Chapter 35: Chapter 37: Heart-to-Heart Talk with Her Natal Family (Part 2)
Watching Li Xiu’s back as he ran off, the Zhou family’s sister-in-law and the younger sisters couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Mrs. Zhou also smiled gently. Her son-in-law usually seemed so serious; who would have thought he could be so lively in front of her daughter. He was still young, after all—only twenty-three this year. The way young men behaved in front of a girl they treasured... well, it was something an old woman like her could hardly bear to watch.
Seeing her daughter’s rare, flustered expression, Mrs. Zhou felt a sense of relief. Her daughter had never seemed particularly invested in this marriage, and she had worried that she wasn’t satisfied with her son-in-law. But over time, things change. It now seemed her daughter was starting to care for her son-in-law as well. Only when a young couple truly liked each other could their life together become more and more promising.
"Second Sister, is Brother-in-law always like this?" Zhou Xiang asked her second-oldest sister curiously. She was a little envious. Ever since they’d started courting, her brother-in-law had been incredibly attentive to her sister. The sheer volume of gifts he’d sent far surpassed what anyone else received.
She hadn’t been courted yet and didn’t know if her future husband would be like her brother-in-law. But from the looks of it, it was hard to imagine anyone matching his level of devotion. The way he treasured her second sister... it was like he wanted to cradle her in the palm of his hand and spoil her rotten.
She used to think that the lives her eldest brother and sister-in-law, or her eldest sister and brother-in-law, led were already quite good. Compared to the couples in the village who were always arguing and fighting, their peaceful, quarrel-free days were enviable. But she had never seen anyone like her second brother-in-law.
She had never seen a man be so... so... how to put it? As long as her second sister was around, her brother-in-law had eyes for no one else. It was as if her brother-in-law was a normal person when her sister wasn’t there, but the moment she appeared, she became his entire world, his everything.
"Oh, everyone expresses their feelings differently. You can’t get hung up on things like this. In a marriage, it’s enough that you look out for each other. No two people are the same, so don’t overcomplicate things."
Zhou Lian calmly looked at her third sister. ’In my last life, her husband was good to her. I don’t want anything to change that. If she were to marry someone else, who knows if that man could ever be like Li Xiu.’
"Second Sister, do you think there are other men out there like Brother-in-law?" Zhou Cui asked, a bit perplexed. She envied her sister, too, but she had truly never seen a man dote on his wife the way her brother-in-law did.
"Fourth Sister, someone like Li Xiu might not be the right fit for you," Zhou Lian said, trying to reason with her sisters with a sigh of resignation. ’I can’t let Li Xiu lead them all astray.’
"Why? Brother-in-law is so good to you!" Zhou Ying asked, confused. ’Isn’t it good for a man to treat you well?’
"You all see Li Xiu being good to me, but do you know what it’s like in private?" Zhou Lian said helplessly.
"Second Sister, tell us, what are you two like in private?" the Zhou family’s sister-in-law asked, her curiosity piqued.
Looking at her mom, sister-in-law, and younger sisters, all with gossipy looks on their faces, Zhou Lian said helplessly, "It’s one thing, and none of you would be able to stand it."
"And what’s that?"
Seeing her sister-in-law and sisters all ask in unison, Zhou Lian smiled. "He follows me wherever I go, like he wants to tie me to his belt. He practically wants to feed me by hand at meals. He’s just short of raising me like a prized hog!"
Zhou Xiang shivered. She could never handle a man like that. Seeing the speechless expressions on her sister-in-law’s and fourth sister’s faces, she smiled. ’So it’s not just me!’
"Isn’t that good? You don’t have to do anything?" Zhou Ying asked, looking at her sister-in-law and older sisters in confusion.
Zhou Lian was genuinely afraid that Li Xiu’s example in this life would ruin her sisters’ future marriage prospects. She quickly said, "Would you like someone controlling your every move, even more strictly than Dad?!"
Seeing Zhou Ying shake her head in fear, Zhou Lian smiled with satisfaction. ’Good, she’s scared. That menace Li Xiu really needs to tone it down. If he actually leads my sisters astray, just see how I’ll deal with him!’
Watching her second daughter smiling and sipping jujube tea, Mrs. Zhou truly didn’t know what to say. ’My son-in-law dotes on her and pampers her so much he’s practically put her on a pedestal, but listening to her, you’d think it was a bad thing. It’s one thing to fool her three younger, unmarried sisters, but my eldest daughter-in-law has been married for years. How did she get taken in too?’
"You there, tell me in detail what you’ve been doing since you got married?" Mrs. Zhou asked, her expression tinged with suspicion. Her second daughter had changed so much.
’Mom’s getting suspicious,’ Zhou Lian thought. ’After all, I was nothing like this in my past life.’ "Mom, what is it you want to ask?"
"Just, what do you do every day?" Mrs. Zhou said calmly, seeing Zhou Lian’s feigned ignorance.
Zhou Lian smiled. ’The older the wiser, huh?’ She hadn’t planned on hiding it anyway. Of course, she could never mention being reborn, but she could just blame everything else on Li Xiu.
"Well, I go to work. When I’m not at work, I stay home and read. I went to a literacy class before, you know. And Li Xiu’s old master studied at a traditional private school and even attended one of those modern Western-style schools, so Li Xiu teaches me anything I don’t understand. I have no trouble reading now. We have lots of books at home; Li Xiu brings them back from the salvage station for me to pass the time. So that’s how it is, day after day. Time flies."
"So you do nothing else? Laundry, cooking, feeding the pigs and chickens, tidying up the house... who does all that?"
"Li Xiu does. Every day when he wakes me up, he’s already fed the pigs and chickens, cooked the meal, washed the clothes, and cleaned the house."
Seeing her daughter’s matter-of-fact expression, Mrs. Zhou flared up. "That’s a woman’s work! Your son-in-law does it all, so what good are you?"
Zhou Lian looked at her angry mother with a grin and said softly, "You should ask your good son-in-law that." ’If I really worked myself to the bone like in my past life, Mom would just end up feeling sorry for me again.’
"So you don’t even make clothes or shoes?" Mrs. Zhou asked cautiously. ’Surely my son-in-law can’t do that, too!’
"Li Xiu asks his younger sisters to make the clothes and shoes. Stitching soles is too tiring, so Li Xiu won’t let me. We have a sewing machine at home, and his sisters are happy to do it," Zhou Lian explained innocently, taking a sip of tea. She knew how to put her mother’s mind at ease.
Mrs. Zhou gave her daughter a complicated look. ’She wasn’t like this when she lived at home. How could she change so much just from getting married? Back then, she’d come home from work and do everything—laundry, cooking, making shoes. What didn’t she do? Now her son-in-law has spoiled her to the point that she doesn’t have to lift a finger.’
"What about making griddle cakes?" Mrs. Zhou asked, not giving up.
"Oh, I’ve never made them. Your son-in-law said he knows how, so I don’t have to worry about it."
"Is there anything your son-in-law *can’t* do?"
"Oh, he can’t give birth."
"You little brat! What did your son-in-law marry you for, then?"
Zhou Lian said with a laugh, "I actually asked him that. He said as long as I eat well, drink well, have fun, and dress up all pretty, he’s happy. He didn’t marry me to be his maid."
"Did Brother-in-law marry a wife or an ancestor to worship?" the sister-in-law asked, equally confused. She glanced at her mother-in-law’s speechless face and her sisters-in-law’s envious expressions, then back at Zhou Lian, who was calmly sipping the jujube tea her husband had prepared. A wave of envy washed over her. ’What woman doesn’t want her man to dote on and pamper her? So few women ever get to live a life like hers!’
"Everyone has their own destiny. You envy me for not having to do anything, but you also couldn’t stand a man who controls everything. How can you have the best of both worlds? It’s best to just live your own life well. Life is never static. If you manage it with care, anyone’s life can become one that others envy."
’Having lived a second life, I see many things more clearly now,’ Zhou Lian mused. ’A husband and wife are like a set of scales; there’s only harmony when both sides are in balance. My relationship with Li Xiu is a special case. I have no strong attachments other than my children. But Li Xiu... his upbringing gave him a deep-seated fear of loss. He clings desperately to anything he considers his, terrified of it slipping away.’
’To Li Xiu, children grow up and start their own families; only his wife is truly his. So he holds onto me tightly. But he’s afraid that holding on too tight will make him lose me, so he does everything in his power to be good to me, to make it so I can’t bear to leave his kindness. It’s a good thing it’s me. If it were anyone else... Li Xiu’s possessiveness is too strong for any ordinary person to handle!’
Mrs. Zhou understood the meaning behind her daughter’s words. "Then, are you comfortable living a life like this?"
Zhou Lian broke into a broad smile. ’It’s good that Mom understands.’ "Mom, you know my temperament. I understand Li Xiu, and I know what he needs. We’ll have a very, very good life. You don’t have to worry. I am Li Xiu’s lifelong weakness. To him, nothing is more important than me. Rest assured, he’ll spend his whole life pampering me and holding me in the palm of his hand!"
