Help others? It's better to help yourself - Chapter 40

Gu Panpan suppressed her pride and carefree attitude after her rebirth.

Xu Jing’an could already foresee Gu Panpan’s future life without needing to guess. Living with a man who doesn’t have you in his heart means his emotions will drift elsewhere, and he will become cold and indifferent.

Moreover, being forced into marriage by the other party is a humiliation for a capable and ambitious man. What you have to face is his heart, which can be as hard as iron.

Without external reasons, it requires a significant amount of time, energy, and effort to ease conflicts and bridge emotional gaps. In the original story, Gu Panpan took five years to help Shen Yue let go of his emotional burdens.

This is why, after choosing Shen He, Xu Jing’an didn’t just arrange a direct meeting for a blind date; she created opportunities for chance encounters instead. She needed Shen He to genuinely like her from the heart, rather than simply being okay with her.

In 1970, Xu Jing’an felt that this year was more comfortable than previous years because the leadership of the steel plant had hired many veterans. The security personnel patrolled continuously, and the gate checks became stricter. They kept many unstable elements outside the gates of the steel plant.

This gate separated the steel plant from the outside world, creating two distinct realms. While the outside world became increasingly chaotic and vibrant, the workers in the plant were fully engaged in their work and living their lives smoothly.

As soon as they left the steel plant, the workers would revert to being quiet and downcast.

In this turbulent wave, one misstep could lead to being swept away, so everyone had to be careful and cautious.

On September 28th, Xu Jing’an gave birth to a girl named Shen Tian, with the nickname “Dou Dou.” The name “Dou Dou” came from Zhuang Zhuang, who noticed a small round black mole on his sister’s leg.

With thick hair, bright black eyes, and rosy skin, anyone who saw the baby couldn’t help but compliment how good-looking she was.

Looking at this granddaughter who had inherited her parents’ good traits, Shen mother smiled until her eyes squinted.

Now that she had both a grandson and a granddaughter, how could she not be happy?

Xu Jing’an was leaning against the bed, sipping on red sugar, egg, and millet porridge when Shen He walked in.

“How is it? Is the little cart ready?” Xu Jing’an asked eagerly.

“I asked Wang Gang, and he said it’s done. He’ll bring the cart back tomorrow,” Shen He replied. Wang Gang also had a job, and he took more than half a month to work on the cart in his spare time.

After Xu Jing’an returned to work, it would be more convenient for her to nurse if Shen mother stayed with the two children at the house near the steel plant.

However, it would be inconvenient to take Shen mother and the two children on the bicycle all at once. Xu Jing’an discussed with Shen He the idea of having someone build a wooden cart with dimensions of 1x1x0.5 meters. The top of the cart would be removable so it could be added when it rained. This way, Xu Jing’an could ride her bicycle while pulling the cart, ensuring safety.

After hearing this idea, Shen He thought it was quite good. Their neighbor, Wang Gang, was skilled at carpentry.

The next day, Shen He took one pound of pork belly and went over to find him.

After bringing the little cart back, the whole family gathered around to admire it for a long time. The cart was made from old furniture, with the wheels being two used bicycle wheels. The wooden cart didn’t look great, but its surface was very smooth after polishing. Zhuang Zhuang was fascinated and couldn’t get enough of playing on it; he even ate his meals in the cart.

The neighbors who saw it thought it was quite good, and Wang Gang ended up taking five or six orders.

After Xu Jing’an completed her confinement period, Shen He usually delivered the cart when he had the time. Recently, with work duties piling up, he could only rely on Xu Jing’an to manage on her own.

Xu Jing’an continued to ride her bicycle, taking Shen mother and the children out. Along the way, they attracted a lot of attention. Zhuang Zhuang leaned over the side of the cart to look out, while Dou Dou was sleeping in Shen mother’s arms.

As Xu Jing’an concentrated on pedaling, she suddenly heard her son shout, “Mom, Mom, look!”

Xu Jing’an looked up in the direction her son was pointing and saw an ox cart coming toward them. The driver, an old man, happened to make eye contact with her. He looked at Xu Jing’an curiously, surprised to see a fellow traveler in the city.

As they passed each other, the old man lightly flicked his whip at the ox and shouted, “Giddy up!” Upon seeing this, Zhuang Zhuang immediately clapped the cart frame and echoed, “Giddy up! Giddy up!” Xu Jing’an’s foot slipped, and she lost her footing on the pedals.

Onlookers couldn’t help but laugh. Shen mother quickly pulled her grandson down to sit properly.

…

By early January 1971, Dou Dou had already passed her hundredth day, and according to the usual practice, Xu Jing’an went to the hospital for a check-up to see how her body was recovering. If everything went well with the results, the couple would resume their intimate life that evening.

However, after giving birth to two children in three years, she had to be careful about contraception and take care of her health now.

Leaving the hospital, she had two condoms tucked in her pocket. Don’t underestimate that number!

In 1955, China established its first condom factory, which soon faced official complaints that they were “too thick, too brittle, and would break with use, causing great concern…”

By 1965, the production of condoms became fully mechanized, but at that time, most rubber in the country still had to be used for national defense and military purposes, meaning condoms had to make way for national security.

Condoms, then referred to as “insurance covers,” were quite thick, and after each use, they had to be washed, dried, and dusted with talcum powder for storage, allowing for reuse.

Xu Jing’an was worried that the condom might accidentally fall out and be seen by others, which would lead to an embarrassing situation. So, she decided to store it in a space where it would be safer.