Tian Xingyun nodded and said, "I’ll go to my room to put on some clothes and be right down."
She turned to her room to dress up; now that she was pregnant, she had to avoid catching a cold.
After getting dressed, Tian Xingyun went downstairs and started helping her brother make small rose bouquets.
"This family seems pretty wealthy, they ordered quite a few bouquets," Tian Yinan said while wearing gloves and using tools to remove the thorns from rose stems.
"Are these for a wedding?" Tian Xingyun asked as she arranged the flowers, already completing a quarter of it.
"Yes, coincidentally our roses are in bloom, so I took the order, but it means you’ll have to stay up late," Tian Yinan apologized to Tian Xingyun. She was the only one in the family good at arranging flowers.
They usually just assisted her; though they could also arrange flowers, their work was not as good.
Generally, the flower arranging was done by Tian Xingyun, and she did a great job.
Many people would ask specifically for her work, even willing to pay double the price.
"As long as you buy me some food with the money, I’m good," Tian Xingyun laughed; her brother always spoiled her.
"I’ll definitely buy it!" Tian Yinan nodded. Anything Tian Xingyun asked for, he would always get for her.
She’s the only girl in the family and there’s over a decade of age difference between them.
He has been protective of his little sister, looking after her from childhood to now.
If their two younger brothers bullied Xingyun, he would beat them up ruthlessly!
"When are sister-in-law and Liang coming back?"
"In a few more days. Liang’s grandmother isn’t feeling well."
"After we finish these, you should also visit them, big brother."
"There’s too much to do at home, I can’t leave," Tian Yinan sighed. The household chores were mostly done by him, his wife, and their parents.
The second brother just gambles all day, and the second sister-in-law keeps causing trouble about splitting the household, so she doesn’t do any work.
The third brother works at a bank and barely helps with any housework.
Xingyun is busy arranging flowers all over the place every day, leaving early and coming back late.
"You should go visit, otherwise the in-laws will say we’re inconsiderate," Dad Tian walked over, sat on a small bench, put on gloves, and started removing thorns from roses.
"Dad, big brother and I can handle it; you go rest," Tian Xingyun was worried about her father’s health. The recent bad weather had aggravated his rheumatism.
"With so much work, when will you two finish?"
"Let’s do it together, and we can rest earlier," Mom Tian also came over to help.
"Third brother, come down and help!" Tian Xingyun shouted towards upstairs at the top of her lungs.
Tian Xiaonan angrily opened the door and came out, yelling down at Tian Xingyun, "You little brat, so skinny yet so loud."
"Get down here to help, don’t you dare scold our little sister without helping," Tian Yinan scolded back.
With a triumphant grin, Tian Xingyun lifted her chin. Her third brother couldn’t win against her.
She had her big brother’s protection.
The family started working busily, and they didn’t finish making the bouquets until past 1 a.m.
Returning to her room, Tian Xingyun collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep instantly.
Huo Shaohua hadn’t slept the whole night. After showering in the bathroom, he felt much more refreshed.
He changed clothes and went to the dining room for breakfast. His grandmother was already there eating.
"Morning, Grandma," he said, sitting next to her and picking up a spoon to start eating his congee.
The Huo family’s breakfast was traditional Chinese style, with plain congee, pickled vegetables, and small steamed buns with eggs.
"Morning," his grandmother smiled, glancing at Huo Shaohua to gauge his mood.
Forcing him to marry Xingyun was a painful matter.
But there was no other choice; if Xingyun were just to have the child without marriage,
then the child would be labeled illegitimate, a stigma that would follow them for life.
A child of the Huo family could not bear such disgrace.
"Grandma, I hope this matter can be kept confidential and not known to too many people," Huo Shaohua set down the spoon and took a napkin to wipe his mouth.