Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Born
Chen Sanfang cursed until his mouth was dry. He drank some water and finally calmed down.
She looked at the baby in Fan Jing's belly. Her family was very satisfied with it, but it was those two elders who loved to make trouble.
"Today, when I went there, your aunt took me and praised me a lot, saying that I was now knowledgeable and could handle such a scene in the city."
"After all, she still wants me to help her find a good daughter-in-law. She's really anxious."
Chen Sanfang said to the two of them, "We're family after all. Daxin grew up with us. How could I not worry about him?"
Kang He heard the voice and said, "That's right."
Seeing this, Chen Sanfang's eyes turned and he said, "Actually, I've already noticed a good one. I didn't want to say it out loud, so I'll tell you about it first."
Kang He asked, "Who is it?"
"Xiao Qiu."
When Fan Jing heard Chen Sanfang say the name, his eyebrows twitched slightly. He vaguely felt that she had taken a fancy to Xiaoqiu.
Chen Sanfang's eyes lit up when he talked about He Xiaoqiu: "I have been in the city for a few months and have often seen Xiaoqiu. I think this child is very good.
Not to mention his handsome appearance and kindness, but more importantly, he's intelligent, capable, filial, and has a positive energy in his heart, which is rare."
Although she didn't know everything about the He family, she knew some of it, and she was shocked when she first heard about it.
Most of them are poor children. If this happened to ordinary people, few would be able to bear it. However, He Xiaoqiu not only survived it, but also regained his spirits.
Although the Fan family was poor, fortunately they were kind and honest people and did not cause any disaster that would lead to the death of an entire family.
To be fair, even if Chen Sanfang was older, if she had encountered the problems that the He family had, she might have closed her eyes and jumped into the river. She was really not as good as He Xiaoqiu.
She was thinking, it would be great if such a good boy was from their Fan family.
There are only two branches of the Fan family, and Fan Xin is the only male. He has opened a private school and is a teacher. Zhang Jingui has high standards. Even if she likes He Xiaoqiu very much, she dare not have any relationship with Zhang Jingui.
But now it’s different. Zhang Jingui came to her on her own initiative, and she wanted to be the matchmaker.
Kang He chuckled when he heard this: "Mother likes Qiu Ge'er so much."
"Xiao Qiu is so lovable, how could I not like her? My only drawback is that I don't have one."
Kang He didn't say yes or no, but turned to look at Fan Jing.
Both of them were waiting for his opinion.
Fan Jing remained silent. He was a man of few words, but He Xiaoqiu was the best to him and talked to him about everything.
"I haven't heard him say he wants to start a family again."
"My family is thin-skinned, so I won't talk about this casually."
Chen Sanfang said, "Think about it. The He family only has one son, Xiaoqiu, which is not much different from ours. But our family has a large population and we have Sanlang. If the He family didn't have a son-in-law to help support the family, and Father He is not in good health, he would be easily bullied in the future!"
In fact, she really cared about He Xiaoqiu. It would be much better for her to find a reliable man while she was still young than to let those useless people pick and choose in the future.
Fan Jing thought in his heart that Fan Xin might not be someone who could hold his family back, so he had to be kind and gentle. No matter what, he would never fight with anyone.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have been beaten so often when I was young.
Kang He said, "Why don't you go and test Qiu Ge'er's opinion? If he still wants to start a family, Daxin Ge is also a candidate."
When Fan Jing heard Kang He say this, he nodded.
On the fourth day of the New Year, He Xiaoqiu came to the Fan family to pay New Year's greetings.
Kang He went out with Yicang early in the morning to watch the pig slaughtering. The pork shop was going to reopen the next day. They originally planned to slaughter their own pig as the first one to open in the New Year, as there were still strong pigs in the pens on both sides.
But if an acquaintance came to give me instructions, I would just give up and go out for a visit.
Fan Jing and He Xiaoqiu were warming themselves by the fire in the house. Chen Sanfang took out a lot of fruits and taught him how to eat them, and made faces at Fan Jing several times.
He knew what Chen Sanfang meant, but didn't know how to start. He peeled a few roasted chestnuts and gave them to He Xiaoqiu, intending to tell her that He Xiaoqiu said she wanted to go see Doctor Zhu.
"Usually, I've asked you, Kanghe, and I to bring medicine to the shop. Doctor Zhu has taken great pains to take care of Dad for so long, but he hasn't come to visit us once since he moved to the village."
He Xiaoqiu said, "Dad has told me several times that he wants to thank Doctor Zhu, but he's not in good health."
He came here today to wish the Fan family a happy new year, and also to bring two special gifts for Doctor Zhu.
Chen Sanfang heard this and said, "That's right. It's hard for your family to afford such a generous gift. I went to pay my New Year's greetings to Doctor Zhu and just came back for lunch."
Fan Jing took a thick coat and said, "I'll go with you."
He Xiaoqiu was not willing to let him go out: "It's wet and cold outside, how can you move?"
Fan Jing put on his clothes and said, "My bones are stiff from sitting all day. I'm familiar with the roads in the village. I'll be fine."
Then he asked again, "If I don't go, can you find the way?"
He Xiaoqiu had no choice but to look at Chen Sanfang.
"It's not raining outside, so the roads aren't that slippery. If he doesn't go out for a walk, he'll definitely find something wrong. Sanlang isn't home today, and he can't sit still in the house. So I'll ask him to go with you. Just walk slowly."
Seeing that Chen Sanfang said this, He Xiaoqiu didn't say anything more.
He took the New Year gift and helped Fan Jing go to Doctor Zhu.
The Xu family was bustling with people coming and going during the first month of the year. In addition, Xu Yang was going to get married in March, and his dream had come true. He had been renovating and tidying up the house since the beginning of this month.
Fan Jing took He Xiaoqiu to see Doctor Zhu. Zhu Ping was very happy to see that the He family came to wish him a happy new year. He brought out tea, fruit and fruits to treat He Xiaoqiu, and the two talked for a long time.
When Fan Jingcai wanted He Xiaoqiu to stay for dinner, he said that it had already been prepared at home.
Doctor Zhu didn't stay long and took the opportunity to ask about Fan Jing's recent health condition.
A little before noon, Fan Jing and He Xiaoqiu had just left Doctor Zhu's place. As they were about to go out, they ran into Fan Xin coming out from Xu Yang's side.
"Dajing, how did you get here? I don't see Sanlang with you."
Fan Jing replied, "I went out to kill a pig."
Seeing this, Fan Xin walked forward and found an unfamiliar face with Fan Jing.
He asked, "What is this?"
"Brother He, who does business with us, came to wish Doctor Zhu a happy new year."
After Fan Jing finished speaking, he said to He Xiaoqiu, "This is my cousin Fan Xin."
When He Xiaoqiu heard that he was Fan Jing's brother, he politely bowed to Fan Xin and followed Fan Jing in calling out, "Brother Fan Xin."
Fan Xin saw He Xiaoqiu's eyes curved, and when she called him like that, her face turned red for no reason, and she returned the greeting awkwardly.
After the two greeted each other, Fan Jing didn't say much and went home with He Xiaoqiu.
It was a coincidence that he met someone, so on the way back, Fan Jing simply told the truth.
"Do you want to start a family again?"
"Um?"
When He Xiaoqiu heard Fan Jing's sudden question, she couldn't help but wonder if she had misheard: "Why do you ask like that?"
Fan Jing said, "My cousin hasn't married yet."
He Xiaoqiu was stunned when he heard this, then suddenly smiled: "Thank goodness you think so highly of me."
"I heard your cousin is a private school teacher, a man who teaches and educates people. I saw him today, and he has a handsome appearance. There is no good family he can't find."
Fan Jing didn't know what to say, but he said with certainty: "You are not bad."
He Xiaoqiu smiled and said, "Hearing you say that, my heart feels happy."
The two of them didn't say much about this matter. After returning to Fan's house, He Xiaoqiu had lunch and sat for a while. Then he asked Chen Sanfang and Fan Jing to send him off and took a ox cart back at the village entrance.
"Well, have you asked Xiaoqiu?"
Fan Jing then told Chen Sanfang what they had said after meeting Fan Xin when he went to Doctor Zhu's place today.
Chen Sanfang slapped his thigh when he heard this: "He didn't say no, so he'd be happy to meet someone suitable!"
Fan Jing did not refute. Seeing Xiaoqiu's attitude, he also wanted to find another reliable person to help him honor his parents.
Chen Sanfang was so happy that she couldn't sit still. As she had some free time, she ran to the main house in the afternoon and caught Fan Xin to ask him if he liked the boy he met today and whether he could marry him.
Fan Xin's face turned red. When Zhang Jingui saw this, she didn't know the reason and thought he had caught a cold and had a fever.
Chen Sanfang looked at his nephew's appearance. He had never seen him like this before when he went on blind dates. He guessed that he was chosen by the girl and felt indescribably happy.
Seeing that her aunt and nephew were playing guessing games, Zhang Jingui begged Chen Sanfang to explain things to her.
Chen Sanfang didn't keep her in suspense and told her about the He family's boy, but she didn't mention that He Xiaoqiu had been married once.
"If it was so good, why didn't you tell me earlier? You made me so anxious that you had to be extremely anxious before you told me."
"Isn't it because you found someone you like that you're not making trouble?"
Zhang Jingui was overjoyed. She had only heard Chen Sanfang say that there were so many capable people. It was a pity that she couldn't see anyone today.
When I asked myself that, I could only blush and couldn't explain it.
She blamed Chen Sanfang. When people came to their house to pay New Year's greetings, they didn't even invite her over to sit and chat with them. They just wanted to get to know each other first. If she had known about this, she wouldn't have gone to other people's houses for drinks.
Chen Sanfang said that she was helping out in the shop and came every day, so how could it be difficult to see her?
Only then did Zhang Jingui feel at ease.
The next day, the Fan family pork shop reopened. Kang He and Chen Sanfang were busy that day. Fan Jing was about to give birth, so it was not convenient for her to stay at home and wait for the birth.
The two maids took turns looking after him, and also instructed Yicang that if anything happened, they should drive out immediately to take the midwife and Doctor Zhu home.
Since the hot stew was ready, He Xiaoqiu arrived early. The three of them didn't talk much, but just quickly set up the stall.
There are many customers in the first month of the lunar year. Even before the stall is fully set up, customers are already waiting to buy. I am so tired that I don’t even have time to cook a single meal.
While Kang He was busy, he felt that someone was always looking at them, but he couldn't see who it was.
After a busy morning market, he had some free time and saw his aunt Zhang Jingui coming to the shop with a basket.
"How did my aunt find time to come to the city when she didn't go to pay New Year's greetings today? If you're missing something, just let me know in advance and I'll buy some for you this afternoon. It's cold out now, so why bother making this trip?"
Zhang Jingui covered her mouth and smiled as she said to Kang He, "Oh my god, this He family boy is so handsome."
Kang He's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look at He Xiaoqiu who went into the house to get something.
"Your mother said she wanted to find a good match for Daxin, so I came here today to see her. Your mother praised her so much, and I think she's a very good match!"
She deliberately hid in the hot soup stall in front and sat for quite a while. The moment she saw He Xiaoqiu, she felt that she had a good figure and a pretty face.
I also saw that he was skilled in cooking braised food and was also smart in greeting customers. He seemed to be a pleasing person in every way.
Kang He then realized that it was Zhang Jingui who was watching, but no one had told him about it.
"My aunt wanted to see someone, but she didn't tell me this morning and drove straight to the county. She was left out in the cold for nothing."
Zhang Jingui was embarrassed to say that she couldn't get up early. Besides, she could better tell what was right and wrong by observing secretly.
"It's nothing serious."
After saying that, Chen Sanfang saw Zhang Jingui, and the two of them whispered a few words to each other.
When He Xiaoqiu came out, Zhang Jingui couldn't help but show her goodwill. She went up to him and started talking to him, praising him and giving him a pear.
Kang He shook his head, didn't get involved, and continued to take care of business.
After closing the shop in the afternoon, Kang He went back home and asked Fan Jingxiao if he knew about He Xiaoqiu and Fan Xin.
Only then did Fan Jing tell him what had happened before.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Fan Jing said, "You went out to slaughter pigs. After you've been busy with things outside, why do you still have to worry about these things at home?"
Kang He heard that he was thinking about himself, but he didn't get angry. He just hummed twice and said, "Just talk to me. I'm not tired."
He turned to Fan Jing and said, "Didn't you see how much Auntie liked Xiaoqiu when she saw her today? She couldn't wait to marry her home tomorrow."
After hearing this, Fan Jing said, "She doesn't dislike it at all?"
Kang He understood what Fan Jing meant and said, "She didn't look unhappy at all."
Fan Jing's eyebrows moved, feeling that his temper was somewhat unlike Zhang Jingui's, so he went to ask Chen Sanfang if he had told anyone about He Xiaoqiu's situation.
Chen Sanfang had been teaching Zhang Jingui to flatter him all day, and today she had even bought a wooden hairpin for her when she went to the city. She was feeling very happy, but when she heard Fan Jing's question, she coughed dryly and said, "I haven't had time to tell you yet."
"If you didn't explain it to her earlier, she would blame you later."
Chen Sanfang said, "When they first start telling people that Xiaoqiu has been married before, that her father is sick and her mother is mute, who would still want to meet her? They've already picked out the good things. After they've seen her first and found her good, then pointing out her shortcomings will make them feel better."
When Fan Jing heard this, he realized it was true.
After all, they have been together for more than 20 years, and he understands the temperament of this family better than anyone else.
Kang He also sighed: "Mother has also learned the skills of a matchmaker."
Chen Sanfang said, "I'll tell your aunt right away. She met Xiaoqiu today and kept asking me to set her up with her. Even if I tell her, she won't do anything."
He asked the two maids to prepare dinner and then went to the main house.
Zhang Jingui was overjoyed. She couldn't stop humming a little tune when she came back from the city. The whole family could see that she was happy.
He first praised Fan Xin for his good vision, and then told Grandma Fan and Grandma Fan that the marriage was settled. While he was cooking dinner, he saw Chen Sanfang coming, and he was delighted again.
The two of them kept warm by the fire in the kitchen and talked for a while. The more they talked, the uglier Zhang Jingui's face became.
"Second marriage?! My dear sister-in-law, why did you come here to wait for me?"
When Zhang Jingui heard Chen Sanfang say that He's mother was a mute and He's father was not in good health and had nothing, she thought that if such a good little brother had been doing well in everything, why would he not be able to marry someone else now?
When he heard Chen Sanfang talking about being married before, he could not help himself and stood up suddenly.
"My dear sister-in-law, why did you make such a big noise? You scared me."
Chen Sanfang advised, "I know you're shocked when you first heard the news, but if Xiaoqiu wasn't really that good, I wouldn't have told you this.
The one he met before was a coward, and he died young. It wasn't Xiaoqiu's fault that the two families separated. They didn't even have children, so there was no ties between them.
"Apart from this bad thing, he's a good person in every way. And he has a skill that can make money at home. You won't find such a skill anywhere else."
Zhang Jingui said, "But your nephew is quite talented and a teacher. If you let him marry someone who has been married twice, what will people outside say about him?"
"There's a wealthy squire in the village out there who married a second wife, and he's still very much in love with her. This isn't unusual. Marrying a virtuous wife is what's most important."
"I can't get over this."
Zhang Jingui felt bitter in her heart and could not bear Chen Sanfang's advice. She told her to stop talking and just calm down.
Seeing this, Chen Sanfang didn't know what to say. Seeing Zhang Jingui like this, she didn't feel very happy. She was wholeheartedly doing it for their own good, but now she turned around and started to complain about them again.
He went home in silence.
Fan Xin overheard the conversation from inside the house. When Chen Sanfang left, he went to Zhang Jingui and said, "Mother, I don't mind the He family's brother marrying a second time."
Zhang Jingui was even more annoyed after hearing what Fan Xin said: "You are just a lustful person. Just because you see someone has a good life, you don't care about anything else. You will definitely suffer a great loss if you keep doing this!"
Fan Xin blushed and said, "I'm not attracted to He's appearance, I just felt a strong liking for him the moment I saw him."
"Go away, go away! What do you know? You've just confused your Second Aunt."
Zhang Jingui said, "Why am I so miserable? I finally found someone I like, but this is what happened to me."
He was in a bad mood and didn't cook at night. He lay on the bed without eating or drinking.
When Chen Sanfang returned home, the meal was ready and waiting for her family to come and eat.
The whole family noticed that the man didn't look very happy.
Kang He and Fan Jing looked at each other, but even without asking, they knew what the result would be.
"It's because of this."
Kang He talked to Fan Jing at night: "I'm afraid that Xiao Qiu will be sad."
After some time, Kang He also went to the main house when he had time, but the atmosphere at home was not very harmonious.
As for Fan Xin, he was willing, but Zhang Jingui was unwilling. When Mr. and Mrs. Fan heard that Xiaoqiu's second marriage was not possible, they also made a fuss and the two sides became deadlocked.
Zhang Jingui shouted that if Fan Xinsheng wanted to marry her, she would not let him live.
In short, he was trying to commit suicide again. Xiangxiu came back and tried to persuade him twice, but it was no use.
Kang He said nothing. He neither helped nor persuaded anyone. He just went his own way.
He said to Fan Jing and Chen Sanfang, "I think we should not bother with this matter. Even if we persuade my aunt to agree to this marriage, if things go wrong after the other person gets married, we will have to bring up the past again."
"Brother Daxin isn't someone who can stand up for himself. He might argue on big issues, but he's not one to argue on small matters. Life goes on, with little to no big things to do and little things to do. When Xiaoqiu comes here, he'll have to endure hardships. He's a good brother, so why bother?"
Chen Sanfang sighed and shook his head: "I don't want him to suffer, I can't hurt him, I originally wanted to make this a good thing."
Although the matter was not stated explicitly, He Xiaoqiu was not a fool and knew that the Fan family wanted to encourage him to be with Fan Xin.
Aunt Fan came to see him again. Seeing that many people liked him, he thought that there might be signs of success and was secretly waiting.
He couldn't say he liked Fan Xin, but after meeting her once, he found her to be a gentle person with a good family background. If he were to marry again, it would be rare to marry someone like her.
Although his parents at home didn't say anything, he knew that they were secretly worried about him.
But after waiting for a long time, there was no news, so he knew that the matter might not work out.
It is understandable. Why would the Fan brothers want a second wife? After all, they are a respectable family, and it would be a bit disrespectful for him to do so.
He Xiaoqiu went to Chen Sanfang and said, "We don't have any sons at home, and my father always tells me that he envies my aunt for having such a good live-in son-in-law. He lives frugally these days, saying that if he saves enough money, he'll find me a live-in son-in-law in the future."
He said jokingly, "Brother Kanghe, you know a lot of men, but you can help me find a good one."
After hearing this, Chen Sanfang and Kang He felt a little uncomfortable.
Kang He said, "Don't worry, if there is such a suitable person, I will definitely find a good match for you."
The matter was thus revealed, and everyone acted as if it had never happened, and everything was still as good as before.
In a blink of an eye, it was February and the weather was warmer than in the first month.
The hearts of the entire Fan family were hanging on Fan Jing. According to the due date, the baby would be born this month.
Kang He was very worried all day long. He could not stay in the shop and did not go out to watch the pigs being slaughtered. He asked the farmhand to take them to the warehouse.
He was busy in the shop, and when he saw that there were fewer customers, he didn't care about the time and ran home to take care of Fan Jing.
February 191st was a warm and sunny day.
After Fan Jing had his lunch, he strolled in the yard, fed the rabbits, chickens and ducks in the shed, and then went back into the house.
He used a knife to cut some bamboo and twisted some hemp rope, preparing to make another small bow. He had nothing to do during the past month or two, so he fiddled with some toys for children to play with.
As he was doing that, he suddenly felt some pain in his abdomen. He had a feeling something was wrong, so he put down his things and called out "Zhen'er".
Hearing the sound, the two maids came into the house together. Seeing that Fan Jing looked not well, Zhen'er stayed in the house to keep an eye on him, while the clever Qiao'er quickly ran out of the house to call for help.
"Dad, my big brother is about to give birth!"
Father Fan, who was taking a nap at noon, suddenly jumped up, hurriedly stuffed his feet into his shoes, and immediately asked Yicang to go out and call the midwife whom he had appointed in advance, and then went to call Doctor Zhu.
Qiao'er hurried into the kitchen, lit a fire and boiled water, then came out. The main room was closer, so she went there to call for help.
Kang He took the ox cart back to the village, got off the official road, and walked home.
He was still holding two black carps in his hand, thinking about what Fan Jing had told him last night about wanting to eat, so he asked the fisherman for two fresh ones early this morning. After having lunch, he told Chen Sanfang that he would come back to cook first.
Chen Sanfang knew that he was worried about Fan Jing, and with him back to look after them, they would feel more at ease in the shop.
As soon as he entered the village, a villager told him that he saw their head servant going to the midwife's house.
When Kang He heard this, he ran back home immediately. When he got home, the house was already busy with people coming in and out.
"What's wrong? Is Dajing okay?"
Kang He was about to rush into the house carrying the two fish, but the teacher stopped him: "Don't go in, they are still fresh."
"Why didn't I hear any sound?"
Kang He was so anxious that his forehead was covered in sweat.
Qiao'er said, "Brother is so anxious that he is confused. Big brother is not the kind of person who can shout."
Kang He slapped his forehead and almost forgot about this.
He pressed against the window, unable to hear Fan Jing's voice from inside, so he called out a few times: "A Jing, I'm outside! I'm back!"
He was very anxious. This person was really patient. It would be fine if she was like that on normal days, but she didn't even scream when giving birth. If there was some sound, he would feel more at ease.
This is just comforting myself. If I don't shout "good", I will use all my energy on shouting, which will make it more difficult to give birth.
The sun is in the sky, and life is full of suffering and is setting in the west.
People heard that this cow that gave birth to babies came and went, and came back again several times.
Kang He's heart was in turmoil. He didn't know how many hours had passed before he heard the loud cry of a baby from inside the house.
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