Chapter 125 - 122: Mid-Autumn Festival
"No matter how amazing they are, aren’t they still your teachers? What are you so excited about?" Li Xiu said, looking helplessly at an excited Zhou Lian. ’Why is she acting like my granddaughter from our last life when she ran into celebrities? Haven’t those professors always been her teachers?’
"You’re right. I just got a little excited hearing you say they think highly of me. Those professors are all renowned academic experts," Zhou Lian said, a bit embarrassed.
"Bao’er, take a look at the teachers at your school. Are any of them mediocre?" Li Xiu asked, amused. ’Right now, a huge number of professors and experts are returning to their posts. At a prestigious, long-established institution like Beijing University, even an ordinary teacher will be a renowned expert in ten or twenty years. My wife is still too naive.’
Hearing this, Zhou Lian thought back carefully and tapped her head. She had been getting ahead of herself. This was an era of rebuilding from scratch, and the academic world was no different. She had only been thinking about how they would all be titans in the academic world decades from now, forgetting what era she was in.
Seeing that his wife understood, Li Xiu changed the subject, saying softly, "Bao’er, the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up. I’m planning to send some things back to our hometown. The university should have a holiday, but it probably won’t be long, so let’s not go back. We can wait until the New Year. What do you think?"
"You can decide these things. I’ll leave it to you!" Zhou Lian said softly. She knew Li Xiu didn’t want to go back because he was worried the trip would be too tiring for her and their daughter.
"Alright, then it’s settled. You focus on your studies, and I’ll take care of everything else."
The young couple discussed what to send to their relatives back home and who to send packages to. They only finished their discussion when it was almost time for Zhou Lian’s class. Li Xiu then woke up their daughter and carried her as he walked his wife to the university.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the university had a three-day break. Zhou Lian stayed at home, teasing their daughter while they watched Li Xiu make mooncakes. Last year in their hometown, Li Xiu had to work in the fields and didn’t have time to make them, so Zhou Lian truly had no idea he possessed such a skill.
The mooncake molds were hand-carved from wood by Li Xiu himself. Watching the small, beautiful mooncakes come out one by one, Zhou Lian was astonished. ’I didn’t even know he could make mooncakes in our last life. Where did he learn this?’
"Li Xiu, where did you learn this?"
"It’s not that hard. I learned it all from books. You’re not the only one who’s read all the books at home; I’ve read them all too," Li Xiu said, his hands still busy.
"Then how come I can’t do it? We have a few old cookbooks, but the things I make never taste as good as yours," Zhou Lian grumbled. The dishes she made following the recipes were always missing something compared to Li Xiu’s.
"What’s so strange about that? It’s like how your writing will always be better than mine. We just have different interests!" Li Xiu said nonchalantly. ’His wife wasn’t as good a cook as him in their last life, so wasn’t it normal that she still couldn’t catch up in this one?’
"So your hobby is cooking!" Zhou Lian exclaimed, looking at him in surprise. ’He didn’t have this hobby in our last life, even though his cooking was always better than mine back then, too.’
Li Xiu gritted his teeth and said, a hint of exasperation in his voice, "My hobby is not cooking. If it weren’t for a certain ungrateful little thing, why would I waste my time studying how to cook? Who’s the one who’s a picky eater?"
Zhou Lian gave a sheepish smile. ’I was a picky eater in my last life and never changed. It’ll probably be hard to change in this life, too. I got nagged about it endlessly—by my parents, my siblings, and even my children.’
Seeing her expression, Li Xiu didn’t press the issue. ’Two lifetimes, and she still hasn’t changed. It’s hopeless. It would be more reliable for me to just study up on more dishes she likes to eat.’
"Oh, right. Bao’er, let’s take Nuonuo out tomorrow!"
Zhou Lian looked at him curiously and asked, "Go where? Why the sudden thought to go out?"
Li Xiu let out a low chuckle and looked at her gently. "To the Great Wall, to Tiananmen, to the Forbidden City. We haven’t really gone out and explored since we arrived in the Capital City. You happen to have a break, the weather isn’t too hot... let’s go out and have some fun. Haven’t you always wanted to see the Forbidden City?"
"Okay! I still have two days off. It’s the perfect time to go."
「In Zhou Family Village.」
The Zhou family stared, dumbfounded, at the items the postman had just delivered. What was in this huge package? Zhou Huaitai looked at the things on the table and asked, "Grandpa, what did Second Aunt’s husband send?"
Zhou Kun looked at his eldest grandson, then glanced at the others without a word. He took the scissors Mrs. Zhou handed him and slowly opened the package. Inside were clothes, shoes, mooncakes, and four cartons of cigarettes.
The clothes and shoes were for Mr. and Mrs. Zhou and a few of the children. There were four large bags of mooncakes, likely one for each family, and the same went for the cigarettes. Mrs. Zhou looked at the items on the table and said softly, "How much must this have cost? Nuonuo’s father isn’t working a regular job now, so they don’t have a steady income!"
After reading the letter in the package, Zhou Kun thought for a moment and said, "This is a token of the children’s affection. If you feel bad, just send them some food. They’re living out there on their own, and every little thing they eat costs money."
At the same time, the families of Zhou’s eldest sister and Zhou Xiang also received packages. Although the contents weren’t extravagant, they caused quite a stir in the village. After all, the gifts came all the way from the Capital City.
It was the same on the Li family’s side. Eldest Li’s house, Third Brother Li’s house, Li Bao’s family, the village chief’s family, as well as Li Hua’s and Li Gui’s families all received packages from the Capital City. The entire village was buzzing. When the villagers first heard Li Xiu was following his wife to the Capital City, there had been no shortage of gossip, with people saying all sorts of things.
"If he doesn’t work, what will he eat in the city? Li Xiu doesn’t have a job."
"Just you watch, Li Xiu will be back before you know it. His wife is a university student now. You think she’ll stay with a mud-legged farmer like him?"
"That Li Xiu is just scared his wife will leave him, that’s why he’s following her to the city."
...
Eldest Li read the letter from the package and said happily to Grandma Li, "Mom, you don’t have to worry anymore. This kid bought a house in the Capital City and moved his family’s household registration there. The three of them are all city residents now! The little rascal has a job too. He said he has no problem supporting his wife and child, and told us not to worry!"
"Really? He really bought a house in the Capital City, and they’re all city residents now?" Grandma Li’s voice trembled with excitement. She knew her grandson was capable, but she never expected him to be *this* capable! ’They’ve become city folk.’
"It’s true! He said he’ll bring his wife and child back for the New Year." Eldest Li was also incredibly excited. ’If his nephew is successful, his wife won’t look down on him. The thing he’d been worrying about wouldn’t happen. This was wonderful!’
A similar scene played out at Third Brother Li’s house. Aunt Li said with a smile, "You’re not worried anymore, are you? Ever since our niece-in-law got into university, you’ve been losing sleep every night, worrying about our nephew. I told you he’s a capable man. See? Now you can relax!"
Third Brother Li just smiled and didn’t say anything. ’That’s my own flesh-and-blood nephew, the one who carries the future of the Lao family. Second Brother and his wife don’t seem to care, so how could I, his own uncle, not be worried?’