Chapter 83 Confinement.
He Susu had just finished admiring her dry hair, feeling lucky that she wouldn't have to endure the pain of greasy hair during her confinement period, when Mrs. Shao, Mrs. Wu and three others came to visit her.
Mrs. Shao brought a chicken and two pounds of brown sugar to congratulate Susu on the safe birth of her baby.
Cheng Shi smiled and thanked him: "Thank you, Sister Shao, for bringing such a valuable gift."
Mrs. Shao smiled and said, "What's the relationship between our two families? It's only right for me to buy a chicken for Susu to eat to nourish her body. Lao Zhang asked me to bring some good things, but after thinking about it, I can't think of anything good. This chicken is just right for Susu to make soup. Is Susu awake? I'll go in and check on her."
Cheng Shi nodded: "Susu is awake, but the child just fell asleep. I'll take you into the room to take a look."
Mrs. Shao understood and even slowed down her pace for fear of waking the child.
When He Susu saw Mrs. Shao, she smiled and greeted her softly.
Mrs. Shao held her hand and whispered, "Good child, you've worked hard, just give birth to the baby safely. I was too busy the other day to go to the hospital to see you, and I only have time to come here today. Your mother is here to take care of you, so you should rest assured and take good care of yourself during this confinement period, and don't get sick."
He Susu smiled and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Shao. Do you want to look after the child?"
"Of course." Mrs. Shao followed Susu to the bed and saw Tangyuan sleeping soundly. She couldn't help but smile.
She followed Susu to the side and praised, "This child is good-looking. He only has the good points about you and Cheng Shi. I heard that he weighed seven pounds when he was born. It's a good thing that you took good care of him during pregnancy, so he was born white and plump."
He Susu smiled and replied, "This child is indeed good-looking. Cheng Shi and I feel relieved looking at him. We hope we can raise him to be healthier."
"Of course I will." Mrs. Shao said affirmatively, and after a few more words, she said, "I won't disturb you and the child's rest, so I'll go back first. Susu, take good care of yourself after the baby is born. I'll come to see you when I'm free."
He Susu nodded: "Okay, thank you, Sister Shao, for bringing me a chicken and two kilograms of brown sugar."
"You're welcome. I'll be happy if you take good care of yourself. I'll be leaving first." Sister Shao said with a smile. She stopped Susu who wanted to leave the room to see her off and told her that she would go out herself.
Seeing Cheng Shi sending Mrs. Shao out, He Susu walked back and sat beside the bed.
After a while, Mrs. Wu and her two companions came over, each bringing a pound of brown sugar and thirty eggs. I guess it was an appointment.
Mrs. Wu smiled and said, "We heard that you had given birth, so we thought of coming to see you. You can soak the brown sugar in water and eat boiled eggs every day to supplement your nutrition and take good care of yourself during the confinement period."
Mrs. Fang nodded: "Yes, it's a loss for a woman to have a baby, so she needs to make up for it during the confinement period. We couldn't think of anything to bring, so we just brought eggs and brown sugar. It's always good to eat more."
Sister Ye also said, "That's right. Seeing that you look good, we feel relieved."
The three of them didn't have particularly good family conditions, so they decided to bring a pound of brown sugar and thirty eggs. In fact, for ordinary neighbors, sending twelve eggs was considered a generous gift.
He Susu was naturally happy and said with a smile: "Thank you for coming to see me and bringing brown sugar and so many eggs. I won't have to worry about not having eggs to eat this month. Two eggs a day is fine. Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of myself."
She still took her three sisters-in-law to see the dumplings.
The three sisters-in-law lowered their voices and praised the child a lot. They had never seen a child who grew up to be so fair and plump just a few days after birth. He looked just like Susu, and was a blessed child.
Knowing that Susu needed more rest now and that talking here might easily disturb the sleeping child, Mrs. Wu and the other two said after a few words that they would go home first.
He Susu also sent them to the door of the room, but was stopped and told not to go out.
Mother He was also happy to see the three of them. Knowing that they had brought generous gifts of a pound of brown sugar and thirty eggs, she kept praising them for their generosity.
She was a talkative person, so Mrs. Wu and the other two did not leave all at once. Instead, they sat on chairs in the living room and chatted with He's mother. They drank a few cups of tea and were treated well before they left.
"Oh, there are ninety eggs here. Fortunately, it's cold now, so they can be kept for a longer time. Susu will make two eggs for you every day." He's mother sent Mrs. Wu and the other two away, went to the kitchen to pack up the ninety eggs and put them away, then went back to the room and said to her daughter.
He Susu smiled and agreed: "Okay, then eat two eggs every day. Mom, you and Cheng Shi should also help eat eggs to replenish your body. Just buy more eggs after you finish eating them, so that they won't go bad if left for too long."
He's mother listened to her and said, "Okay, Cheng Shi will have to go back to the army for training tomorrow after resting. I will cook an egg for him every day." Meeting her daughter's eyes, she quickly added, "Mom will cook one for herself too, don't worry."
There was nothing to do in the afternoon, so Cheng Shi slept in bed for a long time. When he woke up, he turned sideways and looked at Susu and Tangyuan's sleeping faces. The more he looked, the more he felt that the mother and daughter had similar eyebrows and eyes. His heart was as soft as a pool of clear water.
In the afternoon, He Susu was free and thought about what to ask Cheng Shi to bring back. She said, "For food, just buy meat and vegetables as usual. You can buy more spare ribs and buy some winter vegetables at the grocery store. It will be light enough to cook spare ribs with winter vegetables. I also like this dish."
"Also, go to the library and borrow some books for me. I have nothing to do during the confinement period, so I can read some books to kill time."
She reported some content she wanted to read and gave a general description of the layout of the library, and asked Cheng Shi to help her borrow books when the time came.
Cheng Shi naturally agreed with a smile.
On the day of going to the county town, He's mother told him: "Remember to buy two pig's trotters and a chicken. If there is a duck, buy one too. If there is a crucian carp, buy two or three. I will take turns to make soup for Susu."
"Okay, Mom. I'll remember that." Cheng Shi agreed and went to a boarding point in the family quarters to wait for the bus.
The wives of soldiers in the family quarters were not surprised to see him. They all knew that Captain Cheng's daughter-in-law had just given birth and was in confinement, and her mother was taking care of her here. Captain Cheng had always been considerate of his family, so it was not surprising that he went to the county town to buy meat and vegetables.
When Cheng got on the car, he saw Su Yu and nodded to greet her with a smile.
Su Yu said, "I'll go over to Su Su's house in the afternoon."
After her younger sister gave birth, she and her husband went to see her once and gave the child a red envelope for her birthday. She and her husband also went to see her younger sister once that night after she returned home, but they only brought some things they had at home. This time when she went to the county town to buy things, she also wanted to buy some things to make herself feel comfortable going to see her younger sister.
Cheng Shi should be fine.
When the car arrived at the county town, he got off and followed the group to the grocery store to buy things, then to the slaughterhouse to buy meat, then to find a carpenter to make a crib, and then to the library to borrow books.
When He Susu was at home, she would sit up and chat with her mother after getting enough sleep. Occasionally, when the child woke up, she would also cry out "ah ah ah", as if responding to what her mother and grandmother were saying.
He's mother also didn't let her sit for too long: "If you sit for too long, you might get backaches in the future. You have to be careful during the confinement period. When I was in confinement, I accidentally bumped into a cabinet in the kitchen. In recent years, I have had headaches every time it rains. These symptoms cannot be cured."
He Susu knew her mother's good intentions, so in order to prevent her from worrying too much, she had to lie down obediently.
Cheng came back around noon, carrying a full basket on his back, a bulging package on his shoulder, and some other things in his hands.
"I'm lucky today. The grocery store has enough supplies. I bought the chicken, duck, and crucian carp that my mother asked me to buy. I also bought two pieces of tofu so that I can cook them with the crucian carp later."
"Okay, then I can make soup for Susu in rotation these days." He's mother responded happily, took the backpack and the things in her son-in-law's hand, and went to the kitchen to tidy up.
Cheng Shize entered the room with a package of books: "I found the books you want to read in the library, so I picked out some extra books. You just need to return them within a month, so you won't be bored reading them at home."
He Susu smiled and replied: "That's good, finally I have something to kill time. If it weren't for these books, I would have wanted to knit you another sweater."
Cheng Shi smiled and said, "It seems that I borrowed this book too quickly, otherwise I could have an extra sweater to wear. You should also take a break, overusing your eyes is not good."
Knowing that he was joking, He Susu smiled and agreed. She was thinking about Cheng Shi's birthday the day before. Because she had given birth to a child, she didn't have time to prepare a gift for him, so she just said happy birthday. Even so, the man in front of her was very happy, saying that the family of three was the best gift.
He Susu planned to find time to knit another sweater for Cheng Shi. The sweater she knitted last year was worn by Cheng Shi almost every day, and it was worn out a little bit due to his training in the army. Of course, he had to put his health first, and there was no rush to knit another sweater in his spare time.
In the afternoon, Su Yu brought some things and brought her eldest and second child to the house to sit. Knowing that her youngest sister was awake, she followed her mother-in-law into the room.
He Susu was so happy to see her sister-in-law that she couldn't help but say, "Sister-in-law, just come over. Why did you bring a can of milk powder?"
Su Yu smiled and said, "Your brother and I didn't know what to give you, but we thought you had been drinking milk powder to nourish your body, and I was lucky enough to have some in stock at the department store, so we bought a can for you. I also boiled two red eggs to add to the festive mood, and you can eat them when you're hungry later."
He Susu sat on the head of the bed and responded with a smile: "Thank you, sister-in-law."
It's a rare holiday for the eldest child to rest, and the second child felt bored after being taken to school for a few days. I have always heard that my youngest aunt gave birth to a younger brother, and now I finally get to see it.
They gathered around the bed to look at their younger brother, and when they saw that he was awake they greeted him happily. Tangyuan loved to sleep, but when he was awake he also loved to respond to people he saw, shouting "ahhhh" and waving his little hands gently with fists.
Dabao smiled happily and said, "Brother is saying hello to us."
Erbao nodded: "My little brother really looks like the glutinous rice balls we eat during the Lantern Festival. No wonder my aunt named him Tangyuan."
He Susu watched Tangyuan and his two cousins' first meeting with amusement, and found it quite cute.
Su Yu looked at Tang Yuan with admiration: "As expected of my younger sister and Cheng Shi's child, he is so pretty."
She suddenly had a dream last night, dreaming about things before she was reborn.
At that time, my aunt made the whole family uneasy because of that educated youth, and she herself became haggard. That educated youth was just hanging on my aunt, and it was impossible for him to marry her and have children with her. How could they be so happy now with such a lovely child?
It seems that everything has changed. Now her sister-in-law is living a happy life and her family is also living a good life. Everything has changed and is moving in a good direction. She can rest assured.
Su Yu took Dabao and Erbao to the room to tease Tangyuan for a while. Seeing Tangyuan open his mouth as if yawning and his little eyes were about to close, she knew that he was sleepy, so she hurriedly took the two children to the living room.
He Susu sat beside the bed and patted the child to put him to sleep.
Su Yu talked to her mother-in-law for a while before saying goodbye to her sister-in-law, saying that she was going back to clean up the house and prepare dinner. She also did not let her sister-in-law go out to see her off, and asked her to have a good rest and come to see her when she is free.
He Susu had no choice but to agree. She was not sleepy at the moment, so she simply took a book and sat on the head of the bed to read.
After dinner at night, He Susu finally begged her mother to bring her a basin of hot water to her room to wash herself, while Tangyuan was carried to the next room first.
Soak a towel in hot water, wring it out and wipe it on your body. The warmth instantly makes your skin feel comfortable. After wiping, you will feel refreshed all over.
God knows how uncomfortable she felt without being able to take a shower every day. Fortunately, she had dry hair powder. She applied it on her hair every four days and it would instantly become fresh and clean, so she was not afraid to see people.
He's mother came in and took away the washbasin. She couldn't help but mutter, "You are such a clean child. If you catch a cold from washing yourself in such a cold weather, I wonder what you will do."
He Susu said coquettishly, "Mom, I wiped it quickly, I'm sure I won't catch a cold."
"Okay, I've already boiled the mugwort water. I'll bring it to you for soaking your feet." He's mother shook her head helplessly.
A few days ago, my mother started to boil mugwort water for her to soak her feet every night. Not only did she feel warm all over after soaking her feet at night, but even her sleep quality improved a lot.
I don't know if it's an illusion or if it really works, but the discharge of lochia has improved and it seems to be over. No matter how useful the sleeping pants are, it's always better not to wear them, because He Susu is also very concerned about foot soaking.
At this time, He's mother brought over a basin of hot mugwort water. There were many dried mugwort branches under the brown water surface. She said that this way of soaking would have the best effect.
He Susu tested the water temperature with her toes, and when she found it was acceptable, she sank both feet into the basin, letting the wormwood water flow above her ankles. "Thank you, mom. You should go soak your feet too. You must be tired after taking care of me and Tangyuan all day."
"Why are you tired? Isn't it just cooking, washing dishes and taking care of the kids?" He's mother disagreed, "Besides, we have Cheng Shi to help."
She was becoming more and more satisfied with her son-in-law. Even if he had to go to the army for training during the day, he would take care of Tangyuan at home at night and help wash Tangyuan's diapers and clothes. He did not leave all the housework to her.
"I've refilled the water and are boiling it. You can go soak your feet there when it's ready," said He's mother.
The wormwood she brought looked like a small sack, but even if she saved some, it would only be enough for her daughter to use until she was out of confinement, so she calculated the amount every time she boiled it. Of course, she was reluctant to waste the wormwood, so she added water to boil another pot and used it for foot bathing, which was better than soaking her feet in plain water.
She also thought about cooking a pot of soup for her son-in-law to soak his feet, but the son-in-law said no, so He's mother just let him do it.
Guessing that the mugwort water in the kitchen was almost ready, He's mother went to turn off the fire and poured the pot of mugwort water into a basin to soak her feet.
He Susu sat beside the bed and soaked her feet. Not only did her feet feel comfortable, but she was also sweating slightly from the heat. It was said that this was a good thing, and she didn't feel hot, so she just took a few pages of thick draft paper to fan herself.
Cheng Shi came in after taking a shower. Seeing Su Su like this, he took the manuscript paper and fanned her while chatting: "I have thought of a name for Tang Yuan. How about Cheng Baizhou? I hope he can stand tall like a pine or cypress, and move forward smoothly in his future life like a boat."
"Cheng Baizhou." He Susu repeated it and thought the name sounded easy to pronounce. She nodded and said, "Okay, then Tangyuan will be called Cheng Baizhou. I hope he can stand tall and proud like you said and set sail in the future."
Cheng Shi’s expectation as a father is also her expectation as a mother.
After the child's name was decided, He Susu looked at Tang Yuan, who was lying in the middle of the bed, staring at the mosquito net with his eyes open and making "ah ah ah" sounds from time to time, and said with a smile: "Tang Yuan, from now on, you will be called Cheng Baizhou."
Tang Yuan: “Ahhh.”
This child is quite well-behaved when he is not wet or hungry. It is better if someone plays with him. Otherwise, he can stare at the mosquito net for a long time, screaming "ah ah ah", and finally close his eyes and fall asleep when he is tired. Even He's mother praised this child for being easy to take care of.
Just like when He Susu was soaking her feet just now, Tangyuan was lying in the middle of the bed, feeling his mother's breath beside him. He didn't cry for his mother to accompany him, but could grin for a long time just by looking at the mosquito net.
He Susu was happy to see her son responding to her in such a cute way. The temperature of the mugwort water in the basin was a little cold, so she simply took the foot towel beside her to wipe her feet, then curled up on the bed and pulled the quilt to cover herself to avoid the cold.
Cheng Shi put down the manuscript paper that served as a fan in his hand, stood up and took the basin of water to the toilet to empty it.
He Susu started teasing her lovely son.
Calculating the time, I saw that Tangyuan was almost hungry, so I simply lifted up my clothes and fed him so that I could coax him to sleep later.
When Cheng Shi came back and saw Su Su feeding the child, he didn't shy away and just closed the door and sat down beside the bed. His Adam's apple moved slightly, and he reluctantly looked away, lest he would be the one who suffered in the end.
After He Susu fed the child and was about to coax him to sleep, Cheng Shi stretched out his hand: "Give me the glutinous rice balls, I'll coax him to sleep."
He Susu didn't hesitate and just gave the child to him, which saved her some trouble. The mother and the daughter were always together, but Cheng Shi had to go to the army for training during the day, so he could only spend more time with the child at night.
After coaxing the child to sleep, the couple talked for a while and then lay down to sleep.
The time of confinement passed neither fast nor slow, and it was the day of going to the county town on the 10th of every month. This time, Cheng Shi went to buy meat and vegetables, and brought back the baby bed that he had ordered from the carpenter.
The crib was made of the finest wood, and because it was for a child, the carpenter polished every part to make it smooth so as not to abrade the child's skin. Cheng Shi also went to a department store and bought a small mattress that could be folded and stuffed into the crib.
After Cheng Shi wiped the crib clean, He Susu held Tangyuan and put him in the crib. The child was not afraid to lie in the new bed. He giggled and even reached out to hit the bed rails. Fortunately, he was not very strong and at most he just waved in the direction of the bed rails before being put down.
She smiled and said, "It seems that Tangyuan likes this crib very much."
"It's not very useful now. Tangyuan still sleeps in the room most of the time. When he wakes up more often in the future, we can put him in the crib and push him outside, and we don't have to keep watch over him in the room all the time." Cheng Shi said.
He Susu smiled and nodded: "This crib is quite smooth to push, the wheels are well polished, the carpenter's craftsmanship is good."
Cheng Shi explained: "This carpenter is the same carpenter who made our furniture before. This crib is more delicate, so we paid him a little more to make it."
He Susu: "Then the money is well spent. Look at the size of this crib. It will be enough for Tangyuan to use until he is three or four years old."
He's mother also thinks this crib is good: "With this crib, when you are still asleep, you can put it in the crib to sleep first, and it is convenient to push it anywhere."
He Susu smiled and agreed, taking out the freshly made glutinous rice balls from the crib: "We should put this crib aside for a few days and push it out to the yard to get some sun to get rid of the smell before we give it to the child."
Cheng Shi and He's mother were both very concerned about Tang Yuan and felt it was necessary to let the smell of the new crib get rid of it before using it.
Push the crib into the yard and place it there so it can get some sun in the afternoon.
When Cheng Shi came back and saw his mother-in-law packing up the meat and vegetables she had just bought, he said, "Mom, I thought there would be another bus into the county town in a few days, so I didn't buy too much. I'll buy New Year's goods when the time comes, but I don't think I can take a leave, so I'll have to trouble you then."
"It's no big deal. Just write me a list of what you want to buy and I'll buy it for you when the time comes. Don't worry." He's mother said with a smile.
Because the Chinese New Year is approaching, the army has added a few more days for going to the county town to make it easier for the military families in the family compound to go to the county town to buy New Year's goods.
He Susu felt it was a pity after hearing this, as she would not be able to leave the confinement room until after the New Year, and would not be able to make it back to the county town to make the purchases.
She was only recently allowed by her mother to eat at the dining table in the living room. Apart from that, her mother didn't let her do any work at all. Even when she wanted to drink water, her mother would just pour a glass of water in front of her.
The only physical work she did was probably holding her baby occasionally.
It's getting more lively here in the family compound as the year draws to a close. The children are on holiday and run out to play every day, laughing and joking. Sometimes they are easily woken up in the morning or during naps, and sometimes they feel that the noise of play adds a bit of joy and liveliness.
When Su Yu came to see He Susu again, He's mother also discussed with the third brother's wife that she would still have dinner at her daughter's house on New Year's Eve, and then go to the third brother's house for dinner on the first day of the new year.
After all, they are all so close to the army, and the neighbors all know that her daughter and son's family live here. It would not be good to live only with her daughter and not visit her son.
Su Yu naturally smiled and agreed: "Okay, I will prepare a good meal for my mother to come over."
He Susu sat aside and listened, discussing the meal with her sister-in-law. They would not gather together on New Year's Eve, but each family would have their own meal, and they would gather together for lunch at noon on the first day of the new year.
Originally, she, the younger sister, should have gone to her third brother's house for dinner, but as she was still in confinement after giving birth, they agreed that He Lianzhou's family would come over for dinner at noon on the first day of the new year, and then He's mother would go to the third brother's house for dinner in the evening.
The family compound was lively at first, but then became a little deserted. Many officers who had holidays returned to their hometowns with their wives and children to celebrate the New Year.
Cheng's mother and Su Yu went to the county town to buy things before the New Year and brought back a lot of things, including dishes for the whole family and New Year's goods that Cheng Shi and He Susu asked them to buy.
Since they celebrate the New Year here, they always have to send some New Year gifts to their husband's family and their own family.
He Susu arranged to pack them into two packages and put two letters in each.
As for the parents-in-law, they mainly wrote that they had a good confinement period and took good care of the child. They also expressed their longing for them and their concern for their parents-in-law.
The content of the letter from her mother's side was similar, with some additional instructions from He's mother to her family. Although she was not at home, she still had to take care of what she should do, asking her son and daughter-in-law to discuss and arrange a good New Year and take good care of the old man.
After discussing with her mother, He Susu took out some of the subsidy from her mother-in-law and stuffed it into an envelope to send back with the package, so that her family could buy some food and have a good New Year.
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