Chapter 4
She left the Gu Family home around 8:00 AM. The drive to the Luo Family home would take about five hours. Due to some traffic, she arrived at the Luo Family home after 2:00 PM. She had called her parents beforehand. Her mom had already prepared dinner and was waiting for her at home.
Seeing that Luo Zhengzheng hadn't brought her grandson back, her mom, Yuan Mei grumbled reproachfully, "Haven't seen Jiajia in ages and you didn't even bring him back."
Luo Zhengzheng said helplessly, "Didn’t dad say his back hurt? The main reason I came back this time is to take you all to the hospital for a checkup."
Luo Zhengzheng's dad, Luo Yongsheng, muttered, "My back doesn't hurt anymore, I don't need a checkup." He figured a few plasters would be enough and he didn't want to waste money.
Yuan Mei also looked disapproving: "Why go to the hospital if it doesn't hurt?"
Luo Zhengzheng didn't argue with them. She would simply take them to the hospital tomorrow.
Yuan Mei called to Xiao Zhang, "It's past two o'clock, you must be hungry, right? Come and eat."
Xiao Zhang was a retired female soldier. After Luo Zhengzheng and Gu Shi got married, Gu Shi had her follow Luo Zhengzheng. She had been to the Gu Family home twice before and was quite familiar with the place.
The two women were indeed hungry. Yuan Mei brought the food to the table and served each of them a bowl of chicken soup: "The chicken stopped laying eggs and since you were coming back, I killed it."
Luo Zhengzheng took a sip of the chicken soup: "It's delicious."
Xiao Zhang also enjoyed it. She wasn't a picky eater and had a big appetite. After finishing a bowl of chicken soup, she felt much better.
While they were eating, Gu Shi called. She answered, "Just got home. Eating now."
Hearing this, Gu Shi said, "Then you eat first."
Luo Zhengzheng hummed in agreement and hung up.
Yuan Mei sat down in a chair nearby, glancing thoughtfully at her daughter. Seeing her daughter drinking the chicken soup with a normal expression, she felt relieved.
Before they had finished eating, Luo Meng, her paternal younger cousin sister from her uncle's family, came over. She smiled and said, "Why didn't you bring Jiajia back?"
Luo Zhengzheng smiled and said, "For once, I come back for some peace and quiet. Why would I bring him back?"
Yuan Mei gestured for her to sit down and offered her some chocolate: "Zhengzheng brought these back. You young people like them. They're bitter and I don't really like them. Take some back for Luo Xiang and Luo Xing to try."
Luo Meng readily agreed: "Sure."
Yuan Mei then offered her some melon seeds: "Why don't you eat some melon seeds? Too much candy is cloying. I heard you're going to be a teacher at the middle school in our town?"
Luo Meng nodded: "My mom doesn't agree. She wants me to find a job at a big company in the capital."
"Teaching is such a good job, why doesn't your mom agree?" Yuan Mei thought her sister-in-law was a bit too ambitious. The child hadn't let the family spend a penny and got a teaching job through her own abilities, yet her mom still disagreed. She didn't understand what she was thinking.
Luo Meng glanced at Luo Zhengzheng. What else could she be thinking? She was envious of her paternal elder cousin sister marrying into a wealthy family and thought her daughter wasn't bad either and if she went to a big city, she might find her a rich husband too. Didn't she consider what her cousin looked like, and what she looked like? She had sufficient self-awareness.
Did she really think marrying into a wealthy family was so easy? Since paternal elder cousin sister married into the Gu family, cousin-in-law had only visited once for their wedding. Beside then, when had he ever come over? That kind of pampered son-in-law wouldn't be easy to serve.
Xiao Zhang had drove for a good few hours, so after eating, she went to rest. Luo Zhengzheng and Luo Meng went to her room. Luo Meng sat down and asked her, "Have you found a job yet?"
Luo Zhengzheng was taken aback. "Find a job?"
Luo Meng rolled his eyes at her. "Didn't you tell me a while ago that you were going to look for a job?"
Luo Zhengzheng remembered. In her previous life, she had indeed told Gu Shi that she wanted to work. Gu Shi hadn't objected, only suggesting that she could work at the Ye Group. She hadn't agreed, saying she wanted to find work elsewhere and the two seemed to have had a disagreement about it.
Seeing her expression, Luo Meng couldn't help but ask, "Cousine-in-law won't let you work?"
In her memory, wealthy families generally didn't like their daughters-in-law working.
"No," Luo Zhengzheng shook her head. She had completely forgotten about it after being reborn. And in the half month since her rebirth, she hadn't mentioned working and Gu Shi hadn't said a word about it either. That man was truly a dog.
Seeing her strange expression, Luo Meng didn't press her for details, but suspected it was because cousin-in-law wouldn't let her work. Although she had married into a wealthy family and lived a life of luxury, there was a lack of freedom. A graduate of a prestigious university was unable to work after graduation—had all those years of education been wasted?
The villagers knew Luo Zhengzheng was back and her house was filled with visitors all afternoon. Each time someone came, Yuan Mei would have her daughter come out and chat with them. She believed that while the king of hell was easy to deal with, his underlings were difficult. Even though the visitors were all villagers, if Luo Zhengzheng neglected them, people would say she had become arrogant after marrying into wealth and looked down on her fellow villagers. Such rumors were too hurtful and she didn't want her daughter to have that kind of reputation.
Actually, Luo Zhengzheng enjoyed talking to the villagers. They had no ulterior motives. They were only unfamiliar with wealthy families' lives and held a certain longing to know. Satisfying their curiosity meant they wouldn't bother her further. She barely had any rest in the afternoon. After an early dinner, she washed up and then went upstairs to her room to watch a TV series on her laptop.
Just as she was getting into an exciting part, a video call request came through. She paused the series and saw it was from Gu Shi. When the call connected, slightly disheveled Gu Shi appeared on the screen carrying little Chengjia, whose eyes were red and swollen. Seeing mommy on the laptop, Chengjia burst into tears, crying, "Mommy, hug! Mommy, hug!"
Gu Shi looked at his wife on the video call and his handsome face was full of helplessness: "He's been crying all night."
Tinged with heartache, Ye Li’s voice came through the video: "We went to the park this morning and this afternoon we hosted two little guests at home. All through it, he was cheerful, but as soon as it got dark, he started looking for mommy. His voice is almost hoarse from crying."
Luo Zhengzheng felt heartbroken seeing him cry so hard: "Let Grandma Wang comfort him."
She hadn't expected the little guy to look for her at night, since Grandma Wang usually put him to sleep.
"Mommy, Mommy, hug!" The little guy's sobbing continued to come from the laptop. Gu Shi looked up and said gently, "Auntie Wang tried to comfort him for a long time, but it didn't work."
For a moment, Luo Zhengzheng didn't know what to do either and could only watch her crying son and quietly try to soothe him.
The little guy was very stubborn. He wouldn't sleep or take a bath until he saw mommy.
Yuan Mei faintly heard the sound of a child crying upstairs. She frowned and went upstairs to the second floor, opened her daughter's door, and saw her sitting in front of the laptop. She asked, "I think I just heard Jiajia crying?"
Luo Zhengzheng pointed to the laptop: "He wants mommy."
Yuan Mei walked over and went to the laptop. Seeing her little grandson's face red from crying, she exclaimed. Her heart ached. She glared at her daughter: "You should have brought the child back. Look how much he's crying."
Luo Zhengzheng looked at her son sheepishly.
The little guy suddenly blurted out, "Mommy bad."
Luo Zhengzheng: "..."
Just now he wanted Mommy to hold him, and now Mommy was bad? Though this stinky brat was small, he was so perceptive and knew who to complain to.
Yuan Mei glared at her daughter before looking at little Chengjia and said, "Jiajia, don't cry. Let Daddy will bring Jiajia over tomorrow, okay?"
She then turned to Gu Shi, "If you can't get away from work, Nanny Wang to bring him."
Gu Shi looked at Luo Zhengzheng and seeing she didn't speak, he said gently, "Mom, it's okay. He'll get used to it in two-three days."
Yuan Mei disagreed, "Get used to what?"
She looked at Luo Zhengzheng, "When you were little, Mom didn't raise you like this. Even with lots of farm work, I always kept you and Luo Can by my side. How can a child be left to cry like that? His throat is hoarse. As a mother, you don't know how to feel distress for the child."
Luo Zhengzheng felt wronged. Because she loved, she only wanted his dad to spend more time with him.
Yuan Mei looked at her son-in-law: "It's settled then. Tomorrow, decide if you should bring him over or if you'll arrange for someone to bring Jiajia."
Gu Shi asked Luo Zhengzheng: "What do you think?"
What could Luo Zhengzheng think? She said helplessly, "You decide. I'll take Mom and Dad to the hospital for a checkup in the morning. Come over this afternoon and have dinner upon arrival."
Gu Shi's eyes crinkled with amusement: "Whatever you say."
Exhausted from crying, little Chengjia fell asleep on his dad's desk.
Luo Zhengzheng whispered, "Turn off the video call, take him to sleep. Don't give him a bath. Just wipe him down with warm water."
Gu Shi hummed in agreement and turned off the video call.
Yuan Mei poked her daughter's forehead, unable to resist saying, "You ah! From what I see, Gu Shi is quite easy to talk to. What tantrum are you throwing?"
She'd been wondering why her daughter hadn't brought Jiajia and wondering if her daughter and son-in-law had had a fight. She'd told her dad, but he'd said she was overthinking it.
Luo Zhengzheng muttered softly, "I didn't say he was bad."
Yuan Mei glanced at her, "Think it over yourself."
Luo Zhengzheng thought to herself, "Think over what? Let it be."
The night passed without incident. Upon waking and without even eating, Luo Zhengzheng insisted on taking her parents to the town hospital. The hospital had most of the diagnostic equipment. Since they arrived early, it wasn't crowded. They got the forms, paid the fees, and underwent blood tests, ultrasounds, X-rays, and MRIs—a thorough examination from head to toe.
After all the tests were completed, they went to a restaurant next to the hospital and each ate a bowl of wontons.
Leaving the restaurant, Yuan Mei grumbled, "What a hassle! Who comes to the hospital when not sick?"
Luo Zhengzheng ignored her. Some of the test results were already in and they collected the reports. Her parents didn't have any major illnesses, but her dad had a herniated disc, so his back pain wasn't without reason. Her mother had breast hyperplasia and gynecological problems.
Luo Zhengzheng showed them the report: "If minor illnesses aren't treated promptly, they can develop into serious illnesses. Don't you feel any discomfort or pain? Why do you insist on dragging?"
She became increasingly angry as she spoke. If Mom had paid a little more attention to her health in her past life, she wouldn't have gotten breast cancer. She also blamed herself. Her parents refused to move to the city and stayed in the countryside, unaware of the need for regular checkups. As their children, they knew the seriousness of the situation but never thought to take them for checkups. By the time they realized the illness, it was too late.
Yuan Mei remained silent. Luo Zhengzheng then turned at Dad: "After childbirth, women are prone to illness. Luo Can and I can't be with you often. If she's in pain or uncomfortable, you should insist on taking her to the doctor. From now on, you two should keep each other in check."
Scolded by Luo Zhengzheng, the couple didn't dare raise their heads. Luo Zhengzheng took them to the doctor, got the necessary medication, and arranged for acupuncture treatment. Whatever treatment was needed, comply with the doctor's instructions.
Leaving the hospital, Luo Zhengzheng finally smiled. She was relieved that Mom hadn't gotten breast cancer and that Dad's lumbar spine injury wasn't too serious.
Yuan Mei looked at her daughter and cautiously asked, "They'll bring Jiajia over tonight. Should we go buy some groceries?"
She hadn't expected her daughter to be so frightening when she got angry after becoming married.
Luo Zhengzheng nodded.
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