Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 118 Taking a Walk at Night

Grandma looked on with curiosity: "Zhijun, I'm really curious, how did you develop such a forgiving and easygoing personality? Your older brother is considered a good man in the neighborhood. He respects his wife and would never lay a hand on his family, but he has many of the bad habits that men have these days. If Zhou Jie were like Jingyan, always thinking about this and that and not willing to focus on taking care of the family, they would definitely argue all the time and would never have such a peaceful life."

Your dad is extremely controlling. You see, your mom is quite decisive at the hospital, and she seems to be in charge at home most of the time, but when something happens, she doesn't dare to make decisions on her own; she needs your dad's approval first.

However, Jingyan habitually solves problems on her own. Although she often consults with you, I can tell that she's just asking for your opinion. If you disagree, her opinion will ultimately take precedence.

"A woman like that is wonderful, but she might hurt a man's pride after marriage. However, it seems you genuinely don't mind her like that; on the contrary, you respect her and even find various reasonable excuses for her. How do you manage to be so magnanimous?"

He Zhijun touched his nose. "She is indeed quite independent and used to making her own decisions. My fourth sister told me before that the reason she is like this might be because of her experience. She said that although she was the youngest child in the family and the most loved by her parents, her situation began to change after her father passed away when she was eight years old."

There were eight siblings in her family. After her father passed away, there were still four children in the family who needed her mother to support. Although her eldest and second eldest brothers could also help, the main burden was still on her mother. At that time, she still relied on her mother and older siblings.

But when she was fifteen, her mother passed away, leaving her and her fourth sister unmarried. The two sisters lived in the old house, but Jingyan's third brother, instead of protecting his sister, was instigated by his wife to try and take back the old house.

Fourth Sister only knows how to cry when things go wrong and can't stand up for herself at all. So Jingyan had to fight with her third brother and sister-in-law. She single-handedly suppressed the couple. Although her eldest and second brothers later found out and rushed back to help clean up the mess, she was the one who shouldered the most difficult time.

Later, it seemed that her fourth sister was in charge of things at home, but Jingyan still made the decisions when something happened. It was probably because of this experience that she subconsciously didn't want to rely on others completely. After I married her, although she accepted me quickly on the surface, I could feel that she didn't really trust me.

Even now, she will live a good life with me and treat me very well, but if I ever do anything to hurt her, she will not hesitate to leave me. Although I cannot fully understand her lack of security, I can be tolerant of it.

Moreover, over the past few years, I've actually felt that she's been trying her best to change. She's started to act like a more feminine woman, comforting me and waiting for me to come home to ask for my opinion when things aren't urgent. I can see all of this, and I cherish the trust she gives me even more.

"Grandma, I truly love her. It's not the kind of love I had at the beginning when I proposed to her because she was pretty. Now I feel sorry for her, I like her, and I admire her. Anyway, I know that if I have to separate from her now, I will be very, very sad." He Zhijun squatted down in front of his grandmother, held her knees, looked up into her eyes, and spoke firmly.

Grandma patted his shoulder with a sigh: "Your parents are not as insightful as you. How can my little grandson be so outstanding and considerate? It's really hard to imagine that your parents could have such a child."

He Zhijun was amused by his grandmother's words: "These are things I gradually came to understand through my interactions with Jingyan. After all, beautiful people are always more willing to listen to them, and she is also willing to tell me her thoughts directly. I guess it's a matter of mutual understanding."

After tidying up their change of clothes, the grandfather and grandson came out of the room. He Zhijun happily hugged his son, watching his little arms and legs kicking energetically, and he was even more delighted.

Sister Wang prepared dinner, and everyone sat down at the table to eat. Jingyan asked He Zhijun to put the child back in the room, but He Zhijun felt that he hadn't seen the child for half a month and missed him too much, so he didn't agree. Jingyan was too lazy to say anything to him, since she wasn't the one suffering.

When He Zhijun started eating, he finally understood why Jingyan had asked him to put the child back in the room. The six or seven-month-old child had already started eating complementary foods, so his sense of taste had become much more sensitive. Watching He Zhijun eat vegetables and meat, An'an stared intently at He Zhijun's... mouth, and her own mouth moved as if she could eat it too.

An'an occasionally let out a couple of "ah ah" sounds and patted He Zhijun haphazardly with her little hands, almost knocking the chopsticks out of his hand once. Grandma and Sister Wang would keep an eye on An'an, but Jingyan kept her eyes down and focused on eating, not giving her husband and son a single glance.

After fussing for a while, An'an realized she couldn't get anything to eat and started to fuss. She tried to get her little bottom off He Zhijun's arm, and with that fierce and unruly attitude, it was clear she wouldn't be easy to discipline when she grew up; she had quite a temper.

Even after he made such a fuss, He Zhijun refused to let him go back inside, still clinging to the child in his arms. Jing Yan quickly finished her meal, put down her chopsticks, and reached out to An'an. An'an immediately tried to snuggle into his mother's arms, and He Zhijun took the opportunity to hand the child to Jing Yan, asking hypocritically, "Are you full? If you're not full, you can eat slowly. I'll hold you for now."

Jing Yan was too lazy to speak. She took the child and stared intently into He Jin'an's eyes. An'an, who had been wriggling and trying to eat the food on the table, slowly stopped. After looking into Jing Yan's eyes and confirming that her mother was angry, she pouted pitifully and stared longingly at the dining table.

Seeing that the child had gradually calmed down, the others also quickened their eating pace. After finishing their meal, Sister Wang went to the kitchen and ladled out a small bowl of the vegetable porridge that had been cooked before the meal and handed it to Jingyan: "It's almost cooled down, you can feed the child now."

Jingyan took the bowl, smiled, said thank you, and began to slowly feed An'an with a small spoon. An'an ate the flavorful, soft vegetable porridge, clapped her little hands, and bounced her bottom up and down to express her happiness.

He Zhijun asked, "Can he start eating this kind of complementary food now? Before, he was just eating plain porridge."

Grandma explained from the side, "We also feed him plain porridge. We choose one of the vegetable porridge and meat porridge to feed him every other day. After all, we add salt to it. It's okay to give the child a little taste, but if he eats it all the time, I'm afraid his taste will become too strong and it won't be good for his health."

Watching the small bowl of vegetable porridge slowly empty, Jingyan scraped the last spoonful clean and fed it to the child. After An'an finished eating, he smacked his lips, looking like he wanted more, which amused He Zhijun: "This child really has a good appetite, he finished such a small bowl."

Grandma looked at her great-grandson with loving eyes, saying, "Boys are lucky if they can eat a lot."

He Zhijun took An'an from Jing Yan's arms, placed him on his lap, and held him with his arm to prevent him from falling. "Was Xiao Li's appetite this big back then?" He Zhijun asked.

When his nephew was born, he had already joined the army and had never seen the child. Later, when he occasionally came back, Ho Chiu-lai was already running and jumping. He really didn't know such details and hadn't paid attention to them when he didn't have children.

Grandma shook her head: "I'm not too sure about that either. I was in a nursing home when Xiaoli was born. Your father just sent me the news of the birth. He was already two years old when I saw him."

However, I've heard your mother mention occasionally that your sister-in-law didn't have enough breast milk and had to feed her with formula. She suffered a lot taking care of the baby back then. Your brother isn't the type to be considerate, and your parents also had to work, so they didn't dare hire anyone to help take care of the baby at that time.

Your sister-in-law shouldered all the burdens at home on her own, and she suffered a lot. Fortunately, her mother came to help take care of her during her postpartum period. When her mother went back, she brought back a lot of things as a way of thanking her for her help. Although her mother wasn't treated unfairly, this matter has always been a knot in your mother's heart.

Because your sister-in-law wanted another child, but she couldn't get pregnant again. Although the hospital didn't find anything wrong when she took her for a checkup, your mother always felt that it was because she hadn't taken good care of your sister-in-law back then. If you ask me, it's no one's fault; it's just that the timing wasn't right.

But Grandma thinks it depends on the person. If your sister-in-law had half of Jingyan's toughness, your brother wouldn't still be a hands-off boss; he would have been completely subdued long ago. She's too soft-hearted.

He Zhijun laughed: "It's good that my sister-in-law is like this. If she were really like Jing Yan, my brother's family would be in real trouble. It would be chaotic. If they started fighting, I don't know if my brother would fight back." He chuckled a few times as he said this.

Jingyan sat next to him, her gaze cool as she looked at the back of his head. He Zhijun suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He turned his head and met Jingyan's cold expression. Feeling a little flustered, he rubbed his fingers together and forced a smile, "Jingyan is very good, especially good. Look how harmonious our family is, it's all thanks to Jingyan."

“Keep making things up,” Jing Yan said coldly.

He Zhijun couldn't continue speaking and could only force a dry smile. His grandmother found their interaction extremely amusing. It was the first time she had seen her unruly grandson smile so obsequiously, and watching him soften was truly entertaining.

"What kind of person am I in your eyes? Since we're on the topic today, tell me the truth so I can know and maybe I can correct my shortcomings. Don't worry, I'm usually very receptive to advice."

Jing Yan spoke in a gentle voice, but He Zhijun still felt a little uneasy. He coughed his dry, itchy throat and said, "You're great, but you're a bit short-tempered. You do what you think of, and your execution is top-notch."

"Tell me about the shortcomings," Jing Yan said calmly.

He Zhijun mustered his courage: "If you encounter any problems in the future, you can try to rely on me. I feel like nothing can stump you. You can change light bulbs by yourself and don't need me. You never confided in me about your anxiety when you arrived in a new place. I didn't even know that you almost got lost when you first came. If Yuan Xiaoling hadn't mentioned it when I was chatting with Liu Qiang and the others a while ago, I wouldn't have known at all."

“These are all minor things. Getting lost that time was just an accident. It’s because this area is full of alleyways, with all sorts of twists and turns, that’s why I couldn’t find my way back. But now I know this area like the back of my hand. I can find my way back no matter which alleyway I go through. Isn’t that amazing?” Jing Yan looked like she wanted praise.

He Zhijun was amused by her: "I just don't want you to work too hard, but as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Now that you have a child, you'll be even more tired in the future."

“It won’t be as tiring as it was for my sister-in-law back then. Taking care of children is really the most tiring job of all, both physically and mentally exhausting,” Jingyan comforted gently.

“From now on, whenever I’m home, I’ll take care of the kids, so I can share some of the burden with you,” He Zhijun requested.

Jingyan nodded happily and took his hand: "Shall we go for a walk? The moonlight is lovely tonight."

He Zhijun happily handed the child in his arms to his grandmother: "Grandma, Jingyan and I are going out for a walk. Please take care of An'an for us."

Grandma took the child with a smile, "Oh my, this child is almost a little chubby dumpling, so chubby!"

Watching the grandmother playing with her grandson, the couple went out hand in hand: "In another month, An'an will be able to start talking. Do you want him to call me 'Dad' or 'Mom' first?" Jingyan teased him.

"You can call me whatever you want first. You'll call me 'Dad' sooner or later, so I'm not in a rush. But I won't graduate from university until July 1981, so you'll have to work hard for another two years. I'm a little reluctant to see you suffer. Although I don't have any other subsidies now, my monthly salary is enough for our expenses. If you feel tired, rest more and don't ruin your health."

I'd wanted to tell you these things for a long time, but I was worried you'd think I was just making excuses to stop you from doing business, so I never told you directly. Now I actually understand you a little better.

"You're not trying to make money because you feel your family's savings are too small, it seems like only making money can put your mind at ease. If this is the sense of security you want, I will fully support you." He Zhijun said very solemnly.

Jingyan felt a warm current flowing through her heart, making her eyes sting. She looked up at the moon in the night sky, her voice choked with emotion: "Zhijun, thank you for your understanding and tolerance."

He Zhijun hugged her, letting her chin rest on his shoulder, and gently stroked her hair. Jingyan let him hold her, tears streaming down her face. All the fortitude she had endured in her previous life, and the repression and unease of the past few years in this life, seemed to have flowed away with her tears at this moment. She felt an unprecedented sense of comfort and peace in her heart.

Saying goodbye to the past, from this moment on, she can finally offer her heart again in the tender care and sincere treatment of her lover. No matter what the future holds, at least now, she firmly believes that even if there are thorns all ahead, she will not regret it when she looks back on this moment at the end of her life. That is enough.