Chapter 216 - 113: Parting

Chapter 216: Chapter 113: Parting

The matter was resolved perfectly—at least, that’s what Li Xiu and the three Zhou brothers thought. As for the third and fourth sons-in-law of the Zhou family, well, that was another story.

Seeing it was getting late, Li Xiu called out and slipped into the kitchen. The summer heat always got to Zhou Lian, and with her emotions running high the past few days, she hadn’t had much of an appetite. Looking at all the fresh vegetables, Li Xiu thought, ’I need to make something special for my wife. Otherwise, how will she keep her strength up?’

In the kitchen, the four women—a mother and her three daughters-in-law—watched Li Xiu enter. Mrs. Zhou and the eldest sister-in-law were used to it, but the Second Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law Zhou were stunned. Mrs. Zhou glanced at her two other daughters-in-law. "Don’t mind him," she said. "Just carry on with your work."

She turned to Li Xiu and asked softly, "What do you want to make?"

"Mom, I’ll make something light. Bao’er’s been emotional and hasn’t had an appetite these last few days. She always has a hard time in the summer, and with this heat, she won’t be able to eat anything too rich."

"The vegetables are all here. Do what you think is best," Mrs. Zhou said with a helpless sigh. She was at her wit’s end with this son-in-law. But she was Zhou Lian’s mother, after all; how could she let her own daughter go hungry?

"Alright, Mom, Sisters-in-law, you all carry on. I can handle it myself!" Li Xiu said quietly, glancing at the dumbfounded Second Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law Zhou. ’I know this might seem improper,’ he thought, ’but nothing is more important than my wife. Besides, she’s not used to her mother’s cooking anymore, and I can’t bear to see her go hungry!’

Since almost the entire Zhou family had gathered today, the kitchen was stocked with an abundance of ingredients. Li Xiu looked around, then deftly stir-fried two dishes and prepared a bowl of cold noodles with egg. Seeing him finish in less than half an hour, the three sisters-in-law were shocked. ’He must cook all the time to be this skilled,’ they thought. ’What kind of man did our sister-in-law marry?’

At mealtime, everyone saw the special dishes placed before Zhou Lian, clearly cooked just for her. The rest of the Zhou family shared a silent understanding and said nothing. ’So many years have passed, and Li Xiu still pampers her like they’re newlyweds,’ they thought. ’Well, she’s one of us. All we can say is, he’s doing a good job of it!’

After a lively lunch, everyone gathered under the tree in the courtyard to cool off and discuss Mr. and Mrs. Zhou’s move to the Capital City. Just as the conversation was winding down, Li Xiu suddenly spoke up. "Eldest Sister, Eldest Brother-in-law, Zhang Yizhen is finishing middle school this year, isn’t he? Have him go to school in the Capital City with Huaitai. The two of them can keep each other company."

Everyone stared blankly at Li Xiu, slow to react. They couldn’t understand why he would suddenly bring this up. Huaitai was going to the Capital City to accompany Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, but Zhang Yizhen? What was Li Xiu planning?

Seeing her family’s silence, Zhou Lian spoke up softly. "Eldest Sister, Eldest Brother-in-law, the schools in the Capital City are much better than ours. Besides, Mom and Dad will be there. Having their eldest grandson and eldest maternal grandson with them will be like the boys are fulfilling filial duties on behalf of you and Eldest Brother!" ’She knew why Li Xiu wanted her sister’s son to go to the Capital City,’ Zhou Lian thought. ’It was all because of how Huaitai and Yizhen protected me in our last life. I’ve figured out his personality now. He can be heartless, but he’s also fiercely loyal. His kindness to my family is just an extension of his love for me. He probably doesn’t have much real affection for them on their own.’

"Would that be alright? It would be so much trouble for you and your husband," Zhou Lan said uncertainly. She figured Huaitai was going because her younger sister wanted to help the Zhou family, but Yizhen’s surname was Zhang, not Zhou.

Li Xiu glanced at the crowd and turned to Mr. Zhou. "Dad, what do you think? Wouldn’t it be good to have your eldest maternal grandson there to keep you and Mom company? Yizhen is smart and sensible. He won’t be any trouble. Plus, as Bao’er said, the schools in the Capital City are much better. One is the Zhou family’s eldest grandson, and the other is the eldest maternal grandson. Wouldn’t it be for the best if they both had a bright future?"

Mr. Zhou glanced at his eldest daughter and son-in-law, then back at his second son-in-law, Li Xiu, and nodded to himself. ’He’s planning to groom both of these boys.’ He looked at his second daughter, who was sitting quietly beside Li Xiu eating watermelon. ’He must be doing this for her sake. Oh, well. I’ll swallow my pride and accept another favor on my daughter’s account.’

"Very well. Let Yizhen go along too."

And just like that, with a few words, Zhang Yizhen’s future was decided. A dozen years later, Zhou Lan’s husband would secretly congratulate himself for keeping his mouth shut that day. Zhang Yizhen would go on to university, completing a combined bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral program. After that, he studied abroad, gilding his resume, and returned to become the president of a Fortune 500 company with an annual salary in the millions. He was the envy of all!

That afternoon, Zhou Lian’s eldest brother and her brother-in-law went straight to the school to handle the transfer of the boys’ records. After packing their belongings, they were set to leave for the Capital City with Li Xiu and Zhou Lian the next morning. Li Xiu also made it clear that he would keep track of all the expenses, and the two boys could pay him back themselves in the future. With Mr. Zhou’s unspoken approval, the matter was settled.

Partings are always sentimental. As the sun began to set, the Zhou sisters left wiping away tears. Zhou Lan cried the hardest. Her parents, her younger sister, and her eldest son were all leaving, and she wouldn’t see them for a long time. It was no wonder she was the most heartbroken.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, the Zhou sisters all arrived to see them off. Zhou Lian’s lips twitched in a helpless smile. ’What’s all this for? It’s not like we’ll be gone for years on end. Coming here to say goodbye is just asking for heartbreak. All they’re going to do is cry.’

Sensing her mood, Li Xiu glanced at Zhou Lian, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. ’My wife can’t stand all this weeping,’ he thought. ’She rarely cries herself and hates it when others do. In her own words: ’The sky isn’t falling, and tears don’t solve anything. You could be doing something productive with all that time spent crying!’’

Once everyone was in the car, Li Xiu drove toward the village entrance, where a crowd was still gathered by the main road. In the car, Mrs. Zhou was wiping her eyes. From the passenger seat, Zhou Lian said with a sigh of resignation, "Mom, what are you crying about? It’s not like we’re never coming back. When I get my winter break for the Lunar New Year, Huaitai and Yizhen will definitely be back. If you want to return then, you can just come with them. It’s only an eight or nine-hour drive. Honestly, what is there to cry about? You’re going to your daughter’s house, it’s not like this is..." The four words "a life-or-death parting" hovered on her tongue, but she left them unsaid.

Li Xiu, who was driving, shot Zhou Lian an amused glance. "Bao’er," he said softly, "Mom just isn’t used to traveling so far away. It’s her first time. Why don’t you lean back and close your eyes for a bit? You haven’t been sleeping well. Listen to me, Bao’er. You’re starting to get dark circles under your eyes."

The four people in the back seat watched Li Xiu coax Zhou Lian as if she were a child. Even Mrs. Zhou stopped crying. She wiped her tears, shook her head, and said gently, "Alright, I’ll stop crying. You get some rest. We have a long drive ahead of us!"

Hearing their words and seeing the look of worry and concern on Li Xiu’s face, Zhou Lian didn’t refuse their kindness. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat. ’Truth be told, I really am exhausted,’ she thought. ’Mentally exhausted. And on top of that, I cried my heart out the day before yesterday!’