A Couple's Rebirth to 1977 Before Marriage

Chapter 205: Chapter 202: Zhou Kun’s Decision

"How could this be?" Mrs. Zhou said, her face pale with shock. She glanced at Zhou Kun beside her, then at her daughter who was sobbing uncontrollably, and finally turned to Li Xiu, asking helplessly, "What on earth are we going to do?"

Taking in the scene, Li Xiu frowned subtly. He said gently to Mrs. Zhou, "We’ll find a way. Besides, for now, it’s just a dream Bao’er had. It’s just... a rather unusual one. We’ll discuss what to do in a little while."

Seeing Zhou Lian clinging to her father’s arm and crying so hard, Li Xiu stepped forward. He gently guided her to a seat, tenderly wiped the tears from her face, and then drew her into his embrace, burying her face in his chest. He rested his chin on the crown of her head and softly stroked her back to help her calm down. To his stunned in-laws, he murmured, "Let her have a moment."

Mr. and Mrs. Zhou just stood there, watching their son-in-law hold and comfort their daughter as if she were a small child. Meanwhile, the three Zhou brothers, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, were completely dumbfounded by the scene. It was late afternoon, with the sun about to set. They had all just gotten home from work when they heard a car had arrived at their parents’ house, so they had hurried over with their families in tow. ’But what is this situation!?’

Seeing Li Xiu’s sharp gaze, no one dared to speak. Instead, they all turned their heads curiously toward Mr. and Mrs. Zhou. Mrs. Zhou glanced worriedly at Zhou Lian and gave them a slight shake of her head. Then, they all just stared, wide-eyed, as Li Xiu continued to soothe Zhou Lian as if she were a child, his soft voice dripping with so much tenderness.

After a long while, they saw Li Xiu whisper something in Zhou Lian’s ear before picking her up and carrying her into the house. After a moment of silence, Second Brother Zhou couldn’t help but ask Mrs. Zhou in a low voice, "Mom, what’s going on? Why are they back all of a sudden? And why is Zhou Lian crying like that?"

Brother Zhou and Third Brother Zhou also looked anxiously at their mother. Zhou Lian had always been sensible, dutiful, and well-behaved; she hadn’t cried like this since she was a little girl. What could have happened to make her so distraught? All three Zhou brothers were deeply concerned. Zhou Huaitai also looked at his grandmother with worry, ’Second Aunt has always been so gentle and composed. She must be incredibly sad to be crying like this!’

Seeing everyone’s reactions, Mr. Zhou and Third Brother Zhou exchanged a glance and sighed inwardly. ’Besides her brothers, the only one who truly cares for her is our eldest grandson. It’s best not to even mention the others.’ Mrs. Zhou shook her head and said, "Let’s wait. Let your brother-in-law explain when he comes out."

When Li Xiu and Zhou Lian emerged, Zhou Lian had composed herself. However, her red, swollen eyes told the Zhou family just how hard she had been crying. Looking at her gathered brothers and their wives, Zhou Lian said in a hoarse voice, "My brothers and sisters-in-law, you’re all here."

Gently helping Zhou Lian to a seat, Li Xiu took a thermos from his bag, twisted off the cap to use as a cup, and handed it to her. "Bao’er," he said gently, "don’t talk for now. Your voice is completely hoarse. Drink some water first."

As Zhou Lian obediently sat there sipping her water, Li Xiu finally turned to the others. "Sorry to have worried you, my brothers and sisters-in-law. Bao’er just got a little emotional seeing Mom and Dad. It’s nothing serious."

"Yeah, right," Second Brother Zhou retorted, rolling his eyes at Li Xiu. "Our sister has been sensible her whole life. She wouldn’t cry her eyes out for no reason. Just tell us the truth, what happened?" He added the last part snappishly, though he figured it probably wasn’t Li Xiu’s fault.

Li Xiu gave Second Brother Zhou a small smile and said softly, "A few days ago, Bao’er started having the same nightmare, night after night. It went on for about seven or eight days. She’s been a little emotionally unstable, so I brought her home for a visit."

No one there was a fool. Considering how heartbroken Zhou Lian had been, and that Li Xiu had brought her all the way back here, they knew it had to be related to Mr. and Mrs. Zhou. Brother Zhou glanced around at the others, then fixed his gaze on his sister’s swollen eyes. He turned to Li Xiu and asked, "What’s really going on?"

"Bao’er dreamed that something... wasn’t right with Father. At first, I just thought she missed him and Mother. But then she had the same dream for seven or eight straight days, so I brought her back for a visit. It’s just..." Li Xiu trailed off, glancing at Brother Zhou before his eyes swept over Mr. and Mrs. Zhou and the other two brothers. He didn’t finish his sentence.

"Just what? Spit it out!" Second Brother Zhou demanded impatiently. ’This Li Xiu isn’t usually one to dither. Why is he beating around the bush today!’

Seeing his brother-in-law’s impatience, a calculating glint flashed in Li Xiu’s eyes. He lowered his voice. "The day before yesterday, I told Bao’er I’d bring her here, and she didn’t have the dream that night. But she had it again last night. So we drove here first thing this morning. I’m starting to think this might be some kind of omen. Bao’er is very unstable right now, but the children are still in the Capital City, so we can’t stay here for long. Besides, the new school term is starting. As a lecturer, Bao’er has to report in early for her assignments."

"You didn’t bring the children? Where are they?" It finally dawned on Mrs. Zhou that her daughter and son-in-law had come alone. They hadn’t even left the kids with the Li family—they’d left them behind in the Capital City. A wave of real panic washed over her. ’My granddaughter is seven, and my grandson is only five! Those two irresponsible fools just abandoned them in the Capital City!’

"Mom, Mom, please, don’t worry," Li Xiu explained hastily, seeing his mother-in-law was genuinely panicked. "The children are taking lessons at Bao’er’s mentor’s house. You can rest assured, I’ve made all the arrangements for them. We just can’t stay here for too long."

"Is this teacher reliable? How can you two be so irresponsible? How could you just leave such young children with a stranger?" Mrs. Zhou scolded. ’They’re all so much trouble. This son-in-law of mine only has eyes for my daughter; he doesn’t even seem to care about his own kids.’

Seeing her mother scolding Li Xiu, Zhou Lian, who had been recovering for some time, looked up. "Mom," she said hoarsely, "don’t blame him. It was my fault. I was just so anxious... so worried and scared..."

"Of course I don’t blame him! And you, a grown woman..."

Seeing his mother-in-law about to turn her lecture on his wife, Li Xiu quickly cut in. "Mom, Bao’er has been having a very hard time these past few days. She wanted to bring the children, but I was the one who said no. The weather is too hot, and they can’t fall behind on their lessons. Besides, Bao’er’s teacher is her formal mentor—the master she’s apprenticed to, not just some college professor. You really don’t have to worry."

Mrs. Zhou opened her mouth, but seeing her son-in-law’s fiercely protective stance, she closed it without a word. ’Seven or eight years, and he’s still the same,’ she thought. Zhou Kun glanced around at everyone. He looked at his daughter, sitting there quietly sipping from her cup, then at his son-in-law, who was putting on a placating smile for his mother-in-law. He spoke softly, his words a statement, not a question: "You want me to go back to the Capital City with you."

Everyone stared at Li Xiu in astonishment. ’Go to the Capital City? What’s this all about? When does a father-in-law ever go to live with his son-in-law? It’s not like he doesn’t have sons of his own!’

"Father-in-law, Bao’er is just so terribly worried about you, and she can’t stay here long. Why don’t you and Mother-in-law come to the Capital City for a visit? Once Bao’er is feeling better, whenever you want to come home, I’ll personally drive you both back. How does that sound?" Li Xiu asked with a smile, though his eyes held a pleading look as he gazed at Zhou Kun.

Zhou Kun stared at him for a long moment, then lit a cigarette. He took a drag and said, "Fine. Your mother-in-law and I are getting old. We could be gone any day now. So, we’ll take you up on the offer. Thanks to our daughter and son-in-law, we’ll get to go out for a bit. Let’s go see the Capital City."

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