The Old Man smiled and said nothing, while He Xuewen patted his daughter’s head and explained: "Ah Nan, dealing with enemies requires ruthlessness, but Gao Yulan and her husband are not our enemies. They have just been implicated by Gao Yuzhu. In fact, Gao Yuzhu is not really an enemy either, but a petty person with bad intentions. That’s why Daddy and your grandfather didn’t go to extremes."
He Xuewen paused for a moment, then continued: "The most important thing is that Gao Yulan is in a somewhat special situation right now. Your grandfather and Daddy can be ruthless to others, but they can’t bring themselves to be too harsh on a pregnant woman! Moreover, Gao Yulan and her husband are not the same sort of people as Gao Yuzhu. If handled well, maybe they will bring us some pleasant surprises."
Tian Sisi listened, half-understanding, half-confused. Forgive her childishness—after all, her thinking has become more and more childlike (the problem is that even when you’re not a child, your thinking was never mature), He Xuewen looked at his daughter’s bewildered expression and laughed:
"Ah Nan doesn’t need to understand. You just need to be a happy little Princess."
"Right, Ah Nan, listen to your Daddy. The matters outside are taken care of by your grandfather. If not him, then your Daddy, your father, and your little uncle are there," the Old Man said with approval as he stroked his beard, his fingers itching to grab his smoking pipe.
The touched Tian Sisi sniffled. How fortunate she was to have encountered such a good family, and to have such a kindhearted real father. From now on, she would never flip the bird to God again!
"Grandfather, you’ve already smoked three pouches today, you can’t smoke anymore."
Out of nowhere, a petulant scolding arose. Tian Sisi, who originally intended to act coquettishly, caught sight of the Old Man reaching for his pipe with sharp eyes and immediately transformed into the Little Housekeeper, rushing forward to snatch the smoking pipe from his hand.
Although the health of the Old Man had improved a lot, smoking was really harmful to one’s health, not to mention it was even worse for someone like the Old Man whose lungs had been previously injured. Therefore, Tian Sisi made a rule that the Old Man could only smoke three pouches a day. Any more than that, and she would refuse to brew alcohol for him. For the sake of good liquor, the Old Man also complied, sticking to three pouches a day and didn’t dare to smoke more, fearing his granddaughter would truly cut him off from his alcohol.
The Old Man smiled helplessly at He Xuewen. Ah Nan was getting tighter in her management, but deep down, he was pleased at the feeling of being taken care of by his granddaughter.
Mrs. Gao had Wang Shouwang place Gao Yulan on the bed, bring hot water to clean her body, and change her dirty clothes. Seeing that Gao Yulan was sleeping soundly, she took Wang Shouwang to the hall to talk. Although Wang Shouwang was quite fierce, he respected his mother-in-law very much. He was worried about his wife but still followed Mrs. Gao to the living room.
"Shouwang, tell me the truth, what happened to you and Yulan? Why is Yulan so troubled? And why did you two go to the Tian Family at such an unusual time?" Mrs. Gao poured out all her pent-up questions.
Wang Shouwang hesitated and didn’t want to speak, as his wife had told him before that he shouldn’t tell her mother, to avoid worrying her.
"Shouwang, will you speak or not? I know you all look down on me as useless, and can’t help you, so you refuse to tell me anything. Day and night I worry, can neither eat nor sleep well, fearing something might happen to you."
Mrs. Gao employed the strategy of appealing to sympathies, and tears streamed down her face. Therefore, like mother, like daughter; Gao Yulan loves crying, inheriting that trait from Mrs. Gao.
Wang Shouwang became anxious and ended up stammering out the situation. In the end, he repeatedly cautioned Mrs. Gao, "Mama, you mustn’t tell Yulan that it’s me who told you, or else Yulan will blame me to death."
"Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. I’ll pretend that I found out about it myself."
Although Mrs. Gao was infuriated by what Wang Shouwang told her, she still felt comforted. Although Yulan didn’t have a good brother, she got herself a good husband. For a man to cherish a woman wholeheartedly, it doesn’t matter if he’s not handsome; looks can’t be eaten as food.
"Shouwang, I can’t help much with your work situation, and Yulan shouldn’t be moving around too much after showing signs of miscarriage. You both stay here tonight, and I’ll go to town with you tomorrow to look after Yulan and the grandchild. Once Yulan is three months into the pregnancy, I’ll come back. How does that sound?"
"Of course, that’s great, but it’s really too much trouble for Mama," said Wang Shouwang, who was already worried about this matter and kept thanking Mrs. Gao profusely.
"It’s no trouble at all. I’m just taking care of my daughter and grandchild. There’s nothing difficult about that. As long as you treat Yulan well, that’s all that matters."
"I definitely will treat Yulan well, Mama. Please don’t worry. I’m such a person that having married a wife as divine as Yulan, if I don’t treat her well, can I even call myself human?" Wang Shouwang voiced his commitment, almost raising his hand to swear an oath.
Mrs. Gao finally smiled contentedly when she heard this. At that moment, Gao Yulan’s voice came from the inside, and Wang Shouwang reacted swiftly, zooming in and offering warm comfort.
"Yulan, does your belly still hurt? What would you like to eat?"
"Yulan, are you still feeling unwell? Should we go back to the hospital for another check?"
Gao Yulan smiled and stopped her husband, "No need to waste that money. I’m feeling a lot better now, and my stomach doesn’t hurt anymore. It shouldn’t be anything serious. Look, it’s getting late; shall we go home now?"
"No way!" Mrs. Gao and Wang Shouwang refused in unison.
"Yulan, you’ve had a scare with the baby. It’s not good for either the adult or the child if you don’t rest well. Just listen to Mama and stay here for the night. Tomorrow Mama will get the village tractor to take you home. You definitely shouldn’t ride the bicycle," Mrs. Gao advised.
"But what about the kids at home? Who will cook for them tonight?" Gao Yulan asked anxiously.
"I’ll go back. I’ll go back and cook right now, Yulan. You don’t need to worry," Wang Shouwang hurriedly said.
"Do you know how to cook? You don’t even know how much water to put in rice. Don’t demolish my kitchen," Gao Yulan said with a snort, glancing at him with displeasure, and Wang Shouwang sheepishly chuckled.
"Ah, there is no need to cook for one or two meals, Shouwang. Just take the kids to a restaurant to eat, and tomorrow I will bring Yulan back," Mrs. Gao suggested.
Now that seemed to be the only solution. Wang Shouwang put on his coat, pushed his bicycle, and hurried back home, while Gao Yulan called from behind:
"The money and food coupons are all in the camphor wood chest at the head of the bed. Take as much as you need, but don’t spend wastefully!"
"Got it," Wang Shouwang shouted back and then rode away briskly.
"Seeing you and Shouwang living well makes Mama feel at ease. Our Yulan is a blessed person; life will get better and better," Mrs. Gao said emotively, caressing her daughter’s cheek.
Gao Yulan’s worry surfaced when she thought about her husband’s job, uncertain of what the future might hold. However, in front of Mrs. Gao, she still put on a brave face, but the touch of concern at the corner of her eye didn’t escape Mrs. Gao’s notice. (To be continued. If you work, feel free to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)