Chapter 57
In mid-March of the solar calendar, school finally started. The three older He Jingyan boys had to go to school, leaving only Yangyang at home.
Li Xiao and Qi Min could also go to preschool. Gu Yao and Li Yang sent these two little girls, who were even more mischievous than boys, to school. Qi Hao was still young and could be a companion for Yangyang.
With someone to play with, Yangyang didn’t pester his older brothers and didn’t bother Ye Qingzhi. She could knit sweaters and make shoes in peace.
Ye Qingzhi put away her needles and looked at Li Jinfeng’s belly. “Your belly is only five months. Why does it look like it’s almost seven or eight months? Could it be twins?”
Li Jinfeng looked down at her own belly and shook her head. “No, just one. It must be from hibernating.”
Back home, she had been working in the fields until she was almost due. The main reason was that she didn’t eat well, so her belly was naturally not big. Now, she ate well every day and didn’t have to work. It was normal for her belly to be a little bigger.
Gu Yao touched Li Jinfeng’s belly. “I think it’s a little big too. Jinfeng, you should eat less. It’s not good to give birth if it’s too big.”
Li Jinfeng thought of the painful memory of her difficult birth with her fourth child and shivered. She had to control her appetite. This one couldn’t be a difficult birth again.
“I wonder how Liu Yuqin is doing. She’s six months pregnant. I see that Zhang Dama is very attentive. With a child, her life will be a little better in the future,” Li Jinfeng said, thinking of Liu Yuqin.
Gu Yao had not met Zhang Dama and Liu Yuqin and asked curiously. After learning what Liu Yuqin had done, she couldn’t help but frown. Wasn’t this repaying kindness with enmity?
It would have been fine if Zhang Xuewen hadn’t had a fiancée, but he had a fiancée with whom he had a very good relationship. It was really a great harm.
“But I think Liu Yuqin is also quite pitiful. You haven’t seen her. She’s so thin, and her hair is a little withered. You can tell at a glance that she’s not in good health. Actually, she should have waited until she had recovered before getting pregnant. But Zhang Dama couldn’t wait and forced her and Chief of Staff Zhang to be intimate. I heard that the reason they could be intimate was because Zhang Dama had drugged Chief of Staff Zhang,” Li Jinfeng said, despising Liu Yuqin for her ingratitude, but sometimes also feeling sorry for her.
“A pitiful person must have a hateful side. In general, Liu Yuqin is not worthy of sympathy. For her to be disliked by Chief of Staff Zhang and scolded by Zhang Dama is all her own doing,” Yang Xiaorou said. She felt even more sorry for Zhang Xuewen’s ex-fiancée. Not only was her good marriage gone, but she had also become a woman who had been divorced, which would affect her next marriage.
Ye Qingzhi also did not think that Liu Yuqin was worthy of sympathy, but Zhang Dama’s attitude was really strange.
She acted as if she valued the child very much, but she disregarded the risk of miscarriage and insisted on taking Liu Yuqin back to her hometown. It was really contradictory.
“What are you thinking about? Are you missing your Old He? Oh my, Qingzhi, our men are different from ordinary people. Sometimes they’re on a mission for a few months, half a year, or even longer. You have to get used to it. You can’t be so lovesick,” Li Jinfeng teased.
Ye Qingzhi shot her a glare. “Nonsense. I was thinking about the art troupe’s performance the day after tomorrow. Are you going?”
“Of course, why not?” Li Jinfeng replied loudly.
“You’re pregnant. You shouldn’t go,” Ye Qingzhi said, touching her belly.
“It’s fine. I’ll go early and sit down. I’ll leave after everyone has left. I won’t get bumped into,” she said. How could Li Jinfeng miss such a lively event?
At the art troupe, Meng Tingting held Zeng Huijun’s hand. “Huijun, after your performance today, will you not be on stage anymore?”
Zeng Huijun pursed her lips. “No, I’ll still be on stage, just not dancing anymore.”
After she married Xu Kaisheng, she would be the regiment commander’s wife. It would be a bit inappropriate to go on stage and dance for Xu Kaisheng’s soldiers. The Xu family would not agree either. But Xu Kaisheng had agreed to let her sing on stage. For her, this was already a good result. She had originally thought she would not even have a chance to be on stage.
“Sigh, Lingyi is gone, and you won’t be dancing on stage anymore. Our art troupe has lost two pillars at once. Don’t tell me I have to take over? I can’t. I can only be a backup dancer for you,” Meng Tingting said, hugging herself worriedly.
Seeing Meng Tingting’s funny expression, Zeng Huijun burst into laughter. “Don’t worry. I heard from the regiment commander that a very skilled person will be transferred here.”
As for who it was, Zeng Huijun did not know either. To be praised as skilled by the regiment commander, they must have some real ability.
These were all small matters. What was giving her a headache now was the matter of children. Both sides of the family were urging them, but they had just gotten married. How could it be so fast?
Not only Zeng Huijun was having a headache about children, but Bai Xue was also having a headache.
After she had returned to her parents’ home, she had gone to the hospital for a check-up again. Her body was very healthy, with no problems at all. But Xu Kaisheng’s body was also very good, yet the two of them had been together for five years without getting pregnant.
This time, when she married Wu Kaixuan, she admitted that there was an element of pique, but the main reason was that Wu Kaixuan was good to her and had promised not to have children.
But deep down, she still wanted to have a child to prove that she could.
“Baby, why aren’t you asleep yet?” Wu Kaixuan asked, hugging Bai Xue and burying his head in her neck, taking a deep breath. “Baby, you smell so good.”
Bai Xue rolled her eyes helplessly. Wu Kaixuan was good in every way, except that he was too clingy, wishing he could be on her 24/7.
“Don’t fool around,” Bai Xue said, holding down Wu Kaixuan’s misbehaving hand and turning to face him. “Kaixuan, do you really not mind not having children?”
Wu Kaixuan kissed her helplessly. “Baby, how many times do I have to say it? I’m enough with you. Besides, my family is different from the Xu family. I have an older brother and a younger brother. We’re not short of people to carry on the family line.”
He had one more thing he hadn’t said. Even if he were the only one left in his family, he would not divorce his beloved for not having children. At worst, he would adopt a child to inherit the family business.
“Baby, my little Xue baby, it’s better without children. Then there will be no one to compete with me for you,” Wu Kaixuan said, kissing Bai Xue’s forehead. “Baby, I want to tell you something. Can you promise me not to get angry?”
Bai Xue looked at him suspiciously. “You say it first.”
“Baby, promise me not to get angry first,” Wu Kaixuan said, holding Bai Xue tightly and acting coquettishly.
Bai Xue looked helpless but was actually quite enjoying it. She glared at him. “Hurry up and say it.”
“Alright, I… I’ve applied for a transfer to the 17th Division. After the holiday, I’ll have to report to the 17th Division,” Wu Kaixuan said, his voice getting weaker and weaker.
Bai Xue suddenly looked up at him. “Is it the 17th Division I’m thinking of?”
The 350th Regiment, where Xu Kaisheng was, belonged to the 17th Division. If Wu Kaixuan was transferred to the 17th Division, wouldn’t they be in the same military camp in the future?
“Baby, I wanted to be closer to you, so I applied for a transfer to the 17th Division. Who would have thought that just as the transfer order came down, you would get a divorce and come back? I’ve talked to the old leader and also to my dad, but they said the transfer order has already been issued and cannot be changed,” Wu Kaixuan quickly explained.
Bai Xue took a deep breath. “What will your position be after you’re transferred there?”
If his rank was lower than Xu Kaisheng’s, she would not join him under any circumstances.
Understanding her, Wu Kaixuan’s eyes lit up. He quickly said, “I’ll be the regiment commander of the 351st Regiment.”
If his rank was lower than Xu Kaisheng’s, he would not have applied for a transfer there to humiliate himself.
Bai Xue nodded in satisfaction. “Alright then. You’re being transferred after the holiday?”
“Yes. Baby, wife, my little Xue’er, you’ll go with me, right?” Wu Kaixuan held Bai Xue tightly. When she nodded, he immediately kissed her excitedly. “Baby, you’re so good.”
In the military compound in the Northwest, Ye Qingzhi was cooking wheat shrimp, similar to the northern gnocchi soup. She had added pickled vegetables, potatoes, shredded radishes, and also eggs. The few children all loved it.
“Ma, isn’t Dad back yet?” Ye Anmin asked casually.
“Yes. Your dad is a soldier. It’s normal for them to be on a mission for a few months, or even half a year. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine,” Ye Qingzhi said, comforting the child and also herself.
“Mama, I miss Papa,” Yangyang said suddenly, leaning against Ye Qingzhi.
Ye Qingzhi stroked his head. She also missed He Qiming very much. She didn’t know where he was now, if he was in danger, or when he would be back.
“Your papa will be back soon,” Ye Qingzhi said, not sure herself.
Another half a month passed. It was now April, and the weather was not so cold anymore. Ye Qingzhi prepared to air out all the fur coats in a cool, shady place, and also wash and dry the spring and autumn clothes, so they could be worn in a few days.
“Qingzhi, Qingzhi,” Li Jinfeng came in quickly, holding her belly.
“Oh my, Sister Jinfeng, be careful. You’re pregnant,” Ye Qingzhi said, going over to help her. “What’s the hurry?”
“I’m telling you, I saw Bai Xue,” Li Jinfeng said, her face still full of shock.
Ye Qingzhi was also in disbelief. Impossible. With Bai Xue’s personality, she would not come back here.
“I heard that the newly transferred 351st Regiment commander’s surname is Wu. Isn’t the man Bai Xue remarried to named Wu? Could it be Bai Xue’s husband? If it’s true, then there’s going to be a good show,” Li Jinfeng said with some schadenfreude.
A once-loving couple who had divorced because they had no children, had both remarried after the divorce, and were now living in the same family compound, seeing each other all the time. Wouldn’t they fight?
“Qingzhi, do you think they’ll compete to see who gets pregnant first?” Li Jinfeng said, not knowing what she had thought of, and revealed a lewd smile. “Hehe, with Zeng Huijun and Bai Xue’s small frames, can they take it?”
Ye Qingzhi looked at her, speechless. “How would I know?”
Li Jinfeng clicked her tongue. “You know the stamina of those soldiers. Tsk, tsk, I really want to hide outside their window at night and listen.”
“Sister Jinfeng, you’re pregnant. Take it easy,” Ye Qingzhi said, really afraid that she would actually do it.
Li Jinfeng chuckled again. Of course, she couldn’t go and listen at the wall, but she could find someone else.
“I won’t talk to you anymore. I still have to tell others this news,” she said, and then Li Jinfeng left in a hurry.
Before long, Yang Xiaorou came. As expected, it was about Bai Xue.
She knew more details than Li Jinfeng. For example, Second Son Wu had become the regiment commander of the 351st Regiment, and Bai Xue had joined him here with the army, and she was living in this family compound.
“Is Bai Xue really back? When Sister Jinfeng told me, I thought she had seen wrong,” Ye Qingzhi said, feigning surprise.
“I also thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I don’t understand what she was thinking, to have let Wu Kaixuan be transferred here,” Yang Xiaorou said, completely baffled.
With Bai Xue’s personality, it would be best for her and Xu Kaisheng to never see each other again, and she would certainly not want to return to this sad place. But she had come back.
“Maybe it was that Wu Kaixuan’s idea,” Ye Qingzhi said. She was becoming more and more curious about this Wu Kaixuan.
“Impossible. Wu Kaixuan wouldn’t dare,” Yang Xiaorou said with conviction.
“Don’t be so sure, so you don’t get slapped in the face again,” Ye Qingzhi said with a laugh.
Yang Xiaorou had originally wanted to insist on her own opinion, but then she thought of how she had been slapped in the face several times because of Bai Xue, and she started to waver.
“No matter the reason, Bai Xue is back. Aren’t you going to help?” Ye Qingzhi asked, raising an eyebrow.
Yang Xiaorou had regretted for several days because of Bai Xue’s silent departure. Now that Bai Xue was back, she hadn’t rushed over to see her.
“Yes, I’ll go and help now. Qingzhi, I’ll be going now. By the way, I got news that Old Shen and the others are safe and should be back soon,” Yang Xiaorou said, leaning closer to Ye Qingzhi’s ear and whispering, then turning and leaving in a hurry.
Shen Qingyuan sent a message back? Why didn’t He Qiming send a message back?
Although it wasn’t He Qiming, at least there was news. It was good that he was fine.
The next day, as Ye Qingzhi was washing clothes, she saw Bai Xue come knocking.
“Long time no see, Ye Qingzhi,” Bai Xue said, looking at Ye Qingzhi with a gentle expression.
“Long time no see,” Ye Qingzhi said, quickly rinsing her hands and moving a stool for her. “Sit. Is everything at home tidied up?”
“Yes, it’s already tidied up,” Bai Xue said, looking at Ye Qingzhi and thinking of what she had done before. “I’m sorry. I was a bit extreme before. Now that I think about it, I can’t even understand why I did that. I’ve caused you a lot of harm. I’m really sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s all in the past,” she said. It wasn’t that Ye Qingzhi was magnanimous, but that she had already fought back at the time, so it didn’t count as causing harm. So for her, it was already in the past.
Bai Xue pursed her lips. “I’m having a housewarming tomorrow. Can you come?”
“I won’t go. I have many children at home,” Ye Qingzhi said. She felt that Bai Xue had changed a lot, but the arrogance in her eyes had not changed.
There was a fundamental difference between her and Yang Xiaorou. She looked down on country people, while Yang Xiaorou disliked people who spoke vulgarly and were not clean.
So Ye Qingzhi could be friends with Yang Xiaorou, but she could not be friends with Bai Xue, because Bai Xue still looked down on Ye Qingzhi in her heart.
“Bring the children along. It’s just a matter of adding a few more pairs of chopsticks,” Bai Xue said. She also felt that Ye Qingzhi was too petty. How much could four children eat? It wasn’t like their family couldn’t afford it.
“Really, no need. I’ll come and visit your house when I have the chance in the future,” Ye Qingzhi refused again.
Bai Xue sighed softly. “Alright then. You must come and visit my house next time.”
This time, for the housewarming, Bai Xue had invited almost everyone in the entire family compound. She had set up three whole tables, forcefully announcing her return.
And after the housewarming, Bai Xue had gone from house to house with Wu Kaixuan to distribute wedding candy. The loving appearance of the two of them spread throughout the entire family compound.
Ye Qingzhi saw Wu Kaixuan as she had wished. His looks and temperament were no worse than Xu Kaisheng’s, but Xu Kaisheng was the old cadre type, while Wu Kaixuan was a bit of a rogue.
“Qingzhi, have you seen that Wu Kaixuan? He’s quite handsome. Bai Xue is really lucky. She was born into a good family, doted on by her parents and brother, and she can still find such a good man for her second marriage,” Gu Yao said with emotion.
“If she were lucky, she wouldn’t have been unable to have a child for five years and even gotten a divorce because of it,” Li Jinfeng said, touching her belly. “My luck is not good either. I’m afraid this one will be a daughter again.”
“She hasn’t even been born yet. How do you know if it’s a son or a daughter? Don’t overthink it. We’ll only know when she’s born,” Ye Qingzhi said. She felt that Li Jinfeng had been very anxious recently.
“I had Old Hu take my pulse. I asked him if it was a son or a daughter. He said he couldn’t be sure. Then it must be a daughter,” Li Jinfeng said, looking at her belly dejectedly.
“You also said that Old Hu said he couldn’t be sure. How can you be sure it’s a daughter? Even if it is a daughter, it’s fine. As long as you can have children, you will have a son,” Gu Yao comforted her.
“That’s right. I can still have children. Sooner or later, I will have a son,” Li Jinfeng nodded heavily.
Ye Qingzhi and Yang Xiaorou exchanged a look and both cheered Li Jinfeng on.
They all hoped that Li Jinfeng’s baby would be a son, so that she wouldn’t have to have a sixth or a seventh. Having children was really hard on the body.
Before they knew it, it was already May, and the weather was slowly warming up. Ye Qingzhi had already taken off her thick cotton-padded jacket and changed into a thin one. The few boys were full of energy and didn’t even wear a thin cotton-padded jacket, just a sweater and a vest in the morning and evening.
The shoes were cloth shoes made by Ye Qingzhi herself. She had also made two pairs for He Qiming, but he had not yet returned.
“Xiaorou, has your Old Shen sent a message back? Are they safe?” Ye Qingzhi couldn’t hold it in any longer and asked Yang Xiaorou in a low voice.
“I haven’t received a message for a while either. Don’t worry, they’ll definitely be fine,” Yang Xiaorou said. She had great confidence in Shen Qingyuan.
In mid-May, a telegram came from Zhang Xuewen’s family. Liu Yuqin had accidentally fallen at home, had a premature and difficult birth, and had given birth to a thin and small girl. She herself had died of massive blood loss.
Zhang Xuewen immediately took leave to go back. No matter what Liu Yuqin had done before, she was now his legal wife, and she had died in childbirth. As her husband, he should go back.
“So Zhang Xuewen has already gone back? My god, Liu Yuqin actually died in childbirth just like her mother. Is this also hereditary?” Li Jinfeng had not expected that a perfectly fine person would die just from having a child. She was suddenly terrified. “Will I also have a difficult birth?”
“Pfft, pfft, pfft! Childish words, may the wind blow them away. Don’t talk nonsense. You’ve taken good care of your body, and this is your fifth. There will definitely be no problem,” Ye Qingzhi comforted Li Jinfeng.
Pregnant women were already prone to overthinking. To hear such a thing, and with Li Hanxing also on a mission, it was normal for Li Jinfeng to be scared.
“That’s right, Jinfeng. The doctors at the military hospital are very skilled, and Old Hu is also here. You will definitely be fine,” Yang Xiaorou also comforted her.
The hospital? Ye Qingzhi patted Li Jinfeng’s arm. “Was Liu Yuqin born at home?”
If she remembered correctly, Zhang Dama had said that their home was in the suburbs of the county town. If Liu Yuqin had fallen and had a premature birth, shouldn’t she have been sent to the hospital? Why was she born at home?
“I’m not sure about that, but I remember Zhang Dama saying that they have a very skilled midwife there. This was also one of the reasons why she insisted on having Liu Yuqin go back to have the baby,” Li Jinfeng said, suddenly looking at Ye Qingzhi. “If Liu Yuqin had gone to the hospital to have the baby, she definitely wouldn’t have died, right?”
“Of course. If you can’t have a child in the hospital, you can have a caesarean section. It just hurts for a few days after the surgery. You won’t die,” Yang Xiaorou said, pulling Ye Qingzhi’s clothes. “Are you suspecting something?”
Ye Qingzhi glanced at her. “You’re not suspecting anything?”
Liu Yuqin’s body was so depleted, yet Zhang Dama pretended not to see it and urged her to get pregnant and have a child. The problem was that if the mother was weak, the child born would not be healthy.
At her age, Zhang Dama could not have been unaware.
Never mind Liu Yuqin, did she not even care about her grandson’s health?
And Liu Yuqin was so weak and not even three months pregnant, yet Zhang Dama had been in such a hurry to take her back to her hometown. This did not look like she valued her grandson.
Now, the news came that Liu Yuqin had fallen and had a premature birth at more than seven months, and then had died in childbirth. It was hard not to overthink it.
“What are you suspecting?” Li Jinfeng asked, looking at them in confusion.
“Impossible. We must be overthinking it,” Yang Xiaorou said, shaking her head.
“Are you suspecting that Zhang Dama deliberately did not send her daughter-in-law to the hospital?” Gu Yao asked, having heard most of it and guessing.
“My god, Zhang Dama deliberately did not send Liu Yuqin to the hospital so that she would have a difficult birth and die. Isn’t that murder?” Li Jinfeng had already forgotten about her fear of having a child.
Yang Xiaorou covered Li Jinfeng’s mouth and made a shushing gesture. “Don’t talk nonsense. We’re just suspecting. Jinfeng, you must not tell anyone these words.”
It was all their wild guesses, with no proof.
“I know. It’s just that the daughter Liu Yuqin gave birth to is so pitiful. She was born at only seven months. I don’t know if she can be raised,” Li Jinfeng said. She felt it would be difficult.
A few more days passed, and the news of Liu Yuqin’s death in childbirth slowly faded. The family compound returned to peace.
Ye Qingzhi was idle and was planning to make some summer clothes for the children. As she was cutting the cloth, she heard the door open and thought it was Yangyang coming back.
“Yangyang, you’re back? Come quickly, Mama will wipe your sweat,” Ye Qingzhi said, taking out a handkerchief. She looked up, and the handkerchief in her hand fell to the ground. Her body moved before her mind. “You’re back?”
He Qiming hugged Ye Qingzhi tightly, his voice hoarse. “Wife, I’m back.”
“It’s good that you’re back. Are you hurt?” Ye Qingzhi carefully checked him and was sure that he was fine.
“I’m really fine. I just want to eat your noodles,” He Qiming said, his chin resting on Ye Qingzhi’s shoulder.
“You go and take a shower, change your clothes. It’ll be ready when you’re done,” Ye Qingzhi said, pushing He Qiming into the bathroom. Her empty heart was suddenly at ease.