Chapter 81

With blood on her hands, Zhang Cuilan’s family thought she had been injured. They anxiously rushed her to the clinic.

Zhang Cuilan, with a pained expression, pinched Gu Mancang’s arm, causing him to wince.

Lin Yao, also worried, said, “Mom, if your hands are injured, let’s hurry to the clinic.”

Meanwhile, Gu Shi’an was already pushing the bicycle.

Gu Shidong quickly finished a few bites of food and followed behind.

Zhang Cuilan, feeling both amused and warm in her heart, spread her hands and said, “It’s not my blood. It’s Wang Shengcai’s wife’s blood.”

The Gu family was stunned.

“Wang Shengcai’s wife? What happened to her?”

Zhang Cuilan sighed, “Wang Shengcai’s wife is pregnant. Today, since Wang Shengcai was working the night shift, I don’t know what happened but the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a fight, and Old Lady Wang pushed her daughter-in-law. She ended up on the ground, bleeding everywhere. Old Lady Wang, scared, started shouting about a fire to get someone to take her daughter-in-law to the hospital. I went to check earlier, and it looks like Wang Shengcai’s wife had a miscarriage.”

The Gu family was speechless for a moment. Old Lady Wang was indeed a piece of work. If she wanted to call for help, she should have been honest. They were all neighbors living in the same courtyard. As the saying goes, “A distant relative is not as helpful as a close neighbor.” If something happened in the Wang family, how could they not help?

Gu Shi’an rolled up his sleeves and silently went to borrow a cart from the old man next door. Uncle Dafu and his wife were also arguing. They heard about Wang Shengcai’s wife’s miscarriage.

Uncle Dafu put on his clothes to help.

Aunt Dafu, infuriated, slapped her thigh and said, “That Old Lady Wang is really something. Even at her age, she’s still causing trouble!”

Lin Yao agreed. She had just gone to the front yard and saw Li Gouya lying on the ground, clutching her belly, her face pale with pain.

Though the people in the yard usually didn’t think much of Li Gouya, seeing her in such distress, sweating and struggling on the ground, made them feel a pang of sympathy.

Aunt Dafu fetched a basin of water, and Lin Yao used a towel to wipe Li Gouya’s face. Since Li Gouya was pregnant and bleeding, they didn’t dare to move her and had to wait for Gu Shi’an and the others to bring the cart.

Li Gouya’s two young sons were crying in fear nearby.

Lin Yao gathered the two children in her arms and gave them each a piece of candy. The two boys clutched the candy, sobbing, and followed Gu Shidong to the Gu house.

Such a bloody scene was something Li Gouya, as a mother, didn’t want her children to see. She weakly thanked Lin Yao.

Lin Yao waved it off and wiped her face again.

Li Gouya seemed to be thinking of something, her eyes glistening with tears.

While her daughter-in-law’s life was hanging by a thread, Old Lady Wang didn’t care at all, instead she kept ranting angrily, calling Li Gouya pretentious. She complained that every woman had given birth, and she herself had given birth to three children without issue. She scorned Li Gouya for pretending, saying she’d just miscarried with a push. She vowed to divorce her when her son returned.

Grandma Sun, unable to tolerate it any longer, told Old Lady Wang to stop, advising her to show some decency.

Old Lady Wang glared and said, “In our Wang family, I can say whatever I want. You’re just an old woman, minding other people’s business.”

This was a huge mistake. Old Lady Wang had stirred up a hornet’s nest. Grandma Sun and Grandpa Sun, the oldest in the courtyard, were both senior figures. Grandma Sun was about ten years older than Old Lady Wang.

Old Lady Wang was only around fifty, while Grandma Sun was in her mid-sixties. Old Lady Wang dared to act tough in front of Grandma Sum, who would never let her off easily.

As Old Lady Wang continued to act arrogantly, Grandma Sun swung her cane fiercely, forcing Old Lady Wang to flee with her head covered.

Old Lady Wang was howling in the courtyard, but Gu Shi’an and Uncle Dafu arrived with a flatbed cart, and no one had the heart to deal with her. Instead, they worked together to place Li Gouya on the cart, which was lined with a straw mattress and quilt. Just then, Wang Shengcai rushed back, panting heavily. Seeing his wife’s pale face, he felt a sense of resentment toward his mother for the first time in his life. Without sparing a glance at the beaten Old Lady Wang, the group hurriedly took Li Gouya to the clinic.

The reason why Old Lady Wang fought with her daughter-in-law was simple.

Li Gouya was pregnant again. This is the third child for the Wang family. Old Lady Wang already had two grandsons, so she didn’t care whether this one was a boy or a girl.

What she cared about was her son’s attitude!

As soon as Li Gouya got pregnant, Wang Shengcai treated her exceptionally well, not letting her do any housework, and bringing her food and drink right to her. He was attentive to her every need.

Seeing the growing affection between her son and daughter-in-law made Old Lady Wang feel a deep sense of crisis.

For all these years, Old Lady Wang had held power in the Wang family through her son’s filial piety.

But if her son sided with Li Gouya, who would then “sing the song of the liberated slave,” Old Lady Wang’s status in the family would be at risk.

Because of this, the more Old Lady Wang looked at Li Gouya, the more she disliked her. That night, when Li Gouya was fetching water to wash her feet, Old Lady Wang ordered her to fetch a basin of water for her as well.

Li Gouya refused, and Old Lady Wang took the opportunity to cause a scene. The two women started arguing and eventually got physical. In the struggle, Old Lady Wang pushed Li Gouya, causing her to hit the back of her head and waist against the door frame.

That’s basically what happened.

The old ladies at the alley’s entrance said that Li Gouya’s pregnancy was likely to be lost.

Old Lady Wang’s unreasonable behavior had caused even her own grandchild to be harmed.

While everyone despised Old Lady Wang, they also felt considerable sympathy for Li Gouya.

Meanwhile, Zhang Cuilan was at home looking after Gu Douduo. The chubby little boy had just woken up, and when he didn’t see his soft and fragrant mother, he started to fuss.

As soon as Lin Yao, who had just washed her hands, walked in, the little boy immediately waved his chubby arms, reaching out for his mother. Despite his pouting, which made it seem like he was about to cry, the clever little boy was just making noise without real tears. The moment his mother picked him up, Gu Douduo happily started nursing.

Gu Shi’an returned home in the middle of the night. Lin Yao reheated the food for Deputy Director Gu, adding a dish of fresh and tender scrambled eggs. The couple chatted as they ate.

Wang Shengcai also returned home with a sullen expression, and soon the Wang family’s courtyard erupted in a deafening argument, accompanied by Old Lady Wang’s wailing curses.

Curious, Lin Yao leaned against the window to listen, and Gu Shidong quickly dashed out. The two of them, one big and one small, peered outside together.

Gu Shi’an frowned, pulled Shidong back inside, and tossed him into his own room.

Lin Yao reluctantly came back, obediently sitting at the table while watching Deputy Director Gu eat.

She had just fed the chubby boy and was only wearing a self-made nightgown, her long black hair loosely tied at the back of her head, revealing a small face the size of a palm. She looked over at Gu Shi’an with wide, expectant eyes.

Gu Shi’an’s heart softened, realizing that his wife wanted to know how Li Gouya was doing.

Later, Lin Yao found out that Li Gouya was pregnant with twins. Now, because of Old Lady Wang’s push, she had lost both her children.

Li Gouya was also injured and would no longer be able to have children.

When Li Gouya returned, she didn’t cry or make a scene. She had only one demand: to live separately from Old Lady Wang. If Wang Shengcai didn’t agree, she would take their two sons and rent a place of her own.

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Wang exploded, sitting on the ground and throwing a tantrum.

“Ahhh! My life is so miserable! My daughter-in-law bullies me and wants to kick me out of the house. God is blind…”

Hearing the commotion, some neighbors came out to watch, while others looked at Old Lady Wang with contempt, pointing fingers. No one stood up to defend her.

“Old Lady Wang is really something. She caused the loss of her own grandchildren and still has the nerve to cry!”

“Isn’t it a sin?”

“Shouldn’t Old Lady Wang be arrested?”

“How? It’s considered an accident, not intentional.”

“But isn’t there something now called ‘intentional harm’?”

“Wang Shengcai didn’t report it. He still treats Old Lady Wang as his mother. But if she keeps acting out, she’ll end up in jail sooner or later.”

“…”

The crowd gossiped among themselves. Old Lady Wang, although causing a fuss, didn’t dare to go too far. Even Director Ge from the commune had to step in to mediate and warn Old Lady Wang that if she didn’t behave, they would call the police. If Wang Shengcai’s family couldn’t resolve the issue, they wouldn’t be allowed to live in the communal courtyard anymore.

In the end, Old Lady Wang packed up her things and moved to a different courtyard, renting a room on her own. Wang Shengcai gave her an allowance every month, and thus the Wang family officially split.

With Old Lady Wang, the troublemaker, gone from the courtyard, everyone felt a sense of relief.

Lin Yao was finally able to openly indulge in her love for cooking at home.

Old Lady Wang, however, was shameless. Whenever any neighbor in the alley made something delicious, she would shamelessly linger around their doorstep, trying to scrounge a meal.

These days, everyone was struggling, and any good food was reserved for the children or the elderly.

There was never any extra for Old Lady Wang.

Earlier, Zhang Cuilan had made a bowl of steamed egg custard at home, intending to nourish her daughter-in-law, who was still in confinement.

Old Lady Wang, smelling the aroma, shamelessly lingered at the Gu family’s door, refusing to leave.

It wasn’t until Gu Shi’an returned, his usual stern face and dark, intimidating eyes, that Old Lady Wang finally fled.

The hot month of August passed in a flash.

In September, as the autumn wind began to blow, a batch of piglets arrived at the Yunshui County State Pig Farm. Comrade Zhang Cuilan returned to work with honor, spending her days tending to the pigs and her evenings caring for Gu Douduo.

As she watched the chubby little boy grow whiter and plumper, Lin Yao suddenly felt a sense of relief and even understood the joy her mother-in-law once described—how raising a piglet could be so fulfilling.

Lin Yao’s cotton textile factory was preparing to resume operations.

In the mid-1950s, urban female workers were given 56 days of maternity leave. By the time Lin Yao’s leave ended, Gu Doudou was only four months old. The baby was still very young, and since the whole family worked, they couldn’t just leave the child alone at home.

Lin Yao discussed with Gu Shi’an and decided to squeeze milk into a bottle for Gu Doudou during the day and then send the chubby boy to the steel factory’s nursery.

During that time, the steel factory’s nursery cared for children of all ages—from toddlers over two years old to infants just a few months old. The service was actually quite good, with dedicated caregivers.

However, Zhang Cuilan disapproved, believing that the women at the nursery were careless and rough. She mentioned that some children were sent there in the middle of winter, and their sleeves were so dirty they could tie knots.

Lin Yao felt a headache coming on. If they didn’t send him to the nursery, where could the chubby boy go?

Zhang Cuilan smiled and pointed at Gu Shi’an. “Isn’t there his father?”

Lin Yao: ???