Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Look, look, our son is smiling...
The photographer was looking for money. Seeing Su Yan like this, he was stunned: "What...what do you mean, why did you vomit?"
Qin Zhanwu said, "Gastritis. I lost weight all day yesterday and have to go to the hospital today."
The photographer looked outside, half believing, half doubting, and hurriedly handed the money to Qin Zhanwu: "Oh, then you should go and see a doctor as soon as possible. This stomachache is not easy to feel."
Qin Zhanwu said this and chased after her. Seeing Su Yan leaning against the wall, gasping for breath, he wrapped Su Yan's scarf around her and asked, "Are you okay?"
Su Yan shook her head: "It's okay, the smell of alcohol and cigarettes mixed together on that person just now was too stinky."
The person taking the photo stuck his head out, looked around, then turned back to the photographer and said, "I don't think this person has gastritis. He looks more like he has it."
The photographer, working tirelessly, laughed, "I don't know about that, but you, who's going on a blind date, do you understand this?"
Su Yan paused for a moment, and then the two of them went to the Revolutionary Committee to apply for their marriage certificate. The leader of the Revolutionary Committee seemed to know Qin Zhanwu. He invited him to his office, served him tea, and exchanged pleasantries for a while. Then, he took the marriage certificate and said, "Let's chat here for a while. I'll bring it up when the marriage certificate is ready."
The leader handed him a cigarette, and Qin Zhanwu said, "My throat has been feeling uncomfortable lately, and I cough whenever I smell cigarettes."
The leader put out his cigarette after hearing this and smiled: "Smoking is bad for your lungs and your throat. We have to be careful."
After waiting for less than ten minutes, someone knocked on the door and said, "Director, the marriage certificate has been processed."
It was a piece of paper slightly smaller than an A4 paper, a bit like a smaller modern primary school certificate. It had the names, hometowns, and ages of Qin Zhanwu and Su Yan written on it, and below it was written: Marriage is voluntary and, after review, is in compliance with the provisions of the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China on marriage.
At the bottom was written the date: November 24, 1961, and the red seal read: Jiangzhou City Revolutionary Committee.
When Su Yan came out with the marriage certificate, she still couldn't believe it and said in a daze, "We're getting married now."
Qin Zhanwu looked at Su Yan with a bewildered expression. Under the gloomy sky, even his face seemed to have turned three shades paler.
Qin Zhanwu reached out and tied her scarf tightly. "When are you free? Let's hold the wedding. All those who get married in our military academy can get a house and bring their families over. This place is close to your unit and only takes about ten minutes by bike..."
Qin Zhanwu chattered on and on, but Su Yan didn't listen at all. She walked forward slowly, and suddenly turned back to interrupt Qin Zhanwu: "I want to go to the hospital. Can you accompany me to sign?" What was the purpose of going to the hospital? Of course, they didn't want to have the child. Su Yan seemed to have never changed her mind from beginning to end, and didn't seem to be softening at all.
Qin Zhanwu pursed his lips and didn't answer. After a long while, he said, "You're so stubborn and determined, I can't force you to give birth to the child. It's just that it's best to wait a month. We just got our marriage certificate and haven't even had the wedding yet, and you're going to the hospital. Not only will the doctor find it strange, but even if some news gets to your workplace, how will you live your life in the future?"
Su Yan hadn't expected this, and nodded immediately. Seeing that Qin Zhanwu's attitude was no longer as tough as before and seemed to be softening, she felt relieved. "You're right, then wait a month, and you must accompany me then."
Qin Zhanwu's eyes were cold and he reluctantly said "OK".
He insisted on taking Su Yan back to the machinery factory. On the way, he discussed with her that the new house she was assigned at the military academy had two rooms and a living room with only a simple table and a bed. He asked her what furniture she wanted to buy. He heard that newlyweds always wanted bright red bed sheets, the best with peony patterns, so he asked Su Yan if she liked it.
Su Yan was calm all the way: "It's up to you. After all, it's your own place, and what you like is the most important thing. After the wedding day, I still want to live back in Xiaoheyan."
Qin Zhanwu felt extremely helpless. He didn't say anything good or bad. When he arrived downstairs at Su Yan's office, he took out a small women's watch from his pocket and said, "I saw that the one you had at home was broken, so I asked someone to bring me one from Shanghai. This watch is small and it suits your slender wrist perfectly."
At this time, fine snowflakes finally began to float under the gloomy black clouds. Su Yan did not answer Qin Zhanwu, but said, "It's snowing."
Qin Zhanwu looked disappointed. Seeing this, Su Yan turned around and said, "Let's go back. It's snowing and the road is not easy to walk on."
Su Yan was feeling really depressed. She didn't care about anything else and went straight upstairs. She saw Jiang Dayan and Ming Fan sitting together in the office, talking. One was saying that the furniture was still missing a bookcase and a glass plate to hold photos, while the other was clamoring to go to the cinema to see a movie tonight. Jiang Dayan saw Su Yan and immediately stood up. "Yingzi, Ming Fan and I are getting married the day after tomorrow. You must come. We are colleagues and about the same age. I was impulsive and reckless in the past. Please don't hold a grudge against me."
Seeing Su Yan's pale face, Ming Fan hurriedly pulled Jiang Dayan's elbow and said, "Brother Dayan, I told Sister Yingzi this morning that she has to go to Shanghai that day and I'm afraid she won't be able to attend our wedding."
Jiang Dayan pulled Mingfan aside and pushed her back a few steps: "That was what you said. It must be different if I say it to Yingzi now, right?" He looked as if he was provoking Su Yan.
Su Yan didn't like to deal with this kind of people at all. She closed the window, poured a cup of hot water from the thermos, and held it in her hand. Only then did she feel a little warmer. She sat down, leaned back in the chair, and said lightly, "I can't go."
She just said she couldn't go, but she didn't explain anything else. She could make up a reason in front of Ming Fan, but there was no need to do so in front of Jiang Dayan.
Jiang Dayan chuckled twice and said in a strange voice: "That's right, Yingzi is now the wife of the head of the group. Things are different now than before. You are a noble man and you are very busy."
Ming Fan went to pull Jiang Dayan away, and apologized to Su Yan: "Sister Yingzi, I'm so sorry, Brother Dayan didn't mean it."
Su Yan's expression was completely dull. She took a sip of water and said with a smile, "That's right. Whether it was before or after, I personally have no intention of associating with you."
Jiang Dayan's face flushed with anger. He pointed a finger at Su Yan and said, "Well said, let's not have any contact from now on."
Ming Fan apologized to Su Yan repeatedly and chased after Jiang Dayan.
Su Yan felt dizzy and took out a piece of paper. She wrote a two-day sick leave note and handed it to Director Lin. At that time, it was still easy to get sick leave at the company. Director Lin readily agreed and asked if she wanted to take a few more days off. "You will probably be transferred to the Municipal Party Committee next month. You don't have many days left this month. If you feel unwell, take a few more days off." He then changed the two days on the sick leave note to five days.
Su Yan thanked them, sent the sick leave note to the human resources department for filing, and then rode her bike home.
Yan Zi was still studying in the kindergarten in the factory. When Su Yan passed by there on her bicycle, she saw Lu Yingzi's sister-in-law picking her up from school.
Yan Zi's face was flushed, and she had a hair flower on her head that she bought from somewhere. She was lying on the bicycle and did not notice Su Yan.
However, Lu Yingzi's sister-in-law saw it from a distance. While putting a scarf on Yan Zi, she asked her loudly: "Do you like your aunt or your mother?"
Yan Zi said loudly: "I like my mother, not my aunt."
Her sister-in-law smiled very proudly and asked again: "Who is better, mother or aunt?"
Yan Zi replied: "Of course mom is better."
When Su Yan saw this scene, she felt that she was really stupid. She smiled self-deprecatingly, turned around, and rode her bike out of the factory gate.
A piece of white paper has no color. The person who paints on it can make it black or white if he wants.
Of course, Su Yan didn't believe that Yan Zi and Xiao Gang had no feelings for her, but this kind of feelings was really not as good as that of her biological mother, even though this biological mother had abandoned them for a short period of time.
Su Yan believed that if they remembered this when they grew up, they would definitely be grateful to her. However, as a stranger at this moment, Su Yan couldn't be completely free of resentment. Her kindness and love were extremely limited. There was no need to have positive feedback, but if there was negative feedback, there was no need to persist.
Maybe the weather was too cold. Su Yan felt her hands and feet were cold when she returned home. She boiled some water and took a nice hot bath. She took out the hot water bottle and filled it with boiling water. She crawled into bed without eating.
Su Yan thought to herself that perhaps it was the north wind, the sudden drop in temperature, and the snow that had fallen that day that had given her a slight cold. She pressed the hot water bottle against her back, and soon her whole body was warm, as if she were floating on the waves under the summer coconut trees.
The next day, Su Yan slept until ten o'clock, slowly cooked a bowl of noodles, then packed her bag, took her work ID, and took the bus to the train station.
When Su Yan arrived, there happened to be a train ticket to Qingyuan at noon, so she bought it without hesitation. The train ran very fast, and it took just over six hours to reach the small county town of Qingyuan.
It was already dark when Su Yan got off the train. At the train station entrance, a fellow villager arrived on a cart pulled by an ox. It was a pregnant woman who had given birth. She'd reportedly had trouble with the baby's position and was going to a large hospital in Jiangzhou. Su Yan listened to their conversation and learned that a grandson had been born. The whole family was delighted, including her parents, father-in-law, and mother-in-law, who had arrived in an oxcart.
The pregnant woman, bundled up tightly to keep out the wind, was carried onto a cart and complained, "Why are all these people here? They sent telegrams saying the train will arrive tonight, and now we can't get back to the village in the middle of the night. With so many people staying in the guesthouse, how much money do we have to earn in a year to make up for it?"
When she lost her temper, no one spoke except her husband, who tried to soothe her. "Mom and Dad were anxious to pick you up, so we'll do whatever you say next time. Don't be angry, or you'll have trouble feeding me later."
The pregnant woman snorted and covered her head with the quilt on the cart. "Mom, get on board. Let's go to the guesthouse. It's snowing and the roads are hard to walk on. Let's spend some money to avoid any accidents."
The family said a few words to the pregnant woman, but no one got angry. They all got on the cart in a friendly manner and went to the guesthouse.
Su Yan found it amusing and followed them silently. When they arrived at the guesthouse, they heard that they had arranged for two rooms, one for men and one for women: "Just squeeze in."
Su Yan then heard that her husband seemed to be a commune official. She waited until they were settled before going to register and taking out her letter of introduction and work permit.
The waiter at the guesthouse looked carefully, registered, and gave Su Yan a key. "The third room on the second floor. If you want to eat in the cafeteria tomorrow morning, you must come here first to hand in your food coupons. Not your Jiangzhou food coupons, but the ones that are used nationwide. The cafeteria only serves cornmeal steamed buns, white flour buns, and sauerkraut soup. There's no meat, so meat coupons are not needed."
Su Yan thanked him and took the key. Just as she was leaving, the waiter poked his head out from behind the counter again: "I forgot to ask, what are you doing in Qingyuan?"
Su Yan thought for a moment and said, "I'm visiting a friend who works at the police station."
Su Yan took the key and walked to the back. The yard was covered with weeds that had withered in winter and were clinging to the corners of the walls. An oil lamp was lit in the corridor, and even with the lampshade, the flame was blown by the wind and danced.
Arriving at the room, she was greeted by a shabby, red-painted wooden door. The paint had peeled off, leaving only a glimpse of its original appearance. A patch of the door was broken, and a black piece of wood had been nailed shut, making it look mismatched. Su Yan used her key to open the door, but the lock was rusty and the key wouldn't turn. She was about to go back to the lobby to call for help.
The pregnant woman from the previous family also came over. She took a look and unscrewed the lock without saying a word. She smiled at Su Yan and said, "Everything in this guesthouse is either broken or about to break. The lock on the door is completely rusted and the key won't fit. So, the locks here are just hung on the doorknob for show, and they're not locked at all."
Su Yan took the padlock and pried it open. Sure enough, it wasn't locked. She thanked the pregnant woman. She waved her hand, "What's the big deal? You city folks are just being polite." She turned and went back to her room. She must have just given birth and wasn't out of confinement yet. She wore not only a headband but also a tightly wrapped headscarf. Her belly hadn't fully healed yet, and she still looked like she was five or six months pregnant.
Su Yan pushed the door open and was greeted by a musty smell. Green mold had grown on the walls where the water had leaked. The room was simple, with only a stone-brick bed covered with a straw mat and a thin quilt folded over another. A pale, pale, light-red peony-patterned quilt cover, which Su Yan unfolded, revealed a large yellow stain inside, likely from being washed but not cleaned. The pillow was also speckled with mold.
This room had no windows, and once the door was closed, there was no light at all. Someone came and knocked on the door: "Comrade, the power supply bureau said there will be a power outage today. I brought you a candle."
Su Yan opened the door and took it. Sure enough, after a while, the power went out. There was a kettle in the room. Su Yan closed the door, took a towel and basin from the space, and wiped the straw mat carefully. She also rolled up the moldy pillow and quilt and put them aside.
Then she spread the quilt Su Yan's mother had sent her from the space on the straw mat. Su Yan undressed and lay down in the soft silk quilt. Soon her hands and feet were warm. The quilt had been left in the attic by Su Yan's mother before it was sent to her. It smelled of the sun, and Su Yan almost cried.
There was a pregnant woman living next door, and she could hear them coming in and out, talking and crying. It was finally quiet. Su Yan glanced at her watch and saw it was already ten o'clock.
She stared at her watch in a daze, sighed slightly, and heard the couple next door whispering again. One of them said, "Our son is so handsome. Look at his eyes and eyebrows. He will definitely be a troublemaker for girls when he grows up."
One of them said, "Then you don't care who gave birth to the child, just follow me."
Another laughed: "Shame on you, you have a shoe-horn face, but follow me, I have a melon-seed face."
The two argued for a while, and then one of them exclaimed, "Look, look, our son is laughing. Really, he just laughed."
Su Yan closed her eyes, her heart slowly calming down. She didn't feel the noise at all, but only sighed: This family is so lively! So happy!
The next day, Su Yan woke up at six o'clock. She couldn't sleep anymore, so she got up. She packed her things in the room and put them in the space, then pushed the door open and came out.
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