The door was knocked once, "Ya" from outside and pushed open, entering was the mother-in-law, with a tray in her hand, which should be for the old lady’s postpartum meal and soup.
With a smile on her face, she said to Mrs. Li:
"Mother-in-law, you must be hungry, right? Your brother-in-law ordered a table at the neighboring restaurant, let’s go out to eat with everyone!"
"Hmm," Mrs. Li had been sitting for too long and felt a bit numb in her legs. She moved around a bit and got ready to make room.
"Has the daughter-in-law fallen asleep? Her complexion looks much better; we need to wake her up quickly for the meal."
As the mother-in-law spoke, she set down the meal tray on the table and went to check on her granddaughter, after the midwife had taken care of everything. Previously, having heard that her daughter-in-law gave birth to a granddaughter, she, like the rest of her family, felt somewhat disappointed to have a girl.
However, her heart softened after seeing the playful antics of Shuying’s son, and now, observing the little baby sleeping quietly by her mother’s side, she felt quite fond of the well-behaved girl.
With a tender gaze and loving eyes, she watched the sleeping baby; noticing that the baby’s looks weren’t too bad, she felt a joy in her heart that comes from being a grandmother.
She didn’t wake the sleeping child but gently patted the sleeping Ye Shuzhi.
In a soft voice, she said, "Daughter-in-law, wake up, it’s time to eat!"
The gentle voice of the mother-in-law woke the sleeping Ye Shuzhi. Opening her sleepy eyes, she saw her mother-in-law.
"How did I fall asleep?"
"It’s good that you slept; your complexion looks better after a rest. Come on, eat something first."
The mother-in-law had never spoken to her in such a tender tone before, and Ye Shuzhi felt somewhat unaccustomed as she glanced at her.
She saw her sister-in-law standing nearby and thought the mother-in-law’s performance was for her sister-in-law to see.
Ye Shuzhi gave her sister-in-law a grateful look. It felt wonderful to have the support of her own family.
She then looked again at her sleeping daughter, who was quiet and not yet awake, and felt a bit worried since she’d never taken care of a baby before and was concerned her daughter might be hungry.
Becoming a mother was truly a different feeling. In the past, when facing her sister-in-law who had given birth to several daughters, she’d also express disdain along with the rest of the family for bearing girls, for her nieces.
Now that she had given birth to a daughter herself, she understood that whether it was a boy or a girl was not something she could control. When her family showed their unhappiness at her having a girl, her heart felt even worse.
That was the child she had struggled to bring into the world. If she didn’t love her, who would?
"Sister-in-law, has the child woken up? Is it all right for her to sleep so much, or might she be hungry?"
Seeing that her daughter-in-law was concerned about the child’s well-being ahead of her own hunger, the mother-in-law realized how motherhood really changes a woman; this indeed was the true nurturing nature of a mother.
She nodded to herself internally; perhaps she had been too strict before. Indeed, becoming part of a married family changes a woman, and the lazy girl of the past had become a diligent daughter-in-law. In the future, she should be more lenient toward her.
Answering the second daughter-in-law’s question, Mrs. Li simply stated:
"Just now, your complexion didn’t look good, so I fed you some honey water. Then the baby woke up crying, so I gave her the leftover honey water you didn’t drink. After having the honey water, the little one slept quietly again."
Then, Ye Shuzhi remembered feeling sweetness in her mouth amidst her faintness after being angered by her eldest sister, realizing it was her sister-in-law looking after her.
"Sister-in-law, thank you!" Ye Shuzhi said, with gratitude in her voice. The thanks embodied her gratefulness and appreciation.
"It’s nothing; your mother-in-law has prepared a meal for you. Eat first, don’t think too much, and focus on recovering your health."
In Mrs. Li’s words, of course, there was an underlying message, advising her sister-in-law not to overthink. While words and actions within the family could hurt, it was important to first heal and not to take other people’s comments to heart.
Ye Shuzhi nodded, understanding Mrs. Li’s character—previously seen by others as weak and easily bullied, she now recognized as kindness and tolerance toward family members.
If it had been her, she knew she could not have been so kind. Perhaps it was with such naïve thoughts that one could have "the foolish luck" to endure hardship before finding sweetness, transforming from a peasant woman into a rich woman, akin to a lady of wealth.
"Sister-in-law, you must be starving? My son has already booked a table outside. You go ahead and eat; I’ll look after things here."
Upon hearing the mother-in-law’s words, Mrs. Li did not immediately leave but said to her:
"Mother-in-law, please stay here and don’t leave. In a while, I’ll ask my brother-in-law to bring you some food. The postpartum woman can’t be left alone; it was really close earlier!"