On the third day after Meng Yu’s birth, the Xu family came to visit.
Xu Qiang and his wife Liu Yezi arrived empty-handed.
When Wang Cuilian heard that the in-laws had come, she greeted them with a smile. But upon seeing that they carried nothing in their hands, her smile stiffened, and she secretly cursed the Xu family for being stingy.
Xu Qiang was the butcher of the neighboring village, while Liu Yezi worked there as an accountant. The Xu family was relatively well-off, and back then they had been unwilling to let Xu Chunhua marry Meng Qiushi.
Fortunately, the young couple had been loving after marriage, and Meng Qiushi had never let Xu Chunhua suffer any grievances. Only then did the Xu family gradually accept him.
This time, only Xu Qiang and Liu Yezi came to visit their daughter. Although Xu Chunhua’s three brothers did not come personally, their gifts had arrived.
The eldest brother, Xu Chunjing, was the only university graduate in the Xu family. After graduating, he became a technician at the county steel factory. He married Lin Ya, the deputy factory director’s daughter, and their son Xu Yanzhou was seven years old this year.
The second brother, Xu Chunming, worked as a carpenter in the county town. He married Zhang Yan, the daughter of a master carpenter, and their son Xu Yan’an was also seven.
The third brother, Xu Chunqiu, assisted Xu Qiang in the village. He married Wang Qin from the same village. The couple had been married for years before finally having a son two years ago, named Xu Yanchuan, who was now one year old.
Every day, Xu Chunqiu and his father Xu Qiang went to the pig farm on the outskirts to slaughter pigs. Besides their regular wages, they could earn extra income on the side, so their life was no worse than the elder two brothers’.
After Xu Qiang and Liu Yezi entered the room and closed the door—blocking Wang Cuilian’s sneaky gaze—Liu Yezi quickly walked to the bedside and held Xu Chunhua’s face, examining her carefully.
“You’ve gotten fatter.”
Xu Chunhua immediately broke into a radiant smile. “Of course. Qiushi takes very good care of me.”
“Let me see my grandson and granddaughter.” Liu Yezi picked up Meng Yu, her face filled with loving affection. “Qiang-ge, look how much Little Fishy resembles our Chunhua when she was little.”
Xu Qiang held Meng Che in his arms and turned to look at his granddaughter in Liu Yezi’s embrace. A smile appeared on his usually stern face.
Meng Yu could already see people clearly now. Blinking her watery eyes, she stared at her grandmother.
Grandma was so beautiful.
Though time had left traces on Liu Yezi’s face, she remained stunningly elegant—the kind of beauty that came from one’s bones rather than mere appearance.
After looking at the children, Liu Yezi took out two small gold locks from her pocket and placed them on Meng Yu and Meng Che’s chests.
“These are the gold locks your father and I prepared for the babies.”
Xu Qiang then pulled out two tiny gold bracelets from his pocket. “These are from your eldest brother and sister-in-law.”
After speaking, he took out two silver bracelets and thirty yuan from another pocket. “These are gifts from your second brother and sister-in-law.”
Finally, Liu Yezi took out forty yuan. “This is the red envelope from your third brother and sister-in-law.”
“Your three brothers are busy, your sisters-in-law all have work, and your third sister-in-law still has to take care of a child, so only your father and I could come visit this time. But when the babies celebrate their one-month banquet, they’ll definitely come.”
Liu Yezi sat by the bed and wrapped Xu Chunhua in her arms. Her voice was gentle, like a spring breeze and soft rain.
Xu Chunhua stuffed all the gifts beneath the blanket. Her eyes sparkled brightly, and she couldn’t stop grinning.
Seeing their daughter’s greedy little expression made Liu Yezi and Xu Qiang’s hearts melt.
This was the daughter they had pampered since childhood.
What comforted them most was that even after marriage, she was still just as lively and carefree as before, proving she had chosen the right man.
Xu Qiang extended a fist toward Xu Chunhua. When he opened his palm, a tightly rolled bundle of ten-yuan bills lay inside.[The “Great Unity” ten-yuan notes had only just been issued in 1966.]
Xu Chunhua covered her mouth in surprise, eyes widening as she swiftly snatched the money into her hand.
“Dad, Mom, you two love me the most!” Xu Chunhua jumped off the bed and kissed Xu Qiang on the cheek before throwing herself into Liu Yezi’s arms.
In front of her parents, Xu Chunhua looked just like an unmarried young girl, happiness overflowing from her brows and eyes.
Liu Yezi gently patted her daughter’s back and said indulgently, “This hundred yuan is private money from your father and me. Hide it carefully and don’t let that mother-in-law of yours discover it.”
Xu Chunhua snorted. “Don’t worry. I’ll hide it really well. That biased old witch won’t squeeze even a single cent out of me.”
Xu Qiang and Liu Yezi stayed the entire afternoon. When Meng Qiushi returned from work, the couple gave him a few instructions before leaving.
“Dad, Mom.” Meng Qiushi stopped Xu Qiang and quietly stuffed something into his hands. “Take this to nourish your health.”
They were already outside, so Xu Qiang couldn’t openly inspect it. He simply tucked it into his pocket and continued walking.
Only after reaching a deserted place did Xu Qiang unwrap the cloth bundle.
Inside was a wild mountain ginseng.
The smile on Liu Yezi’s face deepened. “The child means well. Let’s accept it.”
Xu Qiang nodded with a faint smile. “Mm.”
In his spare time, Meng Qiushi often went into the mountains to gather medicinal herbs. Valuable herbs he secretly kept hidden, while the money from selling cheaper herbs was handed over to Wang Cuilian. Otherwise, the fact that he frequently entered town would make the Meng family suspicious.
Back when he was young, there had been a barefoot doctor in the village. Curious, Meng Qiushi had secretly learned a bit about identifying and gathering herbs from him.
Inside the room, Meng Qiushi locked the door and began hiding the money while Xu Chunhua stood by the window keeping watch.
Meng Qiushi climbed onto the roof beam and took down a wooden box containing all the savings they had accumulated over the years. Grinning broadly, he stuffed in the gold, silver, and money they had received that day.
Lying on the bed, Meng Yu widened her eyes in amazement as she watched her father leap down from the beam with surprising agility.
Nearby, Meng Che whimpered a few times. Knowing the babies were hungry, Xu Chunhua picked him up to breastfeed him.
Xu Chunhua glowed with health and happiness. “Little Fishy and Little Che are much easier to raise than Xiao Wei and Xiao Qing were. When they’re hungry, wet, or dirty, they only whimper a little. They hardly ever cry.”
The moment she finished speaking, the sound of a crying baby came from outside.
Xu Chunhua immediately laughed in schadenfreude. “Chen Rou’s daughter is so hard to raise. She cries nonstop every day. Good thing our third branch lives the farthest away, so our ears get a little peace and quiet.”
Meng Qiushi nodded in agreement. He picked up his obedient daughter, who was staring at him with wide eyes, and planted a big kiss on her face.
“My Little Fishy is such a lovable baby.”
Meanwhile, Chen Rou was on the verge of collapse.
The child was only on her second day of life, yet Chen Rou had not slept well even once. For the first time, she truly experienced how exhausting it was to raise a baby.
Beside her, Wang Cuilian skillfully changed Meng Zhu’s diaper.
“Mom, why haven’t I heard Third Sister-in-law’s twins cry at all?” Chen Rou leaned weakly against the headboard, dark circles beneath her eyes and exhaustion written all over her face.
Wang Cuilian bounced Meng Zhu gently in her arms. “Crying is a blessing. It means Zhuzhu is healthy. Those two children from the third branch cry as softly as kittens—they definitely won’t live long.”
After thinking it over, Chen Rou felt it made sense.
She reached out and held her daughter’s tiny soft hand. Seeing her daughter smile, her heart melted completely.
She would do everything she could to give her daughter a good life.