Because of Shen Jiao’s sudden condition, no one could continue eating the meal. They had no choice but to pack the food and take it with them.
It did not matter that they did not have any plastic bags. The tailoring shop was nearby, so someone could simply return there and fetch some containers.
Wang Chengjun stayed behind with their two sons to pack up the food, while Gu Xinguo and Gu Xinmin accompanied Shen Jiao to the hospital.
After an examination, the diagnosis was exactly what they had expected.
Shen Jiao was pregnant.
Gu Xinguo and Gu Xinmin were overjoyed. The Gu family finally had an heir.
Naturally, Shen Jiao was delighted to become an expectant mother too.
She gently touched her still-flat stomach, her heart softening.
She was going to become a mother.
How wonderful.
Then she thought of Grandma, who had longed so desperately for a great-grandchild.
If only this child had arrived a little sooner.
Gu Xinguo and Gu Xinmin had clearly thought of the same thing. However, the regret could no longer be changed. They could only comfort themselves by believing that Grandma’s spirit in heaven would be able to rest in peace after seeing that the Gu family finally had a descendant.
Shen Jiao’s pregnancy immediately became the most important matter in the Gu family.
From that moment onward, Gu Xinguo and Gu Xinmin surrounded her with care in every possible way.
She was forbidden from doing anything heavy or tiring. Even at the tailoring shop, Shen Jiao mostly gave instructions while Gu Xinmin performed the actual work.
Shen Jiao did not know whether to laugh or cry at how nervous the siblings had become.
She was pregnant, not disabled.
Besides, Gu Xinmin had already given birth to two children. She should have understood pregnancy better than anyone, so why was she joining Gu Xinguo in making such a fuss?
“You simply don’t know how to enjoy a blessed life,” Gu Xinmin said. “When I was pregnant, I had no choice. If I didn’t work, no one would do the work for me. My mother-in-law treated me fairly well, but Chengjun isn’t her only son. She had to treat every daughter-in-law equally.
“If I’d had people waiting on me, I guarantee I would’ve stayed completely still and let them serve me.”
“Then have another child later. Brother Gu, Brother-in-law, and I can take turns looking after you. We’ll let you experience what it’s like to have people serve you. Then you can decide whether it’s comfortable.”
Gu Xinmin hurriedly waved both hands.
Have another child?
Spare her!
The two troublesome boys at home already gave her more than enough headaches. If the next child were a daughter, that might still be acceptable. But if she gave birth to another son, she and Wang Chengjun would have to spend the rest of their lives working like oxen to earn money so their sons could marry.
After repeatedly arguing her case, Shen Jiao was finally allowed to do a little work.
However, Gu Xinguo strictly limited her working hours. She was not permitted to work for more than six hours a day.
Whenever he had to drive goods to another region, he ordered Gu Xinmin to keep a close watch on Shen Jiao.
“Jiaojiao, don’t blame Xinguo for being nervous,” Gu Xinmin said. “Among all the people of his generation in the family, he’s the only one who hasn’t had a child yet. How could he not be anxious?”
Shen Jiao smiled and stroked her stomach.
In truth, she was happy that the child’s father cared so much about the baby.
Not every child had grown up like her, passed back and forth between their parents like a ball neither of them wanted.
Sometimes, she had wanted to ask whether her parents had once looked forward to her birth, just as so many parents anticipated their children.
Now that she thought about it, she was glad she had never asked.
What difference would the answer have made?
Could it change the fact that she had eventually become an unwanted burden?
Could it restore the childhood she had been forced to lose?
The baby was extremely well-behaved.
Even when Shen Jiao reached the sixth month of pregnancy, she had experienced almost no discomfort.
Gu Xinmin repeatedly said that the child was filial and considerate of its mother.
Shen Jiao did not respond.
To be honest, she had already become indifferent towards the relationship between parents and children.
She would raise the child properly and give it the best of everything, but she would never demand filial devotion in return.
When she grew old, she would simply live in a home for the elderly.
As for Gu Xinguo, he could decide what he wanted to do for himself.
Apart from sharing a bond of blood that strangers did not possess, relationships between parents and children were not necessarily that different from any other relationship.
No matter what happened, Shen Jiao would never place all her hopes in another person.
As the weather gradually grew colder, Xinjiao Tailoring Shop experienced another surge in business.
Unfortunately, Shen Jiao’s stomach had grown large, making it difficult for her to move around. Gu Xinmin found it hard to handle everything by herself, so Shen Jiao suggested hiring another person to help.
“Sister, is your younger sister-in-law Wang Juying busy at home?”
That was right.
Shen Jiao planned to ask Gu Xinmin’s younger sister-in-law to work at the shop.
Although government policy was becoming increasingly relaxed, there were still many restrictions. Shen Jiao did not want to accidentally cross any dangerous boundaries.
If she invited Wang Juying to help, then if anyone questioned them, they could simply say that a relative had come to lend a hand.
“Her wedding is scheduled for the twelfth lunar month next year. My mother-in-law already stopped her from working in the fields this year. She specifically asked the brigade captain to give her an easier job because she was afraid Juying would become too tanned and wouldn’t look pretty at her wedding.”
“My body is getting heavier, and you can’t manage everything in the shop alone. Since she has so much free time, why not ask her to help you?”
Although the person they were considering was her own younger sister-in-law, Gu Xinmin immediately shook her head like a rattle.
There was not so much work in the shop that she could not handle it.
If she could not finish during the day, she could simply remain behind and complete it in the evening. At worst, she could ask Wang Chengjun to keep her company.
If they hired another person, not only would they have to pay another salary, but they might also give others something to use against them.
People often said that those in the same trade were natural enemies.
The old tailor’s shop was only several streets away.
Even in ordinary circumstances, the two businesses sometimes developed friction while competing for customers.
They absolutely could not openly hand their rivals evidence that could be used against them.
“Sister, she’s your younger sister-in-law, not a stranger. Isn’t it perfectly normal for relatives to help one another?
“I’m pregnant and can’t do much work. What’s wrong with having a relative come and help for a few days? Even if someone reported us to the police station, I wouldn’t be afraid.
“Brother Gu has to make another long-distance delivery in a few days. This time, he’s going south, and I heard he’ll be gone for more than half a month. My stomach is already this large, and you’re the only person handling everything. If something happened, there wouldn’t even be anyone else nearby to help.”
Shen Jiao’s words made Gu Xinmin’s heart pound wildly.
Her precious nephew had been so difficult to obtain. Nothing could be allowed to happen to him.
Wasn’t it only a matter of asking her younger sister-in-law to help?
If trouble arose, Gu Xinmin could simply claim that the tailoring shop belonged to her. Surely no one could object to her inviting her own sister-in-law to help.
“I’ll speak to her as soon as I return home. The work here doesn’t require her to endure wind or sunlight. It’s easy, she’ll earn money, and she can improve her skills. She’ll definitely be willing to come.
“You don’t need to pay her a high wage either. Just give her the same amount you give me.”
“Then I’ll trouble you to speak to your family. But Sister, you’ve already worked in my tailoring shop for quite a while.
“A tailoring shop ultimately survives on skill. Haven’t the people in town been quite pleased with the clothes you’ve made recently?
“How about considering opening a shop of your own? Don’t worry about taking customers away from me. I only have two hands. The county town is so large, and so many people want clothes made. Could I possibly complete every order myself?”
This time, Gu Xinmin did not immediately reject the suggestion.
After working in the tailoring shop for so long, her horizons had broadened.
Of course she knew how profitable a tailoring shop could be.
During busy months, the shop could earn more than three hundred yuan.
An ordinary worker made only a few dozen yuan each month. Shen Jiao could earn more in one month than many workers earned in an entire year.
How could Gu Xinmin possibly remain unmoved?
“I’ll think about it a little longer. Even if I open a shop, it will have to wait until after you give birth and finish your postpartum confinement.
“I can use this opportunity to practise more. If my skills aren’t good enough, then even if I open a shop, no customers will come.”
Seeing that Gu Xinmin’s attitude had finally softened, Shen Jiao felt happy for her.
Gu Xinguo had only this one older sister, and Gu Xinmin usually took excellent care of Shen Jiao.
She sincerely hoped that their family would be able to build a prosperous life.
As expected, Wang Juying was extremely willing to work at the tailoring shop.
Although she was already capable of making clothes for other people, she always felt as though her skills were still lacking something.
This was the perfect opportunity to continue learning from Shen Jiao while earning some wages to add to her dowry.
“Juying, just follow your sister-in-law’s instructions during ordinary work. Let her assign your tasks. You can also travel to and from work with her.”
“Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Sister-in-law Shen Jiao. I’ll definitely work hard.”
Shen Jiao smiled but said nothing.
She had always valued actions rather than words.
Although Wang Juying had been diligent while studying sewing, Shen Jiao could not yet determine how she would perform when faced with real work.
With Wang Juying joining the shop, Gu Xinmin’s workload became considerably lighter.
In private, she laughingly remarked to Shen Jiao that she finally understood why the households of great landlords had always enjoyed hiring people to work for them.
It truly made life easier.
Those wealthy families certainly knew how to enjoy themselves.
“Sister, policies are becoming better and better. Once we have enough money, we can hire a housekeeper too.”
“May heaven preserve us! How can you dare say absolutely anything?”
Shen Jiao’s words frightened Gu Xinmin.
She still remembered the miserable fates suffered by landlords and wealthy landowners only a few years earlier.
Why would Jiaojiao want to imitate them by hiring servants and indulging herself?
“All right. I won’t say it again.”
Seeing how badly Gu Xinmin had been frightened left Shen Jiao feeling helpless.
The political campaigns of previous years had simply been too severe.
However, once the situation improved, Gu Xinmin would no longer react this way.
The days passed peacefully.
The lunar year of 1979 was rapidly approaching its end, and Shen Jiao was already seven months pregnant.
Gu Xinguo, however, had not returned since leaving on his business trip to the south.
The journey was originally supposed to last half a month, yet an entire month had passed without his return.
Shen Jiao and Gu Xinmin spent every day frowning with worry, terrified that something might have happened to him.
When they questioned the transport team, no one gave them a precise answer.
They only said that Gu Xinguo was safe.
But if he was safe, why had he still not returned?
“Sister-in-law, Sister-in-law Shen Jiao, don’t worry. Brother Xinguo will be fine.”
Wang Juying hurried over to comfort them.
During her time working at the tailoring shop, she had learned a great deal more.
Sister-in-law Shen Jiao had even said that her current skill was already good enough to open a shop.
Nothing could have made her happier.
Although Wang Juying had never calculated the shop’s finances precisely, it earned at least two hundred yuan a month.
Even after deducting her wages, her sister-in-law’s wages, the rent, utilities, and other expenses, the shop still made more than one hundred yuan in profit each month.
After she married, she would discuss opening a tailoring shop with her husband.
She did not ask for much.
She would be satisfied if she could earn even half as much as this shop.
No wonder her mother had sacrificed her pride to beg Sister-in-law Shen Jiao to teach her sewing.
A person with a valuable skill truly could earn an extraordinary amount of money.
Sister-in-law Shen Jiao had agreed to her mother’s request and taught her sewing.
Wang Juying would remain grateful for the rest of her life.
Even if she opened a tailoring shop of her own, she would never compete for Sister-in-law Shen Jiao’s customers.
Although the shop’s booming business helped distract Shen Jiao, whenever she had a moment of free time, she could not stop thinking about Gu Xinguo.
Finally, shortly before the Little New Year, Gu Xinguo returned covered in the dust of his journey.
And he brought Shen Jiao a surprise.
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