Daily Life in the 70s-Chapter 201 Excitement

The elders of the Shen family took Yang Peiguo by the hand and spoke to him warmly.

The dinner was served quickly and was indeed as rich as Shen Yiyue had said. The meat was tenderly stewed, and Chen Guizhi repeatedly urged Yang PeiMin to eat some, but after Yang PeiMin had taken a few bites of amaranth, Chen Guizhi quickly stopped her, "You should eat less of this; it’s cooling in nature."

Yang PeiMin was taken aback for a moment but then nodded, recognizing Chen Guizhi’s good intentions.

After dinner, Yang Peiguo wanted to go home, but as it grew late, Yang Peiming insisted that he stay the night and return home early the next morning. She also wanted to visit her parental home, so they could go together.

Then Yang PeiMin began to present the gifts she had brought. When Shen Yiyue saw what she was doing, she couldn’t help but rush over excitedly, exclaiming, "Sister-in-law, what have you brought back for us?"

Chen Guizhi, however, said, "Why bring so much stuff? We have everything at home, and you must be tired, too. It’s all thanks to Peiguo carrying it back."

Yang PeiMin smiled and said, "Mom, there really isn’t much. Just a few trinkets, nothing valuable, just to make everyone happy."

Hearing there were gifts to receive, even Shen Yixiang, who had been unable to lower her guard, couldn’t help but step forward two steps. And Xiao Fen and Xiao Fang, needless to say, buzzed around Yang PeiMin like little bees, chattering non-stop.

For Shen Erniu, she’d brought a bottle of sorghum liquor; for Chen Guizhi, a hat; for the sisters Shen Yiyue, a silk scarf each; and for the little friends Xiao Fen and Xiao Fang, a comic book each.

Chen Guizhi chided, "Look at you, spending all this unnecessary money." But when she saw everyone’s happy and smiling faces, she couldn’t help but smile as well.

Seeing his mother-in-law’s smile, Yang Peiguo also breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that his sister’s generosity might upset his in-laws.

Yang PeiMin turned to Yang Peiguo and said, "Big Brother, I’ve also brought gifts for our parents, as well as for the nephews and nieces. I’ll deliver them tomorrow."

Yang Peiguo, who had just relaxed, became anxious again and quickly waved his hands to indicate it was not necessary, "Our parents and nieces and nephews have everything they need. There’s no need to bring them anything; just something for your father-in-law and mother-in-law will do."

Seeing his reaction, Chen Guizhi, being a mother herself, understood his concerns and thus said with a smile, "That’s the proper thing to do. Our daughter-in-law is so thoughtful; she remembers her parents wherever she goes. We’re more than happy about it."

Yang Peiguo also grinned openly, pleased that his sister indeed had married into the right family.

Once the gifts were distributed and they had chatted for a while, Yang PeiMin prepared a room for Yang Peiguo, fetched some toiletries for him, and made sure he was comfortably settled before she went to take care of herself.

It had been a long time since she had enjoyed such a satisfying bath, but as soon as she finished and entered her room, Chen Guizhi followed her in.

Grinning, she asked, "How are you feeling now?"

Yang PeiMin was a bit perplexed because they had already talked about how there was nothing wrong back in the main house. Now she had come over again; surely there must be something? "Mom, I’m fine now, but it’s quite late. Is there something you need to tell me?"

Chen Guizhi glanced at her and then burst into hearty laughter, "Daughter-in-law, did your period not come this month?"

"It hasn’t come yet, but it’s not time. Why are you asking about that, Mom?" But she realized right after asking that Chen Guizhi was inquiring whether she might be pregnant.

She felt a bit embarrassed—she had only been back with her family for a few days. Even with a rocket, it wouldn’t be that fast.

She had to reply in a roundabout way, "Mom, my cycle is always at the end of the month, and that time hasn’t come yet."

Chen Guizhi was still beaming, "No worries, no worries." She thought to herself, even if it wasn’t time yet, it could still mean there was a possibility, right?

When Chen Guizhi returned to her room, Shen Erniu looked at her face and said, "I’m saying, are you overreacting? It’s too soon to tell, and when I think about it, it’s not possible—our daughter-in-law has only been there for a few days."

Chen Guizhi glanced at him discontentedly. "Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there."

Shen Erniu sighed, "You got stirred up by Old Li’s daughter-in-law next door, didn’t you?"

The Li family’s second son got married the year before last, and his wife got pregnant as soon as she entered the door. Now it’s already the third year, one child each year, so they have three kids, all boys.

Normally, how many children other people have is none of our business; at most, one could feel a bit envious, but it wouldn’t be to the point of irritation. However, Li Xiaoer’s wife was someone who was previously considered for a match with their own son, but at that time, their son wasn’t interested.

It was Li Xiaoer’s third son’s full-month celebration the day before yesterday, and as neighbors, Chen Guizhi was invited over for a meal. But Li Xiaoer’s mother-in-law was also there, and she still had a grudge about the Shen family rejecting their daughter. So, while Chen Guizhi was there, the mother-in-law started to take digs at her, especially on the subject of having children.

Her daughter had given birth to three sons for the in-laws in three years, and she was quite proud of that. She used this as an opportunity to needle Chen Guizhi, incessantly asking her why their daughter-in-law, who has been married for half a year, still showed no sign of a pregnancy, adding that it was surprising to see Chen Guizhi misjudge.

Even someone as good-tempered as Chen Guizhi got angry and left soon after eating a bit. When she got home, she told Shen Erniu about the incident, feeling quite indignant, "How can one compare? Everyone has their own fate. Besides, our son is still in the military, so the couple doesn’t get to meet often."

Shen Erniu could tell her words didn’t match her feelings and said calmly, "As long as you understand that, at least we don’t have to deal with a tricky and picky mother-in-law like her."

Chen Guizhi nodded in agreement, but her heart warmed up again when Yang Peimin came back. Shen Erniu looked at his wife’s behavior and felt helpless. He knew she really wanted to hold a grandchild. Yang Peimin didn’t know their thoughts, and even if she did, there wasn’t much she could do about it at the moment, as the college entrance examination was fast approaching.

She had a lot to prepare for. Principal Li had helped arrange a review class for her, and she still needed to check if that was working out. Although she was confident in herself, she wanted to get a feel for the current exam questions and key points to be more assured.

But before all that, she wanted to go back to her parents’ house.

After a night of rest, Yang Peimin got up early the next morning to prepare breakfast for everyone.

After Shen Erniu’s talk the night before, Chen Guizhi’s attitude towards Yang Peimin had relaxed from the previous day, reverting to her usual manner, and she was quite pleased with her making breakfast early in the morning.

"Mom and Dad, I’m planning to visit my parents’ home with my brother today."