Chapter 97 - 95: Idle Talk
Glancing at her two sisters-in-law, Zhou Lian said with a smile, "I don’t know if Li Xiu getting that ginseng was a stroke of good luck or bad luck."
"What do you mean? When you visited last time, your father asked, but you didn’t say anything," Mrs. Zhou asked, startled and a little anxious.
Zhou Lian smiled at her mother. "Father was angry at the time. Who would dare add fuel to the fire?" Seeing her father glare at her, she continued, "My constitution is weak, and Li Xiu knew that from the start. He asked a doctor, who said childbirth would be very hard on me, but that ginseng could help restore my vitality. So, he decided to try his luck in the mountains. Ginseng isn’t a cabbage, after all; it’s not that easy to find. The one I ate... he found it by chance after running into a tiger in the mountains and getting chased all over the place. But he managed to bring it back."
Everyone in the room was stunned. Running into a tiger was terrifying. Zhou Kun paused, then asked, "What about the tiger? He wasn’t hurt, was he?"
"The tiger didn’t hurt him, but he got plenty of cuts and scrapes while being chased. Luckily, nothing life-threatening. He ended up hiding in a mountain hollow for a night to evade the tiger, then grabbed the ginseng and ran. He was in bed for two days recovering after he got back," Zhou Lian said calmly, though ’a question mark formed in her mind.’
"Don’t let him go into the mountains anymore. If something happened, what would you and the baby do?" Mrs. Zhou said urgently. She was aware of her daughters-in-law’s little schemes, but they were not as important as her own daughter.
"Yes, he won’t go into the mountains anymore. He had no choice before, did he? He wasn’t blessed with good parents, so if he didn’t risk his life, he wouldn’t even have had the money to build a house. Now, as long as he works hard, the child won’t go hungry. He doesn’t dare go into the mountains now. If for no one else, for his daughter’s sake, he wouldn’t dare. Besides, who would want to risk their life if they can have a peaceful one?"
Zhou Lian spoke in a soft voice. Seeing her baby wake up, she took her from her mother’s arms, cooing and babbling words no one could understand. Looking at her daughter’s innocent little face, Zhou Lian felt her heart lighten. ’I’m a married woman now. My parents can handle things at home. And if that’s not enough, I still have three older brothers. It’s not my place, a married daughter, to worry about these things.’
As everyone else bustled off, the room was left with Zhou Lian, who was feeding her baby, and Zhou Lan, who was also married. They were now considered guests in their parents’ home, so no one would ask them for help with chores.
Watching her younger sister, who possessed a certain air of command even while breastfeeding, Zhou Lan smiled. When Zhou Lian looked up at her, Zhou Lan pointed a finger at her from across the room. "Since when did you become so slick?"
’She had practically raised this sister; of course she knew her. The girl had always been honest and simple, but she also had a sharp mind. She must have noticed the shifting thoughts of our family, which is why she cut them off with her words, leaving them unable to even ask.’
"Big Sis, you’re overthinking it. Li Xiu was born with a Seven-orifice Exquisite Heart. He was used to things going smoothly in the mountains and got a bit arrogant. Running into the tiger this time finally straightened him out. After all, things are different now. He has a wife and daughter, so he doesn’t dare risk his life anymore," Zhou Lian said with a hint of a smile, lowering her gaze as if watching her suckling daughter.
Not noticing Zhou Lian’s expression, Zhou Lan thought it over and agreed. ’That’s true. Seeing how much my brother-in-law dotes on my sister, he probably wouldn’t be willing to risk his life again. But that’s good. A peaceful life is what matters.’
Before long, Third Brother Zhou returned with the bride. Zhou Lian stood to the side with her baby, watching the excitement. The moment Li Xiu entered the courtyard, he spotted his wife and daughter. He quietly walked over to Zhou Lian, took the baby from her, and whispered, "Bao’er, are you hungry? I brought some snacks for you in the bag. Go have a bite first. Don’t starve yourself."
Zhou Lian was now used to eating small, frequent meals. But Li Xiu was terrified of his wife going hungry; after all, in his heart, no one was more important than her. He urged her softly, "They’re all busy right now, so you go eat something first. Be good, now. Besides, you might not even like the food at the banquet later." As he spoke, he put an arm around her and guided her away.
"Zhou Xiang put the bag in their room," Zhou Lian said, letting him lead her. Besides, she was getting a little hungry herself, having grown accustomed to small, frequent meals.
He laid their daughter on the bed, grabbed the bag from the headboard, and took out a parcel wrapped in oil paper. He handed it to Zhou Lian. When she opened it, she paused for a moment, then said with a smile, "It’s all my favorite food."
There were two palm-sized slices of qiegao, a snack Li Xiu had specially made for Zhou Lian, imitating the later-era Xinjiang style. It was made by boiling down walnuts, corn syrup, glutinous rice, raisins, grape juice, sesame seeds, dates, and other ingredients with beet sugar. The ingredients were hard to find, so he didn’t make it often, but Zhou Lian loved it. There were also two oranges and an apple.
Watching Zhou Lian eat with such relish, Li Xiu gazed at her dotingly. ’My darling loves this so much,’ he thought. ’I’ll have to prepare more ingredients this year. It’s highly nutritious, so it’s good for her to eat more of it.’
Second Sister-in-law and Zhou Xiang stood by the window, watching the two people in the room—one eating sweetly, the other watching with a gentle smile. They felt it wasn’t right to interrupt the atmosphere. They didn’t know a phrase from a later era that perfectly described it: pink bubbles were fizzing up between the two of them.
Li Xiu had sharp ears and keen eyes, and his senses were on high alert. He looked up at the two women by the window and gave them a smiling nod before lowering his head to gently wipe a crumb from the corner of Zhou Lian’s mouth. In return, Zhou Lian looked up and smiled at him.
Having been spotted, Second Sister-in-law and Zhou Xiang quietly entered the room. Second Sister-in-law wasn’t very familiar with this sister-in-law of hers, so she just smiled. Zhou Xiang, however, spoke directly, "Second Sister, didn’t you eat this morning?"
"Your second sister has a small appetite. The doctor told her to eat small, frequent meals. After all, she’s still breastfeeding. If she doesn’t eat enough, her nutrition will suffer, and the baby will go hungry," Li Xiu explained hurriedly, afraid his wife would be embarrassed.
Zhou Xiang just laughed. ’This brother-in-law is way too protective of Second Sister. Oh well, it’s not the first time. I should be used to it by now.’ She said casually, "There’s plenty of food in the kitchen. You didn’t need to bring anything!"
"Your second sister has dietary restrictions and can’t eat a lot of things. The family is so busy today, it would be too much trouble to make something special for her. Besides, her appetite is small, so it’s not worth the extra effort," Li Xiu said with a light laugh. ’The banquet food is all heavily seasoned. My wife doesn’t really like it.’
"Then what about the banquet at noon? I’ll go talk to the kitchen and have them make something special for Second Sister," Second Sister-in-law said hurriedly. Inwardly, however, she was dismissive. ’Her confinement month is over. Is all this really necessary? There’s meat and fish at the banquet, and she can’t eat that? My sister-in-law really is delicate!’
"No need, Second Sister-in-law. I’ll make something for her myself after the kitchen staff is done. It’s so busy today, let’s not cause any more trouble," Li Xiu said, flatly refusing. ’I couldn’t bear to let my wife eat the food from the kitchen. Besides, my wife wouldn’t be able to eat much of it anyway.’
Zhou Xiang knew him well. She smiled and persuaded her sister-in-law, "Second Sister-in-law, just leave it. Second Sister has my brother-in-law to look after her. We shouldn’t worry about it. Come on, Mother is waiting for these things!" With that, she grabbed the red candles from under the bed and pulled Second Sister-in-law out of the room.
Li Xiu looked at Zhou Lian, who hadn’t said a single word from beginning to end. He gazed at her gently and asked, "Bao’er, what’s wrong?" ’My wife’s mood seems off. Someone must have upset her while I was out with Third Brother to welcome the bride.’ At this thought, a ruthless glint flashed in Li Xiu’s eyes.
Zhou Lian pouted. "Someone probably said something to Mom and Dad. When Dad was taking my pulse just now, he specifically brought up the ginseng."