Accidentally-Born_C01

Chapter 1

The north wind howled, and large snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Grandma Li sat by the stove, adding firewood while puffing on her pipe, a trace of worry etched on her face. Suddenly, the cotton curtain was lifted, and Li’s third and fourth sons, Li Mingnan and Li Mingbei, burst in, bringing a gust of cold wind and snowflakes with them.

As soon as he saw Grandma Li sitting by the stove, Li Mingbei shouted without even taking off his thick gloves, “Grandma, my brother and I caught two fish!”

Before the words had even settled, Grandma Li jumped up from the stove, tapped the ashes from her pipe against the sole of her shoe, and grinned. “Really? Hurry up and let me see! It’s been ages since we’ve had fish.”

Li Mingnan handed over two carp, each weighing over two pounds, strung together with twine. He then grabbed a ladle, scooped half a ladle of cold water from the water jar, and gulped it down.

“Not even this summer did we catch such big fish.” Grandma Li turned the fish over in her hands, beaming. “Perfect timing—your mother is about to give birth, and your elder brother is exhausted from studying. I’ll stew the fish to nourish them both.”

Li Mingbei responded with a hum and then asked, “Will Mom give us a little sister this time?”

Thinking of her string of grandsons, Grandma Li sighed and said, “I hope it’s a girl. Seeing you boys eat so much, I get anxious.”

Li Mingbei chuckled and squatted by the stove with Li Mingnan to warm up. Suddenly, the two sniffed the air, exchanged a look, and quickly grabbed the poker, digging out two roasted potatoes from the ashes. Without caring about the heat, they clumsily picked up the potatoes, blew on them, peeled back a bit of the skin, and took a bite.

When Grandma Li turned around and saw the half-eaten potatoes, she normally would have scolded them. But since they brought home two big fish today, she just laughed and scolded lightly, “What kind of behavior is this? Go eat in the west room and tell Guihua to come and cook the fish.”

The two boys responded, juggling the hot potatoes in their hands while yelling, “Sister-in-law, Grandma wants you to come and cook!”

A girl with a sleek black braid stepped out of the west room. Around seventeen or eighteen years old, her face was full of youthful energy. As she washed her hands, she asked, “Grandma, what are we making tonight?”

“Fish stew! And cabbage with potatoes!” Grandma Li said loudly, leaning on her cane.

Although the boys called Wu Guihua “sister-in-law,” she hadn’t officially married their eldest brother, Li Mingdong. Wu Guihua came from a landlord family¹ and had a tough life due to her background. When she was seven or eight, her family couldn’t afford to feed her and tried to sell her. None of the buyers were satisfactory until Grandma Li, passing by, took a liking to the lively and cheerful girl. The Wu family, knowing the Li family was decent, agreed to trade Guihua for half a sack of soybeans, raising her as a future daughter-in-law.

Guihua had been with the Li family for ten years. She attended school for a few years, learning to read and write, but quit at thirteen or fourteen to help with household chores.

Grandma Li watched as Guihua quickly cleaned and gutted the fish, then added a bit of oil to the pot. Satisfied, Grandma Li stood up and said, “Make it tasty—Dongzi hasn’t had meat in a while.”

Guihua responded crisply, flipping her braid behind her back and chopping potatoes. Suddenly, a cry of pain came from the east room. Grandma Li forgot her cane, rushing over in a few steps. “Dongzi’s wife, is it starting?”

“It’s been hurting for a while. I think it’s time,” Wang Sufen said, clutching the quilt and controlling her breathing.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Grandma Li took a quick look and shouted, “Mingbei, go get your third aunt to help!”

Li Mingbei grabbed his hat, threw on his coat, and dashed out. Meanwhile, Guihua boiled water and brought all the prepared items into the room.

In the small, remote mountain town of Beicha District, houses were spaced far apart. Fortunately, Mingbei ran quickly and soon reached his third aunt Liu Xiulan’s home.

Liu Xiulan was stirring corn porridge when she heard barking dogs. She called to her son, “Guangzi, see if it’s your second uncle’s boy.”

Li Mingguang opened the door, saw Mingbei, and shouted, “Mom, it’s my cousin!”

“His mom must be giving birth,” Liu Xiulan said, wiping her hands and calling to her eldest son, “Mingrong, watch the pot. I’m heading to Grandma’s.”

By the time Liu Xiulan arrived, Wang Sufen was already close to delivery. Liu quickly washed her hands and reassured Grandma Li, “I’ve got this—rest for a bit.”

Grandma Li sat down, wiping sweat from her brow. “I’m getting old. I delivered Mingbei myself, but now I can’t keep up.”

Liu Xiulan checked Wang Sufen and encouraged, “Push harder! I see the head!”

Sweating and exhausted, Wang Sufen pushed with all her strength. Suddenly, a baby’s cry filled the room. Liu Xiulan held up the newborn and smiled. “It’s a girl!”

Grandma Li’s eyes lit up as she peeked at the baby. “A girl! After four boys, I finally have a granddaughter!”

The room filled with laughter as Liu Xiulan helped clean up. Grandma Li urged her to stay for dinner, and after some hesitation, Liu agreed.

At the dinner table, the family gathered. The fish stew, corn porridge, and corn cakes filled the air with fragrance. Li Mu Wu, the baby’s father, returned from work, ecstatic to see his daughter.

He smiled gently at Wang Sufen. “Drink more soup to keep up your milk supply.”

Wang Sufen replied, “I doubt I’ll have enough milk. Get some goat’s milk or powdered formula tomorrow.”

Mu Wu nodded and, feeling joyful, decided to celebrate with wine. The family’s laughter and the aroma of food warmed the cold, snowy night.

Notes:

• In 1960s, landlord families in China faced significant challenges due to land reforms, political persecution, and the drastic societal changes brought about by the Communist Party’s policies.
• In 1960s China, the government implemented a food rationing system to control the distribution of essential resources. People received ration tickets for basic food items like rice, wheat, oil, and meat, which were allocated based on need and location. The system aimed to ensure fairness, but it often fell short, particularly during times of scarcity, leading to food shortages. Urban areas had somewhat better access to supplies, but rural areas faced more severe shortages. The system was a response to the challenges of food production, especially after the Great Leap Forward’s failures.