https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-322-Quietly-Eating-and-Watching-the-Show/12945014/
Chapter 321: Unfair
Chapter 321: Unfair
The morning and evening at the pier were always bustling.
Today happened to be Sunday, and many villagers from nearby, and even some from the town, came to buy fish.
The arrival of a large ship caught the attention of many.
Zhou Mu knew they would be returning today, so she had been waiting at the pier since early morning, and her eyes lit up when she saw the ship docking.
Not only Zhou Mu, but Tian Caihua, Zhou Chengsen, Li Xiuxian, and several children had also come.
Only Zhou Chengxin was absent, as he had gone out to sea as usual.
Zhou Chengsen and Li Xiuxian had brought the children home to visit their parents the previous night. Hearing that Zhou Fu and Zhou Chenglei's ship would be docking early in the morning, they came to see if there was any cargo to unload.
Familiar villagers seeing Zhou Mu's family waiting for the large ship expressed their envy, "Ah Lei is really capable. It hasn't been long since he returned from his career change! Such a big ship, he just bought it. And that big house, he just built it."
Zhou Mu humbly replied, "What capability? Buying this ship was a great bargain. Xia Xia's entire dowry was put into it, and it's also thanks to Xia Xia's good fortune in sea trade that we earned enough to afford it."
Every time the large ship docked, there would be people coming to talk to Zhou Mu in a similar manner, and she was always pleased to hear it.
However, today, both her other daughters-in-law were present!
The previous night, the second daughter-in-law had returned and was speechless at the sight of the three-story house.
Zhou Mu was afraid that her daughters-in-law would think that she and her husband had secretly subsidized the youngest son, but no one believed her when she tried to explain.
Jiang Xia's good fortune was something Tian Caihua deeply understood, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "Xia Xia's luck is truly amazing!"
After being away for almost a month, they were finally back!
Without Jiang Xia this month, their income had plummeted!
Tian Caihua missed Jiang Xia the most!
Li Xiuxian remained silent.
The couple must have provided some subsidy, but their mother-in-law probably just didn't dare to admit it.
The villagers continued, "I heard that your three-and-a-half-story house can see the town from the rooftop. Is it true that you built a water storage tank on the half-story, so you can pump water from the well and have running water like the houses in the city?"
Zhou Mu smiled and said, "Ah Lei designed it that way, but I don't understand it."
The house was fully constructed, and the water-washed stone exterior was also completed. Now, they were in the process of tiling the edges and eaves with exterior wall tiles.
They were almost done, and by tomorrow afternoon, they could dismantle the scaffolding.
Next would be the interior decoration, and Great-Grandfather said it would take about another month to finish.
It would be ready to move in just before the New Year.
The days were already planned.
"I heard that each floor has a bathroom, so going to the toilet at night won't require going outside to the outhouse. It's built like the apartments in town and the city, right?"
"It's not the same as the apartments in the city. City apartments have a kitchen and bathroom, but ours doesn't. The kitchen is built outside, and there's only a washroom inside for showering and using the toilet."
"That's still quite similar to the city apartments. It must be very comfortable to live in!"
Zhou Mu smiled and replied, "I don't know if it's comfortable or not, but as long as the children like it, that's what matters. They will be the ones living here in the future, and I, as an old woman, won't be here for many years."
As the ship docked, Zhou Mu said, "I have to get going now! We can chat more next time!"
"Okay."
The children had gathered under the large ship, cheering, "Grandfather, Little Aunt, and Uncle!"
Jiang Xia smiled and responded, "Little Aunt bought you some treats. We'll go to the old house later, and I'll give them to you."
Then, Jiang Xia greeted Zhou Fu, Zhou Chengsen, Tian Caihua, and Li Xiuxian.
The ship was quite high, and this pier wasn't a proper one; it was just a place where many ships docked, making it a pier.
It wasn't as formal as the pier in Suishi.
Zhou Chenglei jumped off the ship first, asking his nieces and nephews to stay away to avoid bumping into Jiang Xia. Then, he reached out to hug her.
Zhou Fu cautioned, "Be careful. Hold her steady."
Zhou Chenglei didn't say anything. When had he ever failed to catch her? He was even more nervous than his father.
Jiang Xia leaned on the boat's railing and jumped down.
Zhou Chenglei caught her securely, this time in a princess carry.
Zhou Chenglei put Jiang Xia down and turned to look for the motorcycle while asking Zhou Mu, "Mom, did you ride the motorcycle here?"
Upon seeing the motorcycle, he said, "Give me the keys. I'll take Xia Xia home first."
Jiang Xia replied, "No need, I can drive myself slowly."
Zhou Mu handed him the motorcycle keys, surprised, "What's wrong?"
Zhou Chenglei didn't answer directly, "Mom, you know how to make nourishing pregnancy soup, right? Make some for Jiang Xia later."
Without waiting for a response, Zhou Chenglei pulled Jiang Xia towards the motorcycle, only taking the bag with money and documents, ignoring the rest of the luggage.
By the time Zhou Mu realized what nourishing pregnancy soup meant and wanted to ask for clarification, Zhou Chenglei had already pulled Jiang Xia far away.
Zhou Chensen smiled, "Mom, you're going to be a grandmother again."
Tian Caihua was taken aback and thought to herself, 'Jiang Xia is pregnant? Can she still go out to sea after this? It seems like Zhou Chenglei treats her like a fragile porcelain doll!'
Zhou Mu was so happy that tears came to her eyes. Her youngest son was finally having a child, and she wiped her tears, "I'll go back and find things to make soup right away."
Zhou Fu stopped her, "Xia Xia was in a wheelchair before boarding the boat. The doctor said she shouldn't get too tired."
Zhou Mu was stunned. Was this a sign of a miscarriage?
Her heart raced with worry. The first one had a miscarriage, and the subsequent ones either struggled to conceive or were also prone to miscarriages.
She couldn't pinpoint the reason, but some people's bodies were just like that.
"I'll go find some old pumpkins."
Zhou Mu didn't have time to think about anything else and rushed back.
Zhou Fu called out to his second son and the two daughters-in-law to help move things.
---
The evening meal was prepared by Zhou Mu, along with the help of her two daughters-in-law. The great-grandmother and He Xinghuan also came to assist.
Jiang Xia was now a protected species, only needing to sit in the courtyard and distribute gifts to the children.
In addition to various snacks, Jiang Xia had also bought each child a new set of clothes at the Canton Fair and toy cars for the younger boys, including Zhou Jie.
Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying each received a Barbie doll.
As Zhou Wenguang had started middle school and was too old for toy cars, Jiang Xia bought him a pair of roller skates, something he had always wanted but that Tian Caihua had never been willing to spend money on for play.
The children were overjoyed with their gifts, even happier than during the New Year.
The boys immediately took off their old clothes and put on the new ones, eager to take their toy cars to play with their friends in the village.
In the entire village, only these siblings had toy cars, and each had their own unique model.
Tian Caihua scolded them, "You're asking for trouble! Such nice clothes, and you're wearing them now? Take them off and save them for the New Year!"
These days, even during the New Year, many children in the village couldn't afford new clothes. Many had pants with patches on the buttocks, one circle after another.
Tian Caihua was also reluctant to buy new clothes for her sons every year. Moreover, she didn't have enough coupons, so she always took Zhou Chengxin and Zhou Chenglei's old clothes, altered them, and passed them down to her eldest son.
After the eldest son, the second son would wear them, then the third son, and finally the youngest son.
Zhou Zhou also used to wear his older brother's and Zhou Ying's hand-me-downs.
Tian Caihua ran over and took away all the new clothes and snacks from her sons, "It's almost time for dinner. Why are you eating cookies? No eating!"
With so many delicious dishes for dinner, wouldn't it be a waste if they filled up on snacks?
The snacks could be saved for later.
Li Xiuxian watched as Tian Caihua packed the clothes and snacks into two large plastic bags.
Seeing this, she felt that her daughter's set of clothes and a few snacks seemed pitifully small in comparison. Wasn't it a bit unfair for Jiang Xia to distribute gifts based on the number of people instead of families?
Shouldn't it be distributed by family?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
