Chapter 67: Li Xiu’s Looks
Before long, Third Aunt Li arrived with a grand procession of her daughter and nieces. Entering the house and seeing Li Xiu tending the fire, she said with a smile, "Your brother and the others went to the supply and marketing cooperative. They’ll be back at noon. This afternoon, we’ll have them go send word to our relatives."
"Third Aunt, please go into the inner room. Grandma and First Aunt are in there. I’m almost done here, so you all go on ahead," Li Xiu said with a smile.
Third Aunt Li didn’t stand on ceremony with him and went straight into the room, making a beeline for her grandniece on the kang bed. Oh my, this was the Li family’s first great-granddaughter.
Hearing the soft laughter from the inner room, Li Xiu smiled to himself. ’What a good life this is!’ In a short while, the eggs were cooked. He let them sit for a bit, then scooped them all out and placed them in cold water. He would dye them once they were completely cool. He checked the time; it was almost ten o’clock. Li Xiu washed the wok, lit the fire, and started cooking again. His wife, during her postpartum confinement, had to eat small, frequent meals—at least six a day.
He made noodles in a clear hen broth, adding a small handful of blanched bok choy and a spoonful of chicken thigh meat. It looked incredibly beautiful and appetizing, especially since green leafy vegetables were so rare in the dead of winter.
Meanwhile, on the kang bed, Zhou Lian was terribly bored. She wasn’t allowed to hold the baby or read books; she was just supposed to lie down or sleep. So, she started gossiping with Grandma Li, First Aunt Li, and Third Aunt Li. "First Aunt, she’s pregnant, so what’s she making such a fuss about?"
"She wants the best food, the best clothes, the best of everything. What family can afford a wife like that! But the young woman is pregnant with a child of the Wang Family. Just you watch. She’s only five or six months along; there’s going to be plenty of drama down the line!" First Aunt Li said with a pout. There was more she didn’t say. ’That young wife is always trying to one-up my niece-in-law, without even considering that the man she married can’t compare to my grandnephew in any way.’
"You’re talking about the wife of the Wang family’s second son, right? I saw her go back to her parents’ house today, crying her eyes out," Third Aunt Li said, turning back to join the conversation after gazing at her grandniece for a moment.
"She went back to her parents’ house, crying? She must be six or seven months along by now! And no one from the Wang family stopped her?" Grandma Li asked in surprise. Who lets a woman who’s six or seven months pregnant go back to her parents’ house all by herself? What if something happened on the way?
"Who knows what happened. It wasn’t until much later that we saw the Wang family’s second son chase after her. A crowd had gathered around the Wangs’ house, like they were watching a play!" Third Aunt Li said with a look of disdain. ’It takes two to tango. The young wife has her faults, but that Mrs. Wang is no pushover, either.’
"Third Aunt, Third Aunt, do you know the inside story? Tell us, quickly," Zhou Lian urged impatiently.
It was rare to see her niece-in-law looking so eager for gossip, so Third Aunt Li didn’t keep them in suspense. "The Wang family are neighbors with your sister’s in-laws, right? Her mother-in-law came over to my place to chat last night, and that’s how I found out. The young wife is a bit fussy, but she’s pregnant, you know? Mrs. Wang thought her daughter-in-law was being dramatic, so she deliberately made some tasty food just for her eldest son’s son. I mean, if you’re going to make it, fine, but she deliberately brought it right in front of her second daughter-in-law to feed her grandson."
Seeing their surprised faces, Third Aunt Li continued, "Pregnant women get cravings; that’s just how it is. This happened several times and made the second daughter-in-law cry from anger. That young wife is quite reasonable, though. She can’t fight with her nephew over food, can she? And she can’t raise her voice at her mother-in-law, either. So she told her husband about it that night, and that’s when it all blew up. The second daughter-in-law stormed off to her parents’ house in a huff, and the second son started smashing things and demanding to split the family."
First Aunt Li murmured, "So that’s what happened. That Mrs. Wang cried to me several times, and I actually thought her daughter-in-law was the one at fault. Turns out, she brought it all on herself."
"Honey, I made you something to eat. Why don’t you have some now?" Hearing how engrossed they were in their conversation, Li Xiu had no choice but to interrupt.
"Bring it in, quick! Let our niece-in-law eat first," Third Aunt Li said briskly. Their niece-in-law needed to breastfeed the baby, so her meals couldn’t be delayed.
First Aunt Li helped Zhou Lian sit up, draped a cotton-padded jacket over her shoulders, and took the hot towel from Li Xiu for Zhou Lian to wipe her hands.
Looking at everyone’s fussing, Zhou Lian said with a laugh, "Why do I feel like a pampered young lady from the old days? I’m fine, I’m not that weak. First Aunt, Third Aunt, please don’t worry."
"What’s wrong with that? You are the great heroine of our Li family right now. Just rest up and let Li Xiu take good care of you. You gave him such a beautiful daughter; he ought to serve you," First Aunt Li said with a smile.
Seeing everyone nod in agreement, even Li Bo chimed in, "Sister-in-law, my mom said you need to rest and recover well. Only after you’ve recovered can you keep giving me more nieces and nephews. My little niece is so adorable! When she grows up, she’ll definitely be the most beautiful niece around. No one else’s will compare."
While eating from her bowl, Zhou Lian watched Third Aunt Li tease him. "So, does that mean a future daughter of yours won’t be as pretty as your niece?"
Li Bo looked conflicted. He glanced at his older brother, then at his sister-in-law, and then down at his peacefully sleeping little niece. After thinking for a long time, he said, "Third Aunt, in that case, I’ll have to marry a very, very pretty wife. Otherwise, my daughter really might not be as pretty as my little niece."
Everyone in the room burst out laughing at his words. Li He smiled and asked him, "Why is that? How do you know your daughter won’t be as pretty as our little niece?"
Li Bo shot her a scornful look and said, "Second Sister He, are you dense? Look how handsome Big Brother is. Do you think I’ll be better looking than him when I grow up? Then look at Sister-in-law. Do you think I can find a wife prettier than her? Since my wife and I won’t be as good-looking as Big Brother and Sister-in-law, how could my daughter possibly compare to Big Brother’s daughter!"
After they finished laughing, they all took a closer look at Li Xiu. And that one look stunned all the Li family women. He was over 1.8 meters tall, with a long, oval face, sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a high-bridged nose. Crucially, Li Xiu possessed an indescribable aura that made him seem nothing like a farm boy.
After a long moment, Li Gui finally spoke up. "Big Brother seems to have gotten taller again. And his skin is fairer. He’s not dark and skinny like before. He was handsome back then too, but it didn’t show!"
Li Yun studied him for a long time and said, "Sister Gui is right. Big Brother probably suffered from malnutrition and overwork before. After getting married, Sister-in-law took good care of him, his nutrition improved, and he filled out. If you look closely, Big Brother inherited all the best features from Second Uncle and Second Aunt... No, his face shape is like our aunt’s. Grandma, look, don’t you think so?"
Grandma Li smiled and said, "Your big brother doesn’t look like your aunt; he looks like your grandpa. Your grandpa was one of five brothers, and he was the most handsome. He took after his own uncle—your great-grandma’s younger brother. Back in the day, he was a famous handsome man for miles around. Your big brother is about eighty percent similar to your grandpa. But your big brother is more handsome, since he also takes after your second aunt’s side of the family."
Zhou Lian, holding her bowl, muffled a laugh. Seeing Grandma Li and the others fawn over him reminded her of a funny story from her past life. It was a situation Li Xiu had gotten himself into. A female art student had taken a persistent interest in Li Xiu. It wasn’t that she had a crush on him; she wanted him to be her model—a nude model, at that. Li Xiu was over fifty at the time, and he was out with his granddaughter when the student insisted they looked like father and daughter. Li Xiu was so angry he had a dark expression for over half a month! In the end, their daughter and daughter-in-law had to go find the art school’s professor to put a stop to it.
Seeing his wife trying to hold back her laughter, Li Xiu obviously remembered the incident too. He couldn’t say anything out loud, but he made a silent vow. ’Just wait. Wait until you’re out of postpartum confinement. We’ll see how I deal with you then. Is it that funny to laugh at your own husband?!’
Seeing his grandma and aunts looking at Zhou Lian curiously, Li Xiu, worried she might let something slip, teased, "Honey, even if you’re happy your husband is so handsome, you don’t have to show it so obviously!"
Zhou Lian’s head snapped up to look at him, her face turning bright red as she was choked by his words. ’This shameless man! How can he say something like that!’ She pointed at him, speechless for a long moment.