Chen Lishu didn't rush to answer. She first took off Rui Rui's scarf and hat, put them away, and then introduced him to Li Xiulan and Zhang Qin.
"Mom, eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, this child's name is Gu Rui. He's a child my Xingdong and I adopted in the provincial capital." She then patted Rui Rui's little head, telling him to greet them. "Say Grandma, Auntie, Auntie."
"What? Adopted?" Liu Yuemin exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. Rui Rui, holding Chen Lishu's small hand, instinctively tightened his grip.
Li Xiulan's heart skipped a beat when she heard Chen Lishu's words.
Both of them adopted a child, what did this mean? After being married for so long with no news, it must mean they couldn't have children. The thought that the third child would never have his own flesh and blood made Li Xiulan feel as if she couldn't breathe from heartache.
"Third child's wife, tell Mom the truth, you and the third child, are you two..." Li Xiulan opened her mouth twice before asking with difficulty, "Are you two unable to have children?"
When Liu Yuemin heard Li Xiulan's words, her gaze towards Chen Lishu changed.
There was no sympathy; rather, she felt a bit more balanced.
Among the sisters-in-law, Liu Yuemin didn't pay much attention to Zhang Qin and Zhang Xiaoju. It was only Chen Lishu, who had always outperformed her since entering the family. But now? Heaven was fair. No matter how much she struggled, what was the use if she couldn't have children?
"Mom, it's not what you think." Seeing Li Xiulan's displeased expression, Chen Lishu quickly explained how the couple rescued the child from human traffickers and then how they met again at the mall.
After hearing Chen Lishu's explanation, Li Xiulan finally let out a sigh of relief and looked at Rui Rui with a touch of pity. "Such a good child, how pitiful."
"Sister Chen, Grandma, I've already delivered the fabric, so I'll be heading back to the town now." Lin Qi said, putting his hat back on.
"Don't forget what I told you. You can start inquiring, and I'll come to town to find you the day after tomorrow."
Chen Lishu's plan for this return was to first find a store in a relatively good location and renovate it properly during the off-season. She planned to open for business in the spring of the following year.
However, buying property was not as simple as it seemed. Most of it was nationalized, and another part was collective housing, with property rights belonging to the unit, and employees only had the right to use it, not transfer it.
"Understood, Sister Chen." Lin Qi agreed and turned to leave.
...
At the Liu family, it was the day Liu Dabao was meeting his prospective in-laws.
The marriage of her eldest son finally had a prospect, and Widow Liu was very happy, walking with a spring in her step.
She first went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a pound of meat and peanuts, then bought two blocks of tofu from a tofu maker's family, and returned home to start cooking.
Soon, Zhang Chunhua and her sister arrived with a girl around sixteen or seventeen. Widow Liu busily and enthusiastically invited them in.
"The two villages are far apart, you must be frozen after walking over twenty li. Please, come in and sit down."
Liu Dabao, uncharacteristically, didn't go out to play cards with his younger brother today. He even put on a new outfit that Widow Liu specially made for him. His hair was slicked back into an eighty-two split, and in the light, it had a slight sheen. Coupled with the beady eyes inherited from Widow Liu, he looked thoroughly shifty.
His gaze was fixed on the girl who was lowering her head, and he suddenly felt a bit parched.
"Dabao is a good child, one of the best in the village. Your mother-in-law, Mrs. Liu, is also a capable person. The family has only two sons, a simple household, and good conditions. Your aunt is in this village, so it's a family that everyone knows well," Zhang Chunyan said, introducing her stepdaughter, Zhao Xiao'e.
Because of her poor reputation in the vicinity, she married into the Niu family in a village more than twenty li away last year. The man's family had decent conditions, but they had this baggage of a daughter.
After Zhang Chunyan discussed it with Zhang Chunhua, Widow Liu was desperately looking for a daughter-in-law. One was willing to pay, and the other was eager to get rid of someone. The two hit it off perfectly.
Zhao Xiao'e nodded shyly, not saying much.
Such a well-behaved and quiet daughter-in-law was truly hard to find. Widow Liu was pleased. When the prospective bride's family was about to leave after dinner, she generously gave Zhao Xiao'e five yuan to show her magnanimity.
...
In the afternoon, Chen Lishu took Rui Rui back to the Chen family.
Chen Liyuan and Chen Liffei were washing clothes, while the younger children played nearby. They were all very happy to see Chen Lishu return.
"When did you get back? Didn't your husband come back with you?" Wu Chunmei beckoned her to sit on the炕, her gaze falling on Rui Rui with a hint of confusion.
Chen Lishu briefly explained the reason again to Wu Chunmei and Chen Mantun.
Upon hearing this, Wu Chunmei immediately frowned, looking displeased. "Aren't you being reckless? You don't even have your own child yet, why are you rushing to raise one? I'm telling you, don't rely on Xingdong spoiling you, or your in-laws indulging you to act this way. The priority now is for you to have a son. If you truly pity this child, you can visit the orphanage on holidays."
Chen Mantun also disagreed. "Can he still be sent back now? If it's really not possible, leave him here when you go. Your mother and I will help you look after him. We have a few other children at home anyway; it's the same whether we herd one sheep or two."
Rui Rui had been living by begging for more than half a year and was very sensitive to others' moods. He had been looking around curiously, but when he saw that Chen Mantun and his wife seemed to dislike him, he immediately stood obediently next to Chen Lishu.
"Dad, Mom, since I've decided to raise him, I've never considered giving up. Besides, raising Rui Rui won't stop me from having my own children."
"You're still studying, and your husband is busy. How can you possibly look after him?"
"There's a kindergarten in the city. After the new year, I'll send the child to school directly. You can rest assured."
Parents knew their own daughters best. Once she made up her mind, others couldn't persuade her. The couple could only let her have her way in the end.
"Dad, why does your complexion look a bit off? Are you feeling unwell anywhere? I'm going to town tomorrow. Why don't you come with me to see a doctor?"
Chen Lishu looked at Chen Mantun's somewhat sallow face and felt that he seemed to have lost some weight and looked more haggard recently.
"My health is fine. Why waste money at the hospital? I'm not going. I just have some stomach discomfort recently. I'll take some medicine, and I'll be fine in a couple of days."
"You can't avoid seeing a doctor just because you're afraid of spending money. After all, going to the hospital to see a doctor can help us detect and treat any problems early." Chen Lishu persuaded him a few more times, but Chen Mantun still refused to go to the hospital.
Chen Lishu had no choice but to give up. Before leaving, she left twenty yuan, two liang of oil coupons, and five chi of fabric coupons for the family. Since she couldn't spend the New Year at home this year as usual, it was her small gesture as a daughter.