The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 349: Chapter 349: 4 Children, 3 Mothers

Wu Cuicui waved her hand dismissively. ”If another kid comes, I’ll have to hire a nanny. Otherwise, I won’t be able to handle it, and I’ll just wear myself out.”

”Right, just pay someone to do it. You can just supervise the nanny and make sure she doesn’t hurt the child,” Han Xiaorui chimed in. ’What else can I possibly say at this point!’

’If Pingping and An’an didn’t have me as their mother, they’d be just as pitiful as Yang Shunshun and this new baby. Maybe even worse off than Yang Shunshun!’

Yang Minmin, who had been listening from the side, understood what was going on. ”My Second Uncle is too much! He only knows how to have kids, not how to raise them. Why does he keep having them?”

Wu Cuicui and Han Xiaorui exchanged bewildered looks. It was simple: if you don’t want to raise them, stop having them.

To just have a baby and dump them on the family was going too far.

”Behaviors like that, so irresponsible, are wrong,” Wu Cuicui replied. ”Don’t you ever be like your Second Uncle. He’s a real bastard.”

Hearing this, Yang Minmin’s face fell. ”My poor little cousins... After you all go through so much trouble to raise them, my Second Uncle will come back from his fun and games abroad. With no sons or daughters over there, he’ll return to China to retire. And we’ll probably have to take care of him, too.”

When Wu Cuicui and Han Xiaorui heard this, their expressions turned even darker, as disgusted as if they had eaten fly droppings.

’If that’s how it’s going to be,’ Han Xiaorui thought, ’I’ll sink Yang Jianming to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish myself.’

”Shameless! He should just drop dead in America!” Wu Cuicui cursed, gritting her teeth.

That evening, Ye Feng drove Yang Zhigang and Yang Jianguo home separately, only returning after making sure they were settled in.

Zhang Xiufang, who could now walk with a cane, was all scowls and glares when she saw Ye Feng bringing Yang Zhigang home.

Ye Feng couldn’t be bothered to deal with Zhang Xiufang. ’Seeing her personality,’ he thought, ’it’s no wonder she raised a son like Yang Jianming.’

Ye Feng took Han Xiaorui’s hand. ”Don’t be angry anymore. It’s not worth getting upset over someone like that. You still have me!”

Han Xiaorui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ”I’m not angry, I just... I just don’t think people should act like this. But some people are no different from animals. It’s really been an eye-opener.”

”Thankfully, Pingping and An’an have me, and they have you. They’re growing up in a wonderful, loving home, and they’re very happy. Thank you.”

”We’re husband and wife. You don’t need to thank me,” Ye Feng said with a smile.

Back home, Han Xiaorui went to her daughters’ room first. She looked at their little faces, flushed and rosy in their sleep, and kissed their cheeks before returning to her own room with Ye Feng.

The next day, Han Xiaorui was resting at home. Since Ye Feng was off for the weekend, he took her, Pingping, and An’an into the city, while Wu Jiao stayed behind at the house. This gave Wu Jiao a chance to rest without having to look after the children.

Old Madam Xu and Mr. Xu were delighted to see Han Xiaorui and Ye Feng arrive with the children.

Looking at Pingping and An’an’s fair skin and big, watery eyes, the old madam couldn’t stop doting on them.

The intervention courses were having a great effect. Pingping and An’an could now communicate with people normally, holding back-and-forth conversations. Though their sentences weren’t long, the results were excellent.

This was Expert Wang’s assessment of Pingping and An’an as well; of all the children she had taken on during that period, they were showing the best results.

In stark contrast to this heartwarming scene, Yang Jianguo was at the airport with his uncle.

They were holding a sign to meet the person sent by Yang Jianming.

The person bringing the child was a woman in her fifties, Sister Feng. Her own son had studied abroad and ended up settling in the United States.

She was a bit plump and handed the child to Yang Zhigang. ”Mr. Yang, please check the documents. If everything is in order, you can pay me the one thousand yuan.”

Yang Zhigang, holding the baby, was taken aback. ”One thousand yuan?”

Sister Feng nodded. ”Yes, that’s what Yang Jianming promised. Otherwise, why would I bring a baby with me on my trip back? He’s only three months old. I didn’t dare let go of him the entire way.”

”It’s 1,000 RMB, not one thousand dollars. If you don’t give me the money, I won’t give you the documents. And without them, you can’t prove the child’s identity or get him registered.”

Yang Jianguo and Yang Zhigang gritted their teeth, but they had no choice. They could only take out the money. ”Here is one thousand yuan. You can count it.”

Sister Feng took the money, counted it—exactly one thousand yuan—and handed the documents to Yang Jianguo. ”Well then, our handover is complete. I should go get my luggage and head home.”

”Wait,” Yang Zhigang couldn’t help but ask. ”What’s really going on with Yang Jianming in the United States? Can he not even afford to raise a child?” If he could, he would have flown to the United States right then and there to pick a fight with Yang Jianming.

Sister Feng shook her head. ”Professor Yang is doing very well over there. He lives in a big house with a large yard and has already been made a full professor. Some of his recent research has been quite good, and he’s highly regarded.”

”The problem is, he’s a little too popular, so a lot of women are fond of him. This child’s mother couldn’t take it anymore and broke up with Yang Jianming. After that... after that, he got together with a congressman’s daughter. They’re getting married in half a month, and the new girlfriend couldn’t tolerate the child, so they sent him over.”

Hearing this, Yang Zhigang stomped his foot in anger. ’It would have been better to hear that Yang Jianming was broke and destitute over there!’

Only Yang Jianguo and Yang Zhigang would have thought he couldn’t afford to raise the child due to poverty. They never imagined he was doing so well, yet was still unwilling to raise his own kid.

Seeing Yang Zhigang’s dark expression, Sister Feng grew worried he might refuse to take the child. She’d then have to take the baby back with her, which would be a huge hassle.

So, Sister Feng took her money, grabbed her luggage, and quietly slipped away.

Yang Zhigang looked down at the fair, tender-skinned baby in his arms, who was staring back with big, dark eyes. His feelings were a complicated mess.

Yang Jianguo also saw the child. There was no need for a test; he knew it was Yang Jianming’s son. The baby’s features were sharp and defined, but you could still see Yang Jianming’s likeness in him.

What’s more, the child had black hair, although it was a bit curly.

”Uncle, don’t be angry. We should hurry to the police station and get the child’s household registration sorted out.” Seeing that his uncle was on the verge of tears, Yang Jianguo quickly reminded him, trying to distract him.

Yang Zhigang felt a tightness in his chest, as if he couldn’t catch his breath.

Yang Jianguo quickly took the baby, who was in a carrier basket. ”Uncle, have some water. Calm down.”

Yang Zhigang sat down on a nearby chair and drank some cold soda, which made him feel a little better.

Yang Zhigang picked up the carrier basket and looked at the child inside. When the baby smiled at him, Yang Zhigang couldn’t hold it in any longer, and tears streamed from his eyes.

’Four children from three different mothers... I’m really worried this won’t be the last one. I’m terrified that good-for-nothing son of mine will keep having kids and dumping them on us.’

They had already inquired with Officer Li before coming, so they took the documents and went to complete the relevant procedures, finally succeeding in registering the child.

The registry already listed Pingping and An’an. The third child was named Shunshun, and this fourth one was named Lili.

While handling the paperwork, Yang Zhigang was genuinely afraid that Yang Jianming would produce a fifth and a sixth.

When they brought the child home, Wu Cuicui helped look after him.

Yang Zhigang tried to hire a nanny, but it was difficult to find one locally. After a great deal of effort, he managed to recruit a diligent and clean older woman from the next village.

The local people were concerned with saving face; they were willing to help out, but no one wanted to work as a nanny. For the second nanny, they would have to hire from out of town.

There were many non-local workers at the aquaculture farm, so Yang Zhigang went over and asked them to find someone honest, reliable, and hardworking to help care for the children.

Wu Jiao overheard this and chimed in, ”Uncle Yang, would it be okay if I recommended someone?”