Help others? It's better to help yourself - Chapter 37

Watching the fervor of the people around her, Xu Jing’an didn’t dare to hesitate even for a second. She joined in without delay, chanting, “Long live Chairman Mao!” and “May he live ten thousand years!” In these times, anything or anyone who stood out became a target of struggle. For the sake of “ideological progress,” people feared they couldn’t even trust the person they shared a bed with, wondering if that person might report them the next day. Parents who had casually grumbled at home faced the possibility that their children might publicly condemn and turn them in for the greater good. Longtime colleagues, neighbors, and friends frequently wrote denunciation letters over old grudges or jealousy.

Every so often, the newspaper would publish notices of people severing family ties.

Xu Jing’an could feel countless eyes around her, always watching, observing the smallest deviations in behavior.

For most, these chaotic times brought anxiety and fear.

But for those who would stop at nothing to climb the ranks, it was an opportunity unlike any other.

Why work through each step when you could leap ahead with a single move?

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“Xiao Wu, Xiao Xu, here’s the list of employees retiring this year. Pull out their files and set them aside. This is the list of this year’s labor role models—make sure to update their files and complete all documentation,” instructed Director Huang.

“Yes, Director,” Xu Jing’an replied, taking the lists and getting to work with Wu Sufen. They worked through the entire morning, cataloging, creating backups, completing the paperwork, and setting aside the retirement files.

Working in the records office required precision, attention to detail, and no margin for error.

In the factory, the retirees were celebrated with drums and gongs, each given a large red flower. Over ten workers stood in line, smiling as they shook hands with factory leaders, accepting their “Glorious Retirement” certificates. If the factory did well, they could still receive holiday gifts and benefits during the year.

Xu Jing’an watched with envy and calculated that she still had a long way to go before retirement!

Now that the weather was getting hot, Xu Jing’an could no longer pump milk for her child, as it could spoil easily. She could only find time to go home during lunch to breastfeed. However, the Shen family lived far away, and the time to travel back and forth was not enough. So, during the day, Shen mother moved in with Xu Jing’an to make it easier to feed the baby at noon.

During this time, she also started introducing some complementary foods to the child. The baby, named Shen Yan and nicknamed “Zhuang Zhuang,” was indeed growing strong under Shen mother’s care. By the time Xu Jing’an got off work in the afternoon, she would ride her bicycle back to the Shen family with Shen mother and son.

Whether in this era or the one Xu Jing’an lived in fifty years later, women were always the ones who contributed more to family life.

Xu Jing’an had no intention of living such a hard life. Upon returning to the Shen home, she found that Shen He had already prepared dinner. Shen father hurried to take the grandson, eager to see him after a day apart, allowing Shen mother to rest properly.

The grandfather and grandson chatted cheerfully, and Shen father said, “By the way, the eldest son wrote a letter.”

“Did the eldest son mention when he’ll get to take time off to visit?” Shen mother replied, rubbing her arms. Despite the child not being heavy, holding him all this way had left her arms sore.

“He said he would bring his partner back at the end of this year,” Shen father said with joy. Their son was already 29; it seemed he was finally getting married and starting a family.

Shen mother smiled and asked, “Did he mention what his daughter-in-law does?”

“Well, he didn’t mention that; we’ll ask our son when he comes back!” Shen father thought for a moment, recalling that his son had indeed just casually mentioned it in the letter without elaborating.

Shen mother frowned slightly upon hearing this, and her heart sank. This situation didn’t feel right! As someone with experience, she understood what it was like for young people to date and get married. Just looking at the second son’s relationship and marriage was enough to illustrate her point, and it was right in front of her.

That night, as Xu Jing’an lay in bed, she recalled Shen mother mentioning that Shen Yue would be bringing his partner home for the New Year.

To ease her worries, she searched her space for information. However, the distance was too great, and she found nothing. Given the current situation, the last thing she feared was uncertainty, so Xu Jing’an could only temporarily set her mind at ease.

As the child grew, Xu Jing’an felt that she was running out of milk. She started using the powdered milk she had gotten with the milk powder coupons issued at the time of the baby’s birth. Seeing that the baby took well to the formula, Xu Jing’an decided to wean him off breast milk when Zhuang Zhuang turned one.

Little Zhuang Zhuang didn’t show any signs of discomfort and quickly accepted the change.

Worried that her grandson would cry, Shen mother smiled and said, “You little guy are tough; you’re easy to raise.”

Zhuang Zhuang thought his grandmother was playing with him and happily smiled at Shen mother, calling out “Daddy, Mommy, Grandma, Grandpa” repeatedly.

Since Zhuang Zhuang’s arrival, it felt like the old couple had become a few years younger, their spirits lifting. As long as the child was awake, laughter from the two adults and the baby filled the house.

After seeing this, Shen He sighed, “Wife, Mom seems to have forgotten all about me.”

“What do you mean? Are you planning to compete for her affection?” Xu Jing’an found this amusing.

“Let’s have another one; otherwise, Mom might spoil him even more,” Shen He whispered with a grin.

Xu Jing’an glanced at him and laughed, “Aren’t you the one who’s being spoiled?”

“Alright, just watch me, wife!”

The couple worked hard well into the night.

On February 1, 1970, Xu Jing’an had been feeling unwell for the past couple of days. After thinking it over, she suspected she might be pregnant. She specifically went to the hospital for a check-up and found out she was nearly two months along.

Receiving the test results, Shen He looked at the pregnancy confirmation and smiled so widely that his teeth were practically invisible.

The old couple of the Shen family were also overjoyed. Even though life was tough for everyone at the moment, most people welcomed the news of a new addition to the family.

Originally, Xu Jing’an would occasionally cook meals at home, but now she didn’t even have to worry about cooking.