"Xiaohe is taking great care of herself; the doctor said that as long as she doesn’t get angry, she’ll definitely be able to give birth smoothly," Ji Ying said.
This remark was actually a hint to Zhou He’s mother not to upset her.
Sometimes, Ji Ying felt sorry for Zhou He. Although she was her own daughter, in her mother’s eyes, she barely mattered compared to her son.
Now that Zhou He was pregnant, was there anything that couldn’t be discussed calmly?
If Zhou He was upset badly, would her mother actually benefit from it?
"Mother-in-law, what do you mean by that?" Zhou He’s mother immediately took offense when she heard this. "I came to see Xiaohe, and I haven’t upset her, have I?"
Zhou He’s mother gave her a look.
Zhou He had no choice but to explain, "Mom, my mother is just here to check on me."
"Mother-in-law, please don’t be angry. I was just saying that Xiaohe shouldn’t get angry; I wasn’t talking about you," Ji Ying clarified and added, "Or did mother-in-law upset Xiaohe?"
Zhou He’s mother: "..."
Well, that was both kind and harsh words spoken by her. Initially, when the engagement was arranged, Ji Ying was thought to be gentle and easy to talk to, but now, it seems that wasn’t the case, seeing how she managed the situation.
"Mother-in-law, Nianhua will be back with groceries soon. Today, let’s all eat together at home," Ji Ying said cheerfully. "Xiaohe’s about to give birth, and as her mother-in-law, it’s about time you came to offer your support."
"Speaking of which, about offering support ..." Ji Ying glanced at Zhou He’s mother, but didn’t see any of the traditional items used to encourage delivery around the house?
In the month the daughter is due, her family usually comes to encourage labor, bringing baby clothes and some nutritious foods for the pregnant woman, sometimes even a chicken to help strengthen her body.
Of course, some families are wealthy and bring lots of things; others might not bring as much, but clothes for the baby and a few pounds of brown sugar can still be managed.
"Encouraging labor..."
Zhou He’s mother also remembered this responsibility. After hearing that Xu Nianji hadn’t sold the bean sprouts but instead hired others to learn how to sell them, she was so annoyed and focused on arguing that she completely forgot about the labor encouragement.
Having been reminded by Ji Ying, Zhou He’s mother felt extremely embarrassed, but quickly denied, "She isn’t due for another two months. I wasn’t here to encourage the labor today."
Ji Ying gave a smile but didn’t expose her, instead she changed the subject and began to cook.
Xu Nianhua arrived with the groceries and glanced around the living room; the atmosphere seemed fine.
"Mom, is the amount of food I bought enough?" Xu Nianhua laid out the groceries, a mix of meat and vegetables.
Ji Ying praised, "Go keep your sister-in-law company."
How could such a gentle person have such an unreasonable mother?
Xu Nianhua watched Zhou He’s mother leave and could only sigh; his own mother was indeed better.
"Mom, why were you in such a hurry just now? Were you afraid that sister-in-law and the others would argue?" Xu Nianhua quietly asked Ji Ying.
Ji Ying looked at him, wanting to change the subject, but then considered that her daughter would get married someday, and having a mother-in-law herself, it was better not to hide certain things. She recounted a past incident.
Xu Nianhua didn’t even know what expression to use. Was that really his mother?
"Mom, we need to treat sister-in-law even better going forward," Xu Nianhua said, taking her hand. He thought about all the tales of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts, but in his eyes, his mother was the best in the world, the ideal mother-in-law.
Seeing how his mother and sister-in-law got along, some might even believe they were biological mother and daughter.
Meanwhile, his sister-in-law’s actual mother seemed more like the wicked mother-in-law from the stories.