Chapter 101 Chapter 101 Joy and Sorrow
One day in the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, Fan Jing slaughtered a sheep and cut out half of the mutton. Kang He tied up her skirt and went into the stove to prepare a table full of mutton dishes.
Kang He instructed Zhang Shili to call over the hunters who had helped take care of the area on the mountain, and invite them to have a thank you meal together.
With all the excitement going on, Kang He and Fan Jing became busy. They had to go to the villages in the county to slaughter pigs. One reason was to earn money from the slaughter, and the other was to build relationships so that people would consider their family when doing things for them.
But this year with the addition of Zhang Shili, things feel a little more relaxed.
Zhang Shili followed Fan Jingxue in killing pigs three times, and then he became adept at it.
I have been dealing with wild animals for many years. When I hunt wild boars in the mountains, I sometimes have to deal with them myself. So I have some skills. I only need to practice a little and I will become proficient.
Following Kang and Fan Jing, learning the skills was only one reason. The main purpose was to make himself familiar to the old customers and let them know that Zhang Shili was from the same family as them. Then they could call him the same as them.
On the fifteenth, there was some light snow, but the wind was so strong that it made people feel very cold.
After Kang, Fan Jing and Zhang Shili killed the pig, they went their separate ways on the official road. He was going to the city to pick up He Xiaoqiu and take him home.
When they went out, the three of them drove only one car. Zhang Shili happened to have borrowed a bullock cart on the official road, so Xiao Kanghe and his wife took him to the county town.
Kang He and Fan Jing returned to the village. The snow was so heavy that the cabbages in the fields had turned white.
"What would you like for dinner? It's still early, I'll go to the stove and make you something."
Fan Jing had killed four pigs and felt a little tired. He leaned against the cart frame and said, "It's all right."
"Brother Pei from Tangjia Village sent a basket of pig hearts and lungs yesterday. I see they haven't been eaten yet. How about making some carrot soup and having something warm?"
Fan Jing responded, and Kang He jumped out of the car at the edge of his own field, pulled out a few round radishes, threw them on the car, and drove it back.
When the car drove into the yard, we saw two short, fat and round figures running around in the yard. It turned out that they had returned to the village on the 15th and were here to play with Dafu.
The two little kids, wrapped warmly and wearing furry hats, were playing in the snow in the yard.
Seeing the two people coming back, Fifteen ran over and called Uncle Fan and Uncle Kang.
Fan Jing reached out and hugged Fifteen, saying, "You seem to have grown taller."
Dafu looked at Fan Jing and said, "Fifteen has grown taller, but he's still not as tall as me."
Kang He's hands were covered in mud after pulling out some radishes. He went to clean them off. After hearing what Da Fu said, he said, "You are one year older than Fifteen. Of course Fifteen can't be older than you. But if you don't eat raw food well, be careful that Fifteen will surpass you."
Dafu said, "This afternoon I had a big bowl of rice, a chicken drumstick, two meat buns, a lot of winter melon, and two cups of hot goat's milk. In the afternoon, my uncle also gave me some chestnut cakes."
Kang He wiped his hands, picked up Da Fu and weighed him: "It's really heavy. It looks like he ate a lot at noon."
The two of them took the baby into the house to warm himself by the fire. The house was warm, and once the baby was roasted, it would easily smell. Shiwu wrinkled his nose and said that Kang He and Fan Jing had hidden pork on their bodies, and it smelled like raw pork.
The kids' words made Kang He laugh. He told Xiaoxiang and Xiaomei, who brought Shiwu with her, to keep an eye on the two kids and not let them play in the snow in the yard. Their little hands were frozen red, so they should be careful not to get frostbite.
They asked Brother Lian Si to bring some hot water into the house, take a shower and change clothes.
The family that slaughtered the pig today had a fat and strong pig, and the people almost couldn't hold it down. When they slaughtered the pig, a lot of pig blood got on Fan Jing.
When Fan Jing was taking off his clothes, he also smelled the fishy smell and felt a little nauseous, so he stuffed himself into Kang He's arms.
Kang He smiled and said that he also liked cleanliness now, and soon he got some water to help him wash his hair.
After washing up, Fan Jing put on a middle-length robe and let his hair down. He lay idly on the couch, not wanting to do anything else.
After a while, Shiwu took Xiaomei back to Xu's house. Dafu ran into the house and saw Fan Jing lying there. He took off his shoes, socks and thick cotton coat and climbed onto the couch to rest next to Fan Jing.
Seeing that the father and son were getting along very well, Kang He brought a charcoal brazier into the house and went to the stove to stew pig lung soup.
Fan Jing hugged the chubby Dafu and felt that the little guy's body was fragrant and soft. He took a bath with him last night and could still smell the scent of the ointment today.
He felt comfortable and soon fell asleep. Dafu kept moving in his arms but he didn't wake up.
By the evening, the pig lung soup cooked by Kanghe had given off a fragrant aroma. Chen Sanfang and Qiao'er came home in Yihuan's car. They said that it was snowing heavily outside and the wheels of the car almost got stuck in a mud pit, making the road very difficult to drive on.
"It gets dark early when it rains or snows. From now on, I'll close the shop an hour earlier so I can drive slower when I get home. Look, Dad's been looking around and muttering in the yard several times now."
Chen Sanfang crawled under the stove to warm himself by the fire and said, "Business is so good at the end of the year that I can't bear to close it."
Qiao'er went into the house, changed her clothes, and came out saying, "I was so busy today that I almost forgot to keep track of the accounts. I made three mistakes in a row. Fortunately, I checked them and corrected them later."
"In recent years, I've seen people become more willing to spend money. This wasn't the case just a couple of years ago."
Kang He said, "Life is peaceful and there is no war. The people are able to earn a living and are therefore much more comfortable than before. Brother Mou also said that many people come to buy and sell livestock at the end of this year."
The three of them talked about the happy things in business for a while. Chen Sanfang didn't see Fan Jing and Dafu, so he couldn't help but ask.
"We are tired today, and the two of us are resting in the house."
Chen Sanfang said with a smile, "I saw Brother Zhang go to the county to pick up Xiaoqiu early this morning. He looks rough and careless, but he is actually very considerate. He has been busy for most of the day and went to the shop to help Xiaoqiu with this and that."
"Since they've gotten together, Xiaoqiu has been smiling more often. They're so good together, when are they going to get married? I've been so busy that I haven't had time to ask him."
"It's been decided. They say they'll be free in April or May next year, so we'll arrange the wedding then."
Chen Sanfang nodded and said, "I'll go over and have a glass of wedding wine. Xiaoqiu wasn't meant to be with our family, but now that he's found a good partner, I'm happy for him."
Talking about marriage, she couldn't help but look at the graceful Qiao'er standing beside her. This little girl with yellow hair had grown into sixteen or seventeen years old in a blink of an eye, and she was also looking for someone to see.
"Your sister is married and living a happy life. I am worried about you now."
Qiao'er said, "I'm not in a hurry. I'll spend my days looking after the shop and doing the accounts. That's much more interesting than being married and serving my parents-in-law and my husband. My temperament can't compare to my second sister's. She's so gentle and quiet."
Chen Sanfang said angrily, "You're talking nonsense. Who would want to be your matchmaker if others heard it?"
Kang He smiled and said, "Qiao'er is right. There's no need to rush. Let's wait and see. If we find a suitable one, we can talk about it later."
In the evening, two tables of food were set up, and all the people in the Fan family ate in the main room. Yi Huan, Er Xi, the long-term worker Lian Si Ge Xiao Xiang and a few others ate in the side room.
Mou Dalang did not want to have dinner at the Fan family. After he had his meal at home, he would also have lunch at the Fan family. Sometimes he would not eat at all and would go home to be with his husband and children.
"This pig lung soup is well-cooked today. It's refreshing and tasty."
Dad Fan ate a bowl of carrot and pig lung soup, which soothed his heart.
Kanghe doesn't add oil to the dishes when cooking. The tastes of the people at home have changed a bit now, and they don't like greasy and meaty food anymore. Occasionally, a dish of tofu with sesame oil tastes quite good.
He put some meat and radish into Dafu's bowl, and then took some dishes with Fan Jing.
Fan Jing didn't know whether he had woken Kang He up just as he was about to fall asleep or what, but he didn't have much appetite, so he didn't even move his chopsticks.
Seeing that Kang He had put some pork lung in his bowl, he didn't want to eat it and wanted to take it back from him, but then he thought that this man would make a fuss again soon, so he just put it in his mouth.
This bite was terrible, and he suddenly felt nauseous.
An ordinary person would have dropped his chopsticks and started vomiting, but Fan Jing frowned and swallowed the meat without making any different expression than usual.
After dinner, Kang He cleaned up and went back to the room. He saw Fan Jing sitting on the bed, daydreaming about something.
"Why don't you go to bed? It's freezing outside. I see the snow is falling so hard that it's all covered in snow."
Fan Jing looked up at Kang He and said, "Come here."
Hearing this, Kang He hung his coat on the hanger and walked towards him: "What's the matter?"
He saw Fan Jing stretching out an arm towards him, smiled, bent down and picked Fan Jing up: "It's cold, and you're acting like a spoiled child. Did you learn that from Dafu?"
Fan Jing's eyebrows moved, and he looked at Kang He: "Who told you to hug me?"
"You've already extended your arms to me, but you still want me to hold you."
Fan Jing said, "I want you to check my pulse."
"ah?"
Kang He was stunned for a moment and even put Fan Jing down: "What's wrong with you?"
Fan Jing refused to say more, and only said, "Just wait and see."
Seeing that he was serious, Kang He felt nervous and even went to feel his pulse.
He carefully felt for her pulse, his expression gradually relaxed from seriousness, and then he became excited: "Da Jing, why does it look like a pregnancy pulse to me?!"
Fan Jing's eyebrows twitched. After hearing Kang He say this, he was already certain in his heart.
He had some vague guesses about what was wrong, but he was not sure.
Kang He was a little distrustful of his own superficial medical skills because of this sudden joyful event. He felt Fan Jing's pulse again and said:
"It should be correct. I remember the pulse was similar when Dafu was born."
Then, fearing his excitement would be in vain, he said, "It's been a while since I've felt your pulse, so I can't be completely certain. Otherwise, let's go see Doctor Zhu. That would be more appropriate."
There was some joy on Fan Jing's face. He pulled back his arm. He felt a little tired and didn't want to go out again at night.
"We'll talk about it tomorrow."
Kang He surrounded Fan Jing and said, "My brother, how can you be so patient? I'm almost dying of anxiety!"
Fan Jing said, "It's cold, I won't go."
Kang He saw that he was afraid of the cold and had eaten little at night. These symptoms confirmed his pulse and made him feel even happier.
His attitude softened immediately. "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say. If she really wanted a child, she'd already been pregnant. It wouldn't be gone overnight."
Well, Kang He began to coax Fan Jing: "How can you be so capable? I didn't even dare to think about this secretly, but you gave me a big surprise out of the blue. I can't sleep tonight."
"I'll go tell my parents right away and make them happy together."
Fan Jing grabbed Kang He and said, "Let's wait until Doctor Zhu has taken his pulse."
Kang He paused, then held his hand. "Alright, even though I feel like it's a done deal, I'll still do as you say. I'll stay with you every step of the way tonight and serve you thoroughly."
Fan Jing saw Kang He chattering endlessly, just like a hen clucking after laying an egg, as if he couldn't wait to tell the world about it.
He was also infected by it and his spirits became much higher.
The two of them were happy about this for a long time. Their feet, which had been soaked in warm water before entering the house, felt a little cold, so they lay down on the bed.
"Hey, when did you say it happened?"
Kang He held Fan Jing in his arms, stroked his flat abdomen, and carefully counted the months in his mind.
He could hardly tell how many months old the baby was.
"have no idea."
Fan Jing closed his eyes and felt that Kanghe's body was a little hard, not as soft as Dafu's.
"Since returning from Fang County, we've only had two incidents, and both were in the past few days, so it can't be just those two. Normally, morning sickness starts when the baby is a month old, so it must have been at least a month."
Kang He said, "If that's the case, it seems like it happened in Fang County, but I can't be sure. It was already two months old when Dafu was discovered."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel relieved that there hadn't been much noise during their sex life in the past few days.
Speaking of You Dafu, Fan Jing couldn't help but think of when she was pregnant with him. The little guy was very well-behaved since he was in her belly, and she didn't feel much discomfort.
I originally thought that he was in good health, but now with this little brat, it seems that it is not the case.
He said to Kang He, "Maybe this child will be more noisy."
Hearing this, Kang He gently coaxed Fan Jing: "This place at home is much better than when Dafu was here. If the child is making a fuss, I will accompany you more. Anyway, Brother Zhang will take care of the pig slaughtering, so you should relax."
Fan Jing hummed, leaned in Kang He's arms, and fell asleep soon.
Kang He felt that Fan Jing's words were not groundless. He hugged her gently and wanted to go to sleep, but perhaps he was too happy and could not fall asleep.
All night long, all I could hear was the sound of wind and snow outside.
The next day, Kang He got up early at daybreak. The couple hurriedly ate breakfast and went straight to Doctor Zhu's place.
After receiving the diagnosis from Dr. Zhu, it was confirmed that I was pregnant and it had been more than a month.
Although the two had already tacitly agreed to this matter yesterday, they finally felt relieved after hearing Doctor Zhu's definite answer.
"Maybe mother and Qiao'er haven't gone to the county yet. We can go back and tell them about this happy event."
Kang He held Fan Jing's hand, and their faces looked as if it was the New Year.
Little did they know that just as the two men left Doctor Zhu's place, Fan Shoushan rushed to Doctor Zhu's place, and the two ends just missed each other.
The couple happily returned home and saw Chen Sanfang was still at home. They were about to tell her about the baby, but Chen Sanfang hurriedly said:
"Where did you two go? I was just saying I was going to the city when your brother Daxin came over and said your milk wasn't feeling well, and asked us to come over and take a look."
Kang He heard this and asked, "What happened?"
"Something was wrong this morning. Normally, he should have woken up long ago, but this morning, it took me a long time to wake him up. His face was pale, and he was breathing in more than out."
Chen Sanfang said, "It's hard for the old man to say, let's all go over there quickly."
After hearing this, Kang He and Fan Jing didn't have time to say that they had gone to see a doctor. They gave Tong Huan some instructions and told him to open the shop first. Then they hurried to the main house.
By the time we got there, Doctor Zhu had already arrived.
Big and small, all crowded into one room, guarding Grandma Fan who was lying on the bed.
Fan Ye was sitting on the edge of the bed, with her head lowered, wiping away tears.
Kang He and Fan Jing stood at the back and looked towards the bed. They felt that the situation was not optimistic.
Ever since the incident with the bandits, Grandma Fan fainted from the shock. When she woke up, she was not in better shape than before. She often muttered in her sleep and shouted in her dreams that the bandits had broken into the house.
Although he was not as mentally ill as Deng Dalang, his condition was not good either.
After taking the patient's pulse, Doctor Zhu didn't say anything inside the room, but got up and went to the outer room.
Everyone followed him out tacitly. Doctor Zhu called the two brothers Fan Shoushan and Fan Shoulin together, and the two wives also went over to listen.
"Everyone gets old, and that happens to them. I'll stop taking the medicine I was taking. If I can still talk, I'll do my best to satisfy my cravings."
Everyone in the room understood what Doctor Zhu meant by this, and the two brothers couldn't help but have tears in their eyes.
Chen Sanfang and Zhang Jingui were also in a bad mood and were both trying to comfort their husbands.
Doctor Zhu offered some words of comfort, as he had seen many such scenes. "It's truly remarkable that you are all so filial. The old man's life was truly worth it."
Fan Shoushan wiped his eyes and said, "If I had been obedient and willing to go up the mountain to avoid disaster, I might not have been ill. It's all fate."
"No one expected that bandits would actually come to our village. You are so unfilial and blame yourself."
Seeing several elders crying together, Kang He went to see Doctor Zhu out.
Doctor Zhu arrived at the gate and called Kang He and Bu Xiao to see him off and spend more time with his family. He also shook his head and sighed: "It's really a mixture of joy and sorrow. Life and death are commonplace."
Kang He was also feeling a bit solemn: "It's a good thing that he didn't die from illness and didn't suffer."
"Yes, just be more open-minded."
That afternoon, Zhen'er and Xiangxiu got the news and went home together to see Grandma Fan.
Although the girls and boys in this room did not receive much love from Grandma Fan, they were all filial and willing to come back to serve and visit her.
No one was busy with other things and took turns to look after Grandma Fan. She fell ill at the hour of Xu. A string of firecrackers went off in the snow and low sobs were heard from the house.
Xiang Xiuzhen and Qiao'er also cried. Although the two girls had suffered a lot of humiliation and injustice when Grandma Fan was alive, now that she is gone, dust returns to dust, and all the right and wrong, grudges and hatreds are gone with her.
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