Juhua finally realized they were talking about having children and couldn't help but feel frustrated. 'This isn't like farming,' she thought, 'where hard work guarantees a harvest. How am I supposed to be more "meticulous" about it?'
But she didn't realize that people did, in fact, compare it to planting crops.
Mrs. Zhang had heard from Liu Yunlan how well her sister-in-law treated her, so she was particularly fond of Juhua. She chimed in with a smile, "Isn't that the truth? I was married for a good two years myself before I was pregnant with my Yunlan. You can't rush these things. Juhua is still very young, and you can tell just by looking at her that she's a fortunate one. She'll have plenty of children later on."
Mrs. Wang took the flat bamboo tray of melon seeds from Juhua's hands, smiled, and patted her hand. She pulled Juhua down to sit beside her. Without saying a word, she turned and began chatting with the old grand-aunt about the Zheng Family's new calf.
