Mother Du said nothing and slapped Du Yueming on the head lightly, "Yueming, are you itching for trouble? I'd be happy even if Pingping gave birth to a girl. Don't I love Yuehai's two girls as much as my own eyes?
It is not up to us to decide whether to have a boy or a girl. We have to have whatever the Goddess of Fertility gives us. But I really hope Pingping gives birth to a fat boy.
As the old saying goes, there are three kinds of unfilial behavior, and the worst is to have no descendants. We don't even have a boy yet. Now, even if your father and I die, we can report to our ancestors."
Du Yueming hurriedly stopped her, saying, "Mom, you're getting more and more outrageous. On this happy day, don't keep talking about life and death. You and my dad still value grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren..."
Mother Du glared at Du Yueming and said, "Yueming, if you keep talking like that, your father and I will become old monsters!"
Chu Jingqiu and the other three were standing in front of Du's mother, looking at the baby. The little guy was pink and white, with his fists clenched and raised on both sides of his head.
He didn't sleep either, and his eyes, as big as black beans, looked at everyone.
"His hands are so small! They feel so smooth and tender!" Chu Jingqiu exclaimed.
"He is so handsome. I think his eyes look like Sister Pingping, but the rest of his body looks like my brother-in-law." Shi Aihong stared at the little guy without blinking.
Lin Zishan also exclaimed in admiration: "Indeed, I have seen many newborns, most of whom are as ugly as old men, with red faces like little monkeys. This child was born so fair and tender, it is really rare. He will definitely be a handsome boy when he grows up."
At this time, a nurse helped Zhang Pingping slowly out of the delivery room. She smiled and said, "Seeing you all praising him so much, I thought he was really ugly. If it weren't for the delivery room and I gave birth to the baby on my own, I would have thought I had the wrong baby!"
Du Yueming hurried over and took Zhang Pingping from the nurse. "Pingping, you've suffered so much. How do you feel now? Does your stomach still hurt?"
Zhang Pingping said softly, "Giving birth is such a pain, I don't want to have children anymore.
But the baby was fine as soon as he was born.
I don’t have anything to do right now, I just feel really, really tired and want to have a good sleep.”
Du's mother said with a smile, "When women give birth, they always say, 'I'll never have another child!' But as time goes by, they forget about it. They just keep having three or five more children, don't they?"
Everyone held the child and helped Zhang Pingping back to the ward.
Chu Jingqiu and Shi Aihong watched Zhang Pingping fall into a deep sleep on the hospital bed, and then they left the hospital.
Zhang Pingping was discharged from the hospital the next morning. On the day Zhang Pingping returned home, white ash was sprinkled on the doorstep.
In the local area, if there is a woman in confinement at home, after giving birth, they will sprinkle a line of white ash at the door, which is called the forbidden door. When people see the white ash, they know that there is a woman in the house who has just given birth, and generally they will not go in.
Unless they are relatives or the mother's family who come to visit the mother three or seven days after the birth of the child, men are absolutely not allowed to enter the delivery room.
Zhang Pingping's parents came to Qingshan Brigade on the third day after she gave birth. Chu Jingqiu and the others did not meet Zhang Pingping's parents because they did not want to disturb her while she was in confinement.
It was not until Zhang Pingping was performing the "Twelve Hours" that the three of them met Zhang Pingping's parents.
"Shi Er Shang" is a custom in the north, which refers to a grand celebration held on the twelfth day after a child is born.
On this day, relatives and friends of both the bride and groom, as well as some good neighbors, come to the house to congratulate with gifts such as eggs and flowered cloth.
The man’s family also has to build a chimney, a big stove, and set up a banquet to entertain guests. The level of liveliness is second only to getting married.
After having breakfast, Chu Jingqiu, Shi Aihong and Lin Zishan went to Widow Zhang's house and bought two baskets of eggs. They also took two sets of clothes for the children and a small blanket from the supply and marketing cooperative and came to the Du family.
Zhang Pingping hasn't left the house for more than ten days. She has become a lot fatter and whiter than before, but her belly still looks quite big.
The baby has grown bigger than when he was just born. He is white and chubby. He is wearing a red bellyband and sleeping on the kang.
A tall, thin, and graceful middle-aged woman with short hair was sitting on the kang, helping Zhang Pingping comb her hair.
Seeing the three people coming in, Zhang Pingping hurriedly asked them to sit down and introduced them to her mother.
The three of them hurriedly greeted Zhang's mother. Zhang's mother said with a smile, "I often hear Pingping mention you guys in her letters. Pingping is here to cut in line. Thanks to your help, Auntie is grateful to you from the bottom of her heart.
I brought you some gifts this time, so remember to take them back when you leave."
After that, he took out a travel bag from the cabinet beside him, took out three embroidered quilt covers from the bag, and handed them to the three people, "This is our local specialty. One quilt cover for each person. Accept them all, and no one is allowed to refuse."
Shi Aihong glanced at Lin Zishan and Chu Jingqiu. The three of them exchanged glances. Zhang Pingping smiled and said, "Here! This is a wedding gift my mother prepared for you in advance."
The three of them thanked Zhang's mother with a smile and accepted this precious gift.
Around noon, all the relatives and friends of the Du family came over. Du's father had a bright smile on his face. The old branch secretary also invited the village cadres to come.
Yu Qingmin and Hu Mingyue also came over with their child. The educated youth all came over to take a look at their daughter. She looked very much like Yu Qingmin, a chubby little girl.
After Hu Mingyue's confinement, her figure was completely out of shape and she became chubby. Chu Jingqiu estimated that she was much fatter than before marriage. If she weighed 100 pounds before marriage, she would weigh at least 150 pounds now.
Her double chin covered her neck, and her breasts were unusually plump, probably due to breastfeeding. What everyone could not accept the most was that as soon as the child cried, Hu Mingyue actually lifted up her clothes and started feeding the child on the spot.
Maybe she ate well and had plenty of milk. When the baby was eating on this side, milk also flowed out on the other side. She actually lifted up that side and rubbed it gently as if no one was around.
Shi Aihong and Chu Jingqiu looked at each other. Shi Aihong lowered her voice and said, "Jingqiu, how come Hu Mingyue has changed so much? She didn't even know to avoid people when she was feeding her child. There are men in the yard. How embarrassing!"
Chu Jingqiu was also puzzled and said, "I also think Hu Mingyue is quite bold. Does giving birth to a child make her shameless? Or is it that after giving birth, maternal instincts take over and she no longer cares about shame!"
Chun Ni's mother chuckled, "Chu Zhiqing, Shi Zhiqing, what's the big deal? Haven't you heard that a girl's milk is golden milk, a daughter-in-law's milk is silver milk, and the milk of a child is dog milk.
We don't care about so many things in the countryside. When the weather is hot, we women go shirtless at home. After giving birth, why should we care about that? We just do whatever is comfortable."
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