Chapter 116
Before Bi Chunliu arrived at the compound, he saw Deng Hong and Liu Juan walking slowly back home.
The two looked like twins, one hand on their waist and the other holding a water bottle. Bi Chunliu found it odd. Liu Juan's pregnancy was confirmed about a month later than Deng Hong's, yet their conditions looked similar, even their bellies were similar in shape. This made her wonder if Liu Juan's meals were too good, and that they had filled her bellies so well.
"Xiao Liu, why are you getting off work so early today?" Deng Hong greeted Liu Juan.
Liu Juan smiled and hummed, "Sister Deng, you didn't wait for your Yalan?"
Deng Hong's smile widened. Her sister Deng Shan was finally going to marry the young man introduced to her. She had thought that Director Lu would not like A Shan as a daughter-in-law, but unexpectedly, the young man liked A Shan.
"Yalan is out playing with her third aunt. I'll go home and cook."
Liu Juan: "Is that so?"
Deng Hong looked at Liu Juan's belly, as if she was worried about her, and asked, "Xiao Liu, your belly looks quite big. Someone who didn't know you would think you were pregnant for over seven months like me. So, your husband Xiangbei is a capable man. Maybe you got pregnant right after you got married to him."
Liu Juan lowered her head as if embarrassed, but she was cursing in her heart, "You are so talkative!" Turning her eyes, she also said with concern: "Sister Deng, I see that you seem to be in good spirits recently. I think you are pregnant with a sweet little cotton-padded jacket. Oh, when you give birth to the second child, you and Brother Qi Chao will enjoy a blessing, a little cotton-padded jacket each."
Deng Hong secretly thought to herself, "Bah! This bitch!"
Bi Chunliu followed behind, confused. Was the atmosphere in the compound bad lately? Why were they suddenly attacking each other? What was going on?
"Ah—" Liu Juan had just stepped onto the steps in front of the courtyard when she was bumped by someone rushing out. She quickly dodged to the side, but still screamed in fear. Then she covered her stomach and cursed: "Don't you have eyes?"
The person who rushed out was Pan Juan. She looked very bad and was worried that she would bump into someone. She put her things on the ground to calm herself down. She asked Liu Juan if she was okay and whether she needed to go to the hospital. When she heard Liu Juan say that everything was fine, she felt relieved and picked up the things at her feet and left.
Aunt Zhang rushed out of the house, her face looked very bad, and she raised her eyebrows and scolded Pan Juan, "Go! Go if you have the guts! Our Zhang family can't afford a daughter-in-law like you. You get a droopy face when I say a few words to you." Then she sat on the ground, patted the ground, and started crying, calling her father, mother, father-in-law, and mother-in-law. She said that she was sorry for the Zhang family and chose such a daughter-in-law who didn't respect the old woman and was not nice to her. She took the children to live in her parents' home all the time, and made the eldest grandson not like her as a grandmother. "Oh, Jianyuan's father, we married the wrong daughter-in-law. She is so good at talking that Jianyuan doesn't listen to me anymore. I told her to have a child but she won't have another one. His father, please take me away——"
Pan Juan looked at Aunt Zhang with resentment and shouted loudly, "I can't have children? It's obviously your son who can't have children! He's sick! Do you know that it's Zhang Jianyuan who is sick! I made me drink bitter medicine for so many years and I was kind enough not to bother you. If you have the ability, just follow Zhang Jianyuan and see. If it weren't for my good health, he wouldn't have any children. It's obviously your Zhang family's seeds that are not good, but you blame my land! I tell you, you old hag, if you make me angry, I will make sure you never see Haohao in your life! I tell you, when Zhang Jianyuan comes back, tell him that I want to divorce him! "
After cursing, Pan Juan stormed off, leaving behind a group of people who had just gotten off work and were stunned by the amount of information they had swallowed.
What did that mean? Zhang Jianyuan couldn't have children? Was he ill? Everyone couldn't help but think of what Zhang Jianyuan had said: that one child, raised well, was enough, and that quality was more important than quantity. So, it was because he couldn't have children.
Aunt Zhang screamed, "You're fucking bullshit!!" She was afraid that what Pan Juan said was true, and she was also afraid that she would really not be allowed to see Haohao in the future. She quickly got up, pushed away the people in front of her, pushed through the crowd, and went to chase Pan Juan.
"Ah!" someone groaned in pain, and everyone realized that the person Aunt Zhang had just pushed was Liu Juan, who was pregnant. Liu Juan collapsed to the ground, holding her stomach in pain, and bright red blood gradually seeped out of her navy blue pants.
Liu Qingqing leaned her back against the wall, clutching her belly and screaming, "Hurry up, hurry up! Liu Juan is about to give birth!!"
Xue Zhengchu and his wife were there. As the eldest uncle in the courtyard, he was also very panicked. He asked someone to call Nie Xiangbei and ask him to rush to the hospital, and then asked someone to go to the next door courtyard to borrow a cart.
A cart was borrowed, and Aunt Lei also contributed the straw mat she had woven when she was practicing a few days ago. Liu Qingqing and her friends placed the small mattress prepared at home next to Liu Juan, and then the group rushed to the hospital in a panic.
Liu Qingqing, who was pregnant with a big belly, naturally did not go to the hospital with them. She stretched out her hands to hold the wall and gasped for breath. She was scared just now and it reminded her of the time when she had a miscarriage. Then she quickly spat three times, hoping that bad things would not work but good things would.
Bi Chunliu didn't want to go back home, so she went straight to find Aunt Liu. Aunt Liu hadn't gone out yet and was lying by the window watching.
"Aunt Liu, what happened to Aunt Zhang?"
Aunt Liu was knitting sweaters for her unborn grandchildren. She waved her hand gloomily, "I just don't want to talk to her much. Ever since I found out Xiaoyue was pregnant, she's been nagging Jianyuan or Pan Juan. She had a fight with Jianyuan and Pan Juan a few days ago. Maybe Jianyuan got impatient. The day before yesterday, he went out, saying he was studying or something, so Pan Juan took Haohao to live with her parents. She's off work today, so she came back to get two clothes, and then Old Zhang started arguing with Pan Juan again. It seems like he wants Pan Juan to take medicine so she can have another child."
Bi Chunliu sighed inwardly. So that's how it was. Zhang Jianyuan was about the same age as Liu Xiaoyue and Anqing. Seeing her old partner, Aunt Liu, about to have three grandchildren, Aunt Zhang was not anxious. However, she didn't expect that it wasn't her daughter-in-law who was infertile, but her son who was infertile.
Aunt Liu put the wool in her hand into the basket and asked, "Did you hear what Pan Juan said just now?"
Bi Chunliu nodded, and Aunt Liu continued, "Old Zhang is the same. She only had one child, Jianyuan, so why did she force Pan Juan to have another one? Now that Pan Juan has exposed Jianyuan's problems, what will happen if they really get divorced?"
Bi Chunliu and Aunt Liu exchanged a glance and sighed. Although Bi Chunliu didn't say it, she felt that if Pan Juan really wanted a divorce, it would be better than not divorcing at all. Her family loved her, and she had a good job. Even if she remarried, she would have to consider Haohao and whether she wanted to have another child.
The two chatted for a while, and then Liu Xiaoyue and Anqing left work. Ever since Liu Xiaoyue became pregnant, Anqing would always send her home before leaving even if he was on duty.
"Chunliu is here too? Mom, what's going on outside? I heard that Nie Laosan's wife is about to give birth. Isn't it too early for her?" Liu Xiaoyue washed her hands and sat down.
Aunt Liu told her daughter what had happened. Liu Xiaoyue patted her chest in fear. Fortunately, she had something to do today and did not get off work as usual.
After a while, brothers Liu Jiang and Liu He also returned. Everyone in the Liu family was present. Bi Chunliu didn't want to be tactless and delay others from making dinner, so she quickly stood up and said, "Aunt Liu, Sister Xiaoyue, I'm going back first."
"Just eat at home. Xia He and Qiu Guo can cook anyway, so you won't go hungry." Aunt Liu pulled Bi Chunliu to stay for dinner.
"No, I'll come back another day."
Bi Chunliu came out of the compound and saw Nie Xiangbei running past when she passed the intersection. She quickened her pace. She wanted to see if Wei Guo had returned home. She must give him a few more words of advice. There were many pregnant women in the compound now, so he must be careful.
The next afternoon, after work, Bi Chunliu learned from Qiu Guo about Liu Juan's situation. She had finally given birth that morning, a son, but the child hadn't fully grown yet and had been placed in an incubator. Liu Juan was also injured and needed to be well cared for for the next few years, and she couldn't have any more children. It was said that if someone hadn't stopped him, Nie Xiangbei would have wanted to destroy the Zhang family.
Because of this incident, Bi Chunliu once again warned her three younger brothers and sisters to stay away from pregnant women and suppress their curiosity. Hearing this, the three of them nodded repeatedly, especially Bi Qiuguo, who only dared to ask Liu He about it and didn't dare to return to the compound.
Bi Chunliu: "Liu Juan's matter is definitely not over yet. Now we just have to wait for Zhang Jianyuan to come back."
Bi Qiuguo finished the water on the table and said, "Liu He said Aunt Liu said the same thing. Zhang Jianyuan must be very worried when he comes back. Aunt Pan Juan is still taking Haohao to his grandmother's house."
"Weiguo, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with you?" Bi Chunliu saw that Weiguo seemed to have something to say, and was afraid that he had encountered something, so he asked him quickly.
Bi Qiuguo and Bi Xiahe, who was lost in thought, also looked up at him. Bi Weiguo was a little embarrassed to speak, pursing his lips. "The canteen's logistics manager said he has a niece who's about my age and wants to introduce her to me."
Bi Chunliu breathed a sigh of relief. He'd thought it was something else, but it turned out someone had introduced him to someone. Huh? Weiguo was only 16, and someone had already introduced him to someone?
"Doesn't that person know you're only 16?"
Bi Weiguo nodded and said, "My master has already rejected it. He said that I am too young now and I should wait a few years until I am more settled before getting married."
"That's good, that's good." Bi Chunliu thought for a moment and said, "You are both still young, so just be like me and wait until you are 20 to get married. But Weiguo is already working, so if there is someone suitable, we can get in touch first. You two, forget it, just study hard."
Bi Qiuguo is not interested in finding a partner, and Bi Xiahe is now focused on going to a technical secondary school, so she has no intention of finding a partner.
Bi Weiguo scratched his head and chuckled, "Sister, my master's wife has a cousin. My master said he would introduce them to me when their family comes to our Nanshan."
Bi Chunliu: ...So, Master Cai wants to internalize the process and strengthen the connection. "It all depends on your opinion. If you don't like the girl, don't think too much about it. Just focus on learning your cooking."
"Yeah, I know."
Liu Juan was born on the 17th day of the first lunar month and the child was born on the 18th day of the first lunar month.
On the 20th day of the first lunar month, Zhang Jianyuan finally returned home exhausted. He had argued with his mother before leaving, so he went out to buy gifts for her, his wife, and their children. He hoped that his home would still be harmonious after his return.
After returning home, before even reaching home, the first thing he noticed was the mixed looks from the idle, home-cooked women. Zhang Jianyuan clutched his handbag and quietly glanced at his outfit. Seeing nothing amiss, he ignored the chattering women. He went home to change clothes before heading to his mother-in-law's house to pick up his wife and children. Since he wasn't home, his wife must have taken their son back to her parents' home.
The yard was very quiet today. When Zhang Jianyuan opened the door, he saw his mother lying on the bed.
"Mom? What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
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