Hearing this, Jiang Si was also surprised. She had no relatives or acquaintances here—who could be looking for her at this hour?
Could it be Third Uncle and Uncle Zhong?
After some thought, Jiang Si found this quite plausible.
A few days ago, she had called Third Uncle, who repeatedly insisted that coming to Qiongzhou Island wasn’t urgent.
He also mentioned that if they left just like that, he’d worry about no one looking after the house.
But who knows? Maybe Third Uncle wanted to surprise her.
The more Jiang Si thought about it, the more convinced she became. She was about to excuse herself when—
He Ping rubbed his dizzy head and suddenly dropped a bombshell:
“Sis-in-law, the regiment leader’s mother is here.”
Huh?
Her mother-in-law?
Now Jiang Si was genuinely shocked.
She had heard from Huo Tingzhou that Mother Huo was currently on a performance tour in the revolutionary base areas of Jiangxi Province. There’d been no mention of her coming to Qiongzhou Island!
But Jiang Si didn’t dwell on it. It was good that her mother-in-law had come—it had been a while since they last met.
“Sis-in-law, I’ll head back now.”
“Mm-hmm, go ahead.”
As she spoke, Hu Meili packed two portions of food for her.
“Your mother-in-law rarely visits, so I won’t keep you for lunch. Take these back, and if you need anything, just come over anytime.”
Jiang Si didn’t stand on ceremony. At this hour, the canteen wouldn’t have much left anyway.
After thanking her, she took the food.
Hu Meili walked her to the door and spotted a tall woman in a navy-blue Lenin suit approaching from a distance.
Seeing Hu Meili lingering in the yard, the Xiao brothers, Weidong and Weimin, curiously poked their little heads out.
After a moment, the younger one, Xiao Weimin, blurted out:
“Bro, Auntie Jiang’s mother-in-law looks like a good one—definitely not the kind who badmouths her daughter-in-law behind her back!”
The elder, Xiao Weidong, nodded in agreement. “Doesn’t seem like it.”
Then he glanced at Hu Meili. “Mom, you can relax now.”
Hu Meili chuckled. “What do you kids know?”
After all these years, she still wouldn’t dare claim to judge someone’s character at a glance.
These two little rascals hadn’t even grown all their hair yet—what could they possibly know?
Still, she had to admit she was a bit uneasy.
In all her years on the island, she’d never seen any of the Huo family come to visit.
Now, barely after Huo Tingzhou left, his mother showed up.
What if she was here to stir trouble?
It wasn’t unreasonable for Hu Meili to think this way.
Back then, Mingjuan’s mother-in-law had taken advantage of Old Lei being away on missions to torment her in every way possible.
To this day, Hu Meili couldn’t understand what that woman was thinking.
Instead of enjoying a peaceful life, she insisted on making everyone miserable.
Thank goodness she wasn’t Hu Meili’s mother-in-law—otherwise, she’d have picked a fight with her long ago.
What kind of person goes through hardship as a daughter-in-law only to turn around and inflict the same on their own daughter-in-law?
While Hu Meili was lost in thought, the Xiao brothers protested.
Weimin clenched his little fists indignantly. “Mom, don’t underestimate us! We might be young, but we’re not stupid!”
“Last month, Little Hong’s grandma came to visit. She brought nothing, hit Little Hong every day, and didn’t even want her to go to school.”
“You always say ‘the face reflects the heart.’ That grandma was obviously bad news!”
“Anyone who rolls their eyes all the time, has a gaunt face, thin eyebrows, thin lips, and deep frown lines—they’re all bad people!”
The little one didn’t just generalize; he had examples ready. “Auntie Xu’s mother-in-law, Little Hong’s grandma, Little Hua’s grandma, and Little Mei’s—”
Before he could finish, Hu Meili swiftly covered his mouth.
Good heavens!
Shut your mouth!
This isn’t something to babble about!
But it was too late. The brothers shared everything—joys and woes alike.
Under Weimin’s insistent gaze, Weidong spoke up again.
“Mom, did you see the net bag in Auntie Jiang’s mother-in-law’s hand?”
“There’s malted milk, powdered milk, a big tin of biscuits, and at the bottom, two large boxes of chocolate.”
Xiao Weidong not only had 20/20 vision but also a photographic memory.
“We got a box of that chocolate two years ago, in April, when Dad came back from a mission in Guangzhou.”
“It’s only sold at the Friendship Store—super expensive!”
Prompted by her son, Hu Meili finally noticed the large bag in the woman’s hand.
Being nearsighted, she hadn’t been able to make out the contents earlier.
With a sigh, Weidong spoke like a little adult.
“Mom, I told you not to worry.”
“If she weren’t a good mother-in-law, she wouldn’t bring so much for Auntie Jiang.”
As if on cue, just as he finished—
From afar, Hu Meili saw Jiang Si call out “Mom,” and Mother Huo, overjoyed, dropped her luggage and pulled Jiang Si into a tight hug.
Mother Huo had no idea her arrival had sparked so much speculation in Hu Meili’s mind—not that she’d mind even if she knew.
Having a neighbor who cared so much about her daughter-in-law on Qiongzhou Island was something she’d only feel grateful for.
And the moment her daughter-in-law sweetly called her “Mom” made her happier than ever!
Seeing her mother-in-law laden with bags and sweating from the journey, Jiang Si felt a mix of emotions.
“Mom, you must be exhausted.”
She reached for the bags, but Mother Huo refused.
“It’s nothing heavy.”
“I’m not tired at all. The trip was comfortable—good food, good rest, and I even napped twice.”
She did feel a little guilty for showing up unannounced, so she explained with a smile as soon as they stepped inside.
“A few days ago, I called Little Zhou and found out he’s away on a mission.”
“Since my performance tour ended and I have ten days off, I thought I’d drop by to see you.”
Of course, that was only part of the reason. The other matter wasn’t something she could bring up just yet.
“Mom, have some water first.”
Jiang Si handed her a cup of warm water, secretly adding a few drops of spiritual spring water.
After three to four hours on the road, Mother Huo was indeed thirsty.
She took the cup and gulped down half of it in one go.
Strangely enough, the water her daughter-in-law poured tasted unusually sweet.
Once she’d caught her breath, Mother Huo took in the young couple’s home.
She’d already noticed the tidy yard upon entering, especially the vegetable patch—clearly well-tended, given how lush the sprouts were.
Now, scanning the furniture and decor inside, she felt somewhat reassured.
But reassurance aside, as a parent, she couldn’t just leave it at that.
During her half-day stay in Yangcheng, Mother Huo made a special trip to the Friendship Store.
Since their cultural troupe frequently had performance assignments, they received internal vouchers every month.
After unpacking the skincare products and fabrics she had bought, Mother Huo took out two bankbooks from a hidden compartment in her suitcase and handed them to Jiang Si.
"Mom, what’s this?"
Mother Huo smiled. "This bankbook is for you."
"The four brothers haven’t divided the family assets yet, so the betrothal gifts are the same for all. This includes 888 yuan as the betrothal gift and the remaining 2,000 yuan as the settlement allowance."
"The other sum is for purchasing the 'Three Rounds and One Sound' and the '72 Legs' furniture set. I’ve already converted the voucher costs and included them in the amount."
"As for the other bankbook, it’s from your grandparents."
Afraid her daughter-in-law might refuse, Mother Huo insisted, "You must accept this, or I won’t be able to explain myself to them when I go back."
She had also brought along the return gifts from the eldest, second, and fourth sons.
Speaking of this, Mother Huo couldn’t help feeling annoyed.
The other branches of the family at least knew basic etiquette and added a little extra when returning gifts.
But the eldest son’s household? It was as if parting with anything was like tearing their hearts out.
She couldn’t understand—how could there be such a stark difference between children from the same Huo family?
Was it really as the old saying goes: "A fine bamboo may bear a bad shoot"?
