Chapter 16: Wife, You’re Carrying My Child

Back then, not everyone had a school bag to carry; most children made do with burlap sacks or fertilizer bags, and they were still happy.

Seeing her two younger brothers in new clothes and with new school bags, Huang Yuelan felt confident about the future. She believed everything would get better.

She considered the past hardships a nightmare. As long as she was there, she wouldn’t let her brothers fall to the ground, nor would she let them go hungry, unable to attend school and live a bleak life.

She not only wanted her brothers to study but also strived for them to achieve something in life, bringing honor to their deceased parents.

Although the new clothes and school bags were nice, Huang Yueqiang and his brother only wore them for a short while before carefully folding them and placing them on the bedside table. They continued to wear their patched burlap clothes, saving the new ones for the first day of school.

Since the last autumn harvest, the team leader had witnessed Wang Jianguo’s incredible strength and was completely impressed.

Whenever there was heavy work in the production team, the team leader would think of him first.

For example, cutting wood for building houses or digging and building canals; if others weren’t called, Wang Jianguo would be.

It’s the same for everyone, but Wang Jianguo could do the work of five or six people. If you were the team leader, wouldn’t you love such a team member?

Without fail, the team leader would always have the record keeper give Wang Jianguo ten work points.

“Comrade Wang Jianguo must be given ten work points. If even Comrade Wang Jianguo can’t get ten points, then no one in our Red Flag( Hongqi) Commune can,” the team leader would declare, and the record keeper couldn’t refuse.

Besides, the team leader wasn’t showing favoritism; it was fair and impartial. After all, Wang Jianguo’s work was there for everyone to see. The record keeper would carefully consider six or seven points for others, but for Wang Jianguo’s ten points, he would write it down without hesitation.

Wang Jianguo earned ten work points every time he worked, which made others envious and resentful, especially those who struggled to get six points.

“Is this fair? We work and finish together, the same amount of time, he gets ten points a day, and we get six, almost double the difference. It’s so unfair!” one team member complained.

“Hey, what’s the big deal? Didn’t you see? He can carry two large logs by himself, while two of us can barely carry one. He’s worth four or five of us. What’s wrong with getting ten points? If you could carry two large logs, the team leader would give you ten points too. Can you?”

Some were unhappy and jealous, trying to isolate Wang Jianguo, but not everyone was narrow-minded. Those who were sensible understood Wang Jianguo’s skills and abilities and wouldn’t join in the mischief.

Wang Jianguo didn’t gossip or interfere with others while working; he just focused on his task.

His only thought was to work hard, earn more work points, and get more food and money at the end of the year to give to his wife.

Seeing how capable and handsome Wang Jianguo was, many village girls regretted their choices.

“So handsome and hardworking, earning double the work points of others, Huang Yuelan really found a treasure!”

“Exactly, I heard he’s not only hardworking but also very caring towards his wife, often buying her good food from the supply and marketing cooperative, and he’s also good to her two younger brothers.”

“Really? My goodness, a perfect man! My husband is like a dead man, he doesn’t buy me anything and always listens to his mother.”

“He’s a good man, but the woman… well, that’s another story.”

Everyone knew that Huang Yuelan was infertile, lazy, and wasteful.

In the entire production team, you could count on one hand the number of people who didn’t work. Even the elderly would go up the mountain to collect firewood, but she didn’t even know where their production team’s fields were, let alone work in them.

So now, people no longer laughed at Wang Jianguo for being a “wild man” but sympathized with him for marrying a woman who couldn’t bear children and was wasteful.

As always, school started on September 1st.

Huang Yueqiang and his brother went to school, carrying the new school bags and wearing the new clothes their sister had made.

The two brothers immediately stood out in school, attracting the attention of many girls. They had always been noticeable.

But times had changed. Before, it was because they were too poorly dressed, the poorest in the whole production team, looking even more pitiful than beggars. Now, they were clean, wearing new clothes, and instantly became the most stylish kids in the school.

Those who had mocked them before were speechless.

“Are those Huang Yueqiang and his brother? They don’t look like them.”

“I don’t think so either, but it’s definitely them.”

“Before, they looked like beggars, how did they change so suddenly?”

“I heard their sister got her marriage proposal canceled and then married a ‘wild man’ from the mountains. The mountain ‘wild man’ is good to them, buying them new clothes and sending her brothers to school.”

“Wow, unexpectedly, even ‘wild men’ can understand love!”

Seeing everyone’s envious glances, Huang Yueqiang and his brother became more confident. As they reached their classroom, they saw their cousin, Huang Yuezhen.

Huang Yuezhen was the second son of their uncle, the same age as Huang Yueqiang and his brother, all starting first grade.

Seeing his cousins, who used to wear his hand-me-downs and eat his leftovers, looking so dazzling, Huang Yuezhen felt a pang of jealousy.

His grandmother had specially made him a new school bag for his first day, but compared to his cousins’, it suddenly seemed less appealing.

His cousins’ bags were more stylish, with several pockets for pencils, erasers, and other items, and small animal decorations sewn on.

His grandmother’s bag was just a large sack, with everything thrown inside, without even a small pocket.

He hadn’t expected them to go to school, let alone that they would be able to attend.

Although there might be grievances between the adults, the younger generation still interacted; children were less calculating, and their relationships were better than those of their elders.

Huang Yueqiang and his brother greeted Huang Yuezhen and then sat down at their desks.

Knowing how precious this opportunity was, the brothers cherished it, studying diligently in class and behaving well during breaks.

Their sister had told them that they had to study hard, go to university, find stable jobs as doctors, teachers, or translators. If they didn’t study hard, they would be stuck in the production team, toiling endlessly under the sun.

They weren’t stupid; they chose the former, which was infinitely better than the latter.

The teachers in the team lived more comfortably than those working in the fields. They taught, weren’t exposed to the sun or wind, and received rations and wages. They believed their sister was right; studying was their best path, and they mustn’t stray.

Although they had been mischievous as children, they were surprisingly good at studying, quick-witted, and grasped the concepts quickly.

Huang Yuezhen also studied hard, but studying required not only diligence but also talent and intelligence.

After the midterm exam, Huang’s grandmother eagerly asked Huang Yuezhen his score. He said he got over seventy.

“Not bad, not bad, over seventy is very high. I heard that several of our neighbors’ grandsons all got less than sixty. I heard you’re in the same class as Huang Yueqiang and his brother. You must have scored more than those two idiots, right? How much did they get?” In Huang’s grandmother’s heart, Huang Yuelan and her brothers were the epitome of stupidity, always inferior to her other grandsons.

Huang Yuezhen didn’t dare lie, “They both got over ninety. One got first place, and the other got second.”

Huang’s grandmother’s smile vanished.

She had been proud of Huang Yuezhen’s seventy, but now it seemed insignificant.

“Those two big idiots got over ninety? Are you sure?” The old woman asked incredulously.

Huang Yuezhen: “Yes.”

“Next time, you have to work harder. Grandma doesn’t ask for much, just beat those two brothers, otherwise, Grandma will lose face.”

Huang Yuezhen felt this was impossible. He had already given his all to get over seventy. Surpassing the first and second place was beyond his reach.

Learning that her brothers had gotten first and second place, Huang Yuelan went to the supply and marketing cooperative early the next morning and bought some pork.

Pork was in short supply at the supply and marketing cooperative. If you went late, you wouldn’t get any. Huang Yuelan got up early to queue, rushing to the meat stall as soon as the doors opened, buying about a pound of pork for fifty cents, to celebrate her brothers’ success.

Back home, Huang Yuelan cut the fat and lean meat separately. She first rendered the fat into lard, saving the cracklings for dumplings, and used the lean meat for stir-fry.

She had never reacted this way before, but today, the smell of lard made her nauseous.

Wang Jianguo came home from work and saw her, immediately asking with concern, “Yuelan, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Should I take you to the hospital?”

Huang Yuelan shook her head, “No, no, I just feel a little nauseous when I smell greasy things.”

Hearing “nauseous,” Wang Jianguo’s eyes lit up. He asked, “Wife, besides nausea, do you have any other symptoms?”

Huang Yuelan touched her belly, “Besides nausea, I feel like my belly is getting bigger.”

Wang Jianguo immediately became happy, “Wife, you’re carrying my child!”