Chapter 57 Living in the Present
Another period of time slipped by amidst the clattering of the sewing machine.
Wen Xiaoxiao looked at the small purse she had sewn herself from an old handkerchief in the drawer, where the banknotes inside were gradually becoming thicker.
Besides daily expenses and reserved production costs, some money has been saved.
This gave her some confidence and made her start thinking about things further ahead—after giving birth to this child.
Who will take care of her during her postpartum period?
Yizhen and Yibao were only one and a half years old at that time, which was the most clingy and stumbling time of learning to walk. She certainly couldn't take care of them all by herself.
Hiring someone? In this city where you have no relatives or friends, finding a reliable helper is easier said than done.
That morning, as usual, she went to the breakfast stall next door to buy fried dough sticks.
The proprietress, Sister Liu, was a cheerful woman from the north. Seeing that Xiaoxiao was heavily pregnant and holding two children, she quickly packed the fried dough sticks and gave her an extra one, saying, "Xiaoxiao, take this, eat more. Look how thin you are! It's not easy taking care of two kids and being pregnant all by yourself!"
Wen Xiaoxiao quickly thanked her.
There weren't many customers in the afternoon, so Sister Liu closed her shop and strolled over for a visit.
Wen Xiaoxiao was free at the time, so she casually made her a pair of arm sleeves with scraps of fabric. The stitches were fine and the sleeves were practical.
Sister Liu tried it on her arm and loved it.
"Xiaoxiao, your skills are truly exceptional!" Sister Liu sat on a small stool next to the cutting table and started chatting.
"Hey, let me ask you something, don't think I'm being nosy. Where's your mother-in-law? I've never seen her come over. And your husband... you're so pregnant, why isn't he coming back?"
Wen Xiaoxiao paused in her needlework, lowered her eyes, and calmly uttered a prepared explanation: "My husband... works on a construction site in the south, the schedule is tight, and he can't come back. My mother-in-law... passed away a few years ago."
Sister Liu said "Oh," with a look of sympathy on her face: "Then how are you going to manage your postpartum period? You don't have any elders to help you, and you're taking care of two such young children. It's going to be tough!"
This question struck a nerve with Wen Xiaoxiao. She gave a wry smile and said, "Let's take it one step at a time. We'll deal with whatever comes our way."
Sister Liu, being a kind-hearted person, frowned upon hearing this: "That won't do! Postpartum illnesses can last a lifetime! Let me think about it..."
She pondered for a moment, then slapped her thigh. "I've got it! I have an aunt back in my hometown, in the countryside of a neighboring county. She's in her fifties, healthy, and very neat and efficient. A couple of years ago, when my daughter-in-law gave birth to her grandson, she was the one who took care of her during her postpartum period. She did a fantastic job! But now that her grandson is older, she's idle back home. If you'd like, I can ask her out for you. It's just that... since you have twins, she'll have to look after both of them and also take care of you during your postpartum period. Her salary might be a bit higher than what you'd get from hiring a nanny in the city."
Wen Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat.
Although she had saved some money, hiring a nanny to take care of her long-term was indeed a big expense.
However, the relatives introduced by Sister Liu are well-known and have personal connections, so they might be more reliable.
She gritted her teeth; now was not the time to save money, as her own health and her children needed proper care.
“Okay, Sister Liu, could you please ask for me?” Wen Xiaoxiao made up her mind. “If your aunt is willing, could she… come a month in advance? So she can get familiar with the environment and spend time with Yizhen and Yibao. I’m afraid the children will be shy around strangers.”
"No problem! Leave it to me!" Sister Liu readily agreed. "I'll call back tonight and ask!"
After seeing Sister Liu off, Wen Xiaoxiao felt a great weight lifted from her heart.
Money can be earned again, but a peaceful postpartum period and proper care for the children are more important than anything else.
She touched her belly, feeling the movement of the little life inside, her eyes becoming firm yet tender.
On the other side, in the new house in the county town.
For a period of time, Zhao Fei drank almost every night.
He either attends social events or drinks alone, often getting so drunk that he's unconscious.
Most of the work at the pig farm was left to Wenbin. He seemed to have lost his soul, spending his time either driving aimlessly in search of something or indulging in the brief numbness brought on by alcohol.
That day, Wenbin came over after finishing his work at the pig farm and saw him slumped on the sofa again, with empty wine bottles next to him and the room reeking of alcohol.
Wenbin's temper flared up instantly.
He snatched the half-empty bottle of wine from Zhao Fei's hand and smashed it on the ground with a loud crash, scattering glass shards and wine everywhere.
"Zhao Fei! Look at the state you're in now?!" Wenbin roared, his eyes red. "You drink every day! Do you think Xiaoxiao will come back if you drink yourself to death?! You don't care about the pig farm? You don't care about Yidi? You don't care about Aunt Zhou either?! Are you just going to ruin yourself like this?!"
Zhao Fei was stunned by the shout and stared at him with a dazed look.
Wenbin squatted down, grabbed his shoulders, his voice trembling with emotion: "Zhao Fei! Cheer up! Xiaoxiao is gone, but life goes on! You have to live like a human being! What if... I mean, what if, one day Xiaoxiao comes back, or you find her, do you want to see her looking like this?! Do you want her to see you like this because of her? What will she think? Won't she be even more heartbroken!"
"Come back?" Zhao Fei murmured repeatedly, a flicker of emotion finally appearing in his eyes—pain and bewilderment. "Will she come back?"
“Whether she comes back or not, you can’t collapse first!” Wenbin shook him hard. “You’re a man! You’re the pillar of the family! You have to shoulder your responsibilities! Keep looking for the person you need to find! But definitely not in this way!”
Zhao Fei remained silent for a long time, so long that Wenbin thought he had passed out from drunkenness.
Suddenly, he raised his hand and wiped his face hard, then stood up, leaning on the sofa. His steps were still a little unsteady, but his eyes gradually regained their light.
“You’re right.” His voice was hoarse, but it had strength. “I can’t break down.”
From that day on, Zhao Fei gave up drinking.
He devoted all his energy and time to expanding the scale of the pig farm and improving its operation.
He researched new feed formulas, introduced better pig breeds, and made several trips to other places to contact more stable sales channels.
As his business flourished, he replaced the van with a black sedan, and to make it easier to contact clients, he even gritted his teeth and bought a bulky mobile phone.
With his improved spirits and career taking off, coupled with his decent appearance, relatively young age, and status as a genuine boss, it's no wonder that some people wanted to arrange a marriage between him and his wife.
The workers at the pig farm, and even some of his business partners, openly and secretly tried to introduce him to potential partners, including city girls and female business owners.
Zhao Fei shook his head and refused each time, his attitude clear: "I have someone in my heart, and my child is still young, so I'm not considering it."
After being turned down, the matchmakers turned their attention to Wenbin, who was hardworking and down-to-earth and was now considered a "junior manager".
A few years ago, Wenbin couldn't find a wife because he was poor.
Later, he followed Zhao Fei to raise pigs, and devoted himself to the pig farm and finding his sister, which delayed his marriage.
A worker introduced him to a girl who worked at a textile factory in the county town, and the two met once.
The girl didn't talk much, but Wenbin saw that she was honest and kind, and thought she was a good person to settle down with.
They were both quite satisfied with each other, so they gradually started getting to know each other.
Inside the courtyard house, however, a different scene unfolded, one of persistent low pressure.
After the initial breakdown, arguments, and mutual resentment, Wang Juan and Zhao Qingda had to accept the harsh reality.
The expensive and hopeless treatment ended, but life had to go on.
Zhao Qingda started driving again, and Wang Juan sometimes accompanied him, but most of the time she stayed at home with Li Yugu to take care of their sick child.
Wang Juan never mentioned the idea of buying an apartment in the county town again.
All her thoughts turned to another obsession—she had to have another healthy child!
Only by having another child, preferably a son, can she regain Zhao Qingda's heart, regain her status and voice in the family, and see a glimmer of hope in her despair for the future.
But things didn't go as planned.
No matter how carefully she planned her days, or even secretly went to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor for treatment, her belly remained completely flat.
She became suspicious and her temper worsened. She would argue with Zhao Qingda at the drop of a hat, complaining that he wasn't working hard enough and that God was being unfair.
Zhao Qingda was extremely annoyed by her.
He no longer felt the passion he once had for Wang Juan; now he was mostly just tired.
Faced with Wang Juan's questioning and crying, he would often brush her off with, "What's the rush? We'll have a child eventually. Take it slow." But even he himself couldn't detect much sincerity in his words.
His longing for a "healthy son" had long been worn away by Tie Tou's illness and the heavy burden of life.
Sometimes, when I come home from driving, I see my son lying on the bed, his eyes glazed over, needing constant care.
Looking at the hideous scar on his face and his increasingly numb eyes in the mirror, he felt a wave of exhaustion and emptiness that threatened to overwhelm him.
Where are the woman and her two daughters whom he discarded like trash?
What kind of life do they lead?
The thought would occasionally flash through his mind like a ghost, but it was quickly overshadowed by the heavy numbness of reality.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com