After hearing what Shen Yixiang had to say, everyone heaved a sigh of relief, but then they immediately became annoyed. It seemed every household in the neighborhood was scheming against their own, as if they regarded their house as Charity Hall, and everyone felt entitled to take a bite.
"Fortunately, we finally understand their intentions. Now that we do, we can prepare ourselves," said Shen Yiguang.
Zhang Minghua nodded and smiled at Shen Yixiang, "Yixiang is the clever one, to have thought of this plan. Otherwise, we’d still be in the dark, allowing them to continue with their schemes."
She also unusually offered the young girl a piece of meat with her chopsticks, "Don’t worry about it anymore. Just take this as a lesson. In the future, when interacting with others, just think more and use your head."
Yang PeiMin nodded in agreement and said to Yang Peiying, "We’re actually lucky that we found out before anything had started. It would have been too late if we found out only after a problem had already happened. Yingzi, we should be happy."
Yang Peiying nodded, "I understand."
The next day Shen Yiguang had to return to the military unit, and Shen Yixiang also needed to go back with him. "Brother, this time I’ll go back and talk to Lu Haijun. Weren’t you complaining about him not visiting our family? I’ll remind him."
Shen Yiguang looked at her indifferently, "Don’t you have work? Just write a letter and I’ll take it to him. As a man, it’s his responsibility to arrange these things."
Shen Yixiang, seeing her brother’s assertiveness, felt helpless and went back to her room to write a letter, "Brother, when are you coming over?"
"When am I not coming over?"
"Just remember to bring the letter to me."
Shen Yixiang stamped her foot in frustration and looked towards Yang PeiMin, "Sister-in-law, you have to help me."
Yang PeiMin blinked, "I don’t know what you’re talking about?"
Shen Yixiang exclaimed, "Sister-in-law, you’ve been corrupted by my brother!"
Yang PeiMin nodded, giving a look of agreement.
Shen Yixiang conceded defeat to them.
Yang PeiMin had just finished her confinement period, a day she had been looking forward to for a long time; she could finally take a proper bath and wash her hair, and get out of bed and move around!
"Mother, I’m finally free!"
Zhang Minghua gave her a reproachful look.
Since she had finished her confinement, she had to return to school as classes had already begun and others had already attended a few sessions.
Zhang Minghua was worried about her studies but was even more concerned about her great-grandson, "Is the school close to home? How long does each class last? Can you come back after class? Our Lele needs to be fed every two hours now."
Yang Peimin had also considered this issue. One possibility was to express the milk and keep it ready, but without a refrigerator, it couldn’t be stored for long, so they would have to make more frequent trips home, which fortunately wasn’t too far away.
Shen Yiguang had managed to get her a bicycle, which made the trips much faster; she could be home in about ten minutes.
"There’s no choice right now; it’s just a matter of getting through these few months," Yang PeiMin thought.
"Mother, you and Second Brother should be heading back soon. Our home can’t do without you, and it seems Dad is already missing you," she suggested.
Zhang Minghua shook her head, "What would we do with Lele then? Who’s going to take care of him?"
"Mother, perhaps we should hire someone," she proposed.
"That won’t do. A stranger, whose background we don’t know and who may not take care with the details... I’m afraid she wouldn’t treat my great-grandson well," she worried.
"Then we’ll just have to find a good one. It’s not practical for you to stay here endlessly; Lele isn’t going to grow up overnight. Hiring someone is necessary," she reasoned.
Zhang Minghua still shook her head, "No, no, hiring someone is unreliable to me, no matter how I think about it."
Shen Yiguang thought about it and agreed with Yang PeiMin’s reasoning, understanding it as a necessary step.
"Isn’t your sister here? Let her help out. She’s taken care of nieces and nephews at home before, she can handle it," he suggested.
Yang PeiMin disagreed, "Mother, how can my unmarried sister be expected to take care of my child? I know she’s good with kids and very patient, but it just doesn’t seem right. Taking care of children is not a short-term commitment. Lele is only a month old; how long would she have to look after him? Shouldn’t she be working? What about her own personal life and relationships?"
Zhang Minghua fell silent, then said, "Then, I’ll stay instead, and you can send Second Brother back. Anyway, leaving Lele with a stranger is something I cannot be at ease with."
"Mother, what about home then? Sister-in-law and the others will mind, the house can’t do without you. You can come back when you have time," Yang PeiMin disagreed.
"Mother, don’t worry. I’ll find someone who is both attentive and responsible," Shen Yiguang assured.
"Then let me meet this person before I leave, otherwise I won’t be at ease," she insisted.
However, two days later, they received news that Chen Guizhi was coming over.
Yang PeiMin asked Shen Yiguang, "When you talked about finding a trustworthy person, did you mean your mother?"
Shen Yiguang denied it, "No, I planned to look around here. But once my mother heard that we were considering hiring someone, nothing would dissuade her. She packed her things and insisted on coming. Who else would look after her own grandson? Everyone tried to stop her, but they also agreed she made sense. She’s already on her way. It’s okay for mother to come; it gives us peace of mind."
Yang PeiMin started to worry about her mother-in-law’s health, "How is Mother doing now? Is she well? You know, looking after a child is very tiring, I worry it might be too much for her."
Shen Yiguang patted her head, "Don’t worry, Mother has been taking good care of herself lately. She’s not troubled by anything and is more than happy to look after her grandson."
With that being the case, Yang PeiMin also felt relieved; indeed, being looked after by a real grandmother was better than any outsider.
Zhang Minghua could not have agreed more, as she felt completely reassured. However, she couldn’t help feeling reluctant to leave her daughter and great-grandson.
Yang PeiMin took advantage of this break after confinement to take Zhang Minghua and Yang Peihua nearby for a stroll and to shop, purchasing many things for them to take back home.
"Minmin, you’ll probably go back during the New Year, right? You must bring Lele to visit me then. By that time, Lele will surely have forgotten his granny," Zhang Minghua said, growing melancholic.
Yang PeiMin smiled, "Mother, Lele is still so young; he can’t recognize people yet. You’re worrying too much. How about this - when he’s a bit older, I’ll often remind him of his granny. When he sees you again, I’ll just jog his memory a bit, and he’ll surely remember you. Does that sound good?"
Zhang Minghua couldn’t help but laugh, "You’ve got quite the imagination."
"There, there, you’re laughing now. Don’t be sad. We’ll miss you terribly too. We’ll try to come back early for New Year’s and let Lele spend a few more days at Granny’s house."