NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41: Family Matters
Chapter 41: Family Matters
Morning sunlight filled the yard where a line of women worked together, cutting decorative window flowers and wedding characters. The atmosphere was relaxed as they chatted while completing the simple tasks.
In another corner, Lu Yuan’s mothers-in-law were writing invitations, determining the guest list and arranging seating. Some invitations for people outside the village had been prepared in advance and needed delivery today. Beyond these preparations, they still needed to borrow tables, chairs, bowls, chopsticks, and plates. Tomorrow would bring the slaughtering of pigs and sheep, followed by the advance frying and stewing of large cuts of meat.
Despite the workload, everything was proceeding smoothly. The women worked with laughter and conversation, and the two mothers-in-law hadn’t stopped smiling since their son-in-law’s arrival.
The primary topic of conversation centered on Su Liyan’s life in the city. The village women were curious about urban living, especially among the well-to-do. When Su Liyan mentioned eating spare ribs one night and large fish another—with meals varying daily and always including meat—the older village women who had come to help couldn’t help but secretly lick their lips in envy.
No one doubted Su Liyan’s accounts. After all, her son-in-law had spent lavishly on the wedding banquet and brought countless gifts. More importantly, the evidence was visible in Su Liyan herself—in her expression, her demeanor.
The women present understood the taste of sorrow intimately. As country women, they might lack flowery words to describe their hardships, but their faces bore witness to lives of constant worry. From the moment of marriage, rural women’s brows furrowed with concerns: empty grain jars, dwindling supplies of oil, ginger, vinegar, and tea. Later came worries about children’s needs and education, and the challenge of keeping in-laws content.
Life’s troubles arrived in waves, each new problem appearing before the previous one was resolved. Such was the difficult rhythm of village existence.
Two years ago, unmarried Su Liyan’s face had shown this same melancholy. Though naturally pretty, she couldn’t hide the sadness between her brows. Now, after just a brief time in the city, that worry had been completely smoothed away. As she spoke of city life, her joyful eyes and sweet expression bore no resemblance to a typical village woman. Her cheerfulness represented the dream of countless rural women.
The absence of sadness in Su Liyan’s countenance told the village women everything they needed to know about her married life in the city. Their envy was palpable.
Mid-conversation, Su Liyan suddenly remembered something important. Looking toward her mother, who was writing invitations, she announced softly, “Mother, I’ve joined Innovation Factory—I’m a worker now!”
Her words stunned everyone in the yard. All eyes turned to Su Liyan’s proud face.
“Brother Yuan retired from the factory,” she explained, “and I took his position.”
She continued excitedly, “Brother Yuan plans to take the civil service exam after retiring. Once he passes, we’ll have two working people in our family!”
The women exchanged glances of amazement. This was indeed fortunate news—a dual-income household! Many families dreamed of such security: public meals and stable income regardless of weather or harvest.
“My husband is very capable and well-educated,” Su Liyan added proudly. “He even speaks foreign languages!”
No one questioned this assertion. They had seen during his previous visit that Su Liyan’s husband was different—articulate and clearly cultured. If he passed the civil service exam, their family would be exceptionally well-positioned. Even if he failed, he came from wealth with over a dozen family shops. Barring misfortune, they would have more money than they could spend in a lifetime.
The village women could only sigh inwardly at Su Liyan’s extraordinary luck.
—
Lu Yuan awoke around one in the afternoon. Yawning and stretching, he emerged to find his wife sitting in the main room, filling red bags with wedding candies.
Upon seeing him, Su Liyan quickly called to the two women cleaning in another room, “Mom, my brother is awake—let’s prepare food.”
Lu Yuan approached Su Liyan, affectionately pinching her beautiful face. “Haven’t you eaten yet?”
Setting aside her work, Su Liyan embraced him and replied softly, “No, I wanted us to eat together when you woke up.”
Lunch was sumptuous. Knowing their son-in-law’s discerning palate, the mothers-in-law had prepared especially delicious dishes.
During the meal, Su Liyan shared with her mothers the discussion she’d had with her husband the previous night. Initially, when the mothers-in-law heard mention of one of them moving to the city, they assumed the couple wanted both mothers to relocate for a comfortable retirement. They had been prepared to refuse—the newlyweds deserved privacy and time together.
But then they learned the true reasons: Su Liyan would be working, sometimes night shifts, leaving no one to maintain the house or care for her husband. Additionally, Lu Yuan planned to enroll Lina in preschool, necessitating someone to look after the child.
Hearing these practical concerns, both mothers immediately agreed. They would wait until Lu Yuan finalized the preschool arrangements, then one mother-in-law would bring Su Lina to the city. They could discuss who would go first and perhaps rotate monthly.
After dinner, Lu Yuan sat in the main hall playing with Su Lina while chatting with Su Liyan, who continued packing wedding candies beside him. From the kitchen, where the mothers-in-law were washing dishes, came the sound of a disagreement.
“What do you mean Liyan is my biological daughter, so I should go first?” Zhao Qiaoer was saying, her tone annoyed. “Is Liyan only my biological daughter and not yours? Is our son-in-law only mine and not yours? He calls you ‘mom’ all the time! We’ve been friends for so many years, and now you’re creating distance between us? You’re going first! Don’t you dare refuse!”
Apparently, the two mothers-in-law were debating who should accompany Su Lina to the city first. Jin Meijing, as Su Liyan’s stepmother, felt she had less right to go first—she wasn’t Su Liyan’s biological mother, and Lu Yuan was properly Zhao Qiaoer’s son-in-law. But her deference had only made Zhao Qiaoer upset.
After a moment of stunned silence, Jin Meijing chuckled. “Oh, dear sister, why am I arguing with you? Alright, alright, I’ll go first. It’s summer—why are you getting so heated?”
With his excellent hearing, Lu Yuan caught every word of their exchange. He couldn’t help smiling and shaking his head. It hardly mattered who went first—they were all family now. And when conditions improved in the future, both mothers-in-law would have to live with them.