Chapter 78 The transfer is done by man, and Heaven is watching.
During the surgery, another doctor came out and asked Gao Xiuxiu's family to sign a document stating that Gao Xiuxiu's uterus could not be saved.
"I'll do it!" Sister Gao said before Fang Xudong could speak.
Sister Gao stepped forward. She already knew; her family had told her that she had to save Gao Xiuxiu's life.
"Big sister, I'll sign here." Fang Xudong said. He didn't intend not to sign. Whether or not there was a child was not important. He and Gao Xiuxiu already had two children, so it didn't matter whether they had a son or not.
Through Gao Xiuxiu's illness, Fang Xudong realized that nothing is more important than good health. As long as Gao Xiuxiu recovers, they can take good care of their daughter, and that will be just as important.
Sister Gao looked at Fang Xudong. She thought Fang Xudong would tear up the surgery notice, but she didn't expect that Fang Xudong would actually sign it.
"You..." Sister Gao fell silent.
“Xiuxiu and I have a daughter, it’s not that we don’t have children,” Fang Xudong said. “Even without children, life is more important than children. It’s all my fault. I didn’t want to get involved in those family matters before, always thinking that those things wouldn’t affect Xiuxiu. I thought…”
After signing the document, Fang Xudong punched the wall. He had taken it all too seriously and hadn't considered the possibility of Gao Xiuxiu getting into trouble. Fang Xudong thought that if he had known things would turn out this way, he should have tried to persuade his mother more.
“You are indeed wrong,” Sister Gao said. “My parents and I just hope you can treat Xiuxiu better and not be like before. It’s better that you can’t have children. If you could, who knows when she might go crazy again. Take good care of your two daughters, and they will be able to take care of you in the future. Isn’t this supposed to be about gender equality?”
"Yes, it's about gender equality," Fang Xudong said, his eyes red.
The surgery went smoothly, and Gao Xiuxiu's life was saved. Now, they just need to wait for the test results. The doctor can't guarantee that the lump of flesh is completely harmless; they still need to examine it. If it's just a uterine fibroid, it's most likely benign and there won't be any problems. The doctor had rarely seen someone with such a large belly like Gao Xiuxiu with a fibroid.
Sarcoma.
Another week passed before Gao Xiuxiu returned home from the hospital.
Sister Gao will be staying here for a few more days and won't be going back so soon. Given Gao Xiuxiu's health condition, Sister Gao still needs to comfort and reassure her.
Losing a uterus is a very significant event for a woman, and it's easy for her to become despondent. Especially for someone like Gao Xiuxiu, who is obsessed with having a son, she must feel that her uterus is extremely important.
While at the hospital, Gao Xiuxiu was reluctant to speak much, and her older sister understood what she was thinking. Her older sister and Fang Xudong could only try to persuade her to think more positively, reminding her that she still had two daughters.
It's worth noting that Gao Xiuxiu disliked her second daughter very much before, and didn't like her eldest daughter much either; she only wanted to have a son.
Actually, Gao Xiuxiu initially preferred her eldest daughter. However, when she thought her second daughter was a son, she showered all her love on her supposed son. When her second daughter was born, Gao Xiuxiu felt ashamed of her and treated her poorly.
Before the surgery, Gao Xiuxiu kept fantasizing that the baby in her belly was a son, and not something else. After the surgery, Gao Xiuxiu gave up hope.
Sister Gao and the others have already seen that lump of flesh.
The doctor knew that Gao Xiuxiu and her family were fantasizing that it was a child, and they needed to see it to prevent them from thinking that the doctors had taken the child to sell. This was a military hospital; no one here would do such a thing.
Song Fenglan returned from the research institute and saw Sister Gao helping Gao Xiuxiu walk along the road. Gao Xiuxiu couldn't stay lying down all the time; she needed to walk around.
Gao Xiuxiu's feelings were mixed when she saw Song Fenglan. Before, Gao Xiuxiu thought Song Fenglan's health was too poor to have more children; otherwise, why wouldn't Song Fenglan have more? But now, Gao Xiuxiu realized that her own health was truly failing, and she could no longer have children.
"What's wrong?" Sister Gao asked when she saw Gao Xiuxiu standing there in a daze.
"Sister, do you believe in karma?" Gao Xiuxiu asked.
"What retribution?" Sister Gao asked, confused. "What terrible things have you done? Why would you need retribution?"
“I used to say that other people’s bodies were damaged and they couldn’t have children, but it turns out it’s me; my body is damaged.” Gao Xiuxiu just found it ridiculous. “Sister, isn’t that funny?”
“It’s not funny,” Sister Gao said. “Even those who don’t gossip about others will talk about it. Some people have a bad tongue and will say bad things. You have a bad tongue, and it’s not like you just started doing this. Heaven knows you didn’t mean it, you just can’t control yourself.”
“It wasn’t unintentional… I said it on purpose.” Gao Xiuxiu admitted her behavior back then. “I was jealous of her. Her first child was a son, and she’s beautiful. When she first came, many people were worried that she would take the apartment in the tenement building and compete with everyone for jobs. But she didn’t choose to live in the tenement building and found a job on her own.”
Gao Xiuxiu felt like a clown. Shi Guilan had already spoken out, making it all the more obvious, while her own actions seemed rather sinister. Gao Xiuxiu said at home that she thought no one else knew, but Grandma Fang would talk, and walls have ears.
"Retribution, it's all retribution," Gao Xiuxiu sighed over there.
Song Fenglan didn't listen to Gao Xiuxiu's words much. It was only when she was almost at her doorstep that she heard Gao Xiuxiu talking about retribution.
That's strange, what kind of retribution is this?
Song Fenglan had long forgotten what Gao Xiuxiu had said. She was busy with work and taking care of her child, so she had no time to think about Gao Xiuxiu. Pang Sao's family lived between Song Fenglan's and Gao Xiuxiu's families, so Song Fenglan didn't need to have much contact with Gao Xiuxiu.
"Be careful when you go out lately, especially you runners. Pay more attention to the road and don't bump into anyone," Song Fenglan reminded Qin Yizhou and Qin Zihang, the father and son, who were going for a run.
Qin Yizhou always went along with Qin Zihang; he mostly walked, while Qin Zihang would run around a bit. Qin Yizhou had to keep an eye on Qin Zihang to make sure he didn't fall.
"Gao Xiuxiu is out for a walk?" Qin Yizhou asked.
“Yes, I just saw her. Her sister was helping her walk,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s good for her to get out for a walk. Staying at home all day makes it easy to overthink things.”
"She..." Qin Yizhou heard about Gao Xiuxiu's situation. A woman who desperately wanted to have a son had her uterus removed, which was a major blow to Gao Xiuxiu.
“With her sister by her side, and with two children, she’ll surely pull herself together,” Song Fenglan said. “Just consider it as if she doesn’t want to have any more children; life still goes on as usual.”
"Fang Xudong signed it," Qin Yizhou said. He thought that if his own wife had encountered such a situation, he would have signed it too. No, his wife couldn't possibly have encountered such a situation; he couldn't just stand by and watch his wife drink those folk remedies. "Gao Xiuxiu's older sister was also there at the time."
“Regardless of who signed it,” Song Fenglan said, “this is the outcome.”
Song Fenglan, being a woman herself, knew the significant impact of losing her uterus; it could cause psychological problems for a woman. Gao Xiuxiu was relatively fortunate, as she was already married; if she hadn't, the impact would have been even greater.
Unmarried women without a uterus are in a worse situation than those with a uterus who cannot have children. They may feel inferior and believe it's their own fault.
In her past life, Song Fenglan had a friend who had surgery for uterine fibroids. This made it difficult for her to conceive in the short term, and in the long term, it might have some impact. As a result, her friend was dumped by her boyfriend. This left Song Fenglan speechless. Didn't such a long-term relationship matter?
Song Fenglan also saw breast cancer patients who had their breasts removed, and married couples who had also gotten divorced.
People in this world are inherently selfish.
When a man is sick, most women will take care of him; when a woman is sick, most men will abandon her.
Fang Xudong has his flaws, but he hasn't abandoned Gao Xiuxiu yet, which is commendable. It remains to be seen what he will do in the future; we need to look at the long term, not just the immediate present.
“That’s life; no one knows when an accident will happen,” Song Fenglan said.
"Mom." Qin Zihang ran up to Song Fenglan. "Mom, have you eaten?"
"You've already eaten." Song Fenglan patted her son's head.
"Mom, have some fruit," Qin Zihang said again.
"Okay, okay, let's eat fruit," Song Fenglan said.
Because of Gao Xiuxiu's situation, everyone in the neighborhood has been keeping a low profile lately and hasn't dared to be too celebratory.
Song Fenglan hadn't made any delicious pastries for the children recently, and she was thinking of making some over the weekend. Song Fenglan didn't plan to send any to Gao Xiuxiu, regardless of whether Gao Xiuxiu was sick or not.
Don't always assume the worst of others, but don't think too highly of them either. If Gao Xiuxiu were to eat something she shouldn't and get sick, that would be a real problem.
"What do you want to eat? We'll make it this weekend," Song Fenglan said.
"Can...can I have roast duck?" Qin Zihang fiddled with his fingers, afraid his mother would be unhappy. "Will it be difficult?"
"Okay, let's have roast duck then." Song Fenglan nodded. "And how about we make some mung bean cakes too?"
"Okay, okay." Qin Zihang was especially happy. "Mom, you're amazing. You're the best mom in the world."
“You’re just trying to flatter me,” Song Fenglan said.
"I'm not just trying to appease my mom, it's true," Qin Zihang said. "Mom, many of my classmates envy me because they envy me for having such a good mom."
“Their mother is a good mother too,” Song Fenglan said.
"Yes, but my mom is still better," Qin Zihang said.
"Didn't you want to eat fruit? You're holding your mother, how is she supposed to eat?" Qin Yizhou said.
Qin Zihang then let go of his hand; he wanted to eat the food his mother had made.
In the past few days, Li Hui visited Guo's mother several times, and her attitude was quite good. Guo's mother knew that things couldn't continue like this, so she invited Guo Peng and Li Hui to come over for dinner. After dinner, Guo's mother finally told her younger son and daughter-in-law about their thoughts.
"They're not going to give the child to us for adoption?" Li Hui was surprised, and the corners of her mouth almost turned up. Of course, she didn't want to raise Guo Peng's younger brother's child. Such a child had no blood relation to her, and who knew if the child would be filial to her when he grew up.
If this child doesn't respect her in the future, then she's doomed.
Guo's mother could see that Li Hui was happy. She was certain that her youngest son and daughter-in-law had made the right decision. Li Hui had never even considered adopting a child from the Guo family.
"Yes, not at all," Guo's mother said firmly. "They plan to raise the child themselves, so they won't trouble you."
“Since it’s their decision, we respect it,” Li Hui said. “My cousin’s suggestion is that we can adopt Guo Peng’s brother’s child, or we can adopt a child from my family’s side. As for my family’s side, that means adoption.”
"A daughter is coming over, what do you think?"
The most important thing is for Li Hui to express her true feelings.
"Guo Peng, what do you think?" Li Hui looked at Guo Peng. "We have to respect your brother and sister-in-law's decision."
It's not that we're unwilling to adopt the Guo family's child, it's that the Guo family members themselves are unwilling.
"You can make the decision yourselves." Seeing that Guo Peng didn't speak, Guo's mother understood what he meant. "You can adopt whose child it is, and you can raise it."
Li Hui said those things only to please Guo Peng and prevent the Guo family from saying anything more about her.
Guo's mother understood Li Hui all too well; Li Hui was not someone who would consider the Guo family's feelings. Li Hui was rather selfish, and if she were to raise the Guo family's children, she probably wouldn't be able to raise them well. Li Hui would definitely have her own calculations in mind. In front of them, Li Hui might be good to the children, but once they weren't around, who knew how she would treat them?
“We raise them,” Guo Peng said.
“Daughters are good too,” said Guo’s mother. “Daughters are like warm cotton-padded jackets, daughters are wonderful.”
"That's good," Guo Peng nodded. "It's feasible."
Everyone had already made their decisions, leaving it to Guo Peng to say what. Guo Peng preferred that his younger brother have a child, but since his brother wouldn't agree, there was nothing he could do.
“It’s settled then. I’ll have my sister-in-law bring the baby over in a few days. It just so happens that they had a daughter,” Li Hui said. “Originally, I was thinking of adopting Guo Peng’s younger brother’s child first, and then bringing a girl from my parents’ home later.”
Fan Yani sat beside her, listening to Li Hui's words. Li Hui really dared to think that way. If she were to adopt a child like that, Li Hui would never be as kind as the Guo family's child. Fan Yani then looked at Guo Peng. Guo Peng had his eye on this guy. Aside from not being as good-looking or as educated as Li Hui, in what way was the original owner inferior to Li Hui?
"Let me hug you," Guo Peng said.
Fan Yani didn't say 'no.' Why would she say that? It's not like she's the one raising the child. Ultimately, whether the child is doing well or not depends entirely on Li Hui's attitude. Guo Peng has to work; where would he find the time to take care of the child? Everything is up to Li Hui.
After leaving Fan Yani's house, Li Hui was overjoyed; she was finally free from supporting the Guo family's child. Her cousin had said that the Guo family didn't agree to her raising the child, and if she spoke up again, they would be unhappy. It was better to take the child from her own family.
Guo Peng felt uneasy seeing Li Hui so happy. Li Hui hadn't offered to persuade her younger brother and sister-in-law; she had simply said she respected their decision. Guo Peng had noticed her eagerness, let alone anyone else.
“My niece is always better than those children who aren’t related to me by blood,” Li Hui said. “Didn’t they say that daughters are like warm cotton-padded jackets, so if we raise our daughter well, she can come back to visit us more often in the future? Isn’t that good enough?”
"Okay." Guo Peng couldn't possibly say no. Everyone had already said so; he couldn't just sit there sulking by himself.
But Guo Peng felt uneasy; he wanted his younger brother's child more, since the child was related to him by blood. Guo Peng originally thought his brother and sister-in-law would be very happy, but to his surprise, they directly refused.
When Guo's mother returned home last year, she told her youngest son and daughter-in-law that they had asked about Li Hui's attitude. They were worried because Li Hui hadn't returned home for her marriage to Guo Peng, and they didn't feel comfortable leaving the child with her. Guo's mother's youngest son and daughter-in-law also called Fan Yani. Fan Yani, of course, couldn't say much about Li Hui, but she objectively discussed the matter and told them to consider it themselves.
No one can make this decision for them; it concerns the child's entire life, and it's not a trivial matter.
On weekends, Song Fenglan would cook there. They didn't go out and make a fuss, but when others smelled the aroma of roast duck, they naturally knew that Song Fenglan was cooking something delicious.
Gao Xiuxiu could smell the aroma of roast duck even at home, and she couldn't very well forbid others from eating meat. Other families had young children, and children at that crucial stage of growth should be allowed to eat some meat.
Gao Xiuxiu thought of her two daughters. Regardless of whether her daughters were good or bad, or whether they had brought her shame, her daughters were all she had left.
“Da Niu is quite well-behaved,” said Sister Gao. “She’s not naughty at all.”
“I don’t know if she’s gone mad,” Gao Xiuxiu said. “She’s drowned, and at such a young age, my mother-in-law fed her honey, and she was hospitalized… She’s suffered so much.”
“Look at her, she’s your daughter. She suffers, and you suffer too. You really are mother and daughter.” Sister Gao said this on purpose. She knew that Gao Xiuxiu didn’t like her two daughters, and she couldn’t let Gao Xiuxiu continue like this. “You should love her more.”
"Dote on her?" Gao Xiuxiu's feelings were complicated. She used to like her eldest daughter very much, but when she thought her daughter was like a son, she didn't value her eldest daughter as much.
“Yes,” Sister Gao said. “That’s your own daughter. If you don’t care about her, who will? She had two major incidents back then. They say things shouldn’t happen more than three times. She served as a warning to you. And you still let your mother-in-law stay, making Da Niu suffer for nothing.”
After hearing what her elder sister said, Gao Xiuxiu realized it made sense. Her eldest daughter's two serious incidents had served as a warning, but she hadn't yet noticed the problem.
“Da Niu is a filial child,” said Sister Gao. “She is also your first child.”
Sister Gao looked at Erniu, who was still so young and seemed unharmed. Sister Gao could only focus on Daniu, wanting to provide Gao Xiuxiu with a source of emotional support.
"Hmm." Gao Xiuxiu nodded. Perhaps she should be nicer to Daniu.
After a while, Song Fenglan finished roasting the duck and asked Qin Yizhou to cut it. Qin Yizhou's knife skills were quite good, and he quickly cut the duck.
Song Fenglan had already prepared the pancakes and the like.
Fat Sister asked Song Fenglan to roast a duck for her; she could cut it herself. Fat Sister took the roast duck and the child home, telling the child to eat at home, each family eating their own roast duck, and not to eat someone else's. That was meat, and meat was very expensive.
Eating other things normally would cost the family money, so Fatty felt embarrassed to let the two children eat Song Fenglan's roast duck again.
Times have changed. Aunt Pang now raises more chickens and ducks, and they lay more eggs. Since they can't eat them all, she takes some out to trade for other foods. Before, it was difficult to sell them for money, but now she can sell them directly.
Grandma Fang raised those chickens and ducks, but Sister Gao killed them to nourish Gao Xiuxiu. The laying hens are still around, though.
"Wait until it's cut before you eat." The plump woman gently patted Zhang Xiaohu's hand; Zhang Xiaohu was just too greedy.
"I'll wait, I'll wait," Zhang Xiaohu said.
Compared to Zhang Xiaohu's impatience, Qin Zihang was not in such a hurry.
Song Fenglan looked at the well-behaved Qin Zihang. The child had grown up a bit, and his words were much more logical, unlike before when he would just blurt things out. Young children could easily drive their family crazy, but older children tend to be much more mature and composed, at least Qin Zihang was like that.
This made Song Fenglan nostalgic for the past, for the time when she and Qin Zihang first came to join the army.
"Mom," Qin Zihang said, his mouth greasy from eating, "Mom, eat quickly, or Dad will finish it all."
"..." Qin Yizhou thought to himself, how much did he eat? Qin Zihang ate more than him. His son still had the nerve to say that he had eaten all the food.
A few days later, Li Hui's sister-in-law indeed brought over a baby girl who was about six months old. The child was still quite young and still breastfeeding. Li Hui's sister-in-law gave Li Hui several instructions and brought two cans of formula, suggesting that Li Hui buy some more formula for the baby and could also feed her some rice cereal.
“She’s my own niece, how could I not treat her well?” Li Hui said.
Li Hui's sister-in-law left soon after. The people in the small county town were still unaware that Li Hui was infertile, and the Li family hadn't revealed anything. This time, when Li Hui's sister-in-law brought the child over, she was thinking of going back and saying the child was sick and gone, or that the child was lost—whatever the explanation.
Li Hui had never taken care of a child before, and the six-month-old baby was crying and fussing, which she found a bit overwhelming. Li Hui discussed with Guo Peng whether Guo's mother could help take care of the baby.
“It’s the same whether you raise one child or two,” Li Hui said. “This child will call you Dad in the future too.”
"..." Guo Peng was speechless. The child belonged to the Li family and had no blood relation to him. Now he still had to let his mother take care of the child.
“Go talk to your mother,” Li Hui said. “Have her take care of the child. Fan Yani isn’t her biological daughter, and she can help Fan Yani take care of her child, so why can’t she help us take care of our child? Or do you want me to just take the child over there?”
"I'll go tell Mom," Guo Peng said.
“Let the child stay with his mother for a while,” Li Hui said. “When the child is older, we can bring him over, and he won’t fuss anymore.”
"Okay." What else could Guo Peng say?
Fan Yani was shocked when she heard Guo Peng's words.
Guo Peng came to their home just to ask them to help raise his child. What kind of nonsense is this?
“My mother is helping me at my house, so it’s only right that she eats and lives here. This child is my sister-in-law’s child, why should I let her stay here?” Fan Yani refused to let the child stay. “She’s my sister-in-law’s own niece, doesn’t she know how to treat her own niece better?”
"Yes, we do," Guo Peng said. "It's just that the child is too young for her to take care of, so we asked Mom to help look after the child. Mom will help out while she's here, and she..."
“Mom has to help me with chores, and I’ve given her money too.” Seeing that Guo’s mother was about to speak, Fan Yani grabbed her hand. “Although we are siblings and mother and daughter, we still need to be clear about some things. Let’s not let anyone think we’re taking advantage of them. I asked for help because I need to make cookies and other things to sell, and I don’t have time to take care of my child. My sister-in-law doesn’t work, so how come she doesn’t have time to take care of her child?”
“We’ll prepare the baby’s formula,” Guo Peng said, frowning. “In addition, we’ll give you some money so the baby can start eating solid foods.”
"How much money could you possibly give her?" Fan Yani said. "It makes Mom work so hard, and she doesn't even get any credit. Brother, don't you know how sister-in-law treats the Guo family?"
"Is your wife really unable to take care of the child by herself?" Guo's mother looked at her eldest son's predicament with some heartache. "If she doesn't take care of the child herself, the child won't be close to her. Everyone will know that the child you brought home at this time isn't your biological child. And when the child grows up a little, they will most likely find out anyway."
It can't be hidden forever; the fact that Li Hui can't have children has already spread around here. Unless Li Hui and Guo Peng move to another place, no one will know that the child isn't theirs. But Guo Peng's job is here, and this is Nancheng; nobody wants to leave the city for a small place.
“She has never raised a child before and doesn’t know how to raise one,” Guo Peng said helplessly. “Mom, please help me raise the child a little older, and then we’ll take the child back. We’ll cover all the child’s expenses.”
Guo's mother was not happy. If her eldest son and daughter-in-law didn't want to raise the child, they shouldn't have brought him over. If they wanted to take him, they should have waited until he was older, not when he was so young.
"Mom," Guo Peng pleaded, "I really had no other choice but to think of you. Please help take care of the child for a few months until he gets a little older."
Guo's mother nodded, but she didn't expect that it wouldn't be just a few months, but two or three years.
About a month later, Sister Gao was going back home. She repeatedly told Gao Xiuxiu to be careful. The hospital test results came back: benign, not malignant. As long as Gao Xiuxiu took good care of herself, she would be fine. The only worry was that Gao Xiuxiu might not be able to take good care of herself and might cause herself some trouble.
That's what happened.
"Remember what I said, if anything happens, we're here for you," Sister Gao said. "Take good care of yourself and don't think about those messy things."
"No, I don't want to," Gao Xiuxiu replied.
Time flies, and just as Song Fenglan was about to graduate, she was transferred to a research institute in the capital. With about six months left, Song Fenglan still hadn't received her graduation certificate.
Song Fenglan is being transferred, Qin Zihang is transferring schools, and Qin Yizhou is also preparing to be transferred to the capital. The whole family will go back together. As for the house in the south of the city, it will be handed over to the military so that they can allocate it to other people.
The house didn't belong to Song Fenglan and her husband; it belonged to the military. Since they were leaving at this time, the question of whether or not they would buy it was irrelevant.
When Qin Zihang learned that they were going back to the capital, he opened his eyes wide in astonishment.
Qin Zihang had just finished fourth grade and would be in fifth grade next semester. He was looking forward to playing with Zhang Xiaohu and Tian Junhua; they were all good friends. Qin Zihang hadn't expected them to go back so soon, and once they did, he wouldn't be able to play with Zhang Xiaohu and the others anymore.
"All good things must come to an end," Song Fenglan said. She had originally planned to consider transferring to a research institute in the capital after receiving her graduation certificate.
Now, the transfer order has come down, and Song Fenglan has to go with it. As for her graduation certificate, the school will send it to the capital. Graduation certificates are produced in batches, and Song Fenglan didn't expect the school to make a special exception for her; she could wait.
"We'll be leaving in a couple of days. Say goodbye to Xiaohu properly," Song Fenglan said.
"Mom, there are still many things, can we give them to Brother Xiaohu?" Qin Zihang asked. He was a little over a year younger than Zhang Xiaohu, but Qin Zihang was quite tall, almost the same height as Zhang Xiaohu.
“Sure.” Song Fenglan nodded. “Of course you can. Those are your things. You can pack them and see what you need and what you don’t. Say goodbye to them properly. We’re going back to our home in the capital. We originally came from the capital.”
Qin Zihang didn't have a deep impression of his childhood, but he had a deep impression of his days in Nancheng. He was reluctant to part with Zhang Xiaohu and the others, but there was nothing he could do.
When Sister Pang learned that Song Fenglan's family was going back to the capital, she was surprised, but then offered her blessings. The capital—that's the capital, not just any place. The capital is the most prosperous place in the country; there are so many things there.
“That’s right, you originally came from that side, you should go back, you should go back.” The fat woman’s eyes were slightly red. She thought that she would never have such a good neighbor as Song Fenglan again.
“If you need anything, you can call us,” Song Fenglan said, handing a slip of paper with a phone number on it to the plump woman. “We’re usually here in the evenings.”
"Okay." The plump woman nodded. "I've got it. You're leaving so soon... I wasn't prepared at all."
“No need to prepare anything,” Song Fenglan said. “We can’t take the TV and refrigerator back with us, so we’ll bring them here for you to use.”
"Well... we'll give you the money," said the plump woman.
"No need, just consider it a gift from Zihang to his brother Xiaohu," Song Fenglan said. "As long as you don't mind that it's secondhand, it's fine."
"No problem, no problem, but we still have to give some money. We can't not give anything at all," the plump woman said. "We'll give a little less, and you can take a little less, how about that?"
“Okay.” Song Fenglan nodded, no longer refusing. “Let’s go move it tomorrow.”
"Moving tomorrow? Why the rush?" the plump woman asked in surprise.
“Yes, we’re going back the day after tomorrow, so we need to tidy up the room tomorrow,” Song Fenglan said. “After we’ve slept in, could you help us tidy up the blankets and stuff?”
"Yes, of course." The plump woman held Song Fenglan's hand tightly. "I really can't bear to part with you."
“In the future, when you go to the capital, you can come to our house to play,” Song Fenglan said.
“Okay, since you’re coming to Nancheng, remember to come and find us,” said the plump woman.
Qin Yizhou's transfer was considered lateral, but moving from the southern city to the capital was a promotion. Given Qin Yizhou's seniority, a transfer back to the capital would have been difficult, but with Song Fenglan's support, the transfer order came through quickly. The higher-ups wanted Qin Yizhou to return so he could better protect Song Fenglan. Not only was Qin Yizhou transferred to the capital, but Cao Fang was also transferred there.
Cao Fang is not married yet; she's almost thirty. Cao Fang isn't in a hurry; she hasn't met the right person.
Song Fenglan didn't urge Cao Fang to get married, but someone in the army introduced Cao Fang to a potential partner, which Cao Fang declined. Considering how many years Cao Fang had been with Song Fenglan, the higher-ups decided to let Cao Fang join them as well.
Besides leaving some appliances for Sister Pang's family, Song Fenglan gave the fan to Fan Yani. Fan Yani was very happy; it was quite hot when she was making cookies. Of course, it wasn't convenient to use a fan while making food, but she could use it during breaks.
Fan Yani and her chubby sister-in-law helped Song Fenglan pack her things, and there were still quite a few things left to pack.
When she was using things, Song Fenglan didn't realize she had so much stuff. But after tidying up, she found she had a lot.
There are plenty of pots, pans, and dishes; it's unlikely those things will be left for the next tenant. When others come to live here, they'll probably want brand new things, not old ones.
"Perfect, it'll be good for our household use." The plump woman didn't stand on ceremony with Song Fenglan; she then looked at Fan Yani, "Do you want it?"
"I need a sieve to dry things," Fan Yani said.
Fan Yani thought it would be better for Song Fenglan to go back to the capital. There are many powerful people in the capital, and Song Fenglan wouldn't necessarily be targeted there. It could be said that the capital is Song Fenglan's true territory. If Song Fenglan stayed in Nancheng, she would know fewer people and would be easily bullied.
Previously, wasn't it because Song Fenglan came from another place and had been here for a shorter time than others that they bullied her?
Fan Yani admires Song Fenglan and wants to associate with her more, but she knows that Song Fenglan should go to a wider world instead of staying in Nancheng.
"Can I move two of those little chairs?" Fan Yani asked.
“Okay.” Song Fenglan nodded.
Fan Yani gave birth to another daughter last year, completing her family with a son and a daughter. With two children, Fan Yani has no plans to have any more.
Li Hui and her husband left their child with Guo's mother at Fan Yani's house, and they actually kept leaving her there. The couple hadn't taken the child back yet, but they would come to see her from time to time. Seeing that Guo's mother was willing to help take care of the child, and seeing that the child was a girl, Fan Yani couldn't bear to let the child suffer, so she decided to let the child stay at home as much as possible.
Now, with three children in the family, Fan Yani plans to have Guo's mother's youngest son and daughter-in-law come over and open a shop here. They can cook simple home-style dishes or sell breakfast; things will get better eventually. This is a good time; Fan Yani took some things that Song Fenglan's family didn't want anymore, which she can use for her younger brother and sister-in-law later.
Relatives from the original owner's biological parents' side wanted to contact Fan Yani, but she refused them all. Fan Yani believed she had no connection with those people; they had never been kind to the original owner, so why should she help them, just because they gave birth to her?
Guo Peng's younger brother and his wife were at least sensible, and they treated the original owner of the body fairly well.
Fan Yani wanted Guo Peng's younger brother and sister-in-law to come mainly for her own benefit. She thought that if those people earned money and their lives improved, Guo's mother wouldn't have to constantly subsidize them, and Guo's mother could help her take care of the children more. People who know how to be grateful are much better than those ungrateful wretches.
In Fan Yani's eyes, Li Hui was an ingrate.
"Oh right, there are so many bowls and chopsticks, I only need half, not so many." The plump woman glanced at the cupboard, then looked at Fan Yani, "Isn't your younger brother and sister-in-law coming over? They need some things too. Perfect, these things are all in good condition."
“That’s what I thought too,” Fan Yani said with a smile. “Sister-in-law Fenglan solved my urgent problem.”
"Do they have a place to stay?" Song Fenglan asked.
“Yes,” Fan Yani said. “They rented a place to live, they didn’t live with us. They also rented the shop. But they borrowed some money from us and their older brother, and they even gave us IOUs.”
That's true. Song Fenglan thought that Fan Yani was the female protagonist of a novel, a kind of farming-themed female protagonist in a period drama. It's normal for Fan Yani to help those who were good to her. If Fan Yani just lived a good life on her own and didn't help those around her, the satisfaction would be less.
However, with those people arriving, there will likely be more trouble; the female lead is never short of problems.
This is unnecessary.
Song Fenglan should consider it; it's a problem that Fan Yani needs to consider.
Song Fenglan called her parents yesterday, and they will naturally stay at her house after they return. Since no one has lived there for a long time, it needs to be cleaned, so Song Fenglan asked her family to arrange for someone to do it.
After the reform and opening up, Song's second brother built a factory and started a company, and business was pretty good. Song's eldest brother was still a teacher; he was used to teaching and had no intention of doing anything else. Song's sister-in-law knew that Song's second brother had made money, but she wasn't envious. Song's second brother had Song's eldest brother invest some money, promising to share the profits with him.
Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu were talking over there. Zhang Xiaohu was really reluctant to part with Qin Zihang; they had been playing together for several years.
"Will you come back after you go back?" Zhang Xiaohu asked.
"I don't know," Qin Zihang said. "I'm going back to the capital to study. My mom said we originally came from the capital and we're going back. Brother Xiaohu, you can call me or come to our house to play in the future."
"It's too far," Zhang Xiaohu said in a muffled voice.
“It’s going to be a train ride for several days,” Qin Zihang said. “It’s okay, when we grow up and have our own money, we can meet. We can go to university in the same place. Little Tiger, why don’t you go to university in the capital? That way, we can meet.”
“Okay, I will definitely get into a university in the capital.” Zhang Xiaohu nodded vigorously.
Looking at Zhang Xiaohu's reluctant expression, Fatty Sister thought that if he could really get into a good school in the capital, she would be extremely grateful. But could Zhang Xiaohu even pass the exam? Fatty Sister had her doubts. She figured it was best for the adults to just listen to what the two children said.
Fan Yani asked her husband to come and help carry the things back. When Yue Hongwei saw so much stuff, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Did they empty their house?"
"More or less," Fan Yani said. "Sister-in-law Fenglan doesn't need those things, and she doesn't plan to take them to the capital. She said she has everything at home in the capital, so she gave them to us and Sister-in-law Pang's family. These are all good things, and my younger brother and sister-in-law can use them when they come."
Yue Hongwei and Fan Yani moved several times, but since Sister Pang's house was right next door, it was easier for them to move.
When Song Fenglan first came to join the army, she brought Qin Zihang with her, but Qin Yizhou didn't come from the capital with them. This time, however, Qin Yizhou is going back with Song Fenglan and her son; they will be working and studying in the capital from now on.
As Song Fenglan looked at the much emptier house, she was filled with emotion. Qin Yizhou put his arm around her and said, "When we first moved in, this place was even emptier."
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