“Hey, you’re back. You’re back. So? Is it true? Are you pregnant?”
As soon as they entered the alley, Bai Lan and Xu Jianbei were surrounded by several of the alley’s middle-aged women, all asking eagerly.
Bai Lan was taken aback for a moment, then felt speechless. Needless to say, the woman from the pharmacy must have spread the news. Who knew what she was thinking? She had gone and announced Bai Lan’s pregnancy based on nothing but a guess, not even afraid of causing a false alarm. Even though, as it turned out, Bai Lan really was pregnant.
To be honest, Bai Lan hadn’t even fully recovered from the shock of finding out she had a baby.
Yes, shock. Even though she had always taken a “let it happen” approach, actually becoming pregnant still surprised her quite a bit. But after the surprise faded, seeing how happy Xu Jianbei looked, Bai Lan finally felt it sink in.
She, Bai Lan, was going to be a mother!
Seeing so many people crowding around, Xu Jianbei immediately reached out to shield his wife. “Everyone, don’t push. Don’t crowd.”
“Oh my, so it’s true! Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so nervous!” a woman teased.
Xu Jianbei took a deep breath. He wanted to say that even if she weren’t pregnant, he would still be very protective of his wife.
“Yes, she’s really pregnant. So, aunties, please make way and don’t crowd my wife!”
“Oh dear, this Xu Laosi really dotes on his wife!”
Seeing Xu Jianbei’s reaction, the women all burst into laughter and started teasing him.
Watching the scene, Bai Lan suddenly felt like laughing.
——
“Now that you’re pregnant, you need to be careful with your movements. Absolutely no lifting or carrying anything heavy.”
As soon as Bai Lan’s mother heard that her daughter was back, she came straight to the Xu household. The moment she arrived, she began rattling off pregnancy precautions.
Bai Lan listened with a smile, but her gaze shifted toward Xu Jianbei.
Xu Jianbei nodded. “Mom, I’ll step out for a bit.”
Seeing Xu Jianbei leave, Bai’s mother lowered her voice. “Your place here is still a bit small. After the baby is born, if there isn’t enough room at home, you can come stay with us.”
The room Bai Lan had lived in before marrying was still empty. She had originally shared it with Bai Ping. After falling out with Bai Ping and being reclaimed by Bai Baowei, Bai Lan had lived in that room alone. Bai Baowei lived separately in the former Qian family’s house.
“Doesn’t Eldest Sister really want to use my old room?”
Bai Lan’s eldest sister, divorced and now living back at home with her child, was currently still sharing a main room with Bai Li.
“Your eldest sister said it’s fine. She’s almost saved up enough money. She’s been looking for a house nearby to buy and move into.”
Hearing that her eldest sister was almost ready to buy a house, Bai Lan was naturally happy. That way, after the baby was born, if the Xu house became too cramped, moving back to her mother’s place was a real possibility.
“I’m just worried Jianbei might mind—you know, living in his wife’s family home…”
Bai Lan laughed at her mother’s concern.
“Mom, he’s not the kind of person who cares about that kind of face. We’ll wait until after the baby is born and then see about the housing situation.”
The couple actually had quite a bit in savings. But Bai Lan wasn’t keen on buying a shared courtyard house. If they were going to buy, she wanted an entire courtyard—even a single-entry one would do. For now, they hadn’t found any suitable properties anyway.
Seeing that her youngest daughter and son-in-law had a plan, Bai’s mother didn’t nag further. However, she soon sighed. “Your life is clearly getting better and better. But your second sister still hasn’t found anyone.”
Since the incident with Xu Qiang and his sister, Bai Li had become much tougher. Lately, a wave of matchmaking and marriage had swept through the courtyard, but Bai Li hadn’t been affected in the slightest.
“Mom, don’t worry. Second sister knows her own mind!” Bai Lan laughed and comforted her. She had noticed that parents all nagged about marriage the same way.
Take Datou, for example. His situation was even more difficult than Bai Li’s. His mother’s nagging gave him a real headache.
——
And speaking of Datou, he currently had a huge headache. This time, it wasn’t about being pressured to marry—it was because of what Xu Jianbei had told him.
“There really is a specialist coming?”
Xu Jianbei nodded. He hadn’t expected that just by going to the hospital with Bai Lan, he would happen to find out that an acupuncture specialist focusing on trauma had recently arrived.
He had specifically asked around. This specialist had some unique treatments for paralysis. It was only because some people nowadays dismissed traditional Chinese medicine as feudal superstition that ordinary folks like them rarely got access to such a master healer.
Since Datou’s father’s condition fit the bill perfectly, Xu Jianbei had made a special trip to suggest that Datou take his father to see the specialist.
If Bai Lan hadn’t been mistaken—if Datou’s father’s calf really could move—then maybe this condition could be treated.
After hearing Xu Jianbei’s words, Datou’s expression grew very emotional. “Brother Bei, great. Thank you. Really, thank you. I’ll go talk to my parents about it, and we’ll go see the specialist together.”
With this good news, Datou went home overjoyed.
Ning’s mother was washing clothes. Seeing her son so happy, she asked casually, “What did Jianbei say to you?”
Datou chuckled. “Mom, Brother Bei said…”
Datou briefly explained the situation about the specialist, and a hint of pleasant surprise also appeared on Ning’s mother’s face.
“Is there really a chance?”
Datou said, “We won’t know until we take Dad to see him. But I asked in detail—we’ve never seen this specialist before. Apparently, he was just transferred up from a lower-level hospital recently. Anyway, Dad’s medical expenses are covered by the factory. Why not go and take a look? There might really be a turning point!”
Ning’s mother naturally wouldn’t refuse such a good opportunity. She shook the water off her hands, stood up, and walked toward the house.
“Come inside. Explain this to your father.”
Datou followed happily, his heart full of anticipation. If his father could really be cured, he would be overjoyed.
If his father got better, his mother wouldn’t have to work so hard, and he himself could finally have the right to pursue someone he liked.
But with this beautiful hope in his heart, what greeted Datou was a cold refusal.
“Not going? Why?”
Staring at his biological father, who had outright refused to see a doctor, Datou’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Ning Geda listened to the radio program and said nothing in response to his son’s question.
Seeing this, Datou scratched his head in frustration.
Ning’s mother saw her son’s distress and gave him a gentle push. “Go out for a walk. I’ll talk to your father.”
Deeply disappointed, Datou still listened to his mother and stepped out of the house.
But standing in the yard, he didn’t know where to go.
And so, Bai Lan once again saw Datou standing under her eaves, his expression like a frostbitten eggplant.
She immediately signaled Xu Jianbei with her eyes to go see what was wrong with their young friend.
Xu Jianbei walked over and patted Datou on the shoulder. “Go ahead. Your father doesn’t want to go, does he?”
Datou nodded dejectedly. “I don’t understand. When there’s a chance he could get better, why won’t he even try?”
Xu Jianbei had no answer to that question. It was hard for healthy people to understand the mindset of the sick.
“Anyway, just do your best. Don’t blame yourself too much. All us old neighbors have seen how much you’ve given over the years.”
Bai Lan’s mother hadn’t left yet; she was still at Bai Lan’s place. Hearing the conversation, though she didn’t know exactly what had happened, she knew Datou was a filial child.
So she chimed in, “That’s right. You’re a good kid. Everyone around here praises you. You should honor your parents, but you also need to live your own life.”
Bai Lan’s mother knew how Datou had struggled over the years, so her words were full of emotion.
—
“Not going. I said no, no, no. Going is just a waste of money. If we have spare cash, we should save it to find a wife for our son.”
In the front courtyard of the Ning house, Ning Geda was loudly declaring his decision to Ning’s mother. His voice was hoarse, and to others, it might have sounded somewhat frightening.
Ning’s mother continued trying to persuade him. “The factory is paying for it. It won’t cost us anything. Even if it did, if there’s a chance you could get better, we’d have to try, even if it meant selling the pot and the pan!”
Ning Geda was so angry he pounded the bed with his fist. “Right after the accident, I saw so many specialists. Every single one of them said they didn’t know, they weren’t sure, they couldn’t say for certain. I’ve been like this for nearly twenty years now. Do you really think there’s any hope of getting better? That so-called specialist is just trying to scam money. I’m not going.”
Ning’s mother understood what her husband meant. After his accident back then, they had indeed run to every hospital in the entire northern city and even neighboring cities. They spent a lot of money, but in the end, there was no progress. So after that, they stopped going to see doctors. Of course, part of it was also that they really didn’t have any money. The factory covered medical expenses, but there were limits.
But this time, for some reason, seeing the lighthearted expression on her son’s face just now, Ning’s mother suddenly wanted her husband to try one more time. Her son had lived far too hard these years.
Unfortunately, Ning Geda had no idea about the complex thoughts running through Ning’s mother’s mind. Seeing that she was still trying to persuade him, he became so angry that he picked up whatever was at hand and started smashing things.
The object was a small wooden hammer used for massaging his legs. With one smash, he broke the window. The sound was so loud that it startled Datou, who was still talking with Xu Jianbei.
“Oh no, something’s happened at home.”
Datou rushed home in a panic. Xu Jianbei immediately followed.
Bai Lan sighed. She didn’t want their good intentions to end up causing trouble.
“Don’t go over there. Who knows what kind of commotion is going on. It’s not convenient for you to go in your condition.”
Bai Lan’s mother was afraid her daughter would follow along and immediately stopped her.
Bai Lan hadn’t planned on going anyway. She never really liked the atmosphere in the Ning household.
“Mom, how exactly did Datou’s father get injured back then? Now that I think about it, after all these years, I rarely remember seeing Uncle Ning go out.”
Bai Lan’s mother shook her head. “No one really knows the specifics. It’s been so many years. But even before he got hurt, Ning Geda was always the quiet type.”
Mother and daughter chatted about the Ning family’s past on one side. Meanwhile, on the other side, Datou had already started arguing with his father.
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