with a questioning glance, and only when she received a reassuring look could she feel at ease.

After dinner, she noticed Zhou Junhui sneaking out with something. Prompted by her instincts, she followed her. She trailed her to a small grove and hid behind a big tree at the corner.

Zhou Junhui waited anxiously, and after about ten minutes, a man crept over. Zhou Junhui hurriedly complained, “Why did you come so late?”

“I got caught playing poker and couldn’t escape.”

“Wang Xikuan, what are you planning to do about us? My mom has urged me several times.”

“Mainly, I have nowhere to stay right now.”

“But that doesn’t mean we have to sneak around like this. Just tell my family, and we can think of a solution together.”

“What solution can there be? We can’t magically create housing, and your family has no place for us either.”

“So, what should we do?”

“I’ll think of something. Don’t rush me.” As he spoke, the man pulled Zhou Junhui into his embrace and planted a kiss on her lips. They weren’t even married yet, and Luo Lan felt a bad impression of this man.

Zhou Junhui half-heartedly resisted, but ultimately let him hold her. “Don’t just sweet-talk me, come up with a plan. Even if we’re not getting married yet, we shouldn’t be sneaky.”

“Isn’t it more fun this way? Don’t you think it’s more romantic?”

“What?!” Zhou Junhui’s tone unexpectedly turned petulant. “I don’t care. If my mom presses me again, I’ll have to tell her. You should find a chance to come to my house.”

“Alright, we’ll talk about it then. Don’t rush, the timing isn’t right yet. Once it is, I’ll definitely marry you and bring you home grandly.”

The man repeatedly avoided the topic of marriage, yet he was sweet-talking her and kissing her. Luo Lan, hiding behind the tree, couldn’t bear to watch any longer, biting her lip in frustration. Zhou Junhui, you foolish girl, how could you take things this far with a man like him?

This man takes advantage of you and isn’t even willing to marry you, sneaking around without letting anyone know. Does he really plan to spend his life with you?

She truly wanted to step out and drag her sister-in-law back home, but fortunately, Zhou Junhui still had some sense and didn’t take things further. After some affectionate exchanges, the two parted ways, and she made her way back in the darkness.

Silly girl, silly girl. He doesn’t even see you off in this dark. Is that a sign he cares about you?

Luo Lan quietly followed Zhou Junhui, watching her return home. Junhui stood at the door, pacing back and forth, seemingly deep in thought. This silly girl should just come clean to her family.

“Junhui, why are you standing out here? What’s the matter?” She stepped out of the darkness, trying to speak softly, but still startled Zhou Junhui.

“Nothing, nothing.”

As she approached, she asked, “Did something happen? If you’re having any difficulties, just tell me. Maybe I can help.”

Girl, I’ve already said this much, just confess. But to her surprise, Zhou Junhui still didn’t respond, smiling and insisting that nothing was wrong.

“Really nothing?”

“Really nothing.”

This girl says this to me outside, then goes into her room once she’s inside. She chooses to keep things hidden, so Luo Lan didn’t push the matter further. This was about a girl’s reputation, and she didn’t want to interfere recklessly.

The next day, in the kitchen, her mother-in-law happily whispered to her, “Junhui has a boyfriend and says he’ll be coming over in a few days.”

“Really? That’s great!”

It seemed Junhui had told her mother this. Luo Lan nodded at the news. If she could get married smoothly, that would be good, even if the guy’s conditions weren’t great, but as long as she liked him.

“Yes, once she’s married, I’ll have one less worry.”

“Yeah, just don’t rush her. Everything will be fine in the end.”

“Right. By the way, the old lady from the south house was carried back by her son. She’s paralyzed now.”

“Serves her right.”

“Now she’ll probably hate us even more. Living in the same yard, we can’t avoid seeing each other.”

“It’s her fault, we didn’t harm her.”

“Let’s just keep our distance from the south house. Her daughter said she’d come back in a few days to take care of her. The daughter looks just like her. After all these years as neighbors, they’ve quarreled with basically everyone in the yard.”

“Oh, I see.”

As she headed out to work in the morning, she bumped into the old lady’s son at the south house. He glanced at her before turning to get water, and she pushed her bike out the door. Zhou Qingshan came out with her, and they prepared to part ways at the intersection.

“Today is payday,” he said briefly.

“Are you submitting it?” She smiled at him. Since it was their first payday after getting married, she figured he meant it would be for her to manage.

“I’ll give Mom the living expenses, and the rest is all yours.”

“Is there much left?”

“There’s still some. Dad is still receiving subsidies, and Junhui will also contribute to the living expenses. Junfang doesn’t spend much on her studies.”

“Okay, got it.”

The wedding money was accumulated over many years. If her mother-in-law’s health improved, they could save on medical expenses, and she had her own salary too. The main thing was the points.

Oh, let me check the points. Nice, the points from yesterday have been credited, adding another amount. Right now, she could easily manage her daily life with food and clothing through the points, but her goals were higher than that. She had been thinking about a house for a long time, but now with the current situation, the more one possessed, the more troublesome it became. The status quo was actually quite good.

Luo Lan: System, I want to buy some fabric.

System: Just like that, you can choose for yourself.

Luo Lan: Why do you sound so tired?

System: I didn’t sleep well last night.

Luo Lan: You, a system, need to sleep?

System: I also need to rest!

After joking around for a bit, she parked her bike at the unit and started browsing the fabrics in the system. The weather would be getting colder. If she made something now, it would either be a cotton coat or an overcoat.

System: Don’t be so old-fashioned. With so many ready-made clothes, why not just buy those?

Luo Lan: I’ll stick to being a bit traditional.

It’s true that the early bird catches the worm. In this age of people casually throwing accusations, it’s better to be cautious. If she made her own clothes from the fabric, the styles might not match the system’s, but she’d feel assured wearing them.

Should she choose something for her mother-in-law and sister-in-law? That was a question. Sitting at her desk, she carefully selected fabrics, and to outsiders, it looked like she was in a daze. Sister Liu came over, gave her a pat, and pointed at the large teacup in her hand.

“Why aren’t you brewing tea?”

“Oh.”

“Hey, let me tell you something.” Sister Liu leaned in closer, and the two women began gossiping. “My mother-in-law caused me trouble early yesterday. She insisted I eat a moldy steamed bun she found. Guess what happened?”

“What happened?”

“I refused to eat it, and she kept grumbling. Despite my resistance, she ended up eating it herself and was sick all night. My goodness, we suggested taking her to the hospital, but she wouldn’t go because she was afraid of spending money. This morning, she’s completely drained.”

“How is she now?”

“At the hospital, her son is with her.”

“That’s just ridiculous, she didn’t save anything and now has to spend even more.”

“Exactly! She’s crying on the hospital bed, regretting it. I just said one thing—that she shouldn’t have eaten that moldy bun. And my husband actually argued with me about it. I thought, let them figure it out themselves. I’m done!”

Luo Lan shook her head, amused, and didn’t reply. Sister Liu poured some of her brewed tea for her, then began sipping from her cup.

“Hey, I’ve never heard you mention your mother-in-law. What’s she like?”

“Pretty good.”

“Don’t be too naive. I’m not trying to stir up trouble, but the world’s wisdom is that mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are natural enemies. It’s a timeless truth.”

Luo Lan didn’t say much more. In her time at this family, her mother-in-law had indeed treated her well. She never expected her mother-in-law to treat her better than her own daughter. Compared to her former mother-in-law from the Wang family, as long as there was no trouble, things were just fine.

Today was payday, and the same went for their workplace. However, since she had joined for a short time, she wouldn’t receive anything this month. Sister Liu was very happy with the money she received. The third-quarter bonuses had also come in.

When Luo Lan returned home, her husband handed her an envelope, which contained both cash and coupons. Their family’s grain supply was managed through a grain booklet. To buy grain, all they needed was that booklet. So the coupons issued included no grain tickets, only fabric tickets and other necessities.

“There are coal tickets too.”

“It’s winter, after all.”

Her husband was quite careless, handing her the cash and not asking how she would manage it. In any case, it was all to be submitted. How she used it was up to her.

She gave her mother-in-law the living expenses, handing over enough for two people. Her mother-in-law pushed some of it back to her. “Just give me half for now. You just started workin,; your salary won’t come until next month.”

“It’s enough, you should just take it. With so many people to feed at home, and with winter coming, we need to buy coal. We’ll need money for everything.”

“Alright then.”

With Zhou Qingshan’s wedding and her own illness, they had spent most of their savings. The little bit of savings she had left was just for emergencies. In fact, that small amount of money might not do much, but it was still better than having none at all.

They also needed to replace the chimney. The family had two living spaces and a kitchen, making three in total. Last year, she had saved some parts of a good chimney, and this year they would replace it for their son and daughter-in-law, while they could make do with the old one.

Mother Zhou put away the money and entered the house. Upon seeing Zhou Junhui, she couldn’t help but ask, “What should I make for him when he comes over this weekend?”

Zhou Junhui also handed over her living expenses. “Let’s make braised pork ribs. I’ll wake up early to line up and buy some.”

“Alright. This month’s meat tickets will probably be used up for one meal of ribs, so make sure to pick good ones. Or, should I have your brother wait overnight for them? Ribs can be hard to come by.”

“No need, I’ll go myself. I’ll wake up early and go at three o’clock.”

“Dress warmly, the weather’s gotten cold.”

“I know.”