Zhao Mingyue stayed in the hospital for three days. After being discharged, she moved into Shen Xuyue's work unit dormitory, a two-bedroom apartment. She paid a symbolic five yuan rent each month, which was basically free.
Hu Nianchun had lived in Zhao Mingyue's cramped single dormitory before, but now he lives in a two-bedroom apartment. He feels that his quality of life has improved dramatically, by more than one level. At least he no longer has to cook and eat in the hallway, and he is very satisfied.
The furniture that Shen's parents had made was also moved over, and the room was decorated warmly and beautifully. It felt much better than where they used to live. This was what it meant to be at home. For the first time, Zhao Mingyue felt like she had a home, a home of her own. Although the house was small, with three generations living together, Shen Xuyue and Zhao Mingyue felt it was perfect.
My little darling Liangliang is changing every day! His eyebrows and eyes have opened up a bit, and his pupils are dark and bright. Looking closely, his features resemble Zhao Mingyue more; he'll definitely grow up to be a handsome young man. Liangliang is quite mischievous, but not without reason. He cries when he wants to eat, cries when he needs to pee, and his voice is incredibly loud and energetic. He even squirms while crying, making it impossible to ignore him. Otherwise, he's fine, sleeping peacefully.
Shen Xuyue suddenly had a brilliant idea: to take a series of photos of his son, one for each day, then develop them and make an album to record his daily changes. Zhao Mingyue said she was afraid the flash would hurt his eyes and wouldn't allow the photos to be taken, suggesting they wait until he was older.
Shen Xuyue dotes on his son. He became a father at the age of thirty-one, so how could he not cherish him? The first thing he does when he gets home from work is to kiss his son. As long as his son isn't asleep, he holds him in his arms and plays with him. Hu Nianchun said, "You can hold him every day. Eventually, you won't be able to let go. Let's see who has time to hold him then."
Such a young child follows only instinct. He knows that lying in an elder's arms and listening to an adult's heartbeat makes him feel safe. If he gets used to being held, he will always want to be held and will cry if he is not held. Zhao Mingyue also does not approve of Shen Xuyue holding his son all the time: "Just put him down when he is asleep. Don't spoil him. You only hold him for a little while each day when you have time. Who can hold him all the time during the day when you are not home? It's exhausting."
Shen Xuyue thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense. When I was in the United States, foreigners would let their babies sleep in separate beds from their parents when they were only two months old. They grew up to be very independent and had strong self-care abilities. Our son has been raised in the same way. I'll go buy a small cradle and let him sleep in it. A little man should be raised from a young age."
Zhao Mingyue laughed and said, "That's more like it. Go wash your son's diapers, there's a whole pile up again."
Shen Xuyue volunteered to wash the diapers, saying he didn't want to trouble his mother-in-law. "Another pile? Okay, I'll go wash them."
When Hu Nianchun first heard that he offered to wash diapers, she was quite surprised, because in their rural area, men rarely did this kind of work. Washing clothes and diapers was something almost no man would do. Even her sons would avoid washing clothes whenever possible and had hardly ever washed diapers for the baby. These tasks were her responsibility when her daughter-in-law was in postpartum confinement, but after that, washing diapers became her daughter-in-law's job.
Shen Xuyue's family had always practiced military-style management since he was a child. His father trained him to be self-reliant, and he had to wash his own clothes and shoes. So, washing his son's diapers was perfectly normal to him. His wife was still in her postpartum period and couldn't go outside in the wind. His mother-in-law was working hard to help take care of the child, so he naturally wanted to save her some effort.
The family lived happily together, enjoying a very comfortable life. Zhao Mingyue felt the most painful thing was not being able to shower or wash her hair. Fortunately, her devoted husband, Shen Xuyue, took care of her every day, wiping her down and applying medicated alcohol to her scalp. In this kind of weather, Shen Xuyue himself would love to take three showers a day, but his wife couldn't shower for a month, showing how uncomfortable she was. He felt incredibly sorry for her: "Childbirth is so hard for women. Luckily, we only had one. Otherwise, they would suffer so much. Like my mother and your mother, they both had three or four children, and they suffered so much."
Zhao Mingyue lay on Shen Xuyue's lap, letting him wash her scalp. To make things easier during her postpartum period, Zhao Mingyue had already cut her hair short, leaving only two inches long for easy maintenance. She closed her eyes, enjoying Shen Xuyue's care, and said, "Do you want a daughter?"
Shen Xuyue paused in his movements: "Aren't we unable to have children anymore?"
"According to the policy, she is not allowed to have children."
"Should we adopt one?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "Of course I want to give birth myself." Most other people's children are not raised by their parents, and it was based on this principle that she did not adopt a child in her previous life, preferring to donate some money to orphanages.
Shen Xuyue said, "I won't adopt a child unless absolutely necessary. You're saying you want to have another daughter? That would be violating the policy by having another child?"
Zhao Mingyue closed her eyes and said, "I'm just thinking about it." Maybe one day they won't work at this company anymore, they'll go out and start their own businesses, and they can have another child.
Liangliang grew up day by day, becoming more and more chubby and adorable. His skin was fair, and his eyes were big and bright. He wore a little red bib every day, looking even cuter than the chubby babies in New Year's paintings. Zhao Mingyue finally endured the painful postpartum period. The first thing she did after leaving confinement was to take a long, hot bath and wash her hair again and again with shampoo. When she came out, she finally felt a sense of relief, as if she had been reborn.
At night, Shen Xuyue held Zhao Mingyue, who had finally allowed him to be close, and stroked her soft short hair, breathing in her scent as he pressed his ear to her neck: "Wife, I still prefer you with long hair, so let's grow it out." Zhao Mingyue's hair was of good quality, long, black, straight, and silky smooth to the touch.
Zhao Mingyue said, "Okay, the weather's cooler now, I'll grow my hair out. We should probably come up with a name for Liangliang by now, and register him on the household registration book as soon as possible."
"What name do you think we should give him?" Shen Xuyue hadn't been able to come up with a good name for his son.
Zhao Mingyue said, "I've made up my mind, I'll name him Muyang."
Shen Xuyue's heart skipped a beat: "Bathing in the sunlight?"
"Yes, I originally wanted to name our son Mu Guang, which is a combination of sunlight and moonlight, but then I realized that moonlight is also reflected from sunlight, and Mu Guang doesn't sound as nice as Mu Yang, so I just went with Mu Yang. What do you think, honey?"
Shen Xuyue hugged Zhao Mingyue and rubbed her hard, then kissed her on the cheek: "Then it's settled, her name will be Shen Muyang."
When Liangliang turned one month old, there was no grand celebration. Adhering to the principle of keeping things simple, only a few close relatives and friends were invited for a casual meal at home. Yang Maolin didn't drive, serving as the chef, with the Shen brothers, Xuyue and Qixue, assisting. However, not long after, Shen Qixue was sent back because he was clumsy and only made things worse.
This guy eats in the cafeteria year-round. He can't do anything except make dumplings and noodles. When he calls it "mixing vegetables," he can't even tell the difference between salt and sugar. When he calls it "washing vegetables," he can throw away half a cabbage. He's just a nuisance.
When Song Xiaorui heard that Shen Qixue had been sent back by Shen Xuyue, she ran to the kitchen and saw that Shen Xuyue was indeed chopping vegetables in a very professional manner, and his movements were quite skilled. She was quite surprised and asked, "Xiaoxu, when did you learn to cook?"
Shen Xuyue said, "I naturally learned it when there was a need for it."
“Then I’ll ask my husband Wei Qin to come and learn from you.” Song Xiaorui said with great interest.
Shen Xuyue looked at the table full of raw meat and lettuce: "Forget it, let's not let him make things worse. Everyone is waiting to eat."
When Liangliang turned one month old, it was already September. The weather was getting cooler. Although there was still some lingering heat of late summer, it was much more comfortable than August. Zhao Mingyue felt that the most painful thing in the world was to have a baby during the hottest days of summer. Anyone who could endure the hottest days of summer during their postpartum period could achieve great things.
Liangliang wore a tiger-head hat and shoes, and a red outfit. He looked cheerful and his fair skin made him look incredibly delicate and adorable, so much so that anyone who saw him would want to take a bite. Everyone was eager to hold and play with the little baby. A one-month-old baby couldn't recognize anyone yet, so anyone could hold him. Zhao Mingyue was happy to have some peace and quiet.
The house was unusually lively, with children of all ages gathered together: Jingjing, Dongdong, Zhuangzhuang, and Liangliang. Laughter and crying filled the air, making it incredibly noisy.
Looking at so many children, Aunt Fang couldn't help but sigh, "I wonder when my Huaihai will finally get married. He's not looking for a partner yet, and he's almost forty."
Song Xiaorui said, "Mom, my brother is only thirty-four."
Aunt Fang gave a wry smile: "According to the traditional Chinese age reckoning, isn't that thirty-six? How much is she still away from forty?"
Zhao Mingyue asked Song Xiaorui, "By the way, why isn't Brother Huaihai getting married?"
Song Xiaorui sighed: "My brother used to have a girlfriend. He was serving in the army in Xinjiang at the time, and she was in a cultural troupe. Later, she volunteered to perform at a border outpost, actually just to see my brother. But on her way back, she got caught in an avalanche and died. This became a scar in my brother's heart, and no one can touch or reopen it. My mother is so worried. She has tentatively asked him several times, but my brother has given her lukewarm replies. It's been more than ten years, and my brother still hasn't gotten over it."
Zhao Mingyue sighed regretfully. It turned out that everyone in the Song family was a devoted lover. Indeed, there were many people who valued loyalty and righteousness these days; some would wait a lifetime for a single word, let alone a precious life.
After her postpartum confinement period, Zhao Mingyue began discussing her mother's situation with Shen Xuyue. Zhao Mingyue had initially planned to have her mother come to Beijing to help her for a few months after giving birth, but Shen Xuyue had gone abroad shortly after Zhao Mingyue became pregnant, bringing her mother over ahead of schedule. Now that the baby was born, her mother had been living in Beijing for over half a year. Although she didn't say she wanted to go back, it was clear her mother wanted to return home. Zhao Mingyue had also called her father to ask, and the old man didn't want to come to Beijing. Since that was the case, the only option was to send her mother back.
“Let’s find a reliable nanny. Have your mom ask around, or even relatives from our hometown would be fine. The key is that she has to be honest and trustworthy,” Zhao Mingyue said. These days, there aren’t many formal domestic service companies; finding someone requires the help of acquaintances.
Shen Xuyue nodded: "Okay, I'll go tell my mom."
"Once we've confirmed we can find someone, we'll send Mom back. My third brother is getting married this year, so there will definitely be a lot of things to do at home." Zhao Mingyue certainly wanted her mother to help take care of the child, but in this situation, she couldn't be too selfish. She had several older brothers, and her parents also had their own lives.
Shen Xuyue nodded in agreement. When Shen's mother heard that they were looking for a nanny, she agreed to help them search. Thanks to Zhao Mingyue's job at the school, the baby was born during the holidays, so she didn't need to take maternity leave in advance. She could take three months of maternity leave after school started, so she could go back to school in mid-November.
At the end of September, Shen's mother said she had found a reliable local nanny, a woman in her fifties, who was willing to help take care of the child. Shen Xuyue would pay her twenty yuan a month, and she would live and eat at his own home; the woman seemed quite satisfied with the arrangement. Zhao Mingyue suggested letting her try it out first. If it worked out, she could stay; if not, she could be sent back. After all, taking care of a child couldn't be taken lightly. If she was unwell or had character flaws, it wouldn't do; it would have a huge impact on the child.
The matter of finding a nanny had already been discussed with her mother. Once a nanny was found, she would send her mother home. Hu Nianchun felt bad for her daughter spending money to hire someone to look after the child, but she also wanted to go home. Zhao Mingyue said, "Mom, Dad refuses to come to Beijing, and we can't keep you here to help us take care of the child. My second sister-in-law is about to give birth, and my third brother is getting married at the end of the year. There are many things to do at home, and we need you to go back and help. I can find someone here, so I'll send you back first. Later, when you're all settled back home, I'll bring you over to visit."
Parents naturally want to be all-encompassing and help their children solve all their problems, but that's impossible; human energy is limited. Hu Nianchun agreed when he heard that his daughter had made arrangements.
The new nanny was a local and arrived quickly. She was very clean, had a straightforward personality, was efficient, and experienced in taking care of children. According to her, her grandson had only just started kindergarten, and she had only been taking care of children for a short time. Zhao Mingyue and Hu Nianchun saw that she took care of Liangliang fairly efficiently. Although there were some minor differences in how she handled things compared to them, they thought it was just a matter of personal habits and there were no major problems, so they were relieved and let her start.
Once the nanny was confirmed, Shen Xuyue took a few days off to send his mother-in-law back to her hometown. This was his unused wedding leave from last year, valid for one year, which was almost up, so he decided to use it all up this time. Zhao Mingyue also wanted to go back, but the child was too young, so she decided to wait until the end of the year to go back.
When Shen Xuyue escorted his mother-in-law home, a major upheaval was taking place in Moon Bay. It was 1983, and a nationwide crackdown was underway, unprecedented in its intensity and severity. Some people, dissatisfied with the distribution of the village's tea revenue, maliciously went to the police station to complain that village officials were embezzling. As a result, the nearly seventy-year-old village head was arrested and interrogated. When Shen Xuyue returned, the old head was still being held at the police station.
Zhao Mingyue initially asked the village to take the lead in setting up factories in order to avoid this crackdown. However, she never dreamed that her good intentions would bring such a big trouble to the village chief. She greatly underestimated the evil in human nature.
When Shen Xuyue returned from Beijing, everyone clung to him like a lifeline, pulling him along to rescue the man. In the minds of most ordinary people, everyone in Beijing was a cadre, and Shen Xuyue, being a cadre in Beijing, was sure he could find a way to get the old director out.
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