The three women walked ahead, chatting as they went. Yun Qinghuan learned quite a bit about the village gossip from their conversation, finding it rather interesting.
In this era, entertainment was scarce. Aside from busier times during farming, when they would go to the fields more frequently, most days were spent weeding, fertilizing, checking on crops, and occasionally carrying water to irrigate the fields during particularly dry spells. The rest of the time, people gathered under the big tree at the village entrance, engaging in idle chatter.
If a family had some gossip to share during such times, you could be sure that the entire village would know about it within a day, and the story would become increasingly exaggerated as it spread.
Amidst cheerful laughter, Jiang Wenxiu noticed Yun Qinghuan smiling and couldn’t help complimenting her, “Yun Zhiqing, you should smile more. You look especially beautiful when you smile!”
She turned to look at the silent figure of Bai Naihan behind her, seeking his opinion, “Naihan, do you think your sister-in-law looks good when she smiles?”
Yun Qinghuan was momentarily stunned, instinctively turning to glance at Bai Naihan. The smile on her face had yet to fade.
With picturesque features and eyes sparkling like crescent moons, her face glowed, and the sweat from her exertion in carrying her child had scattered some loose strands of hair across her forehead, making her radiant.
Bai Naihan watched her, pursed his lips, and nodded slightly, emitting a soft “mm” without saying a word.
Granny Chen playfully tapped Jiang Wenxiu on the shoulder, laughing, “Wenxiu, your question is unnecessary. Comrade Xiao Yun is so beautiful; anyone would say she looks good.”
Jiang Wenxiu realized belatedly that it might not be appropriate for Bai Naihan, her younger brother-in-law, to praise his own sister-in-law for being beautiful.
She quickly patted her own head, saying, “Yes, I was confused.”
Yun Qinghuan took it in stride, just smiling and saying, “Granny Chen, sister-in-law, you can call me Qinghuan. Being addressed as Yun Zhiqing or Comrade Xiao Yun feels a bit unfamiliar.”
“Alright, we’ll call you Qinghuan from now on,” Granny Chen and Jiang Wenxiu readily agreed. They felt that using names made the interaction more friendly, and Qinghuan didn’t seem as aloof as some villagers had described.
Observing her easygoing nature, they found her pleasant to be around.
Their conversation was delightful, accompanied by hearty laughter.
As they happily strolled along, Liu Yuzhi hurriedly approached from the front. She seemed to have just woken up, with her hair uncombed, cascading over her shoulders. Sweating and looking anxious, she breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Yun Qinghuan and Bai Naihan. However, when her eyes fell on the child, An’an, in Yun Qinghuan’s arms, her heart tightened.
“Qinghuan, what happened to An’an?” She had woken up early, noticing that her daughter-in-law’s room door was wide open. Considering her daughter-in-law usually didn’t wake up early, she grew curious and went over to check. To her shock, the bed was empty!
Startled, she immediately thought of her in-law, assuming that An’an had been taken away by her in the middle of the night.
Rushing to her son’s room to inquire, she found no response after knocking for a long time. Pushing the door open, she discovered it wasn’t latched, and her son’s bed was empty.
Unable to find her younger son and An’an, Liu Yuzhi noticed that the usually neatly arranged bed, resembling tofu blocks, was now in disarray. The chaotic state indicated her son had hurriedly left.
Liu Yuzhi, unaware of what had happened, felt certain that something significant had occurred. Why else would all three family members be missing early in the morning?
Her head buzzed with pain, and she felt on the verge of fainting. If it weren’t for her determination to find the three of them, she might have collapsed on the spot.
Seeing the worry on her face, Yun Qinghuan reassured her, “Mom, it’s okay. Don’t worry. An’an had a fever in the middle of the night, and I didn’t want to disturb you. Fortunately, Bai Naihan took me to the clinic to see Zhang Shu. An’an has taken medicine and received an IV, and now the fever has mostly subsided. Don’t worry.”
Relieved by Yun Qinghuan’s words, Liu Yuzhi approached to check on An’an, gently feeling the child’s forehead. Once she confirmed that his temperature was normal, the tension in her chest eased. “That’s a relief.”
She couldn’t help but scold her younger son, walking behind him and giving him a firm pat. “You, this child, don’t you know to inform me in advance? You scared me, thinking something major had happened.”
Bai Naihan, with his easygoing temperament, apologized, “Sorry, Mom.”
Seeing Liu Yuzhi still somewhat shaken, Yun Qinghuan felt a sense of guilt as well.
“If I had known, I would have told her earlier. It’s better to disturb her sleep a bit at night than to startle her so early in the morning.”
Next to her, Grandma Chen comforted Liu Yuzhi, “Yuzhi, you should be happy. Both your eldest daughter-in-law and younger son are considerate. They didn’t want to wake you up. If it were another family, they’d wish you were busy and not sleeping. You’re enjoying a comfortable life. Don’t blame the kids. An’an is fine now, isn’t he?”
Liu Yuzhi wasn’t actually angry. She was just overly worried about another issue at home. Now that her mood had settled, she smiled, “I am indeed enjoying a comfortable life. My son is filial, and my daughter-in-law is also filial.”
After chatting a bit more with Grandma Chen and Jiang Wenxiu, Yun Qinghuan and Liu Yuzhi headed home.
Seeing Yun Qinghuan tired from carrying the child, Liu Yuzhi offered to take An’an. This time, An’an didn’t refuse to let his grandmother hold him. After all, he often slept with Liu Yuzhi, and her scent was familiar.
Once Yun Qinghuan handed An’an over, she felt much more relaxed. She couldn’t resist stretching her arms, rubbing them, and massaging them. After carrying the child for so long, her arms were indeed sore.
Feeling a bit drowsy now that she had a moment to rest, Liu Yuzhi, observing Yun Qinghuan yawning, suggested, “You wait a bit, accompany An’an for a nap. I’ll wake you up when the meal is ready.”
“Okay.” This time, Yun Qinghuan didn’t refuse. She did need some rest; otherwise, she wouldn’t be in good spirits for the rest of the day.
Back home, she let An’an sleep inside, and she lay down on the outer side. Almost instantly, she fell asleep.
Before drifting off, she heard her mother-in-law, Liu Yuzhi, talking to Bai Naihan in a gentle tone. Bai Naihan responded amiably. Liu Yuzhi seemed to lose interest in talking after a while.
Yun Qinghuan couldn’t resist curling her lips as she entered dreamland.
When she woke up again, the sun was already shining brightly. The glaring sunlight briefly startled her eyes, and she immediately woke up. How had she slept for so long?
‘I guess Liu Yuzhi didn’t have the heart to wake me up.’
Hastily, she went to check on An’an, using her hand to feel his forehead. She discovered the fever had subsided and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Now, she didn’t have to worry about the child getting too sick from the fever.
She heard crackling sounds in the yard, but didn’t hear Liu Yuzhi’s voice. Yun Qinghuan took a pair of black pants and an apricot-colored long shirt from the nearby wardrobe, casually tied her hair into a ponytail hanging down at the back.
When she opened the door, she saw Bai Naihan sitting in a wheelchair, chopping firewood. The sunlight shone on his face, making the sweat on his face glisten.
∞
Translator Note
Next release
– Dec. 25 (12am)
(There’ll be extra chapters for Christmas, stay tuned!)
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- James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
