Chapter 14: Becoming Parents for the First Time

“小五哥, your mother is really wonderful. Now we finally have real family—someone who truly cares about us. You have a loving father, a doting mother, and a big family with siblings.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty happy. I even found myself a wife from a military family, third-generation officer, high-ranking background. Had a big, healthy son at eighteen—doesn’t that make me a winner in life?”

“Haha, you’re killing me! You really are a winner. So, Mr. Winner, what’s your next dream?”

“...White rice and braised pork. You have no idea how that last meal of coarse grains got stuck in my throat—I could barely straighten my neck. I still feel like it’s lodged there.”

Zhang Guoqing joked as he hurriedly got out of bed and put on his clothes. If he really stayed in bed waiting for his mother to serve him, he was afraid he’d be struck by lightning. Maybe the old Zhang Guoqing would have taken it for granted, but he just couldn’t do it now. With such a loving mother, all he wanted was to be a good son for the rest of his life.

Seeing that his mother wasn’t coming in just yet, he quickly snuck a kiss from his wife. Looking at the now-younger Jiao Jiao, he felt like he was back to when they first met.

Zhou Jiao turned her head away, speechless, and glanced at Zhang Guoqing. She hadn’t even washed her face since arriving here. She felt sticky all over, reeking of sweat and blood. Even the bedding and underwear she was using belonged to her predecessor—when could she finally clean herself up?

She looked at her son beside her. Oh dear, what was he wearing? Had those old clothes even been disinfected? And those rags full of holes—were those supposed to be diapers?

Zhang Guoqing saw Zhou Jiao wrinkle her nose and look pitifully at their son, and he knew exactly what she was thinking. But what could he do? If nothing had gone wrong, his wife and child would be in a private hospital getting the best care, using the safest, highest-quality supplies, with the best postpartum nurses and top pediatricians on call.

Instead, now he couldn’t even make a nourishing stew for Jiao Jiao. Even for her postpartum recovery, the best his mother could do was kill an old hen and make chicken soup for her for a week.

Once they sent word of the good news, her family might send over some hens, eggs, and pig’s feet. If her family was poor, like his second sister-in-law’s, then a bowl of rice porridge with a bit of brown sugar would be a luxury.

Looks like tomorrow he’d have to figure out how to get some fish, pig’s feet, and brown sugar to help her recover. Just thinking of all the nourishing foods and baby supplies he’d stashed away—donkey-hide gelatin, bird’s nest, postpartum soups, formula, baby products—made Zhang Guoqing grit his teeth in frustration.

His eyes darkened at the thought, and he silently vowed never to give anyone else a chance again. If not for that bit of sentimentality about blood ties, he would have dealt with those people long ago, instead of letting them cause trouble and make his wife and child suffer.

“Wife, just hang in there and focus on your recovery. In a bit, I’ll ask Mom if you can use a hot towel to wipe yourself down. But don’t even ask about washing your hair—I know for sure that’s a no-go.

Tomorrow, I’ll try to get some nourishing food from town for you. There are some things I’ll tell you tonight when no one’s around—it’s not convenient now.” Hearing footsteps approach, Zhang Guoqing quickly blinked at Zhou Jiao to signal her.

He hurried out to the small living room to greet his mother. “Mom, I’ll take care of things myself. You’ve been busy all day and haven’t had a break. Go get some rest. You don’t need to stay up with us tonight—I can handle it. Just tell me everything I need to watch out for, and we’ll both remember.”

Mother Zhang looked at her youngest son with satisfaction. Of all her children, only her fifth son noticed how hard she worked. He was the one closest to her heart. The eldest was a blockhead, always working silently, filial but barely said a word. The second son just ate and went straight to bed, not even checking if his mother had slept yet.

“No, you two are still young—how could you take care of the baby properly? I wouldn’t feel at ease. I’ll just stay alert tonight. After you eat, let Jiao Jiao use hot water to compress her breasts and massage them well. If it hurts, she’ll have to bear it. Once her milk comes in, wake the baby to feed. Try it first, I’ll go check if your father’s asleep.”

“Okay, got it. If anything comes up, I’ll call you. Also, about the baby’s name—can you ask Dad if there are any taboos? Let him think of a few, and we’ll pick one. As for the nickname, we’ll come up with it ourselves. I’m afraid Dad will name him something like Gou Sheng or Gou Dan.”

“Alright, I’ll ask. Last time, your dad said your nephews’ names were chosen according to the family genealogy. He mentioned having your great-uncle, the scholar, take a look. There’s still time for the formal name before the baby’s first birthday. Oh, I forgot to tell you—your nickname was Gou Dan, haha…”

From a distance, Zhang Dayou heard his wife laughing loudly late at night—was she trying to attract wolves? After a whole day, he was exhausted. Getting old really took a toll on his energy.

“Wife, what’s got you so happy? Tell me so I can laugh with you. You never stop all day—aren’t you tired?”

“It’s nothing. Xiao Wu asked me to ask you about the baby’s formal name. As for the nickname, he wants to pick it himself—he’s afraid you’ll name the baby Gou Dan or Gou Sheng. I told him, he really was called Gou Dan. You should’ve seen his silly face!”

“That boy—his grandparents have called him Xiao Wu since he could talk. Where’d the nickname come from? Time really flies. We’re getting old.”

“Yeah, the kids are all married now. We’ve done our duty as parents. Once we split the family, we won’t have to work as hard as when we were young. In the next few years, we can save up some money to help the eldest. He’s got three sons, and it’ll be tough for him and his wife to marry them off. We can’t expect his in-laws to help forever.”

“Don’t worry. Our grandsons are all good kids. When the time comes, we’ll find a way. With their two uncles helping, I’m not worried. As for Xiao Wu, I’m not worried either. That couple has plenty of savings, and if anything happens, Jiao Jiao’s grandfather can lend a hand. It’s the second son I’m uneasy about. He married the wrong woman—she’s nothing but trouble. They’re still young and might have more kids, but he’ll have to support the family alone. Who knows how he’ll manage?”

“We tried to get the second son to work in town, but it didn’t work out. I bet his wife’s already squandered all their savings. They just had a big fight a few days ago. I’m thinking of asking his uncle if the production team can let them raise pigs. It’s easier than farm work, and when they’re busy, she won’t have time to gossip.”

“That’s a good idea. If both of them work and do some carpentry on the side, and we help them build a house after the family splits, they’ll manage.”

“I used to worry most about Xiao Wu, but just like his grandfather said, he’s really blessed. Don’t be fooled by Jiao Jiao’s age—she’s got her head on straight.”

“Exactly. That girl’s a little genius. Most sixteen-year-old girls care about appearances, but she came in with money and bought us a sewing machine right away—she knows how to run a household.

And don’t think she only brought her dowry. I heard Zhou Jiao actually owns a big courtyard house in Beijing, and her household registration is there. Her grandfather rents it out to the government, and the rent is saved for her.

Then there’s her father’s pension—that’s all aboveboard. Her grandfather never took it, just gave it to her as dowry. No matter how much Old Man Zhou wants to keep it, he can’t. That’s what our eldest’s father-in-law told me—he’s got a brother in the military district there.”

“So her grandfather’s family is doing well. Why didn’t they take her back?”

“Who says they didn’t want to? It’s just gossip from the village women. From what my brother says, it was Old Man Zhou who wouldn’t let her go. He claimed Jiao Jiao’s mother didn’t have time to care for her, and you know how unreliable her mother is. Plus, her grandmother has a heart problem. A few years ago, they tried to bring her back to Beijing, but somehow it didn’t work out. This time, it was Old Man Zhou who had Jiao Jiao write to her grandfather about the wedding. I bet he told them Jiao Jiao had a marriage arrangement with Xiao Wu since childhood.” After saying this, Father Zhang looked down on Old Man Zhou—everyone knew what he was up to. Zhou Jiao was his link to her grandfather’s family. Without her, how would he get any benefits?

Mother Zhang wasn’t stupid either. Thinking it over, she realized there were advantages to Zhou Jiao not returning to the Lin family. She quickly told Father Zhang what Zhou Jiao had said earlier. Now even Father Zhang understood, and Zhou Jiao surely did too.

Father Zhang sighed and said, “Just stay out of it. Xiao Wu is smart—let him handle it. Pretend you don’t know anything, and don’t mention it to outsiders.

If we need anything from the Lin family, don’t ask Jiao Jiao for help. Blood ties are there, but let’s wait and see after Xiao Wu sends a letter and we hear back from the Lin family. Besides, we’ll need her grandfather’s help to get the marriage certificate.

Our Zhang family is going places—haha, we’ve really got ourselves a golden child.”"