"Mom, don't you know what Qinglan is thinking? She's been wanting her daughter for a long time, but I've always disagreed."
Sheng Xiping sat cautiously on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), afraid that his mother might pick up a broom and beat him if she disagreed with him.
He's thick-skinned and not afraid of being really beaten, but Sheng Xinyu is at home. If he gets beaten in front of the child, how will he discipline his son in the future?
"Sigh, you two are really giving me a lot of trouble. Of all times, why now of all times?"
Zhang Shuzhen glared at her son twice more, then sighed.
"So what should we do? Should we keep it or not?"
Deep down, Zhang Shuzhen wished her son and daughter-in-law would have more children.
The older generation usually had many children. With more children, even if only one of them was successful, the family would get better and better.
Xinhua and Xinyu are just the two brothers, so they are still a bit isolated. Although Sheng Xi'an and Sheng Xikang will be able to have children in the future, they will still be a step behind.
It would be nice to have a younger brother or sister to keep each other company.
But given the current situation, it's really not suitable to have another child. So Zhang Shuzhen is conflicted and doesn't know what to do.
“Honey, say something! You’re just pretending to be mute when we have something important to say.” Zhang Shuzhen turned to look at Sheng Liancheng.
Sheng Liancheng had no intention of expressing his opinion from the beginning. Why should he, as the father-in-law, interfere when his daughter-in-law is giving birth?
But since his wife had asked, Sheng Liancheng couldn't very well not answer.
"Well, whether or not to have a child shouldn't be a matter for us to discuss. We should ask the eldest son's father-in-law and mother-in-law what they think."
In truth, Sheng Liancheng was naturally happy for his descendants to prosper; he didn't mind having many grandchildren, the more the better.
However, the current situation is indeed difficult, and Sheng Liancheng is not sure what decision to make, so he simply pushes it out.
Zhang Shuzhen and Sheng Xiping exchanged a glance, both agreeing that it made sense. "Yes, yes, your father is right."
Boss, hurry up and pack your things, go downstairs and talk to your father-in-law and mother-in-law, see what they have to say.
If they say they agree, then we'll take it.
I estimate that Qinglan will give birth during the winter break, and it won't interfere with her going back to work after her postpartum period.
If your father-in-law and mother-in-law both disagree, then try to persuade Qinglan. Since you already have Xinhua and Xinyu, just leave it at that and don't want anything else.”
Sheng Xiping was also unsure of what to do, so he could only sigh and say, "Okay, I'll find a car and go downstairs right away." After saying that, he hurriedly went out.
Coincidentally, the processing plant was just unloading timber, and Sheng Xiping went down with the truck.
It was already past 4:30 in the afternoon when Sheng Xiping arrived at the Sentie Station. He went straight to the Zhou family's house, but no one was home and the door was still locked.
I had only been standing at the door for a short while when I saw Zhou Mingyuan come back carrying groceries.
“Dad.” Sheng Xiping stepped forward and took the things from Zhou Mingyuan’s hands.
When Zhou Mingyuan saw Sheng Xiping, he didn't seem surprised. His face was expressionless. He just nodded and then took out his key to open the door.
The father-in-law and son-in-law entered the house one after the other and sat down in the kitchen to pick vegetables.
"Dad, um..." Sheng Xiping opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
"Old Zhou, has Xiping arrived?" Just then, Wang Chunxiu pushed her cart into the yard and called out to the house.
Sheng Xiping dropped the vegetables he was holding and hurried out of the kitchen. "Mom." He went over and helped Wang Chunxiu prop up her bicycle.
Wang Chunxiu was the same; her face was expressionless. She glanced at Sheng Xiping, nodded, and went inside.
None of the three said anything; they silently prepared the food, cleaned it up, and put it on the table.
“Qinglan called me this afternoon, and then I called your dad. Then I called your processing plant, and they told me you came down by car.”
Wang Chunxiu served Sheng Xiping a bowl of rice and placed it in front of him before speaking.
"You two, I'm really impressed, you really know how to give us a tough time."
Wang Chunxiu sighed. This matter cannot be solely blamed on the son-in-law. A child cannot be conceived by one person alone. His daughter was unwilling, and that's how the child got pregnant.
"Qinglan is determined to have this child, Xiping, what about you? What are your thoughts?"
These were things that Zhou Mingyuan, as the father, couldn't bring himself to ask, so Wang Chunxiu had to ask.
“Mom, if it were anything else, I would definitely listen to Qinglan, but this matter, we really can’t let her have her way,” Sheng Xiping said with a sigh.
“There’s nothing wrong with my family. If we really have to argue about it, I’ll just quit my job. It doesn’t matter to me.”
But Qinglan can't do that. She's in school. If she gets pregnant and has a baby, won't the school punish her or something?
Another thing is that she's about to graduate and be assigned a job, won't this interfere with her work?
Another thing is about you and my dad, especially my dad. He's a leader in the bureau and should be setting an example, but his own daughter is going to have a third child.
If this gets out, it won't be good for my dad either.
It's not that Sheng Xiping is overthinking things; he's just seen too much. In the next few years, all sorts of magical things could happen.
It's not worth causing such chaos and turmoil for the sake of a child.
Zhou Mingyuan and his wife learned from their daughter that Sheng Xiping did not want the child, which they had been mentally prepared for.
However, the couple were somewhat moved by Sheng Xiping's words. They hadn't expected their son-in-law to care about so much, even considering their situation.
"Xiping, actually, Qinglan's work has been almost fully arranged."
Our bureau has been preparing to build a high school, hasn't it? It's right next to the firewood transport road leading to the Xijiang River. It's already built, and our bureau's senior high school will officially open this September.
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