“Don’t worry, I know my own body and limitations," An Zhiren said evasively. For her, nothing was more exciting than being able to completely get rid of Wang Caixiang.
That woman didn't want a way out when given one. She insisted on courting death herself, which was extremely ridiculous.
Knowing that An ZhiXian was in the hospital and must be bored, Know Xia had prepared some dried fruits ahead of time and handed them to him. "I made these before. Have them as a snack to help pass the time."
An ZhiXian raised his eyebrows and jokingly said, "They're probably leftovers from when my little sister was pregnant. Lucky for second brother to get the extras."
An Zhiren was completely unaffected by his words. "Since you put it that way, you don't get to eat them. They're all mine."
"Can't let you keep that bargain all to yourself." An ZhiXian had already eaten one and his eyes instantly lit up. He picked up another piece and handed it to An Zhiren. "It's pretty tasty, try it."
Their happy time was disrupted by two nurses who suddenly burst in.
"Doctor An, we weren't involved in switching the babies. At most, we just misidentified the child. Newborns look so similar, you can't blame us. How could you report us to the director?"
These two nurses had helped deliver Know Xia's baby. They were quite unlucky to get caught up in this whole affair. If nothing had gone wrong, they would have safely delivered the baby without any issues.
But they had chosen to lie to avoid responsibility. At most, they might have gotten a demerit on their record. Losing their jobs was too harsh.
An ZhiXian felt no sympathy for them at all and spoke coldly. "You say newborns look alike? Aren't you just blind? My nephew was clearly one-third the size of a single birth. How could you mix them up? What’s more, when identifying the babies, I asked you to confirm repeatedly. You swore up and down there was no mistake. You even said the baby had a large blue patch on his back. But my nephew didn’t have any blue on his back at all, just two small spots on his butt!”
Moreover, the nurses had seemed shifty-eyed at the time, making him somewhat suspicious already.
It was clear now that even if they weren't directly involved, they were far from innocent.
They wanted to plead for mercy but An ZhiXian chased them straight out.
...
After giving birth, women have to stay indoors for a month and can’t go to other people’s houses. So Pei Jing brought Know Xia straight back to the Pei family home.
When they arrived, they saw that Wang Yue and Pei Shuangshuang were there as well.
Old Pei hurriedly called for Pei Jing to take Know Xia back to rest. He said, “I knew you two were coming back today. Sister Zhang got up early to line up at the supply and marketing co-op. Luckily she managed to buy an old hen to stew. I’ll go check if it’s ready.”
After Old Pei left, Wang Yue sighed and said to Pei Shuangshuang, “There’s an old saying - love me, love my dog. Your dad always favored your younger uncle. Now his daughter-in-law gets the same preferential treatment too. When I gave birth to your oldest brother, he didn’t even show his face, let alone make old hen stew. Later he even said your brother was the family’s eldest grandson and should be taught well. But the eldest grandson still can’t compare to the younger son?”
Pei Shuangshuang rolled her eyes in resignation. She was already used to her mother's nagging.
What her mother said was true. But the story she heard from her second aunt was quite different.
When her big brother was born, grandpa and dad were both away in work teams. The journey was long so they couldn’t rush back. It wasn't fair to compare peaceful times now to back then.
Seeing that Wang Yue was about to continue grumbling, Pei Shuangshuang hurriedly stood up. “Mom, don’t forget why we came. I’m going to talk to younger uncle first. Keeping the bright future of your dear daughter in mind, stop complaining already.”
Pei Shuangshuang was already 19. She had graduated over a year ago but was still unemployed. The neighborhood committee had urged her to work many times. If it weren’t for her family’s military background, she would have been forced to go down to the countryside already.
Old Pei did want to help but suitable jobs were hard to come by these days. Any openings were being eyed by others. The available jobs Wang Yue looked down on, feeling like Old Pei wasn't trying his best.
Pei Sheng couldn’t help either. Because of Pei Meng being sent down to the countryside, Jiang Su still resented Wang Yue to this day. Now that it was her daughter’s turn, not being laughed at would be decent enough.
Know Xia had just lain down in bed with the baby placed at her side when she heard Pei Shuangshuang come in calling, “Little uncle, little uncle! Is the baby asleep?”
Pei Jing quickly turned his head back and signaled her to lower her voice. “Sleeping now. Keep your voice down or you'll wake him. He'll fuss.”
Pei Shuangshuang didn't even want to look. The little brat kept shitting and pissing everywhere. So dirty! And the overwhelming milk smell on him too. If it weren't for avoiding her mother, she wouldn't even want to come in. “Oh, then I won't go in. Little uncle, come out later when you have time. I need to talk to you about something.”
“Got it. You go first.” Pei Jing said.
After Pei Shuangshuang left, he softly said to Know Xia, “I’ll go out to see what she wants.”
"I guess it has to do with work...” Know Xia had already told him about Pei Shuangshuang’s current situation after coming back early, giving him a heads up.
Pei Jing fell silent for a moment before heading out.
Sure enough, Know Xia had guessed right.
As soon as Pei Jing came out, Pei Shuangshuang pulled him aside and put her palms together pleadingly. The playfulness unique to youth showed on the young girl’s face, making her quite cute. “Little uncle, can I ask you for a favor?”
“What is it?” Pei Jing neither refused nor agreed. He was willing to help the little ones in the family if he could, but he wasn’t omnipotent either.
Pei Shuangshuang’s face fell listlessly. “It’s about work again. You know I graduated over a year ago but still don’t have a job arranged...”
Pei Jing considered for a bit before asking, “What does your dad say?”
His big brother was still in the army. His rank was decent enough that he shouldn’t have to ask others to arrange jobs for his kids.
Pei Shuangshuang’s expression suddenly turned evasive. “My dad wants me to go down to the countryside. But I don't want to. I don't want to farm the fields. Please help me, little uncle.”
Pei Jing didn’t hurry to refuse. He just hmm-ed and said, “I see.”
So was he going to help or not?
Pei Shuangshuang pouted. In the end, she didn't get a definite answer.
Sister Zhang brought out the well-stewed chicken soup. Pei Jing took it from her and brought it into the room.
“What did she want?” Know Xia asked him.
“You guessed right again. It was about work,” Pei Jing replied calmly without much fluctuation in tone.
Know Xia got out of bed and went to sit at the table to drink the soup herself. She asked, “So what are you planning to do?”
Pei Jing couldn't make a decision without grasping the full situation first. “See what things are like first. I’ll go ask dad what’s going on later.”
Know Xia didn't question him further. Based on Wang Yue’s attitude, she didn’t want to get involved in the matters of the main house either.
Only after asking Old Pei did Pei Jing find out the specifics.
It wasn’t that there were no job opportunities, but Wang Yue wanted Pei Shuangshuang to work in the government. She herself was nothing special and had already forcibly stuffed in Pei Jianguo who had been there for years without making any progress. Old Pei no longer had the face to deal with it.
“Your oldest sister-in-law's temper has been getting worse over the years. Let your big brother handle things with their family himself. I’m old now and won’t be meddling in anyone’s affairs in the future. I’ll stay at home enjoying my twilight years, living in peace and playing with my grandchildren. However things turn out depends entirely on your own fortunes.” These were Old Pei's original words.
There was really no way to interfere when they were all adults. Meddling would only lead to resentment over favoritism.
Might as well not ask anyone, which was more relaxing.
The second family was still easier to handle. Xiang Xiang decided on her own initiative a few years ago to take the exam for a job at the municipal cultural work troupe as a directing student. She had made something of herself compared to the other adult grandchildren, without causing the elders to worry.
