Over there, Zhang Guoqing was also hurriedly riding his bicycle to Zhoujia Village. It was probably around seven o'clock now, and everyone in the village had gone to work. There were not many people to see along the way, except for a few old ladies and old men, and some children.
The gate to the Zhou family compound was open, and Zhang Guoqing pushed the cart in, shouting, "Grandpa, Grandma, I'm Xiaowu. Are you here?"
Grandma Zhou came out and invited him in: "I heard Jiaojiao gave birth to a big fat boy last night, is that true? Is she feeling well now? I'll have to trouble your mother to take care of her during the confinement period."
Zhang Guoqing followed Grandma Zhou into the main hall. Grandpa Zhou was smoking a pipe. When he saw Zhang Guoqing, he nodded and asked him to sit next to him.
"Grandpa, I'm here today to tell you the good news. I'm a little late, having just returned from the city. I wanted to buy some pig's trotters for her to eat."
"Look, I'll go back to you as soon as I finish shopping, and I haven't been back yet. My mother asked you and grandma to join in the fun while she's having her third day bath." Zhang Guoqing explained to the old man.
Grandpa Zhou nodded and said, "Okay, go back later and take the two hens and eggs back first. These are specially raised by your grandmother for Jiaojiao to take care of during her confinement. We will also help you find the other things. Take good care of yourself during this confinement period and make your mother suffer for this month. I will ask Jiaojiao to be filial to your mother in the future."
Grandma Zhou then added, "How much did the baby weigh when he was born? Did you produce milk last night? Was he well behaved last night? Jiaojiao was very well behaved when she was little, and she never made a fuss at night."
Seeing the two elderly people's faces full of anticipation, Zhang Guoqing explained to them in detail: "Jiaojiao had a seizure yesterday afternoon. She was born four hours ago and fell asleep immediately. She didn't wake up until after 8 o'clock in the evening. After waking up, she ate a big bowl of chicken noodle soup and two eggs. The baby weighed more than 6 kilograms when he was born. At first, he fell asleep after drinking some hot water. At around 8 or 9 o'clock, Jiaojiao started breastfeeding and the baby fell asleep after eating. He woke up again and again at 2 o'clock in the morning to feed. I left at around 5 o'clock in the morning and they were both asleep. My mother took over my shift to take care of them."
Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou were delighted to hear this. Grandma Zhou said that she wished Jiaojiao was so well behaved when she was a child.
The two elders also asked in detail what preparations the family had made for the confinement period, and whether the child had enough winter clothes. These were originally to be prepared by Zhou's mother.
Now Grandma Zhou was feeling a bit awkward. Zhang Guoqing knew it wasn't that Mother Zhou hadn't prepared, but that someone had snatched it away. The two elders were probably also in the dark...
But he didn't intend to point it out. After all, this was the last time. If he wanted to receive something sent to his son again in the future, he could only dream about it. At this point, he remembered that he hadn't mentioned the main matter yet.
Zhang Guoqing looked at Grandpa Zhou, touched his forehead, and then said, "Grandpa, I want to tell my grandparents, mother-in-law, second uncle, and aunt about the good news. But I don't have their addresses. I want to send something to show my appreciation."
Besides, Jiaojiao's household registration is not with us. Without a household registration, there is no food ration. Plus, we haven't even got our marriage certificate. I want to see what grandpa has to say."
Without waiting for Grandpa Zhou to react, Grandma Zhou told Zhang Guoqing to wait while she went to get it. Zhang Guoqing was secretly observing Grandpa Zhou's reaction from the corner of his eye.
As expected, Grandpa Zhou hesitated, wanting to hold Grandma Zhou back. He probably couldn't refuse in front of Zhang Guoqing, so his face turned purple, and he sighed and began to smoke his pipe again.
Fortunately, Grandma Zhou was quick enough to pull out a few envelopes and stuff them into Zhang Guoqing's hands. Zhang Guoqing secretly laughed, thinking that Grandma Zhou must have understood Grandpa Zhou's intentions and hadn't left him any way out.
He followed Grandma Zhou's lead and placed the envelope in his underwear pocket. He felt it and it was truly empty. What did this mean? Was it something shameful, or did Zhou Jiao know it wasn't the truth, and Grandpa Zhou was doing it on purpose?
Grandpa Zhou finally managed to say something after a long while: "Xiaowu, wait until you send the package to me, and I'll take a look at what else you can send along. If you don't have time, ask your uncle to go; he knows the people at the post office."
Zhang Guoqing laughed secretly. Grandpa Zhou was really old. Even children didn't believe him. It was true that someone who knew the post office might confiscate his letters.
As for Uncle Zhou, as a junior, it's hard to judge him. Who knows if he's truly smart or just pretending to be stupid? He's never mean to anyone. Grandpa and Grandma Zhou, born into a wealthy family and well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, how could they raise such an idiot? If he were truly stupid, he wouldn't be so partial to me.
Zhang Guoqing nodded quickly and said with a smile: "Okay, I'll go up the mountain to see if there are any wild animals these days. It will look better if I send them to you when the time comes." Agreeing is one thing, but doing it is another.
"Grandpa, please stop smoking dry tobacco. It's bad for your health. If you want to smoke, try using sugar to quit. Jiaojiao is just worried about you and grandma. And how is grandma's health now? Has your last cold affected you now? Jiaojiao said you got rheumatism in winter and you keep having it all night. Tell me if you need anything. I'll go into the mountains to see if there's anything I can find."
Grandma Zhou took Zhang Guoqing's hands, patted them and said, "It's useless. This is an old age disease. When people get old, their bodies become weak. I can take their pulses myself. Winter is coming. It will be much better with the wolfskin you gave me last time. Good boy, tell Jiaojiao not to worry. Her grandmother's body won't collapse so easily."
"Okay, I'll try to persuade her. When the weather is good, if you want to visit Jiaojiao this month, just ask someone to pass on the message and I'll ride my bike over to pick her up. You can chat with her. When she's done with her confinement, I'll bring her to see you."
"Haha, kid, it's just a few steps away. I can go there slowly by myself. The child is still young, so you can help her take care of the child when you are free. You should ask her to take good care of herself during the confinement period. She is still too young. It will be harmful to her body to have a baby too early. If it were before, it would be best to mix bird's nest and donkey-hide gelatin." Grandma Zhou said regretfully.
Zhang Guoqing was delighted to hear this. Others didn't have such a tonic, but he did. He thought it was a good opportunity to ask an expert. He also wondered how well Jiaojiao had learned medicine, and whether she knew how to use it.
Zhang Guoqing lowered his head and thought about how he could find an excuse to take these things out without arousing suspicion. With a puzzled look on his face, he asked curiously, "Grandma, can you tell me where I can buy donkey-hide gelatin and bird's nest right now? Can I find them on the black market?"
Grandma Zhou shook her head. "Bird's nest is such a precious thing nowadays. Not only can it not be bought, but even if you could buy it, you can't afford it. Bird's nest is only available in wealthy families with a good foundation. Ordinary people haven't seen it. After the liberation, when the landlords and rich families were liquidated, even if they had it, no one would dare to sell it.
As for donkey hide gelatin, it might be available on the black market, but it's not easy to find here. If anyone goes to Shandong, they can buy good donkey hide gelatin; that's where the donkey hide gelatin factory is. If there's donkey hide gelatin available, Jiaojiao knows how to prepare it; she can make it."
The more Zhang Guoqing listened, the brighter his eyes became. Even Grandpa Zhou looked at him curiously. This kid was a secretive person. He had always thought he was a cunning guy, but fortunately, he was sincere to Jiaojiao.
"Grandma, you forgot that my eldest sister-in-law's second brother is a sports car owner at the textile factory. I went to find him and tried to figure it out. He goes out a lot and he must know someone who owns sports cars. Let's try to contact him and see if anyone can bring some over to Shandong."
Grandma Zhou nodded. This was a good idea. She was also happy for Jiaojiao. "That's good. The food is good enough. Tell Jiaojiao not to complain about it. The money her mother sends her every month is enough for her to eat. She can afford it."
"No need. I have some private money from selling some wild animals. My mother also asked me to keep it. It's no problem to raise Jiaojiao. I also plan to ask my mother-in-law not to send money. We have already started our own families and careers. I would feel useless if I asked her to send money again. Okay, I will go to the city this afternoon to find someone to buy donkey-hide gelatin." Zhang Guoqing revealed this deliberately to prevent them from blaming his mother-in-law.
"That's fine. You're all grown up now. Talk to your mom. It's not easy for her either."
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