CHAPTER 82: CHAPTER 080 GRATITUDE TURNS INTO THANKSGIVING [200+ VOTES]

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Zhang Shanni was busy making spicy sauce hand-shredded pork when, far in the town, Li Jianfeng’s family was also filled with joy.

How could they not be joyful? Chen Xiufang and her child were both safe now, and the sweet baby had finally adapted to the home environment, no longer crying incessantly; truly a joy for everyone.

Coincidentally, the family finally found out who their benefactor from that day was.

This also subtly suggested that the Li Family had quite a reputation in the East District Family Compound.

Li Jianfeng happened to have a childhood friend working at the civil affairs office, who, after learning about the accident during his wife’s childbirth, was earnestly requested by Li Jianfeng to seek out the benefactors, a newly married couple called ’Brother Chen’.

The incident coincided with the market day, and although no one knew Brother Rong Wei’s background at the time, it was fortunate that there were only about a dozen couples who had registered that morning. With the detailed registration time, and the names that could be pronounced as ’chenge’, only Xie Jingchen and Zhang Shanni fit the description.

Honestly, the name Xie Jingchen is quite unique for the era of the seventies and eighties, culturally significant; compared to names like Patriotism or Foundation, it stands far apart in its profound meaning.

With the address and details of the benefactors, Li Jianfeng immediately informed his family members, and the Li Family was truly grateful for the help from the couple Zhang Shanni; without Shanni’s timely rescue measures, Chen Xiufang would have been in grave danger.

Unknown to others, but well realized by the recovered Chen Xiufang, who expressed immense gratitude and relief, she detailed to her in-laws and husband how she encountered Lin Aihong, and seeing the baby’s yellow hair standing on end from fright right after birth, she harbored deep resentment towards Lin Aihong’s household, causing the Lin Family some difficulties recently. Meanwhile, the visit to thank the benefactors was delayed.

Initially, Li Jianfeng wanted to personally express his gratitude after his wife and child were born, but it was complicated by his wife Chen Xiufang being profoundly startled, leaving her weak and without breast milk; the child’s ceaseless crying at night meant that for peace of mind, the Li Family decided to stay a few more days in the hospital until on the third day, once it was confirmed Xiufang was producing milk and her health was stable, they brought her and the baby home.

Once discharged, adapting to a new environment, Xiufang was somewhat okay, since it had been her matrimonial home for over five years, but the child struggled, being a premature baby shocked without mother’s milk initially; it wasn’t until recently that the baby had started to settle with feeding that the frequent crying had ceased, but then the new environment triggered the ceaseless crying all day.

This crying nearly hoarsened the tender voice, and the moment there was any noise, the crying wouldn’t stop, requiring constant holding.

This left the grandparents, Li Baojia and Zhou Daxiang, incredibly heartbroken. Many close relatives and friends who came to celebrate also felt sorry for the pitiable state of the baby while silently praying for more blessings for the Lin family.

Seeing the baby’s voice turned hoarse from crying, Li Baojia, the head of the Li Family, was furiously upset; moreover, although he loved his grandson, he had barely ever held his own son, let alone care for a newborn with his coarse hands!

Amusingly enough, the little baby was clever enough to prefer not being held by his grandfather, finding it uncomfortable indeed!

Such was the situation that within the Zhou family, Zhou Daxiang was the only one left to constantly hold and soothe the child. Even if the baby weighed only a few pounds, holding him for a long time could exhaust anyone. Besides, she had to prepare postnatal meals for her daughter-in-law and wash the baby’s diapers. After a whole day of labor, she barely had any rest.

Chen Xiufang was extremely scared, causing her milk production to decrease, and the family dared not tire her further. Thus, it was left to Li Jianfeng to step up. Fortunately, he truly loved his hard-won child and couldn’t bear to see his mother overworked. Gradually becoming accustomed to holding the baby, they were able to occasionally have others take a turn.

Seeing her son cry in such distress, how could Chen Xiufang’s heart not ache? The entire family felt the strain, so much so that anything the Lin Family could do financially seemed futile. By now, it was clear that the Li Family hardly wanted to see anyone from the Lin Family come near them.

After crying for two days and two nights, with soul-calling and comforting, under the careful attention of the Li Family, the baby finally stopped crying, and the family could finally feel somewhat relieved.

Now, knowing where their benefactor was and that he was Brother Rong Wei who would soon return to military service, Li Jianfeng and his father did not delay any longer.

The Li Family, well-assured in their jobs, devised an array of rare and valuable gifts. Leaving Zhou Daxiang to care for Chen Xiufang and her child, the grandfather and father headed straight for Qingfeng Village.

Li Baojia was the station head of a grain station, which housed several Shanghai brand SH130 trucks. Taking advantage of his work, he not only borrowed a truck but also managed to acquire from the station two bags of thirty pounds of fine grains, six tins of various fruit preserves, three pounds of cured meats, and together with Zhou Daxiang who worked at a weaving factory, selected two bolts of fine fabric, one in bright red and one in bright blue – quite a substantial amount of fabric.

Li Jianfeng himself was the director of a supply and marketing cooperative and was even more generous. Zhang Shanni had saved both his wife and his precious son’s lives!

Deciding instantly, he prepared two sets each of fine cigarettes and alcohol. Additionally, knowing that the couple had just registered their marriage, appearing to be newlyweds, he generously included two sets of new winter cotton quilts, ten pounds of celebratory cookies, as well as two bags of thirty pounds of enriched flour, ten pounds each of brown sugar, white sugar, fresh apples, and pork.

As for Chen Xiufang’s maternal family, upon hearing that their son-in-law and relatives were visiting their benefactor, and realizing that the couple were financially well-off and newly married, with the husband serving in the military, they learned that the woman had severed ties with her own family and promptly decided to formally recognize Zhang Shanni as their goddaughter.

Accordingly, Mrs. Chen, along with her daughter-in-law, went over and generously prepared three major gifts: a Phoenix brand bicycle, a sewing machine, and a women’s wristwatch, directly stating that these were for Zhang Shanni’s dowry!

Mrs. Chen was so excited because her family had also come from hardship. Not only had her husband died early, but their only son had also passed away from a severe illness. Fortunately, the daughter-in-law was good-hearted and had steadfastly supported the Chen family, giving birth to three grandsons, with the only granddaughter being Mrs. Chen’s darling.

What was most tragic was that before Chen Xiufang, her older sister and brother had both taken their lives early, unable to bear the humiliation. Chen Xiufang survived because she was young at the time, protected by her siblings and parents. It was this protection that had allowed her to live.

It can be said that Chen Xiufang’s life was saved by her whole family, driven by their love for her deceased husband and children, Mrs. Chen valued her only surviving daughter’s life even more than her own.

Saving Chen Xiufang was akin to saving Mrs. Chen’s life. In her elderly heart, besides her three grandsons, her daughter was her only concern.

Now that she knew Zhang Shanni had saved her daughter and grandson’s lives, her appreciation escalated to deep gratitude.

Thus, with both families making a significant effort, the total gifts amounted to a value of over a thousand yuan – a truly generous price to repay their gratitude!