Chapter 188 (The End of the Main Text)

Hutongs are places where there are no secrets, and Liu Yinfeng didn't know how the word got out. A few days later, when she went to the market with her close friend Wang Xiujuan, people asked her, "Are you going to have a granddaughter soon?"

Although Liu Yinfeng was surprised at how she knew, she still admitted it.

Wang Xiujuan lived in the same courtyard as Lao Zhou's family and reminded her, "I think Shuilan doesn't seem very happy."

Liu Yinfeng knew her son-in-law's personality well, and said, "As long as the child is well, let her be if she's unhappy."

She said that, but she was still having doubts. Unfortunately, she ran into Yu Shuilan at the entrance of the alley.

Since they were in-laws, it wouldn't be right not to greet them, so she stopped and asked, "Where are you headed?"

Yu Shuilan mysteriously pulled her aside: "I heard that Yanzi is pregnant with a girl?"

This tone made Liu Yinfeng's smile fade, and she said, "Yes."

The youngest son isn't close to his family, so naturally he won't tell them anything.

Yu Shuilang, who had only heard rumors, slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Oh dear, it's a girl!"

Even though Liu Yinfeng was trying to be polite, she couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean? What did the girl do to you?"

Of course, it's not good to have a daughter. Nowadays, each family only has one child, and in the future, the son's family property will all go to someone outside the family. What's the point of making money then?

Yu Shuilang was filled with remorse, but she knew it was pointless to talk to her. After all, it wasn't like her Luo family line had ended. She waved her hand and said, "I won't say anything more. You go about your business."

The person had already left, and Liu Yinfeng couldn't very well chase after them. When she got home, she was still angry and complained to her husband that night, "If I hear her like this again, I'll never forgive her."

Luo Xinmin offered a few words of comfort, but also said, "Don't let the three parties know. The child is busy, and it would only make him look bad."

Liu Yinfeng certainly wouldn't mention it to her son-in-law, but as the saying goes, there are no secrets that stay hidden forever.

She spoke with Yu Shuilang at the entrance of the alley. Most of Zhou Weifang's childhood friends still lived in the alley, and within two days, a lot of news reached his ears.

Zhou Weifang, being the kind of person he is, went home that very day.

Yu Shuilang felt a little apprehensive about her youngest son's rare visit and asked, "Why did you have time to come back today?"

Zhou Weifang said with a stern face, "Please come in. I have something to say."

Well, nothing good has come of it since I got back.

Yu Shuilang thought that nothing much had happened at home lately, so she shook the water off her hands and went inside.

Zhou Weifang closed the door and took a deep breath: "I heard you're not too happy about wanting to hold your granddaughter?"

Who could be happy about that? But seeing her youngest son's bad expression, Yu Shuilan tried to be tactful and said, "You still need someone to carry on the family line, right?"

This is only possible because she's a biological mother; if it were anyone else, Zhou Weifang would have overturned the table in front of her.

He laughed in exasperation and asked, "What else do you want to say? Say it all."

Yu Shuilang felt that what she said made perfect sense, and said frankly, "Your business is so big now, it has to be left to your son eventually. Having a daughter would be fine too, but I think it would be better to tell Yanzi to quit, you can afford to raise her..."

Once she started talking, she couldn't stop, and added, "Don't listen to those Luos stirring things up. It doesn't matter if they're male or female, they're not from the Luo family. You'll be the one breaking the pot in the future."

Instigation? Zhou Weifang was initially furious, but now it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and he found it utterly ridiculous.

He said, "Who says otherwise? I'll tell you right now, this child will be surnamed Luo in the future."

"How can that be?" Yu Shuilang jumped up and down, looking at her son's expression as if he were being choked, constantly crying out in pain.

Zhou Weifang didn't have the energy to argue with her about what he was thinking, and even felt that this room was like hell, and he couldn't stay there for a moment longer.

He said, “From today onwards, don’t let me hear you say a single bad word about the child, and don’t say anything to Yan Yan or her family, otherwise neither you nor my father will get a single penny from me.”

Yu Shuilang wanted to say something, but seeing her son walk away, she didn't dare to chase after him.

She's never been able to control this child since he was little. She knows he means what he says. Although she doesn't think she's wrong, she's always right. No matter how many thoughts she has, she can only keep them to herself.

Zhou Weifang had come to apologize to his mother-in-law, and seeing the door locked, he thought he would go inside and wait.

He has the key, and as soon as he opens it, Huang Laishun pounces over wagging his tail.

Zhou Weifang felt much better after petting its fur a couple of times. He didn't unlock the inner room, but just sat in the yard and waited.

Liu Yinfeng had gone out to buy things. She noticed a crack in the gate from afar and thought that her son shouldn't be home. She cautiously peeked in before pushing it open: "Sanfang is here. Why don't you come inside? It's getting cold."

In November, only Huang Laishun, with his thick skin, was still willing to go out and have fun.

Zhou Weifang said, "I'll just say a few words to you and then I'll leave."

Even two sentences are still words. Liu Yinfeng opened the door and said, "Come in and talk. Look how cold you are."

Zhou Weifang wasn't particularly afraid of the cold. He followed her into the house and said, "Mom, I want to make this clear to you today. No matter what you think, Yan Yan and I only want this one girl."

After all, she was his biological mother. Liu Yinfeng didn't try to sow discord between them. She said, "Every family has its share of son preference. It's normal for your mother to think this way. We only care about you as a person; nothing else matters. You even came all this way to tell us. You're usually busy enough."

Zhou Weifang indeed had other matters to attend to, so he said a few more words and then took his leave.

But no matter how busy he is, he always goes home to cook dinner and waits for his wife to get off work.

As soon as Luo Yan entered the door, she saw a steaming hot meal. She took off her coat and hung it on the wall, saying, "It's so nice to have heating."

She added another compliment: "It's even better if you have a husband."

"Give me a kiss," Zhou Weifang said, pointing to his own face.

Luo Yan kissed him before washing her hands. When she sat down to eat, she asked, "How did your driving lesson go today?"

Zhou Weifang has passed the regulations exam and said, "A piece of cake."

He said it as usual, but Luo Yan could sense that he was in a bad mood and asked, "Who upset you?"

Zhou Weifang felt he should still tell her, but fearing she might get too angry, he simplified the rest of the message as much as possible.

Luo Yan was a little angry, but since Zhou Weifang had already dealt with everything, her emotions quickly dissipated. Instead, she comforted him, saying, "Don't be upset. Their old ideas can't be changed."

Zhou Weifang served her some food: "I'm not angry anymore, I'm actually calm. I've long since given up on them."

The fact that he said that proves he is still hurt by it.

Luo Yan even stopped eating and kept trying to coax him.

Zhou Weifang was pleased, but after holding back for more than five months, he couldn't resist his wife's coquettishness. He grabbed her hand and pulled it down, asking, "Are you sure you don't want to eat properly?"

Luo Yan immediately became obedient and gave him a light kick.

Zhou Weifang smiled for a moment, then turned serious: "Yanyan, I want to discuss something with you."

Discuss? Luo Yan swallowed the food in her mouth: "What's wrong?"

Zhou Weifang: "I want the baby to take your surname."

Luo Yan noticed his seriousness and nodded, saying, "Then what should we call Luo?"

Zhou Weifang's educational level was such that he could only think of some commonly used modern characters.

Luo Yan felt that although the meanings were all good, none of them gave her the feeling of liking them the moment she heard them.

She said, "If your surname is Luo, let me see what characters are related to you."

Zhou Weifang found her rather cute: "This isn't about pooling money; you contribute a word and I contribute a word."

Luo Yan said confidently, "She is her parents' darling, and we need to show that we are a powerful alliance."

That's what she said, but because she was confined by these rules and regulations, she couldn't think of a good name. She racked her brains for more than a month, flipping through books after get off work.

One day, Zhou Weifang went into the study and saw a whole sheet of paper on the table covered with his name. He teased, "Yanyan, I'm right here. There's no need to look at this and think of me."

This isn't how you use the phrase "seeing an object and thinking of someone." Luo Yan said, "I've done some research. Zhou and Wei are characters that all three of you brothers have, but only the character Fang is yours. So I've decided to start with Fang."

That sounded reasonable. Zhou Weifang asked, "What are your thoughts right now?"

Luo Yan: "There are still more than four months left, don't rush me."

Zhou Weifang repeatedly said he wouldn't dare, but a few days later she shook him awake in the middle of the night.

Luo Yan said, "I've got it! Let's call her Luo Yuanyuan! You're square, and she's round, isn't that perfect!"

Luo Yuanyuan. Luo Yuanyuan? Luo Yuanyuan!

Zhou Weifang's eyes lit up: "The more I read it, the smoother it sounds."

Luo Yan also thought it was a good idea, and announced it to her family the next day.

Everyone praised her choice.

However, the parents couldn't help but confirm again, tentatively saying, "Calling her Zhou Yuanyuan is also quite fitting."

Zhou Weifang naturally wanted to clearly express his thoughts: "I'll take the surname Luo."

The son-in-law was willing, and everyone was even more willing than him, so the name Luo Yuanyuan was decided.

Every time Luo Yan thought of it, she would picture a chubby little girl calling her "Mom," which made her feel especially good.

As her pregnancy progressed, Zhou Weifang also obtained his driver's license.

He emptied his savings to buy a car, which he used to pick up and drop off his wife from get off work every day.

With sheltered from the wind and sun, Luo Yan doesn't have to rub her hands together in the cold while riding her motorcycle.

After winter, the weather will warm up in April.

She's counting down the days until her due date, and even going up and down stairs has become very slow for her.

The whole family was worried about each other, so they all moved to the family compound to stay together and look after each other, leaving only Huang Laishun to look after the house.

Luo Yan launched the operation under these circumstances.

She didn't sleep well that night and felt something was off, so she nudged Zhou Weifang.

He immediately jumped up and asked, "Where does it hurt?"

Luo Yan lay there, too afraid to move: "It seems like I'm about to give birth."

As soon as someone said she was going into labor, the whole room buzzed with activity, and within a minute everyone was off to the hospital, just like they'd practiced a hundred times.

Luo Yan was actually in a bit of pain, and she squeezed her brother's hand, saying, "It's a pity we can't have hot pot tomorrow."

Luo Hong didn't utter a sound even though it hurt from being pinched, and joked with her, "Why don't you bite off a piece of my arm to satisfy your craving?"

Luo Yan smiled gently: "Then I still prefer to eat hot pot with mutton."

Zhou Weifang focused intently on driving and didn't dare to get distracted by too much conversation, only saying, "I'll make it up to you with ten thousand meals later."

Luo Yan hummed in agreement and slowly began to breathe through her mouth, feeling less nervous leaning against her mother.

Upon arriving at the hospital, she was wheeled into the delivery room.

She didn't remember anything after that, only that the nurse held up a wrinkled baby for her to see, and she whispered in her heart, "Hello, Luo Yuanyuan."

This day was April 17, 1985.

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Author's note: Typing the words "The End" is the most agonizing part, because I'm really bad at writing endings.

As for the bonus chapters, I plan to write about the fun little things that happened in the hutongs during my childhood, and I'll include little Luo Yuanyuan in the bonus chapters.

P.S.: The name Yuanyuan was suggested by a netizen on Xiaohongshu. I originally planned to use it as a nickname, but the more I said it, the smoother it sounded, and it seemed like there was no more suitable name, so I used it as my formal name.