Clearly, the pregnancies happened one after the other, and they went into labor on the same day.
In the end, the eldest brother’s wife got what she wanted, while Su Hongying ended up with yet another unwanted boy, making her feel not just a little disappointed, you know?
However, the four bratty sons in the family were endlessly delighted with their wrinkly little brother. The youngest and most mischievous, Jianwen, even chanted "Amitabha" more than once.
Extremely pleased that the newcomer was yet another annoying brat like him, otherwise if he really fulfilled mom’s wish, would the four brothers still have a place in this house?
Although he didn’t quite understand what "a place to stand" meant, seeing how mom adored the daughters of other families so much...
Little Jianwen couldn’t help but shiver, feeling that this brother indeed was, as his brothers said, especially good, really good.
Even though he hoped for both a son and a daughter, truly having five sons made Liu Shouyi feel immensely happy inside.
After all, isn’t having many sons and grandsons a blessing?
Being able to carry on the legacy of the Liu family with seven sons and one daughter in this generation, considered thin in descendants, was indeed a great contribution of the two brothers! (Wu Liu follows the mother’s surname, on the Wu family record, according to old terms, is not considered a Liu offspring.)
As for his wife’s unfulfilled wish, always longing for a loving little jacket, Liu Shouyi felt it was no big deal. At worst, they’d rest for two years and try again!
However, when their little fifth, Jianbin, was ten months old and just beginning to call mom and dad, his brother, the team leader, received news from above promoting the concept of family planning with late marriages, fewer births, and quality births.
"Is this the real deal this time?" Liu Shouyi frowned, looking steadfastly at his big brother.
Liu Shouren sighed deeply, "Indeed, they say from now on, a couple, in principle, can only have one child, regardless of gender. Only if both spouses are only children or belong to ethnic minorities can they apply for a second child permit. And this time, it’s not just barking without biting; I’ve heard that the higher-ups are very strict!
It’s required that public sector employees take the lead actively; if they break the rules, not only will they face severe criticism, but they might even lose their iron rice bowl.
And those without public employment, whose jobs can be pulled, will face quite hefty fines."
"Hey, this task isn’t just tricky, it’s super tricky! You, big brother, have got a headache coming your way." Liu Shouyi chuckled lightly, full of schadenfreude in his voice.
No other reason than the fact that the people of Liu Family Village aren’t short of money!
The money divided from working in the production team or at factories wasn’t a small amount.
Each household also made quite an income by raising and selling chickens, ducks, and geese to food factories and feather product factories.
With so many factories in Number One Scholar Village covering a wide range of industries.
Cooperative members could even sell surplus fruits and vegetables grown around their homes to village factories for some cash.
There were many sources of income, not to mention significant dividends from various factories.
Following Number One Scholar Village, Liu Family Village also earned the title of "Ten Thousand Yuan Village."
Meaning the villagers here were all ten-thousand-yuan households.
So paying fines posed no real threat to them at all.
Recalling that one day, one month, one year, big brother turned into a nagging housewife, going door-to-door exhaustively preaching the benefits of family planning, only for members to collectively turn silent, turn around, and pull out a wad of money to show their active response to the national call and eagerness to pay fines, Liu Shouyi couldn’t help but burst with laughter, right?
That big brother like that must have been the picture of helplessness!
Liu Shouren glared at his silly brother with irritation, "Knowing your brother’s dilemma, why don’t you be the first to respond to the call and set an exemplary model! After all, you’ve already got five sons, plenty of sons. Plus, your wife isn’t young anymore; having more might be dangerous, right?"
Still thinking about trying hard to achieve both a son and a daughter, Liu Shouyi hesitated, "Then, I’ll go home and discuss it with Hong Ying."
Given how fond she was of daughters, she probably wouldn’t agree, right?
However, in reality, after having five sons in a row, Su Hongying had basically given up hope of having a daughter.
In a state of wanting to try but afraid of greater disappointment, and not doing so leaving her somewhat dissatisfied. Just as the family planning wind blew, she felt it was heaven’s decision for her.
After pondering for a few seconds, she simply nodded, "Alright, I’ll get together with the elder sister-in-law, and we’ll take the younger sister to the hospital to get fitted with birth control rings!"
Since it’s all about setting an exemplary lead, it’s best for all the female comrades in the family to show up together for more momentum and impact, right?
Of course, this was just one reason; more importantly, Su Hongying had only heard of birth control rings but never experienced them firsthand. A bit scared inside, she thought it best to go with the elder sister-in-law and younger sister-in-law for courage.
Hearing his wife so simply decide to never try again, Liu Shouyi was full of surprise, "Wait, wife, aren’t we going to try once more?"
"Forget it, I’ve understood! You don’t have the ability, and I don’t have the fortune. Instead of mulling over those endless thoughts, why don’t we focus on educating these five brats at home? So that they will marry capable wives in the future and let me enjoy having granddaughters!" Su Hongying pursed her lips, resolutely rejecting her husband’s proposal, which had disappointed her three times in a row.
"You stubborn woman, what do you mean I don’t have the ability? In over a decade, I helped you give birth to five, and they’re all chubby boys. In ten miles and eight villages, is there a more capable man than me?" Having his ability questioned, any man would find it intolerable.
Second Brother Liu, face dark with anger, couldn’t help but shout in defense of himself.
Thankfully, the older sons were all at school, and the youngest, barely ten months, didn’t understand human language yet.
Otherwise, Su Hongying would have kicked this guy out to live in the living room for a few months!
Let’s see if he dares to talk nonsense again?
In a huff, she shoved the well-fed eldest son into the arms of the foolish man and changed her clothes to visit the sister-in-law Wu Yinghong next door.
The two sisters-in-law chatted and laughed as they rode their bicycles to Shuzhen’s house.
They fully intended for the three sisters-in-law to get fitted with the birth control rings at the village hospital today, making an exemplary lead.
But upon arriving, Wu Yinghong realized: the sister-in-law, who initially insisted on keeping it up at all costs and would rather pay fines to ensure both a son and a daughter, had decisively made up her mind. Meanwhile, the younger sister-in-law, who already had three sets of complete children, surprisingly hit a snag?