Chapter 49 Farewell
All the helplessness could only turn into a sigh. Chen Yun shook his head at the two of them: "It's all fine."
"That means the time hasn't come yet." Old Ma has met many people and heard many strange stories: "Our brigade leader's son and daughter-in-law had been married for ten years without getting pregnant. I heard they divorced a couple of years ago... but they remarried and both had children. How can you explain this?"
This was exactly what Chen Yun was worried about.
If there is genuine genetic incompatibility, unless both parties agree not to have children, they will inevitably argue about children sooner or later.
Gao Nian'an's big eyes darted around several times. The adults all thought the little guy was too young to understand, but he actually understood perfectly!
The two pigtails twitched and scurried around in her arms, finally slipping under Chen Yun's armpits, startling Old Ma, who quickly moved her embroidery needle aside.
“Grandma Ma, Uncle Li and Aunt Ruanqiu can pick up a baby and raise it!” Gao Nian’an blinked her big eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering like a fan: “I was picked up by my dad from a tree on the back mountain.”
Chen Yun: "..."
“Your dad said you were picked up from the ground!” Grandma Ma laughed, pinching Gao Nian’an’s chubby little face: “You were picked up from a tree, not from a garbage dump.”
Gao Nian'an's eyes lit up instantly, and she immediately shouted happily into the Ma family's house, "Sister Ma Lan, you and Brother Ma Yong are really like people picked up from a garbage dump!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Chen Yun quickly covered her increasingly excited mouth: "What did your dad tell you?"
"Dad said I am a baby fruit that grows on a tree. After nine months of waiting, you can climb the tree and pick me to take home."
He spoke excitedly, gesturing with his chubby little hands as if he were picking something.
At first, she was very sad when she heard that she was a fruit that grew on a tree, and she told her older brother and sister about it. But she found out that they were all adopted.
Among them, Sister Ma Lan and Brother Ma Yong were ridiculed as dirty dolls because they were picked up from the garbage room. Everyone envied Gao Nian'an for being a fruit that grew high on a tree.
Gao Nian'an was always very proud when she talked about her "background", so she didn't understand why Aunt Ruanqiu was crying for the baby.
Chen Yun: "..."
"Gao Nian'an, want to go catch some crickets?"
Chen Yun was racking her brains trying to figure out how to explain having a baby to her daughter when suddenly a bunch of babies appeared in the hallway, loudly calling out to their friends.
"go!"
Gao Nian'an struggled to get off Chen Yun's lap and quickly stuffed his clothes into his pants.
"Give me the biggest cricket, and I'll trade you for some milk candy."
After saying that, he rushed into the house like a gust of wind, grabbed a few milk candies in one hand and waved them vigorously. After running a few steps, he came back and shouted to the Ma family, "Sister Ma Lan, Brother Ma Yong, let's go catch crickets."
"Here you are."
Grandma Ma shook her head and chuckled, watching the twins happily follow Gao Nian'an as they ran off to the others.
Gao Nian'an wouldn't dare go without calling them, but instead wanted his younger sister, who was younger than him, to go first.
A large group of children swept across the first floor and went up to the second floor, determined to call all their playmates in the building.
"Cuifen should be back in the next few days, right?"
Chen Yun breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to explain how the child was born, nor did he want to discuss Ruanqiu and Li Huguo, so he simply steered the conversation toward Ma Cuifen.
In 1977, Ma Cuifen did not take the college entrance examination after listening to Chen Yun's advice. After Chen Shu joined the tutoring team, she was admitted to Kun'an Medical College with excellent results in 1978.
"They should be back by now," Old Ma said with a smile.
Ma Cuifen was the first college student in the Ma family. Ma's mother went to great lengths to get Ma Cuixia into the high school section of the affiliated school, but it turned out that not everyone is cut out for studying.
Ma Cuixia failed the exam twice, but she secretly started dating someone at school and said they planned to get engaged by the end of the year.
"I heard you're bringing your partner home this time?" Chen Yun asked, her gaze lingering for a moment on the faces of the children who were rushing downstairs again. "Looks like we're going to get to eat the wedding candy that Auntie gives out twice in a row."
"Cuifen has even told you about her boyfriend?"
Why not tell others about the good news?
Ma Cuifen often wrote letters to Chen Yun, usually about her troubles in life and studies, and of course, her love life was also included in her life.
“We just heard about it too… Cuixia found out first.”
As they were talking, a figure suddenly walked in from the stairwell, looking dejected. Before you could even see his face clearly, his sighs echoed throughout the entire stairwell.
Zhang Hongmin's face was ashen, as if every step he took forward was extremely heavy.
The Zhang family didn't get along well with the other households on the first floor, so they rarely interacted. Chen Yun and the others just watched him walk forward silently.
Only after everyone had gone far enough did Old Lady Ma give Xu Cuihua a wink.
Moreover, Zhang Hongmin wasn't the only one looking dejected. Gao Cheng, who arrived later, had a face as black as the bottom of a pot. He nodded as he passed by the group as a greeting.
I paused at my front door, and after a while, I took out my key and opened the door.
"What's wrong with me today!"
As soon as Old Lady Ma finished speaking, Gao Ming and Li Huguo walked in one after the other. Although their expressions weren't too bad, they weren't smiling at all.
"Auntie, hasn't Ma Zhigang come back yet?"
"No!" Old Ma guessed that something new must have been discussed in the meeting this morning, and hurriedly asked, "Did they say something in the meeting?"
"I'll tell you when Ma Zhigang gets back. Every unit and department is different," Gao Ming said to Chen Yun.
Chen Yun immediately understood and stood up to follow him and Li Huguo into the house.
"Where's Ruanqiu?" Li Huguo entered the house but didn't see his wife. His brows furrowed even more. "She hasn't come back yet?"
"They're next door, they've been back for a while!"
"Then I'll go call her."
Since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, the third-line factories began to frequently adjust their business strategies, sometimes undergoing a complete overhaul every two months.
Since the staff hospital was separated from the factory's management, Chen Yun could no longer be considered an employee of Hongri Machinery Factory, so in most cases, he could only find out through Gao Ming.
The biggest change before the Lunar New Year was the abolition of the rationing system for supplies. From then on, people only needed money to buy things and no longer needed coupons.
With the government encouraging private business, many employees' families have started small businesses in the past two years, and the predicament of only being able to eat meat once a month is rarely seen anymore.
Soon, Ruanqiu, still half asleep, was summoned to the Gao family.
"What's wrong?" Chen Yun asked.
Gao Ming gestured for Li Huguo to speak first.
Li Huguo sighed before continuing, "The security department is going to lay off two-thirds of its staff. They'll either be transferred to other positions or given compensation to return to their place of origin..."
The Provincial Public Security Department issued a document to all factories in the province, stating that the security department had no right to arrest or punish anyone, which seriously undermines the fairness of the law.
Therefore, all factories are required to rectify their security departments, and from now on, in addition to protecting the safety of the factory and its employees, they must not arrest or take any other actions against anyone.
After an internal meeting, Hongri Machinery Factory decided to change its Security Department to a Security Protection Department, which will only be responsible for daily patrols and factory security.
“With the scope of work reduced, the number of personnel must also be reduced accordingly.” Li Huguo sighed heavily again: “Of the 67 people in the security department, only 12 will remain…”
"And what about you?" Ruanqiu asked anxiously.
“I’ll stay, but as deputy section chief…” Li Huguo shook his head, the meaning of which was self-evident.
The department was reorganized into the security department, which was directly managed by the factory. The department head and deputy department head naturally ceased to exist.
Chen Yun frowned and looked at Gao Ming again.
Gao Ming sighed and continued, "The transport team personnel haven't changed, but the fleet will be reduced by five vehicles... We'll definitely face personnel reduction issues next time too."
With no need to go to the Logistics Support Bureau to pick up supplies anymore, the importance of the transport teams naturally gradually decreased.
From the moment employees stopped asking the transport team for help carrying things, the transport team basically stopped making extra money, and everyone's life became less comfortable.
“I think the reduction in vehicles isn’t just because we’re not transporting supplies.” Chen Yun turned to look at Ruan Qiu: “You’re in the finance department, so you should know best about the factory’s profit and loss situation.”
Ruanqiu gave a wry smile: "The factory has been operating at a loss since last year. I guess reducing the number of vehicles is probably to try and fill the gap."
Previously, third-tier factories received government support. Later, with the opening up and reform, foreign-invested enterprises entered the market, which was a fatal blow to some domestic factories that only knew how to stay in the same place.
The parts manufactured by Hongri Machinery Factory are not necessities, nor are they high-precision products, and are easily replaceable.
"..."
"Gao Ming, what do you think!" Li Huguo bit his lip and then suddenly let go, looking at his friend almost as if it were a habit.
Gao Ming paused for a moment, then simply said, "Let me think about it all night."
"..."
All four of them fell silent at the same time.
***
As night deepened, the incessant chirping of cicadas filled every corner of the factory.
Chen Yun has been falling asleep to the sound of cicadas for almost six years now.
After Chen Yun finished talking to her parents, she closed the door and went into the bedroom. She immediately saw Gao Nian'an trying to take the crickets she had caught during the day to the bed.
"Gao Nian'an."
"Put the jar outside, Dad will tell you a story." Gao Ming patted the spot next to him, giving his daughter a choice between listening to a story or getting a spanking: "If you don't come now, you'll have to sleep in the crib tonight!"
Last year, Gao Nian'an heard from his friends that they slept in a separate bed, so when he came back, he insisted on having his own small bed.
Gao Ming doted on his daughter without any principles, and without saying a word, he bought wood and made a small bed by hand.
Chen Shu also carved various patterns on the bed railings and painted them with brightly colored plant juices, creating a gaudy little bed in the corner.
But after only two days of sleep, Gao Nian'an started clamoring to go back to the big bed, and the small bed has now become a place to pile up all sorts of broken toys.
"I don't sleep in the crib."
Gao Nian'an opened the screen window and threw the jar into the backyard, then rolled onto Chen Yun's pillow.
The father and daughter started laughing and joking around.
Gao Ming was better at coaxing children than Chen Yun. The father and daughter would happily lean on each other and chat and laugh, while Chen Yun would have time to read books or write work reports.
Unbeknownst to them, Gao Ming's voice grew softer and softer.
Chen Yun knew it was time to close the book; it was time for the couple to chat for a bit.
He turned around, pulled Gao Nian'an to his side, covered him with a blanket, and then stuffed a cushion to insulate him from the cold between the blanket and the wall.
"Did you and Li Huguo discuss something in private?"
Chen Yun untied her hair tie, letting her long hair fall loose, and habitually snuggled into Gao Ming's arms, asking in a muffled voice.
Gao Ming used his arm to pull Chen Yun close to his neck, resting his chin on the top of Chen Yun's head: "Do you still remember what Ma Cuifen told you when she came back last winter vacation?"
Chen Yun nodded.
The reform and opening up brought not only an impact on domestic enterprises, but also a great wave that sifted out the sand for many individuals. As long as you were bold and daring, you might be able to make money from it.
Ma Cuifen's neighbor's brother seized the opportunity in this wave and became a millionaire in just two years, setting off a considerable trend of people going south to work in the village.
"You also want to go out and explore?" Chen Yun immediately understood the reason for Gao Ming's hesitation.
Once he leaves, the factory will definitely take back the house, and his family will have nowhere to live.
Because of limited resources, Chen Yun's hospital didn't have any staff dormitories. The hospital either arranged for staff to rent rooms in Huangniba Commune or they could only live in the row of empty houses behind the hospital.
And directly opposite the house... is the funeral home's shed for displaying coffins and holding condolences.
Two years ago, as soon as the unit separated from the factory, Duan Yun moved to Huangniba Commune with his family. Chen Yun even went to check out the environment in private... It was so dark inside that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
This is just one of Gao Ming's concerns, with the uncertainty about the future being the most important.
Just because someone else can seize an opportunity to make money doesn't necessarily mean they'll become incredibly wealthy.
During this period, the burden of supporting the entire family fell on Chen Yun's shoulders, making it especially difficult for Gao Ming, who had once vowed to be his support, to make a decision.
Chen Yun chuckled softly and patted Gao Ming's chest gently.
A muffled thud.
"Don't worry about me at home. No matter what happens at the factory, it won't affect my work. Besides, you know I got a raise recently!"
Gao Ming laughed, his laughter reverberating in his chest, causing Chen Yun's hand, which was pressing down on him, to rise and fall with it.
The separated hospitals and factories are completely two extremes.
The machinery factory is declining, while the staff hospital is thriving.
At the beginning of the year, the hospital purchased another piece of land from the machinery factory, planning to build a new inpatient department and expand the hospital's scale.
The hospital has grown from four doctors to nearly ten, with a well-defined division of labor between internal medicine and surgery. Chen Yun, the head of internal medicine, is now finally starting to truly embody the role of a head.
As the hospital's performance improved, salaries naturally increased as well.
There is no doubt that Chen Yun is a key member of the Central Hospital, so it is not an exaggeration for her to say that she can support her family.
"You support me going out and making my own way in the world?"
"Of course I support it."
"What if you haven't been home for four or five years?"
"If you haven't made a name for yourself in five years, then come back and I'll take care of you."
“Then I’ll stay home every day to cook and take care of the kids.” Gao Ming was amused by Chen Yun’s seemingly lighthearted joke, and after thinking about it, he thought, “Actually, I quite enjoy spending my days revolving around you and the kids.”
"You're lying through your teeth." Chen Yun didn't believe it, turned over and lay back on the pillow, yawned lazily and continued, "If you really don't want to go out and make your way in the world, why are you so troubled?"
"It seems you know me better than I do."
As soon as she finished speaking, the bedside lamp was turned off, and a hot body pressed against her.
The conversation seemed fruitless, but both of them knew how things would unfold next.
But no one expected that good news would come even faster than their decision.
The factory's specific implementation plan for public housing reform was posted on the bulletin board.
Factory employees can convert their existing public housing to private ownership; they only need to pay a portion of the cost to transfer the property to their own name.
Most people choose to wait and see, because even if they don't pay, they will still live in the house.
So the notice didn't make much of a splash, but for Gao Ming and Chen Yun... it was like a godsend.
Gao Ming quickly checked his family's savings and rushed to the housing affairs department to register the transfer of the public housing to private ownership, and paid an additional 1,000 yuan.
Once the application is submitted to the county housing management bureau for approval, the property ownership certificate should be issued within three months if there are no issues.
Once the decision to switch from public to private business was made, Gao Ming was completely determined to go out and explore.
The fact that the factory attempted to cover some of its financial deficit in this way indicates that its internal situation is more serious than people have guessed.
Thus, Gao Ming and Li Huguo did not actually submit their resignations until four months later.
The day the two set off.
The air was stuffy and humid, and dark clouds were piling up on the horizon.
There will definitely be a heavy rain tomorrow.
There was no tearful farewell scene. Gao Ming kissed his daughter's cheek one last time before turning around and getting into the bus.
Gao Nian'an was used to his father being away for work for several days without coming home. He smiled and waved at the public bus, urging Chen Yun to hurry home.
Chen Yun put her daughter down and just smiled as she watched the little figure rush towards Xu Cuihua.
Ruanqiu didn't say a word from beginning to end, and Li Huguo seemed to be angry as well, getting into the car without looking back.
"Did you and Li Huguo have another fight?"
Ruanqiu smiled bitterly and looked up at the factory gate that was just a stone's throw away.
“Back then, I came from the north of the city to work in the factory for Li Huguo, but now he has abandoned me and left... What do you call this?”
I don't know if it's because of my depressed mood, but Ruanqiu has changed a lot in the past two years.
Her once vibrant and pretty face was now sallow and bloodless, and she seemed listless no matter what she did.
Chen Yun knew that advising other people's children wasn't that important; it was just easy for her to talk when she wasn't in their shoes.
Some people may think that being single for life is happier, but for Ruanqiu, having a child to continue her life has become her obsession.
"I think it's right for you to separate for a while."
Many comforting words swirled in Chen Yun's mind, but in the end, she chose to tell the truth.
If the two continue arguing, they might end up getting a divorce before their feelings have even faded.
Even the harshest truth is the truth, and Ruanqiu was well aware of this. After sighing, she forced a smile and looked up, saying, "I do feel much more relaxed now."
When she turned her head to look at Chen Yun, her eyes suddenly flickered.
"You...you're not pregnant again, are you?"
Chen Yun placed her hand on her lower abdomen, smiling as she looked at her daughter in the distance, her whole body seemingly enveloped in a gentle warmth.
Chen Yun smiled and nodded gently.
Ever since Gao Ming made up his mind to go out and make his way in the world, Gao Nian'an has been coaxed into sleeping with his grandparents.
All that energy that had nowhere else to go was used on Chen Yun, and every night they would keep each other busy until the early hours of the morning.
Pregnancy was both accidental and inevitable.
"If it were anyone else, they would definitely break up with you." Ruanqiu slapped her flat stomach hard in annoyance: "Some people get pregnant easily, while others can't get pregnant no matter how hard they try."
Chen Yun smiled.
"It's just been delayed by a month; we'll have to wait for the test results to confirm whether it's true or not."
That's what they say, but Chen Yun had checked her pulse and was basically certain that she was pregnant.
"Four years ago, he didn't come for half a month, which made me happy for nothing. This time he hasn't come for two months. I hope he never comes again."
Chen Yun: "..."
The few punches seemed to have relieved Ruanqiu's frustration. She tilted her head back, took a deep breath, and then raised her hands high and yawned.
"Or...would you like to take my pulse?"
Four years ago, Ruanqiu refused to have her pulse taken. It was only after a misunderstanding that she finally overcame her shyness and went to Chen Yun for a checkup. Later, she was prescribed several courses of traditional Chinese medicine to regulate her menstrual cycle.
After that, she never heard of any more irregularities, and Chen Yun's intuition told her that the situation was not the same as it was four years ago.
"Whatever." Ruanqiu reached out her hand, her face showing no sign of concern. "Anyway, Li Huguo abandoned me and ran away. I won't have to go to the hospital for childbirth anymore, so I'm happy to be free."
The pulse is like pearls rolling on a plate, a typical slippery pulse...
"Gao Nian'an, how about Aunt Ruanqiu takes you to the cafeteria for meat later?"
She withdrew her hand swiftly, not even wanting to hear the answer, and called out loudly to Gao Nian'an.
"I want to eat big meatballs."
"I'll just eat big meatballs."
"Aunt Ruanqiu, I like you the most."
When there's no meat to eat, it's like saying "hello, Auntie"; when there's meat to eat, it means "I love you the most."
The little devil let go of Xu Cuihua's hand and charged like a cannonball toward Ruanqiu, who was opening her arms to give her a big hug.
"Gao Nian'an."
Just before she was about to rush into his arms, Chen Yun grabbed her daughter by the back of her collar and pulled her towards him.
"Your Aunt Ruanqiu is pregnant, so you mustn't bump into her."
"..."
The air seemed to freeze for a second. Ruan Qiu's outstretched hands remained frozen in place, as if she hadn't clearly heard what Chen Yun meant.
Chen Yun picked up Gao Nian'an and tugged at Ruan Qiu's sleeve.
"Zuo Lingling is on duty today, go get the tests done."
"Oh my God!" Xu Cuihua reacted even faster than Ruanqiu, slapping her thighs several times with joy: "How could it be such a coincidence? Li Huguo found out he was pregnant right after he left."
Chen Yun was certain that the leg-slapping gesture was something he had learned from Old Lady Ma, and even his tone of voice was exactly the same.
"You mean..."
Chen Yun nodded: "We'll have to wait for the test results. I was really worried about whether those few taps you took earlier might have had any effect."
"..."
Her half-smile froze, then instantly turned into a tense protective grip on her lower abdomen.
"Mom." Gao Nian'an suddenly touched his mother's face with his chubby little hand, and whispered in Chen Yun's ear, "Did you pick up a doll for Aunt Ruanqiu? I want to see where you picked it up."
“The baby is in Auntie’s belly.” Xu Cuihua clapped her hands and took Gao Nian’an from her: “Let’s go back and kill a chicken to stew, and let your mother and Aunt Ruanqiu go to the hospital for a check-up.”
"I understand." Gao Nian'an turned away from Xu Cuihua's arms and insisted on getting down.
The little girl stood with her hands on her hips, looking like a little adult, and the two little tufts on her head trembled as she spoke.
"You must have stuffed the dolls you found into Aunt Ruanqiu's belly and hidden them. Mom said I was born from her belly, so I must have come from that same place!"
After saying that, he proudly raised his chin, held his head high, puffed out his chest for a moment, and then turned and ran.
"I'm going to tell Lanlan about what I found. No matter where we found it, we all eventually have to come out of our mother's tummy..."
Chen Yun slapped her forehead, feeling both amused and exasperated.
It seems my daughter selectively listened to a few days ago when I explained some basic reproductive theories.
Dad said that what he picked from the tree was firmly welded into his consciousness.
As dusk falls, the sun slowly sets in the west.
The glow of dawn spread across the horizon, and the dark clouds on the horizon had already dispersed.
It looks like... tomorrow will be a sunny day.
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