"Aunt Meng, how is it? Is it a boy or a girl?"
Miao Sanfeng saw the mat being lifted and the midwife coming out holding a baby wrapped in a dusty quilt. She hurried over. Although she had long given up hope for her eldest daughter-in-law's pregnancy, she still had a glimmer of hope at this moment.
Old man Jiang put down the pipe in his hand, and there was a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
The midwife, Aunt Meng, also knew about the Jiang family's situation. The gossipers on the team often made fun of the Jiang family's eldest daughter-in-law. At this moment, she smiled and stuffed the swaddling clothes into Miao Sanfeng's hands.
"It's a boy. Your eldest daughter-in-law gave birth to a boy with a male child." This is the only child of the Jiang family. This baby was delivered by her. Aunt Meng has already thought about her rich harvest this time. Now every family has no surplus food, and she is still waiting to earn some cornmeal to cook for her child.
"Son, it's a son." Miao Sanfeng looked at her precious grandson in her arms, who was wrinkled like a red-skinned monkey. Her hands were trembling and her old eyes were filled with tears. Her eldest son finally had an offspring.
When Jiang Cheng heard what the midwife said, he immediately put his pipe on the table and limped to his wife's side. Jiang Cheng had been injured on the battlefield in his early years and had a lame leg. Normally, it was not noticeable when he walked slowly, but at this moment, because he was anxious, he walked faster, and the lame leg could not exert its strength, so he seemed to be limping.
He walked forward and carefully opened the baby's swaddling clothes, and burst into tears with excitement: "It's a boy. The eldest has an heir, and I have a grandson too."
The child with his eyes closed in Miao Sanfeng's arms seemed to be feeling a little uncomfortable. He groaned with his eyes closed and twisted his body.
Old man Jiang's face flushed. He looked at the skinny little baby in the old woman's arms and liked it so much. He wanted to hug the child with his rough hands, but he was afraid that his rough hands would hurt him.
"Brother Jiang, you are really something. Are you afraid that I will cheat you?" Aunt Meng saw Jiang Cheng's actions and rolled her eyes at him unhappily.
"No, no, I'm just too excited. Dahai, why are you still standing there? Go and thank Aunt Meng for what you did."
Old man Jiang is content with having a grandson, so he is naturally not stingy.
"Ah, oh oh" Jiang Dahai was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses. He had been overjoyed about having a son. Over the years, because of not having a son, the pressure he suffered was no less than that of his wife.
Chairman Mao's slogan "Women hold up half the sky" has long been known to everyone, but in their remote rural area, if a family does not have a son, people will talk about it wherever they go, especially Jiang Dahai, who is already in his early thirties this year. People of his age already have several sons. According to their customs, not having a son means there will be no descendants. What's the use of having many daughters? Sooner or later, they will be someone else's.
Now, he finally has a son. Jiang Dahai feels that he can finally walk outside with his back straight. His son, his darling. Jiang Dahai rubs his hands, grinning foolishly, looking at his little cub. His feet seem to be glued to the ground. He responds with his mouth but does not move a single step.
"I think he is so happy that he is silly. Sister Meng, wait a minute, I will get it for you." Miao Sanfeng glanced at her silly son, but she also understood her son's feelings, so she put the child in her arms into her eldest son's hands.
"Be careful, don't let my little grandson fall."
Jiang Cheng looked at his son with envy, wondering why his wife didn't give his precious grandson to him.
"Dad, my son, I have a son." Jiang Dahai's hands were stiff, two rows of white teeth were revealed on his dark face, and he smiled like a fool.
"Why are you so proud? He is still my grandson." Jiang Cheng was happy and didn't bother with him.
They have been looking forward to this golden grandson for so many years, and finally he has arrived.
On the other side, Miao Sanfeng was in the kitchen thinking about what to send.
Jiang Cheng's leg was lame because he was trying to save his old leader on the battlefield. It can be considered an honorable injury. Although he retired due to this injury, he still received a lot of subsidies every month. He was just a small platoon leader before he retired. The old leader he saved was grateful for his kindness and specially asked someone to give him a regimental-level subsidy. Every month, in addition to a salary of 30 yuan, he also received various food coupons, meat coupons and some precious items.
Therefore, even during the three-year disaster period, the Jiang family's life was not difficult. Even the four granddaughters they despised did not starve to death during those difficult days.
At this time, Miao Sanfeng looked at the rice in the rice jar and felt a little hesitant. As early as after the youngest daughter got married, Old Man Jiang decided to divide the family between his two sons. The old couple lived with the eldest son's family and did not need the second son to support them in their old age. Of course, the subsidy for the old couple would naturally go to the eldest son's family.
Actually, Old Man Jiang and Miao Sanfeng still had some selfish motives in dividing the family this way. After all, they valued their eldest son more, so naturally they wanted to leave the good things to their eldest son and his family. You know, Old Man Jiang's subsidy had long been enough to support them in their old age, and could also support their eldest son's family.
But man proposes, God disposes. The eldest son's family gave birth to four daughters in a row, while the second son gave them two grandchildren. For the sake of their grandchildren, they couldn't just ignore the second son's family. The second son, Jiang Dachuan, was lazy and gluttonous. He did the easiest work in the team, and his monthly work points were less than those of the women in the village. Not to mention his lazy wife, Fan Xiaojuan, who was sickly every day and ate more food than the strong men in the village.
The old couple had long disliked their second son's family, but they had been thinking of adopting a son from the second son's family for the eldest son. Over the years, basically everything that Old Man Jiang got was given to the second son's family, and they could only fill the bottomless pit of the second son's family again and again.
The fine grains that had just been obtained this month were sent to the second son's home by Miao Sanfeng, who loved her two grandchildren. Now there was only some cornmeal in the rice jar, and judging from the quantity, it was only enough for the family to eat.
Miao Sanfeng gritted her teeth and took out a gray pottery jar from a hidden corner of the kitchen. She opened the jar and found several pieces of pickled meat inside. These were sent by the old leader during the Chinese New Year last year. Miao Sanfeng had hidden them very well and planned to save them for this year's Chinese New Year. Now it seems that she can only give this to Meng Po.
Miao Sanfeng's heart was bleeding. It was not easy for rural people to eat meat. In this day and age, it was hard to buy meat. She took out one of the pickled meats, skimmed off the coarse salt, put it on the chopping board, carefully estimated it, cut off a palm-length section, wrapped it with newspaper, tied it with hemp rope, put the rest of the meat back to its original place, and hid it carefully.
Things are different now. The eldest son also has a son, and he can’t keep subsidizing the second son’s family. It’s time to discipline that family of lazy guys.
Next time, all the good things the old man gets must be saved for her baby egg. Looking at her grandson's skinny appearance, it is obvious that he did not eat well in the womb. It's all her fault. She was instigated by the second son's wife and thought that her eldest son's wife must still be carrying a girl in her belly. She did not give the eldest son's wife good food during pregnancy, so her grandson was starving.
When I get the good stuff next month, I will give my eldest daughter-in-law some good nourishment. She looks so skinny. If she doesn’t have milk, her grandson will starve.
Miao Sanfeng picked up the piece of meat, thought for a while, and put six eggs into the bamboo basket. In the countryside, these eggs are used to sell for money and are not easily eaten. Looking at the things in the basket, Miao Sanfeng should feel that it is enough.
If it wasn't such a big happy event, the usually stingy old lady Miao would not be so generous. When Dani and the others were born, old lady Miao just gave each of them half a pound of cornmeal and sent the midwife away, and she was heartbroken.
Miao Sanfeng went out carrying a bamboo basket. Aunt Meng had been waiting anxiously for a long time. When she saw Miao Sanfeng coming out, she impatiently took the bamboo basket from her.
"Oh, sister, you are so polite. Why do you give me so many delicious things?" Aunt Meng's eyes almost popped out. That was meat. It had been a long time since her family had tasted such meat. She swallowed her saliva and said sorry, but she had no intention of returning the things.
"No, you helped our Jiang family give birth to a big fat boy, so this little thing is nothing." Old man Jiang said nonchalantly.
Aunt Meng smacked her lips. The Jiang family was indeed rich. Well, old man Jiang received a lot of subsidy every month, and Jiang Dahai and his wife were honest people who worked hard. Everyone of them could earn a lot of work points, so there was no way they would be short of these things.
But now that Jiang Dahai has a son, his younger brother's family probably won't live as comfortably as they do now. Aunt Meng thought of the arrogant wife of the second son of the Jiang family, and felt a little gloating. She didn't know what her expression would be when she knew that her eldest sister-in-law had given birth to a son.
"Your eldest daughter-in-law has fallen asleep due to exhaustion and will probably wake up in an hour or two. You should first make her some soup or porridge that is easy to digest. If conditions permit, add some brown sugar. Now is a critical time for her. If she doesn't eat well, she may have no milk, and then the child will starve." Aunt Meng reminded carefully for the sake of these good things.
"I know, I know." Jiang Dahai looked at his thin son in his arms and nodded quickly. He only had this one son, and he could not let him go hungry.
"Okay, there's nothing for me to do now, so I'll go back first." Aunt Meng saw that she had got the things, so she didn't bother them anymore.
Miao Sanfeng enthusiastically saw her out and only returned to the house after she left.
Jiang Dahai held his son tightly and refused to let go. Old man Jiang could only watch and enjoy himself. When he saw his wife come in, he thought for a while and said, "In a few days, my subsidy for next month should come. Don't give it to the second son's family then. They both have hands and feet. It doesn't make sense for us old couple to subsidize a child. Dongmei is in the period of recuperation now. We can't let him starve."
Miao Sanfeng's heart and eyes are now filled with this precious grandson, so she naturally has no dissatisfaction with the old man's words. Besides, she also thinks so in her heart.
Jiang Dahai couldn't help but tear up when he heard his father's words. Over the years, his parents have been using their things to subsidize his second brother's family. He had no objection, but his second brother's family kept asking for more. The subsidies from his parents were not enough. The food he and his wife got was often coaxed away from his mother by the children of the second brother's family with various excuses. Seeing his daughter not having enough to eat and not having warm clothes, how could he, as a father, not feel heartbroken?
But he didn't have the courage to refute his parents' decision and could only accept it. Now, his parents have seen things clearly, and the things in the house no longer have to be used endlessly to support his second brother's family. The lives of his daughters should be better.
Jiang Dahai looked at his son in his arms, and his heart had never felt so peaceful.
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