Twenty-five adults, four children, and three babies cradled in arms, seated at two large round tables, did not feel crowded.
Li Mu, the matriarch of the family, raised her drink, “Cheers to our reunion.”
After all the Li family members raised their glasses and took a sip, they officially began their meal.
Li Zhengguo served Dr. Yang a piece of steamed pork with rice crust, “Try the Mi Fen Zheng Rou, made with pork belly, it’s very soft and tender.”
“Good, good, good,” Dr. Yang nodded, “Don’t mind me, I won’t be polite.”
Li Wanting and her sister were seated at the younger generation’s table. Li Weihao and Li Weiyan served them dishes and asked about their feelings regarding such a large family gathering.
Li Wanting smiled faintly, “It’s very atmospheric. I’ve never experienced such liveliness since I was little.”
Li Wanzhen nodded, “During Chinese New Year or family gatherings at our home, we always had to watch the elders’ expressions. If anything was amiss, we would shrink back in fear, afraid of embarrassing our parents or causing trouble.”
Li Weiyan held her hand, “Come join our family quickly. In our home, as long as you are sincere, there’s no need for pretense or hypocrisy.”
Li Wanzhen nodded, her cheeks flushed, “I really like your family’s atmosphere.”
Li Weiyan’s eyes widened, “Whose family?”
Li Wanzhen immediately corrected herself, “Our family.”
“That’s more like it. Here, have a piece of fish as a reward.” Li Weiyan placed a piece of cured fish into Li Wanzhen’s bowl.
Li Weihao served Li Wanting a piece of steamed pork with rice crust, “Try this dish, my aunt loves to make it.”
Li Wanting nodded, “Okay.”
Lin Hua’er watched the two of them, then looked at her husband beside her, her heart wrestling with itself.
Chen Fu shifted Ji Nian, who was in his arms, to his left hand, scooped a piece of the rice crust pork and fed the rice crust to Ji Nian.
Lin Hua’er secretly let out a sigh of relief. She could no longer compare herself. Besides, she had three sons. Who could compare to her?
After the meal, Chen Fu took Ji Yang from Lin Hua’er’s arms, “Go help clear the table and wash the dishes.”
Lin Hua’er froze for a moment, then nodded and went to clear the table with Da Mai and Xiao Mai.
Da Mai and Xiao Mai were unaware of recent events. Seeing Lin Hua’er come to clear the table, they quickly pushed her aside, “You go take care of the kids, we don’t need you here.”
Chen Fu, holding Ji Nian and Ji Yang in his corner, spoke, “Sister Da Mai, Sister Xiao Mai, let Hua’er help with the chores. She needs to lose some weight.”
Chen Fu’s words stunned not only Lin Hua’er and Da Mai Xiao Mai, but also Tian Jing, Ouyang Meihua, and Li Min, who were working together in the dining room.
Lose weight? Asking a woman who was breastfeeding two half-year-old babies to lose weight?
Was this something a husband would say?
Lin Hua’er turned to look at her husband. His gaze towards her was only cold indifference.
She felt a chill run through her body, her husband had changed. He had changed overnight.
No, it wasn’t overnight. This morning, her husband had been suppressing his anger. He had changed after returning from the county town.
He had become indifferent.
This indifference was directed at her, not at the Chen family or the Li family.
Seeing her eldest son’s condescending and dismissive expression towards Lin Hua’er, Li Min unhesitatingly threw the dishcloth she was holding at her eldest son.
“Hua’er has finally calmed down, and it’s your turn to act out again, is it?”
“I’m telling you, Chen Fu, you are my son. What I give you, you have. What I don’t give you, you have nothing. If you dare to act out, I’ll take everything back, including the four children, and you can get out of the Chen family with nothing.”
“Mom!” Lin Hua’er embraced Li Min, tears welling up, “Mom! I’m sorry. From now on, you are my real mother.”
“Why are you crying?” Li Min pushed Lin Hua’er away, “Useless thing. Once you have it in your hand, you can’t let it go.”
Lin Hua’er smiled through her tears. She didn’t care about her mother-in-law’s attitude. She felt a sense of protection in her mother-in-law’s attitude and tone.
A dishcloth was thrown over her head. Chen Fu paused. The smell of the dishcloth filled his nostrils. It was a familiar smell, one that had been around him daily during the years of working at the hot spring valley store.
At first, he was busy alone. Later, Hua’er worked with him…
The scenes with Hua’er suddenly sprang to mind, along with Tong Xinhua’s words:
‘Chen Fu, you have such a simple and honest personality. Your wife must be very virtuous and considerate, right?’
‘Chen Fu, your height and appearance are above average. Your wife must be very beautiful and have a great figure, right?’
‘Chen Fu, your attire is simple yet fashionable. It’s obvious your wife has great taste.’
At that time, he was in a very bad mood, his mind filled with all of Hua’er’s shortcomings. Every word Tong Xinhua spoke made him subconsciously compare Hua’er to Tong Xinhua.
As he compared, Hua’er seemed to have no redeeming qualities.
As he compared, Tong Xinhua’s charming smile lingered in his mind…
At this moment, the familiar smell of the dishcloth brought him back to his senses, helping him find his lost self.
Looking back at Tong Xinhua’s words now, they were filled with instigation and insinuation.
He grabbed the two children on his lap with one hand, raised the other to remove the dishcloth from his head. The cold indifference in his eyes disappeared. He threw the dishcloth back to his mother, “Mom, I was just scaring Hua’er. Who told her not to cherish what she has?”
Li Min caught the dishcloth and glared at her eldest son, “Whether you’re serious or not, I’ve made my stance clear. Anyone who wants to act out can get out. What I give, it’s for my grandchildren. You guys get nothing.”
“Clap, clap, clap!”
Ouyang Meihua applauded Li Min, “Li Min, well done, very well done. You should maintain this spirit. If anyone dares to step out of line, crush them.”
“That’s right!” Li Min’s chin was held high, “I am the head of the Chen family.”
“Hahaha.”
“Hahaha.”
Everyone in the dining room laughed, but behind the laughter, there was a hint of melancholy.
A woman’s everything, in the end, was in the hands of a man’s moods.
Just like Lin Hua’er at this moment, seeing that Chen Fu’s expression was no longer indifferent, she plastered a smile on her face and went to pick up the son she had given birth to…
There were only men in the living room. The women were in the east room and the east annex playing with Xuan Xuan.
Tian Jing stood at the door and waved to Li Zhengguo. After Li Zhengguo came out, she told him about Chen Fu’s behavior in the dining room.
“Go talk to Xiao Fu. I have a bad feeling about this. Go ask him what happened in the county town today.”
Li Zhengguo nodded. His great-nephew was not an unfeeling person. Why would he suddenly behave like this? Even if Hua’er had made a fuss twice, it shouldn’t be like this.
Chen Fu was called into the reception room by his uncle. He did not hide anything from his uncle’s questioning.
Tong Xinhua?
Tong?
Li Zhengguo frowned. There was a member of the new county leadership team named Tong. He said with a serious expression, “Xiao Fu, never see that female classmate of yours again.”
Chen Fu paused for a moment, then nodded, “Tong Xinhua said she’s organizing a class reunion after the New Year. I’ll use a family matter as an excuse to decline.”
Li Zhengguo looked into his great-nephew’s eyes, “Xiao Fu, your personality is too straightforward. You express your emotions too openly, making you easily manipulated by others. You also lack the experience to deal with the schemes that appear around you.”
“As for Lin Hua’er, no matter how much she acts out, we will never agree to a divorce. Just like your mother said, she can give up on you and Hua’er, but she won’t give up on her grandchildren.”
“When you first wanted to be with Lin Hua’er, how did you feel? Use that feeling to constantly recall the moments that have been quietly carried away by the passage of time. Only then can you maintain your original intentions.”
“There are many friction points between people, and even more between parents and children living together. If you don’t maintain your original intentions, you will only change with the passage of time. Your body, mind, and all your emotions will spoil, and in the end, nothing will be left.”
Chen Fu’s body stiffened. What his uncle said was very similar to what he had recalled when he smelled the dishcloth and remembered the past:
“Uncle, I understand.”