jdhmnovel Chapter 1 Rebirth 90th Generation
Chapter 1 Rebirth 90th Generation
"Yanlin?" Deng Xiuzhen called out tentatively. Qin Yanlin had been gone for more than ten years. Over the years, she had endured so much hardship alone, finally seeing her three children get married. Her eldest daughter married in Beijing, her second daughter married in Shenzhen, and her youngest son stayed in the county town, but he also lived up to expectations and passed the civil service exam.
Her daughter married well, her son passed the civil service exam, she has a retirement pension and some savings. She originally thought that even if she couldn't enjoy a life of leisure like others said, she could at least breathe a sigh of relief and live a more relaxed life.
But little did I know that the hardship seemed endless: first, I struggled to earn money to make ends meet, then I had to take care of my grandchildren. After raising my eldest grandson until he started school, my son had a younger grandson, who took my daughter-in-law's surname, but I still had to raise him myself…
At first, things were fine. He was young and healthy, and he only had one grandson to take care of. He had some hope in his heart, thinking that he could enjoy his old age after raising his grandson.
But then the trend of having a second child emerged, with the first child taking the father's surname and the second the mother's. So the son and daughter-in-law planned to have a second child. She didn't want to, but as a mother-in-law, a mother-in-law without a husband, a mother-in-law who had selflessly dedicated herself for decades, everyone was used to her sacrifices, and no one cared about her feelings or opinions.
She didn't dare tell her daughter-in-law, but secretly mentioned it to her son once. Her son said that Fang Lin (her wife) was an only child, and her parents also wanted a descendant; they couldn't just think of themselves…
She only mentioned it briefly, but her son went on and on. These were all minor matters, but the bad thing was that her son actually told his wife, and she gave her a cold shoulder for a long time.
Her in-laws were even more veiled in their criticism, saying that some people are selfish because their son married someone else's only daughter, and now that they have offspring, they don't care about others; they also said that some people are lazy because their children were born to someone else's daughter, and while the daughter doesn't complain, some people complain even though they're just helping out.
Relatives and friends also advised her not to be a fool. They suggested that the child should take the in-laws' surname after birth, since the in-laws would definitely want to take care of it, and it would be their own grandson, so she wouldn't suffer any loss.
Later, her in-laws even offered to take care of the baby, leaving her in a difficult position.
Even her two daughters didn't stand by her side, thinking she was being pretentious. What mother-in-law doesn't help her children? What mother-in-law doesn't help take care of her grandchildren? Didn't her own parents-in-law help take care of them too? They even came all the way from their familiar hometown to the unfamiliar city of Shenzhen to take care of their grandchildren.
What else could she say? She could only support her son and daughter-in-law having a second child.
After this matter was settled, she not only had to help her son take care of his child, but also occasionally help her daughter with her child. After all, things are different now; it's no longer common for grandmothers to single-mindedly care for their grandchildren. It's now fashionable for grandmothers and mothers-in-law to share the responsibility of childcare. Her daughter said she would only help out when her in-laws were away. Since her son and daughter could agree (that she would occasionally help her daughter with her child, and that the two daughters wouldn't fight over the inheritance—it would all go to her son), how could she resist? Would her resistance be effective?
As a result, she was running around to three different places. When her son gave birth to his second child, her in-laws came to take care of him for a while. However, her daughter-in-law complained that her in-laws' cooking was not good, their clothes were not washed properly, and they did not take good care of the children. So her in-laws left, and she started taking care of her two grandsons.
Every morning around 5 a.m., she has to get up to prepare breakfast for the family. Then her son, daughter-in-law, and eldest grandson get up. After breakfast, her son and daughter-in-law go to work, and she carries her younger grandson to take her eldest grandson to school. When she can't carry him anymore, she pushes the stroller or carries him on her back. In any case, she has to take care of both grandsons.
I prepared dinner early in the afternoon, and while my youngest grandson was sleeping, I rushed to pick up my eldest grandson from school.
Not only does she have no time for herself, but even when she's sick or injured, she has to keep busy before she's fully recovered. Lately, she's been experiencing frequent dizziness, headaches, and fatigue. Sometimes she feels tightness in her chest, and her back feels like it's about to break.
She said, "Let's hire a nanny, I'll pay for it."
My wife said that hiring a nanny costs six or seven thousand yuan now, wouldn't it be better to save that money for the child?
My son said, "Why are you only thinking about yourself? If you don't want to take care of them, that's fine. We won't force you. You can go live alone."
The eldest daughter said that her mother-in-law had never mentioned hiring a nanny when taking care of her two grandsons.
The youngest daughter said, "My mother-in-law takes care of three grandsons."
Then she could only insist on taking care of him herself. Then this afternoon, when she went to pick up her grandson from school, she collapsed on the road. She felt like she was going to die.
Am I dead? And that's why I ran into my husband who's been dead for over ten years?!
The thought arose in Deng Xiuzhen's mind, and she suddenly sat up and asked, "Yanlin, am I dead?"
"Xiuzhen, what's wrong with you? Why are you talking nonsense?" Qin Yanlin asked in a panic, while reaching out to touch Deng Xiuzhen's forehead, worried that she was delirious from a high fever.
The warmth of Qin Yanlin's hands brought Deng Xiuzhen back to her senses; a dead person should be cold!
Looking at Qin Yanlin again, she noticed that his complexion was very good; it wasn't the ashen look of someone dying from a long illness, nor was he skin and bones like he was on his deathbed. Qin Yanlin looked much younger now, appearing to be only in his thirties.
Thirty-something? Deng Xiuzhen was surprised again.
She dared not speak, only glancing around. Before her were wooden doors and white walls, a calendar hanging beside the door, wooden windows with reinforced steel pillars, a palm-fiber bed with newspapers pasted beside it, a cement floor, and a red-lacquered wooden cabinet beside her. Qin Yanlin held a stainless steel cup, the water inside still steaming. This was clearly the house she used to live in at the supply and marketing cooperative!
Did she die and end up in another time and space with her husband? Or was she reborn, reborn in the 90s?
Deng Xiuzhen wasn't sure; she stared blankly at Qin Yanlin.
"Xiuzhen, what's wrong with you?" Qin Yanlin panicked. He had lived with Deng Xiuzhen for twelve years and had never seen her like this before.
"Mom!" A girl ran in with a clear voice.
"Wenjing?" Deng Xiuzhen finally came to her senses. She had been reborn, truly reborn in the 90s!
She suppressed the turmoil in her heart and greeted him with a smile, "Jingjing, you're out of school?" Her tone was as warm as ever, but her eyes no longer held the usual doting affection; instead, they held a hint of coldness.
Soon, the other two children, Wenxin and Wenyu, also returned. Just like Wenjing, they called out "Mom!" loudly and rushed to Deng Xiuzhen's bedside, chattering about what happened at school that day.
"I'll go cook," Qin Yanlin said with a smile as he watched his wife and children having a lively time, before turning around and going out to cook.
As Deng Xiuzhen watched Qin Yanlin's retreating figure, a pang of sadness struck her, and her eyes welled up with tears. This was her husband, a man who had lived a life of diligence and frugality, working tirelessly to earn money so that their family could have a better life, only to fall ill from exhaustion and pass away prematurely.
"Yanlin, I will make sure you are well! I will make sure you live to be a hundred years old!" Deng Xiuzhen silently swore in her heart.
"Mom, what's wrong? Does it hurt somewhere?" Wenjing, being older, was the first to notice that something was wrong with Deng Xiuzhen.
"Mom, let me blow on it for you." Wen Yu quickly took Deng Xiuzhen's hand.
"Mom, do you want some water?" Wenxin asked softly.
Deng Xiuzhen looked at the three children, speechless.
Isn't the child good enough? But the child in front of her clearly cares about her.
Is the child alright? But the suffering she endured for nearly twenty years was real, and it is absolutely true that she died on the way to deliver her grandson!
"I'm tired and want to sleep for a while. You guys go do your homework," Deng Xiuzhen said, waving her hand as if she were exhausted.
The children obediently went to do their homework.
The room fell silent. Deng Xiuzhen closed her eyes, wondering whether she should tell Qin Yanlin about her rebirth.
In the end, I decided it was best not to say anything. After all, Qin Yanlin was a materialist, and he wouldn't believe in rebirth. As for the children, whether he believed it or not, it wasn't a good thing. He was a family man, loving his wife and children, and would risk his life for them. Telling him that the children would be unfilial in the future would only add to his worries, and besides, he probably didn't believe it anyway; saying it would damage family relationships.
Then she could only rely on herself. Deng Xiuzhen tried hard to recall what had happened during this period. Now that she had been reborn, she felt that she should seize the opportunity, avoid some detours, make life easier, and prevent her husband from harming his health due to overwork.
Many things from long ago are forgotten, and the details are even more hazy. But there is one thing Deng Xiuzhen remembers: they bought a piece of land next to the supply and marketing cooperative to build a house, but it was later bought by the production team, so they had no choice but to go to the city to do business. During this incident, her husband got into an argument and injured his lower back and abdomen. Because he didn't rest properly, it later developed into tuberculosis.
Deng Xiuzhen quickly got up and checked the calendar. September 8, 1993, the 9nd day of the seventh lunar month, Wednesday.
"Thank goodness! Thank goodness!" Deng Xiuzhen felt relieved. The dispute over the foundation from her previous life would be resolved tomorrow; there was still time. She was truly afraid that Qin Yanlin had been injured. Although the injury wasn't serious, and the tuberculosis only developed due to insufficient rest, she realized that the only reliable person in the world, the only person who had always been good to her, was her husband. She couldn't bear to see Qin Yanlin get hurt in the slightest. She didn't care what happened to others, but Qin Yanlin couldn't be hurt; her husband's well-being was her priority.
Thinking back to how many times in her past life she had watched other elderly couples laughing and talking, loving each other, and how envious she felt of them but also helpless, Deng Xiuzhen immediately went out to see Qin Yanlin, only to bump into the door.
If I were to get injured soon, my old bones would be of little use.
Now, touching it doesn't feel like anything. Youth is truly different," Deng Xiuzhen exclaimed sincerely.
Moving her arms and legs, twisting her waist, and taking a deep breath, Deng Xiuzhen felt full of energy and was overjoyed: It feels so good to be healthy! In her previous life, her waist would hurt so much that she couldn't straighten up, and her whole body would hurt here and there and she couldn't move. Especially before she died, her chest felt like it was being crushed by a thousand-pound stone, and the feeling of not being able to breathe was really painful and desperate.