It was only the beginning of December when the first snow fell in S City, fluttering and dancing between heaven and earth, dressing the world in a white robe.
Inside the First People's Hospital of S City, Zhao Qing was holding her child in her arms, tears streaming down her face.
"Mom, I...???"
"You want to keep this child?"
A woman sat upright in a chair in the ward. She was about forty years old, wearing a military green Lenin suit, leather shoes, and white gloves. She looked very energetic.
"Mom...?" Zhao Qing looked at the child with reluctance. However, if she kept the child, Wei Guo's family would definitely be unhappy, and then her marriage with Wei Guo would be hindered.
Wei Guo had finally managed to get his parents' consent to their marriage, and if it was because of this child... no, she wasn't willing.
Zhao Qing gritted her teeth and handed the child over, saying, "Mom, please take her back for me."
"Hmm." The woman nodded, took the child, and a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes.
Although she had promised her daughter that she would send the child back to her father's house, the woman had no intention of keeping her promise; she was unwilling to go back to the countryside.
Just as I was about to find a place to throw it away, I heard a lot of noise coming from outside the hospital.
"Let me in, my wife is inside, my wife is inside." The man's voice sounded very familiar; it seemed to be the country man her daughter had married a few years ago.
“There’s no place for a peasant’s wife like you here. You’d better go back.”
"How dare you talk like that? Are you looking down on farmers?" The man frowned and raised his voice even louder when someone said that to him.
It's not easy for this man to have found his way here.
"Hey, look, it's my mother-in-law, my mother-in-law!" Seeing the woman, the man's face lit up with joy, and he rushed over, "Hey, Mom...!"
The nurse who was pushed away was even more displeased, "No noise is allowed in the hospital, Mrs. Zhao, we'll get rid of him immediately."
"No need, I just happen to have a few words I want to say to him." Seeing the woman say this, the nurse nodded and left.
"Mom, why did you suddenly leave with Qingqing? I still want to...???"
"Don't call me Mom." Looking at the man's clothes, the woman's face darkened further. She handed the child to him, saying, "Your daughter."
"Qingqing gave birth to a daughter for me!" The man was overjoyed, looking at the child in his arms, unable to hide his surprise. "Mom, let me see Qingqing. Qingqing, you've worked so hard."
"Remember, this is your daughter alone." The woman's face was full of disapproval as she saw the man's expression.
"Mom, what do you mean?" Seeing the woman's cold expression, the man's heart sank. "How can you speak like that? This is your granddaughter, my daughter, and your daughter's daughter too." The man wasn't stupid; he'd always known his wife's mother looked down on him, but that didn't matter. For his wife's sake, he'd always treated his mother-in-law with utmost respect. He could confidently say that in the entire Nanwan Village, there wasn't another son-in-law who treated his mother-in-law better.
“Ning Anping, things are different now. You should know that Qingqing had someone she loved back then. If she hadn’t thought something had happened to her beloved, would she have married you?” The woman’s voice was very harsh, and it sounded particularly sharp to Ning Anping.
"Mom, you can't just abandon her after you've served your purpose!" What do you mean Qingqing has someone she loves? Since she married me, she should think of me. If she's still thinking about that person she loves, what kind of behavior is that? Isn't that cheating on him? The man was so angry that his face turned red.
He knew, of course, that his family's circumstances weren't good. It was indeed a hardship for Zhao Qing to marry him back then. But after so many years of marriage, he had always cherished Zhao Qing like his precious darling. Many women in the countryside had rough and unsightly skin, but Zhao Qing's skin had always been delicate and fair.
This is all because he spoiled her.
Now that Zhao Qing's mother is telling him to leave with Zhao Qing, how can he be willing to do that?
"I want to talk to Zhao Qing."
"Zhao Qing doesn't want to see you right now. She's about to marry her childhood sweetheart, Han Weiguo, who is now a regimental-level cadre. If you truly love Zhao Qing, then don't disturb her life anymore."
"I...?" It wasn't that he insisted on marrying Zhao Qing in the first place. He knew Zhao Qing was beautiful, talented, and different from the other girls in the village. Although he, like the other men, secretly liked Zhao Qing, he never thought of possessing her. It was Madam Zhao who came to him, saying she wanted Zhao Qing to marry him. Now, Zhao Qing's lover has returned, and he's being forced to step down? The man was heartbroken and extremely unwilling, but he couldn't utter a word of rebuttal.
He truly loves Qingqing.
"Don't call me 'you' or 'me.' When Zhao Qing married you, she was still young and they didn't even get a marriage certificate. Now, the child is yours. Don't bother Zhao Qing anymore. I heard you have a lame widowed mother at home. Here's the money. Go find a village girl and live a good life. As for Zhao Qing, she's not someone you can even dream of. Forget about her as soon as possible."
The woman took out a stack of national grain coupons and some money and handed them to Ning Anping.
Ning Anping's lips trembled as he looked at the grain coupons and money in his hands. He didn't want these things; he only wanted to find his wife.
But Madam Zhao said that Zhao Qing is going to marry a rich man. Her rich man's boyfriend has come looking for her, and she will marry him and become a person of high status.
At that time, she and he will be worlds apart.
Looking at the child in her arms, Ning Anping, no matter how strong she was, couldn't help but shed tears.
This is his and Zhao Qing's child. Since they are getting a divorce, why did they have to have this child?
Ning Anping, holding the child, left the hospital in a daze. Passing a garbage dump, he placed the child beside it.
Qingqing doesn't want him anymore, so what's the point of him having this child?
The snow was still falling. The child, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lay in the garbage heap. Perhaps sensing that he was about to be abandoned, the child began to cry loudly.
Watching the snowflakes gradually engulf the child, Ning Anping couldn't bring herself to do it and picked the child up again.
Strangely enough, the moment he picked up the child, the child stopped crying and stared at Ning Anping with his big, dark eyes.
Ning Anping's heart calmed down instantly. The pain of being abandoned was still there, but it was no longer heavy.
The daughter is his.
She's his daughter, and since Zhao Qing and her mother have both said so, there's no point in him bothering her anymore. After so many years of friendship, he's raised a heartless ingrate.
If his mother knew, she would be heartbroken, but having this granddaughter will probably make her feel a little better.
Daughter, let's go home together. I was just out of my mind. How could I abandon my good daughter?
Ning Anping stroked the child's head, tears falling drop by drop onto the child's scalp.
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