Song Zhaodi was both amused and exasperated. How could such a tiny child be so fierce? “Go quickly. When you get back, I’ll cook, and you can tend the fire.”
“I really don’t want to go.” The child pouted and whined as he headed next door.
Zhong Jianguo received a phone call and immediately asked Xiao Li to drive him home. When he arrived, he dismissed Xiao Li before asking Song Zhaodi, “My father hasn’t come back yet? When I last saw him, it was around nine o’clock.”
Song Zhaodi glanced at his watch. “It’s almost twelve. You should go look for him.”
“No need.” Zhong Jianguo replied, “I’ll watch Sanwa. You go cook.”
Song Zhaodi remained unmoved.
Zhong Jianguo explained, “I warned them not to wander around. If they get mistaken for spies and get locked up for a few days, that would be perfect—let’s see if they dare to do it again.”
Song Zhaodi was puzzled. “Spies? Another one was found on the island? When did this happen? Why haven’t I heard anything?”
The island had always maintained strict security against espionage, but in the past, the focus had been internal. It had never occurred to them that the Old Jiang’s men might bribe ordinary fishermen.
Following the principle of ‘better to falsely accuse than to let one slip away’, Song Zhaodi had once reported Xiao Zhao from the supply factory as suspicious. It turned out that Xiao Zhao really was a problem. This made the military leadership realise that the enemy employed various tactics, and they had to be extra cautious.
Many fishermen lived on Wengzhou Island. To avoid causing panic, the military adopted a policy of outward leniency while tightening security behind the scenes. On the surface, everything appeared the same as six months ago, but in reality, ever since Teacher Yao and Regiment Commander Qian had left, the military had been conducting a thorough investigation of the island’s residents.
They selected some politically reliable and highly aware fishermen, trained them for a few days, and provided them with monthly stipends in exchange for monitoring outsiders.
Though Zhong Jianguo wasn’t in charge of training the fishermen, he had been present at the meetings. Knowing about this small group of informants, he had warned his father and Zhong Shengli to be careful. He never expected them to completely disregard his warning.
As a son, he couldn’t scold or reprimand his father for not listening. But since someone else was already teaching the two of them a lesson, Zhong Jianguo felt like slaughtering the family’s only rooster in celebration.
“How could you possibly know about this kind of thing?” Zhong Jianguo said. “Even I don’t know much.”
Song Zhaodi asked, “So you’re just going to leave it alone?”
“Yes.” Zhong Jianguo held Sanwa in his arms and noticed he was holding a piece of something yellow. “What are you eating?”
Seeing that he wasn’t worried at all, Song Zhaodi lost interest in the matter. After all, it wasn’t her father or her brother. “Egg cake. I made it after class.”
“Mom made two bowls!” Erwa held up two fingers. “It was really good, Dad!”
Zhong Jianguo chuckled. “Your dad isn’t tasty, but the cake is. Let me have a bite.”
“It’s all gone,” Erwa blurted out.
Zhong Jianguo choked. “Raising you was a waste! You didn’t even save a bite for your dad, you ungrateful little thing.”
“If you want some,” Erwa said seriously, “just ask Mom to make more.”
Zhong Jianguo sighed. “Your mom loves you kids but not me. She won’t make me egg cake.”
“Then… then you just won’t eat it.” Erwa thought for a moment. “Eat something else.”
Zhong Jianguo clutched his chest in mock pain. “I really want to eat egg cake, Erwa. How about you tell your mom you want some? And when she makes it, you share half with me.”
“Children shouldn’t lie,” Erwa said earnestly. “And adults shouldn’t lie either.” He paused, then added, “Mom never lies.”
“Pfft!” Song Zhaodi burst out laughing. “How about noodles for lunch?”
Zhong Dawa raised his hand high so Song Zhaodi would see him first. “Rice! I want to pour tomato soup over my rice.”
“Steamed rice is easy,” Zhong Jianguo said. “If they get back in time, they can eat. If not, they can go hungry.”
At a little past one, Song Zhaodi sent the three children upstairs for their nap. Zhong Jianguo washed the pots and dishes before getting ready to head to the barracks.
As he came downstairs, Song Zhaodi stopped him. “Go look for them.” Before he could speak, she continued, “You might wish your father were dead, but to outsiders, he’s still your father. If something really happens to him on the island, it won’t look good for you either.”
“Fine, I’ll go now.” Zhong Jianguo sighed and picked ten soldiers to search for his father.
Half an hour later, Xiao Li returned.
Political Commissar Zhang, who had been speaking with Zhong Jianguo, turned when he heard footsteps. Seeing the worried look on Xiao Li’s face, he tensed up. “Something really happened?”
“They’re at the guard post,” Xiao Li reported. “The guards said that a pair of father and son were caught asking about the military and the regiment commander’s family. The fishermen found them suspicious and tied them up before bringing them to the guard post.
“Our men asked the older one who the regiment commander’s father was. He claimed to be the regiment commander’s father. Then they asked him what year the regiment commander enlisted and which regiment he commanded. He couldn’t answer any of it, so they assumed he was lying.”
Commissar Zhang immediately asked, “They didn’t use force, did they?”
“No, no,” Xiao Li reassured. “They only had money and ration tickets on them—nothing else. They don’t really look like people from the other side. The guards were planning to hold them for a day just to be safe.”
Commissar Zhang shoved Zhong Jianguo. “What are you waiting for? Go to the guard post!”
“Xiao Li, tell them to release him,” Zhong Jianguo said. “If I go, the whole army will hear about it.”
Commissar Zhang thought for a moment. “Xiao Li, take a car and bring them out quietly. Don’t make a fuss.”
“Xiao Li, if my dad asks what I was doing, tell him the commander had a meeting with me, waited for an hour, and then asked Commissar Zhang to intervene and get them released,” Zhong Jianguo instructed.
Commissar Zhang frowned. “Why lie about that?”
“My dad will assume the commander called me in because of them,” Zhong Jianguo explained. “He’s the type of person I can’t reason with. Normal parents would worry if they heard the commander was looking for me. He, on the other hand, would only think about himself.”
Commissar Zhang patted Zhong Jianguo on the shoulder. “Every family has its own problems. My parents and in-laws are great, but my uncle is a lazy freeloader who constantly sponges off us. He’ll never change.” He sighed. “Enough about that. Just thinking about it annoys me. Xiao Li, go ahead.”
Xiao Li’s father was a scholar, and his mother obeyed him in everything. Since his father was the most educated and reasonable person in their family, Xiao Li had never encountered such messy family drama and found it hard to believe that a father wouldn’t love his son.
Xiao Li thought that Father Zhong was just a little biased, favouring his younger son. But since Zhong Jianguo was the regiment commander, he swallowed his words before they left his throat.
After picking up Father Zhong from the guardhouse, he heard the old man ask where Zhong Jianguo had gone. Xiao Li thought to himself—see, a father still worries about his son. However, with “obey orders” ingrained in his heart, Xiao Li stuck to what Zhong Jianguo had instructed him to say.
Father Zhong then asked if the commander was looking for Zhong Jianguo because of him and Zhong Shengli.
Xiao Li’s expression flickered for a moment. He sighed inwardly—’A father knows his son best, and a son knows his father best’. But because he hesitated for just a second, Father Zhong took it as silent confirmation and immediately urged Xiao Li to start driving.
That afternoon, Song Zhaodi had no classes. After sending the eldest and second child to school, she returned home and found the third child still asleep. So, she took out the old clothes Teacher Yao had given her.
She cut up the ones with too many patches to use as shoe soles. The ones with fewer patches, she carefully took apart to see if they could be used for shoe uppers. As she busied herself with cutting fabric, she suddenly heard a loud bang. Reflexively, she looked outside and saw two people rushing in.
Raising the scissors in her hand, she was about to throw them when she recognised the two—it was Father Zhong and Zhong Shengli.
Song Zhaodi froze for a moment before reacting and dashing upstairs. Reaching the guest room, she saw Father Zhong and Zhong Shengli packing their belongings. Unable to help herself, she asked, “What happened?”
“None of your business!” Father Zhong snapped, pulling Zhong Shengli along like he was leading a child.
Song Zhaodi felt stifled. She didn’t want to interfere either. Originally, she had been thinking of ways to help Zhong Shengli give up on joining the military. But seeing Father Zhong act like this, she got annoyed and didn’t bother to see them out.
Only after estimating that they were far away did Song Zhaodi go to the door and bolt it from the inside.
In the evening, when Zhong Jianguo returned, he asked, “They left?”
“Did you scare them?” Song Zhaodi questioned.
Zhong Jianguo sneered, “I couldn’t be bothered to scare them. He’s the one looking for trouble himself.” He then told her how his father had been caught wandering around, and added, “In his eyes, there’s only Zhong Shengli. But he’s so shortsighted—he thinks keeping the child from suffering is the best thing for him. He never stops to consider that ‘bitter hardship makes a man great.’”
“Your father is literate, but he’s still so foolish because he married a foolish wife,” Song Zhaodi commented. “Think carefully—was your father this brainless when your mother was alive?”
Zhong Jianguo thought back. His childhood memories were mostly of his mother constantly being busy. “Back then, my mother made all the decisions at home. My father had no say.”
“Your father has been weak his entire life,” Song Zhaodi clicked her tongue. Then she called out, “Zhong Dawa, go find a few bright red tomatoes. I’ll make ‘Snow Descends on Flame Mountain’1 for you.”
“But I wanted to eat ‘Guan Yu Battles Qin Qiong’2 today,” Zhong Dawa protested.
“Can you two mother and son speak normal human language?” Zhong Jianguo asked.
Zhong Dawa rolled his eyes at him. “Stupid! ‘Snow Descends on Flame Mountain’ is sugared tomatoes. ‘Guan Yu Battles Qin Qiong’ is tomato and egg stir-fry.”
“Then what was the vegetable soup your mother made for lunch called?” Zhong Jianguo asked.
Zhong Dawa turned to Song Zhaodi. Did vegetable soup have a special name?
“Azure Dragon Crossing the River,’” Song Zhaodi said with a smile. “Sounds impressive, doesn’t it?”
“Impressive!” Erwa shouted.
Sanwa was startled.
Seeing the child flinch, Song Zhaodi quickly picked him up. “Do you think your father will cause trouble when he gets back? Last time my cousin left empty-handed. Now your father has returned without getting what he wanted. I have a feeling they won’t let it go.”
Zhong Jianguo reassured her, “We live far away. Even if they make a fuss at home, it won’t reach us. Don’t worry. Tomorrow, I’ll buy a jin of pork and make you all some meat.”
“Braised pork!” Zhong Dawa immediately called out.
Song Zhaodi pinched the chubby child’s face. “You’re getting as fat as a pig, yet all you think about is meat. One of these days, I’ll roast you into a suckling pig.”
Zhong Dawa shuddered but couldn’t help asking, “What’s a suckling pig?”
“A whole roasted piglet, that’s a suckling pig,” Song Zhaodi explained. “Just like a little piglet your size.”
Zhong Dawa pushed her hand away and wrinkled his nose. “I’m not a piglet. Erwa is.”
“Don’t eat me!” Zhong Erwa’s face turned pale.
Zhong Jianguo quickly picked him up and kicked Zhong Dawa’s backside. “Scare your brother again, and I’ll throw you into the sea.”
“To feed the big fish!” Zhong Erwa yelled, clinging to Zhong Jianguo’s neck.
Zhong Jianguo glared at him. “You just had to add that?”
“Say it, it’s fine,” Zhong Dawa pointed at his brother. “I’ll deal with you later.”
Song Zhaodi smacked the back of Zhong Dawa’s head. “All you do is scare your brother. Zhong Jianguo, buy half a jin of pork tomorrow, and get two pork bones as well.”
Zhong Dawa immediately forgot his sore head and eagerly asked, “Mom, what delicious dish are you making?”
“Pork bone seaweed soup and ‘Ants Climbing a Tree,’” Song Zhaodi answered, looking at Zhong Jianguo. “For lunch.”
Zhong Jianguo smiled. “I’ll definitely come home.”
The next day at noon, Zhong Jianguo borrowed a car from Xiao Li, planning to go home for lunch. But just as he was about to leave, he saw Commander Liu’s car speed past.
Zhong Jianguo raised his hand to salute, but the car reversed and stopped beside him. Commander Liu rolled down the window. “Xiao Zhong, get in. We’ve got a situation.”
“Something happened?” Zhong Jianguo jumped into the car.
Commander Liu said, “The Soviets are stirring up trouble in the north. Old Jiang must have caught wind of it and is taking the opportunity to make things difficult for us. I just got word—his people are coming this way again.”
“Are they planning to fight us?” Zhong Jianguo asked urgently.
Commander Liu shook his head. “If they fight us now, it would be ‘a thousand enemies down at the cost of eight hundred of their own.’ Old Jiang wouldn’t dare send troops.”
“Then it’s just like before—harassing us for no reason, not actually fighting, just trying to get under our skin,” Zhong Jianguo muttered, then cursed, “Shameless!”
Commander Liu sighed. “It’s not that they’re shameless; it’s that they have nothing to fear.” Looking at the rows of barracks, he sighed again. “I really hope the revolution ends soon, so the higher-ups can focus on proper development instead of all this nonsense.”
Zhong Jianguo wanted to say it wouldn’t end anytime soon, but he swallowed his words and sighed along with him. “Yeah.”
The previous day, Zhong Jianguo had sworn he would come home. Song Zhaodi believed him and made his meal, but he never returned, leaving half of it uneaten. That evening, she turned it into soup with rice.
Waking in the middle of the night to find him still not back, she told herself not to worry—but she couldn’t help it.
At dawn the next day, after a restless night, she washed her face and headed to the Liu family’s house.
Duan dasao took one look at her pale face and said with certainty, “Worried about Xiao Zhong?”
“Auntie knows?” Song Zhaodi was surprised.
Duan dasao said, “Old Liu didn’t come back last night. Don’t worry. Even if Xiao Zhong personally leads the troops out to sea to engage the enemy, he’ll be commanding from inside the cabin—unless the ship sinks.”
“I understand that,” Song Zhaodi replied. “Auntie, back when we were fighting against Old Jiang’s troops a few years ago, was Jianguo’s regiment on the front lines?”
Duan dasao nodded. “By the way, Xiao Song, I dried half a sack of eggplant a few days ago. On Sunday, I’ll send it to your eldest sister.”
“Sending dried eggplant?” Song Zhaodi thought she had misheard. Seeing Duan dasao nod again, she said, “That’s not even worth the postage.”
Duan dasao smiled and asked, “Can money buy fabric?”
Song Zhaodi was stumped. “Then I’ll go send it tomorrow.”
“No rush,” Duan dasao said. “The long beans I dried aren’t ready yet. I’ll leave them out for another day or two. Once they’re fully dried, I’ll send them together with the eggplant.”
Song Zhaodi was surprised. “Auntie, you’re sending dried eggplant and beans—what should I send?”
“What do you have at home?” Duan dasao asked.
Song Zhaodi thought for a moment. “I think… just money.”
Duan dasao was momentarily speechless, then teased, “Well then, send money.”
Realising she had spoken too quickly, Song Zhaodi felt a bit embarrassed. “I’ll discuss it with Jianguo later.”
At noon, Zhong Jianguo returned to pick up clean clothes and shoes. He told Song Zhaodi to take care of the house before leaving in a hurry.
Their two children, Dawa and Erwa, were already used to this routine. They ate and drank as usual, not even bothering to see their father off.
Song Zhaodi had been married to Zhong Jianguo for over half a year, but this was the first time she had seen him so anxious. It made her feel uneasy.
On the afternoon of Saturday, May 25th, Zhong Jianguo returned safely. Only then did Song Zhaodi’s heart settle.
She walked closer to check if he was injured, but instead, she noticed that he had gained weight. Confused, she asked, “Why do you look a bit fatter? Am I seeing things?”
“You’re not wrong,” Zhong Jianguo replied. “You once said that everything the human body needs can be obtained from the sea. So I mentioned it to the cooking team. Whenever we had downtime, we experimented with cooking all kinds of fish, turtles, shrimp, and crabs. Turns out, it’s too nutritious.”
Song Zhaodi was even more puzzled. “From what Duan dasao said, Old Jiang’s soldiers were harassing us again. Weren’t you supposed to be engaging the enemy? Sounds more like a vacation.”
“Old Jiang’s troops are a real pain.” The moment Zhong Jianguo mentioned the enemy, he couldn’t help but curse. “If we retreat, they advance. If we return, they pull back. It’s like playing hide-and-seek with a bunch of damn kids.”
This was the first time Song Zhaodi had heard of a military standoff playing out like this. “And then?”
“We came back to rest while another regiment took over to play with them,” Zhong Jianguo said. “Seafood is great, but I really want some meat. Do we still have any meat coupons?”
Song Zhaodi replied, “I didn’t dare use them. The grocery market is probably closed by now. I’ll go buy some tomorrow morning.”
The next morning, Zhong Jianguo went out early to buy pork. When he returned, he washed all the clothes the family had taken off the night before. Then, noticing some wooden planks in the hallway—likely ones Song Zhaodi and Duan dasao had picked up—he borrowed an axe and chopped them into firewood.
When Song Zhaodi woke up, she saw the washed clothes hanging on the line and the chopped firewood in the kitchen. She couldn’t help but say, “I really like how proactive you are.”
“Then, in return for my proactiveness, make a big dish for breakfast,” Zhong Jianguo said.
Seeing the small piece of pork on the cutting board—at most a pound—Song Zhaodi knew she couldn’t do much with it. So she told Zhong Jianguo to pick some green peppers and find a few tender loofahs.
Zhong Jianguo and the boys weren’t fond of porridge; they preferred steamed buns and rice. So, for breakfast, Song Zhaodi went along with their preference—she steamed half a pot of rice and made stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers, scrambled eggs with loofah, sugared tomatoes, and smashed cucumbers.
- A Chinese cold dish made by topping sliced bright red tomatoes with a layer of fine white sugar. ↩︎
- A traditional crosstalk performance – an anachronism. Guan Yu (from the Three Kingdoms period) and Qin Qiong (a Tang dynasty general) were born in different eras, so a battle between them is impossible. I think the dish is named so because Guan Yu, a red-faced general from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is evoked by the bright red tomatoes, while Qin Qiong, often depicted with a pale or fair face in opera, is represented by the yellow eggs. ↩︎
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