Mother Qi sneezed twice and wiped her nose with the back of her hand, thinking to herself, who is cursing me behind my back!
"Granny, happy New Year!" The crisp voice of a child made Mother Qiâs eyebrows rise and her eyes light up with a smile.
"Mom, happy New Year."
"Mother-in-law, happy New Year!"
"Oh my, my darling treasure, youâve arrived." Mother Qi grinned, hugging the charging Yunyun and, seeing the family approaching with their arms full of items, her eyes squinted with joy, "Youâve all arrived, thatâs wonderful, come on in!"
The ones who had just arrived were none other than the Qi Fenglian family, clutching their child and carrying gifts in bundles, flocking into the house.
Qi Jianguo and the others were already present; after exchanging greetings with their siblings and distributing red envelopes to the younger generation and chatting with smiles, it was under the guidance of Qi Fengping that Yunyun went outside to play, and only then did Qi Fenglianâs family start talking with their parents.
"Did the family from Taiguo go back to their maternal home?" Qi Fenglian inquired upon not seeing anyone around.
Mother Qiâs expression fell halfway, "Thatâs right! They even said theyâre staying overnight and not coming back until tomorrow. I told them that you all were coming back today, and even if they returned in a couple of days, it would have been fine, but they just wouldnât listen."
Upon hearing this, Qi Fenglian knew her mother was displeased and said, "Mom, itâs the daughter-in-law from Taiguoâs first year joining the Qi family, so sheâs a new bride. Going back this time, she has to pay New Yearâs visits to several homes, and if sheâs late, it might lead to gossip from others. Anyway, weâre staying for two or three days, so it doesnât matter if theyâre not here."
"Your mom, the better our days are, the more bizarre ideas pop into her head!" Father Qi chimed in from the side.
Mother Qi shot him an indignant glare.
Father Qi cleared his throat, clasped his hands behind his back, and called out to Zhang Jisheng, "Letâs go have a drink outside, just the two of us men!"
Zhang Jisheng agreed with a smile.
"Itâs not even dark yet, and youâre already starting to drink, donât overdo it!" Mother Qi shouted, "Itâs so cold out, weâve got a charcoal brazier in here, isnât it better to drink inside? No need to go outside and catch a chill."
"Mom, just let them be," Qi Fenglian said with a laugh.
Mother Qi then took Xiao Bao from her arms and kissed her several times before sizing her up. She saw that she was wearing the new cotton coat obtained from Cheng Su while in Qing City, bright red and making her look especially lively.
"Red suits you, makes you look spirited," Mother Qi complimented and then asked, "In the past years, you didnât come back until the fourth day of the New Year, why did you come back on the second day this year? Did your mother-in-law have anything to say?"
"If it were a few years earlier, definitely not, even my sister-in-law came back on the second day. This year, sheâs heavily pregnant and about to give birth, so she stayed put." Qi Fenglian pursed her lips.
"About to give birth?"
"Not yet, itâs expected in a few more days. Thatâs why itâs not easy for her to travel, and thatâs why I came back today!" Qi Fenglian replied, "So you shouldnât fuss about the daughter-in-law from Taiguo either. On the second day, everyone wants to go back to their maternal home, and itâs no big deal if someone is missing."
Mother Qi, slightly embarrassed, inquired, "By the way, did you talk to her about it, the matter of working at her place?"
"Itâs all settled. Once the New Year starts, Iâm going to Qing City to learn in the restaurant. When her new shop opens, Iâll go there," Qi Fenglian said.
Mother Qi was surprised: "New shop?"
"Mom, didnât you know? The daughter-in-law from Taiguo bought a shop to open a branch, and itâs not a lease, she bought it!" Qi Fenglian said admiringly, "To be honest, I really admire this sister-in-law. She hasnât been in business long, and sheâs already bought a new shop, a shop of her very own!"
If it were her, she didnât know how long it would take to earn such a nest egg.
Mother Qi said with a trace of envy, "How would I know, when they didnât make a peep about it to anyone, who knows who they are being cautious against!"
Buying a shop, such a big event, and she had no idea. Who are they guarding against?
But then again, whether they tell her or not, once married into the family, whatever she buys is still Taiguoâs, still the Qi familyâs!
With that thought, she smiled again.