Chapter 101

Lin Hongna racked her brains to get pregnant with her second child.

Sun Tianyou is weak, and since she couldn’t rely on her eldest son, having a few more sons was essential for securing her position in the Sun family. In traditional society, having more children was always considered the right path for women.

However, having a son required the joint effort of both husband and wife.

Lin Hongna, once youthful and beautiful, had been constantly breastfeeding and taking care of the household after giving birth to Sun Tianyou. The baby would wake up several times a night. Mother Sun and Sun Jialiang call him their darling all day long, but when the child cries for milk at night, they sleep like dead pigs.

Lin Hongna took care of the child alone, feeding, changing diapers, and coaxing him. After putting Sun Tianyou to sleep, she would take the soiled diapers outside to wash. The constant labor took a toll on her in just half a year. Her figure changed, she looked greasy and haggard, and she seemed to have aged by nearly a decade. Not only did Sun Jialiang lose interest in her, but Lin Hongna herself found the stretch marks from pregnancy difficult to bear.

Lin Hongna had to make plans for herself. When Sun Tianyou was one year old, she forcibly weaned her son despite his mother’s objection. His father returned to the light bulb factory as the director. She told him that women can also hold up half the sky, and she didn’t want to be a useless person at home. She wanted to go back to the factory as a temporary female worker and shine in her own position.

Father Sun, having been idle at home for over half a year and feeling frustrated with the lack of progress of his own children, was pleased to hear his daughter-in-law’s aspirations and agreed immediately.

Using her position to advance, Lin Hongna gained Father Sun’s support. However, Father Sun’s status meant he could not allow his daughter-in-law to return as a temporary female worker. There were only a few good jobs at the light bulb factory, and Lin Hongna’s position was put on hold for over a month. When a female broadcaster in the light bulb factory got married and followed the army, the job of the broadcaster in the light bulb factory was vacated.

Lin Hongna, fluent in Mandarin, naturally took up the role of a broadcaster at the light bulb factory.

Lin Hongna got a good job as she wished. Every day, she would drink tea in the broadcasting studio, knit sweaters, play the radio, and sing songs at regular intervals. Her work was very easy.

The monthly salary of a broadcaster at the light bulb factory was 25 yuan. Lin Hongna spent her own money and did not have to hand over her salary to her grandson’s mother. She spent the money on herself.

During this time, young women in big cities would go to salons to get wavy hair, which looked fashionable and charming, draping over their shoulders. In the town, without proper salons, young women would use iron frames to curl their hair at home, resulting in some very odd styles.

Lin Hongna also curled her hair, put on makeup, and dressed up. She originally wanted to use this to attract Sun Jialiang’s attention so that she could have another son.

Who would have known that Sun Jialiang was a heartless bastard who fell in love with every girl he met. When the county’s art troupe came to perform, a group of seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls would sing their hearts out from early morning. These girls were beautiful, talented, and had wonderful voices, stirring excitement among the young men in town who openly flocked to the square to watch them.

Sun Jialiang couldn’t resist and would often go to the square where the troupe was rehearsing, eventually forming an interest with one of the girls from the troupe. Sun Jialiang, with a good family background and refined appearance, carefully concealed his marital status and spoke eloquently.

The girl was young and beautiful, and together with Sun Jialiang, they appeared to be a perfect match.

Several straightforward female workers at the light bulb factory, disapproving of Sun Jialiang’s behavior, spread the gossip to Lin Hongna, who was at home taking care of the child.

Lin Hongna was furious and followed Sun Jialiang after work, witnessing him chatting and laughing with the girl. The girl sang a few tunes, and Sun Jialiang applauded, praising the performance as divine.

The sweet words from Sun Jialiang made the girl blush with pleasure, while Lin Hongna was left fuming with rage, almost grinding her teeth in anger.

Sun Jialiang cheated on her once, so don’t blame her for cheating on him ten more times!

The next evening, around six, when the factory workers were returning home, Lin Hongna played a melodious tune in the broadcast room and passionately engaged with a boiler worker who had long admired her…

A month later, when the Sun family was having dinner at the table, Lin Hongna picked up a piece of greasy pork offal and was about to put it into her mouth when her stomach started to surge, and she covered her mouth with her hands, wanting to vomit.

Just as Mother Sun was about to scold her for being pretentious, she suddenly seemed to have thought of something, patted her thigh, and said happily, “Is Jialiang’s wife pregnant again?”

Father Sun asked, “What’s the matter?”

“You fool, we’re having another grandchild!”

Father and Mother Sun were smiling happily in the living room, and no one noticed that in the bedroom, Lin Hongna was holding her belly with a panicked look on her face. She really wasn’t sure whose child this baby in her belly belonged to!

*

After the Dragon Boat Festival, the early summer heat enveloped Yunshui County.

The young boy that Zhang Cuilan rescued was staying at the county Public Security Bureau’s duty room, which was just a small office. It was cramped, stuffy and not ventilated to sleep in it in the summer. Sometimes there were mosquito bites, and even the young men in the public security bureau couldn’t stand it.

The boy had been living in the duty room for several days and had developed several large welts from the bites, scratching them until they bled, yet he remained quiet and didn’t complain.

If it weren’t for a young woman at the bureau noticing, who knows how much more the boy would have suffered.

The child was well-behaved and diligent. During the day, he helped the officers clean and organize files. When there was no work to do, he would quietly sit to the side.

Gu Shi’an brought Gu Doudou to the office, and whenever he got busy and couldn’t look after the little chubby child, this boy would step in to help. Gu Doudou, who never felt shy around others, happily chatted with the boy, playing with his toy ducks and fish.

The county Public Security Bureau had been dealing with a lot of cases recently, and this summer was unusually hot, making the officers lose their appetite. Their wives would often bring fruits and herbal teas to help them cool off.

Lin Yao also brought over some homemade peppermint honey tea and snacks twice. Seeing that the boy was polite and knew how to conduct himself, and after hearing from Da Tou Brother about how the boy was left alone in the duty room at night, she felt a pang of sympathy. When she took her chubby son home yesterday, Gu Doudou cried his heart out, clearly reluctant to part with his new friend.

Lin Yao discussed with Deputy Director Gu about not letting the boy sleep at the bureau anymore and decided to bring him home to share a room with Dongzi. This way, the boy could sleep more comfortably, and Zhang Cuilan would feel more at ease, as the elderly lady had been constantly worried about the little boy she had saved.

It wasn’t until Lin Yao brought the boy home that she learned he was six years old, his nickname was An An, his surname was Cheng, and his name was Cheng Ping’an. When he was four or five, he had traveled by train with his mother to visit his father, who was in the military. During the journey, little Ping’an wandered into the next carriage to play, drank water offered by a stranger, and woke up to find himself sold.

At the time, Ping’an was too young to remember his parents’ names, only that his father was also a soldier in uniform and his mother’s name was Xiujuan. Beyond that, he couldn’t recall anything else.

When little Ping’an arrived at the compound, Gu Doudou was so happy that he waddled over on his chubby legs. Gu Shidong, now having a playmate, was also delighted and eagerly rushed back to tidy up his “doghouse” for his new friend.

Lin Yao remembered that Deputy Director Gu was working overtime and wouldn’t be coming home that night, so she mentioned to Zhang Cuilan, “Mom, the three children are at home. I’ll bring some food to Gu Shi’an.”

If she didn’t, he would likely work until he was exhausted and forget to eat.

“Alright, Yao Yao, it looks like it might rain soon. Take an umbrella with you.”

“Okay.”

Lin Yao packed a plate of stir-fried cured meat, a plate of sautéed vegetables, and two large bowls of egg fried rice into a lunch box and took it to the county Public Security Bureau.

Gu Shidong, catching a whiff of the aroma wafting from the kitchen, asked, “Mom, what delicious food has my sister-in-law made this time?”

“You little rascal, all you think about is eating!”

“Hehe, they say food is the staff of life. Miss a meal, and you’re bound to feel starved.”

“Alright, tidy up your doghouse and wash your hands with Ping’an and Doudou before eating. Your sister-in-law has left some food in the pot.”

“Got it!”

Gu Shidong happily jumped up, grabbed Ping’an by the hand, and led Gu Doudou to wash up before eating.

Although Ping’an had already eaten at the Public Security Bureau, the smell of Auntie Lin’s cooking was so enticing that he wanted to eat again.

Just eat it. Children don’t have big appetites, so just don’t eat too much.

After watching the three kids finish their meal, Zhang Cuilan had Gu Mancang clear the table, then she washed the dishes and left them to dry. She grabbed a hoe and went to the small vegetable garden, breaking up the clumps of soil before digging up a small patch of green radishes. She threw them into a bamboo basket, drew some well water to wash them clean, and then sliced them up to dry in the sun for making pickled radish.

Gu Shidong, with his little hoe slung over his shoulder, jumped and ran around nearby. This little rascal wasn’t as diligent as Ping’an, who at least knew to squat down and pull up radishes.

Zhang Cuilan decided to send her younger son to water the chives instead.

Chives are hardy plants, able to withstand the cold and still grow green even in early winter when the temperature drops a few degrees below zero. As long as you’re diligent in watering and fertilizing them, they’ll keep producing crop after crop.

No wonder, in later generations, certain groups would use the term “cutting chives” to describe how they treated their followers.

But that’s beside the point. Gu Shidong was very pleased with the task his mother had assigned him. As his sister-in-law had said, he was the little man of the house, and it was his duty to do the heavy lifting!

At the county Public Security Bureau, when Lin Yao brought the food, Gu Shi’an, hearing that his wife had arrived, immediately put down his files and strode out on his long legs to meet her.

It was hot outside, and Lin Yao’s fair face was flushed from the sun. Gu Shi’an frowned slightly and poured her a cup of peppermint honey tea from his military green thermos. The tea was cool and refreshing, with the bitterness of the peppermint balanced by the sweetness of the honey.

“It’s so hot out. Why didn’t you just stay at home?”

Lin Yao took a sip of the tea, looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then teasingly said to Deputy Director Gu with a smile, “Oh, nothing much, I just missed you. Can’t I come to see you?”