Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 109 Confinement

Her eyes welled up with tears when she saw her grandmother: "Sister Cheng, you're back."

Grandma looked at her with sadness, stepped forward, took her rough hands, and sighed, "Yes, I'm back, Lin sister. You've suffered so much all these years."

Grandma Lin was led by Grandma He to sit on the sofa in the living room, her movements somewhat awkward. "Sister Cheng, I really didn't know you were back. Last year when your son came to collect the house, I asked him about it. He said the house was intended for your grandson's family, but he didn't mention you were coming back."

So I didn't go over there after that. It was only after a neighbor told me that your granddaughter-in-law had too much breast milk and the baby couldn't finish it all that I came over, even though I felt bad, to ask if I could help breastfeed my great-granddaughter a little. My granddaughter-in-law doesn't have enough breast milk, the baby cries all the time, and doesn't like formula. I'm really worried about this."

Grandma He then turned to the child in the young woman's arms. Logically, this child was a month older than her own grandson, but he was much thinner and weaker than her own grandson. She took the child, walked to Jingyan's door, and asked, "Jingyan, the neighbor's baby girl doesn't have enough milk. Would you like to help feed her a few times?"

Jingyan had just finished feeding her child and still felt her breasts were swollen. Upon hearing this, she quickly said, "Grandma, bring the child over here. Let me feed him first."

Grandma pushed the door open and came in, then closed it behind her. She put the child on the kang (a heated brick bed), untied the small blanket, and found the child had already opened his eyes, sucking on his little finger—he was very cute.

Jingyan picked up the child, unbuttoned her clothes, and the child must have sensed the embrace filled with the scent of milk, quickly found the right spot, and sucked on it, drinking enthusiastically. Grandma breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her.

"Grandma, whose child is this? How old is he? Why is he so thin?" Jingyan asked while breastfeeding.

Grandma sighed: "This is Grandma Lin's great-granddaughter, who lives two streets away from our house. We used to go to school together and had a good relationship back then. Unfortunately, I later married your grandfather. He had a good family background, so we were able to hide in a sanatorium during the Cultural Revolution."

However, she had only married an ordinary man. When the Cultural Revolution began, that man acted unethically, divorcing her to protect himself and abandoning his fatherless grandson to her. He then found a wife with a good family background to avoid being implicated.

Fortunately, those Red Guards, out of consideration for her plight as a widow and orphan, only vandalized her house and didn't harass her too much back then. Now, her granddaughter-in-law isn't producing enough breast milk, and that's why they came to my door seeking help after I asked around the neighborhood for solutions.

Jingyan looked at the little girl in her arms drinking milk obediently, and her maternal love overflowed. She said gently, "Grandma, why don't you bring this child over when she needs milk during the day? I'll feed Xiaobao first, and then feed her. Anyway, even if this little girl doesn't come, any extra milk will just be wasted. It's better to give her the extra milk."

Grandma looked at Jingyan to make sure she was willing before she felt relieved. "Then you feed her first, I'll go out and tell my old friend."

Grandma went to the living room, and Old Mrs. Lin sat awkwardly on the sofa. Her granddaughter-in-law kept glancing in this direction. When she saw Grandma He come out, she immediately stood up with a look of anticipation on her face.

"Sister Lin, my granddaughter-in-law agrees to feed the baby with her extra breast milk, but you need to bring it over when she's hungry. She's still in her postpartum period and can't be exposed to the wind or get too tired," Grandma He said directly.

Grandma Lin was overjoyed to hear this. "It's already a huge favor that you can help feed them. Sister Cheng, thank you so much. You took care of me when I was little. I never thought that I would need your granddaughter-in-law to help my family in my old age. Thank you so much."

Her granddaughter-in-law was also very excited, but after hesitating for a long time, she only managed to say, "Thank you so much."

Grandma He was a straightforward person and didn't like this kind of timid nature, but since this wasn't family, she just smiled and nodded in response. After the child finished drinking the milk, Sister Wang carried the swaddled baby out.

"How's Jingyan doing this time? Is your milk not engorged anymore?" Grandma He asked.

Sister Wang laughed: "Hmm, this little girl looks thin, but she has a really good appetite. She eats just as much as our young master. Jingyan has been completely eaten up and is finally feeling comfortable."

"Enough to eat is fine." Grandma He nodded with a smile.

Lin's granddaughter-in-law stepped forward and took the child. Sister Wang said, "The baby has already been burped, and his tummy is full. You have to keep feeding him. As the baby grows, his appetite will also increase. I'm worried that Jingyan won't have enough milk to feed both babies later, so you have to feed him yourself to prevent your milk from drying up."

Grandma Lin's granddaughter-in-law blushed and nodded in agreement. Grandma Lin said, "Alright, once the child has eaten, you can go back first. I've finally seen my old sister, so I'll chat for a while longer before I go back."

Watching her granddaughter-in-law leave, the smile on Grandma Lin's face faded a bit. Grandma He looked at her expression and asked, "You don't like this granddaughter-in-law?" Although it was a question, her words carried an air of certainty.

Grandma Lin nodded: "My family's class background is not good. When my grandson was of marriageable age, it was difficult to find a wife. This girl's father was the village secretary of a nearby village. His family chose my family to register a household there, but my grandson chose her family because of their class background."

Besides, my grandson is good-looking. Although his job isn't very respectable, he earns enough to support the whole family. My family didn't have much choice, so we arranged the marriage.

This child is the youngest in her family, and her family favors boys over girls, so you can imagine how difficult her life was at her parents' home. This has led to her developing such a petty and narrow-minded attitude. I originally wanted to discipline her, but she wouldn't understand if I spoke gently, and she would burst into tears if I spoke bluntly. After a while, I just gave up on trying to help her.

Anyway, this is my grandson's life. As long as he's happy, that's all that matters. If it weren't for the fact that her breast milk supply was too low and the baby wasn't getting enough to eat, I really wouldn't want to get involved in this. Sigh~

Grandma He also sighed, "Every family has its own problems."

"How's your granddaughter-in-law? The fact that you moved back from the nursing home means you two must get along well. Otherwise, given your personality, you'd rather stay in the nursing home than live with the younger generation." Old Mrs. Lin knew her older sister very well.

When Jingyan was mentioned, Grandma He smiled and said, "Jingyan is a good girl. She also comes from the countryside and has a junior high school education. However, my grandson chose her himself and asked his parents to check her out. She has a generous personality and looks very lucky."

This girl is so hardworking. Pregnancy is such a tiring thing. We've all been through it. From the time she got pregnant until she gave birth, she didn't let Zhijun take any leave. Until the ninth month, Zhijun only went home once every two weeks.

She managed to keep the house in perfect order even while pregnant, and even sold braised meat for two or three months. She's hardworking and resilient; she even found the workers herself to repair our house.

"You know, she just arrived here and didn't know anyone, yet she managed to find capable people in such a short time. Isn't that amazing? Anyway, we really clicked, and I genuinely like her."

Grandma Lin smiled and nodded. Seeing that Sister Wang had gone into the kitchen and there was no one else in the living room, she secretly took a jade bracelet wrapped in red cloth from her pocket.

"Sister Cheng, I'm having a tough time these days. I can't get eggs or malted milk powder. I still have some old things hidden in my house. Consider this a thank-you gift to your granddaughter-in-law, and also a greeting gift."

Seeing that Grandma He was hesitant to give it up, she took Grandma He's hand and said, "Don't be so polite with me. This thing is only of average quality. If it were a top-quality item, I wouldn't be willing to give it away. It's just a token of my appreciation."

However, I don't want the younger generation in the family to know that I still have some things, lest they covet them. I want them to live their own lives and not let them try to take advantage of this old lady.

Grandma He saw that she genuinely wanted to give it to her, and after confirming that the jade bracelet wasn't particularly translucent and couldn't compare to the other jade pieces she had, she finally accepted it: "Alright, I'll give it to Jingyan later. This isn't cheap, and I can't be too greedy."

"Here, I'll bring you two spare ribs from the ones I bought today. They're not as fragrant as fatty meat, but they taste pretty good. If you ever need any meat, just come to my place. Jingyan knows a girl who works at a slaughterhouse; she brings over leftover scraps of meat every day that she can't sell. You don't need meat coupons to buy them. My family doesn't need any meat."

Grandma Lin and Grandma He had been friends for many years. Even though they had been separated for more than ten years, she still knew Grandma He's character very well. Hearing this, she did not refuse and readily accepted the gift. Since she had already given the gift, she did not linger and left with a few ribs.

After everyone left, Grandma He went into Jingyan's room. Jingyan was leaning against the wall, flipping through a copy of Journey to the West. Hearing the door open, she looked up and saw Grandma He come in. She put the book down and smiled, "Grandma Lin is gone?"

Grandma nodded, took out the jade bracelet from her pocket and handed it to Jingyan: "This is a gift from your Grandma Lin. Consider it a thank you for helping her feed her great-granddaughter."

Jingyan took the jade bracelet, turned on the light, and examined it against the light: "Grandma, although I don't know much about jade, this must be expensive. Feeding that little girl doesn't require such a heavy gift. We can't accept it; it's too valuable." After saying that, she was about to return the bracelet to her grandmother.

Grandma pressed her hand down and laughed, "Indeed, four months of feeding isn't enough to offset the cost of this jade bracelet, but it's not easy to exchange it for money these days, and even if it were, it wouldn't be worth much. So I gave her some ribs to take back and improve her meals."

She also said that if her family lacks meat, she can come to our house to get some. Your Grandma Lin isn't the kind of person who likes to take advantage; she knows exactly how much meat she wants, and we won't take advantage of her.”

Hearing this, Jingyan finally accepted the jade bracelet with a sense of relief. "Mom gave me another bracelet before, also made of jade, but more translucent than this one. I couldn't take it with me when I went to the Great Northern Wilderness, so my parents brought it to me when they came to visit the children. I'll just keep these two together so I don't lose them later."

Grandma smiled and nodded: "Okay, you can put it away for now. After you finish your confinement period, Grandma will take you to the bank to open a safe deposit box. At that time, Grandma will also give you some of the good things that Grandma has in the bank. You can keep them there and they can be family heirlooms in the future. If all else fails, when the harvest is good, these things will appreciate in value and you can exchange them for money to live a wealthy life."

Jing Yan's eyes widened upon hearing this: "Grandma, you still have secret items? Weren't they confiscated back then? Weren't the bank safe deposit boxes searched?"

Grandma patted her hand with a smile: "Of course I didn't dare to take them out at first. Before we moved, your grandfather put those delicate little things in a leather suitcase and brought them to our sanatorium at night. There's a hidden compartment in our room where the things have been kept."

Back then, the Red Guards weren't wreaking havoc at the sanatoriums, and our area was quite safe. A couple of years ago, when things weren't so tense anymore, a friend of mine at a bank needed business and rented out safe deposit boxes.

I figured I shouldn't put all my eggs in one basket, so I took some out and stored them in a safe. I still had some left, and I brought them all over with me when I moved.

There are so many people coming and going from our house every day before, so I didn't mention it. If we hadn't talked about this today, I wouldn't have even thought of it. From now on, we'll put everything in a safe. Wealth can be dazzling, and it's safer to not keep so much wealth at home.”

Jingyan also agreed: "Grandma is right. Our own home is indeed not as safe as a bank. I will listen to Grandma and go with her to get it after I finish my confinement. But Grandma, you don't need to share your things with me. You also need to have some retirement money. As the old saying goes, 'With money in hand, you have peace of mind.'"

Grandma smiled and patted her hair: "My things aren't for outsiders, they're for my own descendants. What's there to worry about? Do you think you can just throw them out when I can't move anymore?"

Seeing Jingyan shake her head, she smiled and said, "That's it then. Even if I don't give it to you now, I'll still give it to you when I'm gone. Otherwise, what's the point of taking it to my coffin? That would be such a waste. It doesn't matter whether I give it to you sooner or later, so I might as well put my mind at ease sooner."

"Is there a share for my sister-in-law?" Jingyan blinked and asked playfully.

Grandma gently pinched her nose and laughed, "Of course, some should be given to Zhou Jie, but not as much as you. I live here with you, and I'm closer to my great-grandson, so it's only right that I leave more for you."

"Thank you, Grandma." Jingyan was genuinely happy and vowed in her heart that she would take good care of her grandmother, help her live a few more years, and enjoy a few more years of happiness as life gets better.

The days that followed passed by like flowing water. Every day, when the little girl came to drink milk, it was Grandma Lin who brought it over. Her granddaughter-in-law never came to visit again, probably because she couldn't bring herself to do it.

When Jingyan finally finished her postpartum confinement, she couldn't wait to go out for a stroll, otherwise the small space in the house really wasn't enough for her to explore.

That day, Grandma brought up the matter of taking her to the bank to rent a safe again. Jingyan said, "Grandma, Zhijun will be back tomorrow. Let's go together then."