Chapter 564: Giving Birth to a Son
Chapter 564: Chapter 543: Giving Birth to a Son
But Yang Chun didn’t get her way. Gu’er and Xinghua had been worried that Yang Chun and the Yang Family would cause trouble, so they had people keeping an eye on them. The moment Yang Chun appeared, Gu’er sent someone to inform her husband’s family. Just as Yang Chun was about to charge in, her husband arrived. Without a word, he slapped her several times, demanding to know if she’d gone so crazy over men that she’d forgotten she had a husband. Then, as Yang Chun screamed, he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her away.
Someone told Gu’er what had happened, and she nodded. She couldn’t let anything disrupt Xinghua’s wedding. If Yang Chun’s husband hadn’t shown up in time, she had people ready to stop her anyway.
Gu’er didn’t care what would happen to Yang Chun after her husband dragged her back, nor did she feel any pity for her. Everyone had to take responsibility for their own actions.
After the wedding, Dong Liang and Xinghua were ushered by the crowd to their new home, and Gu’er saw Lin Shuying wiping away tears.
Lin Shuying was certainly happy that Xinghua was getting married, but deep down she felt a bittersweet emotion she couldn’t put into words. Once a daughter marries, she belongs to another family. From then on, her joys and sorrows would be out of her own hands. It made her heart ache a little, and she could only hope that her daughter’s life would be a happy and harmonious one.
Gu’er could understand Lin Shuying’s feelings. After a sigh, she still felt a sense of satisfaction. It seemed like everyone around her had found their happy ending, that each person had a place to belong. She liked it this way, with everyone happy.
At the end of May, Marina gave birth to a son, which made Grandma Dingzi ecstatic. Marina’s due date had actually passed before Feng Ling’s wedding, but there had been no signs of labor. Everyone said it must be another little girl this time. The old wives’ tale was that girls liked to linger past their due date, while rowdy boys tended to arrive early. Since Marina was overdue, they all thought it had to be a girl.
Grandma Dingzi had even privately told Grandma Sun that if it was another girl this time, she didn’t know if she would live to see a great-grandson born. She never expected it would actually be a boy. She said outright that she could die content now, that she would be able to face her husband, her son, her daughter-in-law, and all their ancestors in the afterlife.
Dingzi and Marina were, of course, very happy too. In the traditional Chinese view, a boy was meant to carry on the family line, so his birth carried a different significance.
After some discussion, Dingzi and Marina named their son Didi. Together with their other child’s name, Dian Dian, it formed a meaningful pair, referencing the Chinese phrase for ‘bit by bit.’ Though it didn’t follow traditional naming conventions, it was still a very interesting name.
Lin Shan and Chen Fengjiao also came by to visit when they had time. After all, Marina was Lin Shan’s goddaughter.
But every time Chen Fengjiao came over, she would inevitably pull Gu’er aside and start nagging her to hurry up and have another child. Just like Cao Qiu, she was part of the “procreation squad.”
Sometimes, Gu’er felt that the reason she wasn’t getting pregnant was because of all the nagging from her mother and mother-in-law. ‘The invisible pressure is just too much,’ she thought. ‘That must be why I can’t conceive.’
But Gu’er wasn’t in a hurry. She already had Jiji, after all. If she got pregnant again, she’d have the baby. If not, she’d deal with it then.
So no matter how much Cao Qiu and Chen Fengjiao pushed and prodded, it was no use.
In July, Feng Ling gave birth to a son, whom they named Li Jiguo. The name signified that he would inherit everything from the Li Family and carry on the will of the nation. Back then, Li Quan had originally wanted to name Li Zhi “Li Zhiguo,” but he ended up being called Li Zhi. So, Li Quan gave the name Li Jiguo to his grandson.
Li Quan and Chang Jinlan were grinning from ear to ear. Li Zhi had taken his time getting married, but when he finally did, he married a beautiful woman who then gave them a big, healthy grandson. The baby weighed six pounds and fifteen ounces at birth, long and with fair, clear skin. He even had double eyelids and was incredibly handsome. They absolutely adored him, and as a result, they valued and cherished Feng Ling all the more.
When the baby was born, Li Ting came home and caused a scene. She still hadn’t been able to get pregnant. Chang Jinlan had even taken her for a check-up, and while the doctor said there was nothing wrong with her, she just couldn’t conceive. Seeing Feng Ling give birth and receive so much adoration made her sick with jealousy and resentment. Feeling it was unfair, she started making cutting remarks, saying the baby didn’t look like a member of the Li Family and that he didn’t look like he would have a fortunate life. But she seemed to forget that Li Jiguo was the Li Family’s eldest grandson. Her words didn’t just displease Li Zhi and Feng Ling; they thoroughly enraged Li Quan and Chang Jinlan. Chang Jinlan, in particular, gave Li Ting a vicious tongue-lashing. Li Ting ran off in tears, and when she returned for the baby’s one-month celebration, she still had a long, sulking face.
Li Quan and Chang Jinlan warned her that if she dared to cause any trouble that day, they would stop helping her and wash their hands of her completely. Li Ting wanted to fly into a rage, but one look at her parents’ faces told her everything. She knew that if she truly infuriated them, she could kiss any hope of a good life goodbye.
So, in the end, Li Ting swallowed her anger and forced a smile, managing to get through the one-month celebration without another incident.
“Look at this, just look!” Chen Fengjiao started in again. “Feng Ling has a son, and Marina just had her second baby! And look at you! You had Jiji and just stopped. You can’t let Jiji be an only child. You have to have another one!”
On the way home from the Li Family’s one-month celebration, Chen Fengjiao started muttering again. She was truly exasperated with her daughter. ‘Why is she so stubborn? What’s the big deal about having one more baby?’
Gu’er was helpless. It was a topic she really didn’t want to discuss, but her mother never seemed to tire of it.
“Mom, is there any news about Dad?” Gu’er asked, changing the subject. “Did they say where he’s going?”
Gu’er had successfully changed the subject. This year marked Lin Shan’s third year in his current post. At her daughter’s question, Chen Fengjiao’s face fell. “There’s news,” she said. “He’s being sent to Chang City to be the deputy secretary. Tell me, what’s so bad about working here? I wouldn’t even mind if he didn’t get promoted, as long as the family can be together. Sui’er only comes home twice a year, and now your father is leaving for another three years. I’ll be all by myself in this house… *Sigh*.”
Chen Fengjiao was truly unhappy. She wanted the whole family to be together, but matters of work were not up to her.
Gu’er knew it too. For officials at Lin Shan’s level, transfers were rarely within the same city. Unless you were ready to coast into retirement, you were almost certainly sent somewhere else. The work wasn’t up to you; you had to follow orders. Who wouldn’t want to stay home if they had the choice?
“It’s okay, Mom. Jia Ming and I will bring Jiji to visit you all the time,” Gu’er said. “Or better yet, why don’t you move in over here? My other house is just sitting empty anyway. You and Lin Zheng can move in. It’s much more lively here, wouldn’t that be nice?”
Gu’er meant it. With her father gone and Sui’er away, and with her other house sitting empty, it made perfect sense for Chen Fengjiao to move in. They could look after each other.
“Let’s wait until your father’s work transfer is finalized,” Chen Fengjiao said. “We can talk about it after he leaves.”
Chen Fengjiao was tempted, but since Lin Shan hadn’t left yet, she wasn’t going to move just yet.
“Okay, then it’s a deal,” Gu’er said. “Once Dad leaves, Jia Ming and I will come and get you and Lin Zheng.”
Having said that, Gu’er quickly brought up another topic, successfully steering the conversation away from having babies so her mother wouldn’t latch onto it again.
However, after escaping Chen Fengjiao, she got home only for Cao Qiu to start in on her. Gu’er felt truly exhausted and once again changed the subject, this time bringing up Wei Hong.
Speaking of Wei Hong, her life had also changed quite a bit. However, she still hadn’t managed to get pregnant again. She’d gone for a check-up, and the doctor said there was a minor issue, prescribing some medication for her. She’d been taking it for two months now, but it was still too early to tell if it was working.
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[Author’s Note: I’m leaving tomorrow and won’t be home until the middle of the night, the day after tomorrow. I’ll be traveling the whole time. I will do my best to write two chapters tonight to make sure I don’t miss an update, but they will be single chapter releases, so please bear with me. Thank you to “Baby Doll” for the sachet, thank you to “Sleepless Angel” for the peace charm, and thank you to “Dian Dian Nü Nü.” Thank you to Pacific Stone Monkey for the monthly ticket, and thank you all for your support.]