Led by Zhou Yue, Hanhan and her younger sister first came to see their younger brother.
"He's so ugly," the younger sister said, somewhat disappointed.
"It's not that ugly, is it?" Hanhan said unhappily.
“You were like this when you were born, and you will grow up to be like them,” Zhou Xing’s mother comforted them.
With the birth of little Jiajia, the family became busy again. Everyone had their own tasks.
Commander Zhou was in charge of making phone calls to spread good news. Holding a thick phone book, he dialed one number after another, patiently repeating the same message. After each call, he would check off the number. His reading glasses perched on his nose, making him look like a serious old professor.
Zhou Xing's mother didn't trust anyone else, so she made soup for Qin Xiaoyu herself. Zhou Yue stayed with her that night, kicking both A Lei and Zhou Xing's mother out. A Lei refused to leave and just endured the night haphazardly in the corridor.
The advantage of vaginal delivery is that it's much easier afterward. Qin Xiaoyu was already able to get out of bed after just two days.
However, neither Deng Jianyan's herbal medicine nor Zhou Xingma's folk remedies could stimulate lactation.
"What are we going to do? The baby can't get breast milk." Zhou Xing's mother was even more anxious than Qin Xiaoyu, and she burst into tears as soon as she talked about it.
"I finally understand, this is God's arrangement. I made a promise back then that I would take care of the little fish from the moment they were born, and that I would feed them to a certain weight if you asked me to. Now I'm going to prove it to you!" A Lei wasn't angry at all and was still beaming with joy.
These words brought Zhou Xing's mother to tears again.
"Back then, when I saw Xiao Deng, I thought, Zhou Yue is so lucky to have married such a man. Now, seeing A Lei, I realize there are even better ones," Zhou Xing's mother whispered to Commander Zhou in private.
“Little Fish has suffered so much, she deserves it. It’s good that there are kind people who care for her, so we can rest easy.” Commander Zhou sighed, and Zhou Xing’s mother understood. The two held hands for a moment, then quickly separated.
A week has passed since Xiaojia was born, and Qin Xiaoyu has almost recovered. However, her family does not allow her to go downstairs and keeps her upstairs.
The doorbell rang for a long time that day, but no one answered. Qin Xiaoyu guessed that it was bad timing; the children were all at school, Zhou Yue had gone back to Deng Jianyan's to get her medicine, Zhou Xing's mother and Commander Zhou had gone to the market, and A Lei had driven to the airport because Sister-in-law Ge's supplies had arrived again, airlifted in. The maids were busy washing dishes in the back and probably hadn't heard anything.
Qin Xiaoyu couldn't stand it anymore, so she put on her bathrobe and went downstairs.
She opened the door, stared at the woman in the doorway, and forgot to let her in.
"Won't you let me in?" Little Fish's mother said softly.
"Come in!" Qin Xiaoyu finally came to her senses and hurriedly led her upstairs.
Little Jiajia is placed in her and A Lei's bedroom, in her own small bed. The baby is very easy to care for; although she drinks formula, she's quite chubby. She's already much prettier than when she was born.
"She looks just like you when you were little." Little Fish's mother bent down and examined her carefully for a long time. Then she took out a red envelope from her bag and placed it next to her child's pillow.
"No need..." Qin Xiaoyu wanted to decline, but her mother's gaze stopped her.
"Take this, it's just a small token of my appreciation." Little Fish's mother hesitated, the atmosphere between them still quite awkward. She eventually took her leave.
When they arrived on the first floor, they saw Zhou Xingma and Commander Zhou entering.
"Xiaoyu! Why did you come downstairs? Hurry up! We have guests!" Only then did Zhou Xing's mother notice the woman next to her.
"This is my mom," Qin Xiaoyu said softly.
"Oh, please sit down. You can go upstairs; I'll go with you," Zhou Xing's mother said warmly, as it was the first time she had met him in person.
"No, I just stopped by on my way to a meeting. I'll come again when I have time." Little Fish's mother didn't want to stay any longer and left in a hurry.
Qin Xiaoyu went back upstairs and sat by the cradle in a daze for a while.
She never imagined her mother would come. The two of them had parted on bad terms at the guesthouse last time, and she truly thought they would never see each other again.
"Why did she suddenly come?" Zhou Xing's mother came upstairs.
"She said she was looking after the child." Qin Xiaoyu then remembered the red envelope she had left behind, picked it up and opened it. Inside was a gold bracelet with many small gold bells on it.
"Grandma's gift is very beautiful, you should keep it." Zhou Xing's mother knew that she and her mother had some lingering resentment, so she thought for a moment and added, "No matter what, she took the initiative to come and see you, which shows she cares about you. You should stay for a meal, and the two of you can chat more..."
"Mom, look at the troublemakers at home, how could I dare to do that?" Qin Xiaoyu gave a wry smile.
Zhou Xing's mother sighed and stopped trying to persuade her.
But Qin Xiaoyu couldn't let go of this matter. It would have been better if they hadn't met, there was no hope, but their sudden appearance always gave her a glimmer of longing.
She had just asked for the address of the guesthouse where her mother was staying, brought out the phone book, and actually found the switchboard number. After hesitating for a long time, she finally dialed the number.
When she gave her mother's name, she felt a strong sense of unfamiliarity and had the urge to hang up.
Her mother arrived too quickly, leaving her no time to regret it.
The other person must have guessed it was her, as their tone was somewhat urgent.
"Mom, I want to say that I understand your decision back then," Qin Xiaoyu said, mustering her courage.
Ever since her father repeatedly went too far and broke off all ties, Qin Xiaoyu had already reconciled with her mother in her heart. Needless to say, her father would have only made things worse back then.
Back then, her mother was just an innocent young woman, and her mental resilience was not as strong as Qin Xiaoyu's now. It's understandable that she was betrayed, abandoned, and left home.
After she finished speaking, the other person suddenly fell silent.
After a long time, Qin Xiaoyu thought her mother had hung up the phone.
Suddenly, someone on the other end said, "Wait a moment, I'll be right there."
Xiaoyu's mother arrived quickly and went straight upstairs. The first thing she said to Qin Xiaoyu was, "Xiaoyu, Mom never thought of abandoning you."
Tears welled up in Qin Xiaoyu's eyes; all these years, this was the sentence she had been waiting for.
When Xiaoyu's mother was pregnant, she had already discovered that Xiaoyu's father was having an affair.
Like any normal person, she made a scene, cried, and her family intervened.
The whole thing caused quite a stir. The father-in-law and his four brothers-in-law all came to take sides, and Xiaoyu's father had to slink away. He was pragmatic and knew that he couldn't force the issue, so he quietly went underground.
Based solely on a woman's intuition, Xiaoyu's mother knew this matter wasn't over yet. However, whether it was her family or relatives and friends, they were all advising her to reconcile rather than separate, all saying the same thing: "A man's heart will be kept if you give him a son."
Little Fish's mom has no choice but to believe it.
Xiaoyu wasn't the kind of child who would cause trouble, and coupled with depression during her pregnancy, she weighed only a little over five pounds at birth. Holding her thin, dark-skinned baby, Xiaoyu's mother was still full of hope.
But reality dealt her another blow: she had no breast milk. Back then, wages were low, and formula wasn't something everyone could afford. She could only feed her child rice water amidst her mother-in-law's complaints. Occasionally, her mother-in-law would manage to get a little goat milk, which the little fish would slurp with delight, finding it unusually sweet.
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