Chapter 114 Making Mother-in-law Happy

Chapter 114: Keeping Mother-in-Law Happy

By the time Fu Tinghua returned in the evening, dinner was ready again.

It was rare for him to experience the cozy feeling of having his family around.

"Come home earlier next week, or I’ll come to the village to see you," Fu Tinghua mentioned again after dinner.

"Sure, that could work. Why don’t you come to the village on Friday or Saturday, and we’ll come back with you on Sunday?" Su He suggested.

Fu Tinghua thought for a moment and found her suggestion quite good, so he agreed.

At night, after both children had fallen asleep, Fu Tinghua asked Su He to step outside.

"What’s the matter?"

Su He had already taken a shower and was still wearing her pajamas.

But her pajamas were very modest, so she didn’t think there was anything inappropriate about her outfit.

Fu Tinghua, however, felt his ears heat up as he looked at her in her sleepwear.

"Nothing... I just missed you. I won’t get to see you tomorrow after work."

Su He—

She had never been in a relationship before, but was Fu Tinghua always this clingy?

At first, she hadn’t thought much of it, but after his words, Su He suddenly felt the atmosphere become a little awkward.

"I... we’ll see each other again next week," Su He blurted out after a long pause.

Fu Tinghua—

"You don’t seem even a little reluctant to part with me," Fu Tinghua suddenly lowered his head, his voice tinged with regret.

Su He was more moved by gentleness than pressure, especially when it came to emotions.

"No, I really don’t feel that way. It’s just that we’ll see each other again next week, so..."

As Su He was explaining, a crisp, pleasant scent enveloped her. Before she could react, she felt a cool, fleeting touch on her lips.

While Su He was speaking, Fu Tinghua leaned down and brushed his lips against hers for just a few seconds before quickly pulling away.

Deafening silence.

"I—"

"I—"

They spoke in unison again.

Su He hesitated. "I’ll go check if Zai Zai and Niu Niu kicked their blankets off."

Fu Tinghua sighed. "I think I lost track of a document. I’ll go look for it."

After saying this, they both darted back to their own rooms and closed the doors.

Fu Tinghua leaned against the door, feeling a pang of regret.

Why be shy about kissing his own wife?

Touching his lips, Fu Tinghua recalled the softness of Su He’s lips from their kiss and felt heat pooling low in his belly.

However, Su He was much calmer than him. After returning to her room, she shook it off easily.

Who knew Fu Tinghua would be so bashful—just a quick peck? Su He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought.

Little did she know, she’d soon wish she could go back in time and slap herself for ever thinking Fu Tinghua was innocent. After all, the future Dr. Fu would undoubtedly be the most shameless, downright animal of a man she'd ever met.

The next day, Su He took the two kids back to the countryside.

As soon as they reached the village entrance, someone immediately greeted her.

"Hey, Ting Hua’s wife! Back from the city?"

"Yes."

"Wow, the city’s done you good! You’re glowing!"

Su He just smiled awkwardly.

Passing by the Fu family's house, Su He stopped by to say hello and brought out the gifts she had bought for the Fu children.

Zhuang Zhuang and the kids lit up with excitement that Auntie had remembered to bring them presents.

"Auntie’s the BEST!"

"Auntie’s my favorite!"

"Auntie, when will there be malt candy again? Why isn’t it being sold anymore?"

Su He thought for a moment and decided that once Ji Liangchuan arrived, she would start selling malt candy again.

"Soon, Auntie’ll make some to sell. I'll give each of you a small piece, but no more than that."

Ya Ya’s mouth watered just thinking about it.

Auntie’s malt candy was so sweet and delicious.

"Mom." Once the kids scattered, Su He turned to Wu Yanhua.

"Oh, you're back?" Wu Yanhua eyed Su He—slimmer, prettier than ever—and her expression softened further.

She and Ting Hua made quite the pair now, and the kids were plump and happy.

"Yes, I'm back. The durians must be almost ripe. I came back this time to pick some and see if they can be sold in the city," Su He replied.

"By the way, what exactly is this durian of yours? Your sister-in-law went up the mountain the other day and nearly gagged at the smell."

So the scent was already spreading? That meant they were indeed close to ripening.

"Tell you what—I’ll grab a couple tomorrow and let everyone taste 'em."

To her surprise, Wu Yanhua frowned and said, "Oh no, don’t waste them on us! These are worth a fortune—save 'em for selling!"

Su He had said durians were a luxury—two yuan a *jin* (about $0.30 per pound). Who could afford that?

Hearing her mother-in-law’s words, Su He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"Mom, it’s fruit from our own garden. Why can’t we even take a bite? It’s fine, just try it. You might not even like it."

Wu Yanhua didn’t see it that way. No matter how bad such an expensive fruit tasted, she’d choke it down.

"Will you stay for dinner tonight?" Wu Yanhua asked.

"No need, Mom. I still have to go home and tidy up a bit. Here, I bought this for you—a set of clothes. There’s one for Dad too." Su He handed over a bag.

Upon hearing that Su He had remembered to buy something for her, Wu Yanhua couldn’t stop smiling.

"Oh, you traveled all this way and still bought us clothes?"

Though her tone was scolding, she immediately took out the clothes. The fabric felt luxurious—chiffon-like and breezy, perfect for summer wear. She even got pants.

Actually, Su He had gotten them from her personal stash, not from the city.

In this era, such chiffon-like fabric was rare and hard to find.

"I was in a bit of a hurry this time, so I just picked out a set. I hope you don’t mind, Mom," Su He said with a smile.

When Su He wanted to get along with someone, there was nothing she couldn’t do.

Just look—one set of clothes, and Ms. Wu Yanhua was won over.

"How could I mind? It’s the thought that counts."

After exchanging a few more words, Su He left with her two kids and headed home.

Before leaving, Zhuang Zhuang and the rest were reluctant to see her go. Su He said to them, "How about coming to Auntie’s house for dinner?"

The kids were eager, but Wu Yanhua stopped them.

"Your aunt just got back from the city and is tired. Don’t drop by for dinner and bother her."

One or two kids stopping by for dinner was fine, but all of them? Wu Yanhua didn’t want her daughter-in-law to overexert herself.

"Then how about tomorrow at noon? Auntie will make you French fries, okay?"

"Okay!" the kids chimed in.

Though they had no idea what "French fries" were, they thought anything Auntie made was bound to be delicious.