Chapter 147
Meng Nan looked at the test results and didn't speak for a long time. To her, having a child is a good thing. With parents and grandma to help her take care of the child, she will never be lonely. But she really doesn't want to get married, and she doesn't want to live in Hong Kong.
Meng Nan didn't know how to tell his parents. His father would kill her.
In the middle of the night, Meng Nan lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. She quietly opened the door of her grandmother's room, crawled into her grandmother's quilt, and whispered:
"Grandma, I have something to tell you."
Zhen Zhen was sleeping soundly. He turned over in a daze and hugged his eldest granddaughter.
"What's wrong?"
"Grandma, I think I'm pregnant." Meng Nan said.
Zhen Zhen was no longer sleepy. She sat up and asked, "Have you gone to the hospital for a checkup?"
"I checked and it turns out that I'm pregnant."
Zhen Zhen laughed angrily, "You sell condoms yourself, why don't you use contraception properly?"
Meng Nan was on birth control, she even took birth control pills, double contraception, but she still got pregnant. You can only say that she was just unlucky that she could still get pregnant.
Zhen Zhen thought about it and didn't think it was a big deal. "Have you told your parents?"
"No, I don't dare to say it. Grandma, you won't blame me for embarrassing you, right?"
"What's the big deal? What era is this? Is pregnancy shameful? I thought, his family is well-off, he is well-educated, and he is a nice person. When women have children, they are actually selecting genes. If you think about it carefully, his genes are not bad, so there is nothing to regret."
Meng Nan thought so too, but she didn't want to have children or get married. Marriage was too unattractive to her.
She is rich, beautiful, and has a career. Having a child is icing on the cake, but she doesn't have a man. She doesn't want to marry him, and she doesn't even want to tell him that she is pregnant.
"But he has a right to know, doesn't he?"
"He has no right to know, and I don't want him to have a child. I tried so hard to avoid pregnancy, but I still got pregnant. He doesn't have to bear any consequences. I think pregnancy is unfair to women. Why do women have to go through so much trouble and bear the pain of childbirth, while men don't have to do anything and just get a child for nothing?"
Zhen Zhen did not criticize her, but said: "If you really want to understand, grandma will support you unconditionally."
"Really? Grandma, can you really support me?"
"What's true or false about this? We have money and a house, and we have the ability to raise children. We can definitely give them a good future. It doesn't matter whether we have a man or not."
With the support of his grandmother, Meng Nan felt less anxious.
Erya and Siya are more traditional than her. They can accept traditional marriage and are willing to make sacrifices and compromise.
But she didn't want to. She just didn't want to lower her standards and let men take advantage of her.
She can raise the child herself, give the child her surname, and let the child live with her family, instead of having to share custody with a man in the future?
On what basis? Meng Nan felt that God was unfair, as women have uteruses since birth.
The news of Meng Nan's pregnancy caused an uproar at home. Meng Daguo almost exploded and was ready to go find the man with a pack of explosives.
Jiao Huilan thought it was nothing: "These days, getting pregnant before getting married is not uncommon."
Meng Dong and Meng Bei both found it strange that this child, who came suddenly, was implanted in the eldest sister's womb.
Let the eldest sister who has never had gender awareness become a mother.
Meng Bei stroked Meng Nan's belly and said, "Sister, just give birth to the baby. We have the ability to raise the Meng family's child."
Meng Dong also said: "With Meng Bei and I here, if his family dares to bully you, we will definitely not let them go."
Meng Nan said that he didn't want to get married, which undoubtedly made everyone in the family dizzy.
Meng Daguo and Jiao Huilan were both worried. "Mom, please help persuade her! Meng Nan has been willful since she was young. She will listen to you."
Zhen Zhen thought there was nothing wrong with it. "If we really get married, we will have a child born with great effort. After the divorce, we won't be able to fight for the custody of the child. It's better to raise the child by ourselves. There are so many people in our family who make money. Can't we raise a child?"
Meng Daguo and Jiao Huilan both want Meng Nan to get married and have children as planned.
But Meng Nan had a stubborn temper, and Meng Daguo was helpless. Seeing Meng Nan vomiting in front of a trash can every day, he could only buy fish and shrimps to nourish his daughter's body.
Mrs. Meng was quite happy and said to Zhen Zhen:
"You're going to have great-grandchildren soon."
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "I'm only in my sixties, and I already have a great-grandson."
"Having a child early has this benefit. If Meng Changzheng hadn't died, he would have been happy. He was just unlucky and died too early. He didn't get to enjoy this blessing. At that time, no one could have imagined that our family would have such good fortune in the future."
Zhen Zhen smiled, and Old Lady Meng handed over some dried sweet potatoes.
No one lives in the old house. Old Mrs. Meng goes there every now and then to dry some dried radishes and sweet potatoes. She doesn't do it for money, but just to keep it clean and hygienic for her family to eat, which is always good.
Seeing that Meng Nan was vomiting badly, Zhen Zhen bought some bird's nests and snow frogs and stewed them for her. Meng Nan survived the first three months, her morning sickness stopped, and her eating and sleeping became much more normal.
Meng Bei had already returned to the army, Meng Dong and Qiao Lu returned to Beijing together, and the house became deserted again.
With a pregnant woman at home, it seemed like there was something to do. When Zhen Zhen thought about taking care of the baby, she seemed to have returned to the 1970s, when she was less than 40 years old and thought she was old and had no hope in life. Looking back now, she was still young then.
"Meng Nan, forty is a good age." Zhen Zhen suddenly said.
Meng Nan turned around to look at her, hugged her and said coquettishly, "Grandma, why are you sad?"
"I'm not sad. I'm just telling you my life experience. When I was 40, I felt old. When I was over 60, I looked back and realized that I was young. I went to Beijing with Zhang Cuihua and Gou Zi's mother. I was in good health and had good mobility. After I turned 60, I lost interest in traveling and eating."
Meng Nan laughed. "When you are a hundred years old and look back, sixty was a good age."
"That's right. Grandma means that people should cherish the present, and you should too. Don't deny yourself or put obstacles on yourself just because you got pregnant before marriage. Looking back, these are nothing. Don't put pressure on yourself. You may only have one child in your lifetime, so enjoy the happiness of being a mother."
Meng Nan nodded and kissed Grandma happily on the cheek.
"Grandma, you promised me that you would be my grandma in your next life."
"Next life? In the next life, I'll be a dog instead of a human being." Zhen Zhen went to the kitchen with a smile and served the stewed bird's nest to Meng Nan.
Meng Nan read the early stages of pregnancy, and then everything was stable. She ate well, slept well, and was in a good mood.
Under the care of the Meng family, she soon reached the late stage of pregnancy.
Meng Nan's belly was so big that she had trouble tying her shoelaces, so Meng Daguo took the initiative to help her tie her shoelaces. He was afraid that she would have no one to take care of her, so he drove her wherever she went.
When Erya and Siya returned home, they saw Meng Nan's big belly and thought there was a monster living in her belly.
"Sister, I think pregnancy is terrifying. It's like an alien is living in your body, sucking your nutrients and turning you into a mother." Si Ya said.
Erya also thought that the big belly was scary. Her eldest sister's flat belly was made so big by the baby.
"Sister, don't you feel any pain?"
"It doesn't hurt," Meng Nan thought for a moment, "but my internal organs are displaced. I always feel uncomfortable. I feel full after eating a few bites, and then I feel hungry again after a while."
Erya felt sorry for her sister, "Sister, are you really not going to marry the baby's daddy?"
Meng Nan shook his head firmly. The child's father was quite a gentleman and seemed to respect women, but Meng Nan knew clearly that once they had a conflict and once she was no longer of any use, the other party would not stand firmly on her side.
Their love is not solid, marriage requires compromise, and she doesn't want to compromise.
"I just want the child, not the father."
Si Ya agreed with her sister, "Isn't this good? If you don't get married, you don't have to move out. You can stay at home with grandma and parents every day. I envy my sister for being like this. Unfortunately, my boyfriend is also good, but he always asks me to live in Beijing."
Erya also wants to stay in Jing City. Although Xin Yao is good, she has been in the Jing City diving team for so many years. Jing City is her second home.
Arya suddenly understood her elder sister's choice.
Some people are like a tree, unwilling to leave the land where they are rooted.
It is understandable that my eldest sister doesn't want to leave home, leave her grandmother, leave her parents, or even leave her career.
The hospital in Xinyao City was converted from the former county hospital. Although it is applying to be a Class 3A hospital, the level of its gynecologists is not very high.
Zhen Zhen suggested that Meng Nan go to Beijing or a provincial capital city for production.
Meng Nan decided to go to Beijing to give birth. Her uncle happened to be in Beijing and could take care of her conveniently.
Tan Wenyin had always wanted to perform well, and as Meng Nan was giving birth and his family was coming over, she bought local chickens and eggs in advance and hired an aunt to be in charge of Meng Nan's food and drink.
Zhen Zhen felt that it was quite troublesome for her. "I heard that there is a confinement center in Beijing opened by a Hong Kong person. It is quite famous. Meng Nan can go there to have confinement, and it will save you the trouble."
"It's no problem. I treat Meng Nan as my own daughter. When she gives birth, can I, as her aunt, let her stay in a confinement center?"
Zhen Zhen had no choice but to go with her.
When Meng Nan was pushed into the delivery room, Meng Daguo was worried that something had happened, and he paced back and forth at the door of the delivery room, fearing that his daughter would be wronged.
"Mother, it is so difficult for women to give birth. After Meng Nan gives birth to this child, I will never allow her to have a second one."
Jiao Huilan's eyes turned red, "How could our daughter have ever suffered such a hardship?"
Meng Eryong and Tao Aihong were also walking back and forth at the door of the delivery room. Although Tao Aihong felt that Meng Nan was too open-minded, after all, she had watched him grow up, and she also hoped that Meng Nan could be safe.
It took Meng Nan ten hours to give birth to the child. Meng Daguo came to see the child when he saw that his daughter had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
This is a delicate little dumpling. Her face is like her father, with a typical southerner's small head and small face, but her facial features are like Meng Nan, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, typical northerners.
"This child looks like the baby in the New Year pictures!"
Zhen Zhen was so excited, she had never seen such a beautiful child, like a little mixed-race child, with a pink face, black hair, eyes that seemed to have opened corners, black and round, a small pink mouth, and when he looked at people, he was curious about the world.
Meng Daguo became a grandfather and was so excited: "Mom, this child looks like you, pretty and lovely, and you can tell at first glance that he is a well-behaved child."
Jiao Huilan had never seen such a beautiful baby before. "Mom, my daughter is really good at giving birth. She gave birth to a beautiful baby in her lifetime."
Zhen Zhen's heart melted as she held the adorable little baby in her arms again.
"My son Meng Nan has suffered a lot, but fortunately the baby is cute and well behaved, and is in good health."
Zhen Zhen placed the child next to Meng Nan with emotion, letting the child feel the beating of his mother's heart in Meng Nan's arms.
As Tao Aihong gets older, she starts to feel maternal instinct when she sees children.
She had prepared a dozen sets of clothes for the children, all washed, and soft diapers.
"No one uses diapers nowadays." Meng Dong pushed the door open. He had just finished a meeting and when he heard that his eldest sister had given birth, he came over to see the baby.
Tao Aihong snorted, "What do you know! No matter how good it is that the baby doesn't get wet, you can't cover him up every day. You have to prepare a few diapers to let the baby breathe occasionally."
Meng Dong said disdainfully, "Where did these rags come from? Why do they look so familiar to me? Aren't these the clothes I wore when I was a kid?"
"You know what! Old clothes are safe and soft."
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "Your mother is kind-hearted. Grandma can testify that she started preparing a few months ago and even knitted two small cardigans for the baby. The styles are very fashionable."
Meng Dong was surprised. He didn't expect his mother to be so kind.
"My mother can knit sweaters? I never saw her knit for me when I was a kid."
"You little bastard! You only know how to hurt your mother!"
Tao Aihong pretended to hit Meng Dong, and the two of them were quarreling, which disturbed the mother's rest, so Zhen Zhen sent them both back.
Meng Nan became a mother with a strong maternal love. When she saw her baby, her eyes always sparkled with tenderness.
"Grandma, this is my child." She rubbed the baby's soft hair with her chin. "He was born with hair, so you don't have to worry about baldness."
Zhen Zhen looked at his granddaughter gently, "It must be painful to give birth, right? It must be difficult, right?"
"Grandma, being a mother is not easy, and being a woman is not easy either." Meng Nan sighed.
The baby looked at them curiously, not sure if he could see clearly. He sucked his lips and blew bubbles cutely.
Zhen Zhen stayed to accompany Meng Nan. Meng Nan was afraid that she was too tired and asked her to go back. However, Zhen Zhen was still worried because she was afraid that there were people stealing babies in the hospital.
Zhen Zhen was determined to stay, so her family had no choice but to let her go.
Tan Wenyin stewed fish soup and chicken soup. Zhen Zhen did not allow Meng Nan to breastfeed, and told her not to drink too much soup and to eat more meat to nourish her body.
Meng Nan is controlled by hormones and feels a little guilty:
"My baby is so cute, but I can't breastfeed her. Grandma, am I being unfair to her?"
"You are not worthy of anyone! You have been pregnant for ten months and given birth to a child, which is already hard enough. What you need to do now is to have a good rest and take good care of your body, so as not to get sick. The child can grow up by eating milk powder, and he will not be dumber than anyone else!"
Zhen Zhen thought of the milk powder incident in China and bought imported milk powder for her baby.
Meng Nan's guilt gradually dissipated after hearing his grandmother's words.
The gentle sunlight fell in the ward. Meng Nan looked at the lovely baby in his arms, and then at his grandmother, mother, and aunt who were taking care of him, and suddenly felt that this was the best life.
Erya and Siya came over and their hearts melted when they saw the baby.
"I'm the second aunt now."
"I'm the fourth aunt now," Si Ya held the baby and didn't want to let go. Zhen Zhen simply arranged for her to take care of the child, which made Si Ya so tired that she couldn't even lift her waist. "Grandma is biased. My sister gave birth to the child, why should I take care of it!"
Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "When you give birth to a child, let your elder sister help you take care of the child."
Si Ya curled her lips, "Then what does my eldest sister do?"
"Your elder sister is exercising! Your elder sister is going out to relax. Postpartum women are prone to depression. We must be your elder sister's support."
Si Ya looked up to the sky and cried out: "Why is it always me who gets hurt?"
Si Ya became Meng Nan's exclusive mother.
It's not that there is no aunt at home, but the baby likes Si Ya and hugs Si Ya every day. Meng Nan is jealous and happy, and teases Si Ya:
"Let the baby call you mom."
Si Ya snorted, "How can you be like this? It's fine that you've been ordering me around since I was little, but now that you're a mother, you're still ordering me around to take care of your child!"
"Aunt, Aunt, Aunt is Mom." Meng Nan smiled.
Si Ya was not happy, but the baby was so cute and was the first child in the family. He often hugged her face and chewed it. Si Ya could not resist the baby's cute attack and could only take care of the child resentfully.
Zhen Zhen has hoarded dozens of pieces of land in major cities such as Hangzhou, Harbin, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
These plots of land almost took up all her assets. All the money she earned from the restructuring and listing of state-owned enterprises was spent on the land.
With these lands, Zhenxin Group can not only build buildings in major cities, but also use them as group assets.
When the land prices go up, Zhen Zhen can make at least hundreds of billions by selling them.
In recent years, the market for antique calligraphy and paintings has risen slightly, and auction houses occasionally sell them for high prices, but you can also often find bargains.
Zhen Zhen has picked up thousands of antique calligraphy and paintings over the years. She has placed many express racks in her space, all of which are used to store antique calligraphy and paintings. A rough calculation shows that if they were sold in the future, they could be sold for at least hundreds of billions!
Not enough, still not enough!
Of course, the more gold calligraphy and paintings, the better.
At the beginning of the millennium, Meng Hua received news that a set of chimes had appeared in Hong Kong, which were probably the authentic ones stolen from the mainland.
Zhen Zhen and Meng Hua went to the port city. In this antique shop, they not only saw the chimes, but also found a sword. It seemed that it was used by Gou Jian's son.
Zhen Zhen wanted to buy it without hesitation, but the shopkeeper said that this thing was coveted by Japanese people.
Why did the national treasure leak out? Zhen Zhen spent more than two million to buy the treasure and kept it in the space.
She also spent a huge amount of money to buy the animal head and donated it to the country.
She originally wanted to buy more things abroad, but who would have thought that she would receive news that Mrs. Meng was in poor health and might not be able to make it.
Zhen Zhen hurried back to Xin Yao. Old Mrs. Meng had fallen and looked to be in poor condition.
She also knew that she didn't have much time left, and she was holding on with all her might, wanting to see her daughter-in-law.
"Is Guizhi back?" asked Old Mrs. Meng with a smile.
Zhen Zhen panted and sat down beside her. He didn't cry, but just smiled and asked:
"You're not worried about anything, are you?"
Old Lady Meng kept saying, "No, not at all! My biggest wish is to ride on a plane. You took me on one two years ago, but they thought I was too old and refused to take me. We even signed a life and death agreement. I've ridden on planes and traveled to the South China Sea. I don't have any regrets at all."
Old Mrs. Meng’s life was worth it.
There was even an old lady of the same age as her who was starved to death by her son.
However, she followed her daughter-in-law to enjoy a good life. She didn't have to do anything or worry about anything every day. She just listened to operas, chatted and watched TV.
She had originally hoped that Meng Dong and Meng Bei would have children and look forward to seeing the next generation, but her daughter-in-law said that the baby born by Meng Nan would be the next generation of the Meng family.
Old Mrs. Meng, adhering to the principle that "the daughter-in-law is always right", also treated the baby as if it were her eyeball.
She has lived to this age and has experienced all the good days. She can now close her eyes in peace and go to the underworld to meet Old Father Meng and Meng Changzheng.
She has lived too long. Living too long is actually a torture.
"Guizhi, when I'm gone, don't cry or make a big fuss about it. Just bury me near our Long March, under that fruitless cherry tree."
Zhen Zhen felt that Mrs. Meng was a poet who could always say things that softened people's hearts.
"Don't worry, I'll miss you later and visit you under the cherry tree."
"Hey, that cherry tree is many years old, with lush branches and leaves. It can provide you with shade in the summer, but you won't be exposed to the sun. It also blooms small flowers in the winter."
Old Mrs. Meng left with a smile. She held Zhen Zhen's hand and thanked her for taking care of her. She said it would be better for them to be mother and daughter for the rest of their lives so as to avoid the need for a distant relationship.
Zhen Zhen followed her wishes and did not hold a grand ceremony for her. He just bought the best coffin and buried Old Lady Meng.
She was buried under her favorite cherry tree.
The whole family gathered together again to see Old Mrs. Meng off.
Meng Dong cried for a while, and then Boss Meng patted his shoulder and laughed dryly:
"Don't cry, your grandma is a happy mourner. She's 90 years old, she's lived enough!"
Meng Dong nodded with red eyes, kowtowed to Old Lady Meng, and also paid tribute to Old Lady Meng's father and Meng Changzheng.
Li Decheng came with his fellow villagers. When he heard that Old Lady Meng did not allow the funeral to be held, he understood it very well. He also felt that given the status of the Meng family, if they held a funeral, the leaders of the county would have to come, which was not the style of the Meng family.
"It doesn't matter. Just live a good life while you are alive. Who cares about what happens after you die?"
"That's right."
In recent years, every household in the village has expanded production and started wool business.
There were several millionaires in the village. Li Decheng's eldest son was hardworking and made a fortune by selling wool sweaters.
He wanted to buy a house in the city and wanted to ask Zhen Zhen what she thought.
"You can buy a house in Xinyao City. If you listen to my advice, I suggest you buy one in Jing City."
Li Decheng was stunned. "Buying a house in Beijing? That would cost a lot of money, right?"
"You can buy one for 500,000 or 600,000 yuan. Beijing has a policy now that buying a house will give you a permanent residence permit. Aren't your grandchildren studying in Beijing? Just buy a house and settle down in Beijing."
Li Decheng planned to buy a house for his children, but he was old-fashioned and only wanted to buy a house for his grandson. He always felt that his granddaughter was not that important.
"What era are we in? Why do people still favor boys over girls?"
"Mainly, I need to buy them for my two children, and I don't have enough money."
"If it's not enough, just pay the down payment and let your granddaughter pay the monthly installments. In short, we can't just be rich in wallets but not in ideas. Houses will be valuable in the future. Buying a house for your children is better than buying a large projection TV or a Mercedes-Benz for your family! These are all investments!"
Zhen Zhen’s words are like an imperial decree in Batou Village.
Some people were tempted, "Li Decheng, if you don't buy it, I can buy it for my granddaughter!"
"That's right. It doesn't matter if you don't have money. If you have money, buying a suite isn't a bad idea! We are already over 50 years old. There is no point in having so much money."
"Our Aunt Guizhi is a girl, and she can help Xinyao get rich! What's wrong with a girl? If our girl gets admitted to university, she will still bring honor to the family!"
Li Decheng felt embarrassed. He still didn't want to buy a house for his granddaughter, but he didn't want to be criticized.
No one favors boys over girls anymore. If he favors boys over girls, he will be laughed at and his granddaughters will hate him.
Forget it, just buy it! It’s not like you have no money!
In the millennium, the villagers of Batou Village not only made money, but also bought houses everywhere under the advice of Zhen Guizhi.
After buying the house in Beijing, they bought several more in Xinyao City. For a while, every household in Batou Village owned several houses in the city.
Zhen Zhen felt that this was not enough, and suggested that Xu Wei mobilize everyone to do Internet business.
How could Xu Wei know the Internet? He knew that online shopping was a trend, but he didn't know how to guide Xinyao citizens to use the Internet.
“It’s easy!”
Zhen Zhen pondered: "Doesn't our Xin Yao have several local programs? Let Qiao Lu send someone over to teach everyone how to open an online store as an Internet expert! Then ask Cui Jianyi to share his experience. Didn't he make money from the Internet? Let him tell everyone how he makes money!"
Cui Jianyi made a fortune online by selling colorful modal T-shirts and colorful pencil pants.
It is said that he can sell hundreds of thousands of orders a month, and his net profit last month was over one million. Combined with the income from the Xin Yao Wholesale Market, he can earn several million a year!
Cui Jianyi hired several fashion designers.
With the help of a clothing designer, his stalls and outlets have new styles online every week.
He truly achieved a virtuous cycle.
Xu Wei asked someone to invite Cui Jianyi to give a lecture, and Cui Jianyi did not hide his feelings. In his opinion, Xinyao was an honest and tolerant city, where the government guided the people to make money and was also actively running schools.
He received help from the government and should give back to the people of Xinyao.
After Cui Jianyi agreed, Qiao Lu sent an operations specialist to participate in the program. With their joint efforts, the people of Xinyao City were talking about it after dinner, saying that there was a merchant in the wholesale market who could earn tens of millions a year by selling clothes online.
The Chinese have an instinctive desire to make money.
Many merchants selling wool sweaters started to make money online with a trial-and-error mentality, but as they gained experience and learned tricks, some began to taste the sweetness of online sales.
Many businesses that have average physical businesses are doing very well online.
Some people who have lost money in business have set up zero-cost online stores and sold clothes from local merchants. They can earn tens of thousands of dollars every month without spending a penny.
The Internet has brought new opportunities to Xin Yao.
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