“Huizhen, come, let me help you!”
The First Aunt stood up and saw Luo Huizhen holding a baby in one hand, a diaper in the other, and pushing a small bamboo stroller.
The First Aunt forgot about going to check on Old Lady Deaf, and quickly walked over to help Liu Huizhen clean the stroller, wiping away the moisture.
Liu Huizhen found a new strip of cloth and wrapped it around the stroller to prevent it from scratching the child.
Qin Huairu was holding Banggen and washing clothes. In this era, taking care of children, washing clothes, cooking, and doing housework were all part of life.
How could it be like later generations?
Once a woman got pregnant, she would lie down and become an empress, unable to do this and that.
Shen Wei, lying in the stroller, suddenly felt a chill down his back and couldn't help but sneeze. He looked up and saw Old Lady Deaf staring at him with a gloomy look.
Old Lady Deaf had waited and waited in her room for the First Aunt, but when she came out, she saw the First Aunt washing diapers for Shen Wei and playing with the baby.
Old Lady Deaf's face darkened again.
Instead of serving her, the old ancestor, she was serving an unknown abandoned infant.
It seems this child couldn't stay in the courtyard!
Not long after Old Lady Deaf left the middle courtyard, the news that Liu Huizhen had sold blood yesterday to support Shen Wei spread throughout the courtyard.
When Qin Huairu heard about it, her eyes were filled with schadenfreude.
When she first married into the Jia family, she envied Liu Widow's house, but now, what good is a house?
Her husband is dead, they can't even afford to eat, and now she's foolishly adopted a baby!
Qin Huairu thought about her own situation. Although she had endless housework to do, Jia Dongxu's earnings were enough for the family and they could even save some.
Yi Zhonghai also helped them from time to time, making their food good.
Her life, among the twenty or so families in the courtyard, was considered prosperous.
Now, seeing Liu Widow's misery, she naturally felt a little proud.
“Aiyo, Huizhen, I heard you really sold blood to raise the child? This child is not related to you, why are you making such a big sacrifice?
If you want a pillar of support in your family, you should just adopt my Banggen as your adopted son. In the future, if Banggen is successful, your family will benefit from it!”
Jia Zhangshi, sewing shoes, looked at the west wing of Liu Widow's house with greedy eyes.
In her eyes, whether it was the newly arrived baby, or Liu Huizhen and those two losers, none of them had the right to live there. How good would it be to leave it for her grandson to live in when he's old?
Liu Huizhen was kind-hearted, but even clay figures have a temper: "Since he entered my door, he's my son! As for your Banggen?
I'd rather not have anything to do with him!"
Liu Huizhen looked at Shen Wei in the stroller, then at Banggen in Qin Huairu's arms. No matter how she looked at it, she felt that Shen Wei was handsome and intelligent.
“Wa wa wa~”
Banggen suddenly cried. Qin Huairu quickly changed Banggen's diaper, but he still cried, his eyes rolling around, staring at the stroller next to him!
Qin Huairu looked at the stroller, her eyes filled with envy. In this era, only wealthy families had these, and there were not even two in the entire Nanluoguxiang Alley.
It was better to give such a good stroller to her Banggen than to an abandoned infant.
But even though she thought that, Qin Huairu wouldn't say it, because it would affect her image as a gentle and virtuous person in the courtyard!
She quickly unbuttoned her clothes and stuffed the food into Banggen's mouth, and the child finally calmed down!
Jia Zhangshi smugly challenged Liu Huizhen: “Look at my precious grandson, how much he can eat! Look at this energy, aiyo, he’s sure to be successful in the future, become a high official!”
Shen Wei pouted. Banggen would grow up to be nothing, and if it weren't for Shazhu, he wouldn't even be sweeping the streets.
More importantly, when Banggen grew up, he wouldn't only be an ungrateful son to Shazhu, but he would also forget his mother and completely ignore Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi.
Without Shazhu, Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi's later years would be miserable.
Shen Wei felt that with his growth system, even if he just slacked off, he would be a hundred times stronger than a hundred Banggens!
It was a real dimensional strike!
The First Aunt: “Huizhen, you have to give the child a name quickly.”
Liu Huizhen nodded: “I'll take the child to the neighborhood committee later.”
The news of Liu Huizhen selling blood to support Shen Wei quickly spread throughout the courtyard and then throughout the Nanluoguxiang Alley.
Evening.
Director Wang was busy in the relief station, his feet barely touching the ground.
A subordinate came to report: "Director Wang, there are so many people, we don't have enough staff. We're afraid the relief station needs more people! Even a few temporary workers would do!"
Director Wang knew that the government's relief was limited and adding permanent workers was unrealistic. "Alright, I'll visit the alleyways later and see which families are struggling.
Let's see if we can find someone who's quick and efficient to help!”
“Okay, Director Wang, you must find someone yourself. Last time, Deputy Director Luo's sister-in-law, that Su, came. She acted like a princess, we couldn't serve her!"
Director Wang sighed when he mentioned the deputy director of the neighborhood committee: "Alright, I understand. Don't spread this around. I'll bring the person in directly later!”
Director Wang was pondering who from the neighborhood committee would be suitable to help at the relief station when he heard a group of old ladies talking in the alleyway:
“I say, why are you always cooped up in your house? Come out and sit for a bit!”
“Aiyo, this weather is terribly cold. Last night, I didn't eat much, just some cold dishes, and it was quite salty, almost turned me into a goose!”
“Speaking of last night, did you hear something? In the courtyard at No. 95, the Liu Widow who couldn't afford to eat, adopted a baby!
And guess what happened?”
“What happened? Did she abandon the child?”
“Of course not! Who in our alley doesn't know that the Liu Widow, although poor, is known for being kind. She, she went to the hospital to sell blood to support the child.
Last night, when she came home, aiyo, her face looked like a piece of white paper!”
Director Wang came out and heard the two people talking. He didn't look happy.
Yi Zhonghai happened to be off work and walked by the neighborhood committee, listening to everyone talking, happy in his heart. It seemed like the baby would soon be gone.
“Hey, Old Yi, I asked you, just now everyone was saying that this Liu Widow sold blood to support the child, is that true?”
Yi Zhonghai looked solemn: "Yes, I had even said I would help if there were difficulties. My wife even helped clean the house and take care of the child, but, Director Wang, you know.
The Liu Widow's family is really too poor. Even if she hadn't adopted this child, she wouldn't be able to survive in the city and would have gone back to the countryside."
Director Wang: “I understand!”
Seeing Director Wang's unhappy expression, Yi Zhonghai felt much better. As long as the baby left the courtyard, everything in the courtyard would return to normal, and the First Aunt would stop nagging about adopting the baby.
.