Zhou Yunmei really couldn’t bear to watch the couple and rolled her eyes, muttering, "If you really cared about her, would you be holding that much money and still let her suffer every day?" Luo Zhiming, seeing Zhou Yunmei speaking out and mentioning these unpleasant things, was somewhat displeased, "Mom, what’s done is done. Let’s not talk about it anymore." "Right, don’t talk about those irrelevant things. Is dinner ready? Let’s eat first," said Luo Dashan, calling everyone to come into the house. Fang Pingying thought that since it was their first day back and they had sent a telegram in advance, Zhou Yunmei would prepare a lavish dinner. But to their surprise, when they walked into the kitchen, the table was set with leftovers from lunch, and the main dishes were just a few cold steamed buns. Seeing this, Luo Dashan felt somewhat embarrassed and reproached Zhou Yunmei in a low voice, "What’s the matter with you? Our son came back today, didn’t I ask you to prepare a good meal? Didn’t I specifically go to the market this morning to buy some meat?" "What’s so good about it? It’s the New Year, and we have expenses at home. Where would we get the money? We’re saving that meat for making dumplings on New Year’s Eve," retorted Zhou Yunmei. Then, she purposely glanced at Fang Pingying and the others, continuing, "What’s the matter with you? Are you too accustomed to the good life in the provincial city and now look down on the poverty at home?" "I’ll tell you, your father and I have been living for the second half of the year. We’re not starving, but every meal is just , leftovers. Not like you in the city with your restaurant and other ventures, eating and drinking the finest every day." It was clear from the subtext that Zhou Yunmei was talking about Fang Pingying. Fang Pingying frowned, really irritated at heart. Why couldn’t Zhou Yunmei give them some peace during their rare visits home, as if she only felt happy when causing trouble? Just as Fang Pingying was about to speak, Luo Honglan leaned in and whispered to Zhou Yunmei, "Mom, stop it, it’s not good to upset your sister-in-law. She’s pregnant." "What?" Zhou Yunmei shouted in surprise, frowning at Luo Honglan as if she couldn’t believe what she had heard, "Honglan, what did you just say?" Luo Honglan repeated with a smile, "Sister-in-law is pregnant, more than two months in." Now Zhou Yunmei believed it, she looked at Fang Pingying’s belly with great joy, then turned to ask Luo Zhiyong, "Zhiyong, is it true?" "That’s right," nodded Luo Zhiyong, slightly impatiently, "So, Mom, for the sake of the baby, don’t start fussing the moment we’re back. Don’t complain to us about not having money, saying you were poor in the latter half of the year. Who are you blaming for that? I’ve sent you my monthly living expenses on time." "Yes, yes, don’t mind your mom," Once Luo Dashan knew about Fang Pingying’s pregnancy, he was also extremely happy and hurriedly asked her to sit to one side, "Pingying, go sit there. I’ll have Honglan prepare something fresh; those dishes are cold now." "I’ll do it. We still have food at home. I can prepare something right now, it’s not too late," said Zhou Yunmei, now aware that she was going to have a grandchild. She was exceedingly happy and didn’t mind what Luo Zhiyong had said, cheerfully went to the cupboard to take out meat and such to cook. Afterward, she specifically called Luo Zhiyong over, "Zhiyong, come here and help me with the fire." "Me?" Luo Zhiyong echoed back with a question, but seeing Zhou Yunmei signaling to him with her eyes, he guessed she had something to ask him and hurried over. Once there, Zhou Yunmei didn’t ask him to start the fire but simply told him to sit in front of the stove while she quietly questioned Luo Zhiyong as she kindled the flames, "Is your wife really two months pregnant?" Luo Zhiyong frowned upon seeing Zhou Yunmei’s skeptical look, "Why would I lie to you about this? Is it even possible to lie about such a thing?" When Zhou Yunmei saw that Luo Zhiyong didn’t show her a good face upon his return, she immediately realized it must be because of the incident last time. She glared at Luo Zhiyong and said, "What’s with you, kid? Why so temperamental? Just because I asked your wife for money for Zhiming’s sake last time, are you still angry now?" Luo Zhiyong was indeed upset about the previous incident. He retorted, "Shouldn’t I be angry? You were so inconsiderate of whether my wife and I could make ends meet, just for Zhiming’s sake. I said if you made a fuss, my wife and I wouldn’t be able to get by, but you still asked anyway." "But there was really no other way at the time, we couldn’t let your brother go to jail," Zhou Yunmei said with a tone of helplessness. Luo Zhiyong glanced at Luo Zhiming, "But things are much better now. Zhiming has been working hard recently and hasn’t caused any more trouble." Zhou Yunmei sighed, thinking of the pitiful state Luo Zhiming had been in when he returned, "Poor thing, he’s worked for so long, came back without a penny, even the fare was scraped together with difficulty." "Serves him right. That’s the consequence of doing wrong," Luo Zhiyong actually felt it was right for someone like Luo Zhiming to suffer a bit. "Alright, fine, mother was wrong last time. I won’t pester you for money anymore, okay?" Zhou Yunmei, satisfied with the prospect of having a plump grandson, didn’t want to argue anymore and even apologized to Luo Zhiyong, "I’ll question no more, however much you send back. Just take care that the child in your wife’s belly grows up healthy and chubby, that’s all." Hearing that put Luo Zhiyong at ease. Looking at her, he said, "If you can really do as you said, there would really be no problems at home." After Zhou Yunmei nodded, she continued to ask, "Never mind that, have you taken your wife to the hospital for a check-up? How’s the baby?" Luo Zhiyong, mistaking her question to be concerning the pregnancy’s wellness, smiled and replied, "It’s going well. The doctor said that the pregnancy is stable; there’s no need to worry too much." "I’m not asking about that." Zhou Yunmei glanced at Fang Pingying and whispered, "The other day when I was in the provincial city, I heard that you can find out if it’s a boy or girl while the baby is still in the womb. Has your wife done this check?" Upon hearing this, Luo Zhiyong’s brows furrowed again, "Mom, I’m a soldier; I really shouldn’t be thinking about preferring boys over girls." "Just because you’re a soldier, that’s exactly why you should think this way." Zhou Yunmei spoke her twisted logic as if it were completely right. "Think about it, in the countryside we can still have two children. If the first one is a girl, we can have another try, but you can only have one child. What if it’s a girl? Who will take care of you in your old age? You must have a boy." Fang Pingying had mentioned to Luo Zhiyong several times before about Zhou Yunmei’s preference for males and had expressed her concerns; Luo Zhiyong didn’t see it then, but now he realized his wife was right, Zhou Yunmei did care a great deal about it. Worried that Fang Pingying would feel pressured upon hearing this, he spoke in a hushed tone to Zhou Yunmei, "Mom, what era are we in now? We don’t need to be still talking about caring for us in old age. In the city, it makes no difference, boy or girl." "What era it is, a boy is still needed," Zhou Yunmei was quite resolute about this matter. "Tomorrow I’ll take your wife to county for the check-up." (To be continued. If you work, we welcome you to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)