A Couple's Rebirth to 1977 Before Marriage

After dinner, Li Xiu left with their daughter in his arms, saying he had something to discuss with the village chief. He left Zhou Lian and her mother at home, but not before reminding Zhou Lian that there was hot water in the pot and she absolutely must not use cold water for her bath.

Mrs. Zhou watched her son-in-law’s retreating back and muttered to her daughter, "If you start looking down on your husband just because you’re going to college, I won’t let you hear the end of it."

After everyone had left in the afternoon, her son-in-law hadn’t stopped for a moment. He had cleaned the house, fed the pigs, chickens, and goats, and then cooked dinner. He even heated water for his wife’s bath. Meanwhile, her daughter just sat there, playing with the baby.

"Mom, I would never think of that. Besides, we already have a daughter. What is there to be dissatisfied with?" Zhou Lian said, looking at her mother with a helpless expression. ’Am I really so untrustworthy? First, it was his mother, grandmother, great-aunts, and sisters-in-law, all singing Li Xiu’s praises in different ways. That was understandable—they were his family, after all. But today, her own older sister, brother, younger siblings, and now her own parents were all lecturing her. Was she really that unreliable? That unworthy of their trust?’

"Has it always been like this? You just stand there and watch him do all the work!"

Hearing the anger in her mother’s voice, Zhou Lian wondered to herself, ’Is it a good idea to tell her the truth? Won’t that just make Mom even more...’

"Tell me the truth!"

’Alright, better not add fuel to the fire. Her Majesty the Mother seems to be in a foul mood.’ "Mom, haven’t I told you before? It’s basically always been like this."

Speechless, Mrs. Zhou looked at her fair-skinned daughter, not knowing what to say. One look was enough to tell that her daughter was pampered, the type who had never had to lift a finger. But they were people who scratched a living from the dirt. If her daughter had been like this before getting married, she probably would never have found a husband. Who would marry a delicate young lady only to bring her home to do nothing while her husband had to wait on her hand and foot?

"Mom, it’s been like this ever since I married him. I’ve told you before. He’s just that stubborn. He’ll listen to whatever I say, but then he’ll turn around and do things his way regardless. What can I do? I can’t start a fight with him over it, and it would be useless even if I did. Mom, do you know why I took the college entrance exam?"

Mrs. Zhou looked at her calm daughter curiously. ’Was there more to the story of her going to college?’

"After Nuonuo’s 100-day celebration, I told him I had to start working in the fields this year, that it wasn’t right for me to keep doing nothing. That’s the very reason he made me take the college exam. He was dead set against me doing manual labor. He went straight to the county town, brought back books, and even found a tutor for me. I was completely pushed into it, you know? For over three months, all I did was eat, sleep, and study. He even took care of Nuonuo by himself. On top of all that, he worried I was studying too long and getting tired, so he was constantly limiting my study time!"

Looking at her daughter’s frowning face, Mrs. Zhou was completely baffled. She knew her son-in-law doted on her daughter excessively, but was this level of doting even normal? She hadn’t just never seen it, she’d never even heard of such a thing. Even a father wouldn’t spoil his own daughter this much. There were men who cherished their wives, sure, but to cherish a wife to the point of practically wanting to spoon-feed her... wasn’t that just too much?

"My dear, isn’t your husband worried you won’t come back after you leave?"

"Worried about what? He never planned on me coming back!" Seeing her mother’s shocked expression, Zhou Lian decided not to hide anything. She said directly, "When I go to school next month, he’s taking Nuonuo and coming with me. He has no intention of ever letting me out of his sight."

"He and the baby are both going? Where will you live? What about the house here? What will you eat? What will you live on?" Her daughter’s words were even more shocking to Mrs. Zhou than the news of her getting into college. Her son-in-law and granddaughter were going too? A place to live, food, daily expenses—all of it would be a problem. If they didn’t work the land, they wouldn’t have grain or money. Even with their current savings, they couldn’t survive on just spending without any income!

"Mom, I won’t hide it from you. Ever since we got married, Li Xiu has given me several thousand yuan in total. We’re planning to buy a house in the Capital City. He’ll be there with the baby, and when I’m on winter and summer break, he’ll have time to go out and earn money. I’ve been married to him for over a year now. Does he seem like a man without a plan? Since he’s bold enough to send me to college, he’s not afraid I’ll have a change of heart. That man is cunning enough to outwit anyone. Do you really think I could ever outsmart him?" Zhou Lian said to her mother dismissively.

’She had been married to this man for two lifetimes, all told. Even if she didn’t understand him completely, she understood enough to know that he was ruthless with others and even more ruthless with himself. He would never be ruthless with her, of course, but he understood her thoughts completely. Even if she lived ten more lifetimes, she would never be able to outsmart him.’

’What’s more, Li Xiu never hid anything from her. He laid it all out in the open, letting her see his heart. He made her understand that he would scheme against anyone in the world but her. He made it crystal clear that she was the treasure of his heart—or perhaps, his greatest weakness. Even now, she couldn’t figure out why his feelings for her ran so deep. It was as if his entire reason for living was her!’

"How does he have so much money? And he gave it all to you?" Mrs. Zhou was utterly shocked, not just by the amount of money, but because he had entrusted all of it to her daughter.

"This much money... he practically traded his life for it. Mom, you know that when his family split their assets, he left with almost nothing. For a man as proud as him to be forced to live so miserably... well, that winter before we married, he spent almost the entire season on Daqing Mountain, risking his life to earn it," Zhou Lian said softly. ’Mom has other children,’ she thought. ’It’s better not to go into too much detail about some things.’

"He didn’t keep any private stash for himself; he gave it all to me. He promised that for the rest of my life, I would never want for money, and I would never suffer any grievance!"

Mrs. Zhou looked at her calm daughter. ’Before getting married, this daughter of hers had been quiet and honest. As for a shrewd man like Li Xiu... it wasn’t that she wanted to put down her own daughter, but if you really compared them, her daughter truly couldn’t measure up to her son-in-law. She just couldn’t understand how the outstanding Li Xiu, who excelled in every way, had ended up so completely wrapped around the finger of her own ordinary-looking daughter.’

’Her daughter was pretty, yes, but there were plenty of girls prettier than her. Even among her own five daughters, this second one wasn’t the most beautiful. It was only now, being pampered by her husband, that she looked much prettier than her other sisters and stood out from the crowd!’

"What in the world does he see in you?" After thinking for a long time, Mrs. Zhou let the words slip out with a helpless sigh.

’What does he see in me?’ When the words registered, Zhou Lian stared at her mother. ’This is my own flesh and blood. Is there any mother on earth who puts down her own daughter like this?’

"Staring won’t do you any good. Your husband is good to you, so you have to be good to him, too. People have feelings, you know. I can see that he’s a capable man and won’t let you suffer. You’d better behave yourself, you hear me? If you dare get any funny ideas, your father will break your legs!"

Seeing her daughter pouting, Mrs. Zhou smiled. She was already a mother herself, yet her husband still spoiled her like a little girl. She said softly, "You’re married and have your own family now. Your father and I can’t meddle too much. As long as you two know what you’re doing, that’s what matters. Your husband is a good man. Don’t you go throwing away a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed!"