Chapter 124: Marriage is just for having children?
At the end of July, by midday, the scorching sun was so intense it could literally peel a layer of skin off a person. Lu Donglin and his group of half-grown children couldn't stay home any longer and went to the West River to catch fish and bathe.
Because their home is close to the river, few of the kids in Lujiazui can't swim.
As soon as they arrived in the river, Lu Donglin and Lu Dongfu dived into the water, splashing high, and sank down like fish, and when they floated up again, they went far away.
If it gets hotter, some adults can't stay at home anymore and go to the river in groups of three or four. There are also women carrying baskets with dirty clothes in them. After washing, they spread them on the red water lily by the river to dry. After sitting in the river for a while, both the person and the clothes can be scrubbed clean from head to toe. This is probably the cleanest time of the year for these people in the team.
Lu Donglin struggled in the puddle for a while before climbing out and heard someone calling him, "Hey, Donglin, I heard Jianmin say you're studying really hard these days, reading and writing all day long. Why did you bother to go to the dam today? Aren't you afraid your sister-in-law will punish you?"
Lu Donglin shook the water off his head and looked at Zhou Guicai and said, "Don't talk nonsense, she's my sister. She hasn't married yet, so you can't call her sister-in-law."
"Oh, you know quite a lot. I've been living in your house for a few months now. What's the difference between marrying in and not marrying in? Aren't we all yours now?"
Lu Donglin always felt that there was something wrong with what he said, but he couldn't tell exactly what was wrong.
When you are thirteen or fourteen years old, there are some things you don’t understand.
Subconsciously, I retorted, "How can there be no difference? If there is no difference, then why hold a banquet?"
Zhou Guicai said, "Your brother held a wedding so that he could sleep with someone openly. They had to sleep together secretly before the wedding." The grown man spoke without any discrimination: "Your sister-in-law is so beautiful and has lived in your house for such a long time. I don't believe your brother can resist it. Hey, why should I tell you this? You don't understand." He despised the person who didn't understand but kept nagging.
Lu Donglin snorted: "Who said I don't understand?"
"Oh, you really understand. What do you know?"
Lu Donglin dove into the water, popping his head out from the middle of the puddle. He wiped the water off his face and said, "I know what you mean! Uncle Guicai, how can a grown man like you be as nosy as those women on the team? Do you think everyone is as unruly as you? Sister Wenwan has always lived with my sister, and my brother lives with me. If I don't know anything about their affairs, how can you, an outsider, know more than me?"
Zhou Guicai laughed: "What do you know? You'll know when you grow up and want a woman."
Do you know what that is?
Lu Donglin couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried.
After soaking in the water for a while, I stood up and walked back. Halfway through, I met a few people carrying a slide and rushing towards me.
Liu Chaoxing, Liu Daquan, and Lu Mingqing were there. Sitting on the slide was the woman named Hu Xiujuan, whose belly looked like it was about to explode. She was moaning and groaning, not crying, but rather frightening. Zhou Meiying, with a sullen face, trotted behind, carrying a package.
He took the initiative to jump under the step to make way, greeted Lu Mingqing, and Lu Mingqing nodded, then hurried over.
Lu Donglin ran to the door of his house in one breath.
The yard was quiet. Wen Wan was taking a nap in the new house, Zhang Hongying was sewing shoe soles, and Lu Chun'e was doing homework.
Lu Donglin reached the shade under the eaves, wiped the sweat from his face, and said, "Mom, I just saw Liu Chaoxing and the others. Liu Daquan's wife seems to be in labor. She was carried on a sedan chair to the commune."
Lu Chun'e paused writing, "When the baby is due, you need to find a midwife, right? Why go to the commune? The sun is scorching hot right now, so don't let the sun cause any problems."
Zhang Hongying paused for a moment before continuing to poke at the sole with the awl. "It's only natural that there's a problem with the sun exposure. Childbirth is painful and dangerous for every woman, and everyone goes through it. But she's so picky that she looks down on the midwives on the team and insists on going to the hospital. It's so far from here to the hospital, and in this weather, if she gives birth on the way, not only will the mother suffer, but the baby will have to go too."
Lu Donglin didn't understand this, but Lu Chun'e had heard a little about it from others and seemed to understand it.
Zhang Hongying continued, "Women are at their weakest when giving birth. The saying that they walk back and forth between the gates of hell is true. You can't be exposed to the wind while giving birth, and you can't be exposed to the wind during the confinement period. Even after the birth, you can't be exposed to the wind. If you don't pay attention, you'll develop health problems later. Giving birth is entirely up to the woman herself. Whether it's a midwife or a doctor at the health center, they can only give you encouragement, but can't they help you give birth? If you want to give birth, just give birth at home. Going to the hospital is not enough, and you're cursing yourself that you can't give birth, or there's something wrong with you."
Lu Chun'e said, "Second cousin's wife is about to give birth, right? I saw her from heaven and she looked swollen, her face was bigger, but she had no color at all."
"That's edema. It's like that in the later stages of pregnancy. The baby is drinking your blood inside your belly, so how can your complexion be better?"
Lu Dongping shuddered subconsciously and glanced towards the new house, then asked Zhang Hongying unwillingly, "Mom, do all women give birth to children after they get married?" He had just seen Li Laiying yesterday, and today he saw Hu Xiujuan. The two women with big bellies were completely different from before. Their bellies were as big as a pot, as if they would explode at any time.
The swollen face and whimpering crying made his scalp tingle.
Zhang Hongying glanced at him and said, "Aren't women married to have children? If they don't have children and don't carry on the family line, who would want them?"
Is that so? Lu Donglin fell into deep doubt and worry.
After lying down at night, he stared at the dark ceiling for a long time and couldn't fall asleep. He called out to Lu Dongping, "Brother!"
Lu Dongping just lay down and responded to him: "Yeah!"
"Brother, did you marry Sister Wen Wan just to have children?"
Lu Dongping??? What the hell?
Lu Donglin didn't hear his voice, and kicked him with his foot in despair, and shouted again: "Brother, why don't you speak? Are you asleep?" Isn't this too fast?
"You're not sleeping late at night, are you asking for punishment?"
"You haven't answered my question yet. Are you dating and marrying Sister Wen Wan just to have children? If Sister Wen Wan doesn't have children, you won't want her anymore."
Lu Dongping was stunned for a moment, then crossed his hands and rested his head on them. "What nonsense are you talking about? I haven't even thought about having children. I'm dating her and getting married because I like her and cherish her."
Lu Donglin said: "But I heard that women will have children as soon as they get married."
"Lu Donglin, I'm telling you, if you choose to go to school, then study hard and focus on your studies. Don't listen to the nonsense those women on the team talk about all day long. Having children or not? That's something you should be worrying about at your age."
Lu Donglin curled his lips: "That's what my mother said."
Lu Dongping:——
Lu Donglin continued, "Yesterday I saw Dongcai's wife Laiying. She was swollen beyond recognition. Her face was as yellow as if a weasel had sucked her blood, and her stomach felt like it would fall out if she wasn't careful. Today I saw Liu Daquan's wife on the road again, the educated youth named Hu Xiujuan. She was the same way. Her husband had someone tie her up on a sedan chair and carry her to the commune. She looked like she was about to give birth. She was crying and screaming in pain all the way. It was terrifying."
"Brother, look at how Sister Wen Wan looks now. She's so fair and clean. If she became like that, not to mention others, she herself probably wouldn't be able to bear it. She's already thin, and she has to hold up such a big belly. Mother said that babies drink blood when they're in the belly—Ah!"
Lu Dongping kicked him rudely and said, "Shut up and go to sleep!" He became a little breathless.
Lu Donglin continued to talk without giving up: "Brother, why don't you just not have a wedding? It's fine this way. If you don't get married, you won't have children. You like her, and she's in our house anyway. There's no need to have a wedding!"
Lu Dongping: — This is a fool, right? He doesn’t want to care at all.
He didn't say anything, and it was boring for Lu Donglin to chatter alone, so he fell asleep after a while.
Lu Dongping couldn't sleep.
It's not that he had never seen a pregnant woman before, but he had never thought about it in that way before. He and Wen Wan hadn't held a wedding yet, and even if they got the marriage certificate, they only kissed and didn't dare to touch her, because he was afraid that he would not be able to control himself.
That thing hasn't been done yet, we have to have a wedding banquet first.
He had heard that they had to have sex to be considered a real couple. Of course, that would allow them to conceive a child.
Wen Wan is pregnant?
This was the first time he thought about this matter seriously.
He thought back to when Lu Donglin was born, more than ten years ago. He was still a child then, too dumb to remember anything. Now he couldn't think of anything. With no clue, he decided to go find someone to learn more about it.
Marriage is a necessity, sleeping together and doing something is inevitable, and he needs to find someone to consult about the matter of having children.
The next day when he arrived at the commune, he thought for a long time before he stopped Lin Chenghai when he saw no one around: "Minister Lin, I want to ask you something."
Lin Chenghai raised his eyebrows and glanced at him: "What do you want to know?"
Lu Dongping pursed his lips for a long time, not knowing how to start: "That's right, I just want to ask you, if two people get married, then they will have children?"
Lin Chenghai was stunned for a moment, looked at him doubtfully, and nodded. "Well, unless there's something wrong with your body." He then frowned. "You're not in a hurry, are you? Even though you've got the marriage certificate, you haven't had the wedding yet. Why are you so anxious to have a child?"
Lu Dongping hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, I'm asking you because I don't want to have children for the time being. I heard that giving birth is scary and dangerous for women. If you're not careful, it can even result in death."
Lin Chenghai nodded: "That's the case." He had also heard about it from others but had never seen it.
After saying that, he thought for a moment and said, "I actually heard this from someone else. If you want to know the details, you can go back to the county and ask the obstetrician and gynecologist at the county hospital."
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