Facing Ji Yashu’s sudden warmth, Fu Zhengzheng has a sense of foreboding and feels nervous. Zhu Linglong comforts her not to think too much. While they are talking, Ji Yashu calls Zhu Linglong in the sitting room and she runs there immediately.
Fu Zhengzheng goes there too.
“Aunt, what’s up?” Zhu Linglong asks urgently.
Seeing Fu Zhengzheng come over too, Ji Yashu says at once, “Nothing. Nothing. Zhengzheng, go to have your breakfast. Linglong is enough here.”
Zhu Linglong pushes Fu Zhengzheng to the dining room, “Go to eat your breakfast now. We’ll go shopping later.”
Fu Zhengzheng looks at them suspiciously and walks into the kitchen slowly, but she has no mood to heat the noodles.
She thinks Ji Yashu is strange today. Reflecting Han Tengyue is not seen this morning, her sense of foreboding is stronger.
No, she won’t go out in any case. If something happens at home, she can try to solve it in time.
After making up her mind, she comes to the sitting room again without heating breakfast.
But Zhu Linglong and Ji Yashu are not in the sitting room anymore. Twisting her head, she sees them airing clothes in the yard.
She walks out and sees her mother Chen Yuying enter the yard with a basket of vegetables. She goes up quickly to take the basket from her mother.
Chen Yuying gives the basket to her and asks, “Breakfast is in the pot. Did you heat and eat it?”
Fu Zhengzheng relies at once, “Not yet. I just got up.”
Ji Yashu, who is shaking a wet piece of clothing open, looks at the vegetable basket and says, “It must hard to carry so many vegetables. I’ll go with you tomorrow to help you carry the basket.”
Chen Yuying smiles, “The grocery market is very dirty. You’d better not go there. Why are you airing clothes? Just leave them to my daughter.”
Ji Yashu returns with a smile, “I’m free. I can’t do anything else except airing clothes.”
Fu Zhengzheng stares open-mouthed at the two mothers talking and laughing, unable to speak.
“Thank you. I’ll heat the noodles for her.” Chen Yuying says.
“You are welcome. Go ahead.” Ji Yashu responds.
After her mother enters the house, Fu Zhengzheng catches up with her.
“Mom.”
“What’s up?” Chen Yuying doesn’t stop her steps and goes straight towards the kitchen.
Fu Zhengzheng puts down the basket, enters the kitchen too and says, “Mom.”
Chen Yuying is about to lift the pot lid, but she feels strange, so she stops and turns around to ask, “Honey, what’s wrong?”
Fu Zhengzheng pauses slightly and then asks tentatively, “She…Mom, do you think Siqi’s mother is strange?”
“No.” Chen Yuying seems to understand what’s in Fu Zhengzheng’s mind. She holds her daughter’s hand and whispers smilingly, “Do you think she is strange because she gets along well with me and becomes nice to you suddenly?”
Fu Zhengzheng nods at once.
“Stupid girl.” Chen Yuying tells her daughter smilingly what Ji Yashu talked with her last evening.
Last evening, Ji Yashu said she wanted to ask Chen Yuying something. Finding Ji Yashu didn’t seem to quarrel, Chen Yuying thought Ji Yashu wanted to negotiate with her, so she asked Zhen Mingzhi to take Fu Xing to sleep early in the room. Then she sat down to negotiate with Ji Yashu.
Unexpectedly, at the beginning of the talk, Ji Yashu asked why they drove Fu Zhengzheng out of home before.
The question brought what happened six years ago back to Chen Yuying’s mind. Several kinds of emotions mingle, including guilt and sadness, which made her tearful. Just at that time, Han Siqi and Fu Zhengzheng came back. She wiped her tears in haste. After coaxing them to go upstairs, she continued to talk with Ji Yashu with red eyes. Talking of the tough days for over five years when her daughter raised Fu Xing, her tears couldn’t stop.
At last, she said to Ji Yashu whose eyes were also red, “We used to hate and blame my daughter because we thought she was stubborn, foolish and not self-respecting till she appeared in front of us with Xingxing and Siqi. Looking at Xingxing who is clever and good and Siqi who loves her so much, we understand her insistence and realize the six years has been wasted by us, so we really hope she and Xing Xing can stay with us. We’ll treat them with double love to make up for what we owed them in the past six years.”
After pausing for a few seconds, she continued, “I know it’s not right for Mingzhi to transfer Xingxing’s household registration without permission, but if other members of Han family can treat my daughter as sincerely as Siqi does, I think Mingzhi wouldn’t do that. Although Xingxing is surnamed after my daughter, he is the grandson of Han family. I hope you don’t just fight with us. You should also find the reason from yourselves. We both are parents, and I hope we can put ourselves in the shoes of others.”
“Then?” When her mother stops, Fu Zhengzheng asks urgently.
“Then?” Chen Yuying smiles, “After hearing what I said, your mother-in-law kept silent for a long time and went upstairs alone without saying anything. At 4:00 a.m. this morning, they went downstairs to knock on our door, called your dad and me out and talked with us for a long time.”
“About what?”
“They apologized at first for their impoliteness to us and not caring for you. They were very sincere.”
“Really?” Fu Zhengzheng is doubtful.
“When did I lie to you? Your parents-in-law also said they wouldn’t intervene in your stay in C City with Xingxing. It’s up to you.”
“Really?” Fu Zhengzheng looks surprised.
“Your dad apologized to them too and promised that after his leg healed, if you wanted to return to B City, you could return. He wouldn’t stop you and would help transfer Xingxing’s household registration back.”
“So the question has been solved peacefully?”
“Yes. Isn’t it good?”
“Good. Very good. But I still can’t accept such a dramatic change of them. I feel unreal.” Fu Zhengzheng rubs her hands.
Chen Yuying smiles, “Now I think your parents-in-law are reasonable actually. They are used to being bossy to others, but they are kind in nature. Honey, you didn’t talk frankly with them about your thoughts, did you?”
Fu Zhengzheng pulls a wry face. She wanted to talk with them before, but they didn’t give her a chance. Each time she saw them pulling a long face, she would lose the interest.
What made her most unacceptable to Han Siqi’s parents before should be her dim background. They always thought she didn’t match their son that they were proud of. Now, seeing she is the daughter of a retired military officer, they can’t fault her on background. What’s more, after they come to C City, she always defends them. Especially after they know what she has suffered for their son and grandson, even a heart of stone can be moved. Moreover, they are not bad in nature.
It is the so-called absolute sincerity will move a heart of stone, right?
She thought something would happen at home in the beginning. Now her mind is eased. She sighs deeply and then pleases her mother smilingly, “I’m not so articulate as you. You are good at arousing others’ affection, so when you talked with my mother-in-law, the big problem was solved immediately. You are worthy of the senior lecturer title.”
Hearing that, Chen Yuying laughs out.
At this moment, Zhu Linglong runs in and asks, “Zhengzheng, have you finished? We have decided to go shopping.”
Chen Yuying looks inside the pot and covers it again, “Honey, the noodles have been mashed and won’t taste good even if they are heated. How about eating a piece of cake? I’ll pour a glass of milk for you.”
“I’ll pour by myself.” Fu Zhengzheng goes to take a glass. Then her underbelly has a feeling of distending pain, so she can’t help frowning and covering the underbelly, and she stands there motionless.
Zhu Linglong finds her odd first, goes up immediately and supports her, “Zhengzheng? What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?”
Fu Zhengzheng waves and sits down on a chair, “No. I’ve got my period. It’s the first day, so I have distending pain.”
Zhu Linglong says, “Then we won’t go shopping. Rest at home.”
Fu Zhengzheng nods.
Chen Yuying brings a cup of hot tea and says, “Don’t eat the cake. I’ll cook noodles again for you.”
Looking at the watch, Fu Zhengzheng waves and says, “No, thanks. It’s nearly 10:30. We’ll have lunch soon. I can just eat some cookies.”
“Have a rest in the sitting room. I’ll begin to cook now. We can have lunch earlier this noon.”
Fu Zhengzheng nods and comes to the sitting room with Zhu Linglong. When Zhu Linglong goes to turn on the TV, she lies down on the couch. Feeling her underbelly is more and more painful, she begins to talk with Zhu Linglong to distract herself.
“Linglong, aren’t you busy with your studio?”
“I’m busy. But no matter how busy I am, work only ranks second while the family ranks first forever, do you think so?” Zhu Linglong puts a box of cookies before Fu Zhengzheng and picks up one to enjoy herself.
“Yes!” Fu Zhengzheng picks up a cookie, but she doesn’t eat but says sincerely, “Linglong, thank you so much.”
“For what?”
“You put in a good word for me before your aunt, or how could she change her opinion about me so quickly?”
“Aunt’s change in opinion about you has nothing to do with me, but two things are proved.”
“What things?”
“Firstly, aunt is kind in nature; secondly, you really have suffered a lot for Siqi and Xingxing.”
“My happiness comes after suffering?”
“Yes.”
Then they laugh out.
“I’ll go back tomorrow. I don’t know whether they will return with me.”
“Siqi and I will return to B City too this Saturday. If they don’t return with you, they can go back with us. Xu Yan will get married. She is Siqi’s secretary.”
“Oh, OK. It’s up to them. but now it seems that they are not hostile to you anymore, so I think even if they continue to live here, they won’t create a disturbance.”
“Zhengzheng, eat cookies later. Have a cup of ginger tea first.” Ji Yashu speaks behind them.
She comes over with a saucer. Fu Zhengzheng rises quickly to take it.
“You are sick and just sit down.”
“Thank you, mom.” Fu Zhengzheng calls her naturally and genially.
Ji Yashu smiles, “Don’t mention it. Just put the cup here after you drink the tea. I’ll take it later. I’m going to help your mom to cook lunch.”
Fu Zhengzheng’s nose twitches suddenly.
“Zhengzheng, are you moved to tears?” Zhu Linglong teases.
“My life becomes very happy suddenly.”
“It’ll be happier.”
While they are talking, her father Zhen Mingzhi shouts in the yard, “Honey? Honey? Have you got up?”