Chapter 33: Chapter 35: Returning to Her Parents’ Home
Seeing his wife was still lost in thought, Li Xiu kissed her until she was nearly out of breath. Zhou Lian looked at him, exasperated. ’He’s as childish as a kid.’
A night of passion led to Zhou Lian sleeping in until late morning. At four months pregnant, her belly showed a slight bump. Zhou Lian stood before her vanity, gazing at her radiant reflection, a little dazed. ’So I can be this beautiful, too.’
In her past life, she’d had terrible morning sickness at this stage. With nothing good to eat and poor nutrition, she was groggy every day. But this time, perhaps because she was eating well and getting enough nutrients, she had almost no symptoms. Now, she ate well, slept well, and was always in a good mood—she didn’t have a single worry. Li Xiu took care of practically everything, allowing her to focus on peacefully nurturing their baby.
"Bao’er, you’re up. Why didn’t you call me?" Li Xiu gazed at his wife before the vanity. Even having just woken up, she couldn’t hide her captivating charm. He couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms for a bit of affection, which earned him a series of playful punches from Zhou Lian. ’This beast,’ she thought. ’He’s like a dog with a bone—once he gets ahold of it, he never lets go. Pah! I’m not a bone!’
Li Xiu rested his chin on her shoulder and roared with laughter. It was only when she heard him that Zhou Lian realized she had said her thoughts out loud.
"Oh, darling, but you are a bone! I want to just chew you up and swallow you whole!"
"Get lost. I can’t be bothered with you."
He gave her a placating kiss and said gently, "You must be hungry. Wash up and we’ll eat. I’ll take you to your parents’ place in a bit."
Zhou Lian blinked, then asked, "Why are you taking me there all of a sudden?"
"Bao’er, we’re *going* to your parents’ house, not *going back*," Li Xiu corrected her seriously. "You’re married to me now. Where I am is your home!"
Zhou Lian paused again. Seeing his serious expression, she felt a mix of amusement and reassurance as she agreed.
Seeing her agree so readily, Li Xiu smiled. "We’ve only been to see your parents once since we got married, for the formal homecoming visit. The wheat harvest starts in a couple of days, and we’ll be too busy then. Besides," he added, "they don’t even know you’re pregnant yet. I’ve already packed everything. We can leave right after we eat."
Zhou Lian watched as Li Xiu brought two bamboo baskets out from the kitchen. She leaned over curiously and lifted the cloth covers. One basket was filled with white-flour steamed buns. The other held ten salted eggs, a large five- or six-pound slab of cured pork, and two plucked and cleaned wild pheasants.
"You went into the mountains again!" ’That bastard! Didn’t he promise he wouldn’t go into the mountains so casually?’
The moment Li Xiu saw his wife was angry, he thought, ’Oh crap. I forgot I promised I wouldn’t go into the mountains so casually.’ He hurried to placate her. "Darling, I was wrong. I’ll be sure to tell you first next time."
Seeing her face was still stern, he pressed on. "Bao’er, I didn’t go deep into the mountains. I just caught a few pheasants near the foothills. Look, I came back so early. There’s no way I could have gone deep inside in such a short time, right? Bao’er, don’t be mad. I promise I’ll tell you first next time."
He watched her cautiously, and when he saw her expression finally soften, he put on a cheeky grin and leaned in close. "Darling, why don’t you hit me? It’ll help you let off some steam." As he spoke, he took her hand and guided it toward his own face.
Watching his shameless antics, Zhou Lian was torn between anger and laughter. ’How did he turn out like this?’ she wondered. ’To everyone else, he’s cold and quiet, a man whose word is law—magnanimous and sensible. But with me, he loses all his dignity, becoming cheeky, glib, childish, and an absolute rogue.’
"That’s enough. Let’s go, it’s getting late," Zhou Lian said, pulling her hand away. ’If I let him keep fooling around,’ she thought, ’we won’t get out the door before dark.’
Li Xiu could see his wife was still a little upset, so he didn’t dare tease her further. He hung the two bamboo baskets from the bicycle’s handlebars, locked the door, and helped his wife onto the back rack. Then he started pedaling toward his in-laws’ home. Along the way, they ran into many people, and Li Xiu greeted each one good-naturedly.
"Just taking my wife to visit her family."
"Yep, my wife’s pregnant. We’re going to share the good news."
...
And just like that, a fresh piece of gossip started making its way through the village. Li Xiu was taking his wife to her family’s home, and with two huge baskets of gifts! His wife was wearing a brand-new outfit, and her shoes were made of real pigskin—those cost several yuan at the co-op! And that scarf she had on? That must’ve cost a few yuan, too!
Li Xiu really doted on his wife, keeping her so fair and healthy. Her whole outfit must have cost over ten yuan! That Li Xiu was so capable. He even saved the child of some high-ranking official. His wife was truly living a blessed life with him.
The gossip also touched upon Second Brother Li’s family. What fools, casting out such a fine son on such absurd terms. Just look at the families of Eldest Li and Third Brother Li—they had always done their best for their nephew, Li Xiu. During the wedding ceremony, Li Xiu even had his uncles and aunts accept the formal bows right alongside his own parents. Everyone praised Li Xiu for being righteous, generous, and grateful. It was a pity there wasn’t a single clear-headed person in Second Brother Li’s entire family!
Oblivious to the gossip trailing in their wake, the young couple soon arrived at Zhou Family Village. The Zhou family members were surprised and delighted by their sudden appearance.
When Li Xiu announced Zhou Lian’s pregnancy, Zhou Kun’s first instinct was to take his daughter’s hand and check her pulse. Seeing the smile on his face, everyone knew she was doing well. Sure enough, Zhou Kun withdrew his hand and announced, "She’s been very well looked after. Nearly four months along—conceived right after the wedding. Just make sure not to overexert yourself. Everything looks fine."
Li Xiu beamed. "It’s a girl, and she’s absolutely beautiful!" Seeing her family’s stunned expressions, Zhou Lian wanted nothing more than to toss this embarrassing oaf out of the house. ’He started showing off yesterday,’ she fumed internally, ’and he’s still not finished!’
"We went to the county hospital yesterday," Zhou Lian explained. "They have a machine that can see the baby inside the womb, so we went to have a look. It’s a girl."
Hearing Zhou Lian’s explanation, everyone relaxed their shocked expressions, though a question lingered in their minds. ’Even if one isn’t biased toward having a son, there’s no need to be *this* ecstatic about a daughter, is there?’
"Dad, Mom, you wouldn’t believe it!" Li Xiu gushed, showing off to his in-laws. "That machine is incredible. We could see our daughter’s tiny hands and feet! She’s so beautiful already—you can tell she takes after her mom."
Zhou Lian couldn’t even bring herself to look at him. ’That blockhead,’ she thought, ’those are *my* parents he’s talking to!’ Seeing the mortified look on her face, everyone else burst out laughing.
"Oh, shut up," Zhou Lian snapped. "The fetus is minuscule. All you saw were tiny hands and feet. How on earth could you tell she looks like me from that?"
At this, Second Brother Zhou and the others howled with laughter. It took real skill to get Zhou Lian this worked up; their new brother-in-law was truly one of a kind.
"Wait, honey, please don’t be mad. It’s not good for you," Li Xiu pleaded. "I just wanted everyone to know how beautiful our daughter is! Don’t be angry. Look, I brought you some pickled plums. Have one and calm down!" As he spoke, he pulled a small, oil-paper-wrapped packet of plums from his jacket pocket.
"I’ve gotta ask, Brother-in-law," Third Brother Zhou said, his curiosity piqued, "why is a grown man like you carrying those things around?"
"My wife gets nauseous sometimes, and plums help with that," Li Xiu explained matter-of-factly. "I carry them with me so they’re handy whenever she wants one." ’What’s so weird about that?’ he thought. ’A big man like me isn’t going to eat them. Obviously, I’m carrying them for my wife.’
Third Brother Zhou fell silent. ’Was that my point?’ he wondered. ’Shouldn’t my sister be carrying her own snacks?’
Seeing Third Brother Zhou’s dumbfounded expression, the others didn’t have the heart to laugh at him. When it came to anything involving Zhou Lian, Li Xiu was notoriously single-minded. This was nothing new.
