Chapter 4 (5)
As soon as she got out of the car and entered Yu Qing's house, she delivered the gifts to her nephews and nieces and greeted Yu Qing's father-in-law and mother-in-law. As soon as her sister-in-law appeared in her sight, Yu Shuang immediately exploded like a firecracker that was lit.
My sister-in-law is pregnant again. Her belly is already noticeable, and she's having trouble moving. She's calm and composed, like a goose, as she walks over to greet Yu Shuang.
Why didn't Yu Qing mention it? It's such a big deal, and he still hasn't mentioned it? He needs to see it with his own eyes before announcing it to the world? Mom's gone, and she's the head of this family, so why is Yu Qing so sullen?! He's acting like she doesn't exist?!
Yu Shuang looked at her sister-in-law's belly, then at Yu Qing, and then at his father-in-law and mother-in-law. With the old people around, she couldn't lose her temper.
There is a knife hanging over your head.
Kang Long followed her.
My sister-in-law asked: "Sister, this..."
"I'm Yu Shuang's boyfriend." Kang Long answered.
Present a gift.
The father-in-law and mother-in-law smiled happily, "Great, great, finally you have a boyfriend, good things, good things, how come there are so many good things happening in our family this year, good things come in pairs."
Damn "finally". She's not an old maid!
The whole family gathered around Kang Long and asked him questions.
Yu Shuang was stunned. What were these people thinking? Aliens? They didn't belong in this world? She didn't feel like sitting around any longer. She checked in and immediately said she felt unwell and wanted to go back to the hotel to lie down for a while.
She wasn't lying. She did have a headache and felt unwell. Yu Qing's mother-in-law had asked her to stay home to lie down. Yu Shuang smiled wryly. Lie down? Looking around, was there anywhere to lie down? This was a home that had been "ruined" by the elderly and children. There was barely any room to step.
Yu Shuang's real outburst only came when they got to the hotel. It was as if she was the plaintiff and Kang Long the jury. She gasped, "Is it interesting? The country encourages childbirth, but is it necessary to support it to this extent? We already have a boy and a girl, a perfect couple. Oh... and they did it willingly. It wasn't an accident, they deliberately planned it!" Yu Shuang snorted, "He's a mess at work. The factory didn't even sign a long-term contract with him. He has to support five people by himself, and he still thinks it's not enough? He wants more?! His mother-in-law and his father-in-law both take medication, and there's no monthly reimbursement, and there's no pension. His wife hasn't worked for seven or eight years, and now there's another one! Another three or four years! Three children to feed, won't it kill you?! This is not the past. We can support seven or eight children at home. What kind of city is this? What does it cost to raise a child? It's not just about feeding them. You have to educate them and take responsibility! Take responsibility to the end!"
Yu Shuang was so angry that he threw the pillow.
There's more to say! It's hard to say it in front of Kang Long—
Yu Qing only has her as his sister and relative. If he has another child, the difficulties will increase. If there are problems that cannot be solved in the future, she will be the only one he can talk to.
His business might end up being her business.
Now that her mother was gone, she couldn't just ignore her brother. Yu Shuang wasn't heartless. But she had lived a clean life for half her life, even finding marriage a hassle. If she got involved with such a large family, her life would be ruined.
God! What a sin!
Kang Long had never experienced this before, and for a moment he didn't know how to persuade them. He could only say that if they wanted to suffer, then let them. Yu Shuang hugged the pillow. "It's not about whether you can endure hardship or not. It's a matter of your brain, your thinking, and whether you have the right judgment for yourself. This will lead to poverty for the rest of your life. Having children is not like raising cats and dogs!" She hadn't yet mentioned the fines for having more than one child.
Kang Long understood Yu Shuang's words. In a sense, he and Yu Shuang shared the same perspective. He, too, was afraid of trouble, and his parents' failed marriage had left him with a lack of faith in marriage. He didn't have much desire to continue the family line for the time being. He simply wanted to pursue scientific research, have someone to communicate with, and move forward together without too much burden. He hoped to achieve some financial freedom by his forties and then enjoy life. However, from Yu Qing and his wife's perspective, they had the freedom to have children. Ultimately, having a third child was simply a choice. As for the consequences, they had to bear them at their own risk. He hadn't considered the potential troubles Yu Shuang might encounter. Furthermore, given Kang Long's personality, even if he could have thought as deeply as Yu Shuang, he still felt it wasn't a problem: He simply didn't help where he couldn't, and drew a clear line.
"Call Yu Qing out," Yu Shuang said, looking up. Her nostrils seemed to be spitting fire. Kang Long called, and Yu Qing came out quickly. He thought his sister's condition had worsened, but when he entered the hotel, he found her full of life, still jumping up and hitting him like before.
This time the weapon is a pillow.
After a beating, Yu Shuang finally told Yu Qing all his worries, realistic considerations, analysis of the situation, and future possibilities. "You want to support six people by yourself? What's the concept? Brother, wake up!"
Yu Qing, however, disagreed. His judgment was based on a different perspective on life. He didn't believe he would remain poor forever. He wondered if his luck would always be unfavorable. He was kidding! Giving birth to three children might even bring him good luck. Raising six children wouldn't be a big deal; by then, he could easily support ten or a hundred.
Yu Shuang said with great sorrow, "Xiao Qing, all of this is just conjecture! Fantasy! Imagination! It's completely baseless! You're just pushing yourself into a pit of fire! When the time comes, you'll be doomed!"
Yu Qing interrupted her, "Sis, I know you look down on me. In your eyes, I'm just a little snot. I'll never be able to turn things around, get lucky, or make a lot of money!"
"People have to accept their fate!" Yu Shuang shouted.
Kang Long was startled and put down his crossed legs.
This isn't a negotiation; it's a battle between two armies. The flames of war could set the house on fire.
"I won't accept my fate!" Yu Qing refused to back down. "You asked me to accept my fate, but have you? If you had, you wouldn't have remained unmarried and childless until now! Look around you, what's the fate of millions of women? Isn't it to get married and have children?! Why don't you? You're afraid of trouble, you're afraid that men will bother you, you're afraid that I'll bother you. Sister, I can tell you right now, I'll take care of my children myself, and I won't even beg for food at your door. Admit it, we both refuse to accept our fate, and I, Yu Qing, must make a fortune in this life! Don't do to others what you don't want done to you. I don't have much education, but I understand this!"
Yu Shuang's head was buzzing, as if tens of thousands of bees were buzzing around him.
It was a revelation. Her outlook on life was shaken.
Yu Qing was being unreasonable, but what he said was not entirely without reason. She had her own stubbornness. She sought a carefree life, and she was an obsessive-compulsive person in her relationships. Aside from the natural, unbreakable bonds like those with her mother and brother, she was always cautious in forming relationships with the outside world, including with Kang Long.
"Read his fortune," Yu Shuang said to Kang Long. It was a delaying tactic. He knew a little about fortune-telling.
"Brother, can you do it?" Yu Qing leaned closer. He was interested.
Yu Qing stretched out his hand, palm facing up.
Kanglong coughed.
"not good?"
"Don't read palms," said Kang Long.
Yu Qing sat down straight and rubbed his finger around his face.
"Look at the horoscope." Kang Long said.
Yu Shuang blurted out his brother's birth chart. Kang Long fiddled with his phone for a while, then looked up. "Hmm—his birth chart shows a strong body, and his day master is Geng Metal. He's someone who can make a name for himself in society."
"Can I get rich?" Yu Qing asked.
Yu Shuang was impatient and said to his brother, "Get rich, get rich, that's all you care about. Besides money, you have other things in mind." Then he said to Kang Long, "Look at his marriage."
Kang Long looked at it again and said, "The hour pillar has a strong root, so the descendants will be prosperous."
"How many children are you destined to have?" Yu Shuang asked.
"Four."
Yu Shuang and Yu Qing were both speechless.
"Maybe three," Kang Long added, "Now isn't the best time. After forty-one, you'll enter the Earth element, and you'll be able to make a fortune."
Yu Qing was discouraged and felt that the wait was too long.
Yu Shuang scolded, “Just pray if you make money!”
Yu Qing asked again, "Have you calculated for my sister? When will she get married? When will she have children?" Kang Long was speechless.
Yu Shuang waved the pillow again, "This brat!"
Yu Shuang had never had her fortune told, nor did she believe in it. It was also true that the poor tell fortunes, the rich burn incense. Aside from the devastating loss of her mother, her life had been mostly smooth sailing, and she hadn't really needed to seek answers from fortune-telling. Lately, Yu Shuang had come to believe in the proverbial saying, "Everything is for the best." The same could be said about Kang Long's appearance. So, if it was all for the best, what was the point? So, she had never asked Kang Long to read her fortune, or to examine their relationship. But there was a chance Kang Long had done it privately. But he had never said anything.
However, after Yu Qing spared no effort in "promotion," Kang Long officially came to celebrate the New Year. The Yu Qing family treated Kang Long like an important guest, inviting them to the table. Children from sixty-two to two years old presented their horoscopes, asking Kang Long to read their fortunes. There was no other way, for Yu Shuang's sake, Kang Long could only patiently examine each one one by one.
Yu Qing's mother-in-law was the most enthusiastic and believed it. When Kang Long said that her fortune would be bad from the age of 21 to 31, she clapped her hands and pointed at her husband, shouting, "Of course, marry him!"
Everyone laughed.
Yu Shuang sat off to the side. For some reason, she initially resented this family—no one would like it: one man supporting five people, two of whom were ill, two of whom had children, and one, a woman who didn't work. This family was like a twisted dough stick, a nest of scrambled people, and she wished she were the target of poverty alleviation. But when she was there, Yu Shuang couldn't help but be swept away by that inexplicable "human air."
Compared to her own empty three-bedroom apartment, this place was too crowded and bustling. Yet, she discovered that her brother's family hadn't lost their passion for life. Each of them firmly believed that there was still hope for this family, that fortunes would turn around, and if this generation failed, the next would. However slim that hope seemed to Yu Shuang.
Yu Shuang unconsciously re-examined the meaning of life.
For lunch, my mother-in-law and her husband cooked. They'd been preparing for nearly a month for the Lunar New Year. The pickled meat, smoked chicken, and stinky mandarin fish all tasted like home. There was also a large sweet and sour carp, weighing a full five pounds. When it was served, my mother-in-law made sure the fish's head faced Yu Shuang, for good luck.
Yu Shuang took the first bite with chopsticks.
She passed some fish to her eldest niece, Chun'er. Her sister-in-law peeled some fish with her chopsticks, chewed it, and then spat it out, giving it to the second child in her arms. Yu Shuang felt sick watching this.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he ate it, the little guy started coughing violently.
Yu Qing was anxious, "Is there any thorn?!"
My sister-in-law felt wronged and said, "I tried, but it didn't work."
The adults all stood up.
The little guy's coughing became more and more frequent.
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