Before boarding the train, Song Zhaodi had already noticed that Zhong Dawa was a temperamental little boy. She had mentally prepared herself, so she didn’t get angry. Instead, she smiled and said, “I know you only have one Mom. I won’t ask you to call me Mom either—call me niang instead.”
“Niang?” The child was confused.
Song Zhaodi bent down and stroked his face. “Yes, my good son.”
“You—you’re a bad woman!” The little boy pulled up his trousers, pointed at Song Zhaodi and said, “I know that niang is just another word for Mom! You’re tricking me! I’m going to tell my dad!” He turned and ran off.
Song Zhaodi calmly followed, just in time to hear the boy complaining to Zhong Jianguo.
“If you won’t call me Mom or niang, then call me stepmother.” Song Zhaodi smiled. “I don’t mind, as long as your dad doesn’t.”
Stepmother? Even if Song Zhaodi wasn’t embarrassed, Zhong Jianguo, a former regiment commander, still had some pride. “Dawa, what did I tell you before? If you don’t behave, I’ll send you to your Grandma’s house.”
The child turned and glared at Song Zhaodi. “Bad woman.” Then he looked at Zhong Jianguo and said, “If you send me to Grandma’s, I’ll—I’ll run away!”
“Look at you, acting all tough.” Zhong Jianguo was still feeding the youngest child biscuits. “Is this something your tang jie1 taught you? Always picking up bad habits from her instead of learning something good. Zhaodi, don’t be angry, I’ll talk to him later.”
Song Zhaodi waved it off with a grand gesture, looking every bit the magnanimous adult. “He’s just a child and he’s just lost his Mom. I understand, I won’t hold it against him.”
Hearing that Song Zhaodi wasn’t forcing him, the boy strangely felt unsettled. He turned and glared at her again. “Bad woman.”
“Pfft!” Song Zhaodi chuckled. Was that the only insult he knew?
Zhong Dawa suddenly spun around. “What are you laughing at?”
“She just thought of something funny.” Zhong Jianguo saw that Song Zhaodi genuinely wasn’t upset and felt a bit more favourably towards her. Still, he worried that his eldest son might actually push her too far, so he asked, “Dawa, are you hungry?”
Zhong Dawa’s family had eaten dinner around six and now it was nearly midnight. He rubbed his belly. “Hungry, Dad.”
“Wait a moment.” Zhong Jianguo finished feeding the youngest, changed his diaper and handed him to Song Zhaodi before feeding the older two.
Watching Zhong Jianguo handle Dawa and Erwa so smoothly, Song Zhaodi was a little surprised. She had assumed he wouldn’t know how to do household chores or take care of children. Then, when she saw him naturally wiping their mouths with his hands, she silently thought to herself—his previous wife must have been an unlucky woman.
The man who had been chatting with Song Zhaodi earlier saw Zhong Jianguo carrying Erwa off to the toilet and couldn’t help but comment, “Your husband is quite decent.”
“I’ve noticed that too,” Song Zhaodi replied, glancing at the child beside her. “Are you going to sleep? I can help you up.”
Zhong Dawa huffed, turning away and facing the seat, giving her the back of his head.
Seeing this, Song Zhaodi couldn’t help but tease him. “Dawa, if you dislike me so much, what will you do when I cook? Will you eat my food?”
“I—I’m not talking to bad women.” Zhong Dawa held firm, continuing to lie on the seat without turning back.
Song Zhaodi: “Not talking to whom?”
“Bad women.” The child answered without thinking.
Song Zhaodi pressed on. “And who is the bad woman?”
“You.”
Song Zhaodi: “Then who are you talking to right now?”
“You—” Zhong Dawa turned around abruptly. “You, you bad woman! Stop talking!”
Song Zhaodi nodded seriously. “Alright, alright, I’ll listen to Dawa and won’t say another word from now on.”
“Hmph!” The child puffed up proudly. “Even if you listen to me, I still won’t call you Mom.”
Song Zhaodi thought, I’m not worried. One day, you’ll cry and call me Mom on your own. She said instead, “I never asked you to call me Mom. But maybe, deep down, Dawa actually wants to call me Mom? Maybe you’re just afraid that if you do, you’ll forget about your real Mom, so you keep reminding yourself not to?”
Hearing ‘Mom’ repeated so many times, Zhong Dawa got confused and just said, “Stop talking, I’m sleepy.” He climbed onto the seat and burrowed into his thick coat.
The man across from them saw Song Zhaodi’s smiling face and whispered, “Your husband doesn’t know your true nature, does he?”
“I didn’t hear you clearly.” Song Zhaodi replied.
The man was speechless. He lowered his voice even more. “Are you planning to keep pretending forever?”
“I’m not crazy.” Song Zhaodi rolled her eyes at him, then turned to check on the youngest child before glancing towards the toilet. It was empty. She frowned. “Why is he taking so long? Wait… did he forget to bring toilet paper?”
The man said, “It’s possible. Don’t go looking, I’ve got some here.”
“Watch Dawa for me,” Song Zhaodi said, grabbing the paper and carrying the youngest child as she hurried towards the toilet.
On the morning of October 11th, at 7 am, Song Zhaodi stepped off the train, took a deep breath of the fresh air and looked up at the rising sun. “Mother, I’m finally alive again.”
“Let’s find a place to rest at the station first,” Zhong Jianguo suggested. “Eat something before we head to the docks.”
After enduring thirty hours on the train, Song Zhaodi felt as if she had barely survived a brush with death. The children didn’t have it easy either. When they disembarked, Zhong Jianguo carried two bags, strapped the second child to his back using a basket and instructed Song Zhaodi to carry the third while holding the eldest’s hand.
Summoning her last bit of energy, Song Zhaodi picked up the eldest. The short-tempered little one merely cast her a glance but didn’t resist being carried. Even when she accidentally bumped into the train door while carrying him, he didn’t so much as bat an eyelid.
Though Song Zhaodi had no real emotional attachment to the three children, seeing the little lion turn into a meek quail still made her heart ache. She asked, “How are we getting to the docks later?”
“There’s a bus,” Zhong Jianguo replied. “The boat leaves at ten. Not many people head south, so we can buy tickets at any time.”
“That gives us plenty of time,” Song Zhaodi nodded. “By the way, can you use your ration coupons here?”
“My ration coupons were issued here. The main military force only fully relocated at the end of last year, so these haven’t been exchanged yet,” Zhong Jianguo explained. “They’re in that bag, along with some money.”
As she rummaged through the bag, she asked, “Shall I go now? Don’t worry, I won’t get lost. If I don’t know the way, I’ll ask around. Don’t forget, I graduated high school—I can read.” She pulled out the ration coupons, flipped through them and froze. “How do you still have so much money?”
“I haven’t spent much of my salary these past few months,” Zhong Jianguo said.
Song Zhaodi’s hand paused. He had given her family 200 yuan, spent 50 or 60 yuan on fabric and clothes, yet there were still two to three hundred yuan tucked inside the ration coupons.
A few months? If she remembered correctly, Zhong Jianguo’s wife had only passed away a little over three months ago. Between the funeral expenses and raising three kids, it would have been impossible to save this much in just a few months—he must have been saving for at least seven or eight.
She glanced at Zhong Jianguo, who was calmly feeding the second child water, showing no intention of explaining himself. Pursing her lips, she rolled up the money along with the ration coupons. “I’ll try to be back within an hour.”
“No rush,” Zhong Jianguo replied. “As long as we leave for the docks by nine, we’ll make it.”
Zhong Dawa watched Song Zhaodi’s departing figure and asked, “Dad, what if she runs away?”
“Her clothes and graduation certificate are in the bag right next to you,” Zhong Jianguo said. “She won’t run. If anything, she’ll be more worried about us leaving without her. Dawa, your stepmother is a good person. Once we’re on the island, you can’t keep acting up—you’ll need to help her look after your two younger brothers.”
Zhong Erwa pushed away the enamel cup. “Dad, I’ll be good.”
“Good boy,” Zhong Jianguo chuckled. “Dawa, did you hear me?”
Zhong Dawa mumbled, “If she’s nice, then I’ll behave.”
Just after eight o’clock, Song Zhaodi returned, carrying a large bundle.
Zhong Jianguo was surprised. “You’re back so soon?”
“I took the bus,” she explained. Fluent in the local dialect, she had immediately asked around for the supply and department stores. Seeing her travel-worn appearance, a few kind locals even escorted her to the bus stop. “Can we wash our faces in the station? I’d like to freshen up a bit.”
“I’m not sure,” Zhong Jianguo said. “We’ll be home by the afternoon—just bear with it a little longer.” He glanced at the bundle in her arms. “What’s inside?”
“A bit of everything,” Song Zhaodi replied. “I bought some steamed buns from a state-run restaurant for you all. I ate two on the way, so you should eat something too.”
Zhong Jianguo was curious. “How did you manage to buy them?”
“That restaurant accepts cash, no ration tickets needed.” Taking advantage of her fluency in the local dialect, Song Zhaodi had struck up conversations with elderly locals on the bus. Not only had she figured out where to find a restaurant, but she had also learned which one sold the tastiest buns. “Is there still water in the enamel cup? I’ll go find a station worker to refill it.”
Zhong Jianguo handed her the cup. “Give me the bag.”
As she passed it to him, Erwa reached over, trying to pry his father’s fingers open. “Dad, let me see!”
“Be patient,” Zhong Jianguo said, noting his eldest son’s curiosity. However, since Song Zhaodi was right there, he held back his reaction. “Your stepmother has left.”
In a flash, Zhong Dawa dashed to his father’s side and peered inside the bag. He gasped. “White Rabbit Candies? So many! They’re all White Rabbit Candies!”
Zhong Jianguo was equally surprised. Inside, there was a tin of snow cream, toothbrushes, toothpaste, clam oil, cooling balm and tissues—but the rest were all snacks for the children.
While Zhong Dawa and Zhong Erwa were fixated on the candies, Zhong Jianguo noticed tins of powdered milk and malted milk. He couldn’t help but glance in the direction Song Zhaodi had gone. She had only bought herself a single tin of snow cream and a toothbrush?
“Is your stepmother nice?” Zhong Jianguo asked, peeling a White Rabbit candy and popping it into his eldest son’s mouth.
The child pursed his lips, unwilling to admit it but also unable to deny it. Instead, he turned away and grabbed his sleeping younger brother’s hand. “Didi, wake up! I have candy for you.”
Zhong Jianguo chuckled and shook his head.
Song Zhaodi jogged back, holding the cup of water. Seeing Zhong Jianguo grinning from ear to ear, she was curious. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m just happy we’re almost home,” Zhong Jianguo replied.
Song Zhaodi didn’t believe him. Deliberately, she said, “I remember that Dawa’s maternal grandmother lives right here in the city. Should we go visit her?”
“No!” Before Zhong Jianguo could respond, Zhong Dawa blurted out, “Dad, I don’t want to go to Grandma’s house! And you’re not allowed to go either.”
Raising an eyebrow, Song Zhaodi thought, So, Zhong Jianguo has been keeping quite a few secrets from me.
“We don’t have time today,” Zhong Jianguo said. “Let’s pack up and get moving.”
Song Zhaodi thought to herself, there’s a long road ahead—whether you tell me or not, I’ll figure it out. So, she took the initiative to carry the third child on her back and reached out her hand to Zhong Dawa. “Shall I hold your hand?”
Zhong Dawa instinctively glanced at Zhong Jianguo. Zhong Jianguo handed him a White Rabbit candy. The child pursed his lips in amusement and then placed his hand in Song Zhaodi’s.
Song Zhaodi felt both speechless and amused. But seeing that the child no longer resisted her, she didn’t tease him further.
Around 3 pm, the family arrived at Wengzhou Island.
With the main force of the East Sea Fleet relocating to Wengzhou Island, the small island was now filled with commanders and regiment leaders. However, among them, only Zhong Jianguo, at just thirty years old, had already risen to the rank of regiment commander.
Zhong Jianguo was a university graduate, making him the most educated among the young officers. Although he kept a low profile, his reputation was high, so not only did the military know of him, but even the local fishermen had heard his name.
As soon as Song Zhaodi mentioned Zhong Jianguo’s name and asked for directions, passersby immediately recognised him.
Moments later, a military jeep pulled up beside Zhong Jianguo. Before the window even rolled down, someone called out, “Commander Zhong, where are you headed?”
Zhong Jianguo stopped. “Heading home.”
“I’ll give you a lift,” the man said, then turned to look at the woman beside Zhong Jianguo. She was dark-skinned and skinny, dressed in an ill-fitting green outfit, looking completely worn out. Clicking his tongue, he asked, “Is that the new saozi?”
Zhong Jianguo nodded. “Her name is Song Zhaodi. Just call her Xiao Song.”
Zhaodi? The man thought to himself—what a rural name. Even the commander, a working-class hero, ended up like this? Sigh, the heavens are truly fair. He quickly corrected himself, “No way, I should call her saozi. Saozi, take it slow.”
“Thank you,” Song Zhaodi said casually, catching the look of disdain in the man’s eyes. She was a little speechless—how could someone like this exist in a revolutionary army? Curious, she asked, “Jianguo, who is he?”
Zhong Jianguo replied, “Captain Ma Zhonghua from one of the fleets. Xiao Ma, what are you up to?”
“Heading back to my unit,” Ma Zhonghua replied, glancing at Song Zhaodi again. She was really dark. “Saozi, where are you from?”
Song Zhaodi said, “I’m also from Binhai. My aunt is Commander Zhong’s stepmother, so technically, I’m his cousin.”
“Cousin?” Ma Zhonghua was surprised. “Never heard Commander Zhong mention you before.”
Song Zhaodi explained, “I’m eight years younger than him. When he went to university, I was still in elementary school. The age gap was too big, so we never had much contact.”
“You went to school?” Ma Zhonghua was a little taken aback.
Seeing that Zhong Jianguo didn’t stop her, Song Zhaodi continued, “Only for two years, I’m barely literate.”
Ma Zhonghua’s hand trembled and Zhong Jianguo quickly reached out to steady Dawa, who was sitting between them.
Someone who only studied for two years wouldn’t use a phrase like ‘barely literate’. Ma Zhonghua couldn’t help but envy Zhong Jianguo—what luck! His first wife had been a high school graduate and now his second wife, who was supposedly a cousin, turned out to be well-educated too. “Saozi, you’re too modest.”
“Just average,” Song Zhaodi said lazily, not interested in continuing the conversation. “I can just about write my own name.”
Ma Zhonghua was momentarily speechless and wanted to say more, but Zhong Jianguo cut him off with a serious, “Focus on driving.”
Wengzhou Island was small. Even though the family housing area was far from the dock, it was only about a cigarette’s worth of driving time. Zhong Jianguo got out of the jeep, thanked Ma Zhonghua and started searching for his keys.
Song Zhaodi looked at the two-story house in front of her in surprise. “It’s actually a building?”
“It’s close to the sea and the air is much more humid than in the north. The ground floor is too damp for living, so when the military built houses, they made them two stories,” Zhong Jianguo explained as he opened the door. A musty smell immediately filled the air.
Song Zhaodi believed him this time. “Are you going to the base?”
“If anything comes up, they’ll send someone to notify me,” Zhong Jianguo said. “Want me to help you clean up?”
Song Zhaodi nodded, carrying the third child upstairs. “How many rooms are up here?”
“Four, three of which are livable. The one facing south is my room. The one on the right is Dawa and Erwa’s. The left is the guest room,” Zhong Jianguo said. “Da ge and dasao stay there when they visit occasionally.”
Song Zhaodi pushed open the master bedroom door. Her eyes immediately landed on a photograph by the bedside. The man in the photo was a younger Zhong Jianguo and beside him was a fair-skinned woman with a delicate oval face and slender eyebrows. She looked fragile, but the fact that she had given birth to three healthy sons proved she was strong. “I’ll stay in the left room.”
Zhong Jianguo was momentarily stunned. Thinking he had misheard, he asked, “What did you say?”
“I’ll stay in the guest room,” Song Zhaodi repeated.
- Patrilineal older female cousin. ↩︎
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