Chapter 32: Chapter 32: The Ugly Son-in-Law Meets His Mother-in-Law

At the foot of the mountain in Xujia Village, Xu Huaian was anxiously waiting with his two children.

“Daddy, do you think Grandma will like us?” Beibei nestled in her father’s arms, her little face full of nerves.

Ever since they learned that their mother had gone to fetch their grandmother, the siblings had been anxious and uneasy, afraid that their grandmother would dislike them for being burdens and wouldn’t like them.

Although Dabao didn’t voice his worries, the expression on his face gave him away.

Xu Huaian didn’t know how to comfort the two children, because he was just as nervous himself.

He could only pat their heads and say, “Of course she will.”

“Daddy, I want to change into the new sweater Mom bought me,” Beibei suddenly said, sitting up.

Xu Huaian saw right through Beibei’s thoughts.

“Beibei, whether Grandma likes you or not has nothing to do with whether you’re wearing new or old clothes. If she likes you, she’ll like you even if you’re in old clothes.”

Although people often judge by appearances first, that didn’t apply here.

Gu Qinghuan’s mother wasn’t the kind of person who would like them just because they dressed nicely. Some things can’t be changed by a piece of clothing.

Beibei leaned helplessly into her father’s arms. She was truly afraid of losing her mother, and the life she had now.

Xu Huaian sighed. “But if you feel that wearing the new sweater will give you courage, then go ahead and change.”

He just wanted to tell the children that attention gained by pleasing others or lowering oneself never lasts. What matters most is being true to yourself.

Dabao understood what his father meant and earnestly comforted his little sister.

“Beibei, as long as we behave and do what we can to help, and don’t cause trouble for Mom, Grandma will like us eventually.”

Beibei struggled for a while, but in the end, she gave up on changing into new clothes. Instead, she carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on her old ones.

—

Gu Qinghuan brought Zhong Zijun into the village, sneaking quietly all the way, and finally made it home without incident.

Hearing the knock at the door, the two children rushed out. “Mom!”

When the door opened, they saw that besides Mom, there was another person—could that be Grandma?

Dabao and Beibei shrank by the door and called out softly, “Grandma.”

By the light of the flashlight, Zhong Zijun looked at the two small, skinny figures by the door.

The nervousness on their faces was obvious.

Her good upbringing made her naturally walk over.

“Hello, dears. Come inside, it’s cold out here.”

Gu Qinghuan breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how angry Zhong Zijun was, she wouldn’t make things difficult for the children.

Seeing that this grandma was kind and spoke gently, the two children immediately relaxed.

“Grandma, come in and sit! Daddy’s waiting for you.” The two little ones led Zhong Zijun toward the east room.

Zhong Zijun was eager to see her new son-in-law and didn’t bother with formalities, following the children straight in.

Gu Qinghuan took Zhong Zijun’s luggage to the west room to settle it.

Meanwhile, Zhong Zijun followed the children to the east room and met Xu Huaian for the first time.

Before coming, she had imagined countless scenarios.

Maybe he was a rough, burly man with a full beard.

Maybe he was dull-witted, lying in bed drooling.

Maybe he was sinister and vicious, prone to wild outbursts.

…

But she hadn’t expected to see a young man with delicate features, bright eyes, and a refined, handsome air—just terribly thin, with a hint of frailty.

He was sitting calmly and gracefully on the kang. When he saw her enter, he immediately spoke, “Mom, you’ve had a long journey. If you don’t mind, please have a seat on the kang.”

In the north, it’s normal to invite guests to sit on the kang.

Zhong Zijun felt herself relax a little. This was much better than she’d imagined.

But then she was startled. Wasn’t he supposed to be bedridden and unable to move for years? Some kind of neurological illness?

He didn’t seem to have any problems at all—he even spoke so normally.

It just so happened that Xu Huaian was having a rare moment of clarity.

The anger in Zhong Zijun’s heart dissipated all at once, and she greeted him politely.

“You’re Huaian, right? I’m Huanhuan’s mother. I’ll be troubling you for a while.”

She sat down by the edge of the kang.

Xu Huaian had braced himself for her scolding and accusations, but he hadn’t expected such a calm conversation. The fists he’d been clenching under the covers finally relaxed—he wasn’t immune to nerves, after all.

The two children nestled obediently beside him, giving him strength.

“Mom, you’re too polite. We’re all family here.”

Xu Huaian noticed the probing look in Zhong Zijun’s eyes. He took the initiative to lift the quilt, revealing his bound lower body, and explained, a little embarrassed and helpless,

“Mom, you want to know about my illness, right? When I’m not clear-headed, I have to be tied up completely. Right now, I’m lucid, so I’ve loosened the bindings a bit to move around. Don’t worry, I’ve been feeling much more stable lately—I won’t hurt anyone.”

Seeing is believing. When Zhong Zijun saw his legs tied up under the quilt, her first feeling wasn’t fear or disgust, but a pang of sadness and heaviness.

This young man was polite and good-looking—it was impossible to dislike him.

He’d once been a soldier. Winning a first-class merit wasn’t something just anyone could do. Now, in this state, he must be the one suffering the most.

No wonder her daughter kept speaking up for him. Even she herself couldn’t bear to be harsh.

“Child, it must be hard being tied up like this for so long, unable to move.” Zhong Zijun gently held his calf, only to find that beneath the pant leg, it was all skin and bone—there wasn’t an ounce of flesh.

She’d heard from Huanhuan that his parents hadn’t treated him well and that he was starved to skin and bones, but she hadn’t expected it to be this bad.

Even in the worst days in the cowshed, they hadn’t gotten this thin. She could only imagine what kind of hell he’d been through.

As a mother, how could she bear to see this? Zhong Zijun turned away, quietly wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.

At this moment, she was hardly opposed to the two of them making a life together anymore.

Xu Huaian hadn’t expected Zhong Zijun to be so distressed over his legs, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to feel. His heart ached, and he quickly nudged the two children.

Dabao and Beibei understood and crawled over to comfort Zhong Zijun. “Grandma, don’t cry.”

Xu Huaian also tried to reassure her. “Mom, I’m not suffering.”

But how could he not be suffering!

They were all pitiful people. Zhong Zijun didn’t want to say anything harsh anymore, and instead began asking about the children’s daily lives.

Dabao and Beibei sat in her lap, taking turns telling her about their past, making Zhong Zijun’s heart ache and bringing her to tears again and again.

Before long, the two children had her laughing with their antics.

When Gu Qinghuan came in, she was greeted by this warm, harmonious scene and wondered if she’d walked into the wrong house.

Wasn’t her mother all fired up when she arrived?

How had they become so close in such a short time?"