Chapter 58: Chapter 58: The Zhou Family
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed lunch. Li Xiu’s cooking was just too good. Watching Zhou Lian eat two flatbreads, everyone understood. No wonder she was so fair and plump now. In the past, she could manage one flatbread only if there was a dish she particularly liked. In all these years, they had never seen her eat two flatbreads in a single meal. Li Xiu truly doted on her.
There had been five fish, each over three pounds. Li Xiu had picked the heaviest one and made sour bamboo shoot fish just for Zhou Lian, along with sweet and sour pork ribs and a bowl of spinach and egg drop soup. When the dishes were first brought to the table, Second Brother Zhou and Third Brother Zhou’s mouths twitched. Even at his in-laws’ house, Li Xiu would make a special meal just for their second sister; one could only imagine what it was like at home. And sure enough, watching their sister eat the dishes placed in front of her without a change in expression, it was clear she was used to it.
After lunch, they rested for a while before heading back. With Zhou Lian’s big belly, it wasn’t safe to travel too late.
The Zhou family sat there in silence. Every time Zhou Lian came back to visit, it gave them a whole new impression of Li Xiu.
"Dear, how did you lecture Li Xiu this morning?" Mrs. Zhou suddenly asked. ’Weren’t you very satisfied with him?’
Zhou Kun looked at his wife and children, who were all staring at him curiously. He sighed and said, "A while ago, Ge Dayu came specifically to complain. He said Li Xiu spent a night in Daqing Mountain. Li Xiu is too headstrong, and no one in the Lao family can control him, so he asked me to give him a good talking-to!"
Hearing this, everyone was shocked. Li Xiu had some nerve. It was one thing to go into the mountains, but he even dared to spend the night deep inside.
"Dad, you have to teach him a harsh lesson. He’s way too bold! He’s choosing money over his life!" Second Brother Zhou said sternly. ’If something happened to him, what would Second Sister do!’
Giving his foolish son a disdainful look, Zhou Kun said, "It wasn’t for money."
"If not for money, why would he go deep into the mountains?" Third Brother Zhou asked in confusion.
"He heard from a doctor that ginseng replenishes qi and blood and is good for new mothers, so he went into the mountains to find ginseng!" After speaking, Zhou Kun gritted his teeth. ’He’s doing this for my daughter. What can I do? At most, I can just chide him a little. I can’t very well stop him from being good to my own girl, can I!’
"Dear, do you think Li Xiu will change?" Mrs. Zhou asked worriedly. ’He’s so good to our second girl now. What if he changes in the future? Could she handle that?’
"What’s wrong? What did Li Xiu do now?" Zhou Kun asked, looking at Mrs. Zhou’s worried face with confusion.
"Our second girl doesn’t even have to right an overturned oil bottle at home. He doesn’t let her do any work, whether at home or in the fields. If Li Xiu changes later on, what will our girl do?"
"Explain it clearly. What exactly is going on?" The more Zhou Kun listened, the more confused he became, and he asked with a frown.
"Dad, don’t ask. Mom’s just worrying for nothing. Isn’t it just that Second Brother-in-law dotes on Second Sister and can’t bear to see her get tired, so he doesn’t let her do any work? It’s not like we’re just finding this out now!" Zhou Xiang said with a laugh.
Seeing that her mother still didn’t get it, Zhou Xiang continued, "Ever since Second Sister married Second Brother-in-law, she hasn’t done a lick of work. Laundry, cooking, chores—Second Brother-in-law does it all. Working for the production team was unavoidable, otherwise he wouldn’t have let Second Sister work in the fields. And that was before she was even pregnant. Now that she’s got a big belly, with how utterly devoted he is to her, do you really think he’d let her do any work!"
Zhou Xiang looked around at everyone and said with a smile, "You’re all overthinking it. Second Sister doesn’t lift a finger now, and that’s exactly what Second Brother-in-law wants. He acts like he can’t live without her. Do you really think he’s going to change?"
"Mom, didn’t you learn all this last time Second Sister came back? She explained it to you then, too. What are you so worried about?" Zhou Ying couldn’t believe her mother failed to see that her brother-in-law was genuinely good to her sister.
"Then tell me this. During the busiest time of the autumn harvest, if he had just let our girl lend a hand, he wouldn’t have been so exhausted. The autumn harvest is so tiring! Every day, he still had to get up early to do the laundry, cook, and feed the livestock. Only after everything was done would he call our girl to get up and eat. The harvest rush lasted for over two months, and our girl only made lunch for a few days during the most hectic and tiring period. I know he dotes on his wife, but have you ever seen anyone dote on their wife like this? He’s raising her like she’s his daughter!" Mrs. Zhou said, a little agitated. Admittedly, she was happy, but she just couldn’t feel at ease.
"No one raises their daughter like that. Before Second Sister was married, didn’t she also work in the fields and do laundry, cooking, and chores at home? Mom, just stop with the useless worrying."
Zhou Cui looked at her mother, who was looking for trouble where there was none, and continued with an amused expression, "My second sister is willing, and my second brother-in-law is happy to do it. Why are you all making such a fuss! Mom, Dad, you’ve lived for over half your lives and you still can’t see what Second Brother-in-law is like? He just treasures my second sister. As for how he treasures her, is that any of your business? Besides, do you think my second sister is a fool? She knows exactly what’s going on!"
"Is that really it?" Mrs. Zhou asked doubtfully. ’According to my daughters, there’s nothing to worry about!’
"Everyone thinks differently. Li Xiu doesn’t seem like the type to go back on his word or be fickle. Maybe he just likes spoiling Second Sister!" Third Brother Zhou said, though he sounded uncertain. ’Anyway, I could never treat my wife like that. To spoil her to the point where she never lifts a finger... It’s not like she’s some high-born lady from the old days.’
"I couldn’t do it, that’s for sure. A wife comes to your family, bears children for you... it’s hard work, so it’s right to be good to her. But to go as far as Li Xiu? No way." Second Brother Zhou shook his head repeatedly. ’There’s nothing wrong with doting on your wife, but doting on her to this extent...’ He shuddered. ’I couldn’t stand it. That’s not marrying a wife, that’s marrying an ancestor to worship!’
The words of Second Brother Zhou and Third Brother Zhou made their three sisters snort with laughter. Zhou Ying directly retorted to her two older brothers, "Just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean Second Brother-in-law can’t. Not counting the times he came alone, he’s come with Second Sister three times. Whenever she’s with him, his eyes are only for her. Second Sister gives him one look, and he knows what she wants. A man like that, being fickle? Does he even know what that means? Besides, when he looks at Second Sister, his eyes literally light up! If he’s going to change, then you two must change eighteen times a day!"
"Hey now, Little Sister, just make your point. Why are you dragging me into it? I didn’t even say anything," Third Brother Zhou said helplessly. His little sister and his second brother were natural-born rivals. Despite being more than ten years apart, ever since she was five or six, she had been arguing back and forth with their second brother. And Second Brother, for his part, would tease her whenever he had nothing better to do, always getting her worked up like a riled-up little tiger cub.
"You’re all just idle. Little Sister isn’t wrong. You guys, Second Brother and Third Brother, are what you are. Second Brother-in-law is magnanimous, has good character, earns money, and knows how to dote on his wife. What do you two have to compare with him!" Zhou Cui also couldn’t stand her two brothers’ behavior, always so flippant.
"Alright, alright. Second Brother-in-law is taller than Second Brother and Third Brother, better looking than them, earns more money than them, is more capable than them, and has better character than them. A couple of guys like you, compared to him, are just dregs. What is there to even compare? Anyone with eyes can see it!" Zhou Xiang was even better at twisting the knife than her two younger sisters, her direct jab making her two brothers’ faces turn pale.
Seeing their parents smiling, Second Brother Zhou and Third Brother Zhou exchanged a glance and gave a helpless, bitter smile. ’What is all this? Weren’t we talking about Li Xiu? How did it turn to us? Our three sisters just ripped into us so hard that we’re starting to wonder if we really are that bad! Even our own sisters look down on us.’
Looking at his two rascally sons, Zhou Kun spoke up. "What your sisters said wasn’t pleasant, but it’s crude and it’s true. You’re both older than Li Xiu. Look at him, then look at yourselves. Putting your second sister aside, just look at him as an individual. He separated from the family, built his own house, and got married. He’s capable and competent. The key thing is, everyone praises him for being honest and having good character. Is that something an ordinary person can achieve? You all see how well he treats our second girl. Especially you two, Second and Third Brother. Do you feel that because he’s a grown man who pampers his wife so much, he’s a bit of a pushover?"
"No, of course I’m happy he’s good to Second Sister," Second Brother Zhou retorted.
"I don’t think that either. The better he is to Second Sister, the happier I am!" Third Brother Zhou chimed in.
"That’s because the one he’s doting on is your second sister. If it weren’t your sister, and he was pampering his wife like that, what would you think then?" Zhou Kun asked, looking at them. ’Idiots. It’s because the one Li Xiu is doting on is their sister. They probably haven’t even realized their own thoughts on the matter!’
Second Brother Zhou and Third Brother Zhou looked at each other and fell silent. Their father was right. It was probably only because it was their sister that they didn’t show it. Subconsciously, they still felt that Li Xiu spoiled a woman to the heavens, which was just too unmanly.
"I want you all to think about it. He’s good to our girl, so how do we treat him in return? Our girl wasn’t even keen on this marriage at first, but look at her now. She might complain on the surface, but when you all were teasing Li Xiu, didn’t you notice how she protected him? All of you, think hard. Kindness begets kindness. To put it bluntly, if something really did happen to Li Xiu in those mountains, what do you think our girl would do?" After saying his piece, Zhou Kun walked out. ’That boy Li Xiu is quite the character. It’s a good thing he’s my own son-in-law; otherwise, it would have been a real shame.’
The first reaction of the five Zhou siblings was: ’Our second sister would definitely stay by his side through thick and thin!’ After that thought, they looked at each other, understanding the meaning behind their father’s words, and each became lost in their own thoughts.
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