Chapter 1534: Confinement month is over
Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, a month had pa.s.sed.
This morning, in the second-floor bedroom of the Dong family villa,
"Waaah, waaah, waaah…" The baby"s crying continued incessantly.
Dong Xuebing, lying in bed, was awakened by the noise. Groaning, he turned over, too sleepy to open his eyes. However, the crying persisted, annoying him to no end. Throughout the month of Huilan"s confinement, Dong Xuebing had hardly had a moment"s peace. Initially, He was excited about taking care of the baby, but when it came down to it, Dong Xuebing felt like jumping off a building. He hadn"t realized caring for a baby could be exhausting; little Dong Zhong never seemed quiet. Whether needing a diaper change, hungry, or just wanting attention, the baby would cry loudly. Sleep was also elusive; Dong Xuebing had to attend to him every time he woke up like he was tending to a little emperor. Sometimes, he couldn"t even get four hours of sleep daily. And, of course, there was Huilan, the big boss, whom Dong Xuebing had to care for and tend to constantly. He was almost exhausted.
After a while, the crying stopped.
Dong Xuebing rubbed his eyes and glanced over to see his wife awake.
Xie Huilan lifted the baby from the ba.s.sinet beside the bed and began breastfeeding.
"Yummy yum yum." Baby Dong Zhong sucked contentedly, looking adorable.
Huilan lovingly stroked her son"s head. "Take your time; there is no need to rush. There"s no one here to s.n.a.t.c.h from you, little guy."
After weeks of rest, Xie Huilan had recovered almost completely. Her mobility and daily activities were back to normal, with the only difference being her figure. Before pregnancy, she had been very slim, but now she was a bit fuller. It would probably take a few more months to recover fully, but Huilan was beautiful as she was.
A more mature face.
A more substantial body.
A warmer and gentler smile.
Dong Xuebing leaned over. "Give me a sip too."
Huilan smiled and pushed his head away. "Nope, not for you."
"Oh, come on, I"m thirsty and too lazy to get up." Dong Xuebing"s eyes gleamed.
"If you"re too lazy, then be thirsty. I"m not giving in to your stingy ways." Huilan didn"t budge.
"You think I care? Fine, I won"t drink it. Look at you, such a miser." Dong Xuebing pretended to be offended.
Huilan chuckled. "I have insufficient milk supply. My son isn"t getting enough; where would I find enough for you? Go make breakfast."
"You"re always bossing me around. Aren"t you done with confinement?"
"I still have to take care of the baby. Can"t leave."
"Fine, fine. What time is your flight today?"
"Noon. There"s still time. Oh, my mom is coming over later."
"I see. I"ll make an extra breakfast then. Finally getting rid of you."
"Don"t act like you don"t want me to stay longer."
"You"ve been here for over a month. It"s time for you to go to your job in the south. I want you to stay, but I can"t keep you here forever."
"I can tell you"re eager to see me go."
After bantering for a bit, the doorbell rang downstairs.
Dong Xuebing hadn"t expected Han Jing to arrive so soon. He quickly put on his pajamas, crawled out of bed, and went downstairs to answer the door. Standing outside were two people: his mother-in-law, Han Jing, and a nanny, Dong Xuebing, who had often seen at Han Jing"s house. The nanny was carrying a small suitcase.
"Mom," Dong Xuebing said, "come in quickly."
Han Jing smiled warmly, "Is Zhong Zhong awake?"
Dong Xuebing pointed upstairs. "Yes, he"s awake. Huilan is feeding him."
"Alright, I"ll go up and check on him." Han Jing couldn"t wait and hurried upstairs.
"In that case, I"ll make breakfast. You can come down to eat later," Dong Xuebing said without asking the nanny for help and went to the kitchen to start cooking.
It was past eight o"clock when Xie Huilan came downstairs.
Han Jing was behind her, holding little Zhong Zhong and showering him affectionately.
When Dong Xuebing came out, Xie Huilan glanced at him and gestured with her chin toward her mother, giving him a helpless smile. Dong Xuebing also smiled, knowing that the old folks loved the baby.
Breakfast was served.
Everyone sat down to eat together.
Han Jing hadn"t eaten much, as she was busy playing with the baby. Reluctantly, she said, "Huilan, why are you insisting on taking the baby with you? It"s such a long journey. What if he gets sick? How will he adapt to the different climates in the south? The air there is more humid. How about this: you go to your new position first; your appointment has already been made. You can"t delay for too long. Leave little Zhong Zhong here with me. Mom will take good care of him. I raised you myself, so I have experience. I"ll take better care of him than you can, and besides, you"ll soon become the City Party Committee Secretary. You"ll be too busy with work to take care of the baby. Ultimately, it will be the nanny taking care of him anyway. Just go and focus on your work. Leave the child behind."
Xie Huilan firmly said, "My son, I must take care of him."
Han Jing became angry. "I am not refusing to let you take him. You can care for him when he"s older and goes to school. You"ll have less to worry about then."
Xie Huilan shook her head. "No."
"Why is this child so disobedient?" Han Jing was displeased.
Xie Huilan smiled. "I usually let Aunt w.a.n.g take care of him when I"m busy. I always come home at night so I can care for him myself. I think it"s fine." Then she looked at the nanny. "Aunt w.a.n.g, thank you for accompanying me this time. You cared for me when I was young, and I trust you. That"s why I wanted to bring you along. Maybe I won"t be able to return to Beijing for a while. Your husband and child can follow later. You can stay with me and the child. I"ll have Xiao Bing buy a house for your husband in the local area."
Aunt w.a.n.g hurriedly said, "Miss, there"s no need for that. You"re too kind."
Seeing that her daughter had decided, Han Jing said nothing more. She sighed, "Then you must come back often. Bring Zhong Zhong back for me to see. Wait, I think you should not return. It"s too much for the child to travel such long distances. When I am free, I"ll have time to go to the south to see you."
Xie Huilan smiled warmly, "As the wife of a member of the Politburo when you go there, the local government won"t be enough to receive you."
Han Jing pondered for a moment. "Mom will go secretly."
Xie Huilan said, "Let"s talk about it later. Let me stabilize the situation first."
Han Jing said firmly, "As the mayor, you have many opportunities for your work to be carried out smoothly, and you have natural advantages in your authority. Stabilizing the situation shouldn"t be a problem. Besides, Mom will come over whenever she has time. Whether you want it or not, it"s decided. It"s not just you, this girl, who wants the child. Mom also wants Zhong Zhong. That"s settled."
Dong Xuebing immediately said, "I"ll go when I have time too."
Xie Huilan chuckled, "Do as you please."
Han Jing asked, "Is the luggage all packed?"
"Yeah, we packed it last night," Dong Xuebing gestured to the suitcase next to the sofa in the living room. "It"s not much, just some clothes and medicine."
Han Jing nodded, "Let Huilan buy the rest when she arrives."
Suddenly, Xie Huilan looked at the nanny. "Aunt w.a.n.g, we haven"t taken the baby"s diapers yet. I"m afraid there won"t be enough for the plane journey. Can you help me get a few packs?"
"Sure." Aunt w.a.n.g smiled and knew they had something to discuss, so she went upstairs.
Once she left, Xie Huilan looked at her mother. "I gave birth as soon as I came back. I haven"t had a chance to communicate with Grandpa and the family. Well, this time, I can do whatever I want."
Han Jing glanced at her daughter. "Yes, you can."
Xie Huilan smiled gently. "That"s good, then."
Han Jing continued, "This time, the decision for you to go down to the south for your new position was Grandpa"s idea. Our family"s personnel and position are now more substantial than ever. With your grandfather"s influence and connections at the top, your fourth grandfather is in charge at the frontline, and below are your dad and your uncles. You know about the recent personnel changes; your uncles have all taken a big step. I don"t know how many people are jealous. Our family gained the most from this round of changes. Although some of our allies and friends have been suppressed, our core strength is stable. Your Uncle Zhao, Aunt Liu, and Grandpa Li"s positions haven"t changed. Our family"s influence has also increased."
Xie Huilan nodded. "I didn"t expect to gain so much from this round of changes, especially for my second uncle."
"It"s all thanks to the hard drive that Xiao Bing brought back from Florida. It helped your second uncle a lot." Han Jing looked at her son-in-law with satisfaction. He continued, "And Huilan, the original intention of the family to arrange activities for you was to appoint you as the mayor of a prefecture-level city in the south. But unexpectedly, there was a sudden event, and Xiao Bin helped you solve it perfectly. Grandpa didn"t expect that, so he changed his mind at the last minute and tried to push you to the City Party Committee Secretary position. Otherwise, with your qualifications, it would have taken at least one to two years to have a chance to compete for the top position in a prefecture-level city."
Dong Xuebing felt a bit flattered by the praise.
Xie Huilan patted Dong Xuebing"s hand. "You see, I have a good eye for picking a husband, huh?"
Han Jing laughed. "This time, Grandpa intends to let you go all out. You don"t need to be as low-key as before. Our third generation of the family has just begun to emerge. This time, you becoming the City Party Committee Secretary is also the time to show yourself. As long as you stand firm, it will be easier for Xiao Ran and the others to move up in the future. Your dad said this is a crucial step. You are the eldest sister of the younger generation, and you need to set an example for them, take the lead, and bring Xiao Ran and the others up. Otherwise, our family will decline if we don"t make an effort now. Take advantage of your fourth grandfather"s presence, and lay the foundation early. Do you understand what Mom means?"
Xie Huilan nodded. "How come Xiao Ran isn"t taking the lead? He"s the leader of our family"s third generation. What"s my role?"
Han Jing whispered, "Grandpa is not rea.s.sured. Xiao Ran will be a key figure in the future, but he"s still far behind you right now. In terms of temperament and political experience, he"s not as good as you. Among the younger generation of our family, only you can satisfy Grandpa and rea.s.sure him."
Xie Huilan said, "I understand."