Chapter 293 - 293 207 Return Three

Words : 1963 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

293: Chapter 207: Return Three 293: Chapter 207: Return Three In the empty hall, only the couple sat. Zhao Yulan’s mood grew increasingly tense, so she made small talk, “How come big brother and his wife haven’t gotten up yet?” “Yeah, how come they haven’t gotten up yet?” Lin Baohe, equally anxious, agreed without thinking. “It’s only five-thirty.” “Right, it’s only five-thirty, they can’t be up yet.” “When their daughter gets married, they’ll definitely be unable to sleep too.” “Mmm, for sure.” “I wonder if Chuxia has left already?” “Who knows.” “...” Aunt Liu brought out two cups of milk from the kitchen, “Sir, madam, I’ve added some honey to the milk, it might help you feel more relaxed.” “Hehe...” Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe laughed somewhat embarrassedly, their previous conversation had indeed been quite foolish. Aunt Liu said cheerfully, “I understand how you both feel. When my own daughter got married, my husband and I were just like this.” “Really?” Zhao Yulan suddenly perked up, “How old is your daughter? Does she have any grandchildren yet?” “My daughter is twenty-six this year, and she just had twin boys last year.” Speaking of her daughter, Aunt Liu’s face beamed with pride, especially when mentioning her grandsons, her eyes lit up instantly. Zhao Yulan was full of envy, “That’s wonderful. If only our family could also have twins, going through the trouble once and getting two, how great would that be!” “Madam, don’t rush. The Third Young Lady just got married,” Aunt Liu said, comforting with a smile. “Exactly, the girl has just married and you’re already thinking about children. Don’t bring it up in front of her later, our girl has thin skin; don’t pressure her.” Zhao Yulan glared at her husband, “Do I look like a fool to you?” “Hehe...” Lin Baohe laughed sheepishly, “Actually, I’m also hoping that Xia could quickly bless us with a pair of grandsons, or even better, triplets.” “What do you think our Xia is? Triplets, why don’t you wish for octuplets in one go?” “Sir, Madam, I’ll go cook,” Aunt Liu said, trying hard to hold back her laughter as she hurried into the kitchen. This couple really is something! “Look at you, talking nonsense and being laughed at, right?” Zhao Yulan scolded Lin Baohe with a face full of anger, “You’ve embarrassed our daughter enough.” “Yes, yes, it’s all my fault.” “Of course it is. You made such a scene on our first visit, what else can you do apart from embarrassing her?” “Hehe...” All Lin Baohe could do was offer a sheepish laugh, not knowing what else to say. The thought of not being able to find the bathroom earlier still made his face burn with embarrassment. “You two, you didn’t stay up all night without sleeping, did you?” Zhao Yushan and Li Aiyuan came down from the upstairs, Li Aiyuan being the one who spoke. Lin Baohe quickly stood up, “No, no, we just got up ourselves.” “Looking at those dark circles under your eyes...” Li Aiyuan examined the couple, “Even if you weren’t staying up downstairs, you definitely didn’t sleep all night.” “Sister-in-law, you’ll understand how I feel when Qihui gets married...” As she spoke, Zhao Yulan couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s strange. When Xia was in the army and I didn’t see her for months, I missed her but could still sleep. This time around, adding up three nights, we’ve hardly slept more than five or six hours in total.” “Are the two situations comparable? I might be talking about you now, but when it’s my turn, I may not be any better than you are...” Li Aiyuan shook her head, “Ah, Qihui’s marriage prospects are driving me crazy. She’s almost twenty-three and she refuses to go on blind dates. She says that if she tells them about Yuanbao, they’ll look down on Yuanbao, but if she doesn’t, they’ll laugh at her. I was hoping she could get into university, so she could find someone on the outside, but she missed the marks by just a few points. She intends to try again next year—how old will she be then? Even if she gets in next year, she’ll be twenty-seven by the time she finishes four years of study—who among the good families will let her choose by then?” Realizing that, including his courtesy age, Zhou Mikang was twenty-seven, she sighed, “How many are there like Chuxia’s husband? Besides, in terms of appearance, Qihui can’t even compare to Chuxia...” Zhao Yulan interrupted her, “Sister-in-law, your feelings right now are just like what I had felt before. Once fate arrives, you’ll realize how pointless it was to be so anxious.” “But what if fate doesn’t come?” Zhao Yulan’s face showed helplessness, “Sister-in-law, you have to think positively.” “I try to think positively, but with Qihui’s stubborn nature, I can’t help worrying. Xia He and Qihui get along best. Later, when Xia He comes, I’ll ask her to write to her sister and persuade her. If possible, she should keep an eye out. If Qihui could marry a soldier, I’d be at ease,” Zhao Yulan nodded, “Alright, when Chuxia arrives, we’ll find a moment to talk to her about this.” Zhao Yushan, who had been silent all along, shook his head helplessly, “Yulan, your sister-in-law is going mad. Just last night, she suddenly sat up, scaring the daylights out of me, saying that she dreamt about Qihui going to find Yuanbao. I mean, it could scare a person to death!” “That’s exactly the dream I had.” “Sister-in-law, you just can’t stop worrying about Qihui,” Zhao Yulan didn’t mince her words, “Could it be because Chuxia is married now that you’re really anxious?” Li Aiyuan’s face showed embarrassment, “That’s part of it. Chuxia is over four years younger than Qihui and is already married, whereas Qihui doesn’t even have any prospects, let alone our help. How can I not be worried?” As they were talking, Zhao Yuying, Zhao Yucui, Fat Auntie, Lin Baojuan, and others also came downstairs one after another. Suddenly, the hall became bustling. Perhaps due to the discussion about Zhao Qihui’s affairs, or because there were more people around, the twitching calves of Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe, who had been nervous, miraculously calmed down. Just after eight o’clock, Chuxia and Zhou Mikang arrived at the ancestral house. Chuxia carried two small boxes, followed by Zhou Mikang, who was holding about a dozen large and small packages, with a young soldier behind them carrying another seven or eight parcels and boxes. “Why are you carrying all these things?” Seeing everyone with their hands full, Lin Baohe and Zhao Yulan stood there, not knowing what to do. Should they help? It seemed a bit much. But not helping? That might seem cold to the son-in-law. Quite the dilemma... It was Zhao Yushan who kept his composure. He stepped forward, pushed Lin Baohe to join him in taking the packages from Zhou Mikang’s hands, and signaled others to take the parcels and boxes from the hands of the young soldier, all the while tsk-tsking, “New son-in-law, did you move half of your home over for your father-in-law and mother-in-law?” Everyone’s mouths twitched. Half of the Zhou family’s home couldn’t possibly be just a few items. If it were a village family, it really would mean moving half their home. In the midst of the laughter and chatter, Zhao Yulan quietly pulled Chuxia back to her own room, frowning with concern, “Xia, tell your mother the truth, how is Regimental Commander Xiao Zhou treating you?” “He’s really good,” Chuxia looked puzzled, “Mom, why do you ask?” She thought back carefully; since entering the door, Zhou Mikang’s first action was to call out for ‘dad and mom,’ which was perfectly proper etiquette. “So...” Zhao Yulan started to speak, closed her mouth, and then again attempted to speak, “So... why are you still a maiden?” “Ha ha... Mom, are you saying that after getting married, I should have turned into a boy?” Chuxia couldn’t grasp the meaning of Zhao Yulan’s words and laughed so hard she couldn’t even stand up from the floor. “Not that...” Zhao Yulan looked at her daughter wordlessly, “You child, why are you so silly? I don’t mean that, I’m saying...” Chuxia suddenly understood and said with a bashful smile, “Mom, I get what you mean now. Don’t worry, I’ve already told him that he can’t touch me before my birthday.” “You child...” Zhao Yulan rubbed her forehead, a headache coming on, “What are you thinking? Who sets up such rules?” “Who else would marry off so early?” Chuxia retorted with a pout, then snuggled up to Zhao Yulan grinning, “Mom, you’re really observant, aren’t you? My mother-in-law noticed it too. Can you tell me how you figured it out?” “Go on, you shameless thing...” Zhao Yulan pushed her daughter away and then hastily pulled her back again, “Xia, now that you’re married, try to be a little more reserved; don’t upset anyone too much.” “I know, Mom.” “Thud, thud, thud...” As mother and daughter were talking, someone knocked on the door, and before Zhao Yulan could respond, the door was pushed open, and a crowd of female relatives barged in. Luo Xiaoqiong was the first to rush to Chuxia, examining her, “You slipped away too fast, I was still helping with the chores, and next thing I knew, you were gone.” Luan Xiaoxiang chimed in, “Exactly, Auntie Two is not fair, she didn’t even let us ask Chuxia for candy.” “How much candy have you eaten these past few days...” Lin Baojuan slapped her daughter on the head, “If only you were half as sensible as Chuxia.” “Mom...” Luan Xiaoxiang covered her head, looking speechlessly at Lin Baojuan, “Before, everyone said it would be good if Chuxia was half as smart as me.” Luo Xiaoqiong teased her, “Xiaoxiang, you too marry a good son-in-law, and you’ll be just as sensible.” Luan Xiaoxiang’s face fell, “I’m not as lucky as Xia.” Glancing at Chuxia with a wrinkled nose, she added, “I always thought I was prettier than Chuxia, but now, no matter how I look, I feel like I’m not as pretty as her.” “Child...” Zhao Yulan laughed, massaging her head, “Auntie Two is always fond of Xiaoxiang.” Luan Xiaoxiang batted her eyelashes impishly, “Prettier than Chuxia?” “Just as pretty, but...” Pausing, Zhao Yulan said, “Still, Xia is prettier. I’m her mother, how could I not find her the most beautiful?” “Yulan has really weathered through...” Fat Auntie quietly dabbed at the corner of her eyes, smiling at Li Aiyuan, “I’ve known her for so many years and it’s the first time I’ve seen her smile so happily.” Li Aiyuan nodded in understanding, “Yeah, she told me not to think too much, and it seems she was right. Who would have thought Chuxia would see this day? You tell me, if we told the folks back home, would they believe us without seeing it for themselves?” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)

Chapter 293 - 293 207 Return Three

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