nucmednet Chapter 7 Anfeng Weaning
Chapter 7 Anfeng Weaning
Days slipped by in this daily routine filled with the smells of milk, excrement, and arguments.
Chen Lang's body was also growing rapidly.
From initially only being able to lie down, to later being able to roll over, and then to being able to support his upper body with his arms.
An unprecedentedly fierce argument erupted in this home.
Chen Lang had no idea what they were arguing about.
All he heard were the sounds of things being smashed, a woman crying, and a man's impatient roars.
"Can't you be reasonable?"
"How am I being unreasonable? I can't stand staying in this house for another day!"
"Then what else do you want!"
"divorce!"
The moment those two words were uttered, silence fell instantly.
After that, there was a long silence.
The next day, when Chen Lang woke up, he found that he, Qianqian, and Liu Xiaoli were no longer in the familiar Wuhan University staff quarters.
They moved to another place.
A place that is just as full of life, but more crowded and more lively.
He heard piano music coming from the practice room, along with the soft sounds of someone practicing their voice.
The Wuhan Opera and Dance Theater, its staff quarters.
Liu Xiaoli took them and moved back to her parents' home.
At this time, Xiao Anfeng, who was born a little later than him, was already able to hold onto the wall and stumble as he began to learn to walk.
He could only turn over in bed.
Being able to walk means that Xiao Anfeng is about to face the first tragedy of her life.
Weaning.
After Liu Xiaoli moved back to her parents' home, her emotions stabilized considerably, but her body became increasingly thin.
The hardships of raising two children alone are beyond what outsiders can understand.
Although her maternal grandparents would help, she still had to shoulder the main burden herself.
The daytime was fine, but at night, the two children took turns crying and fussing, and almost neither of them could get a full night's sleep.
Chen Lang didn't want to, but he needed to poop and pee and was hungry.
What could he do? He was just a baby struggling to crawl.
Grandma saw this and felt heartbroken, so she suggested weaning the older child first.
"Xiaoli, you can't go on like this, your health will collapse."
"Sisi is almost one year old now, and she can eat rice cereal and drink porridge."
"Wean her first, and it'll make things easier for you."
Liu Xiaoli hesitated.
She looked at her beautiful daughter in her arms, feeling a deep sense of reluctance.
But touching her increasingly hollow chest and feeling the exhaustion that had been emptied out, she knew her mother was right.
The method of weaning is simple and brutal.
Apply chili water.
Chen Lang witnessed this scene firsthand.
That afternoon, the sun was shining brightly.
Liu Xiaoli held Xiao Anfeng, who was crying and demanding food, her face filled with reluctance and struggle.
Grandma was pounding something in the kitchen.
"Mom, how about... we feed her for a few more days? Sisi is still so young."
Liu Xiaoli's voice was pleading.
"What do you mean 'little'? She's already a year old! It's not okay if she doesn't grow up!"
Grandma came out of the kitchen carrying a small bowl, her attitude resolute.
The bowl contained a pungent, red liquid.
Chen Lang lay on the small bed next to him and, upon smelling the scent, guessed seven or eight parts of the story.
He saw Liu Xiaoli close her eyes and make up her mind, then dip her finger in the red liquid and smear it on her body.
He took off his clothes and hugged Xiao Anfeng, who was crying her heart out.
As usual, Xiao Anfeng excitedly rushed into his mother's arms, ready to enjoy his big meal.
She was met with a burning, stinging pain.
"Wow--"
A heart-wrenching cry echoed throughout the entire residential compound.
Xiao Anfeng's face was flushed red from the spiciness, tears and snot covered her face, her little tongue kept sticking out, and she cried her heart out, as if she had suffered a great injustice and betrayal.
She couldn't understand why the delicious food had suddenly become so terrifying.
Liu Xiaoli's eyes also reddened. She wanted to hug her daughter, but Xiao Anfeng cried even harder whenever she touched her, desperately trying to hide behind her.
Chen Lang lay on the bed, quietly watching all of this.
In my heart, there was actually a slight...sense of peace of mind.
no way.
It's because he was born prematurely, and he was very thin and small. The doctor specifically instructed him to breastfeed as much as possible, for as long as he could.
Therefore, Xiao Anfeng's torture was a benefit to him.
Not only does he not need to be weaned, but he can also enjoy this food all to himself.
After finally calming An Feng down, Liu Xiaoli, feeling uncomfortable, came over and picked up Chen Lang.
"Langlang, are you hungry?"
She unbuttoned the other side of her clothes.
The familiar, warm cafeteria opened its doors to him.
As Chen Lang ate, he looked at his wife, Qianqian, who was crying so hard she was about to faint, with a sympathetic gaze.
Honey, I'm so sorry.
It's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that I'm powerless to do anything about it.
"Mother……"
As Chen Lang ate, he mumbled a few syllables.
When Liu Xiaoli first heard Chen Lang call her "Mom," she was completely stunned.
In that instant, all the weariness, grievances, and bitterness seemed to melt away with those two words.
Holding this child who wasn't her own but had grown up drinking her milk, tears silently streamed down her face.
Chen Lang reached out his small hand and clumsily wiped the tears from her face.
He looked at the woman who had saved him from the brink of death with her breast milk.
At this moment, in his heart, this mother is far more important than his wife, Sisi, who hasn't fully grown up yet.
Regardless of whether he becomes An's son-in-law or not, he will call her "Mom" for the rest of his life.
Perhaps people of this era don't have that concept.
But he knew.
A mother's milk is made from her blood.
This is a life-saving grace.
Besides, even if I marry Xixi in the future, won't I still have to call her "Mom"?
It's perfectly fine to rehearse beforehand.
As Liu Xiaoli held him, she recalled her mother-in-law's harsh face and hurtful words.
They said she couldn't have a son.
But now, she is crying out silently in her heart.
Who says I don't have a son?
Whether it's my son-in-law or my son, I raised them both!
They are all my children!
Xiao Anfeng cried herself to sleep, then lay on the bed, watching her younger brother still eating that horrible food, and became extremely anxious.
She even broke free from her grandmother's embrace, stumbled over, and reached out her little hands, trying to pull Chen Lang off her mother's arms.
He was also making "ah ah" sounds, as if reminding him.
Don't eat it! It's poisonous!
She was terrified that her younger brother would suffer the same pain as her.
This scene made the adults in the room laugh, and it also eased the tension and heartache they had felt earlier.
Time flies.
Before we knew it, both children had turned one year old.
Chen Lang is no longer the fragile premature baby who did nothing but eat and sleep all day and was too lazy to even lift his eyelids.
He can climb now.
Although its speed is similar to that of a snail, at least it has the ability to move independently.
He was finally able to sit still and observe the world of the late 1980s, which was both familiar and strange, like a normal person.