Yu Ziyu was welcomed into the living room as if she were the center of the universe.
Her belly was already over eight months along. The car ride back had been arduous, but thankfully it was a seven-seater, offering a spacious and slightly elevated cabin.
Li's mother fussed over her, her worry evident.
Yu Ziyu smiled and reassured her, "Grandma, we rested on the road last night. My mom told me not to go back home, but to stay here and give birth. She'll come over after the fifteenth of the first lunar month."
"Good, good, good," Li's mother nodded joyfully. "The conditions at our village clinic aren't bad either. Xuanxuan was born at the clinic."
Yu Ziyu's eyes crinkled into a smile. "I haven't seen Xuanxuan yet?"
"I'll go fetch her for you to see."
Just as Li's mother stood up, her granddaughter came out carrying her great-granddaughter. Li's mother took the baby. "Xuanxuan, come and meet your second aunt."
Li's mother, holding Xuanxuan, sat beside Yu Ziyu and placed the baby in front of her.
Li Sixuan, just over two months old, had shed her newborn wrinkles. Her skin was snow-white and tender, with long eyelashes, round, big eyes, and a small, rosy mouth slightly ajar. She was so pretty and adorable that one couldn't help but want to hold her forever.
Yu Ziyu gasped in surprise. "She's so beautiful, like a little princess. Can I hold her?"
"Wait a moment," Li's mother handed her great-granddaughter to her granddaughter. "Lili, hold Xuanxuan and let your second sister-in-law hold her for a bit. My back can't take it anymore."
Li Weili took her daughter and sat beside her second sister-in-law, proudly declaring, "See how amazing I am? I gave birth to a beauty."
Yu Ziyu's eyes curved into a smile. "Yes, yes, Xuanxuan is truly beautiful. Looking at her now, she'll only get prettier. I really wish I could have a daughter too."
Li Weili's eyes flickered. "Is yours a boy?"
"I don't know," Yu Ziyu shook her head. "We never asked about the gender during any of the check-ups. My mom said it's fine, no pressure."
Li Weili nodded. "That's true. I worried for a long time when I found out it was a girl, and only relaxed when she was born and everyone liked her. I worried for nothing."
Yu Ziyu nodded. "Yes, it's good not to know. As long as the baby is healthy."
Li's mother was about to head to the kitchen when Tian Jing mentioned that the eldest sister-in-law and the younger sister-in-law had already gone. She told Li's mother not to worry about those things and to just focus on watching the pregnant woman and the baby.
Li's mother then felt at ease and listened to the aunt and niece discuss childcare.
...
Tian Jing heard the commotion from the front yard and went to see what was happening.
The sight of them in a human pyramid made her chuckle. "What are you guys up to?"
"Little Aunt~" Li Weiyu said aggrievedly, "Grandma doesn't love us anymore, we don't even have rooms."
Tian Jing raised an eyebrow. "Who says there aren't any?"
"Ah! Ranran, you big bad egg!" Chen An angrily pressed down on Li Weixin beneath him.
"You felt neglected at Grandma's, so you're taking revenge on us, aren't you?"
Li Weiyu also pressed down hard. "Little Black, push harder."
"Wuwuwu." Little Black stood up and then suddenly squatted.
Li Weixin, unable to breathe, roared, "Little Black, you traitor!"
"Aowu!" Little Black howled in defiance.
The three of them and the wolf were about to tear the roof off the house.
Tian Jing leaned against the doorframe and watched.
No wonder her mother-in-law always looked forward to the children coming back for Lunar New Year; it was truly lively.
The bonds between these children were fostered and nurtured by their grandmother raising them together. It seemed that in the future, she would also need to raise the descendants of these children together.
"Alright, alright. The two rooms on the west side are yours. Go get your luggage and unpack, we'll be eating soon."
Li Weiyu and Chen An finally released Li Weixin.
But Little Black wasn't willing to stop. It was having too much fun with its squats and continued to squat incessantly.
Tian Jing personally stepped forward and tapped Little Black on the head. "That's enough. Be careful your little master gets angry."
"Aowu!" Little Black leaped down and ran out of the courtyard.
The human pyramid finally dispersed. Li Weixin, at the bottom, was panting. He had almost resorted to using his superpower.
Li Weiyu and Chen An were also in a sorry state. They had been stepped on by Little Black, which was quite a torment.
Li Weixin declared domineeringly, "I'm going to take a bath."
Since the bathroom was occupied, Li Weiyu and his cousin took off their jackets and went to unpack their luggage first.
By the time this group had finished eating, it was already four o'clock, and it was time to prepare dinner.
Li Weibo took Yu Ziyu to the back courtyard to settle her in. It was still their usual room.
Seeing that Yu Ziyu looked well, Li Weibo felt relieved. "You lie down and rest for a bit. I'll go get your luggage. I'll help you bathe later."
Yu Ziyu nodded with a blush. It was inconvenient for her to bathe with her large belly, and her mother usually helped her at home.
She touched her belly. "Do I look very ugly?"
"Nonsense," Li Weibo chided affectionately. "In my eyes, you are the most beautiful. And in your belly is our child."
"You've gotten through these past few months on your own. For the next six months, I'll be with you and our child."
Yu Ziyu's eyes curved into a smile. With Xiao Bo taking six months off, her heart felt at ease.
"Xuanxuan is so beautiful. If our child is a girl, she should be very beautiful too."
Li Weibo tapped her forehead. "Silly. If it's a boy, he'll be handsome too. Can our genes be that bad?"
"Mhm, mhm," Yu Ziyu nodded vigorously.
...
The Mai and Xiao Mai families were also called back for a reunion today. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, so it wouldn't be appropriate to ask married daughters to come back for the holiday.
Dr. Yang heard about the Li family's reunion and felt hesitant to come, but Mai insisted.
Mai couldn't possibly leave her master alone at home at this time. Otherwise, she and her husband wouldn't feel at ease, and their joy would be mixed with worry.
The Li family warmly welcomed Dr. Yang. Li's mother led him into the living room to sit and then brought out her great-granddaughter to show off.
Dr. Yang looked at the delicate baby and beamed. "Good, good, good. You are truly blessed."
Li's mother waved her hand. "Having many people is one thing, but you need someone to keep them in line. If it weren't for Tiantian, my household would have fallen apart long ago."
"A constantly noisy family is worse than a small, quiet one, isn't it?"
"Yes, yes," Dr. Yang agreed. "Each has its own merits. Come, let me hold her. I haven't held such a little one before."
With Li's mother present, Han Lushí went to check the kitchen and dining room for any help needed.
Li Zhengguo and Li Liguo were setting up the dining table in the dining room. For this New Year, the Li family had specially bought two 1.8-meter round tabletops and one square table.
The two tables were placed diagonally, accommodating over twenty people.
Han Lushí brought a stack of plastic stools from the corner, unfolded them, and placed them by the tables. Then he went to the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks and set them out.
The dishes from the kitchen were coming out one after another. Han Lushí carried a dish into the dining room. "Dad, you can tell everyone it's time to eat."
Li Zhengguo chuckled. "You call them. Just stand at the doorway and shout."
Han Lushí paused, then nodded. He stood at the doorway, his voice ringing out, "Dinner is served!"
His powerful voice echoed, leaving the Li family momentarily stunned. Then, they all smiled with unspoken understanding.
Many families in the village heard the shout and wondered whose voice was so deep and resonant.
After Han Lushí shouted, a warm current rose from the depths of his heart, spreading through his limbs with the sound. It turned out that calling his family to dinner was also a form of happiness.
Li Weili was the fastest. "Grandma, please wrap Xuanxuan and bring her over. Lu-ge is calling us to eat."
As Han Lushí was about to return to the dining room, he heard a response, "I'm coming."
Then, a figure rushed into his arms. "Lu-ge, you call beautifully."
Han Lushí held the person in his arms tightly and asked softly, "Beautiful in what way?"
Li Weili looked up. "In my heart. Because this is the feeling of home. Someone calling me to eat is the happiest thing."
"Then should I call you every meal?"
"No, only when my daughter and I are not with you should you call. You are calling for us."
"Okay."