Chapter 18 Chapter 18 The child was born.
On the afternoon of the sixth day of the first lunar month, the train started on time, just as Liu Suqin remembered.
The two grown men watching people play cards in the yard were completely panicked, and she had to give them orders. "Babies won't come this fast, calm down. Husband, go get the delivery bag. Everything the baby and I need is in there. Also, don't forget the note Dr. Chen left for me, and the wallet. We'll take everything to the clinic. Brother Quansheng, you stay home and prepare dinner. Bring it down to us later. Oh, and make me a bowl of noodles with chicken broth. It's easy to digest. If the baby's not born for a while, I might need a midnight snack. I'll probably have some steamed brown sugar egg custard..."
When someone gave them the task, the two of them seemed to have found their backbone and started working on their respective duties.
Liu Suqin was sent to the health center early and a doctor was called back, but the child was still born at one o'clock in the morning on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.
In her previous life, she had experienced excruciating pain during childbirth, and Lin Nanjiang was ordered around by his mother and the midwife, and didn't pay attention to time at all. This time, he was fully prepared. Liu Suqin asked Lin Nanjiang to write down his daughter's birth time in a notebook, down to the minute, so that he would definitely not make a mistake in her birth date.
After giving birth successfully, Liu Suqin found that living in the health center was quite comfortable. Everyone from the doctors to the nurses received red envelopes and New Year gifts from Lin Nanjiang. In addition, there were not many patients hospitalized, so the mother and daughter received fairly careful care. Dr. Chen was even more patient and meticulous, and taught Lin Nanjiang step by step how to hold the baby, burp the baby, and change diapers.
Compared to the cramped rental house, the newly built health center can be called a five-star hotel.
Liu Suqin stayed in the hospital for more than a week before being discharged and returning home at a leisurely pace. Lin Nanjiang had basically been trained by the doctors and nurses to be a professional dad. Except for feeding, he could do everything else, such as bathing, wiping the body, undressing and changing clothes, and getting up at night to put the baby to sleep. He did everything very well.
Besides, it’s not absolutely impossible for him to help with breastfeeding.
It may be due to her physical condition. Liu Suqin was well taken care of during her pregnancy in this life and had adequate nutrition. Her face was rosy throughout the pregnancy, but her milk supply was still not very abundant. What's more troublesome is that not only was she well taken care of, but the baby also developed very well in the mother's belly. When it was born, it was only less than a pound heavier than in the previous life, but the condition was very different. The little guy had thick hair, eyelashes and nails. The nurse in the delivery room at the time was surprised and said that she didn't expect that her belly was not big, but she gave birth to a very strong baby.
The little guy grew up strong in his mother's belly, and his appetite was also quite good. He drank milk as fiercely as a calf, gulping it down without hesitation, and could not tolerate any grievance. Once he found that his mother could not supply him with milk, he would immediately open his little mouth and cry loudly, and his voice was simply deafening.
Liu Suqin was the first to be affected. She always felt dizzy and her temples throbbing because of the fat girl's crying.
At a certain moment, she sincerely regretted that she shouldn't have eaten so many good things during pregnancy, and raised her daughter to be so strong. How good was her little cotton-padded jacket in her previous life? She sobbed when she cried, but she was quiet and well-behaved.
But seeing her energetic little appearance as long as she had enough food and drink, Liu Suqin's regret instantly disappeared. Holding the little one who was getting heavier day by day, her heart was filled with heavy happiness. The child had escaped the frailty and sickness she had been born in her previous life. The satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that the child brought her was incomparable to how much money she could make.
What should I do if my daughter eats too much? Just spoil her, what else can I do if I throw her away?
So the imported milk powder bought before the New Year came in handy. Once the mother's supply was insufficient, the father would go to boil water to make the milk powder in a panic.
The little one is not picky about food. As long as there is food, she will enjoy eating with the bottle. When she is eating to her heart's content, her little feet are wiggling. She looks so happy.
After making sure that the little one could adapt to the taste of milk powder, Liu Suqin discussed with Lin Nanjiang and decided to breastfeed her during the day and prepare milk powder at night. This way, at least she could sleep until dawn. Getting up in the middle of the night to change diapers was already a job for a new father, and adding the task of feeding her with milk powder was just a convenience.
Lin Nanjiang became a father for the first time and was completely immersed in the joy of raising a child.
Almost no one can resist the joy of raising a baby, especially in this special stage of human cubs, which basically change every day. The weight, body shape, skin color and hair are all changing. The effect of careful care and raising can be seen with the naked eye. Once new parents pour their efforts into their little life, they will unknowingly be immersed in it, and gradually become the dad and mom who turn a deaf ear to the outside world and only cares about taking care of the baby.
Lin Nanjiang is a typical example. Taking care of children makes him happy. He has become an old father who can only smile foolishly when mentioning his daughter. He is responsible for making milk powder and changing diapers for his daughter at night. Not only does he not feel tired, but he also enjoys it.
His daughter is so cute with her baby fat, even her farts are fragrant. It is clearly his blessing to take care of her, others want her but don’t have her yet!
However, Liu Suqin felt a pang of guilt when she saw him taking care of her during the day and then taking care of her fat daughter at night. She hadn't even finished her confinement yet, but the child's father had already lost several pounds.
But then he thought again, he had such an easy time being a father in his previous life. He wasn't even around when his second child was born. His eldest daughter, who had just started elementary school, washed all the diapers. He was so happy to be a father so painlessly that Liu Suqin didn't feel guilty at all.
She felt sorry for the man who was working himself to death, so she should change him. It was time for her father, as the head of the family, to experience what it felt like to shoulder everything.
Liu Suqin then began to recuperate after the baby's birth with peace of mind. She lay in bed from morning to night. When she wanted to go to the toilet, her husband would carry her there. When she was bored, she would play with her chubby daughter. The food she ate was luxurious.
Lin Nanjiang lived in the health center with his wife and children. He had to ask his good friend to prepare three meals a day for him. He gave him enough money to buy groceries and told him not to worry about the price and just to give his wife good food and drink.
Lin Quansheng's cooking skills were average, and he had no experience in taking care of a mother after she had taken the money. He didn't know how to spend it, so he asked the landlady for advice. Then, under the enthusiastic guidance of Aunt Chen, all kinds of nutritious soups were brought to Liu Suqin like a stream.
Locals usually love to make soup for health preservation, and the confinement soup for postpartum women is even more different every time. There are 18 ways to make chicken soup alone. Different breeds of chicken are matched with various ingredients to create a brand new flavor and effect. In addition, there are abundant products here, and the freshest chickens, ducks, pork, beef and seafood can be bought. Even though Lin Quansheng's cooking skills are limited, he can still preserve the original flavor of the ingredients. Liu Suqin has two bowls of soup every day, and her face is white and rosy.
On the day she returned home after being discharged from the hospital, the landlord couple came to see her and the child with red envelopes. They were stunned when they entered the door and only praised Lin Nanjiang and his wife for being caring and taking such good care of her. She didn't look like she had just given birth at all.
Liu Suqin gave birth on the seventh day of the first lunar month and was discharged from the hospital after a week. It just so happened that the family of three plus Lin Quansheng celebrated a lively Lantern Festival together.
Although the Spring Festival holiday is only seven days long among the national statutory holidays, Liu Suqin and her colleagues do not work and do not take the holiday. According to their belief, the New Year is not truly over until after the Lantern Festival.
The same seems to be the case in Shenzhen. After the Lantern Festival, although the return to the city has not started yet and most factories have not started work, the town is still getting more lively day by day.
Gradually, some people started working early in the night market where they set up stalls. It only took a few days for the stalls to go from being just two or three to filling up half the street.
It can be seen that everyone works very hard and no one complains about having too much money.
Lin Nanjiang was somewhat affected by the general environment and no longer stayed at home 24 hours a day to take care of the children and serve his wife.
The main reason is that they have almost gotten along with their daughter and found that the little one is actually very easy to take care of. As long as she is not hungry, she will rarely cry. She will hum to remind them when she has pooped or urinated. When she wakes up and there is no one around to coax her, she will wave her limbs to entertain herself. She will only howl to show her presence when no one pays attention to her for a long time.
In this way, as Liu Suqin's body gradually recovered and she no longer felt pain when getting out of bed and walking, she could take care of the child by herself during the day. Lin Nanjiang was responsible for washing clothes and cooking, and then preparing the daily necessities of the mother and daughter, such as hot water, milk powder, diapers and fruit snacks, and then he could go out for a walk.
Buy some vegetables, go to the night market to check out what's going on, and occasionally ride a bike into the city.
The daughter eats a lot and poops even more, and the stock of milk powder and diapers is almost gone. Lin Nanjiang was afraid that his precious daughter would be hungry, so he went to the city center twice early to replenish the stocks, and also inquired about the sales of second-hand houses and shops in the city.
Lin Nanjiang returned for his second restock, still clutching a stack of information. He told Liu Suqin with a look of having found a treasure, "I heard from Uncle Chen's son earlier that there were real estate agencies in the city that sold houses. I was skeptical, but today I went there according to the address he gave me, and there really is one! They're incredibly resourceful, having scrounged up all the nearby houses for sale. The location, size, and price are clearly spelled out in the brochure. The guy who greeted me said there's a house they like listed here, so just let him know and he'll take us to see it on site anytime. If there's no listing on the bus, that's fine too. Tell him your needs and budget, and he'll find one based on our requirements..."
Liu Suqin looked through the information he brought back and was also shocked. "How can there be such cheap houses in Shenzhen? You can buy one for only 20,000 or 30,000 yuan?"
Lin Nanjiang smiled, thinking that they were really a couple. This was also his first reaction when he got the booklet.
In front of his wife, he just happened to show off what the real estate agent said, "There are houses at all prices. Houses like ours are in what they call urban villages. Even without a property ownership certificate, you can buy one for 10,000 or 20,000 yuan. It's more convenient to live in it yourself than renting. But any house with a property ownership certificate that costs 20,000 or 30,000 yuan is very old. Even if it's renovated, it's not comfortable to live in. It's better to buy a better one."
Liu Suqin smiled but said nothing. "Why would I need a bicycle when I only have a house for 20,000 or 30,000 yuan?" Even if it's a dilapidated house, I can still make a lot of money by buying it and leaving it there.
She had already thought about picking up a bargain, but at the moment she hadn't even solved her immediate needs, so she put everything else aside for now. Liu Suqin looked up and asked, "Do you like anything in this booklet?"
"I'll do whatever you say." Lin Nanjiang wasn't just trying to be a hands-off boss. He explained logically, "I used to think that looking at houses and bargaining for them was too much trouble, so I thought I'd look around on my own first, and then you could come and take a look and make a decision. But now we have someone special to handle that, and we can decide anytime we like. So there's no need to rush. When you're out of confinement, we can go house hunting as a family. What do you say?"
"As long as the agent is reliable, I have no objection. It's also good to spend a little more money to avoid detours."
Lin Nanjiang clapped his hands happily, "That's exactly what I was thinking. We're unfamiliar with this place, and even if we go through every single place ourselves and negotiate everything, we might still run into scammers, or have them run away with our money. Using an agent is at least less likely to lead to scams, and it's just a bit more money."
“How much is the agency fee?”
"They said they'd give us a commission of two percentage points based on the price of the house we bought. That means if we bought a house for 50,000 yuan, they'd give us an additional 1,000 yuan." Lin Nanjiang asked the real estate agent a lot about the market. Fearing his wife wouldn't understand, he explained in detail according to his own understanding. "If we pay this money, they'll help us with everything, from bargaining with the landlord to taking possession of the house, transferring ownership, and paying taxes. The real estate agent can handle it all. Of course, we'll pay all the transfer fees ourselves."
Liu Suqin nodded. "That's fine. When we transfer the property, we'll go to the Housing Authority with the agent. It should be foolproof."
"Yeah." Lin Nanjiang had already changed his coat and washed his hands before he picked up his daughter, who was lying on the bed with her eyes open. He coaxed her while saying, "I think as long as nothing goes wrong, the commission of over a thousand is worth it. I can earn it back in a day of setting up the stall."
Liu Suqin asked with understanding, "Others have started to set up their stalls one after another. Are you also unable to sit still?"
Lin Nanjiang shook the solid little ball in his arms and said bluntly, "I've been unable to sit still for a few days now, watching others make money. If it's just the two of us setting up the stall, what will you and Fangfang do?"
Their daughter's original name was Lin Fangfang, but the girl had complained more than once that her name was too rustic and there were many Fangfangs in the school.
Liu Suqin didn't think much of it before. She thought it was nice to name a girl Fangfang. It was catchy and had a nice meaning. But after being reborn in this life, she found that many young girls were named Aihong, Yanhong, Chunhua and Cuihua. She was not happy about such names. Finally, she understood her daughter's feelings and used all her brain cells to decide on the nice and meaningful name Lin Weizhen before the birth.
But she was still used to calling her Fangfang. One day, she accidentally blurted it out. Lin Nanjiang and Lin Quansheng praised her for the good nickname, saying it was nice and easy to remember. They soon followed suit.
In short, little Lin Weizhen cannot get rid of Fangfang's shadow for the time being.
The reason her husband didn't want to stay home to take care of the baby was that he wanted to go out and make money earlier. Liu Suqin was naturally not unhappy and patiently asked him, "So what are your plans?"
"I've thought about it. Although our Fangfang is very obedient, such a young child cannot be left alone. It's definitely not possible for you to take care of her alone. Apart from anything else, you always need to eat and rest. So if Quansheng and I go to the stall, we should find someone else to take care of you and your mother." Faced with his wife's eyes that were not displeased but rather encouraging, Lin Nanjiang boldly expressed his thoughts. "A few days ago, I called home and tested my mother's attitude. She meant that if we are really in trouble, she can come and take care of us for a while. After all, it's her first time giving birth. As a mother-in-law, she can still lend a hand for three to five months. But if you are worried that you won't get along with my mother, you can also ask my mother-in-law to come over. After all, they won't let their hard work be in vain..."
Liu Suqin moved slightly, but finally shook her head and rejected it. "None of them are suitable. It would be too much trouble to come all the way here just to stay for a few months. It would be better to find someone nearby. I'll take care of the child during the day, and you take care of the child at night. I can pay for an aunt to help with cooking and cleaning, and lend a hand when needed. We can find someone local and let her go home to stay at night. We don't have to worry about not having enough room in our small room."
Having said that, Liu Suqin added in her heart that after moving to a new house with more spacious living space, she could ask her mother to come and take care of the children.
Even if she is no longer short of money in this life, she does not want to be a full-time mother at home. She will go out to pursue her career once her daughter is weaned. She can pay someone to take care of the child. Outsiders cannot be trusted, and she will not treat her granddaughter badly as a mother.
Anyway, as long as she is paid, her mother will be happy to do it.
Lin Nanjiang was unaware of his wife's foresight. He only needed to hear the current arrangements before his eyes lit up. "Why didn't I think of all the unemployed women in the village? If they knew they could earn money doing simple tasks like cooking and washing clothes, or even occasionally holding children, some would definitely be tempted. I'll go ask Uncle Chen and the others how to recruit people in the village. Should I even tell the village committee..."
With that, he strode out with his daughter in his arms. He was so impatient that Liu Suqin didn't react. Fortunately, he realized something was wrong when he reached the door, so he turned back and handed the fat daughter to his wife. "Then I'm leaving. Let's settle this matter as soon as possible so that we can open the stall and make money sooner."
Liu Suqin nodded and said, "Go ahead."
Lin Nanjiang had been out for the entire afternoon, and when he returned it was almost dark. Lin Quansheng had just finished preparing dinner and brought it over, calling out to Liu Suqin, who was lying on the bed, "Eat it while it's hot. I'll go call Nanjiang..."
Before he could finish his words, the host pushed the door open and came in. He asked casually, "Why did you take so long?"
"We've found the person, and they'll be here to work tomorrow morning." Lin Nanjiang announced the good news before explaining, "I was listening to them chatting so animatedly outside that I accidentally wasted time. Did you know that the first person to say she wanted to help us this time was Aunt Zhang?"
"Which Aunt Zhang?" Lin Quansheng was confused, but Liu Suqin seemed to smell the scent of a big melon and jumped out of the bed. "Is it the Aunt Zhang whose husband and daughter-in-law had an illegitimate child?"
Lin Nanjiang: "That's her."
The incident happened before the New Year. Even though Lin Quansheng didn't know many people in the village, he was still deeply impressed by such a story that blew away his worldview. He immediately put on the same surprised face, "Why is it her? Has something happened to their family again?"
Lin Nanjiang spoke slowly, "It's a follow-up to what happened before the Lunar New Year. Aunt Zhang's son, Chen Jiaquan, came home for the Lunar New Year. Chen Jiaquan is quite courageous. After learning about the situation, he insisted on getting a divorce and severing ties with the old man, even though the old man threatened not to give him a penny. But everyone with the surname Chen in their village is a big family, and the clan leader and elders are all watching. And this matter is so bad, even if the old man really wants to send his son away, the clan, oh no, the village committee will not agree. Forget about the deposits. The old man insists that he has no money, and the village can't search his house. But he still owns three buildings, right? So the village party secretary brought the old elders of their Chen family and forced the old man to transfer one of the buildings in his name to Chen Jiaquan..."
Hearing this, Liu Suqin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "It's good that the village is willing to uphold justice. With this building, at least Aunt Zhang and her son's life is guaranteed."
Lin Quansheng was filled with righteous indignation. "This old man is getting such a good deal. He has done such a ruthless thing. The village should give all three buildings under his name to his son."
"We are now in a society ruled by law. Even if the village elders put pressure on us, Old Chen must sign. Otherwise, no amount of coercion or inducement will work."
Liu Suqin also agreed, "The current result is already considered good. Shameless people are invincible, but good people are more likely to suffer losses."
Lin Nanjiang noticed the conversation was drifting off track and quickly got back to the point. "The village party secretary and his colleagues were worried the old man wouldn't admit his mistake, so they used some connections to change the building's ownership right after the Lunar New Year. After Chen Jiaquan got the certificate, he packed his bags overnight and returned to the city where he worked. He originally wanted to take his mother with him, but Aunt Zhang was worried about the unfamiliar environment. Furthermore, her son's house needed to be rented out, so she entrusted it to the villagers. She was worried the old man would do something bad, so she volunteered to stay and help her son look after the building. Although she's not divorced yet, it's almost like she's divorced. She doesn't live with the old man anymore and has moved into her son's house to make it easier to collect rent."
"That's not right." Lin Quansheng noticed something. "This Aunt Zhang helps her son manage a building for rent. She should be as well-off as our landlord. Why is she still looking for work?"
Liu Suqin was already tired of saying the word "envy". She continued with a numb expression, "The boss is poorer than the employees. I just want to ask you if it's irritating."
Lin Quansheng: ...
Lin Nanjiang smiled helplessly. "When Aunt Zhang first came to me, I also thought it was strange, but when I think about it, who in this village doesn't have a few buildings? If we want to hire locals to do the work, we have to accept the reality that we are poorer than them. Besides, Aunt Zhang has her own advantages. If she is willing to accept a job that pays only a little over 200 yuan, she will definitely not suddenly complain about the low salary halfway through. And she is kind and tolerant, to put it nicely. If I ask someone like her to come home and take care of my wife and children, I can go out and do business with peace of mind."
As for the melon in Aunt Zhang's house, Liu Suqin followed it from beginning to end. As a result, she had a deep understanding of Aunt Zhang's stubborn personality and felt a little disappointed with her.
But once she changed her perspective, she really liked this. "Aunt Zhang is really a nice person. I heard she works very hard. Did you choose her this time? How much salary did you offer?"
"We've temporarily agreed on two hundred and sixty per month, and we'll increase it later if you do a good job." Lin Nanjiang had been working outside for a long time and had gained some experience. He no longer had to ask Liu Suqin for permission on everything. He chatted with people in the village about hiring a cook for a while, and after getting a rough idea of the market situation in this area, he set a reasonable figure himself.
Lin Quansheng couldn't help but smack his lips. "The daily rent for Aunt Zhang's son's building might even be higher than this salary. Why would she be willing to do this?"
He knew that the couple were not stingy people, because if they minded this and just followed the factory standards, he would be willing to help. Giving them seven or eight hundred would be considered very generous, but they directly offered a monthly salary of one thousand, which was so generous that he felt that the money was a bit too hot to handle.
Friendship is friendship, and interests are interests. They are not children anymore and they know everything about this. It can only be said that the couple is really generous in doing things. They don’t have the habit of only allowing themselves to make money and not letting others get involved.
Lin Quansheng was a little puzzled as to why his good brother, who he thought was generous and sensible, did such a thing.
But he soon heard Lin Nanjiang's explanation, "There's nothing we can do about it. This is the market situation. My salary isn't high, but it's not the lowest either. Since Aunt Zhang wants to do this, she must know the situation."
"Besides, she lives alone now. If she doesn't mind, I told her that she can eat three meals a day with us and sit at the same table with us. She won't have to cook at home anymore. This way, she won't have to spend money on food, drink, and toilet. With the frugality of her generation, Aunt Zhang might even save more money than we did at the factory."
"That's fine too."
Liu Suqin also expressed her satisfaction, "Then I will get along well with her and run in together. This way, when you go out to work, I will have someone to talk to at home, and I won't be lonely when we eat together."
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