Chapter 38: The Joyful Knot of Pregnancy and the Green Bean on Top

  Sorry, the update is late. I slept all day and couldn't wake up until tonight, but then there was thunder and lightning with heavy rain, so takeout wasn't an option either. I munched on a small bun, feeling dizzy and blurry-eyed while typing away. Now I have to go back to work again, it's such a pain!

  Honey, is it raining where you are?

  With a nervous heart, she spent several days recovering. In fact, that night she already felt her spirit had recovered a lot, but Mrs. Li didn't let her get out of bed and took care of her for an entire evening, making Shen Huan feel deeply moved in her heart, thinking to herself that this time when she woke up, her mother-in-law was taking such good care of her, how did she not sleep or rest the last time she fainted for several days? But these things were never mentioned by her to her younger brother-in-law.

  "Mom, wash your face!"

  After her body recovered, Shen Huan immediately returned to her position as a daughter-in-law, getting up early to fetch water for Li Shi and sending it over. Li Shi seemed to have been exhausted from taking care of her, and today she didn't get up on time. Seeing this, Shen Huan immediately put down the washbasin, walked forward and helped her up.

  "These past few days have been really exhausting."

  "Don't talk nonsense!"

  Shen Huan waited on Li Shi until she finished washing her face, then moved the basin to one side. Instead of leaving immediately, she sat back down beside Li Shi. Having been back for so many days now, she hadn't had a chance to have a good talk with Li Shi and express her concerns. She also didn't know if her mother-in-law held any grudges against her for some foolish things she did in the past.

  "Mother, if I've done anything wrong and made you uncomfortable, you must tell me."

  Rather than beating around the bush to test whether Li was really prejudiced against her, Shen Huan chose to get straight to the point. She had never been one to hide her true feelings, especially after all the care and good supplements Li had provided for her over the past few days. From what she had seen on TV, not every mother-in-law was difficult to get along with, although that was often a plot device. Shen Huan put herself in others' shoes and believed that if someone treated her well, she should return their kindness tenfold. Therefore, she didn't want someone who had been so good to her to have any reservations about her in their heart.

  Li raised her head, intending to scold her for speaking nonsense again, but when she met Shen Huan's gaze, the words that had rushed to her throat were forced back down. After a moment of silence, she finally let out a helpless sigh: "You child are really..."

  Seeing Li's difficult expression, Shen Huan knew that her feelings were not wrong. At the beginning, when she brought Hu Youxuan and her brother to meet their mother-in-law, the sharpness that flashed in her mother-in-law's eyes was not a mistake, but real.

  "Mother... blame me for not thinking things through, previously because mother said my father had already heard rumors at home that something was happening on our side, so he prepared silver to have it sent over by the third brother, but we ended up returning first, so in a moment of joy and excitement, I casually agreed to this matter, if it has caused you any discomfort, Huan'er is here to apologize to you, at the time I really didn't think too much about it."

  "I know you're doing it all for the family, why would Mother be angry with you?"

  Upon hearing this, Shen Huan suddenly understood something in her heart. She immediately spoke up: "Mother, don't misunderstand either. It wasn't Youxuan who brought it up herself, I saw that mother's face didn't look too good at the time and asked a careless question."

  Fang's family didn't know whether Shen Huan deliberately brought up the idea of letting Hu Youxian come to Zhao's house when she was getting silver, but Shen Huan only knew that her natal family treated her well and her husband's family also treated her well. She didn't want to cause trouble for the people she cared about because of an outsider, so whatever mistakes there were, she would take responsibility for them herself.

  Li didn't say anything, but Shen Han forced a smile and looked somewhat embarrassed: "Mother, you also saw that day, my sister-in-law... I didn't get along with her when I was at your house before. This time when I went back, Mother gave me money secretly, afraid that she would know and make trouble again, making it hard for the family to live in peace. Mother's face wouldn't look good, so the first thing I thought of was her. After speaking carelessly and finding out that she's been restless at home recently, for Father and Mother's sake, I impulsively took on this burden..."

  Shen Huan's words left a lingering aftertaste, and Li naturally understood the implication behind them. Even if she had been somewhat displeased earlier, it had actually dissipated during Shen Huan's few days of unconsciousness. Moreover, looking at Hu Youxian, he didn't seem to have any issues, and whether the food was to his taste or not, she had no idea, because he hadn't said anything good or bad about it. This actually made Li feel a bit embarrassed.

  "Now that you've said it, I won't hide it from you. When I heard you say you wanted to let your sister's brother come home, I didn't feel very comfortable in my heart. There was a feeling of having taken advantage of someone else's kindness and having to do something in return. But I knew you were doing it for our own good, so I wouldn't take it to heart."

  Seeing Li smiling and saying these words, Shen Han still had some worries, looking at Li's face seriously, hoping it was not her own illusion. This reaction caused Li to lightly pat her shoulder: "What are you doing, still doubting my words?"

  "Of course not, thank you mother! I can finally rest assured."

  Shen Huan suddenly revealed a smile, and smiled so brightly that Li also couldn't help but laugh along with her. She patted Shen's head, and from the bottom of her heart, she liked this daughter-in-law. Although when she first came in, she was crying and making a fuss, being very spoiled, but after she came to her senses, it seemed like she had become a different person - gentle, quiet, not talking much, doing things in an orderly manner, completely unlike the second young lady of the Shen family who used to be pampered.

  Now that she's familiar with the family, Li truly can't treat her as an outsider or a newcomer daughter-in-law. She can only feel regret in her heart that her son isn't capable, and if she wants freedom in the future, what can she say?

  "Silly child, let's go make breakfast!"

  "Mother, you rest, I'll go."

  "Altogether, with more people at home, there won't be leftovers like before. It's convenient in the morning, and porridge can be cooked fresh."

  Upon hearing this, Shen Huan immediately thought of the past few mornings when she would wake up to see Li bringing a steaming bowl of porridge to her bedside, with finely chopped meat and some unknown ingredients that had a medicinal flavor, which she couldn't quite taste but could sense were nourishing for her body.

  After bustling in the kitchen for half a day, she finally brought out steaming hot dishes and buns. Shen Huan was just about to go call Zhao Xiuzhuo and Hu Youxuan when she saw them both push open their own door curtains and walk out. She couldn't help but laugh and say: "Young uncle, Youxuan is eating breakfast."

  "Good morning, sister-in-law!"

  "Good morning, second sister!"

  Shen Han was taken aback for a moment. During this period of time at home, even though she was the one who got up every morning to make breakfast and called out to him in the same way, it was the first time she received a greeting from Zhao Xiuzhuo. She pursed her lips and nodded, turning around to arrange the bowls and chopsticks on the table. Naturally, she didn't see the hint of tenderness that appeared at the corner of Zhao Xiuzhuo's eyes when she turned around.

  "Han'er, after you finish eating, come with me to go out."

  Li walked out of the kitchen sideways, holding a plate with several steamed buns and some pickled vegetables she had made herself. Her eyes were fixed on Shen Han as she spoke these words.

  "Good morning!"

  "Auntie, good morning!"

  Hu Youxuan, on the other hand, was quite a model student. Whether or not this was due to his own innate refinement, during these few days at the Zhao's, he had indeed not caused any unpleasantness for Li and her son. Moreover, he was genuinely intelligent. When Zhao Xiuzhuo furrowed her brow while reading, he would ask an extra question, joining in from the side to study together, and there were several instances where this led to a burst of inspiration for Zhao Xiuzhuo, resulting in some breakthroughs.

  As a result, Shen Huan took the lead in letting Hu Youxuan come to their home to study, and Li Shi's mother and son, who were initially dissatisfied, gradually became accepting. Although there were many inconveniences with more people at home, it was still within an acceptable range.

  "Where are you going?"

  "Wu Erjia, he came over yesterday afternoon specifically to thank us for our help and invited us out to dinner. Since they've had a baby, we can't just go empty-handed, right? Let's see if we can sell the embroidered handkerchiefs we finished in the past two days and buy something to bring over."

  Shen Han nodded slightly in agreement. Anyway, Lao Da's money was still there, so she could just wait for an opportunity to hand it over to her mother-in-law later. It wasn't worth rushing around for such a small amount of money. She could take her time and think of ways to earn more money later. After all, relying solely on her mother-in-law to support the family wouldn't work either. They still had to wait until her younger brother-in-law went to high school in Beijing and started earning a salary to support the family, which was still some time away.

  Hu Youxuan lowered his head and ate the porridge, usually being spoiled by his family to eat those greasy things was already annoying, now some light porridge and small dishes he actually found delicious. At this moment, hearing Li's words, his left hand had already reached his waist, thinking about it, he still put it down. Having been with the mother and son for a few days, he already had some understanding of what kind of people they were. If he took out silver now, he estimated that it would bring dislike and dissatisfaction.

  "Will Niang try on the new clothes I brought back later? I told the tailor the size based on my feeling, and I don't know if it fits or not. It's been a long time since they've had a grandson, we can't be too casual when we go out to eat."

  Having opened up her heart to Li, Shen Han's words became more natural, and at this moment, Li's face didn't show any signs of displeasure. She nodded in agreement.

  The clothes were still a bit big, but Li herself was skilled with needle and thread, so she just made some minor adjustments from the inside, and it didn't look too exaggerated. Wearing the new clothes her daughter-in-law brought back, she didn't feel uncomfortable at all, instead she felt quite pleased with herself. The neighbors were also gossiping, saying that they had married a spoiled wife who would come to keep them company in their old age, and that she must have some fault of her own. At this time, Li stood up straight and gave them a show, even going out with a smile on her face.

  "Mom, what did your younger brother and his family have for lunch?"

  "We'll go later tonight, let's go out and take a stroll first, and see if we can receive the signal from Old Wang's house!"

  As they spoke, the two had already walked to the gate of the courtyard. Seeing the newly repaired large wooden door, Shen Huan's heart was already clear that it must have been Wu Er who came to repair it. She didn't ask any more questions and continued with her previous question: "Hasn't he come back yet?"

  "I've been busy lately and haven't had time to pick it up yet!"

  "Mother, after I return to your home, I'll sell all the useless things in our old house. Here's some silver, you take it first..."