Xia Liang didn't take maternity leave until she was over seven months pregnant. The current maternity leave is 56 days, but she also took two months of personal leave. The main reason was that she would have to take a train home for a day. She originally planned to give birth in the provincial capital, thinking that it would be easier to get a house in the county town through the black market. The regulations in the provincial capital are stricter. Before Xia Liang went there, she had encountered the Red Armband officers several times, but she was able to escape then and never went there again. In the provincial capital, only Aunt Wu would have time to take care of her. Aunt Wu is old and it's impossible for her to go to the black market to get supplies for her. So she had no choice but to go back to the county town.
On the day of departure, Wu Ma packed the things to take back and went to the train station with Xia Liang. Before boarding the train, Xia Liang made a special trip to the restroom. Since late pregnancy, she had been frequently needing to urinate. She had already gone once at home, but she still went again, mainly because she was worried about the inconvenience of using the restroom on the train. After boarding and settling Xia Liang in, Wu Ma wanted to take out the rice cakes she had prepared and hand them to her, but remembering that the doctor had told her a couple of days ago when she went to the hospital with Xia Liang, she was careful not to eat too much in late pregnancy, otherwise the fetus would grow too big and make delivery difficult, so she didn't take them out. Xia Liang sat for a while and then fell asleep. The entire journey finally ended after Xia Liang went to the restroom more than ten times.
After getting off the train, Xia Liang saw her parents-in-law who had come to pick her up. She said, "Mom and Dad, it's so cold, you didn't need to come to pick us up. It's not like we can't find our way back." Han Yulan said, "It wasn't cold in the waiting room. Besides, we're wearing so many layers, how could we be cold?" As she spoke, she draped the military overcoat she had prepared earlier over Xia Liang, making Xia Liang look like a big bear. There's a kind of cold that only a mother can feel. Even though Xia Liang was already wearing a sweater over a thick cotton-padded coat, Han Yulan still felt she was cold and draped the military overcoat over her. Gu Weiguo helped Wu Ma carry some of the luggage. Because this trip was for her to prepare for childbirth, she had brought a lot of things. The baby clothes, diapers, formula, malted milk powder, etc. that Xia Liang had prepared for the baby in the provincial capital filled two big bags. After exiting the train station, Han Yulan led the group to a car. Xia Liang knew it was her father-in-law's workplace car, and before she could even ask her mother-in-law, Han Yulan said, "I had your dad borrow it from his workplace yesterday. We'll pay for the gas ourselves." Xia Liang said, "Won't this have any impact on Dad? Actually, it wouldn't have been necessary to drive." The main concern was that these days were too sensitive; even a small matter could trigger negative reactions, and Xia Liang was worried people would say her father-in-law was using the company car for personal purposes. Han Yulan said, "It's alright. It's not like he uses it often. This is the first time. Your dad will handle it." Seeing her father-in-law nod in agreement, Xia Liang didn't say anything more and got into the car. After all, her in-laws were sensible people; if they said it was alright, then it was alright. She wasn't sensitive to political matters, and it was better to leave professional matters to the professionals.
When Xia Liang got home, she felt completely revitalized. She had been sitting in the car the whole time, feeling terrible. After washing up in the bathroom, she said goodbye to her parents-in-law and went to her room to sleep. Lying in bed, Xia Liang smelled the soap on the blankets. She looked around the house, which she had only lived in for a few days after the wedding. There were no exaggerated "double happiness" decorations like before, and the air was simple and clean. There was no smell of dust in the air either. She knew that her mother-in-law had cleaned and ventilated the house because she knew she was coming back. Otherwise, it wouldn't be like this if no one had lived there for a long time. The next day, when Xia Liang woke up, Gu Weiguo and Han Yulan had already gone to work. Seeing her up, Wu Ma brought her breakfast. As Xia Liang slowly sat down, supporting her back, Wu Ma said, "Slow down. I know you were tired all day yesterday and probably can't get up today, so I didn't serve you anything. Eat it while it's hot." She placed a bowl of porridge, two steamed buns, and two eggs in front of Xia Liang. Xia Liang said, "Wu Ma, have you eaten? If not, sit down and eat quickly." Wu Ma, while cleaning the kitchen, said, "I ate with the director and the others this morning. Don't worry about me, eat quickly, there's more in the pot." Xia Liang took a bite of a steamed bun; it was filled with pork and mushrooms, and tasted very delicious. She swallowed the bun and said, "That's enough, that's enough. Wu Ma, your steamed buns are so delicious! No, everything you make is delicious." Wu Ma laughed heartily, "Eat more if you like it. You're eating for two now, you'll get hungry quickly." Xia Liang then drank a few sips of the golden pumpkin and millet porridge, which was soft, sweet, and very delicious. Aunt Wu leaned out and asked Xia Liang, "What are you having for lunch today?" It was just her and Xia Liang at home at noon, and making too much wouldn't be enough. She wanted to ask Xia Liang what she wanted to eat first. Xia Liang said, "I'm going to my mom's house today. I won't be back until after dinner, so don't worry about me." Aunt Wu said, "Okay! Do you want me to take you?" Xia Liang smiled and said, "I'm not a porcelain doll, there's no need for a walk, it's just a short distance." Aunt Wu thought about it and agreed; it hadn't rained or snowed, and the road wouldn't be slippery. She said, "Alright, wear something warm and be careful not to catch a cold." Xia Liang nodded and agreed. After breakfast, Xia Liang went back to her parents' house.
When Xia Liang entered, Zhao Danxiang was holding her granddaughter, watching the chickens in the yard. Since Xiao Ran got a little older, she would point at the chickens in the yard with her chubby little fingers and make "ah-ah" sounds. At first, the family didn't understand what she meant. Then one time, Xia Dahe was holding her while feeding the chickens in the yard, and the little girl stopped making noises. But as soon as they finished feeding the chickens and were about to leave, the little girl started pointing at the chicken coop and making "ah-ah" sounds again. That's when the family realized what she was saying. From then on, every time she pointed outwards, they knew she wanted to watch the chickens. Whoever had time would hold her and stand in front of the chicken coop to watch the chickens. Now, Zhao Danxiang was holding her and standing in front of the chicken coop. Hearing the door open, she was puzzled; it wasn't time to get off work. Turning around, she saw her daughter... Zhao Danxiang was so happy that she forgot about her granddaughter who was looking at the chickens. She picked up Xiaoxin and went up to her, asking, "When did you get back? Come inside quickly, it's cold outside." Xia Liang smiled and said, "I arrived last night, and I thought I'd come back after breakfast this morning." After entering the main room, Zhao Danxiang had Xia Liang sit by the stove and her granddaughter sit on her lap. She reached out and touched Xia Liang's hands, saying, "Warm your hands up quickly, they're freezing." Xia Liang stretched out her hands to warm them by the fire. Her clothes had pockets like those in later times, so she could put her hands in them, but thinking about her pregnancy, she was worried that if she accidentally fell and couldn't brace herself, the consequences could be serious. So she forgot to wear gloves, and her hands turned red from the cold.
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