Chapter 183: Arrangements
At noon, when Deng Shirong returned home, his children and daughters-in-law were having lunch—sweet yam and glutinous rice porridge.
As he greeted everyone, his nephew Bu Dashi had already served him a bowl.
After taking a couple of bites, Deng Shirong spoke up: "Ah Ping, I've already arranged everything in the county town. You should prepare to go there and give birth in the next couple of days!"
Zhang Xiuping was surprised. "Dad, I still have at least half a month before giving birth. Are we going so early?"
Deng Shirong replied, "We'll have to go sooner or later anyway. It's better to go earlier so we can be more prepared."
Deng Yunzhen chimed in, "Dad, I want to go too and accompany my sister-in-law. When the baby is born, I can help take care of it."
"Yes, we'll all go," Deng Shirong said.
He then turned to his nephew. "Dashi, I'll leave the little ones to you. For the next while, you'll be responsible for cooking for them, your sister, and your brother-in-law. That should be fine, right?"
Bu Dashi nodded. "Of course, no problem."
Bu Dafang quickly added, "Uncle, why don't I go up and help? Cousin Zhen might not know how to take care of a newborn. I've already raised two children, so I have more experience."
Zhang Xiuping smiled. "Thank you, cousin, but my mother said a long time ago that she would come to take care of me and the baby when I'm ready to give birth. So there's no need to trouble you."
Bu Dafang took a bite of sweet potato and said with a smile, "We're all family. What's the trouble? Your mother might have thought you'd give birth at home and planned to come for about ten days. But now that you're going to the county town early, I wonder if she'll have that much free time?"
"My mom is at home now, taking care of the kids and cooking. There are so many people in my family that her absence won't make much of a difference," Zhang Xiuping explained.
She then looked at her father-in-law. "Dad, with so many of us going up there, will we have a place to stay?"
"Don't worry, I've already arranged everything," Deng Shirong assured her.
He then turned to his eldest son. "Yuntai, go to your father-in-law's house tomorrow and see how your mother-in-law is doing. If she has enough time and wants to go to the county town for a while, pick her up and we'll all go to Bobai the day after tomorrow.
If your mother-in-law is too busy and can't spare the time, don't worry. We'll make proper arrangements and take good care of your wife and child."
Deng Yuntai nodded. "Alright, I'll go and talk to my mother-in-law tomorrow."
Deng Shirong then looked at the younger children who were still studying. "We'll be away from home for a while. Don't slack off in your studies. Keep working hard, okay?"
"We know, Dad!"
Deng Yunsong and Deng Yunheng, the two academically strong students, responded loudly, while Deng Yunzhu and Deng Yunhua, the weaker students, answered more softly.
Deng Shirong had long given up hope for the latter two and didn't bother saying more.
At the same time, in New Dock Village, Mr. Zhang and his wife were having lunch while discussing their daughter's upcoming delivery.
Mrs. Zhang peeled a sweet potato and said, "According to the date, Xiuping should be giving birth next month. Her mother-in-law is gone, and her sister-in-law has no experience, so I need to go over early to help.
As for cooking and taking care of the kids, that'll be up to you."
Mr. Zhang nodded. "No problem. For the two younger ones, let the eldest and second daughters-in-law each take one to the store. The store isn't busy on weekdays anyway. On market days, one person can stay home to take care of them, and I'll go to the store to help."
Mrs. Zhang nodded. "Then I'll talk to the eldest and second daughters-in-law about this when they come back this afternoon."
In the afternoon, when her son and daughter-in-law returned for dinner, Mrs. Zhang brought up the matter again at the table.
The two daughters-in-law had no objections. They knew how much their sister-in-law had contributed to their current lifestyle. And since her mother-in-law was no longer around, it was only natural for her own mother to step in during childbirth.
As soon as Mrs. Zhang finished speaking, the eldest daughter-in-law immediately responded, "Mom, this is what we should do. Don't worry about the family. We'll handle everything."
The second daughter-in-law also nodded. "Sister-in-law is right. Now that everyone is familiar with the store's business, sister-in-law and I don't need to be there at the same time. We can take turns cooking and taking care of the kids at home. Mom, you can focus on taking care of Ah Ping without worry!"
Seeing how sensible her daughters-in-law were, Mrs. Zhang was very pleased. She said with anticipation, "I hope Xiuping can give the Deng family a son as her first child. Then we won't have to worry anymore."
Mr. Zhang, while naturally hoping for a grandson, knew such matters were ultimately up to fate. He added, "This is the first child, so whether it's a boy or a girl doesn't matter too much. A son would be ideal, but even if it's a girl, the in-laws probably won't say much. It's not like they'll stop after just one child."
The eldest daughter-in-law smiled. "Dad, Mom, don't worry about this. Last time when I went to Ah Ping's brother-in-law's college celebration, we talked about this. Ah Ping said her father-in-law doesn't care. Whether it's a grandson or a granddaughter, he'll hold a full moon banquet either way!"
The second daughter-in-law added, "Ah Ping's father-in-law is very open-minded. I heard from her that he once said in public that whether a child is a boy or a girl isn't the woman's fault—it's the man's. So, Mom and Dad, you don't have to worry about Ah Ping's in-laws gossiping if she has a daughter."
Mrs. Zhang looked at her second daughter-in-law in surprise. "Did Xiuping really say that?"
The second daughter-in-law nodded. "That's exactly what Ah Ping told me. I heard it was because a woman in their village had five daughters in a row. When she had the fifth, her mother-in-law was so angry she didn't even cook for her."
Mr. Zhang, his wife, and their sons couldn't help but frown, thinking the mother-in-law had gone too far.
The second daughter-in-law continued, "When Ah Ping's father-in-law found out, he scolded the mother-in-law, saying it wasn't the woman's fault whether a child was a boy or a girl. She only provided the land—it's the man who decides what kind of seed grows.
Since Ah Ping's father-in-law can say such things to others, then no matter whether she has a son or a daughter, she doesn't have to worry about him being unhappy."
Hearing this, Mr. Zhang and his wife finally felt at ease.
No matter whether their daughter gave birth to a boy or a girl, it wouldn't affect her standing in the Deng family!
(End of this chapter)