Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 116, the Eight Trigrams, is suitable for all ages.

He Zhijun nodded with a smile: "Yeah, brother, you're too thin-skinned. You're a grown man, if you don't have the nerve to coax your wife, do you expect her to coax you?"

Unable to argue with He Zhijun, He Zhicheng turned to Jing Yan and said, "Sister-in-law, why don't you keep an eye on him? A glib-tongued man is no good man."

Jing Yan looked up at him and replied casually, "Women don't love men who aren't a little bad."

This time, He Zhijun's expression changed: "You've met bad men before?"

Jing Yan... was too lazy to pay attention to him, pretended not to hear, and continued eating. She was still thinking that if she wanted to eat sausages cold, she could try making luncheon meat, but after all, she wasn't a professional, and she wasn't good at this kind of research.

He Zhijun's original intention was just to act cute, but seeing that Jing Yan didn't respond, he didn't continue. After lunch, there weren't many other activities during the Spring Festival, so they could only continue to immerse themselves in mahjong. However, this time only one table was set up. Jing Yan wasn't interested in this, so she sat on the side with a plate of snacks containing peanuts and melon seeds, eating and playing, occasionally peeling an orange to eat.

Sister Wang was busy preparing the New Year's Eve dinner in the kitchen, while Zhou Jie was watching An'an sleep with Xiao Li. She didn't understand what was so interesting about a sleeping child; even the clatter of mahjong tiles inside didn't wake An'an. Xiao Li sat to the side, unwilling to move an inch.

Yes, it still moves around. When the kittens jump onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and lie down next to An'an, Xiao Li keeps a close eye on them, afraid that their claws will scratch An'an. Jing Yan wanted to tell Xiao Li not to worry, that the kittens wouldn't hurt An'an, but since An'an can calm Xiao Li down, she didn't bother to say it.

Grandma is getting old, and sitting for long periods of time causes her back to ache. So she takes turns playing cards with Cui Hongru and her mother-in-law, and they have a lot of fun. Jingyan eats while tilting her head to watch them, and suddenly feels what it means to live a peaceful and quiet life.

In her past life, she mostly spent Chinese New Year at home with her daughter, watching TV more often. She always felt that having too many people at home would be noisy, and she preferred being alone.

It turned out that it wasn't that she disliked crowds, but rather that there wasn't a crowd that made her feel at ease back then. Seeing everyone's smiling faces, she unconsciously smiled as well.

He Jiaoxu and the others left by car after having breakfast on the third day of the Lunar New Year. They took with them the braised meat and sausages that had been prepared for them. The sausages were best when stir-fried, and they could be stored for a while anyway. They took a lot back with them, enough to last them for a while.

Little He Chaoli had tears in his eyes and didn't want to leave. He even discussed with his grandfather whether his grandfather could pick him up before school started, but his father rejected the idea, so he could only climb into the car feeling wronged.

Jingyan and the others didn't stay long. They had a lot of things to do after they got back. It was the Lunar New Year, and there were too many people to welcome and see off. Fortunately, they didn't have many good friends in Haishi. They only visited two families and then things calmed down.

Grandma Lin often brings her great-granddaughter over to drink milk and chat with her. Jingyan's life is truly leisurely. Now she has a lot of free time. He Zhijun is on vacation and can take care of the children at home, while she has time to practice calligraphy and read miscellaneous books to pass the time.

"Jingyan, why aren't you knitting sweaters anymore? Do you want me to buy some yarn?" He Zhijun asked, tugging at his distorted sweater.

Jingyan glanced at his actions and understood that he was reminding her that this sweater had been worn for two years and needed mending. However, Jingyan knew her own skill level; back then, ready-made sweaters weren't available, so she had to make them herself.

Most importantly, she was confident in herself back then. However, after trying it out and fully understanding her own abilities, she gave up knitting.

He laughed and said, "My skills are really not good. I only tried to knit this one because I really needed it. I don't want to make things difficult for myself now. How about we go and order a woolen vest? Anyway, it's not as cold here as in Northeast China, so we don't need anything too thick."

He Zhijun didn't dwell on it anymore. "You should make yourself a new dress too. It's New Year's, after all. Grandma and the others all made new clothes this year, and I feel a little uncomfortable that you don't have anything."

"What family can afford to make new clothes every year? Haven't you heard the saying, 'New for three years, old for three years, and then patched up for another three years'? This one garment can last nine years!"

"I already have enough clothes. The baby needs to drink milk now, so there's no need to think about losing weight or shaping up. I'll just wear my old clothes for now. I'll buy new ones when I want to. Anyway, I have all the money in the house, so I won't skimp on myself," Jingyan reassured him.

After explaining, Jingyan suddenly remembered something and asked, "Zhijun, I remember when we first met you, you seemed like a very straightforward person, and you've remained very attentive even after we got married."

"But since you returned to Haishi, your personality has changed quite a bit, and I always feel a little uncomfortable. Have you revealed your true nature or gone astray?"

He Zhijun touched the bridge of his nose somewhat embarrassedly: "Well, a classmate of mine is in a relationship. He said his girlfriend is very considerate to him, reminds him to buy clothes and shoes, and is also quite affectionate."

He was practically completely swayed by that woman, and I was wondering if everyone likes that kind of behavior. I can't learn other things, but I don't need to learn how to act cute, so I tried it with you. What, you don't like it?

Jing Yan was speechless: "That's a woman's way of dealing with men. Aren't you going against the grain by learning that?"

"But you might not be willing to act cute towards me," He Zhijun said, feeling somewhat wronged.

Jingyan was truly at her breaking point this time: "Okay, I know, you like girls who like to act cute, so from now on I'll act cute and act a little spoiled with you, okay?"

He Zhijun nodded happily, and Jing Yan felt he was more and more like a child.

It's just a matter of being cute. Next, Grandma and Sister Wang started to suffer. They could often hear: "Zhijun, An'an peed, can you come and change his diaper?" His voice was so high-pitched that it would give any woman goosebumps. It was so sweet and cloying.

But He Zhijun liked it. As soon as he heard it, he ran into the house happily and was ordered to do chores. This action left his grandmother, who had lived most of her life, speechless.

Finally, it was time for He Zhijun to return to school. The two people at home, who had been suffering for nearly a month, breathed a long sigh of relief. After seeing He Zhijun off, Grandma said to Jingyan with a mix of laughter and tears, "If you keep talking like that, I'm thinking of moving back to the sanatorium."

Jingyan was also helpless: "He openly envied his classmate's girlfriend for being able to act cute in front of me. What could I do? I just had to appease him. Men will be men; some harmless requests are just given in."

As society becomes more open, if a couple doesn't manage their relationship well, isn't that just giving others the opportunity to steal their partner? If he's the type to be unfaithful, then so be it; I'm too lazy to waste my energy on someone like that.

But he's been doing quite well, so I went along with him a bit. Thank you all for your hard work these past few days." Jingyan took her grandmother's arm and gently swayed it, acting coquettishly.

Grandma gently patted her arm and laughed, "Indeed, it feels really nice to be coaxed. This old lady likes it too. But don't try to sound cute with that voice in the future. It gives me goosebumps. It's much better to speak normally."

Jingyan smiled ingratiatingly: "Yes, I'll listen to Grandma."

It's March now, and Zhang Xiaofen has some leftover meat. Jingyan is preparing to start braising the meat and selling it. There isn't much work to do at home, and Sister Wang helps out when washing and stewing the meat, so Jingyan isn't too tired.

The neighbors started catching the irresistible aroma of meat every few days. Families with children would come back to buy some, buying the braised meat as an add-on, but mainly for the braising liquid.

Add some broth to the cooked noodles, garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro, and the soup noodles will be very fragrant. If there is any leftover, add a little to stir-fries, and the dishes will have a meaty flavor. So, Jingyan's business has started to pick up during this period.

"Jingyan, do you want to order more pork belly, ribs, or something?" Zhang Xiaofen asked when she brought over the leftover meat that day.

"Not for now. My baby is not even four months old yet. I plan to breastfeed until he is six months old, and then I can introduce complementary foods. I will order the meat from you when I have breastfed him twice a day, morning and evening. Right now, it's not convenient for me to go out and set up a stall," Jingyan explained.

Once Zhang Xiaofen had confirmed what she needed to do next, she left. Her grandmother was very happy while helping to collect the money at home. "So this is what it feels like to make money in business. It's really great. Jingyan, why don't you do more so Grandma can set up a stall to sell?"

Seeing the old lady's excited face, Jingyan chuckled and refused, "Grandma, making money isn't something that can be done in a short time. If you want to experience it, you can come with me when I go at the end of May. If it's for too long, your body won't be able to handle it."

The old lady was just acting on a whim. When Jingyan refused her, she didn't insist anymore. Days passed by like flowing water. Sister Wang had gotten used to staying here. Now she would occasionally sit on the roadside outside the door and chat with the neighbors. When she came back, she would share the gossip she had heard with Jingyan.

The son of this family returned to the city with his family. His wife was a girl from the countryside who had been sent down to the countryside. She was very timid here because she was unfamiliar with the place and the in-laws looked down on her and were always making sarcastic remarks. What's funny is that the girl didn't realize they were being sarcastic and even seriously responded and explained, making the family feel like they were punching cotton, with no force at all.

When this matter is brought up, Grandma will comment again: "Why bother with all this? Even if you don't like them, you should have discussed it amicably between the two families. Should the son move out and live separately, or should you give the wife's family some compensation and let them go?"

Now look what's happened! Instead of remembering the kindness of the woman who helped take care of his son in the countryside, he treats her badly, complaining that she's not good enough for him. Meanwhile, he dumps all the housework on her, acting like he's doing everything for her. In the past, he'd be drowned in spitting gossip; they wouldn't even have the chance to spread these rumors outside. Sigh, the world is going to the dogs.

"What else is new?" Jing Yan's appetite was piqued.

“There were people who came here to take the college entrance exam before. There was a family here with a daughter who said she had never been married. When she came back after getting into a junior college, her family celebrated quite a bit.”

But who would have thought that she was lying? She had already been married in the countryside. The people in the countryside didn't know, so she took the opportunity not to get a marriage certificate with him. They didn't have any children, and she didn't bring her husband with her when she came back.

However, her husband wasn't completely useless. When the villagers came to buy a car, he came along. Since it was a rare occasion, he went to the school to inquire about his wife's situation.

It would have been better if they hadn't inquired. Once they found out, they discovered that the girl was dating someone at school, and the guy's family held a minor official position. Her husband was furious when he heard this and started making a scene at the school.

The school wanted to improve its reputation, so they invited the girl's parents over. After some arguing, her husband finally said that his wife was "tainted" and he didn't want her anymore. He then said that he had helped her with chores and earned work points over the years, and that he didn't care about the reputational damage. Anyway, he asked the girl's family for two thousand yuan to settle the matter.

That family had finally produced a college student, and they were reluctant to let him go. They scraped together money from all sides, borrowing from various sources until they finally managed to raise enough. The man gave them a receipt, clarified that they were no longer involved, and then left. He was able to let go gracefully.

However, the woman's reputation at school was significantly affected, her boyfriend broke up with her, saying he was deceived, and she apparently received a demerit from the school. Anyway, it took quite a while for the situation to calm down.

Grandma continued, "Oh dear, this girl's reputation is ruined. It won't be easy for her to find a good family later. But luckily, the university didn't expel her. She got a job after graduation, and as time goes by, people will gradually forget about her. Maybe she'll be able to find a decent husband."

"But this girl's actions were dishonest. Even if she was afraid of having her admission letter withheld if she directly confronted them, she had already enrolled here, and her family was here too. If she had let her family accompany her back to settle things, things wouldn't have escalated to this point."

"She was assuming the man wouldn't come looking for her, so she didn't bother dealing with it. Besides, the round-trip travel expenses are quite high, so it's understandable that she was reluctant to spend the money. But now that Sister Wang has mentioned it, it seems she has a good eye; the man probably didn't hit her when he did come looking for her."

That means this person still has principles; they cut ties cleanly after taking the money. It also shows they're confident, not worried about remaining single, and are quite intelligent. People say never underestimate a young person's potential; perhaps her future husband will achieve great things. As long as she doesn't regret it then, that's all that matters.

"He's just a country bumpkin, what kind of fortune could he possibly have? He doesn't even have an urban household registration." Sister Wang couldn't understand it.

“You have to buy everything in the city. There aren’t many houses like ours with a vegetable garden, right? But in the countryside, you can grow a lot of vegetables in your own garden, raise some chickens, ducks, geese, and so on, and sell them in the city. You’ll definitely make some money.”

"As long as you have money in your hands, life will naturally be easier. What are we city folks proud of? It's a stable job and a stable income. In the end, it all comes down to one word: money," Jing Yan explained with a smile.