....
At the dinner table, Han Yi and Mr. Mei talked about their plan to return to Z City. Han Yi originally planned to leave the day after tomorrow.
But Mei Shuping wasnât very agreeable.
"Take your time, Iâve already arranged for your leave until the ninth. Itâs not often you come here, spend more time with us at home. Besides, I heard the weather forecast today, it seems thereâs going to be a storm in the next couple of days. Snow is fine, but if it rains heavily when youâre leaving, driving alone with Xiao Wan and Xingxing, how can we be at ease? You should wait a couple of days and leave after the fifth."
"Yes, stay a couple more days," Mr. Mei said with a raspy voice, sincerely wanting his grandson to stay longer.
Han Yi paused and then looked at Lin Wan to seek his wifeâs opinion. A couple of days earlier or later didnât make much difference to Lin Wan.
Seeing Han Yi consulting Lin Wan, Mr. Mei quickly asked Lin Wan as well, smiling, "Xiao Wan, what do you think?"
"Then letâs wait for two days," she said. If the weather forecast predicted rain, waiting a couple of days wouldnât hurt.
Mr. Mei laughed gladly. Actually, he had hoped Xiao Wan would have the child here. But her father was initially against it.
Besides, it would indeed be troublesome here. After the child is born, during the confinement period, apart from Liang Qian, thereâs really no one to take care of her.
Mei Shuping heard his fatherâs voice, and frowned, realizing his fatherâs throat hadnât gotten better after many days. He thought about taking him to the hospital for a thorough check-up after the fifteenth.
The family leisurely finished dinner, and somehow, Old Mrs. Mei found a Mahjong set.
Mr. Mei got out two sets of chess and set up a few tables in the living room. The family cracked melon seeds and played chess.
The women played Mahjong.
Old Mrs. Mei didnât play, letting her daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law play instead.
She wasnât trying to ease relations but rather to stir up trouble among them.
Knowing full well they didnât get along.
Liang Qian saw this and chuckled, "Big sister-in-law, letâs decide on the stakes first."
"One point," Xie Lingzhi replied, turning to look at Ye Qing, who was yawning, with a cold expression, clearly not wanting to play.
It was two against two, her and her daughter-in-law against the two of them, clearly at a disadvantage. Although she wasnât sure about Lin Wanâs skill level, from Ye Qingâs state, it was clear she couldnât play well.
Plus, being someone with mental illness, if something triggered a sudden episode in the middle of the game, it would just cause trouble for them.
Moreover, during this time, many people from the military district came to visit and pay respects. If word got out that her daughter-in-law was mentally ill, the familyâs reputation would be ruined.
Especially in the future, if her family member Xiao Chi faced outside scrutiny and couldnât easily divorce, people would surely say her son was heartless.
"One point it is then," Liang Qian said, pulling Lin Wan to sit down. Actually, she didnât want to play either. When it came to card skills, she couldnât beat Xie Lingzhi, who lived in the cardrooms.
Lin Wan knew how to play but wasnât skilled, and Ye Qing also knew but had no energy in her current state. She was just forced into it and couldnât opt-out.
So, Xie Lingzhi sat first, followed by Ye Qing, then Lin Wan, and finally Liang Qian.
In the first two rounds, Xie Lingzhi won, which instantly motivated her to play despite her initial reluctance.
However, in the subsequent games, Liang Qian self-drew twice. Ye Qing dealt twice to Lin Wan, and Xie Lingzhi dealt once to Ye Qing.
After a few rounds, calculating the scores, the pair of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law still lost.
Old Mrs. Mei watched for a while and was quite pleased seeing them play Mahjong like this, moving happily among her grandchildren and daughters-in-law.
She seemed much better than when she had been in the hospital previously and wasnât as fussed.
Though Xie Lingzhi lost, she didnât lose as much as Lin Wan and Ye Qing. Apart from her, Ye Qing lost the most tonight.
One point at a time, yet she lost quite a few pieces.
Noticing it was late, Liang Qian ended the game, and they all retired to their rooms to sleep after washing up.
The next day was the day to visit Xiao Wanâs family. Her father-in-law and godfatherâs family were all going to visit relatives, and with so many leaders visiting yesterday, they also needed to pay them a visit in return.
Han Yi was to go with Mei Shuping to introduce him to people in the Capital City.