Tian Jing, who had successfully pushed for marriage, returned to find Zeng Jingrong:
"After team members start families, where do they live? Do they all live in the administrative building?"
Zeng Jingrong said, "I am applying to build a reception courtyard at the foot of the mountain range where the road leads, to house visiting family members."
"As for housing allocation for team members who form families, I plan to build two rows of small courtyards behind the mess hall and have team members construct them."
Tian Jing nodded in agreement: "Building ordinary courtyards does not require high foundation requirements, and team members with little masonry experience can also build them."
"I'm going back. Ji Qing and Ji Xiang have also gone down the mountain with me. I'll bring them back in a few days."
"Go, go." Zeng Jingrong waved them away; he wanted to see his daughter.
...
Ji Qing and Ji Xiang were blindfolded and carried home by their great aunt and great uncle.
As soon as the cloth was removed from their eyes, the two children rushed into the living room:
"Little brother, little brother, big brother is back."
The first person to emerge from a first-floor room was Li Min.
Upon seeing the two children, she immediately looked towards the door.
Spotting the two figures outside, she ran out a few steps:
"Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, you're finally back. My mother misses you both terribly and talks about you constantly."
"For the half month since you left, she's been stewing chicken soup, saying little sister-in-law should be back."
"She's been stewing soup for half a month. Hurry back, there's bound to be hot soup waiting for you."
Ouyang Meihua raised an eyebrow and looked at her sister-in-law: "Aren't you jealous?"
"Of course, I'm jealous," Li Min nodded. "No matter how jealous I am, it doesn't change the fact that Mother isn't just my mother."
"However, if you don't come back, by evening, there will be a portion of that chicken soup for me and Hua'er."
"I've been busy lately. Once I'm done, I'll come back to vie for affection."
Ouyang Meihua and Tian Jing exchanged a glance and asked, "What are you busy with?"
"Busy moving," Li Min said, grinning widely. "Suo Zhu Ge and I are moving to the South Building. Since you're back, have your red envelopes ready, okay?"
Tian Jing nodded: "Okay! I'll prepare a big red envelope for you. We're going back for chicken soup now, your chicken soup is gone for tonight."
"It's fine if it's gone," Li Min said indifferently. "I've been drinking it for over half a month. I'm getting a double chin."
Ouyang Meihua didn't go home to drop off her luggage, but followed Tian Jing to the courtyard house with her bag.
As soon as they entered the inner courtyard, they called out: "Mom, we're back."
"Yes! Yes!" Mother Li responded and rushed out from the kitchen: "You're finally back. Come in quickly, wash your hands, and have a bowl of chicken soup first."
Tian Jing and Ouyang Meihua smiled at each other and walked towards their anxious mother-in-law.
Each on one side, they linked arms with their mother-in-law and entered the kitchen.
Once in the kitchen, Mother Li urged them to put down their luggage and wash their hands.
Then she opened the clay pot on the gas stove and served two bowls of wild chicken soup with astragalus and goji berries:
"I guessed you two would be back around now. Li Guo and Zheng Guo can hardly wait. The brothers have been calling Jing Rong, and Jing Rong keeps saying soon, soon."
"At noon today, Zheng Guo called Jing Rong again. Jing Rong seemed to have just remembered something, and Zheng Guo lectured him."
Tian Jing: "..." Remembered what? Remembered to let her out.
Yesterday was the tenth day, but she was only released this afternoon.
If Brother Zheng hadn't called, Zeng Jingrong probably wouldn't have remembered she was in the dungeon.
The sisters-in-law drank the soup and helped their mother-in-law prepare dinner, listening to her chat about the events of the past month.
They were all trivial matters, which Ouyang Meihua and Tian Jing listened to with great interest. This was life, completely different from the specialty team.
"Oh, right," Mother Li changed the subject. "Tian Tian, it seems like something has happened to the Tian family again. I'm not quite sure. I'll ask Zheng Guo to tell you when he gets back."
Tian Jing nodded: "I'll ask him. Don't worry about the Tian family's affairs. If they come looking for me when I'm not home, just ignore them and tell them to find me and Brother Zheng."
Mother Li nodded and changed the subject to the matter of the two sons of the Niu family preparing to marry their new wives:
"I heard the women are quite eager. Your eldest sister-in-law Niu isn't in a hurry at all. She said they'll have the wedding after the nursery female employees go out to see the world."
"Is Auntie Li talking about me?" a voice came from outside the door, followed by the appearance of eldest sister-in-law Niu.
Seeing the two sisters-in-law drinking soup, eldest sister-in-law Niu smiled: "You two finally decided to come back. This chicken soup has been waiting for you both every day."
Mother Li got up and poured her a bowl: "Here, stuff your mouth, don't talk nonsense."
Eldest sister-in-law Niu, sitting next to Tian Jing, smiled and thanked her: "Thank you, Auntie Li. I haven't enjoyed the care of an elder for many years. No, I haven't enjoyed it since I married into the Niu family."
Tian Jing glanced at eldest sister-in-law Niu: "Just crawled out of the vinegar jar?"
"Isn't that right?" Eldest sister-in-law Niu said indignantly. "My dear mother-in-law, even though I'm serving her diligently, she's still not satisfied and went to my youngest brother-in-law's house to serve my sister-in-law."
After giving birth to a daughter, youngest sister-in-law Niu had two more pregnancies that didn't last. She was already over fifty, with grandchildren, and was pregnant again.
When she discovered it, she had spotting. Because she thought it was a serious problem due to the sudden spotting, she went to the clinic and was told she was pregnant.
Youngest sister-in-law Niu's daughter thought it was too embarrassing for her mother to get pregnant and have a baby when her own child was already five.
Youngest sister-in-law Niu wanted to give birth, and Mother Niu also told her youngest daughter-in-law to give birth.
However, youngest sister-in-law Niu had spotting after only a little over a month of pregnancy and had to lie in bed to protect the pregnancy.
Mother Niu, over eighty, went to take care of her youngest daughter-in-law.
Eldest sister-in-law Niu became more and more angry as she spoke: "You tell me, I provide her with good food and drink, she doesn't have to do housework if she doesn't want to, and I even wash her clothes."
"Now she can take care of a living person who can't move!"
"I'm so stifled. This past half month has been killing me. Are daughters-in-law not all the same?"
Tian Jing looked at her mother-in-law, who was hesitant to speak, and advised eldest sister-in-law Niu:
"Indeed, daughters-in-law are different, mainly because of differences in personality."
"You can't make your mother-in-law serve you, but youngest sister-in-law Niu thinks it's natural for her mother-in-law to serve her. Isn't that the difference?"
"Honestly, Mother Niu's feelings are understandable. After all, my youngest brother Niu has no sons. His small Western-style building and shops in the new village will soon all fall into his son-in-law's hands. Mother Niu is naturally worried for her youngest son."
"I can understand this," eldest sister-in-law Niu nodded. "What's bothering me now is the first half. I'm worried about the second half."
Tian Jing, Ouyang Meihua, and Mother Li all looked at her, waiting for her to explain the second half.
Eldest sister-in-law Niu continued: "My mother-in-law is over eighty years old. She hasn't done strenuous physical labor for more than twenty years. She only does the lighter household chores."
"If anything unexpected happens, it will be sent back to me to take care of, wouldn't that make me feel wronged?"
"If the old person gets tired taking care of others, and then I have to take care of the tired old person, my resentment in the second half would be like snow in June."
"The other unexpected event is if the pregnancy doesn't hold, the blame will fall on my mother-in-law. This blame will also include the ridicule of my niece."
"What I'm most worried about is that my niece and nephew-in-law are not reconciled and will use my mother-in-law to shift the blame onto me."
"Since my mother-in-law went to my youngest brother's house, I've forbidden her to come back, and I haven't visited."
"Even so, I'm on tenterhooks. I'm really afraid of being framed."
"I haven't even allowed Da Niu and Er Niu to get married. At least until my sister-in-law's pregnancy is stable or she gives birth."
Ouyang Meihua patted eldest sister-in-law Niu's shoulder and comforted her: "Your mother-in-law and your sister-in-law are a perfect match. They're both unreliable people. You've worked hard."
Eldest sister-in-law Niu sighed deeply: "So, I envy you for having a good mother-in-law."
Ouyang Meihua chuckled: "You were born a bit too early. You missed Li Guo, and even more so, Zheng Guo."
"You mischievous thing," eldest sister-in-law Niu raised her hand and patted Ouyang Meihua's back vigorously. "What are you afraid to say? Can't I even express envy?"
"Okay, okay," Ouyang Meihua nodded repeatedly. "You envy us. Envy us with all your might. Our mothers-in-law are blessings from our past lives."
Tian Jing was silent. Blessings from past lives?