It was late into the night when their passion finally subsided.
When Zhi Xia woke up early next morning, daylight had filled the room. She got dressed and went out, just as Pei Jing was returning from outside.
"Where did you go so early?" she asked.
"I went next door to see Grandpa and Grandma. I didn't get a chance to visit them yesterday," he explained.
Why he hadn't gone to visit was crystal clear to Zhi Xia, who couldn't help blushing as she recalled their wild abandon last night.
"Grandma asked us to go next door for dinner. She figured Sister Zhang wouldn't be coming over today since we're not home," Pei Jing said.
Zhi Xia nodded and went out with him, closing their door before heading next door.
None of the kids were there, having all been taken to An's family yesterday. Zhi Xia had assumed they would be going to Grandpa and Grandma's today as well, but to her surprise, they had declined.
Privately, Old Madam pulled Zhi Xia aside and said, "Both your sisters-in-law failed their exams at the same time. When you go over, don't bring up the gaokao or you'll upset them."
It seemed everyone had eyes bigger than their stomachs, in Old Madam's opinion.
She remembered them making plans to apply for good universities before, wanting to ride on someone else's coattails instead of leaving themselves a way out. And now look, they had failed the exam and had no one to blame but themselves.
Especially her second son's wife - Beijing University was notoriously hard to get into. Her second son had a chance, but his wife hadn't even finished high school...
Still, it wouldn't do to poke that wound right now.
Once they had time to process their disappointment, the family could reunite again later without issue. But Zhi Xia's situation was different. Pei Jing hadn't been back in a long time and had returned right before the new year; she owed it to him to visit.
"I understand, Grandma. Pei Jing and I will come back this evening to have dinner with you and Grandpa," Zhi Xia quickly agreed.
"Good, I'll have Xiao Zhou start preparing. We'll be expecting you tonight," Old Madam happily replied.
When Zhi Xia and Pei Jing left, she suggested, "Let's go home first. I'll grab some things from my storage dimension so we don't have to go to the supply store."
"I already put several bottles of good wine in the car," Pei Jing told her. "Just take whatever you want."
Shielding herself behind the door, Zhi Xia took out two plump roosters and a pair of lamb legs from her dimension, along with half a basket of eggs.
The poultry population in her dimension had ballooned out of control since they had no natural predators. She had released many to feed the magical beasts she got from the magical realm in exchange, but without any threats they multiplied too quickly regardless.
Occasionally she would take some out as gifts for the elders, but didn't dare do it too often for fear of exposing her secret. After all, everyone had ration tickets for a limited amount of meat each month, so she couldn't be pulling it out every day.
Unable to take everything, she called out to Pei Jing from behind the door, "Jing, come help me for a bit!"
Pei Jing hurried over and saw the conspicuous roosters and lamb legs on the ground, plus the half basket of eggs.
"Let me go get the tricycle," he said. He had planned for them to walk over since it wasn't far and the morning was still early, but with this much stuff he figured riding would be better.
He tied the chickens and lamb legs up front before letting Zhi Xia sit in the back holding the bamboo basket in her lap.
On the way, Pei Jing curiously asked her, "Why so generous this time?"
"What do you mean? When have I ever been stingy?"
Pei Jing just smiled without answering. It wasn't that Zhi Xia was usually stingy, but her unusual generosity with meat today was clearly for her brother's sake.
Sometimes their sibling bond made even him, her closest confidante, a little jealous.
They had barely arrived at An's house when the chattering voices of children rang out from the yard.
"Babies, Mommy's here!" Zhi Xia yelled as soon as she jumped off the tricycle.
Wen Qing rushed out with a horde of younger siblings, the large group of kids looking even more impressive than the adults in the house.
"Auntie's here! Grandma...Auntie's here!"
He had barely finished calling out excitedly before turning and dashing back inside. The other children were also shouting "Daddy, Mommy!"
An JingZhi and Zhou Nan came out to greet them, with Zhou Nan quickly taking the things from Zhi Xia's hands. "Why'd you buy so much meat?"
With two chickens and lamb legs that all looked quite plump, she must have used up several months worth of ration tickets!
And that basket of eggs... Zhou Nan called to An JingZhi, "What are you standing around for! Come help Little Jing with the stuff. Can't you see he's still pushing the tricycle?"
An JingZhi picked up the two legs of lamb and remarked snidely as he carried them inside, "We're not going to someone else's place, what's with the extravagance? Should've saved the tickets for supplementing the kids slowly."
Pei Jing smoothed it over. "Didn't cost much or use any ration tickets. A friend helped get them. The new year's coming up anyway."
Only then did Zhou Nan relax and ask if they still had enough left at home.
An ZhiAng had already taken the basket from Zhi Xia and pulled her into the room, where he pointed at her forehead in annoyance and scolded, "Are you an idiot? You're only twenty five, why the rush to have so many kids? No one else cares about you, so can't you care more about yourself? Giving birth hurts and damages the body!"
He was angry with himself for not being there and with the family for hiding her situation from him the entire time.
When An ZhiAng learned he had another new niece or nephew, he nearly ground his teeth into dust.
He couldn't do anything against that lecherous bull, and trying to stand up for his sister always ended badly for him too. The guy bested him every time, it was infuriating!
