"Meiyun! We really have a child!"
In the city hospital building, Lu Changzheng held the examination form in his hand and could not calm down until he walked out of the hospital gate.
Although he had prepared himself mentally these days, when the test result came out, the excitement and joy of becoming a father soon increased significantly.
"Okay, you've told me this several times." Liu Meiyu led her brother and walked straight out, "We still have to go to the vegetable market to buy vegetables. If we go too late, we won't be able to grab anything."
"You're going to be a mother, aren't you excited?" Lu Changzheng caught up with her, wondering why his wife's reaction was so calm.
"Didn't the doctor say it's too early? We need to come back for a checkup in three months." Liu Meiyu glanced at the man. "Besides, do you think being a mother is that easy? Isn't it hard to be pregnant for ten months?"
It was confirmed that she was pregnant. Liu Meiyu was definitely happy, but she was not as restless as Lu Changzheng.
Besides, being a mother is not that easy. Giving birth to a child may cost you half your life. If the child doesn’t obey you in the future, it will be hard to discipline him…
"It must be hard to be pregnant," Lu Changzheng said seriously, "Don't worry, my wife. I will do all the housework from now on. I will prepare breakfast for you and keep it warm in the pot. Dinner will be prepared when I come back. If I come back late, I will go to the canteen in advance and bring it back for you. It is definitely not good for pregnant women to smell too much oil and smoke. Let's concentrate on taking care of our bodies. You can leave all the dirty and tiring work to me!"
Liu Meiyun stopped and said, "You said so."
If a man wants to express himself, Liu Meiyu will definitely give him the opportunity. Having a child is not just her business.
She was pleased that Lu Changzheng had this ideological awareness, but whether he could actually do it remained to be seen.
"Yes!" Lu Changzheng nodded heavily, with a sweet burden on his shoulders, and the corners of his mouth couldn't be closed. He pinched his brother-in-law's chubby face and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of you and your mother, as well as this little brat!"
"Okay, I believe you, let's go quickly. If we go too late, we won't be able to buy any good food!" Liu Meiyu urged.
When they arrived at the vegetable market in the city, Lu Changzheng saw that it was crowded with people and did not let Liu Meiyu in.
"There's a state-owned hotel next to it. You can take Bowen up there and wait for me. There are too many people here. Give me the order and I'll buy what I want."
"Can you do it?" Liu Meiyu was a little worried.
"What's wrong with that? Just buy according to the order." Lu Changzheng handed Liu Bowen to her without saying a word, took the order, and prepared to squeeze in.
"Hey, wait a minute," Liu Meiyu pulled him back, "if you see any preserved eggs for sale, buy some."
Lu Changzheng looked puzzled. Didn't his wife tell Mrs. Wu in the morning that it was not good to be too high-profile? Why did she suddenly change her mind?
"Don't you want to have a drink to celebrate today?" Liu Meiyu smiled and said, "I can also make preserved eggs. I'll make it for you when I get home."
Lu Changzheng's eyes lit up, "Wife, you are so good to me!"
"We are husband and wife, so of course I will treat you well." Liu Meiyu glared at him.
A cold preserved egg could move a man so much, Liu Meiyu didn't know what to say. It seems that she has to give men little surprises from time to time to show her care and concern.
state-owned hotel.
Liu Meiyu pulled her brother in and found that there were quite a few people inside. There were only one or two empty tables left. There was a small blackboard hanging on the wall behind the counter with today's supply written on it.
There weren't many options in total. The steamed buns that cost a few cents each were all sold out. The rest were stir-fried dishes which were relatively expensive. Some people came and went at the door, looked around, and then left in disappointment.
"Hurry up and eat whatever you want. If you're late, everything will be gone!" The waiter behind the counter had an impatient face and knocked on the table twice in front of Liu Meiyu's eyes to urge her.
"Do you have any mutton soup?" I saw a column on the blackboard saying that mutton soup is a special offer today, and I guessed that Liu Bowen and Lu Changzheng would like it.
"Nine cents a bowl! Plus four ounces of food coupons!" The waiter spoke in a loud voice, glancing at Liu Meiyu from head to toe, as if trying to guess whether she was willing to pay the money.
There was quite a lot of mutton soup sold this morning, but there were also many people who asked the price and then turned around and left.
"I want two bowls." Liu Meiyun took out the bill and said to the waiter with a smile, "Comrade, can you bring the other bowl later? Please put it in the pot to warm it up first. My husband will be here later and I'm afraid it will be cold."
The waitress was a girl who looked a few years older than Liu Meiyun. She had short hair and looked quite cute if she didn't frown all the time.
She frowned, thought for a few seconds, then took the money and nodded: "I'll go to the kitchen and tell the chef, you guys find a seat, otherwise there will be no seats left."
"Well, thank you, comrade." Liu Meiyu took her brother to sit down.
I think the attitude of the waiters in the state-owned hotel here, although not comparable to those in the private hotels of later generations, at least they didn't give her the cold shoulder, which was much better than what she had encountered before.
And what they said was true. If it was a few minutes later, not only would the mutton soup on the blackboard have run out, but there would also be no extra seats.
A bowl of mutton soup cost nine cents plus □□ bills. Unlike the palm-sized bowls of later times, the waiter brought a large porcelain bowl with several pieces of mutton sprinkled with chopped green onions and boiling oil. The flavor was as strong as it could be.
Liu Meiyun divided the mutton soup into two bowls and pushed them in front of the boy. "It's a little hot. Blow it yourself."
The little guy swallowed his saliva, and impatiently grabbed the spoon with his little hands. He blew on it twice before putting it into his mouth, just like Liu Meiyu did. The serious and satisfied look on his little face made old aunt Liu Meiyu feel sweet and happy.
What was even more gratifying was that the little girl drank the hot soup with satisfaction, handed the first piece of mutton that she had laboriously scooped out of the bowl to her mouth, and said in a baby voice: "Sister, eat meat!"
"They're in my bowl, they're all Bowen's." Liu Meiyu pushed her little arm back and pointed to the bowl in front of her.
Liu Bowen tilted his head and stared at the two bowls on the table. He hesitated for a long time before saying, "Save that bowl for my brother-in-law. He has no meat to eat."
“…”
Liu Meiyu's smile froze on her face.
It turns out that after she was moved for so long, this child was actually worried that Lu would have no meat to eat during the Chang Zheng!
"Don't leave any for him, we'll eat it all!" Liu Meiyu was in a bad mood. She quickly finished the bowl of mutton soup in front of the little guy.
I have to say, the mutton soup at this time tastes really good, fresh and rich.
Liu Bowen stared at the only bowl of soup left on the table, his face twisted for a long time, his saliva almost flowing down to his neck. He just tasted a little bit with the tip of his tongue, as if he wanted to hold on and wait for Lu Changzheng to come back.
Liu Meiyu neither tried to persuade him nor was she too lazy to give any unnecessary explanations. The young man was stubborn anyway. He thought that when Lu Changzheng came back, he would just see how generous his brother-in-law was to him. She added a lot of saliva to the soup and waited for him to taste it.
"Liu Meiyu?" A rough voice suddenly came from the opposite side.
Looking up, she saw three young people sitting at the table next to her, two men and one woman. The man named her was dressed in coarse cloth, had several scabby cuts on his face, sunken eye sockets, and an untidy beard, looking very ferocious.
Liu Meiyu felt that this man's features were very familiar. She was searching her memory when she saw the man walk over to her table with an excited look on his face, sit down, pull his collar down, and say excitedly, "Girl, do you remember me?"
"Brother Yao?" Liu Meiyu looked at the man calmly. It was really hard to imagine that the man who was engaged in speculation and profiteering in Shanghai a few months ago, with a shrewd face, now appeared in front of her in such a wolfish look. Moreover, if she was not mistaken, the man was limping when they were only two steps apart.
Such a big change in just a few months, what has happened?
Liu Meiyu was alert but kept calm. She glanced at the men behind her. The man and woman looked to be in their early twenties. They both looked unwell, but their eyes were clear. They just looked at her curiously and had no intention of coming over to say hello.
"Yes, yes, yes! It's me!" Seeing that Liu Meiyu still remembered him, Yao Shunliu's eyebrows lit up with joy.
"Brother Yao, how did you get into this state?" Liu Meiyu knew that Yao Shunliu was going to the countryside. Since she met him here, it must be that the place where he was going to the countryside was nearby. This was not surprising. What she was curious about was how the man got himself into this state.
"It's hard to put it into words," Yao Shunliu sighed, his tone dejected, "I ran into some trouble."
The man obviously didn't want to say more, so Liu Meiyu didn't ask much, but only asked with concern: "How is Brother Yao now? Has all the troubles been resolved?"
Yao Shunliu was a smart man. He could tell the test in Liu Meiyun's words and admired her tact and prudence. He laughed to himself and said, "These are just some family matters. They have been resolved. I'll just take it as a lesson from God."
Hearing him say this, Liu Meiyu smiled and picked up the teapot on the table and poured him a cup of hot tea. "There is an old saying that a loss is a blessing, don't be discouraged, brother Yao. Life is full of uncertainties."
Yao Shunliu was amused by Liu Meiyun's mature tone. He shook off his previous low mood and joked, "Sister, if I wasn't two years older than you, I would call you sister."
Liu Meiyu just smiled and said nothing.
Yao Shunliu was also very good at observing people's expressions. He knew that Liu Meiyu must be worried about him, so he simply told her about his situation first.
"I was originally sent to the countryside near Shanghai, but something happened and I was brought here. I'm now in Xiaosong Village, Xiangyang Commune, not too far from here. The two people there are from the same educated youth camp as me. They are both from Beijing and came to the city to buy office supplies. I came here to see my leg and change the bandages."
Yao Shunliu said this sincerely, and then he looked at the boy curiously, who was playing with the bowl and licking his tongue: "What about you, girl? Who is this child?"
"This is my brother." Liu Meiyu rubbed Liu Bowen's head and said with a smile: "I'm married, my husband works here, so I brought my brother here. He is working now, and we are waiting for him here."
"Are you married?" Yao Shunliu asked unconsciously.
"Yes," Liu Meiyu nodded.
"Don't get me wrong, I was just surprised. I didn't expect you to get married so early." Yao Shunliu asked and then felt that it was inappropriate and redundant.
"It's okay." Liu Meiyu didn't take it seriously. She glanced at his legs and asked sincerely, "Brother Yao, your leg is not seriously injured, right?"
"It's not serious," Yao Shunliu said calmly, "It hasn't stopped yet, but it will have some impact on my walking in the future."
There are sequelae left, it seems the leg was seriously injured.
Although the man said he was open-minded, Liu Meiyu still caught the forbearance and hatred hidden in his eyes.
Liu Meiyu thinks that even though Yao Shunliuru looks down and out now, he is definitely not the kind of person who gives up easily. He has vision and courage, and a strong character. As long as he seizes the opportunity, there is no telling what he will become in the future.
Most importantly, she felt that this person's character seemed to be okay, with clear eyes. He was not the kind of person with cloudy eyes and ulterior motives.
"Sister, we will be going back to the village soon. I left you my address. I don't mean any other reason. I just think it's fate to meet a fellow villager from such a far distance. If you need anything, you can write to me. I will definitely help you if I can."
After a few pleasantries, Yao Shunliu saw that his companions were urging him, so he didn't say anything more. He took out a small notebook and wrote down the address of the educated youth center for Liu Meiyu.
"Brother Yao, is there anything I can help you with?" Liu Meiyu took the note and asked.
"Not yet, I'm fine." Yao Shunliu shook his head and was about to leave when Liu Meiyu asked, "Brother Yao, I told you last time to prepare more money before going to the countryside. Have you prepared it?"
Yao Shunliu froze, his expression unchanged: "Of course."
"That's good." Liu Meiyu smiled at him and suddenly put the note that the man had just handed to him back on the table. "Brother Yao, I wrote down the address. You can take this back."
Yao Shunliu glanced around and saw a stack of bills pressed on the table by the note. He was stunned and looked at Liu Meiyu in disbelief.
"Brother Yao, it is fate to meet an old friend in a foreign land. You helped me before, and I will remember it. Everyone has difficulties. I regard you as a friend. Take these things back with you. Your body is the foundation of everything. Take care of your legs. I believe that Brother Yao is such a smart person, and his future life will definitely get better and better."
Seeing the affirmation in Liu Meiyu's eyes, Yao Shunliu felt hot sweat on his back. He hadn't felt this way in more than 20 years. He didn't know how to describe it. It was as if he and the girl in front of him were old friends who had known each other for decades.
He lowered his head and saw that he was wearing a rag and cotton padded jacket, his hands were covered with frostbite, and his skin was rough and cracked. How could he look like someone with plenty of money and yet still boast about helping others?
"I appreciate your kindness, but I can't accept these." Yao Shunliu pushed back the bill with the note on it.
Although he was in difficulty at the moment, short of money and tickets, and even had to borrow money from the educated youth center to pay for medical treatment, he was not familiar with Liu Meiyu and could not just take such a large sum of money from her for nothing. That thick stack of money must have been at least fifty yuan.
"Then just consider it as a loan from me. With Brother Yao's ability, he will definitely not default on his debt. Maybe I can even charge him interest in the future." Liu Meiyu looked at the man with a smile.
Yao Shunliu is a smart man with a brain. She believes that after the reform and opening up in the future, this man will not do too badly.
"You really think highly of me." Yao Shunliu had never been praised so highly by anyone. Although when he was in Shanghai, everyone called him Brother Liuzi, everyone knew that he was just a speculator who might be put to jail any day, and he didn't have any real skills.
Pushing the paper back on the table, Liu Meiyu said, "Brother Yao, don't be unconfident. I believe in my own judgment."
The man's eyelids twitched, and he stared at Liu Meiyu for a long time, remembering how this girl looked at fake antiques. Finally, he grabbed the note on the table and stuffed it into his pocket. "Thank you, I will definitely return it to you in the future. I gave you my address, you can find me."
Liu Meiyu nodded and watched Yao Shunliu and the other two educated youth leave the state-owned hotel.
"Liuzi, who was that girl just now? She's very pretty." On the street, the young man tried to hold back for a long time but still couldn't resist his curiosity.
"An old friend." Yao Shunliu held the warm bills in his pocket, feeling that the gloom of the past few days seemed to be gradually dissipating.
"You left your address and got rejected!" The man didn't see the money under the note, so he said as a matter of course: "If you ask me, don't be sad, think positively, our household registration has been transferred to the countryside, whether we can go back in the future is another matter. I see that the girl is from the city, and she is so beautiful, it is easy for her to find a worker in the city. Don't be too sad, love can't be forced."
The man kept chattering and didn't notice that the girl next to him was pursing her lips and not saying anything. He secretly glanced at Yao Shunliu with his eyes dim.
Yao Shunliu didn't care. With the money in his pocket, he became more active. After living in the countryside for a few months, he felt that he was not suitable for this place.
Not long after Yao Shunliu left, Lu Changzheng also returned.
"Buying so much?" Looking at the man's backpack full of vegetables that was about to overflow, Liu Meiyu wanted to go over and help.
"Just sit there and don't move." Lu Changzheng put the backpack on the ground, sweating profusely from the heat.
"Have a drink first." Liu Meiyun poured him a cup of tea. Liu Bowen also joined in the fun, tugged at Lu Changzheng's sleeve, pointed at the mutton soup he had been "guarding" for half a day, and said attentively: "Brother-in-law, eat meat!"
Lu Changzheng first drank some tea to moisten his throat. Seeing that the young man did not forget his brother-in-law while eating meat, he was immediately moved and felt warm in his heart. He picked up the porcelain bowl and gulped down a few mouthfuls, finishing most of the bowl of cold mutton soup.
"Is it delicious?" asked Liu Meiyu.
"It tastes good." Lu Changzheng nodded, not daring to say it didn't taste good.
"There's another bowl, reserved for you." Liu Meiyu went to the counter and brought the man another bowl of hot soup, and poured a small half bowl of hot soup for Liu Bowen, "Eat it quickly, we still have to go to the post office after eating."
"Okay!" Lu Changzheng said without hesitation. He has never lost in a competition of eating speed.
Liu Bowen picked at the bowl and was finally able to drink the soup and eat the meat happily. He buried his little face in the bowl, chewing the fragrant mutton slices with his cheeks. He squinted at his brother-in-law, who was doing the same. As if the two of them were competing, they soon finished both bowls of mutton soup.
"Are you full?" Lu Changzheng picked up the little guy and pressed his round belly.
"Full!" Liu Bowen smiled and burped.
"Let's go when you're full." Liu Meiyu wiped the boy's mouth and urged the man.
There are three boat trips back to the island each day, morning, noon and evening. She didn't want to rush back on the last one. She hadn't done anything this morning and felt a little tired. It was probably because she had become more and more lazy since her marriage. She felt so tired after moving for a while. It seemed that she had to exercise more in the future.
Lu Changzheng was carrying a large basket of vegetables on his back, holding Liu Bowen in his arms, and he had one hand free to hold his wife. His clothes were wrinkled, and he looked very shaggy with sweat on his forehead, but the happy smile on his eyes and eyebrows never faded.
By the time he reached the post office, Lu Changzheng's joy at becoming a father for the first time had not subsided but was growing stronger and stronger. He could not help but want to send a telegram to his father in the capital.
Liu Meiyu could see the man's thoughts. She glanced at the unused telephone at the post office counter and said, "I'll send the letter first. You can call your husband and your aunt directly."
"Wife, you are so considerate!" At this moment, Lu Changzheng's eyes were full of stars when he looked at Liu Meiyu.
"Tsk." Liu Meiyu glared at the man, "Hurry up, don't waste time."
"Hey!" Lu Changzheng picked up the phone with a smile and called his grandfather's office.
After waiting for a long time, Liu Meiyun had sent all the letters. When she turned around, she just happened to hear Lu Changzheng's loud voice excitedly shouting into the phone: "Grandpa, Meiyun is pregnant, I'm going to be a father!"
Even the staff in front of and behind the counter were attracted by his deep, powerful, and extremely excited voice, and all looked towards them.
Liu Meiyu smiled awkwardly, walked over and pinched the man's waist, "Keep your voice down."
Lu Changzheng nodded obediently and pulled his wife to him. The couple put their ears to the receiver and listened to the old man's hearty laughter on the other end of the phone.
"Haha, you're awesome! I'm about to have a great-grandson!"
"Grandpa, Meiyun is here too." Chief Lu kindly reminded him, but the old man scolded him and said with disdain: "Why don't you give the phone number to my grandson's wife? What can I say to you?"
Lu Changzheng had no choice but to hand the phone to Liu Meiyun.
"Grandpa" Liu Meiyu answered the phone, feeling a little nervous for some reason. After being married for a few months, this was the first time she had faced Lu Changzheng's family so directly.
The old man was unexpectedly easy to get along with, and he spoke in a humorous and witty manner, not in a rigid or serious manner. As for Liu Meiyu, as long as she wanted to make people happy, she would say a lot of nice things.
The old man on the other end of the phone was laughing so hard that he completely forgot about his grandson who was waiting anxiously beside him.
"Bo Wen, say hello to grandpa." After getting familiar with each other, Liu Meiyu brought her brother over to say hello to the old man.
Liu Bowen has changed a lot in the past few months on the island. He is no longer timid and evasive. He holds the phone with curiosity and calls out in a baby voice, "Grandpa!"
When he really heard someone respond from the other end, his eyes lit up and he looked at his sister and brother-in-law a little helplessly.
On the other end of the phone, the old man was communicating with the young man in a soft voice. Liu Bowen was curious at first, but then he started to respond, becoming more and more relaxed.
"Grandpa, thank you."
Liu Meiyu promptly pulled Liu Bowen away from the "phone game" and expressed her sincere gratitude to her grandfather.
Whether it was the generous dowry given by her grandfather when they got married or his attitude towards Bowen and her, her grandson's wife, Liu Meiyu felt that her grandfather was a rare open-minded and broad-minded elder in the world.
"Why thank me? We are all family. You are pregnant with my great-grandson from the Lu family. You will have a hard time in the future. If you have any problems, just tell grandpa. Let Changzheng do the housework. Don't let him sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor. He was naughty in the past. He would tear down the roof if he was not punished for three days..."
"Old man, that's enough," Lu Changzheng impatiently grabbed the phone, "I still need to call my aunt, so let's leave it at that for now."
After finally hanging up the phone, Lu Changzheng called the Yulin Military District Hospital again, but the patient was undergoing surgery. The couple couldn't wait any longer, so they simply sent a telegram.
"The old man is not usually so long-winded."
When Lu Changzheng came out of the post office after paying the phone bill, the staff looked at them as if they were fools.
Who would be willing to spend so much money on making a phone call these days? Phone bills are very expensive.
Liu Bowen doesn’t know whether the phone bill is expensive or not, he only knows that “Phone Grandpa” is amazing.
"Sister, Grandpa said he flew a plane!"
Even after walking two blocks away, the little guy was still very excited. His eyes curved into crescents and he waved his little arms back and forth in the air.
Lu Changzheng picked up the kid and said, "Of course not. You have to work hard and strive to be able to fly a plane in the future."
Liu Meiyun walked beside the two of them and thought to herself that the old man was clearly driving a fighter plane...
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