1952: Walking through Nantongluo Alley

Jia Dongxu's heart seemed to be on fire, burning fiercely with anxiety. His steps were as fast as if he were on a hot wheel, rushing away, the wind whistling past his ears. Every step he took raised a cloud of dust, as if the earth was trembling with his eagerness.

His heartbeat was like the pounding of a war drum, resounding throughout his chest, its rhythm rapid and powerful. Beads of sweat continued to form on his forehead, gathering into streams that trickled down his cheeks. But he had no time to think about these things. His mind was filled with only one thought: get to the ward quickly!

Finally, breathlessly, Jia Dongxu arrived at the ward door. He flung it open, his gaze darting around eagerly. For a moment, his sight fixed on the pristine white bed. Three small figures lay quietly there, like little angels descended from heaven, radiating an air of innocence and tranquility.

Jia Dongxu couldn't contain his excitement, rushing to the bedside in two steps. His eyes were filled with concern and anticipation, and he couldn't wait to carefully examine each of the children. When his gaze fell on the first baby, his eyes widened, and he couldn't contain his ecstasy. "He's got a boy!" The cry seemed to burst from the depths of his heart, so loud that it almost broke through the roof.

At that moment, the joy in Jia Dongxu's heart surged like volcanic lava. The overwhelming feeling of happiness made his entire body tremble uncontrollably, and he even felt like he was about to collapse. He had always longed to have a son to carry on the family line, and he never expected that his dream of having his first child would come true.

Looking at this adorable little guy, Jia Dongxu's eyes were filled with love and pride. He thought to himself, if the next two were also boys, what a joyous occasion! He would definitely hold a grand banquet in the courtyard, inviting all the family and friends to share in the joy and have a great time. Thinking of that scene, Jia Dongxu couldn't help but smile triumphantly, as if he could already see everyone's envious gazes and words of blessing.

Tingting had just gone through the arduous labor of childbirth and was extremely weak. But when she saw Jia Dongxu carefully examining the children, she felt a surge of warmth and relief. She knew she had finally lived up to her husband's expectations and successfully gave birth to three children for Dongxu.

"Dongxu, how are the babies? Are they all boys?" Just then, Jia Zhang came running in breathlessly. She was out of breath from running so fast, but her eyes were full of anticipation and anxiety.

Jia Dongxu turned around excitedly and shouted to his mother, "Mom, the first one is a boy! It's a boy!" His voice trembled with excitement.

Hearing this, Jia Zhang's eyes suddenly lit up like two shining stars. She clasped her hands together and muttered to herself, "Great! These triplets are definitely boys! I have a feeling it must be so! God bless you..." Then, Jia Dongxu continued to examine them.

Just as he happily opened the second swaddling clothes, the smile of anticipation froze on his face, replaced by a deep frown. He muttered to himself, "What's going on? There's no penis?" His voice was filled with disbelief and disappointment.

Seeing this, Jia Zhang hurried forward and after taking a look, her face was also full of surprise, but she quickly comforted him, "Oh, son, don't worry too much. The promise of triplets might just be wishful thinking... Actually, having two boys is also very good. You can't force things like this, right?"

Hearing his mother say this, Jia Dongxu came to his senses a little, nodded and said, "Well, Mom, you are right, two boys are indeed good!" Although he said this, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed in his heart.

As he spoke, Jia Dongxu took a deep breath, calmed himself, and then reached out to check on the third child. However, when he carefully lifted the last layer of wrapping, his brow furrowed even tighter, and one could even see the bulging veins on his forehead.

"What the hell is going on? Why another girl? We were told they were all boys!" Jia Dongxu's tempers grew agitated, and he demanded, as if demanding an explanation. "Out of three children, only one boy? That's too much!" He was filled with confusion, dissatisfaction, and frustration.

"Dongxu, it's okay. Don't be too sad. We still have a boy." Tingting felt pity when she saw Jia Dongxu's grief-stricken look and couldn't help but comfort him.

Jia Dongxu listened to Tingting's words, calmed down a bit, and thought about it. He felt that what she said was indeed reasonable. After all, there was still such a boy. It should be enough to leave a legacy for the future.

At this moment, Jia Zhang, who had been waiting anxiously nearby, spoke up, "Dongxu, have you decided on a name for your child? We can't delay it too long."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu nodded quickly and responded, "Mom, I've already thought of a name." As he spoke, he turned his attention to the baby who had just been born.

Especially when his eyes fell on the lower part of the stick, he saw that it was shaped like a small and exquisite gourd, and looked exactly like a pocket-sized hammer.

So, Jia Dongxu had an idea and simply named the child Banggeng.

"Mom, this little boy will be called Banggeng from now on!" Jia Dongxu announced to Jia Zhang excitedly.

Jia Zhang was stunned for a moment, then began to repeat "Banggeng, Banggeng..." in her mouth several times, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she couldn't help but feel secretly happy. This name not only sounded easy to remember, but also contained a unique charm.

Immediately afterwards, Jia Zhang also curiously cast her eyes towards the lower part of Banggeng's body.

He immediately understood the hidden meaning behind the name his son Jia Dongxu chose - it turned out that he hoped his precious grandson would have a penis as strong and sturdy as a stick in the future!

Thinking of this, Jia Zhang's wrinkled face, like a blooming chrysanthemum, could not help but reveal a contented and extremely proud smile. That smile seemed to express a certainty and anticipation for a better life in the future.

At this moment, Jia Dongxu stretched out his slightly rough fingers, pointed at the remaining two cute babies, and continued slowly: "As for the other two babies, the girl on the left will be named Huaihua. I hope she can be as fresh and refined as the white and fragrant locust flowers; and the one on the right will be called Xiaodang. I hope she can do everything upright in the future!" As Jia Dongxu finished speaking, he gently touched the pink cheeks of the two children, his eyes revealing a fatherly tenderness and love.

At this point, the naming work of the three new babies of the Jia family was finally completed successfully.

..........................................................

Elsewhere, after carefully settling Qin Huairu down, Chen Xiao climbed onto his slightly worn bicycle, a bicycle that held so many memories for him, and slowly headed towards the courtyard. Along the way, the breeze caressed his cheeks, bringing a slight coolness, but his heart burned with curiosity and anticipation for what would happen next.

When he finally arrived at the courtyard, the sun was shining brightly on the vermilion gate, casting a warm and peaceful light. However, the moment he stepped through the gate, a somewhat surprising scene came into his eyes - Jia Zhang, the usually sarcastic and shunned old witch, was standing in the center of the courtyard, holding a handful of colorful candies and distributing them to the neighbors with a smile on her face.

"Second aunt, come here, have some candy. My Tingting is really amazing. She gave birth to three big fat babies for our Jia family at once!" As Jia Zhang said this, she handed a piece of beautifully wrapped candy to the second aunt, with an unconcealable look of pride in her eyes.

Seeing this, the second aunt quickly put down the clothes she was mending, took the piece of wedding candy with a smile, quickly unwrapped it, and gently put the crystal clear candy into her mouth. Then, she deliberately made a very surprised expression and exclaimed loudly: "Oh my god, really? It's triplets! This is amazing!"

Hearing the second aunt's praise, Jia Zhang smiled from ear to ear. She raised her plump head and said in an extremely proud tone: "That's right! What's more, there is a boy among them! The other two are cute little girls."

As soon as these words were spoken, the old lady who had been sitting quietly sewing shoe soles suddenly felt uncomfortable all over.

She cursed secretly in her heart: "This damn Jia Zhang, how many generations of their Jia family have done bad things, why is it that God still favors them and not only adds a new member to her family, but also gives birth to a son, and triplets at that! Humph, how unfair!" As she thought about it, the aunt's face became more and more gloomy, and the needlework in her hands stopped unconsciously.

Jia Zhang glanced at the aunt, her eyes falling wantonly on her old face which was as dark as pig liver. The corners of her mouth rose involuntarily, revealing an undisguised look of pride.

She thought to herself, "Hmph, you, an old, bastard, dare to compare yourself to me? You're simply overestimating yourself! In a few years, when you and Yi Zhonghai are old and frail, I'm afraid there won't even be anyone to smash a clay pot to see you off! But I'm different. My precious granddaughter Tingting is so hardworking that she gave birth to three children in one pregnancy, including a big fat boy!"

Just as she was lost in thought, Jia Zhang suddenly caught sight of Chen Xiao slowly returning on a brand new bicycle. Her eyes lit up, as if she had found a new person to show off to. She hurried forward and boasted to him.

"Chen Xiao, has your Qin Huairu given birth yet? If so, how many babies did she have? Are any of them boys?"

Hearing this series of questions, Chen Xiao was too lazy to even lift his eyelids, let alone answer Jia Zhangshi. He muttered to himself: This woman is really annoying.

I heard Jia Zhang start to brag incessantly again: "Huh, my Tingting is really amazing. She has given birth to three precious babies for our Jia family at once! And one of them is a big fat boy!" The more she spoke, the more proud she became, as if something big had happened in her family.

However, Chen Xiao scoffed at this, thinking: "What's the big deal if I have a lot of children? If I don't educate them well, they'll all be useless in the future." The Jia family had already been a family of thieves for two generations, and now with Bang Geng's birth, it looked like it was about to become a family of thieves for three generations.

And judging by the situation, Bang Geng seems to be even more powerful than the previous two generations. Maybe he can really become the so-called "King of Thieves" in the future! However, Chen Xiao doesn't think this title is anything to be proud of.

At this critical moment, Tingting, desperate to save on hospital bills, unexpectedly returned with Jia Dongxu. The tall Jia Dongxu, with his firm and powerful strides, struggled to pull a battered cart forward. On the cart, Tingting, pale yet tender, carefully cradled her three adorable children, as if they were all the hope and warmth in her life.

To save on delivery costs, Jia Dongxu immediately checked in for discharge the moment Jia Zhang left the hospital. Despite repeated doctor's dissuasion, he was determined, simply to ease the financial burden on his family.

As Jia Dongxu approached, the previously quiet crowd suddenly became lively. Everyone gathered around and began to praise this brave and responsible man and strong woman.

"Look! Isn't that my son Dongxu?" Jia Zhang, who was standing at the front of the crowd, was so excited that her face turned red. She pointed at Jia Dongxu who was getting closer and closer, and showed off loudly to the people around her, her words full of pride and pride.

"Mom, I'm back!" Jia Dongxu shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing throughout the courtyard. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of striking yellow teeth, as if smoked, emitting an unpleasant odor. This smile made his already unattractive face appear even more sinister.

Back then, everyone in the courtyard had been gossiping about Jia Dongxu behind his back, saying he was the second family to go bankrupt after his worthless master. Those words were like sharp thorns, piercing Jia Dongxu's heart. But now it was different. Not only had he returned, he had brought back three children, one of whom was a boy! Thinking of this, Jia Dongxu couldn't help but feel proud.

Humph, those who once laughed at him, now they have to take a good look and see who is the real joke! He will slap these people in the face with facts and let them know that he is not someone to be trifled with!