Chapter 17

On this side, Li Chunhua followed her son and daughter-in-law to the house where they lived. When she pushed the door open, her eyes immediately turned red.

“Why is it so small?”

For Li Chunhua, who grew up in a village thought that ‘the house can be broken, but it must not be small’. This time, when she built a new house, she built a big courtyard in it.

Even He Xuezhus’ family’s dilapidated house is bigger than this small house.

Lin Shiheng is putting down the things he is carrying, and answers with a smile: “Mom, this is a house given by the army. How can it be as big as ours?”

“It would be too big and inconvenient for just me and Xuezhu to live in.”

Li Chunhua didn’t listen to his comforting words at all and walked around the room with red eyes.

When Shiheng wrote back home, he only said that the army had arranged accommodation and everything was fine. She was aggrieved that her son and daughter-in-law had left her to live happily. But when she arrived, she found out that it was they who had to live in this narrow room, and let her; the mother, live in the big new family house.

She looked up again, He Xuezhu saw tears in her eyes, hurriedly handed her some tissue paper. “Mom, this room is really not small. Shiheng is an officer, the room is much larger than other people’s rooms.”

Li Chunhua looked at her daughter-in-law. She was gentle in appearance and had some worries in her expression. But her eyes showed that she did not feel like she suffered any hardships.

He Xuezhu really felt no injustice for living in such a small house with her son.

How can there be such a nice and considerate daughter-in-law?

She grabbed the hand of the person in front of her, her eyes red and she sigh with emotion: “Xuezhu, you were wronged. It’s getting late today, when tomorrow comes, mom will take you to buy clothes!”

He Xuezhu looked confused.

What sort of grievance has she suffered?

Just before she could ask clearly, Li Chunhua had already valiantly head toward the chickens she had brought.

“Shiheng, get the knife!”

He Xuezhu knew at a glance that she was going to kill a chicken and hurriedly rolled up her sleeves to help.

“Xuezhu, you sit down. You can’t see blood when you’re pregnant. Mom will do it!”

Ahh, this child is pregnant and still wants to do things. She is much more sensible than those stupid daughters-in-law in the village. How could she not take good care of such a good daughter-in-law?

Seeing that the old lady had rubbed her hands and went out, Lin Shiheng took a kitchen knife and smiled at his puzzled wife and said, “Mom is distressed that you came with me to the army base with such a big belly.”

He Xuezhu suddenly felt embarrassed: “I didn’t help with anything after I came to the base…”

“What do you mean ‘didn’t help’?”

“Every time I go out on a mission, my heart settles down thinking I have you waiting for me at home.”

He Xuezhu’s face turned a little red and gave her husband a gentle push: “Ok, hurry up and go out, Mom is still waiting.”

After the two got along day and night, she realized that Shiheng liked to say romantic words so solemnly. As a child who had lived in an environment where even people holding hands would be pointed at, she had been embarrassed and unable to answer those kinds of words from the beginning. She was shy but at the same time; unable to stop the sweetness in her heart.

Lin Shiheng smiled, stretched out his hand and touched her head. With a kitchen knife, he went out to Li Chunhua, who was bending over to look at the hens that had been tied together by the legs.

“Mom, which one do you want? I’ll do it.”

Li Chunhua didn’t hold back. She chose one that looked more energetic. “Those ones. You kill the chickens and Mom will stew it for you. You’ll have to send me to the guest house much later.”

She didn’t intend to live in the base. Before when her son first joined the army, Li Chunhua understood the rules of the army clearly. Soldiers can only be accompanied by military spouses or their children. She has never heard of a mother who could live with their child on the base. Similarly, of course, she can’t live in the courtyard.

Moreover, such a small room only had one bed. If she stays here, she wouldn’t be able to squeeze in.

After listening to the mother’s words, the man in the military uniform was squatting down, and slit a hen’s throat. “Mom, I can’t accompany you tomorrow. I just received a notice before I picked you up. I have to stay in the army base for another day tomorrow.”

“It’s all right. I’ll just take Xuezhu with me.”

Li Chunhua was a bit frustrated, but soon adjusted.

She was going to tell her daughter-in-law not to get intimate with her son during pregnancy but Li Chunhua was in a trance thinking ‘the son can’t bear children’ and ‘fortunately, he left a single seedling before he became infertile’ and they left in a hurry. When the two had left, she found that she forgot to tell them.

Saying such a thing isn’t that easy, even in a letter. She would have to wait until tomorrow to talk to Xuezhu in person.

The chickens were killed quickly. The mother and son plucked their feathers together. Neither of them wanted to ask He Xuezhu in the room to help them. They plucked them up cleanly together.

The courtyard is so large, and they all live together. The movement here was also seen by a few people.

Miao Xing opens her door to pours out some water; looks at the mothers and child duo who were working hard on the opposite side. Her eyes flashed.

She didn’t expect that He Xuezhu was such an unfilial person. On such a cold day, her mother-in-law was killing chickens outside, and even her husband came to help. But she, as a daughter-in-law, couldn’t even come out of the house.

But that’s good.

The more unfilial He Xuezhu is, the easier for her to slip in between the two.

It’s just an old woman from the countryside. Aren’t they easy to please?

Thinking about it, if He Xuezhu was laboriously pregnant, if her mother-in-law was very fond of another woman, and this woman might have had an affair with her husband.

If the baby in her stomach could be stimulated, there might be an accident.

Miao Xing stands by the door with the basin. The corners of her lips slowly rose.

Li Chunhua looked at the plucked chicken and stood up. She had just straightened up when he found a woman standing in front of a small room opposite them.

To wear so little clothes on such a cold day and stand for so long without shivering because of the cold… even smiling.

Is there something wrong with her brain?

Li Chunhua immediately thought of the madman in the village. She hurriedly inserted chopsticks like skewers into the chicken meat.

She has to tell Xuezhu to stay away from this kind of person, so she wouldn’t stimulate the baby in her stomach.

In the early morning of the next day, Lin Shiheng put his wallet in his mother’s hands and began to speak with her.

“Mom, take the money. Xuezhu knows how to get there. She also knows the phone number of the army base. There is a phone box on the side of the road. If there’s any problem, you can call me.”

“Don’t touch people who sell makeup there. I heard that if pregnant women inhale these cosmetics, it’s not good for their child’s health. I don’t know whether it is true or not, it’s better to be careful anyway.”

“Also, don’t always buy for Xuezhu and me, buy something for yourself. After such a long time, you still haven’t bought new clothes for yourself. I have money, and I’m not afraid of your spending. Mom, don’t save it for me.”

His tone is a little on the complaining side, but Li Chunhua was not angry at all.

Her son loves her!

Look, he’s not letting her buy for Xuezhu, but let her buy stuff for herself.

Clearly, she was extremely happy, but Li Chunhua forced her face to stay leveled. “What are you saying? Don’t you know how much I care about your wife?”

“Xuezhu is suffering from her pregnancy. What’s wrong with buying her new clothes? I like to buy new clothes for her!”

He Xuezhu just cleaned up and came out of the room to hear this sentence. She was immediately moved.

Why is her mother-in-law so nice?

As soon as Li Chunhua saw her daughter-in-law’s admiring sight, her back became straighter.

Lin Shiheng smiled helplessly. “Xuezhu has new clothes. A while ago, she had a big belly and couldn’t wear the previous clothes. I just bought them for her.”

“So what if you just bought some? Xuezhu is so young, she should wear more beautiful clothes.” Li Chunhua didn’t take his sentence seriously at all. Not only is the room small, but even the wardrobe is so small, so small that it can only hold several clothes.

“Listen to Mom.”

Lin Shiheng turned to look at his wife and said “Did you hear that? Mom also advocates buying new clothes for you. Next time I take you to the mall, don’t say no to everything.”

“Mom, then I’ll go. Remember, buy some for yourself.”

Li Chunhua felt relieved and waved: “I know. Hurry up.”

Her son is so filial!

She turns around happily, holding her daughter-in-law’s arm in a good mood: “Xuezhu, let’s go.”

“Today Mom will buy you some good ones…”

Just then, the opposite room suddenly opened. Miao Xing, who was dressed beautifully and had light makeup on her face, came out and waved: “Xuezhu!”

He Xuezhu turned doubtfully and looked at Miao Xing coming up while grinning. She then smiled and looked at Li Chunhua: “Is this is Commander Lin’s mother? How are you, Aunty? My name is Miao Xing and I live in the opposite room.”

She is beautifully dressed, with a kind smile and a natural and graceful attitude, which is arguably enough to make any village woman have a certain amount of goodwill.

However, Li Chunhua has not forgotten the person she saw last time and doubted that this woman had something wrong in the head.

She subconsciously felt anxious and pulled her daughter-in-law closer to her. She also smiled, “Hello.”

“Let’s talk another time. I’m taking Xuezhu to the mall to buy clothes.”

The surprise on Miao Xing’s face suddenly deepened: “I was just about to go too, how about we go together?”

Li Chunhua eyebrows trembled slightly. She turned to look at her daughter-in-law, but her face was also full of incomprehension. Clearly, she was not familiar with this Miao Xing.

She went shopping with her daughter-in-law to have a private conversation. Three is a crowd!

Miao Xing should not see the old lady’s unwillingness in front of her, but she calculated clearly that women from rural areas like this had low self-esteem.

Even if they aren’t happy about it, they will definitely be too embarrassed to refuse her.

Sure enough, Li Chunhua hesitated for a few seconds, but still said: “That’s okay, then we…”

Pausing, she suddenly started to say, “What’s the red stuff on your mouth?”

“Oh, it’s lipstick.”

Miao Xing smiled very tenderly: “This is cosmetics. Auntie, if you like, I’ll buy one for you at the mall later.”

She came closer, but Li Chunhua took a big step back, pulling her daughter-in-law.

Her son said that cosmetics are harmful to children in pregnant women’s stomachs!

“No, I can’t. I suddenly remembered some personal matters, so we can’t go together.”

“Well, Miao Yue, you should go shopping by yourself. It’s unfortunate… Xu Xuezhu, come on, hurry up and follow your mother!”

Li Chunhua pulled her daughter-in-law to retreat quickly, looking like she had to escape.

Miao Xing stood in the same place, with a stiff smile on her face.

Her name is Miao Xing!