After the elderly woman sighed, she continued, "Mingxuan! You are now a member of the state, and your mother can't control you much anymore. If you can have a seven or eight-day leave, then seven or eight days it is! Spend these days at home to recuperate and replenish your strength. Look at how thin you are, it breaks my heart just looking at you. Don't you love the soup your Aunt Cui makes? I'll have Aunt Cui make you ginseng chicken soup every day to help you recover."
Mother and son walked and talked, and soon arrived at the courtyard gate. Xu Mingxuan pushed open the gate and was about to go in.
Upon hearing his mother's words, Xu Mingxuan immediately asked, "Oh! Mom, I've been back for quite a while. I saw Uncle De, Erhu, and Xiaoshuan, but why haven't I seen Aunt Cui and Cui Qiao, nor Mingwei and my younger brother, or my two brothers-in-law? What happened to them? Is there something going on?"
The elderly woman said, "Nothing is wrong. Mingzhe, your two brothers-in-law, and a few children are at your mother-in-law's house. Every day she and an aunt are responsible for looking after these energetic boys.
She then sighed again, saying, "Your Aunt Cui was both happy and sad to see you return. Happy that you came back alive from the battlefield, and sad because she remembered Da Hu who sacrificed his life on the battlefield.
I saw her crying inconsolably from grief. Your return is already a joyous occasion, and today's meal of freshly slaughtered pork is also a joyous occasion. With guests present, she was afraid they might be offended by her state, which would not be good! So she let Cui Qiao and Mingwei accompany her home first.
Don't worry! I've already sent food over for them, and they've probably finished eating by now!
Mingxuan! Aunt Cui breastfed you; she is like a second mother to you, and she has always doted on you the most. When you go in later, you must comfort her well and help her feel better." With that, she reached out and opened the door to the house.
As soon as Xu Mingxuan entered the courtyard, he started to feel restless. When he had seen the exterior of the house from the hilltop on his way back, he had been very shocked.
Now, seeing it up close, he was even more astonished. The yellowish-brown exterior walls and the gourd-shaped columns on the terrace, using the same color scheme, further highlighted the house's uniqueness and texture.
The deep red doors and windows were classic, grand, and retained the traditional rural residential style, simple and elegant without being fussy.
There was also a large floor-to-ceiling window installed on one of the walls. This design was very eye-catching, making the entire house look exceptionally upscale, understated yet full of substance.
When the mother and son walked into the living room, it was empty and quiet. Near the floor-to-ceiling window, a set of light brown leather sofas was placed. Colorful cushions on the sofas made them look lively and playful.
The modern-style furniture was simple, generous, and practical. A brightly colored carpet, depicting a phoenix surrounded by a hundred birds, was spread on the floor.
Seeing this, Xu Mingxuan was even more unsettled.
He pointed at the carpet with his finger and said, "Mom, why did you put such a beautiful carpet in the living room? With people coming and going, stepping on it with their shoes, won't the carpet be ruined?"
The elderly woman let out a chuckle and said, "It's okay, the carpet can be washed if it gets dirty. Once washed, it will be like new. Come on, Mingxuan, don't dawdle. Let's go to your Aunt Cui's room to see her."
The mother and son went to comfort Aunt Cui.
Meanwhile, on Chen Lan's side, the mother and daughter, along with Xiao Shan's mother and Mother Liu, had finished their meal and were sitting together chatting. The twins, after gnawing on bones with great effort, were probably tired. Chen Lan washed them up and soon lulled them to sleep.
Wen Kai and Wen Qi, the brothers, were studying a jigsaw puzzle of China's map with Ming Zhe. Hu Tou and Xiao Shi Tou were building with blocks and constructing houses.
The little hedgehog was curled up on the carpet, fast asleep. Chen Lan wasn't quite sure if the hedgehog was about to hibernate.
As they were chatting, Chen Lan suddenly remembered that she hadn't told her mother about Xu Mingxuan's return.
So she said, "Mom, I have something to tell you. Don't get too excited when you hear it!"
Her mother chuckled and said, "What haven't I experienced? What could possibly excite me now?"
Seeing her mother say this, Chen Lan felt relieved. So she said, "Mom, Xu Mingxuan returned today. Xu Mingxuan is not dead; he has come home."
Upon hearing this, her mother shot up from her seat, her voice filled with emotion, "Where? Come on, let's go see him! You child, why didn't you say so sooner! Is he alright? Is he injured? Is he emaciated?"
Chen Lan quickly grabbed her mother and said, "Mom, calm down, be calm, don't rush. He's fine, not missing any limbs. He was injured, but his injuries have almost healed, so he's come home."
Her mother anxiously said, "I can't calm down! I won't be calm until I see him safe and sound."
Chen Lan quickly said, "Don't worry yet. He's currently with the comrades who brought him back, eating the freshly slaughtered pork in the main kitchen. If you go now and cry in front of his comrades, it won't be good!
Don't worry, after they finish eating, he will definitely come to see you."
Mother Liu also chimed in, "Yes! You should listen to Xiao Lan. By rights, he's younger and your son-in-law. He should be the one to come and see you, an elder, first."
Xiao Shan's mother also agreed, "Yes! That's the way it should be. It's natural order; it should be like this."
Chen Lan's head began to ache even more. She was speechless: "These old ladies are planning to make my mother act like a typical mother-in-law."
So the few of them sat down again and continued to chat, waiting for Xu Mingxuan's arrival.
Chen Lan noticed her mother seemed somewhat absent-minded, not fully understanding the feelings of a mother-in-law. In her past life, she had died before she had a chance to become a mother-in-law and had transmigrated to the 1950s.
Therefore, she didn't know how to comfort her mother. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait much longer before they heard someone entering the courtyard, followed by the elderly woman's distinctive booming voice.
The elderly woman shouted, "Sister-in-law, come out quickly and see who has returned! Sister-in-law, come and see that Mingxuan has returned alive!" As soon as her voice stopped, she walked into the living room.
The elderly woman led the way into the living room, followed by Xu Mingxuan, Xiang Dong, Xiang Xi, Uncle Fu, and everyone else walked in together. The living room immediately became lively.
Xu Mingxuan saw his mother-in-law sitting on the sofa. He quickly walked over and knelt down with a thud, shouting, "Mother, I'm back!" With that, he kowtowed three times.