Chapter 112 - 110: The Li Family’s Worry
"She got in just like that?" Grandma Li looked at her grinning grandson in disbelief, then at her silently smiling granddaughter-in-law. She muttered to herself, ’Is university this easy to get into? Or is my granddaughter-in-law just too smart, different from everyone else?’
Ignoring everyone’s shock and confusion, Li Xiu smiled at Grandma Li and said, "Grandma, my wife got into Beijing University. It’s the best university."
’The best university... In the old days, wouldn’t that make her a top scholar?’ The Li family had truly struck gold. Marrying a wife who could get into university—Li Xiu’s luck was second to none! Regardless of the villagers’ envy, jealousy, and spiteful remarks, the watermelon was brought back. Everyone present had a slice and heard the news that Li Xiu would be hosting a celebratory feast the day after tomorrow.
Seeing that the members of the Li family’s first and third branches hadn’t moved, Li Xiu showed no reaction. Zhou Lian, however, felt a little uneasy. ’How am I supposed to explain this? My husband doesn’t doubt me, but what will these people say? Getting into university after just three months of studying... If word of this gets out, people will think I’m some kind of monster. After all, on the surface, I’ve only attended a literacy class. I just know a few characters. Is university really that easy to get into? And the best one, at that.’
Noticing Zhou Lian’s distracted look, Li Xiu frowned almost imperceptibly and said with a smile, "Honey, why don’t you and the girls make a little extra for dinner? We’ll have Grandma, Uncle, and Third Uncle all eat at our place tonight."
Zhou Lian, who had been lost in thought, understood at once that Li Xiu was deliberately sending her away. She smiled and agreed, heading to the kitchen with her sisters-in-law to get busy.
Handing his little girl to Grandma Li, Li Xiu poured tea for his uncle, aunt, third uncle, and third aunt. He sat down and said with a smile, "Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, Third Uncle, Third Aunt, I know you’re all wondering how my wife suddenly managed to get into university."
Seeing Grandma Li about to speak, Li Xiu smiled and said, "Grandma, before we got married, I brought back a lot of books from the salvage station. You know about that."
When Grandma Li nodded, he continued, "Not long after my wife married into the family, she got pregnant, so I never let her work in the fields. With nothing to do at home, she read all the books I brought back. Not only did she read them all, she remembered most of it."
"All those books? She read them all, and remembered them!" Grandma Li said in shock. She knew just how many her grandson had brought back—they were in burlap sacks, six or seven of them!
"Yes. She finished them last year and even asked me if there were more. That’s when I found out. I thought, since she’s so smart, why not let her give it a try? It didn’t cost anything. It would be great if she got in, but no big deal if she didn’t. That’s why we didn’t tell anyone, to avoid all the annoying gossip. I never expected her to not only get in, but to get into the best university!" Li Xiu said calmly. ’If I don’t explain this clearly, people will always look at my wife strangely. I need to let them know she’s just smart—very smart. That way, they’ll have nothing left to do but envy her!’
"If Nuonuo’s mother goes to university in the Capital City, what will you and the child do?" Aunt Li sharply pointed out the issue that concerned her most. It was certainly a good thing that her niece-in-law got into university, but what about her nephew? And her grandniece?
Looking at his aunt’s anxious face, Li Xiu smiled. ’Aunt is truly worried about me. She’s the only one who sees the difficulties behind this.’ It was only because he had lived for decades longer that this wasn’t a major issue and could be resolved. Anyone else, or even the him from his past life, might not have been able to find a perfect solution. In this era, so many people abandoned their spouses and children for the chance to return to the city or attend university.
"Aunt, don’t worry. We’ve already discussed it. I’ll take the child and go with her to the Capital City. We’ll rent a place near her university."
"Then what about things here at home? Do you have enough money? What will you eat and drink there? What work can you do?" The string of questions was further proof that Aunt Li genuinely cared for Li Xiu and was truly worried about him.
"Things at home are easy to handle. I’ll have Grandma come live here, and we just need to inform the village. No work points, no grain rations. University is free now, and there’s even a stipend. Renting a place won’t cost much. There are odd jobs in the city. As long as I’m not lazy, supporting the family won’t be a problem."
"Once your wife is in university, she’ll be eating the state’s grain. In the future, will she... will she start to look down on you?" Aunt Li asked the last part in a low voice. She was truly worried. When she heard this afternoon that her niece-in-law had gotten into university, everyone else was overjoyed. But her first thought was about what her nephew would do from now on. In the past two years, hadn’t there been plenty of families torn apart over the chance to return to the city or go to university? Her nephew treated his wife like a treasure. What if his wife’s heart wandered and she abandoned him and their daughter?
"Aunt, it’s fine. Nuonuo’s mother isn’t that kind of person. Besides, does your nephew look like the kind of man who can’t even hold onto his own wife? I know what I’m doing, don’t worry!" Li Xiu said with a smile, reassuring his aunt. ’It must be hard on her, always thinking of me first.’
Thinking carefully about her nephew’s personality, she had to agree. With his shrewdness, he wouldn’t have let his wife take the exam if he wasn’t confident. At this thought, Aunt Li smiled faintly and said, "As long as you know what you’re doing. That’s good!"
Seeing his aunt let out a long sigh and relax, Li Xiu felt a pang in his heart. ’Even my own mother couldn’t have cared more!’ In two lifetimes, he had never received his own mother’s love, yet in both lifetimes, he had received it from his aunt. He wondered if this was what the ancients meant by "what is lost at sunrise is gained at sunset."
When no one was looking, he wiped at his reddened eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "None of you need to worry about me. Since Nuonuo’s mother got into university, she absolutely must go. We’ve discussed it all, and things will only get better from here. As for her... you can rest assured. She’s not that kind of person. She won’t have any improper thoughts."
Looking at Li Xiu, everyone slowly began to relax. With his shrewdness, it was unlikely anything bad would happen. Besides, Nuonuo’s mother probably wasn’t that kind of person. To put it bluntly, where else would she find a man who doted on her and protected her like Li Xiu did? As long as she wasn’t a fool, she wouldn’t do something that would make people curse her behind her back.
In the kitchen, Zhou Lian had no idea the Li family’s thoughts were so complex. She was only worried about whether Li Xiu would offer a reasonable explanation. After all, getting into university after studying for just three months was unheard of.
It was hard to say if Zhou Lian was truly smart or just truly naive. After all, in two lifetimes, she had never witnessed the true treachery of the human heart. In her youth, everyone around her was a simple villager. After marrying Li Xiu, she suffered some grievances from his family in her past life, but no one else dared to cross her. Li Xiu’s fiery temper in both lifetimes was no joke. Later, when they moved to the city, she was protected by her daughter and son, and then by Li Xiu. This life was even more of a given. A woman who had lived for decades was spoiled into a young girl by Li Xiu. So even though Zhou Lian had lived two lives, her innocence was the real deal.