Chapter 303: Birth
The master photographer keenly captured this touching scene, adjusted the angle, and pressed the shutter several times.
“Crack!”
“Crack!”
Then, he took a few separate photos of Lu Liangchen's family. There were photos of the two of them standing side by side and smiling at each other; there was a heartwarming photo of Lu Liangchen carefully supporting his wife and looking down at her belly; there was also a photo of Jiang Haitang holding Xiao Taozi, and Lu Liangchen opening his arms to hold the mother and daughter in his arms... Every photo was full of love.
In short, the people at home took all kinds of photos in various combinations, and in just one morning, they filled up two rolls of film.
The old master was also very happy. This whole family has handsome men and beautiful women. Even the elderly ones are energetic, and the photos taken will definitely look good.
When he gets back, he will develop these photos as quickly as possible.
After seeing the master off, the lively and festive atmosphere still seemed to linger in the yard.
Little Taozi and her brothers excitedly ran around the adults, imitating the photographer shouting "click".
Old man Jiang Guozhu stood under the crabapple tree for a long time, looking at his granddaughter and great-granddaughter with a deep and satisfied look.
Lu Liangchen put his arm around Jiang Haitang's shoulders and whispered, "When the photos come out, I'll take one back to the northwest. I can take it out and look at it when I miss you."
Jiang Haitang leaned on his shoulder and smiled gently.
The photos were developed before Lu Liangchen returned to the northwest.
When the thick paper bag was opened and the large black and white family photo was taken out, everyone gathered around.
In the photo, everyone has a genuine smile and bright eyes. The two old men are dignified but kind, Xiao Taozi smiles so hard that her teeth are showing, Jiang Haitang is gentle and resolute, Lu Liangchen is upright and reliable, and the family members behind them are also filled with happiness.
An absolutely perfect family portrait.
"What a great photo!" He Wanyi couldn't help but admire.
"Grandpa, look at me! I'm here!" Little Taozi excitedly pointed at herself in the center of the photo.
"Our little Taozi is the most beautiful. Great-grandfather saw it at first sight." Jiang Guozhu coaxed little Taozi to be happy.
Lu Liangchen selected a personal photo of Jiang Haitang, a family photo, and a photo of the three of them from a pile of photos and returned to the northwest.
Jiang Haitang began his translation work in the capital.
She strives for perfection in her work. Not only does she translate accurately, but she also adds concise technical annotations and her own understanding to the obscure parts. This is a treasure for the technical staff in the department, who express their gratitude through Yuan Yinan many times.
With the help of several elders of the Lu family, Jiang Haitang also saw many rare books and gained a better understanding of current textile machinery.
Everyone in the family took great care of Jiang Haitang, even Shi Shulan took good care of her.
After living there for a while, Jiang Haitang basically figured out that the family had not split up, and the house she lived in was the one allocated by Mr. Lu, so she didn't have to pay rent herself.
But everyone in the family contributes household expenses. Lu's father and mother contribute 40 yuan a month. Uncle Lu and Yuan Yinan also contribute 40 yuan a month according to the same standard. Lu Liangjin and Shi Shulan contribute 30 yuan a month. The other two brothers of the Lu family who live outside also send back 10 yuan a month because their children are at home.
Jiang Haitang thought about it, took out eighty yuan and went to find He Wanyi.
"Mom, this is the household allowance I pay." Jiang Haitang handed the money to He Wanyi with a smile.
He Wanyi hurriedly pushed it back.
"What are you doing, kid? Your family doesn't need this little money."
"Mom, it's not a question of whether the family needs it or not. It's that everyone else has paid, so we have to pay too." Jiang Haitang insisted, "It was fine before when I didn't live at home, but now that Xiao Taozi and I are both at home, I should pay thirty yuan a month, just like my elder sister-in-law and elder brother. And Xiao Taozi has been at home for five months, so ten yuan a month is reasonable."
"I ignored this problem before. Did it make things difficult for you?"
He Wanyi patted Jiang Haitang's hand: "Why are you so polite, kid? How many little peaches can you eat?"
"Mom, please accept it."
He Wanyi took out twenty yuan from Jiang Haitang and said, "It's enough for your monthly household allowance of twenty yuan. I'll take this twenty yuan."
"Little Peach's previous..."
"Your grandfather said that although Xiao Taozi is under your name, she is the Lu family's child and cannot be solely supported by you. From now on, all expenses for Xiao Taozi's stay at home will be paid by the public."
Jiang Haitang didn't expect that Mr. Lu had already discussed Xiao Taozi's matter with his family before.
"Mom, there's no need to be like this. Liangchen and I can support Xiao Taozi. Since we adopted her, we will treat her as our own daughter." Jiang Haitang said softly.
"Haitang, people's hearts are hard to predict. Even though you treat Xiao Taozi as your own daughter, people outside may not think so."
Jiang Haitang was silent. She also knew that the old man did this to protect Xiao Taozi's future.
After all, if she is not a biological child, she might be looked down upon by others. But if everyone in the Lu family can protect Xiao Taozi, then people outside will not look down on her.
"You don't have to feel any burden. We've talked it out. Whether it's your second aunt or your eldest sister-in-law, they have no objections. From now on, you'll pay the household allowance when you live at home. If you don't live at home, Xiao Taozi doesn't have to pay it specifically. Although family members need to be clear about everything, they don't need to be too clear, otherwise it will become estranged."
Jiang Haitang nodded and agreed.
My mother-in-law is the eldest daughter-in-law in the family and she must have more experience than myself in how to get along with a large family. Jiang Haitang decided that as long as she has time, she will buy some things for the family as a token of her thoughtfulness.
Although the whole family lived together, the Lu family was not in chaos. On the contrary, they lived a very warm life.
Days passed, and soon it was autumn. Jiang Haitang's belly became bigger and bigger.
She had already translated all the materials that needed to be translated, and she did not take on any new tasks before giving birth.
In fact, when these materials were handed to Jiang Haitang, the people above did not think that Jiang Haitang could finish the translation so quickly.
Currently, professional translators can only translate 4,000 to 5,000 words per day.
But Jiang Haitang's translation speed is obviously faster than others. She can translate about six to seven thousand words every day.
The translation fee is five yuan per thousand words. In total, Jiang Haitang can earn more than thirty yuan a day, which is the monthly salary of an ordinary worker.
In three months, Jiang Haitang received nearly 3,000 yuan in translation fees.
Jiang Haitang was quite satisfied with earning so much money.
Even she had heard about how high housing prices would be in Beijing in the future.
Now that Mr. Lu is alive, she and Liangchen can live in the Lu family, but they cannot live here forever. They still need to have their own house in the future.
You have to save money now so that you can afford to buy a house after the reform and opening up.
The Lu family also knew that Jiang Haitang had made a lot of money during this period, but the family also knew how hard Jiang Haitang had worked during this period.
She spends most of her time working diligently from the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to bed at night, and dares not slack off at all.
Three thousand yuan is not easy to earn.
Therefore, her family only felt sorry for her and did not envy or hate her for being able to earn so much money.
Yuan Yinan, in particular, knew that Jiang Haitang worked so hard just to complete the translation task before giving birth. It was out of a sense of responsibility that made him feel even more distressed for her.
As Jiang Haitang's due date drew closer, her movements became increasingly inconvenient. The Lu family was worried about her going out alone, so even when she took a walk in the compound, someone would follow her.
He Wanyi and Yuan Yinan found various ways to supplement her nutrition, accompanied her for walks, and were considerate and attentive to every detail.
Mr. Lu and Jiang Guozhu also spent more time at home, accompanying Jiang Haitang every day.
During this period, Lu Liangchen seemed to be very busy with work, but he wrote a letter every three days without interruption. He would also make a long-distance call every few days to remind Jiang Haitang to take care of her health, etc.
"Haitang, your due date is in these few days. Did Liangchen say when he will be back?" He Wanyi had already started helping Jiang Haitang prepare the delivery bag, but her son hadn't called in the past few days, so she had no idea what was going on.
"He called last time and said he would be back before the due date. I don't know if he's finished with his work over there." Jiang Haitang actually missed Lu Liangchen very much.
Jiang Guozhu was her only relative, but Jiang Guozhu was a grown man who didn't understand things like childbirth. Besides, as her elder, he could offer very little help.
She hoped Lu Liangchen could stay with her.
But if Lu Liangchen can't come back in time, she can only face it alone.
That evening, Jiang Haitang was walking slowly in the yard accompanied by He Wanyi when she suddenly felt a regular, tight pain in her abdomen.
She stopped, hissed softly, and held her waist.
"Haitang, what's wrong?" He Wanyi asked nervously.
"Mom, I think... I'm about to give birth." Jiang Haitang was still relatively calm, but there was still a barely perceptible tremor in her voice.
Although she was well prepared, when the moment finally came, she couldn't help but feel nervous as it was her first time giving birth.
Upon hearing this, He Wanyi immediately shouted, "Liangjin! Quick! Prepare the car! Haitang is about to give birth! Yinan! Quickly take out the delivery bag!"
Upon hearing He Wanyi's shout, the entire Lu family's old house became busy in an instant.
Lu Liangjin quickly ran to find the driver. Both Mr. Lu and Mr. Jiang had cars. Recently, there was a car on standby in the compound every day.
Today it is Mr. Jiang's car's turn to be on standby, so Lu Liangjin has to hurry over.
Yuan Yinan and Shi Shulan took the washbasin, towels, spare clothes, milk powder and other things that had been packed long ago.
Soon, Mr. Lu and Mr. Jiang also rushed over. The faces of these two old men who had experienced many ups and downs were now filled with tension and anticipation.
"Hurry! Go to the hospital! Be careful on the road!" Mr. Lu ordered repeatedly.
"Haitang, don't be afraid, just breathe easily." Jiang Guozhu tried to calmly comfort his granddaughter.
He was her only relative and was supposed to go to the hospital with her, but the rest of the family objected.
The hospital is in a mess and Mr. Jiang is not in good health. What if he is neglected?
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