130. 130 is a girl.
In Su Yu's view, this matter was already resolved. From the moment she stepped out of the room safely, his attitude towards his parents-in-law was no longer her concern. She didn't mention it the next day, focusing all her energy on another matter: visiting her teachers and classmates.
From the 22nd to the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, Su Yu learned from her teachers and classmates that there were indeed nannies available, or more accurately, "on-call" nannies. These were mostly women from impoverished families who came out to take care of new mothers and children. This job was unstable; once their family's situation improved, they would immediately resign and leave. Experienced "on-call" nannies, on the other hand, mostly moved between upper-class families and did not remain on the market waiting to be chosen.
Su Yu and Ning Jin went to check the address. Putting everything else aside, she didn't dare to ask anyone to take care of the child because of the family's complicated situation. If the child got lost, she would be responsible for the rest of her life.
Just then, Xiao Yuan returned. With her youngest son home and the New Year approaching, Su Yu put aside her search for a nanny and took him to buy clothes first.
"You never go shopping? Your clothes are from last year, and your cotton-padded jacket even has holes burned in it by cigarette butts! You smoke!"
"No, I don't smoke. My colleague poked me with a cigarette butt. You can smell me if I smell like smoke." Xiao Yuan held his hand under her nose and saw that she actually smelled it. He chuckled and said, "Would I lie to you? You don't trust me at all."
Su Yu slapped his hand away, glanced at Ping An, and said meaningfully, "Men are complicated; they often say one thing and mean another."
"You mean my dad?" Xiao Yuan looked at the man in the same direction as Ping An. "My dad lied to you?"
"I didn't." Still wanting to save face for Ping An, Ning Jin didn't explain further and urged the mother and son to hurry up and buy clothes, as the shops would be closed for the holidays if they were late.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Er Ya brought her husband, Xiao Hu, and Da Ya and her daughter to pay New Year's visits. The gifts were different from previous years; they were clearly prepared by her mother-in-law, and included milk powder suitable for pregnant women. She was such a thoughtful and considerate person.
"Xiaoqi is due to give birth this summer, right? Will her mother come to help with postpartum care? It's good that the girl married close to her parents' home; she can go back whenever she wants, and her own mother will come to take care of the baby after it's born." Er Ya said with some envy.
Cui Qizi looked a little embarrassed and stammered, "She has to work at the hospital. Ping An originally said he would take care of me during my postpartum period, but then my mother came back and said she would hire a nanny."
Er Ya's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Auntie, where can I hire a nanny? Have you found one yet? If she's reliable, I can borrow her for a while when I'm pregnant and have my baby. I don't mind paying her."
Su Yu said she was still looking and hadn't found a reliable one yet. She looked at Daya and asked if she was still working as a dishwasher at a restaurant.
“Yes, I want to change jobs, but I’ve never been to school and I can’t find a better one.” She glanced at her daughter and said softly, “Qiaoqiao is growing up, and I want to give her a better life.”
"You've never learned to read?" Su Yu asked.
“I’ve learned it. I learned it when Xiaohu was teaching Qiaoqiao. Now I know most of what Qiaoqiao knows.”
How much do you earn now?
"Twenty-eight. My salary only increased by five yuan last year, and I estimate it will be another year or two before I get another raise. That's why I want to change jobs. Besides, I'm afraid Qiaoqiao will be laughed at by her classmates because I'm working as a dishwasher." Daya gripped the hem of her cotton-padded coat tightly, glanced at Erya, and noticed that Erya was also looking at her. She gave an awkward smile. She didn't know if her behavior was right or wrong, but she really wanted to change jobs and didn't want her younger sister to keep buying clothes for Xiaohu and Qiaoqiao, which would make her feel ashamed in front of her mother-in-law. She was the most experienced when it came to mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships; no mother-in-law wanted her daughter-in-law to support her own family.
"Then come work for me. You can take care of Xiaoqi after she gives birth. You took care of Qiaoqiao anyway, and you raised Erya when she was little. I'll pay you 50 a month..."
"So tall? That's too tall, Auntie. She's just taking care of a child." She thought forty was the maximum.
“When Xiaoqi goes back to work after her postpartum period, for example, you will take the baby to the hospital for feeding, and you will put the baby to sleep at night. There are also requirements for taking care of the baby, such as not kissing the baby, not chewing food before feeding it to the baby, and you need to take the baby's clothes out to dry frequently after washing them. I will write everything down for you to follow.” She looked at Xiaoqi and said, “The nanny I hired for you is mainly to take care of the baby. You will do the housework yourselves. I will not be responsible for that.”
Da Ya hesitated. If she took the baby to sleep at night, wouldn't she be unable to go home?
“We take care of the baby ourselves at night, and let Sister Daya take care of the baby during the day,” Xiaoqi said. “If someone else takes care of the baby during the day, it won’t work if we don’t take care of the baby at night. Otherwise, the baby would be someone else’s child, and we wouldn’t have any feelings for the baby. The baby might not even recognize its mother.”
"Okay, I'll add another ten yuan. You can take care of Xiaoqi for one more month during her postpartum period. It'll probably just be helping her get out of bed and use the toilet, cooking three meals a day. There's a washing machine for her clothes. After her postpartum period, it'll be 50 yuan a month. You can discuss the details yourselves. What do you think?" She asked Daya and Xiaoqi, and they both said it was okay, so it was settled.
“Sis, I’ll come and take care of you when you’re in confinement. I’ll be like your mother. Don’t worry about giving birth and don’t worry about who will take care of the baby when you go to school.” Xiao Yuan heard Da Ya’s words as he walked over. He stopped and asked with a smile, “Did I come at the wrong time? This isn’t something I should hear.”
"You're talking like you're not going to get married or have kids. Your mother will still need someone to take care of her before she retires." Er Ya asked him, "Do you have a girlfriend? Do you want me to introduce you to someone? Your sister-in-law has classmates and friends too. If you're interested, ask us for help."
"I don't have a partner and I'm not planning to find one yet." He joked, "So you can't stand seeing other people being single and carefree now that you're married? You want to drag me into marriage too? Learn from my mom, stop talking about dating and marriage all the time. My mom doesn't pressure me."
"The scenery inside the besieged city is beautiful, you greenhorn, you don't understand..."
"Did you need something from me?" Su Yu interrupted Er Ya and asked Xiao Yuan.
"I'm here to find a couple of books to read. Ping An asked me to tell his wife not to sit for too long and to get up and walk around." He shrugged, sounding so sour. How could a grown man not know how to be comfortable?
Seeing his disgusted and contemptuous face, everyone present could see that he was indeed a greenhorn. Su Yu smiled and gave him two books to send him away, so that he wouldn't be teased. Married women are particularly bold in their speech, as if they have broken a seal.
Time flies. From the beginning of the year to the beginning of July, apart from an increase in the number of letters and packages, the past six months seemed no different from previous years for Su Yu and Xiao Yuan. However, Ning Jin was already looking for a reliable and honest driver, as he planned to stop driving long distances.
On the third day of the seventh lunar month, Ning Jin received a telegram from the post office that his eldest granddaughter had been born at midnight on the second day of the seventh lunar month.
"Xiao Yuan, you're back too? You took leave?" Su Yu asked in surprise.
“I went back to the capital a few days ago on business. I figured my baby was due soon, so I didn’t leave and came straight here. I was worried that Ping An would be too busy and wanted to help out, but I didn’t need to do anything. I only found out the morning after the baby was born. Sister Daya went to the hospital yesterday and said she would be discharged tomorrow.” He was also impressed. Ping An had arranged such a big thing as childbirth perfectly. His parents-in-law didn’t even know. He stayed at the hospital for half an hour and ran into two people who looked like they were in a hurry when he was about to leave.
After putting down their things and taking a shower, the three of them went to the hospital to visit the new mother and baby. Xiaoqi was in a good mood, while Ping'an's eyes were completely black.
"Xiaoqi, how are you feeling? Did you suffer a lot during childbirth? How much did the baby weigh?" Su Yu asked, then said to Ping An, "We're here, do you want to go back and get some sleep?"
"I'm fine. Lele weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces at birth. She was born in the hospital where I work and was well taken care of. It was Ping An who suffered. He was busy all night without closing his eyes and only went back to sleep for half a day after Sister Daya came over." She smiled as she said this, her face full of happiness, clearly pleased with Ping An's actions. Indeed, Ping An's actions were impeccable.
"He's so happy to be a father. Even if you asked him to go home that night, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep. The baby's nickname is Lele? What's his formal name?"
“Ning Qile, Qi sounds the same as Qi, it has her father’s surname, and it sounds the same as the second character of her mother’s name. Xiao Qi and I just hope she will be happy for the rest of her life. How about it? Isn’t it nice? I’ve thought about it for a long time.” Ping An was delighted and wanted to praise her.
"It sounds beautiful, it's skillful, and you put a lot of effort into it." Su Yu peeked into Ning Jin's arms at the little girl; she was sure to be a happy child.
With Da Ya around, she was always busy, taking excellent care of both the new mother and the baby. Xiao Qi needed more rest, so after a while, seeing that she was tired, they decided to leave.
“I’ll bring you food after that, Da Ya, you don’t need to go back to cook anymore. Ping An, you can arrange your own time, work when you need to work. I’ll be back for six days, I’ll arrange the meals for these days. Tomorrow I’ll have your dad find a car to come when you’re discharged from the hospital. You should rest well, don’t be so busy with so many people around and your days and nights are all reversed.”
After leaving the hospital, Xiao Yuan, who hadn't said a word, stretched and yawned, exclaiming, "This is love."
"You will also find your love."
He frowned and said helplessly, "I don't know where my love is yet." He had never been in a hurry before, but seeing Ping An so earnestly taking care of his wife and daughter, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion yet still beaming with joy, he suddenly became anxious. What if he hadn't found love? In the past, he thought that as long as it was suitable, that was enough. His grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins all met through blind dates, got married if they felt it was right, and lived happily ever after. But he had never seen that kind of contentment on his aunts', cousins', or his sister-in-law's face; she radiated happiness and joy.
"Of course you will. Try more. Don't back down every time a girl shows interest in you. Don't set boundaries. I have no requirements for my daughter-in-law, so other people's opinions are even less important. Learn from Ping An. He believes that love is between two people, and his wife is his own. He doesn't care about either set of parents." She approves of his thinking because he can shoulder the responsibilities of his small family, without shirking them or regretting his actions.
For the next six days, Su Yu was mostly idle except for cooking for the new mother. The baby was cared for by Da Ya, and Xiao Qi wouldn't let anyone help her get up to use the toilet. He personally prepared mugwort water to bathe her after Ping An returned from work. Xu Qingping came twice but couldn't help, and felt uncomfortable being among the family, so she came and went quickly.
Su Yu told Daya about the scientific methods of raising children that she had learned in her previous life, and seeing that she had remembered them, she decided it was time for her to leave.
"Can I walk?" Ningjin asked his son when he saw Ping'an off at the door that morning.
"Aren't you going to stay a few more days?"
“If you want me to stay a few more days, I will stay a few more days, but I will definitely still live with your mother. I can’t live with you for a long time, that would be no different from living separately.” Ning Jin told him his decision. He definitely couldn’t come and live with his son and daughter-in-law alone. “I’ve already found a driver. When someone drives, I can come back often when I have free time.”
"I didn't intend for you to live with me for a long time. I remember you liked little girls, right? You wanted to give me a little sister back then, but I didn't get one. Now that I have a granddaughter, aren't you a little envious?"
Everyone who has a baby is different, and he doesn't love every baby girl. "Of course I love my granddaughter. I even hired employees so I could visit her more often. If it were just you, I wouldn't even want to see you once a year."
Ping An rolled her eyes. "Whatever, go if you want."
“Then I’ll leave with your mom tomorrow, and I’ll come back at the end of the month.” He took out five hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to him. “Having a child increases expenses, and you and Xiaoqi have only just started working. Keep it so you won’t be short of money.”
Ping An frowned deeply. "I don't want it. What kind of behavior is this? Why are you giving it to me secretly?"
“What do you mean by secretly giving it to him? Your mother knows too. We’ve kept track of every penny we’ve given you since you got married. We’ll give it to Xiaoyuan together after he gets married.” Ning Jin kicked him and cursed, “Is that the kind of person you see me as? Get lost, you’re so annoying.”
"Who told you to give it to me behind my back? How can you blame me for overthinking this?" Ping An pushed the money back and said, "I really don't need the money. Right now, the biggest expense at home is Da Ya's salary. You've already given that to me. Xiao Qi and I both have salaries every month. After deducting food, clothing, housing, and other expenses, we still have some left over. In two years, when our salaries increase, we'll pay Da Ya's salary ourselves."
"Then just send a telegram if you need money."
Less than half a month after Su Yu returned to the Northwest, she received a letter from Er Ya. Er Ya said that a girl had asked her to introduce her to someone and wanted to find out if Xiao Yuan really didn't have a girlfriend. Su Yu told her to write to Xiao Yuan herself and ask him, and to see if Xiao Yuan was willing to find a girlfriend in this way; she wouldn't interfere.
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