Li Weili and her grandmother returned with the meal and announced she would be returning to the capital the next morning.
She and Han Lushi had already stayed home for an extra half month. She was waiting for her second sister-in-law to give birth.
The second sister-in-law gave birth to a son. Li Weili was very disappointed, but her in-laws were right; the burden on the Li family's minds was lifted.
Tian Jing nodded, "Tell Lushi to pack. He can bring whatever he wants."
Li Weili burst into laughter, "Hahaha, Brother Lu, take all the stewed pork!"
Tian Jing lightly tapped her daughter's head. "Lushi will be rejoining his unit soon. How many meals can you cook yourself?"
Li Weili's smile froze. "Alas! I'll have to fight alone again."
Han Lushi followed behind Li's mother, packing the things they were taking. He then went to the greenhouse to buy some tomatoes and cucumbers that Li Weili liked.
Li's mother cautioned her youngest granddaughter not to drink soup recently, as it would be uncomfortable if her milk came in too much.
Li Weili listened to Li's mother's various lectures and instructions, agreeing to each one.
In the evening, when they took food to the clinic, Tian Jing wanted to relieve Shen Jianrong.
Shen Jianrong shook her head. "I'll go back and wash up and be right back. Aren't Lili and her husband leaving tomorrow morning? You rest at home so you can see them off tomorrow morning."
Tian Jing did not refuse and asked how she planned to arrange Ziyu's accommodation.
Shen Jianrong smiled. "She'll stay in the back courtyard. Ziyu will share a room with me. After she's a month old, she'll move back to the room next door, the one she shares with Xiao Bo."
Tian Jing nodded. "Then I'll add a single bed to your room."
"Okay," Shen Jianrong nodded. "Adding a bed will be convenient."
That night, Li's mother did not monopolize her great-granddaughter, allowing her to be closer to her parents.
The next morning, Li Weili handed her sleeping daughter to her mother. After breakfast, she and Han Lushi drove away.
Little Miss Xuanxuan frowned when drinking formula, but after being coaxed by Li's mother, she drank it obediently.
However, when it was time to sleep, she couldn't find her mother and began to cry.
This made Li's mother and Tian Jing very distressed, and they took turns holding and comforting her.
After finally coaxing her to sleep, Li's mother carried her great-granddaughter into her own room. "Tiantian, you need to put in extra effort for Ziyu. I'll take care of Xuanxuan."
Tian Jing did not argue with her mother-in-law. She truly could not let Ziyu feel that her attitude was cold.
When Yu Ziyu was discharged from the hospital, the villagers brought red envelopes and eggs to see the baby. Tian Jing recorded them all in the ledger.
The kitchen work was mostly handled by Tian Jing alone, with Ouyang Meihua coming to help each day.
After breakfast each day, Li Min would also bring Ji Qing and Ji Xiang back to help. The brothers Ji Qing and Ji Xiang loved playing with their sister Xuanxuan. As for their new younger brother, he couldn't even open his eyes to look at them, so he wasn't as much fun.
Shen Jianrong simply took care of her grandson with ease.
...
At the end of the month, the men returned.
The nursery's staggered holidays ended, and the men took over.
Sister-in-law Niu came to the quad to invite Tian Jing to the Niu family the next day to witness the family division.
Tian Jing handed over the kitchen matters to her elder sister-in-law and sister-in-law, and led Sister-in-law Niu to the living room. "What exactly happened?"
Sister-in-law Niu's eyes turned red. "Tiantian, have you met Little Shan's mother and Little Jiang's mother?"
Niu Xiaoshan and Niu Xiaoshui were Da Niu's children. Niu Xiaojiang and Niu Xiaohui were Er Niu's children.
Tian Jing narrowed her eyes and asked, "Who told you that?"
"Wuwuwu." Sister-in-law Niu started to cry. "It's my fault. It's all my fault."
"If I hadn't told Da Niu and Er Niu to divorce, they wouldn't have gone down that path."
Sister-in-law Niu cried and recounted the events at the Niu family.
Da Niu's new wife had just married into the family. Sister-in-law Niu was shopping for New Year's goods with Da Niu's new wife.
Da Niu's new wife was capable and efficient, and she got along well with Sister-in-law Niu.
Sister-in-law Niu secretly rejoiced that her elder son had divorced and married a new wife.
After the New Year's goods were bought, Sister-in-law Niu was even more satisfied with her eldest daughter-in-law.
On the twelfth lunar month's festival, Niu Xiaosao's family started eating at Sister-in-law Niu's house. Niu's mother still followed behind her younger daughter-in-law.
Sister-in-law Niu said nothing, thinking they would just get through the New Year and then deal with things after the sister-in-law gave birth.
Niu Xiaosao always sowed discord with Da Niu's new wife through her words, implying that Sister-in-law Niu had instigated the divorces of the two former daughters-in-law.
Da Niu's new wife knew what kind of person this aunt was and didn't take Niu Xiaosao's words to heart.
On New Year's Eve, Niu Xiaosao was critical of the reunion dinner, complaining that this was not tasty and that tasted bad.
Sister-in-law Niu could not help but say that her sister-in-law was deliberately causing trouble during the New Year and just wanted to upset her.
Niu Xiaosao said sarcastically that she was not really trying to upset her elder sister-in-law.
After all, she hadn't even revealed that the two former daughters-in-law, after divorcing, went out to work and were tricked into becoming hostesses.
She also warned Da Niu's new wife to be careful and not end up like Da Niu's ex-wives.
Niu Xiaosao repeatedly emphasized that Little Shan's mother and Little Jiang's mother had their own families reject them after divorcing, which led them down that path.
Sister-in-law Niu was both shocked and angry. Brother Niu was also shocked by this news.
Niu Xiaoshan, who was already 11 years old and could fully understand these words, immediately yelled at Sister-in-law Niu, saying it was his grandmother who caused his mother to leave and then married a stepmother.
Niu Xiaoshui also cried and demanded to see his mother and not his stepmother.
Niu Xiaojiang remained silent, hugging his sister and looking at Sister-in-law Niu without speaking.
Sister-in-law Niu found herself surrounded and attacked.
Da Niu raised his hand to hit his eldest son, but Sister-in-law Niu stopped him. Little Shan was ungrateful, saying he didn't need his grandmother's false kindness.
The reunion dinner was ruined by Niu Xiaosao.
Niu Xiaosao was not finished. She said that after she gave birth to a son, Sister-in-law Niu would not get half of the dividends from the Hot Spring Valley.
Because her mother-in-law said that as long as she gave birth to a son, all the shares in the Hot Spring Valley would belong to her son.
Sister-in-law Niu looked at her mother-in-law in shock.
Niu's mother remained silent.
Brother Niu stood up and beat his younger brother. He told Niu's mother that he wouldn't give her dividends, but he absolutely would not support his mother, no matter how desperate she became.
Niu's mother remained silent.
Niu Xiaosao firmly said that she would support her mother-in-law.
Brother Niu kicked out Niu Xiaosao and his wife, telling them to come back for dividends after they had their son.
After closing the door, Brother Niu picked up a broom and beat his children and grandchildren.
He also told Da Niu and Er Niu that each person was responsible for their own son and their own debts. He had no obligation to work himself to death for his children and grandchildren. After the New Year, when Er Niu's new wife entered the family, they would divide the household.
Tian Jing handed Sister-in-law Niu a tissue and told her to wipe her tears.
"Where did Niu Xiaosao hear this news? And how did you know I had met Little Shan's mother and them?"
Sister-in-law Niu blew her nose. "I felt uncomfortable and wasn't sure if the news my sister-in-law told me was true or false, so I went to question her."
"She refused to say. After I made a few sarcastic remarks, she said someone called her phone and told her. I asked who it was, and she wouldn't say."
Someone called Niu Xiaosao's phone?
Tian Jing pondered.
Who knew Niu Xiaosao's phone number? Who knew that Niu Xiaosao and Sister-in-law Niu didn't get along?
It definitely couldn't be Little Shan's mother or Little Jiang's mother, unless they were foolish.
Lin Man was also unlikely, as Lin Man herself was a victim and had been arranged by Zeng Jingrong to live elsewhere.
Only Lin Enhu's mother and Lin Wan remained.
Lin Enhu's mother was in prison. Even if she could make calls outside, she would be monitored. Could she reveal such private information from prison?
The biggest suspect was Lin Wan. Although Lin Wan was too young to be sent to a juvenile detention center, she had actively committed the crime and was refused by Lin Er Lai to be taken back. In the end, she was taken in and educated by the government.
The place where she was taken in and educated was the same as a juvenile detention center, but she had more freedom than actual juvenile offenders.
Furthermore, Lin Wan had a motive. Lin Wan wanted to get revenge on her. Unable to find a way to retaliate against her directly, she could only do so indirectly through Sister-in-law Niu, or her main objective was to retaliate against those who were close to her.
"Sister-in-law Niu, is Niu Xiaosao's baby definitely a son?"
"I don't know." Sister-in-law Niu shook her head. "But, given my sister-in-law's personality, if it were a son, she wouldn't have waited until the New Year to say so."