Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 375 - 352: After the New Year

Until the seventh day of the new year, there were guests coming to our house continuously. Thankfully, the poultry and fish were all pre-processed, so cooking them wasn’t a hassle. It only took a person a little over an hour to prepare a big table of food, and afterwards, Hu Zi and Qin Xi helped with washing the dishes and cleaning up, so Li Xianglu managed to stay on top of things.

That day, Li Jianqing and Leng Qing didn’t get back until after eight o’clock in the evening. Leng Qing was pale, looking like she had just recovered from a serious illness.

Once Li Xianglu had settled them in, she dragged Li Jianqing aside to ask what exactly was going on.

Li Jianqing was silent for a while before he said, "Leng Qing feels that I don’t care about her. She finds this kind of life unbearable and very tiring."

Li Xianglu frowned and asked, "Then, Third Brother, what’s the matter with you and Leng Qing? Do you really not like her?"

Li Jianqing felt a bit embarrassed when his sister talked about liking or not liking. After scratching his head and seeing his sister’s serious look, he finally said earnestly, "That’s not it. I like her."

Li Xianglu asked doubtfully, "Then what’s the problem?"

Li Jianqing thought for a moment and said, "I don’t know. I just can’t remember. Maybe I’m so used to being alone that I can’t remember the fact that I’m married now."

Li Xianglu had nothing to say to this reason but continued to ask, "So, are you two getting a divorce?"

Li Jianqing shook his head and said, "I’ve explained to Leng Qing. I hope she can give us some time and give me another chance, so we’re not discussing divorce for now."

Li Xianglu didn’t know how to feel at the moment, sensing that something was off. Aren’t people supposed to get married because they love each other or are used to each other? Why realize they are incompatible only after marriage?

Many people date for many years without getting married, not because they don’t love each other, but because they don’t feel the impulse or desire to marry, unable to imagine living together for decades to come. Some people may want to get married soon after meeting, but which category do Third Brother and Leng Qing fall into? It seems like neither; their relationship is somewhat strange.

However, since they’re giving each other the chance to understand one another, it’s also a good approach. So Li Xianglu went to comfort Leng Qing, telling her not to overthink and to give Third Brother some more time.

Qin Zhen only had a twenty-day holiday, and left early on the tenth day. Lu Anna and Minmin didn’t go because Lu Anna was pregnant. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Nowadays, with such strict family planning policies, Lu Anna’s pregnancy was practically taboo. Mr. Lu was very angry, but Mrs. Lu felt her daughter should have another child, after all, having a son is a strong backing.

Clearly, Lu Anna could not have her second child in the country. She kept her public service job, stayed quietly in the capital to nurture her pregnancy, and then planned to go to Hong Kong to give birth when she was six months along and showing.

The arrangement for giving birth in Hong Kong didn’t need mentioning, as Su Yan had settled everything, even arranging the hospital.

However, Qin Zhen needed to buy a house in Hong Kong for the child’s residency. Of Qin Zhen’s previous savings, there was only a little over twenty thousand yuan left, but money was quite valuable at that time. With that amount, buying two houses in Hong Kong would not be a problem.

As for Mr. Lu, he directly gave a jin of gold to Su Yan to arrange everything for his daughter regarding the childbirth and the housing.

Originally, Qin Xi and her family didn’t want to accept it, since Lu Anna was carrying a child of the Qin Family, especially since Mr. Qin was strongly against it, asking how could they accept money from the mother-in-law’s family.

However, Mr. Lu and Mrs. Lu insisted very much, they had three sons and only one daughter, Lu Anna. Qin Zhen’s performance in the past two years had been very good; he was filial and treated their daughter well. They were even happy when their daughter gave birth to a girl, which made them feel very comfortable. Therefore, they felt perfectly justified in offering these assets.

Having no other choice, they accepted the gifts. Su Yan then arranged for someone to purchase a commercial property with a small suite attached, which could not only generate rental income, but also be used to register a household.

While handling these matters, Su Yan couldn’t help but ask Li Xianglu, "Ba Yi and Ba’er are both two years old now; don’t you plan on having another one? Having a little girl wouldn’t be bad."

Upon hearing this, Li Xianglu’s eyes widened, and she shook her head, firmly refusing, while Su Yan pursed her lips. Seeing Ba’er, who was trying hard to climb up onto the round couch, she continued to persuade, "Just look at the two rough boys you have given birth to. And look at Minmin, how adorable she is. You should have one; at that time, grandma will buy you a whole street’s worth of shops for the child’s household registration."

A whole street’s worth of shops, in Old Hong Kong? Li Xianglu, somewhat money-grubbing, blinked her eyes. A whole street, huh? Thirty years later, it would probably worth tens of billions.

Seeing that there was a chance, Su Yan continued, "Besides, you won’t be the one taking care of the baby after giving birth. When the time comes, I will find you a good nanny to help with the child. We can also buy a couple of dairy goats for the home, so nutrition would be sufficient."

Li Xianglu shook her head vigorously to dismiss the idea of a whole street from her mind, before she calmly said, "Alright, having two little ones at home is troubling enough. What if the next one is also a boy?"

Su Yan paused, right, what if instead of a warm little jacket it turned out to be another mischievous little pair of pants? When she looked up and saw Ba’er, who had climbed onto the round couch and was standing on tiptoe trying to reach for the vase on the display stand, her heart skipped a beat. She quickly stood up and steadied the vase that was about to fall. Amitabha, my Ming Dynasty large-eared Meiping vase, it was nearly gone.

Su Yan glared at Ba’er, who was standing on the couch giggling, and the anger in her heart dissipated. Helplessly, she put the vase back in place and picked up Ba’er. Yet she thought to herself, better not take any risks; what if they had another little troublemaker?

In the following days, Su Yan didn’t bring up the topic of having more children again, and Li Xianglu could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Just thinking about the pain of childbirth made her fearful.

However, on the way back, Su Yan brought up the topic of having a daughter again, not by directly mentioning childbirth, but by talking about other matters.

Su Yan mentioned her own jewelry, which, if packed in boxes, could probably fill half a room, and Li Xianglu’s collection was not insubstantial either.

Who would inherit all these things in the future? All to the daughter-in-law? Su Yan pursed her lips, somewhat unwilling.

Li Xianglu also started to feel reluctant when she thought about it. Even though the daughter-in-law was part of the family, historically, daughters-in-law would always take things back to their natal homes. If it’s given to a daughter-in-law, how could it all possibly end up with children of their Qin Family in the future? There would be some loss.

As she thought about it, even Li Xianglu felt a bit regretful. Su Yan stealthily glanced at Li Xianglu, whose resistance seemed to be weakening, and a smirk formed at the corner of her mouth. Hmm, to compete with her, Li Xianglu was still too naive.

After March 15th, it was already mid-March, and the snow on the road had mostly melted. This time they didn’t take the wrong path, so they didn’t pass by Chen Zhong’s place, and arrived at their house in Huai County by noon the next day.

As soon as the car arrived, they saw Gu Niannian waiting at the door with eager eyes. The twins started shouting excitedly in the car.

Li Xianglu hurriedly opened the door and let the children out first, letting them go play with Gu Niannian in the courtyard for a while.