Chapter 206 - 203: The Zhou Family

Chapter 206: Chapter 203: The Zhou Family

"Thank you, Father-in-law and Mother-in-law, for understanding!" Li Xiu said, pleasantly surprised. He hadn’t thought it would be so easy to persuade his father-in-law. ’It looks like my wife’s breakdown when she got out of the car did the trick,’ he thought. ’Of all eight of his children, Father-in-law has always doted on her the most!’

"Dad, are you and Mom really coming back to the Capital City with me?" Zhou Lian asked, her voice a little hoarse. She looked at her father, her eyes welling with tears, her joy laced with a careful hope.

Seeing Zhou Lian’s expression, Zhou Kun sighed inwardly. ’This probably isn’t so simple.’ The way his daughter had clung to his arm and wept hysterically after getting out of the car didn’t seem like the result of a mere nightmare. Furthermore, his son-in-law, a man who doted on his daughter and was so meticulous, had let her break down like that. It was clear that the purpose of this trip was to take him to the Capital City. His heart softened as he looked at his daughter and nodded.

When Zhou Lian saw her father nod, she whipped her head around to look at Li Xiu. He smiled and nodded back at her, and the tears finally fell. ’This is wonderful,’ she thought. ’In this life, I can stay by Father’s side. I can definitely change his fate.’

Li Xiu watched Zhou Lian’s tearful smile and sighed. He shifted slightly, guiding her to lean against his shoulder. ’It’s better for her to cry it out,’ he thought. ’In our last life, Father-in-law’s death was a deep source of her pain, especially since he was worried about her well-being even on his deathbed. This time, since Father-in-law has already agreed to go to the Capital City, I refuse to believe I can’t find out what’s really wrong with his health!’

’Still, Father-in-law really does dote on her. At his age, being willing to follow his daughter to a strange city... he must have done it because he saw how hard she was crying. I need to figure out a way to keep him from getting suspicious. My father-in-law is a sharp one; he guessed I wanted to take him to the Capital City before I even said a word.’

"Dad, are you and Mom really going to the Capital City with our brother-in-law?" Second Brother Zhou asked his father, his tone filled with disbelief.

After glancing at Zhou Lian crying on Li Xiu’s shoulder and then at Li Xiu’s pained expression, Third Brother Zhou smiled. "Second Brother, our sister just wants to take Dad and Mom on a trip to the Capital City. They’re getting older, so it would be great for them to go out and relax for a while. Besides, it’s the Capital City! The place where emperors used to live. Let’s let them go have a look around and enjoy themselves!"

Second Brother Zhou wasn’t a fool. He looked at his younger brother, then followed his gaze toward Zhou Lian and Li Xiu. He couldn’t help but frown. ’This probably isn’t so simple,’ he thought. ’Oh, well. I’ll ask Li Xiu about it in private later. There must be something they can’t say in front of everyone.’

The three Zhou family daughters-in-law worked together to prepare dinner. When they saw Li Xiu was still making a separate meal just for their sister-in-law, the three of them felt a pang of jealousy. Their sister-in-law was truly blessed! She was married with children, yet her husband still supported her through university. They had been married for seven or eight years, but he still spoiled her like she was a young girl. She didn’t look like a thirty-year-old woman at all!

During dinner, the younger members of the family were oblivious, but the adults all glanced knowingly at the separate dishes placed before Zhou Lian, shaking their heads with resigned smiles. Li Xiu’s devotion to Zhou Lian hadn’t changed a bit over the years; if anything, it had only grown stronger.

After dinner, the younger family members, except for Zhou Huaitai, were all sent home. Li Xiu lowered his head to take a sip of tea, concealing the calculating glint in his eyes. He then looked up, scanned the room, and turned to Zhou Lian, speaking gently. "Bao’er, why don’t you go rest for a bit? You haven’t been sleeping well."

Zhou Lian glanced at him, then at her family seated around them. She looked back at Li Xiu, hesitating, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t. Seeing her expression, Li Xiu’s heart ached for her. He said indulgently, "There now, Bao’er. You go rest. Leave the rest to me, alright?" He stood and helped her toward the inner room, murmuring reassurances. "Bao’er, don’t worry. I’m here. Nothing will go wrong."

After quite some time, Li Xiu finally emerged from the inner room. Mrs. Zhou looked at him and asked softly, "Is she asleep?" ’He was in there so long,’ she thought. ’He must have waited until she was asleep before coming out.’

"Mother, she just fell asleep. She hasn’t rested well for days. Let’s let her get some proper sleep," Li Xiu said, sighing softly. He sat down on a stool next to Zhou Kun.

"What on earth is going on?" Second Brother Zhou demanded impatiently as soon as Li Xiu finished speaking. "How could our sister cry so hard over a simple nightmare? And come all this way just to take Dad and Mom to the Capital City! She’s not usually this unreasonable."

"Second Brother, it’s... well, at first, I didn’t think much of it either. I just assumed Bao’er missed your parents, so I was planning to bring her and the children back for a visit once things were settled. But then she had the same nightmare for seven or eight days straight, and she became emotionally unstable. I tried to ask her for details, but she couldn’t describe it clearly. The dream must have felt too real."

He sighed again, continuing with a pained expression. "The day before yesterday, I told Bao’er I’d bring her home, and she didn’t have the dream that night. But it came back last night. So, here we are. I drove her here first thing this morning."

The Zhou family members were stunned and exchanged glances. What was going on? Zhou Huaitai asked Li Xiu quietly, "Uncle, what exactly was Aunt dreaming about?"

Li Xiu looked up at him, hesitated for a moment, then said, "In the dream... it seems Father suddenly passed away."

"What do you mean, ’suddenly passed away’?" Brother Zhou asked hesitantly. ’Does he mean what I think he means?’

"Exactly that. Bao’er had the same dream for seven or eight days in a row, which is why she’s so emotionally unstable. She’s been bottling it up to her breaking point. To be honest, I’m a little scared. Bao’er has always had a smooth-sailing life, never facing any real hardships. As a child, she was protected by her family, and after she married me, I’ve never let her suffer. This has been a huge shock for her. That’s why I thought it would be best for her parents to come live in the Capital City for a while. It would also give us a chance to fulfill our filial duties. With you both by her side, her emotional state should gradually improve," Li Xiu said calmly, lowering his gaze.

"So it’s nothing else? Just a dream?" Second Sister-in-law asked skeptically. ’Isn’t this making a mountain out of a molehill?’ she thought. ’Her husband brings her all this way and now wants to take her parents back to the Capital City, all because of a dream? The theatrics are just too much.’

"Is there a problem, Second Sister-in-law?" Li Xiu asked calmly, his face devoid of expression. ’Bao’er has three sisters-in-law,’ he mused. ’The eldest is honest and proper, a bit petty at times but with no malice, and she treats Bao’er well. This second one is petty and competitive, with a sharp tongue and no filter, but she doesn’t have a bad heart either. The third is a mix of simple-minded and shrewd, the one who best understands her place.’

"Nothing. It’s just, seeing her cry so hard this afternoon, I thought something terrible had happened!" Second Sister-in-law said with a pout. She had more to say, but seeing her brother-in-law’s expression, she didn’t dare. She’d heard more than enough from the eldest sister-in-law about how much he doted on his wife. He was the type to defend her even against his own mother-in-law. It was best not to poke that hornet’s nest.