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Several children were very fond of Yan Zhouwan and Shen Muqing, and they often sent rare gifts to them, thoroughly bribing the kids.
As a result, they frequently asked when they could see the two of them.
"Yes, you'll be able to see them soon," Xia Muxin said with a smile, affectionately ruffling the second child's hair.
After finishing bathing the children, Xia Muxin began preparing lunch. Nowadays, aside from the few kids, she was the only one at home with time on her hands.
Except for Summer Old Man, perhaps due to his old age, his health had been declining. Now he even had his meals brought to his room and was particularly sensitive to the cold. His winter clothes were made from the best and warmest fabric that Xia Muxin could find.
The family was quite worried; after this winter, he would turn sixty-five. Xia Muxin had already discussed with the family about throwing him a grand birthday celebration. They feared that if they missed this opportunity, there might not be another chance.
Shen Muhan said he was worn out, likely due to old age. The Wu Family had been harsh back in the day; he had secretly saved up a few coins from his meager meals to give to her father, never allowing himself to indulge in food or clothing. He managed to endure when he was younger, but now...
Xia Muxin felt quite sorry for him. Her father had secretly cried countless times without anyone knowing. Therefore, once her children were able to walk, she took it upon herself to handle the household chores.
Her brother's two children were particularly sensible and clever; during these times, she would have Xue Er take care of them.
Now there were fewer people eating at home. Her sister-in-law had gone to town, and her aunt and uncle had also gone there today. Her aunt was over five months pregnant but still helped out here. Today was a joyous occasion at a distant relative's home, so both of them had gone.
This person is truly strange. When Second Uncle Erdan had nothing, he had no relatives. But ever since he built a house and married, distant relatives have come knocking to claim kinship. Both he and his wife are honest and straightforward, so they eventually had to maintain some connections.
Xia Muxin is also clever. After acknowledging these relatives, the couple found themselves in constant trouble, with visitors coming every day. They demanded food and drink, and wasted their time, which made the couple increasingly annoyed. To solve this, Xia Muxin sent Er Dan to work in town, and her aunt followed suit. Both of them left early and returned late, causing those relatives to be turned away several times. Eventually, they stopped coming.
However, when it came to celebrating joyous occasions, those relatives were quick to show up. With Xia Muxin's aunt pregnant, she wanted the couple to share the news with them. In the end, no one came by; not even a single egg was sent. Only the family that went to celebrate a wedding came to visit and brought many beneficial items for the pregnant woman.
From then on, the couple ignored all those troublesome relatives. This led to some harsh words from a few aunts and uncles, but Er Dan retaliated sharply, leaving them speechless as they slinked away in embarrassment.
It wasn't that they were stingy or cared about the small gifts; it was simply unnecessary to maintain ties with relatives who only showed up when times were tough and disappeared when conditions improved.
Moreover, the relative they visited today ran a small business in town and had always treated Er Dan poorly. The sudden change in attitude was primarily due to the Xia family's influence. When the joyous occasion was announced, Er Dan felt conflicted but ultimately decided to go after discussing it with his family. They wanted to see what intentions the other party had and also felt it was time to return the favor for the gifts received last time.
Living such a monotonous life every day made Xia Muxin feel quite bored. Spending too much time with children made her feel increasingly childish herself. Fortunately, her cooking skills had not diminished, so their family spent most of their quiet time either sleeping or eating.
The children had their own little table, and Xia Muxin put a lot of thought into their meals.
As a result, although the children had peculiar temperaments, they were not picky eaters.
Aunt Xia took care of washing their bowls, and after every meal, Xia Muxin would wash their faces and hands. Summer Forest had been helping at home due to Summer Old Man's health issues and would serve food while eating together with him—truly a devoted son.
Not long after lunch had passed, Er Dan and his wife returned home immediately preparing food for Aunt Jihua while Xia Muxin finished attending to the children's personal hygiene.
Seeing that her aunt and uncle looked unwell, she leaned closer to her aunt and asked, "Aunt, what happened to Uncle?"
They had just gone out for a drink, and now everyone seemed downcast. Her aunt's eyes were red, as if she had been crying.
After marrying Er Dan, the couple had always been sweet together, much to the envy of others. Now that they had children, their family was even happier.
"Cousin Uncle said that Er Dan has been betrothed to his youngest daughter since childhood. He also mentioned that they plan to finalize the arrangement next month. Er Dan couldn't take it and ended up arguing with them. In the end, they presented evidence and threatened to take the matter to Yamen if it didn't go through. We didn't even eat before coming back!"
Xia Jihua knew that Xia Muxin was the most capable and intelligent one in the family, so she sniffled and spoke up.
Xia Muxin huffed a few times. The Cousin Uncle Xia Jihua referred to was someone they had gone to celebrate a wedding with today. She wondered why her aunt's family came over with so many gifts when her aunt was pregnant; initially, she thought it was mainly aimed at the Xia Family, but it turned out to be because of this situation.
It seemed they had heard about Er Dan building a house and marrying a wife, still being a son-in-law of the Xia Family. They came over to verify the truth of it all. Once confirmed, they likely thought of ways to win him over, even going so far as to use their own daughter as bait.
Such people truly left her speechless.
"Aunt, don't worry too much. Even if this goes to Yamen, nothing will happen to you, and they won't gain anything from it."
Hearing Xia Muxin say this, Xia Jihua stopped her tears but looked at Xia Muxin in confusion.
Xia Muxin smiled lightly and gave her a calming look before asking, "Did Er Dan's family visit during the time when his parents were sick or even passed away?"
Xia Jihua shook her head.
"Did your uncle ever come to borrow money or plead with them?"
Xia Jihua nodded. Otherwise, Er Dan wouldn't be so angry today. Not only had he asked for help, but he was also ruthlessly chased out by them. Moreover, he hadn't mentioned this matter at all; even his parents hadn't brought it up before their passing. But today, it was all in black and white, and they had even pressed their fingerprints on it.
"Even if they present all the evidence now, no one can verify it. Besides, who can prove that those fingerprints were given by your uncle's parents? Moreover, did your uncle ever have such a token of affection? If it's just one-sided, it would be useless even if it reached the county office. Furthermore, they turned a blind eye when he was in trouble; now your uncle can openly break off the engagement on the grounds of their ingratitude. Besides, he is already married!"
With this reasoning, everything was under Xia Muxin's control. It was just that the so-called Cousin Uncle understood Er Dan's temperament well enough to take this path.
At that moment, Er Dan came out with a steaming bowl of noodles topped with two poached eggs and some meat slices. Seeing Xia Jihua with her hands clasped together, looking apologetic as she lowered her head, he silently placed the noodles in front of her and turned back to the kitchen.
When he came out again, he carried another bowl of noodles, but his bowl contained nothing at all.
Xia Muxin felt a bit wistful. There was plenty of meat and eggs at home; there was no need for him to save for her. Noticing that her aunt was still in a daze, she couldn't help but say, "Auntie, have you switched to a vegetarian diet? The kitchen has so many eggs and meat; you care so much for your daughter-in-law but forget to take care of yourself!"
Her words carried a deeper meaning. Her aunt was throwing a bit of a tantrum after all; pregnant women could be somewhat unpredictable. Even if she usually had a good temper, things changed during pregnancy. Xia Muxin didn't believe that her aunt wouldn't feel sorry for her uncle at this moment.
Er Dan had already picked up his bowl of noodles and was about to eat when Xia Muxin's words startled him, causing him to tremble slightly. He looked at her with a mix of confusion and helplessness.
Xia Muxin, however, winked at him. Seeing her aunt pick up her chopsticks, she gently lifted Little Bun, who had fallen asleep in her arms, and stood up to leave.
"I... I'm full. You and the child should eat more!"
At that moment, Xia Jihua took a fried egg from her bowl and placed it into Er Dan's, then began adding slices of meat to his bowl. Er Dan quickly stopped her chopsticks and grasped her hand tightly, saying with concern, "You can't eat that much!"
Since their marriage, they had never argued. Although Er Dan wasn't good with sweet talk, he expressed everything through his actions. He genuinely cared for his wife, and it pained him deeply to see her upset today; it felt worse than being cut by a knife.
He feared nothing but the thought of Xia Jihua being wronged.
"You can't eat that much!"
Xia Jihua softened considerably. Deep down, she was incredibly afraid; after all, her first marriage had been so unhappy, even brutal. Now that she finally had her own happiness, she wanted to cherish it. They were about to have a child, and having experienced the cruelty of her stepmother, she couldn't bear the thought of her own child suffering the same fate.
Moreover, she wanted to be selfish—to monopolize Er Dan and receive his undivided affection. But the daughter of Cousin Uncle was younger and not unattractive, which made her anxious.
"Don't worry. Even if it goes to Yamen, I only have one wife—it's you, Xia Jihua!"
- End of Chapter -
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