Cannon Fodder Group Ch.16

Chapter 16 – A Visit to the Hospital

So, Xu Aiguo took the apple from Xu Jinning’s hand, quickly cut it into small pieces, and put them in a bowl.

“Here, take it and eat slowly,” he said.

Xu Jinning immediately realized that Xu Aiguo had misunderstood her intentions.

Holding the bowl, she said, “It’s cut now. I want to eat with you and Mom.”

Xu Aiguo was suddenly stunned by Xu Jinning’s words, and then he felt a bit sour in his heart.

For some reason, Xu Aiguo didn’t know why. When Ningning had just returned, he seemed indifferent to her. Even the others at home were cold towards her. They would often praise Fangfang in front of Ningning.

When did he start caring about Ningning?

It seemed to start when Ailian mentioned her suspicions. At that moment, it was like a sudden realization. Before that, it was as if he had been in a dream, but then he suddenly woke up.

It was also at that time that he realized how indifferent they had been to Ningning.

But that was wrong.

Clearly, just by looking at Ningning’s past, it was obvious that she hadn’t been living well. Why couldn’t they see it before? They firmly believed in the words of Xu Fangfang and the Lin family, thinking that she was doing well.

Although he became aware later, the indifference had already taken its toll.

Xu Aiguo could also feel that Ningning seemed to have distanced herself from them due to their previous cold attitude.

Xu Aiguo felt a pang in his heart, but there was nothing he could do. After all, the previous indifference was indeed their fault.

He and Ailian could only try to repair this relationship later.

He just didn’t expect that Ningning would now think of sharing the apple with them.

He did notice the eager look in Ningning’s eyes when she got the apple and knew that she hadn’t eaten fruits before.

But Ningning still wanted to share the apple with them.

Could it be that Ningning also wants to get closer to them with this attitude?

Watching her cautiously probing, Xu Aiguo felt heartache for his little daughter.

Not wanting to show tears in front of his daughter and not wanting to disappoint her kind gesture, he picked up the smallest two pieces of apple from the bowl, threw one into his mouth, and then smiled, saying, “Hmm, it’s really sweet. I’ll give this piece to your mom later and say it’s from you. She will definitely be happy.”

“Alright, you can eat the rest yourself; this one apple isn’t much.”

How could Xu Jinning not see that Xu Aiguo only took the smallest two pieces? She wanted to give him more, but Xu Aiguo had already pushed her back into the room, continuing to help her with making the medicine.

Looking at the remaining apples in the bowl, Xu Jinning remembered Xu Aiguo’s actions just now.

She picked up a piece and took a bite.

Very crisp, very sweet, the juice burst open, filling her mouth with the fragrant taste of apples.

“It really is delicious.”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, eating the apple, her feet unconsciously swayed gently. No one knew that this was a small habit of Xu Jinning when she was happy and satisfied.

*

County Police Station.

Since Xu Aiguo and his daughter left, Zhang Changzheng had been somewhat restless, thinking about whether what he heard from Xu Jinning’s inner thoughts was true.

He waited until the end of the workday, then immediately left work and hurried home.

“You’re back.”

When he got home, his wife, Chen Xuemei, was cooking.

Zhang Changzheng and his wife did not live with their parents; the two of them resided in a house assigned by the unit, a bungalow.

Although not very large, it was cozy enough with his wife around.

Zhang Changzheng’s wife worked at the post office, but her working hours ended relatively early.

“Don’t cook dinner yet; let me take you to the hospital first.”

“Huh, go to the hospital? Why go to the hospital? I’m not feeling unwell.”

Looking at his bewildered wife, Zhang Changzheng asked, “Has your menstrual period come recently?”

Upon hearing her husband ask about her menstrual cycle, Chen Xuemei’s face instantly turned red, feeling a bit embarrassed. However, she still replied, “Why are you asking about that? Let me think… it seems like it hasn’t come.”

After saying this, she added, “It seems like it’s been two months.”

Zhang Changzheng felt a sense of joy deep down; two months without it seemed to align with the dream he had.

“But you know, because of childhood issues, my menstrual cycle has never been very regular.”

Chen Xuemei’s health was actually fine, but her menstrual cycle was consistently irregular.

“Oh, by the way, why are you suddenly asking about this?”

Zhang Changzheng hugged his wife and said, “Meimei, I had a dream during my lunch break today. I dreamt of a pair of little children who wanted to be reborn as our kids, so…”

When it came to children, Chen Xuemei’s eyes instantly dimmed.

Not having children had always been a pain in Chen Xuemei’s heart.

Despite their love for children and the fact that there were no apparent health issues, why hadn’t they had children after so many years?

Although her mother-in-law said not to worry, and her husband mentioned that having children was a matter of fate, Chen Xuemei couldn’t help but care. Occasionally, she would hear some gossip from others when she was outside.

Those people would say, “Zhang Changzheng is such a good man, a police officer, tall and handsome, with a stable job. How did he end up marrying Chen Xuemei, an orphan who can’t even lay eggs? It’s such a pity.”

Chen Xuemei tried her best to tell herself not to care about what others said.

But, deep down, she still cared.

That’s why she impulsively mentioned divorce to her husband in the past, wanting him to remarry.

She knew that in this era, not having children, or having only daughters without sons, would invite gossip and make people look down on her. They would criticize her for not having a son to carry on the family name, saying that there would be no one to carry the basin when she died.

Chen Xuemei loved Zhang Changzheng, so she didn’t want him to endure such idle talk.

So she reluctantly brought up the idea of divorce.

Now, her husband mentioned that he dreamt of two children…

“Did you bring me to the hospital for a checkup because you dreamt about it?” Chen Xuemei asked.

“Yes, Meimei, I just feel like there might be our child in your belly.” Zhang Changzheng placed his large hand on his wife’s flat stomach.

Feeling the warmth of her husband’s palm on her stomach, Chen Xuemei couldn’t help but wonder if there were really two little lives inside her. However, after years of hope and continuous disappointment, she didn’t dare to hold too much hope.

But she couldn’t bear to reject her husband.

“Okay, let’s go to the hospital then.”

“Great.”

So, the couple, who hadn’t eaten yet, headed to the hospital.

They lived in the county, and the county hospital wasn’t too far away. Zhang Changzheng rode his bicycle, and soon they arrived at the county hospital.

At this time, many doctors had already finished their shifts, but there were still some on duty.

After registering, they saw an elderly traditional Chinese medicine doctor.

“What discomfort do you have?” the old doctor asked.

“Doctor, please help me check if my wife is pregnant.”

“Sure.”

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**TN

The expression “carry the basin” is a cultural metaphor in some Chinese traditions. It refers to the act of someone, usually a son, carrying a basin of water to symbolize washing away the deceased’s sins and providing a final ritual before burial. In the context mentioned, when people say there’s no one to “carry the basin” when someone dies, it means there’s no son to perform these final rituals and continue the family line. This notion is rooted in the traditional belief that having a male heir is essential for carrying on the family name and performing ancestral rites.