Song Zhaodi didn’t mind and grinned. “Say whatever you want. If you don’t do the dishes at noon, you’ll cook dinner. The five kids in the house all know, I never lie.”
“That’s only because they haven’t seen your true colors yet,” Zhong Jianguo shot her a glare but resigned himself to clearing the table and collecting the dishes.
Song Zhaodi chuckled, got up, and went upstairs to fetch money for Zhong Jianguo’s ‘vampire’ father.
Hearing her go upstairs, Zhong Jianguo peeked out of the kitchen. The living room was empty. He couldn’t help but mutter, “Such a nitpicker.” Then he turned back to continue washing the dishes.
“Zhong Jianguo!”
His hands trembled, and a pair of chopsticks slipped into the sink. His first thought was that Song Zhaodi had overheard him. But after a moment, he realised it had already been five minutes. Given her personality, if she’d heard him talking about her, she wouldn’t have taken this long to react. “What’s wrong?”
Song Zhaodi ran into the room. “Our money suddenly increased by over 300 yuan!”
“What do you mean?” Zhong Jianguo didn’t quite understand, but he saw the large roll of cash in her hands. “Why did you take it all out? Put it back!”
Song Zhaodi explained, “Together, our salaries add up to 235 yuan. Every month, I stash 180 yuan inside the quilt, leaving 55 yuan in the cash box for daily expenses.
“I was thinking, since the weather is getting colder, I’d go to the city with Auntie this weekend to buy fabric for winter clothes for the kids and maybe some snacks. Including the 50 yuan for your father, we’d need 70 or 80 yuan, but there wasn’t enough in the cash box, so I planned to take 100 yuan from the quilt.
“But when I was taking out the money, I accidentally messed it up. Since I had time, I decided to count how much we had saved. I counted twice, and the numbers didn’t match. Zhong Jianguo, did you stash some private savings before?”
“What are you talking about?” Zhong Jianguo was speechless. “Our house is so small, where could I even hide money? Besides, I don’t smoke, and I spend all my time at the military base, so I can’t drink either. If I had private savings, what would I even spend them on?”
Song Zhaodi nodded. “You’re right. It’s not like it’s 100 years from now, there’s nowhere to spend extra money anyway. But we really do have over 300 extra yuan.”
“How much exactly?” Zhong Jianguo asked.
“About 360 or 370 yuan. Who would give us money?”
“Your son,” Zhong Jianguo thought for a moment. “Last year, you mentioned that Zili and Gengsheng had some savings. This must be from them.”
Song Zhaodi shook her head. “No, that’s not it. I took money in front of Dawa before. Other than you and me, only Dawa knows the money is in the quilt.”
“Then they must have given it to Dawa, and he put it in.” Zhong Jianguo paused. “That brat! He didn’t even tell you about such a large amount. When he wakes up, I’m going to give him a beating.”
Song Zhaodi sighed, exasperated. “You always say that, but I’ve never seen you actually do it. Just hurry up and get to work. I’ll ask them when they wake up.”
At 2 pm, the five kids woke up. Song Zhaodi didn’t avoid Zili and Gengsheng and asked them directly about the money.
Dawa, Zili and Gengsheng widened their eyes in shock. “You just found out?” they said in unison.
“When did you put it in?” Song Zhaodi’s eyebrow twitched. “A long time ago?”
Dawa let out a long sigh, looking helpless. “No wonder Dad calls you careless. We put it in months ago.”
“It’s been almost half a year,” Zili added.
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Song Zhaodi’s face. “We haven’t bought any big-ticket items, so I never touched the money in the quilt. Not knowing is normal.”
“So, Mom, if one day I urgently needed money and took it all without telling you, then put it back later, you wouldn’t even notice?” Dawa asked.
Song Zhaodi coughed. “I’ll change the hiding spot today. You won’t be able to find it.”
“As long as the mice don’t find it, that’s fine,” Dawa remarked.
Song Zhaodi immediately wanted to smack him. “Get out of here!”
“Sanwa, where’s your school bag?” Zili turned to find their youngest brother.
Sanwa waved his little hands. “I don’t want to write today, so I don’t need my school bag!” Before Zili could say anything, he grabbed the stair railing and ran downstairs.
Zili panicked and quickly followed. “Slow down, Sanwa!”
Dawa pulled Erwa along, grabbed Gengsheng, and called out to Song Zhaodi, “We’re leaving!” In the blink of an eye, the entire Zhong household was empty except for Song Zhaodi.
With no kids making a ruckus, no phone, no computer, no television and no entertainment at all, Song Zhaodi suddenly wished that when she walked downstairs, she’d find herself in 1978, the year of China’s economic reforms. But that was impossible.
On Sunday morning, September 20, Song Zhaodi cooked two dishes but only let Dawa take one.
“Why?” Dawa asked.
“Grandma Liu is going to Hangcheng, and we won’t be back until the afternoon,” Song Zhaodi said. “This dish is for your lunch. If you want steamed buns, heat them up; if you want rice, cook some.”
Dawa’s eyes lit up. “Mom, don’t worry, I can cook!”
“We’re running low on oil, so don’t even think about it,” Song Zhaodi warned. “If we still have half a bowl of oil left at the end of the month, I’ll let you waste it.”
Dawa held out his pinky. “Deal!”
“Keep your word,” Song Zhaodi said. “You can go out and play, but make sure to lock the door and feed the chickens, ducks and geese.”
Dawa waved her off. “We always feed them. We know what to do. Stop nagging and go already.”
Hangcheng, the provincial capital, was much larger than their local city, Yongcheng. The cooperative stores there had a wide variety of goods, milk candies, clam oil, toothbrushes, toothpaste and more.
Hangcheng was over 200 kilometers from Wengzhou Island, requiring both a boat ride and a bus transfer. Duan dasao usually found it too much trouble and rarely made the trip. If Song Zhaodi helped her buy tickets, she often declined. So why was she suddenly eager to go this time?
Curious, Song Zhaodi asked, “Auntie, what are you buying in Hangcheng?”
“Liu Ping told me she’s bringing her partner home soon for us to meet,” Duan dasao said. “I realised we don’t even have any candy at home. If he visits and we have nothing to offer, that’d be bad. So I want to buy some sweets and snacks.”
Song Zhaodi blinked. “Did I hear that right? Didn’t Liu Ping just start working at the hospital? She already has a partner?”
“We were shocked too,” Duan dasao sighed. “She’s grown up, we can’t control her anymore. If she wants to bring him home, we’ll take a look. As long as the guy is honest and decent, we won’t stand in their way.”
Song Zhaodi frowned. “Liu Ping is only 21, right?”
“She and your Dawa were both born in the same month,” Duan dasao said. “In a few months, she’ll be 22. In the countryside, that’s already old enough to marry.”
“I suggest you use her age as an excuse to delay things for a year or so,” Song Zhaodi advised. “In the meantime, invite them over frequently so you and Uncle Liu can get a better sense of the guy.”
“Ai, Xiao Song, my daughter just won’t listen,” Duan dasao sighed heavily. “If Uncle Liu and I really do this, she’ll think we’re deliberately making things difficult for her boyfriend.”
Song Zhaodi thought for a moment. “Then just pretend I never said anything.”
“If she were even half as sensible as you, we wouldn’t be worried even if she didn’t bring that young man home and just went to get a marriage certificate on her own,” Duan dasao said. “But unfortunately, we’ve spoiled that child.”
Song Zhaodi asked curiously, “Then why do you still spoil her?”
“Xiao Zhong didn’t tell you?” Duan dasao asked.
Song Zhaodi shook her head. Duan dasao handed her ticket to the staff before continuing, “Old Liu and I had two children before. Our first child got sick when he was five, but it was wartime, and his treatment got delayed… he didn’t make it. Later, I got pregnant again, but I lost that child too.
“After that, I couldn’t conceive for years. Old Liu and I had accepted that we’d never have children again. But then, against all odds, we had Liu Ping. The doctor told Old Liu she was a healthy baby and he cried. Then when Liu Wei was born, Old Liu still favored Liu Ping.
“Whenever Liu Ping threw a tantrum, I wanted to scold her, but Old Liu would just laugh it off. By the time she grew up, he realised she had turned out spoiled, but it was too late to do anything about it.”
Song Zhaodi said, “If you don’t start controlling her now, life won’t be easy for you later, it’ll still be you and Uncle Liu worrying about her.”
“I understand all that,” Duan dasao sighed, “but there’s nothing we can do. I can only hope that young man truly loves Liu Ping.”
Song Zhaodi didn’t understand. “Auntie, what do you mean? He’s dating Liu Ping, could he have another motive?”
“It’s your Uncle Liu,” Duan dasao said. “Liu Ping is clueless. When her colleagues ask where she’s from, she just tells them directly, Wengzhou Island. When they ask what her parents do, she tells them her father is in the military.
“Military, Wengzhou Island, family living on base, and a surname like Liu, anyone with a bit of knowledge can figure it out. She’s the daughter of Commander Liu.” Duan dasao paused, then continued, “Last time she came home, she was even bragging about how well her colleagues treat her. Do you think they’re treating her well for her sake? No, they’re giving Old Liu face.”
Song Zhaodi asked, “Which hospital is Liu Ping working at now?”
“Still at Yongcheng City Hospital,” Duan dasao said. “The military hospital in our district has better benefits, so I wanted her to transfer there. Uncle Liu even planned to talk to the director about it, but she insisted she’s had enough of this place and doesn’t want to stay.”
Song Zhaodi coughed. “Your daughter really has no sense.”
“Don’t even start. Just talking about her gives me a headache,” Duan dasao waved her hand. “When we get to Hangcheng later, help me buy some sweets and fruits, I don’t understand that stuff.”
Song Zhaodi thought for a moment. “Auntie, it’s him who wants to marry Liu Ping, not like your daughter can’t find a husband. I don’t think we need to go out of our way to cater to him. Just treat him like any other guest.
“There’s an old saying, when a father-in-law looks at his son-in-law, the more he looks, the more annoyed he gets. If this guy has any brains, even if he sees Uncle Liu pulling a long face and showing his disapproval, he should be able to understand why.”
“But what if he doesn’t?” Duan dasao asked eagerly. “Wouldn’t that ruin everything?”
Song Zhaodi replied, “Then so be it. With Liu Ping’s father being Commander Liu, do you really think she won’t be able to find a husband?”
“It’s not that I’m worried she won’t get married. It’s just that Liu Ping has a bad temper. If she thinks we’re the reason her relationship falls apart, she’ll make our lives miserable.” Duan dasao sighed in frustration. “Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it later.”
Seeing that Duan dasao didn’t want to talk about it anymore, Song Zhaodi changed the subject. “I wonder if we can buy seasonal fabric right now. If not, even some fabric scraps would do, I could make a few pairs of shoes for the kids.”
Duan dasao asked, “Did you take care of everything at home before leaving?”
“I told the kids I’d be back in the afternoon. Zili and Dawa know how to steam rice. There’s still a pot of stir-fried vegetables I made this morning, so they can take care of themselves,” Song Zhaodi said.
Duan dasao couldn’t help but praise her. “Xiao Song, you really know how to teach kids. When Liu Ping was Zili’s age, forget steaming rice, she couldn’t even wash rice or clean vegetables.”
Even though Song Zhaodi was good with words, she didn’t know how to respond. It was Duan dasao who didn’t want to talk about Liu Ping, yet she kept bringing her up…
After thinking for a moment, Song Zhaodi said, “It’s not that I’m good at teaching. It’s just that both Jianguo and I don’t spoil our kids.”
“When Liu Ping was seven or eight, I’d ask her to do small chores, and your Uncle Liu would say she was too young,” Duan dasao said. “He’d always tell me, ‘If you can do it yourself, don’t bother the child, she’s still little.’ Now she’s grown, but she won’t listen to us, and your Uncle Liu has nothing to say about it anymore.”
Song Zhaodi felt awkward. How was she supposed to respond to that? “Once she gets married and has kids, she’ll learn to do housework.”
“And if she still doesn’t do it then, no one will help her,” Duan dasao blurted out.
Song Zhaodi agreed, “Exactly. So there’s no point in worrying too much now. Maybe Liu Ping’s boyfriend is not only honest but genuinely wants to marry her.”
“If that’s the case, I wouldn’t object if they got married the day after tomorrow,” Duan dasao said. “But honestly, I think that possibility doesn’t exist.”
Song Zhaodi said, “Auntie, you can’t be so sure. There’s an old saying, ‘A hero never has a good wife.’ You might think your daughter is difficult, but who knows? She might just find a good man.”
“Oh, I’ve heard that saying before!” Duan dasao brightened up. “Maybe she really will find someone like that.”
“That’s right,” Song Zhaodi said. But in her heart, she thought, this is as unlikely as a village kid getting into university. Still, seeing Duan dasao so happy, she didn’t burst her bubble.
Meanwhile, Zili locked the front door and asked, “Dawa, where are we going to pick wild vegetables today?”
“Nowhere,” Zhong Dawa, like a little ringleader, turned to face his four brothers and declared, “First, we’re going to the beach to pick up crabs.”
Zili frowned. “Mom doesn’t allow us to go to the beach. And Sanwa is too little, he won’t make it there, and we can’t carry him all the way.”
“We’re not going to the eastern or northern shores. We’ll go to the western beach, it’s closer to home. I asked Qu Zhuangzhuang,” Zhong Dawa said. “He said if we follow the small path along the mountain, it’s just two li away. Sanwa, can you walk two li?”
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