Spring of 1954.
At Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, Jia Dongxu was nervously processing the parts in his hands. When he finished the last cut, a satisfied smile appeared on his face, and he handed it to the examiner next to him.
After receiving the parts made by Jia Dongxu, the examiner carefully measured them with calipers and then shouted loudly.
"Jia Dongxu from Workshop 1, error within ±3 microns, qualified."
After the examiner finished speaking, he picked up the form, put a checkmark on it, stamped it, and handed it to Jia Dongxu.
"Comrade Jia Dongxu, this is your promotion certificate. Take it to the finance department to register. Starting next month, you will be able to receive the wages of a junior fitter. Don't lose it."
Jia Dongxu wiped his hands, took the form with both hands, and thanked him several times.
In Workshop One, Yi Zhonghai was waiting anxiously, so much so that he was distracted while working. Before he could wait any longer, Jia Dongxu ran over excitedly.
The voice came even before the person arrived.
"Master, Master, I passed the test! Please take a look."
Yi Zhonghai took the form, glanced at it casually, and handed it back.
"Good, good. Take this and don't lose it. Give it to the finance department later. Your salary will increase to 325,000 yuan next month, and life will be much better from now on."
"By the way, Master, I'm going to buy some groceries after get off work. You and your wife can come along, and we'll celebrate."
Yi Zhonghai smiled, quite satisfied with Jia Dongxu's attitude. Although his mother was unreliable and he was slow to learn, he knew how to respect his teacher.
"Alright, when I get home I'll tell your teacher's wife that we won't cook dinner tonight, we'll go out to celebrate for you."
After saying that, he went to work.
…………
In the evening, Sun Zhengguo had just returned to the courtyard when he heard Jia Zhangshi boasting.
“My son Dongxu got promoted and his salary increased to 325,000 yuan. In a few years, when Dongxu is promoted to senior technician, his salary will be 700,000 to 800,000 yuan.”
"Give me a break, Jia Zhangshi. It's so easy to become a senior worker. Your son didn't even need three years of apprenticeship to become a full-fledged worker."
"That's right. Look at Li Jianjun from the backyard. He became a full-fledged employee in just one year and was promoted to junior worker in the second year. He's no better than your Jia Dongxu."
The neighbors next door didn't cross the road.
Hearing her neighbor's words, Jia Zhangshi rolled her eyes in anger.
"Hmph, I'm not talking to you anymore. You're just sour grapes. I'm not going to stoop to your level."
After saying that, she turned and walked away. When everyone saw that Jia Zhangshi had run away in anger, they scattered in all directions.
Sun Zhengguo didn't take it to heart. He thought, "He doesn't even earn as much as I do. What's there to be so proud of?"
Sun Zhengguo is now starting to make money, but no one in the compound knows about it except for Sun Dajiang and his wife.
Before the Lunar New Year, Sun Zhengguo passed the Russian Elementary Translation Certificate exam. Following his Russian teacher, he frequently received Russian translation jobs, earning a considerable income, sometimes as much as 500,000 to 600,000 yuan a month.
Seeing that Sun Zhengguo's grades hadn't fallen behind, Sun Dajiang and his wife let him be. As for the money, they didn't ask for a single penny, leaving it to Sun Zhengguo to keep himself.
That evening, at the Jia family dinner table, everyone was enjoying their meal when Qin Huairu finished cooking and sat down to eat. Just as she smelled the aroma, before she even started eating, she felt nauseous and went outside to dry heave.
"What's wrong with Huai Ru? Dong Xu, go and see her quickly."
"That's what the older woman said."
"Master, you guys eat first, I'll go take a look."
After Jia Dongxu finished speaking, he got up and went outside. He waited until Qin Huairu finished vomiting before asking her question.
"Huai Ru, what's wrong? Are you sick?"
"I don't know either. I was thinking of eating meat when I suddenly smelled a meaty smell and felt nauseous. I felt like throwing up, but it's nothing serious. I guess I caught a cold."
After the two finished speaking, they went inside. Yi Zhonghai then asked further questions.
"Dongxu, is your wife alright?"
"It's nothing, he said he felt nauseous because of the smell of meat."
After hearing this, Jia Zhangshi picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and started eating it with smacking sounds, muttering something under her breath as she ate.
"It doesn't smell fishy! And it doesn't smell like it's spoiled. Could it be...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Jia Zhangshi froze in place.
"Huai Ru, you're not pregnant, are you? Have you had your period recently?"
Regardless of whether there were people around, Jia Zhangshi directly asked about women's private matters.
Qin Huairu blushed deeply, stood there stunned, and didn't know how to answer the question.
"I'm asking you a question, Huai Ru, hurry up and answer, you're driving me crazy."
"I'm so disappointed in you," said Madam Jia.
"I, I, I didn't come last month. I thought I was too late, but I didn't come this month either. I don't know what happened."
Qin Huairu's face grew redder and her voice lower as she spoke, while Jia Zhangshi was overjoyed to hear this.
"Yes, yes, it should be there."
Although the older woman had never given birth, she still understood these women's matters and spoke happily.
"It's almost certain, you're definitely pregnant. You need to take better care of yourself from now on, don't overwork yourself, and make sure you get plenty of nutrition."
Even if Jia Dongxu was stupid, he would understand now that his wife was pregnant and he was going to be a father.
Jia Dongxu excitedly held Qin Huairu's hands, "Wife, I want you to tell me yourself, am I going to be a father?"
"Dongxu, I don't know either."
"It seems like today is a double celebration. Here's what we'll do: tomorrow, your master will help you get half a day off. Take Huai Ru to the hospital for a check-up. Carrying on the family line is a big deal, so we can't be careless."
"Yes, yes, listen to your master. We can't let it stop me from holding my grandson."
Jia Zhangshi is still the same Jia Zhangshi, unreliable. You haven't even confirmed your pregnancy yet, and you're already thinking about having a grandson.
However, no one bothered with her about these things now, and they continued to sit down and eat. But the main character had changed to Qin Huairu, and everyone was concerned about her well-being, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
The next morning, in the obstetrics and gynecology department of the Sixth People's Hospital of the city, Qin Huairu sat on a bench outside, while Jia Dongxu paced back and forth beside her.
"Qin Huairu".
"Here it comes, here it comes, here it is!"
"Doctor, how is my wife?"
As soon as he entered the room, Jia Dongxu asked anxiously.
"Don't worry, it's good news. Your wife is pregnant and has been pregnant for two months. The baby is in the correct position, so there's no need to worry. However, you should be careful during the first and last three months. You shouldn't have sex, avoid overexertion, and make sure to get plenty of nutrition."
"Okay, I understand, thank you, doctor."
Jia Dongxu answered excitedly.
Back at the courtyard house, Jia Zhangshi learned of the test results and told Qin Huairu to rest more before going off to chat at the front gate.
In less than half an hour, the entire courtyard knew that Qin Huairu was pregnant.
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