Chapter 79 Envy.
In early October, when the wind was so painful on people's faces, He Lianzhou and Su Yu took their two children back to their hometown.
He Susu and Cheng Shi continued to live their lives as usual. She no longer joined the crowds when they went to the county town every ten days. When her sister-in-law was not around, she left the shopping for her family to sister-in-law Wu and the other two.
Mrs. Wu and her two friends were very happy about this matter. They said that since they were so close, it was only natural for them to help buy some things. If the three of them shared the things, they wouldn't be that heavy. When they bought the things and sent them home, they would help her carry them to the kitchen and put them there.
He Susu wanted to share some of the cakes she bought with them, but Mrs. Wu refused to take any of them, saying that the children at home loved the milk dumplings she gave them last time and hadn't finished them yet.
Seeing this, He Susu had no choice but to take the pastries and sent the three of them away with a smile.
Fortunately, during the more than ten days that his brothers and sisters-in-law returned to their hometown, Cheng Shishun stayed in the army to train soldiers and did not have to go out on missions.
Both the couple breathed a sigh of relief.
During this period, He Susu and Cheng Shi went to the hospital for another checkup.
As I was approaching eight months pregnant, the female doctor asked some questions and took my pulse. She said everything was normal, but to be on the safe side, she wrote me an order for an ultrasound.
He Susu and Cheng Shi didn't mind spending the money. It was always more reassuring to do a detailed examination that would not harm the child.
When they arrived at the ultrasound room for the examination, Cheng Shi stared at the screen on the table with experience. In his vague impression, he could vaguely see the child's moving hands and feet, and even the little head was round and looked so cute, and his heart was filled with tenderness.
With the experience from last time, He Susu lay on the examination bed and let the doctor examine her with a probe.
The angle she was lying at still made it impossible for her to see the screen on the table, but it didn’t matter, Cheng Shi could see it, and she could just listen to him repeat it later.
After the female doctor finished the examination, she wrote the results on the examination form and then said with a smile: "Don't worry, the baby is developing well, the amniotic fluid content is normal, and the placenta is mature, which meets the standards of the current pregnancy."
He Susu felt relieved after hearing this: "Thank you, doctor."
She and Cheng Shi took the examination report back to the gynecology clinic to show the doctor.
After checking, the female doctor smiled and said, "The results are good. You should continue as usual. Keep moving around every day and control your diet. Leg cramps and other symptoms can be relieved with a little massage. If you have other discomfort, come and see a doctor. According to the date, the expected date of delivery is around the 15th day of the twelfth lunar month. You can come to the hospital for observation a day or two in advance."
He Susu wrote down: "Okay, thank you doctor. Then we will come here in advance to arrange for hospitalization."
She and Cheng Shi thanked the doctor again, then walked out of the clinic and left the military hospital. On the way, He Susu was in a good mood and couldn't help asking, "Cheng Shi, tell me what you just saw on the impact?"
Cheng Shi also had a smile on his face. "The image on the table is still so blurry. I can vaguely see the child's tender feet kicking back and forth and his little hands clenched into fists. He looks lively. I also saw a round little head with a black spot on his forehead. I don't know if it's hair."
He Susu's heart softened as she listened: "The child must be lively. When I walk in the yard after breakfast in the morning, the child loves to move. He won't stop until I touch his belly and talk to him."
"Yeah, this child likes to move around at night, too." Cheng Shi recalled that every time he massaged his wife's belly, he could feel the noise made by the child from time to time, as if the child was greeting him as a father.
The couple went home laughing and chatting. All they had to do now was to rest and wait for the due date.
Before He Lianzhou and his family went back, they said that they would choose to come back on a day that falls on the 10th of the month, so that they could take the day off to return to the county town, which would be more convenient.
Calculating the time, Cheng Shi took the list made by Susu and went to the canteen to find the cook in charge of purchasing to help buy food. They agreed to come and pick it up at noon, and then went to the army for training.
When He Lianzhou's family came back with He's mother, they went straight to a family quarters after getting off the car.
After sending his mother, wife and children to his younger sister's house, He Lianzhou took all the packages home and put them away before coming back.
He's mother was very satisfied with the environment of the military family compound as she walked along. Now when she arrived at her daughter's house and saw the enclosed yard, she was very satisfied, as it looked spacious and grand.
When the third son's wife knocked on the door and heard her daughter's voice from inside, He's mother suddenly became excited.
When the gate opened, she saw her daughter coming out with a big belly. Her face was rosy and she looked energetic. She seemed to be rounder than before. It was obvious that she was living a good life.
Mother He was relieved and shouted happily: "Susu, mother is finally here to accompany you."
He Susu was also happy to see her mother. She walked over, took her arm, and said with a smile as before, "Mom, I finally waited for you to come."
She greeted her sister-in-law with a smile, and responded to Dabao and Erbao's "Hello, aunt-in-law", and asked everyone to come into the house and sit down.
"Mom, look, this is the room you live in. It's well ventilated and the sun can shine in in the morning. It's just been cleaned. The sheets, quilt covers, and pillowcases are all brand new."
Mother He put the package she brought into the room and said with satisfaction: "Well, thank you son-in-law for helping to clean up. This room looks spacious."
She was also carrying a sack of things, which she had just carried into the kitchen when she entered the house.
He Susu took her mother to visit the house and introduced every place.
He's mother smiled repeatedly: "It's good that Cheng Shi's rank is high enough. The house he was assigned is spacious, with a yard like this where you can grow vegetables. It's better than the self-built houses in our village."
He Susu smiled and said, "There are only about ten houses with yards in the family compound. Cheng Shi was lucky to be assigned one, so it's a bargain for me."
"The building that Third Brother has been assigned is also very nice. It has three rooms with separate toilets and kitchens. You will like it when you see it when you go there later."
Mother He reacted, glanced at the third son's wife, and seeing that she didn't look dissatisfied, she smiled and said, "Yes, the army still treats military families well. Whether it's a house with a yard or a building, they are all built brightly."
She was a person who could not sit still. Even when her daughter asked her to sit down and rest for a while, she refused and went into the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Su Yu followed in to help.
He Susu followed in, "Cheng Shi asked someone to buy the meat and vegetables for lunch yesterday. I prepared them this morning when I was free. Mother and sister-in-law, just fry them as you like."
Actually, they could wait until Wu's wife and her friends went to the county town to buy meat and vegetables today, but she was worried that it would be too late to make lunch, so she asked Cheng Shi to ask the canteen cook to buy them yesterday and put them away. Now that she has prepared the vegetables in advance, her mother and sister-in-law can cook faster.
Mother He couldn't help but mutter, "You are such a worrybaby, just wait until we come back and prepare it. Why do we need you to prepare the food?"
He Susu said coquettishly, "Mom, I just thought that we could eat earlier when you guys come back. It's just cutting some meat and washing some vegetables. It's very simple. Why worry about it for nothing?"
Su Yu smiled and kept moving her hands. She turned on the coal stove and started stir-frying sauerkraut and pork slices.
After hearing what her daughter said, He's mother smiled and said, "Okay, okay, okay. I'll let you worry about me this time. From now on, I'll be at home, so you and Cheng Shi don't have to worry about food."
"Okay, then I'll rely on mother from now on." He Susu said bluntly. Then her mother drove her out of the kitchen to rest, saying that she and her sister-in-law were the only ones in the kitchen, and she didn't need to use the coal stove, and her sister-in-law could teach her.
He Susu sat down in the living room and asked Dabao and Erbao about their return to their hometown. Dabao and Erbao remembered a lot of things, so when they heard the question from their aunt, they immediately started talking, and she listened patiently.
He Lianzhou came back after a while and asked the kitchen lady and Xiaoyu if they needed help. When he found out that they didn't, he went to the living room to ask about Xiaomei's health recently and chatted with her for a few minutes.
Cheng Shi rushed back after training, greeted his third uncle, and then went to the kitchen. Seeing his mother-in-law busy cooking, he smiled and shouted, "Mom, long time no see. Thank you for coming to take care of Susu."
He's mother was also happy to see her son-in-law. She laughed and said, "Cheng Shi is back. We are family and don't have to be so polite. I am happy to come here to take care of Su Su. It's not hard at all. You go sit outside for a while. We will have dinner soon."
Su Yu also said: "Yes, Cheng Shi, go and take a rest."
Cheng Shi nodded and said, "Okay, thank you, mother and sister-in-law."
He greeted them and went to get his clothes and take a shower, so as not to bother his distinguished guests with his sweat odor, which would also make him uncomfortable.
Lunch was ready soon. He Susu prepared five dishes and a soup, and He's mother and Su Yu cooked the same dishes.
The table was filled with pork slices fried with pickled cabbage, chicken cubes fried with green onions, braised fish cubes, pan-fried tofu, stir-fried macaroni with garlic, and black bean and pork rib soup. Dabao and Erbao couldn't help drooling as soon as they sat at the table and saw the food.
When everyone was seated at the table, He's mother, who was the oldest, picked up some food with her chopsticks, and everyone started eating.
Cheng Shi picked up the freshly brewed tea and said respectfully, "Mom, thank you very much for coming. If there is anything that is not thoughtful, just let me know and I will correct it at any time. Just treat yourself as if you are at home here. Susu and I will listen to you."
Mother He also raised her teacup and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll drink this cup of tea. I'm a straightforward person. I'll just say whatever I want to say. Don't mind it."
Cheng Shi smiled and said, "No, mother. I am so happy."
He Lianzhou smiled and raised his teacup: "Alright, Mom and Cheng Shi, don't be polite. Today we celebrate Mom coming to the army, let's toast."
He Susu and Su Yu also raised their teacups and clinked them with theirs.
Dabao and Erbao looked up, but they didn't have any teacups to touch, so they simply used their chopsticks to pick up another piece of diced chicken and ate it to heat it up.
After dinner, Su Yu helped to put away the dishes, and washed them with her mother-in-law. Then she called on Dabao and Erbao to go home and rest.
"Then mother and little sister, let's go home first." He Lianzhou said.
Mother He waved her hand and said, "Okay, you all go back and have a rest. I'll come over to see you when I have time."
Su Yu agreed with a smile and left with Dabao and Erbao.
After sending her third brother and his family away, He Susu turned around and walked into the house: "Mom, you should take a nap too. You must be tired after taking the train. I just heard from Dabao and Erbao that you are still a little carsick."
Mother He shook her head. "It's not that I'm carsick. The smell on the train is so mixed and unpleasant that I couldn't stand it and vomited two or three times. After getting off the train, I drank water from a kettle and rinsed my mouth, and basically I was fine. I'm going to sleep for a while, and you two should get some rest as well."
Cheng Shi nodded: "Okay, then you take a rest first."
Mother He entered the room and saw that there was a wardrobe and a table to store things in. The color of the bed sheets and quilts was also pleasing to the eye. She knew that her daughter and son-in-law had put a lot of thought into it. She changed her clothes and lay down on the bed. She felt soft and comfortable. She closed her eyes and fell asleep soon.
In the main room, Cheng Shi sat on the bed and said with a smile: "I feel relieved when mom is home. Otherwise, I always feel uneasy when you are alone at home in the army."
He Susu said frankly, "Yes, I feel like I have a backbone now that mom is here. Mom has experience in childbirth. She took care of my eldest, second, and third sisters-in-law during their confinement. If we don't understand anything, just listen to mom."
She was really happy to see her mother coming. Her mother was the one who loved her the most since she was a child. She asked her mother for advice on many things during her growth. For important matters like having a child, she felt most at ease with her mother by her side.
Cheng Shi nodded: "I'll listen to you, you should get some sleep soon."
"Okay." He Susu responded, closed her eyes, tried to sleep, and soon fell asleep.
When she woke up again, only He's mother was left at home. As soon as He Susu walked out of the room, He's mother saw her and quickly handed her a cup of warm water that had been poured in advance: "Susu, drink some water after you wake up."
"Thank you, mother." He Susu drank several sips of water before asking, "Why did you wake up after such a short sleep?"
Mother He: "A short nap at noon is enough, and the rest is for sleeping at night. I was just about to ask you, where should I put the mushrooms and fungus I brought from home?"
"Why did you bring so many things here? Do you have any at my brother and sister-in-law's place?" He Susu asked.
He's mother smiled and said, "How could I be so stupid? Your third brother gets half, and you get half. It's fair."
"That's good." He Susu stood up and walked to the kitchen with her mother, pointing to the cabinet hanging above the wall, "Mom, this cabinet is specially used to store dry goods, mushrooms and fungus can be placed in it."
She also introduced what was placed in the other cabinets and where grains, oil, rice and flour were usually kept.
He's mother wrote down everything, opened the sack and put a large bag of mushrooms and a small bag of black fungus into the wooden cabinet that her daughter pointed to.
He Susu saw that there was another large bag of things in the sack. Seeing that her mother didn't seem to plan to take it out and put it away, she asked curiously, "Mom, what's in that bag?"
Mother He smiled, quite proudly: "Since I heard you were pregnant, I have been looking for mugwort everywhere, drying it and storing it, and I brought it here this time. This mugwort is a good thing. When you are in confinement, I will use this mugwort to boil water for you to soak your feet. It can remove the moisture and coldness in your body, and any minor discomforts can be cured. It is good for your health."
"This trick was taught to me by your grandmother. When I was pregnant with you four, your grandmother would specially collect dried mugwort and bring it to me to boil for foot bath. Your three sisters-in-law and your sister all experienced the benefits of soaking their feet with mugwort when they were in confinement after childbirth."
He Susu nodded: "So mugwort has this effect, thank you mother."
She had never heard of this before, but since it was passed down from her grandmother to her mother, and was also used by her sisters-in-law and eldest sister, she thought it must have some benefits.
It was not convenient to put the big bag of mugwort in the kitchen, so He's mother simply moved it to her room and put it there: "These mugworts are all clean. My room is so big that I can put things everywhere. Putting a bag of mugwort here won't be a problem."
He Susu had no choice but to let her go.
She took the thermos to the living room and planned to make some tea.
When her mother came back and sat down, He Susu asked, "Mom, is my father in good health?"
Even though they had just heard from Dabao and Erbao that grandpa was in good health and was strong enough to pick them up and spin around, they still couldn't help but ask their mother again.
Mother He drank a cup of tea and smiled, "The old man is in good health. He never complains of being tired when he goes to work every day, and falls asleep in a second when he lies on the bed at night. He was just thinking about you, so he asked me to come and take good care of you. Don't worry about him watching over you at home."
"As long as Dad is in good health, let's see if he is willing to come to the army and live for a while before the spring planting." He Susu said. Dad is more conservative than Mom. He wants to stay in Qinghe Production Team and work all his life. He is absolutely unwilling to let him go far away.
Mother He thought that when her daughter gave birth to a child, the old man would be really concerned about her daughter and might be willing to come over, so she smiled and said, "Then we can ask him when the time comes."
He Susu asked: "By the way, is everything okay after my second sister-in-law gave birth? My niece should be half a year old now."
In April, my second sister-in-law gave birth to a niece. After receiving a letter from home, He Susu specially sent some money back to congratulate my second brother and his wife on the birth of their daughter, and asked her to buy more food for her to replenish her nutrition. After that, most of the letters from home were from her parents who were concerned about her health, and they only talked briefly about family matters.
Mother He smiled and nodded, "She's fine. I'm taking care of her during the confinement period. How can it be bad? I have the meat coupons you sent back, so I asked your eldest sister to help buy two pig's trotters and cook them. We also killed a chicken to supplement her nutrition. With enough milk, the little girl has become plump and white. The little girl is named Keyun, and she is now practicing sitting."
He Susu was happy to hear this: "Ke Yun is a nice name. It would be great if my second sister-in-law and the child are well raised."
He's mother was also somewhat relieved: "Now your elder brother and second brother can basically earn full work points working in the fields, and during the slack season, they can ask your elder sister's husband to help find a temporary job to earn some money. With the meat coupons you sent back, our family is living a much better life than before, and I don't have to worry about anything."
"That's great. If you come to the army, my second sister-in-law won't be able to go to work, right?" He Susu thought for a moment and asked.
She remembered that her sisters-in-law would stay at home for two months to take care of the housework and cook for two months after giving birth, and then start working after three months. They would come back to feed the baby at intervals, which would deduct some centimeters, but they could earn a lot of centimeters.
Mother He said, "I came to the army, but Yun is still young and needs someone to look after her. I'll just let my second sister-in-law take care of the child and do housework and cooking at home, so she doesn't have to go to work."
If she were to ask him, she would be the lucky one. If she hadn't come to the army to take care of her daughter, she wouldn't have been able to enjoy such a good life. In her opinion, taking care of children, doing housework and cooking at home is much easier than working in the fields.
He Susu remembered that her mother-in-law had mentioned the need for subsidy money when she was talking to her mother on the phone before, but her mother said directly that she didn't need it. Her mother-in-law didn't say anything more and just told her to talk to her mother about it.
She said, "Oh, by the way, mother, my mother-in-law said before that I would give you some money to take care of me during my confinement. She thought that if you came here, there would be one less person to work at home, and it would delay the childcare. Brothers should settle accounts clearly. I can't treat my family badly. How much do you think is appropriate?"
Mother He waved her hand and said, "It's my duty to come and take care of you. There's no need to pay me. When I was at home, your second sister-in-law was able to work and earn cents, and the food she got back was shared by the whole family. When I came here, my family saved one person's rations, and I also eat at your place, so it doesn't make much difference."
He Susu shook her head: "This grain can barely be divided like this, can't we also divide the money? I know that you, mother and brother and sister-in-law don't care about these, but I can't just save them. Do you know how much money my mother-in-law gave me this time?"
He's mother was curious: "How much?"
He Susu pointed with her finger: "One thousand yuan."
"One thousand yuan!" He's mother was shocked.
In the countryside these days, if you only earn a cent, you can get more than 300 yuan at the end of the year if you have a large family and enough labor. But you don't have much food and you have to buy it, plus some daily expenses, so you can't save much. It can be said that no family in the entire Qinghe production team can earn 1,000 yuan.
He Susu nodded: "Yes, I gave her one thousand yuan. My mother-in-law told me to arrange the money myself. Part of it is for you, and the rest is for you to buy more food to supplement my nutrition during the confinement. I think we should just split it in half. You can keep 500 yuan, and the remaining 500 yuan can be used when you go to the county town to buy things."
He's mother was very happy to hear that her daughter's mother-in-law was so generous to her and gave her so much money to take care of her daughter during the confinement period. She would definitely buy more good food and cook for her daughter later.
After hearing what her daughter said, she shook her head again and again: "You don't need that much. If you really want to give me something, just give me fifty yuan. You may not be able to earn that much even if you work for several months."
He Susu simply said, "Then I'll give you three hundred. If it's less, I won't have the face to let you take care of me during my confinement."
She thought about waiting for her mother to return home and then secretly putting the remaining two hundred yuan into her mother's package.
Seeing that her daughter insisted, He's mother had no choice but to agree, thinking that she would find an opportunity to return the money to her daughter.
After talking about this, the mother and daughter started chatting about other things, drinking tea from time to time, and looked very leisurely.
In the evening, He's mother went into the kitchen to cook dinner. She was already familiar with using the coal stove and was thinking about what meat dish to cook tonight.
She couldn't help but feel happy. Her daughter was living a good life. With so much meat at home, she could basically have meat for every meal.
After waiting for Cheng Shi to come back, I took a shower and changed into clean and refreshing clothes, and then sat down at the dining table to eat.
After dinner, Cheng Shi refused to let his mother-in-law wash the dishes and went into the kitchen first.
He's mother felt that it was a simple matter for her to come here to take care of her daughter, cook and wash dishes. Her son-in-law was tired from training in the army during the day, so he could just go home and rest. There was no need for him to work.
He Susu smiled and stopped her mother from trying to persuade her: "Mom, let Cheng Shi be responsible for washing the dishes at night, otherwise he will feel bad. My mother-in-law also asked him to wash the dishes at night when she came over. In her mother-in-law's words, she had to let him do some work so that he wouldn't get used to it."
"You are a very open-minded mother-in-law." He's mother sighed and followed her son-in-law.
The next morning after breakfast, He Susu led her mother out to visit her brother and sister-in-law. At this time, the third brother went to the army for training, and the third sister-in-law took Dabao to school, leaving Erbao at home. They went there just in time to bring Erbao over.
This matter was agreed upon yesterday. The main purpose was to let my mother get familiar with the route and visit my third brother's home.
Along the way, they met many military wives, and they greeted each other with a smile. Whenever their eyes fell on her mother, He Susu would introduce her with a smile: "This is my mother, who came here in advance to take care of me during my confinement."
The military wives smiled when they heard this and praised her, "That's great. Auntie is here to take care of you during your confinement. She is definitely more thoughtful than anyone else."
Gossip spreads the fastest in this family building. Soon everyone knew that the daughter-in-law of Captain Cheng in a family area was really blessed. Her mother-in-law came over with bags in her hand to see her, and now her mother came from her hometown to take care of her during her confinement.
There are many conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, especially when the mother is at her weakest during the confinement period after giving birth. Who doesn't want to be taken care of by her own mother? But these days, it's good enough for the mother-in-law to take care of the confinement period. If the mother-in-law wants to take care of the mother, it's only to take care of the sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law from her mother's family, not her own.
For a while, all the military wives in the family compound envied He Susu.
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