“Sister Lin said, ‘Because Chengyun has a younger brother now, we need to dye the eggs red to celebrate.’
Upon hearing about her younger brother, Zhou Chengyun’s eyes brightened: ‘Grandma Lin, I saw my little brother last night! He’s so small, I could even hold him.’
As Zhou’s mother listened with her ear tilted, Zhou Chengyun took a bite of an egg and said, ‘What’s the rush with eating eggs? Quickly tell me what your brother looks like!’
Zhou Chengyun replied proudly, ‘As soon as you left yesterday, my brother came out! He’s so handsome, so fair and small, and really well-behaved. Unlike other kids, he doesn’t just cry.’
Feeling a bit regretful for leaving early, Zhou’s mother urged, ‘Zhenfei, take me to the hospital to pick up my eldest grandson. I can’t wait any longer.’
The family driver needed to take Zhou Chengyun to school, but he surely wouldn’t be as fast as Zhou Zhenfei.
‘No problem, Mom, but my brother said Sister-in-law is being discharged today. Can’t you just wait at home instead of rushing over?’ Zhou Zhenfei didn’t quite understand his mother’s eagerness to see her eldest grandson, whom she had been waiting for over nine months.
‘That’s not the same! I need my eldest grandson to know that his grandmother loves him. Let me tell you, ever since my grandson was born, all my little ailments have disappeared. My grandson is really the little lucky star of the Zhou family!’ Zhou’s mother said with a squinting smile.
Zhou Chengyun chimed in, ‘Grandma, my brother has a name. His name is Zhou Chengxing. You shouldn’t call him eldest grandson anymore, you should call him Chengxing.’
Zhou’s mother exclaimed, ‘Your dad figured out the name? Why didn’t he discuss it with me first? But Chengxing sounds nice. My eldest grandson is the brightest star in the night sky.’
Finishing her porridge, Zhou Chengyun lightly said as she turned to leave, ‘Chengxing is the name I gave my brother. Dad thinks it’s good, and you like it too. I’m really amazing!’
Zhou Chengyun went upstairs to grab her backpack, preparing for school, but was stopped by Zhou’s mother asking, ‘Chengyun, did you really name him? Tell Grandma, is Chengxing the name you came up with?’
Zhou Chengyun nodded, ‘Of course! Chengyun’s brother must be named by Chengyun. Quickly let go of me, Grandma. I’m going to be late for school!’
Zhou’s mother released her grip, looking unhappy, and told Zhou Zhenfei, ‘How could you let Chengyun name my grandson? ZhenTing is too thoughtless.’
Zhou Zhenfei chuckled, ‘Mom, Chengxing is my brother’s son.’
Zhou’s mother shot him a glare, ‘I raised two sons just to go against me. Hurry up and eat! Finish quickly so you can take me to the hospital.’
At eight o’clock, Zhou’s mother was dropped off at the hospital. Zhou Zhenfei didn’t leave immediately; he wanted to wait a bit in case Wei Yanze needed help when he was discharged.
His sister-in-law had a gentle personality and only hid and cried whenever someone bullied her. Zhou Zhenfei was frustrated with her inability to stand up for herself and had told her twice, but her nature couldn’t change just like that, and besides, Wei Yanze had no one to support him.
A couple of months ago, Zhou Zhenfei noticed that Zhou ZhenTing seemed a bit annoyed with Wei Yanze and tried to persuade him, but Zhou ZhenTing told him not to meddle.
The last time Wei Yanze fell and was hospitalized, Zhou Zhenfei suspected Zhou ZhenTing had done something to him, but surprisingly, after Wei Yanze fell, Zhou ZhenTing acted like a devoted husband, which made Zhou Zhenfei quite happy for Wei Yanze.
He naturally had a sympathetic heart for the weak.
As Zhou Zhenfei helped his mother to the door of the ward, it was quiet inside; he wasn’t sure if Wei Yanze was still asleep.
Worried about disturbing Zhou Chengxing’s sleep, Zhou’s mother said, ‘Let’s wait outside for a bit.’
Zhou Zhenfei said, ‘Mom, you didn’t treat us this well when we were kids.’
Zhou’s mother sat down and replied, ‘What does it matter how I treated you? Isn’t it normal to be closer to the grandchildren? I raised you well, so I owe you enough.’
‘Fine, fine, Mom, I admit I was wrong. Is that okay?’ Zhou Zhenfei conceded; he realized he shouldn’t argue with a woman. In the end, it never ends well, no matter if he wins or loses.
After waiting for ten minutes without any signs of impatience from Zhou’s mother, suddenly the sound of a baby crying echoed from the ward. Zhou’s mother jumped up, beaming, ‘Look at my eldest grandson! He cries so well, Zhenfei, let’s hurry in.’
Zhou Zhenfei thought to himself, is there even a good or bad way to cry?
He knocked on the door, which opened to reveal Zhou ZhenTing feeding the baby. Zhou’s mother immediately rushed in, exclaiming, ‘You big man, clumsy! Quickly hand the baby over to me; I’ll feed him.’
With the arrival of the eldest grandson, no one else mattered to her anymore.
Shuai Chang stepped back a couple of paces to allow Zhou Zhenfei to enter, and Zhou’s mother had already snatched the bundle to nurse. Zhou ZhenTing quickly shut the door, afraid Wei Yanze would catch a draft.
Wei Yanze was sitting up in bed, a blue cloth wrapped around his forehead; he looked quite energetic. Zhou Zhenfei greeted him.
‘Why didn’t you go to work, Zhenfei?’ Wei Yanze asked with a smile.
With someone holding the baby, Shuai Chang continued to wet a towel to wipe Wei Yanze’s face. Since there were others present, Wei Yanze shyly tried to retreat.
‘They are not outsiders; it’s fine if I wipe your face,’ Shuai Chang said, holding Wei Yanze’s small face steady with one hand while using the warm damp towel to gently clean him with the other.
Wei Yanze’s lips, glistening with water, looked a bit rosy, making him seem less like someone who just gave birth to twins.
Zhou Zhenfei felt happy for him and replied, ‘I worried that you would have too much to carry when my sister-in-law returns home, and since there aren’t enough hands, I brought Mom here to see Chengxing and help out.’
Upon hearing Zhou Zhenfei mention Chengxing, Zhou’s mother unhappily retorted to Zhou ZhenTing, ‘You, as the father, didn’t come up with a name but let Chengyun name him instead.’
Then she turned to Wei Yanze, ‘With ZhenTing being so unreliable, you didn’t stop him?’
Shuai Chang joined in, ‘The decisions I make are not something he can stop. Just like when Chengyun said to name the baby, I couldn’t stop that either. Your son is officially a double-control fan.’
Zhou Chengxing let out a few grunts, capturing Zhou’s mother’s attention. With no time to scold, she focused instead on finishing the feeding and stood up to rock Chengxing to sleep.
After Uncle Li dropped Zhou Chengyun off at school, he came directly to the hospital to pick someone up. He was a professional driver, far better than Shuai Chang. Shuai Chang covered Wei Yanze’s body with a blanket and lifted him into the car while Zhou’s mother also held the baby and got in.
The other items like change of clothes, toiletries, baby bottles, and formula were loaded onto Zhou ZhenTing’s car. Shuai Chang got into the car and said, ‘Zhenfei, you work another day today, and tomorrow your brother will return to the company.’