CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 041 THE XIE FAMILY GATHER TOGETHER

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At over five in the afternoon, in the front yard of the Xie Family

It was such a lively atmosphere that in no time, it was time for dinner; all the food and dishes were fully prepared, without any fuss as it was a casual meal.

By nearly six o’clock, dinner had already begun. Earlier, Eldest Son Xie was seen arriving with Fourth, Fifth carrying their respective wives, and the youngest, having met Xiao Yi, Xiao’er, and Xiao San halfway, both groups returned to the Xie Family Courtyard together.

At this time, the sky was already darkening, and the older gentlemen were all seated at the table. The young children didn’t shy away at all, occasionally walking from the kitchen to the main hall to grab some snacks like small peanut dishes, mingling with the adults’ jests, filling the room with joy.

Seeing so many family members at home and the lively scene, Xiao Yi, Xiao’er, and Xiao San didn’t notice the expressions on their elders’ faces and after putting down their school bags and washing their hands, quickly joined the youth fighting over food.

Eldest Son Xie’s demeanor appeared normal; he had returned home in the morning and was tasked by his mother to pick up his younger brothers and sisters. Managing to bring everyone back before nightfall, he felt he did his best. Moreover, feeling that he had a wife at home to help him, he didn’t slack off and was able to sit comfortably under his father’s gaze.

The youngest was a little aunt, innocent of the elders’ subtle complexities, simply snuggling by their mother, whining for food and drink.

Fourth Son’s Wife, pregnant with a belly of seven months, didn’t feel embarrassed at all. Having found high-paying good work in the county through her husband over the past two years, she felt her backbone was straightened. Recently having returned to her parent’s home and not eaten at her in-laws’, she didn’t feel ashamed at all and, with her husband’s support, greeted the elders and took her seat directly at her mother-in-law’s table.

As for the couple of Fifth, Xie Jingyang was a bookworm, continuously studying at the Gongnong University in the county, completely unaware that his wife, after Fourth’s return for prenatal care, used the excuse of taking care of him to return to her maternal home in the town and stayed there long-term!

Completely unreliable, she left her only son and daughter at home without any hesitance, and just slipped away!

Fifth’s wife proved to be shrewd, unwilling to be shortchanged. Seeing Fourth’s condition, she was even more fearless. Upon returning and not seeing her own two children, she wasn’t worried at all but simply took a seat next to the empty seat beside Fourth Sister.

As for Zhou Xiuhua’s unpleasant expression, she completely ignored it, immediately starting to chat with familiar wives, utterly crude to the core.

Perhaps, that was just Fifth’s wife’s true nature; she maintained that since their family was from the town, she always held herself in high regard.

On the other hand, compared to the undercurrents in the Xie family between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, Zhang Shan Ni was entirely joyful.

Zhang Shan Ni ate directly in the main hall of the front courtyard because she was making new clothes, and Zhou Xiuhua, fearing she might be shy, did not call her out to eat.

The dishes were personally brought into the room by Zhou Xiuhua, who saw that many newly made clothes had already been placed beside her. The piece she carried was a small garment pieced together with various cloths; though somewhat mismatched, it was quite eye-catching.

This was a new dress for a little girl, with the front and back patterns looking the same, but actually, they were two similar pink floral patterns. She had finished the edges, making the dress more durable. The sleeves were made of light blue cloth scraps, which provided a contrast, making this floral dress exceptionally noticeable. Judging by the size of the dress, it was surely for Xiaoqi.

Again, Xiaoqi doesn’t go anywhere but obediently sits next to Zhang Shanni, her eyes rolling excitedly as she gazes at the clothing, clearly showing her delight.

"Little girl, first put down what you are doing, we will eat and continue later. Xiaoqi, are you going to eat with grandma?"

"Mom, no need to trouble yourself, just let Xiaoqi stay here with me. She’s very well-behaved, and I won’t be able to finish all these dishes anyway, so it’s good to eat together. It avoids the chaos outside, wouldn’t be good if she accidentally bumps into something."

"Alright, I know you love them, I won’t play the villain then. Xiaoqi, you must listen to Second Aunt. Little girl, I need to go out and welcome guests. If you need anything, let Xiaoqi run errands. Mom is going out now. Xiaoqi, listen to your Second Aunt!"

Zhou Xiuhua is truly busy. Hearing Xiaoqi and the little girl answering in succession, she felt much more relieved. Just before leaving the room, she again reminded Xiaoqi, clearly worried that Xiaoqi, being young and naive, might ruin San’er’s wife’s afternoon’s painstaking efforts for nothing.

"Understood, grandma." Xiaoqi obediently nods. Previously, hearing that Second Aunt was making her new clothes, she decided not to go with her fifth sister and others, and has been eagerly waiting for the new clothes. Now that grandma has brought in the meal, she habitually touches her little belly, feeling hungry by now.

Seeing her mother-in-law hurry in and out, simply dropping off the meal and saying a few words before leaving, it’s apparent she’s really busy. Zhang Shanni felt touched as she looked down at Xiaoqi, who was not making any fuss, just eagerly watching her.

"Xiaoqi is really well-behaved, come, sit properly," fortunately there are bowls, chopsticks and a spoon, she directly prepares a small portion for Xiaoqi, even putting several pieces of meat in her bowl, "Xiaoqi, eat by yourself. Be careful, don’t rush. The food is hot, eat slowly, don’t choke, alright?"

"Mhm." Xiaoqi obediently responds and genuinely starts eating attentively.

"Eat up, such a good girl."

Zhang Shanni while eating, sparing some of her spiritual power to pay attention to Xiaoqi’s behavior, thinks about how her own wedding clothes are nearly done.

With the leftover small pieces of fabric, piecing them together, she could actually make another top for Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu, and with even smaller bits, she could make small silver pouches. If there’s still more, it would be suitable to use for shoe insoles especially since Xie Jingchen was in the military, where training was no joke, definitely a high difficulty that exhausted a person.

Thinking about how she prepared so many fabrics, just making for herself wouldn’t be nice, perhaps she should also make new clothes for her little aunt and the in-laws. After all, the banquet is the day after tomorrow, with all the relatives here already, she shouldn’t go out, and could just stay indoors preparing some little gifts for her new family.

Thinking this, she couldn’t bother with eating slowly, she finishes her meal in a few bites, tidies up the threads on Xiaoqi’s new flowered dress, measures it against her, making Xiaoqi laugh even happier!

That half-afternoon, she managed to make a new set of clothing for herself and one for Xie Jingchen, putting more thought into her little aunt’s clothing style. The rest of the clothes for Xie Family’s parents and this couple were made with simplicity and comfort in mind, really having no special style. Although it looks like five sets of clothing, with her spiritual power, it actually took just over two hours, half of which was spent on cutting.

Then, patching together the small garments was actually harder because the fabric pieces were leftovers, assembled together, causing her to spend a bit more time.

Among this pile of clothes, only hers and Xie Jingchen’s fabrics were specially taken from Space, old fabrics she found in there. For the in-laws, she added a layer of cotton lining inside, which is sweat-absorbing and softer. Although called cotton, it actually contains some linen, which is a durable and wear-resistant blend.

Having mostly completed the clothing, tomorrow she could get everything like duvet covers done in her room.