Inside the bedroom, Wang Yanran who was sleeping in the crib had already been rocked to sleep.
He Xiaoya lay back in bed. She didn't expect that sitting the month would be so tiring.
On scorching hot days, she still had to be covered with a quilt and wear a thick hat. What's more, she couldn't even use an electric fan, let alone open the window to ventilate.
But what made her most uncomfortable was that it had been several days, yet there was still no news from her maternal side at all.
Although she didn't want to have too much contact with her maternal side because her parents had looked down upon Da Zhuang and treated Da Zhuang badly before, after all, they were her own father, mother and elder brother, and blood is thicker than water.
Now that she had given birth, she also sent someone to deliver a letter at the very first moment, but her parents still hadn't come to see her, and didn't even send a word back.
"Xiaoya, why do you look unhappy?"
"Chun Ning," He Xiaoya said, "I feel a little stuffy. Can you open the window to ventilate?"
"Well... just for a little while," Chun Ning said, "You'll get a headache after being exposed to the wind. "
Chun Ning opened the window to let in fresh air.
The sun was still strong today, and it was also scorching hot outside, but Li Yao had set up a big waterwheel in the yard to drive the big fan to blow water mist into the yard, which was much cooler than other places.
"Xiaoya, what's on your mind?"
"It's about my family."
After getting along for a long time, it was as if they were sisters. He Xiaoya didn't hide it either, and told Chun Ning about her family.
"People say that a married daughter is like water splashed out. This may not sound nice, but that's how it is. Many people rely on their husband's family to stick with their maternal family after getting married, but how did their maternal family treat them in the end?"
He Xiaoya thought of her mother-in-law.
When she first married Da Zhuang, her mother-in-law was just like that, taking whatever little things they had at home to her maternal family, even borrowing the only hen to her maternal home to lay eggs, resulting in not even being able to cook at home and only eating wild vegetables every day.
In the end, when Wang Er's engagement was called off, her mother-in-law's maternal family didn't even show up. Later they even took money from the family to support Li Xian's schooling.
Recalling those days, she shuddered at the memory.
So on the matter of her maternal family, she had always been very careful. Apart from going back with Da Zhuang to visit her maternal family during the New Year and taking some things, she didn't even mention it usually.
Maybe that's why her parents might think she was estranging herself.
"But isn't it still necessary to give it a try?"
"Don't worry, Xiaoya. They should come in the next few days."
Chun Ning thought that now Li Yao was so rich, her maternal family must take this opportunity to come as long as they weren't stupid.
As Chun Ning expected, after a few days, He Xiaoya's father did come.
...
Li Yao was holding a basket of chili peppers, wondering what to eat for lunch, when Du Xiao Hui pushed open the door and walked up to her quickly.
"Li young mistress..."
"I've said not to call me that," Li Yao said, "Just call me sister-in-law."
"Sister-in-law," Xiao Hui said with a smile, "I just saw Xiaoya's father waiting outside the gate."
Xiaoya's father was Li Yao's father-in-law.
Xiaoya and Da Zhuang had been married for more than a year, and this was the first time they met.
So she went to the gate and saw a middle-aged man in his forties, pacing back and forth outside the gate, looking a little awkward.
"Are you He's father?"
He Shiyou didn't dare to reply at once.
Because in his opinion, even if Da Zhuang's mother had become a young mistress, she was not young. But the woman in front of him was so young and beautiful.
Even if she said she was Da Zhuang's younger sister, he would believe it.
"You are... Li young mistress?"
"No need for such formality between family," Li Yao said, "I'm Li Yao."
"Oh my, I really didn't recognize Mount Tai!" He Shiyou said as he bowed, "Xiao He pays his respects to Li young mistress."
"We're all family, no need to be so polite. Please come in, father-in-law."
"Alright."
Following Li Yao, He Shiyou was shocked when he saw the huge waterwheel. Seeing that the waterwheel was also driving the fan to blow out cool breeze, he was even more surprised.
As expected of a young mistress, this family was different from others.
After sitting down in the hall, Li Yao asked Chun Ning to help pour tea, then asked Xiaoya to come out and chat with her father.
"You father and daughter can chat. I'll go with Chun Ning to prepare lunch."
"Thank you, daughter-in-law."
After Li Yao and Chun Ning left, He Shiyou looked at his daughter whom he hadn't seen for a long time, but his face didn't look good.
"You gave birth to a daughter?"
He Xiaoya nodded.
"Oh, what's the matter with you?" He Shiyou said, "How could your belly be so useless? Giving birth to a daughter, you'll surely be looked down upon by your mother-in-law!"
He Xiaoya really wanted to tell him that her mother didn't look down on her for giving birth to a daughter.
But she swallowed the words back when they reached her mouth.
Her father was like other men, looking down on girls completely. He must also disdain her.
What was the point of saying more to such a person?
"Forget it," seeing her not answering, He Shiyou lowered his voice and said, "Strive harder next time. You must leave a descendant for the Wang family, otherwise you'll surely be squeezed out of the position as the principal wife."
Wang Xiaoya's mouth twitched. Were these words a father should say?
Moreover, he had been here for so long but showed no intention of seeing his granddaughter.
If he wasn't her own father, He Xiaoya would have just walked away.
"I came this time for two things," He Shiyou picked up the teacup and took a sip, "Firstly to see you, and secondly to ask you to find some work in your family for your two brothers."
He Xiaoya really couldn't stand it anymore: "I'm afraid seeing me was incidental. Finding work for my brothers was the main purpose, right?"
"How can you say that?" He Shiyou frowned.
He Xiaoya didn't want to make things too stiff either, so she said, "I don't manage affairs at home. If you want to find work for my brothers, just go and talk to my mother-in-law yourself. Didn't you say it yourself, I can't even give birth to a son, so I'll be squeezed out of the position as the principal wife soon. Naturally I have no say in this family."
"You..."
He Shiyou was so angry that he wanted to slap her a few times.
This girl had never listened since she was little, and had to oppose him in everything, including getting married.
Of course she was lucky that her mother-in-law was now rich and honored, and had even become a young mistress.
"You must remember, only your two brothers are your true family, with whom you share the same roots!" He Shiyou said, "And you're not even willing to help talk to them for me! Your brothers and I have really wasted our care on you!"
Wasted their care on me?
Was it the kind of care that gave all the good food to my brothers, all the nice clothes to my brothers, all the easy chores to my brothers, and no matter who was wrong, my brothers were always right...?
What great care indeed.
He Xiaoya didn't expect that after wishing upon a star to see her father again, he finally came to see her.
But there wasn't a single word of concern or greetings, and he didn't even ask about his granddaughter. He only knew to use this family relationship to ask her for favors, and said she was wrong when she didn't agree.
He Xiaoya stood up and said, "I can't be exposed to the wind. I'm going back to my room."
"You..." He Shiyou said, "No matter what, you must get this done for me! The latest by tomorrow!"
He Xiaoya didn't even look back and went straight to her bedroom.
How come her own father and her mother-in-law were so different when they were both parents?
