Lin Zhilan sighed, "This is too much."
Su Lang said, "Just accept it. My sisters-in-law both got the same when they married my older brothers."
Seeing the two thousand yuan made Su Lang feel a bit better.
Regardless of what his father thought, at least his mother treated his wife equally.
After putting away the letter and the bankbook, Lin Zhilan began sorting through the items in the package.
Two bolts of solid-colored Dacron fabric, two bolts of floral cotton cloth, two industrial coupons, two bags of milk candies, and two bags of chocolates.
Everything came in pairs.
For the two children, there were also two sets of clothes.
Since she didn't know their sizes, she had intentionally made them a bit large.
Lin Zhilan measured them against the air and figured they would fit the children perfectly next year.
It was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into preparing these things.
"Su Lang, were the things I sent over before too little?"
Su Lang smiled, "You prepared more than enough. I've been on this island for so many years and never even thought to send any local specialties back."
"You are the son, and I am the daughter-in-law. How can you compare the two?" Lin Zhilan chided. Even if she hadn't experienced it firsthand, she knew how the world worked: a son could get away with anything, but a daughter-in-law was entirely different.
Su Lang gently pinched his wife's cheek. "Comrade Lin Zhilan, the person you married is me. It's enough for me to please you; you don't need to try to please anyone else."
Lin Zhilan batted his hand away and scoffed, "Who needs you to please them?"
"Right," Su Lang chuckled, "I'm the one who wants to please you of my own accord."
The two adults were so deep in their romance that their maturity levels seemed to drop, filling the entire room with an atmosphere of pink bubbles.
Jiang Chengzhou silently took a chocolate from the package, broke it apart, and shared it with his younger sister.
As for his uncle and aunt...
They weren't fighting, so whatever.
The next day, Su Lang called home.
Xu Yueyun was thrilled. "Last time Chengzhou said you went out on a mission, I thought you were going to spend the New Year at sea again."
"I came back early because of the typhoon." Su Lang smiled and shared a few updates before adding, "Mom, we received the things you sent. Zhilan and the kids really love them. Thank you."
Xu Yueyun's eyes reddened. "Why are you thanking your own mother? How are you and Zhilan getting along?"
Speaking of his wife, Su Lang couldn't help but smile. "We're doing great. She is wonderful and very beautiful. Mom, you were right about one thing when you used to pressure me to get married: marrying someone you love truly is a happy thing."
Having not heard from her youngest son for a long time, Xu Yueyun was originally feeling a bit sentimental.
But Su Lang's words immediately made her laugh.
She knew her son well. This daughter-in-law, Zhilan, had truly found her way into his heart.
"Then treat her well. Being a military wife is not easy."
Su Lang: "I know."
"Um..." Xu Yueyun hesitated, "How are Chengzhou and Zhilan getting along?"
"Very well. Chengzhou is actually closer to her now than he is to me."
Hearing her son say this, Xu Yueyun was half happy and half worried. "Xiao Lang, please tell Zhilan that if Chengzhou is being naughty, she should just reason with him. Our family doesn't believe in hitting children."
Su Lang raised an eyebrow, leaning against the table. "Mom, did Chengzhou tell you his aunt hit him?"
Xu Yueyun froze for a moment. "Did that child lie to me?"
"Not exactly, but..." Su Lang kept her in suspense. "Is there someone next to you? Have your medicine ready."
Xu Yueyun clutched her chest. "Your dad is right here. Go ahead and say it."
Su Lang: "Chengzhou sneaked off to catch seafood on the beach and was almost washed away by the waves."
"What?" A commotion broke out on the other end of the line.
A moment later, Su Bingcheng took over the phone. "Su Lang, what did you say to your mother?"
Xu Yueyun had just panicked for a second, but she recovered quickly. She patted her husband's shoulder and snatched the receiver back. "Xiao Lang, you must teach Chengzhou a good lesson. Give him a beating. A good beating will straighten him out."
Su Lang laughed, "Mom, didn't you just say our family doesn't believe in hitting children?"
"I..." Xu Yueyun was furious. "I was wrong earlier! Kids need to be spanked when they deserve it, otherwise they won't learn their lesson!"
"Mom, just take care of your health. You don't need to worry about Chengzhou while he's with me."
"I know. You all take good care of yourselves too."
Xu Yueyun chatted with her youngest son for a few more minutes before hanging up.
Su Bingcheng said anxiously, "I haven't even spoken to my son yet!"
Xu Yueyun scoffed, "Your son doesn't want to talk to you!"
"That brat, still holding a grudge," Su Bingcheng said, his face darkening with displeasure.
"Someone bullied his wife. Would he even be a man if he didn't hold a grudge?"
Seeing his wife angry, Su Bingcheng quickly offered an apologetic smile. "I deserved it. Haven't I already turned over a new leaf after receiving Comrade Xu Yueyun's teachings?"
While he was trying to coax her, Auntie Yu, who helped with the chores around the house, walked in from outside.
Auntie Yu was only in her early forties. Her husband had passed away early, and her son had polio, leaving him confined to a wheelchair.
Because of her family's financial difficulties, the neighborhood committee had recommended her to work at the Su household.
"Auntie Xu, Uncle Su, a package arrived from the island."
Xu Yueyun instantly forgot about being mad at her husband and smiled. "It must be from Zhilan. Xiao Yu, bring it here quickly so I can see."
"Okay."
Upon opening the package, the distinct smell of seafood wafted out.
"Oh my, such large dried abalones, and dried scallops and shrimp too. This child," Xu Yueyun sighed in appreciation, "she is so thoughtful."
The capital was located inland, so seafood was rarely seen. Auntie Yu had never even laid eyes on such things before.
"Auntie Xu, I don't know how to cook these."
Xu Yueyun smiled. "It's fine, my youngest daughter-in-law wrote down the instructions."
She looked down at the handwriting on the paper; it was elegant and neat.
Seeing the handwriting was like seeing the person. Her youngest daughter-in-law was surely a bright and gentle girl.
Of course, this was her impression before she had ever seen a medical prescription written by Lin Zhilan.
Seeing the table covered in various seafood, Su Bingcheng said, "Xiao Yu, divide these things into three portions. Send some over to our eldest and second son's families later."
"No!" Xu Yueyun interjected. "Send what? This is from my youngest daughter-in-law to me. Why should I share it with them?"
"There's so much, the two of us won't be able to finish it."
"If we can't finish it, I'll take my time eating it. They're all dried goods, so they won't spoil." Xu Yueyun kept a cold face, refusing to budge.
Su Bingcheng asked in surprise, "What's wrong with you today? You're usually very generous with our two daughters-in-law. Why are you suddenly being so petty today?"
"Hmph!" Xu Yueyun's face turned pale with anger. "Didn't I tell our eldest and second sons? I told them their youngest brother got married. Anyone with a shred of sense would know they should show some kind of gesture, right?
I just asked Xiao Lang, and he didn't receive any packages from his brothers. And they call themselves older brothers!
When the two of them got married, Xiao Lang had just joined the military, yet he spent months of his salary buying things for them. But now that it's their younger brother's turn to get married, they haven't shown the slightest gesture!
Just you wait. From now on, they shouldn't even dream of taking a single thing from me! They want to eat seafood? They can eat dirt!"
Xu Yueyun usually had a gentle temper. For her to be so angry that she was swearing meant she was truly furious.
