Inside the room, Xue Yue was oblivious to all this. She was talking with He Lang's younger sister, He Yun.
She'd heard that He Yun had married someone in town. Even though she was He Lang's younger sister, she had married young and was already a mother of two.
"Sister-in-law, you're so beautiful, and this outfit is lovely too. You're a perfect match for my brother," He Yun said slowly, stroking the fabric of Xue Yue's dress.
Xue Yue let out a soft laugh and looked over He Lang's only sister. He Yun appeared to be a few years older than her. She was very thin and wore a well-worn blue sailor shirt, a little girl holding her hand.
The little girl had large eyes and just stared at Xue Yue, looking a bit timid.
Xue Yue took a few pieces of candy from the table and offered them to the little girl.
The little girl didn't take them, just looked at He Yun.
"Go on, take them. They're from your third aunt. Thank your third aunt."
Only then did Liu Daya take the candy from Xue Yue's hand and say shyly, "Thank you, Third Aunt."
Xue Yue smiled. "She's such a well-behaved child."
He Yun sighed. "Being well-behaved is useless. She's not a boy, so her grandmother still doesn't like her."
Xue Yue looked at Liu Daya and smiled. "What's wrong with girls? I think little girls are adorable."
He Yun sighed and said, "There's another little one at home, a girl too, just five months old. I've had two girls in a row, so their grandmother doesn't care for me much. I guess it's my own fault for failing to give the Liu family a son."
"Whether we have a boy or a girl isn't up to us. Besides, I think daughters are wonderful too. Sister-in-law, don't overthink it. Sons and daughters are the same." Xue Yue was only eighteen and had never given birth, but she just felt that what He Yun said was wrong.
He Yun gave a bitter smile. "Sister-in-law, you don't have children yet. You don't understand."
Then, as if remembering something, she quickly explained, "Oh, I'm sorry, Sister-in-law. I shouldn't be telling you all this. My mother is different from others. She really likes girls. You see how she treats Ziqing even better than her grandsons."
Xue Yue smiled. "It's alright, I don't mind."
Seeing that Xue Yue truly wasn't angry, He Yun breathed a sigh of relief and teased, "Sister-in-law, now that you and my brother are married, you should have a baby soon. My brother is already 28 this year. Men his age in the village already have a few kids."
'Have a baby with He Lang?' She had never once considered the question before today.
Somehow, just thinking about it made Xue Yue feel her face flush.
"Sister-in-law, your face is so red! Are you getting shy? HAHAHA, it's only natural." Seeing Xue Yue's face grow redder and redder, He Yun's laughter grew louder.
"What are you two laughing about?" Guo Jinfeng, the eldest sister-in-law, walked in carrying a bowl of food.
He Yun said with a laugh, "Sister-in-law, I told Xue Yue that she and our brother should have a baby soon, and she got shy."
Guo Jinfeng laughed as well. "Yue, what's there to be embarrassed about? I was pregnant the second month after I married the eldest brother, and then I had our Ziqing."
As she spoke, Guo Jinfeng handed the bowl to Xue Yue. "Go on, eat. Mother made this specially for you. We're going out to eat now."
"Thank you, Sister-in-law."
Guo Jinfeng waved her hand and pulled He Yun out to eat.
Xue Yue watched them close the door, then looked down into the bowl. There was meat and vegetables.
After the meal, the people in the courtyard began to disperse. The Xue family was also getting ready to leave.
Mrs. He gave both Xue Xingzhou and Xue Changlin a two-jin cut of pork.
Xue Xingzhou couldn't refuse and finally took it.
Beside them, Liu Hongxing was grinning from ear to ear.
"Mrs. He, I'm going to say a few words to Yue'er and then we'll head back. You go on with your work," Xue Xingzhou said to Mrs. He.
Mrs. He smiled and said, "Go ahead."
Hearing people leaving in the courtyard, Xue Yue opened the door and stepped out, just as her brother was walking over.
"Brother, are you all leaving now?"
Xue Xingzhou stared at Xue Yue for a long moment, then nodded. "We're leaving. If anything happens while you're here with the He Family, tell He Lang. He's your husband, so don't be impulsive if you run into trouble. If you really need to, you can send someone to let me know."
Xue Yue's eyes reddened again. "Brother, don't worry about me. I'll take good care of myself. But you... will you be okay on your own?"
Xue Xingzhou patted Xue Yue's head. "I'm a grown man, what could happen to me? Don't worry about me."
After Xue Xingzhou left, Xue Yue started helping Mrs. He and the others clean up the large mess in the courtyard.
"Yue'er, you don't have to. Go back inside and rest. There are plenty of us here," Mrs. He said.
Xue Yue smiled and said, "It's fine, Mother. I'm not tired. Many hands make light work."
"Alright then. You can just wipe the tables. Don't clear the dishes, they're greasy. You'll stain your clothes."
"Got it."
Because all the tables, chairs, and benches in the courtyard were borrowed, He Lang and his brothers were busy carrying them back.
After cleaning up and returning to her room, Xue Yue stared at it, a little lost in thought.
When He Lang came in, he saw Xue Yue staring blankly at the room.
He tilted his head and asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"
"I got married today. I'm someone's wife now, and one day I'll be someone's mother. Why does it all feel like a dream?" Xue Yue subconsciously voiced her thoughts.
A sudden laugh startled Xue Yue out of her daze. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw He Lang.
"When did you come in?"
He Lang burst out laughing. "Haha, I didn't realize you were so forward-thinking. You've only just married into the family and you're already eager to have my children."
Only then did Xue Yue realize what she had just said. Her face turned beet red and she shook her head frantically.
"I didn't mean that! I'm still young."
He gave her a mischievous look, glancing her up and down, and said ambiguously, "Hmm, you are a little small. It's fine. You'll just have to eat more."
'Why do his words sound so improper?' Xue Yue wondered, looking at him.
In the afternoon, Xue Yue met He Yun's husband, Liu Jian Country. He had a square-jawed face and stood in the courtyard with a bicycle, a hint of impatience on his face.
He Yun had to go back. Because she had a nursing baby at home, she couldn't stay the night.
Mrs. He packed some leftover meat for her and stuffed a handful of candy into Daya's pocket.
"Go on home now. Be careful on the road. Come back with the children when you have time."
He Yun nodded, her eyes red.
Watching the family of three walk away, Mrs. He finally sighed. "I never realized before how foolish Xiao Yun is. What's wrong with having two daughters? It's not like she can't have more children later. If they want a son, she can just have another one. And that wicked mother-in-law of hers... who knows how cruelly she's treating my daughter. Look how much thinner Xiao Yun and the child are than the last time they visited. How did I never see that that family was so obsessed with having sons?"
Mr. He took a drag from his water pipe. "Have the second brother go check on Xiao Yun from time to time. He should help out if he can."
"I'll tell the second brother later."
For dinner, they just reheated the leftovers from lunch.
These days, there wasn't much entertainment in the countryside. After dinner, people went to sleep early to save on kerosene.
After washing up in the room, Xue Yue slipped into bed.
'Come to think of it, I was brought to the He Family's home before and even slept on the same kang bed with He Lang then. I didn't feel anything at the time... why is tonight so different?' Xue Yue could feel her heart pounding violently.
He Lang finished rinsing off in the courtyard and came in, bringing a cloud of steam with him. He glanced at Xue Yue, who seemed to be asleep, then blew out the lamp and got onto the kang bed.
Xue Yue kept waiting for He Lang to make a move, but she ended up falling asleep at some point without realizing it.
When she opened her eyes again, the sky was already bright. She turned her head to look at the spot where He Lang had slept last night. He was gone, and the quilt was already neatly folded.