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Chapter 24

Director Yao tried to step back but couldn’t move, veins popping on his forehead as he gritted his teeth.

“You two, let go of me!”

Then he turned to the three clerks from the neighborhood office:

“Xiao Wang, Xiao Li, Xiao Zhu—quick! Take these three women, let’s get moving to the office.”

Zhang Yu’s mother-in-law was helped up. Zhang Yu, looking faint as though from low blood sugar, wasn’t helped immediately—only two people finally propped her up. They were just about to head to the neighborhood office when—

Zhang Yu suddenly screamed:

“Ah—my stomach hurts—my baby—!”

The people who had started home all rushed back out. What happened? What’s going on?

Bi Chunliu had just stepped onto the front steps of her courtyard when she saw Aunt Zhang, Aunt Liu, Aunt Qiu, and Aunt Wang from the Third Courtyard hurrying past the gate in a clamor. She didn’t even have time to greet them.

Director Yao, being a man, naturally had no idea what a miscarriage looked like. He panicked, shouting:

“Quick, quick! Two people—pull down a door board! Get her to the hospital at once!!”

If someone dies here, what then?!

“On it!” Two men from the neighboring courtyard came running. But the door board…

Bi Chunliu noticed Chen Dali itching to act—he seemed eager to dismantle their courtyard’s heavy main gate. That door board was massive, not easy to take apart. Luckily, Bai Xingzi and Du Ling both stopped him.

Bai Xingzi whispered:

“Why take the main gate? If you want a board, take one from your own house.”

Du Ling nodded:

“Exactly. Why show off here? This isn’t even your courtyard. If you’re going to rip out a board, take one from theirs.”

The two women exchanged a glance—they actually agreed for once?! The main gate was used by everyone. If Zhang Yu really miscarried on it, leaving bloodstains, what then?

Chen Dali huffed:

“You two! No compassion at all!”
Then he shouted:
“Hey, you two brothers! Let’s go take her house’s door board instead!”

“Alright!”

The three of them ran to Zhang Yu’s courtyard and dismantled her own door board.

Zhang Yu glared at them, furious. Busybody fools! Couldn’t they just grab any board? Her house was full of belongings—without a door, what if things were stolen? And no one would compensate her. She lifted her head weakly and called to her mother:

“Mom, my door board is too heavy. Tell them not to bother—have them find a lighter one instead.”

But Chen Dali and the others had already brought her door board over.

Zhang Yu gritted her teeth, wishing she could bite each of them. Idiots!

“Quick, quick! Sister-in-law Xie, lie down. Don’t worry—the door board from your place is much lighter than the courtyard’s main gate. We were careful when we removed it. Once you’re back from the hospital, we’ll reinstall it exactly the same—tight and seamless!” Chen Dali reassured her, glowing with pride. What a good deed! I just saved two lives! If the factory doesn’t reward me for helpfulness, it’d be unfair!

Zhang Yu forced a weak smile.

“Thanks.”
Then turned away, unwilling to deal with him. Where did this blockhead come from?!

“Hey, Old Zhang, Old Liu—want to go to the hospital? I don’t think this will end soon. Let’s all go!” Aunt Qiu suggested.

Aunt Liu took off her apron and handed it to her daughter.

“I’ll go check. You make dinner for the kids.”

Liu Xiaoyue: “…Alright.”

“I’ll go too!” Aunt Zhang chimed in.

“My son and his family are still at Pan Juan’s place. They won’t be back for hours!”

Bi Chunliu watched as several women—including Aunt Liu—went off together to the hospital.

Such energy! No wonder people say that back then, whatever they did, they always had perseverance.

“Big Sis…” Bi Qiuguo spoke.

Bi Chunliu:

“What, you want to go too?”

Bi Qiuguo nodded eagerly.

“Don’t even think about it. Go home and do your homework. Aunt Liu and the others will definitely tell us once they’re back.” Chunliu herded her three younger siblings home. She herself was curious, but meals couldn’t be delayed for gossip!

That evening after dinner, the whole courtyard was outside waiting, rare for them. They wanted firsthand news from the women who had gone to the hospital.

Chunliu, worried she might oversleep the next morning, decided not to wait until the very end. Better to use the toilet, wash up, and sleep.

Leaving Second Courtyard, she walked into First Courtyard and saw Liu Xiaoyue talking to her husband, An Qing, complaining that her mother had gone off to watch the drama, skipped dinner, and still hadn’t come back.

Seeing her, Chunliu suddenly thought again of the wall clock.

“Sister Xiaoyue, Brother Anqing—are you waiting for Aunt Liu?”

Liu Xiaoyue:

“Yes. These old ladies, out so late, not coming home—it’s pitch dark. I worry something might happen. Anqing, could you go fetch them?”

An Qing nodded toward Chunliu and headed out.

Chunliu said:

“Don’t worry, Sister Xiaoyue. Aunt Liu and the others went together. They’ll be fine—they’re probably still at the hospital.”

Liu Xiaoyue:

“…You might be right.”

“By the way, Sister Xiaoyue, I wanted to ask—how much does a wall clock like yours cost now? And do you need ration tickets? I want to buy one. My family doesn’t have a clock—it’s so inconvenient. I can’t afford a wristwatch, but maybe a wall clock.”

Liu Xiaoyue:

“True, not knowing the time is inconvenient. I remember mine was originally sixty yuan, but I got it for fifty.”
She lowered her voice:
“And no ticket. I don’t know the price now. How about this—I’ll ask tomorrow. Oh, and if you don’t mind a defective one? Like just some paint chipped on the casing. It’ll be cheaper. Mine was ten yuan less that way.”

Since her work unit often got such goods, the insiders snapped them up. Ordinary people rarely even saw discounted items.

Chunliu nodded.

“Yes! Cheaper is better. Thank you, Sister Xiaoyue!”

“Oh, don’t be polite with me.” Liu Xiaoyue smiled.

“Sister Xiaoyue, I’ll head to the toilet then.”

“Go ahead. I’ll check on Shuanzi and Zhuzi—they’ve been playing since school ended, no homework done, such rascals!”

“Alright, you go.”

Chunliu hurried to the toilet. The neighborhood toilets were shared between two alleys. No lights inside—at night you had to grope in the dark. Luckily it wasn’t too cold anymore, or it’d freeze your butt!

As she adjusted her trousers, Chunliu thought—sanitary pads still weren’t common yet. She wondered if the supply cooperative carried them. Even being young, there were inconveniences.

Just as she came out, she heard loud voices down the alley. Looked like the women were back from the hospital.

Eager to hear the update, Chunliu jogged back to the courtyard.

Aunt Qiu and Aunt Zhang were the main storytellers, Aunt Liu and Aunt Wang filling in, their retelling vivid—complete with roleplay!

Aunt Qiu:

“Tell you what, we’ve never seen the likes of this around here! That mother-in-law—besides having a loud voice—she couldn’t argue back at all. No wonder she’s had so much pent-up bitterness all these years.”

Aunt Zhang:

“And at the hospital, she didn’t utter a word. Useless!”

Aunt Liu:

“Exactly. The young wife—whether real or not—clutched her belly and cried out in pain. Strange, though, that belly of hers. Old Wang, what did the doctor say again?”

Aunt Wang supplied:

“According to the mother-in-law, her son hadn’t been home for over a month. But the daughter-in-law—she was one month pregnant. The doctor said that’s possible. You can’t count by the days of intercourse, only by the menstrual cycle. I never knew that! Learned something new in the city today.”

“What? There’s such a calculation?” someone exclaimed.

“Of course. The doctor said it’s scientifically verified! The mother-in-law, hearing that, went limp. Now the daughter-in-law and her family have her completely under their thumb.” Aunt Qiu curled her lip.

“Like the old saying—between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, either the east wind prevails or the west wind. And this mother-in-law? Useless! It’s already come to this, and she’s still cowering. She doesn’t even have just one son—so why let herself be trampled? If it were me, I’d have walked away. One mistake like this, and she’ll never lift her head in front of her daughter-in-law again. Better to cut ties, leave them to their mess, and save my money for my daughter. Daughters are far more reliable than daughters-in-law anyway!”

Aunt Liu nodded. She had no son, only a daughter. Though she used to envy those with sons, now she felt her life was better than many of them. Daughters were indeed closer, and her son-in-law was raised under her husband’s eye. With no extended relatives to interfere, her days were sweet.

Aunt Zhang and Aunt Wang, each with only one son, thought differently.

Aunt Zhang mused: One child really isn’t secure. Better to have more sons and grandsons. If I were in that situation, I couldn’t just give up like Aunt Qiu said. She has many sons. But me, I’ve only one. I need to hurry my son and daughter-in-law to give Haohua more siblings. No more excuses from them!

Liu Xiaoyue:

“Mom, with all that, why are you only coming back now?”

Aunt Liu shook her head.

“Don’t mention it. That mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quarrel wasn’t even the real excitement. At the hospital, we saw something rare!”

Chen Dali hadn’t stayed at the hospital long. After carrying Zhang Yu in, she had woken up and urged them to reinstall her door board immediately. So they had rushed back. They’d returned earlier than the women, but hadn’t eaten yet. Now, holding a cornbread in one hand and pickled vegetables in the other, Chen Dali complained:

“Aunt Liu, tell us what happened already! You’re keeping everyone hanging!”

“You brat, talk without spitting all over! If you’re choking, drink water with it. You sprayed my face!” Aunt Zhang wiped her cheek in disgust.

Chen Dali paused, then stuffed the rest of the cornbread into his mouth.

“Oh gosh, sorry Aunt Zhang—I was just too excited.”