The hustle and bustle following Wang Qingshan’s housewarming celebration settled, and Luo Qing knew it was time to take their daughter and return to her maternal home for a visit. Wang Qinghua felt uneasy letting Luo Qing travel alone with their daughter, so he hitched up their ox-cart to take his wife and child back to Old Man Luo’s residence.
When the family of three arrived at the Luo household, several villagers who were busy with tasks near the entrance spotted the son-in-law driving the ox-cart, delivering his wife and daughter, and they immediately gathered around.
Chen Shi, Luo Qing’s mother, rushed forward when she saw her daughter’s family approaching. “Oh my, you’ve arrived so early! Have you eaten breakfast yet?”
Wang Qinghua stopped the ox-cart and dismounted. “Mother, we’ve already had our morning meal.”
“Quickly, come inside, quickly! Oh, Nian'er is here too! Grandma has missed you so much!” Chen Shi said, squatting down to pick up Nian’er, then gesturing to her daughter and son-in-law. “You two come in quickly too. Tell me what you’d like for lunch, and I’ll have your father buy the ingredients later and cook for you.”
Hearing Chen Shi’s words, Wang Qinghua quickly spoke up. “Mother, I won’t be coming in. I still need to get to the mill! However, I’ll leave Qing’er and Nian’er in your care for the day. They can stay here tonight, and I’ll come back tomorrow morning to fetch them.”
Chen Shi was surprised upon hearing this. “Ah? You’re leaving already?”
Wang Qinghua nodded. “Yes, I can’t step away from the mill right now.”
Chen Shi understood completely. “That’s true. Then I won’t keep you!”
After Wang Qinghua drove the ox-cart away, the villagers who had gathered nearby converged into the courtyard of Old Man Luo’s house.
“I must say, your daughter married very well. Look, she returns to her parents’ home, and he specifically sends her back by ox-cart. I just heard your son-in-law say he’ll return tomorrow to pick up Qing’er, didn’t I?”
“Indeed. Qing’er and her husband are so good. It’s not like our daughters’ husbands—not only is it questionable if they’ll come back at all, but if they do, they mostly just come to sponge off us.”
“Qing’er is truly blessed to have found such a fine family.”
“Yes, and I also heard that the second son of the Wang family passed the provincial examination! They are now the family of a Juren Master! Doesn't that make Qing’er the sister-in-law of a Juren Master now?”
...
The crowd chatted volubly, mostly agreeing that Old Man Luo’s daughter had struck great fortune by marrying into such a good family. Most crucially, the Wang family's standing was now vastly different from their own simple farming households; they were the family of a Juren Master!
Listening to the murmurs, Chen Shi swelled with pride, feeling that her daughter and son-in-law had brought her immense honor. Now that the Wang family was different from before, her daughter was naturally different too—not like them, who had to toil in the dirt for their sustenance.
Later, upon seeing the gifts her daughter had brought, Chen Shi couldn't wait to take them out and show them off to the crowd. “These candies were brought back by my daughter and son-in-law to show their filial piety to me! They taste truly wonderful. Come, everyone, have a taste!”
Luo Qing felt her mother had this one flaw: a love for showing off and boasting. After failing to stop her, she simply stopped trying. After all, her words likely wouldn't have any effect; this was how her mother had been for the better half of her life, and changing it now would be truly difficult!
Those who were already somewhat envious began to feel unsettled when Chen Shi mentioned the gifts her daughter and son-in-law had brought for her filial duty. After all, for some families among them, it was a luxury if their daughter and son-in-law didn’t return demanding handouts; expecting them to buy gifts to honor their mother-in-law was just wishful thinking.
The villagers accepted the candies from Chen Shi’s hand and exclaimed, "My, these expensive candies are not cheap in town! Who would have thought that a short visit home would bring so much? The Wang family truly has deep reserves."
Some sharper minds began to probe: “When your daughter and son-in-law came back for a visit, why did they only bring candy?”
Chen Shi felt slighted by the implication. How could she let them misunderstand her daughter and son-in-law? She needed their envy! So, shortly after, Chen Shi enumerated everything Luo Qing and Wang Qinghua had brought on this return trip: candy, bolts of fabric (chitou), wine, and some preserved meats.
Hearing this list, the crowd felt relieved. No wonder Chen Shi was so proud; she had substance to back it up. Unlike their own families, which of them had a daughter or son-in-law so devoted that they would bring back so many gifts? None. So, watching Chen Shi’s triumphant smile, they no longer found it strange.
Of course, there were always those who couldn't stand to see others prosper. One immediately asked, “Your daughter brought so many things from her in-laws’ house; did her mother-in-law know about it? It wouldn’t be good if your daughter got scolded when she returns!”
“Hey, where is your mind wandering? Of course, my daughter and son-in-law got permission from her mother-in-law to bring these things back. My daughter just mentioned that quite a few of these items were actually prepared by her mother-in-law! She hadn’t expected there would be so much at first.” Chen Shi explained.
Indeed, Chen Shi’s explanation only deepened the others’ envy, leading them to muse that marrying into a wealthy family seemed quite beneficial, as it allowed them to support their maternal kin. Moreover, they had already heard that Chen Shi’s son was working at his brother-in-law’s mill, earning a considerable wage each month thanks to the connection. Now, when it came to finding a match for Chen Shi’s son, many families would be eager, given the substantial monthly income he could command.
Spurred on by Chen Shi’s example, many families in Old Man Luo’s village, when selecting sons-in-law in the future, exerted maximum effort, setting the standard strictly to match Old Man Luo’s son-in-law, vowing to find someone comparable. Of course, that was a story for later.
The people in Old Man Luo’s courtyard soon departed, as they still had many pressing tasks and little free time. Having already spent a considerable amount of time at the Luo house, they needed to hurry back to their duties.
After seeing the crowd off, Chen Shi hurried inside to speak privately with her daughter.
The familiar, age-old questions Chen Shi always asked were unavoidable: “Are you living well at your in-laws’?” “Is your husband treating you well?” “Have you conceived yet?”
In the past, Luo Qing would nod affirmatively to the first questions, but for the final query about pregnancy, she would usually shake her head with regret. This time, while she nodded yes to the initial questions, she hesitated over the last one.
Chen Shi was momentarily puzzled by her daughter’s sudden silence, but as soon as she remembered what she had asked last, she gasped, “Heavens, Qing’er, are you pregnant again?”
Luo Qing shook her head in response to her mother’s exclamation.
Chen Shi’s face fell immediately upon seeing the negative gesture. “Never mind, there’s no rush for carrying a child; it will happen eventually.”
What Chen Shi didn’t expect was that after shaking her head, her daughter added, “I don’t actually know if I’m pregnant or not!”
Chen Shi looked bewildered. “How can you not know if you’re pregnant? Haven’t you told your in-laws?”
Luo Qing nodded. “I haven’t told them yet! My father-in-law and mother-in-law are desperately hoping for me to bear another boy. I was afraid if I said something and the doctor confirmed I wasn't pregnant, my in-laws would be even more disappointed.”
Hearing her daughter’s explanation, Chen Shi immediately cried out, “Oh, my dear daughter! How could you keep such an important matter as pregnancy a secret? If you stay silent, your in-laws won’t know! What if they are careless and bump into you? You’ll have nowhere to cry then, I tell you! Furthermore, you keep this a secret from your in-laws but rush home to your own mother—what do you plan to do?”
Luo Qing knew her actions weren't entirely proper, but at the time, she was genuinely afraid her suspicion was wrong. If it turned out to be a false hope, that would be one thing, but if her in-laws became dissatisfied with her because of it, then she would truly have nowhere left to turn. Thus, she decided to return to her maternal home to have her mother help find a physician to examine her.
Luo Qing then explained her plan to Chen Shi.
Upon hearing this, Chen Shi stopped chiding her daughter. Since her daughter was already home, helping to find a physician was the priority.
After Luo Qing emphasized her request repeatedly, Chen Shi dropped her casual demeanor. She carefully avoided certain people, and when inevitably seen or questioned, she would reply, “Oh dear, I don’t know what’s wrong with my granddaughter. She was fine just a moment ago, but now she’s throwing up. I’m worried something is wrong, so I’m just trying to find a physician to take a look at my little granddaughter.”
The inquirers, upon hearing Chen Shi’s explanation, were understanding. “Oh, you should hurry then, don’t let anything serious happen.”
In farming communities, though minor scrapes and bumps were common, people rarely engaged in malicious gossip over such matters. In fact, some even offered genuine concern.
“Oh dear, that can’t be right! She’s so young! You go invite the physician quickly, don't delay!”
And so, Chen Shi maneuvered, evading those she could, and offering this explanation to those she couldn't avoid, making her way toward the physician’s home.
When the physician heard Chen Shi’s request for a house call, he inquired who he would be treating and what the patient's symptoms were. This allowed him to form a preliminary judgment so he could bring along any potentially necessary medicinal herbs beforehand.