The whole mountain is my hunting ground.

Chapter 1906 Internal Meeting of the Zhao Family
Zhao Jun and Ma Ling have been married for a while now, and both of them are in good health, so pregnancy is a natural progression.

But when the news arrived, Zhao Jun, Wang Meilan, Zhao Youcai, and Zhao Chun were all overjoyed.

They rushed in and saw Xing San, Wang Qiang, and other men in the outer room. They were sitting in a circle around a standing table, but no one spoke.

"sister!"

"elder brother!"

When Wang Meilan and the others came in, everyone stood up.

At this moment, Jin Xiaomei raised her hand and led Zhao Jun and the others eastward.

They entered the main room and saw a group of women surrounding Ma Ling on the kang (a heated brick bed), chattering away about precautions for pregnancy.

Ma Ling lowered her head shyly, but she remembered every word everyone said.

Upon seeing Zhao Jun and the others enter, Zhao Ling, Yang Yufeng, Liu Mei, and the others who were sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) all stood up to make room for Zhao Jun and the others.

Ma Ling looked up at Zhao Jun. At this moment, her right hand was being held by the old lady, while her left hand was being held by Xie Sunshi.

"My dear girl!" Wang Meilan sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), grinning from ear to ear. She snatched Ma Ling's hand from Xie Sunshi's hand, then took off her own gold bracelet and slipped it onto Ma Ling's wrist.

"Mom!" Ma Ling tried to dodge, but Wang Meilan grabbed her arm and said, "My dear daughter, this is all yours, hahaha..."

Everyone in the room laughed at the scene between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Zhao Youcai smiled and turned to leave. Although it was his daughter-in-law who was pregnant, it wasn't appropriate for the father-in-law to get too close.

Zhao Jun didn't leave. He leaned over and asked, "Ling'er, how did you find out?"

Before Ma Ling could speak, Jin Xiaomei said, "Your wife feels nauseous just from the smell of sheep."

As soon as Jin Xiaomei finished speaking, Ma Ling whispered to Zhao Jun, "Before we bought the sheep, the smell of the sheep made me want to vomit."

These days, I don't know what it's like in the city, but in rural and forest areas, the way to tell if a woman is pregnant is by whether her period has stopped.

As a girl who grew up in the forest area, Ma Ling wouldn't vomit even if the sheep had a strong muttony smell.

But when she returned with Zhao Jun, she felt uncomfortable smelling the sheep.

When they got home, Wang Qiang and the others skinned the sheep and then gutted it.

At this moment, Ma Ling took a large basin out to collect water. When she smelled the fishy and bloody odor, she retched.

Zhao Ling witnessed this scene and quickly pulled Ma Ling into the inner room for a thorough interrogation.

Ma Ling realized after doing the math that her period hadn't come for a month and a half, and when it did come, the flow was quite light.

Based on this, women like Jin Xiaomei who had been pregnant concluded that Ma Ling was definitely pregnant.

Of course, Jin Xiaomei and the others couldn't tell Zhao Jun about menstruation; they could only tell him about Ma Ling vomiting at the smell of mutton.

However, they overlooked Wang Meilan. Upon hearing that her pregnant daughter-in-law couldn't stand the smell of mutton, Wang Meilan turned to Zhao Jun and said, "Son, go! Kill that donkey. We won't eat mutton tonight, we'll eat donkey!"

"It's over!" Zhao Jun thought the donkey was doomed, but just then, Ma Ling grabbed Wang Meilan's arm and said, "Mom, don't kill that donkey, it's a good donkey."

"Kill it, kill it." Wang Meilan kept saying "kill," and said, "We still have a refrigerator at home. If you can't finish the meat, put it in the refrigerator and you can eat it slowly later."

"Mom, but not at all, Mom!" Ma Ling hurriedly persuaded Wang Meilan, saying, "That donkey is so intelligent, you can't kill it. Besides, I couldn't stand the smell of blood just now, but I should be able to eat the mutton once it's cooked."

Hearing Ma Ling's words, Wang Meilan's murderous aura subsided slightly. Seeing this, Zhao Jun quickly said, "My goodness, it's too late to kill the donkey today, let's just leave it at that."

"Alright." Wang Meilan frowned slightly upon hearing this and said, "Then let's leave it at that for today."

After saying that, Wang Meilan turned to Ma Ling and asked, "My dear girl, is there anything you'd like to eat?"

Ma Ling shook her head, and Wang Meilan pressed, "Is it sour or spicy?"

Hearing Wang Meilan ask this, Ma Ling blinked her big eyes and said, "I want to eat something sweet."

"Sweet...sweet?" Wang Meilan was taken aback; Ma Ling's answer was indeed unexpected. But Wang Meilan quickly accepted it. Whether it was a boy or a girl, it didn't matter. If she couldn't have a grandson with her first child, she could just have another one.

Thinking of this, Wang Meilan pointed to the wooden table against the wall and said to Zhao Jun, "Son, there's candy in that drawer. Grab a couple of handfuls."

Hearing Wang Meilan's words, Zhao Jun hesitated for a moment. The drawer Wang Meilan pointed to belonged to Zhao Hong, and the candy inside also belonged to Zhao Hong.

I don't know why, but Zhao Hong is different from the other children.

Take, for example, when Wang Meilan gave the children candy, she would give each child five pieces. The other children would eat them as quickly as possible, but Zhao Hong was different. She would eat one piece and then save the rest.

Therefore, Zhao Na's drawer was empty, while Zhao Hong's drawer contained 105 little rascals.

This number was what Zhao Hong had saved up for a year. Every night, she would count the candies in front of Zhao Na's drooling.

But Wang Meilan spoke up, so Zhao Jun pulled open Zhao Hong's drawer. At that moment, Wang Meilan's voice came from behind him: "Grab a couple of handfuls for your nephew first."

Wang Meilan has a biological grandson, but she hasn't forgotten her eldest grandson.

After being excited for a while, Wang Meilan left the old lady, Hu Sanmei, Zhao Chun, Li Tongyun, and Xiao Zhou to accompany Ma Ling, while she took the others out to prepare for the dinner.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Wang Meilan asked Jin Xiaomei to take charge of the overall situation on her behalf, while she and Zhao Jun took a car to the Ma family.

If you accept one in-law's mother but not the other, what will your daughter-in-law think?

When Zhao Jun and Wang Meilan arrived at the Ma family's house, Wang Cuihua was tidying up at home.

A large pile of clothes was stacked on the kang (heated brick bed) in the east room. Wang Cuihua stood in front of the mirror and tried on the clothes one by one.

This process had been going on for an hour, and Ma Yang was getting increasingly anxious waiting in the outer room. He sat on a small stool, repeatedly peeking into the east room.

Unable to contain his anger, Ma Yang picked up the tea mug from the stove and slammed it back down, expressing his dissatisfaction with the sound.

But none of what he did affected Wang Cuihua. Ma Yang didn't dare to say it directly, so it's been dragging on until now.

When the jeep stopped outside the yard, the little black dog that had been lying at the door of the east room darted out.

Ma Yang got up, glanced around, and then called out to the east room, "Mom, my brother-in-law is here to pick us up."

"Huh?" Wang Cuihua was taken aback, then hurriedly got onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and haphazardly stuffed the clothes piled on the kang into the wardrobe.

"Slow and dawdling!" Ma Yang muttered as he watched this scene, then went outside to greet them.

When Ma Yang saw Wang Meilan get out of the jeep, he turned around and ran back.

"Mom, my aunt is here." Ma Yang called out as he entered the house. Wang Cuihua glanced out the window and then quickly got out of bed.

"Mother!" Wang Cuihua rushed out of the house, taking three steps at a time. Seeing Wang Meilan, she said, "Why are you here again?"

"I've come to pick you up." Wang Meilan held Wang Cuihua's hand and said with a smile, "My dear in-law, I have some good news to tell you."

"What good news?" Wang Cuihua had just asked when Ma Yang asked Zhao Jun from the side, "Brother-in-law, has the ginseng been sold?"

Zhao Jun shoved Ma Yang aside, and then saw Wang Meilan whispering something in Wang Cuihua's ear.

"Oh my!" Wang Cuihua patted Wang Meilan's arm and shoulder with delight, saying happily, "Dear mother, this is wonderful news!"

"Of course!" Wang Meilan said to Wang Cuihua with a smile, "Mother-in-law, I've been wanting to talk to you."

"Then you say it," Wang Cuihua said, but Wang Meilan replied, "But I don't know what to say."

She was so happy she didn't know how to express it.

Wang Cuihua understood Wang Meilan's feelings to some extent. She smiled, took Wang Meilan's hand, and said, "My dear mother, let's not say anything more. I'm going to go see my daughter."

"Come on, we've come to pick you up." After saying this, Wang Meilan glanced at the front of the house and asked, "Where's Shengzi's wife?"

“She’s at home with the child.” Wang Cuihua knew she had a habit of being slow to leave the house, so she didn’t ask Xu Xiaoqing to come over beforehand.

“Then let’s pick her and her daughter up on the way.” As soon as Wang Meilan said this, Wang Cuihua suddenly stopped and turned to call Ma Yang, who was whispering with Zhao Jun, “Young son, hurry up and go inside to buy that thing for your mother.”

Wang Cuihua was a meticulous person; she never went empty-handed to her in-laws' house for a banquet, and she bought canned goods and pastries from a convenience store beforehand.

Five minutes later, the Ma family of four followed Zhao Jun and Wang Meilan to the Zhao family compound.

After entering the house, Wang Cuihua and the other three went inside to check on Ma Ling. The women chattered noisily, but Ma Yang found it too noisy and came out after a few minutes.

As soon as Ma Yang came out, he ran into Li Ruhai.

Li Ruhai chuckled and looked Ma Yang up and down, then laughed, "How about it, Ma Lao Er? I told you yesterday I wouldn't let you go home, I told you you'd get a beating if you went home, you didn't believe me, did you? Well, here you go."

"Get lost!" Ma Yang glared at Li Ruhai and said irritably, "I don't need your help!"

"Hehe..." Li Ruhai chuckled, not caring about Ma Yang's attitude, and even asked Ma Yang, "Ma Lao Er, are you really not going to study anymore?"

“I’m not going to study anymore,” Ma Yang said. “Isn’t it all the same whether I study or not? Even if I graduate, I’ll still be running in the mountains. I might as well start making money with my brother-in-law now, and once I’ve made enough, I’ll build a house and find a wife.”

As Ma Yang spoke, he looked up toward Yongfutun, but he didn't see the cold glint in Li Ruhai's eyes.

"Building a house is such a big deal, can you really make the decision?" Li Ruhai asked. Ma Yang glared at him and said, "Why can't I make the decision?"

"How did you grow up so big?" Li Ruhai rolled his eyes at Ma Yang and laughed, "What does it mean to have a family of a thousand people but only one person in charge? In our daily lives, every family has a head of household, and the head of household has the final say on everything, big or small."

Seeing Ma Yang frown, Li Ruhai continued, "Furthermore, finding a wife isn't something you can decide on your own. It's called the parents' decision and the matchmaker's words..."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Upon hearing that he had no say in the marriage, Ma Yang immediately interrupted Li Ruhai.

"What should we do?" Li Ruhai glanced around, then leaned close to Ma Yang's ear and whispered, "You have to take charge of the household first, establish a firm foothold at home."

“Stand...stand with a stick?” Ma Yang hesitated upon hearing this. He had been beaten up the time he said he wanted to be the head of the household.

Seeing Ma Yang hesitate, Li Ruhai laughed and said, "What's wrong? You don't dare?"

"No...it's not that I'm afraid," Ma Yang said. "The problem is I'm too young. How can someone so young manage a household?"

“Even if you’re not in charge, you still need someone to listen to what you say, right?” Li Ruhai said, “Take your Uncle Ma, for example. How much does he earn in a month at work? How much do you earn from going up the mountain? Their future lives are all up to you. Look at you, beating you like this. What if you’re some kind of scoundrel? Won’t he suffer when he gets old?”

"What did you say? Are you crazy?" Ma Yang glared at Li Ruhai and said, "What could I possibly do to my dad?"

After saying this, Ma Yang turned to Li Ruhai and said, "Your dad beats you quite a bit, so why don't you beat him in the future?"

“That’s impossible!” Li Ruhai said, “Isn’t it against the heavens to beat one’s father and curse one’s mother? I’m not an animal.”

"Then who am I?" Ma Yang said, his eyes widening. He stepped forward, his fists clenched, ready to attack Li Ruhai.

"I didn't say you were." Seeing that things were not going well, Li Ruhai quickly explained, "What I meant was, what we do in the future is one thing; what we say now is another."

You should tell Grandpa Ma that you should treat him the way he treats you now. Of course, that's just a casual remark. Just to scare him a little, so he won't keep hitting you two.

As he spoke, Li Ruhai raised his hand and touched the red mark on Ma Yang's face where the triangular belt had been pulled.

"Ouch!" Ma Yang cried out in pain, and then heard Li Ruhai say, "Look at how badly you've been beaten, it breaks my heart. You should pass on the message that my Uncle Ma won't beat you anymore, and you should take good care of him. Wouldn't that be a happy ending for everyone?"

"Hmm..." Hearing Li Ruhai's words, Ma Yang nodded slightly and said, "That makes sense."

"Right?" Li Ruhai grinned slyly. These days, no father is immune to threats. After this big drinking session at the Zhao family's house, Ma Dafu's fighting spirit will definitely be off the charts.

……

When the whistle of the commuter train came from the mountain, four tables had already been set up in the Zhao family's house.

Twelve dishes were served one after another, including fried river shrimp coated in batter, stir-fried river shrimp, crayfish tofu, stir-fried river clam meat with garlic sprouts, pan-fried flat-bottomed fish, stewed chicken with mushrooms, scrambled eggs, fried peanuts, hand-pulled mutton, stir-fried mutton with scallions, and mutton offal soup.

After returning from Yongsheng in the afternoon, Zhao Youcai called the forestry dispatch center and asked Li Dayong to inform Zhou Jianjun that his son had been brought to Yong'an and that Zhou Jianjun and his son's grandfather should come over for a banquet that evening.

For this reason, Li Dayong made a special trip to the logistics department. As for Ma Dafu and Ma Sheng, they would both take the same shuttle bus back; Li Dayong would just tell them on the way.

The meal lasted until 8:30 p.m. before the guests gradually left. Zhao Jun drove the Zhou family of five back to Yongsheng in his jeep.

When Zhao Jun returned home, ready to have a heart-to-heart talk with his wife, he found that Wang Qiang, whose face was flushed from drinking, was still there, sitting in the outer room with Zhao Youcai, Wang Meilan, and Ma Ling, waiting for him.

Upon seeing Zhao Jun enter the room, Wang Meilan's first words were: "Son, come sit here, let's have a family meeting."

One chapter is still owed; I'll make it up tomorrow morning.