She couldn't say the word robbery. But the way she'd taught her daughter was indeed to take things from her granddaughter, like a brutal robber.
The kitchen fell silent.
Chen Xiulan took a deep breath and calmed her expression and tone. "Nannan is the granddaughter of the Liu family. Don't worry about things there. My brother's orchard can earn some money now. I come back every year to see you and give you some money enough for you and father to spend. You guys just relax and enjoy life. Don't think too much about the rest."
In the end, Mrs. Chen heaved a sigh. "Well, children can take care of themselves when they grow up. If you don't want to listen to those, I won't care, so as not to draw dislike."
The noodles that Mrs. Chen cooked tasted delicious and plenty of ingredients were put in. The family had rushed all morning and were indeed a little hungry, so they gorged themselves.
Chen Qiming's family returned in the evening, along with Chen Xiuying, who married in the next village – Liu Zhixia and Liu Yusheng's aunt.
Chen Xiuying came back with her two daughters. The two daughters, 15 and 13 years old respectively, were older than Liu Zhixia.
A short exchange of pleasantries ensued after they entered the door.
Chen Xiuying said, "If someone hadn't run to tell me, I wouldn't have known you guys were back. You didn't even send a letter in advance. In my rush and panic, I didn't bring anything over."
"There's no need to prepare anything. I'm just returning to my own home, not coming to visit." Chen Xiulan smiled, greeting her elder sister's two daughters in passing. "These are Shufang and Shuyue, right? Girls, when they get older, look better. Shufang should be 15 this year? Have you found your in-laws yet?"
The half-grown girl blushed with embarrassment at her words, squirming and not making a sound.
Still Chen Xiuying waved her hand. "Not yet. This isn't urgent. We'll take time to find someone. Marriage is a major lifelong event and is equivalent to a woman's second birth. You can't be careless."
The ladies agreed deeply with this statement. But yes, once married, you would be living with your in-laws for the rest of your life.
If the in-laws treated them well, that would be perfect; if they were mistreated, they would be in dire straits, which wasn't the same as a second birth.
The women chatted harmoniously. Chen Changdong went straight to Liu Zhixia and Liu Yusheng. "Nannan, do you remember me? I'm cousin Changdong. " The youth's eyebrows and eyes were full of vitality.
Liu Yusheng smiled. "Eldest cousin, of course I remember. My brother even mentioned you at home, saying that you're in the same academy."
At that news, Chen Changdong smiled even more cheerfully. "You still have a conscience and didn't forget about me. Tomorrow, I'll take you out to play!" Then he leaned closer to Liu Zhixia and Liu Yusheng and gave them a surreptitious wink. "I'll save you from staying here, lest you'll suffer from ear calluses from those two old ones."
The three looked at each other and snickered.
Ear calluses? Exactly!
It was getting late now. The elderlies wouldn't bring back the past. But once they rose from the bed tomorrow, they'd spout the same old platitudes.
It was nothing more than Liu Yusheng being too young to manage a winery. It was best to hand over what she had in her hands to her parents. A girl should stay at home to embroider and learn how to do house chores. Only then could she marry into another family and be a good wife and mother without being criticized.
Zhixia was a boy, so he should be more concerned about how to set up a roof over his head and provide for a family.
And so on and so forth without being explicitly stated. That was pretty much the point.
It wasn't that the elders were despotic, but they have some deep-rooted beliefs that what they thought was right and that you should follow them.
The grownups were gossiping about domestic trivia, so the few little ones didn't join in the fun and played by themselves.
After dinner, they went to bed after washing quite peacefully.
Some people slept soundly, but there were also others who tossed and turned with something weighing on their minds.
In the first room, Chen's daughter-in-law, Wang, poked the man who was about to fall asleep. "Husband, Xiulan came back this time. How much silver do you think she will give your parents?"
Chen Qiming was too sleepy, and was impatient when he heard the words, "My sister will give as much as she can as a show of filial duty to our parents. Why do you care so much? Sleep!"
"Look at you, you're so hot-tempered. Why are you yelling when I say something? Aren't I doing this for you? You spend all year primping and tumbling over a small orchard. You have to support a large family with the little money you earn. We also need to spend a lot of money every year for Changdong's studies. Your sister is holding a lot of silver in her hands. Any slip of the tongue would loosen us up, but have you seen her take care of you all these years? You're the only siblings here!"
"There's also Xiuying. I'm not saying that a married daughter is like water spilt, but it's not right for her to come back with her family in tow and eat and live, and even paddle her parent's stuffs to her parents-in-law's house…"
"Are you done? If you don't want to sleep, get out! Let me warn you. It's fine for you to say some words in front of me, but if you turn around and dare to chew your tongue in front of my sister, I'll send you straight back to your family!"
In the master bedroom, someone sighed as well.
"Who do you think I'm speaking my heart for? It's for her own good, isn't it? Who here doesn't have a boy? When she gets old, is she going to rely on her married daughter instead of her son? No matter how capable Nannan is, are they going to stop her from marrying and leave her at home to set up a family?"
"Okay, stop droning on. I'll talk to Dalin later."
"Talk? How are you going to talk to him? That Dalin will laugh and nod his head at everything you say, but when he turns around, he'll just do whatever he wants!"
When speaking of this, the two elders had a moment of helplessness.
That Dalin – if you said he was honest, he was indeed honest. He usually didn't talk much, but he was sincere. He was the kind of man who would diligently work and didn't speak empty words. But if you wanted to cheat him, hey, dream on! He wouldn't quarrel with you nor contradict you. He has his own opinion on what he wanted to do. He would never follow your will blindly!
For so many years, his precious daughter, Liu Yusheng, was the only person who could make him act at her beck and call.
Mrs. Chen sighed deeply. "There's no need to think about Xiulan. Our daughter is older, married, and her heart has gone to outsiders."
Meanwhile, their outward daughter was cuddling in her man's bosom. She curled her lips and smiled bitterly. "Father has said a lot to you today. Did he embarrass you?"
"What's embarrassment?" The man was puzzled.
Chen Xiulan bit her lip and sulked.
Liu Dalin helplessly patted her shoulder. "Father-in-law and mother-in-law's ideas are not quite the same as ours, but their concerns are good. I can understand that parents care about their children in much the same way. I'm a parent too, so why should I be bothered by them? Don't overthink it, and don't get angry with them over such matters. You only come back for a few days a year, so be more filial."
Chen Xiulan looked up. Under the light, wrinkles have crept into the corners of the man's eyes, but his steady heartbeat in her ears made her feel stable and secure. "Dalin, let's have another child."
Liu Dalin was stunned, then smiled deeply. "Still want to give me a baby?"
"I want to!"
"No."
Chen Xiulan was surprised and looked at the man in confusion.