Lin Zhong’s eldest sister followed up on Song Zhaodi’s words and asked, “I heard from my mom that you adopted two more children?”
“More?” Song Zhaodi was puzzled. “We only adopted Zili and Gengsheng. There’s no ‘more’ about it.” She turned to Chen, “Saozi, who told you that? That’s such unreliable information.”
Chen dasao coughed and told her daughter, “I was talking about Zili and Gengsheng.”
“They’ve been with us for over two years now,” Song Zhaodi glanced at her, then noticed that Lin Zhong’s second and third sisters were still twenty or thirty meters away. She smiled and said, “You guys must be making two tables of food today.”
Chen dasao’s eyes shifted. “Speaking of tables, Xiao Song, I was just about to ask you, could we borrow your long dining table? You’re not expecting guests today anyway.”
Song Zhaodi regretted speaking without thinking. “I mean, sure, but I’ll have to ask the kids.”
“Ask the kids?” Lin Zhong’s eldest sister was surprised. “You need their permission for something this small?”
Song Zhaodi replied, “Normally, no. But today is special, the table is covered with the kids’ schoolbooks. Erwa was just using it to do his homework.” She patted Erwa’s head and asked, “Erwa, have you finished writing?”
“Not even close,” Erwa blurted out. “Mom, I’m going back to do my work now.”
Song Zhaodi nodded. “Go ahead.” Hearing footsteps, she saw that Lin Zhong’s two sisters had arrived and deliberately acted as if she had just remembered something. “Oh, by the way, saozi, didn’t you say before that we made several beds but had no place to put them? Jianguo and I set them up. Come over to our place and take a look.”
“Some other day,” Lin Zhong’s eldest sister replied, distracted by the child in her arms who was wriggling around. She didn’t notice the unnatural expression on Chen shi’s face. Song Zhaodi, trying to keep the conversation going, added, “Today doesn’t seem like the right time.”
Song Zhaodi chuckled. “What’s so inappropriate? We’re all neighbours.” She pointed at Lin Zhong’s brothers-in-law. “Let them take the stuff home first and you can come check it out. It’s a bunk bed, Dawa’s dad had it custom-made.”
“A bunk bed?” Chen dasao was surprised. “What kind of bunk bed?”
Song Zhaodi opened the door wide. “I don’t know how to describe it. You’ll see when you come in.”
Meanwhile, Erwa didn’t actually go back to do his homework; he ran upstairs to inform the others.
The boys hurriedly tossed their storybooks into the storage room and squeezed into Zhong Jianguo’s room, peeking out the window.
Dawa frowned as he saw Song Zhaodi leading Lin Zhong’s mother and sisters inside. “Why is Mom bringing them to our house?”
“She must have her reasons,” Gengsheng replied. “Let’s just see how things play out.”
Zhong Dawa pointed to his mouth. “I still haven’t finished my candy.”
“Then keep eating it,” Gengsheng said. “I never told you to spit it out.”
Dawa motioned toward the younger kids outside. “What if they ask us for some?”
Gengsheng thought for a moment. “Mom’s here, don’t worry.”
“Right, Mom’s here.” Erwa realised he was overthinking and relaxed. He jumped off the stool and said, “Ge, you messed up Dad’s blanket. Fold it properly.” Then he ran out. As he reached the stairs, he saw Song Zhaodi coming up.
Instinctively, Erwa called out, “Mom.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be downstairs doing homework?” Song Zhaodi knowingly asked, “Why did you come upstairs?”
Erwa stammered, “I, I–”
“He came to tell us to go downstairs and do our homework,” Gengsheng interrupted, eager to see how his mother would handle Chen dasao. He pulled Erwa back, letting Lin Zhong’s family go up first.
Song Zhaodi eyed the kids. “You had your malted milk and your candy. Now go do your homework.”
Gengsheng instinctively started heading downstairs, but then something felt off. Why did his mother say that, completely out of the blue?
Suddenly, he remembered how she had them show off the sesame crisps and fried dough twists earlier. Testing the waters, he said, “Oh, Mom, I almost forgot, I haven’t even eaten mine yet.” He glanced at Song Zhaodi.
She smiled. “Go ahead and eat it.”
Gengsheng went into his parents’ room, took out a White Rabbit milk candy from his pocket, unwrapped it and walked out while eating. “Mom, this White Rabbit candy is delicious. From now on, buy this kind, not those hard candies.”
Song Zhaodi raised an eyebrow, this son of hers was getting sharp.
“Don’t just eat it yourself. Share with your younger brothers,” she said, pointing at Lin Zhong’s little nephews.
Chen dasao, out of habit, quickly said, “Oh, there’s no need, no need.”
Song Zhaodi suddenly ‘realised’ something. “Ah! My memory is terrible, I forgot your family bought some too.” Before Chen dasao could explain, she turned to Lin Zhong’s sisters. “A few days ago, when we went to Hangcheng together, your mother said that since you were all coming home for the New Year, she bought extra candy, five whole jin of White Rabbit milk candies.
“I told her kids shouldn’t eat too much candy, but she insisted. She said this milk candy is made from condensed milk, three pieces are equivalent to a glass of milk. If I had known that, I should’ve bought more too.”
Chen dasao had indeed bought some candy, just two jin and only after hearing from Song Zhaodi that White Rabbit candies were made from condensed milk. But before she could react, Song Zhaodi kept going.
“Oh and your mother also bought four or five jin of pork from the food store the day before yesterday, just to cook for you all today.”
Chen dasao’s face instantly darkened.
Lin Zhong’s eldest sister quickly asked, “Really? Mom?”
“Would I lie to you?” Song Zhaodi grinned. “I was right there when she bought it. Since we didn’t have guests, I only bought two jin, one for yesterday, one for today. That’s the end of our New Year feasting.” She pushed open the kids’ bedroom door. “Come in and take a look, saozi. Don’t just stand there, this is the bed you saw the other day.”
Lin Zhong’s second and third sisters noticed something was off with their mother’s expression and wanted to ask her about it. However, before they could, they were completely captivated by the bunk bed.
Lin Zhong’s eldest sister walked over and ran her hand over the ladder, exclaiming, “This bed is really well-made!”
“Isn’t the bed too high? Won’t the child fall off while sleeping at night?” Chen dasao suddenly asked.
Song Zhaodi snorted inwardly, “There’s something blocking the edge.”
“Mom, your eyesight is really bad,” the eldest sister from the Lin family pointed at the railing next to the ladder. “With this here, not to mention a child as big as Dawa, even our one-year-old Dandan wouldn’t roll off. Hey, why is there a wooden board here?”
Song Zhaodi explained, “That’s not a wooden board. It’s a foldable table. Flip the board over and there are two supports on the back.”
“There really are!” The third sister from the Lin family took down the board and saw four legs hidden behind it. “Was this also made by Regiment Commander Zhong?”
Song Zhaodi nodded. “The kids complained that their feet got cold doing homework at the table, but sitting in the bed made it hard to write. Jianguo thought about it for days and came up with this design.”
“Regiment Commander Zhong is really amazing,” the second sister from the Lin family couldn’t help but praise. “Coming up with such a convenient table.”
Song Zhaodi smiled. “The island’s carpenters can make them now too. When your kids grow up, just have your mom ask a carpenter and they’ll make an even better one for you.”
“Mom, remember to ask the carpenter later,” the eldest sister pointed at her daughter. “Niuniu is starting primary school next year.”
Chen dasao frowned. “That’s still a long way off.”
“You don’t know, do you, saozi?” Song Zhaodi pretended to be surprised. “When Jianguo had the carpenter make the table, some fishermen saw it and thought it was great, so they asked the carpenter to make some for them too. I heard there’s already a waiting list.” She paused, then added, “Who knows if the price will go up in a few days?”
The eldest sister from the Lin family immediately asked, “Why would the price go up?”
“There are too many people ordering tables,” Song Zhaodi explained. “If the carpenters get too busy, they’ll have to work overtime. Their boss will either need to hire more people or raise their wages. And where will that extra money come from?”
Chen dasao glared at Song Zhaodi, eyes full of anger. “Xiao Song, you’re wrong about that. If the carpenter’s wages go up, they’ll sell more tables too.”
“You’re right too, saozi,” Song Zhaodi was a little surprised by Chen dasao’s quick reaction. “I was just saying ‘if’. If you don’t care about a few cents here and there, just forget I said anything.”
Noticing her mother’s unhappy expression, the eldest sister tried to smooth things over. “Even a few cents are still money. Mom, let’s check it out in a few days.”
“I think you all should get a long table,” Song Zhaodi suggested. “That way, when all of you visit, you won’t have to borrow tables from others.”
The three sisters had already noticed the long table in the Zhong family’s house and agreed it was convenient. However, they also knew their mother well, she was reluctant to spend money.
The second sister hesitated. “That must be expensive, right?”
“For you, it’s a bit pricey,” Song Zhaodi replied. “But for your dad, it’s nothing. His salary, plus his military service allowance, adds up to 190 yuan a month. A single table is nothing to him. Even ten tables wouldn’t be a big deal.”
The three sisters’ eyes widened in unison. “190?!”
“Yeah,” Song Zhaodi said. “Didn’t you know? If you include your mom’s salary, they earn about 230 to 240 yuan a month.” Before Chen dasao could react, she continued, “And since your family grows so many vegetables, you never have to buy any. Your parents save at least 200 yuan a month.
“200 yuan a month means 2,400 yuan a year!” She turned to Chen dasao, looking envious. “Jianguo and I have decent salaries too, but even if we live frugally, we can only save a few dozen yuan a month. We don’t even save as much in a year as your mom does in a month.”
“Mom, when we grow up, you’ll be able to save 200 yuan a month too,” Gengsheng suddenly said.
Song Zhaodi chuckled, this son of hers was truly worth doting on. Just as she was about to say something, the chime of the clock in the living room rang. “It’s already 11 o’clock? Saozi, I won’t keep you any longer. Jianguo will be back soon and I need to start cooking.”
Without another word, Chen dasao turned and left.
Song Zhaodi called after her, “Saozi, take it slow! If you’re going to order tables for your grandkids, just tell the carpenter you’re Jianguo’s neighbour. Their boss might give you a discount.”
“Thank you, Teacher Song.” The three sisters watched as their mother hurriedly walked down the stairs, looking a little embarrassed. “She’s probably rushing home to cook.”
Song Zhaodi waved her hand dismissively. “No need to explain. I know, your mom must be upset that I mentioned your dad’s salary. I assumed you all knew, but when I saw your reactions, I realised you didn’t.”
“Our mom always told us that our dad earns 100 yuan a month and she gets 20,” the third sister said angrily. “For an ordinary technician, 20 yuan a month is already a lot, so we never questioned it.”
Song Zhaodi sighed regretfully. “It’s my fault. I talk too fast and always end up upsetting her. I wonder how long she’ll be mad this time.” She paused. “Last time, she ignored me for days over a toothpaste incident.”
The eldest sister’s expression became awkward. “Toothpaste?”
“Yeah,” Song Zhaodi said. “Your mom said she and I used different kinds of toothpaste. But as far as I know, the supply store only sells Zhonghua toothpaste. I was worried she got scammed, so I mentioned it.”
The eldest sister recalled how their mother had once complained that Song Zhaodi flaunted even her toothpaste, making her feel even more uncomfortable. “I see. I’ll talk to her. She won’t stay mad at you.”
“Don’t,” Song Zhaodi warned. “The more you bring it up, the angrier she’ll get. Just wait a few days, once her anger fades, it’ll be over. Otherwise, she might get so mad she won’t even cook.” She sighed. “I really should be more careful with what I say. Maybe I shouldn’t have shown you the bed today.”
“Why can’t you jiejie know how much Uncle Lin earns?” Gengsheng, who had been playing on the long bench, suddenly asked.
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