Chapter 22 I will always protect you
Liu Qianyun was furious. Although Zanzan was not her biological grandson, she had treated him as her own grandson for the past three years. If Pei Jiuyan and Zanzan hadn't been unwilling, she would have wanted to take the child to live with her.
Pei Jiuyan, who was standing next to him, also had a low mood, but he kept driving silently without saying a word.
When they arrived at the entrance of the family compound, Liu Qianyun helped Zanzan unload the luggage from the trunk. Qin Suisui also got out of the passenger seat to help, but Pei Jiuyan grabbed her arm. Qin Suisui thought she had dropped something in the car, so she subconsciously turned around and looked down.
Pei Jiuyan's deep, slightly hoarse voice sounded above her head: "You don't need to be afraid of implicating me. You can do whatever you want, just like before. I will always have your back."
Qin Suisui raised her head slightly, her clear gaze meeting Pei Jiuyan's deep eyes. It turned out he had understood what she had blurted out earlier.
A slight smile suddenly appeared on Qin Suisui's lips as she recalled the past.
As a child, she was a complete "spoiled and willful little princess." Whatever she wanted, she had to get it. If her parents wouldn't buy it for her, she would write to "Brother Ajiu" to complain. No matter how hard it was to get something, Brother Ajiu would get it for her. From toys, clothes, and stationery at the beginning, to classic novels and foreign classics later on, he seemed to have a way to get anything.
When she was very young, her mother told her that her brother Ah Jiu was her fiancé. If they could get married when they grew up, he would be the one to accompany her for the rest of her life, just like her father and mother.
Little Sui Sui doesn't know how long a lifetime is, but she knows that whenever she wants something, Brother A Jiu can get it for her. He's truly her treasure chest and her wishing well! To spend a lifetime with someone like that, she must be the happiest person in the world!
As she grew older, she became rebellious and wanted to learn foreign languages. She had a natural talent for languages from a young age, but social conditions at the time did not allow it. Especially after the deterioration of relations between China and Mao in recent years, even the status of Russian declined considerably, and English was regarded as the "language of imperialism," not to mention other languages such as French and Japanese.
At that time, it was almost impossible to buy formal foreign language textbooks through public channels, and many schools even canceled foreign language classes altogether. Studying Western languages privately could lead to being labeled as "worshipping foreign things" or even being reported.
Qin Suisui greatly admired those diplomats. Watching them speak fluent foreign languages and argue their case in front of foreigners, fighting for the interests of their motherland, she was filled with excitement and vowed to become one of them!
But her dream was met with strong opposition from her parents! Their family already had a class background issue, and they were always very cautious in their dealings with others. If they were to be labeled as "foreign worshippers" by Qin Suisui, it would be a disaster!
Qin Suisui just didn't understand. She wanted to win glory for the country. What was wrong with her? At that time, she felt that everyone was a stumbling block on her way to realize her dreams. So she wrote a letter to Pei Jiuyan to tell him about her grievances.
That was the first time Pei Jiuyan had replied to her letter after half a month. Along with the letter, he also sent several English textbooks that were not available on the market, such as "900 English Sentences", "English-Chinese Dictionary", and a handwritten "English Grammar Handbook".
In the letter, Pei Jiuyan's reply was as brief as ever: "It's good to have dreams, but the situation is special now. Remember not to let others see them and keep a low profile. If you need anything else, write to me and tell me. Don't be sad, you can do whatever you want."
From English textbooks and original English books at the beginning, to French, Japanese and Spanish later, Pei Jiuyan did not know how he found her a lot of foreign language textbooks, dictionaries, and even other people's study notes.
Qin Suisui was truly passionate and talented. Step by step, she mastered several foreign languages through these books and notes. However, this era was too special, and apart from Pei Jiuyan, even her parents did not know which languages she knew.
Seeing Qin Suisui's slightly reddened eyes, Pei Jiuyan's usually unmoved face flashed with panic and self-blame. She had only been here a few days, and he had already let her be bullied!
Before he could even speak, Qin Suisui suddenly smiled and said, "Brother Ajiu, I understand!"
She had become overly cautious due to the sudden changes in her life, and she had also misunderstood things. She once thought that the three years of no contact in between represented his attitude towards the marriage and towards her. So even after coming here and to his side, she always thought about not causing him trouble or making him dislike her.
But she forgot that Pei Jiuyan knew better than anyone what she had been like since childhood. She had told Pei Jiuyan all her little thoughts and secrets that she couldn't tell outsiders. But Pei Jiuyan had always been her treasure chest and her support. Even now, he still told her, "You can do whatever you want." How could someone like him be afraid that she would cause trouble and implicate him?
He won't.
She wouldn't either.
Her alternating tears and laughter caused a rare look of astonishment to appear on Pei Jiuyan's face. He felt that her smile just now had a deeper meaning.
"Ayan, what are you standing there for? Even Suisui and Zanzan know to help Mom carry things, what are you doing standing guard? You must be blind as a bat!"
Pei Jiuyan snapped out of his daze and saw that Qin Suisui had somehow run to the back of the car and was looking at him with a sly smile, each of them carrying a bag.
Pei Jiuyan sighed helplessly, his face regaining the arrogant expression he wore in front of his mother: "Why did you come all this way with so much stuff? If I hadn't run into you at the dock, how were you planning to get it here?"
Liu Qianyun slapped him on the back: "You brat, what are you saying! This isn't for you, it's all for my daughter-in-law and my grandson, what does it have to do with you!"
Pei Jiuyan raised an eyebrow. Fine, he'll always be at the bottom of the food chain in this family. He can just honestly move things, right?
Liu Qianyun had already led Qin Suisui and Zanzan into the house. She first opened one of the small packages, which was full of children's clothes and supplies. It was clothes and shoes for Zanzan, as well as malted milk powder, children's milk powder, tin frogs, chicks, toy cars and all sorts of other things. She bought almost everything that Qin Suisui hadn't been able to buy today. It has to be said that the two of them, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, were really in sync.
Zan Zan, holding her toy, happily ran off to play.
Liu Qianyun opened another, larger package, revealing a property deed. She placed the deed in Qin Suisui's hand, her voice tinged with apology: "Suisui, we've prepared your wedding home in Beijing. All the '72 legs' (referring to the number of legs on the roof) and daily necessities are ready. However, we don't know how long Ayan will stay here. You might have to stay with him for a few more years. Living conditions here are tough, so my wife and I have decided to give you a settlement allowance!"
As she spoke, she shoved a bankbook into Qin Suisui's hand. Qin Suisui opened it and her eyes widened in surprise—there was a whopping five thousand yuan inside! She quickly returned the bankbook, saying, "Mom, why are you giving me so much? We really don't need it! Ayan has already given me his salary card. You and Dad can keep this money! We don't need it!"
Liu Qianyun works at the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and has a decisive and efficient manner in her speech and actions. She pressed down on Qin Suisui's hand and said, "We only have one son, Ayan. Everything we have will be yours in the future. Don't say such things. I don't like to hear them!"
Then she took out a Plum Blossom brand watch, a nylon mosquito net, two woolen coats and two pairs of small leather shoes from the package, as well as several fashionable dresses, shirts, trousers and skirts, all in Qin Suisui's size.
Besides these daily necessities, there were also various pastries from the capital, such as Beijing Eight Delicacies, pea flour cake, and Poria cocos cake. Almost all the pastries that Pei Jiuyan had sent to Qin Suisui before were in this package.
Finally, Liu Qianyun pulled out a four-piece set of bright red quilts from the bottom of the package. The quilts were embroidered with exquisite mandarin duck patterns.
"This quilt cover was embroidered by an old embroiderer in our compound. She is skilled in Suzhou embroidery and is also a blessed person. Although we can't engage in feudal superstition, I still hope to bring you good fortune and luck!"
Qin Suisui touched the brand-new quilt cover, her eyes full of smiles: "You and my mother are really like-minded friends. The pillows she prepared for us are also Suzhou embroidery."
Hearing her friend's voice, Liu Qianyun's eyes also reddened. She patted Qin Suisui's head and said, "Suisui, don't be sad. Your dad and I are already inquiring about your parents. Don't worry, I'll let you know as soon as I have any news. With us here, we won't let them have a hard time!"
Qin Suisui nodded. She knew. It hadn't even been half a month since the incident at home. She had heard that there were many people being purged, and the destination of her parents might not even be determined yet. Moreover, in the original book, after her death, Pei's parents had been secretly taking care of her parents. Unfortunately, her parents were greatly shocked after hearing the news of her death, and coupled with the heavy labor day after day, they did not live for more than a few years before passing away.
Now that she has awakened and is alive, she believes her parents will persevere for her sake.
Liu Qianyun wiped away her tears and took out several new cotton quilts from another large package. They must have been sun-dried, as they still smelled of cotton.
"This is all new cotton, specially made by an experienced craftsman. Although winters on Qiongtan Island are short, they can get really damp and cold. These two thick ones are for you to use in winter! These two thin ones are for spring and autumn! And the small one is for Zan Zan!"
Finally, she took out a stack of banknotes from her bag: "This residential compound used to be empty. You must have a lot of things to buy. There are many small items, so I didn't buy them all. Here are some banknotes for you. Buy whatever you need yourself!"
Qin Suisui was almost overwhelmed by all these things, but she didn't refuse. They were her in-laws' kind gesture, and she would repay them double in the future!
"Oh, by the way, I also brought you some news! Guess what happened to Yang Jiankang, that guy who's on good terms with your family?" Liu Qianyun had never liked Yang Jiankang and had advised Qin's parents to keep their distance from him before. Now, sure enough, Yang Jiankang had gotten into trouble! That's why she spoke with such excitement!
Upon hearing news of her enemy, Qin Suisui immediately stopped packing and stared intently at her mother-in-law. That night, she emptied Yang Jiankang's house and dumped the ledgers showing Yang Jiankang's theft of grain from the state-run canteen and his black market transactions at the house of Yang Jiankang's nemesis. If his nemesis had acted quickly enough, Yang Jiankang should already be on trial by now. However, Qiongtan Island was quite remote, and she had no other means of communication, so it was normal that the news couldn't get through for the time being.
"Yang Jiankang's house was robbed! And just a few days later, his theft of state property was exposed. I guess that righteous thief saw the ledger and reported him directly! He was sentenced to death because of the large amount of the theft, and his whole family was sent to a hard labor camp. I just don't know where they went..."
Just then, a man's voice came from outside the house: "Excuse me, does Comrade Qin Suisui live here? I am his distant cousin!"
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