Chapter 27: Record of Moving to the City in the 90s. 27

For Su Huandan’s family, the millennium was simply a year of great fortune.

Her eldest sister was pregnant again. Having more than the allowed number of children was a given, but paying the fine was worth it. Nothing mattered more than making sure the child could get household registration¹.

No matter whether this baby was a boy or a girl, Eldest Sister and Eldest Brother-in-law both felt their family was complete. Two children could keep each other company in the future, and that was pretty good.

Just two months after Eldest Sister found out she was pregnant, Second Sister also got pregnant.

That was the real joyous occasion for the Su family. Behind people’s backs, Jiang Chunhua cried her eyes out. No matter whether her second daughter’s child was a boy or a girl, this meant her second daughter would have a secure life from now on.

The Su family saw Su Huanxia’s pregnancy as wonderful news, and Second Brother-in-law and his grandfather felt even more strongly about it. They had always hoped for a child, but never truly dared believe one would come.

Su Huandan felt that the diluted Spiritual Spring Water hadn’t been used in vain after all.

Her second sister had conceived.

But less than three days after Second Sister was found to be a month and a half pregnant, Jiang Chunhua also turned out to be pregnant.

Jiang Chunhua was no longer young, already fifty-six, but with the Spiritual Spring Water nourishing her over the past few years, not only did she not look old, her menstrual cycle was even more regular than that of a young girl. Her body’s condition was genuinely excellent.

So back when she gave birth to Su Huandan, people said it had damaged her womb and that she would never be able to bear children again. But after being restored by the Spiritual Spring Water, wasn’t she pregnant now?

Su Dakui was truly delighted. It proved he wasn’t old yet, even though he was already fifty-eight this year.

How could he not feel proud, knowing he might still have a son or daughter in his old age?

His only concern had been his wife’s health, but after the hospital examination came back saying she was healthy, all he had left was joy.

Jiang Chunhua was happy too, secretly happy. She had a feeling this pregnancy would be a son. Giving her man a son had always been an obsession for her. Before, she hadn’t dared to hope for it, but now that she was pregnant, of course she meant to keep the baby.

But even more than that, she felt embarrassed and uneasy. Being pregnant and giving birth alongside her two daughters, who knew what nasty things the people in Yuanyi Village would say?

And on top of that, how were her two sons-in-law supposed to look at her, their mother-in-law?

Sure enough, after the news got out, the people of Yuanyi Village offered congratulations to her face, but behind her back, who wasn’t spitting in disdain?

“Shameless old things. They’ve already got grandchildren, and they still want to have a baby? What a disgrace. How are the Su couple supposed to face their two sons-in-law?”

At fifty-six and fifty-eight, already at the age of being grandparents, getting pregnant at that age was in itself something shameful in their eyes.

So they really couldn’t understand where Su Dakui’s joy and smiles were coming from.

If Su Dakui were getting an old-age son from a mistress, then they could understand it. A man with money keeping a younger woman was perfectly normal.

But with an old wife of fifty-six, how could he even bring himself to do it?

Then they took a closer look at Jiang Chunhua, and if they hadn’t looked, they wouldn’t have known. Once they did, they were startled.

Jiang Chunhua was a little plump, but the flesh on her body was firm. She didn’t look aged at all. There were some wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, but those wrinkles looked no different from the crow’s feet of a woman in her early thirties. Her face really did look remarkably young.

It was only because she dressed like everyone else, in dull, plain clothes, the sort of outfit old women wore. But if Jiang Chunhua changed into something more fashionable, people would absolutely believe she was only thirty-five or thirty-six.

Then they looked at Su Dakui. He dressed like an old man too, but the muscles bulging under his clothes were something else.

What man pushing sixty still had a body full of hard muscle?

Among people their age, Su Dakui and Jiang Chunhua looked far too young. And it wasn’t just that their faces looked young. Their whole physical condition was youthful.

So for people their age to still be able to have children wasn’t all that surprising after all.

As for the two sons-in-law?

Eldest Brother-in-law hadn’t felt much at first, but his grandmother kept saying things like, “Shameless old things, having children at that age, not giving their daughters any face at all.” Hearing that over and over, Sun Jianbin inevitably started feeling a little awkward inside.

He really didn’t think this was anything shameful, but when people kept whispering that sort of thing in his ear, it became hard not to feel uncomfortable accepting it.

Fortunately, his grandmother only muttered about it in front of him, so it didn’t really affect much. Overall, the whole family still hoped the old mother-in-law would give birth safely.

Second Brother-in-law and his grandfather were of one mind. Their family was the kind that lacked children, lacked people in the household, so they sincerely felt this was wonderful news.

Second Brother-in-law’s grandfather was even thinking that with three pregnant women in the family all at once, his cooking skills weren’t very good. Like Su Dakui, as long as he didn’t blow up the kitchen and managed to get the food cooked somehow, that was already not bad.

So the two of them started going around trying to get ingredients.

Old hens, crucian carp, things like that. If you wanted to buy them fresh, you had to get up early and catch the morning market. So Second Brother-in-law’s grandfather took over that task. Every day before dawn he pedaled off on his three-wheeled bicycle, and only came back after full daylight.

He would put the ingredients he bought in the back room of Eldest Brother-in-law’s house. And once they were there, how could Eldest Brother-in-law refuse to cook?

Not only did he have to cook, he had to do it with care.

And so, after the snow fell, the family welcomed three more boys one after another.

Eldest Sister’s second child was another son. Second Sister gave birth to a son too. And their mother also got her wish and gave birth to a son in her later years.

Adding new members to the family was a major event, and also a sign of a thriving household.

The Su family, the Sun family, and the Xiao family all spent the New Year in high spirits and festivity.

For Su Huandan, the end of the millennium year was also a special time, because Yu Zexiu had come back.

After more than three years apart, Yu Zexiu had changed completely.

He had been a little chubby before, and at one meter eighty-eight, he hadn’t looked especially tall. But now, he truly looked like a graceful jade tree standing in the wind².

Yu Zexiu had slimmed down. He didn’t look powerfully built either, but he had always possessed an innate air of nobility, and now there was even something of the refined charm of a young master from a Wei-Jin noble family³ about him.

Sure enough, what made a person eye-catching or not was mainly their bearing.

There were plenty of good-looking people, but none like Yu Zexiu. Just standing there, everyone could tell he was no ordinary person, someone significant, and everyone would inevitably add that he was truly handsome.

Was Yu Zexiu handsome?

He was, but not the sort of overwhelming beauty who would stand out above everyone else wherever he went.

It was Su Huandan’s first time at the airport. As she watched Yu Zexiu walk out of the arrival gate with the crowd, she recognized him at a single glance.

Su Huandan had driven herself there. She got her driver’s license last year, and the car had been Yu Zexiu’s birthday gift to her this year, with Ms. Meng helping him buy it.

The Yu Zexiu in Su Huandan’s memory had changed enormously. The more he changed, the better-looking he became, and the more outstanding he was.

And in Yu Zexiu’s eyes, Su Huandan had changed too.

Her appearance hadn’t changed much, but her temperament had grown calmer and gentler. It felt like just looking at Su Huandan was enough to smooth away all his restlessness.

At first, what he liked was Su Huandan’s face and the cold pride in her bones. But now?

He liked this tranquil Su Huandan even more. A woman like this, when you marry her and bring her home, makes you feel at ease.

The moment the two met, Yu Zexiu tossed aside his luggage and pulled Su Huandan into his arms.

They hadn’t seen each other for more than three years. Yu Zexiu had studied with everything he had, always thinking about hurrying back, because he was afraid of one thing above all else, what if Su Huandan ran off?

Where else was he supposed to find a woman who could make him put in this much thought, and still suit him so perfectly?

Now it was finally good. After more than three years of a long-distance relationship, the time had at last come for things to bear fruit.

After holding her to his heart’s content, he put the luggage in the trunk. Once they got in the car, the first thing Yu Zexiu said was, “Let’s get married. Tomorrow I’ll go to your house and formally ask for your hand.”

Only after marrying her and bringing her home would he be able to relax.

Translator’s Notes