Shen Heng's eyes suddenly became unfocused: "Well... well, it's something you have to endure eventually, it's just a matter of time."
Seeing Shen Heng's sudden and unwavering desire for a child, Bai Jiaojiao harbored doubts: "Why do you want a child?"
Shen Heng buried his face back into Bai Jiaojiao's belly: "I just want it."
"Do you really want it?"
"I really want it."
Bai Jiaojiao thought about what she would have to face later and said, "Didn't we agree to go to university? Who will have the energy to take care of a child?"
Shen Heng said nonchalantly, "Just let your dad take care of him. Isn't he doing a good job taking care of your nephew?"
Judging from Shen Heng's nonchalant attitude, Bai Jiaojiao knew that Shen Heng didn't want a child because he liked children.
Could it be that Shen Heng was truly provoked by Li Shuxian?
Or is it that, after what happened a couple of days ago, Shen Heng suddenly wants to leave himself an heir sooner?
Bai Jiaojiao stared at Shen Heng's face, feeling that neither of these guesses were things he would do.
"You won't even take care of the child, and you expect me to have one for you?"
"I......"
Kids can be really annoying.
Shen Heng was afraid that Bai Jiaojiao would think he wanted to compete with Li Shuxian, so he had no choice but to remain silent.
He only regretted that Bai Shiqing had to get pregnant now, making his motives questionable.
After having lunch with Shen Heng, Bai Jiaojiao went back to her parents' home. She discussed with Deng Min whether they should learn to make pastries.
She hadn't approached Deng Min before mainly because Deng Min was managing the entire family on her own, and Bai Jiaojiao was afraid that she would be willing but unable to do so.
Deng Min immediately agreed: "That's great! If you're willing to teach, I'm definitely willing to learn. Don't worry, little sister, I absolutely won't tell anyone."
For anyone in Shili Village, the thing they fear least is hard work.
"I was just worried that you'd be too tired, sister-in-law. But the smell of oil from frying glutinous rice strips will waft out, so just to be on the safe side, you should come to my house to make them."
This is, after all, a clandestine affair. The Bai family has neighbors on both sides. Frying something to eat every day or two is a way of gritting one's teeth and improving one's life, but if this continues day after day, the neighbors will definitely become suspicious.
"Okay, okay, you're right. We neighbors are all connected by a passageway, and the smell of the whole nest next door can waft into our house. I'll just go to your place, it'll be quiet."
"Then sister-in-law, come back with me now, so as not to delay your third brother from selling tomorrow."
"Okay, let's go."
Deng Min put on a cotton-padded jacket and left with Bai Jiaojiao, leaving Bai Shihai and Bai Zhiman staring at each other.
"Alright, we're the most useless of all," Bai Zhiman sighed.
Bai Shihai held Bai Manlin in his arms and thought to himself, "I can help take care of the child."
While busy with her own things, Bai Jiaojiao taught Deng Min how to make glutinous rice strips, and Deng Min realized that this was not an easy business.
"No wonder they sell so well; they're just too complicated to make."
Deng Min sighed.
After a few days of holiday, the brigade finally got busy again. Deng Min was tired but felt at ease.
"We'll wait for Third Brother to come and pick these things up tomorrow morning. There are people on the road now, and if they run into us and ask questions, it will be hard to hide it from them."
The freshly fried glutinous rice strips are so fragrant that even if you cover them with a cloth, you can still smell the aroma if someone comes to talk to you.
Deng Min nodded to indicate that she understood. After returning home, she did the math with Bai Shihai, her face full of smiles: "Next year, we're still planning to send Manzhi to school. We don't need to cut back on this expense; we can buy Manzhi better paper and pens."
Nowadays, some children even carry a piece of tile to school and write on it with a slate pencil, erasing and rewriting as they go.
Deng Min didn't have much schooling. Her family was poor, and since she was a girl, they didn't value her. Her only wish for Bai Manzhi was to be as cultured as Bai Jiaojiao.
Bai Shihai looked at Deng Min, he hadn't been this happy in a long time.
Just a few days after Deng Min married into the family, Bai Zhiman became paralyzed.
Originally, their family was living a pretty good life, and Deng Min should have been enjoying her retirement. But with such a big event happening, not only did Deng Min not get to enjoy her retirement, but as the eldest sister-in-law in the family, she was under even more pressure than when she was at her parents' home.
The Bai family has had a tumultuous history, with one problem after another, leaving them with endless worries. Yet, Deng Min still managed to give birth to two children for him during a lull in their lives.
"I was incompetent before, and I wronged you."
Deng Min was in high spirits, still planning what kind of house to build for Bai Manlin in the future, when she suddenly heard Bai Shihai say this. She paused, and her nose felt a little sore.
"Brother Hai, what are you saying?"
"Actually, I've always thought that if you had been with that guy surnamed Chen back then, you wouldn't have suffered so much."
Bai Shihai felt sorry for Deng Min, but he kept it to himself and couldn't say it.
Back then, Deng Min had a very good reputation in their village. She was good at handling things and hardworking, and several families wanted to hire her.
Deng Min punched Bai Shihai: "Why did you bring him up out of the blue? Do you think I'd ask you to marry that girl from Wangjiazhuang?"
"I did not mean that."
Bai Shihai panicked, and Deng Min leaned closer to him: "I have no regrets about following you, not even during the most difficult days."
The most important thing when looking for a man is that he has you in his heart.
Someone like Bai Shihai is so rare that you'd be hard-pressed to find even if you carried a lantern for miles around.
Most importantly, Bai Shihai is handsome.
Before Deng Min got married, she went on so many dates, but she didn't like any of them. No matter how good their conditions were, how could she spend her life with someone who wasn't good-looking?
Although Bai Shihai wasn't as pretty as his two younger sisters, he was still quite outstanding among a group of young people.
Deng Min had seen a photo of her mother-in-law, who looked very much like Bai Jiaojiao, but with a more refined air, like a young lady from a wealthy family.
Bai Shihai felt a pang of sadness. He stroked Deng Min's hair and listened to her say, "Life is getting better now, isn't it? You work hard in the production team, and I'll help the family and my little sister make pastries. We'll save money and build a house like my little sister's. When we're looking for wives in Manlin, once they see our family's conditions, the girls will be eager to choose them."
Bai Shihai thought of his youngest son, who had slightly bowed legs, and said with disdain, "He can't even walk steadily yet, what are you thinking?"
“If you have a son, you should start planning for him early. Look at Shiqing’s in-laws. Do you think those four sons are so easy to deal with?”
Even without building a house, the bride price alone would be enough to financially ruin two elderly people.
Bai Shihai breathed a sigh of relief when he thought that Bai Shibao could earn money on his own now. Given their family's situation, it might not be easy for them to find a wife. If someone heard that the family had a paralyzed father, they might change their mind.
"One son is enough for us."
Bai Shihai held Deng Min in his arms. His wife smelled sweetly of sugar from when she was making pastries. Bai Shihai felt a little warm inside, but thinking of his daughter sleeping on the other side of the curtain, he could only hold Deng Min tighter and close his eyes to urge himself to fall asleep quickly.
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