Chapter 322: Quietly Eating and Watching the Show
Chapter 322: Quietly Eating and Watching the Show
The toys of the Guangzongyaozu brothers were put away, leaving each of them with only a toy car in hand, and their excitement and joy instantly diminished.
It was as if the burning straw in the stove had been suddenly snatched away!
Tian Caihua further warned them, "Don't take it out to play! Just play with it at home! If you take it out and play with other kids and break it, don't come crying to me! I won't buy you another one."
The children, fearing that even their toy cars would be confiscated, quickly hugged their toy cars and ran out, "We won't break it! We promise!"
After saying this, they all dashed out and no longer paid attention to Tian Caihua.
After distributing the items to the children, Jiang Xia returned to her room to pack.
Zhou Chenglei was in the room making the bed. Before going to Suicheng, the weather wasn't too cold, and a thin blanket was enough.
Now that the winter solstice had passed, it would get cold in the mornings and evenings, and a thin blanket wouldn't be enough.
The cool bamboo mat was also put away, and a soft mattress was laid out.
Zhou Chenglei wasn't afraid of the cold. He used to sleep on a cool bamboo mat even in the depths of winter, but Jiang Xia couldn't do the same. She was quite sensitive to the cold.
He sensed Jiang Xia's presence but didn't turn around. He just said, "Are you tired? Go sit by the desk for a while, I'll be done soon."
Jiang Xia glanced at his tall and slender figure, and it would be hard for outsiders to imagine that someone who looked as cold as him would be doing something as domestic as making the bed.
But in married life, it's often these domestic tasks that warm the heart the most.
Jiang Xia took a look around the room that hadn't been occupied for over twenty days. The windows were bright, and everything was spotlessly clean.
The mosquito net, curtains, and door curtains all carried the scent of sunshine and soap, clearly washed by Zhou Mu.
Zhou Chenglei quickly finished making the bed, holding the corner of the blanket and shaking it a couple of times to smooth it out.
Jiang Xia thought of the silk pillowcase she had bought and said, "Later, give one of the silk pillowcases to your parents, and the other to Zhou Zhou. You can help Zhou Zhou make his bed later!"
Zhou Zhou's blanket was a cotton one, which his parents had used since their wedding. It was almost ten years old and had become stiff, making it uncomfortable to sleep on.
With the weather getting colder, a small body like Zhou Zhou's might not stay warm enough with such a blanket.
Silk pillowcases were more comfortable, and Jiang Xia had helped sell them at the Canton Fair. The boss gave her a cost price, so she bought two.
One was for Zhou Zhou, and the other was for Zhou Fu and Zhou Mu.
She and Zhou Chenglei didn't need to buy any because the dowry prepared by Jiang Mu and Jiang Fu for their wedding already included silk pillowcases, both winter and spring ones.
"Okay," Zhou Chenglei replied, then asked, "Are you tired? Do you want to lie down on the bed for a while?"
"I'm not tired," she said, then went to look through the bags for the clothes she had bought for Zhou Fu, Zhou Mu, and Zhou Zhou.
She had helped the clothing factory sell clothes at the Canton Fair, and the prices were even lower than the factory price, so she bought quite a few.
She bought down jackets, down vests, wool sweaters, wool pants, and more, ensuring that everyone in the family had at least four or five sets.
She also bought for Jiang Dong, Jiang Fu, and Jiang Mu.
Jiang Xia had also bought quite a few clothes for herself and Zhou Chenglei. She couldn't resist when she saw the factory prices, which were much cheaper than in the mall.
Especially later, when there weren't as many customers, she had free time to shop.
She felt like it was Double 11, and she wanted to buy everything.
Seeing her rummaging through the bags, Zhou Chenglei pulled her away and said, "Just sit down, I'll take care of it."
Jiang Xia then directed Zhou Chenglei to take out the items she had bought for her family from the bags. They took out their own things and placed them in the cabinet.
One giving instructions and the other tidying up, they soon had all the purchased items sorted and categorized.
It was almost time for dinner.
The lunch was abundant, with most of Jiang Xia's favorite dishes, but there was no crab.
The meal consisted of twelve dishes and one soup: Steamed Big Yellow Croaker, Fried Mandarin Fish, Fragrant Pan-Fried Cod, Mixed Fish Stew, Spicy Shrimp, Garlic Shrimp, Pepper Stir-Fried Squid, Boiled Duck, Salted Chicken, Sweet and Sour Goose, Pickled Vegetable Sea Bass, a green vegetable dish, and an Old Duck Soup.
The meal was prepared by He Xinghuan and Zhou Mu, who cooked together in a large iron pot, while the others helped out. Considering Jiang Xia's pregnancy, they weren't sure if she preferred sour or spicy flavors, so they made dishes with a variety of tastes, including sour, spicy, and sweet options.
Li Xiuxian secretly observed Jiang Xia to see if she favored spicy or sour flavors more. When she was pregnant with her daughter, she had preferred spicy food.
However, Jiang Xia didn't show any particular preference and ate everything without complaint. So, was she carrying a boy or a girl?
Seeing Jiang Xia's hearty appetite, the Great-Grandmother smiled and said, "The child in Xia Xia's belly must be a well-behaved one!"
Zhou Mu also paid attention to Jiang Xia's taste preferences, mainly to get an idea of what dishes to cook more often in the future.
Li Xiuxian asked, "Xia Xia, are you still a city resident?"
Jiang Xia nodded, "Yes."
Li Xiuxian continued, "Then quickly transfer your household registration back to the village. Otherwise, if you give birth to a daughter this time, you won't be able to have a second child. If you don't transfer it back soon, it will be difficult to do so later."
Tian Caihua chimed in, "Xia Xia is not like you, she's more like me! When I was pregnant with Ah Guang and his brothers, I also ate everything and wasn't picky. So, Xia Xia is probably carrying a son. Unlike you, the second sister-in-law, who only liked spicy food and couldn't live without it. It doesn't matter if you transfer your household registration back or not; even if you don't, your future children can still have city registration and eat rationed food. Isn't city registration great? If you transfer back, you'll have to contribute grain."
Li Xiuxian's face darkened. She hated it when others mentioned that she had given birth to a daughter. Why did Tian Caihua have to bring her up as an example?
Even if she had given birth to a daughter, she still had a job and would receive a retirement pension in the future, which was a hundred times better than Tian Caihua! What was so great about giving birth to so many sons?
Having many sons was Tian Caihua's pride, while giving birth to only one daughter was Li Xiuxian's sore spot.
For the entire morning, Li Xiuxian's face was dark, as if someone owed her something! Was it because she was unhappy seeing that Jiang Xia had bought more things for her son? That's why Tian Caihua couldn't help but step on Li Xiuxian's sore spot.
By the way, there was another reason Li Xiuxian deserved a beating: she thought she was so cultured!
Tian Caihua couldn't help but continue, "Furthermore, Xia Xia is well-educated and can do anything. She can earn money by going out to sea to fish, translating for publishing houses, or working as a translator at the Canton Fair. She doesn't have to worry about losing her job, so it doesn't matter what she gives birth to in the first pregnancy, and she has enough money to support multiple children. Unlike you, the second sister-in-law, who is a teacher. If you want to have another son, you won't be able to because you'll lose your job."
Li Xiuxian really wanted to smash a bowl over Tian Caihua's head.
Zhou Chengxin was still out at sea and hadn't returned yet, so Tian Caihua, with no one to supervise her, let loose and spoke her mind.
Hmph, just because she was a primary school teacher, she thought she was so cultured and superior? Acting like she was above everyone else! She was just a middle school graduate who happened to get a teaching job because no one else in the village was well-educated at the time.
Jiang Xia was the truly capable one, with her education and translation work at the Canton Fair. She had also bought so many things, clearly indicating that she had earned a lot of money.
Initially, Tian Caihua didn't know how impressive it was to work as a translator at the Canton Fair.
However, since Wen Wan had also gone there, her mother-in-law boasted about it in the village, saying that only university students were qualified for the job, earning a daily wage of 150 yuan. The entire village knew that Wen Wan could earn several thousand yuan from a single trip.
But after two or three days, Wen Wan fell down the stairs, sprained her foot, and discovered she was pregnant. She was then sent back home.
Tian Caihua watched as Li Xiuxian's face darkened, and she couldn't even finish her meal. This made Tian Caihua very happy.
For the entire morning, Li Xiuxian sat there doing nothing but washing a few vegetables and mincing a bowl of garlic. She was the laziest of them all, yet she ate the most.
It was best that she couldn't finish her meal!
She thought she was as lucky as Jiang Xia?
Jiang Xia silently ate her meal, watching the drama unfold between her two sisters-in-law.
It was quite entertaining, actually.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
