The courtyard, the Jia family.
First Aunt (Yi Da Ma) came to ask for a loan, and Qin Huai Ru agreed.
Wang Lu Fei was a bit hesitant, but his stomach was too empty.
Closing his eyes, Wang Lu Fei followed his body's instincts.
Qin Huai Ru's body trembled. Not far away, her mother-in-law sat by the kang, sewing shoes.
Not long after, Wang Lu Fei was full and started to feel sleepy.
Babies are like that; they eat and sleep, sleep and eat.
They probably sleep more than 20 hours a day!
"First Aunt, are you really going to adopt this child?" Qin Huai Ru asked again.
First Aunt nodded.
She had taken the child to the hospital for a checkup, and it was confirmed that the child had no terminal illness or contagious diseases.
Since it was a healthy child, and she had found him, it was fate.
She had always wanted to adopt a child.
After a brief conversation, First Aunt took the child home.
As soon as First Aunt left, Jia Zhang Shi, who was sewing shoes, curled her lips.
...
When Wang Lu Fei woke up, he found himself lying on the kang. Turning his little head, he could see an old, broken wardrobe, a table, and chairs. Of course, there was a coal stove not far away providing heat.
Newspapers and a few certificates were pasted on the walls, including "Excellent Worker Award" given to Yi Zhong Hai by the factory, and "Moral Model" given to Yi Zhong Hai by the neighborhood committee.
He didn't see First Aunt, but he could smell the aroma of food.
First Aunt must be busy in the kitchen.
It was truly the warmth of everyday life.
The sounds from the courtyard were also quite chaotic.
At that moment, a little girl ran to see Wang Lu Fei.
"He Yu Shui?" Wang Lu Fei thought to himself upon seeing the little girl.
He Yu Shui was still in elementary school. It was pitiful. Last year, her father ran off with an out-of-town widow.
He Yu Shui then touched Wang Lu Fei's small hand, looked at his chubby face, and couldn't help but pinch it and kiss him.
Wang Lu Fei: ...
He Yu Shui, please show some restraint!
Wang Lu Fei couldn't stand the little girl's harassment and immediately started to cry loudly.
He Yu Shui was startled. She quickly picked up Wang Lu Fei and began to coax him.
"Tired, be destroyed!" Wang Lu Fei felt somewhat hopeless.
Being a baby wasn't a good experience.
Especially since Wang Lu Fei was a very cute baby, at least much cuter than Jia's Bang Geng.
Because of Wang Lu Fei's "crying," First Aunt, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen, came over immediately.
Seeing that He Yu Shui was "teasing" the child, First Aunt felt reassured.
Soon, Sha Zhu, Xu Da Mao, Liu Guang Qi... a group of people came to see Wang Lu Fei.
Sha Zhu looked at Wang Lu Fei with pity.
Although Sha Zhu had lost his mother and his father had run away, he felt that he was much better off than this abandoned infant picked up by First Aunt.
He Yu Shui was very kind to Wang Lu Fei.
At this time, Wang Lu Fei was hungry again.
Realizing that Wang Lu Fei was hungry, First Aunt took him to find Qin Huai Ru.
In front of Jia Zhang Shi and Jia Dong Xu, Wang Lu Fei was fed.
Just then, Yi Zhong Hai came back to the courtyard from work.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, Yi Zhong Hai heard that his wife had picked up an abandoned infant and wanted to raise it.
Immediately, Yi Zhong Hai's face darkened.
In the past, whenever his wife proposed to adopt a child, Yi Zhong Hai had always objected.
Yi Zhong Hai had said that they would not raise a child, and that in the future, Jia Dong Xu would take care of him and his wife in their old age.
Because Yi Zhong Hai disagreed with adopting a child, First Aunt had dropped the idea.
But she never expected that she would find a child nearby.
"Old Yi, your wife's found child is a big, fat boy. She took him to the hospital for a checkup, and he's very healthy. He's even cuter than Bang Geng. Since you two don't have a child yet, I think it would be good to raise him," said Third Uncle Yan Bu Gui with a smile to Yi Zhong Hai.
Yi Zhong Hai didn't say anything, but his face was not very good.
Hearing Third Uncle say that the child was cuter than Bang Geng made Yi Zhong Hai unhappy.
Without talking to Third Uncle further, Yi Zhong Hai turned and went home.
Third Uncle frowned. Yi Zhong Hai's reaction was a bit odd.
The Yi family.
First Aunt had also finished making dinner.
It was just porridge and stir-fried cabbage. The porridge was not made with fine grains, but with coarse grains.
Although Yi Zhong Hai's income was not low, and his monthly salary was quite substantial, he still practiced thrift and frugality.
As soon as he got home, Yi Zhong Hai saw Wang Lu Fei.
It was undeniable that he was indeed a cute baby.
But Yi Zhong Hai disagreed with adoption.
Seeing his wife come back, First Aunt told him about finding the child, taking him to the hospital for a checkup, and wanting to adopt him.
"This child should be given away. In the future, Dong Xu will take care of us in our old age," said Yi Zhong Hai.
Upon hearing these words, First Aunt felt very disappointed.
A cute baby, a boy, healthy, it wouldn't be difficult to find someone willing to adopt him, but First Aunt didn't want to give the child away.
"I have a connection with this child. If you don't want to, I will raise him by myself," First Aunt said with firm resolve.
But when Yi Zhong Hai heard his wife's words, he became angry.
They had been together for over a decade, and they rarely fought. This time, they had a quarrel.
Yi Zhong Hai had already made his stance clear: he wouldn't raise the child.
First Aunt had also said that she would definitely raise him.
As they were arguing, the old lady came over with her walking stick to try to reconcile them.
The old lady's opinion was also to send the child away.
"I think we should find Little Wang from the neighborhood committee tomorrow. Ask Little Wang to find out which family is willing to adopt the child and then send him over," the old lady said to First Aunt.
The old lady's Little Wang was the neighborhood committee director Wang, who was a few years younger than First Aunt.
Yi Zhong Hai didn't say anything, clearly supporting the old lady's arrangement.
However, First Aunt disagreed. She was determined to adopt the child.
No matter how much the old lady and Yi Zhong Hai tried to persuade her, First Aunt remained unmoved.
"If you adopt this child, I will divorce you," said Yi Zhong Hai, impulsively, in a moment of anger, but the words were already out.
Divorce?
First Aunt was stunned.
The old lady also didn't expect Yi Zhong Hai to propose divorce.
Coming back to her senses, the old lady immediately objected.
She was a widow. The neighborhood committee had arranged for Yi Zhong Hai and his wife to take care of her. But Yi Zhong Hai wouldn't take care of anyone. It was First Aunt who took care of her, and in addition to taking care of the old lady, she also took care of Yi Zhong Hai.
If First Aunt divorced Yi Zhong Hai, her life in the future would not be as comfortable as it was now.
First Aunt looked at Yi Zhong Hai, who remained silent.
The words he shouldn't have said were already spoken. Even though Yi Zhong Hai regretted it, he wouldn't admit fault.
Yi Zhong Hai didn't believe his wife would agree to divorce.
Not to mention the decade of marriage, it was he, Yi Zhong Hai, who went to work and earned money.
Once she divorced Yi Zhong Hai, First Aunt wouldn't even have a place to live, no job. She would only be able to do odd jobs. It wasn't even certain if she could support herself, let alone raise a child.
Therefore, First Aunt was considering it.
The old lady knew First Aunt well and was now a bit anxious.
"Shu Fen, Little Yi just said it without thinking. He actually..." the old lady said.
However, First Aunt remained silent.
"I'll find a good family for this child," Yi Zhong Hai decided.
At this moment, First Aunt seemed to have made up her mind.