Du Chang eventually stumbled home drunk, endlessly praising Xu Qinghe for having such good children, especially Xu Nianhua, whom Du Chang practically extolled to the skies.
Xu Qinghe too was tipsy and couldn’t stop smiling as he listened to Du Chang’s flattering words.
Knowing that he was going to become a grandfather very soon made Xu Qinghe even happier deep down.
In the end, aside from Ling Dong who was driving and Pei Yicheng who had difficulty moving his legs, both Cheng Hao and Du Chang got drunk.
The three men of the Xu family also drank quite a lot, and Xu Nian’an, who didn’t like drinking, just flushed a bit.
"Ling Dong, driving at night is tricky, be careful on the road," Xu Nianhua reminded him, aware that the roads were not as smooth as those in future times.
"Don’t worry, we’ll make sure to get home safe and sound," Ling Dong said, helping the drunken Du Chang and Cheng Hao into the car along with Xu Nian’an.
Xu Nianhua stood beside Pei Yicheng, and compared to the warmth of the room heated by a charcoal basin, it was especially cold outside, with the chilly wind howling.
"You should go inside. It’s cold out here," Pei Yicheng remarked, his eyes resting on her reddened face.
"No worries, I’ll wait until they come over, then I’ll wheel you out," said Xu Nianhua with a smile. "Is that prescription I read about in the book really effective?"
"Yes," Pei Yicheng replied, looking into her joy-filled eyes. "My grandfather says that after the massages, my foot seems to be doing better than before."
"That’s wonderful! Then you must keep it up. Let my second brother massage your leg every day, and as for the doctors, I heard from my second brother that your grandfather has connected you with quite a few of them. I believe miracles will surely happen, and your leg will definitely be cured." Xu Nianhua spoke with burgeoning certitude, believing that his leg would surely heal.
"I also believe that my leg will definitely get better."
He would stand by her side, dignified and upright.
After the Du family left, Xu Nianhua and Ji Ying together started to clean up the dishes and chopsticks. Zhou He wanted to help, but Ji Ying and Xu Nianhua disagreed, and the mother-daughter pair discussed the matter of returning the favor while washing dishes.
"The cured meat and sausages were already thought of in advance, but we can add something else," Xu Nianhua couldn’t immediately think of what else to add.
"Nianhua, and to think, those few pairs of leather shoes are really nice," Ji Ying commented after trying on a pair of the leather shoes which were warm and stylish, particularly Xu Nianhua’s white pair, which looked even more attractive.
"They’re probably not cheap either." Xu Nianhua thought about the white shoes, and for a moment, grew distracted. She had never worn white shoes before. After being acknowledged by the Gu family, aside from going to school, she was either hiding at home or yearning to return to the Xu family.
Now that she thought about it, had the Gu family ever truly treated her like a daughter? If so, why hadn’t she ever felt their love after being acknowledged by them?
She remembered wearing clothes that Gu Mingzhu didn’t want; her shoe size was a thirty-six, one size smaller than Gu Mingzhu’s. Except for a few pairs purchased right after returning to the Gu family, she had never bought shoes again until later when she started earning money and could buy shoes for herself.
"Nianhua?" Ji Ying looked at Xu Nianhua, who had become lost in thought, and suddenly felt that her daughter might be unhappy. She said, "Mom will buy you more leather shoes in the future. How about we go to the county in a couple of days and buy you a new outfit?"
"Before, the family was poor, and you hardly ever got to wear nice clothes." Ji Ying felt she had let her daughter down, as many of her clothes were alterations made by Xu Nianji and Xu Nian’an, and new clothes were a rarity all year round.