C11 Part1

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After the family had dinner, Zhang Guo Qing was exhausted. His body almost had no more strength left. He quietly expressed his desire to rest and left his family. He returned to his room and could finally have a moment of rest as he laid peacefully next to Zhou Jiao.

Zhou Jiao was awakened by the sound of a baby crying. She dazedly looked around the unfamiliar room, until she recollected that she and Zhang Guo Qing had transmigrated and not too long ago, she had given birth to a baby boy. She looked to her right at Zhang Guo Qing lying beside her and smiled.

Mother Zhang, carrying the baby, saw that Zhou Jiao had awakened and said: “Jiao Jiao ah, don’t move around too much. I will leave the baby next to you. Let Xiao Wu rest, his head injury still hasn’t fully recovered yet. Earlier today, he had stayed outside in the cold wind. I will go get you something to eat first and later on I will take care of you and the child. It’s enough with just us two to watch over the baby.”

Zhou Jiao was quite happy after listening to Mother Zhang, just listening to her words brought her a sense of being spoiled. Looking back at the original body’s memories of Mother Zhang, Zhou Jiao was even more determined to treat Mother Zhang as if she was truly her own mother.

Mother Zhang was pretty partial towards her youngest son. If it was like any other time, she would have encouraged her son to sleep in the main room as to have a sense of comfort knowing her son was resting close by and in one of the better rooms. Zhou Jiao just gave birth and tomorrow morning Zhang Guo Qing would need to go to his family’s (in-law’s) house to report the good news. Seeing as he was still able to sleep through all the talking, she silently cursed the people who attacked her son. But she also forgot that the attackers didn’t have it any better in the end as they were all sporting bruised noses and swollen faces.

Zhou Jiao said with a smile: “Mother it’s such a relief to have you here, otherwise he wouldn’t know how to take care of a child. Just look at this child, so small we don’t even dare to pick him up. Mother ah, he’s so chubby and so red in the face like a monkey—such an ugly baby, what if he grows up and isn’t able to find a wife to marry.”

Mother Zhang playfully pretended to slap Zhou Jiao while laughingly said: “You, this child, the baby was just born and hasn’t experienced much. He came out at six pounds and looks handsome enough. Don’t worry, besides Xiao Wu is going to report the good news tomorrow, is there any message you want him to pass along?”

Zhou Jiao had a slight pause when she heard her mother talk about her maiden family and she hurriedly searched through the memories of the original owner of this body.

The original owner’s identity was a bit embarrassing, how to explain it—since young she grew up with her grandmother. When she just came into the world as a baby, her father died on the battlefield.

Her grandmother was the only daughter of an imperial physician in the capital in the earlier years. Her grandmother was born into riches, her ten fingers never needed to lift anything heavy. She was the lady many families wanted to have their son marry. The one suitor who she was about to marry also came from a well-known family. The day she just got married, but before they consummated, the Eight Nation Alliance entered the city to crush the opposing forces that did not support them. Her just husband’s family was part of the opposing side and the Army killed all the men from their family, washing the whole family with blood.

*(Eight Nation Alliance- was a multi-national coalition set up in 1900 to defend legations and Christian missionaries attacked by Chinese Boxer rebels- Wikipedia. The grandmother’s husband’s family was part of the Chinese Boxer rebels. The alliance was formed to protect foreign nationals in China and Chinese people who became Christians. But there is still a thorn in some Chinese’s hearts due to the conflict between the alliance and the rebels.)

Her grandmother had to rely on her close maid to dress her up as a maid as well and the two were able to escape from the back door and returned to her maiden family. Her maiden family couldn’t do anything else to help. They were also afraid of being implicated. During this period, the city was facing a lot of unrest, everyone was in danger, all they could do was collect their belongings and bring their family members, their housekeeper, maids and hurriedly travel south back to the countryside where they were from and escape that way. Anyone who’s name was even slightly well-known had to lay low and lie about their last names. All they could rely on was the knowledge they had gained from books and the medical skills they had honed and bring it with them to the countryside and continue their lives there.

And like that, a few years passed. The older generations passed away, leaving the housekeeper and the maid and the now grandmother who were all hard pressed for money. Coincidentally, she encountered her childhood friend who had become her husband earlier. It turns out that her husband was the only person the Chinese Boxer Rebels were able to save during the turmoil and this husband was the one and only grandpa Zhou. When he was saved, he went back to his family’s residence only to discover that everyone was gone, even their house was abandoned. In an attempt to revenge his family, he immediately enlisted into the army.

Translated 8/22/20