Chapter 39.1

After the New Year, as spring began, Luo Lan’s belly started to show. Her eldest sister-in-law was busy adding two rooms to their house for the wedding, and since Luo Lan had promised to lend her some grain, she and Zhou Qingshan brought it over on the weekend without her sister-in-law even having to ask.

They brought sorghum, corn, some wheat, and sweet potatoes and potatoes—things that could be both food and vegetables. Seeing so much grain, her eldest sister-in-law finally felt relieved.

“Lan’er, I promise to repay you within two years.”

“Okay. You take what you need for now, and if it’s not enough, let me know and I’ll think of something else.”

“It’s more than enough! This much grain can even cover the eldest’s wedding.”

But as the saying goes, there are no secrets that don’t get out. Soon after, her second sister-in-law learned about it. She had been sulking at home after feeling slighted by Luo Lan and wanted her to lend her some grain as well. This time, she brought two jin of eggs from her home.

When Luo Lan returned from her eldest sister-in-law’s house, her sister gave her some eggs as well and whispered to her, “I secretly raised a few hens in a cave. Now that the weather is warming up, they’ll start laying eggs soon. Don’t hold back. You need to eat well for the baby.”

“Will it be discovered?”

“No, it won’t. That place is very hidden, no one knows. If anyone does see it, I’ll just say they’re wild chickens and that I happened to pick up a few eggs.”

“But wild chickens aren’t the same as domestic ones!”

“Didn’t you notice that these eggs are small? They’re from hybrid chickens. Saying they’re wild chickens will work just fine.”

“Be careful.”

“Don’t worry. This year, your third nephew is taking care of the sheep for the brigade, so he’ll be out all day and won’t attract attention.”

That works. A child running around herding sheep could easily pick up a few wild chicken eggs without drawing suspicion.

When she got home, her mother-in-law made all sorts of dishes with the eggs. Steamed, boiled, fried, baked, egg pancakes, egg cakes—she ate so well every day that her complexion glowed. Sister Liu commented, “A woman looks beautiful during pregnancy. You must be having a girl.”

“A girl would be great. I really want a daughter.”

“Does your mother-in-law say anything?”

“She loves girls too. Didn’t you see how good she is to me and her two daughters?”

“I’m so tired of hearing people say how envious they are.”

“Haha! Oh, it’s just us two left at the unit now. Has anyone mentioned promoting you?” Sister Liu had been working for over ten years and had more experience than her.

“Me? I can’t think about that. As long as my husband doesn’t drag me down to feed livestock, I’m good. But for you, I think it’s a golden opportunity right now.”

“I can’t. My experience is too shallow.”

As they chatted at the workplace, it was soon time to get off work. Zhou Qingshan rode over to pick her up. Seeing someone being picked up and dropped off by their husband every day made Sister Liu sigh with envy. She had two kids and had even had a miscarriage, yet none of them had enjoyed such treatment.

“Why not get a divorce?”

That thought flashed through her mind for just a moment, but then she sighed again. Change is something many people fear, uncertain if it will be good or bad. With her monthly salary, she could support herself just fine, but raising two children was stretching her thin. Lately, she had been relying on her mother-in-law, who had been using her husband’s previous salary to help them get by.

If she divorced, her mother-in-law would definitely stop giving her money. What if her husband quickly found work again? She would regret it. Raising children was easier with some support, which made her feel secure. After considering it, she didn’t dare to take that step.

————

In the spring of March, Luo Lan wasn’t in a hurry to go home. She let her husband ride their bike, and they headed out of the city. Outside the city, the willows were swaying gently, peach blossoms, crabapple flowers, and apricot blossoms were blooming in competition. The fields were dotted with many wildflowers whose names she didn’t know, all striving to show off their beauty.

“It’s so beautiful.”

Zhou Qingshan had just told her that her second sister-in-law had come. Instead of going home, she had come out to enjoy the flowers and the spring weather. The man didn’t rush her. Although he didn’t quite understand why she liked the usual spring so much, he patiently accompanied her.

“Did you ever play with willow branch whistles when you were a kid?”

Zhou Qingshan nodded and snapped off a tender willow branch. He skillfully kneaded it, separating the hard core from the outer skin. Then he took out the core, lightly pinched the skin at one end with his nail, and handed it to her.

“Shh—”

Surprisingly, it worked on the first try, producing a crisp sound. She was extremely happy, and it seemed like the baby inside her felt her joy, responding with a couple of kicks.

“Ah—”

“What’s wrong?” The man quickly came to her side but didn’t move too close.

“The baby moved.”

“Really?” He widened his eyes in surprise.

“Really! If you don’t believe me, you can feel it. He probably likes the whistle you made.”

Zhou Qingshan squatted down. Although he couldn’t feel the baby moving, he patiently spoke to their son. “Be good, okay? When you come out, Dad will make you some toys.”

While he said this, he ended up breaking quite a few willow branches on the way back. Willow branches could be used for more than just whistles. They could be crafted into many small toys. The thought of personally making toys for his son made him happy.

“Lan’er, you’re finally back.”

To her surprise, her second sister-in-law hadn’t left yet. She had washed her hands at the faucet and followed them into the main room. Mother Zhou had prepared a porridge of mixed beans for dinner, which Luo Lan had suddenly developed a liking for. Various types of beans weren’t hard to find, but making the porridge was quite a hassle. Mother Zhou was very patient. As long as her daughter-in-law liked it, she didn’t mind making it repeatedly.

“The porridge is almost ready. Let’s eat first.”

During the meal, everyone was quiet. Unable to wait any longer, her second sister-in-law set down her bowl and got to the point. It was getting late, and the last bus had already left. She had brought a flashlight with her, prepared for a night return home.

“Lan’er, the house at elder brother’s is already over half built. You should go take a look when you have time. It’s quite nice. Your little sister-in-law is also pretty good. The other day, that troublemaker from the Hou family was acting up, and I happened to run into him. I scolded him and left it to his dad to deal with him, and now he’s much more obedient.”

Starting with a precious offering of eggs, she immediately tried to butter up to Luo Lan. Zhou Junfang was soft-spoken, but her elder brother’s family had several children. She wasn’t worried about handling a first grader. This was purely a way to curry favor, likely for her ulterior motives.

“You came here for something, didn’t you?” Luo Lan didn’t take the bait. She wanted her to get straight to the point so she could refuse directly.

“Actually, since you lent so much grain to elder brother for his house, we’re also building a house. Can you lend us some grain too?”

“I can’t.”

“Lan’er, you can’t be too biased…”

“When I lived alone, eldest sister-in-law lent me corn. She also took care of my wedding. I’m not stupid. I know who treats me well.”

Her second sister-in-law was stumped. With a little sister-in-law who spoke so bluntly, she found herself at a loss. Who would have thought that she had gone from being kicked out of her husband’s family to living so well now?

“Life is hard for me too. It’s really tough.”

“Yes, it’s not easy for anyone.” As if she was crying poor, pretending not to know how difficult life was. “I’ve borrowed everywhere. You can see our home is out of grain and we’re eating beans.”

Well, that was that. There was nothing her second sister-in-law could say now. Looking at her eggs, she excused herself to leave. “It’s getting late, so I’ll head back now.”

“Let Qingshan take you. It’s not safe to go home alone at night.” Mother Zhou was just that kind-hearted, always concerned for others even as she saw her leaving with eggs in hand.

The ten-plus-mile journey back wasn’t slow for Zhou Qingshan on the bike, and he returned quickly. He prepared warm water for Luo Lan to soak her feet and relax.

“She didn’t say anything else on the way back, right?”

“Just complaining about being poor.” The man looked up, somewhat confused. “Did you have a bad relationship with her before?”

“She’s someone I can’t interact with. If I lend something to elder brother and eldest sister-in-law, they’ll do their best to repay quickly. Lending to her?” Luo Lan snorted coldly. “Half of it would go to waste. If it weren’t for that relationship, I would have directly closed the door on her.”

“Borrowing things without returning them?”

“Exactly. The closer the relatives, the less they return. I won’t eat those eggs of hers. Who knows how many I’d have to give back to equal what I took?”

“Then let’s keep our distance in the future.”

“Yeah. You mustn’t be soft-hearted. Her family is actually doing much better than elder brother’s. Her husband is stingy. He’s so tight-fisted that he’s reluctant to spend money on food. They’re actually hoarding some things.”

“Fortunately, she’s not the kind to throw tantrums or be excessively clingy. Otherwise, it’d be troublesome.”

“Hmph,” Luo Lan was completely unafraid. “She wouldn’t dare.”

Seeing the confident expression on his wife’s face, Zhou Qingshan couldn’t help but smile. It was precisely that clear-headed and generous demeanor that had caught his eye from the beginning. She really didn’t require him to worry about her family matters; she had arranged everything neatly and even helped him settle his little sister in a good place.

Five months into her pregnancy, she switched to wearing loose-fitting clothes. Anyone could easily tell she was pregnant. Neighbors greeted her warmly, and Mother Zhou sent her out early in the morning, earning a lot of compliments.

“Oh my, last year we were worried about marrying off our son, and this year you’re about to have a grandchild.”

“Indeed, look at that pointed belly; it’s probably a boy.”

“Right. When it’s a boy, the belly looks big, but actually, walking around is quite nimble. Look at Luo Lan; it’s highly likely she’s having a boy.”

A neighbor who was very close to Mother Zhou smiled and said, “Now you’re happy, right? Once you hold that chubby grandson, all your worries will disappear.”

Mother Zhou was beaming with joy: “Whether it’s a boy or a girl, as long as they’re safe and sound, that’s what matters.”

“That’s right. Whatever comes, it’ll be a relief. Maybe in three years, you’ll have two. After having a boy, you’ll have a granddaughter next.”

“That would be wonderful.”

“Of course. Whether it’s a grandson or granddaughter, it’s exhausting but so fulfilling.”

Mother Zhou hadn’t socialized much in the past two years, but now she was back out in the world. The wrinkles on her face seemed to blossom into flowers, and she often forgot to take her medication because she was so cheerful.

“I’m doing fine. I know without going to the hospital.”

With a light heart, a person’s spirit and energy are different. But Zhou Qingshan was still worried about her. He said he would find time to take her to the provincial capital. Luo Lan was also concerned about Mother Zhou, insisting she shouldn’t go.

“Don’t trouble yourself. The doctor said that when there’s a new life born in the family, my illness would be cured. I’m doing well now. I no longer feel that deep sadness and helplessness I used to. The past is behind us. We’ll live well in the future.”

“The doctor said it might alleviate your condition. Don’t be stubborn. Next week, I’ll take a day off. It’ll be enough for a trip. We can take the train in the evening, get checked in the morning, and be back the next day.”

Luo Lan also urged, “Mom, you should go to the hospital for a check-up. Otherwise, we won’t feel at ease. In a few months, I’ll be giving birth, and you’ll be busy then.”

“Fine.”

Mother Zhou was easy to persuade. After just a few words, the couple managed to get her to agree to go for a check-up. On the weekend, Zhou Qingshan took her out, and before leaving, she made pancakes for Luo Lan and steamed a pot of flower rolls.

Looking at the food that could last her a week, Luo Lan smiled to herself, feeling in high spirits on Monday when she returned to work. Now that she was pregnant, Sister Liu was doing the cleaning. As she wiped the table with a cloth, Sister Liu came in and heard her humming a tune, her tone light and cheerful.

“You’re in a good mood today.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty happy.”

“Happy is good. Happiness is the best medicine for health.”

“I’ll treat you to something delicious for lunch.”

“You’re on! I haven’t had meat since New Year’s.”

Luo Lan walked ahead, “Pig head meat, no rationing needed; let’s eat to our hearts’ content today.”

“Just saying that makes me drool. To be honest, ever since my husband got sent down, life has been tight. My mother-in-law gives money like she’s constipated, just a little at a time. It’s so frustrating.”