Reborn in the 70s: Pampered by Regiment Commander
Chapter 204 - 156 Zhou Family Members

Chapter 204: Chapter 156 Zhou Family Members

The first watch of the night had arrived.

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The Zhou family’s home bustled with activity from early in the morning, and even Old Madam Zhou, who was not very satisfied with the marriage, dressed up newly and waited in the main hall early on.

In the past few days, Old Master Zhou had not stopped persuading her: it was a rare moment for her grandson to open up and substantial progress had been made in his relationship with his eldest son. If she continued to oppose, it would only drive her grandson and the family members farther apart.

The latter remark struck a chord with the old lady. She had not been blind to the hardships her eldest son endured these years. If her opposition were to cause the thawing father-son relationship to enter another ice age, and damage her own relationship with them... Well, if her grandson liked his match and it contributed to family harmony, why should she persist in being disagreeable?

Those in the Zhou family who knew Old Madam Zhou’s temperament well realized that when her face finally brightened, the issue was likely over for now, and the weight that had been pressing on their hearts seemed to lift.

With Old Madam Zhou’s temperament, if she did not come to terms with the situation, it was quite possible she would cause the Lin family to lose face in front of all the relatives and friends at the engagement banquet. Or worse, she might simply refuse to attend; even if the Lin family members didn’t mind, what would outsiders think?

The trouble was, Old Madam Zhou was just like that; when she was unhappy, she wouldn’t care how outsiders viewed the Zhou family. But this time, her change of attitude truly brought relief to everyone.

Old Master Zhou also quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Marrying Old Madam Zhou had been in obedience to his father’s command.

He too once had a childhood sweetheart, but his martial father insisted that he marry into the martial arts family of Xie Mingyue, who was Old Madam Zhou.

Xie Mingyue was kind-hearted and straightforward. If she liked someone, she would be incredibly tolerant, and if she disliked them, she could be equally cold. Now that she was older, she had become much more moderated, and to those who didn’t know her well, she might even seem a kind old lady.

However, to those she liked, she indeed was a kind old lady. To Old Master Zhou, her change in attitude this time was indeed a pleasant surprise. A younger Xie Mingyue definitely wouldn’t have had such a change of heart.

In fact, the temperament of their grandson, Zhou Mikang, resembled the old lady quite a lot. Perhaps this was also the reason—as soon as he mentioned the grandson distancing himself from her, she grew fearful.

Zhou Xiangping, the fourth younger sister of Zhou Mikang, quietly observed Old Madam Zhou’s expression. Sitting down beside her grandmother, she flattered her with childlike charm, "Grandma, you look truly beautiful today, outshining all of us."

Today, Old Madam Zhou wore a purple-red cheongsam made of velvet, subtly adorned with gold thread, elegant and luxurious.

"Is that so?" Old Madam Zhou glanced at her skeptically, "Do you think I’m senile now?"

"Hehe..." Zhou Jiping, the second sister, moved closer, "Grandma, what the fourth sister said is true. With your grace and poise, none of us can compare."

Lin Yanqiu, the prospective mother-in-law, quickly picked up on her daughter’s cue, "Mother, you truly are an elegant old lady today." It took efforts to finally welcome a daughter-in-law; she didn’t want to see the mother-in-law ruin it. At this point, she was happy to appease Old Madam Zhou in any way she could.

"Enough, you think I don’t know what you’re all getting at?" Old Madam Zhou rolled her eyes, "Today is my grandson’s engagement day. I’m in good spirits."

That meant everyone could rest assured that, even if she had to pretend, she would get through the day just fine.

Old Madam Zhou was a woman of her word. With her assurance, the crowd genuinely felt relief.

While the younger generation busied themselves with preparations, Old Master Zhou sat beside his wife with a chuckle, "My dear, the children may be trying to flatter you, but today’s outfit really does suit you well."

"Really?" Old Madam Zhou eyed Old Master Zhou doubtfully, "Don’t you join in with their commotion."

"We’ve been husband and wife all our lives, do you think I would lie to you over something so trivial? If that was my intention, my way of persuading these past few days would have been very different. Think about it, isn’t that the case?"

Old Madam Zhou thought hard for a while and finally nodded in agreement. Indeed, Old Master Zhou had been urging her, but he had never tried to endear himself to her to make a point.

"This dress really does suit you," said Old Master Zhou, scrutinizing Old Madam Zhou with admiration filling his gaze.

What woman, regardless of age, doesn’t wish to look beautiful?

Old Madam Zhou was no exception. After so many years of marriage, this was the first time Old Master Zhou had complimented her choice of clothing. There was no change on her face, but her heart was overjoyed.

She had seen Old Master Zhou’s childhood sweetheart, that old Madam, who was of advanced years yet remained graceful and tranquil. When she spoke, her voice was gentle and soft, and even as a woman herself, one couldn’t help but want to take a few more glances at her.

Thus, in matters of dressing and personal demeanor, she harbored deep-seated insecurities. Now being looked at and praised in such a manner by her partner, how could she not feel elated?

The smile rapidly filled her eyes. It was all because after seeing that woman’s attire, on a whim, she had decided to make such a piece of clothing. Now it seemed she had truly made the right decision.

"Who knows, maybe by next year we’ll be holding a great-grandchild," Old Master Zhou now chose his words for what his wife loved to hear. There were quite a few couples their age in the neighborhood who had great-grandchildren and flaunted it whenever they met, which certainly didn’t please the old lady.

Indeed, hearing these words, the old madam’s eyes brightened with joy, and in a moment, she even felt that accepting a new great-granddaughter-in-law wouldn’t be so bad.

But then, a layer of concern quickly overshadowed her face. Their eldest grandson, Zhou Xikang, had been married for over two years and there was still no sign of his wife being pregnant. They had consulted many experts who said that while both were healthy, there was an issue with the sperm and egg rejecting each other. They had been under treatment for over a year now, but still without any results.

"On this happy day, don’t think too much about it," Old Master Zhou said, seeing his wife’s expression and immediately comforted her by patting her hand.

The old madam sighed, "In a few days, we’ll have Xi Kang and Tao check again to see if there’s any progress."

"Alright, whatever you say, but right now, let’s focus on the current celebration," Old Master Zhou patted the old madam, "let’s not give the kids the wrong impression."

Old Madam Zhou forced a smile, her expression softening slightly. At that moment, their eldest granddaughter-in-law, Yu Tao, walked in looking haggard. She greeted everyone busily before heading straight to see Old Master Zhou and Old Madam Zhou: "Grandpa, Grandma, I’m back."

The old madam pointed to the seat opposite her as a gesture for her to sit, "Is your mother feeling any better?" Yu Tao’s mother had heart surgery, and the Yu family members were taking turns to keep her company in the hospital.

"Much better..." despite her exhaustion, Yu Tao’s smile was genuine, "She started to have liquid food from yesterday. The doctor says she’s recovering extraordinarily well, and in about a month, she should be as good as a healthy person."

"Good, good, that’s good to hear," Old Madam Zhou said, her smile growing more relaxed, "I wanted to visit her yesterday, but your grandpa wouldn’t let me, said it might disturb your mother’s rest."

"Grandma, you’re too polite, we’re family, there’s no need for such formalities," Yu Tao looked gratefully at the old couple, "My mom and dad told me to take really good care of you.

The two aunts that Grandpa and Grandma sent to help have been so professional. We siblings can’t even compare to them. The surgery was largely thanks to Grandma and mother-in-law’s efforts, I..."

"Child..." the old madam interrupted her, "We’re all family, there’s no need for such outside formalities," she said, patting Yu Tao’s hand, "Go back to your room and rest for a bit. The others will probably take a little while to arrive; we’ll have Aunt Zhang call you when needed."

"Grandma, I’ll just wash my face, that’ll be enough. I’ve already slept for several hours tonight. Haven’t I already told you? The ones you and grandpa sent to help are true professionals; we didn’t need to worry at all," Yu Tao said, standing up and heading to the washroom.

Old Master Zhou let out a small sigh, "My dear, they’re all our granddaughters-in-law, and with time comes affection."

Old Madam Zhou gave Old Master Zhou a sharp look, remaining silent. Having spent a lifetime together, how could she not understand her partner’s meaning? He was essentially telling her to treat them both equally and not to play favorites to the extent of hurting the other granddaughter-in-law’s feelings.

Actually, there wasn’t much to do, but Zhou Mikang had been estranged from the family over the years and had always refused to get married. Now that he had finally agreed, everyone was excited. It seemed that in order to feel more confident, they were all busy without really having anything to do—wiping here, washing there, wiping again, inspecting again...

Lin Yanqiu, Liang Xiaohong, and Liu Lingmei, who had just returned last night, even got down to cooking themselves.

As for this niece-in-law whom they had not met before, Liu Lingmei was filled with curiosity. She occasionally peeked toward the entrance, eager to find out just what kind of girl could touch the heart of that stubborn young man.

She had worried no small amount over the love life of the stubborn one. Whenever she came across a likeable girl with good prospects, she thought of him, but to no avail—the stubborn one wouldn’t even give them a glance, outright rejecting them. Eventually, he even stopped bothering to talk to her.

If she hadn’t watched him grow up and hadn’t known how much suffering he had endured, she would not have been so concerned. It was quite the frustration, making her feel awkward in either situation.

One by one, the younger members of the family also arrived, and soon the house was buzzing with noise.

When Chuxia and her group entered the house, they found myriad gazes shining on them like searchlights. Zhao Yulan, Lin Baohe, Zhao Yushan, and Li Aiyuan immediately felt their legs weaken.

Fortunately, they all remembered not to embarrass Chuxia. Despite their nerves, stiff smiles were plastered on their faces. With so many people, it was hard to make eye contact, so they simply faced forward.

Chuxia herself felt a bit overwhelmed looking around the room filled with Zhou family members. There were so many! It seemed like there were thirty or forty people. It was lucky that the Zhou family’s house was large enough. Otherwise, accommodating so many people would have been a challenge. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your vote of recommendation or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)