Chapter 35 Chapter 35 At 4:30 in the evening, Jiang Chengtian...
At 4:30 in the evening, the sky in Jiangcheng darkened, the wind started to blow and the snow stopped, leaving only the sky covered with dark clouds.
The rumbling thunder could not disturb the little girl who was sleeping soundly.
Jiang Yueying quickly closed the window, turned around to look at Doudou who was still sleeping soundly, and then she felt relieved.
"Where are Xiuhuai and Wanwan?" Jiang Yueying had been knitting sweaters and looking after the children all afternoon. Before she knew it, it was almost time for dinner. Only then did she realize that her youngest son and daughter-in-law had been missing.
Fu Zhiyong, who was reading the newspaper with his reading glasses, said casually, "Are you catching up on some sleep?"
"That's right." Jiang Yueying knew that raising children was not easy, especially because they had trouble getting a full night's sleep. "Let them sleep soundly, and then call them when the food is ready."
The smell of food wafted from the dining room downstairs. Fu Zhiyong asked his wife to go eat first while he looked after the child. He estimated that Doudou would take a while to wake up.
Jiang Yueying stood up: "Okay, if Doudou wakes up, call me."
Fu Zhiyong didn't care much: "I can coax my granddaughter even if she wakes up. I'm not that useless."
"You're such a capable person," Jiang Yueying said, laughing as she scolded her husband. She didn't go downstairs directly from the bedroom. Instead, she walked through several rooms to her youngest son and daughter-in-law's door and knocked. "Xiuhuai, Wanwan, hurry up and come down for dinner."
Jiang Yueying's response was silence.
--"mom."
There was no sound from behind the closed door, but there was a noise coming from downstairs, which scared Jiang Yueying.
Seeing her youngest son and daughter-in-law appear in the living room, Jiang Yueying was surprised: "Did you come back from outside?"
Lin Wan's cheeks flushed and she nodded: "Yeah."
Fu Xiuhuai's face showed no emotion: "I just took a walk outside."
"A walk is fine." Jiang Yueying went downstairs and took her daughter-in-law's hand and touched it. She felt a wave of warmth and felt relieved. "But don't walk too far, you won't get cold."
Lin Wan nodded guiltily: "I know."
The entire Fu family gathered together for dinner, and even Fu Mingjun was forced to join in and eat his dinner obediently.
Fu Minghui quickly resolved the fight and hurried to carry Doudou, who had just woken up and had a drink of milk, downstairs: "Doudou, come, let's watch Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, Uncle, Auntie, and cousin eat."
Fu Mingjun felt uncomfortable when he heard his cousin say these two words: "Fu Minghui, please calm down. Do you know what a lady is?"
Fu Minghui glared at her brother and said, "Fu Mingjun, just eat your meal! You're talking too much! Do you know what it means to eat without talking?"
Fu Mingjun was so angry with his sister, but he couldn't show it, so he buried his head in eating again.
Doudou slept for the whole afternoon and drank his fill of milk. Now he was grinning happily, making Fu Minghui laugh.
Lin Wan hurriedly finished her meal and went to the living room to look at the two cousins with a huge age gap: "Minghui, go eat something else. I'll look after Doudou."
"Aunt, no, no, I'm full." Fu Minghui kept raising her chin, making sucking sounds to tease the child, "Look, look, Doudou likes me so much, he's smiling so happily!"
Lin Wan caught a glimpse of her daughter's smile and couldn't help but smile too.
Doudou is a baby who loves to laugh. He hardly cries unless he is hungry. After eating and sleeping enough, he is happy to see anyone.
"You just laugh foolishly." Lin Wan spoke softly and touched her daughter's furry head.
"Oh, so cute." Fu Minghui leaned in close and stared at Doudou. She smelled the scent of her cousin, took a deep breath, and said intoxicatedly, "Doudou's whole body smells like milk, just like milk!"
Lin Wan couldn't bear to hear the words "taste of milk", so she turned to look at the TV, but the scene of the afternoon unconsciously emerged in her mind.
When Fu Xiuhuai left the table and asked what his niece had said to his aunt, Lin Wan quickly replied, "It's none of your business. Don't bother with what we women are saying."
Fu Minghui tilted her head and watched her uncle being driven away by her aunt. She couldn't help but fall into deep thought. Did she just tell her aunt some girls' secrets?
No, it just means that Doudou smells like milk.
++++
After sneaking out to play during the confinement period, Lin Wan no longer envied others and felt liberated after finishing her confinement period.
While recuperating at home every day, Jiang Yueying was particularly concerned about her daughter-in-law's diet. She specifically asked Aunt Wang to make light and nutritious meals for her. She even loved to cook chicken soup, fish soup, egg soup, and whatever was nutritious.
Lin Wan ate a simple diet every day. It was fine at first, but after eating too much, her mouth felt too bland. Especially when she met her neighbor He Yanni, she'd hear she'd gone out for hot pot, barbecue, or skewers...
It's really annoying.
He Yanni advised Lin Wan: "This is because your mother-in-law is kind to you and loves you so much. Be more considerate! Just be patient. When you are out of confinement, I will treat you to a delicious meal!"
Lin Wan responded with envy: "I will remember it."
He Yanni: "Keep your word!"
She couldn't enjoy her meal for the time being, as Lin Wan had already made plans with several people to have dinner later, so she wanted to eat something light. She was with He Yanni, her second sister Lin Hong, her old classmate He Qiumei, and her colleague Qin Fang from the factory office.
One meal after another, all is planned. If I can’t eat it, I’ll just think about it.
When Qin Fang came to see Lin Wan, she brought a gift for the little girl, a small bib bag she bought at a department store. It had small cherry embroidered on it and was very soft and beautiful.
Recently, the Fu family has received too many gifts, all of which are for Doudou. They have almost no clothes to wear, and there are countless things for daily use.
"How's things going at the factory lately?" Lin Wan didn't think much of it before, but now she thinks it's better to go to work. One has to go out and take a look every day.
"It's going well. The several batches of clothing we made with the investment and guidance of Hong Kong businessmen are selling very well." Qin Fang was happy when she mentioned this. "We're sold out of coats, cotton-padded jackets and down jackets. We're working overtime every day."
Lin Wan was equally delighted: "Then spring clothes will be produced soon."
After the Chinese New Year, time flies and spring is about to arrive. Production plans have to be arranged in advance, especially since the batch of winter clothes produced by the garment factory has become famous, so the spring clothes are naturally attracting much attention.
"Yes! We have been communicating with Gangcheng recently. The factory manager doesn't mind paying for long-distance calls. One call can last half an hour." Qin Fang wanted to laugh when she mentioned this.
"Any extra money can be earned back, so the long-distance call charges are naturally no problem." Lin Wan chatted and laughed with Qin Fang, and the conversation mostly revolved around the garment factory. She heard that Lin Guofu and his wife had a close relationship with Yan Shuqin.
Qin Fang didn't quite understand the complicated relationship between Lin Wan and Lin Guofu, and just thought it was just her relationship with her uncle and aunt. "Wanwan, your uncle and aunt seem to have sent something to Sister Shuqin. I saw them stuffing something into someone's hands last time."
Lin Wan understood: "They must be trying to use connections to get a room."
"The housing allocation list will be announced after the Lunar New Year and the beginning of spring. I think a lot of people are watching." Qin Fangchun just wanted to watch the fun. It was nothing for her to do anyway. She was too inexperienced, having only been at the factory for less than a year. "It's going to be quite a lively scene then... By the way, have you heard about Feng Yan?"
Lin Wan pricked up her ears at the colleague who resolutely resigned: "What's wrong? Did you run into her?"
"No, she came back a while ago, looking very proud. She even said that she would go for a visa interview at the beginning of the new year. She might be going to Country M soon." Qin Fang still found it unbelievable. Country M was too far away.
When Lin Wan heard Qin Fang talking about Feng Yan, she remembered the foreigner Charles whom she had seen briefly on the day she was discharged from the hospital.
When Fu Xiuhuai finished his business and returned home at night, Lin Wan, who was leaning against the head of the bed, immediately sat up straight and looked at Fu Xiuhuai with anticipation on her face.
Fu Xiuhuai had never enjoyed this treatment before: "What's wrong?"
As he spoke, the man strode to the bedside, his eyes sliding from Lin Wan's face to his daughter who was already sleeping soundly.
"Have you checked out Charles, whom I met at the hospital gate last time?" Lin Wan was so bored recently that she wanted to hear some gossip.
In addition, he didn't know if it was a woman's premonition, but he always felt that a grown man would not go to the obstetrics and gynecology department alone for no reason.
Fu Xiuhuai raised his eyebrows: "You really care about other men?"
Lin Wan frowned slightly, not wanting to pay attention to Fu Xiuhuai who was teasing her deliberately: "Did you find out something?"
"Charles went to visit a woman who had just given birth that day." Fu Xiuhuai had earlier listened to his mother's instructions to help investigate Feng Yan's foreign boyfriend. When he encountered any suspicious points, he arranged for his men to investigate further. "The woman was a widow living with a daughter. We don't know whose child she was pregnant with, but she had already given birth."
"Could it be Charles's?" Lin Wan instantly understood the key point and came to a surprising conclusion.
"It's hard to say." Fu Xiuhuai didn't find any key evidence, but according to common sense, he guessed that there was something unusual. "Charles should be very cautious."
After hearing the gossip that was as explosive as a TV drama, Lin Wan smacked her lips and finally felt satisfied. She waved her hand and urged the man to go wash up: "I'm going to bed too."
Fu Xiuhuai looked at the woman who could summon him and dismiss him at will. She had already laid down properly, covered with a quilt, with her head exposed and her eyes closed facing him. He smiled helplessly.
Is your only value to tell some gossip to pass the time for women?
++++
The Spring Festival in 1996 was like any other, but also seemed a little different.
Like other cities in the country, Jiangcheng has been developing and changing with different appearances every year since the reform and opening up.
The biggest change in the Fu family this year must be the addition of a new life.
On New Year's Eve, lights and decorations were everywhere and firecrackers were set off. Aunt Wang went home early to celebrate the New Year. Jiang Yueying and Zhang Meiying were busy in the kitchen. Lin Wan also prepared to go in to help, but was "driven" out.
My mother-in-law insisted on her principles on this matter: "You haven't completed your confinement period yet, so don't worry about it. Just wait for the meal."
Lin Wan was glad that the fact that she and Fu Xiuhuai had secretly run out to get some fresh air, walk in the snow, and eat a popsicle a while ago was not exposed, otherwise she would have been scolded by her mother-in-law.
Lin Wan didn't help and waited patiently for the New Year's Eve dinner. Today was a festive day, and she tasted the delicacies she had missed for a long time, and even ate a few more bites of the braised fish.
In the afternoon, many people visit each other, and at eight o'clock in the evening, everyone gathers in front of the TV to watch the live broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala.
Amidst the laughter and joy, Doudou woke up at nine o'clock in the evening and opened his mouth to cry. Lin Wan held the child and fed him, then carried him in front of the TV and walked around.
The little girl stared at the TV without moving her eyes, blinking, and no one knew what she understood.
When the firecrackers were set off at midnight, Doudou had already fallen asleep. The other members of the Fu family all went downstairs to set off firecrackers, while Lin Wan and Fu Xiuhuai watched the child in the bedroom.
The night was deep, the moonlight was like mercury pouring down, a man and a woman stood side by side on the windowsill, looking down at the building, crackling sounds came one after another, fireworks were blooming in the sky in the distance, the soft breathing of a little girl could be heard from the bed behind her, the gorgeous fireworks were blooming in front of her eyes at the most beautiful moment, Lin Wan felt that she had hope for the new year after many years.
——“Are the fireworks beautiful?”
The man's low voice sounded beside him, Oh, there is also Fu Xiuhuai who has a strong presence.
Lin Wan looked at him and was about to say it looked nice when she suddenly guessed something: "You weren't the one who set off the fireworks, were you?"
She had never heard that there would be fireworks in the villa area before, and Lin Wan always felt that the smile on the man's face at this moment was quite meaningful.
"Do you like it?" Fu Xiuhuai did not answer the question directly.
The stars and sparkling fireworks in the night sky all illuminated Lin Wan's eyes, making them bright and clear. Her smile was like a brilliant firework exploding in her heart: "Yeah."
She nodded vigorously.
***
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Fu Zhiyong and Jiang Yueying gave red envelopes to the younger generations. Everyone received one except Fu Xiutong and Fu Xiuhuai.
The youngest child, Doudou, received the most red envelopes. The elders gave each of them the biggest ones, and you could tell how thick they were even through the paper envelopes.
Fu Minghui generously took out a hundred yuan from her pocket money, and specially changed the new bills in front of her cousin: "Doudou, this is for you from your cousin. Remember that your cousin will treat you well."
Doudou opened his big bright eyes, unable to say anything, he just opened his little mouth and smiled happily.
After everyone else had given their red envelopes, Lin Wan expressed her gratitude on behalf of her daughter, and finally only Fu Mingjun was left.
No matter how uncomfortable or unwilling Fu Mingjun was, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and send out the red envelopes.
"For Doudou." Fu Mingjun handed the red envelope to Lin Wan with a stiff expression and could not say anything else.
"Thank you." Lin Wan quickly took the red envelope and placed it in Doudou's stroller. After mumbling a thank you, she said to her cheerful daughter lying there, "Doudou, you received so many red envelopes today. Why are you smiling so much? Are you so happy?"
The one who responded to mom was Doudou’s big smiling face.
Fu Mingjun's gaze fell on Lin Wan's profile, on her drooping hair, and on her eyes that were gently looking at her daughter. There would never be another chance for such close contact. Fu Mingjun felt a little better and took a step forward to look at the cute little girl.
No matter how jealous Fu Mingjun felt, he had to admit that Doudou was a beautiful baby. She could see a difference in appearance after only about a month. She would definitely grow up to be a beautiful young lady like Lin Wan.
"Doudou..." Fu Mingjun was infected by the little girl's smile, and he squeezed out a smile. No matter what, this was Lin Wan's child, and he would always love her as well.
"Wow~~~~Wow~~~Wuuuuu~~~~" Just as Fu Mingjun approached the stroller and called Doudou with a smile, the little girl who had been happy for a long time suddenly burst into loud crying, wailing so hard that everyone in the living room heard the noise and rushed over.
"What happened to Doudou?"
"Is it your cousin who's scaring people?"
"Don't cry, Doudou."
Fu Mingjun felt extremely wronged. He tried hard to smile and greet Doudou, but who would have thought that this girl's expression would change when she saw him!
Lin Wan held the child and patted her on the back: "Oh, don't cry, don't cry, everyone likes Doudou... Look at all the red envelopes~"
Doudou looked at Fu Mingjun crying, and when her mother carried her away, she gradually calmed down, with only a few crystal tears hanging on her eyelashes.
Fu Minghui coaxed her cousin, then returned to the center of the living room to carefully examine her brother: "That shouldn't be the case, brother. You're not bad looking, how could you scare a child to tears?"
Fu Mingjun rolled his eyes at his sister: "How could I be scared and crying!"
Fu Mingjun never expected that his sister's words would come true, and he really became the culprit who scared the child to tears.
I was scared and cried on the first day of the Lunar New Year. In the next few days, Doudou would purse her lips and look like she was about to cry whenever she saw me, even though she was always happy and smiled cutely when she saw anyone else.
Fu Mingjun was extremely depressed and no longer cared about getting along with his uncle: "Why is Doudou unhappy when he sees me?"
Fu Minghui laughed so hard she fell over. "You must have not left a good impression on Doudou. On the first day back, she was so bashful and sullen, looking so ugly. She was so reluctant to give me the red envelope on New Year's Day, and it took her a long time to force a smile. Although Doudou is only a month old, she must be smart. If she realizes you don't like her, she'll dislike you first!"
Fu Zhiyong, who was always serious, was also amused by his granddaughter's words, not to mention the kind-hearted Jiang Yueying. After hearing these words, she felt that they made sense: "Mingjun, you came back to see Doudou so late, don't blame Doudou for not giving you face now."
"I..." Fu Mingjun really didn't know how to explain. He felt more wronged than Dou E!
Fu Xiu walked away holding his daughter, whose face wrinkled as soon as she saw Fu Mingjun, and went to the front yard to look at the flowers and plants, and coaxed Doudou to be happy again.
Lin Wan had seen some children dislike someone, usually because they disliked someone with a fierce look. Babies were unreasonable anyway, but Fu Mingjun was really...
The man beside her seemed to be in a good mood. He hugged his daughter and kissed her, "As expected of my daughter, you are so smart. Even at such a young age, you already know how to share the same hatred with your father."
Lin Wan: QAQ
Each one of them is abnormal.
++++
After a full forty days of confinement, Lin Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relaxed and free both physically and mentally.
The maternity leave that she had applied for ended in early April. Lin Wan still had a month to recover, so she took the opportunity to meet with relatives and friends and indulge herself.
Lin Hong took Lin Wan to eat some skewers. Although there was no chili in the food, it was still very delicious.
He Qiumei called a few college classmates to have hot pot with Lin Wan. The hot pot was so tempting that it completely aroused Lin Wan's appetite. She could hardly stop eating and it took a long indulgence to satisfy her craving.
After dinner, everyone went to the karaoke room. The classmates requested songs and sang loudly. Lin Wan also sang two Cantonese songs, as if she was back in college.
It was hot in the booth. Lin Wan took off her cashmere coat and leaned against the leather seat wearing only a goose yellow sweater, watching the men and women dancing to their heart's content in the middle of the dance floor in a relaxed manner.
Several classmates also joined in, Lin Wan, He Qiumei and a few other classmates drank wine and chatted.
"Lin Wan, you don't look like you've given birth at all. You can't tell at all."
"Maybe I was thin before, and I gained some weight during pregnancy, but not too much." Lin Wan really didn't gain too much weight, and since she was young, she recovered quickly, so it was hard to tell what she was doing now.
"By the way, when will your husband come out to meet people?" The classmates who were on good terms with Lin Wan didn't know who Lin Wan's current husband was, but he must be extraordinary to be able to marry the beauty of the 1991 class of Jiangcheng University.
Lin Wan smiled and didn't respond: "He's very busy."
Fu Xiuhuai is very busy. He controls a company with assets worth tens of millions and has many projects on hand. He is really busy.
Squeezing out time every day to go home and spend time with mother and daughter is his only rest after work.
The construction of Gangcheng Xitian Commercial Building, the tallest building in Jiangcheng, is underway. Fu Xiuhuai needs to control the overall situation and supervise the direction at all times. In addition, he has just obtained the land from the Land Bureau and needs to vigorously promote the construction of the elevator building.
Lying in bed at night, Fu Xiuhuai took the initiative to mention the boutique house he was about to build: "This time, we are going to build the best elevator apartment in Jiangcheng, just like the one in Yue City. When the time comes, we will keep one for us, one for my parents, one for my eldest brother and his wife, and one for your eldest uncle and his wife."
Lin Wan had just come back to her senses from the surprise of "we left one house for you", but was stunned by the man's last sentence: "Leave one house for your uncle and aunt."
"I...we don't have that much money yet." Lin Wan's salary is good, but it is still a drop in the bucket to buy a house, not to mention her uncle and aunt who are farmers in the village.
Fu Xiuhuai chuckled: "Can I still accept money from your uncle's wife?"
"But..."
"No buts." Fu Xiuhuai interrupted Lin Wan's struggle and looked firmly into her eyes. "Wanwan, Doudou is already born. We are a legal couple and the parents of a daughter. You need to face up to our relationship and not run away."
This simple sentence completely shattered the relationship between husband and wife that Lin Wan had always been unable to face positively.
In her opinion, a marriage relationship that starts with an awkward relationship is more suitable for avoidance and should not be too involved, but she seems unable to stop the involvement from becoming more and more.
"I'm not forcing you, but this is the truth." Fu Xiuhuai lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead. It was very light, very light, but it seemed to kiss her heart.
++++
After giving birth, time passed quickly. When Doudou was two months old, she seemed to be changing every day under Lin Wan's nose. It became an interesting thing to stare at her daughter every day to see if there were any changes. Even the slightest movement of her head could make the mother excited.
After cleaning up and coaxing the child to sleep, Lin Wan looked at her watch. It was only around eight o'clock in the evening.
Fu Xiuhuai hasn't returned home yet. This morning he mentioned that he would hold a meeting with various parties to discuss the project of building high-quality elevator apartments in Jiangcheng. He was as busy as a spinning top.
Lying on her side in bed, Lin Wan closed her eyes and pondered Fu Xiuhuai's words from the past few days. This man said he wouldn't push her, but a simple word could make her feel so confused, even...
Chest pain and discomfort.
Aunt Wang was an experienced person and had taught Lin Wan privately that this was a normal phenomenon after childbirth. If she felt really uncomfortable, she could massage herself to relieve the pain.
Lin Wan endured the discomfort, feeling a bit shy, and rubbed herself a few times, which seemed to ease a little, but it didn't feel enough...
Aunt Wang said that I had to use more strength and control the angle and direction well, and there were quite a few key points.
——"Are you feeling unwell?"
A man's cold voice suddenly rang out in the quiet room. Lin Wan turned around abruptly, not even having time to withdraw her hand.
Two seconds later, Lin Wan withdrew her hand, looked at Fu Xiuhuai who had just returned home, and shook her head: "No."
There was a sound of water splashing in the bathroom. Fu Xiuhuai heard himself say "no" and then left to take a shower and change clothes.
About ten minutes later, the man came to the bed in pajamas, took a look at his sleeping daughter, and asked Lin Wan a few simple questions about the child's condition today. Everything seemed normal and familiar.
This is a scene and conversation that is repeated every day.
Lin Wan felt a little relieved. She thought... the man should not have seen her in front of her. Even if he took a quick glance, he probably wouldn't have understood what she was doing.
Lin Wanan lay quietly, closing her eyes and preparing to fall asleep, enduring the strange pain in her chest, thinking that she would talk about it tomorrow...
Until, a large hand slipped into her pajamas, brought a few strands of cool temperature and pressed against her, gently kneading her, accompanied by Fu Xiuhuai's low voice: "You are not feeling well, can I help you?"
Lin Wan didn't have time to think, and suddenly pressed Fu Xiuhuai's hand, trying to stop his terrible action.
Unfortunately, it backfired. Lin Wan's attempt to stop him only made Fu Xiuhuai's palm press harder, becoming so close to her that she was deeply immersed in it. Lin Wan lowered her eyebrows and took a look. The scene in front of her made her heart tremble, as if white cream was flowing out from the gaps in her wheat-colored palm.
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