Seeing He Qiang, Li Cuihua’s heart ached even more.
How had her chubby son gotten so thin?
She had often given him extra treats before to help him grow.
Otherwise, why would He Qiang be taller and stronger than He Ming?
“Mom, are you going to leave again this time?”
He Qiang hugged Li Cuihua, looking up to ask this.
He didn’t want his parents to divorce. There was a kid in his class whose parents were divorced.
Neither the father nor the mother loved him, and no one at home cared for him. It was really miserable.
Thinking that he might have to live like that in the future, He Qiang quickly shook his head.
He didn’t want that. He absolutely refused to live like that.
“Mom won’t leave. Mom will stay home with Qiangzi.”
Li Cuihua patted He Qiang’s head and looked up at He Ming in the main room.
Even if it was just for her son, she couldn’t get a divorce.
He Min didn’t believe Li Cuihua.
If Li Cuihua could reform, then indeed, an old sow could climb a tree.
“Mom, I’ll take Mingming to see if Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother are back yet.”
He Min didn’t want to stay and watch Li Cuihua any longer, so she pulled He Ming and left.
He Ming ran off with his aunt, his pockets still stuffed with the money Ji Shuyu had given them earlier.
She told them to go to the small shop to buy some snacks.
Children all love tasty food. The moment they heard they could go buy treats, they scurried off happily.
Ji Shuyu also didn’t want He Min to confront Li Cuihua.
Li Cuihua dealing with He Min would be as easy as pie.
And He Min was a child who hated evil intensely. Ji Shuyu didn’t want He Min to be targeted by Li Cuihua.
Unexpectedly, just as He Min and He Ming finished buying dried hawthorn slices, they saw two people carrying large and small bags walking home.
He Ze and He Han were back.
He Min and He Ming excitedly ran home to deliver the news.
The whole family warmly welcomed the two brothers.
He Ze was still as talkative and cheerful as ever, while He Han was much quieter.
Ji Shuyu gave them the prepared gifts. He Ze, holding the military chess set, exclaimed that his sister-in-law really understood him. He Han flipped through the thick weaponry book, his eyes lighting up, and he said, “Thank you, sister-in-law.”
“Of course! Third sister-in-law is so thoughtful. She even gave me a pearl hairpin!”
He Min linked arms with one brother on each side, excitedly chattering.
An unintentional remark, but it stirred up more displeasure in Li Cuihua’s heart.
However, everyone was bustling about, welcoming the brothers and helping them settle in, so no one paid any attention to Li Cuihua.
In the evening, Wang Shufen prepared a table full of dishes, specially stewing the seafood soup He Yuan had bought, adding vermicelli. The aroma was mouthwatering.
Everyone sat around eating. Ji Shuyu even asked He Yuan to prepare malted milk for everyone.
At the dinner table, Li Cuihua was particularly enthusiastic. She picked up the soup pot and was about to ladle a large spoonful directly into Ji Shuyu’s bowl.
“Shuyu, you’re pregnant now. You need to drink more soup to nourish yourself! This seafood soup is very fresh!”
Su Wenjuan, sitting next to Ji Shuyu, moved Ji Shuyu’s bowl away with quick reflexes.
“Eldest sister-in-law, Shuyu has a sensitive stomach. She can’t stand the smell of fish and can’t drink this.”
Her tone was even, but her action was firm.
Seafood was a cold-natured food. Su Wenjuan didn’t believe that Li Cuihua, having given birth herself, wouldn’t know this.
But Su Wenjuan didn’t think Li Cuihua was capable of doing something that would endanger a life.
She simply thought Li Cuihua was being overly solicitous without cause and stopped her.
Although the words weren’t explicitly stated, everyone at the table understood the implication.
Li Cuihua’s hand froze mid-air, the soup almost spilling.
Her expression turned awkward. “Well, Wenjuan, you’re quick. What’s so fishy about it? It’s good stuff!”
“This is Shuyu’s first pregnancy; she needs extra nourishment.”
“But I suppose girls from the city are just more delicate. If I’d had things like this back in my day, our Qiangzi would definitely be even sturdier than he is now.”
Li Cuihua’s pointed remarks made the atmosphere at the table instantly tense.
“Eldest sister-in-law.”
He Ze, sitting across from her, couldn’t take it anymore. He was straightforward and detested Li Cuihua’s tactics.
“Everyone knows seafood is cold-natured. My sister-in-law is pregnant; she can’t eat this. What are you trying to do?”
“You’re a woman, you’ve had a child. How could you not know?”
His words made the table even quieter.
Everyone looked at Li Cuihua.
Li Cuihua’s face flushed, then paled. Before she could try to explain, He Qiang, beside her, put down his chopsticks and shouted at He Ze.
“Fourth Uncle, what nonsense are you talking?! My mom was kindly serving Third Aunt soup to nourish her! How is that having bad intentions? You’re the one with bad intentions! Stop wronging people!”
He Qiang felt he had finally found a chance to stand up for his mother, and his voice was especially loud.
Ji Shuyu ate her meal silently without speaking.
This child, He Qiang, had already been ruined by Li Cuihua’s upbringing.
He Han put down his bowl and looked at He Qiang.
“He Qiang, seafood is cold-natured. Pregnant women should avoid it. This is basic common sense. Your Fourth Uncle wasn’t wrong.”
Then, he turned to Li Cuihua. “Eldest sister-in-law, did you genuinely not know, or did you just forget?”
He Han’s words were even heavier, directly putting Li Cuihua on the spot.
The two brothers were sharp. They had already heard He Min whispering earlier about all the things Li Cuihua had done since Ji Shuyu arrived.
Could a person change overnight?
They didn’t believe it. It was undoubtedly a case of a weasel paying respects to a chicken—harboring no good intentions.
Li Cuihua trembled with anger, pointing at He Han. “You… You two brothers go away for a few years, come back, and gang up to bully me?”
He Junshan slammed the table, his face dark. “Eat! Everyone, say less! Eldest daughter-in-law, sit down!”
“No need for you to look after Shuyu. Eat your own meal.”
Li Cuihua shot a fierce glare at Ji Shuyu and reluctantly sat down.
Ji Shuyu hadn’t spoken the entire time. Only then did she calmly say, “Dad, Mom, it’s fine. I’ll just have some other soup. The doctor specifically advised me to avoid seafood for now.”
Wang Shufen quickly tried to smooth things over. “Yes, yes, Shuyu, have this chicken soup. I made it specially; it’s light. Come on, everyone, eat. Try the dried seafood Ze’er and Han’er brought back.”
The meal ended in a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
Li Cuihua was seething with anger, and He Qiang was also fuming.
Ji Shuyu remained composed as usual, while He Yuan’s expression was somewhat cold.
After the meal, He Ze and He Han brought out the gifts they had brought for the family.
He Ze gave Ji Shuyu a beautiful shell necklace: “Sister-in-law, I picked these up on the island. They’re not valuable, just something novel!”
But in reality, shells this exquisite must have been specially collected and polished by someone.
He Han handed Ji Shuyu a small box containing an intricate model warship: “Sister-in-law, this is a scaled-down model of the one we use for training. Keep it as a memento.”
Ji Shuyu accepted them with a smile. “Thank you, Zezi, thank you, Hanzi. I really like the gifts.”
Looking at her two younger brothers-in-law, she felt warmth in her heart, and the earlier displeasure dissipated.
He Ze leaned over, grinning. “When my little nephew is born, I’ll bring him specialties from the island!”
Ji Shuyu touched her belly and smiled, nodding. “Okay, it’s a deal. You two need to be careful out there, especially you.”
She pointed at He Ze. “Don’t make Mom and Dad worry.”
“So, are you planning to stay here, or… will you be leaving?”
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