Want a Little Niece Again
She needed to recover well so she could give her a big, chubby grandd—ahem, grandson.
Lately, she had even been influenced by those three boys who kept asking for a little niece, and she had somehow started looking forward to having a granddaughter too. But thinking about how the couple might spend more time apart than together in the future, it was still better to have a son first—it would be more practical.
After hearing his mother, Lin Chuan made Su Su a drink of red dates and brown sugar water, even blowing on it gently. “Drink it while it’s hot.”
“Just leave it there, I want to rest for a bit.” Su Su was feeling shy.
Mother Lin could tell and said, “Then rest. Let Chuanzi handle the work. I think he’s almost fully recovered anyway.” Just by looking at him, it was obvious—newly initiated into married life, his eyes and brows were full of smiles. With how happy he looked, how could he not be fine?
“Mm.” Su Su nodded. She wasn’t actually that weak, but the thought of making Lin Chuan run around for her made her oddly happy.
Mother Lin added, “I’ll make blood sausage for you tonight. Old Zhang’s pig in the village died accidentally—I’ll have your father go buy some intestines and blood.”
Su Su felt a bit speechless. She’d already had chicken blood in the morning—now pork blood at night?
But Lin Chuan cast a grateful look at his mother. She had really helped him out—his wife was delicate, and as a big man, he didn’t really know how to take care of her.
Still, he knew how to wash bedding. He busily took apart the sheets and washed them, then swept both the yard and the house. When he came back and saw Su Su lying on the kang, he wanted to lie down with her.
But the outer door opened. He turned and saw his two younger brothers. Lin Hai had come but stayed outside, kicking around firecracker debris.
Lin Jiang, the youngest, glanced at Su Su lying on the kang and quietly said to Lin Chuan, “Big Brother, the three of us discussed something—we think Mother is wrong.”
“Hmm?” Lin Chuan didn’t understand.
“Mother said having a son is better for support, so she wants Sister-in-law to have a nephew this time. But our family already has four boys—if there’s another one, we’ll just end up fighting. So we think it’s better to have a niece.”
The boys didn’t understand anything about pregnancy timing—they just assumed Su Su was already carrying a baby that would eventually be born.
But they felt they had to tell Big Brother—they needed an ally, in case another nephew appeared.
“…” Lin Chuan was speechless. He had received a letter from his wife about this before. Looking at his brothers, he felt a bit helpless—this wasn’t something he could decide either.
Still, he couldn’t lose face.
“Alright.” He liked daughters too.
Hearing their big brother agree, the two younger boys were overjoyed. They ran outside and told Lin Hai, “We’re going to have a niece! Big Brother agreed!”
“Really?” Even though he knew Big Brother’s word didn’t count, Lin Hai was still happy. Their “team” hoping for a niece had gained another supporter.
Lin Chuan looked at his three foolish brothers in the yard, then quietly went inside and asked his wife, “Su Su, do you like daughters?”
“I don’t like anything.”
Shut down, Lin Chuan scratched his head and couldn’t continue. He went out, and half an hour later came back. “Wife, I borrowed the brigade’s donkey cart. I’ll take you to the commune to watch the land-boat performance. How about it?”
“Huh?” What was a land-boat performance? Su Su had no idea. She only knew about yangko dancing—but in this era, it was mostly just exercise for older folks, not very entertaining. Now there was something new to see? Of course she wanted to go.
Besides, she had rested enough. She quickly sat up. “Then I’ll get dressed, let’s go.”
Soon, they were all dressed and ready. They went to the front courtyard to call the three brothers, and off they went to the commune.
Normally, it would be hard to borrow a donkey cart at this time, but Lin Chuan often helped the brigade with work and didn’t insist on extra work points, so he was able to borrow one.
Once on the cart, Su Su realised Lin Chuan wasn’t as dull as he seemed—he actually knew how to cheer her up. She’d still been a bit angry at him, but after a short ride, most of it faded away.
Besides, watching him manage his brothers and drive the cart—he looked incredibly handsome. The rest of her anger disappeared completely.
Sure enough, it was hard to stay mad at someone good-looking.
Especially now—his face had healed completely and looked even fairer. Fair skin made everything better, and he was already handsome to begin with. Now he looked even more attractive than the male lead.
Her choice had indeed been right.
The more she looked at him, the more she liked him. But thinking back to last night, her smile almost couldn’t hold. She thought to herself—having a man was fine, but why did that have to happen? Her body still felt sore. Better not do it again in the future.
If Lin Chuan knew that after all his effort to cheer her up she still thought this way, he might just jump off a cliff.
Just as they reached the village entrance, they saw someone standing there wrapped tightly in a scarf, face covered as if afraid of being recognised. But there were so few pretty women in the village—and this one had been familiar with the Lin family before—that they recognised her instantly.
Su Su didn’t notice—she was busy wiping tears from yawning and didn’t see clearly.
Lin Hai frowned. “What does she want?”
Lin Chuan shook his head. With a flick of his coat, he covered Su Su’s feet. Before, he had to be mindful of appearances, but now she was his wife. After last night, he felt more at ease—she was his, so what was there to worry about?
Su Su felt the same. Even though she had been “tormented,” she now found Lin Chuan even more reliable. Sitting there, she leaned softly against him.
Suddenly, the donkey cart stopped.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Lin Chuan adjusted her scarf. “Someone might want a ride.”
Lin Hai, however, clearly disliked the woman and asked coldly, “What do you want?”
“I want to go to the commune. Can I ride with you?” Qin Yueyue had already seen Lin Chuan and Su Su sitting close together at the front. Their indifferent attitude annoyed her, but she kept quiet, wanting to stay low-profile.
In rural areas, hitching a ride was normal, so Lin Hai shifted aside and said to Lin Shan, “Move over.” This woman wasn’t proper—better not let them be influenced.
“Sister Qin, sit here,” Lin Shan said politely, still thinking well of her.
Lin Chuan said nothing. Once she was seated, he urged the cart forward again.
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