A warmth spread through Wen Xiu's heart at the thought of her eldest son. Years ago, out of sheer kindness, he had secretly helped and even saved an old cadre who had been sent down to their village after graduating high school. Later, after that cadre was politically rehabilitated, her son had the chance to get a job in the city. But he refused to go far, all because he was worried about his old parents.
In the end, the cadre, unable to persuade him, had no choice but to regretfully arrange a position for him as a warehouse keeper at the town's grain station instead.
Among her three sons, the eldest was the most filial to his parents, and he also cared the most for his only younger sister.
He was unwilling to leave the side of his two old folks, which made her both happy and sad.
She knew her eldest son actually yearned for the city. But he also knew how unreliable his two younger brothers were, and he was afraid that if he wasn't around when his parents got older and couldn't get around anymore, he wouldn't be there to look after them.
So, no matter how badly he wanted to spread his wings and see the wide world, he suppressed the urge. Instead, he was the one who turned around and tried to reassure his parents.
She would sigh whenever she remembered him giving up the city, and the way he sometimes looked so dejected when he thought no one could see him. If she had a choice, she would much rather her son be a little more selfish and put his own future first.
Truthfully, she felt he was overthinking it. So what if he wasn't right by their side? They still had two other sons and a daughter at home. Even if the other two were a bit selfish, they hadn't done anything too outrageous. They may not have been the best, but they were certainly better than most.
She would be happier just knowing he was doing well and doing what he loved. But unfortunately, when her eldest son got stubborn, he was like an ox; no one could change his mind.
...
"You're terrible! If you're not going to sleep, at least let me get some rest." In the room of Gu Nuannuan's third uncle and aunt, Guo Xiuying had been sleeping soundly. But she was woken up by Zhang Weimin, who had just returned from the latrine and was now restlessly pawing at her, making it impossible to fall back asleep.
"Go ahead and sleep, I'm not stopping you. Besides, aren't I busy with important business?" Zhang Weimin shot back shamelessly. He pushed forward impatiently, his advances growing bolder.
"In broad daylight? How can you have the gall to call this 'important business'?" Guo Xiuying slapped his back, a mix of irritation and exasperation in her voice. "What if Mom and Dad come over for something and hear us? Or what if our daughter barges in and sees? How mortifying would that be?"
"If making a son isn't important business, then what is?" Zhang Weimin said casually, determined to get his way. "Don't worry. My sister is here with her daughter, so Mom and Dad are busy with them. They won't have time to come looking for us. I also locked the door, so our daughter can't barge in. If you're still worried, we'll just be quiet."
"Wait, your sister is back with that niece of yours? There go our eggs again," Guo Xiuying scoffed, her tone resentful. "Every time she comes, she eats her fill and takes more with her. The old folks are so biased. We barely get to eat those eggs, but when her daughter shows up, they let her gobble them up like they're worthless."
"Their favoritism is nothing new. Back in the day, even my own grandparents couldn't do anything about it. I've long since gotten used to it, so why are you still getting upset? Forget about all that..." Zhang Weimin said, clearly annoyed.
Noticing Zhang Weimin's impatience, Guo Xiuying didn't dare say more. Besides, he'd brought up having a son. She thought of her two sisters-in-law, who both had at least two sons, while she only had a daughter. Her confidence wavered. Not daring to refuse him too strongly, she put up a little resistance before finally yielding to him.
Afterward, Zhang Weimin rolled over and fell asleep instantly. Guo Xiuying, however, was now wide awake and felt like talking. She idly returned to their previous topic. "Say, why do you think your sister came back so late? Doesn't she usually get up at the crack of dawn and arrive early? You don't think something happened, do you?"
The more Guo Xiuying thought about it, the more convinced she became. She sat bolt upright.
"Just go to sleep! Weren't you just whining about wanting to sleep?" Zhang Weimin grumbled impatiently. "Whatever happened to her has nothing to do with us." He rolled over and was out like a light.
"You blockhead, who says it has nothing to do with us? What if she gets divorced? She'll just come back and leech off Mom and Dad! The way they dote on her, she'll probably want a piece of the family inheritance... Ptooey, ptooey! Listen to me, jinxing everything." Guo Xiuying even chuckled at her own words.
'Even though I don't really like my sister-in-law,' she thought, 'she knows her place. She can be a bit stingy, but she's always been respectful to me. Besides, we both only have a single daughter. It's hard not to feel a bit of kinship over our shared predicament.
'So I don't dislike her enough to curse her for no reason. And I know if my in-laws ever heard me say something like that, they'd just end up hating me for it.
'My branch of the family is already small enough, and who knows if I'll ever be able to have a boy. Thank goodness I've got a good hold on my husband, and my in-laws are decent. They don't make any nasty remarks about me not having a son. But if words like this got out, there's no telling they wouldn't start to resent me.
'There's no reason to stir up that kind of trouble for myself. I have to be careful. What if my in-laws start to dislike me, and our branch of the family gets short-changed when the inheritance is divided? Without a son, I won't have any ground to stand on to fight for our share.'
"In the end, it all comes down to a son." Guo Xiuying couldn't help but rub her stomach, murmuring to herself, "Oh, my son... you have to hurry. Come to Mommy's belly soon. My whole future depends on you."
In the courtyard, Gu Nuannuan stared intently at her bowl, trying her hardest not to let anything show on her face. 'Something is different since I was reborn,' she thought. 'A moment ago, my focus followed Third Uncle into his room, and... and I actually heard the private conversation between him and Third Aunt?'
'I already knew from my past life that Third Uncle and Mom have almost no real bond as siblings, so I'm not disappointed or sad about what they said. What's shocking me is that I could actually hear their conversation from inside their room...'
Gu Nuannuan slowly replayed everything that had happened in the few short hours since her rebirth, her expression growing increasingly grave. 'I remember... back at our front door, when we were dealing with Mom's coworker, I could clearly hear all the gossip from the people nearby...'
'It looks like this enhanced hearing is one of my "rebirth perks."'
'As for my other "perk," that would be my astonishing burst of strength. And other than a brief moment of exhaustion afterward, there don't seem to be any other side effects.'
Gu Nuannuan was lost in thought, her ears still tuned to the goings-on in her third uncle and aunt's room. All at once, her face went red as she heard sounds that were definitely not for children, and she felt mortified. She tried shifting her attention elsewhere and found that it worked. The sounds in her ears instantly quieted.
'Thank goodness, thank goodness.' Gu Nuannuan breathed an inward sigh of relief.
Then, like a child with a new toy, she began to explore her new "perk" with great interest. Starting close and then extending outward, she soon discovered that by focusing her attention, she could hear even the most subtle sounds from a specific location. The maximum range of her hearing seemed to be about fifty meters.