Zhang Weifang didn't take her mother-in-law's words to heart. She was now used to her mother-in-law's "sermons" and always ignored them.
After returning from the village, Zhang Weifang continued to raise her child in her own way, and the mother and son got along very happily.
When Hu Zi was eight months old, he was able to sit up completely. After that, he didn't like lying down anymore. He sat in the yard every day and played with the grass, grabbing a handful at a time.
Li Hongru also happily praised: "Huzi is really strong. When he grows up, he will definitely be able to help us pull weeds."
When Hu Zi was nine months old, he grew his first tooth. During this period, he loved to chew on silicone teething sticks.
The soft silicone tastes very chewy. Zhang Weifang took a bite and found it quite firm.
After Hu Zi grew teeth, Zhang Weifang added egg custard to his complementary food. He had eggs in the morning, rice noodles in the afternoon, and a glass of milk powder in the evening, which provided him with sufficient nutrition.
When Hu Zi was one year old, he could already walk with someone pulling him along, but if he walked on his own, he could only take a few steps and would stagger and fall down soon.
Since he learned to walk, he can go to more places. If he can't see anyone, he will look for them everywhere.
Hu Zi was not afraid of the cold either. He would go for a walk in front of the textile factory every afternoon. When he saw Li Hongru coming out, he would start shouting:
“Dad…Dad…”
Hu Zi has recently learned to call Dad, and he starts calling him non-stop every time he sees Li Hongru.
Unfortunately, he could not learn the word "Mom" no matter how hard he tried. Zhang Weifang was angry for several days because she had worked so hard to raise him alone, but he didn't expect that the first word he learned was "Dad".
What’s even more infuriating is that the second word Hu Zi learned was “chicken”. Aunt Wang next door raised a few chickens, and her rooster would start crowing before dawn every day.
Zhang Weifang took Hu Zi to visit Aunt Wang. Hu Zi saw the big rooster with a dark red comb at first sight. The heroic and proud look immediately attracted Hu Zi's eyes.
Hu Zi happily pulled Zhang Weifang's hand to catch the chicken. Zhang Weifang was afraid of being pecked by the rooster, so she quickly pulled Hu Zi back. Hu Zi was so anxious that he shook off his mother's hand and staggered over:
"Chicken...chicken..."
Old mother Zhang Weifang felt bad immediately. How come Hu Zi could even say "chicken" but couldn't call her mother?
In the next few days, Zhang Weifang happily taught Huzi to call "Mom", but unfortunately the more she taught, the less he learned, and he would just scream "Ahhh" every day.
That afternoon, Hu Zi had to go to the textile factory to wait for his father again. Zhang Weifang couldn't persuade him, so she had to dress him warmly and carried him to the gate of the textile factory.
As soon as the work was over, a group of bicycles would come out from the textile factory gate. The sound of bicycle bells made Hu Zi dazzled. When he saw Li Hongru, Hu Zi immediately said:
"Dad, ding ding ding..."
As he spoke, Hu Zi pointed at the bicycle bell with his little hand.
Another month passed, and little Hu Zi finally learned to call her mother. Zhang Weifang's eyes were filled with tears of joy. The joy that came from the heart could not be replaced by anything.
Before New Year's Day, Zhang Qiaona brought Zhang Weishuang to see Hu Zi. Zhang Weifang only went back in the summer when the weather was warm, so Zhang Qiaona missed her and Hu Zi very much.
At this time, Hu Zi could already call grandma and aunt, which made Zhang Qiao Na so excited that she hugged Hu Zi and kissed him several times.
16-year-old Zhang Weishuang has grown into a grown-up girl. She will be 17 after the New Year, and someone is already introducing her to a potential partner.
"Wei Shuang, you are still young, there is no need to rush to find a partner."
"Sister, I know. I plan to wait two years before I talk about it."
This year passed uneventfully. Except for Hu Zi who was growing up, no one else seemed to have changed.
Li Hongqin gave birth to a daughter in September. Aunt Wang was very happy. She had two sons and no daughter, so she loved her granddaughter very much.
Li Hongqin hired a midwife to deliver the baby at home. She was in good health and had the help of her parents and Aunt Wang, so she had a comfortable confinement period. The baby girl she gave birth to was also well taken care of and was chubby and very cute.
During the Chinese New Year, Li Hongru returned to his hometown with his wife and children. This time, Li Guifang and Ma Shulan didn't say anything.
In the kitchen, several women were still busy. The three sisters-in-law rarely met each other, but on the surface they got along well. While working, they listened to Li Gaitang talking about village gossip. For a while, there was constant laughter.
The year is 1964, and Zhang Weifang is already 21 years old. When she looks at Hu Zi, she sometimes feels a little confused. Does she have to be a housewife at such a young age?
Although she doesn't have any big ambitions, she still hopes to have her own career.
In May, the first water plant was built in the county town, and Zhang Weifang's family had access to tap water. Little Hu Zi loved playing in the water the most. He would be soaked in a short while before he could see anything.
That day, Jia Ru from next door came to visit. Ever since she found a temporary job in the coal mine cafeteria last year, the two of them had been interacting less and less.
"Weifang, I have good news to tell you today."
"What's up?"
"I heard that Mohe Village is going to build a cannery and they're going to recruit a group of workers. You're a high school graduate, would you like to give it a try?"
Mohe Village is five miles away from the county town. There is a big river in the village. It is said that the water quality of this river is very good and suitable for canning fruits, so a cannery is planned to be built.
Zhang Weifang was indeed a little moved when she heard the news, and she planned to discuss it with Li Hongru when he came back.
Li Hongru was actually reluctant to let Zhang Weifang go to work. Hu Zi was still young and needed help, but he didn't want to undermine Zhang Weifang's self-confidence, so he had to agree.
"Weifang, have you thought about what to do with Huzi?"
In fact, Hu Zi could be sent back to her husband's family, but Zhang Weifang rejected this idea without even thinking about it. Her relationship with her husband's family has not been good in recent years, and she doesn't want to trouble them unless it is absolutely necessary.
As the saying goes, good things come in pairs. Maybe this year is Zhang Weifang's lucky year. A few days later, the neighborhood committee also came to visit:
"Comrade Zhang Weifang, I heard that you graduated from high school. The organization has decided to arrange jobs for your class of graduates. There are two work units: the Women's Federation and the nursery. You can consider it and give me an answer within a week."
"Thank you. I'll think about it."
Zhang Weifang felt that she was very lucky. No matter what, she finally got a job.
"Weifang, what do you think?" Li Hongru decided to respect her opinion.
"I don't like babysitting, so I won't go to the nursery. Let's go to the Women's Federation!"
"Where's Hu Zi? Let my mom see him?"
"Let Wei Shuang come. I'm worried about your mother."
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