The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

"Grandma," Du Mingxian called out first, "I've been busy with family matters lately, so I haven't been able to come."

Grandma Xu thought that Du Mingxian wouldn't call out to anyone when Zhou wasn't around, but she was quite surprised that she did. "There are no outsiders here now."

Du Mingxian understood what she meant and waved her hand, "Since you've acknowledged me as your grandmother, then you are my grandmother."

"Well, it's my good fortune to have met you."

Du Mingxian didn't reply, but only asked, "You don't look well, have you not rested enough?"

Grandma Xu waved her hand, "I've been having nightmares a lot lately, so I haven't been sleeping well."

"I'll go out and find a doctor to prescribe some calming incense for you. Light it before you go to sleep, and you should be able to sleep soundly through the night."

"Don't worry about it, my body has always been like this."

Du Mingxian said, "I'm hoping you're in good health so my mother will have someone to take care of her."

"Okay, old lady, I'll listen to you."

Wang Fu had already put everything down and came over. Du Mingxian stood up and said, "Grandma, you can sunbathe for a while. I'll come back to cook in a bit. I'm going out with Wang Fu for a bit."

"Okay, go ahead."

Du Mingxian and Wang Fu went out.

Tell me where my mother's shop is, and I'll go there myself.

Wang Fu said, "Miss, would you like me to take you there? I'm free right now."

"I have something for you to do."

“Okay.” Wang Fu told her the location of the noodle shop, which was not far from the Xu residence. Du Mingxian went there on her own, while she sent Wang Fu to investigate the latest developments.

As they walked to the noodle shop, they found it empty. Zhou was wiping the table with a rag, while Xu Tingting was reading a book.

As soon as she walked in, Madam Zhou looked up to ask the guests what they wanted to eat, and then she saw her daughter's face. She was extremely excited, "Mingxian!"

Xu Tingting saw it too. She got up, feeling a little embarrassed, and explained nervously, "I want to work, but my aunt won't let me. I... I have nothing to do, so I can only read."

Good heavens, she was a servant, but she had to play the role of a niece.

Now she's sitting here reading a book while her master does chores, and the young master sees this—it's really... awkward.

Du Mingxian didn't mind too much. After all, the person was brought in to be a relative. Given her mother's personality, she doted on the younger generation and would definitely do all the work herself, spoiling Xu Tingting.

"It's good that my cousin has time to read books."

Seeing that someone agreed with her, Zhou immediately said, "This girl still insists on taking my work."

“Auntie, the noodle shop belongs to our family. How can it be that I’m doing some work and taking your work away from us?”

"You're an elder here, you don't need to do anything."

Du Mingxian noticed that Zhou Shi was much more cheerful and talkative this time, with her eyes crinkling with happiness. She felt that she had made the right decision in buying relatives for herself.

"That's right, cousin, just listen to whatever my mother says."

Seeing that Du Mingxian wasn't angry, Xu Tingting breathed a sigh of relief. "Cousin, did you just arrive? Would you like something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry. I went home first. I promised my grandma I'd cook something when I got back. I heard from Wang Fu that you were at the noodle shop, so I came to check it out."

After exchanging a few words, Xu Tingting insisted that Zhou Shi go home with Du Mingxian, but Zhou Shi was worried.

"If I leave, what will happen when guests arrive? Can you manage alone?"

"Auntie, don't worry. I'm not a real child. Besides, my dad is still behind us. We can definitely handle it. Don't worry, it's not easy for my cousin to come all this way."

Zhou really missed Du Mingxian. "Okay, then I'll go home with Mingxian first. I'll bring you some food when it's ready."

"it is good."

Zhou and Du Mingxian left the noodle shop together.

Zhou held Du Mingxian's hand tightly, and Du Mingxian asked, "Mother, are you happy?"

"I'm so happy. I never dared to dream of living like this before."

Du Mingxian paused for a moment before saying, "Mother, he married Widow Chen from the village."

Zhou's body visibly stiffened for a moment, then she returned to normal, "That's good."

“Mother, he is not a good match. You are doing fine living with your uncles and the others now.”

Mrs. Zhou was somewhat worried, "Your uncle isn't that old, he'll remarry sooner or later, and if your cousin becomes a nun and your grandmother passes away, I..."

"Mother, don't worry about these things. If all else fails, you can come and live with me."

Zhou immediately glared at her, "You can't talk nonsense. How could I, your mother-in-law, live with you? If word gets out, how will you and your son-in-law face people? What will your mother-in-law and the others think?"

"Mom, actually my mother-in-law and the others are quite nice."

"That won't do either. I can't disturb your life."

Du Mingxian knew this path was a dead end. If it were a viable path, she wouldn't have resorted to such a desperate measure as buying herself a grandmother and an uncle...

"Alright, alright, I'll listen to you, Mother. But my husband's family is building a workshop right now. After it's finished, Mother, please go and take a look. I've been married for so long, but you still know which way my husband's house faces."

“Okay, Mother will go take a look.” Zhou’s eyes lit up.

The two walked and talked, and even bought some groceries on the street before heading home.

As soon as Zhou entered the courtyard, she hurried to Old Madam Xu's side. "Mother, it's getting a bit windy. Let's go inside."

"it is good."

Zhou helped Old Madam Xu into the house, but Du Mingxian didn't follow. Instead, she went straight to the kitchen to cook. Wang Fu hadn't returned yet, so she killed the chicken herself.

She glanced at the noodle shop today and inquired about it. The noodle shop was a very ordinary one, without many fancy noodles, so business was so-so.

She was cleaning the chicken when Zhou rushed over to check on her. Seeing her start, she complained, "Why are you in such a hurry? I'll do it. Why are you doing it yourself? You used to do a lot of work at your husband's house, but here, I'll do it. You can go sit by the stove and keep me company."

“Mother, I didn’t do any work at home. They bought a maid for me.”

"That's great, your in-laws are really nice."

"It's really good, Mother will know once she sees it."

The two worked and talked, discussing the Ling family. Suddenly, Zhou said, "You've been married into the Ling family for a while now, so have a child soon."

"Mom, this is too early. I... I'm still so young."

"Women tend to have children early. Having a child early helps them gain a foothold in their husband's family."

Du Mingxian couldn't stand Zhou's old-fashioned remarks. If it were the old her, she might have been able to accept it, but having lived through her modern life and received various kinds of education, how could she accept having a child so early?

Isn't this self-destruction?

"Mom, I don't need my child to stand firm. I'm doing just fine in my husband's family. Everyone here treats me well."

Helpless, Madam Zhou could only point it out: "Si Lang's health is not good. I heard a rumor that Si Lang would not live past the age of twenty. You should have a child early. Even if Si Lang is gone, it would be good to have a child to rely on. Otherwise, how will you live the rest of your life?"