Chapter 94
Ye Qingzhi was very thankful that she had the original host’s memories, so she could now take care of her child with such ease.
However, some of her and the original host’s concepts were different. For example, the point that a small child could not take a bath, Ye Qingzhi could not accept.
On the second day after her confinement, she had He Qiming boil water. After the four older ones had finished washing, the bathroom was already very warm. The remaining water was just right for Yaoyao to take a bath.
“Qingzhi, what are you doing in the room?” Gu Yao and Yang Xiaorou came in. Seeing Ye Qingzhi drying the child’s hair, Gu Yao asked in surprise, “Did you give Yaoyao a bath? Don’t let him catch a cold.”
“He won’t. His four older brothers washed first. The bathroom is warmer than the bathhouse,” Ye Qingzhi said, wiping for a bit. She found that the little baby’s hair dried very quickly and touched it in confusion. “A small child’s hair dries so fast. Come on, let’s go to the living room to eat some fruit.”
During her confinement, He Qiming had strictly controlled Ye Qingzhi’s diet. He hadn’t let her eat anything hard, raw, or cold. Fruit was also considered raw and cold, so Ye Qingzhi hadn’t touched any for a month.
It was also her good luck. There were many fruits this season, like apples, grapes, persimmons, and pears. He Qiming knew she loved to eat fruit and had bought a lot when he went to buy groceries yesterday.
“You’ve just finished your confinement. You should eat less fruit,” Gu Yao advised.
“It’s fine. I’ll just roast them on the stove and eat them when they’re warm,” Yang Xiaorou said. She also loved to eat fruit, but she had a cold stomach. Especially in the winter, she would get diarrhea after eating raw and cold fruit. Later, she had found that it was fine if she roasted the fruit before eating.
Ye Qingzhi nodded. “Good idea. I’ll roast them before I eat.”
In fact, Ye Qingzhi didn’t know if she could eat them. According to scientific confinement, she should be able to. But Old Hu had said no, and the sisters-in-law in the family compound had also said no. For the sake of her own body, she had to be careful with what she ate.
“Is Jinfeng about to be due? Is her mother-in-law coming?” Yang Xiaorou asked, turning the apple over.
“They said Wenshu and Wenhua are all grown up and can work. It’s enough for them to take care of Jinfeng, so she’s not coming,” Gu Yao said, peeling a peanut for Ye Qingzhi. “You’ve given the He family a big fat boy. Your in-laws haven’t even said a word?”
Ever since Ye Qingzhi had married He Qiming, Yang Fuzhen had been urging her to have a child in every letter. After Ye Qingzhi had gotten pregnant, she had instigated He Qiming to have Ye Qingzhi go back to her hometown to have the baby.
She had said it was convenient for them to take care of her, but with the situation at the old house, if Ye Qingzhi had gone back, she would have definitely been agitated every day.
Never mind that she didn’t plan to go back, even He Qiming was not at ease with her going back.
On the second day after she had given birth, He Qiming had sent a telegram back home. There was no reply from the other end. It was probably because they thought a telegram was too expensive.
Half a month later, He Qiming had received a letter from home. They had pretended to be concerned for a few sentences, then had asked Ye Qingzhi to take the child back to her hometown, saying that they could help with the child at home.
“Then are you going back?” Yang Xiaorou asked, looking at Ye Qingzhi nervously.
She had finally found a friend she could talk to. If she left, she would be so lonely.
Ye Qingzhi ate a warm grape. Because it had been roasted, it felt a little sour. She smacked her lips and said without hesitation, “No, I’m living well here. Why would I go back? To argue with my in-laws and sisters-in-law?”
Besides her biased in-laws and her scheming sisters-in-law, there were also her parents’ family who favored boys over girls, and her former father-in-law who was eyeing her. She had finally escaped. She would be crazy to go back.
“That’s right. Your in-laws and your parents’ family all want to suck your blood. You can’t go back,” Yang Xiaorou nodded repeatedly.
“I really don’t understand. Brother He is so outstanding. Why do your in-laws still favor the other children?” Gu Yao was completely baffled.
Who could know a person’s heart? It could only be said that He Qiming’s fate with his parents was rather shallow.
With one more child, Ye Qingzhi was suddenly much busier. The days passed by in a flash. In the blink of an eye, Yaoyao was already a hundred days old. He had grown fair and chubby. If it weren’t for wearing too many clothes, he might have already been able to turn over.
“Qingzhi, Jinfeng is about to give birth. You shouldn’t go. Help me cook some brown sugar eggs. I’ll be back to get them in a bit,” Gu Yao said, finishing in a hurry and leaving in a hurry.
Counting the days, Li Jinfeng was due in a few days. Ye Qingzhi had Jingyan and the others help watch their younger brother and went to the kitchen to start a fire and boil water.
“Ma, is Auntie Jinfeng about to have a baby? Is it a little brother or a little sister?” Ye Anjie asked, leaning against Ye Qingzhi.
“She hasn’t given birth yet. How would I know?” Ye Qingzhi asked, looking at the much taller Anjie. “I heard from Jingyan that your leg hurts. Did you fall?”
“No. I don’t know either. It’s just occasionally. It’s fine,” Ye Anjie said. He hadn’t expected He Jingyan to have noticed.
“The body is the capital of the revolution. You can’t be careless. When I go to the hospital to see your Auntie Jinfeng in a bit, you can go with me and have a doctor take a look,” Ye Qingzhi said. She felt that it was better to have a doctor take a look.
The water was already boiling. Ye Qingzhi put in five eggs and also two large spoonfuls of brown sugar. She scooped it into a thermos, gave He Jingyan and the others a few instructions, and took Ye Anjie to the hospital.
“Is Sister Jinfeng alright? How many centimeters is she dilated?” Seeing Li Hanxing helping Li Jinfeng walk, Ye Qingzhi asked Yang Xiaorou in a low voice.
“I was just about to look for you. Jinfeng was just calling for food. Is it brown sugar eggs?” Yang Xiaorou asked, taking the thermos and opening it to have a look. “So much? Jinfeng, quick, brown sugar eggs. Qingzhi cooked them.”
“Hiss, Qingzhi, thank you,” Li Jinfeng said, taking advantage of the less painful moment to quickly eat something. But she had only eaten one egg when her stomach started to hurt again. She could only stop and eat again after this wave had passed.
Intermittently, it took more than half an hour to finish the five eggs.
“My water broke. Wait, Xiaorou, let me have two more sips of soup,” Li Jinfeng said, holding the thermos and drinking a few mouthfuls of brown sugar water before she went into the delivery room.
“I wonder if Jinfeng’s baby is a boy or a girl this time. I hope it’s a boy. She shouldn’t have any more. It’s really a torment,” Yang Xiaorou said, glancing at Li Hanxing and whispering.
“Isn’t that the truth?” Ye Qingzhi had just given birth, so the pain of childbirth was still fresh in her memory. She sincerely hoped that Li Jinfeng’s baby would be a boy this time, so that she wouldn’t have to have another one.
Having a child was not that fast. Ye Qingzhi told Gu Yao and the others, then took Ye Anjie to see a doctor. The doctor at the hospital said it was fine, it might be growing pains, and that he just needed to eat well and get some nourishment.
Ye Qingzhi also took him to see Old Hu, who said the same thing.
“I told you it was fine,” Ye Anjie said with a grin.
Ye Qingzhi patted his back. It was cold recently, and Meiduo’s family’s eggs were not many to begin with. Li Jinfeng was about to have a child, so she had bought half of them. The other three families had to share the rest, so they really didn’t get much. The goat’s milk was also less. So the child’s nutrition was not keeping up.
“Is everything alright?” Seeing Ye Qingzhi come back with Ye Anmin, Yang Xiaorou asked in a low voice.
“It’s fine. It’s because he’s growing too fast and not getting enough nutrition. Xiaorou, besides Meiduo’s place, can we buy eggs and meat anywhere else?” Ye Qingzhi asked, thinking of He Jingyan and Ye Anmin, who were also growing.
“I’ll ask someone. It shouldn’t be hard to find,” Yang Xiaorou said, thinking of Shen Jiahao. He seemed to have lost some weight recently and should also get some nourishment.
After waiting outside the delivery room for a while, Ye Qingzhi was worried that Yaoyao would wake up and cry. She told Li Hanxing and prepared to go back first.
“You go back. I’m here with Xiaorou,” Gu Yao said, waving her hand and telling Ye Qingzhi to hurry back.
Back at home, Yaoyao had indeed woken up. The three older brothers were playing with him, and he would let out a giggle from time to time. When he saw Ye Qingzhi, his small mouth pouted, and he reached out to her with a wronged expression.
“Ma, is Anjie alright?” Jingyan’s eyes flashed with a hint of worry.
“He’s fine,” Ye Qingzhi said, picking up Yaoyao. Seeing him anxiously rubbing against her chest, she patted his small bottom with a helpless look. “Yaoyao is hungry. I’ll go and feed him first. Anjie is fine. You don’t have to worry.”
At a little past seven in the evening, Ye Qingzhi was just thinking of whether to go to the hospital to see when she saw Gu Yao come in, braving the cold wind. She took off her scarf, her mouth puffing out white air, and stomped her feet. “It’s snowing outside. It’s so cold. Jinfeng has given birth. It’s a girl.”
Ye Qingzhi sighed softly. “Is Sister Jinfeng alright?”
Gu Yao also sighed and shook her head. “She was still crying there when I came back.”
“What was Battalion Commander Li’s reaction?” Ye Qingzhi didn’t even know if Li Hanxing really liked Li Jinfeng. If he really did, how could he bear to have Li Jinfeng suffer the pain of childbirth again and again?
“He’s been comforting Jinfeng, just repeating the same things. From Jinfeng’s appearance, she’ll probably have another one,” Gu Yao said. She felt that Li Hanxing also still wanted to have one.
Just then, Li Jiang came to pick up Gu Yao. He chatted with He Qiming for a few sentences, then took Gu Yao and left.
“Did Li Jinfeng have a daughter?” He Qiming had not heard very clearly just now.
“Yes. What do you think Li Hanxing is thinking? He’s an old party member. How can his thinking be so backward?” Ye Qingzhi couldn’t help but shiver at the thought of Li Jinfeng having another one.
“Li Jinfeng must also want to continue to have children. Everyone has their own ideas. In the end, we are outsiders. You shouldn’t say too much,” He Qiming reminded her.
“I know. I’m just telling you,” she said. Ye Qingzhi was not stupid. How could she say bad things about Li Hanxing to Li Jinfeng?
The next morning, Ye Qingzhi had Jingyan and the others watch Yaoyao while she went to the hospital to see Li Jinfeng.
Originally, having a child was a happy event, but Li Jinfeng’s expression was haggard, her gaze was dim, and there was no smile on her face at all.
“Sister Jinfeng,” Ye Qingzhi said, peeking at the child. A small nose and a small mouth, a very pretty little baby.
“Qingzhi, do you think I can have a son?” Li Jinfeng was now in deep self-doubt.
“You can. How can you not?” Ye Qingzhi sensed that her state was not right and went along with her.
“That’s right. As long as I can have children, I will definitely be able to have a son. This time, it was our fault for being careless. We would have succeeded after we had finished the folk remedy. There will be no mistakes next time,” Li Jinfeng said with a firm tone.
Well, it seemed she had already formed an obsession. She would not give up until she had a son.
“Qingzhi, how are you so amazing, to have had three sons in a row?” Li Jinfeng asked, looking at Ye Qingzhi with envy.
“Jinfeng, you cried for so long last night. Your eyes are still swollen. You should hurry up and close your eyes to rest. Really, to cry for so long during your confinement, do you still want your eyes?” Gu Yao saw Ye Qingzhi’s predicament and immediately changed the subject.