Song Zhaodi was afraid that Dawa might run too fast and fall down the stairs, so she didn’t dare to chase after him. “Zhong Dawa, stop right there! Who gave you this terrible idea?”
“No one.” Zhong Dawa turned his head back. Seeing Song Zhaodi standing there with her hands on her hips, he mimicked her posture. “If you don’t agree, I’ll tell that grandma.”
Song Zhaodi pointed at him. “Not talking, Ah? If I find out later, don’t even think about going out to play again. If you tell me the truth now, I’ll let it go since it’s your first offence.”
“You won’t lie to me?” Zhong Dawa asked.
Song Zhaodi replied, “From the time we met until now, have I ever lied to you?”
“…No.” Seeing that Song Zhaodi wasn’t really mad at him, Zhong Dawa stopped trying to run away. “Ma Zhenxing said that dads and moms always live together and that my dad and my old mom used to live together too. Lin Zhong said that when parents want to split up, they stop living together. Stepmom, are you going to separate from my dad?”
Song Zhaodi raised an eyebrow. “Xiao Zhong Dawa, didn’t you swear you wouldn’t play with Ma Zhenxing? When did you make up with him?”
“We didn’t make up.” Zhong Dawa said confidently, “I play with him when I want to and I don’t play with him when I don’t want to.”
Song Zhaodi: “And who is Lin Zhong?”
“He’s the son of Chen dasao from the west side. His dad is a regiment commander, just like me,” Zhong Jianguo explained. “Lin Zhong is five or six years older than Dawa and often leads the kids in games like ‘Defeat the Japanese Invaders’ and ‘Overthrow Old Jiang.’”
Song Zhaodi laughed. “Zhong Dawa, you’re something else. You don’t understand something, so you go and ask your little friends for advice?”
“You said it yourself.” Zhong Dawa held his head high. “We should use our brains more.”
Song Zhaodi snorted. “I also said that you shouldn’t drink water before bed, but I haven’t seen you use your brain to remember that.” She paused before adding, “I’ll let it go this time. If you cause trouble again, I won’t hit you because I don’t have the strength. Instead, I’ll have your dad whip you with a belt.”
“My dad never hits me,” Zhong Dawa retorted and ran downstairs.
Song Zhaodi took a deep breath and poked Erwa’s forehead. “From now on, if your brother does anything bad behind my back, you have to tell me. Otherwise, I’ll punish you too.”
Zhong Erwa instinctively covered his ears.
Song Zhaodi was puzzled. “What does that mean?”
“If he tells, Dawa will punish him,” Zhong Jianguo explained. “If he doesn’t tell, you’ll punish him. Erwa is trying to tell you that he didn’t hear anything.”
Song Zhaodi glared at Zhong Jianguo. “You’ve really raised two great sons. Now hurry up and clean him up. I need to check if the bed is salvageable.”
“Stepmom, I peed on the blanket, not on the bed,” Erwa quickly clarified.
Song Zhaodi sighed. “Is there a difference? Zhong Jianguo, bring Sanwa’s small bed downstairs. I’m really busy this morning and don’t have time to hold him.”
After breakfast, Song Zhaodi borrowed a mixing bowl from the Liu family and another basin from the Lin family. She planned to knead three batches of dough.
Since she had to think about the children, she couldn’t use up all the white flour just to entertain her parents. So she exchanged some with the neighbours for cornmeal and sorghum flour.
She made three types of dough: pure white flour, white flour mixed with sorghum and white flour mixed with cornmeal. Zhong Jianguo held Sanwa while helping her and when he saw her preparations, he couldn’t help but praise her, “You really know how to manage a household.”
“You didn’t lose out by marrying me, did you?” Song Zhaodi thought to herself, I lived so many years in my past life—why wouldn’t I know how to manage things just because I changed locations? That would be ridiculous.
Zhong Jianguo neither nodded nor shook his head. “If you were a little more honest with me, our life would be perfect.”
“When it comes to married life, sometimes it’s better to be a little muddleheaded,” Song Zhaodi covered the dough with a coarse white cloth. “If you nitpick over everything, you won’t be able to live together. As long as you know I’m harmless, that’s enough.”
Zhong Jianguo: “Do you know what a ticking time bomb is?”
“It’s not that serious,” Song Zhaodi said. “I can swear on my parents that I’m harmless and even useful to you and society. Is that enough?”
Zhong Jianguo: “I’ll believe you for now and see how it goes.”
“You really treat me like a criminal,” Song Zhaodi muttered. She washed her hands outside and found the courtyard unusually quiet. “Where did those two kids run off to?”
“I told them they didn’t need to watch Sanwa this morning. They probably went to play with the Ma family’s kids,” Zhong Jianguo replied.
“Your son is so two-faced.” Song Zhaodi said, “The weather is good today. Let’s wash the bed sheets.”
Zhong Jianguo regretted taking a leave from work. “Can’t you let me rest for half a day?”
“Since breakfast, have I taken a break?” Song Zhaodi asked. “Hurry up and then we need to go buy groceries.” She said this while taking Sanwa from him.
Zhong Jianguo weakly lifted a full basin of bed sheets and blankets. “Song Zhaodi, the school agreed to pay you a salary of 80 yuan per month. For holidays like National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival, whatever subsidies teachers receive, you will get them too.”
“Wait a minute. From what I’m hearing, I’m not an official teacher at the school?” Song Zhaodi quickly asked.
Zhong Jianguo replied, “Even though you went to university, you didn’t graduate, so you only have a high school diploma. For now, your salary will be given according to a university graduate’s pay. If you prove you can teach well, then you will officially be recognised as a teacher. At that point, not only will the school increase your salary, but they will also recommend you for Party membership.”
“What’s the standard for ‘teaching well’?” Song Zhaodi asked.
Zhong Jianguo said, “At least 70% of the students have to say you’re good.”
“Can I refuse the job?” Song Zhaodi asked.
Zhong Jianguo was already prepared for this. “Then I’ll have a chat with my mother-in-law and father-in-law.”
“You—” Song Zhaodi gritted her teeth. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll poison your food?”
Zhong Jianguo shrugged. “You wouldn’t dare. If something happens to me, your whole family won’t escape the consequences.” Then, after a pause, he added, “Why didn’t I think of this before? You use the three kids to threaten me, but I can also use your family to threaten you.”
“Because you’re stupid,” Song Zhaodi retorted. As she turned to go inside, she suddenly stopped. “Zhong Jianguo, could Dawa be fighting again?”
Zhong Jianguo wasn’t sure. “Probably not. Don’t leave just yet—give me a definite answer. When are you going to start teaching?”
“I can go anytime,” Song Zhaodi said. “But if I go, what about the three kids?”
Zhong Jianguo replied, “That’s easy. Dawa was born in early 1962. In just over two months, he’ll be six years old. Normally, he should have started preschool this fall, but after his mother left, dasao took them to Binhai, so he missed it. We’ll send him to preschool now and he’ll start first grade next fall. Erwa can go to kindergarten and as for Sanwa, you can take him with you.”
Song Zhaodi laughed. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It’s not that I’m making it sound easy,” Zhong Jianguo explained. “You’ll have three classes in the morning and two in the afternoon—a total of five classes a day, but only one of them is English. It’ll go by quickly.”
Song Zhaodi countered, “What if your son starts fussing right when I’m teaching?”
“Then ask another teacher to help calm him down,” Zhong Jianguo suggested. “That’s what the other female teachers do.”
Song Zhaodi scoffed. “Don’t lie to me. The other female teachers all have elders at home helping with the kids.”
“Their elders are old now and those teachers have to take care of them,” Zhong Jianguo said. “If you want, I can send a telegram to my stepmother right now.” Before Song Zhaodi could reply, he added, “If you don’t want that, then you’ll just have to manage on your own. How about this—I’ll ask Xiao Li to pick up Sanwa and bring him to my office whenever I have time?”
Song Zhaodi nodded. “That sounds reasonable. But, Zhong Jianguo, with the government promoting the ‘Down to the Countryside’ movement, shouldn’t middle school students be sent too?”
“First-year middle school students are only thirteen or fourteen. Are they supposed to go to the countryside and have the farmers help raise their kids?” Zhong Jianguo frowned. “Song Zhaodi, I’ve noticed that aside from nagging me and setting traps for me, you’re actually quite clueless. Have you used up all your cleverness just on me?”
Song Zhaodi sneered. “You really think you’re some kind of fairy-tale hero? You should look in the mirror and see what you really look like.”
“You—” Zhong Jianguo gritted his teeth. “I won’t argue with you. Whenever we argue, I always end up losing. Aside from the bed sheets and covers, what else do you need washed?”
Song Zhaodi pointed under the eaves. “Your youngest son’s diapers. By the way, Zhong Jianguo, aren’t you worried that Sanwa still can’t say ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’?”
“Kids who speak late are smart,” Zhong Jianguo said. “This little one might turn out to be even smarter than Dawa and Erwa.”
Song Zhaodi looked down at the child in her arms. “Let’s just hope he’s not only book-smart.”
“My son, Zhong Jianguo’s son, will not be someone who can’t hold his own,” Zhong Jianguo said as he poured water into the basin. “Comrade Song Zhaodi, where are we sleeping tonight?”
Song Zhaodi was about to head inside but, hearing this, she grabbed a small stool and sat down beside him. “Whatever Comrade Zhong wants, I’ll go along with it. I’m easy.”
“A woman who’s seen the world, indeed,” Zhong Jianguo sneered. “Your previous fiancé probably didn’t know your true nature, did he?”
Song Zhaodi was curious. “What makes you think that? Oh no—what is he eating?” She looked down and saw Sanwa grabbing a handful of something and stuffing it into his mouth. Panicked, she quickly lifted him up. “Zhong Jianguo—”
“I saw it,” Zhong Jianguo said as he pried open Sanwa’s hand. Seeing it was a fishtail, he sighed in relief and then checked the child’s mouth. “Nothing inside. Your hand was blocking my view. How did a fishtail end up here?”
Song Zhaodi said, “It was probably a rat or a stray cat that brought it here. This child—he just ate and now he’s acting like he’s starving again, just like his big brother.”
“He probably saw me eating earlier,” Zhong Jianguo said. “At his age, he’s curious about everything. You need to be careful.”
Song Zhaodi nodded, more cautious now. “Those bed sheets and covers aren’t too dirty. Just soak them with some detergent and scrub them on the washboard.”
“Have you decided what to buy for dinner?” Zhong Jianguo asked.
Song Zhaodi asked back, “What do you like to eat?”
“Me?” Zhong Jianguo was caught off guard. He hesitated for a moment. “Having a change of heart? Finally thinking about me?”
Song Zhaodi smiled sweetly. “Of course, you’re my man, after all.”
“The moment you say things like that, I get a headache—it’s way too fake,” Zhong Jianguo muttered. “Seriously, though, I really want to eat pork—the kind that’s fatty but not greasy. Comrade Song Zhaodi, if you can actually cook it well, I promise I won’t need any reminders from you to do the laundry and wash the dishes.”
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