Chapter 323: 323. Visit, sincerity, persuasion, attitude

Watching the little one sew bit by bit and making one set of exquisite little clothes after another, Shuzhen couldn’t help but be impressed.

It’s just...

She had clearly chosen more boy-appropriate colors like sky blue, lake blue, fruit green, pea green, and light gray with stripes.

But the little girl had embroidered butterflies and flowers all over them, making each piece irresistibly cute.

No matter how you look at it, they don’t seem like they’re meant for a little boy.

Even so, it was enough for little Xinqing to be showered with praise.

The words "clever and skillful" had practically become synonymous with Xinqing.

See, the little one’s proud and satisfied expression couldn’t be hidden at all, yet she insisted on pretending to be modest and saying no to compliments: "Uncle, please don’t praise me. I’m going to be a big tailor and open a tailoring shop in the future. Without basic skills, who would come to me with their fabric to make clothes!"

"Be a tailor, open a tailoring shop?" Liu Shouren was taken aback, looking at his nine-year-old niece in surprise.

"Yes, I just love turning colorful fabrics into all sorts of pretty clothes.

Give me a piece of fabric, and I could embroider flowers on it all day without getting bored.

Both my older sisters say if I like tinkering with these things so much, I might as well open a tailoring shop when I grow up. I could make clothes and make money, combining interest and work.

I think it’s a brilliant idea, so I’m practicing from a young age!

Mom says I’m talented and that someday I’ll definitely become a super great tailor, the kind with my own factory and brand." Xinqing cocked her head, eagerly showing her uncle the three sets of little clothes she’d completed, enthusiastically explaining her ambitions in a torrent of words.

Still, Xinzhi, noticing that her uncle looked like he had something to say, quickly led him out.

Otherwise, Liu Shouren might have ended up listening to the little girl’s dreams for the whole day.

"With spring and autumn being so busy, and the embroiderers still out of bed, how does big brother have time to visit?" Shuzhen handed him a cup of tea, full of teasing as she looked at her big brother.

"Well, it’s just that I haven’t seen you in a few days, right? Today, I saw Lianshan organizing people to harvest at the planting base, so I casually asked a couple of questions. He said you’re not feeling well and need to stay home for a while. So here I am, because no matter how busy things are with the team, nothing’s more important than my little sister’s health, right?

You don’t look too well, what’s wrong?" Having patted himself on the back a bit, Liu Shouren then asked with full concern.

Shuzhen casually took a sip of plain water and answered lightly: "Nothing much, just a bit of morning sickness, and your brother-in-law is making a big fuss!"

"Oh, it’s nothing, is it? Just morning sickness, right... Wait, wait! Morning sickness? Could it be—what I’m thinking?" Just as he was being indifferent, realizing what he had just heard, Liu Shouren choked on his tea so badly that most of it shot out of his nose. After a thunderous coughing fit, he stared at his little sister, eyes wide open.

"Big brother, didn’t you already know I’ve been hoping for another son? Now my wish has finally come true, nothing to be surprised about!" Shuzhen rolled her eyes, clearly displeased with his overreaction.

Feeling wronged, Brother Liu was utterly crestfallen: "Who’s the one overreacting, my dear sister! Do you even know what age you’re at and what the current situation outside is?

You already have three daughters and three sons, six well-behaved and smart kids in total, yet you’re still not content!

Being at this age and still going against the policy for a son, you really..."

"Really what?" Shuzhen frowned, casting a sharp glance: "Talking about being older all the time, are you really my brother? You said you’d stand by me when there’s trouble, take the blame if I’m at fault. When I’m happy, rejoice with me; when I’m down, cheer me up. Don’t tell me, now that you’re a village official, you’ve forgotten you have a sister!"

Aging isn’t really a strong point, is it?

Going on and on about it, you’re just rubbing salt into the wound!

After being scolded a few more times, Liu Shouren, no matter how foolish, realized he had hit a sore spot with his sister.

Sighing reluctantly, he apologized for his ’slip of the tongue.’

Focusing on moving past this quickly, he wanted to learn more about the situation, seeing if there was any room for remedy.

The fine or job loss was minor; between their shares, abilities, and a supportive family backing them, even losing a government position wouldn’t be earth-shattering for his sister and brother-in-law.

Liu Shouren was more concerned about Shuzhen’s health. No matter how much one denied aging, she was forty-three!

The risks of late pregnancy and childbirth...

Imagining the difficulties faced by older mothers, the prolonged labor that could lead to disabilities or loss of a child, or in severe cases, death for both...

Liu Shouren was immediately covered in sweat, wracking his brain on how to convince her to terminate the pregnancy.

"Don’t worry, big brother, I’m fine! I could still go work in the field if needed. I’m staying home because I’m having a strong reaction for these few days and didn’t want people to find out." Seeing how deeply worried her brother was, Shuzhen couldn’t help but offer a few words of comfort.

From her words, he could tell his sister was determined to have this child.

Sure enough, she didn’t wait for him to speak further and firmly stated she finally got the son she had been longing for, and no way would she let the opportunity go.

It was absolutely meant to be born.

If he considered himself her brother, he should help cover for her without a second thought.

If he still saw her as his sister, he should help to keep her loyal and dutiful son off the records.

With things said to this extent, what else could Liu Shouren do?

Of course, he would pretend he didn’t know and help to cover it up actively!

He’d rather have his team leader position taken away because of this rather than betray family, saying he’d strictly follow national policy and report it, only to end up losing his only sister.

Back then, he eagerly took the position of village cadre to protect their trio of siblings from being pushed around by others.

Even as the wholehearted support of the commune members spurred his sense of responsibility and ambition, inspiring him to lead the entire Liu family village production team to prosperity.

At the top of his priorities were still his own family, his sister, and his brother.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com