The Early Spring - Extra Chapter 7

Side Story 7 - Liang Chengmin

The day little Niannian was born, he let out a symbolic cry before closing his eyes to sleep.

There was nothing unusual about a newborn sleeping all the time. However, when he slept, his little face scrunched up. Newborns already looked like little monkeys, and with his face screwed up like that, he looked even less pleasant to the eye. Liang Chengmin glanced at him and suddenly felt a bit worried, secretly whispering to Luan Mingrui: "Will he grow up to be ugly?"

"Nonsense. How could my son be ugly?" Luan Mingrui took a look at little Niannian—he really was quite unsightly. His heart wavered too; surely he wouldn't turn out exceptionally ugly when he grew up? Looking in the mirror, he felt he didn't have any particularly unsightly features, let alone Liang Chengmin—what a gorgeous woman she was! In his heart, Liang Chengmin was the most beautiful, and all other women had to step aside.

Liang Chengmin lay in the hospital bed feeling very weak, and turning her head only met little Niannian's scrunched-up face, which put her in a sour mood. Even after being discharged and returning home, this mood hadn't dissipated. Little Niannian slept right beside her with a furrowed brow. Sleeping, he looked like a little old man; yet when nursing, he was downright fierce, whimpering and suckling with every ounce of strength he possessed.

It was late one night when Liang Chengmin discovered that the child truly possessed a terrible temper. That night, he grew hungry, so Luan Mingrui got up, saying he would change his diaper first before feeding him. As a brand-new father, he wasn't adept at changing diapers; because his movements were a bit slow, the child began to cry. When he cried, his face turned bright red, and he nearly cried himself unconscious, wailing like a slaughterhouse pig. Liang Chengmin and Luan Mingrui—two full-grown adults—were drenched in sweat by his late-night crying. Even when her nipple was stuffed into his mouth, he refused to suckle, spitting it out and continuing to wail. He cried continuously until he grew exhausted before finally nursing.

While feeding him, Liang Chengmin said to Luan Mingrui: "It's over. Now I'm certain—this child's temper truly takes after the two of us."

Luan Mingrui thought nothing of it: "He isn't even a month old yet; how can you tell he has a bad temper? It was just my movements being too slow—he was starving, which is why he cried so hard." Luan Mingrui began to reflect on himself, even practicing in his mind how to change diapers faster.

While Liang Chengmin was doing her post-partum recovery month, the elderly parents from both sides would come over during the day to lend a hand. But Luan Mingrui couldn't rest easy; he had to oversee everything personally, insisting that he must prepare all her recovery meals himself. Back then, common wisdom dictated that one should eat eggs every single meal during post-partum recovery, but Luan Mingrui disagreed: "If you had to eat eggs every day, wouldn't you throw up? Wouldn't you grow sick of it?"

He himself couldn't stand the thought of eating that! Why should Liang Chengmin be made to eat eggs every day?

Thus, he prepared meals for Liang Chengmin with endless variety. The elderly folks said that post-partum recovery required protecting one's teeth so hard food shouldn't be eaten, so he mashed shrimp into a paste to make shrimp ball soup. For steamed fish, he first removed the fishy odor before putting it in the steamer. The crucian carp soup turned out milky white, simmered over a low flame; chicken soup was stewed until the meat fell off the bone. They were low in oil and salt, yet every dish tasted wonderful.

The food in their home smelled so fragrant that neighbors could tell what was being cooked. Sitting together and chatting casually, they would say: Doctor Liang truly married the right man—just look at what she gets to eat during her post-partum month, and compare it to what others eat.

In that era, few households could even afford eggs for post-partum recovery, yet their home enjoyed an unbroken supply of fish, meat, and shrimp every single day.

Luan Mingrui was well aware of how much money eating like this cost, but he didn't feel a shred of heartache. When he had sought to marry her, he had promised that she would never lack shrimp or crab for the rest of her life if she married him, and he had to keep his word.

Not only did he ensure Liang Chengmin ate well, but he also kept her in good spirits. Her temper had been bad throughout her entire pregnancy up until giving birth, yet Luan Mingrui hadn't argued with her even once. Sometimes when she infuriated him to the point of breathless frustration, he would put on his clothes and go stand in the courtyard to soothe himself, returning indoors only after his anger had cooled.

He had become just a little bit gentler.

Could marriage truly alter a person? Perhaps it could.

What a headstrong person Luan Mingrui had been in the past—a tough bone to pick no matter the time. Liang Chengmin was the exact same. When two tough bones lived together, they initially clattered loudly against each other, both suffering pain.

Gradually, as both learned to yield, their days began to turn sweet.

After giving birth, Liang Chengmin gradually became gentler.

It didn't happen overnight, but bit by bit, without her even realizing it herself. She would still bicker with Luan Mingrui, but it wasn't genuine arguing anymore. Sometimes, mid-bicker, she couldn't help but laugh out loud. She possessed a bright, radiant face to begin with, and when she smiled, she looked utterly gentle—so much so that Luan Mingrui would sometimes stare in a daze. He would secretly tell his friends: "Why do I feel like I've gotten a different wife?"

"You don't like it?" His buddies teased him. They still remembered how he had been tormented to near death by Liang Chengmin back then.

"No, I struck it rich." Luan Mingrui felt his life was simply too smooth and satisfying, without a single thing going awry. With life going so smoothly, his entire persona took on a slight air of triumphant contentment. This contentment illuminated his entire decade of the nineties and spanned his entire life.

By the time the child was over three months old, he could finally sleep through the night for a few hours at a time. Liang Chengmin snuggled into Luan Mingrui's arms, her face pressed against his chest, feeling as though life had grown truly pleasant.

Luan Mingrui looked at her by the light of a small lamp, noticing her face was slightly fuller than during her pregnancy; his daily efforts to feed her hadn't been in vain, finally restoring her to her former self. Feeling fond in his heart, he gently pecked her, then pecked her again.

Liang Chengmin lifted her head to kiss his chin. Cupping his face with her hands, she gazed at him endlessly.

"What's wrong?" Seeing her unbuttoned collar, Luan Mingrui was a bit distracted.

Liang Chengmin didn't speak. The tip of her tongue brushed lightly over his jawline and landed on his Adam's apple, her teeth nipping softly at it while his Adam's apple bobbed beneath her tongue.

Liang Chengmin went still for a moment, then suddenly pushed him down.

Pressing her weight on top of him, she looked down at him.

Liang Chengmin knew from a medical standpoint that after giving birth, a woman's body underwent certain changes and would recover, though it required time. Even though she appeared completely unfazed, she had secretly engaged in physical training—deep breathing, tightening, relaxing. She believed in science, yet for the first time felt a hint of timidity.

Luan Mingrui held her as they studied each other in the dark for a long time, gradually brewing a storm between them.

Yet both felt awkward, as the child was sleeping right beside them.

Luan Mingrui kissed her gently; when their tongues met, both found the other exquisitely sweet.

"Not in this room," Liang Chengmin said. It was while chatting with a colleague that the colleague had mentioned an embarrassing past incident: when their child was three years old, while the couple was in the middle of intimate passion, they heard the child call out "Mom," sitting up to stare at their intertwined parents. Hearing that had left Liang Chengmin traumatized.

"Okay." Luan Mingrui led her to another room where no one usually lived. The bedding was very cold, and the moment Liang Chengmin's body touched it, the chill made her curl up. Luan Mingrui pressed down upon her, pressing himself into her. Hearing herself let out a soft groan, her lips were immediately blocked by him: "Don't wake Niannian."

He said.

Having gone without it for too long, both were a bit unable to restrain themselves. All of Liang Chengmin's attention was centered right there; she wanted to know just how much she had changed and recovered, yet she couldn't sense it, feeling only that all affection and passion were overflowing.

Luan Mingrui competed with the child for food—it was sweet and delectable, and he refused to let go for a long time. Liang Chengmin felt utterly embarrassed, yet thoroughly enjoyed the experience. When their tongues met once more, she tasted her own flavor.

Luan Mingrui was exceptionally, extraordinarily gentle.

He had done his homework. After his cousin's wife gave birth to Luan Siyuan, the couple's first intimacy after recovery hadn't gone smoothly, causing his sister-in-law to be resistant for nearly half a year afterward. His cousin had complained to him: Why is it so difficult? He had taken it to heart and was thus extra gentle.

Even if he was anxious to death, he still didn't dare be too heavy-handed, constantly asking her: "Does this feel good? What about this?"

"Does it hurt?"

"Do you need me to stop?"

Liang Chengmin was almost moved to tears. Luan Mingrui was being so cautious and careful—he didn't seem like himself at all. Thus, she pushed him down.

A wild storm lashed down upon them, bringing them boundless delight and fulfillment.

Luan Mingrui felt as though he had passed a major hurdle.

The next day, he was extra gentle toward the child. Having passed one hundred days, the child finally no longer looked like a little old man or a little monkey; he had actually become somewhat cute.

The two sat side by side watching the child huffing and puffing while gnawing on his own fist, working himself into a whiny mood, whereupon they exchanged a glance and let out a sigh.

"Mom, was Luan Mingrui like this when he was little?" Liang Chengmin asked her mother-in-law. She had seen children from her colleagues' families, and they weren't like Niannian at all. Other people's hundred-day-old babies would giggle merrily when teased, unlike Niannian. He would give a symbolic chuckle before pulling his smile right back, as if everyone else was utterly foolish. And looking at him now—with no one bothering or provoking him—he had worked himself into a rage just from gnawing on his own hand.

"Every child is different. When Mingrui was little, he didn't seem as prone to impatience as Niannian."

"Then he takes after you." Luan Mingrui finally seized the opportunity to attribute the child's strange temper to Liang Chengmin.

"Nonsense! My mom said I was extremely well-behaved when I was little—when taken out, one person would pinch me and another would kiss me, and I never got impatient. Unlike Niannian, who won't let anyone touch him."

Niannian refused to let any neighbor touch him.

It wasn't that he was afraid; he simply wouldn't allow it. The moment you touched him, his little face would flush red with anger. What kind of personality was this!

Maybe he would get better when he grew a bit older!

Liang Chengmin's heart and soul were entirely dedicated to medicine and the child, while Luan Mingrui was ranked third.

Gradually, dissatisfaction welled up in Luan Mingrui's heart. He began to grow jealous of the child.

"You're not doing this right."

"How am I not right?"

"You're the one who's going to spend a lifetime with me," Luan Mingrui reasoned with Liang Chengmin. "You ought to consider me the most important."

"Do you need someone watching over you right now when you poop and pee? Do you need someone to nurse you?"

"Pooping and peeing don't need watching, but nursing... that's fine too."

Liang Chengmin's face flushed bright red: "Get away!"

Even though Liang Chengmin told him to get away, she also realized Luan Mingrui was jealous, so she often coaxed him at night. Both of them enjoyed this, engaging in it with absolute earnestness every time. With their bodies satisfied, their spirits were even better.

Liang Chengmin was nourished into a radiant flower by Luan Mingrui.

In the past, she was the number one formidable woman in the small town—a young surgical doctor. Whenever people thought of her, it was always of her seriously treating patients in the consultation room, overlooking the fact that she was also a woman. Now, as she walked through the small town, others would think: Who is that gorgeous woman? Oh, isn't that Doctor Liang from the hospital? Doctor Liang is married—she married Luan Mingrui of the Luan family. Look at Doctor Liang—having married the right man, she's grown even more beautiful!

Whenever Liang Chengmin occasionally overheard a stray comment or two, she would pretend not to hear and pass by with a blushing face.

By the time the child was nearly a year old, he could already walk a couple of steps. Liang Chengmin noticed that whenever he walked outside, if he fell down, he wouldn't stand up; instead, he would pat off the dust on his clothes. He didn't even know how to pat properly, so he would get impatient again. Whenever he encountered muddy ground, he would stubbornly refuse to walk; if something got on his hands, he insisted on washing it off immediately; if his clothes were even slightly dirty, he would tug at them himself, fussing to change; furthermore, he disliked broken toys.

Liang Chengmin realized that her child might not be like those likable kids in other families—he was a bit different. Thus, she and Luan Mingrui communicated for a long time, deciding never to criticize him over these strict living habits, guiding him appropriately without forcing him.

Their efforts produced only a tiny bit of results.

The first time Niannian engaged in a real fight was when he was over three years old. While playing with other kids, he suddenly started swinging because someone grabbed his toy. When young children fought, it was always a symbolic scratch here or a shove there, causing no real harm. But Niannian mounted the other child and scratched his face, which frightened Liang Chengmin terribly. Stepping forward, she forcibly carried away the enraged child, saying to the other parent: "Teach your child not to grab other people's toys so casually. My child hits hard."

Liang Chengmin was afraid. At night after the child went to sleep, she brought this matter up with Luan Mingrui. The corner of Luan Mingrui's mouth twitched, but he didn't speak. He didn't dare speak—in this regard, the child truly took after him. He had loved to fight since childhood, and people in the small town would instruct their children: Stay away from Luan Mingrui, don't provoke him. Luan Mingrui felt it was normal for boys to be aggressive. Liang Chengmin didn't feel that way; hitting so hard seemed like showing off violence and aggression.

She began taking time to read books on child psychology and behavior, systematically studying child behavior. She knew her child possessed a slight inclination toward violence and exhibited obsessive-compulsive traits.

Just how much effort would it take to nurture such a child to adulthood? Liang Chengmin knew, and Luan Mingrui knew as well. The two of them devoted all their heart and energy to this endeavor.

By the late 1980s, Luan Mingrui wanted to go to the United States. Many distant relatives of the Luan family had gone to America in earlier years; though they hadn't met in decades, they had gradually resumed contact over recent years. He discussed it with Liang Chengmin, stating that if she didn't want to go, he wouldn't go either. Liang Chengmin didn't object; she wanted to go to the United States to pursue further studies and engage in medical research. Thus, the two began studying day and night—language, customs, and habits—while bringing Luan Nian along to study together.

On the day they departed their homeland, Liang Chengmin said to Luan Mingrui: "I will definitely return. I want to conduct medical research properly and contribute to our homeland and humanity."

"Then I can only work hard to make money to support your medical research."

They embarked on a new life, yet never gave up on each other. The early days were very tough, but every night as they lay together reviewing the day, they encouraged one another. Slowly, life grew easier. Liang Chengmin pursued her advanced studies, then joined a research group to officially begin conducting medical research.

The world Luan Mingrui faced was full of temptation, yet he never wavered.

In their entire lives, they had only been in love once, had loved only one person, and grew old together with that single person.

Neither felt any regret.