I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

Yu Fu went to prepare dinner, while Qiaoqiao took her mother to the guest room, where the two had a lot to talk about.

"Mother, this room is for my brother, you can sleep here."

Qiaoqiao's mother touched the soft bedding and said, "It's so soft, Qiaoqiao. I was worried that you wouldn't eat or sleep well, but seeing you today, all my worries were unnecessary. The Zhou family has so many houses and a big courtyard; it's truly a fairy palace where immortals live."

"Mother, you've never seen a celestial palace, how would you know what it looks like?"

"Never seen one before, never even heard of one. Look, besides your own rooms, there are guest rooms too. Oh right, landlords used to have guest rooms too. Ugh, ugh, why did I call them landlords?"

Qiaoqiao's mother quickly shut her mouth; being a landlord would get her in trouble.

Qiaoqiao's mother pulled Qiaoqiao to sit on the edge of the bed, looking at her belly with great joy: "When your Aunt Fang came to propose marriage, I was worried that Wenhui wouldn't be able to have children. After you got married, I couldn't sleep night after night whenever I thought about the child."

My mind was racing with worries, it was breaking my heart. Now that you're pregnant, I'm so happy I can't sleep at night. What a coincidence! You're so lucky, with such good in-laws, a good son-in-law, and now you're pregnant. Aunt Fang said marrying into the Zhou family was a gamble, and look, it paid off.

Qiaoqiao's mother was overjoyed.

"My father-in-law is a generous and kind man, my mother-in-law is very considerate, and Wenhui is understanding and reasonable. Mother, don't worry about me from now on, I'm fine."

"Yes, I'm relieved to see them today. But my in-laws, Qiao, my heart aches. They're such good people. From the moment they stepped into our house, they called us 'in-laws' so affectionately, without any airs at all." Qiao's mother was very sad.

"Mother, don't mention Father-in-law's situation in front of Wenhui. He's already very upset. Just wait patiently. Medical care is much better abroad; he'll be fine."

"Mother knows, I won't mention it again. What a coincidence, you told that young soldier not to come tomorrow. Mother can cook, how can I let others serve me? Otherwise, I'd really become a landlord."

"Mother, you're talking about landlords again. Yu Fu was sent by the logistics department to take care of Wenhui. From now on, have him come in the morning. Wenhui will need Yu Fu's help to go to the toilet and learn to walk. We'll cook and buy groceries for you, mother and son. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the vegetable shop and the supply and marketing cooperative to have a look around."

"Okay, you should move around more. If you're in a better mood, you won't throw up."

The mother and daughter had so much to talk about that they only came out of the guest room when Yu Fulai called them to eat.

The next day, the reveille sounded, and Qiaoqiao got up.

After becoming pregnant, I became particularly sleepy and often didn't want to eat breakfast.

When her mother arrived, Qiaoqiao had to get up to make breakfast, but her mother didn't know how to use a coal stove.

In the kitchen, her mother had already gotten up. Seeing Qiaoqiao, she hurriedly asked, "Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

"Mother, I'll teach you how to use the coal stove."

"Okay, I've been studying it for a while now. This thing is warm, but the fire is about to go out."

"Mom, open the air vent, and the fire will burn brighter. Once the fire is burning, we can change the coal."

Qiaoqiao taught earnestly, recalling the scene of her mother-in-law teaching her how to start a fire.

My mother-in-law is always so gentle and unhurried. Even if she does something small well, she will exaggerate and say, "Qiaoqiao is so smart." "Qiaoqiao is so great."

My mother-in-law has been in the Soviet Union for almost a month now. I wonder how my father-in-law's condition is?

"Hey, Qiaoqiao, look, it's on fire! It's amazing! Burning coal at home keeps it so clean. The city is definitely different from the countryside."

"They also burn firewood in the city, and they have big pots too. When guests come over, they have to cook in a big pot because coal fires are too slow," Qiaoqiao explained with a smile.

"The firewood in the city is different from that in the countryside. Look, the wood is square and neat. I can't bear to burn such good wood."

"Mom, the water's boiled. Pour it into the thermos so we can make noodles when Wenhui wakes up."

"Great, what a coincidence! The thermos you bought has made all the aunties in the village extremely envious. These days, when a daughter gets married in the village, there's an extra item in the dowry: a thermos. If a family has a thermos in their dowry, the daughter holds her head high."

As Qiaoqiao's mother spoke, she laughed, mentioning not only the kettle but also the military overcoat, which must have made many people envious.

Qiaoqiao's father went out wearing a military overcoat, and the villagers greeted him from afar.

Grandpa Qiaoqiao also loves to go out for a stroll now. After so many years, the old man's spine has finally straightened.

Qiaoqiao chuckled: "When Fenglin gets married, I'll give her a thermos."

"Jin Tao's mother is spreading the word everywhere that her son is looking for a city girl. Feng Lin is quite rare, but luckily Jin Tao is devoted to her. Jin Tao is really good; if it weren't for him last year, your grandma would have..."

"What happened to my grandma?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing, it's fine. We just can't forget Jin Tao's kindness."

Qiaoqiao's mother quickly took back her words, saying that Qiaoqiao's father had told her not to tell Qiaoqiao about these things.

"Mother, what's wrong? You've been keeping everything from me," Qiaoqiao asked anxiously.

"Your baby is perfectly fine, isn't she? Qiaoqiao, you're only four months along, right? Your belly looks quite big to me." Qiaoqiao's mother quickly changed the subject.

"mother……"

She wanted to ask more questions, but Yu Fu arrived, so Qiaoqiao had to put it aside and went to wake Zhou Wenhui up, while Qiaoqiao's mother cooked noodles.

After breakfast, Yu Fu helped Zhou Wenhui exercise, while Qiaoqiao and her mother took baskets and went to the vegetable shop.

The sun came out and shone on the snow, making it sparkle.

There were quite a few pedestrians on the road. After several days of heavy snow, the weather had finally cleared up, and everyone wanted to go out for a walk.

"Mom, I have a good relationship with Sister Liu at the vegetable shop. From now on, if you need anything when you buy vegetables, just ask Sister Liu."

As Qiaoqiao's belly gets bigger, it becomes more difficult for her to move around. From now on, her mother will have to go grocery shopping by herself.

Everything seemed new and interesting to Qiaoqiao's mother, who looked around curiously.

"It's so nice living in the city. You can buy vegetables right outside your door. In the countryside, if you want to eat meat, you have to go to the town's vegetable store. Without meat coupons, a pound of meat costs a dollar," Qiaoqiao's mother murmured.

"My in-laws' meat coupons have all been delivered to our house. There are 12 catties of meat coupons for the four of us in my family every month. Sometimes we share two catties with Sister Liu, and we still have ten catties left, which is enough for us. Mom, don't be stingy, the meat coupons will expire."

"You mean, ten pounds of meat a month? Oh dear, how can anyone finish ten pounds of meat?"

Qiaoqiao's mother opened her mouth wide, and at the same time, she was very happy. Her daughter was doing well, and as a mother, she was relieved.

"Wenhui needs nutrition; he needs two eggs and half a pound of meat every day."

"And what about you?"

"I...Mom, I ate too, but I threw up a lot, and I don't want to eat anything greasy."

Qiaoqiao rarely eats meat and dares not tell her mother, for fear of upsetting her.

"Silly child, you're pregnant, you need to eat more meat. I'll make it for you, I promise it won't be greasy."

Although the food and drink come from the Zhou family, and the baby in the daughter's belly also belongs to the Zhou family, it needs even more nutrition.

"Mom, the Zhou family treats me very well. They keep my food coupons and wages in a drawer, and I can spend them however I want."

"Mother understands. Even a cabbage costs money in the city. Money is spent everywhere. And you are so thrifty, how could you bear to eat whatever you want? It's a coincidence that you are pregnant now. Mother will be selfish for once. From now on, whatever Wenhui eats, you will eat too."

"Mom, let's eat together, let's not be so formal, okay?"

"Silly child."