During dinner, Ding Jianguo suddenly appeared out of nowhere, holding a string of candied hawthorns. Ding's mother knew at a glance that this must be the New Year's money Li Chu had given him.
However, Ding's mother didn't say anything at the moment. She just gave Ding Jianguo a meaningful look and then called for dinner.
Ding Jianguo felt a chill run down his spine when his mother gave him that look. He thought to himself, "What a blunder! I should have eaten outside before coming back. I shouldn't have brought it home to show off. Sigh, my last bit of money is about to disappear." He looked at the candied hawthorn in his hand and took a bitter bite.
Li Chu has abstained from smoking and drinking for two days. He hasn't noticed anything else, except that he eats faster now. Today, Li Chu didn't drink alcohol, and neither did Ding's father. Everyone drank soda, clinked glasses with their soft drinks as if they were alcohol, and then started eating.
After dinner, Li Chu and Ding Qiunan stayed with the two elders for a while and chatted before preparing to leave.
Before leaving, Ding Ma packed all the offal she had braised that day for Li Chu. She had noticed during dinner that Li Chu preferred her braised offal, so she packed the rest for her son-in-law.
Li Chu didn't stand on ceremony with his mother-in-law. He accepted the food Ding Ma gave him, muttering that he'd bring some more offal next time so Ding Ma could braise it all for him. His subtle flattery made Ding Ma beam with joy.
At the courtyard gate, after watching Li Chu and Ding Qiunan walk away, Ding's mother's smiling face immediately darkened. She reached out and grabbed Ding Jianguo's ear, dragging him home.
Ding Jianguo cried out as his mother grabbed his ear, "Mom, it hurts, it hurts, be gentle."
Once inside the house, Ding's mother closed the door, leaving Ding's father outside. Ding's father stood outside, about to knock, but after thinking for a moment, he shook his head and went for a stroll with his hands behind his back.
Just as Ding's father reached the gate of the courtyard, he vaguely heard a pitiful scream coming from inside the house, which made him quicken his pace.
On the way back, Ding Qiunan sat on the back of the bicycle with her head resting against Li Chu's back when they left. After riding for a while, Ding Qiunan saw that there weren't many people on the road, so she asked Li Chu to stop and then jumped off the back seat.
"What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable sitting here?" Li Chu asked Ding Qiunan as she got out of the back seat.
“I’m not uncomfortable, I just want to sit here.” Ding Qiunan pointed to the front bar of the bicycle.
"Why do you want to sit in the front? It's so uncomfortable sitting here." Although his wife has better facilities, it's still uncomfortable to sit on the front bumper.
"Hmm...no, I just want to sit in the front." Ding Qiunan tugged at Li Chu's arm and started to whine.
When the girl, Xiao Ding, acted coquettishly, Li Chu felt as if his bones had lightened by two ounces, and he hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Ding Qiunan happily sat down, and Li Chu, seeing that the girl was settled, stepped on the footrest and continued on his way.
Once the car started moving, the girl moved back slightly and leaned against Li Chu's chest.
Li Chu lowered his head and kissed the top of his wife's head, then asked, "Wife, why did you decide to sit in the front today?"
Ding Qiunan didn't answer his question, but instead rubbed her hat-covered head against Li Chu's chin before saying, "Li Chu, thank you."
"Why are you thanking me?"
"Thank you for doing so much for me."
"Hey, it's no big deal. We're a couple, so your parents are my parents. It's normal for me to come back and visit, and bring them some things. There's no need for thanks between us," Li Chu said nonchalantly.
Ding Qiunan tilted her head back and looked up at Li Chu. When she saw that Li Chu was also looking down at her, she smiled at him.
Li Chu looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then bent down slightly and kissed the girl on the forehead before quickly straightening up.
After walking for a while, the girl asked to sit back in the back. After getting off in the front, she unconsciously rubbed her buttocks, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
As soon as Li Chu turned into the alley, he saw He Yushui playing alone at the courtyard gate. As he got closer, He Yushui noticed Li Chu, quickly raised her hand and waved, calling out loudly, "Brother Chu, Brother Chu..."
Li Chu stopped in front of her and asked, "What's wrong, it's raining?" Ding Qiunan also got off the back of the bike and walked to the front.
He Yushui said happily, "Brother Xiao Chu, Sister Qiu Nan, you're finally back! I have something to tell you, Auntie gave birth to a big, healthy boy."
Upon hearing this, Ding Qiunan stepped forward and grabbed He Yushui's hand: "When was she born?"
"Um... just over one o'clock."
Ding Qiunan wanted to ask something more, but Li Chu interrupted her: "Alright, let's go to the hospital while it's still early. We can ask you anything when we get there. If we delay any longer, we won't be able to go today."
He Yushui pulled Ding Qiunan along, saying, "Come on, Sister Qiunan, let's walk there."
Miss Ding looked back at her husband, and Li Chu nodded to her: "Go ahead, you two go ahead, I'll go back and get some things and then go too."
Ding Qiunan took off her coat and handed it to Li Chu, saying, "Take this coat back; it's a bit hot to walk around in." Then she followed He Yushui and left.
Li Chu took his coat and pushed his bicycle into the yard.
After entering the house and putting away the braised offal I got from my mother-in-law, I thought about giving my uncle a bottle of malted milk powder, but then decided against it and decided to give it to them when they returned. I turned around and packed some brown sugar from the house, asking my uncle to make it for my aunt, as brown sugar water is good for postpartum women.
After getting everything ready, he went out. Xiao Hei wanted to come along, but he sent it back; he couldn't take it to the hospital.
Li Chu strolled to the hospital and arrived at the obstetrics and gynecology department. She went to the duty room, greeted the doctor on duty, and inquired about the old lady's condition. Hearing that everything was relatively good, but the mother was a little weak, Li Chu felt relieved. She left the old lady two candies and went to the ward.
The ward was at the very back. Only when I got close did I see several men in the courtyard standing around the corner smoking.
Li Chu noticed that Xu Damao had also come over, and it was rare to see him standing with He Yuzhu without any arguments.
As he walked over, the men who were smoking saw him and greeted each other. Yi Zhonghai came over and grabbed Li Chu's hand, so excited that he didn't know what to say, his lips trembling.
Li Chu understood Yi Zhonghai's excitement, patted his hand, and said, "Congratulations, Uncle, you've finally achieved your wish. From now on, the burden on your shoulders will be even heavier."
Yi Zhonghai didn't know what to say, he just kept repeating, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Xiao Chu."
Li Chu smiled and pointed to the ward, saying, "Uncle, I'll go in and see the child."
An old man hurriedly pushed open the door, and Li Chu saw that there were quite a few people in the ward. Most of the women in the courtyard were inside, and even the old lady from the backyard had come, sitting on another hospital bed and happily watching the old lady.
An old man said, "Come, come, make some space so that Xiao Chu can look after the child."
The woman inside then noticed someone entering through the door. Upon seeing that it was Li Chu, she made way for him.
Li Chu walked to the bedside and saw Ding Qiunan standing on the other side, looking longingly at the baby sleeping with an older woman, her envy evident.
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