Chapter 63

Chapter 63

It was the weekend, and He Qian got up early in the morning.

She went to the wet market and bought a freshly killed sea bass, several jin of beef, a heap of vegetables, the seafood Qin Song’s parents liked, and the chestnuts and pork ribs Qin Song loved.

Qin Song’s parents were leaving Qin Song’s place to stay with their younger son, Qin Bao, so she planned to cook a full table of dishes at home for lunch to see them off.

As for why they were leaving, the official reason Qin Song’s parents gave was this: Qin Bao and his wife were busy with work, so they were going over to help look after the child. They were getting on in years and were afraid of being lonely; listening to children make a racket would be more cheerful.

He Qian knew exactly what they meant by that.

She put the vegetables and meat she’d bought into the car and drove home.

Qin Song had once suggested hiring a nanny or a cooking auntie for the house, but He Qian had refused. In the end, they only hired a cleaner responsible for the daily tidying.

Ever since she got married, in outsiders’ eyes, He Qian seemed to be living quite comfortably. She didn’t have to go to work and spent her days at home as a rich wife.

In reality, Qin Song’s parents had always lived with them, and his parents were extremely difficult to get along with. He Qian’s days were far from pleasant.

Her inability to have a child was a major conflict between He Qian and the two elders. With that barrier between them, even the slightest meeting of eyes during conversation turned awkward.

So He Qian couldn’t stand sitting around at home. She felt that even sitting on the sofa with her in-laws and watching the same TV drama was torture, let alone breaking through that awkwardness to chat about something. She would rather find something else to do.

Going out with her close friends for beauty treatments or afternoon tea was one way to pass the time. Unfortunately, she couldn’t get beauty treatments every day, and her friends weren’t always free to come out for tea with her.

But grocery shopping and cooking were different. Groceries could be bought every day, and cooking could take up an entire morning. It was a perfectly good chance to keep herself separated from Qin Song’s parents.

The truth was, He Qian liked children quite a lot. She very much hoped she could have a girl.

Boys took after their mothers, and girls took after their fathers. He Qian had a small nose, small eyes, and a small mouth, but Qin Song’s features were sharp and handsome. Having a daughter who looked like Qin Song was something He Qian greatly looked forward to.

About two years after marrying Qin Song, she became pregnant. At the time, the whole family was very happy.

Even though she still didn’t know the baby’s sex, she began buying little clothes for baby girls online, her heart full of joy.

Later, she grew dissatisfied with the clothes online, feeling that they all came in the same few styles and weren’t distinctive enough, so she began learning to make cute little things for children to wear.

Her mother-in-law looked at the clothes she made, decorated with bows and little heart patterns, and said flatly, “You’re already so sure it’s a girl?”

He Qian looked her mother-in-law in the eye and said, “I’ll like the baby whether it’s a boy or a girl.”

Her mother-in-law gave an “oh” and went back to watching TV.

Qin Song’s mother had given birth to two sons in a row when she was young, and that had been her pride for her entire life. But He Qian’s parents had no son. He Qian only had a younger sister, and in her heart, boys and girls could be treated the same.

The year He Qian was pregnant, two prenatal yoga studios opened in City A. Back then, not many people chose to do prenatal yoga. Most pregnant women still opted, cautiously, to take walks around a track.

He Qian did a lot of homework on pregnancy knowledge. She bought massage oil early on to prevent stretch marks, then excitedly signed up at a yoga studio.

The day Qin Song’s mother found out He Qian was going to do prenatal yoga, she was so angry she knocked over a bowl at the dinner table.

“You’re already pregnant, and you still want to do yoga? Aren’t you afraid something will happen from all that moving around?”

He Qian said calmly, “Prenatal yoga isn’t what you think it is. It can help pregnant women relieve stress, and it can also adjust the pelvis. When the time comes, it’ll help with labor…”

Qin Song’s mother cut her off impatiently. “When you weren’t pregnant, I didn’t care how you carried on. But now that you’re pregnant, you’re not one person anymore. You’re two. Shouldn’t you be a little more careful?”

Qin Song cleared his throat and interrupted his mother. “Mom, prenatal yoga has been popular around here for a while now. It’s not like Qianqian is the only one doing it. There are plenty of pregnant women there. You remember Wang Dongxu’s wife from my work, don’t you? She did yoga there too when she was pregnant last year. She gave birth at the beginning of this year, and it went really smoothly. A chubby baby, over eight jin!”

Qin Song’s mother rolled her eyes at her son. “That’s because she was in good health. What the hell does that have to do with yoga? Wang Dongxu’s wife was built with wide hips and a thick waist, a tall woman over one-seventy, all fair and plump. How could she not give birth to a son over eight jin?”

Qin Song said, “Oh, come on, that’s not how it works…”

Qin Song’s mother cut him off. “And besides, Wang Dongxu’s wife is sturdy and can take it, so she’s fine doing that prenatal whatever. But look at our He Qian… she’s skinny as a sheet of paper. If you don’t make her stay home and rest properly, and instead let her go out and do all those twisting, bending exercises, aren’t you afraid something will happen?”

He Qian said, “But sitting around at home all day really is boring.”

Qin Song’s mother said, “You can take walks in the little garden. The villa community you live in has such a nice environment, so quiet, and isn’t there a little garden right across from the house? If you feel bored, I’ll go with you. I’ll talk with you!”

Qin Song muttered, “You’re so old. What would we even have to talk about with you?”
Qin Song’s mother said, “What did you say? Say that again.”

Qin Song stopped talking and lowered his head to eat.

He Qian set down her chopsticks and stood up. “Dad, Mom, I’m full. I’m a little tired, so I’m going to lie down for a while. You two keep eating.”

With that, she left the dining room, went upstairs to the bedroom, and gently closed the door behind her.

Qin Song’s mother jabbed Qin Song hard with her chopsticks. “She’s only just gotten pregnant and she’s already giving me attitude. In another eight or nine months, won’t she be even more out of control? Is this how you manage your wife?”

Qin Song snapped, “How is she giving you attitude? You’re just old-fashioned, running your mouth when you don’t know anything. Who’d be happy hearing that?”

Qin Song’s father had been silent for a long while, and finally spoke. “Your mother is old-fashioned. She doesn’t understand all these newfangled things. But newfangled doesn’t necessarily mean good. Your wife is risking the child’s life!”

Qin Song got angry. “What do you mean, risking the child’s life? She’s the baby’s mother. Doesn’t she care about the baby more than anyone? Can you at least be a little scientific about this? Go online and look up whether prenatal yoga is useful or not! Don’t just blame us!”

Qin Song’s father gave a cold laugh. “I think you two just have a bit of money now and it’s burning a hole in your pockets. Back in our day, we had nothing, and didn’t we still give birth to you and your brother just fine? Your lives are too good now, your conditions are too comfortable. You’re so well fed you’ve got nothing better to do than be guinea pigs for these foreign trends!”

Qin Song’s mother picked up from there. “Son, you haven’t been in business for that long. Money needs to be earned, yes, but it also needs to be saved. Saving is even more important than earning! Did you see the pile of baby clothes she bought recently? And that… pregnancy oil? My heavens, several hundred yuan a bottle, and she bought three whole bottles! And this prenatal yoga, the registration fee must be over a thousand, right? Spending like that, Qin Song, do you think you’ll ever get rich?”

Qin Song slammed his bowl down. “Is the baby she’s carrying not mine? Not our family’s? She usually doesn’t wear makeup or buy bags, and she only has a few sets of clothes. Now that she’s pregnant and wants to buy a few things, am I supposed to hold her down and stop her? We earn our own money and spend our own money. She’s my wife, I’ll pamper her myself! You two stop worrying over nothing! Don’t interfere! Don’t ask!”

Qin Song’s mother said, “And now you’re slamming bowls around? Is this how you talk to your parents?”

Qin Song said, “I learned it from you! Didn’t you throw a bowl in front of us just now?”

Qin Song’s mother slapped the table in agitation and stood up. “I’m the parent and you’re the son! I can do that. Can you?”

Qin Song’s father said, “Song Fengmei, if you want to talk, then talk. Why are you slapping the table? Shout any louder and He Qian upstairs will hear you! Every time we try to discuss anything, you turn it into a fight! Can you lower your voice? Can we have a normal conversation even once?”

Qin Song’s mother rolled her eyes at him, then sat back down.

She took a sip of water and lowered her volume a little. “Qin Song, I’m being serious with you. Take that massage oil, for example. I’ve lived to this age, and I’ve truly never heard of anything that can get rid of stretch marks. You’re a man, so you don’t understand. Stretch marks are just a matter of the individual. Some people don’t get them at all, some people’s whole bellies end up covered in them, and some don’t get any in the first few months, then when they’re further along, a whole bunch suddenly pop up overnight!”

Qin Song said, “She did her research before buying that massage oil. If it really didn’t work, she wouldn’t have bought it. Even if it’s just for peace of mind, what’s wrong with that? As long as she’s happy, isn’t that enough?”

Qin Song’s father said, “Can you guarantee the ingredients in all those things she’s applying are safe? What if there’s lead, mercury, or some other chemical in them? She’s putting that stuff directly on her stomach, and the child absorbs all of it. How dangerous is that?”

Qin Song said, “Oh, I really can’t get through to you two. This isn’t allowed, that isn’t allowed. Pregnant women overseas can do anything, they don’t even do postpartum confinement and go running around everywhere, and aren’t they still perfectly fine?”

Qin Song’s mother said, “You young people these days just worship anything foreign. Yoga is foreign too, and you all think it’s good. But if one day she hurts her body doing yoga, or hurts the baby, what will you do then?”

Qin Song said, “What can I do? Accept that it’s my bad luck, all right? Am I supposed to write her a divorce letter?”

Qin Song’s mother said, “You’re being very unreasonable right now.”

Qin Song thought, When has this family ever been reasonable? He closed his eyes. “Compared to all these pointless things you’re talking about, the most important thing right now is keeping her in a good mood. If she’s in a good mood, my son will be fine, and I’ll be fine. Please, whatever you do, don’t make her angry again. If you upset her, I’m still the one who has to coax her. I’m begging you, stop setting me up.”

Qin Song’s mother sneered. “Your son, huh? She’s the one hoping every day to have a daughter.”

Qin Song shushed her and glared at his mother. “Don’t you dare say that in front of her again! What era is this? You’re still favoring boys over girls?”

He stood up and pulled out his chair. “I’m going to the company. You two eat. Watch more TV at home and talk less. Don’t upset Qianqian!”

Qin Song’s mother shoved the plate in front of her away. “Eat, eat, eat. What’s there to eat? We’re not eating either!”

Qin Song’s father sat there with a dark expression, saying nothing.

If He Qian’s ten months of pregnancy had gone smoothly, that would have been that. In the end, the actual results would have won this battle between old and new ideas.

But life is unpredictable. When He Qian was more than five months pregnant, a prenatal checkup revealed that there was a problem with the fetus’s heart.