Duan dasao came out carrying a plate of braised pork just in time to hear the conversation. Back in the kitchen, she asked Song Zhaodi, “You and Jianguo have been married for so long, how come there’s still no news?”
“The kids are still young. We’ll wait until they grow up a bit,” Song Zhaodi replied without hesitation. She knew exactly what Duan dasao was referring to—her own mother had asked her the same thing more than once.
Duan dasao said, “I can tell Xiao Zhong really wants a child.” After a pause, she added, “By autumn this year, Sanwa will be three years old. You won’t have to carry him or coax him to sleep anymore. It’s a good time to have another one.”
“Did Jianguo say that?” Song Zhaodi raised an eyebrow. This man was really learning how to take a roundabout approach. “Did he say he wanted a daughter?”
Duan dasao nodded. “Having both a son and a daughter makes a perfect family. That would be nice.”
Song Zhaodi thought to herself, It might be nice for him, but not for me. She said aloud, “That does sound nice.” A nice dream, that is. “But I need to ask the kids. Dawa and Erwa seem easygoing, but they’re actually very sensitive.” She paused. “If having another child ends up hurting their feelings, it’s not worth it.”
Duan dasao wanted to say that wouldn’t happen, but then she realised something. Dawa might act mature, but he was only eight, and Erwa was just five. If people started saying things, the two kids might really start to feel alienated from Song Zhaodi. She sighed, “You’re very thoughtful. But, if—just if—Dawa and Erwa keep refusing, you really won’t have another child?”
“I don’t mind either way,” Song Zhaodi said. “I’ll have my pension in the future, and so will Zhong Jianguo. We’re not relying on the kids for support. If they have a conscience, they’ll visit us. If they don’t, then when we die, we’ll donate all our savings to the country. Not a single cent left behind.”
Duan dasao sighed. “You really have an open mind.”
“You never know what might happen in life. Whether I like it or not, I have to be open-minded.” Song Zhaodi said. “Besides, even if we do have a daughter, what if she turns out like my second sister? Then it would’ve been better not to have one at all.”
Duan dasao disagreed. “Not everyone turns out like your second sister. You’re well-educated and know how to teach children. If you have a daughter, she’ll surely be very sensible.”
“We’ll talk about it later,” Song Zhaodi said. “At the very least, we should wait until the three boys truly understand things.”
Duan dasao handed her some lettuce. “You make a good point, but I still think you’re overthinking it. If you don’t believe me, I’ll ask Dawa later.”
“Go ahead,” Song Zhaodi had already made up her mind not to have another child. Whether Duan dasao asked or not didn’t matter to her. “Auntie, I’m planning to buy some things to send to my mother’s house. Do you think I should also send something to Jianguo’s uncle?”
Duan dasao watched as Song Zhaodi tossed the lettuce into the pan, stirred it three times, and took it out immediately. Surprised, she asked, “It’s done already?”
“Yes.” Song Zhaodi handed her the plate. “Lettuce doesn’t taste good if you cook it too long. Actually, it’s best when wrapped with meat.”
“Really?”
Just then, Song Zhaodi noticed Dawa standing by the doorway, staring at her intently. She smiled. “You can try it.”
“Then I’ll—” Dawa looked around but saw no more lettuce. “I’ll go pick some.”
Duan dasao quickly said, “Ask Liu Wei to help you pick some.”
“Okay!” Dawa ran off to find Liu Wei, who was curled up on a bench.
Duan dasao continued, “Jianguo’s uncle was sent to Xiao Song Village. I think you should send the package to your mother’s house and let her give it to him.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Song Zhaodi said. “Jianguo even used his office phone to call his brother. His big brother will buy a gift for their father when he visits, and we’ll send him money later. But we’re not sending anything to his father and my biaoyi this time.”
Duan dasao handed her washed spinach and said, “His father never acted like a real parent. Even if you don’t buy him anything, no one will say a word. But for Dawa’s maternal grandmother, you should send something.”
Song Zhaodi chuckled. “Don’t even mention it. Just talking about it makes me laugh. Two nights ago, Jianguo said he’d go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things. Dawa overheard and asked him what he was buying. Jianguo said it was for the New Year’s gifts. Before he could finish, Dawa shouted that we weren’t buying anything for his grandmother.”
“So, did you buy anything or not?” Duan dasao asked. “I remember you did last year.”
Song Zhaodi replied, “Dawa and Erwa both disagreed, so we listened to them. No matter how much we send to the Bai family, they’ll never appreciate it. If we send nothing, they wouldn’t dare come to the island and make trouble.”
“My grandmother is coming again?” Zhong Dawa walked in holding a handful of lettuce leaves.
Song Zhaodi turned to Duan dasao and mouthed silently, See?
“She’s not coming,” Duan dasao said. “Your mom just said she’s going to the post office tomorrow to send her something.”
Zhong Dawa immediately turned to Song Zhaodi. “Again? Didn’t we agree not to buy anything for my grandmother? Mom, how can you go back on your word?”
“I haven’t bought anything yet,” Song Zhaodi said. “I was just talking.”
Zhong Dawa frowned. “Then don’t buy anything. I don’t agree.”
Duan dasao was speechless but also amused. “It’s not even your money. Why does it have to go through you?”
“It absolutely does,” Dawa said seriously. “In our family, we vote on what to buy. If Dad and Mom lose, they have to listen to me.”
Duan dasao was curious. “How do they lose?”
“Three votes against two,” Song Zhaodi explained. “The three boys outvote us.”
Duan dasao was stunned. “Even Sanwa disagrees?”
“Dawa taught him,” Song Zhaodi said. “Sanwa is afraid Dawa won’t play with him, so he follows whatever Dawa says. By the way, Dawa, are Erwa and Sanwa inside?”
“They are,” Dawa said. “Mom, can we eat now? I’m starving.”
“Tell your dad to pour hot water and wash his hands,” Song Zhaodi said, cracking eggs into the spinach soup. “Dinner’s ready.”
Dawa ran outside, shouting, “Finally! We can eat!” He placed the lettuce on the table and went to grab stools.
To Duan dasao, every woman needed to have her own child. As she watched Dawa happily wrapping braised pork with lettuce, she asked, “Dawa, would you be happy if your mom had a little sister for you?”
“A little sister?” Dawa didn’t quite understand. “Mom is having a baby?”
“Not yet,” Song Zhaodi said. “Grandma is just asking. If you don’t agree, we won’t have one.”
On Wengzhou Island, there were many soldiers, but also a lot of fishermen. Dawa often saw pregnant women disappear for a while and then come back without their bellies. He had asked about it before, and over time, he had learned what having a baby meant.
“So… we can choose not to have a little sister?” Dawa asked.
“Why?” Zhong Jianguo was the first to respond.
Zhong Dawa: “I don’t like younger sisters.”
Zhong Jianguo’s expression changed slightly, and Zhong Dawa quickly added, “It’s not that I don’t like the younger sister Mom gives birth to, I just don’t like younger sisters. Mom, you can have a younger brother instead. I… I’ll play with him and help you take care of him.”
Song Zhaodi had initially thought Dawa didn’t want her to have another child, but after hearing him, she was surprised. “Why don’t you like younger sisters?”
“Younger sisters are annoying.” Zhong Dawa wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Anyway, I don’t want a younger sister.” He paused. “Mom, if you have a younger sister, I won’t help you take care of her, and Dad shouldn’t ask me to play with her either.”
Zhong Jianguo was very displeased and said in a bad mood, “Did a younger sister ever do anything to you?”
“Yes!” Zhong Dawa blurted out and turned to Song Zhaodi. “Mom, I’m not lying. I’m serious.”
Duan dasao was curious. “Which little girl—wait, could it be your second aunt’s daughter, Du Tao?” She turned to Song Zhaodi. “Did Du Tao fight with Dawa?”
“No.” Song Zhaodi understood now. “That little girl cries at the drop of a hat and is very spoiled. When she was here, I boiled eggs for the kids, one for each of them. After eating hers, she’d snatch eggs from whoever hadn’t finished yet.”
“I told her mother to discipline her, but her mother accused my mom of being stingy, saying she only gave her one egg at a time.” Zhong Dawa pouted. “We only have four hens that lay eggs. Mom boils five eggs in the morning and makes five at night. While they were here, they ate up all our eggs.”
Liu Wei found it amusing. “So when they weren’t here, you guys just didn’t eat eggs?”
“When they weren’t here, we ate three a day.” Zhong Dawa held up three fingers. “If we ate in the morning, we didn’t eat at night. If we didn’t eat in the morning, we ate at night. But Second Aunt insisted we had to have eggs both in the morning and at night.”
Song Zhaodi nodded. “Dawa is right. We usually use eggs in stir-fries, so we hardly ever cook extra eggs at night.”
“So, when your second sister was here, you cooked eggs for the kids both morning and night, and still used eggs in stir-fries?” Song Zhaodi nodded, and Duan dasao’s eyes widened. “How can you let the kids eat so many eggs? If they eat that many, how will they eat their rice?”
Song Zhaodi explained, “I was afraid the kids wouldn’t eat rice or noodles, so I stopped making eggs at night.”
“Second Aunt doesn’t understand anything. She only knows how to call us stingy.” Zhong Dawa snorted, then suddenly remembered. “Mom, I won’t allow you to give us a younger sister.”
Song Zhaodi burst into laughter. She thought Dawa had forgotten. “I don’t mind, but your dad wants a little sister.”
“Dad?” Zhong Dawa turned to Zhong Jianguo. “What do you want a little sister for?” Before Zhong Jianguo could reply, the boy continued, “You’re never home. If you have a younger sister, you won’t take care of her. I won’t help you either. Do you want to work Mom to the point of getting sick?”
Zhong Jianguo coughed.
Song Zhaodi quickly handed him some soup.
Zhong Jianguo took a sip, swallowed everything in his mouth, and then said, “Zhong Dawa, I’m your father. You can’t talk to me like that.”
“If Dad does something wrong, I can criticise him.” Zhong Dawa put down his chopsticks and stood up. “Are you trying to make Mom sick? Answer me.”
Zhong Jianguo suddenly felt a headache coming on. “Your mom has no objections—”
“I do.” Song Zhaodi interrupted him. “I haven’t agreed to adding a younger sister to the family.”
Zhong Dawa crossed his arms. “Dad, got nothing to say now, huh?”
“Is your family always like this?” Liu Wei asked hesitantly.
Song Zhaodi cleared her throat, suppressing her laughter. “In our family, whoever makes sense is listened to. And in this case, I think Dawa makes sense.”
“Of course!” Zhong Dawa raised his chin. “Mom, don’t listen to Dad. He doesn’t know anything.”
Zhong Jianguo put down his chopsticks. “Zhong Dawa, do you believe I won’t spank you?”
“I do.” Zhong Dawa said matter-of-factly. “You’re taller than me, bigger than me. If you want to spank me, you can spank me however you like. Even if I didn’t believe it, what choice would I have?”
Zhong Jianguo took a deep breath. “You’re getting this sharp tongue from your mom.”
“Mom, Dad’s talking about you.” Zhong Dawa immediately said. “Make him sleep on the chair tonight.”
Song Zhaodi picked up a braised duck leg and put it in his bowl. “It’s freezing at night. If he sleeps on the chair, do you want him to freeze to death? That’s enough. Sit down and eat.”
“Then are we still having a younger sister?” Zhong Dawa asked. Since it was his dad who wanted a younger sister, he turned to Zhong Jianguo.
Zhong Jianguo snorted. “You don’t want the duck leg anymore? Hand it over.”
“Stingy.” Zhong Dawa quickly protected the braised duck leg that Song Zhaodi had stewed for a long time.
The last time Duan dasao had a meal with the Zhong family was when Liu Yang visited. Back then, Dawa was still young and not very familiar with Song Zhaodi, so he barely spoke at the table and seemed very well-behaved.
Over a year had passed. If Duan dasao hadn’t watched Dawa grow up bit by bit, she wouldn’t have believed that this lively kid in front of her was the same Dawa. “Zhaodi, is your family always this lively?”
“When his dad isn’t home, it’s very quiet,” Song Zhaodi said. “After eating, Dawa and Erwa take Sanwa out to play.” As she spoke, she put a duck leg in Sanwa’s bowl and warned, “Eat until you’re full, then put down your chopsticks. If you overeat, I’ll spank you.”
Erwa held his duck leg and handed it back to Song Zhaodi. “Save it for tonight.”
Commander Liu chuckled. “Erwa is also a funny kid.”
“These two don’t care much about appearances, and they’re not very playful. They just think about eating all the time.” Song Zhaodi said. “I don’t know if they spend all day by the chicken coop and duck pen muttering about slaughtering them, but now, whenever the ducks and chickens see them, they start squawking.”
Commander Liu added, “They must have muttered a lot.” After a pause, he joked, “Dawa, if you keep talking about eating them, they’ll be too scared to grow up.”
“Then I’ll feed them more vegetable leaves.” Zhong Dawa blurted out.
Commander Liu quickly covered his mouth to keep from spitting out his food.
Zhong Jianguo glared at Dawa. “Hurry up and eat. Finish your food and go play outside. Stop annoying people.”
Zhong Dawa hummed twice, grabbed the duck leg, took a big bite, and glanced at Zhong Jianguo.
Zhong Jianguo immediately wanted to hit him. “You’re asking for it, aren’t you?”
“Mom, control Dad. He wants to hit me when I don’t eat, and he still wants to hit me when I do.” Zhong Dawa was angry. He took another bite of duck meat and looked up at Zhong Jianguo again.
Song Zhaodi shook her head, laughing.
Duan dasao added, “Now I understand why you said that when they grow up a little more, your house will be even livelier. If you have another one or two kids, your home will be like a battlefield every day.”
“A battlefield? That might actually happen soon.” Commander Liu suddenly said.
Song Zhaodi’s heart tightened. “Uncle Liu, what do you mean by that?”
“We received news that we’re already fighting the Soviets,” Zhong Jianguo said. “Listen to the radio these days, and you’ll hear war updates.”
Song Zhaodi quickly asked, “Are you going to provide support?”
“No need.” Zhong Jianguo wanted to say more but noticed the children were around, so he told Song Zhaodi to get him a steamed bun.
Seeing this, Song Zhaodi didn’t press further.
The next day, she exchanged all the household ration tickets for rice and flour, and the oil and fabric tickets for oil and cloth. She also quickly bought some supplies to send to her parents.
On the morning of March 2nd, news of the war between China and the Soviet Union spread nationwide. The island’s fishermen, fearing a shortage of supplies, rushed to the food processing plant and supply cooperative in the afternoon to stock up. Meanwhile, Song Zhaodi was tending to her vegetable garden.
She didn’t let the waste from the chickens, ducks, and geese go to waste, scattering it over the vegetable patch.
Dawa slung his school bag—stitched together by Song Zhaodi from fabric scraps—over his shoulder, held Erwa’s hand, and pushed open the door. A foul stench greeted them. The two brothers exchanged a glance before running inside, only for Dawa to step right into a pile of chicken droppings.
Zhong Dawa’s expression changed instantly. “Mom, what are you doing?”
“Do you still want tomatoes and cucumbers?” Song Zhaodi asked.
Dawa was stumped.
Song Zhaodi put down her shovel and picked up a hoe. “Once this dries, it won’t stink anymore.”
“How long will that take?” Zhong Dawa asked urgently.
Song Zhaodi looked at the sky. “If it doesn’t rain, at least three days. You two go inside. I’ll sweep the droppings on the path into the garden so your father won’t complain when he gets home.”
“Mom, don’t you find the smell unbearable?” Zhong Dawa pinched his nose.
Song Zhaodi rolled her eyes at him. “What do you think?” After a pause, she added, “Still, it’s much better than a village latrine.”
“You actually think this is ‘much better’?” Zhong Dawa was incredulous. “I remember you used to complain about Sanwa’s dirty diapers and made Dad wash them.”
Song Zhaodi sighed. “I’d love to live a refined life, but with you three mud-covered kids around, even a heavenly maiden would turn into a rough mom who eats without washing her hands.”
“Oh, by the way, Sanwa is next door at Grandma’s. Take him out to play and do your homework after dinner.”
“Okay.” Zhong Dawa put his school bag inside, then suddenly thought of something. “Mom, you… you will wash your hands before cooking, right?”
Song Zhaodi raised an eyebrow. “Depends on my mood.”
“Huh?” Zhong Dawa was shocked. “That’s not okay! You must wash your hands!”
“Mom, not washing your hands will make you sick,” Erwa reminded her.
Seeing Erwa’s serious face and Dawa’s horrified expression, Song Zhaodi couldn’t help but laugh. “Relax, I’ll wash my hands.”
“You have to wash them,” Zhong Dawa insisted, reminding her again even as he reached the door.
Song Zhaodi waved him off. “Go already.”
Outside, Dawa turned to Erwa, worried. “Do you think Mom will forget?”
“Maybe.” Zhong Erwa once had a bad case of diarrhoea, and Song Zhaodi had scared him into believing it was because he didn’t wash his hands before eating. Ever since, he took handwashing very seriously, scrubbing again and again.
That winter, the island’s children had dry, chapped skin from the wind. Many kids’ hands cracked because they didn’t wash properly and their parents were too busy to remind them.
The three Zhong children, despite wearing patched clothes, had their patches in bright colours or shaped like little animals. Their clean faces and hands made them look especially neat.
One day, Ma Zhonghua saw Dawa and Erwa outside. When he returned home and saw his own children, he couldn’t help but grumble to Zhou Shufen: “You should learn from Song Zhaodi and keep the kids tidier.”
But that’s a story for another time.
Even after Song Zhaodi’s promise, Zhong Dawa still wasn’t convinced. He figured that when his mother was busy, she might forget to wash her hands before cooking. So, when Zhong Jianguo returned, Dawa immediately pulled him aside to complain.
Seeing his son’s worried face, Zhong Jianguo wanted to say, A little dirt never hurt anyone. But he knew that if Song Zhaodi heard him say that, even in a snowstorm, she’d make him sleep on the chair.
“Your mom is just teasing you,” Zhong Jianguo said. “She wipes her hands with a cloth even when putting a single piece of firewood under the stove. If you don’t believe me, go check the kitchen.”
Dawa ran off at once. “Mom, do you need help?”
“No need,” Song Zhaodi replied. “Tell your dad to come and carry the dishes. I’m just about done cooking.” She shoved a handful of dry leaves under the stove, then picked up a cloth and wiped her hands before continuing to stir-fry.
Satisfied, Zhong Dawa turned back and called his father inside. When Song Zhaodi wasn’t looking, he made a face at her before running outside to set the table for dinner.
Even though China was at war with the Soviet Union, the East China Sea Fleet hadn’t received orders to provide support. But the entire military remained on high alert, wary of the U.S. or Jiang Kai-shek taking advantage of the chaos.
After dinner, Zhong Jianguo showered, changed clothes, and drove back to the base.
Unlike before, Song Zhaodi no longer felt an inexplicable anxiety. She simply went about life with her children, eating and sleeping as usual. Worrying wouldn’t change anything—Zhong Jianguo was a soldier, and following orders was his duty. If he was deployed, no amount of tears would stop it.
By September, China and the Soviet Union reached an agreement for a temporary ceasefire. Zhong Dawa started second grade.
Song Zhaodi had originally planned to take the children back to visit during the summer, so Zhong Jianguo’s uncle could meet them. But the north was unstable, and since Xiao Song Village was in the north, she worried about the tense situation and decided against it.
However, Dawa and Erwa didn’t forget.
Dawa knew Xiao Song Village was in Binhai and remembered that they would need to take a train to Binhai City before transferring to another ride.
Zhong Weiguo’s family lived in Binhai City. Dawa hadn’t seen his uncle and aunt in two years and missed them.
A month before winter break, he suddenly thought of this after school and asked, “Mom, are we going to Xiao Song Village for winter break?”
“Why are you asking all of a sudden?” Song Zhaodi was caught off guard.
Dawa didn’t hide anything and admitted he missed his aunt.
Since Zhong Weiguo and his wife had helped care for the children many times, Song Zhaodi was pleased that Dawa remembered them fondly. “I’ll ask your father when he comes home.”
Night fell, and Zhong Jianguo returned home.
Xiao Song Village was far from Wengzhou Island. If Song Zhaodi took the three children with her, it would take at least a week to get there. Just the thought of coming home to a pitch-dark house with not even a bowl of hot soup to drink made Zhong Jianguo go against his conscience and say, “The weather is cold. It’s already snowing heavily in Binhai. You should wait until it warms up before going back.”
“Binhai is already snowing this early?” Song Zhaodi turned to look at the calendar on the wall. “It’s only the seventh of November.”
Zhong Jianguo replied, “It starts snowing over there in early October on the lunar calendar. The highest temperature during the day is already minus ten degrees.”
“Then are we still going back?” Song Zhaodi asked the two older children.
The second child shook his head repeatedly and spat out a single word: “Cold!”
Dawa looked disappointed but didn’t insist on going anymore.
However, a month later, when Zhong Dawa finished his exams and returned home, he saw Song Zhaodi packing their luggage. His face changed instantly. Grabbing her hand, he asked, “Mom, did you have a fight with Dad?”
“No.” Song Zhaodi’s expression was odd. “Who told you that?”
Erwa said, “Then why are you packing clothes? Lin Zhong’s brother said that when his mom fights with his dad, she packs her things and goes back to her maiden home.”
“Mom isn’t going back to Xiao Song Village?” Zhong Dawa asked.
Song Zhaodi said, “I am. We’re all going back together.”
“Huh?” Zhong Dawa was shocked. “We’re going too? Why didn’t we know about this?”
Song Zhaodi sighed. “Don’t say you didn’t know—I didn’t either. Your dad just told me to hurry up and pack. He’s going to ask a fellow villager to take us out to sea on his fishing boat.”
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