After Zhao Jingyu led the group away, Yang Yuelan walked in carrying a stack of quilt covers and blankets, saying they were congratulatory gifts from everyone.
Though Yang Yuelan wore a smile on her face, her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.
Xu Qingning raised an eyebrow slightly.
Was something wrong?
Zhao Lei followed her in, holding a notebook and pencil, and said expressionlessly to Xu Qingning, “Sister-in-law, this is the account I kept for you. All the quilt covers and blankets received today will need to be returned in the future.”
“I understand.” Xu Qingning took the account book and glanced at the pile of colorful gifts. “Thank you, Mom, thank you, Sister.”
Gifts were a matter of reciprocity.
When others held celebrations in the future, she would return the favor. She understood this perfectly well.
“No need to be so polite with us. It was just a small effort.” Zhao Lei leaned against the writing desk, crossing her arms. “Jing Yu is leaving tomorrow. Since you’ll be alone at home with nothing to do, why not go to work? If you want to work at the cotton mill, I can ask around for you.”
“Whether I work or not is a matter between me and Zhao Jingyu. There’s no need for you to worry about it.” Xu Qingning’s expression immediately turned cold. “Sister, you’d be better off focusing on your own life.”
Although Zhao Lei also worked in the city, her clothing was no different from Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan’s.
It wasn’t that Xu Qingning judged people by appearances, but she felt a worker’s demeanor shouldn’t be like Zhao Lei’s.
Her mother-in-law was a good mother-in-law, so why was her sister-in-law like this? She wasn’t going to indulge such behavior.
“Third Brother’s wife just got married. Let’s talk about work later—isn’t Jing Yu still here?” Yang Yuelan sat down on the edge of the bed and said to Zhao Lei, “Tomorrow, I’ll go back to my hometown to pack up and come stay with her for a while. I’m worried about her living alone.”
“Mom, when my husband went to work at the third-line project and was gone for over six months, you didn’t even ask about me. Now you’re coming to stay with your daughter-in-law?” Zhao Lei sneered. “So, in your eyes, I’m even less important than an outsider.”
“She’s not an outsider; she’s your sister-in-law. Besides, back then you were living with your mother-in-law, and there were so many people at home. Why would you have needed me to stay with you?” Yang Yuelan’s eyes reddened again as she spoke. “Leilei, I know you resent me, but at this point, there’s nothing I can do to make it up to you. If you still care about our mother-daughter bond, don’t dwell on the things in the rosewood box. Those were left to Jing Yu by your grandmother. I can’t divide them among you privately.”
Hearing this, Xu Qingning felt a stir in her heart.
How did Zhao Lei know Yang Yuelan had given her gold jewelry? Yang Yuelan definitely wouldn’t have said anything—she wasn’t crazy, and she wouldn’t have revealed even a hint of it.
She hadn’t even told Zhao Jingyu.
“I knew I shouldn’t have come today. You’re the ones who are family. What am I?” Zhao Lei stood up angrily. “Mom, it’s not that I’m demanding you give me a share, but such a big matter—you kept it from me too. You never treated me like a daughter.”
“Leilei, why would I tell you about something that has nothing to do with you?” Yang Yuelan said earnestly. “With so many people in the family, and you being both a sister-in-law and a daughter-in-law, the more you know, the easier it is to get caught up in gossip.”
“Mom, do you really think we wouldn’t find out just because you don’t say anything?” Zhao Lei grew angrier the more she thought about it. She turned to leave, but paused at the doorway and added, “The reason Jing Yu is in such a hurry to get married is because his wife is pregnant. And as for the gold jewelry in the rosewood box—there’s no need to hide it anymore. Both my sisters-in-law already know. It was her family who told them.”
With that, she pushed the door open and walked out. “I’m going to the guesthouse. I won’t be eating at home.”
Yang Yuelan could only sigh.
Xu Qingning thought Zhao Lei was someone who couldn’t tell what was important from what wasn’t—always meddling in her parents’ affairs. It was downright ridiculous.
She couldn’t very well complain about Zhao Lei in front of Yang Yuelan, after all, they were mother and daughter. Even if they argued, they wouldn’t hold grudges. But she couldn’t just pretend she hadn’t heard anything either. “Mom, I’m sorry our situation has put you in such an awkward position.”
“It’s not your fault,” Yang Yuelan forced a smile, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes seeming to carry a trace of weariness. She patted Xu Qingning’s hand. “Let’s eat first. We can talk about everything else after dinner.”
“Alright, let’s eat.” Xu Qingning slipped on her shoes and got out of bed, taking the initiative to help serve the meal.
Over the past couple of days, she had observed that the strained relationship between Zhao Jingyu and his parents stemmed from the unresolved pain of being sent away during his childhood.
Zhao Jingyu was like a rebellious child—distant and indifferent toward the elderly couple, not even addressing them as Mom and Dad.
The elderly couple, feeling guilty toward him, spoke to him with caution.
Yang Yuelan’s kindness toward her was simply an extension of her love for her son.
Between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, without the bond of blood, what mattered most was how they got along. Although she couldn’t help resolve the conflict between her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, she was sweet-tongued and thick-skinned enough to offer some comfort.
Yang Yuelan had prepared plain congee, boiled eggs, and brought over some meat dishes for her, urging her repeatedly to eat more. “I’ll go back tomorrow afternoon and return the day after. Before I leave, I’ll steam a pot of buns for you. You can just heat them up and eat them.”
“Mom, you don’t need to steam buns for me. I can just eat at the canteen,” Xu Qingning said. Her appetite wasn’t great, but she wasn’t that fussy either. “If you’re too busy, there’s no need to rush back.”
“I’ve already discussed it with your dad,” Yang Yuelan said, placing all the meat from the plate into Xu Qingning’s bowl. “As long as you don’t mind having me around.”
“Mom, I’d be happy to have you stay with me. How could I possibly mind?” Xu Qingning looked at the meat in her bowl, deeply moved. “I just feel like I’m causing you too much trouble.”
“We’re family. There’s no such thing as trouble,” Yang Yuelan replied, feeling reassured. “With you home alone, your dad and I wouldn’t feel at ease, and I’m sure Jing Yu wouldn’t either. If I’m here to take care of you, we’ll all feel better.”
After dinner, Yang Yuelan began tidying up the house.
Once she finished cleaning the pots, pans, and dishes, she took a cloth and wiped the windows, the wardrobe, and the writing desk, going over them again and again.
Xu Qingning watched in amazement. Was this for real? Her mother-in-law was incredibly diligent, while she herself was so lazy…
Before ten o’clock, Zhao Jingyu and Zhao Futang returned from the guesthouse. Father and son entered the room one after the other without exchanging a word.
Seeing that they were back, Yang Yuelan stopped cleaning and quietly went to the adjacent room.
As usual, Zhao Jingyu took a washbasin to the courtyard to freshen up before returning to the room, taking off his shoes, and getting into bed.
Xu Qingning had slept too much during the day, and after eating a hearty dinner, she felt rather full and wide awake.
She was thinking about what Zhao Lei had said, about her family members mentioning her pregnancy and the gold jewelry. Without a doubt, it must have been Tang Wenya who spilled the beans.
She believed Tang Wenya’s loose tongue could have revealed the pregnancy, but how did Tang Wenya know about the gold jewelry?
After turning it over in her mind, she concluded it must have been Tang Wenya’s System. She remembered that in the book, Tang Wenya’s System had the ability to foresee plot developments.
This was essentially like Tang Wenya installing a surveillance camera in her home, monitoring her every move. It was deeply unsettling, and she couldn’t let this continue.
Since she couldn’t use the System herself, she had to render it useless, turning it into nothing more than a piece of junk.
But how could she achieve that?
“What are you thinking about?” Zhao Jingyu asked, noticing her tossing and turning in bed, neither sleeping nor speaking to him.
This woman was so unpredictable toward him—sometimes warm, sometimes cold.
“Your mother gave me the rosewood box your grandmother left behind. Inside were a gold bracelet, a gold necklace, and a few pieces of jade,” Xu Qingning decided to tell him everything. “Your two sisters-in-law and your sister all found out. Your sister was quite upset and even argued with your mother. If your sisters-in-law ask about it tomorrow, you should be prepared.”
These family matters had nothing to do with her.
And she had no intention of getting involved.
“I understand,” Zhao Jingyu replied calmly, not questioning how they had found out. “If it was given to you, keep it safe. If they ask, I’ll handle it.”
Xu Qingning hummed in acknowledgment and went back to thinking about the System.
As she pondered, her eyelids grew heavy, and she soon drifted into a deep sleep.
In the darkness, a large hand reached over, pulling her into an embrace, and unconsciously, it gently rested on her belly.
Tomorrow, he would be leaving. By the time he returned, this child might already be born.
He was going to be a father.