Chapter Thirty-Four: Separation Anxiety
His auntie was making dumplings while chatting and laughing with him. "Back home, I used to make all the dumplings myself. On New Year's Eve, I basically didn't sleep at all, I would make dumplings all night long."
“In the past, few men knew how to cook. My dad didn’t know how to make dumplings, but he knew how to roll out the dough.”
"Yes. I was so envious of your mother back then. Although your father wasn't in good health, he had a good temper. The two of them hardly ever argued, it's just..."
Auntie sighed. It was truly a pity about Xiangdong's parents. If it weren't for that accident, how happy their family would be now. They would have grandchildren, and now their daughter-in-law is pregnant with their second child.
Meng Xi could smell the aroma wafting from over there; the scent of oil was particularly enticing. In this era where meat and oil were scarce, this aroma made one's mouth water.
"Yaozu, I also want to eat dumplings with oily cabbage filling."
Sun Yaozu nodded immediately and ran to tell his mother. He didn't care about any housework; he wouldn't even pick up a fallen oil bottle. He only thought about not being outdone by the neighbors and had no idea what the situation was like at home.
"We only had a little over two pounds of meat for the New Year. All that fat was chopped into filling, so there wasn't any oil left. We've also finished the dumpling filling. If we want to eat more, we can only make vegetarian dumplings."
"No. She's pregnant, and she just wants to eat this."
"Even a clever housewife can't cook without rice; what can I do if I don't have something?"
"Didn't you say you'd give her everything she wanted?"
"That's not..." the old lady huffed, already starting to resent her daughter-in-law. Didn't she know her own family's situation? She only said those things in public to save face, and now she's actually taking it seriously, always trying to find things she doesn't have.
"No, what do you suggest we do?"
Sun Yaozu was stunned, unsure what to do. He'd made such a bold claim, but now he was in a bind. He felt embarrassed to go back and tell his wife he didn't have it. But if he didn't say anything, what was he supposed to do?
It's all Shu Yao's fault. He stood there, troubled, thinking for a long time before finally coming to this conclusion. If Shu Yao hadn't monopolized all the small yellow croakers, he could have bought them now if he had the money. Even if they were expensive, he should have been able to buy them. But now he had neither oil nor money.
"Well, how about I borrow money from my colleagues? We can figure out a way to buy it."
"It's too late. Besides, you don't have to pay back the money you borrowed, do you?" Sun's mother said with displeasure. "She's just pregnant, why make things so difficult for her? I make her cabbage and vermicelli, it's the same thing."
"Then, let's add two eggs."
"Eggs?" The old lady thought that she only had four eggs left this month, but this was for her grandson. "Okay, give her two more eggs."
The cabbage and oil filling had turned into cabbage and vermicelli filling, and Meng Xi pouted and became unhappy after eating one. Sun Yaozu quickly tried to coax her, not wanting to start a fight and become a laughing stock for the neighbors.
"I'll definitely queue up to buy you fatty pork when I get my monthly pass next month, and make you some fried cabbage filling."
The parents-in-law quickly chimed in, "That's right. Don't rush, there's plenty of time. You're carrying the next generation of the Sun family, so whatever good things come your way, you'll be the one."
Meng Xi really wanted to say that even a good cook couldn't do a good job with her mother-in-law's cooking skills. But now that she was pregnant, one of the most obvious symptoms of pregnancy was laziness. She would rather eat something that wasn't very tasty than bother cooking it herself.
Oh well, I'll just make do this once.
On weekends, she would order her mother-in-law to do her laundry in the yard, much to her mother-in-law's frustration, who felt like she wanted to fight her. But seeing her mother-in-law stroking her belly, she had to suppress all her resentment. Their son had been married for so long, and they were eagerly awaiting a grandson.
Shu Yao's twins are both in daycare, and she's pregnant with her second child. Meng Xi only got pregnant again after a miscarriage, and if she miscarries again due to some unpleasantness, the Sun family will be truly in trouble.
"Fine, I'll bear it." Remembering the old man's words of advice, although she felt dizzy and unwell, she still fetched water and sat in the yard to wash her daughter-in-law's clothes.
Thinking back to when she entered the Sun family at eighteen, life wasn't easy at first with her in-laws. But since their passing, and after she took charge of the household, she had never suffered such humiliation. Before liberation, there were servants and farmhands; after liberation, there was Shu Yao. Shu Yao was very well trained by her; she didn't have to worry about laundry or cooking at all.
"Shu Yao," she gritted her teeth, looking up at the Su family next door. It was all Shu Yao's fault; the Sun family bought her, and she betrayed them. If she were now the Sun family's daughter-in-law, she certainly wouldn't dare to treat her mother-in-law so badly.
After finally washing the clothes, I checked them again before hanging them up to dry. If they weren't clean enough, my son and Mengxi would complain.
"Why am I so unlucky?"
A man muttered to himself, rubbing his aching back as he went outside to use the restroom. Not far away, the Su family's gate was wide open; in the yard, the twins were playing in the dirt with shovels, while their aunt offered them water. Shu Yao sat in the yard, basking in the sun, leisurely reading a book.
"They are all lazy and pleasure-seeking young people."
The textile factory operates on a rotating shift system; sometimes the day off falls on the weekend, and sometimes it doesn't. Shu Yao and Meng Xi both work the early shift, but their shifts are clearly different. Grandma Sun muttered something as she went into the restroom, and upon emerging, she glanced subconsciously at the Su family again.
The twins were giggling and playing around. She frowned and looked closely. The girl looked exactly like Shu Yao, like they were cut from the same mold. The boy, everyone said he looked like Su Xiangdong, but he seemed to look more like Shu Yao.
"She only thinks of herself when she has a child; she really is a selfish woman."
Old Mrs. Sun hobbled home on her bound feet; a mountain of chores awaited her. That evening, her daughter-in-law requested fine millet noodles, and her brow furrowed with worry. She had never suffered so much in her life. She had thought things would be better after her son married, but now this was the end of the world.
She grumbled and complained as she worked. She'd always been in poor health, having been bedridden for many years. She had headaches and chest discomfort, but her husband and son didn't think anything of it. Anyway, that's how she'd always been; all the nagging had just worn them out.
Shu Yao is pregnant for the second time, and because she has experience, she's not worried at all. And this pregnancy is going very well; aside from being a little lazy and experiencing some stomach discomfort after meals, she's fine.
She put down the bowl and stood up, pacing back and forth in the house. It was a bit chilly outside in the evening, so she just wandered around. Her aunt cleared the dishes to wash, and Su Xiangdong made her a cup of jujube tea.
Before bedtime, I started potty training my two kids. Each of them has a small potty, and they take off their pants and wipe themselves. They've adapted very well; they learn quickly with just a little instruction. They're quite proficient in the last few days.
"Mom," He Yi said, pulling up her pants herself, first her thermal underwear, then her outer pants. Although they weren't perfectly tidy, she could already pull them up by herself, tucking her thermal underwear into her pants so the wind wouldn't get in.
"Yiyi is great."
"Mom!" He Xu called out immediately, her emotions written all over her face. Look at me, look at me.
"Xu Xu will help too."
After the Lantern Festival, we sent the two little ones to daycare. All the other children were crying, unwilling to leave their parents. He Yi and Xu held hands; initially, they didn't think much of it, as their father had said he'd pick them up that evening. But seeing the other children crying, Yi Yi couldn't help but pout.
"dad,"
His daughter's soft, sweet voice made Su Xiangdong's heart flutter. He had already left the house, but he turned back. He knelt down and hugged the two children. The little ones, who had initially been a little aggrieved, disappointed, and scared, suddenly let out all their emotions when held by their father.
"dad,"
"dad,"
Well, things were going well until he did this and they both started crying. Each of them leaned on one of his shoulders, and the sight of the three of them, father and sons, sobbing uncontrollably left the aunt standing nearby speechless.
"Station Chief Su, the children will adapt quickly. You can go now; once they can't see you, they'll naturally behave."
Su Xiangdong agreed with what the nanny said. But when he stood up and saw the two children's tear-streaked faces, their big eyes looking at him pitifully, he couldn't move his legs.
Shu Yao, who was standing next to him, pulled him: "We're going to be late, let's hurry up."
"dad,"
"Mother,"
Shu Yao remained unmoved, not because she wasn't heartbroken, but because she knew this was a necessary part of growing up. It had been the same in her past life; she cried every time she saw someone off, a process that lasted two weeks before she finally calmed down. Back then, she saw them off alone, and because there was no one to share the burden, she cried uncontrollably as well.
But this life is different. It seems that Su Xiangdong has already exceeded expectations in dealing with those feelings of reluctance, sadness, and worry. As a father, he is reluctant to part with his child. She has the experience from her past life, and with him taking over those feelings of sadness, she doesn't feel anything anymore.
"Be good, Mom and Dad will be the first to pick you up after school. When we get home, we'll have something delicious to eat, and Mom and Dad will play with you."
While comforting the child, she pulled the man beside her. "Let's go, we're going to be late."
Su Xiangdong was pulled out of the daycare by her. Once outside, he wiped his face and looked back inside again. The two children had already been led into the classroom by the daycare teacher, and he only saw other children crying like that.
"What am I going to do? They're probably crying inside." He told the two little ones stories when they were in his belly, and after they were born, he took them with him every day except when he was away on business trips. Even when he was away for a few days, he was afraid that the children would forget him. Now that they've been sent to such an unfamiliar place, with the little ones' eyes full of tears, his heart is breaking.
"It's okay, you'll feel better after crying for a few days."
At this moment, Shu Yao deeply felt what it meant to have her grief shared. In her past life, everyone rationally said it was okay, and it was she who was parting from the children. The children cried for two weeks, and she was heartbroken for two weeks as well. But now, all those worries were on him, and she felt very relaxed.
The daycare was run by their workplace, near the textile factory. In her previous life, Sun Yaozu said it wasn't on his way to work, so she was always the one who picked up and dropped off the children. But Su Xiangdong's workplace wasn't on his way either, and seeing that he was about to be late, he still lingered there, unwilling to leave.
"I have to go now, I'm going to be late." She rode her bike: "You should hurry up too. Don't worry, it's okay. You're just not familiar with the area yet, but you'll get used to it."
Su Xiangdong nodded and quickly rode her bike to get to work. Zhou Aili, who was also dropping off her child, sighed silently, equally concerned and hesitant to leave. Her child was also crying, and as a mother, her heart ached. Seeing that Su Xiangdong was still there, the man looked at the daycare center with a concerned expression.
She wiped her face and hurriedly rode her bike to work, knowing she was going to be late. Sure enough, she was marked late. She put on her work uniform and rushed to the workshop, where Meng Xi saw her and greeted her.
"Did you take the kids to school?" She didn't answer, and Meng Xi continued, "What, feeling sorry for them? Shu Yao's two kids were also sent to daycare today, you must have seen that, right?"
"Let's get to work."
"Sigh, I really envy Shu Yao. She has someone at home to do her laundry and cook for her, and a man to take care of her children. Even though it was on her way, Su Xiangdong specially came with her to drop her off."
Zhou Aili didn't reply, already internally wounded with anger. "You clearly know what our relationship is. If it weren't for this twist of fate, Su Xiangdong would be my man now. Yet you insist on comparing him to me. I know my man isn't as good as Su Xiangdong, but so what? Can I go back to him?"
“A grown man crying like a girl, I can’t stand a man like that. My man is the real tough guy.”
"A tough guy who never says a kind word and won't even try to appease you if he's driving you crazy?"
Zhou Aili's face turned a deep purplish-red, and she angrily turned and went to the other side. That damned woman, she just loves to stab people in the heart. She stayed on the other side for a while, unable to swallow her anger, and turned back again.
"Is the Sun family a single-son family?"
Meng Xi nodded: "Yes, what's wrong?"
"I hope it's a boy in your belly, otherwise you'll have a hard time getting past your mother-in-law."
This time it was Meng Xi's turn to be speechless. The baby hadn't even been born yet, how could she know if it was a boy or a girl? Watching Zhou Aili walk away with a happy smile, she stomped her foot in anger.
"What's so great about it? It's just that I had a son."
Meng Xi longed for a son and encouraged herself to have one. Only with a son could she gain a foothold in the Sun family. In the past, when she argued with her mother-in-law, her father-in-law and Sun Yaozu always sided with her. But since she became pregnant, they both sided with her. She knew in her heart that it was all because of her unborn child.
Shu Yao rode her bike quickly home from work at four in the afternoon. The daycare starts picking up children at four, and stays open until nine at the latest. It was the perfect time for her to leave work, so she figured she could pick up her child on her way home.
What are you doing here?
She rode her bike over, thinking it was already quite early, only to find Su Xiangdong already there on his bike. The man stopped his bike, the daycare center opened its doors, and the couple went inside together.
“You need to pick up both kids, otherwise how will you take care of them by yourself?”
"One on the crossbeam and one in the back seat will suffice." That's how it's always been in my past life.
"It's safer if each person has their own."
Shu Yao smiled, unsure what to say. Based on her past life's experience, she knew the two children would be fine. Even though her body wasn't as robust in her past life, she was still alright; now she was even less likely to be. However, seeing how worried he was, she remained silent.
"dad,"
"dad,"
"Oh, my darlings, Daddy has missed you so much."
The two little ones ran towards him, and he knelt down to hug them both. The worry on his face vanished, replaced by contentment in his eyes as he held the children. Shu Yao smiled beside him; it seemed the separation anxiety wasn't with the children, but rather with him.
Okay, she decided not to say anything unnecessary and gave him time to adjust; it was he who needed to adapt.
The two little ones chattered excitedly about the fun things at daycare. Su Xiangdong saw that they were quite happy, and that night they even whispered to his wife under the covers, thinking that they wouldn't cry the next day.
"That's not necessarily true." I'm just giving you a heads-up so you don't end up in tears tomorrow.
"No way?"
"It's okay, it's normal to cry, you'll get used to it."
"Then...how long will it take to cry?"
"I estimate it will take at least ten days to half a month."
"So long?" He turned to look at the two children. The little one, wearing a bib, was sleeping soundly on the kang (a heated brick bed). His fair and innocent face was so adorable that it melted his heart.
"If it really doesn't work, then we can just not send it. Anyway, my third aunt can help take care of things at home."
"Sending them to daycare also serves another purpose: to let them experience society. They won't just stay by themselves everywhere and only play by themselves. Also, if they get used to daycare, we won't be caught off guard if something happens to Auntie here."
"Okay, whatever you say."
Shu Yao smiled and patted him, urging him to go to sleep. Seeing the worry and tenderness in his eyes, she found it both amusing and heartwarming. Sun Yaozu had never treated the two children like this before. She used to think all men were calm and rational, but now she realized that wasn't the case at all.
The next day, as expected, the two children had another tearful farewell. She watched the three of them, looking as heartbroken as if they were facing a life-or-death separation. Just as she was laughing, her daughter came over and hugged her leg.
"Mother,"
Well, she got dragged into it too. She knelt down and coaxed her daughter, saying one thing after another. The little girl clung to her neck, refusing to let go. Meanwhile, Xu Xu, seeing her younger sister hugging her mother, also ran from her father's arms to her side.
"Mother,"
"Stop dawdling, Mommy's going to be late for work." Shu Yao made a quick decision; if she kept dawdling, she really would be late today. She immediately hugged her son and then took one of them by the hand.
"Sweethearts, Mommy will pick you up as soon as I get off work. You two play with your friends, have dinner, take a nap, and then Mommy will come to take you home."
She handed the two children to the teacher and then pulled her husband out. Su Xiangdong kept looking back, but she quickly led him out of the yard.
"Hurry up and ride away, if you can't see us, you'll stop crying after a while."
"good."
My husband looked hesitant and worried, but he was very obedient. He only glanced at the nursery entrance on his bike before quickly leaving. The situation inside was just as Shuyao had described; the two little ones were no longer in sight, and they were quickly calmed down and stopped crying, happily going to play with their friends.
The two came to pick up their child in the afternoon and ran into Su Xiangdong's cousin at the gate. His cousin's five-year-old son was also being looked after there. Seeing the two of them also there to pick up their child, their eyes lit up.
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