Song Zhaodi rubbed her forehead. “You don’t have to be so loud, I can hear you.”
“You still have a headache? Why did you talk about our family’s affairs to outsiders?” Zhong Jianguo was furious. “From today on, I refuse to wash the dishes or scrub the pots! Let’s see what you can do about it!”
Dawa, seeing his father genuinely angry, quickly said, “If Dad won’t do it, I will. I’ll wash the dishes and clean the pots from now on.”
“I’ll help too!” Zili sensed the tension and used it as an excuse to move further away, running into the kitchen with Dawa.
Song Zhaodi laughed. “Satisfied now, Commander Zhong?”
“No,” Zhong Jianguo replied grumpily. “It’s still not you who is washing the dishes.”
Song Zhaodi sighed. “Lin Zhong’s mother asked me on purpose. I couldn’t just say I forced you to do housework, could I? If I said that, people on the island would think your wife is a lazy bum who doesn’t even do laundry.”
“And did you ever think about how they’d see me when you said that?” Zhong Jianguo countered.
Song Zhaodi cleared her throat. “I’ve been saying this for over half a year. Has anyone treated you any differently?”
Zhong Jianguo hesitated. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Of course they have. Last summer, a lot of people would greet me by saying, ‘Commander Zhong, you sure have a wide range of interests!’ At the time, I didn’t understand what they meant, so I just nodded and said, ‘Not bad.’ Now I realise, they were mocking me for doing housework!”
“If they made fun of you and you didn’t even understand it, then that means they failed to mock you.” Song Zhaodi grinned. “Next time someone asks, just say, ‘My wife works hard, cooking, taking care of the kids, and teaching. I should help her more.’ Then they won’t mock you for doing chores; instead, they’ll think you’re a great husband.”
Zhong Jianguo chuckled. “You and your sweet talk. It’s because I believed your nonsense back then that I failed to see your true nature in time.”
“Don’t complain when you’re benefiting from it.” Song Zhaodi rolled her eyes at him.
Gengsheng was curious. “Why can’t I understand what Dad is saying?”
“The first time I met your mother, she pretended to be a simple village girl,” Zhong Jianguo explained. “Subconsciously, I assumed rural girls were diligent, kind, and honest…”
He briefly recounted their first meeting, then turned to the children. “When you grow up and find a partner, make sure to spend time together first. Only by truly getting to know someone can you see their true nature. Otherwise, you’ll end up like me, your mom bosses me around at home, and I have to listen to her.”
“I think Mom is great!” Gengsheng said.
Zhong Jianguo was speechless. “Your mom is a one-of-a-kind exception. You won’t find another like her in a hundred years.”
“Then Dad, you’re really lucky!” Gengsheng blurted out.
Zhong Jianguo choked. “Gengsheng, are you asking for a beating?”
Gengsheng immediately got up and ran toward the kitchen. “Ge, I’ll help with the dishes!”
Song Zhaodi sat beside Zhong Jianguo. “Don’t be upset. How about I tell the women on the island that my husband gets up before dawn to do laundry just so I can sleep a little longer? That when he gets home, he chops firewood and cleans the chicken and duck pens because he doesn’t want me to get too tired?
“Then, they’ll start envying me. They’ll start nagging their own husbands about doing chores. Their husbands will get annoyed, and those couples will start bickering. While other couples argue endlessly over housework, you’ll feel much better about our situation, right?”
Zhong Jianguo imagined the scenario and found it quite satisfying. “Really?”
“I know women too well.” Song Zhaodi declared confidently. “Just wait and see.”
Zhong Jianguo glanced at her. “You know women, but I still don’t fully understand you.”
“Are you trying to pick a fight?” Song Zhaodi glared at him.
Zhong Jianguo, feeling quite content today, didn’t want his good mood to plummet tomorrow. “Who wants to fight with you? I was just discussing how to restore my dignity as a husband. But since you have a plan, there’s nothing left to discuss. I’m going to wash up and get ready for bed.”
“Dad, you’re not arguing anymore?” Sanwa widened his eyes. “I wasn’t finished listening!”
Zhong Jianguo stumbled slightly, took a deep breath, and looked down at Sanwa. “You think it’s fun when your mother and I argue?”
“It’s entertaining,” Sanwa said honestly. “It’s like… like little chicks pecking at their food, peck, peck, peck, it sounds great!”
Zhong Jianguo reached out his hand. “The sound of a spanking is great too. Want to hear it?”
“Mom…” Sanwa quickly crawled into Song Zhaodi’s arms, confused about what he did wrong. “Dad wants to hit me.”
Song Zhaodi held him close and pinched his little cheek. “You really ask for trouble.” Then she noticed something sticky on her hand. Under the light, she saw it was grease. “Zhong Jianguo, go get some water. Sanwa’s face and mouth are covered in oil.”
“I already saw it.” Zhong Jianguo pointed to a corner of the couch, where Erwa was dozing off. “Look at his face, he has even more on him than Sanwa.”
The Zhong family usually went to bed around 9 pm, but it was only 8 now. Normally, Erwa wouldn’t be so sleepy.
Song Zhaodi thought for a moment and quickly guessed the reason. “They eat like little tigers at mealtime, but how come they never seem to gain any weight?”
“We only eat pork once or twice a month and chicken or duck every few months. Most of the time, it’s just fish and vegetables. No matter how much they eat, they won’t gain weight,” Zhong Jianguo said. “Besides, they’re always running around. Even if they wanted to get fat, it’d be impossible. But at least they’re doing much better than before.”
Song Zhaodi: “Of course. Just look at who their mother is.”
Zhong Jianguo smirked. “It’s Teacher Xiao Song, the most capable Teacher Xiao Song on the whole island.” He added, “Remember to tidy up the guest room. Your sister and brother-in-law will arrive tomorrow morning.”
Dawa and Zili came out carrying a half-bucket of dirty water. Hearing Zhong Jianguo’s words, Dawa quickly asked, “They’ll be here in the morning?”
“Yes.” Zhong Jianguo nodded. “Dali and Liu Gen will sleep in your room.”
Zhong Dawa replied, “No problem. We’ll clean up that empty bed in a bit.”
Zili and Gengsheng had both been to Xiao Song Village before. During their time there, they had even worn Dali’s cotton-padded coat and shoes. Not only did Dali have no objections, but when he found out Zili didn’t have thick winter shoes, he even wanted to give his own pair to him.
Zili had a good impression of Dali. After helping Dawa empty the bucket, he washed up and then assisted in making the bed. Finally, he asked Dawa, “There are no pillows on the bed. Should we make one for Dali and Liu Gen?”
“No need. They can just use their padded clothes as pillows.” Zhong Dawa waved his hand. “Zili, you sleep with Gengsheng. I’m not sleeping with you anymore.”
Zili’s face changed slightly. “Why?”
“You’re too tall.” Zhong Dawa said in disgust. “Sleeping with you is too cramped. Erwa is short and small, I’ll sleep with him.”
Zili thought Dawa disliked him. But after hearing this explanation, he was speechless. “Gengsheng, Erwa and Sanwa, three of them sleep just right. If I sleep with them, we’ll be just as cramped.”
“We’ll make a bunk bed later.” Zhong Jianguo came upstairs, carrying Erwa. “One for each of you, so no one feels cramped.”
Dawa reminded him, “What about Sanwa?”
“Sanwa will sleep on this empty bed,” Zhong Jianguo said.
Zhong Sanwa loudly protested, “I don’t want it! I want a new bed! This one is old!”
Zhong Jianguo felt a headache coming on and deeply regretted having so many kids. “Fine, I’ll move this old bed to the guest room and make a bunk bed for each of you. You can sleep on the top or the bottom, whatever you like, okay?”
“Okay!” Sanwa nodded. “Daddy, I’m sleepy. Help me take off my clothes.”
Zhong Jianguo snorted. “Tell your brother to do it.” He removed Erwa’s shoes and cotton-padded coat, tucked the child into bed, then pulled Song Zhaodi into their room, ignoring how the kids would sort themselves out that night.
Since they’d be getting new beds in a few days, Dawa no longer minded sharing with Zili, who had been his bedmate for over a year.
The next morning, before Song Zhaodi and Zhong Jianguo were even awake, there was loud knocking at the door.
Zhong Jianguo opened the door to find Dawa fully dressed. His headache intensified. “It’s only six in the morning. Why are you up so early?”
“To eat breakfast, of course.” Zhong Dawa said matter-of-factly. “After eating, we’ll go to the dock to pick up Dali and Liugen.”
Zhong Jianguo felt drained. “Even if they take the earliest train, they won’t arrive here until eleven o’clock.”
“Oh, I see.” Zhong Dawa’s eyes darted around. “Then I’ll go back to sleep for a bit.”
Zhong Jianguo was now fully awake and couldn’t fall back asleep. He got dressed and saw Song Zhaodi awake too. “You should get up as well.” He hesitated, then grumbled, “Zhong Dawa, that little rascal… How is it that other kids become more sensible as they grow up, but ours just gets more mischievous?”
“You know the reason better than I do.” Song Zhaodi sat up. “Zhong Jianguo, because of this, I expect you to do the laundry and wash the dishes. Even fetching my foot-washing water is your duty.”
Zhong Jianguo snorted. “As if I didn’t bring your foot-washing water to you last night.” He suddenly remembered, “A while ago, you complained that the tea leaves I brought back weren’t great. Let’s make tea eggs today. If your sister’s family arrives early, they can have some eggs to tide them over until lunch.”
“I’ve been wanting to make tea eggs for a while,” Song Zhaodi said. “But since the tea leaves came from the new guard’s family, I didn’t feel right using them up. Speaking of which, how’s the new guard, Xiao Guo?”
Zhong Jianguo replied, “All the people around us are carefully selected. No problem there.” He yawned. “I’ll go do the laundry to wake myself up.”
Song Zhaodi blinked, realising what he had just said. She couldn’t help but laugh.
In the kitchen, she started boiling tea eggs. Then she went outside to wash up and saw Zhong Jianguo actually doing laundry. She walked up beside him. “Comrade Old Zhong, how about I open our front door?”
“Not a chance.” Zhong Jianguo glared at her. “Do you really want the whole world to see me washing clothes first thing in the morning? Wake up already.”
Song Zhaodi clicked her tongue. “Such a petty man.” She cleared her throat and began to sing:
“The birds on the trees come in pairs, green mountains and clear waters bring smiling faces… You plow the fields, and I weave cloth. You fetch the water, and I tend the garden–1“
“Teacher Song can sing opera?”
Song Zhaodi turned around and saw her neighbor, Chen dasao, smiling at her.
She grinned. “Not really. I’m completely off-key. Just singing nonsense. Why are you up so early, Chen dasao?”
“I got up to do the laundry. Then I have to cook breakfast.” Chen dasao sighed. “Ah, I’m destined for a life of toil. I can’t compare to you, Teacher Song. Whether you wake up early or late, it doesn’t matter. If you don’t cook, Commander Zhong will.”
Zhong Jianguo paused in his movements, ears perking up.
“That’s right.” Song Zhaodi turned to glance at Zhong Jianguo and sighed dramatically. “Marrying Jianguo in this lifetime, surely I must have saved the entire world in my past life!”
- “Birds on the trees come in pairs…” — Lines from Husband and Wife Return Home Together (《夫妻双双把家还》), a famous duet from the Huangmei opera The Heavenly Match (《天仙配》). The song depicts an idealized rural married life, with husband and wife working side by side in harmony. It is one of the most recognizable traditional Chinese opera songs. ↩︎
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