Finally, after collecting everything, Liu Dekai seemed to see someone.
"Mom, stop fussing and come sit down!" Liu Dekai called out.
Zhang Cuihua felt as if she had a fishbone stuck in her throat, which was extremely uncomfortable.
But she didn't resent Liu Dekai at all, and even felt that her son calling her name showed that he cared about her!
On the other hand, Mo Youyou didn't say a word to her at all. How could she not resent it?
"Hey!" Zhang Cuihua replied, finally able to sit down and catch her breath.
The mother and son chatted, but Mo Youyou acted as if it had nothing to do with her, her attention focused on the TV. She would chime in when she was interested, pretending to be all smiles, but when she wasn't, she would simply ignore it.
“Youyou’s belly is getting bigger and bigger, I think she’ll give birth soon! I hope it’s a boy!” Zhang Cuihua said sincerely. She had long put the matter of having a boy out of her mind, after all, so many doctors had checked her.
That's not true!
She eagerly awaited the arrival of her eldest grandson, but was also worried that it might not be a boy!
"Whether it's a boy or a girl, who knows before it's born?"
Mo Youyou chimed in. She didn't really care, since both boys and girls were her children, her darlings. She just couldn't stand Zhang Cuihua's preference for boys over girls!
I'm a woman, how can I have such outdated ideas?
Mo Youyou was very lucky. She was born in the early 1960s, a time when most people preferred boys to girls, but her parents did not.
Her mother suffered severe bleeding during childbirth and could no longer have children. Her father loved her mother and wasn't the kind of man who would have his cake and eat it too. He had a very good relationship with her mother throughout his life and would go home on time every day after work to be with his wife and children.
As the only daughter in the family, Mo Youyou was pampered growing up. She had never experienced the situation of other families favoring boys over girls, nor did she believe that only boys could carry on the family line. According to her mother, it didn't matter whether she had a boy or a girl, they were all her children and should be loved well.
Zhang Cuihua smiled, not caring about Mo Youyou's attitude.
“I think, with Youyou’s belly so round, it’s definitely a boy!” Zhang Cuihua continued, lost in her own thoughts. “If it’s not, Dekai, you should try harder and have another baby with Youyou. The next one will definitely be a boy!”
“You are now a deputy battalion commander with a high income. Youyou has a job, and your in-laws only have one child, Youyou. Your in-laws are also a brigade commander, and your mother-in-law also has a job. They are not short of money. If our two families work together to raise the child, we can definitely afford it! Your in-laws will provide the money, and your mother will provide the labor.”
Zhang Cuihua didn't say these things behind Mo Youyou's back; it was as if she was "warning" Mo Youyou.
After all, the person carrying the baby is Mo Youyou. Whether or not a second child can be born depends on who is carrying the baby.
"Tch..." Mo Youyou sneered, too lazy to even refute Zhang Cuihua.
A second child? Dream on!
Before she could refute him, Liu Dekai began to explain to her after hearing his mother's words.
"Mom, we can't have a second child!" Liu Dekai said seriously.
"Why?" Zhang Cuihua didn't understand. She felt that their family was well-off enough to raise a child, so why didn't they have a second child?
Those rural families, despite their difficult circumstances, were still desperately trying to survive.
They have the means, yet they don't have children. Isn't that letting down their ancestors?
"The country now promotes family planning, allowing only one child per family. Having a second child will result in a fine, which can be quite a lot of money—"
"Then let's just pay the money!" Zhang Cuihua said anxiously, she couldn't not have the child. "Our family isn't short of money. If spending a little money can help us have another child, then we'll pay!"
"You're so generous, you're going to pay for this?" Mo Youyou retorted without holding back.
In fact, Zhang Cuihua was right. Whether Liu Dekai or the Mo family paid for it, they could afford it. If Mo Youyou really wanted to have the baby, she wouldn't care about the fine.
But why should Zhang Cuihua be the one to say these words?
Zhang Cuihua is the only one in the family who can't earn money. Doing some housework is considered a contribution, but she has absolutely no control over the money.
So Mo Youyou wanted to confront her.
Zhang Cuihua's face turned red and then white after being rebuked. She was angry, but she couldn't refute him because what he said was true; she really couldn't come up with the money.
Mo Youyou lit a fire and continued eating sunflower seeds, completely disregarding whether her mother-in-law, Zhang Cuihua, could save face.
Liu Dekai reassured his mother with his eyes, then explained, "Mom, Youyou didn't mean it that way. Don't take it to heart. Having a second child isn't just about money. I'm in the military, and so is Youyou. If we have a second child, not only will we be fined, but it will also affect my promotion!"
“If we have a second child, my career path might be limited to deputy battalion commander. And even if Youyou’s father is a brigade commander, he will still be called in for a talk.”
Zhang Cuihua's eyes widened when she heard this.
"It will even affect my promotion?!" Zhang Cuihua used to live in the countryside and didn't understand the family planning policy at all. She only knew that people in the countryside were having a lot of children, and that a family that couldn't have a son would be laughed at!
In fact, it was only the early 1980s, and family planning was not officially incorporated into the basic national policy until 1982. By 1982, Zhang Cuihua had already come to the military in Beijing, and indeed had not seen how family planning actually worked.
“Yes, as soldiers, we must actively respond to national policies. If we have a second child, we won’t get promoted!” Liu Dekai said.
While cracking sunflower seeds, Mo Youyou rolled her eyes, thinking to herself that this was just how country mothers-in-law were—unpresentable and ignorant of everything. No wonder she had looked down on Zhang Cuihua from the very beginning.
Who wouldn't dislike a mother-in-law like that?
The Liu family should be extremely grateful that she married Liu Dekai, and they should treat her like a Bodhisattva.
Although Zhang Cuihua wanted a second child, she valued her son's future even more.
"That means I can't have children, I can't have children..." she murmured.
Immediately, Zhang Cuihua clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and began to mutter prayers.
"God bless us, Youyou must have a boy this time, it must be a boy, please God bless our Liu family, let us have a boy!"
This action instantly angered Mo Youyou.
If Zhang Cuihua's ignorant remarks just now only made Mo Youyou feel disgusted and speechless, then Zhang Cuihua's obvious and serious preference for sons over daughters at this moment instantly ignited her anger.
Foolish! Ignorant!
Feudal! Backward!
"What do you mean?" Mo Youyou threw the remaining sunflower seeds in her palm, directly contradicting Zhang Cuihua, and glared at her as she retorted, "What do you mean! If I give birth to a daughter this time, what are you going to do? Throw my daughter away and don't want her anymore?!"
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