Xiao Wu and his two daughters left at the end of July. Zhang Hongmei no longer goes to the company. With four daughters-in-law, she has essentially given up on managing things. She spends her days at home with the elderly and children.
There are now twelve craftsmen in the family, five of whom are older and six of whom are younger, and four of whom are younger and six of whom are younger.
Every day, I spend time with the two elderly people, practicing Tai Chi, drinking tea, writing calligraphy, and painting.
Just as August began, we received a notification that Ping An's wife, Hu Peizhen, had been admitted to the hospital.
"It must be really tough to have a baby during this hot weather."
Er Ya sighed, "There's nothing we can do; we can't decide on a timeframe."
When can I give birth?
"The due date is around the 4th or 5th. Just wait. The Hu family is even more anxious now. Grandpa Hu has been waiting until now."
"You can't let go, can you?"
After the two hung up the phone, Zhang Hongmei was stunned for a moment, but still went to keep the old man company.
But just as she arrived at Gu Chuanming's study, she heard the phone ringing again.
Gan Lu answered the phone, frowned, and came over to Zhang Hongmei. "Madam, it's a call from the US. Mr. Beth has passed away."
Zhang Hongmei was stunned. After a few seconds, she reacted and immediately rushed to the phone and dialed.
Annie answered the phone. "Mom and Grandpa have passed away," came Annie's suppressed sobs from the other end of the line.
"Annie, where's your grandma?"
"My grandmother is also being treated."
Zhang Hongmei quickly took a deep breath and said, "Annie, you can't cry, you have to cheer up."
"Mom, don't worry, even if I cry to you, Mom, we'll talk later."
Zhang Hongmei heard a dial tone coming from the microphones.
I had a bad feeling. Was Huang Meihua going to die too?
Sitting blankly on the sofa, all I could think about were the little moments I spent with Huang Meihua and Bass.
Tears welled up, but I quickly wiped them away. I sat here waiting for news.
Not daring to use this phone, I used my old mobile phone to call Zhenye. "I got a call from the US. Your grandfather has passed away, and your grandmother is being treated."
"Mom, don't be sad. I'll call Ruifeng and the others now."
"Well, it's fine to let them know, but you don't need to come back. I'm fine. I knew this day would come."
An hour later, the phone rang again. This time it was Daniel calling. "Mom, Grandma has also passed away. She passed away peacefully. Don't be sad. We're going to get busy now. Please take care of yourself."
"Okay, I understand, Daniel. You need to take good care of your father."
"Mom, I know, don't worry."
Zhang Hongmei put down the phone and leaned back on the sofa. She rarely sat like this; she usually sat upright with her back straight. At this moment, Zhang Hongmei felt empty and listless, without any strength in her body.
Gu Chuanming and Zhang Xingguo sat to one side, watching her with concern.
"Grandpa, Dad, don't worry about me, I'm fine."
The two elderly people had loved each other their whole lives; being able to leave this world together was probably their wish.
At this moment, Zhang Shouyi came in and saw the three people in the living room, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhang Zhenye informed his younger brother and father, and Zhang Shouyi told the four of them to continue working while he went home.
His wife was a sentimental person, and she must have been heartbroken by the passing of these two elderly people, so Zhang Shouyi put aside his important meeting and returned home.
"Red Plum!"
"Brother Zhang, you're back? It's alright, don't worry about me."
Zhang Shouyi sat to one side and said, "Don't be sad."
"Um."
Zhang Shouyi took Zhang Hongmei's hand, and the couple entered the room.
By evening, Zhenye and the other three were no longer in the mood to work overtime and all returned home.
At the dinner table, Zhang Hongmei was listless, and her four daughters-in-law all tried to comfort her.
"It's alright, don't worry. Zhenye, Xiao Wu, and the other two, do you know?"
"Yes, I called them."
"Okay, it's fine. I'll recover in two or three days."
That night, Zhang Shouyi held her close and said, "Brother Zhang, you know, the older I get, the more fragile I become."
"Honey, this is normal. It's alright, everyone has to die eventually."
"I know, I've accepted it. I just regret not being able to see them one last time."
Zhang Shouyi stopped talking and gently patted her back, as if coaxing a child.
The next day, Zhang Hongmei was not as uncomfortable as she had been the day before, and Zhenye and the other eight men breathed a sigh of relief.
At noon, I received a call from Er Ya, "Ping An's wife gave birth to a big, healthy boy, weighing eight pounds."
"Eight pounds? That's quite big. Pei-zhen didn't suffer, did she?"
"It was alright, the baby was born in three hours and the placenta was expelled."
"That's good. Pei-zhen is in good health."
"Okay, that's enough. I need to call Pei-zhen's family now."
It's easy to imagine how happy the two members of the Hu family were when they heard this.
This way, regardless of whether the second child is a boy or a girl, they can both take the surname Hu.
Hu Jinlong's face turned red with joy.
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Hongmei asked Gan Lu to pack up the nutritional supplements and went directly to the hospital.
Upon entering the ward, Zhang Hongmei smiled. Ping An was sitting by the bedside with Hu Peizhen, and the new mother was in very good spirits, with the baby between the couple.
When Er Ya saw Zhang Hongmei come in, she said, "Come and see your grandson, he's so strong."
Ping An immediately stepped aside. The smile on his face made it clear that this father was very happy.
"Pei-zhen, how are you now?"
"Auntie, I'm fine, I'm perfectly healthy, and it doesn't hurt as much anymore."
"That's good. You're young and you'll recover quickly, but don't be careless."
"Yes, I know. Auntie, look! This child is so cute."
Zhang Hongmei picked up the child. "Hmm, he's a strong young man. He's all rosy-cheeked; he'll definitely grow up to be fair-skinned. Sister Erya, I think this child's nose looks a bit like Cheng Guangxu's."
"Yes, that's what I think too."
"That's good. Cheng Guangxu will be happy now."
"That's right, he'll be back tonight, and he laughed for a long time when he found out he had a grandson."
Where is Aunt Liang?
"I'm going home to make soup. I'll stay here."
"How about another one? Xiao Ou is pregnant anyway."
Er Ya thought for a moment and said, "Okay, let's have another one. I can't keep taking leave, and Pei Zhen's mother still has to take care of the elderly at home."
"When I get back in a bit, I'll tell Sister Meng to go home and make soup there."
"Okay, you can arrange it. I reckon my parents should be here soon."
"Let Ganlu go and fetch it."
"No need, I called them first, they should have arrived by now."
Just then, the ward door opened, and Li Cuihua and Liu Maocai arrived. The two elderly people went straight to Hongmei.
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