"Dean Zhan, your sister-in-law is pregnant? Congratulations." After Zhang Lirong heard that Gu Xiangyi was pregnant, she came to congratulate her.
Zhan Aiping said: "Thank you, this is a great joyous event."
Zhang Lirong said mischievously, "Then you will have to work harder. You have to take good care of this sister-in-law and take care of her during the confinement period... There are so many children in your family, and you are the only one who can support them."
"There is still the man at home. Besides, our children are sensible."
Zhang Lirong shook her head and said, "That won't work. Lao Luo and I are at home, and it's exhausting enough for us to take care of Jin Bao. Look, I've even found a distant cousin to help. She'll be here in two days."
"After she came, she helped me look after the children and cook, then I felt much more relaxed." After showing off, Zhang Lirong was particularly happy. Compared with the Niu family and the Gu family next door, her life was the most comfortable.
Mrs. Niu has to take care of five kids, and Gu Jiazhan Aiping also has several children. Now her sister-in-law is pregnant, and she has to take care of her... After this year, she must have aged ten years.
"Women age quickly if they don't pay attention. They are all busy with their children. Look, how much Niu's wife aged after her sister-in-law got married? Doctor Zhan, you must not be like her."
"You are so beautiful. It will be a pity if you grow old. Our compound will lose a beautiful scenery." Zhang Lirong expressed concern but actually conveyed anxiety.
"Don't worry about it." Zhan Aiping said with a smile: "I'm a doctor, are you afraid that I will get old? Sooner or later, I will become an old witch."
Zhang Lirong: “…” I’ve never heard of anyone calling themselves a fairy.
"As for you, Zhang Lirong, you should be careful." Zhan Aiping thought, who wouldn't be able to pass on anxiety? "You asked your cousin to come, do you know her well? One more mouth means one more trouble. Are you really willing to let her take care of your precious son?"
"What if Jin Baoer spends too much time with her and becomes more kissy with her than with you?"
Zhan Aiping was not exaggerating when she said this. Right now there are indeed quite a few sisters-in-law and mothers-in-law who come to help their families take care of their children. They are closer to their grandmothers and aunts, not their mothers.
Some people have many children at home and don’t really care who they are close to. As long as there is someone to help take care of the children, it’s enough. But Zhang Lirong has only one precious child. If the child is not close to her, it would be tantamount to killing her.
"The child is young, so he will kiss whoever he spends more time with."
Zhang Lirong originally came here to show off, but after hearing what Zhan Aiping said, she felt that Zhan Aiping was right. Even if someone came to help take care of the child, she still had to keep an eye on him and must not let Jinbao favor others.
Zhang Lirong and Captain Luo have only one son, Jinbao. Unlike other families where the eldest child takes care of the second child and the second child takes care of the third child, Jinbao in their family is very clingy and wishes to stay with his mother all the time. As long as Zhang Lirong comes back, he wants his mother to be by her side to protect her.
Zhang Lirong was very happy that Du Miaomiao was sticking to her. She did not stop him but allowed Jinbao to stick to her.
Of course, the child being too clingy also made Zhang Lirong feel suffocated. When she wanted to go to the bathroom, the child would follow her. He wanted his mother to stay by his side, and would make a fuss if she didn't listen to him.
But if one day the child no longer sticks to her, she won't be able to bear it.
Zhang Lirong's cousin from the countryside came over. She was very young, in her early twenties. Her surname was Liu and her name was Liu Yanzi. She was a typical country girl. She was quick and efficient at work. She had a pigtail and wore a floral shirt, black trousers and cloth shoes. She had a heart-shaped face and thick hair, with a lot of strands of hair on her forehead.
"Cousin, we agreed before we came here that I would help you take care of the child for a year or two, and you would introduce me to a good partner."
Zhang Lirong said, "It's just introducing someone to someone. It's not difficult."
Liu Yanzi said: "Your Jinbao has grown up quite a bit."
Liu Yanzi, who came from the countryside, thought that her cousin was a little crazy. She only had this one child, who was no more than one or two years old. If she were in the countryside, a child of this age would have been left to play in the fields by himself. Why did she need someone to take care of him full-time
Her cousin's family is so pretentious.
Liu Yanzi thought so, but she didn't say it. This was a good thing for her. Besides, such a young child was easy to take care of.
"Cousin, please let me take care of Jinbao." Liu Yanzi was very happy to accept the job of babysitting.
Zhang Lirong frowned and said, "I'll take care of the child, you go and wash the clothes at home."
"Okay." Liu Yanzi was quick and efficient, and quickly helped her clean up the house. After all, she came here with the intention of finding a partner, so of course she had to show her virtuousness.
Besides, the Luo family only has three people, and the couple also go to work, so there is no housework at home. It is not like in the countryside, where Liu Yanzi has to get up early in the morning to boil water, cook, weed, feed pigs and chickens...
This is such a leisurely job.
What made Liu Yanzi even more speechless was that Zhang Lirong sent the child to kindergarten. Zhang Lirong asked Liu Yanzi to stay in the kindergarten to prevent other children from bullying Jin Baoer.
Liu Yanzi was guarding the kindergarten class for a whole day, staring blankly at the group of children mumbling incoherently to each other.
She bought a bag of melon seeds and ate them all day with some tea.
After waiting for so long for the child to come back from kindergarten, there must be something she can do. She has to help take care of the child.
Zhang Lirong said, "I'll take Jin Baoer with me."
Zhang Lirong was very wary of Liu Yanzi, thinking that Liu Yanzi had been looking after the child in the kindergarten for a day, and when she returned home, she would seize the opportunity to strengthen the mother-son relationship with Jinbao.
So Liu Yanzi started to do nothing... She was extremely panicked.
She was afraid that this pretentious cousin would someday find out that her family didn't need her at all. Liu Yanzi felt that Zhang Lirong was too pretentious. She sent her children to kindergarten and had to take care of them by herself when she got home. There were only a few houseworks to do for their family of three. They couldn't even do anything creative with washing dishes, doing clothes and cooking.
She's so bored!
What's even worse is that Liu Yanzi's cousin's husband, Captain Luo, often praised Liu Yanzi: "Your cousin is very virtuous, quick and skillful, and a good candidate for a daughter-in-law..."
Liu Yanzi hoped to be praised by her cousin for being virtuous and efficient, rather than by her cousin's husband, a man who has been married three times, really.
Another seven or eight days passed, and Zhang Lirong was on vacation at home. She coaxed Jin Baoer all the time and played with him. Since raising her only child, Zhang Lirong was transferred to an easy job. She no longer worked overtime, and just wanted to go home to see her only child.
Zhang Lirong looked at the jumping Jin Bao and murmured, "… Why do I still feel so tired?"
"Where is Liu Yanzi? Where is she when I'm at home?"
Zhang Lirong looked around, then carried Jin Baoer out to look for someone. Then she discovered that Liu Yanzi was actually taking the initiative to help the Gu family next door with work, and her hands and feet were so skillful.
Liu Yanzi said to Zhan Aiping: "Sister-in-law, as long as I am free, you can ask me to do any work."
Zhan Aiping was speechless and choked: "Thank you."
She actually didn't have much work to do, but the little cousin next door just wanted to rush to do the work.
After the little cousin next door came, she couldn't wait to show her courtesy to her all the time.
Zhan Aiping felt a little embarrassed by her servile attitude. After all, Liu Yanzi was not her subordinate, nor her relative or friend. She couldn't drive her away. Liu Yanzi smiled and tried hard to please her.
Zhang Lirong was so angry that she called Liu Yanzi back and asked, "Why are you helping others with their work?"
Liu Yanzi said, "Cousin, I really can't sit still. If there's nothing else to do at home, let me help other families with their work."
This will just help to showcase her reputation for being virtuous.
"That Doctor Zhan next door, I heard she's the director of the hospital! What a big shot!"
When talking about the identity of Dr. Zhan next door, Liu Yanzi wanted to serve her, because she is the director of the hospital!!!
Liu Yanzi didn't quite understand what the regiment commander and battalion commander were, but she felt that the director of this township hospital must be a big shot, and it would be right to please her.
"People like them are not the type to do trivial things like housework. Let me help her do it!"
Zhang Lirong glared at her for several times, wondering why this person was so ungrateful and always trying to please others by working for them all day long.
"Why don't you go work for Niu's family next door? They have five children, a lot of housework to do, and a lot of laundry every day."
"Well..." Liu Yanzi waved her hands and said righteously, "I want to serve the doctors. It's not easy for them to treat patients and save lives."
Zhang Lirong: “…” You are quite good at flattering others.
Zhang Lirong was sulking, but she still had something to gain. She didn't make Zhan Aiping angry, but she did make Mrs. Niu from next door very angry.
Niu's wife went to Political Commissar Niu to complain: "Do you think that Zhang next door still has something against me? Look how hypocritical she is. She has only one child and she wants someone to take care of him. Why doesn't she go to heaven?"
"That's fine, but she asked her cousin to help Gu's wife with work, so why doesn't she help our family with work? She's deliberately trying to piss me off!"
“I’m so angry!”
Liu Yanzi had been in the family compound for half a month. Zhan Aiping helped her contact Director Li and introduced her to a partner. With her quick hands and feet, she had no trouble finding a partner. She soon fell in love with a man and was happily waiting to get married.
Go back to your hometown before getting married.
Willow Swallow comes and goes like the wind.
Zhang Lirong: “…”
Before leaving, Liu Yanzi said to Zhang Lirong, "Cousin, there really isn't much work to do at your house. Just grit your teeth and do it by yourself."
Liu Yanzi felt uneasy staying in the Luo family and couldn't wait to find a way out for herself. She knew that staying in the Luo family was very unreliable. Now, she has found a suitable partner.
Zhang Lirong was furious: "Where is there no work to do? My back hurts so much from taking care of the kids."
Liu Yanzi was helpless: "But you won't let me take care of the child."
Zhang Lirong: "This is my own son, of course I have to watch him carefully..."
After Liu Yanzi left, the Luo family returned to peace.
Captain Luo asked Zhang Lirong: "Do you want to find another cousin? I have a distant cousin."
Zhang Lirong said with a dark face: "Don't mention cousins to me anymore. You are my only child, so you have to take care of him by yourself."
*
After Gu Xiangyi became pregnant, the couple often went to the home of Zhan Aiping and his wife. They had a large family, so they could take care of each other. In addition, Gu Xiangyi had a strong reaction to her pregnancy and vomited a lot, so the couple kept asking the only doctor, Dr. Zhan, all kinds of questions.
Zhan Aiping taught her younger brother to prepare special meals for her during pregnancy.
After Gu Xiangyi became pregnant, her taste became unpredictable. Sometimes she liked sour food, sometimes she liked spicy food, and sometimes she wanted both.
Today, my family cooked hot and sour noodles. The children were so greedy that they stood at the kitchen door, like four little foxes wagging their tails, sniffing the aroma eagerly.
The sweet potato noodles have been cooked until they are crystal clear, elastic and chewy, with a red, spicy and sour soup floating on top, and sprinkled with crisp coriander and chopped green onions. Zhan Aiping also added some white sesame seeds.
The three older children, the sweet and sour pork siblings and Lu Cheng, can eat spicy food quite well. Gu Xiangyi, although greedy, only eats a few bites at a time. She is accompanied by little Mianhua, who also cannot eat spicy food.
Zhan Aiping said: "Your taste will change again later."
Xiao Tangyuan recommended: "Aunt, please eat something sweet! Sweetness can relieve the spiciness."
Guo Bao Rou said: "Eat salty food!"
Lu Cheng said: "Eat fish, eat fish, eat fish! Let's go catch some fish!"
Because Gu Xiangyi's appetite changes quickly and he eats little, the group of little foxes just follow him and pick up the ready-made food.
Gu Xiangyi snorted: "Do you think I'm a pig? I eat so many different things. I eat everything."
"Sister-in-law, I suddenly want to eat sweet potato porridge."
Zhan Aiping said: "I'll make you a pot."
Little Tangyuan immediately said, "Brother, let's go out and play."
Lu Cheng: "Let's go quickly. She wants to eat steamed bread with wild vegetables later." He only wanted to catch fish and didn't want to dig wild vegetables.
Sweet and sour pork: "Watching aunt eat, we eat dried sweet potatoes."
Gu Xiangyi was taking care of her baby and playing with the children when she had nothing to do. She lived a very happy life. She said to Zhan Aiping, "Sister-in-law, I have to learn from you how to raise a child."
"These three kids are really good at cleaning the house. I was scared when I saw them for the first time. There are actually special students on duty, a home cleaning area, and even grades!" Comrade Gu Xiangyi was stunned when he saw it for the first time.
"Auntie, when you move in, your room will be checked too... But mom said you don't have to comply. You have a baby, you have privileges."
Gu Xiangyi smiled and said, "Then I'll obey."
This is the prenatal education given to children from an early age.
Zhan Mingzhao took good care of the pregnant Gu Xiangyi. Zhan Aiping became much calmer after discovering that his younger brother was going to be a father. He even held a book in his hand during the breaks in cooking, which was rare.
When Gu Xiangyi was taking a nap, he also stood beside her with a book in his hand. He looked quiet and peaceful. He was wearing the typical white shirt and army green trousers of that era, and a brown belt, looking like a literary young man.
He was completely different from the showy guy I saw when I first came to Yunnan Province.
Zhan Aiping recalled the past when she saw Zhan Mingzhao in the village. He was wearing a short ethnic jacket, revealing two arms that were not strong but still had some muscular lines. He had a red beaded string tied on his forehead similar to a headband, and his skin was tanned a healthy chocolate color. The darker the skin color, the firmer and more three-dimensional his facial features became. After becoming whiter, he was not so outstanding and stunning, making people unforgettable at first sight, but had a touch of elegance and calmness.
After turning white, Zhan Mingzhao's charm has weakened a lot. He lacks the alternative wild beauty and the stunning three-dimensionality of his facial features, but he still retains his good popularity.
Zhan Aiping asked him quietly: "What book are you reading recently? A foreign book?"
Zhan Mingzhao felt a little embarrassed, "This was given to me by my leader."
Looking at Zhan Aiping, he hesitated for a while and then said, "Sister, I want to work hard, maybe I can be selected to go to university."
Zhan Mingzhao's words were simply earth-shattering. Zhan Aiping was stunned. Oh my God, one day her brother actually asked to take the initiative to study and go to college.
"I am writing an application to join the Party. Once I am admitted, I will be proactive in my work... My boss said I have a talent for speaking. If I go to a serious university, I might become a diplomat in the future." Zhan Mingzhao boasted more and more self-deprecatingly as he spoke. In fact, he himself found it hard to believe that he would go to university.
Zhan Aiping was stunned: "You, you want to go to college?"
Zhan Mingzhao chuckled and said, "Sister, look, now I'm going to be a father. Do you think I should work harder? Hmm... After graduating from college, I can become a more capable cadre, so that Xiangyi and the child can have better treatment and a better life."
"I can't learn anything else, but I seem to have a talent for learning different dialects and chatting with people."
Although he and Gu Xiangyi were not too short of money and had an okay life, Gu Xiangyi's family was well-off and their Zhan family was not bad either, it would be boring to rely solely on their family.
At this point, Zhan Mingzhao said, "Sister, you won't laugh at me, will you?"
"Of course not!" Zhan Aiping patted him on the shoulder happily, "You have ambition, that's right. You have to take responsibility after becoming a father. Okay, go to college!"
"Sister also thinks my brother has the talent to be a diplomat!" Zhan Aiping was extremely excited, she felt that this might really work.
Zhan Mingzhao laughed: "Sister, what's the point of taking the college entrance examination? Now it's recommended to go to college."
"When I first started working, I didn't expect that I would be so respected. After all, sister, you know that I was not a good student when I was young. Then there were those years when I didn't learn anything. I went to the countryside as an educated youth and had no contact with those things."
"I had a headache learning foreign languages when I was in primary school. But after picking them up again in the past two years, I found them to be quite simple. I can't be a diplomat, but I can be a translator."
Zhan Aiping encouraged: "Be more confident."
"I'm very confident now." Zhan Mingzhao closed the book: "Sister, I have a preliminary plan now. Now I will wait for Xiangyi to give birth to the baby. Then I will join the party, work hard, and be selected as an outstanding party member. After the baby is born, maybe next year I will have the opportunity to be recommended to go to college... The year after next, or the year after that, there should be opportunities. I will adapt to the situation."
"Fortunately, we don't have to take the college entrance examination now. If I were to take it, I wouldn't be able to pass it."
Zhan Aiping: "… But what if the college entrance examination is resumed next year?"
"Ah?" Zhan Mingzhao blinked his eyes: "Sister, don't be so pessimistic, it shouldn't be possible, right?"
Zhan Aiping was helpless. She thought, the college entrance examination will be resumed next year, and her naughty brother is still thinking about joining the National Army in 1949
"I'm not saying it's a jinx, but it's a high probability possibility." Zhan Aiping whispered: "Principal Ma talked to me and speculated that after one or two years, the college entrance examination will be resumed in two or three years."
"Brother, I think you should start preparing for the college entrance examination from today. If you prepare for a year or two, you will win at the starting line and you will definitely become one of the first batch of college students after the resumption of the college entrance examination." Zhan Aiping tried her best to encourage him.
Zhan Mingzhao: “…I have no confidence anymore.”
"Sister, I can't get into college."
(End of this chapter)