Back To The 80s-Chapter 479 - 490: Second Child_1
After having ramen with Ji Xiangdong, Bai Xiaolan merrily headed home.
At home, Doudou was already crying out of hunger. He refused to drink his powdered milk, suck from his pacifier, or even drink water. He just cried at the top of his lungs, without any tears.
Bai Xiaolan heard her son’s cries as soon as she didn’t even enter the front door. She quickly rushed into the kitchen to wash her hands before going into the room to hold Doudou. Gu Xiaobei also didn’t go to the shop and followed Bai Xiaolan into the west room, along with Xiaopang.
After handing the baby over to Bai Xiaolan, Wen Xiuqing called Ji Xiangdong into the east room to discuss whether to keep the baby in Bai Xiaolan’s belly.
"Is it true?" Wen Xiuqing asked anxiously as soon as she entered the room.
Ji Xiangdong calmly nodded, "Yes, just over a month."
"The earlier, the less harm done to the body. Terminate it," Wen Xiuqing suggested, steeling herself.
Ji Xiangdong smiled and said, "We will keep this child..." He didn’t finish his sentence.
Lu Songyuan frowned at his words, afraid of frightening Mo Wang, who was playing on a bed nearby. He lowered his voice and said, "Are you going against the rules? As a government official, don’t you know the severity of this? How can you behave so irresponsibly?"
From the side, Wen Xiuqing added, "Does Xiaolan not want to let go of the child? If so, I’ll talk to her. Having a child is no child’s play. The child will be unregistered for life and will have to hang his head wherever he goes."
Ji Xiangdong quickly stopped his mother from leaving the room, affirming, "Dad, Mom, don’t worry, I can handle this..."
Lu Songyuan just shook his head in exasperation, and Wen Xiuqing couldn’t do anything but continue, "Don’t be so foolish. If the local authorities find out, they will force an abortion. If the pregnancy is already advanced, an induced birth will be even more painful. You already have Doudou, so reconsider your decision."
As his words kept getting interrupted, Ji Xiangdong could only smile at his parents. When they eventually stopped talking, he quickly explained, "Dad, Mom, have you forgotten that Xiaolan is a Manchu? We are allowed to have two children."
Lu Songyuan was taken aback, while Wen Xiuqing’s eyes brightened up. As long as they could have the child, everything was good.
"That’s not right. I’ve read in the newspapers that if one half of the couple belongs to an ethnic minority, and if you’re a commercial grain household, your two children must be eight years apart," Lu Songyuan shook his head.
Laughing, Ji Xiangdong replied, "That policy applies to inland China. Xiaolan’s household registration is currently in Shule River and hasn’t been transferred back yet. Moreover, it is established in a local pastoral area, not in the corps. Considering the policies of the autonomous region and the national rule that a child primarily follows the mother’s household registration, this pregnancy is completely lawful and legitimate. Also, has Doudou registered his household registration yet?"
After their marriage, the first thing he did was move Bai Xiaolan’s household registration to Shule River. Ji’s father helped them set up the registration in his hometown. Ji’s father bought a courtyard in the area after his retirement, and he moved his household registration there because this way, they were entitled to two acres of farmland, allowing them to lead a pastoral life.
He did this to prepare for having a second child and to take advantage of some border policies that might benefit the adults and children in the future.
Ji Xiangdong knew very well that he wasn’t selfless. In certain situations, if conditions allowed, he always aimed to maximize his own benefits.
Now reassured, Wen Xiuqing and Lu Songyuan couldn’t contain their joy. The more people in their household, the better.
"Go buy a chicken and let’s make soup to nourish Xiaolan. Being pregnant and nursing a child is hard work." Wen Xiuqing pushed Lu Songyuan while saying.
Bai Xiaolan was also feeling pleased as she held her son and looked at Gu Xiaobei. Ji Xiangdong had already told her when they were having ramen why they could keep the child. She was so delighted that she had two servings of ramen.
Gu Xiaobei smiled and said, "Look at how pleased you are. But this truly is wonderful news."
"Yes, I won’t have to envy you for having both a son and a daughter anymore. Very soon, I’ll have a daughter too," Bai Xiaolan said, her eyes squinting in joy.
"What if it’s another boy, hehehe," Gu Xiaobei teased.
"Then I’ll trade him for Xiaopang!" Laughing, Bai Xiaolan pinched Xiaopang’s chubby cheeks. He was sitting nearby, munching on an apple.
"In your dreams!" Gu Xiaobei pulled Xiaopang back into her arms, laughing.
Looking at Gu Xiaobei, Bai Xiaolan suddenly realized something. "Why are you at home? Isn’t the shop busy?"
"I’m at home to hear about your medical exam’s result. My mom was worried about what we’d do if it turns out you really are pregnant. Little did we know you guys would catch such a lucky break. An ethnic minority, and your household registration is still in a frontier pastoral area. My big brother really is insightful," Gu Xiaobei sighed.
Bai Xiaolan nodded proudly. Actually, when she first left the hospital, she had it all planned out. To prevent making Ji Xiangdong uncomfortable, she had intended to secretly get an abortion. Never had she imagined things would turn out this way. It seemed like nothing could stump Ji Xiangdong.
By noon, Wen Xiuqing had made chicken soup for Bai Xiaolan to nourish her body. She also suggested that they should buy a goat with kids when spring arrived so that Doudou could have goat’s milk.
"Or we could wean Doudou off breastmilk after New Year’s. You’re pregnant and your milk supply will only decrease, plus you’ve got competition for nutrition from your womb," Wen Xiuqing felt that they couldn’t wait until spring to wean Doudou off.
Bai Xiaolan was a little reluctant. "How about we just wait until I don’t have milk and then wean him off? It’s still early days for my pregnancy, maybe he could nurse for two more months?"
Ji Xiangdong agreed with Wen Xiuqing. "Let’s start feeding Doudou powdered milk. You’re not going to find it feasible to keep getting up at night, considering your current health."
"Yes, we can feed him powdered milk, but I will look around among our neighbors. If someone has cow’s milk or goat’s milk, we could buy that and see if Doudou likes it. Fresh milk is always better than powdered milk," Wen Xiuqing suggested as she held Doudou.
Bai Xiaolan didn’t know much about these things, but thought anything that Doudou was willing to consume would do.
Feeling happy, Lu Songyuan suggested a toast and asked Ji Xiangdong to fetch the liquor.
Wen Xiuqing stopped him irritably. "Drink what? Haven’t you been complaining about feeling dizzy these last two days? Isn’t your heart uncomfortable? And you still want to drink?"
"Dad, are you not feeling well? Should we go to the hospital for a check-up?" Gu Xiaobei asked him.
Lu Songyuan casually replied, "A check-up? I can eat and drink fine. I just haven’t been sleeping well at night."
Feeling too lazy to go back to the shop in the afternoon, Gu Xiaobei decided to take a nap in Bai Xiaolan’s room, cuddling with Xiaopang.
Lying down, Bai Xiaolan and Gu Xiaobei chatted aimlessly. "Do you think my cousin is actually that busy? He’s been radio silent for half a year."
Gu Xiaobei was clueless too, guessing, "Maybe he’s involved in some top-secret research. Until it reaches completion, he can’t leave in case he leaks any information."
"So, he conveniently avoided my aunt’s forceful matchmaking?" Bai Xiaolan chuckled.
"What kind of girl does your aunt like?" Gu Xiaobei was intrigued.
Bai Xiaolan pursed her lips. "Going by my aunt’s standards, no girl in this world is good enough for my cousin. She demands a prospective daughter-in-law should come from a good family with strict discipline, be gentle, virtuous, and hold their husband above all else."
"But your aunt is very strict, and she doesn’t seem like she’d let anyone else call the shots at home. Why does she have a double standard when it comes to others?"
