Chapter 113: The Arrival of the Mother-in-Law

Good evening.

It wasn’t that Lu Kun was easily startled or unfamiliar with such scenes; just looking at his mother-in-law Lin’s attire told him everything.

On a long carrying pole, there was half a slab of pork hanging at the front, along with two live chickens. At the back were two sacks—one large, filled with fine millet, and a smaller one containing two more bags, red beans and green beans respectively.

“Liping, quickly bring a glass of water, and remember to add plenty of sugar,” Lu Kun hurriedly said.

Knowing that his mother-in-law had gone to such lengths to bring so many things from afar for him and the child, Lu Kun understood that Lin truly cared for him as a son-in-law.

As for Liu Liping... if she weren’t pregnant, Lin would probably have ignored her altogether by now.

“Where’s my precious granddaughter? Where have the eldest and second girls gone?” Lin asked, removing the small towel from her shoulder to wipe her sweat.

“They went out to play; they probably won’t be back for a while. They were so excited when they heard you were coming today,” Lu Kun quickly explained.

“Oh, I see. They must have been waiting a long time. It’s all that old man at home who’s dragging his feet and holding me back. Otherwise, I’d have been here much earlier,” Lin nodded, a hint of regret in her voice, then grumbled about her husband.

Lu Kun twitched the corner of his mouth.

He knew well that his father-in-law was a stingy old man, one who only took and never gave. Seeing Lin carrying so many things out, he was surely fuming inside.

He was probably still sulking at home right now.

That old man was quite the character—despite his age, his temper was still fiery, like a firecracker ready to ignite at the slightest spark.

Lu Kun remembered the first time Liu Liping brought him home to meet the family; that old man had picked up a carrying pole without a word and threatened to break Lu Kun’s leg.

He was a stubborn old man, and at Liu’s house, only Lin could keep him in check. No one else’s words mattered.

“Mother-in-law, this load is way too heavy. You must be exhausted bringing this all the way here,” Lu Kun said as he tested the weight of the pole. Even as a strong young man, it felt heavy. He couldn’t imagine how Lin managed it.

“It’s nothing. The main challenge is the road from the village to the town; other times I usually take a vehicle, so it’s not too tiring. Besides, this is much easier than when I used to go up the mountain to cut grass to sell,” Lin said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

Lu Kun was familiar with the grass-cutting business. Back in the days of communal meals, farmers only received minimal rations for their work, and money was always tight. To earn extra cash, they had to walk over ten li to the mountains, cut grass, and carry it back to sell.

A hundred pounds of dried grass would fetch barely more than a dime.

In those times, the hills of ten or eight neighboring villages were bare—grass had been stripped clean by impoverished farmers.

...

Lu Kun lifted the slab of pork, estimating it weighed over forty pounds. The two live chickens were plump and well-fed.

He rubbed some millet between his fingers and found it to be premium quality. The red and green beans were plump and vibrant in color.

It was clear that Lin had chosen all these items with great care.

“How is it? Good stuff, right?” Lin said with a touch of pride.

Lu Kun felt moved. His mother-in-law treated him like her own son—no less than she would her own children.

“Mother-in-law, this... this is too generous,” Lu Kun said politely, deeply touched by her kindness.

“Don’t talk like that. It’s all homegrown. Look at these chickens—their eyes are bright because they were hatched from chicks bought with the money you gave me when you moved,” Lin diverted the conversation.

Lu Kun recalled giving Lin some money, around a few hundred yuan, when he moved.

“Liping, that stubborn girl, is she trying to starve me? Why is it taking so long to bring a glass of water?” Lin grumbled again during the brief moment Lu Kun went to fetch the fan from storage.

Lu Kun had anticipated this and quickly carried the fan out to distract his mother-in-law.

It was almost the end of the year, yet he was bringing out a fan—it felt odd to him.

The temperature had risen in the past few days, probably over twenty degrees Celsius.

With Lin carrying such a heavy load all the way here, she was drenched in sweat, and no matter how much she wiped, it wouldn’t stop.

Only then did Lu Kun think to bring out the fan.

“Mother-in-law, Liping is pregnant,” Lu Kun quickly pointed out.

Upon hearing this, Lin’s mouth opened wide, and she stifled the scolding she was about to unleash.

In the living room, Lin circled around Liu Liping three times, her eyes flickering strangely, making Liping somewhat uneasy.

“Strange, strange, really strange,” Lin murmured, stroking her chin.

“What’s strange, mother-in-law?” Lu Kun smiled and asked.

He knew well that Lin had a unique skill: whenever a woman’s pregnancy showed, she could predict the baby’s gender with remarkable accuracy.

“Why does it look like there might be two?” Lin said uncertainly, pointing at Liu Liping’s belly.

“Two?!” Lu Kun and Liu Liping exchanged a glance, their faces alight with joy.

“Mother, are you sure?” Liu Liping swallowed hard and asked anxiously.

“That’s why I said it’s strange—I’m not sure,” Lin rolled her eyes.

Liu Liping was speechless.

“Mother-in-law, how confident are you?” Lu Kun asked almost simultaneously.

“Maybe twenty or thirty percent. It’s still early; it’s hard to tell. I think we’ll need to wait another month or so to be sure,” Lin explained, looking at Lu Kun.

Regardless, the possibility of twins stirred great excitement in the couple.

...

“Kunzi, come help me kill a chicken!” Lin was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, calling out.

Lu Kun wanted to let her rest and do it himself, but she convinced him otherwise with her argument that “real men don’t avoid the kitchen.”

As for Liu Liping, being pregnant, Lin certainly wouldn’t let her help in the kitchen.

“All right, I’m coming!” Lu Kun replied quickly, not caring to continue his tender moments with his wife in the inner room.

He knew both Lin and his wife were stubborn. They grew attached to their chickens and were hesitant to kill them.

Lu Kun was better at it. After reciting the “Little chicken, little chicken, don’t be mad” chant, he swiftly dispatched the fat chicken with one stroke.

Naturally, Lin then shooed him out of the kitchen.