Chapter 211: Fight When You Need to Fight
The day after giving birth, Ou Guohua, fully armed, boarded the bus home.
Deng Yuntai and Zhang Xiuping also returned with them.
As for Father Ou and Mother Ou, they were in no hurry to return to New Dock Village. Instead, they followed everyone back to Thatchfield Village.
Their daughter had given birth to a granddaughter, and they were indeed very satisfied. However, being from the countryside themselves, they naturally knew that most villagers favored boys over girls. They were concerned about how their daughter's in-laws might react, so they decided to come along to see for themselves.
"The in-laws are here!"
"Ahua, you're finally back!"
"It's okay to have a daughter. Daughters are good—they're not as naughty as sons."
"Ahua, go back to your room and don't stay outside in the wind. I'm going to kill a chicken and make ginger wine."
"…"
When she returned home and saw the enthusiastic attitude of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Ou Guohua almost wondered if she was seeing things.
This time, she had rushed to the county town to give birth to a daughter. Ou Guohua had braced herself for the possibility that her mother-in-law might say some unpleasant words upon her return. She had mentally prepared herself to ignore any minor criticisms.
But she never expected her mother-in-law's attitude to be so different from what she had imagined.
Could it be that her mother-in-law was putting on an act for her parents' sake?
It was no wonder Ou Guohua thought this way. After all, she had only been married for about a month, and in that short time, she had already gotten a rough sense of her mother-in-law's personality. She didn't claim to understand her mother-in-law completely, but she had a general idea.
Logically speaking, she had gone to the county town to give birth without prior approval, spent a lot of money, and ended up having a daughter. It was unlikely that her mother-in-law would be so enthusiastic toward her.
The only explanation was that her mother-in-law was putting on a show for her parents.
But this didn't quite make sense. While it was understandable for her mother-in-law to pretend to be nice in front of her parents, there was no reason for her sister-in-law to do the same.
What was going on?
At this moment, Ou Guohua was utterly confused by the unusual attitudes of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.
What Ou Guohua didn't know was that all of this was thanks to her husband.
A few days earlier, Deng Changyuan had made some harsh remarks in front of his family. Since then, his mother and sister-in-law had been on edge, trying to figure out how to make amends.
Now that Ou Guohua had returned from the county town after giving birth, her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were quick to show their concern, asking about her well-being and treating her with great care.
Their sole purpose was to dissuade Deng Changyuan from the idea of separating from the family and living on his own.
This incident serves as a lesson: sometimes, you need to stand up for yourself, whether it's with outsiders or your own relatives. If you're too timid to fight for your own interests and choose to tolerate things blindly, even your relatives won't care about your feelings.
But if you dare to argue for your rights, no one can ignore you, and your words will carry weight.
If Deng Changyuan had chosen to remain silent a few days ago and let his mother and sister-in-law blame his wife, Ou Guohua wouldn't be treated the same way upon her return today. Even if her in-laws didn't say much in front of her parents, their attitude certainly wouldn't be as enthusiastic as it was now.
But Deng Changyuan didn't let it slide. Instead, he addressed the issue head-on when he saw any signs of trouble. This was why Ou Guohua was being treated so well now.
Father Ou and Mother Ou, unaware of the reason behind this change, felt reassured seeing how warmly their daughter's in-laws treated her. They thought their daughter might have been mistaken about her in-laws' personalities.
In the afternoon, Deng Changyuan returned from work at the tile factory. Seeing his wife getting along well with his family and always wearing a smile, he felt quite satisfied. It seemed the warning he had given his parents and elder brother and sister-in-law that day had worked.
Father and Mother Ou stayed at their in-laws' place for one night and returned to New Dock Village the next day, their minds at ease.
…
In the room, Ou Guohua shared her confusion about her mother-in-law and sister-in-law's unusual behavior with her two sisters. Frowning, she said, "Ah Ping, Sister Fang, don't you think this is strange? Not only did she not mention a word about me going to the county town to give birth, but she didn't even seem to care that I had a daughter. Her attitude toward me is even better than when I first got married. This is just unbelievable."
Hearing this, Zhang Xiuping and Ou Guofang exchanged puzzled glances.
Zhang Xiuping thought for a moment and said, "Ahua, it does sound a bit unusual, but this is a good thing for you. There's no need to dwell on the reasons."
Ou Guofang nodded in agreement. "Yes, why overthink it? Your mother-in-law and sister-in-law are treating you well, which is a rare good thing. At least someone will help take care of the child, and you'll have an easier time during your confinement period."
Ou Guohua smiled. "That's true. I thought I'd be annoyed when I came back, but this is a pleasant surprise."
Ou Guofang asked, "Ahua, how do you feel about giving birth in the county town this time?"
Ou Guohua sighed with emotion. "This trip to the county town really broadened my horizons. The county town is truly incomparable to our village. Giving birth at the maternal and child health center made me feel so much more at ease. The midwives there are all professionals, much better than the half-baked midwives in the countryside."
Zhang Xiuping added, "Afang, I suggest you go to the county town when it's your turn to give birth. By then, I'll be doing business in the county town, and you can stay with me. You'll just need to cover the round-trip fare and the hospital fees, which really aren't that much.
Compared to giving birth in the countryside, giving birth in the county town is much safer."
Ou Guofang was visibly moved by this suggestion. She nodded and said, "I'll mention this to Adong later to see what he thinks. If he has no objections, I'll come to the county town and look for you, Ah Ping."
Zhang Xiuping hummed in agreement. "I'll write down the address for you later. When you get to the county town, you can find me."
Ou Guofang said anxiously, "Ah Ping, I've never been to the county town before. If you're writing the address, please make it detailed. Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to find it."
Zhang Xiuping smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. The county town isn't that big. I live next to the Public Security Bureau. When you get there, just ask anyone for directions, and they'll point you to me. Also, when you come to give birth, our restaurant will be open. If you're worried about not finding my place, you can go directly to the restaurant to look for me."
"Ah Ping, what's the name of your restaurant?"
"It's called Suifeng Restaurant. It's right across from the People's Cinema. It's easy to find."
"Okay, I'll remember that."
(End of this chapter)