Chapter 664: The System of a 1950s Mother (21)

Zhuang Mingcheng ran through every hospital in Beijing, but the conclusions he received were much the same.

This meant that the child could not be left alone for long periods and would require someone to look after his daily life at all times.

With this, the idea of sending the child back to his hometown became even more firm.

"If you're going to send him, do it sooner rather than later," Chen Haiping advised. "While the child is still small and it's not obvious when you carry him out, you and Wan'er should return to your hometown as soon as possible. Get the child settled and come back. I will help you apply for leave at the workplace."

"Thank you, Dad! Then we will set off as soon as possible."

Zhuang Mingcheng did not want to delay any longer either.

His father-in-law was right; the child was growing day by day, and if they dragged it out, it would be easy for others to see the clues. If they waited until then to send him back to the hometown, people would point fingers and say the couple didn't want this child.

Even if that was indeed the truth, they did not want to be gossiped about.

If it reached their workplace, what would the leaders and colleagues think of them? Could their careers still advance?

Therefore, they could not delay any longer; he had to be sent back to the hometown as soon as possible!

Qiu Caohua and her husband did not yet know that their "filial" eldest son was about to deliver a "big surprise" to them.

Ever since the summer harvest passed without the return of their son or the filial money or supplements he usually sent, resentment had been growing in Qiu Caohua's heart.

With the autumn harvest imminent, she muttered once again:

"It must be that city daughter-in-law playing tricks, holding Mingcheng back and not letting him come home to help us. When my son comes back for the New Year, I must have a good talk with him. How can he let his wife ride on his head and act so imperious? So what if she's from the city? Once she marries into our Old Zhuang Family, she is a person of our Old Zhuang Family in life and a ghost of our Old Zhuang Family in death; she must listen to our family. What use is a disobedient daughter-in-law..."

Zhuang Laotou, however, did not quite agree with his old woman's words.

No one knows a son better than his father; how could he not know his son's stubborn temper?

If he really wanted to come home, could a city daughter-in-law stop him?

It could only be said that the son himself had no intention of coming back at all.

"Uncle Lao Zhuang!"

"Aunt Lao Zhuang!"

An enthusiastic villager living at the entrance of the village ran over to call them:

"Your Mingcheng is back! He brought his city wife and is holding a baby who just turned a month old; they've already reached the village entrance! And it's a big, chubby boy!"

"Really? Mingcheng is back? And he gave us a big, chubby grandson?"

Qiu Caohua stood up in pleasant surprise, not forgetting to cast a triumphant look at the old man:

"Look, I told you our son has been filial since he was small. If he didn't come for the summer harvest, it was either because he was tied up by work or his wife was making a fuss. Isn't he back now to help the family with the autumn harvest? He even knew to bring his wife and child back together... Oh my! Thank the heavens! Our Zhuang family has an heir! Old man, why aren't you changing your clothes quickly to go with me to the village entrance to welcome them... Right! Does my son have a lot of luggage? If he does, I'll go borrow a flatbed cart."

The villager who came to report the news scratched his head: "Luggage... I didn't notice, it doesn't seem like much..."

"How could it not be much? It's rare for them to come back; they must have big bags and small bags."

Qiu Caohua firmly believed that since her son was returning home for the first time in many years, he would definitely bring a lot of luggage. She instructed the old man to hurry to a neighbor's house to borrow a flatbed cart, while she hurried toward the village entrance on her small feet to welcome her son and grandson.

Although Zhuang Laotou was puzzled, it was a good thing that his son was willing to come home, so he happily borrowed a flatbed cart and went to the village entrance to pick up his son and grandson as his wife had ordered.

It is easy to imagine how awkward the scene was after the two sides met.

Zhuang Mingcheng's trip back was mainly to settle his child with cerebral palsy. The schedule was rushed, and with this matter weighing on his heart, how could he be in the mood to buy things for his parents in the hometown? His entire luggage was just one travel bag—containing only the child's change of clothes, diapers, and baby bottles.

There was only half a tin of leftover milk powder.

Originally, his wife had wanted to buy two more tins to bring along. But since the child was being sent back to the hometown, why spend money on milk powder? Milk powder wasn't cheap, and once in the countryside, rice paste would do.

Wasn't he raised on rice paste too? He was still big, tall, and healthy. Perhaps in the countryside, with rough food and rough care, the child might even become healthy.

Qiu Caohua looked at the city daughter-in-law's appearance while scanning the hands of her son and daughter-in-law with the corner of her eye.

Why was there only one travel bag that felt light even when carried by hand?

Was there no other luggage besides that?

Where were the clothes for her and the old man? The food? The nutritional supplements? And the famous local specialties from Beijing?

She opened her mouth, just about to ask: "Son..."

Zhuang Mingcheng nodded with a reserved smile to the fellow villagers he hadn't seen in years, then looked at his mother: "Mother, let's talk when we get home."

Qiu Caohua assumed her son didn't want to be too high-profile, which was why he didn't buy those things; perhaps he had prepared money and would give it to her once they got home!

Her face was immediately filled with smiles: "Good, good, good, let's go home! Let's go home!"

Once they returned home and heard the son and daughter-in-law state their purpose—

Qiu Caohua: "..."

Zhuang Laotou: "..."

What? They came this time specifically to drop off their eldest grandson, and from now on, the eldest grandson would stay in the hometown to be cared for by the two of them?

The son and daughter-in-law were arriving today and leaving tomorrow; they weren't here to help with the autumn harvest at all?

"Son, we are happy to have our eldest grandson stay to keep your father and me company, but you know, you are our only son. Your two sisters are married and don't come back to their maiden home often. Your father and I are getting old, and we are already overwhelmed with the farm work; how could we have the energy to raise our eldest grandson..."

"Father, Mother, it's not that I don't want to stay and help with the autumn harvest, but I really can't get that much leave from work. Please take this money; when it's busy, buy some meat to stew and eat to nourish yourselves."

Zhuang Mingcheng gave his wife a look, and Chen Wanru took out a fairly thick red envelope at the right moment, smiling as she handed it to Qiu Caohua: "Mother, please take this."

Qiu Caohua took it and weighed it, immediately beaming: "I know you are busy; your father and I were just talking, we wouldn't really delay your work."

With one hundred yuan, they left their cerebral palsy-stricken son, who was like a hot potato, in the hometown.

Zhuang Mingcheng and Chen Wanru exchanged a look, both revealing a sense of relief in their eyes.

They didn't tell their parents the truth about the child's condition, fearing they would refuse if they knew; it would be troublesome if they made them take the child back.

Anyway, the child was still small; by the time they noticed something was wrong, they believed the two elders would have already developed feelings for the child, and even if they were unhappy, they wouldn't do anything to him.

At worst, they would remit a few yuan home every month; as long as they could see the money, they believed his parents wouldn't be unwilling to raise this child.

Just like that, Zhuang Mingcheng and his wife stayed one night in the hometown, and early the next morning, they set off in a hurry to the County to catch the train back to Beijing.

On this side, Qiu Caohua entrusted someone to send a message to her eldest daughter, asking her eldest grandson, who was on autumn harvest break, to come stay at home for a few days to help look after the child.

After finishing the autumn harvest, the old couple were both exhausted, but since their eldest grandson had to return to school, they had no choice but to take over, no matter how tired they were.

Upon taking over, they discovered a significant problem: why was their eldest grandson's body so soft?