Chapter 181: In Order to Have a Son, No Risk Is Too Great
On this day, Deng Shirong returned to the county town once again.
The last time he had come was to handle matters concerning his second son. This time, however, Deng Shirong had a singular purpose—to buy a house.
The time for his eldest daughter-in-law to give birth was drawing near. Having lived through the future, Deng Shirong was not as uninformed as the rural folk of this era. He knew all too well that childbirth was a perilous ordeal for women. In ancient times, many had lost their lives during delivery.
Thus, for the sake of safety, he was determined not to let his eldest daughter-in-law give birth at home, at least not for her first and second children. A hospital was the safest option.
As for the future, they would have to wait and see. If they wanted more children, they would have to consider the family planning policies.
When it came to family planning, although the policy was issued by the state, its implementation varied depending on local attitudes and customs.
For instance, many provinces began enforcing the family planning policy in the late 1970s, and the results were significant. Most children born in the 1980s and 1990s were only children, and families with a second child were rare.
But Bobai County was different. Before 1985, rural families could have as many children as they wanted, as the government did not strictly enforce the policy. It was mostly about promoting slogans and encouraging women to voluntarily undergo IUD insertions or sterilizations.
It wasn't until 1985 that the government began to strictly enforce family planning.
At that time, the rule was that employed individuals could only have one child. Having more than one was prohibited unless they were willing to lose their jobs.
Rural families, on the other hand, were allowed two children. A third child would be considered an overbirth.
However, Bobai County was notorious for its preference for sons over daughters. For many families, having no sons was simply unacceptable. Even having just one son was often seen as insufficient—two were needed to meet the standard.
Taking this into account, the government adjusted its enforcement. If a family that had exceeded the birth limit had only daughters and no sons, they would only be fined if caught, not forced into sterilization.
But if a family already had a son and still had an extra child, sterilization was inevitable if they were caught.
Recalling his past life, Deng Shirong remembered how women in the village would go to extreme lengths to have another son.
Some would hide in the mountains during their pregnancies. The mountains back then were not the orchards with houses that would appear in later generations but true wilderness. It would be a lie to say that a woman living alone in such a place wasn't afraid.
The women in the village truly went all out to have more sons.
Others would go live with relatives. One neighbor in particular left a deep impression on Deng Shirong. The family was already poor, and when a relative came to stay with them to avoid family planning, there was no room left in the house. The pregnant woman had to live in the cowshed.
But that wasn't the worst of it. Due to local customs in Double Prosperity, children could not be born at a relative's home.
So, on a dark and windy night, when the neighbor's relative was about to give birth, two women from the village who were close to her helped with the delivery. They lit a kerosene lamp, washed a fertilizer bag, and took the pregnant woman to a remote hillside to give birth.
Good heavens, there was no electricity in those days, and the mountains were desolate. Delivering a baby in such conditions, without even the most basic boiling water, was incredibly primitive.
The experience left the two women who assisted terrified. They were haunted by the memory and couldn't imagine what they would have done if something had gone wrong.
Miraculously, the pregnant woman delivered the baby safely, and both mother and child were unharmed. It was sheer luck.
After giving birth, she returned to her relative's home and continued living in the cowshed. It wasn't until a month later that someone from her husband's family came to take her back. It was truly pitiful.
Deng Shirong was determined not to let his daughter-in-law suffer such an ordeal. He would do his best to avoid having more children than allowed. Even if they had to have more, they wouldn't hide in the mountains but could instead stay in the city. This was one of the reasons he planned to buy a house in the county town.
Of course, the main purpose of buying a house now was to make it easier for his eldest daughter-in-law to give birth.
Thatchfield Village was 76 kilometers away from the county town, a two- to three-hour drive. It was impossible to rush to the county town by car when labor began. If they arrived early, they would have to stay in a guesthouse if they didn't have a house.
But were guesthouses in this era even livable?
Having stayed in guesthouses several times, Deng Shirong had no faith in their hygiene.
Therefore, buying a house in advance was essential. No place was as comfortable as one's own home.
Moreover, if all went well, his eldest son and daughter-in-law would come to the county town to start a business next year, and they would definitely need a place to live.
In this era, the most prosperous areas in Bobai were Main Street, East Sun Street, Culture Road, Gouer Lane, and Prosperity Road. Buying a house in these areas would undoubtedly make life much more convenient, so Deng Shirong focused his search there.
However, he immediately ruled out Gouer Lane.
While Gouer Lane was indeed prosperous now, serving as a hub for small commodities, by the 1990s, it would become a gathering place for game consoles and video halls. Deng Shirong didn't want to buy a house there and risk his future grandchildren picking up bad habits.
The remaining streets each had their own advantages.
Main Street was one of the oldest streets in Bobai County, dating back to the Wude period of the Tang Dynasty. It was home to many important government departments, the county supply and marketing cooperative, Baizhou Cinema, and several banks.
Easat Sun Street, also built during the Wude period of the Tang Dynasty, had long been a farmers' market and a distribution center for poultry and livestock. On market days, it was bustling with people, with daily traffic reaching tens of thousands. Its prosperity was undeniable.
Culture Road was perhaps the most famous street in Bobai. One end was connected to the county's best primary, junior high, and high schools, while the other end linked to Main Street and Prosperity Road. Shops lined both sides of the street, ensuring a steady flow of customers both now and in the future.
Finally, there was Prosperity Road, home to Xinhua Bookstore, a primary school, restaurants, grain stores, department stores, East City Market, and more. It was the most prosperous commercial and trade center in the county.
After listing these areas as his main targets, Deng Shirong immediately headed to Culture Road to inquire. Not only was it prosperous, but it also had the best schools and was close to the People's Hospital. If he could find a suitable house there, it would be ideal.
(End of this chapter)