Chapter 55: Su Qing Pregnant, Turmoil Rises Again

Zhao Jianguo squats at the stove simmering porridge, the flame licking the black iron pot bottom, making a faint crackling sound. His peripheral vision catches three dry, shriveled red dates by the stove; he doesn't move, just stirs the pot a couple more times with the ladle.

A rustling comes from inside the house; Su Qing leans on her waist to sit up, her hair a tangled mess on her shoulders, her voice still hoarse from just waking: "Jianguo… our child… kicked me in the middle of the night yesterday, it was so fierce."

Zhao Jianguo turns to look at her, his mouth about to lift in a smile, when the front yard suddenly "clank" as a pot explodes, the earthen jar shatters by the well platform, water splashes everywhere. Zhao Jianguo ignores the broken thing.

Jia Zhangshi squats there, holding a cracked basin, pouring husked rice chaff into the vegetable‑washing water, not looking up, saying: "Yo, future dad up early? The 'fetal water' I prepared for the pregnant woman—don't mistake it for drinking."

Zhao Jianguo doesn't respond, gets up and walks to the door, picks up the three dates, looks at them in the morning light. He remembers no one came last night, but under the window crack there was an old paper packet, its corner stained with the yellow mud from the well platform. He doesn't open it, just stuffs it into his pocket.

Just after noon, the Steel Rolling Factory gate sets up a Zhang Baxiang table, with the three moldy dates at the corners, a paper strip underneath, the characters crooked: "Zhao family dragon fetus, eating dates harms kin." Workers finishing work pass by, circle around and around, craning necks to look at the table.

Qin Huairu holds a child standing at the front, eyes constantly glancing at Zhao Jianguo's right pocket. Her sleeve cuff is stained with some husked rice chaff, exactly the same as the one Jia Zhangshi poured into the well water this morning.

Zhao Jianguo coughs twice, clears his throat: "Everyone, I heard there's a new magic trick trending?"

The crowd laughs. Someone heckles: "Jianguo, aren't you a house builder? Why are you doing circus tricks now?"

He doesn't answer, pulls his right hand from his pocket, a red string wound around his fingers, the string's end tied to an ancient bronze ring, old‑fashioned, edges polished bright. "This is the 'Qian Kun Nuo Yi Ring', can retrieve objects through the air." As he says, his wrist twitches, the ring flashes in the sun, the moldy dates on the table vanish with a "swish", replaced by a pile of plump, rosy winter dates, each glistening with dew, rolling across the table.

"Ah!" nearby Aunt Wang reaches out, grabs a date, bites, juice spurts out, "These dates… aren't they just off the tree? How are there fresh winter dates now?"

The child in Qin Huairu's arms reaches out, she yanks it back, the grip so strong the child cries "wa". Zhao Jianguo glances at her, says nothing, just gathers the pile of winter dates toward the center.

"Optical illusion!" Jia Zhangshi, having slipped into the crowd at some point, hips akimbo shouts, "Can the thing you conjured be eaten? Who knows if it's paper! Zhao Jianguo, don't fool people with this shady trick!"

Zhao Jianguo leisurely pulls a booklet from his pocket, its cover printed "Steel Rolling Factory Workers' Prenatal Health Handbook", flips to the page bookmarked with a maple leaf, raises it: "Page seventeen says pregnant women should avoid aged red dates; mild effect is diarrhea, severe is miscarriage. When Aunt Jia gave the dates, why didn't she mention they were last year's stock?"

Aunt Wang hears this and immediately explodes: "Last time you gave my kid walnuts, they were moldy too! The kid had diarrhea for three days, and you said they were 'brain‑boosting'!"

Jia Zhangshi's face turns the color of pig liver: "You all gang up on me, a lonely old woman? Zhao Jianguo, just wait, I…"

"What do you want?" Zhao Jianguo suddenly lowers his voice, the ring flashing a cold light in the sun, "Master Yi fell into a dung pit the day before yesterday, and today you hand out poisonous dates—if this spreads, they'll say you cursed the workers' descendants…" He deliberately pauses, eyes sweeping the crowd, peripheral glance sees Qin Huairu quietly step back half a step (Zhao Jianguo harbors secret hatred, the Jia clan are treacherous, he's helped them many times, swapped masters for Jia Dongxu, solved household registration for Qin Huairu, helped them survive the disaster year, he's married now, still using small tricks).

At that moment, Su Qing leans on her waist, standing at the Siheyuan gate, with Sha Zhu and He Yushui behind her. She gasps and shouts: "Jianguo, our… our family's cabinet was pried open!"

Zhao Jianguo's eyebrows lift, just about to clear the table and walk back, Jia Zhangshi's eyes roll, suddenly rushes forward to grab Su Qing's arm: "Surely you stole my red dates! You fox spirit, harming husband and child still not enough, now you steal our luck too?"

Bang!

Zhao Jianguo's enamel jar precisely smashes at Aunt Jia's foot, hot water splashes her pant leg. He steps in front of Su Qing, voice cold as iron pulled from a well: "Aunt Jia, if you touch my wife again, do you believe I can send you straight to the hospital right now?"

Aunt Jia recoils, still hard, says: "You… you hit people! I'm going to the security department to report you!"

"Report?" Zhao Jianguo sneers, "Then go ahead. Also bring the paper packet you slipped into the window crack last night, let everyone see who sent the 'kin‑harming dates'?"

The crowd buzzes explosively. Someone already starts pointing, Aunt Jia's face turns pale, lips trembling, unable to speak.

Liu Er Gou suddenly bursts from behind the crowd, brandishing a wooden stick, shouting: "Search the house! Must search the house! Zhao Jianguo definitely hid the poisonous dates inside!"

Zhao Jianguo isn't flustered, instead smiles. He puts his right hand back into his pocket, pulls it out again, palm holding a can of milk powder, label printed in a foreign language, but with small Chinese underneath: "Factory Director Special Approval·Soviet Import·Pregnancy Use".

He spins the can, letting everyone see clearly: "This just got approved by the factory, priority for outstanding workers' families. Aunt Jia, want a taste? Let's see if it's 'kin‑harming' or 'body‑boosting'?"

Director Li squeezes in, sees the label and clicks his tongue: "Old Zhao, your face is bigger than the supply‑and‑sales office director's!"

He turns and glares at Liu Er Gou: "You kid, what are you shouting? The factory just issued a document, nutrition supplies first to outstanding workers' families! If your dad were alive, he wouldn't be here stomping!"

Liu Er Gou instantly wilts, shrinks his neck and steps back.

Su Qing now slowly walks over, clutching a sheet of paper, voice light but clear: "Jianguo, this is… a prenatal check sheet from the hospital." She pauses, "The doctor said, twins."

"Twins?" He Yushui jumps up first, "Ah, what a joyous occasion! Our courtyard hasn't had twins in how many years!"

Zhao Jianguo takes the sheet, scans it, suddenly points toward Yi Zhonghai's direction and lifts his voice: "Some people, can't have children themselves, can't stand others having offspring." He turns to the crowd, voice raised, "But our courtyard still has many good people—tomorrow my family will set a table, please everyone enjoy red sugar eggs!"

The crowd cheers. Some clap, some shout approval, some already start asking when the feast will start.

Seeing the unfavorable turn, Jia Zhangshi turns to slip away. Zhao Jianguo deliberately shouts loudly: "Aunt Jia, no need to send red dates, keep them to nourish your brain!"

The sunset dyes the Zhao Family's window paper orange‑red, Su Qing leans against the kang counting sugar cubes, Zhao Jianguo squats at the stove simmering millet porridge. Steam rises from the pot lid, he tosses a handful of goji berries in.

Outside the window comes Sha Zhu's laughter: "That old dog Yi Zhonghai, heard he broke two ribs!"

"Lower your voice." Zhao Jianguo stirs with the ladle, "Tomorrow we still have to invite Sister Qin for wine."

Su Qing suddenly puts down the sugar cubes: "About today's date matter…"

"Rest assured." Zhao Jianguo doesn't look up, "The matters in the courtyard, they'll chew on them for half a year."

He turns his gaze out the window, in the dusk, several households' chimneys puff white smoke.