Chapter 353 – Arriving in Beijing
To be honest, Zhang Ailian felt a bit guilty. She realized that since Ningning returned, she had focused a lot of her attention on Ningning and had somewhat neglected her eldest daughter, Fanghua.
Now, Song Yi was going abroad for several years, and Fanghua was pregnant.
As a mother, she couldn’t be by Fanghua’s side to take care of her.
Zhang Ailian felt she had somewhat let down her eldest daughter and couldn’t help but feel melancholic.
“You, what are you thinking? In the eyes of our children, you are the best mother, and in the eyes of your daughter-in-law, you are the best mother-in-law.”
“You are one person and have to manage the household, and you are busy every day, not idle.”
“Fanghua will understand you.”
“How about this: Fanghua’s due date should be at the end of the year. I’ll see if I can take a long vacation from the factory by then and take you to the capital. You can take care of Fanghua and the grandchild. What do you think?”
“Is that possible? But what about the home, Xiao Ji, Xiao Yu, and the others…”
“The three of them ah, have their own parents. Parents, it’s their primary responsibility, not you as a grandmother. Besides, it’s not like you’re going and never coming back.”
“Alright, then it’s settled.”
“Yes, it’s settled.”
With a sense of anticipation, even though it was still the beginning of the year and the event was at the end of the year, Zhang Ailian’s mood improved considerably.
“By the way, you need to contact Changzheng quickly and ask him to help buy tickets for in-law.”
“I need to take out a few jars of pickled vegetables from the house and bring them along for in-law. I’m worried that Fanghua might suffer from morning sickness, and if that happens, she might need my pickles…”
Zhang Ailian continued to busy herself, mumbling to herself.
Although she couldn’t go along, her heart as a mother was still deeply concerned for her children. She wished she could send her heart of concern along with Mother Song to the capital.
In truth, Zhang Ailian didn’t love her daughter Xu Fanghua any less, nor was her love insufficient. On the contrary, her love was so deep that it felt like she could never give enough.
As the saying goes—love often feels like a debt, as if what you give is never enough.
Zhang Ailian was just like that. It wasn’t about asking for something in return; it was about always feeling inadequate and trying every way to give the best of what she had.
…
While Zhang Ailian was preparing things, Mother Song was also packing items for the trip to the capital.
To be honest, there was quite a lot to bring, as she would be staying at least a year, or until Xu Fanghua completed her confinement period.
Fortunately, Mother Song wasn’t going alone this time. Father Song planned to accompany her on the trip, traveling together to the capital, staying for a few days, and then returning.
Since the fruit tree planting on their land wasn’t yet urgent, he had nothing pressing to do at home. It was a perfect opportunity to go with his wife to check on their daughter-in-law.
On the road, the couple would be able to support each other. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be at ease if his wife traveled alone to the capital.
They busily prepared until evening, and by then, they had barely managed to finish packing.
Mother Song was still checking her items, worried she might forget something.
At that moment, Xu Aiguo arrived, carrying a few jars of pickled vegetables.
“Here are the two sleeper tickets I bought, for the train at nine o’clock tomorrow morning.”
“And here are the pickled vegetables Ailian prepared for Fanghua, in case she suffers from morning sickness.”
“I knew it felt like something was missing. It was just these pickles. In-law is so thoughtful,” Mother Song said, taking the pickles.
Without even opening them, Mother Song knew Zhang Ailian’s cooking was excellent. She was aware that most daughters, when pregnant, often crave their mother’s pickles to help with morning sickness.
Even though she wasn’t sure if Xu Fanghua would need them, it was better to bring them just in case. If they were needed, they wouldn’t be hard to find.
As someone who had given birth herself, Mother Song understood how tough morning sickness could be. She felt sympathy for her past self and now for her pregnant daughter-in-law.
Meanwhile, Father Song took the tickets and asked for the price, intending to pay for them.
But Xu Aiguo refused to accept the money, laughing it off. Their in-laws were traveling such a long distance to the capital to take care of his daughter. It wouldn’t be right for them to pay for the tickets.
So, despite the insistence, Xu Aiguo wouldn’t take the money for the tickets.
With Xu Aiguo’s firm stance, Father Song had to give in.
They chatted for a while longer, and as it grew later, Xu Aiguo decided not to stay any longer and left.
The next day, Father Song and Mother Song, carrying large and small bundles, boarded the train to the capital.
…
Meanwhile, in the capital, Xu Fanghua had no idea of the big surprise waiting for her from her hometown.
Realizing she was pregnant, Xu Fanghua finally understood why her emotions had been so sensitive and changeable recently.
Although the child wasn’t part of her plan, she welcomed the arrival of the baby.
Xu Jinning often saw her sister touching her belly, and whenever she looked down, her face and eyes were full of tenderness.
Perhaps it was a tenderness unique to a mother.
Knowing her sister was pregnant, Xu Jinning took over any household chores these days, worried that her sister might be tired.
In addition, Xu Jinning wondered if she should buy some nutritious ingredients and make nourishing dishes for her sister.
However, her cooking skills weren’t great. In her previous life, she had never cooked, and in this life, she had only done minor tasks in the kitchen.
“Ah, if only Mom were here.”
Mom could do everything, especially cooking, and would surely take excellent care of her sister.
On the third day of Xu Jinning’s reflection, as she got up in the morning to prepare some rice and make porridge, she suddenly heard someone knocking on the door of the small courtyard.
“Who is it?” Xu Jinning asked, not opening the door immediately.
“Someone’s here, someone’s here! Is that Ningning? Ningning, it’s your Aunt Song!”
Aunt Song? Isn’t that her sister’s mother-in-law?
Xu Jinning hurriedly opened the door and saw the two people in front of her, carrying large and small bundles.
To her surprise, it was indeed her sister’s father-in-law and mother-in-law.
Xu Jinning’s eyes widened in shock. “Uncle Song, Aunt Song, what are you doing here?”
As she spoke, Xu Jinning moved aside to let them in and helped them unload their bundles.
She soon learned that Mother Song had come to live in the capital with the intention of taking care of the pregnant Xu Fanghua.
Father Song had accompanied her out of concern for his wife and would stay a few days before returning.
“We didn’t know anything about this before,” Xu Jinning said.
“It doesn’t matter whether you knew or not. Anyway, I’m here now, and your sister can’t possibly make me leave,” Mother Song joked.
Just waking up and seeing this scene, Xu Fanghua was both amused and touched. “Mom, I’m so moved that you came. How could I ever make you leave? I’m not the kind of person who would be ungrateful.”
