Chapter 60

Xia Qingning returned to the room where Guo Yumei had made the bed for them. She glanced at the bed, then turned and walked into Guo Yumei’s room next door, asking if she had any extra blankets.

Guo Yumei’s expression clearly faltered for a moment when she heard her asking for a blanket. The weather was already warm enough that they didn’t need to cover themselves with thick blankets. One blanket was enough for two people, unless…

She opened her mouth, wanting to ask something, but the words caught in her throat. She opened the wooden chest and took out a new blanket, handing it to Xia Qingning.

Xia Qingning took the blanket and went into her room. She remembered that she hadn’t given Guo Yumei the special cream she had bought, so she took it and went back to her room.

Guo Yumei’s hands had been rough since she was little, often chapped. Over the years, due to excessive labor, her hands were so cracked that they were unsightly.

Xia Qingning looked at those hands, her heart aching. She opened the lid and gently applied the cream to them.

Many people used this special cream to apply on their faces, but it was summer now, and their faces didn’t get as dry as they did in winter. It was better to use it on chapped hands.

Guo Yumei looked at her daughter, who was diligently applying the cream to her, and asked softly:

“Xiaoning, how long is Jingzhe’s leave for this visit home?”

“He said a month.” Xia Qingning replied softly.

“Oh.” Guo Yumei nodded, as if she had something to say, but she swallowed it down. After a moment, she suddenly asked:

“Xiaoning, do you remember Dayi, who lived next door to us and played with you?”

Xia Qingning thought she was just trying to find a topic to chat with her, so she nodded and said:

“Yes, I do.”

“Oh, didn’t she get married the year you went to the city?” Guo Yumei continued:

“Her in-laws really didn’t like her at first. They constantly picked on her. Her husband didn’t like her very much either.”

Xia Qingning wasn’t particularly curious about this Dayi and didn’t like to gossip. She responded with a lack of interest:

“Oh, is that so?”

“But guess what happened later?” Guo Yumei said, a smile appearing on her face. She continued:

“She gave birth to three sons for that family. Her mother-in-law was so happy! She would praise her to everyone. Her husband’s attitude towards her also changed. Now they live happily together.”

Xia Qingning wasn’t stupid. She immediately understood the meaning behind her words. Sure enough, mothers all over the world worry about their children. Before they get married, they worry about their dating life, and after they get married, they naturally worry about their children.

“Oh.” Xia Qingning pretended not to understand and continued to respond with a single syllable. She didn’t intend to discuss the topic of children with her.

This made Guo Yumei very uneasy. She didn’t know if her daughter understood or not. After hesitating for a moment, she didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly:

“Xiaoning, tell Mom, haven’t you and Jingzhe done that yet?”

Xia Qingning had been trying to avoid the question, but Guo Yumei didn’t give her a chance. But the question was really embarrassing for her, so she just said:

“Don’t worry about these things. You can rest assured. I’ll be fine. I’ll also make sure you guys live well.”

Hearing her say this, Guo Yumei understood. She sighed and said:

“Sigh, I know. Jingzhe still has some resentment in his heart.” Then she looked worried.

Her son-in-law was going back to the army soon. Who knows how many years it would be before he came back. Her daughter was twenty years old. She was an experienced person and knew how difficult it was to wait alone. How would her Xiaoning spend her life?

Moreover, her son-in-law was unwilling to consummate their marriage. There was only one reason why a man wouldn’t consummate their marriage. He didn’t like the woman, he disliked her.

What if her son-in-law met someone he liked later, and in a few years, he divorced her daughter? Her daughter would be older then, and she wouldn’t have anyone to rely on…

She didn’t dare to think about it any further. She suddenly grabbed Xia Qingning’s hand and said anxiously:

“Xiaoning, you can’t let your pride stop you from doing anything at this time. You got your marriage certificate, you’re legally married. Jingzhe is angry, you can’t wait for him to take the initiative.

That thing… if the woman takes the initiative, it’s basically done.

If you have a child, even if he goes to the army and doesn’t care about you, he will care about the child. You can’t tie him down, but you can tie him down with a child.

A month will pass in the blink of an eye. You have to hurry, silly girl. Try to get pregnant and tie him down before he leaves. That way, you’ll be secure for the rest of your life.”

Xia Qingning had never thought about tying Lu Jingzhe down, let alone using a child to tie him down. Although she didn’t have enough ability to protect herself in this situation, she could only rely on Lu Jingzhe. But soon it would be the 1980s. There would be so many opportunities to make money. Would she not be able to support herself?

Although she wanted to tell Guo Yumei that having a child to tie down a man was the most unwise thing to do. In the era of mental labor, men and women had basically equal opportunities, so there was no need to worry about the future.

But Guo Yumei hadn’t accepted the new ideas of the future world. She was just an ordinary woman from the countryside in the 1970s. Even if Xia Qingning told her all of the above, she wouldn’t understand.

“Okay, Mom, I understand.” Xia Qingning nodded, indicating that she understood.

“Silly girl, understanding means doing it. To put it bluntly, you climb on top of him. He can’t really push you away. Remember, getting pregnant is the most important thing.”

Guo Yumei was still worried. Her daughter had always been honest. If she didn’t explain it clearly to her, she was afraid she wouldn’t understand.

Xia Qingning really didn’t want to continue this topic, but she couldn’t show any resistance. If she did, her mother would keep nagging. So she followed her meaning and said:

“Okay, I’ll be more proactive. I’ll try to get pregnant and tie him down before he leaves.”

Hearing her daughter say this, Guo Yumei felt relieved. She silently prayed that her daughter would really get pregnant. Then her life would have hope.

After applying the cream to Guo Yumei’s hands, Xia Qingning remembered that she should give her some money. She had taken over four hundred yuan from Wang Mingfang. She planned to leave four hundred for this family.

She still had the money Lu Jingzhe gave her, plus her remaining salary, which added up to over one hundred yuan. That should be enough for a while.

She stood up and said she had something to give her. As she was walking out, she saw Lu Jingzhe standing at the door, holding a wad of money in his hand. He had been standing there for a while.

The moment their eyes met, the words she had just said to appease Guo Yumei suddenly echoed in her ears:

“Okay, I’ll be more proactive. I’ll try to get pregnant and tie him down before he leaves.”

Faced with this major social death, all she could do in her heart was repeat three words:

Help me! Help me! Help me!