I used rebirth to bury his captivating gaze.

Chapter 14 Premarital Medical Examination 2

West Wing Door

"Mom, what were you two whispering about just now? You were speaking so softly, and you were practically whispering in her ear. I think you were just bored."

"What can we say? It's about Yuqiu getting married. Look at you, all you do is stand at the door eating sunflower seeds, leaving shells everywhere, and you don't even clean up afterward. Meanwhile, Yuhan helps her mom wash the blankets and do housework during winter break."

"If she's so great, why don't you go and adopt her as your daughter? It's her business if she's hardworking, but what's so great about her being hardworking? Have you forgotten how she almost fell to her death while riding my brother's bicycle to sell things? He was bedridden for so many days, but she miraculously survived."

“I said you’re lazy, and you got angry and brought up a whole bunch of things. Everyone says that daughters are their parents’ little cotton-padded jackets. Help your mother with some chores. It’s almost Chinese New Year. You can’t just not do the chores in the yard, and you don’t even clean up our own house.”

“I have my advantages in being lazy. Why should I be like you, destined to work hard and take turns cooking for the whole family? In the future, I will get into university, have a stable job, settle down in the city, and find a city girl. Why would I need to do rural work? Yu Han is hardworking, so let her be a farmer for life.”

"Okay, okay, you get into university and marry a city guy. You'd better go inside and eat some sunflower seeds. If your grandpa sees you like this, he'll definitely scold you."

"You're the only one who's afraid of him."

"You brat, where did the money for your and your brother's schooling come from? If your brother doesn't do well in his studies, he'll need money to get married. Aren't you worried about those two old hags?"

"Mom, no matter what, you can't curse those two old bastards. Is it okay for my brother and me to curse you and Dad like this?"

"Get lost, you traitor! Go inside and get a broom to sweep."

"I'm not sweeping. If you want to sweep, you can sweep yourself. I'm going back to the west room to do my winter vacation homework."

"Damn it, you're so lazy, you won't be liked by your husband's family in the future."

"Like it or not, it's up to you. Humph!"

The two of them walked quickly into the house, one after the other, fuming. Yu Mei went into the west room without looking back and slammed the door shut.

Diao Yan took a broom and a wooden shovel, bent down and began to sweep up the black and white sunflower seed shells left by Yu Mei.

Suddenly, a series of "clang, clang, clang" sounds came from the east room of the south wing. What was being pounded? Upon closer listening, it was the sound of two wooden mallets pounding on a starched white floral cloth laid out on a shiny wooden board.

Starched white floral fabric is used as the lining of a cotton quilt, giving it a cool and smooth feel when you sleep under it in winter.

After she finished cleaning, she went into the house and put the broom back against the west wall of the small kitchen. Through the glass door of the west room, she saw Yu Mei sitting on a wooden chair in front of the desk, holding a small round mirror in one hand and looking at her face. She saw a little beauty reflected in the mirror, with a fair and tender face.

After looking at it, Diao Yan's lips twitched, and she muttered to herself, "No wonder this brat doesn't like to work and is so lazy, it's all because of her pretty face." Then she almost laughed out loud but immediately held it back.

She turned her head sharply and saw that the wooden wash basin in the middle of the small kitchen was full of freshly removed quilt covers, still motionless in place.

Her laughter turned to anger. She wanted to turn around and scold her, but then decided against it and started talking to herself, "I did it myself, so I can't blame anyone else. It's all my fault for having such an ordinary-looking face."

She smiled. She understood a principle: you are your own healer! No two people are exactly alike; why compare Yu Mei and Yu Han? They each have their own strengths and weaknesses! Even if they're not perfect, her own daughter is still the best!

Then I squatted down by the wooden wash tub and started washing. I finished washing everything in one go, in just over half an hour.

Then she bent down and picked up the wooden wash basin filled with washed cotton quilt covers, and hung it outside on the clothesline to dry until it was half dry before proceeding to the next step and making quilts again in the south wing!

She was exhausted, but Yu Mei didn't come out to lend a hand. She was so frustrated she wanted to cry!

She carried the heavy wooden laundry tub and slowly walked to the clothesline. Suddenly, her foot slipped, and with a loud crash, she and the wooden tub fell onto the cold snow.

The crash was loud, and the floor was littered with floral cotton quilt covers and several pieces of broken wood.

The wooden wash basin was made of long planks of old elm wood that had been used for many years. Over time, it naturally turned a dark red color and became shiny.

It was smashed to pieces by the fall, and the broken pieces of wood flew all over the courtyard, flying straight to a wooden frame on a glass window in the east wing, missing the window glass by only one millimeter.

Yang Hong quickly walked out of the east wing and saw the wooden washbasin that he had made by hand years ago, which had been ruined by this spendthrift woman.

He stood in the courtyard and shouted, "Diao Yan, you spendthrift woman! When you first came into this courtyard, you insisted on having this old wooden washbasin. You said the new wooden washbasin was too rough and had a strange smell, and the color was too light, while the old one was dark red and shiny."

"The women in the other rooms gave you this old thing to use, and they used a new, somewhat rough wooden washbasin."

The old lady initially disagreed with giving you this, saying that the antique wooden washbasin's lifespan would likely end in your hands. And sure enough, her words came true.

The old lady slowly walked out, saying, "This wooden laundry tub is only eight years younger than my husband."

"Father, Mother, I was wrong, I'll kowtow to you and apologize. Waaah!" Diao Yan kowtowed on both knees!

Yu Mei ran out of the house and hurriedly helped Diao Yan up, saying, "Grandpa and Grandma, it's because I was too lazy and didn't help Mom wash the quilts. That's why she was so tired that she fainted and broke the wooden laundry tub."

Yang Zhannan, carrying a bag of carpenter's tools, suddenly walked in from outside the gate. One look at the scene and you knew what had happened.

He quickly walked over and took out a large wad of ten-yuan bills from the inside pocket of his cotton-padded coat, handing them to the old lady. Then he said very seriously, "Dad, Mom, I'll make another one just like the original tomorrow. Just brush on a yellowish, shiny base coat and it'll look exactly the same as the original."

"Ah! Second Uncle, really?"

"Of course!"

The old lady was overjoyed with the money. She smiled and pulled the old man, who was still standing there, to her feet. She gave him a look, and the old man immediately focused his attention on the stack of money. Then he smiled and said, "Alright, go back inside. It's nothing. Zhan Nan said that making another one just like it will fill this hole."

Everyone was just about to head towards their houses?

Yang Zhanxi sauntered in from outside the gate and asked in surprise, "What happened? Why are there so many pieces of wood in the yard?"

"Dad, why are you only just getting back? Have you been drinking again and neglecting Mom?"

Diao Yan glared at Yang Zhanxi, whose face was flushed, and pouted, saying, "Yu Mei, come inside."

Yang Hong pulled the old lady along without even glancing at Yang Zhanxi, and went back to the east wing.

"What, you're all ignoring me, treating me like I'm invisible? So what if I don't earn as much money as my second brother, those carpenter's hands? Why did you two old folks pass on your family's carpentry skills to your second brother back then? Now that he can earn money, who's to blame? Isn't it because you parents were too biased..." Yang Zhanxi pushed open the door and walked sideways into his house.

South wing room

Yu Han burst into laughter at the sight. The others in the courtyard, like everyone else, loved to see a laugh!

Zou Laxian began to help Liu Shulan wash the cloth off the ground.

Sitting in the heated kang, Yu Han held two smooth, dark red wooden mallets in her hands, banging them incessantly on the white quilt lining the wooden mallet board.

Every now and then she would put down the two large wooden mallets in her hands, rummage through the fabric to look at a pair of her own dark blue "Dica" pants, and when she saw that the pounding effect was not very good, she would put them back in the fabric and continue pounding the wooden mallets.

Zou Laqian simply did the work alone, while Liu Shulan went to work on her sewing machine.

After Zou Laqian finished washing the clothes and hung them outside on the clothesline to dry, she turned back into the house. Only then did Liu Shulan stop turning the sewing machine wheels and go to pour Zou Laqian a bowl of boiled water.

"Thank you, Second Sister-in-law." She took the bowl and put it in her mouth before the hot water had cooled down, burning her and making her wince! After finishing, she put the bowl down?

She turned her head and glanced at Yu Han pounding the quilt, then said, "This child is really diligent, knowing how to help with housework."

Yang Yuhan ignored her, curled the corners of her mouth, and saw her expression at a 180-degree angle after washing the quilt. Her face was red and tired, like a monkey's bottom, and she was still faking a smile!

She put down two thick wooden mallets from the canvas lining on the wooden board, took out her dark blue "Dica" trousers, and put them on.

She turned to Yuqiu, who was sewing a quilt, and asked, "Third Sister, do you think my pants look good? The creases are so straight. Do you want to give your pants a good beating?"

Yuqiu hurriedly said, "I don't do that stuff, you do it yourself."

Yu Han pouted and said, "Ha! What a spoilsport. Everyone loves beauty."

"I'll ask you one more time, do my pants look good or not? Don't they look like they were just picked up from the commune's tailor shop? The pants don't have a single wrinkle, the fabric is shiny, and there are two straight creases. They look brand new."

"They look great. The pants are so shiny and the creases are so straight. But there are two big patches on the knees. It's because my mom is so good at making them. You really can't see them unless you look closely."

"What good is it if Mom is good with her hands? She's still destined to be overworked. Mom makes cotton-padded clothes for everyone in this yard. Every autumn, after Mom finishes eating, her feet are constantly treading on the sewing machine pedal on the floor of the east room."

"Second sister-in-law is so skillful. The patch on Yuhan's pants is so seamless that it looks like a perfect stitch. I really envy her superb needlework skills. Unlike me, who is clumsy and still relies on my mother to do my needlework even after I'm married. I can just take it back with me when she finishes it."

“Aunt Zou, at least you won’t get tired because you’re clumsy! Someone can do it for you. Look at my third aunt, besides sewing the quilts in her own room, all the other cotton-padded clothes are made by my mom for her family of four. I don’t know if she really can’t or is pretending not to know.”

"Third sister, I was thinking of saving these pants for the New Year?"

“Grandma would make each of us a new set of clothes for Chinese New Year. What’s the point of keeping these patched pants?”

"Yes, that's right. Who would wear the old stuff if they had something new?"

Zou Laxian had been there for a while, helping Liu Shulan wash and sew for a bit, but she forgot the purpose of her visit.

Seeing that Liu Shulan had also settled down, she got to the point, "Second sister-in-law, please sit down. I have something to say. The Zou family sent me here. It's about the marriage of Yuqiu and Zou Jun."

"I knew you were here for the children's wedding. Have you gone to the east wing yet? I always have to tell the old man and the old woman beforehand about anything in my family. The old man is in charge of external affairs, while the old woman makes the decisions internally," Liu Shulan said earnestly.

"Second sister-in-law, the first room I went to when I entered the courtyard was the east wing, and then I came here."

"You coming here means the old man and woman have given their approval?"

"The two elders must have agreed, otherwise they wouldn't have stopped me when I left the east wing. It's just that..."

"But what? Is it that the two elders don't agree to the two children having a physical examination?"

"Second sister-in-law, it's not that. It was when I had just walked a few steps from the door of the east wing that the old man suddenly pushed open the door and threw his long pipe, which he usually smoked, heavily at my heels. Luckily, it was winter and I was wearing thick cotton shoes, so my feet weren't broken by the pipe bowl."

"Haha! There's actually such a thing. No wonder Grandma was so merciful today. They didn't care about this. They never give up on even the smallest things. And the two old folks throwing their pipes, they're just playing the victim to get rid of someone."

"Yu Han, who do the two elders want to expel?"

Yu Han did not answer her. This woman with the hooked nose, who appeared to be very intelligent and calculating, could also be naturally dull-witted at times.

"Yuhan, stop talking nonsense. Adults are doing serious business. What are you doing, a little kid, meddling in? Go to the west room and do your homework."

"I'm not a child anymore, I'm already..." Yu Han swallowed the rest of her sentence.

She knows she's over thirty years old, and you're treating her like a child.

"Hehe!" she chuckled to herself.

"In that case, tell me, how will the Zou family prepare for the wedding?"

“My second uncle doesn’t care about this matter. He said that my second aunt and Zou Jun should discuss it themselves, and my second uncle just needs to take the money.”

Why didn't Zou Jun and Yu Yanli come with you?

"Maybe the mother and son were embarrassed, after all, this is something that's hard to say out loud."

"Aunt Zou, just get to the point already. Don't beat around the bush. It's too long-winded. I'm impatient and can't wait."

“Yu Han, speak properly.”

"Actually, it's a good thing. My second aunt said that the newlyweds should go to the hospital for a physical examination before the wedding."

“Your premarital checkup came back normal, Aunt Zou, why are you still hesitating? Just go for the checkup! It’s good for my third sister’s health.”

"What does a child know? I can't handle this kind of work right now." Okay, let's discuss it as a family and I'll let you know later.

"No need to discuss it, I'm not getting a medical check-up. What young couple goes for a medical check-up before getting married?"

"Sister, you should get a checkup too. Everyone in our family should have a physical exam every year."

People who take responsibility for their health in future generations do just that, including those from their previous lives and their parents from previous lives, by having a physical examination every year.

In my past life, I was an obstetrician and gynecologist at a hospital. Working in a hospital made examinations more convenient.

“Yu Han is right. My family lives near the Zhongfang Hospital in Qishi. We have a check-up every year.”

"Mom, what are you still thinking about? When Dad comes back and hears that the Zou family is taking good care of Third Sister, he will definitely agree."

"Your dad would agree? He's an old fogey, with a feudal mindset. Do you think he'd agree? Anyway, I can't say for sure."

"Yuqiu, what are you thinking?"

After listening to Yu Han's advice, Yang Yuqiu was clearly at a loss, and answered intermittently, "I... I don't know either. If we make a decision, won't my father scold us when he comes back?"