The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later Chapter 282 - 281: "How did you find this place?

"Oh my, you shouldn’t have! Why bring so many things?" Stone’s mother warmly invited Xue Yue and Mrs. He inside.

Mrs. He smiled and said, "It’s not much. We heard Shitou’s wife gave birth, so we ca to visit. Is she awake?"

Shitou’s mother nodded. "She is. Xiu’er, look who’s here."

When Yang Wenxiu saw Mrs. He and Xue Yue co in, she tried to sit up.

Mrs. He quickly said, "Don’t move, dear. Just stay lying down while we talk."

Stone’s mother pulled Mrs. He over to see the baby.

Xue Yue sat by the bed and looked at Yang Wenxiu. "Was the delivery smooth?"

Yang Wenxiu smiled. "It was alright. I started feeling it yesterday afternoon. Shitou was afraid I’d go into labor in the middle of the night, so we ca to the hospital early. He was born in the early hours of this morning."

"Where’s Shitou?"

"He went ho to make so chicken soup."

Xue Yue raised her eyebrows. "That’s wonderful." She stood up. "I’ll go take a look at the baby."

Mrs. He was carefully examining the baby. "What a big, healthy boy. He’s so handso. You know, his eyes really look like your Shitou’s."

Shitou’s mother looked at the baby and said, "Yes, his eyes are certainly like Shitou’s. And Shitou’s eyes are just like Wei Liang’s."

Wei Liang was the na of Shitou’s father. Mrs. He sighed emotionally. "If Shitou’s father knew, he would be so happy."

Shitou’s mother’s eyes reddened, but she smiled. "Yes. The Wei Family has a descendant now."

’So Shitou’s surna is Wei?’ Xue Yue had never known. ’I thought he was a He, too, since half the people in Da Liushu Village have that surna.’

Back ho, she ntioned it to He Lang, who chuckled.

"Do you know what Shitou’s real na is?"

Xue Yue was curious. "What is it?"

"Wei Jiefang."

Xue Yue blinked. "That na is..."

He Lang smiled. "Pretty old-fashioned, right? I heard his father picked it. When he was little, the other village kids would taunt him, chanting, ’Jiefang, Jiefang, ti to eat and dress!’ Shitou didn’t like his na either. His mom called him Shitou because stones are sturdy and it sounded like he’d be easy to raise. The na just stuck."

Xue Yue asked He Lang, "Did your father na you and your brothers? Why aren’t your nas sothing like ’Aiguo’ or ’Aimin’?"

Xue Yue was teasing, but she was also telling the truth. It wasn’t as bad now, but back in the sixties and seventies, nas like Aiguo and Aimin were incredibly common. Xue Yue’s own na had been chosen by her mother, and you could tell at a glance that her mother was an educated woman.

He Lang said, "Mom told my grandfather nad my eldest brother. My dad nad my second brother and ."

"Your dad went to school, didn’t he?"

"Yeah. Dad said he used to get really good grades, but he never finished middle school. He had to stop because of the war."

Xue Yue nodded. ’It’s true,’ she thought. ’Just surviving back then was hard enough.’

In their room, Mrs. He was also talking to Mr. He. "It’s a big, chubby boy. Such a joy to see."

Then she added, "It’s a pity they can only have one. The family planning policy is so strict now. The other day, I was out buying groceries and heard the old lady from the end of our alley talking. Her daughter had a second child and was fined 5,000 yuan. She said her daughter took the baby and fled to her mother’s house to avoid the fine. When she ca back half a month later, she found all their appliances had been taken."

Mr. He said, "If the state enacts a policy, there must be a reason for it. Having fewer children is good, too. It can lighten a family’s burden."

Mrs. He did not agree at all. "I still think more children are better. It’s a bit of a burden when they’re young, but when they grow up, you have more hands to help with work. Now they demand you only have one. It’s fine if it’s a boy, but what do you do if you have a girl? When you die, there’ll be no son to perform the funeral rites."

Mr. He shot her a look and lay down. "Tis are changing. That kind of thinking is outdated now. Daughters can do anything a son can."

As he spoke, Mrs. He’s thoughts turned to He Yun from their hotown.

"The last ti I saw her, she seed to have lost a lot of weight. I was so preoccupied with our second son’s matters at the ti that I didn’t have the mind to ask her about it."

Mr. He rolled over. "Ask what? Let them worry about their own lives. Don’t start with your old habits again—getting soft-hearted, running your mouth, and letting her rope you into sothing that’ll just cause trouble for our children."

Mrs. He shot him an annoyed glare. "That was ages ago. I’m much more cautious now."

"You’d better be. Alright, stop chattering and get so sleep." Mr. He closed his eyes after he finished speaking.

One day, half a month later, Zhang Qian ca ho from work and saw soone squatting by her front door.

She took a closer look. "Zhang Yunlei?"

The squatting young man looked up, and when he saw it was Zhang Qian, he happily stood up.

"Auntie."

Zhang Qian looked at Zhang Yunlei. She hadn’t seen him in years, and he had grown into a young man, even taller than her now. Still, she could recognize his old features.

"How did you find this place?"

Zhang Yunlei scratched the back of his head. "I went back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house and happened to see it. They had the address from sothing you mailed ho."

"Do your parents know you ca here?"

Zhang Yunlei nodded. "Yes, I told them. They didn’t object."

Zhang Qian bit her lip, looking at him.

"Co on in and we’ll talk."

Only the nanny and Tun Tun were ho; Xue Xingzhou hadn’t returned from work yet.

When the nanny saw Zhang Yunlei trailing behind Zhang Qian, she said a little sheepishly, "He ca by earlier saying he was your nephew, but I’d never seen him before. I was afraid he was a scamr, so I didn’t let him in."

Zhang Qian nodded. "That’s alright, you did the right thing. If we’re not ho, don’t let strangers in."

The nanny smiled and went to boil so water for them.

Zhang Qian went into the room, washed her hands, and then went to check on her son.

Tun Tun was asleep. Zhang Qian gently touched his forehead. Zhang Yunlei stood awkwardly in the doorway, watching them.

"Have a seat."

Zhang Qian walked over to the sofa and sat down. "Did you co to Beijing City just to stay for a few days, or do you have other plans?"

Zhang Yunlei looked at her nervously, wringing his hands. "Auntie, I want to stay. I want to find a job in Beijing City."

"What can you do?"

Zhang Yunlei said eagerly, "I’m a hard worker. I can do any kind of job."

Zhang Qian looked at him. "That’s not exactly a skill. Look, I’m not going to lecture you. If you want to stay here, you can. It’s no trouble to feed one more person. But when it cos to work, we won’t get involved. You’ll have to find a job yourself."

"Auntie—"

Zhang Qian cut him off. "I can’t help you with that. You have to rely on yourself. Do you still want to stay?"

Zhang Yunlei was silent for a mont, then nodded. "Yes."

Zhang Qian settled him into Zheng Guofeng’s room, moving Zheng Guofeng’s things to one side.

"This is Tun Tun’s grandfather’s room. He’s not living here right now, so you can stay here for the ti being."

Zhang Yunlei looked around the room and nodded. "Thank you, Auntie."

Zhang Qian glanced at him once more before leaving.

After Xue Xingzhou got ho, Zhang Qian told him about Zhang Yunlei’s plans.

Back when they were in their hotown, Xue Xingzhou had known about Zhang Hui and his wife’s intentions. Although he hadn’t agreed to their request at the ti, Zhang Yunlei showing up unannounced like this was likely instigated by his parents.