Chapter 484 - 472: Different Viewpoints

By the time Gu’er finished cleaning up, Chen Fengjiao had already eaten a good amount of the chicken.

The chicken was stewed to perfection—so tender it melted in her mouth. Chen Fengjiao felt wonderfully satisfied as she ate.

She drank every last drop of soup in the bowl. After finishing, she still wasn’t satisfied and wanted more. She’d been hungry for several meals, and one bowl wasn’t enough. But she had shattered the pot of chicken soup, so there was none left to drink. She had no choice but to ask Sui’er to get her something else.

Seeing that Chen Fengjiao had a good appetite and seemed to have recovered her spirits, Gu’er finally felt relieved.

"Well then, Jia Ming and I will take the baby and head home. Sui’er, you stay and keep Mom company. We’ll have Lin Zheng come back tomorrow evening."

Now that Gu’er saw Chen Fengjiao was fine and Liu Fang had been sent away, she didn’t want to stay any longer.

"It’s so cold, why are you going back? The baby will freeze! Just stay here."

Chen Fengjiao said hurriedly. Her grandson had come to visit, but she hadn’t even had a chance to hold him yet. ’Why are they leaving already?’

"We should still go back. Jia Ming and I can’t sleep well here. Now that everything’s settled today, we can get some proper rest. And this way, the family back home won’t worry."

Gu’er was telling the truth. Yesterday, she, Sun Jiaming, and the baby had been squeezed onto Lin Zheng’s small bed. They could barely move, and she woke up aching all over.

"Just have Jia Ming stay in your old room. If that doesn’t work, you can put the baby in my room, and I’ll watch him during the night. It’s already so late, why go through all the trouble?"

Chen Fengjiao didn’t want them to leave.

Gu’er looked at her mother. She had barely slept at all yesterday. Now that her mood had improved, she would surely get a good night’s sleep. ’How could I possibly ask her to look after the baby?’

"Mom, just let my sister, brother-in-law, and Jiji go home," Lin Sui’er chimed in, reading Gu’er’s mind. "They really don’t sleep well here, and they have to take care of the baby during the day. It’s exhausting."

Chen Fengjiao was very reluctant, but she saw there was no other way, so she could only nod.

Meanwhile, Sun Jiaming had already packed their things and was holding the baby. He was always the one to carry the baby when they went out now because the roads were bad in the winter, and he was afraid Gu’er might slip.

Gu’er carried their bags. After saying goodbye to Chen Fengjiao and Sui’er, she and Sun Jiaming found a car, got in, and headed back to the Sun Family’s home.

It wasn’t until she arrived at the Sun Family home that Gu’er finally felt at ease. ’People are strange,’ she thought. ’You only ever feel truly comfortable in your own home.’

She chatted with Grandma and Aunt Zhao for a while, fed the baby, and then she and Sun Jiaming washed up early and went to bed.

They both slept soundly that night. The next day, after breakfast, Sun Jiaming took Lin Zheng to school. Gu’er held Jiji’s little hand and played with him while talking to Marina.

Li Zhi and Dingzi hadn’t returned yesterday. The plan they’d agreed on before leaving was that they would drop the person off at the Liu family’s home, then spend the night at the nursing home. The next day, they would take the things to the Liu family, sort everything out there, and then return today.

"Gu’er, was that woman very beautiful?"

Marina was quite curious about Liu Fang.

"Yes, she’s definitely good-looking."

Gu’er nodded. ’In this day and age, before things like plastic surgery, you have to admit, Liu Fang is genuinely beautiful. Her eyes are so limpid and bright. If she had been born in a later era, perhaps her fate would have been different.’

"She has good taste," Marina remarked. "Godfather is a good man, someone you can rely on."

Gu’er didn’t respond.

"Marina, if you fell in love with a married man, what would you do?" Gu’er asked after a moment of thought.

"I don’t know. If I truly loved him and he loved me back, I think we should be together. It’s so pitiful for two people to be together without love."

Marina had never considered such a thing, but she wouldn’t lie to Gu’er, so she answered with her honest thoughts.

Gu’er fell silent. ’Perhaps people from other countries have different views than people here in China. In this era, just like in the past, what does love have to do with anything? Marriages are arranged by parents and matchmakers. Once you’re married, you just live your life properly. People don’t even have enough to eat sometimes, so who has time to talk about love?’

’Besides, love is an illusory thing—you can’t see it or touch it. Who knows when it will disappear? Otherwise, why would there be a seven-year itch? Why does love turn into familial affection after marriage?’

’Even if a couple no longer has romantic love, there’s still familial affection, or at least habit. No matter how dissatisfied one might be with the other, they rarely separate or get a divorce. They just make do and get by.’

As for Marina, she’d had a different upbringing, so Gu’er wasn’t surprised to hear her say such things.

"How have you been lately? Feeling any nausea?" Gu’er asked Marina, changing the subject.

"Nope, my appetite’s great. I don’t feel anything at all, except that I can really eat. Gu’er, do you think I’ll turn into what you guys call a pig?" Marina asked, rubbing her belly.

"It’s fine. You can just watch what you eat after giving birth and you’ll be okay. Look at me, I’m pretty much the same as I was before I was pregnant, right?"

Gu’er didn’t have the type of constitution that gained weight easily. She had basically returned to her old self a month after giving birth.

"But it’s miserable not to eat! I love the food here. It’s fine, I’m not afraid of getting fat. Dingzi says he likes it," Marina said, completely unconcerned.

Gu’er was taken aback for a moment. ’Actually, being thin isn’t in fashion right now, and neither is dieting. Many families can’t even afford to eat their fill, so how could they possibly get fat? There are hardly any fat people around, so who would go on a diet? In this era, if a woman is a little plump, it proves her family is well-off. It’s a sign of prosperity, and people would say she’s blessed.’

Gu’er also knew that foreign girls, especially those from Russia, matured early. They were exceptionally beautiful before marriage, but after getting married and having children, they often became stout and matronly, turning into "aunties" who seemed to age faster than people in China. ’I hope Marina can be an exception and not turn into a stout aunty,’ she thought. ’But she really loves to eat. After she gives birth, I’ll have to drag her out to get more exercise.’

The two of them talked and chatted, had lunch, and took a nap. In the afternoon, Li Zhi and Dingzi returned.

Seeing them enter the house, Gu’er quickly poured them hot tea and brought out some food, worried they hadn’t eaten.

And indeed, the two of them hadn’t eaten. They told Gu’er and the others what had happened while they ate.

When they arrived at the Liu family’s home yesterday, Liu Fang and her child were still unconscious. They knocked on the door, handed them over, gave the Liu Family some instructions, and then left.

They spent the night at the nursing home. They had to admit, the place was really nice now. There were a lot of elderly residents, and it was running properly and very well-managed.

They slept on a heated kang bed that night, so they didn’t feel cold at all.

Today, they took the belongings and went back to the Liu family’s home. When they got there, a large crowd had gathered at the entrance. Liu Fang’s sister-in-law was in the middle of cursing her out. Liu Fang had woken up that morning, and the moment she realized she was at her parents’ house, she understood everything. She had tried to leave with her child, telling her family that she wouldn’t stay, that she had to go, and that she refused to remain in her parents’ home. But her family wouldn’t let her.

No matter what Liu Fang said after that, her family refused to let her go. They told her to give up hope and not even think about leaving. When Liu Fang realized her family’s mind was set, she actually ran and slammed her head against a wall.

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Thank you to Feng Ling Root Carving for the sachet, thank you to ’meikonglijie201314’ for the peace charm, and thank you to ’nianhuakaibian’ and Wang Xinduan for the monthly tickets. The school needs a report, and I worked on it until midnight yesterday. I don’t know how late I’ll be working on it today. It’s a real hassle. Once it’s done, I will post the bonus Chapter for the 60 monthly tickets.