Nuannuan got pregnant three months after the wedding. Since the acknowledgement of her pregnancy, she had been filled with joy and satisfaction. She had always felt relieved that she had resisted an arranged marriage. Otherwise, these happy days she had would not be hers. However, once in a while she thought of her life in Beijing, and the exciting life of people in the city. She felt a slight dissatisfaction. As a result, that night when Kaitian pulled her into his arms, she pressed his hands and said: "We need a goal!"
"What goal?" Kaitian was surprised.
"The two of us are stuck in Chu Wang Village in this life. But it can't be the life of our children. If they spend their life planting crops by the Red Lake, knowing nothing about hairstyle, fashion and beauty, ignorant of cafés, theaters and parks, I will not rest in peace!"
"What do you want, then?"
"We have to send them to schools in the city, to live a city life!"
"Okay!" Kaitian shrugged. "Even I want to live a city life! I will not say no to our children's bright future!"
"It's not about saying yes or no. It's a difficult goal. We need money first. I've seen it all in Beijing. With money, you can buy an apartment in the city for the children, and only by then can they truly have a city life."
"Okay. I need to make money. Your dad did not want you to marry because I'm poor." Kaitian did not sound happy.
"What is this about?" Nuannuan did not expect him to say that.
"Alright, alright. I understand!"
Kaitian was very happy to see Nuannuan's belly getting bigger everyday. He did not allow her to do any work, and made sure that his mother made her good food. Nuannuan would protest with a happy smile: "You are making a lazy pig out of me!"
When the Dragon Boat Festival came, Nuannuan could hardly walk because of her big belly. Her mother-in-law did some calculation and predicted the birth to come in the next few days. She told her to be more careful. But Nuannuan could not simply sit and do nothing. She got up early and made Zongzi (a pyramid-shaped dumpling made of glutinous rice, wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves which is eaten during that Festival), steamed the garlics, and boiled the eggs, getting the festival feast ready. Yet when she was about to start eating, she felt the pain. Her mother-in-law saw her sweat in pain and told Kaitian to get Wheatleaf, the midwife in the village. Shallot also came over when she heard the news.
The Kuangs got a boy on the Dragon Boat Festival. Many neighbours came to the house to send their congratulations. Kaitian offered everyone a cigarette with a happy smile on his face. Spotty Laosi took a big smoke and laughed: "Your boy surely knows how to pick a good date. He will never lack food on his birthdays. Zongzi, eggs and steamed garlics, whatever he wants! What a good birthday!"
The next day Kaitian named their son Dangen, meaning the red root. Nuannuan thought about it for a while. Then she said: "Alright."
The night before Dangen was one month old, Mom came over to see her grandson in secret. She brought noodles, eggs, red cottons and two sets of baby clothes. She said to her daughter and son-in-law: "I prepared these in secret. I cannot visit you. But when I saw Nuannuan's figure from afar, I knew I need to get you these things."
She kissed Dangen's small face and cried in happiness. Nuannuan threw herself in Mom's arms and sobbed. Mom tried to comfort her: "You can't cry now, if you get sad in the first month after giving birth, you'll get sick …"