Chapter 301: Chapter 301: Brothers Quarreling
Mr. Su and Su’s mother were sitting far from the phone, and Su Shuochi had trouble moving around.
Gu Jiaojiao knew it wouldn’t be the Su family’s second daughter, because she had blocked the phone number from her village.
If the Su family’s second daughter found out, she’d have to use a different phone to call, which meant she’d have to go into town to make the call.
Going into town would definitely happen during the day, so Gu Jiaojiao was sure this call wasn’t from the second Su daughter.
"Hello? Who are you calling for?" Su Qinchun asked anxiously as she picked up the phone. She was also afraid it might be her second sister.
Her second sister hadn’t called in a week, not since the last time she’d upset the whole family over the phone.
"Is Jiaojiao there? This is Song Xiaxia. I’d like to speak with Jiaojiao." Song Xiaxia’s voice was thick and nasal.
"Oh, you’re looking for my sister-in-law! She’s here, just a moment." Su Qinchun’s voice became noticeably more cheerful.
"Okay, yes. Thank you."
Su Qinchun handed the phone to Gu Jiaojiao and said, "Sister-in-law, it’s Song Xiaxia for you."
"Oh, thanks, Qinchun. Dad, Mom, I’m done eating. You two take your time. I’m going to get the phone."
Gu Jiaojiao put down her bowl, excused herself to Mr. Su and Su’s mother, and walked the few steps over to the phone.
Hearing that it was Song Xiaxia calling for Jiaojiao, Su’s mother let out a huge sigh of relief. She still had a couple of mouthfuls of rice left in her bowl.
Seeing that both her son and daughter-in-law had put down their bowls, Su’s mother added the leftovers from the serving dishes to Mr. Su’s bowl for him to finish.
After their meal, they still had to prepare for selling steamed buns the next morning, so they didn’t have time to pay attention to what Song Xiaxia wanted to talk about.
"Xiaxia, why the sudden call? Did something happen? Or are you not feeling well?"
"Jiaojiao, I’m feeling fine. Have you eaten?"
"I just put my bowl down. Whatever it is, take your time and tell me. I have time to listen."
On the other end of the line, Song Xiaxia fell silent for a moment before bringing her mouth close to the receiver. Her voice trembled as she beat around the bush for a long time before finally getting to the point.
The main point of Song Xiaxia’s call was to ask Gu Jiaojiao a question: it had been two months since her surgery.
She wanted to know if she and her husband could be intimate again, and if so, how to increase their chances of conceiving.
This question stumped Gu Jiaojiao. Despite living two lives, she was still a complete virgin.
But it was rare to find a patient who followed a doctor’s orders so diligently, even calling specifically to ask about resuming intimacy.
She glanced up at the dining table, embarrassed. Thankfully, only she and Su Shuochi were in the living room.
She chose her words carefully, telling Song Xiaxia that it was fine as long as she personally felt physically comfortable.
As for conceiving quickly, she advised that it was best to let nature take its course and not force it. When the time was right, it would happen naturally.
After saying this, Gu Jiaojiao realized she sounded like a charlatan.
Gu Jiaojiao complained internally, ’I’m a surgeon, not a gynecologist!’
’Especially when it comes to getting pregnant faster—how would I know?!’
She could only patiently tell Song Xiaxia that she was fully recovered. Bracing herself, Gu Jiaojiao recited the theoretical knowledge she had learned from books.
The woman on the other end of the line thanked her profusely.
Su Shuochi had excellent hearing. He had been a little embarrassed at first to overhear such a private conversation.
But seeing his wife’s awkward expression, his own embarrassment vanished in an instant, and he averted his gaze.
He kept himself busy, diligently peeling peanuts by the coffee table in the living room.
Gao Xiangming had brought a large batch of freshly dug peanuts from his hometown in Feng’en last time. Su’s mother had boiled them all with cassia, star anise, and bay leaves before sun-drying them.
The peanuts prepared this way were fragrant and chewy, and Gu Jiaojiao loved them.
When Gu Jiaojiao hung up the phone, Su Shuochi called her over to wash her hands and sit by the coffee table to eat some peanuts.
While Gu Jiaojiao was on the phone, Su Shuochi had already peeled a small dish of peanuts.
When he saw his wife sit down, he fed them to Gu Jiaojiao one by one. "Honey, how are the peanuts I peeled for you?"
"They’re delicious. You have some too." Returning the favor, Gu Jiaojiao fed a peanut to Su Shuochi.
"Mmm. When it comes from you, this peanut is exceptionally sweet."
"Hehe... Of course it is." The young couple shared a sweet, intimate moment.
In the kitchen kneading dough, Mr. Su watched his son and daughter-in-law in the living room with a wide smile.
’That fool Shuo Ci and Jiaojiao are actually quite a good match. One loves to flatter, and the other loves to hear it. They’re truly a match made in heaven.’
His son had always been disdainful of such childish words before and would never have said them out loud.
His son had been cold and distant since he was a child, and after his injury, he was filled with a hostile energy. Even he, his father, had been afraid of him. When had he ever seen him smiling so happily like a fool?
The more Mr. Su watched, the more pleased he became, and the smile on his face grew wider.
Busy at work, Su’s mother noticed her husband smiling happily at the living room. She turned to glance at her son and daughter-in-law, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
Although she and her husband had endured great hardship over the years, they were a loving couple.
The Su family had been farmers for generations. Chi had joined the army at sixteen and spent nine years on the battlefield.
He was said to have held a position of high prestige in the army. It wasn’t until they moved to this compound that Su’s mother and her husband learned just how remarkable their son used to be.
But by the time they found out, their son’s wings had already been clipped. He had lost his former glory and was listless and dejected.
Her heart ached for him, but she was helpless and could only endure it. She had tried to persuade her son to return to their hometown with them.
But her son was too proud. He refused to go home and face the gossip and pointing fingers of the villagers.
He shut himself in his room all day, refusing to go anywhere. She spent her days praying to every deity she could think of.
She hoped the bodhisattvas would bless her son, that even if he couldn’t stand up again, he would at least talk to them.
But her son hadn’t said a single word to them in months, his face constantly grim.
He was nothing like he was now—smiling so happily and feeding peanuts to his wife.
Su’s mother was sincerely grateful to those two brothers from the Sheng Family for sending such a wonderful daughter-in-law to their family.
Meanwhile, the two Sheng Family brothers Su’s mother was thinking of, Sheng Shiwen and Sheng Shiwu, were in the middle of an argument.
"Sheng Shiwu, have you no conscience? Our sister has been locked up by the Song family for days! Why haven’t you gone to the Song Family to bring her back?"
Sheng Shiwen, who had just finished his meal, sat at the dining table and spat the words at Sheng Shiwu through gritted teeth.
"Second Brother, you spoil Yueyue too much. That’s why she acts so willfully. I’ve told you so many times, let the Song family discipline her first."
Sheng Shiwu reasoned with him as he cleared the dishes.
"You’re too heartless! Look what you’ve become. You don’t even care about your own sister."
"If you’re so capable, you go take care of it! Don’t say all this to me."
"Sheng Shiwu, you’re a good-for-nothing! You can’t even protect your own sister."
"If you’re not a good-for-nothing, then why are you in a wheelchair? Not only do I have to make your three meals a day, I even have to help you bathe."
Sheng Shiwu’s words struck a nerve. Sheng Shiwen trembled with rage. "Sheng Shiwu, I’m warning you, if you talk to me like that again..."
"I already said it. What can you do about it? Go on, hit me."
CRASH. BANG. The sound of a table and chair crashing to the floor.
