After Han Bin came back, he brought his child and gifts to congratulate the family and formally expressed his gratitude to Aunt Wang.

Although Aunt Wang secretly complained about Han Bin's generosity, she was very polite in person and did not take any credit for it. She said she was of no help and asked him to take the gift back.

Han Bin was of course unwilling to accept this. The other person was humble and did not take credit for himself, but he could not really think that the other person did not help at all and take everything for granted.

Moreover, he had heard from others that if it had not been for Aunt Wang's help, his wife might not have been able to give birth to the baby smoothly. Although the child came suddenly and disrupted all his rhythms, since he was pregnant, he still hoped that they would be safe.

Han Bin not only prepared gifts, he also wanted the child to recognize Aunt Wang as his godmother.

Aunt Wang couldn't sit still when she heard this. Although she didn't mind having more godchildren, she couldn't just recognize random godparents.

Her husband passed away early and her children also died young. She will definitely have to depend on the He family for the rest of her life. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be He Dongchuan and his son who will take care of her in her old age.

If Han Bin and his wife have a good relationship with He Dongchuan and his wife, it would be fine to recognize this god-relative. But the fact is just the opposite. If they recognize this god-relative, wouldn't it just cause trouble for He Dongchuan and his wife?

Aunt Wang quickly declined the offer of godparents and took the gift.

As soon as Han Bin left, Aunt Wang whispered to Su Ting, "This Battalion Commander Han is really amazing."

Su Ting understood what Aunt Wang meant and said with a smile, "Actually, this is a good idea."

Does Han Bin really want his son to recognize Aunt Wang as his godmother?

According to Su Ting, not necessarily.

She felt that Han Bin was probably trying to use this opportunity to put the old lady in a difficult position so that she would not be able to refuse the thank-you gift. Otherwise, if she refused anything, he would always owe her a favor.

Of course, a thank-you gift cannot repay the favor of saving their lives, but if their families have any shame, it will be enough to shut them up.

And their family is a family with dignity.

Thinking of this, Su Ting asked, "Do you want to open the gift and take a look?"

She felt that since Han Bin wanted to use this to shut them up, the gift he prepared would definitely not be cheap. Judging from the size of the box, it was most likely a watch or something like that.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Wang unpacked the package and opened the box inside.

There was indeed a watch in the box, and it was a Plum brand watch.

Although Aunt Wang didn't know much about watch brands, she had seen some of the world. She picked up the watch and looked at it carefully for a moment, then lowered her voice and asked, "This watch is not cheap, is it?"

Su Ting nodded: "It's not cheap."

At that time, a watch was one of the three major items for a wedding, but the only item required was a Shanghai brand watch, which could be purchased for around 150 yuan if you had a ticket.

As for the Plum brand watches, the name may sound rather rustic and not as fashionable as the Shanghai brand, but it is a genuine Swiss brand, imported goods, and a watch costs at least three hundred dollars.

Han Bin is indeed generous.

When Aunt Wang heard the price Su Ting quoted, she was shocked: "This is too expensive. No, I have to return the watch to him." As she said this, she put the watch back.

Su Ting stopped Aunt Wang from moving: "I think you should keep the watch."

Aunt Wang paused: "Why?"

"I think if you accept the watch, Captain Han will be relieved. If you send it back, he might worry about how to thank you," Su Ting joked. "Maybe he will really accept you as his godmother."

After listening to Su Ting's words, Aunt Wang sat back on the stool, but her expression was very hesitant: "But such a valuable thing..."

"No matter how valuable it is, can it be more valuable than two lives?"

Although Aunt Wang did not take the fact that she saved Duan Xiaoying and her son seriously, and Su Ting had never thought about making the Han family grateful, the Han family had expressed that she did not think Aunt Wang was unworthy.

Su Ting said, "If you are really worried, you might as well put your things away first and ask Dongchuan for his opinion when he comes back before making a decision."

Aunt Wang still trusted He Dongchuan more. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Okay, I'll ask Xiaochuan tonight."

…

As soon as He Dongchuan came back in the evening, Aunt Wang talked to him about the watch.

He Dongchuan had a similar idea to Su Ting. Although a watch worth three hundred yuan seemed expensive, it was not too expensive compared to their salary, so he let Aunt Wang accept the watch.

Seeing that both husband and wife said so, Aunt Wang no longer hesitated and accepted the watch.

However, she felt that she was too old to wear such a nice watch, so she wanted to give it to He Dongchuan. He was a military officer, and he had to meet many people every day, so it would be decent for him to wear a nice watch.

He Dongchuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "This is the watch that Battalion Commander Han bought for you to thank you for saving his wife and children. What will it look like if I wear it? What will he think when he sees it?"

"Why not? Since he gave the watch to me, it's mine. I can give it to whoever I want. What does it have to do with him?" Aunt Wang said, holding up the watch. "Besides, I'm an old lady who doesn't go out and my eyesight isn't very good. It would be a waste for me to wear such a nice watch."

"No matter how good a watch is, you only wear it to tell time. There is no difference between a good watch and a bad one," He Dongchuan said. "Besides, I already have a watch, so you should keep this one for yourself."

Aunt Wang asked: "Then let's take turns wearing watches?"

"Really, there's no need. I've grown attached to this watch. If you let me exchange it with you..." He Dongchuan didn't continue talking, only showing an embarrassed expression.

Su Ting then advised: "Look how worried he is. Aunt Wang, please don't make things difficult for him. Just wear the watch yourself."

At this point, Aunt Wang finally gave up the idea of ​​exchanging watches with He Dongchuan: "Okay then." She looked down at the watch in the box and muttered softly, "Such a good watch..."

"Such a good watch, it will definitely suit you." Su Ting said as she picked up the watch from the box, then took Aunt Wang's hand, rolled up her sleeves, and put the watch on her wrist. "Look, it's not bad, isn't it?"

In fact, Aunt Wang is not unfashionable, but she has been frugal all her life and is accustomed to giving good things to others. So when she suddenly gets such a good watch and has to wear it herself, she always feels uncomfortable.

But Su Ting was so strong that she looked down at the silver on her wrist, her eyes gradually moistened, but a smile appeared on her face: "Not bad."

"If you like it, wear it." Su Ting said as she buckled the watch on Aunt Wang's wrist. "It's a little loose. If you're not used to it, give the watch to Dongchuan and ask him to find someone in the city to fix the strap. Then it will fit you properly."

Aunt Wang reached out and stroked her watch: "Okay."

…

Although Su Ting insisted on not visiting Duan Xiaoying after she gave birth, Aunt Wang's relationships with people were not that strained, and she watched the child being born, so she visited her twice.

However, Aunt Wang went empty-handed on both occasions and did not bring anything, so after receiving the thank-you gift from Han Bin, she took the time to buy some fruit and went to visit Han's house again.

Duan Xiaoying still had the same attitude as before, treating her warmly. When she saw her bringing something, she even scolded her, saying that she was too polite, and also invited her to attend the child's full-month ceremony.

Aunt Wang naturally agreed immediately.

Although they were not godparents, they were still neighbors, and she even accepted a thank-you gift from him, so they would inevitably interact with each other in the future.

However, Aunt Wang didn't stay at Han's house for long because their home was too messy.

It’s been less than a week since Duan Xiaoying gave birth, and she still has difficulty getting out of bed and walking around, and can’t do any housework. All household chores now depend on Han Bin, who has taken leave to stay at home and take care of his wife and children.

If it was just housework, it shouldn't be difficult for Han Bin. Having served in the army for so many years, he is very nimble.

But he had to do more than just housework. He also had to change and wash diapers, prepare milk powder and feed the baby. He had never done these things before and had to learn them now.

In addition to all this, he still had to find time to cook, take care of his three grown-up children, and wash clothes for the entire family. He now wished he could do the work of two people, and his mood became increasingly irritable.

When people get irritable, they are more likely to make mistakes, and after making mistakes they will become even more irritable, leading to a vicious cycle, and then everything becomes a mess.

When Aunt Wang went to visit Han's home, she saw several diapers piled on the shelf at the end of the bed and milk powder spilled all over the bedside table. The child kept crying for some unknown reason and Duan Xiaoying couldn't comfort him no matter how hard she tried.

What's worse is that because pregnant women cannot be exposed to wind and the windows are always closed, the odor from diapers mixed with the smell of milk to form a very unpleasant smell.

The pregnant woman stayed in the room and couldn't smell it. Han Bin might have smelled it but didn't care. People who went to visit her were too embarrassed to tell them, so the smell could not dissipate.

This is also the reason why Aunt Wang couldn't stay in their house.

After returning from Han's house, Aunt Wang said to Su Ting with emotion: "It's really not good for this family to be without someone in charge!" She told Su Ting about the situation in the Han family.

Su Ting has not visited Duan Xiaoying since she gave birth, so she really doesn't know what's going on at home. After hearing what Aunt Wang said, she asked, "This is too chaotic. There's still more than half a month left. They won't keep doing this forever, will they?"

Aunt Wang shook her head and said, "When I heard you say that, I knew you were inexperienced. How long can Captain Han's vacation last? Half a month at most? By then, his vacation will be over and Duan Xiaoying will still be in confinement after giving birth. That will be the most chaotic time!"

Su Ting followed Aunt Wang's description and thought about it. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this was the case: "What will they do then?"

"Of course there is a way. They don't have any elders to rely on, but there are so many unemployed military wives in the compound. It shouldn't be difficult to spend some money and find someone to take care of Duan Xiaoying after she finishes her confinement." Aunt Wang shook her head and said, "But Captain Han and his wife may not be able to think of this solution. Let them be. It's only about ten days, and it will be over if they endure it."

…

In fact, Duan Xiaoying and his wife were not as unprepared as Aunt Wang thought. They also thought of this solution. After Han Bin's vacation was over, Duan Xiaoying asked her good friend Wang Lixia to help with the housework and prepare lunch.

Although the two have a good relationship, Wang Lixia is not a caring person. She does housework carelessly and cooks simply in a sloppy manner.

She was not reluctant to spend the money, as the money for groceries was given separately anyway. However, her cooking skills were mediocre, and she just boiled all the vegetables she bought with water. The Han children looked pale after eating them, and one day Han Bowen couldn't help but mutter that it would be better for them to eat in the cafeteria.

Wang Lixia's son had sharp ears and he stopped Han Bowen from muttering as soon as he heard it.

After hearing this, Duan Xiaoying quickly tried to smooth things over, explaining to Wang Lixia that the child was ignorant and asked her not to take it to heart.

Han Bowen was unhappy when he heard this. He felt that what he said was true. Wang Lixia's cooking was bad. Why did she blame him for being ignorant? He overturned the bowl and chopsticks and ran away angrily.

That night, Han Bowen complained to his father.

After hearing this, Han Bin called several children together and asked them what they had eaten in the past few days and whether they were full. The children told him about the situation one after another.

The food was actually not bad, with fish and meat, but the taste was not that good. Moreover, the Jiang siblings ate with them. Before each meal, Wang Lixia would grab a lot of meat for her own children, resulting in there never being enough meat.

After listening to the children's stories, Han Bin went to the master bedroom.

Duan Xiaoying in the room also heard what the children said and cried out of breath. When she saw Han Bin come in, she apologized and said that she had not expected this to happen.

Han Bin sighed and said comfortingly: "I know that you are not fully recovered yet, and you have to take care of the children, so you can't take care of so many things."

Hearing him say this, Duan Xiaoying breathed a sigh of relief: "Then this matter..."

Han Bin fell into deep thought. He was certainly not very satisfied with Wang Lixia, but she and Duan Xiaoying were friends after all. He had already invited the guest, so it would not be right to replace her now.

But if she were to continue cooking, Duan Xiaoying might not eat very well during the confinement period, and she would have to put up with the three children.

After thinking for a while, Han Bin said, "How about not letting Comrade Wang cook in the future, and let Bowen and the others buy food from the cafeteria?"

Duan Xiaoying hesitated: "Is this... not a good idea?"

Han Bin frowned and said, "If you're worried about not being able to tell Comrade Wang, I'll talk to her about this."

Just by looking at his expression, Duan Xiaoying knew that he must be very angry. She didn't dare to object anymore and said, "I'll talk to her first."

In fact, Duan Xiaoying felt very regretful in his heart.

She was the one who was in confinement, and she knew very well how important this month was for women. She also wanted to hire a diligent person to take good care of her, so she was very cautious when choosing the person.

But she didn't expect that Wang Lixia, who had promised well before, would change when it came to cooking. Not only was the hygiene sloppy, but it was obvious that she was not careful in cooking. There was basically nothing she wanted to eat, and what dishes she bought depended on Wang Lixia's mood.

She held back from saying it because she didn't want to make the relationship too awkward. Besides, changing people every few days would make her seem difficult to please, and it wouldn't sound good if she told others about it.

It's really not her fault that things have turned out like this.

Duan Xiaoying was thinking this, and when Wang Lixia came over the next day, she directly talked about eating in the cafeteria in the future.

Although Duan Xiaoying's reason was that she was worried that Wang Lixia was too busy, and her words were more pleasant to the ear, and she also specifically stated that even if she ate in the cafeteria, the money originally intended for her would remain unchanged, Wang Lixia was still not very happy.

Because she knew that although Duan Xiaoying's words were pleasant to the ear, she was actually complaining that she didn't do her job well. Otherwise, why did Han Bowen get angry and complain that her cooking was bad, and then Duan Xiaoying came to her and told her to eat in the cafeteria from now on?

And although it sounds like she is getting the upper hand in this matter, in fact, she cooks at Han's house every day, and the children can eat there too. Not only is the food good, but they can also save money on a meal.

If the Han family eats in the cafeteria in the future, they will not be able to save the money for this meal. Because they had not discussed this matter before, the Han family has reason to not care about her children's meals.

Wang Lixia said with a stiff face: "What can't I handle? I don't even think I can handle it, but you guys are worrying about me. It's just because you think my cooking is not tasty! If you don't want to do it, then don't do it. Who cares?"

He just turned his head and walked out, making Duan Xiaoying very angry!

Wang Lixia was also very angry. She turned around and complained to Chen Lin: "Tell me, what does she mean? I came here with good intentions to take care of her, but I was wrong!"

Although Wang Lixia accepted money from Duan Xiaoying and his wife, she did not feel that she was taking care of Duan Xiaoying for the money. She was willing to do this job entirely because of their past friendship. Otherwise, no matter how much money she was paid, she would not be willing to endure this hardship.

What Duan Xiaoying did was to trample on their friendship, and she was very hurt.

Chen Lin comforted Wang Lixia at the time, and then turned around and told Duan Xiaoying about their conversation. Firstly, she wanted to clarify what was going on, and secondly, she had a better relationship with Duan Xiaoying.

Duan Xiaoying originally felt that Wang Lixia had a bad attitude, and after hearing her words of complaining first, her expression suddenly twisted. She didn't understand how people could confuse right and wrong like this!

I started complaining to Han Bin at night.

Han Bin was not surprised. He had never liked Wang Lixia. After hearing her complaints, he said, "I told you before that asking a good friend to take care of you is not a good choice. You didn't listen. Now you know what's going on."

Duan Xiaoying glanced at Han Bin and wondered if he had said that. Why didn't she remember it?

Although she was puzzled, she did not argue with Han Bin about this sentence. She just asked anxiously, "What should we do now?"

Han Bin asked: "Do you still want Wang Lixia to take care of you?"

Duan Xiaoying shook her head hesitantly, but she was very determined in her heart. After things got to this point, she really didn't want Wang Lixia to take care of her anymore.

She didn't ask anyone to take care of her during her confinement period, she clearly asked someone to make her angry!

It's just that she is very proud and doesn't want to make things too awkward at this point, so she hopes Han Bin can help her out.

Han Bin was indeed planning to take the lead and said, "Okay, leave it to me. I'll talk to Lao Jiang directly."

…

At the end of March 1975, Su Ting went there to watch a play.

Because Han Bin didn't want Wang Lixia to continue taking care of Duan Xiaoying during her confinement, the two families argued for half a month.

In fact, the main troublemaker was Wang Lixia. Han Bin and his wife really wanted to keep things peaceful, so they were even willing to pay the wages according to the number of days agreed upon at the beginning.

But Wang Lixia's husband refused to take advantage of this. He was a man who cared about his reputation. He thought that since the two families were neighbors and his wife had a good relationship with Duan Xiaoying, it was her duty to help take care of her during the confinement period. She should not receive any salary at all. Not only did he not want the extra salary that Han Bin and his wife had charged him, he also wanted to return the money that Wang Lixia deserved.

Wang Lixia was furious. She felt that she had done the work, so why shouldn't she get paid? As for the extra money, what did they mean by extra money? They had agreed to work so many days and get paid so much. They changed their minds and didn't let her work. Why should she be held responsible? She deserved all the money!

Just because of the issue of whether to take the money, the couple had a fight at home.

In the end, Jiang Wei did not argue, and Wang Lixia got all the money. However, she was still not satisfied. She felt that she had only worked for a few days, as they had agreed to do the job for half a month, and Duan Xiaoying and his wife did not want her to do it anymore and wanted to replace her. This was a loss of face for her, so she wanted them to apologize to her.

Although Han Bin and his wife wanted to make a big deal out of a small matter, they couldn't stand Wang Lixia's unreasonable demands.

On what basis?

Originally, they wanted to replace Wang Lixia because she didn't do her job well. Why did they end up paying compensation and apologizing, as if they were sorry for Wang Lixia?

None of them would bow their heads.

So Wang Lixia went to Han's house every day when she had nothing to do. She kept making trouble until the people from the Women's Federation came. She said confidently, "What do you mean by making trouble? I came to their house to help. Since they paid me half a month's salary in full, I have to work for them for half a month!"

Faced with such a rogue person, the Women's Federation really had no choice but to let Duan Xiaoying endure it. After all, when she was out of confinement, Wang Lixia would definitely have no reason to come to their house to make trouble.

Duan Xiaoying was so angry that she vomited blood. She now got a headache whenever she saw Wang Lixia. She doubted whether she would suffer from migraine in the future.

Fortunately, she finally survived.

On the first day after leaving the confinement period, Duan Xiaoying had a quarrel with Wang Lixia. In the past, she always cared about face and relationships, but after this confinement period, watching Wang Lixia's hateful look gradually revealed, she finally realized that all those were false.

She gave in out of consideration for their relationship, but Wang Lixia would not follow suit after seeing this. Instead, she would use this as a bargaining chip to make further demands.

She's had enough!

After this fight, the drama between the two families that lasted for half a month finally came to an end. Duan Xiaoying and Wang Lixia finally fell out completely and never had any contact with each other again.

Duan Xiaoying's son held a full-month banquet and invited almost everyone in the compound. Even Su Ting was on the list, but Wang Lixia was missing.

But Wang Lixia was still unaware. While people were holding a full-moon banquet in their yard, she ran to the middle of the street and cried, accusing Duan Xiaoying of being heartless, until she was pulled back by Jiang Wei.

Although Jiang Wei came out just in time and the full-moon banquet was not delayed, Duan Xiaoying still couldn't laugh after what happened. She was in low spirits in the second half.

In the end, this full moon party ended in a hasty manner.

…

After the Han family’s full-month banquet, Su Ting also reached the final stage of her pregnancy.

Because she didn't want to give birth at home, Su Ting packed her things and went to the hospital before the due time.

Speaking of hospitalization, there is an episode.

These days, few people go to the hospital to give birth. Many pregnant women are even sent to the hospital by their families because they encounter difficult labor. The doctor had never seen anyone as proactive as Su Ting in seeking hospitalization, so he was a little hesitant at first.

Finally, seeing that Su Ting insisted, and thinking that there were many empty beds in the obstetrics and gynecology department, he allowed her to go through the procedures.

Because of this incident, Su Ting became famous among the obstetric doctors and nurses on her first day in the hospital.

No one said anything bad, as the obstetricians and gynecologists were very aware of this. I just thought Su Ting was very interesting. She said it when she was doing the hospitalization procedures. The reason she moved into the hospital early was very simple: she was afraid of death and didn't want to give birth at home. It's rare to see someone who is so frank about fear.

So after just a few days in the hospital, Su Ting became a non-staff member of the production department and knew a lot of gossip about the department.

Su Ting was very comfortable and at ease in the hospital. The only thing she was worried about was the baby in her belly.

Although she was admitted to the hospital a week in advance, she stayed in the hospital for more than ten days and there was no movement of the baby in her belly, which made her uncontrollably anxious.

After the nurse checked her out that day, everything was still normal. Su Ting couldn't help but complain to Aunt Wang: "You said it's been more than nine months, why is this child not anxious at all? This is too slow!"

As he was talking, he suddenly had an idea: "Why not wait until she is born and let her get better slowly? This will suit her personality just fine."

Aunt Wang complained helplessly: "If you name your child Man Man when the child is full-term, then shouldn't you name your child Ji Ji when the child is premature?"

Su Ting really thought about it, then shook her head: "Jiji doesn't sound very nice." It's easy to think wrongly, "Manman is better, this name can be used for boys and girls."

Seeing that Su Ting was determined to give the child such an absurd name, Aunt Wang had to resort to procrastination: "The child hasn't been born yet, isn't it too early to name him now? And for such a big thing, shouldn't we discuss it with Xiaochuan first?"

But Su Ting has made up her mind: "Let's call her this nickname, and we'll decide on the real name after the baby is born."

Aunt Wang: “…Okay.” She did her best anyway.

Coincidentally, in the afternoon, Su Ting had just given her child the nickname "Man Man" because she was annoyed that the child had not moved for a long time. At night, she was woken up by the pain while sleeping.

Aunt Wang was woken up from her half-sleep. Before she was fully awake, she heard Su Ting shouting, "I, I think I'm about to give birth!"