Chapter 78

After fantasizing about the future, Lin Hongna felt quite pleased. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, then sat in front of the mirror, using a horn comb to untangle her hair. Her hair was dry and frizzy, making it difficult to manage. To have glossy black hair like the town girls, she needed to apply osmanthus oil.

A bottle of osmanthus oil cost thirty cents, but her family had taken all her money. To buy even one bottle, she had to ask Mother Sun for it.

Father Sun had set the rule that if the daughter-in-law stayed home to take care of the baby, Mother Sun would give her twenty yuan for living expenses each month.

Mother Sun, being very stingy, only gave her ten yuan a month, claiming that the rest would be saved for Tianyou’s future wife.

Damn it!

By the time Tianyou grew up and got married, Mother Sun would likely be long gone.

Furthermore, Lin Hongna’s skin wasn’t very fair. Before marrying into the Sun family, she worked hard and got sunburned on her hands and neck. The money spent on snow cream felt like it was thrown away, and she barely saw any improvement.

She planned to buy a couple more cans with her living expenses tomorrow. As for Sun Jialiang, his earnings weren’t enough to support his own indulgences.

As Lin Hongna was planning, Sun Tianyou, who had been sleeping soundly in the living room, suddenly started crying. Mother Sun rushed over to check. Her grandson’s little face was pale, and his cry was weak. His small hands trembled uncomfortably. Mother Sun was heartbroken, rocking the baby and trying to calm him. Despite her efforts, Sun Tianyou continued to cry like a kitten.

Father Sun put down his newspaper and both of them circled around the baby.

“Old Sun, where’s Tianyou’s medicine? Get it quickly.”

“It’s coming. We should avoid giving him medicine if we can.”

“I know, but look at Tianyou’s little face. We must give him medicine.”

“Alas, Tianyou has had so many troubles. Hopefully, things will get better later.”

Father Sun brought warm boiled water and mixed the medicine, feeding it to Sun Tianyou spoonful by spoonful. The baby licked his lips and drank it down quickly.

Nowadays, medicine for babies usually has a sweet taste to make it easier for them to take.

Even though the medicine was sweet, it still had a bitter taste.

Sun Tianyou, despite his frail health, was well-behaved and obedient. No matter what medicine he was given, he wouldn’t cry. After taking the medicine, he would look at people with his clear eyes.

Seeing her grandson calm down after taking the medicine, Mother Sun finally relaxed.

Despite the baby crying, Lin Hongna, the mother, seemed deaf, showing no reaction.

Mother Sun was infuriated and was about to scold her but held back, fearing it might startle Sun Tianyou. She placed the baby in the crib and, in a subdued tone, complained to Father Sun.

“Look at this so-called mother. The baby is suffering and crying, and she doesn’t even react. It’s a sin. Our Tianyou is so unfortunate to have such a cold-hearted mother!”

Father Sun’s face was also grim. He adjusted his glasses, expressing his disappointment, “Enough. Maybe the baby’s mother is just tired and didn’t hear the cries.”

Mother Sun huffed, “The light in her room is still on. How can she be sleeping? We spent eighty-eight yuan in dowries and fifty jin of grain for her! That’s a generous dowry, even in this famine-stricken time. It’s more than enough for a respectable girl from the town.”

Yet, this was the result!

Mother Sun was frustrated and sat on the sofa with a long face. Father Sun sighed and found no pleasure in his newspaper. He took out a cigarette, remembered he couldn’t smoke around the baby, and dejectedly placed the cigarette on the coffee table.

Lin Hongna, humming a tune, came out to get some water to wash her feet. As soon as she appeared, Mother Sun’s suppressed anger flared up like a gust of wind. She slapped Lin Hongna hard across the face.

“You wicked woman! Tianyou is sick, and you’re humming tunes. Who are you cursing? I should have taught you a lesson!”

Half of Lin Hongna’s face swelled up from the slap. 

She was speechless.

*

In August, thunder and rain came one after another. The hibiscus flowers at the end of the alley bloomed abundantly.

In the blink of an eye, little Gu Doudou turned one month old, growing from a red, tiny monkey into a chubby little dumpling.

Lin Yao had been cooped up in the house for a month. To avoid catching a cold during her postpartum confinement, the window in the east wing was only opened a crack, even in the scorching summer heat. Lin Yao was extremely hot, so Gu Shi’an fanned her to help. The most troublesome part was taking a bath. She wanted to bathe, but Zhang Cuilan had a long list of reasons to prevent her from doing so. Lin Yao could only have Gu Shi’an bring a basin of water to her room each day for a quick wipe-down.

Every time Gu Doudou was taken to bathe by his grandmother, the little one would happily wave his arms and legs in the tub.

Lin Yao would bite on her handkerchief with envy.

Now that her confinement period was over, Lin Yao immediately instructed Gu Shi’an to heat a pot of water, and she took a thorough bath.

Zhang Cuilan knew her daughter-in-law liked to keep clean and had already moved the chubby baby along with his cradle to the main room.

Without the baby making a fuss nearby, Lin Yao had a leisurely bath and then sat in the room to comb her hair. Gu Shi’an carried the bucket, emptied the water, cleaned the bathtub, and went to check on their son in his parents’ room.

As long as Gu Doudou was well taken care of, he was in a good mood. At the moment, he was lying in his cradle, making bubbling sounds.

When his father arrived, the little one even made a few bubbles to greet him.

Dongzi translated from the side.

“Brother, Doudou is greeting you.”

Gu Shi’an’s stern expression softened as he covered his son’s plump belly with a blanket and was about to speak.

Gu Doudou, not knowing what to think, pursed his little mouth and gnawed on his father’s large hand.

Gu Shidong exclaimed, “Doudou you can’t eat that! It’s not a pig’s trotter. You can’t gnaw on it!”

Gu Shi’an: “…….”

The little one nibbled on his father’s hand for a bit, found the taste unsatisfactory, and immediately let go.

Soon, the chubby baby had another dirty diaper, filling the room with a stinky smell. Zhang Cuilan, smiling, changed the baby’s diaper and, upon seeing the golden-yellow mess, proudly declared, “What a good Doudou, making such fine stinky messes.”

Gu Shidong added, “Yes, yes, Doudou is the best.”

Gu Shi’an raised his eyebrows, looked outside, and saw a large bundle of diapers accumulated on the steps. Rolling up his sleeves, he washed the diapers clean and hung them out to dry.

The next door neighbors, Uncle Dafu’s family, had just returned from their home in Shanxi a few days ago. Uncle Dafu’s ancestors had been vinegar makers back home, and with this skill, Uncle Dafu had managed reasonably well even during times of famine.

Shanxi was full of cave dwellings and the barren Loess Plateau with yellow sand, which couldn’t compare to the flourishing Yunshui County with its convenient living conditions.

Uncle Dafu had felt quite stifled in the Loess Plateau and, once back in Yunshui County, he roamed outside every day.

According to Aunt Dafu, “This old man doesn’t come home until dark.”

In the evening, as night was falling, it began to rain outside.

Uncle Dafu hurried back and, through the light rain, saw a tall, slender figure standing on the steps in the yard, reaching out to hang diapers. He squinted for a while before recognizing that it was the eldest son of the Gu family.

When Uncle Dafu returned home, he complained to Aunt Dafu.

“People’s eyesight gets worse as they get older. I almost didn’t recognize the eldest son of the Gu family when he was outside.”

Aunt Dafu took some dry clothes out of the wardrobe.

“The Gu family has a new grandson. The little hands and arms are as plump as lotus roots, so white and chubby, quite endearing.”

“Isn’t it said that sons resemble their mothers and daughters resemble their fathers? If the mother is good-looking, the son will be too.”

“I heard that several northern provinces are experiencing drought in spring, while the south is suffering from floods, ruining many good rice fields. Our county has had a good harvest this year. I hope they don’t send the grain for disaster relief again?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. The county leaders shouldn’t let us common folks go hungry.”

“Wasn’t it like this last year? We had just returned from Shanxi, we shouldn’t have to go back there.”

“Alright, stop rambling. Change into your clothes and eat. The food is getting cold.”

“…….”

Back at the Gu household, Lin Yao felt completely refreshed, lying on the bed reading a book. The wind and rain outside were beating against the window frame, and the cool breeze was flowing through the room, where a few jasmine plants were growing.

The front room had been scented with mugwort to keep away mosquitoes and flies.

Gu Doudou was wearing a bright red bib, had taken a bath, and drank his mother’s milk. His little belly was round and full, and he had fallen asleep with his hand still in his mouth.

Gu Shi’an went to fetch their son back to the room.

Gu Mancang was reluctant to let the chubby baby go. He was busy with work during the day, and by the time he returned at night, his grandson was already asleep. Since the baby was in his daughter-in-law’s room, it wasn’t appropriate to disturb them.

As a grandfather, he didn’t get many opportunities to see his grandson.

Zhang Cuilan also said that Doudou was sleeping soundly. He hadn’t slept much during the day, so after a full meal, he might wake up throughout the night. It was fine to leave him in the main room to sleep.

Since the elders had said so, Gu Shi’an agreed.

Lin Yao folded the baby’s diaper, packed his usual playthings, like the cloth tiger and the rattle, and sent them over so that the little one could be comforted if he fussed.

With Doudou no longer sleeping in the east wing, Daju returned from outside, tail high, meowing around the house looking for people.

Lin Yao patted Daju’s cat ears, saying, “The chubby baby is in the next room.”

Daju seemed to understand, meowed at Lin Yao, and carried his small bed to the next room to find his little companion.

Gu Shi’an was taking a bath in the shed. Lin Yao had been reading for a while and was feeling sleepy, her head nodding off. Just as she was about to fall asleep, the door opened, and the chilly rain and wind swept in, startling her awake.

Lin Yao rubbed her eyes, muttering that someone hadn’t closed the door properly, disturbing her sleep.

To her surprise, when she looked up, she saw Gu Shi’an, with damp hair, wearing the shorts she had made for him. His well-toned torso and abs were exposed, and his deep-set eyes looked at her.

Lin Yao blinked her eyes and couldn’t help but glance downward, then swallowed hard.

Oh my, this guy is shameless, trying to tempt her with his looks!

Hmph, she wouldn’t fall for it!