"Old commander, we've brought them all back."
"Hehe, okay! Hurry up and send it over, Hongmei still wants to eat candied hawthorns."
Zhang Xingguo frowned. "Old Gu, I remember that pregnant women shouldn't eat hawthorn."
Su Chen quickly spoke up. "Yes, pregnant women shouldn't eat hawthorn!"
"What should we do then?" Gu Chuanming was now in a panic!
Er Lengzi was stunned for a moment. Pregnant? He immediately thought of the possibility and looked at Zhang Xingguo excitedly, "Commander, is my sister pregnant? Does that mean I'm going to be an uncle?"
"Keep your voice down, you're the loudest one!"
It's not certain yet, but Grandma Hongmei and the old lady both said so, so it's probably about right. Su Chen is here; he'll check Hongmei's pulse when she wakes up.
Er Lengzi grinned from ear to ear. He tossed the bag of hawthorns against the wall and went to the kitchen.
"Grandma, Auntie, is Hongmei really pregnant?"
"Behave yourself, it's not certain yet, you can't tell anyone."
"Okay, I understand, I won't say anything. Madam, does that mean we can't eat hawthorn?"
"Hmm, you can't eat it."
"What about sour jujubes?"
"You can eat this, but you shouldn't eat too much of it."
"Alright, I'm going to pick some sour jujubes." Er Lengzi said, and ran off excitedly.
Liu Changhe's wife shook her head. "They're all adults now, why are they still so immature? Aifen, if you have a suitable daughter, introduce one to Erlengzi. He's all alone in his family, so you can help him find one."
"Yes, she's my brother-in-law's niece. She graduated from junior high school and is nineteen this year. She works as a cashier at a restaurant in the county. She's quite pretty and an honest person, but she doesn't talk much. I'll ask Baoguo what he thinks. If he's interested, we can meet her."
"You're worrying. He's not stable either. If he had a wife and a family, maybe he'd behave himself and not always go to the battlefield."
"Mom, I know. I caught him this afternoon and asked him, 'When will Jingze stop causing me any trouble?'"
“Aifen, don’t worry about it. Your second son will bring them back for the New Year. You have a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law, so you don’t need to rush.”
Hu Aifen pouted, "Mom, how can they be the same? They're all flesh and blood of my flesh. I worry about both of them."
Zhang Hongmei slept very comfortably, even though the bed was too hard, it was warm.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the old lady lying next to me. I smiled knowingly. It's so good to be home.
"Girl, you're awake?"
"Um, Grandma, am I hungry?"
"Your aunt or grandma cooks at home, so you don't have to go to the cafeteria."
Zhang Hongmei sat up and helped the old lady up as well.
"Wife, how are you?"
Zhang Hongmei turned around in surprise and saw Zhang Shouyi right behind her.
"I'm fine, Brother Zhang, don't be nervous. It's still uncertain."
"We can't be careless. Grandpa and Dad are waiting for you outside. You've been lying down for a while now, how about you go for a walk?"
"Okay. I'm off."
The three of them came out of the house, and Gu Chuanming stood up very quickly. "Hongmei, let Su Chen take your pulse."
Once Gu Chuanming spoke, Zhang Hongmei, even if she was truly unwilling, would not argue, especially not over trivial matters.
"Zhang Hongmei, sit down and wait a while. I'll take your pulse once your heartbeat has stabilized."
The old lady sat down. "Aren't you tired, you old man?"
"I'm not tired. How could I be tired? The thought that my Gu family will soon have an heir fills me with excitement and energy."
"Have you no shame? If it's their first child and it's a son, he has to take the Zhang family name; he's the eldest son."
"Hehe, I didn't fight for the eldest son. With the first one, how far away can the second be?"
"You should stay put. You're still young. After giving birth to your first child, it will take at least three to five years, otherwise it will be bad for your health."
"Still like this?"
"You don't know anything, so don't talk nonsense."
"I understand. I understand. I can wait three or five more years."
No one responded to him. Let him amuse himself.
Lu Jing tidied up the table to make room, and Su Chen pressed on Zhang Hongmei's pulse for several minutes before saying, "Switch to the other hand."
Finally, he let go, or shook his head? "It's not showing up on the pulse, it's probably because the pregnancy is too early. I'll check again in a week."
Zhang Hongmei's mood was somewhat affected upon hearing the news.
But Zhang Xingguo spoke up, "It's alright. It's better if we have it, but it's not a problem if we don't. They're still young."
Zhang Hongmei felt warm and touched by Zhang Xingguo's words.
So I let it go. This is something you really can't force.
Zhang Hongmei remembered the things she had brought and was about to go and pick them up when Zhang Shouyi refused, saying, "Wife, just tell me what you need to do."
"Alright, Brother Zhang, bring the bag over here. It's full of little things I brought for Grandma."
"You brat, I'm already this old, what kind of little gadgets do I need?"
"Grandma, this is what I brought back for you from abroad. I rarely go shopping, but whenever I do, if I see something interesting, I buy it for you and keep it. I brought it all with me this time."
Lu Jing helped open it. Zhang Hongmei took out each item one by one, explaining where she bought them and what was so special about each one. To outsiders, the two of them seemed quite amusing.
It was dinnertime, so the mother and son made pancakes, shredded potatoes, and of course, stewed meat with glass noodles.
Everyone was quite satisfied to see Zhang Hongmei eating so happily; as long as she could eat it, that was fine.
After the meal, Zhang Hongmei didn't make any move to leave, which worried Zhang Shouyi greatly. It seemed she was going to have a long chat with the old lady?
Remembering what the old lady said, I felt angry. But my daughter-in-law wouldn't leave, and I couldn't just forcibly drag her away, could I? I didn't want to leave her, and I didn't dare!
Zhang Shouyi sat dejectedly in the living room. He couldn't show his dissatisfaction; given his wife's attitude towards the family, if he dared to reveal any resentment, she would probably just ignore him.
He hoped the old woman wouldn't speak, but Zhang Shouyi was immediately disappointed.
“Hongmei, one of your children has been adopted by your brother Jingze as his godfather. He’s grown up now, and I can’t take care of him anymore. He told me that this is how his life will be, but what will happen when he gets old? I don’t know when I’ll close my eyes. The thought of him getting old and dying without anyone to hold him in his burial pot makes me unable to close my eyes.”
"Grandma, let's find a way to get my Jingze married!" Zhang Hongmei didn't know what to say. How should she put it? Although Liu Jingze selfishly told her it was for her sake, she really felt that he was putting pressure on her.
“We want to try too! But that's just how this child is; he won't listen to me. Why don't you try to talk to him?”
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