Chapter 36.1

“Don’t rush, things need to be done step by step.”

Luo Lan’s words were met with nods from the three women. Unknowingly, she had become the backbone of the family. Even Zhou Junhui had started to respect her. On the way home, Zhou Junhui walked last. After arriving home, instead of going to sleep after her night shift, she headed to Luo Lan’s room.

“Sister-in-law,” she called out. Luo Lan listened, thinking she wanted to discuss the events of the day, but instead, Zhou Junhui mentioned something else. “Someone introduced me to a potential partner.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“I’m completely fine now.”

After a medical abortion, it usually takes about a week to half a month for recovery. Having gone through that period, Zhou Junhui had already healed. A colleague had introduced her to someone earlier, and although she had been noncommittal at the time, she wanted to hear her sister-in-law’s opinion.

“That’s something you have to decide for yourself. If you’ve moved on from your past relationship, then meeting someone new could be fine. But if you feel like you’re not ready yet, there’s no rush. You have your own job. You can live however you want.”

Zhou Junhui smiled. If she had asked her mother, the chances were high that her mother would have pushed her toward a blind date, but her sister-in-law had a more laid-back attitude. Life is short, live it as you please. Especially since she had a job and didn’t have to worry about making a living.

“Sister-in-law, it sounds chaotic in the south house. It seems like the sisters are arguing again.”

System: Go check it out. See what’s happening.

Luo Lan: I still haven’t received points for the Xu Hongbing melons I saw earlier.

System: Your accounting skills are impressive. You never forget a thing.

Luo Lan: Who would forget money? I’m not stupid.

System: I’ve given you the points. Go enjoy the melon.

Hearing the “ding-dong” sound that indicated her points had been credited, she smiled. Eating gossip without seeds felt lacking. Once she earned more points, she decided to treat herself to two pounds of seeds to enjoy.

The yard wasn’t large, and it didn’t take long for her to reach the south room. The wife from the east room was also outside, listening to the commotion inside, and she made space for Luo Lan to pass.

“They’re fighting over the house.”

“Doesn’t she only have one son?” In rural areas, property is generally inherited by sons, leaving no share for daughters.

“Yes. But those two daughters aren’t pushovers. They’re saying that since the son won’t take care of his parents, the house should rightfully go to the daughters.”

Luo Lan smiled but didn’t respond. The old lady’s three children were already arguing and were about to fight. The son and daughter-in-law were yelling very loudly, and the daughter-in-law pointed at her two sisters-in-law and cursed them.

“Traditionally, family property belongs to the sons! Even if we don’t live locally, this house should still be ours. You, the married daughter, have no right to come back and demand a share!”

“Ridiculous! In the new society, men and women are equal! Just because daughters have a duty to care for their parents doesn’t mean they have no right to inherit!” The eldest daughter, who was taking care of their mother, rolled up her sleeves and argued back fiercely.

“Sister-in-law, elder sister, stop arguing. Sit down and talk it over.” The youngest daughter seemed to be working in another place. She reached out and pulled the elder sister and sister-in-law, trying to persuade them to sit down and discuss. But neither of them paid her any mind.

“Shut up! If anyone’s biased, it’s our parents who favored you the most. None of us received any education. Your brother dropped out of middle school and went to the coal mine. You, however, went to college and are now an accountant. You’ve had the most advantages. Don’t lecture us about fairness!”

Her sister retorted, “Exactly! Mom has always favored you. When Mom is lying in bed unable to move, we didn’t even see you around!”

The youngest daughter was on the verge of tears. “Big sister, I’m the one providing money!” If it weren’t for her contributions, the big sister wouldn’t have stayed to care for their elderly mother. But even with her financial support, she suspected her big sister wasn’t taking good care of their mother. Otherwise, why would their mother have so many bedsores and deteriorate so quickly?

“So you think giving money makes you important?”

The older sister’s harsh words successfully made the youngest daughter cry. She covered her face and didn’t say anything more. After all, she didn’t want the house. She let them argue over it.

“Big sister, you’re the eldest in the family. You know we have three sons. How can they get married without a house? Aren’t you ashamed to fight with your nephew over the family property?”

The eldest sister shouted, “I have four kids too! We’re so tight on space that we can’t even move around in our house. Why isn’t the uncle considering a place for his nephews to live?”

“You bastard! I’ve never seen a married daughter so shameless as to come back to her family and fight for the property!”

“You’re the one who’s shameless!”

The man pushed the eldest sister, causing her to stumble back. Unwilling to back down, she prepared to fight her brother. The wife from the east house pulled Luo Lan back slightly and whispered a warning.

“Be careful, you’re pregnant. In the first three months, you shouldn’t let anyone touch you. What if something happens?”

Hearing this, Luo Lan remembered that her pregnancy was already known to others. When the wife from the west house returned and joined in on the commotion, she mentioned Luo Lan and her husband.

“Lan’er, you seem pretty unaffected. You’re lucky! You don’t know how I was back then. I was vomiting so much it felt like my intestines were about to come up.”

The wife from the east house added, “My first pregnancy was the same. I couldn’t even eat. Just smelling food would make me sick. I vomited until my throat bled. My husband was terrified, haha.”

Both women had given birth before, but Luo Lan had been so preoccupied with Xu Hongbing’s affairs that she only just realized that, in the eyes of others, she was now seen as a pregnant woman.

Moreover, when she calculated the dates, it seemed her period had been overdue for quite some time.

“Sister-in-law, did you have any other symptoms besides vomiting?”

The wife from the east house replied softly, “My breasts felt swollen, like they were developing again.”

The wife from the west house chimed in, “I felt so sleepy, as if I hadn’t slept in 800 years. I would even doze off while eating.”

Luo Lan silently nodded. So far, she recognized two known pregnancy symptoms: her period was late, and her breasts were swollen. She realized how careless she had been, focusing so much on bringing down that person without paying attention to her own physical changes.

Luo Lan: System, is there any way to confirm if I’m pregnant?

System: Early pregnancy test strips, 99% accuracy rate.

Meanwhile, the situation in the south house had escalated into a full-blown fight. The siblings were about to step outside to join the chaos when the wife from the east house pulled Luo Lan back, urging her to retreat to the safety of the east house.

As the fight broke out between the siblings, the brother-in-law joined in, yelling that his wife was a woman and that the brother shouldn’t bully his sister. Suddenly, the younger sister-in-law charged at him, causing him to stumble, and she pointed at his nose, cursing.

“Shut your mouth! You’re no saint either. A man from another family trying to take our property? Give up that idea!”

“Auntie, you’re just a crazy dog…” The children from the sister’s family joined in.

“You, an outsider, have no right to speak!” The children from the brother’s family chimed in.

Luo Lan and the two neighbors stood on the porch watching the commotion, while her mother-in-law and younger sisters-in-law were also drawn out by the ruckus. Soon, neighbors from outside gathered, creating a large crowd of spectators.

“Wow, instead of dealing with the funeral arrangements, they started fighting first.”

“It’s just two rooms. This sibling rivalry is crazy!”

“Two rooms, but they might be able to settle one of the younger generations’ marriages.”

Everyone discussed the chaos, and the family in the south house was in complete disarray. The adults were tangled up, while the younger generation joined in for fun. In this chaotic era, no one seemed to care about such matters. Eventually, several people ended up injured, with one grandson bleeding profusely from his head, which finally quieted the crowd.

“Quick, take him to the hospital!”

In the midst of this chaos, Luo Lan focused on how many points she had earned, using them to exchange for an early pregnancy test strip. The instructions indicated that the first morning urine was the most accurate, so she held off using it that night and didn’t mention it to Zhou Qingshan when she saw him.

“Where’s the factory director?”

“He’s been sent to the farm,” the man said quietly, looking at her worriedly. “I heard he’s just feeding livestock and doing manual labor, but he won’t be holding any meetings for criticism.”

“Well, that’s good.”

The director’s injury had healed, so it was fine for him to work on the farm at this time, even if it meant enduring some hardship. As long as he wasn’t being beaten anymore, it wouldn’t be so bad.

Once she left, she stood in her usual secluded corner to wait. Not long after, Ma Tianliang arrived. “Don’t worry, your husband will be back to work soon. He doesn’t have a complicated background. He just needs to admit his mistake and write a self-criticism.”

“Why does he need to admit a mistake and write a self-criticism?” With Zhou Qingshan’s stubborn temperament, could he really do that?

“Otherwise, do you think they’d just let him go without a reason?” Ma Tianliang sighed. “You need to advise your husband. It’s a perilous time, just a single slip of the tongue could lead to serious consequences. Even if he admits his mistake and is released this time, he must be extremely cautious with his words and actions in the future. Don’t let anyone find a reason to pin something on him.”

Luo Lan knew the situation was serious, and it seemed unlikely he would be released without any conditions. So, after her husband left, she returned to that small room. Following Ma Tianliang’s instructions, she entered without anyone giving her a hard time.

“Write a self-criticism and admit my mistake?” When Zhou Qingshan heard this, he immediately became angry. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Whether you’re wrong or not can wait until you get out of here. Otherwise, do you want to be stuck in here for the rest of your life?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.” He breathed heavily. “If the worst comes to worst, just send me to the farm. I’m not afraid.”

“Zhou Qingshan,” Luo Lan was also annoyed. “I’ve been racking my brains and spending money to help your family. Now that I’ve found a way for you, you’re being stubborn.”

“Can you handle it? Fine, fine,” Luo Lan was so furious that she got up from her chair. “If you have the guts, don’t write it. Just stay here for the rest of your life.”

She huffed after finishing her words, not in a hurry to leave, just staring down at him from above. It was the first time since their marriage that they had such a huge disagreement, and Zhou Qingshan’s expression was not good.

“I have my principles.”

“Fine. You stick to your principles, and don’t ever expect to be released.”

Luo Lan said this and left angrily, too lazy to deal with this stubborn man. She was still fuming on the way home, and when she went to wash her feet, she accidentally splashed half a basin of water everywhere.

Looking at the mess made her mood even worse. Just as she thought about skipping the wash and going to bed, her mother-in-law came in. She picked up the basin and filled it with water again, speaking gently, like a cool breeze that gradually eased her boiling temper.

“What’s wrong? Is it work-related, or did Qingshan make you angry?”

“I’ve already pulled some strings. If he writes a self-criticism, he can get his job back and be released…”

“That stubborn mule doesn’t want to, right?” Mother Zhou didn’t ask, she stated it as a fact. She knew her son well. “I’ll go talk to him tomorrow. If he dares to ignore me, I’ll give him a beating. Don’t be mad, it’s not worth it to be angry with a stubborn mule.”

Her mother-in-law’s comment about a stubborn mule made Luo Lan chuckle. “Really, what’s the point of being angry with him?” She recalled how she could tell from his words and actions when they first met that he was a very principled person.