RYEY – Chapter 209 The Precious Pocket Watch

When Cheng Qiao saw Cheng Liguo’s face change, she immediately covered her mouth and laughed, pointing to a corner between the first and second courtyards, while slipping a stack of tissues into his hand.

“Qiao, what’s wrong with in-laws?”

“Mom, my dad might have an upset stomach. I’ll go cook first; you help me watch little Cheng Li.”

“Oh, I’ll go with you.”

Cheng Qiao ran into the kitchen, and Mother Li, holding little Cheng Li, followed. As soon as she entered, she relaxed. The kitchen was stocked with chicken, duck, fish, and meat, as well as fresh greens—she had no idea where her daughter-in-law had gotten all this.

“If only I’d brought Lele along, it would’ve been easier with more hands.”

“No need, Mom. If Lele leaves, what about Xuhui’s grandmother? You see, I’ve handled everything; it just needs to go into the pot. Oh, also cook a pot of rice. There are a lot of people today—Shouhou and Qiu Min will come later too.”

Mother Li nodded and handed little Cheng Li to Li Huan before helping Cheng Qiao cook, having no time to hold her grandson.

Cheng Liguo emerged from the bathroom, looking slightly embarrassed. Who rushes to the bathroom the first time they meet their in-laws? But truth be told, after clearing out the old problems in his stomach, he felt much lighter.

“Dad—no, Father—I’m Li Huan.”

“Well, boy, thank you for all your help recently.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I should do it. They say a son-in-law is half a son, so it’s only natural for a son to care for and look after his father.”

Cheng Liguo felt very pleased hearing this. But when his gaze fell on little Cheng Li in Li Huan’s arms, his eyes softened with love.

“Little Cheng Li, my name is Cheng Liguo, your grandfather. Can Grandpa give you a hug?”

Little Cheng Li, already smarter than a three-year-old, immediately recognized the white-haired old man in front of him as the grandfather who had named him. He grinned, opened his arms, and threw himself into Cheng Liguo’s embrace.

“Oh my, my precious grandson! Be careful, be careful. How are you so well-behaved? You’re so adorable! Come, Grandpa has a gift for you.”

Cheng Liguo took a exquisitely crafted pocket watch from the inner pocket of his padded coat. A golden chain held a circular watch with gem-encrusted decorations on the front, all-gold on the back, powered by an imported tourbillon mechanism.

“This…”

Li Huan was startled. He had seen items like this on the black market—not gold or gem-encrusted, and not nearly as exquisite—but still sold for hundreds of yuan.

“Dad, what are you giving little Cheng Li?”

Cheng Qiao had planned to introduce Li Huan to little Cheng Li first, but the grandfather and grandson had already bonded. She couldn’t help but be surprised when she saw the pocket watch.

“Where did you get this kind of Republic-era piece?”

“There was a man surnamed Yuan living in the cave house with me. He didn’t have much money left, so I traded this for it.”

“How much did you give for it?”

“Two thousand yuan, plus some ration tickets, cotton tickets, and cigarettes. I liked it as soon as I saw it; it seemed perfect for my little Cheng Li.”

Li Huan was deeply touched. He knew Cheng Qiao had sent a lot of supplies and money to father-in-law, but he hadn’t expected him to spend it on his grandson.

Cheng Qiao examined the pocket watch carefully. There were inscriptions from a renowned craftsman on the case. She quickly put it away. If nothing went wrong, in a few decades this watch could be worth over a million.

Little Cheng Li wasn’t happy. This was a gift from his grandfather—how could Mom take it away? Li Huan quickly explained that if they showed it outside, their parents and grandfather could get into trouble.

Little Cheng Li, having seen police take people before, was frightened and waved his hands repeatedly. He didn’t want his parents or grandfather to be taken away.

Cheng Liguo frowned. This little grandson, only seven or eight months old, seemed remarkably precocious. He worried—precocious children were hard to keep safe.

“Qiao, Li Huan, this child is extremely smart. You must be careful, especially around rivers, mountains, roads, and strangers.”

Cheng Qiao was shaken. No wonder her son hadn’t survived in her previous life—she hadn’t understood this before.

“Dad, I understand. Don’t worry. I’ll watch little Cheng Li carefully and won’t let him out of our sight.”

“Dad, let me introduce you. This is Mother Li, my mother-in-law.”

“Hello, in-law. I’m Cheng Liguo, Cheng Qiao’s father. My daughter can be mischievous, but she is fundamentally kind and pure. Please forgive any shortcomings.”

“Oh, no, no. I, Cheng Qiao… I’m very satisfied with Qiao. She’s the best daughter-in-law I’ve ever seen. Even when going to City, she bought me new clothes.”

Mother Li knew Cheng Qiao’s father had once been a factory director and felt slightly restrained, but seeing that Cheng Liguo, just over forty, had white hair all over, she knew he had suffered.

“Father-in-law, please come in quickly; it’s cold outside.”

“How could you all forget about me?”

A plaintive voice came from behind. Li Huan realized he had neglected Qin Guoqing, quickly approached him, put an arm around him, and offered a few pieces of chocolate.

“Wow, this is delicious! Your sister-in-law gave me some last time—bitter first, then sweet. Really good.”

With chocolate in his mouth, Qin Guoqing forgot all about being ignored and happily followed them inside.

“Do you all live here?”

Cheng Liguo carefully examined the house: the middle was a hall, with rooms on either side and a yard behind. Between the two yards in the corner were the kitchen and toilet.

“This is where we store supplies. We usually live in Xiangyang Village. Dad, if you want to stay here, I’ll stay with you. If you want to go to Xiangyang Village, we can go back together.”

“I’ll go to Xiangyang Village to see where my daughter lives.”

Of course, Cheng Liguo wanted to see his daughter’s living conditions. Although Li Huan and his mother treated Cheng Qiao well, appearances could be deceiving.

As they talked, Shouhou arrived with Qiu Min. Seeing Cheng Liguo’s white hair and wrinkles, their hearts ached. A vice-director of a thousand-person factory, deceived by a petty woman—it was really unlucky.

“Dad, this is Shouhou and his wife Qiu Min. Qiu Min, this is my father. And this is Qin Guoqing. Now that everyone’s here, let’s eat.”

Qin Guoqing, seeing the chicken, duck, and fish on the big table, couldn’t help swallowing. This food was even better than what his father’s superiors had. He felt he had truly arrived.