CHAPTER 369: CHAPTER 359: STILL UPGRADED TO PLUS

Fireworks in March, the weather warmed up.

The big locust trees in the neighborhood began sprouting tender buds again, heralding the arrival of a new spring.

Qin’s Mom, who hadn’t made any new friends here, stayed at home every day feeling bored. The initial excitement and joy of having a granddaughter faded, and she felt lonely when alone.

Being with the couple was not as comfortable as North Fly Road. There, every neighbor was capable, spoke pleasantly, and even danced in the square...

"Is mom feeling a bit..." Qin Guanglin was sunbathing with He Fang on the balcony, and when he turned back and saw Qin’s Mom sitting in the living room, the lonely silhouette didn’t look right.

"Nobody is here to keep her company, you’re too naive to have a topic to discuss with her, apart from playing with the granddaughter and chatting with me, there’s nothing else to do, she’s idle."

He Fang had long noticed Qin’s Mom’s discomfort but couldn’t bring herself to say anything about going back... It felt like sending her away; letting her stay made her restless and uncomfortable, constantly wanting to take care of their family, He Fang couldn’t bear to refuse her good intentions and hadn’t mentioned it to Qin Guanglin.

Now that Qin Guanglin had noticed as well, it made things easier. He Fang straightforwardly suggested, "She’s uncomfortable living here, without anyone to have a good time. Maybe you could persuade her to go back, or we could all go back to North Fly Road and stay there for a while."

Elderly people always prefer familiar environments. If she stays here too long, He Fang worried it might make her sick.

"Alright, I’ll find a chance to talk to her. It really is boring here... Thankfully, we like this environment, otherwise we would have felt terribly suffocated."

Qin Guanglin understood immediately. Qin’s Mom was not a quiet person; back at home, she always started her day early, strolling outside, watching others dance and exercise, sometimes joining in, then walking a big circle and buying breakfast before comfortably returning home.

He pondered how to send Qin’s Mom back, taking He Fang with him to North Fly Road was definitely not an option, as it lacked everything and even a short stay required moving a lot of stuff—currently, it wasn’t appropriate to travel around.

At dinner time, while Qin Guanglin was finishing cooking and hadn’t yet sat down, Qin’s Mom suddenly frowned, her gaze shifting between the couple.

"Hey... I noticed, how come you look like you’ve gained weight?"

She compared for a while, took out a family photo taken in the hospital from her phone, and held it up in front of Qin Guanglin...

Wow, unbelievable!

Daily interactions hadn’t made it noticeable, but comparing him with the photo from three months ago, Qin Guanglin had gained weight all around, while He Fang hadn’t changed much.

"It seems like you’ve gained a lot..." He Fang swallowed, having felt for months like she missed something. Now, it hit her.

This guy had gained weight rapidly since having a daughter and it got out of control!

"What’s to worry about, I’ve been exercising, then taking breaks... It’s normal, I’ll lose it again with more exercise soon."

Qin Guanglin didn’t care at all, what’s wrong with being chubby? Now that his wife was fine and they had a daughter, couldn’t he gain some weight?

"No way, you need to start exercising today, or in two more months, you won’t be able to!"

He Fang pouted, reluctant—she really didn’t like being squashed by a fat man.

What a miscalculation.

Having been "silly for three years post-pregnancy," and unable to go out for exercise, it was truly foolish of her to keep feeding him.

"Right, exercise! He Fang hasn’t gained weight but you started first, so..." Qin’s Mom looked around, pointed at a large box of diapers in the corner, "Starting today, you’ll carry it up and down the stairs five... no, ten times, once at noon and once in the evening. You’ll definitely lose weight."

"...You don’t need to worry, as long as I can lose weight, why bother with carrying any boxes."

Qin Guanglin wasn’t about to accept such foolish suggestions. While eating a bite of food, he said, "Diet and exercise go hand in hand. —Actually, being a bit heavier isn’t bad, it’s more imposing. I could even shave my head..."

"Who needs your ’imposing look’, who are you going to fight?"

"..."

When Qin Guanglin first visited his father-in-law’s house in He City, the impression he got was so profound that years later, he still remembered it vividly. Qin’s Mom didn’t know about it, nor did he want to say, but he smiled at He Fang and turned to Qin’s Mom, "If any jerk dares to bully my daughter in the future, just watch as I twist his head off."

Intimidation is not about scaring others but a protective shell to prevent one’s own and one’s family from getting hurt.

"..."

Qin’s Mom opened her mouth but then remembered the news she had seen and stayed silent.

Having a dad who looked like he could twist someone’s head off was indeed good for Anya in the future.

He Fang smirked a little, "Send her to Zhou Nan’s place for some lessons; no one would be able to bully her."

"No!"

Qin Guanglin immediately objected. There was still a rascal over there—it would be like leading a lamb into a tiger’s den.

"Let’s wait until she grows up before talking about this. She’s still so young—just learned how to roll over—and you’re already thinking about all this unnecessary stuff, let’s eat."

The TV was playing a period martial arts drama, the clashing sounds of fighting echoing throughout as the three of them chatted over dinner. Anya sat in her high chair, gnawing at her fingers with a small bell on her wrist tinkling occasionally.

After dinner, Qin Guanglin cleaned up the dishes and went to the kitchen to wash them before wiping his hands and discussing their return home with Qin’s Mom.

"They’re both doing well now and don’t need much looking after anymore. You seem to be getting restless here, so maybe—"

"You’re trying to send me away?!"

"Hey, what are you talking about... If it were not for you staring blankly at the TV from the couch every day, would I—"

"Then you should talk more with me," Qin’s Mom countered, not wanting to admit that she had been thinking about going back home for a long time.

This was the most difficult part to handle: He Fang wanted her to go back but feared she would feel pushed away; Qin’s Mom also wanted to return, fearing He Fang would think she was escaping because she was tired of caring for them.

In the end, it had to be Qin Guanglin who stepped in to take the blame—figuratively on both sides.

At the end of the day, as long as everyone was comfortable, Qin Guanglin didn’t care about the messy details. Being stuck between his mother-in-law and his wife was hard enough, especially when they didn’t get along. His family was usually peaceful, and this issue was nothing compared. He grinned and said, "Before I got together with He Fang, you and I lived for over twenty years without that much to talk about. I was mostly in my studio painting, wasn’t I?"

Qin’s Mom had nothing to say; it was true. When the two of them lived together back in their own home, conversation was limited to meal times.

"The two of them are fine with just me here. You don’t need to keep yourself so busy... It’s time you enjoyed the life you want. If you need money, just tell me. Really, we can see you’re not as comfortable and happy here as at home—no peers to talk to either—

"Now you can live however you want, without having to worry so much. Do whatever makes you happy. There’s no need to be tied down here serving your daughter-in-law and granddaughter... If you miss her, just come visit. We can also visit there without any problem; no need to tough it out here. Maybe one day when you feel like not living there anymore, or when you’re too lazy to do things yourself, I’ll bring you back here to enjoy life.

For now, the two of them still need someone to look after. I’m enough for that here..."

Qin Guanglin was straightforward; there was no need for pretenses between mother and son. If Qin’s Mom now said she wanted to retire, he could take care of the three women every day, and when Anya gets a bit older, He Fang would join him in looking after the elderly. But clearly, Qin’s Mom’s heart wasn’t in it, she was just drawn by her granddaughter.

Who would love to serve their daughter-in-law out of pure joy?

"You guys..."

Qin’s Mom was perplexed. In other families, they would crave for the grandparents to be around caring for things, and if not, they’d face criticism like: the daughter-in-law had a baby and the in-laws are nowhere in sight...

This kind of situation accounted for a significant portion in conflicts between mothers and daughters-in-law, with some grudges during childbirth being remembered for a lifetime.

Why was it completely different here? Had times truly changed?

"If I go back, you’d better take good care of my granddaughter."

"Don’t worry."