Zhou Jiao reluctantly watched Zhou Xiaozheng and the others leave. Only when they were out of sight did she turn back to the stove to start cooking.
Stewing a pot of wild chicken soup—so that her two sisters-in-law could feel sowhat better, and to delight Mother Zhang. After all, every child is dear to their own parent. It wouldn’t make sense for her, as the daughter-in-law, to enjoy a feast every day while her grandson watches on in silence.
Lately, whenever she saw her nieces and nephews at ho occasionally glance at the stove, she was filled with guilt. With the family not yet separated, they had to be even more ticulous about many things. She didn’t expect others to be grateful, as long as there was no conflict and everything remained quiet. The children being well-behaved and not making demands made her even more reluctant to let them feel wronged.
Rembering her own childhood, the feeling when she saw her younger brother enjoying chicken drumsticks, she couldn’t turn a blind eye to indulging herself under the pretense of postpartum recovery while the kids might only have cornbread with porridge.
Thinking of her son Ping’an and considering the other children at ho, she couldn’t bear to keep things hidden. Although the ti wasn’t ripe, money could still buy so things. She resolved to be selfless for now.
Zhang Guoqing entered and saw her lost in thought, unresponsive even when he ca in, and furrowed his brows. Had soone said sothing behind his back while he was away?
He closed the door and approached her, holding her gently as he asked in a soft voice, "What’s wrong, do you have sothing on your mind?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiao realized he misunderstood. She shook her head with a smile and said, "Tomorrow, you bring it to Mom, let the kids have a little extra. Tonight, seeing them look on eagerly but behave so well without fussing, which child doesn’t crave a taste?"
Zhang Guoqing looked at her, speaking while secretly pondering whether soone had wronged her during his absence.
"Okay. I’ll go up the mountain after I eat. Tonight, Xi Zi and the others were clamoring for clothes, I stopped my two brothers. When I was young, I always looked forward to new clothes and good food during the New Year. As a father, I told them not to scold the kids. If it were our Ping’an, I’d rack my brain to find a way, there’s no way I’d yell. It’s the poverty that makes things difficult. But seeing their joyous shouts later made quite happy. I’ll get the fabric for them at the market. We have good material at ho saved for our son."
"Alright, it’s up to you." Zhou Jiao didn’t care much about the quality of the cloth. As long as he was willing, she was fine with whatever.
After chatting idly for a while, Zhou Jiao saw that there was nothing much to tidy up, pulled Zhang Guoqing to wash up, and then they returned to the inner room.
Zhou Jiao couldn’t help but urge again, "Do you have anything tomorrow? Be careful not to go deep into the mountains, or I won’t be at ease at ho."
Having removed his clothes, Zhang Guoqing lay on the bed, hugged his son, let out a sigh of relief, and spoke softly, "Tomorrow morning I’ll take so cousins to the dense forest where we hunted boar last ti, it’s safe there. I promised you not to go deep into the mountains, so don’t worry at ho. I’ll co back quickly and take my second brother to the office for procedures. It’s likely around noon after handling things. I might also need to invite a few people from the office for a al to help my second brother establish connections. After that, it’s up to him."
Zhou Jiao pondered for a mont and said, "Then let’s wait for my second brother to transfer and move the household registration together, to avoid running back and forth. Do Dad and Mom know about my second brother’s matters? Any reaction from my elder brother and sister-in-law? Technically, you should have arranged for them first. But since my second brother is done, it’ll be at least next year before we can handle my elder brother’s. I wonder what thoughts my elder brother and sister-in-law might have?"
Zhang Guoqing patted her, "Nothing about my second brother has been ntioned outside. Only Dad knows, and we’ll discuss it when work resus next Monday. Even my second sister-in-law isn’t inford yet to prevent complications. I’ve ntioned it to my elder brother, so rest assured. Do you still have bicycle coupons? My second brother needs to buy a vehicle for work; he spoke to tonight, and I promised to look for one."
"I should have them all stashed in the secret compartnt. Did Aunt Zuo ntion anything about the textile factory recruiting tonight? I want to first secure a spot for my elder sister-in-law, so she has company and won’t be bullied easily, especially with Big Sis and them around. If there’s no luck with Aunt Zuo, I plan to ask Aunt Cheng for help with the supply and marketing cooperative. Last ti, Yuanyuan ntioned having a connection. As for my second sister-in-law, let’s wait for now. The new house will take months to organize. We’ll handle inside and outside the house first. Once everyone is settled, we can have Mom and Dad live with us. With everyone in the county, they can easily visit their grandchildren. When we return to Beijing in a few years, if they’re unwilling to go, we can leave the small courtyard for them to live in and enjoy."
Zhang Guoqing smiled after hearing her, "You really counted on Aunt Zuo and Aunt Cheng. I forgot to tell you that Dad instructed not to arrange jobs for the two sisters-in-law. He ntioned separating the family and relocating, asking and my second brother to sort out the adjacent courtyard within half a month. After the move, let the three daughters-in-law familiarize themselves with managing their own small households. If they can’t even manage a small household, they should just stay ho to care for the children, do housework, and earn work points in the fields. Dad and Mom want my elder and second brothers to settle into their jobs, accumulate so money. Only then, after a few years, will they consider the sisters-in-law’s work situation. For now, it’s about stabilizing the small families.
I think he realized that if the sisters-in-law go to work, there won’t be anyone to care for the children at ho, causing worry for Mom. Most importantly, he’s concerned I might incur favors, affecting . With all these reasons combined, once Dad spoke, I didn’t object.
We want Mom and Dad to live with us, but if they worry about my elder brother, and if my sister-in-law goes to work, Mom will be overwheld. Following Dad and Mom’s arrangent seems best. We’ll discuss everything upon separation."
"I wasn’t thorough in my planning. Let’s listen to Dad and Mom; this cannot be rushed. We can discuss it later. Brother, Mom will probably talk to again tomorrow. Yesterday, she advised to be more frugal, not to let things slip away easily, and imparted a lot of wisdom about human interactions. Tonight, I was a bit extravagant again, luckily it was for her grandson, or else she would have scolded ." Zhou Jiao was not bothered, without Zhang Guoqing’s sincere affection for the in-laws, she wouldn’t have wanted to owe any favors either.
"Haha, Mom told privately that if it’s difficult, don’t seek help. She said that Huang Yaoguo sought many connections and hasn’t managed to get your elder brother a job for years, advising to look after myself. She’s thrilled that my second brother can go to the county, but doesn’t want to owe people, saying never mind your elder brother, that it’s not a burden on us alone. I guess she wouldn’t be happy with the idea of finding work for my sister-in-law, afraid her youngest son would owe a huge favor." Finished speaking, the couple held each other, laughing quietly, both bittersweet and joyous. Having parents and harmonious relatives was a dream unattainable in their past life.
After a while, Zhang Guoqing sighed, "Luckily it’s only half an hour’s bike ride to the county if you pedal fast, plus there’s a dorm at work. If it were any farther, I wouldn’t dare to send them to the county. Housing in the county is hard to find, waiting for the unit to allocate housing is even tougher. All I can help with is arranging their jobs, and Mom’s advice rings true. One should stomach only as much as one can manage. As a younger brother, I’ve done what’s expected. From here, it’s up to them, but Mom and Dad are our responsibility. Once they’re settled, Mom and Dad will be at ease."
Zhou Jiao silently thought, you’ve already beco a saint, what more do you need to do?
Seeing he had the awareness, she could only comfort him gently, "You’ve done marvelously enough. Take it slow, as long as we have a clear conscience, we’ve done right. It’s only because my parents are back, or people wouldn’t give you face and comply with your wishes, their opportunity has really arrived."
"Yes, let’s sleep, there’s much to do early tomorrow." Zhang Guoqing gently patted her, coaxing her to sleep. Watching her drift off with a smile, he chuckled softly. Don’t think he didn’t notice her relaxation at the ntion of Mr. Zhang’s decision. He wasn’t foolish, knowing that securing family stability ant they’d carry less burden in the future, leading to a smoother life.
It wouldn’t be long, once the child’s first month celebration is over, they would accelerate the separation. That way, they could live their own peaceful lives. The sooner the separation, the better; seeing as he was about to start working, he couldn’t bear for Zhou Jiao to suffer. Handling family affairs before starting work would be a significant load off their minds.
User Comments
0 comments from readers