Chapter 743: Chapter 493: The Year End Approaches - Part 2
"Of course not," Chuxia said with a smile as she ruffled her hair, "You’re not big, but you know quite a lot."
Yingying pouted and hummed, "I’m not stupid, I’ll get swollen eyes from crying. I knew that when I was three."
Chuxia was at a loss for words. Did the little girl just call her stupid? Oh well, let her think that if she wanted—as for Chuxia, she couldn’t even remember what happened when she was three.
The dinner was a lively affair with the whole family, even Luo Hongqi, who started off trembling with nerves until he was able to eventually engage in a few words of conversation with Zhou Xikang.
The most uncomfortable one had to be Luan Dajiang, who had just come to the city. Not understanding military affairs and unable to speak well about rural matters, he simply acted like a puppet, eating when told to eat and drinking when told to drink. The result was that when it was time to go to bed, he threw up—because he had eaten too much.
In the evening, Zhao Yulan, Lin Baohe, Luo Gangshun, Fat Auntie, and others were arranged to stay at the Zhou residence. The reason they didn’t keep them in the compound was to let them start feeling like it was their home from that very night.
Chuxia was specially permitted to stay at the old residence to accompany her parents. The group first went to Old Master Wan’s house to help Old Master Wan pack some simple luggage before heading together to the Zhou residence.
A few months later, staying at the Zhou residence once again made everyone feel a bit sentimental, and even Fat Auntie pulled Zhao Yulan aside to quietly confirm whether they would get arrested again this time?
Zhao Yulan was so annoyed that she glared at her and didn’t bother to respond.
Luo Hongqi and Luo Xiaoqiong also took leave to stay, and together with Lin Wenbin, the younger generation totaled five and gathered to play poker.
Old Master Wan, Lin Baohe and his wife, and Luo Gangshun and his wife reminisced over tea on the side.
Sister-in-law Yin and Aunt Wu, who was responsible for the sanitary work at the Zhou residence, sat together and chatted.
Under the warm glow of the lights, feeling each other’s presence, everyone’s hearts were filled with warmth.
Since Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe and others came to stay, Chuxia spent her days alternating between the old residence and the compound, her life tranquil yet cozy.
Elder Liang would come to Room 401 after the New Year, so although Chuxia had been notified she would be Elder Liang’s assistant, she still followed Song Xiaoyu before the New Year.
Days slipped by, and before they knew it, the sixteen of the twelfth lunar month arrived—the day Zhou Shanping and Wang Lei were to be married.
Weddings in that era were not like those in later times with wedding cars and music, especially for people of Zhou Shanping and Wang Lei’s age. The marriage certificate was already obtained; it was simply a matter of setting a date, having the family dine together for celebration, and then the couple could move their belongings together and start their life openly.
Initially, according to their wishes, they could have just had a meal and then gone back to their own homes to live their separate lives, but the younger ones refused to let them off so easily.
Past nine o’clock, a swarm of younger relatives marched upstairs en masse.
After the wedding, Zhou Shanping and Wang Lei were to move into the house allotted to Zhou Shanping, but for the three days before the wedding, they were to stay in the compound.
When a large crowd suddenly poured in, Wang Lei’s face turned red with a whoosh—an embarrassment for someone in her forties to be the center of a wedding fuss.
"Auntie, who was your matchmaker?" Chuxia was the first to speak.
"You."
"Who?" Chuxia leaned forward, feigning difficulty in hearing, "I can’t hear you clearly."
"The matchmaker is Lin Chuxia."
"Well that’s not too... much..." Feeling a wave of nausea, Chuxia quickly excused herself, thinking about the greasy food she had eaten earlier that night. She promptly looked for tea to drink.
Old Madam Zhou, Lin Yanqiu, and Liang Xiaohong sat chatting in the living room when they saw Chuxia dashing down the stairs. Lin Yanqiu gave her a warning look, "Be careful, don’t fall!"
"I...know." Suppressing waves of discomfort, Chuxia hurried to the table and downed a cup of tea in one gulp.
"Phew..." With the water in her stomach, she sighed in relief, "That’s so much better."
"What’s wrong?" Lin Yanqiu looked at her concerned, "You look pale. Are you feeling alright?"
"I just ate too many greasy things tonight, feeling a bit nauseous." Chuxia told the truth, noticing her mother-in-law and great grandmother-in-law’s eyes on her stomach, she waved her hands quickly, "Don’t overthink, really don’t overthink. I just didn’t eat well, it’s definitely just that."
When Chuxia returned to the old residence in the evening, she told Zhao Yulan this incident as a joke. However, Zhao Yulan sighed, "Xia, after Xiaomi returns, you’ll need to hurry up. The Zhou family is short on members, how could your mother-in-law and great-grandmother-in-law not hope for your belly to be strong?"
"Mom!" Chuxia’s face instantly flushed, "How old am I, to be having children already? I should still be growing until at least twenty, right?
Even if it’s responsible for the child’s well-being, I shouldn’t be having one now. Mom, is it better to have a sickly child or a healthy one?"
"Don’t make excuses. People used to marry at thirteen or fourteen, and their children weren’t sickly," Zhao Yulan glared at her daughter and softly admonished, "Don’t ignore my words, do you hear me?"
"I hear you." Chuxia quickly left her mother’s room and went to play with Sister-in-law Yin and Old Master Wan, enjoying their stress-free company.
As the New Year approached, everyone grew restless. Those with holidays looked forward to going home, counting the days on their fingers. Chuxia didn’t need to count, but every time she went home and saw the rare additional touch of red among the predominantly green, she couldn’t help thinking of someone.
He said he would be back for the New Year—could he really make it? It’s been half a month since she received a letter from him, and she was genuinely worried.
She knew, with Zhou Mikang’s character, he wouldn’t fail to write to her unless there was a special circumstance. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian () to vote for it, recommend tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to to read.)