Chapter 15 Renaming Someone Else's Baby (Second Update)...
"No," Zhang Chenghai said bluntly. "If you want to see dogs, come over to your Uncle Qin's place and take a look. Wouldn't that solve the problem?"
"This is different, it's different!" Zhang Xiaohu protested. "I want our own family's."
“I can’t raise a dog if I have to feed a little glutton like you,” Zhang Chenghai said. “Don’t even mention if you eat less; if you eat less, you’ll be complaining about being hungry at night.”
Zhang Xiaohu was chubby, even fatter than Qin Zihang. The fat couple took good care of Zhang Xiaohu. Although they were a little tight on money, the fat woman always spent it wisely. She wouldn't buy things that weren't necessary, and if something could be substituted, she would use something else.
Owning a dog means you're feeding a mouth.
Zhang Chenghai knew without a doubt that his wife would never agree, and he couldn't agree to his son's request. Forget about leftovers; they practically never had any. Even the two chickens in the yard ate rotten vegetable leaves.
Even people aren't always full, so where would we find enough food for dogs? Dogs aren't herbivores, and it wouldn't work to feed them rotten vegetable leaves all the time.
We stewed pork ribs at home, and gave the bones to the dog, but there were only a few. If there's meat to eat, who would eat the bones?
"Stop thinking about it." Zhang Chenghai's face turned cold, deliberately putting on a stern expression to stop his youngest son from continuing.
The matter of raising dogs.
"Zihang's family can keep dogs." Zhang Xiaohu felt wronged. Why could other families keep dogs, but his family couldn't? Zhang Xiaohu was young and couldn't understand the reason. He only knew that Qin Zihang could keep dogs. "Their family can keep dogs."
“Can our family compare to theirs?” Zhang Chenghai asked.
"Don't say that," Qin Yizhou said. "The child likes dogs, so let him come and see."
Qin Yizhou couldn't directly say that his family was better off than Zhang Chenghai's, but they were certainly much better off. There were things that couldn't be said in front of the children, even among adults. Although policies had loosened, many things were bound to change.
“Yes, come and see, Brother Xiaohu, come and see,” Qin Zihang said. “It’s so close, you can come over.”
"The dog hole is blocked." Zhang Xiaohu was about to cry. Without the dog hole, he couldn't sneak over.
"..." When Song Fenglan brought out the mung bean soup, she saw Zhang Xiaohu looking so aggrieved, and she didn't know what to say.
It's just a dog hole!
A dog hole can be a source of fun for a child.
However, Song Fenglan didn't want her son to crawl through the dog hole. The hole was very low, and it was easy for him to bump his head and get hurt. If he accidentally got caught on something and the adults didn't notice, the child would have to stay there indefinitely.
"I can't go through the dog hole, and the dog can't go through the dog hole either!" Zhang Xiaohu shouted, as if his elders had committed some heinous crime, and how could the adults treat him and the little dog like this?
Song Fenglan couldn't help but chuckle. When Zhang Xiaohu looked at Song Fenglan, she quickly said, "Have some mung bean soup, it's freshly made."
"Auntie, didn't you say you can't cook?" Zhang Xiaohu asked, puzzled. His mother had said before that his aunt couldn't cook. "My parents both said that."
"I can't cook, that's not my thing, but I can make some mung bean soup and red bean soup," Song Fenglan said with a smile. "I can also make some steamed or baked pastries."
"Pastries?" Zhang Xiaohu's eyes lit up.
“Yes.” Song Fenglan nodded. “No need to stir-fry. Here, have some mung bean soup.”
Zhang Chenghai was somewhat embarrassed. Zhang Xiaohu had blurted out what he had said to his wife. Zhang Chenghai wanted to disappear into the ground. Whether the neighbors could cook or not didn't matter; they should just keep quiet. Fortunately, these words sounded more like statements than malicious gossip.
Song Fenglan learned to make pastries from her mother, and she learned quite well enough to make them for her son.
"I added some sugar, I don't know if it's sweet enough, you guys try it." Song Fenglan looked at Zhang Chenghai, "I cooked quite a lot, you all should drink some to cool off. Zihang likes soup, so I'll add more soup."
Some people like to eat the mung beans when drinking mung bean soup, while others prefer the soup itself. Qin Zihang likes to drink the soup, whether it's mung bean soup or red bean soup. Song Fenglan, on the other hand, prefers a thicker mung bean and red bean soup, as it's too watery and a bit bland.
It just so happened that Qin Zihang liked to drink a lot of soup, and Song Fenglan always added extra broth when she cooked mung bean and red bean soup. Aunt Yu and the others also needed some, since Song Fenglan cooked it in Aunt Yu's kitchen, and she and her son ate with Aunt Yu and her family. Song Fenglan gave the soup to her son, and ate the mung beans and red beans herself.
Song Fenglan took a bowl and spoon and served Zhang Xiaohu and his son first, then served her own son. Song Fenglan cooked a lot, and she said, "Are my sister-in-law and her family home? Let them come over and have some mung bean soup. We've cooked so much, our family can't finish it all."
“Just call out here,” Zhang Chenghai said. “Call her Fatty Sister-in-law; that’s what a lot of people call her.”
“Okay.” Song Fenglan actually shouted loudly to the neighbor, “Fat Sister, Fat Sister.”
Hearing Song Fenglan's voice, Fatty Sister quickly came out. Then, she brought her eldest son over for some mung bean soup. Fatty Sister hadn't expected Song Fenglan to shout at her so loudly; she had assumed Song Fenglan was a refined and gentle person, and that Song Fenglan would knock on the door or something similar, which she thought would be more courteous.
When Song Fenglan called out to her like that, the plump woman felt a little more comfortable with her. Song Fenglan wasn't so particular. Some people like to be particular, like to put on airs, but Song Fenglan didn't like that. Putting herself on a pedestal, placing herself on a pedestal, that's just too bad. In the end, she'd be the one putting herself on a pedestal, and the one who'd be embarrassed. It's better to be relaxed and natural.
"How come your mung bean soup is so delicious?" the plump woman exclaimed in surprise. She wondered why her own mung bean soup was so bad. She glanced at Qin Yizhou, remembering her husband's comment that Song Fenglan couldn't cook.
"Fenglan cooked it," Qin Yizhou said. He had already given the puppy a bath and was letting it air dry. Qin Yizhou also held a bowl of mung bean soup. He was drinking the mung bean soup that his wife had cooked herself, and it felt so good.
"Did your sister-in-law cook this?" the plump woman asked Song Fenglan.
“Yes, I cooked it.” Song Fenglan nodded. “I’m not good at stir-frying, but I can manage to cook red bean and mung bean dishes.”
"And pastries, Auntie knows how to make pastries." It wasn't Qin Zihang who said this, but Zhang Xiaohu. "I wish you were my mom."
The next moment, Zhang Xiaohu was tapped on the head by Fatty Sister.
"Mom," Zhang Xiaohu said, "Even my aunt doesn't tap Zihang on the head!"
Song Fenglan is Zhang Xiaohu's ideal mother—beautiful, gentle, and a skilled baker. *Sobbing*, Zhang Xiaohu lamented, "How could I have a mother like you?"
"Who told you not to look carefully when you were reincarnated?" the fat woman said. "You only have yourself to blame!"
“…” Zhang Xiaohu stared wide-eyed at his mother.
Zhang Xiaohu's older brother was relatively quiet. Zhang Wen sat next to him drinking mung bean soup. He also thought that his aunt's mung bean soup tasted better than his mother's.
“Sister-in-law, I told you men don’t understand,” said the plump woman. “It’s not that you can’t cook, it’s that you know something different.”
“In their eyes, cooking is the proper way to do things,” Song Fenglan chuckled. “I really am not good at cooking, I have to admit that.”
"No one is perfect." Fatty Sister didn't say that Song Fenglan was bad at managing a household. It wasn't her who was going to spend her life with Song Fenglan; it was Commander Qin who was going to spend his life with Song Fenglan.
"Mom, I want more." Qin Zihang finished most of the bowl of mung bean soup, but he still wanted more.
Song Fenglan served Qin Zihang another half bowl, saying, "Don't drink too much, or you'll wet the bed."
"No, I'm three years old." Qin Zihang held up his fingers to show that he couldn't possibly wet the bed. However, he would still drink less, afraid that he might actually wet the bed that night and lose face as a man.
Zhang Xiaohu peeked out; he wanted to have some more.
"There's more." Song Fenglan understood when she saw Zhang Xiaohu's actions.
"Don't give him so much to drink." The plump woman was a little embarrassed; the whole family of four was drinking mung bean soup here.
Song Fenglan stayed close to Fatty's house, which was next to a small hill. Further beyond the hill, other houses were located, making it relatively far away. As the saying goes, a close neighbor is better than a distant relative, and as long as Fatty's family was of decent character, Song Fenglan didn't mind spending more time with them.
"It's mostly soup, with not much mung bean," Song Fenglan said.
After everyone had drunk the mung bean soup, the plump woman helped wash the dishes, and Song Fenglan didn't stop her. It's nice that others are willing to help with chores after eating at home; it's about give and take between people.
"Your mung bean soup tastes so good, how did you make it?" the plump woman asked. "I think it's not just about adding sugar."
If adding sugar could make mung bean soup taste better, then Aunt Pang and the others could just add more sugar, but that's not how it works.
“Mung bean soup is actually mung bean paste soup,” Song Fenglan said. “The mung beans are cooked until they split open and the inner beans turn into a paste. This paste makes the soup taste better. At this point, you can add sugar, and if you like, you can also add some honey. The honey should ideally be pure honey, not honey mixed with white sugar.”
"To make the fermented soybean paste into a paste, it has to be cooked for a long time." Aunt Pang has made red bean paste before, making red bean paste rice dumplings for the Dragon Boat Festival and red bean paste buns for frying during the Chinese New Year. "Some beans are particularly difficult to cook. These beans need to be soaked in water, but soaking them for too long won't work."
“That’s right.” Song Fenglan nodded. “It would be better if we could sort through the beans. But we haven’t sorted them yet. There are only so many beans, there’s not much to sort.”
Most importantly, selection takes time, and being too meticulous can easily draw criticism. It's just that we need to be mindful of this in this era; as things gradually open up in a few years, there won't be a need for such meticulousness.
Song Fenglan had already thought it all out. Next year, when the college entrance exam resumes, she will take it. Whether she goes to university, starts a business, or does scientific research, it doesn't matter. The important thing is to earn more money; with money in hand, life can be better.
The fat woman and her husband took their child home. Once inside, the fat woman couldn't help but remark, "Qin Tuan's wife is quite good. You said she couldn't cook, but it's not that she can't cook, it's just that she's good at different things. Judging from her demeanor..."
She has a very elegant demeanor; her family must be quite well-off.
"I'm not quite sure," Zhang Chenghai said.
“That’s probably it,” said the plump woman. “Didn’t you say before that Qin Tuan’s wife’s family background wasn’t very good? The things those rich girls learn are indeed different from what we learn. In the past, landlords’ families… let’s not talk about that, let’s not talk about that.”
Aunt Pang thought for a moment and decided not to say anything. Regardless of how those people were doing, it was good that Song Fenglan hadn't made things difficult for them. Aunt Pang was afraid that having a difficult neighbor would make life hard. Neighbors, after all, see each other all the time, and some friction is inevitable.
"It's best not to talk about it anymore," Zhang Chenghai said. "The situation has changed. You should also avoid going to the Revolutionary Committee and not pay too much attention to them."
“I don’t care. Years ago, someone asked me to join the Revolutionary Committee, but I didn’t go,” said the plump woman.
At the time, Fat Sister-in-law originally wanted to go, but Zhang Chenghai remained silent, making her wonder if there might be a problem. It just so happened that Fat Sister-in-law was pregnant at the time, and she said she wasn't feeling well and needed to rest in bed to care for her pregnancy, so she wouldn't participate in the Revolutionary Committee. Others understood Fat Sister-in-law; they all assumed she wanted to have a son as soon as possible to solidify her position.
"Chief of Staff Xu's wife, I mean his second wife Shi Guilan, she's still inside," the fat woman said. "She's the kind of person who wants to find fault with everyone and make everyone listen to her."
“No matter what she is like, let’s not cause trouble,” Zhang Chenghai said. “Many things were not done well in those years. The mistakes made under the historical context will eventually be corrected.”
"Mm." The plump woman nodded, it's best to stay out of those things.
Aunt Pang thinks it's normal for neighbors to have friction, but she's afraid of those who are petty and nag about every little thing.
Because Qin Zihang drank a lot of mung bean soup, Song Fenglan told him to go to the toilet before going to bed.
“He needs to use the restroom tonight, I’ll take him,” Qin Yizhou said. “You can just go to sleep.”
“Of course you should take care of him,” Song Fenglan said. “Before, I often had to get up at night when our son had something to do. Now it’s your turn. But our son is a bit older now, so he rarely gets up at night and can basically sleep through the night. He just might get up a little earlier in the morning.”
When Song Fenglan has to go to work, Aunt Yu helps take care of the child. Song Fenglan still gets tired, and she has to take care of the child after get off work. She can't just leave the child with Aunt Yu.
"You have to go to work tomorrow, so get some rest," Song Fenglan said.
"It's still early," Qin Yizhou said. "Tomorrow morning, I'll get up, buy breakfast, and then go to the military base. The family canteen isn't far from here, so it won't take much time for me to go and come back."
“Okay.” Song Fenglan had no objections.
Qin Yizhou wanted to show off in front of Song Fenglan, just as his wife had said, she had always taken care of the children, while he, as the father, had done too little.
If he's not a good father and not a good husband, there's nothing that can be done. Qin Yizhou is still in the army and has a lot to do.
That evening, Qin Zihang did indeed get up to use the restroom once. Even so, he was still thinking about when his mother would cook mung bean soup next time. This was his own mother; Zhang Xiaohu couldn't take her away, and he couldn't let his own mother become Zhang Xiaohu's mother.
Early in the morning, when Song Fenglan woke up, Qin Zihang was sitting obediently eating porridge and steamed buns. Seeing his son awake, Qin Yizhou helped him brush his teeth and wash his face, then went to buy breakfast, letting his son sit on a small stool to eat. Qin Yizhou had specially gotten a small stool for his son; the stool wasn't high enough to prevent the child from falling, and even if he did, it wouldn't hurt much.
"Mom." Qin Zihang waved to his mother as she came out of the room. "Mom, let's eat."
"Did your father go to work?" Song Fenglan asked.
"Dad said he'd be back tonight," Qin Zihang said. "Dad told us to eat first."
After breakfast, Song Fenglan was about to take the clothes out to dry when she found that Qin Yizhou had already done so. "Okay." Song Fenglan walked to her son's side and gently patted his head. "Is this enough to eat?"
"That's enough," Qin Zihang said. "The dog should drink its porridge."
"..." Song Fenglan thought to herself that the puppy had just arrived at the family, and it was normal for her son to care about it. She wondered if her son's interest was just fleeting. "You eat your food."
“Dad fed it to the dog,” Qin Zihang said.
Qin Yizhou hadn't originally intended to feed the dog, but his son kept mentioning it, so he had no choice but to give the puppy some porridge.
"Fu Wang Wang, Little Fu Wang." Qin Zihang indicated that he knew the puppy's name.
Song Fenglan took a handkerchief and wiped Qin Zihang's mouth. She thought it was better for the child to be well-behaved.
"Our Zihang is so great, he can feed himself," Song Fenglan said. "Dad went to work, and Mom hasn't woken up yet, so you stay at home and don't run around, okay?"
"I know, I won't go out, and I won't go to the neighbors' houses either." Qin Zihang nodded. "If I run around aimlessly, Mom will become someone else's mom."
“That’s right,” Song Fenglan said.
“Mom has other babies, so she doesn’t want me anymore,” Qin Zihang said.
"That's right," Song Fenglan said confidently. She had taught her son these words countless times to prevent him from being abducted by human traffickers. Song Fenglan used to have to work, and sometimes she slept in late in the mornings. Afraid of not being able to keep an eye on her child, she would specifically tell him these things. Fortunately, her son was quite well-behaved and obedient; otherwise, Song Fenglan wouldn't be so at ease.
Song Fenglan didn't rush to take her child to visit the family compound. She didn't want others to know she had brought her son. Song Fenglan planned to review her lessons early. In her previous life, she had graduated many years ago and worked in a specialized field. The college entrance exam didn't just test a few subjects; there were other subjects as well.
In her past life, Song Fenglan worked at an aircraft research institute. She wondered if she should continue down the same path. Following the same route would always be easier. But if she did scientific research, with all the overtime, she might not even have time to take care of her child. If she didn't do research, what else could she do?
Writing a novel? No way. Song Fenglan didn't have that kind of imagination. She couldn't write about a heroine living in extreme poverty; she couldn't bear it. Novels that didn't expose harsh realities lacked critical insight and were unlikely to win awards. As for romance novels, Song Fenglan and Qin Yizhou hadn't even had a proper relationship, so how could she write a love story?
Becoming a writer is not a viable path!
Being a translator? Translation involves a lot of professional knowledge, and you have to translate words accurately, which is not an easy task.
Aviation-related majors are highly specialized and demanding fields. If Song Fenglan's parents hadn't been exonerated in time, she wouldn't have passed the political vetting process and wouldn't have been able to study such majors. Even if her parents were exonerated, Song Fenglan's chances of attending such majors might still be somewhat affected.
Song Fenglan looked at the embroidery in her hands, then at her son playing beside her.
Sometimes, Song Fenglan really wanted to just give up and be done with it, but she couldn't; she had a son and things she cared about.
A life of idleness can be quite enjoyable, provided you have someone to rely on. But Song Fenglan doesn't want to depend on a man in the future. Even if her parents are exonerated and their property is returned, if she does nothing, people will say she's having too easy a job as a mother.
Those people were like that, easily belittling a mother. Song Fenglan decided to continue studying aircraft manufacturing. Before that, she might be able to showcase her talents. After all, Song Fenglan had participated in fighter jet research in her previous life; their research institute often competed with research institutes in another region.
At that time, the research institutes in the two regions were working on the same generation of fighter jets, and the finished products were unveiled one after the other in the same year. People said that they were also competing internally, saying that the two fighter jets each had their own advantages and could complement each other, and because they were from the same country, they could also give full play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses.
"Mom, Mom, what's Dad's name?" Qin Zihang asked Song Fenglan.
Song Fenglan taught Qin Zihang to write characters, including one, two, three, four, and his own name. Qin Zihang found his name too difficult to write and wanted to know his father's name.
“Your father’s name is Qin Yizhou,” Song Fenglan replied.
"Is it 'one, two, three, four, five'?" Qin Zihang asked again.
“Yes, it’s one, two, three, four, five, one.” Song Fenglan nodded.
"Is it a horizontal line?" Qin Zihang asked again.
“Yes, it’s this one, what’s wrong?” Song Fenglan asked.
"Mom, can I be called Qin Yiyi?" Qin Zihang's eyes darted around. "Yiyi sounds nice."
"..." Song Fenglan looked down at her son, and she could tell what he was thinking at a glance.
"Mom, I want to be called Yi Yi," Qin Zihang said. "My name is Yi Yi, and everyone knows I'm Dad's child. I..."
Then I can tell other people, "My dad's name is Yizhou, and my name is Yiyi."
Qin Zihang didn't care which "zhou" his father's name was; he only knew that his own name was hard to write. When he started kindergarten, he would have to write his name in his notebook. His mother had told him long ago that he had to write his name in both his books and notebooks, so he started practicing writing his name early on so that it wouldn't be too messy later.
"Do you know why your mother named you this?" Song Fenglan asked.
"Why?" Qin Zihang tilted his head. He didn't understand. He only knew that his name was too difficult to write.
"To inspire you to have lofty aspirations and soar to great heights," Song Fenglan said. "Hang means both airplanes and ships."
When Song Fenglan named her son, she didn't think much about Qin Yizhou's name. At most, she thought it would be better for her son to take Qin Yizhou's surname, since he was the son of a soldier, and people wouldn't be able to say that her son had a bad class background. Song Fenglan named her son 'Hang'. At that time, she hadn't yet regained her memories of her past life, and she only chose this one character, which shows that she still had a deep affection for airplanes deep in her heart.
“If you’re afraid people will say you’re not your father’s son, just say Zhou is also Hang, and you are your father’s son, isn’t that enough?” Song Fenglan said.
"Can't I really change my name?" Qin Zihang was unwilling to give up; his name was indeed difficult to write.
“Think about it,” Song Fenglan said. “One, two, three, four, five, one. If someone adds one or two strokes, you become Qin Er Er, Qin San San, and right, you can even change it to Qin Qi Qi, Qin Shi Shi.” “If you do your homework and someone else changes your homework, your homework becomes someone else’s homework, and the teacher won’t know you did your homework.”
"Could this be?" Qin Zihang's eyes widened.
Qin Zihang hadn't started school yet, so he didn't know that there were practically no students named Qin Yiyi or Qin Erer in his class. It was unlikely that such a coincidence would happen. Changing names made it easy for the teacher to find out whose homework it was.
"Yes," Song Fenglan couldn't possibly say no. "If you can just casually change your name to someone else's, it won't be unique anymore. Don't come back crying and saying you want to change your name and not be called Qin Yiyi anymore."
"Has Dad's homework been secretly altered?" Qin Zihang looked around. "Mom, can you tell me quietly?"
“I don’t know, I didn’t know your father back then,” Song Fenglan said.
"Don't you know him?" Qin Zihang asked. "Then how did you meet Dad?"
"Weren't you going to change your name?" Song Fenglan asked.
"I won't change it, I won't change it." Qin Zihang quickly shook his head. "This name sounds so nice, so beautiful. I love this name. No one can change my name, right?"
"Then we won't change it," Song Fenglan chuckled.
"It can't be changed," Qin Zihang emphasized. "Does Dad want to change his name?"
“When your father comes back, ask him,” Song Fenglan said.
"Dad's so old, can he still change his name?" Qin Zihang asked. "If Dad changes his name, will he still be my dad?"
“Ask him,” Song Fenglan said. “He’s your father. You can ask him anything you want. Ask him boldly and confidently, don’t be afraid.”
"Will Daddy be unhappy?" Qin Zihang asked. "If Daddy is unhappy, can I not have a daddy?"
“As long as your father agrees, you can do without him,” Song Fenglan said.
“Dad will definitely disagree,” Qin Zihang said. “I’m so smart and cute, Dad will definitely not want to part with me. Dad will also not want to part with Mom. If he’s not my dad, he can’t be with Mom.”
"..." Song Fenglan looked at her son, wondering what was going on in his little head.
"Mom, I want to write," Qin Zihang said. He wanted to write his name very, very beautifully, not ugly. He knew that after starting school, there would be many, many other children, and they might write beautiful names. If he didn't write his name nicely, he would be laughed at. "Mom, I want my name to be better than the other children's."
"Okay," Song Fenglan said. "Mom will go get you the notebook."
When Song Fenglan and Qin Yizhou took Qin Zihang shopping, they bought notebooks and pens. Qin Yizhou didn't ask any questions; he assumed it was for Song Fenglan. It didn't matter who used it; having these things at home would make it convenient to record things.
Zhang Xiaohu kept insisting on going to play next door, so Fatty Sister had no choice but to bring him over.
When the plump woman saw Qin Zihang sitting there obediently writing, she was quite surprised, "Your son can already write?"
“He can write some,” Song Fenglan said. “I used to be a teacher, right? I can tutor him after get off work. The earlier he starts learning, the less difficult it will be later. Cultivating his interests and hobbies, and encouraging him to read more, will help him avoid being taken advantage of in the future.”
“I think your son’s handwriting is even better than Xiaohu’s.” The fat woman looked at her youngest son. “My youngest son is not cut out for studying. He always likes to run out and play. If he doesn’t play for a day, he will complain as if we are abusing him.”
"What are you writing?" Zhang Xiaohu walked to Qin Zihang's side and stared at the words Qin Zihang was writing.
"My name." Qin Zihang stretched out his little hand and pointed to each word one by one, "Qin, Zi, Hang, Qin Zihang, my name."
"Wow, you can write your name now!" Zhang Xiaohu said.
“Look at you, even your younger brother can write his own name, but what about you?” the fat woman said. “I taught you how to write your name, and you… Zhang, you just write 'bow and long' with the characters far apart. Tiger, you just draw a circle with a few lines, and you can’t even draw a perfect circle.”
Upon hearing what the plump woman said, Song Fenglan immediately thought of the little tiger head that Zhang Xiaohu had drawn, "It's quite cute."
“You think he drew a tiger’s head? No, it’s not even a kitten’s head,” said the plump woman. “The teacher also said that we should teach him more, so he can eventually learn to write his own name. The teacher doesn’t have that much time and can’t teach him everything, so we, as his parents, have to teach him. I’m not very educated, so I can only teach him a few words, not too many.”
“Parents should teach their children how to write their names. If they can teach them, they should teach them. If they can’t, they should go to school and wait for the teachers to teach them,” Song Fenglan said. “The teachers are right. Everyone works during certain hours. It’s unreasonable to expect teachers to teach students for free just because they are teachers. They also have families and are busy with their own things.”
Song Fenglan dislikes parents who always make teachers do things for free. She doesn't want to put all the pressure on teachers, who work very hard. She thinks it's unrealistic for parents to expect teachers to take care of their children without taking care of them themselves.
"That's how it is." The plump woman hadn't expected Song Fenglan to say that.
Nowadays, being a teacher isn't considered a great job; many people look down on teachers. Like many others, Fatty Sister doesn't think being a teacher is anything special; she thinks many teachers have even been sent to labor camps by their students. Now that there are no middle school or college entrance exams, being a teacher is just like that.
"Little Tiger, look at your little brother, you don't even know how to write your name properly," said the plump woman.
"I know that's my name, isn't that enough?" Zhang Xiaohu didn't like studying much; he didn't enjoy reading much, he preferred playing. Zhang Xiaohu watched Qin Zihang write so obediently, glancing at him once, then again.
"Would you like to try writing it down?" the plump woman asked.
"There are notebooks and pencils here." Song Fenglan didn't just buy one notebook; she bought several and also sharpened two pencils.
"We have some at home, let him go get it from home. We can't always rely on yours." The plump woman felt embarrassed. They had eaten mung bean soup made by Song Fenglan yesterday, plus the soup that Song Fenglan had given to the two children earlier.
It's a favor if someone gives it to you; it's not something you're obligated to do.
Fatty Sister-in-law can't let people think she only knows how to take advantage of others; she still has to pay for what her family should pay for.
"I'll go get it." Zhang Xiaohu ran to his own house to get the things, and his wife, Pang, didn't follow. It was just next door, and this area was still a residential compound, so there were few petty thieves, and those human traffickers wouldn't dare to come over.
The plump woman looked at Song Fenglan, not daring to ask her to help tutor her son. She had overheard Song Fenglan's words; she couldn't let someone tutor her child for free. It was fine for neighbors to help each other occasionally, but it wouldn't be right to always rely on others for help.
Don't say that raising one child is the same as raising two children; they are not the same.
One child makes you more focused; two children require even more energy.
The woman, nicknamed "Fat Sister," has two children of her own, and she clearly feels that raising one child is better than raising two. But since they are her own children, she still wishes she could have more. If they weren't her own, then so be it. Putting herself in her shoes, if she feels this way, one can only imagine how others feel.
"Xiaohu is much more mischievous than his brother, who is a bit better. His brother at least knows to do his homework at home, while Xiaohu likes to run around everywhere," said the plump woman. "Luckily, it's relatively safe here. If it were anywhere else, I would..."
I don't dare let him run around everywhere.
“It’s a good thing that your child is a little mischievous; it means you’ve raised him very well,” Song Fenglan said.
“That’s true,” said the plump woman. “The two children left behind by Staff Officer Xu’s first wife are both girls. They are timid and cowardly, especially the younger one. If you ask her a question, she won’t say a word for a long time and always hides behind her older sister. Children without a mother are children without a mother, and they are not comfortable. The older one was quite lively and cheerful when she was a child, but now she has changed.”
The plump woman sighed, "Giving birth is not a simple matter. You can't assume that if the first pregnancy was fine, the next one will be fine too. She was about to give birth, but she was still at home. She had someone take care of her, namely Shi Guilan. Shi Guilan went out to buy groceries, and when she came back, Staff Officer Xu's ex-wife had bled quite a bit."
Sister-in-law Pang felt a pang of regret. It was only after what happened to Staff Officer Xu's first wife that she realized how terrifying childbirth could be. She used to think childbirth was just like that, and that giving birth at home wouldn't be a big deal. But now, she didn't think that way. People only truly settle down after experiencing some lessons.
“It’s not easy to give birth in the first place, so you still have to go to the hospital. Hospitals are very good at sterilization and disinfection,” Song Fenglan said. “Giving birth at home can easily lead to problems.”
Sometimes, Fatty wondered if Shi Guilan was doing it on purpose. But everyone needed to eat, and Shi Guilan couldn't possibly not go out to buy groceries, nor could others deliver food to her door every day. Staff Officer Xu even married Shi Guilan for the sake of the child, but now Fatty felt that Staff Officer Xu clearly didn't want to take care of the child, and that he wanted a son, which was why he kept Shi Guilan.
Zhang Xiaohu quickly brought over paper and pen, and sat down next to Qin Zihang; he wanted to write too.
"Sit properly," the plump woman reminded Zhang Xiaohu.
Previously, the family that had the child drowned had taken the child home, and the child was doing alright. However, the family started arguing over there. The child's grandmother felt that she had many things to do, such as grocery shopping and laundry, and she really didn't know that the child would drown in that way. So many people leave buckets of water like that, who would have thought that a child would just dive headfirst into the bucket.
"It's good that the child is alright," Grandma Fang said to her daughter-in-law.
Grandma Fang's daughter-in-law's surname is Gao, and her name is Gao Xiuxiu. Gao Xiuxiu was very angry. She had given birth to a daughter, but her mother-in-law treated her and the child very badly.
When the accident happened, Grandma Fang would get anxious, but now that the child is alright, she's not worried anymore.
"What do you mean 'as long as the child is alright'?" Gao Xiuxiu felt that Grandma Fang was a very scary person. "Do you not want this granddaughter? Do you wish she were dead?"
“She’s my own granddaughter, how could I possibly have such thoughts?” Grandma Fang said. “You all neglect these household matters; I’m the one who does everything, I…”
“We asked you to come over so you can help take care of the child.” Gao Xiuxiu still has to go to work and can’t stay at home all the time. Her husband is always thinking about his mother and wants her to come over. What can Gao Xiuxiu do but ask her mother-in-law to come over? “She’s just a child, a child who is not even a year old. What can she understand? She just needs an adult to take care of her.”
"You complain that I can't take good care of the child, then you take care of the child!" Grandma Fang said unhappily. "All you do is go out to work all day long, you're never home. I'm doing chores at home, of course I don't have time to watch over the child. If you were home, none of this would happen!"
“If I were at home, why would I need you to come over?” Gao Xiuxiu said.
"What do you mean? Do you want me to go back?" Grandma Fang had no intention of going back; she wanted to stay here.
Grandma Fang doesn't only have one son; she also has another son in her hometown in the countryside, and she still sends money to him from time to time while she lives here. Before Grandma Fang came, Gao Xiuxiu's husband frequently sent money back home. After Grandma Fang arrived, Gao Xiuxiu's husband gave her more money, knowing that his own mother would be sending money back home.
Gao Xiuxiu was dissatisfied, but it was no use; she could only watch helplessly as Grandma Fang sent money back home. Grandma Fang always liked to say that her son in the countryside had a hard life, that life in the countryside was tough, that her husband had died young, and that she still had to rely on her eldest son to take care of her younger son.
"Damn it, you want to kick me out!" Grandma Fang ran straight to the yard and sat down there crying and shouting, "If you want to kick me out, you might as well let me just kill myself here, so you won't have to bother anymore."
Although Song Fenglan's house was two or three buildings away from Fang's, Grandma Fang's voice was quite loud, and Song Fenglan heard some of it from her house.
"Want to go out and take a look?" the plump woman asked.
"Want to watch the excitement?" Qin Zihang put down his pencil. Watching excitement is human nature, and children like to watch excitement too.
"Write your words." Song Fenglan didn't intend for her son to join in the fun; they had only been here a short time and had no idea what was going on.
Zhang Xiaohu ran out immediately; he didn't want to write anymore. After writing for a while, he found it too boring. Seeing her youngest son run out, Fatty Sister-in-law had no choice but to chase after him.
“Mom…” Qin Zihang looked at his mother longingly, “Other people’s babies have all gone out.”
"Do you want to be someone else's baby?" Song Fenglan asked.
“No, no, I’ll be Mommy’s baby,” Qin Zihang said.
"Let you be someone else's baby, everyone will envy your baby." Song Fenglan gently stroked her son's little nose, then took his hand. "Come on, Mommy will take you out to see the world."
On the other side, Grandma Fang's shouting had already attracted a lot of people, and some even went in to try and break up the fight.
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