The mother and daughter finally had a moment to rest after settling the little ones. Chen Lan went to the kitchen to brew a cup of linden flower tea for her mother and herself, then reclined on the sofa to chat with her.
Chen Lan realized she hadn't seen Mama Liu and Mama Cui for a while and casually asked, "Mom, where did Mama Liu and Mama Cui go? I haven't seen them for so long, and they're not in the kitchen either."
Her mother smiled gently and said, "I figured there wasn't much else to do around the house besides cooking three meals a day, so I let Mama Liu and Mama Cui go to the Yangge dance with your mother-in-law. Mama Liu loves a lively atmosphere; she enjoyed it when she was younger. She's served me her whole life, and raised you and your two brothers. Now that she's getting older, it's time for her to enjoy herself."
Chen Lan agreed with her mother, nodding repeatedly. "Yes! Mom, over the years, we've been so lucky to have Mama Liu's family stay with us and protect us. Especially after Eldest Brother left, we would have been bullied to death by others if it weren't for Mama Liu's family looking after us orphans."
Her mother nodded in agreement. "That's true. So, Lan'er, we can't mistreat Mama Liu's family. Although your maternal grandmother bought Mama Liu and gave her a place to live, a chance to survive, and even let her take the Liu surname..."
At this point, her mother sighed, as if recalling past events, and couldn't help but feel emotional. Mama Liu was an elder in the family and had followed her to the Chen family, serving them her entire life. Over the years, she had become like family. Remembering the past, her mother still felt as if those moments were vivid.
Sighing again, her mother looked at Chen Lan and said earnestly, "But after all these years, she's stayed by my side without complaint for most of my life. I've long considered her my own sister. So, Lan'er, we must not mistreat Mama Liu's family, understand?"
Chen Lan reached out, took her mother's hand, and patted it reassuringly. She replied with great sincerity, "Mom, I know what to do, don't worry! I've already considered them all family. You just focus on enjoying your old age happily with Mama Liu every day! We'll handle the rest."
As she spoke, she glanced back at the five little ones sleeping in the electric rocking cradles, who were already fast asleep, snoring softly. Chen Lan whispered to her mother, "They've all fallen asleep!"
With that, she quickly got up and turned off the music of the carousel.
The mother and daughter watched the children play and chatted, a scene of quiet and peaceful beauty.
Time passed quickly, and three busy days went by like this. One morning after breakfast, Uncle De and Uncle Fu were about to head out to the greenhouse as usual.
Their mother-in-law called out to Uncle De and Uncle Fu, who were preparing to leave, "Um, Deshun, Chen Fu, wait a moment. I have something to tell you."
Uncle De and Uncle Fu stopped buttoning their padded cotton jackets and looked at the mother-in-law, waiting for her to continue.
The mother-in-law cleared her throat and said, "Deshun, Chen Fu, do you know about the Yangge competition that's going to be held in our valley, and the bet involved?"
Uncle De nodded, confused. "Yes! Haven't we been talking about it for days? What's wrong? Is it not happening anymore, has it been canceled?"
The mother-in-law immediately replied, "Canceled? How could that be?"
At this, Uncle Fu also asked, puzzled, "Then what do you mean by asking this?"
The mother-in-law smiled awkwardly, her expression calm. "Don't worry, I'm not trying to pry into your secrets. I just haven't seen any activity from you two these past few days, so I was curious and decided to ask."
Uncle Fu smiled and said, "I believe what my cousin's wife said. Let me explain it to you! The reason is that no matter if our team wins or the women's team wins, ultimately, Xiao Lan will be in charge. So, neither of us is in a hurry. The old fellows from the other families have already started practicing with Li Daqiang's father in secret."
After speaking, the two put on their warm padded cotton jackets, glanced at the mother-in-law, and walked out one after another at a leisurely pace.
Having gathered the latest intelligence, the mother-in-law immediately put on her warm padded cotton jacket and snow boots, fully armed, and headed out.
Chen Lan and her mother exchanged a look and burst into laughter. Chen Lan whispered, "Mom, I've just realized my mother-in-law is too clever. She's already started gathering intel on the competition."
Her mother looked around and quickly stopped Chen Lan. "Lan'er, what are you saying? Be careful, someone might hear you and it might get back to your mother-in-law. What you said doesn't have any malicious intent, but it could be misunderstood. Be mindful of your words next time, understand?"
Chen Lan nodded repeatedly in agreement.
However, Chen Lan still felt that her mother-in-law wasn't the type to have ulterior motives. Most people would just take such words as a joke, but Chen Lan knew her mother was right; some people with intentions might not see it that way. Chen Lan had a bit of a modern mindset and knew when to say certain things and when not to.
Seeing that her mother still looked somewhat uneasy, Chen Lan held her mother's hand and started to act a little spoiled. "Mom, don't worry, I wouldn't say that in front of my mother-in-law... I was just chatting with you casually, you know. I promise I'll be careful in front of outsiders from now on and won't just blurt things out."
Seeing Chen Lan's earnest promise, as if she were about to write a letter of guarantee, her mother couldn't help but chuckle. She sighed, clasped Chen Lan's hand, and said earnestly, "Xiao Lan, I know you have a kind heart and are a good child. I also know that you've always been tactful in your dealings. That's why I've always been reassured and supportive of whatever you've done before..."
Her mother, having weathered many storms, never let go of the idea of being prepared for danger even in times of peace. Now that everything was going well, it was naturally good, but she couldn't afford to be too lax or complacent.
"You've always been resourceful, so I don't have much else to tell you," her mother said, smiling as she looked at Chen Lan staring at her. "There's just one thing you need to remember. While being overly cautious isn't a good habit, you shouldn't be too radical either. You should still consider everyone's thoughts to some extent."
Chen Lan listened to her mother's earnest advice and nodded repeatedly in agreement.