Chapter 82 Adoption: Is there anyone who needs a son?
Zhong Ying's attitude towards children is, in some ways, no different from that of a scumbag boyfriend; both are characterized by flirting without taking responsibility. When a child's adorable moment touches her maternal heart, Zhong Ying will poke and tease them, then leave without a care in the world.
In the nursery of the production team, whether they were related by blood or not, there were six children who called Zhong Ying "Auntie," seven who called her "Auntie," and a little Guoqiang who called her "Auntie" from afar, and Qianqian who called her "Auntie" right in front of her... There were a bunch of nephews and nieces, and adding another son or something was unnecessary, really unnecessary.
Zhong Ying looked at the swaddled baby being handed to her, her eyes wide with horror, as if her fur had stood on end. She hurriedly pushed the baby away, saying, "No, no need, Second Brother. We all know how difficult it was for Second Sister-in-law to give birth to this child. How can I take it!"
Hearing Zhong Ying say this, Nie Jinfeng felt comforted, and the last trace of resentment dissipated. She leaned against the headboard and spoke as sincerely as her husband, "Yingni'er, if you hadn't insisted that my sister-in-law go to the commune's medical training class with my brother, this child would probably have died at birth. He is reaping the consequences of the cause you sowed. This is fate."
Zhong Ying didn't believe in any of that. What fate? She only believed in "my destiny is in my own hands, not in the heavens." She really didn't want to be a mother!
"No, no, no, I didn't do much. Sister-in-law Nie is the biggest contributor. Please don't attribute the credit to me." Zhong Ying was unusually modest.
Zhong Ying's avoidance was so obvious that everyone in the room could see it. Tian Mei wanted to persuade her, but she was afraid that her second sister-in-law would think she was making sarcastic remarks, since it wasn't her son who had been adopted. After hesitating for a long time, she finally didn't say anything.
Liu Hongyan, as the mother-in-law, did not have this concern. "This was agreed upon with your parents beforehand. You will be a widow as soon as you marry into this family. How can a woman live her whole life without having a child? If you are worried about raising a child, I will help you take care of the child."
Li Rou chimed in, "I can help too."
Zhong Ying genuinely doesn't believe that a woman's life must include a child or that becoming a mother is necessary for a woman's life to be complete. She has always considered herself a complete person, without any missing limbs, possessing a sound mind and goals to strive for. Men are merely extras in her life, let alone children.
“Really, there’s no need. Adoption makes me feel like I’m picking peaches for myself. My second sister-in-law had a hard time carrying her for ten months and giving birth to her. It’s only right that the child calls her ‘mother.’” Seeing that Nie Jinfeng was about to speak again, Zhong Ying quickly sped up her speech to prevent her from interrupting. “I know that both my parents and my own parents are doing this for my own good, raising a child to provide for me in my old age. But will my nephew just stand by and watch me when I get old?”
Without even thinking, Li Rongshi replied, "That's definitely not possible!"
They weren't even separated into different families; they were the closest of all. Li Rongshi glanced at his eldest brother, thinking that even if Li Gangshi were in trouble in the future, he would still lend a hand. Why distinguish between "yours" and "mine"?
“That settles it then. There’s no need for him to be adopted as my son.” Zhong Ying felt she was about to win her “debate with the scholars.” “Besides, where would I find the time and energy to raise a child? I’m busy with the hydroelectric power station. I need to go to the commune again to ask when the generator will arrive, and after the turbine arrives, I need to borrow a tractor to haul it back…”
Even Li Ming was speechless now. He knew how much effort a mother had to put into raising a child. Even with help, how much could a mother truly let go of? He pondered Zhong Ying's words. A child might be a source of support for other women, but for him, her youngest daughter-in-law, it was indeed a burden, preventing her from attending to other matters…
Li Gang cleared his throat. "I can handle these things—"
"But you need your parents' consent before you can adopt. After all, it was agreed upon back then." Li Ming interrupted his eldest son. What could he do? Could he even do it? He didn't have the skills to do the job.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Ying knew she had passed the Li family's hurdle! Overjoyed, she nodded repeatedly, "I will explain everything to them."
Li Rongshi was naturally happy to not be called "Second Uncle" by his own son. He looked at Zhong Ying with great enthusiasm, "Sister-in-law, don't worry, I will educate the children well, not just this boy, but also Guangfu! From now on, as long as Jin Feng and I have food to eat, we won't let them offer you less! And when we burn paper money, we won't leave out your share!"
Liu Hongyan couldn't help but slap her second son's arm in anger, "How old are you and still so outspoken! You dare to say anything!"
Zhong Ying returned to the Zhong family home for dinner that same day and efficiently arranged the second round of the "Debate with the Scholars".
Deng Xia shared the same thoughts as Liu Hongyan, and because she was Liu Hongyan's biological mother, she spoke even more directly: "Why wouldn't you want a son for free? You've raised him since he was a baby, so there's no difference between you and your own mother. Who would dare to tell the child that you were adopted? Even if they did know, the debt of giving birth is heavy, but the debt of raising is equally heavy! Besides, this son isn't just for your old age; he's also to ensure that Li Linshi's branch of the family line doesn't die out..."
As for her mother's nagging, Zhong Ying simply shifted her gaze to Li Linshi and asked casually, "Oh, so you need a son?"
Deng Xia and Li Linshi felt a sudden tightness in their scalps almost simultaneously.
“I’m already dead, what use would I have for a son?” Li Linshi replied outright.
Zhong Ying immediately gave him a rewarding smile, then looked at Deng Xia, "Mother, he also said no."
Deng Xia raised her hand and rubbed the goosebumps that had appeared on her arm. No matter how much time had passed, she still couldn't fully adapt to having a ghost son-in-law.
"Fine, you can handle it yourself," Deng Xia said, her tone unfriendly as she conceded.
Old Man Zhong wanted to try again. "Yingni'er, if you're worried about the stress of raising a child, your mother and I aren't too old yet. We can help you take care of the child for a few years. Once the child is six or seven years old and understands things, you'll be able to relax."
Deng Xia listened intently, her mind starting to wander again.
Zhong Xin chimed in from the side, "Yeah, sis, I can help you take care of him too. I used to take care of Guoqiang."
“Raising children isn’t just about raising them to adulthood and keeping them alive,” Zhong Ying said to her father, but these were different views on childbirth from two different eras, and there was no point in her saying more. “Alas, in short, I will not have my second sister-in-law’s child. She went through so much trouble to give birth to it, what would it mean for me to cut a piece of her heart out of her?”
Zhong Ying then looked at her brother, "If you want to take care of the child, should I arrange for you to work as a childcare worker at a daycare center?"
Zhong Xin immediately shook his head repeatedly.
“I think you’re just bored,” Zhong Ying said, using her older sister’s authority. “You’re a grown man, and all you think about is taking care of kids. What kind of future do you have? You should learn more from your sister Yu when you have time.”
Zhong Xin pouted and muttered under his breath, "I don't want to take care of the child, I want to help you..."
Zhong Ying felt a warmth in her heart and hugged her younger brother's neck. "Okay, okay, I know how you feel."
Deng Xia and Zhong Chunsheng wanted to persuade her further, but Zhong Ying's next words stopped them.
“I still want to be the production team leader. If I give up halfway to raise my child, then all my previous efforts will have been in vain.”
Deng Xia and Zhong Chunsheng looked at each other, wondering how they could just give their all for nothing.
"Forget it, your job as captain is the most important thing right now." Deng Xia gritted her teeth. It's not like the Li family won't have other children in the future. Even if they miss this son, there will always be another one. Anyway, her daughter is still young, and there will be other opportunities if she wants to adopt her in the future.
Thus, the adoption was left unresolved, and Li Rongshi's second son remained the son of his biological parents. His name, Li Guanglu, was given to him by his father.
Zhong Ying: ...Another name from an uncle's generation.
“It’s true what they say, the eldest brother doesn’t talk about the second brother. I’ve realized now that your eldest and second brothers are both terrible at naming things.” Zhong Ying complained to Li Linshi in private. “They should have just followed your father’s example and asked your third aunt to calculate. Jinzha and Muzha sound better than Yaozu and Fulushou.”
Li Linshi looked at Zhong Ying with a mixture of helplessness and doting. What kind of nonsense was this? But he still understood it all.
Zhong Ying always calls her eldest brother's son, Guangzong, "Yaozu." According to her explanation, Yaozu is not only a name but also a form, which is quite fitting for a spoiled and unruly child.
The eldest son of the second brother is named Guangfu, and the second son is named Guanglu. Li Linshi himself cannot say whether the second brother's next child will really be named Guangshou. Based on his understanding of the second brother, it is very possible.
Li Linshi suddenly realized that he was indeed unique to Zhong Ying. She could not say these things to anyone else, but in front of him, Zhong Ying could speak freely and without restraint.
The turbulent jealousy that had been churning within him finally subsided, and his heart regained its peace.
Zhong Ying thought the matter of adoption was over and life would return to normal, but she didn't need a son, and neither did Li Linshi, yet someone else did.
Li Yang rubbed his hands together, perhaps because of the chill of the winter morning or because of his awkwardness and embarrassment, and said to Li Ming, "Brother, Changgui's mother and I have been thinking about this all night..."
In fact, Li Yang and Shan Shuhui had been thinking about this for a while, but they hadn't said anything. After all, they had heard from their elder brother and sister-in-law that the daughter of the second son of the Zhong family would become a widow as soon as she married into the family, and that they would have to give her an adopted son to rely on.
But now they have learned that Zhong Ying does not intend to adopt a son. Although they do not know why she does not want to adopt a son, the thought that they had suppressed has resurfaced and they can no longer suppress it.
“I heard that my fourth nephew’s wife doesn’t plan to adopt Rongshi’s second son anymore,” Li Yang said, still rubbing his hands awkwardly, as he struggled to express his thoughts. “My eldest son, Changgui, has been gone for over a year now. My wife and I don’t have any other children. After we pass away, we’re afraid there won’t even be anyone to burn paper money for us or sweep our graves. So I was thinking… Brother, could you let me adopt your Rongshi?”
Sitting next to him, Shan Shuhui also looked at Li Ming with eager eyes.
The couple is approaching fifty and has experienced the pain of losing their son, making them look older than their peers.
Li Ming was speechless under the intense gazes of the two men.
Li Yang pleaded, "Brother, my fourth nephew's wife is still young, but we two old folks don't know how many more years we can live. We can't raise a child on our own. Rong Shi is an adult now, and no one can erase the bond between him and his biological parents. We just want a formality, to go through the motions of him being adopted into our family, so that at least we'll have someone to mourn him in the future."
Li Ming remained silent for a very long time.
Li Rongshi took his eldest son, Guangfu, home for a free meal and found it strange to see his third uncle and aunt coming out of the house.
"Why are my third uncle and the others at home so early in the morning?" Li Rongshi asked casually as he stepped over the threshold and entered the house.
Li Ming, who had just mentioned it to Liu Hongyan, saw his son and decided to repeat himself, since he would find out sooner or later anyway.
"Your third uncle wants you to be adopted into his family."
Li Ming's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Li Rongshi's ears.
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Author's note: Sorry I'm late (kneeling)
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