Chapter 65 Confinement

Because Xia Tang gave birth, Qin Yue naturally couldn't bring Wu Chunmei and the others to Yuncheng.

However, they had already walked this route back and forth once, and Qin Lian knew how to buy tickets, so it was not difficult to reach Yuncheng smoothly.

However, Qin Lian could never understand why her mother agreed to let Wu Chunliu and Hu Fang go with them.

Before leaving, she pulled Wu Chunmei aside:

"Mom, why did you let my second aunt and Hu Fang go together? Isn't this going to cause trouble for my brother and the others?"

Wu Chunmei was unhappy and patted Qin Lian's hand:

"How can you talk like that, kid?"

"Aren't your second aunt and Hu Fang real relatives? They want to go to Yuncheng only because they care about their newborn baby. Otherwise, do you think they are really willing to go to such a faraway place?"

What if you're not happy to go?

After all, they had said they would go during the Chinese New Year, and now that the opportunity finally came, how could they not go?

Qin Lian was unhappy.

But she had just learned that she had failed the college entrance examination, and she didn't have the energy to argue with her mother.

The group of six left Xiayazi Village in this way. All the money for food, drinks and tickets along the way was paid by Wu Chunmei.

Qin Lian saw that Wu Chunmei was ostensibly there to take care of the new baby, but in reality she might not even have made a pair of clothes for the child!

Qin Lian's guess was indeed correct.

Wu Chunliu said she was going to see her baby, but in fact she and Hu Fang had other plans:

They planned to let Hu Fang stay in Yuncheng to "help" Xia Tang's snack bar.

They heard that Xia Tang has opened several stores. Now that she is confined to her mother's home after giving birth, doesn't she need any help?

They are all real relatives, isn't it better to use them than others?

Wu Chunliu actually said this to Wu Chunmei.

But Wu Chunmei was finished and didn't dare to tell her son and daughter-in-law.

It’s okay if they don’t say anything, then let them say it themselves.

Wu Chunliu and Hu Fang's plan was flawless. Along the way, whenever they saw tea leaf eggs, they ate them; whenever they saw stuffed tofu, they ate it. They never compromised themselves.

And Wu Chunmei, perhaps thinking that it was not easy for two people to travel so long to Yuncheng, was very obedient and could not say "no".

The car arrived at Yuncheng Railway Station in the evening.

After getting off the car, there was a scoundrel-looking young man standing next to Qin Yue.

Wu Chunmei was a little scared when she saw it, and asked her son in a low voice:

"Who is this person?"

"Oh, you mean Xiao Liu. He works in Xia Tang's store. He's a nice guy."

After Qin Yue finished speaking, he frowned and looked at Wu Chunliu and Hu Fang:

"Mom, Xia Tang just gave birth, why did you bring Auntie and Hu Fang here?"

"Don't they care about you? We are all family. If they want to come, I can't say no."

Wu Chunmei felt a little weak, but fortunately, Qin Yue didn't say anything, just frowned.

As soon as we got out of the train station, something went wrong.

Wu Chunmei and Qin Lian hurried to the hospital to see Xia Tang and the baby, but Wu Chunliu and Hu Fang said they were tired and urged Qin Yue to go to their house to check on them.

Qin Yue looked at the two people:

"The house is too small to accommodate you. How about I open a guest house for you to stay in?"

Wu Chunliu is not willing to:

"Why can't you accommodate them? Nephew, have you been in the city for too long and don't like your aunt and cousin anymore?"

"We finally came here, can't we even get into your house?"

A series of pretending to be aggrieved and pitiful was undoubtedly very useful to Wu Chunmei.

But Qin Yue didn't buy it at all.

He ignored the look Wu Chunmei gave him and smiled at Wu Chunliu:

"Aunt, it's not that I don't like it, it's just that my house is too small for you to live here. We have a guesthouse in the factory that can accommodate the relatives of our employees. If you want to stay here, I'll take you there. If you don't want to, I can't make any arrangements."

After saying this, he looked impatiently at the bus in the distance, his attitude clearly showing that he didn't care.

Wu Chunliu hesitated for a long time before finally saying:

"It's late tonight, why don't we go to the guesthouse first."

"But let me make it clear that I have to stay at your house tomorrow!"

Qin Yue just smiled.

*

After settling Wu Chunliu and Hu Fang, Qin Yue finally took the rest of the people to the hospital.

Xia Tang's room was a single room, which was four times more expensive than an ordinary bed, but it was extremely comfortable to live in.

After Wu Chunmei walked in, she saw a strange middle-aged woman massaging Xia Tang's swollen feet. There was a bamboo basket against the wall, and the vague silhouette of a baby could be seen inside.

Xia Tang, with a hat on his head, was lying on the bed. He looked a little haggard, but his face was much rounder than during the Chinese New Year.

This woman in labor was much more respectable and cleaner than any other woman Wu Chunmei had ever seen, so much so that when Wu Chunmei entered the room, she didn't know what to say.

It was Xia Tang who, upon seeing them coming in, quickly invited them in.

The middle-aged woman also stood up enthusiastically and stuffed a red egg wrapped in red paper into each of the people so that they could share in the good fortune.

Before they even sat down, several people gathered around the bamboo basket to look at the baby.

The baby girl was wrinkled when she was born, and her hands were clenched into fists when she fell asleep.

It looks pink and tender and very cute.

Shui Gen'er wanted to put his finger in her hand, but Qin Lian hesitated:

"You'd better not move. Boys are not light or heavy."

Everyone in the room laughed.

Xia Tang pointed at the middle-aged woman and introduced:

"Mom, second sister, this is Zhu Qiuhua, the elder sister of Zhu Cunhua from our store. She has experience in taking care of women who have just given birth, so I hired her to come over."

Qin Lian touched the still warm red egg. The anger she had felt along the way because of Wu Chunliu and Hu Fangsheng gradually dissipated with the heat. However, when she thought about the results of the college entrance examination, she still felt hesitant.

Before she could say anything, she heard Wu Chunmei rubbing her hands and saying:

"Xia Tang, you are in confinement, why do you need someone to help you? I am just here to take care of you during your confinement!"

There was something awkward in her words.

I was wondering if Xia Tang knew that I disliked her because she was a girl.

However, even though she felt disgusted in her heart, she didn't say a word!

Xia Tang smiled:

"No, your health is not that good, and I didn't intend to let you take care of me."

"Sister Zhu, I decided on this before."

Zhu Qiuhua is in her forties. She used to be a nanny in the home of a military district leader. She is both capable and honest.

After listening to what Zhu Cunhua said, Xia Tang decided to choose Zhu Qiuhua.

She even thought about letting Zhu Qiuhua take care of her during the confinement period first, and then directly transferring her to be a nanny to take care of the baby after they have been used to each other.

However, Wu Chunmei could not understand these.

In my hometown, it is natural for the mother-in-law to take care of her daughter-in-law during the confinement period.

There are also those mothers-in-law who slam the door and leave when they see their daughter-in-law give birth to a girl, and they will be hated by their daughter-in-law instead.

There are even some families where fights break out over whether the mother-in-law should serve the eldest or the second daughter-in-law.

It was the first time she saw a daughter-in-law who didn't need her mother-in-law to take care of her and hired someone for herself.

Is this... a way to intimidate her? Or is he just looking down on her?

Wu Chunmei felt upset. She felt as if she was being rejected by her son and daughter-in-law, and she felt awkward all over.

Xia Tang didn't notice her mother-in-law's abnormal behavior.

She hadn't seen Qin Lian for a while. When she saw her, she immediately took her hand and talked to her warmly, asking her how her grades were this time. Didn't she say she wanted to study at Yunnan University before, and whether she had received the admission letter.

Qin Lian lowered her head:

"Sister-in-law, I didn't record it."

Xia Tang was silent for a moment, then smiled and said:

“It’s true that it’s not easy to get into Yunnan University.”

"It doesn't matter. It's the same in other schools."

"Nothing else... was recorded either."

When she said this, Qin Lian's voice was choked with sobs.

The grievance and loss in my heart over the past few days could no longer be contained at this moment, and my tears fell like beads with the string loosened.

Wu Chunmei became even more anxious when she saw her daughter crying. She quickly pulled her daughter aside and spoke in a half-accusing tone:

"Girl, why are you crying on such a good day for your brother?"

"It's okay. Qin Lian's matter is the big deal."

Xia Tang stopped Wu Chunmei from continuing to speak and pulled Qin Lian to his side again.

Qin Lian couldn't stop crying, tears of grievance flowed out one after another, making people feel sad.

Qin Yue couldn't bear to see this, so he handed the white towel beside him to Qin Lian. Qin Lian wiped her tears while crying, and finally her tears stopped gradually.

After Qin Lian's crying subsided, Xia Tang asked her calmly:

"Lian'er, tell me, how did you do on the exam?"

She had also heard Qin Yue say before that Qin Lian said on the phone that she did very well in the exam, had applied for all the majors, and would be able to go to a junior college at least.

Now that he failed the exam, Xia Tang felt something was wrong.

Qin Lian sobbed and said:

"I think I can pass the exam. I checked my test paper and didn't make many mistakes."

Xia Tang asked again:

"Have you checked the county's rankings for your grades?"

Qin Lian was stunned:

"What list? The branch secretary said there is no admission notice, so there is nothing."

Xia Tang's heart sank slowly.

She held Qin Lian's hand and said softly:

"Don't worry."

"Maybe there will be a turnaround in this matter."

"I will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. I will ask your brother to help you go to the county to check the rankings."

Wu Chunmei couldn't help but say:

"But you are not in confinement after childbirth. How about this matter wait until later?"

Xia Tang's voice was unquestionable:

"No, only these two days."

"After a while, it might be too late."

She looked at Qin Lian, who was crying, and thought of the things she had seen in the news in her previous life.

Those who were impersonated in the college entrance examination, discovered the truth twenty years or even longer later, and cried in court.

If you don't receive a thin acceptance letter, your whole life will be rewritten.

That kind of pain and regret, even if it is compensated decades later, is doomed to be irreparable.

Xia Tang is confident in Qin Lian's performance.

She felt that Qin Lian's grades might have been replaced by someone else.

After all, in this age of poor information, as long as you have an acceptance letter, you can go to school.

For some people, it is not difficult to replace someone's achievements.

Especially for those candidates from rural areas, they had no idea to go to the school to check the results after the exam. When they could not receive the notification letter, they thought they had failed.

The replacements took their admission letters and went to college under their names.

This is a crude method.

Similarly, it is not difficult to detect impersonation.

No one in the village knows how anyone did in the exam, but high schools in the county will post the grades of good students.

If Qin Lian's name is on the list and she has not received the acceptance letter, then what happened is certain.