I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 82: Before the New Year

"You all know that Battalion Commander Jiang's wife is pregnant, right?"

On the flower bed below the family quarters, a group of military dependents sat basking in the sun while knitting sweaters and sewing shoe soles.

The military dependents chatted about the latest gossip they had learned, one after another, like they were having a small tea party.

"I heard it from my wife. She said that Battalion Commander Jiang has even changed his personality. He used to rarely smile, but now he's always cheerful."

"What's the big deal? He's going to be a dad, of course he's happy, he's still young..."

"I heard that Battalion Commander Jiang cooks at home!"

Upon hearing this, the military families gasped in astonishment, their eyes widening in disbelief!

"That Yuan Xiu is amazing! How did she train her?" This person wanted to learn from Yuan Xiu.

"That's right. My husband, let alone cooking, he wouldn't even pick up a fallen oil bottle. He's practically feeding me."

"Who knows? I really didn't see it coming. Xiao Yuan seems quite virtuous, so why does she let a man into the kitchen? It doesn't sound good if word gets out."

"Maybe it's just that Battalion Commander Jiang really enjoys cooking."

"You guys are really something, you can't even let a young couple have a good relationship. Battalion Commander Jiang saw that his wife was having a hard time while pregnant and wanted to take care of her..."

"We're both pregnant, but other women are carrying precious babies who can lord it over at home, while we're carrying nothing but our babies who still have to do our jobs."

As the conversation progressed, some people started to feel sour.

As Yuan Juan walked by, someone maliciously asked her, "Yuan Juan, your cousin's husband cooks for her, but has your husband ever cooked for you? No wonder you fell for Battalion Commander Jiang; you have good taste!"

Yuan Juan paused, her slightly protruding belly showing, and said, "I don't need my man to cook for me. What are women married for? Isn't it just to have children, serve men, and clean the house? If even the meals have to be cooked by men, what's the use of women?"

Standing in her own vegetable garden, Chunmei's sister-in-law heard this and exclaimed, "Oh! I never would have guessed that Yuan Juan's thinking was so backward! This won't do. Chairman Mao said that women hold up half the sky. We're not just about giving birth and serving men. Now that you've said this, I understand why you're trying to steal someone else's man."

Yuan Juan: "You!"

"What are you doing? Hurry up and come back!" Aunt Zhou shouted down from the second-floor window. She didn't like hearing people talk about her daughter-in-law impersonating someone else back then. After all, if Yuan Juan lost face, it was her Shitou who lost face.

But she couldn't argue with people over this and offend her neighbors, so she could only call Yuan Juan home.

When Yuan Juan entered, she rolled her eyes at her, "If you can't speak properly, then shut your mouth. You know you're not well-liked, so why did you even bother to say anything!"

Yuan Juan felt extremely wronged. It was clearly someone else who was scolding her, so how did it become her fault?

Yuan Xiu's mother-in-law sent them a big package of New Year's goods, and everyone in the compound knew about it.

My mother-in-law is so stingy!

"You're already past three months pregnant, and the pregnancy is stable. From now on, you'll be cooking the meals at home."

Yuan Juan: "..."

So what happened when Wu Yufen gave her a lecture for no reason a while ago?

……

The hospital distributed the Spring Festival gifts on the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month.

A bag of sunflower seeds, a bag of peanuts, a bag of milk candy, and two packs of Phoenix brand cigarettes.

Jiang Zhou brought home something similar to what Yuan Xiu brought home: besides snacks like milk candy and melon seeds, there was also a ribbonfish and two pounds of red sausage.

Yuan Xiu only had two days off during the entire Spring Festival. The duty roster was already arranged. She wouldn't work on New Year's Eve, and she and Hao Jia would each work a day on the first and second days of the Lunar New Year.

Jiang Zhou was only one day ahead of her.

In the past few days, many people in the compound have taken their families back to their hometowns to celebrate the New Year. Chunmei's family also went back. In order to go back to his hometown for the New Year, Li Shan took half a month off.

It was only after Chunmei told Yuan Xiu that she learned that Yuan Juan had also gone back to her hometown with Zhou Lei's family for the New Year.

It is said that Yuan Juan was quite reluctant to leave on the day of departure.

In addition to the New Year's gifts distributed that day, another package from Jiangzhou arrived at the mailroom; it was sent by Ms. An Hui.

Along with the package came a letter, which instructed Jiang Zhou to take Yuan Xiu back to his hometown for the New Year.

Jiang Zhou tossed the letter aside after reading it; it was obvious he wouldn't go back.

Jiang Zhou was unpacking the package, and as soon as Yuan Xiu saw what was inside, she knew why her mother-in-law had sent it twice.

The package was almost entirely filled with supplements that are beneficial for pregnant women.

Yuan Xiu used it to make soup; she probably wouldn't be able to finish it even after the baby was born.

Besides the supplements, there were also six cans of milk powder. Yuan Xiu recognized the brand; she had bought this brand of milk powder with foreign exchange certificates when she went to the Friendship Store with Teacher Shen last time.

There were also two bolts of pure cotton fabric suitable for making clothes for children, placed at the very bottom. Seeing these, Yuan Xiu had no doubts.

"Did you send a telegram to Mom?"

It probably won't be that quick to write a letter; the New Year's gifts they sent last time probably only arrived a few days ago.

Jiang Zhou shook his head. "Someone else probably told her that."

Yuan Xiu understood. The people who informed her mother-in-law had either sent a telegram or made a phone call. "Should we write a letter and send it over?"

She really didn't know what to send in return.

It's never too impolite to write a thank-you note.

Jiang Zhou nodded: "Okay."

Yuan Xiu felt that a letter should at least fill a full page, but when she saw the letter Jiang Zhou had written…

"...Is that all you wrote?"

The two lines of text probably don't even add up to fifty words, and they look incredibly pitiful.

"Everything that needed to be written has been written."

Yuan Xiu: "..."

What needed to be written was indeed written: the message that the package had been received, that she was pregnant, and that New Year's greetings were written more concisely than a telegram.

"Please ask how things are going, how your work is, whether your family is harmonious, how your health is, and if anything is bothering you. Finally, offer your best wishes."

Doesn't that increase the word count?

I've never seen him talk so little before.

A thought suddenly struck Yuan Xiu: "Did you write the same thing when you sent that package last time?"

She only prepared the items and didn't pay attention to what Jiang Zhou had written.

Jiang Zhou: "Pretty much."

Indeed, it's almost the same, because he only wrote the words "The items were made by Yuan Xiu himself" in large characters.

Yuan Xiu couldn't help but pat her forehead. Jiang Zhou and her mother-in-law really had nothing to say to each other.

But to say their relationship isn't great doesn't seem to be the case.

These two large packages, one in front of the other, don't seem like they're incompatible.

They seem like they have a good relationship, but it doesn't look like one at all.

"Never mind, I'll write it. These things were originally sent to me anyway."

Jiang Zhou handed her the pen. "Here you go."