Having returned to Qing City, night had completely fallen. Qi Taiguo put down his things and rushed to report to the military unit, while Cheng Su massaged her waist, took a short rest, simply made herself some noodles, and only after she had eaten did she start to put away the things she brought back.
Of the families living in the same building, only Chunhua, who was heavily pregnant and nearing childbirth, was still around; all the others had gone back to their hometowns for the New Year, so the building was very quiet.
However, there were no lights on in Chunhua’s home. Could they have gone to bed this early?
Cheng Su glanced at the time—it was only eight o’clock. She figured it wouldn’t matter to wait a little longer to visit, so she decided to pay them a New Year’s visit tomorrow instead.
After putting everything away and taking a bath, Cheng Su leaned on her bed, quietly digesting the events of the past few days during the New Year celebration.
Throughout the New Year, she had observed the attitudes of various families. Exceptional eccentricities were everywhere, but there were also good people. In just this one New Year, she had come to accept it all.
If she could get along with someone, she would; if not, then it was best to minimize contact. After all, the person she was living her life with was Qi Taiguo; as for anyone else, she would just do what felt right in her heart and leave it at that.
It was actually her father-in-law whose attitude had genuinely surprised her; within the whole family, she hadn’t expected that it would be Old Liang who stood by her side the most.
As for the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, well, best leave that unsaid.
This ancient and complex relationship was one she couldn’t resolve, so she might as well treat it with the same deference she would give to a boss.
Then, thinking of her own parents, although they were not her biological ones, their protective attitude also moved her. They truly were her immediate family, after all.
As her thoughts drifted, sleepiness overtook her. Cheng Su pulled the lamp cord and drifted off to sleep.
A night without dreams.
The company and the restaurant were still closed, giving her rare days of leisure. Cheng Su enjoyed a natural awakening, got up to wash up, made herself a cup of coffee, and, smelling its aroma, felt refreshed and clear-headed.
Having been away from home for the New Year, she hadn’t stocked up on any food, but luckily, both her own parents and her in-laws had given her quite a bit of food. Cheng Su planned to boil a couple of corn cobs and fry a couple of eggs for a simple breakfast.
As she left her apartment, she heard a clanging noise from the kitchen.
Approaching, she saw Liang Shurong busily working, a pot falling from his hands with a clattering noise.
"Old Liang, happy New Year! What are you doing up so early?" Cheng Su greeted him with a smile.
Liang Shurong hadn’t expected her to be back and smiled, "Sister-in-law, happy New Year." He then added, "I’m getting ready to make some food!"
"Why are you cooking? Where’s Chunhua?" Cheng Su asked curiously.
Liang Shurong grinned sheepishly, "She’s in the hospital. Oh, she said her stomach hurt yesterday, so we went to the hospital, and the baby was born last night."
Cheng Su was delighted, "Born? Are mother and child doing well? Did she have a boy or a girl?"
"She had a girl, and both mother and daughter are doing well. I came back to make her some egg soup and such," replied Liang Shurong.
"Oh, congratulations on the birth of a precious daughter, and I’m glad they’re both healthy. But now that you’re back here, who’s with her at the hospital? You should hurry over. I can make the soup and bring it to her," Cheng Su joyfully offered.
Touched and somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this, Liang Shurong, who wasn’t used to cooking as his wife usually handled it, truly did not know what to do, and with his mother not yet arrived, he was indeed worried about leaving his wife and daughter alone in the hospital. It was a situation without much choice.
Now that Cheng Su had volunteered to help, he was of course grateful. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Well, if you wouldn’t mind, I’ll take some things that might be useful as well."
"Sure, go on," urged Cheng Su with a wave of her hand.
Neighbors helping each other was the natural thing to do, and since Chunhua and her family had helped when she herself was sick, it was only right to visit and lend a hand now that Chunhua had given birth.