The woman turned and ran.
“Wait.” Song Zhaodi suddenly thought of something. “If you dare to speak a word about tonight to anyone, and I so much as hear a whisper of it, I’ll come straight for you and kill you.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “I have relatives in Shencheng. These two kids also know where you live. Don’t think I’m just trying to scare you.”
The woman shook her head frantically. “No, I won’t say anything. Can… can I leave now?”
“Get lost!” Song Zhaodi spat coldly.
The woman scrambled away in a panic.
Song Zhaodi plopped onto the ground. “I’m exhausted.” She took a deep breath, set the brick down, and rubbed her ice-cold hands.
She suddenly felt a pair of eyes on her. Looking up, she saw the two children staring at her intently. She frowned. “What are you looking at? Hurry and put on some warm clothes. We’re heading to the guesthouse soon.”
“Are you one of Uncle Zhao’s soldiers?” the taller boy asked.
“I’m a teacher at the military dependents’ school,” Song Zhaodi replied. “I haven’t visited my parents in two years. Your Uncle Zhao knew I’d be passing through Shencheng on my way home, so he asked me to pick you up.”
“Are we going to Uncle Zhao’s house then?” the taller boy continued.
Song Zhaodi raised an eyebrow. When Commander Zhao entrusted the children to someone else, he must have told them that they couldn’t go to his house. Yet this child still asked? Precocious.
“No,” she said. “You’re coming home with me first. If anyone on the island asks, you’re from Binhai City. I picked you up at the Binhai train station.” She paused. “You’ll be living with us from now on. Our home is on the island, close to your Uncle Zhao’s house. But there are too many eyes and ears there, so you can’t go looking for him.”
The two boys’ eyes lit up. They spoke in unison. “You know Uncle Zhao is a commander?”
“Of course.” Song Zhaodi blinked. “That woman didn’t know?”
The two boys shook their heads.
Song Zhaodi was puzzled. “Did her husband know?”
“I don’t know if he did,” the taller boy said. “He called Uncle Zhao ‘Regiment Commander.’”
Song Zhaodi understood. “So her husband must have been one of Uncle Zhao’s subordinates.” She pushed herself up from the ground. “Let’s go. If we stay here any longer, the sun will be up. Give me your bag.”
The boy handed it over instinctively. But as he did, he suddenly remembered the roll of money inside. He hesitated, wanting to give it to Song Zhaodi, but then thought of the woman who had just left and faltered.
Song Zhaodi had been afraid the woman would start shouting. When she threatened her earlier, she’d been bluffing, running on pure adrenaline. Now that the tension had eased, she felt a wave of fear. The dim lighting kept her from noticing the boy’s hesitation.
She picked up the brick and asked, “What are your names?”
“Uncle Zhao didn’t tell you?” The taller boy discreetly slipped the money into his sleeve.
“It was all so rushed, he forgot,” Song Zhaodi replied.
“Uncle Zhao said my name is Zili, and my younger brother is Gengsheng,” the taller boy said. “I’m nine, he’s seven.”
Did that mean even their names had been changed?
It seemed that Zhong Jianguo had arranged for her to pick them up at night on purpose. Song Zhaodi raised an eyebrow. Was she about to take in a pair of hot potatoes?
“My husband’s name is Zhong Jianguo. From now on, you’ll take his surname,” she said. “I’m Song Zhaodi. If anyone asks, I’m your mother, and he’s your father. If they ask where you’re originally from, just say you forgot. No matter who asks, you say the same thing. Oh, and are your parents still alive?”
Zili pressed his lips together. “They’re dead.”
“Forget I asked.” Song Zhaodi handed him the brick. “Hold on to this.”
Zili instinctively asked, “Still?”
“Of course.” Song Zhaodi widened her eyes. “You didn’t think I picked up this brick just to scare that woman, did you? In the dead of night, in pitch darkness, I carried it for self-defence.”
“No wonder…” Zili muttered. “I thought you had some kind of special power.”
Song Zhaodi laughed. “I’m not Sun Wukong. I can’t summon things out of thin air or transform into seventy-two different forms.”
The Peace Hotel was about a kilometre from the guesthouse. Since it was dark and Song Zhaodi remained alert for any lurking threats, it took them nearly twenty minutes to get there.
Duan dasao had told the receptionist that their group consisted of five children and two adults, with the other three arriving later.
Song Zhaodi led Zili and Gengsheng inside and handed over the ID proof issued by the military.
The receptionist, seeing that she was a military spouse travelling with children, was particularly warm and even personally escorted her to the room.
At the sound of knocking, Duan dasao flinched and hurried to open the door. Seeing the receptionist there, she swallowed the words she’d been about to say and instead complained, “What took you three so long? Come in quickly.” She closed the door, let out a sigh of relief, and lowered her voice. “Nothing happened, right?”
“No, everything’s fine,” Song Zhaodi replied. “Auntie, is there any hot water?”
“The receptionist gave us two bottles,” Duan dasao said, pointing to the two beds pushed together. “I figured seven people wouldn’t fit on two beds, so I combined them. We’ll sleep sideways.”
Song Zhaodi glanced over. “Are the three kids already asleep?”
“They were waiting for you,” Duan dasao said. “I washed their faces and feet, but once they lay down, they couldn’t stay awake.”
Song Zhaodi sat down to rest. “Then pour some more water and help Zili and Gengsheng clean up. I’ll make them something warm to drink.”
“Alright, alright.” Duan dasao poured the water while instructing the boys to sit on the bed and take off their shoes.
Song Zhaodi smelled milk in a porcelain mug, likely something the children had been drinking. She was too tired to rinse it, so she simply poured in some hot water and set it on the windowsill before unpacking the boys’ belongings.
Opening their bag, she found two white shirts—completely pristine, without a single patch. Her heart clenched. These two boys were not ordinary.
“Can I put your clothes together with ours?” she asked.
Zili said, “Okay.”
Song Zhaodi dumped all the clothes onto the bed and immediately noticed something was off. “You don’t have any cotton-padded clothes?”
Gengsheng pointed at what he was wearing.
“That won’t keep out the cold.” Duan dasao was helping Zili change out of his clothes. She touched the thin cotton garment and was about to ask Song Zhaodi to find thicker clothes for the two children when she realised what Song Zhaodi meant. Her face changed instantly. “You don’t have any thick clothes?!”
Gengsheng shook his head.
“Oh my heavens,” Duan dasao sighed, then quickly asked, “Zhaodi, who sent them here?”
“A rather pretty woman. But, like my biaoyi, she has no conscience.” Song Zhaodi paused and added, “Auntie, let them sleep in the bed first. Tomorrow, we’ll take Dawa’s clothes and have them wear those. They’re about the same height anyway.”
“Then you’ll have to talk to Dawa first.” Duan dasao reminded her, “Your eldest is quite headstrong. If you don’t discuss it with him, he’ll raise hell.”
Song Zhaodi scoffed, “He still needs a beating.”
Zili and Gengsheng shivered.
Duan dasao quickly asked, “Are you cold? Hurry and get under the covers.” As she spoke, she picked up the clothes the children had just taken off, wiped their feet with them, and then tucked them into bed. She didn’t forget to explain, “These three are Dawa, Erwa, and Sanwa. They’re, well, they’re your aunt’s three children.”
“Auntie, don’t call me Aunt. Call me Mother.” Song Zhaodi repeated what she had told the two children earlier. “Make sure you don’t slip up. The first place we met was Binhai Train Station.”
Duan dasao sighed. “Got it. Why does this feel like a secret rendezvous in the underground resistance?”
“Well, the current situation isn’t much different,” Song Zhaodi said. She picked up the porcelain cup that had been sitting by the window for a while. Feeling that the water inside had cooled down, she scooped four spoonfuls of milk powder into it and handed it to Zili. “Save half for your younger brother.”
Zili took a big gulp before passing it to his brother.
Song Zhaodi quickly stopped him. “He can’t drink too much at night, or he’ll wet the bed.”
Gengsheng’s little face turned red as he pushed the cup back to his brother.
Watching their reactions, Song Zhaodi noticed they didn’t seem curious about milk at all. She suddenly wished she could drag Zhong Jianguo over right now and interrogate him—just who were these kids’ powerful grandparents?
Unfortunately, Zhong Jianguo was far away on Wengzhou Island, and Song Zhaodi was exhausted. Once the children finished drinking, she took off her cotton-padded coat, hugged Sanwa, and went to sleep.
The next morning, when Song Zhaodi woke up and pulled back the curtains, she saw that the sun was already up. She wasn’t in a hurry. She gently woke Duan dasao and whispered, “Auntie, stay here and watch the kids. I’ll go to the state-owned restaurant and buy some food for our journey.”
“Be careful,” Duan dasao said as she got up. “Don’t rush.”
“I know.” Song Zhaodi nodded. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she asked the attendant where she could buy food.
Around nine o’clock, Song Zhaodi returned carrying a large bag.
Duan dasao took one look inside and was surprised. “Why did you buy so much?”
“Is this a lot?” Song Zhaodi shook her head. “With so many kids, I think half of it will be gone just at breakfast.” Saying that, she woke up Dawa.
Zhong Dawa sat up, rubbed his eyes, and immediately noticed two extra people in the bed. He took a closer look. The two of them had fair, delicate features, completely different from his family. In his family, aside from his father, everyone had wheat-colored skin. “Mom, who are they?”
“This is Zili and Gengsheng.” Song Zhaodi woke up the other four lazy bugs and let them eat. As they ate, she explained again before turning to Dawa. “Can your and Erwa’s clothes be loaned to them for a few days?”
Zhong Dawa took a bite of his oil pancake, chewed twice, swallowed, and said, “They’re already wearing them.” He glanced at Song Zhaodi. “And now you ask?”
Song Zhaodi chuckled and peeled a boiled egg for him. “Sharp eyes.”
She noticed the two fair and handsome new members of the group had stopped eating, so she smiled. “Dawa doesn’t mean anything by it. He just likes to talk a lot. If he doesn’t complain a little, he won’t be happy.”
“Mom, I don’t talk too much,” Zhong Dawa said seriously. “If you say that, I’ll be really mad.”
Duan dasao shook her head with a laugh. “Dawa, your oil pancake is getting cold.”
Zhong Dawa quickly lowered his head and took another bite.
Song Zhaodi sighed helplessly. She packed up the food and supplies into two large bags. With Duan dasao’s bag, they had three in total. Five kids—just one more adult, and it would still be hard to manage.
So, Song Zhaodi pulled out the rope she borrowed from a fisherman. To keep Zili and Gengsheng from overthinking it, she tied it around Zhong Dawa’s wrist first.
“Mom, what are you doing?” Zhong Dawa was confused.
“There are a lot of people at the train station. I don’t want you getting lost,” Song Zhaodi explained. “Erwa, give me your hand.” She tied a loop around Erwa’s wrist and then said, “Zili, Gengsheng, give me your hands too.”
“This is a great idea,” Duan dasao marvelled. “I was worrying last night about how we’d manage with so many kids. A college education really makes a difference. Zhaodi, you’re so quick-witted.”
Zili and Gengsheng snapped their heads up. The shy Gengsheng gave his brother a look. Zili asked, “Aunt is a college student?”
“She is,” Duan dasao said. “Dawa’s dad is one too. On our island, they’re the only couple who are both college graduates.”
Song Zhaodi’s hands paused. “Auntie, do you think that’s why Commander Zhao entrusted these two kids to us—because both Zhong Jianguo and I are college-educated?”
“I’m not sure,” Duan dasao said. “But I figure when Commander Zhao was looking for a home for these two, he had his people investigate. He probably found out that you stood up for Teacher Yao and burned those suspicious clothes. That might’ve convinced him you were trustworthy.”
Song Zhaodi thought for a moment. That was possible. “No use guessing. Let’s head to the train station and try to get home by the afternoon after tomorrow.”
In this era, every household had multiple children, so it wasn’t unusual for Song Zhaodi and Duan dasao to be travelling with five kids.
Once they boarded the train, Song Zhaodi had the children take off their shoes and wrap their hands and feet in Zili and Gengsheng’s thin cotton-padded clothes for warmth. And so, they travelled all the way to Binhai City.
With so many kids, Song Zhaodi didn’t visit Zhong Weiguo’s home, deciding to go later on her way back.
Since they would see Zhong Weiguo and his wife sooner or later, Dawa didn’t make a fuss.
Around five in the evening, as the sky darkened, they finally arrived at Xiao Song Village.
As soon as Song Zhaodi appeared at the village entrance, she attracted attention. Villagers gathered around, asking why she had suddenly returned.
Song Zhaodi said she was just visiting.
The villagers kept asking—where did all these children come from?
Song Zhaodi bluntly said they were all Zhong Jianguo’s sons.
But the five children looked nothing alike. The villagers didn’t believe her.
Song Zhaodi took advantage of the villagers’ ignorance about how many children Zhong Jianguo had and, unwilling to explain the adoption process, firmly claimed that all five children were his.
An elderly man who had served in the military asked if Zhong Jianguo had adopted orphans of fallen comrades.
Song Zhaodi continued to deny it.
The villagers of Xiao Song Village were sceptical. Some busybodies asked if Zhong Jianguo had been married before.
Song Zhaodi, indifferent, simply said that Zhong Jianguo’s first wife had passed away.
The villagers’ gazes toward her instantly changed—how could a university graduate agree to be a second wife?
However, when they heard the children calling Song Zhaodi ‘Mom’ and saw one of them tugging at her arm as if she were their biological mother, the villagers began to doubt whether what she said was true or not.
The next morning, as Mother Song was leading out the sheep, Goudan’s mother blocked her way and asked, “What’s the real story with your Zhaodi? Did Zhong Jianguo really have a wife before and leave behind five kids?”
“What do you want to know so much for?” Mother Song countered.
Goudan’s mother swallowed and said, “Just curious.”
“If I say yes, would you believe me?” Mother Song continued.
Goudan’s mother curled her lips. “The five kids are obviously not from the same mother. Who would believe you?” After a pause, she lowered her voice and asked, “Are they adopted orphans?”
“No,” Mother Song replied. “They’re all Zhong Jianguo’s children.”
Seeing that she couldn’t get more information, Goudan’s mother scoffed. “Even if you won’t say it, I can tell. That one called Dawa must be Zhong Jianguo’s son—he looks just like him.
“I’m not sure about the other four, but I know for certain they’re not his.” After another pause, she asked, “Saozi, did your Zhaodi not know Zhong Jianguo had children when she married him?”
“She knew.” Mother Song didn’t want the village to know that Zhong Jianguo had been married before. But compared to Song Lainan stealing things, the fact that Song Zhaodi married a divorced man seemed insignificant. “Jianguo told Zhaodi that the army had good benefits, so she agreed to marry him. Yesterday, when she came home, she told me herself—her salary alone is equal to both Laibao’s and Liu Yang’s combined.”
Goudan’s mother widened her eyes. “Fifty or sixty yuan? My goodness, no wonder your Zhaodi agreed to marry him.”
There was an old saying: Marry a man for food and clothing.
In the countryside, when marrying off their daughters, parents rarely cared whether the girl liked the groom. As long as the man had good conditions and wouldn’t make their daughter suffer, most parents would make the decision for them.
Having lived through the famine years, Goudan’s mother also believed that a man’s salary and family conditions were more important than his looks. Hearing that Song Zhaodi made so much money, she instantly ignored the fact that Zhong Jianguo had been married before. “Saozi, I have a younger sister. Can you ask Zhaodi if there’s another good match like this in the army?”
“No more,” Mother Song said. She didn’t like matchmaking—it was easy for things to turn into resentment. “Zhaodi said that among military men of Jianguo’s age, he has the highest rank.
“The others don’t earn as much as Jianguo, and they don’t have Zhaodi’s education to become teachers. Even if they marry into the army, their lives wouldn’t be as good as Zhaodi’s.”
Goudan’s mother was displeased. “What’s with the bragging? Don’t forget, your Zhaodi almost married Wang Degui.”
“Auntie, if there’s no suitable person in the army, you can raise Goudan and Erya to be university students.” Song Zhaodi came out of the latrine. “If both your son and daughter go to college, you’ll enjoy a good life all the same.”
Goudan’s mother immediately rushed to her side. “That’s what I think too. But we can’t take the university entrance exam now.”
“In a few years, you can,” Song Zhaodi said. “Once the older officials retire, the country will need to train new college students. The ones from the worker-peasant-soldier universities aren’t enough.”
Goudan’s mother’s eyes lit up. She looked around to make sure no one was listening and whispered, “Really?”
Song Zhaodi nodded.
“How many years from now?” Goudan’s mother, afraid others would hear and steal her son’s chance, asked in a hushed voice.
Song Zhaodi thought for a moment. “About nine years.”
“Keep your voice down, Zhaodi,” Goudan’s mother calculated on her fingers. “Nine years? My Goudan will be twenty-two by then. Will the schools still take him at that age?”
“There’s no age limit for university. Anyone can enrol, no matter how old. Don’t you remember the old stories about people with white hair taking the imperial exam?”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Goudan’s mother had never thought university was a big deal before. But ever since Song Zhaodi married Zhong Jianguo, Mother Song had been buying large cuts of meat whenever someone in the village slaughtered a pig.
Last year, Song Zhaodi even sent home a large package of food. Goudan’s mother had leaned over the wall and nearly drooled at the sight. That was the moment she decided she had to get her children into college. “Hey, Zhaodi, what’s the truth about those five kids?”
“They’re all my sons,” Song Zhaodi replied.
“Come on, at least tell me the truth—”
“Mom, time to eat!” Zhong Dawa ran out of the house. “Stop chatting and eat quickly. After breakfast, we’re going to the city.”
Their conversation was interrupted, but Goudan’s mother wasn’t upset. “That kid is really close to you.”
Song Zhaodi smiled. “All the kids are close to me.” But no one believed her.
Even Mother Song wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes.
Noticing Goudan’s mother’s scepticism, Song Zhaodi took the kids to see Deng Peilin after breakfast.
On the way, Dawa and Erwa, curious about Xiao Song Village, chattered nonstop, calling ‘Mom’ over and over again. Sanwa ran ahead, and whenever he realised Song Zhaodi wasn’t keeping up, he would shout at the top of his lungs, “Mom, hurry up!”
The villagers of Xiao Song Village were even more puzzled—why did these three children seem like Song Zhaodi’s real sons?
No matter how much the villagers speculated, the Song family stuck to their story that the five children had been left behind by Zhong Jianguo’s first wife. Even when Song Zhaodi and Duan dasao returned, the villagers still couldn’t confirm if all five were Zhong Jianguo’s sons.
On the sixteenth of the twelfth lunar month, Song Zhaodi brought the children back home, and as expected, they were once again the centre of attention.
This time, Song Zhaodi was even more straightforward. She left Dawa behind to explain while she took the other kids inside.
Zhong Jianguo had received a call from his elder brother that morning, informing him that Song Zhaodi would be back in the afternoon. Not knowing how to face her, he stayed home waiting.
Hearing Song Zhaodi’s voice, he rushed out, took her bag, and said, “I made dinner. Do you want to wash up and sleep first, or eat first?”
“Commander Zhong, have you ever heard this saying?” Song Zhaodi asked with a half-smile.
Zhong Jianguo tensed up. “If someone flatters you for no reason, they must be up to no good.”
“So, you admit you’re the one being overly attentive for no reason?” Song Zhaodi smiled. “Then, can you explain what exactly you did wrong?”
Zhong Jianguo’s face changed slightly. “The children are still here.”
“Go upstairs, all of you. Don’t come down until I call you.” Song Zhaodi turned to Erwa. “Take your brothers to the room and decide how you’ll sleep tonight.”
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