At night, Cuihua mentioned that she wanted to take the child to her room.
Su Jing'an said, "No need, just stay in our room, Ali and I can watch."
Cuihua said, "Except for the first month after she gave birth, I stayed with Ali in your room. After that, Ali took care of everything on her own."
By this time, Ahri had already taken the baby back to the house to breastfeed.
Su Jing'an, Cuihua, and Su Dashan were talking in the yard. The TV wasn't on, and no one from the village came to visit.
Cuihua continued, "I only found out that Ali was pregnant because she was showing. Otherwise, she would still be working in the fields with us."
Some pregnant women can hide their bellies; it's not noticeable even after three or four months, and it only becomes apparent after five or six months. In addition, Ah Li usually works in the fields, so her clothes are relatively loose.
Su Jing'an sat quietly to the side and listened.
Cuihua added, "I even asked her to write you a letter back then, and do you know what she said?"
She said, "You have important things to do, and we can't let you get distracted. What important things could you possibly have in the army?"
Su Jing'an had mentioned to Ali that he wanted to do some things that were dangerous. If he did well, he might be promoted; if he didn't, he hadn't thought about the consequences.
Because he won't allow himself to fail.
Su Jing'an didn't explain to Cuihua what he was doing during that time. He listened to Cuihua say that when Ali gave birth, she still had to ask a midwife to come to her home.
I had already planned to go to the town's health center, but Ahri started having sex in the middle of the night.
There was a midwife in the village. When Cuihua was born, Su Jing'an asked this midwife to help with the delivery.
When Ah Li gave birth, only Ah Li and the midwife were in the house. The baby was born around five or six in the morning.
Cuihua said, "Giving birth is like going through the gates of hell for a woman. Ali didn't have any family members come to help. Whether it was during her postpartum period or after it ended, your father and I took care of everything. Ali didn't make any demands. Taking care of the child was hard work, but she never got impatient. She has a stable temperament."
Cuihua recalled how, back then, other women in the village had given birth, and her family had come over in a grand manner to help with postpartum care. However, the two families ended up arguing because the babies cried or made a fuss after the confinement period.
The woman's family said that the man couldn't take care of adults or children.
The man said that the woman was in her postpartum period, crying all day long, ignoring the baby, and complaining that she had back pain and no breast milk, as if she had never given birth before.
The child was never exposed to breast milk; he was fed rice water instead.
Cuihua was worried that Ali would become irritable and anxious taking care of the child alone because Su Jing'an wasn't there. But Ali's temperament was very stable; she did a good job of comforting the child and feeding him.
Sometimes, as soon as Cuihua starts, Ali understands.
Cuihua also said, "When I first held the baby, I taught her how to change diapers and breastfeed. But Ali is smart and learned quickly. If you ask me, being a mother is just a natural instinct."
Su Jing'an estimated the time and figured that Ali had almost finished feeding, so he said to Cuihua, "Mom, you and Dad should rest early too. I'm going back to my room first."
"Go on, your dad and I will sit for a while longer."
As Cuihua watched Su Jing'an enter the house, she said to Su Dashan, "Sure enough, he still knows how to cherish his wife."
Su Dashan laughed and said, "It's all because you wanted to say these things. Ali will tell him later too."
Cuihua rolled her eyes and said, "Waiting for Ali to say it is going to take forever. It's better if I say it myself and tell Jing'an to be more considerate of his wife, so that he won't be like this time, not even knowing that his wife has given birth."
When Su Jing'an entered the room, Ali had just put the child on the kang (a heated brick bed) and was gently patting the child to sleep.
Ah Li then looked at Su Jing'an, "You came in so quickly?"
Su Jing'an walked to Ali's side, hugged Ali's waist, and looked at the child with Ali, saying, "The child looks like you, beautiful and delicate."
Ah Li said with a touch of pride, "Boys are just like their mothers."
"Then give me another one that looks like me."
As Su Jing'an spoke, he leaned towards Ali.
"The child is still here."
Ah Li's rejection was subtle; she missed him too.
"Then I'll be gentle."
Su Jing'an turned Ah Li around, and they kissed for an unknown amount of time. The sounds of their kissing grew louder, and there were also sounds of water.
Outside the house, Cuihua called out, "I wonder if Jing'an and the others are asleep yet?"
Su Jing'an stopped, and Ah Li leaned against Su Jing'an without moving. Both of them were a little excited.
At this moment, Cuihua stood outside the two's house and said, "I heard there will be thunder and rain tonight. The noise will be too loud and disturb the child. Let's take him inside."
Su Jing'an looked at the child who was still sleeping peacefully and wanted to refuse, but Ali tugged at Jing'an and said, "Let Mom hold him."
This child is full and can sleep through the night.
Su Jing'an paused for a moment, his warm breath falling on Ali, and said, "Okay."
After Cuihua took the child back into the house, Su Jing'an's movements became much more vigorous.
As the two were moving, Su Jing'an suddenly noticed a little white thing rolling off Ah Li's body and onto the blanket.
Just then, a muffled clap of thunder sounded outside, and suddenly a heavy rain began to fall.
Su Jing'an followed the spot where the white fluid had overflowed, and put it in his mouth, saying, "I wonder if that kid will cry tomorrow when he finds out I ate his food?"
Ah Li held Su Jing'an's hand tightly without saying a word.
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