Chapter 216 Giving Birth to a Daughter
Lin Xia took leave to wait for the birth of her baby about ten days before her due date. After all, her belly was too big to go to work.
The doctor originally said that she would probably give birth a week earlier because of her big belly, but after waiting for several days, there was still no
sign of pregnancy. Lin Xia was really impatient and felt like she was about to grow a mushroom. She couldn't help but secretly complain about Jiang Weidong.
Jiang Weidong was not angry. No matter what she complained or said, he just smiled and continued, "Yes, yes, it must be my fault. Why is this kid so lazy? I will definitely spank him when I get out."
Lin Xia: "How can you be so rude as a father? He/she hasn't done anything yet, and you spank him/her first?"
Jiang Weidong: "Then how about you spank me, wife?"
Lin Xia laughed, "How about we go for a cesarean section? I really can't wait."
Jiang Weidong: "Let's wait and see how it goes. A cesarean section requires surgery, which is a major operation. If the incision doesn't heal well, you will still be in pain. If the birth can go smoothly, then we will have a natural birth. If not, we will have a cesarean section."
Finally, he suggested that they bring their third sister and the children to accompany her. With someone to talk to, she would be less irritable.
Lin Xia agreed, and Jiang Weidong called Lin Shu.
Lin Shu arrived the day before the due date of her second sister, and thought that the due date was almost there, but there was no movement on the second day, and the third day...
In the end, it took another week before it started.
These days, thanks to Lin Shu's company, she is very knowledgeable and has many tricks. She either plans with her second sister and old lady Jiang to make delicious food or make small clothes and shoes for the child. She also accompanied Lin Xia to take photos of her pregnant belly.
In this era, of course, taking photos of pregnant belly does not lift up clothes to show the pregnant belly, but takes normal photos as a souvenir.
Other women generally think that they will become ugly when they are pregnant, and are unwilling to take photos of their pregnant belly. Lin Xia thinks that the third sister's suggestion is very good. Keep it as a souvenir and show it to the baby later.
So they took several photos, both individual and group.
They had money anyway.
It was early in the morning when Lin Xia went into labor. She woke up with a cramp in her stomach.
She was uncomfortable in the late pregnancy. She couldn't lie flat or sleep well. She basically slept half-lying on the quilt. She would get up at night. In short, she didn't sleep well.
Originally, she was afraid that it would affect Jiang Weidong's rest, so she asked him to sleep in the living room, but he refused and insisted on sleeping with her, saying
that it would be convenient for him to take care of her. He knew that Lin Xia woke up several times a night, either to go to the toilet or drink water, or because of cramps and couldn't sleep.
He was worried if he let her sleep alone, but if he asked his mother or third sister to keep her company at night, they would also be unable to sleep, so it was better for him to stay with her.
In the last few days, he was even more nervous than Lin Xia. He was afraid that Lin Xia would have a premature birth or a difficult birth. He was also afraid that his nervousness would be seen and make Lin Xia even more nervous, so he also used all his strength.
Rather than seeing his wife worrying, it was better to accompany her himself, so that he would feel at ease. If
he didn't accompany his wife and his baby, who would he accompany?
He basically didn't sleep well during this period. He only took half an hour to catch up on sleep in the office after lunch during the day.
So when Lin Xia moved and groaned in pain, he woke up immediately.
He parked the jeep outside the gate these days, ready to carry his wife in the car and go to the hospital as soon as she moved.
He turned on the light and quickly put on his clothes. "Wife, are you going to give birth?"
Lin Xia knew that she often had false labor during the last period of time. She was afraid that it was another wolf coming to fool people. She endured the pain and said, "Wait and see. Mother and Third Sister said it won't be that fast. Even if it is going to be born, it will take several hours from pain to birth."
Jiang Weidong: "Then let's go to the hospital and wait. It's safe with doctors and nurses watching."
Lin Xia: "I'm in such good health. Why don't we not go to the hospital and give birth at home."
Jiang Weidong: "No."
He took out the cotton shirt and cotton pants and put them on Lin Xia.
Lin Shu and Old Lady Jiang also woke up.
Lin Shu had packed the delivery bag a long time ago, and now she just picked it up and left.
She said to Mrs. Jiang, "Auntie, it's still early. You should stay at home for a while. When it's daybreak, your brother-in-law will take you over."
Mrs. Jiang was still a little worried, "Let's go together. I can show you what to pack."
Lin Shu smiled and said, "Auntie, don't worry."
Mrs. Jiang took Lin Shu's hand, "My dear, I and Xia Xia will feel more at ease with you around."
To be honest, Mrs. Jiang was also nervous, mainly because of her son. No one knows a son better than his mother. Seeing Jiang Weidong suddenly go home to get something while working, she knew he was worried.
Lin Shu: "Auntie, please make millet porridge for us, add brown sugar, and boil a few eggs."
Mrs. Jiang: "Of course, I have prepared it all. This year's spring millet."
Jiang Weidong carried Lin Xia to the car, and Lin Shu carried a quilt over, fearing that the quilt in the hospital was not thick enough.
The jeep went to the city hospital in a flash.
Jiang Weidong had contacted the director of the hospital's obstetrics and gynecology department ten days ago, and he would go to say hello and give gifts every two days, which made the director very amused.
When they arrived, they were assigned a single room, so that there would be no problem with having more bedmates.
After all, the birth of the first child was not that fast, so she went to the hospital before dawn, and after a whole day of pain, she gave birth to a chubby little girl at 3:10 in the afternoon.
It's strange to say, other children cried when they were born, but she just cried and then yawned lazily.
Returning to the ward from the delivery room, Jiang Weidong served his wife closely, Lin Shu held the child, and Old Lady Jiang prepared food.
She did not go home after she came. She borrowed the stove in the hospital cafeteria to cook lunch at noon. The doctor said that the baby should not be eaten greasy food, so she cooked millet porridge and made a pot of Shuipu eggs, both with plenty of brown sugar.
Lin Shu took a soft gauze and dipped it in warm water to wipe the vernix off the little girl's face. The second sister ate well, and the baby had thick vernix on her body. The midwife couldn't wash it off even after washing it.
Some newborns close their eyes when they are born, but this little girl stared with a pair of big black eyes, but her eyelids were still swollen. I guess her vision was not focused and she looked lazy and wanted to sleep. I guess she had used up all her strength when she was born, and now she was yawning.
Lin Shu tilted her head to look at her second sister and brother-in-law, and when Jiang Weidong turned around to pour water, she took the little girl to show them.
Lin Xia was in pain all day and was in a bad mood. She thought she wanted to have two children before, but now it hurts so much that she decided to forget it. She would not have any children in the future and would get an IUD or a sterilization after giving birth
. But now, when she saw this red, soft and fluffy meat ball, her heart seemed to be hit by something, and was instantly wrapped by a strong warm current, and she suddenly had the urge to love her well.
She felt that no matter how much hardship and pain she had to endure, it was worth it.
Lin Xia: "Third sister, do you think she is hungry?"
Lin Shu smiled and said, "The doctor said that newborn babies are generally not hungry, and they don't need to be fed. They will spit out amniotic fluid."
The baby swallows and spits out amniotic fluid in the mother's body, and there is a lot of its own excrement in it, which must be spit out.
She put the little girl in Lin Xia's arms so that the couple can cherish her.
They came up with a lot of names for the children, both boys and girls. Some were named by Jiang Weidong and Lin Xia, some were named by Lin Shu and Aunt Jiang, and even Panpan and Tiantian contributed several names.
Jiang Weidong nicknamed his son Zhuangzhuang and his daughter Mianmian. He thought that boys should be strong and girls should be soft and cute.
Lin Xia named her son Kangkang, and her daughter agreed to call her Mianmian. She thought Zhuangzhuang was too rustic, and there were many people named Dazhuang and Erzhuang in the countryside.
Aunt Jiang agreed to call the second one Dazhuang, and the second one Erzhuang, and the girl would be named Juaner, Mei, etc.
Lin Shu didn't name any of them separately. She thought it was good to call both boys and girls Kangkang.
Being healthy and happy is what people like her who travel through time and space pursue.
Since Lin Xia was fine, they stayed in the hospital for one more day for observation. After the doctor helped her to start breastfeeding, they went home.
After returning home, Lin Shu and Old Lady Jiang tidied up the room.
The Jiang family still had a small courtyard of their own. In addition to the kitchen and living room, there were two large main rooms, both of which were very spacious.
In order to make it easier to look after the children, in the summer, Old Lady Jiang asked her son to convert her room into a kang.
The long kang can sleep five or six adults.
In this way, Sister Lin, Mother Lin, and the children would have a place to stay when they come over.
In order to let Jiang Weidong have a good rest, Lin Shu and Old Lady Jiang accompanied the second sister to take care of the children for the first few days, and let Jiang Weidong sleep by himself.
When Lin Xia gave birth, Jiang Weidong was more nervous than anyone else, fearing that there would be any accidents. He didn't sleep well for several days in a row. He was so nervous that he couldn't relax immediately even though the mother and daughter were safe.
After letting Jiang Weidong have a good rest for a day, Aunt Jiang sent him to pick up Lin's mother and others.
Lin's mother and elder sister brought three children with them, and also brought a lot of things, including several bags of food, daily necessities and toys.
When they arrived, they washed their hands and faces first and went into the house to see the little sister.
Mianmian was a soft and lazy little girl. As long as she was full and drank enough, she would basically sleep. After all, she couldn't see clearly and couldn't understand what was being said. At most, she would roll her eyes at the adults when she was feeding, pinch her hands, and babbled a few times, and then her eyelids would droop and she would fall asleep quickly.
But she obviously gave face to her brothers and sisters. When Tiantian, Panpan and the other four looked around her, she opened her eyes, pinched her fingers, and unconsciously blew bubbles with her mouth. Her eyes rolled around as she spoke. I
don't know if she could see it, but she could obviously distinguish the different sounds coming from different positions.
"I think she shouldn't be called Mianmian, but Datou!" Hou Wei commented. The little sister's head is so big.
Baoer: "Why not call her Heitou? Her hair is black and hairy."
Panpan: "Your head is also black, big and round, why don't you call her Maotou?"
Baoer: "Grandma, I want to call her Maotou!"
Lin's mother smiled and said, "You can call her Maotou. When you have a child, call her Maotou."
Tiantian: "Then I think Mianmian is better, soft and sweet." She leaned over and kissed the little sister. Wow, the child has a milky smell.
Baoer leaned over to kiss, but Panpan pushed her away with her palm against her head.
Panpan: "You are a man, you can't kiss a girl casually."
Baoer: "But I am a child."
Am I not the youngest child in our family? My brother used to say that I was the youngest child in our family and asked Hou Wei to be more tolerant.
Panpan: "That's not allowed!"
The children talked in a childish way, and the adults didn't care. They discussed the matter of inviting guests. Having a new baby
in the family is a big deal. Although it doesn't have to be as grand as a wedding, Mrs. Jiang still wants to celebrate.
Her eldest son finally has a wife and a child, so why not celebrate it with a bang?
Mother Lin: "Sister, I think we should wait until the baby is one month old. He's still young now, and it would be too noisy to have so many people at home."
The main reason is that they are afraid that there will be a lot of bacteria in the late autumn and early winter, and the children will be infected by outsiders coming in and out. Even if they can be cured in the hospital, won't the children suffer? It also makes the adults anxious.
Mrs. Jiang thought about it and decided to postpone it to after the full month. She did
n't care about the third day of the third month and the soup. Anyway, in the city, people are not as picky as in the countryside.
But the good people in her unit still sent gifts to congratulate her.
The men congratulated Jiang Weidong in the office, while the women came to the house to deliver eggs, noodles, snacks, malted milk and the like.
Only the wife of Director Hu, the wife of the director of the factory office, and the families of several leaders such as Han Yun came to congratulate. The others basically congratulated Jiang Weidong and would come to the house when the Jiang family held a banquet.
Yu Mingming came to congratulate, carrying eggs, noodles, malted milk, and two pig trotters, which she probably asked someone to buy.
Aunt Jiang asked her to come in, but she refused, fearing that she would disturb the mother and child.
She was a gentle person and spoke softly. Now that she had escaped from the sea of suffering, it was like being reborn. She exuded a sense of ease and clarity.
Lin Shu heard it and looked over, but didn't recognize her at first.
Yu Mingming recognized her and took the initiative to greet her, "Comrade Lin Shu, hello, I wanted to thank you specially."
Lin Shu thought about it and smiled, "Teacher Yu is too polite, come in and sit down."
Yu Mingming saw that they were really inviting her and went into the living room to sit down.
She fell asleep, but she was not that sensitive. When she fell asleep, everyone did what they had to do, and there was no need to tiptoe and speak in a low voice.
Lin Xia also came out to sit down. She felt that she was going to fall apart if she didn't do anything. It was too cold outside and she couldn't go out, so she just strolled around the house.
Yu Mingming congratulated her, "Master Lin, you have a good confinement. You look so good."
Lin Xia was not shy, "It's all because of the hard work of my family. They are so tired of taking care of me, and I am so bored. Oh, I really want to go to work."
She rested for nearly a month before giving birth, and now she has nothing to do but eat, drink and sleep all day. She has never enjoyed herself so much since she was a child. She feels like she will grow mushrooms.
Fortunately, her third sister came to accompany her before, and now her mother and eldest sister are here with the children to have fun, otherwise she really can't stay.
She found that she would rather go to work than stay at home. Although sometimes working is very tiring, being tired seems to be better than staying at home and doing nothing.
Being busy is tiring at most, but being idle may make people panic, and that is not a pleasant feeling.
Because Jiang Weidong helped Yu Mingming catch Gao Hu and get a divorce, Yu Mingming was very grateful to the Jiang family. She was also close to Old Lady Jiang and Lin Xia before.
Lin Xia and Lin Shu were also very concerned about her. They hoped that she would live a good life after the divorce, not be pointed at or gossiped by others, and not have a hard life because of the divorce.
Many women in the countryside cannot get a divorce even if they suffer domestic violence. The fundamental reason is that they do not have a stable job that can support her and her children. How can she get a divorce? The
reason why Yu Mingming was able to get a divorce happily was that Jiang Weidong and other leaders made the decision for her, but the most fundamental reason was that she had a stable job.
Sure enough, Yu Mingming was happy to share her recent situation. She smiled more and more gently, and the whole person seemed to be covered with a layer of peaceful light.
"Yu Chen and I are doing fine. My parents have also changed a lot. Not only do they not complain about squeezing me, they also take the initiative to help me take care of the children and invite us back for dinner from time to time."
After the divorce, she changed her son's name to Yu Chen, because the child was born in the morning and she hoped that their lives would be as hopeful as waking up in the morning.
Yu Chen used to be a little bit coquettish, but now he is much more sensible. He basically does not need special care and can even learn to read with Yu Mingming.
Yu Mingming's parents used to favor boys over girls and did not take her seriously. Since Gao Hu was arrested, Jiang Weidong and other leaders have talked to them specifically to make clear the attitude of the factory committee. Everyone sympathized with and supported Yu Mingming and hoped that they, as parents, would not be indiscriminate.
Originally, they thought it was shameful for the daughter to get divorced and her son-in-law to be arrested. They were afraid that people would say that the daughter was unlucky and that they would send the son-in-law to prison, etc. They were also afraid that the Gao family would come to make trouble. However, since the leaders of the steel mill all supported the daughter, they reminded them that they were not without feelings for the daughter and would not be so cold-blooded as to put the blame on her. They should protect her and help take care of the children.
Even if there were a few people who said a few idle words, most of them were suppressed by the factory and it was nothing.
Gao Hu's parents tried to brainwash their grandson at every opportunity and sow discord between him and his mother, wanting to let the little boy know that it was his mother who sent his father to prison and that his mother was a bad woman.
Fortunately, Yu Mingming has always loved her son, and her son is very close to her. Not only did he not get instigated, but he also scolded his grandparents and aunt as bad people and didn't want to see them.
After a few incidents, the Yu family called the police. Gao Hu's parents were reprimanded twice and now they are quieter and dare not come to make trouble again.
Although Yu Mingming is a little tired at work and taking care of the children now, she is much more comfortable than before.
She smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if I am tired physically. A good mood is better than anything else. Besides, I have the support of my parents and the unit. I am very satisfied. I really want to thank you."
She thanked Lin Shu and Lin Xia again.
Lin Xia told her not to be polite. That was what she should do and she shouldn't thank them.
As for Gao Hu, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. The leaders finally felt that they could not sentence him to death at will, so they let him go mining.
Several children ran out to greet Teacher Yu.
Yu Mingming looked at the hairpins and flowers on Panpan's head, and his eyes lit up, "So beautiful."
Tiantian was generous, "Teacher Yu, I have a box, I'll give you a few."
She ran to take out her small wooden box, which was specially made by her grandmother to hold hairpins and various beautiful gadgets for her.
Yu Mingming saw the colorful and various kinds of flowers in it, all of which were very rare. She wanted to buy some to give to her nieces from her mother's side, and she could also give some as prizes to her female students.
She refused to take it and insisted on buying it, so Tiantian looked at Lin Shu.
Lin Shu did not force it, and just followed Teacher Yu's wishes.
Yu Mingming bought dozens of them, and Lin Shu gave her a discount, so the more she bought, the cheaper it was.
Yu Mingming was very happy, "Comrade Lin Shu, if other teachers want it later, I will introduce them to you. How long will you stay here?"
Lin Shu smiled and said, "You can tell my second sister or call us when the time comes."
After chatting for a while, Yu Mingming said goodbye and left.
Because there are many people taking care of her, Lin Xia has a very easy time during this confinement period.
Mianmian is well-behaved and quiet, and she sleeps most of the day.
Old Mrs. Jiang loves to be lively. She and Sister Lin and Lin Shu spend the whole day thinking about what to make delicious or do something interesting. With four sensible children chattering, it's really not boring.
On the contrary, the four children could not stay in the house.
Although little Mianmian was fun to play with, she would either feed or sleep, and they could not play with them for much longer in a day.
When little Mianmian was sleeping, they would read comic books or listen to the radio, but they would get bored, so they had to go out for a walk.
They had been to the steel mill many times and sold tea eggs, so they certainly could not be idle at this time.
Panpan led them to sell hair ornaments.
Mother brought a lot of hair ornaments, most of which were shipped directly, and some were left with the second aunt who had no time to deal with them yet.
Soon, all the girls in the steel mill’s family compound knew that the four pretty children were selling beautiful hair ornaments, and they all used their pocket money to buy them, and some asked their families for money to buy more.
If you want to buy three or five, many girls have pocket money, but there are so many styles and they are all good-looking. Girls who are well-off and spoiled are used to "getting all" instead of forcing themselves to choose.
They think it is too cruel for them to choose, so it is better to get all.
There are only 20 or 30 styles of hair flowers, which cost at most five yuan, or even nothing.
Some families buy them directly.
Of course, most families are not so well-off, but girls can also buy them with sisters or best friends and take turns wearing them.
But even so, there are not enough for the kids to sell.
The bunch of flowers that Lin Shu brought were sold out in a few days. The elementary school didn't sell them well. Many people were disappointed that they couldn't buy them.
After selling them, they had nothing to do. If the snacks made by Lin Shu weren't so delicious and they didn't have enough, they would have sold them.
Lin Shu said she came to take care of the baby during the confinement period, but she had the help of Mrs. Jiang, Lin's mother and elder sister. Jiang Weidong was busy washing diapers. It was not her turn to take care of the baby, so she thought about making delicious food.
Now there is no shortage of flour, oil, sugar and eggs at home. She has made a lot of snacks these days, such as walnut crisps, silver thread rolls, donkey rolls, fried bells, thousand-layer cakes, and fried various meatballs, such as radish meatballs, vermicelli meatballs, meatballs, as well as tofu stuffed and tofu buns.
Not only the children are still satisfied with the food, but also several leaders of the factory committee such as Jiang Weidong look forward to something every day.
Lin Shu is not shy about it either. She took the initiative to teach the canteen chefs how to make snacks, and taught them a few methods that everyone likes and are relatively easy to make.
This morning, she brought a few children back from the canteen to teach them how to make snacks, but saw that there were guests at her second sister's house. She
had seen the person before and had some impression of him. He should be Jiang Weidong's younger brother Jiang Weiguo.
Jiang Weiguo and his brother look about the same, but his facial features are softer, while Jiang Weidong looks more heroic.
Jiang Weiguo is also soft and gentle, and looks like a good old man.
Jiang's father passed away early, and Mrs. Jiang had a hard time raising the two brothers. Although Jiang Weidong was smart and a good student, he didn't go to school for many years. After he joined the army, the family's life improved and he could support his younger brother's education.
His younger brother Jiang Weiguo also knew how to study. He was admitted to a technical secondary school and assigned to work as an accountant in a kiln factory in the county. Later, Jiang Weiguo helped him get a job as a cashier in a cotton textile factory in the city.
He is as tall and handsome as Jiang Weidong, and especially has an honest and simple temperament. The semi-retired deputy director of the factory chose him and married his only daughter to him.
Since then, he has been close to his father-in-law's family and regards his father-in-law and mother-in-law as his own parents.
Old Mrs. Jiang was a little uncomfortable at first, thinking that her son seemed to be bribed by others. Jiang Weidong didn't care. Instead, he was happy that his brother was loved and cared for, and asked his mother to relax and think more positively.
Aren't you just looking forward to his good life?
He is living a good life now, what else is there to be dissatisfied about?
Old Mrs. Jiang thought that since she was going to live with her eldest son anyway, it was up to her younger son to do whatever he wanted. His good life was better than anything else, so she thought positively.
Because of this, she was particularly caring to her eldest daughter-in-law.
Seeing her youngest son coming over, Old Lady Jiang was of course happy, "Weiguo, where is your wife? Why doesn't she come?"
Jiang Weiguo came with a gift and handed it to Old Lady Jiang. He also asked about his sister-in-law and the children. When he saw Sister Lin and Lin Shu, he greeted them naively.
He explained, "I'm taking care of the child at home."
Old Mrs. Jiang: "Isn't the child taken care of by your mother-in-law?"
Jiang Weiguo looked worried: "My mother-in-law is sick." Old
Mrs. Jiang asked concernedly: "What's wrong? What's wrong? What about your father-in-law?"
Jiang Weiguo sighed, "He is an old leader, how can he take care of people? He almost caught fire when he cooked a meal, and almost scalded the child."
Old Mrs. Jiang: "That's right, he has been a leader for many years and he enjoys his life. He doesn't even help when the oil bottle falls."
Jiang Weiguo looked outside, "Mom, where is my brother?"
Old Mrs. Jiang: "If you have anything to say, tell me. Your brother is not the head of the family."
Jiang Weiguo hesitated and looked into the house again.
Because he was a man, Sister Lin Xia and Lin's mother said a few words to him and went into the house, letting him talk to Old Mrs. Jiang.
Old Mrs. Jiang frowned slightly and said, "Just say whatever you want to say."
This little boy is so impatient, clingy and hesitant, and he doesn't say what he wants to say directly.
Jiang Weiguo: "It's nothing." After a pause, "Mom, someone from my sister-in-law's family came to take care of me during the confinement period? Aren't you tired? You are old, you should take care of yourself."
Mrs. Jiang was flattered and a little surprised by her son's concern. "Don't worry, I'm not tired. Your niece is very well behaved and doesn't cling to people. She also has the help of her mother-in-law and sisters."
Jiang Weiguo mustered up his courage several times, and finally cleared his throat with his wife's words in his mind. "Mom, how about... you are not busy, why don't you stay at my house for a few days?"
Mrs. Jiang: "Do you want me to go over to help take care of the children or take care of your mother-in-law?"
Jiang Weiguo's face flushed, and he felt a little uncomfortable.