32.032 To achieve the goal through strategy
As Su Yu had guessed, no one from the old house or Ping An's side came over to criticize her anymore. The sweet potatoes that Xiao Yuan and Ping An had picked up were steamed and dried by Su Yu three times to make them into dark yellow dried sweet potatoes.
After the sweet potato noodles and sweet potato flour were made and dried, in addition to the ten catties of sweet potato noodles and fifteen catties of sweet potato flour that Su Yu received, Su Qingguo secretly delivered fifty catties of sweet potato noodles and seventy catties of sweet potato flour on a bleak autumn morning. These were all bought by Su Yu's colleagues, and some were also brought by relatives.
"Here, these are the eggs you wanted. Your sister-in-law went to collect them; they're all fresh." Su Qingguo handed the eggs in the basket to Su Yu first. This cousin of his was capable and shrewd; she remarried with her son and still managed to keep her husband in check. From what he observed, Su Yu was the head of the household. Not only did she have a salary, but her husband also gave her his salary. Judging by their lifestyle, they bought thirty or forty eggs from the village every month, and they were quite well-off. And in less than a year, their son, Xiao Yuan, had grown taller by leaps and bounds.
"Brother, could you unload the vermicelli and noodles in the kitchen? That way, it'll be easier for people to grab them when they come," Su Yu whispered. There were many eyes in the alley, and she was afraid of being reported.
After unloading the goods, Su Qingguo didn't linger. Before dawn, he drove away.
After Ning Jin's truck returned, Su Yu messaged several colleagues who had placed orders, telling them to come pick them up after dark that night. They were all from the same office and had all bought things from the fruit driver, so she wasn't worried about being reported. This open display of goodwill allowed her to completely integrate into the personal relationships of her colleagues in the logistics department. She had also bought small crucian carp, beef, and mutton from others; these items required ration coupons at the supply and marketing cooperative, which meant queuing up in the middle of the night to grab them.
"Let's go buy a clay pot. Just tall enough for my thigh. When we get it, knock off the bottom and put bricks underneath. I want to roast something." Ningjin brought back raw chestnuts, two pounds of dried mushrooms, a bottle of sesame oil, five pounds of cottonseed oil, and five pounds of rapeseed oil. She's already starting to prepare for winter. The colder it gets, the quieter things are at the factory. Half of the canning workers have already left. With less fruit, the factory doesn't want to keep idle people; they'll come back to work next spring.
“Okay, I’ll take you tomorrow. You choose one, and I’ll carry it back.” Ning Jin agreed.
Su Yu is now quite free. Most of the time she goes to work, she just listens to people gossiping. She suspects that in another half month, the logistics department will also be given a holiday.
The next day, she asked someone to cover for her, and after the leader left, she sneaked home and went with Ning Jin to the factory that made jars and pots to select jars. Unfortunately, she ran into Ping An's two uncles.
“Brother-in-law, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. When are you coming over? Let’s invite you and the rest of us brothers for a drink,” Zhao Ping said.
"I'm usually busy, but I'll take Ping'an to visit you during the New Year." Ning Jin kept glancing at Su Yu's face as she said this, afraid that she would be unhappy. But Ping'an really should visit his maternal grandparents and uncles to wish them a Happy New Year. Ping'an's mother is their sister and daughter. It's fine if they don't interact normally, but if they don't go during the New Year, Ping'an will be the subject of gossip.
“Okay, then I’ll wait for you at home on the second day of junior high.” Zhao Ping set the date immediately, and without saying goodbye to Su Yu, he turned and left.
Ning Jin bought a water vat that was as tall as his leg. He borrowed tools from someone and knocked off the bottom. Using his skill, he carried the vat on his shoulder all the way back. As Su Yu had instructed, he stacked two-finger-high blue bricks on the ground and piled the water vat on top of the bricks.
That evening, Su Yu roasted a pot of chestnuts. Since she didn't have an iron pan, she used an iron pot as a roasting tool.
"You're not happy that I said I'd take Ping An to his maternal grandparents' house for the New Year?" Ning Jin finally couldn't hold back any longer in the evening. The main problem was that Su Yu didn't mention it at all, so he couldn't tell what her attitude was.
“No, but I’m also going back to my parents’ home on the second day of the Lunar New Year. You need to come back with me then.” Su Yu requested that the second day of the Lunar New Year be the day to go back to one’s parents’ home, and all four of them would go back.
"Of course, I'll go back with you."
Since we're on the topic, Su Yu brought it up as well, "Will you bring Ping An to burn paper money for his mother during the New Year?" The authorities have banned burning paper money at graves, but how can a tradition that has lasted for thousands of years be banned so easily? Every year from midnight on New Year's Eve until dawn, that's the time for people to worship their ancestors.
“Go ahead, we’ve been going every year, and Ping’an is used to it.” The man said hesitantly.
“Xiao Yuan will probably be going too. I’ll take him back with me so he can burn paper money for his father. His father has only been gone for two years, and he misses him terribly,” Su Yu said, also mentioning her plans.
Ning Jin fell silent. He wanted to ask if she still had any feelings for Xiao Yuan's father, but he didn't say it. Although he always said that he and she were a second-marriage couple, he didn't think much of it because one of them had lost their spouse and the other had lost her husband. Now that Su Yu said she was going to take Xiao Yuan to pay respects to Xiao Yuan's father, he couldn't help but wonder if she also wanted to go see him.
He didn't know Xiao Yuan's father, had never met him, and had never heard anyone talk about him, but they had lived together for five years and had a son together, while he had been married to her for less than a year and didn't have any children yet.
“Let’s have a child too. Xiaoyuan and Ping’an are eight and nine years old respectively, which is quite old. If we delay for another two years, the child we have will be too much younger than them, and they won’t be able to get along, and the relationship won’t be deep.” The man suddenly spoke up.
"Why are you suddenly bringing this up? Didn't we agree to have a baby in two years?" Su Yu was surprised, not understanding why he brought this up, but it didn't stop her from continuing to postpone it.
"Are you unwilling to have my child?" Ning Jin wanted to ask but didn't, as it would make him seem too humble. He didn't think he was any less than that man he had never met.
"I've changed my mind, I want to hold my daughter now," he said with a forced smile.
"Whether you have a son or a daughter is not up to you. What if you have another son?"
“If it’s a son, I’ll accept him. If the first one isn’t, there’s always a second one,” Ning Jin said.
"Nonsense! Who will take care of me when I'm pregnant and giving birth? You only come back twice a month, and those two boys can't even cook. Do you want to work me to death? Pregnancy, taking care of the children, going to work, cooking, and doing laundry—even a sow with piglets gets someone to take care of her, right? You can't expect me to be worse off than a sow," Su Yu explained kindly.
The man scrutinized Su Yu's expression and, for the first time, asked about Xu Yuan's biological father, "How did you and Xiao Yuan's father get married? He treated you quite well, didn't he?"
Now Su Yu finally understood his unusual behavior. No matter how she explained it, he would still feel uncomfortable. Moreover, she couldn't bring herself to deny the relationship between "Su Yu" and Xiao Yuan's father.
"He should be like you and Ping An's mom, a matchmaker arranged your marriage. He's a man of few words, but he's hardworking and family-oriented. What about you? How's your relationship with Ping An's mom? I heard you emptied your savings to help her after she got sick. You seem to have a good relationship. If I ever get sick, you'll have to treat me the same way you treat her," Su Yu teased with a half-smile.
"Why are you asking with a smile? Don't you feel uncomfortable?" Ning Jin sat up and looked at her. At this moment, he felt something was wrong. She was willing to help him raise his child and took care of Ping An no less than her own son. He had always thought it was because she had deep feelings for him.
"You're hilarious! What are you doubting? You doubt that I won't have a child for you because of Xiao Yuan's dad? You doubt that I have no feelings for you? You even think there's a problem when I'm smiling and talking?" Su Yu was calm inside, but her face was full of anger. She stood up abruptly and stared at the man on the bed. "You feel uncomfortable about this? You think it's wrong when I'm smiling and talking about you and Ping An's mom? This bed I sleep in, this house I live in, the house I clean every day, the pots and pans I use for cooking—weren't they all used by her? You're disgusted by me and Xiao Yuan's dad, but have you never considered my feelings? I've been married to you for almost a year, where were you all this time? If I hadn't changed my feelings and figured things out myself, I would have driven myself crazy by now, according to your thinking."
She acted like a madwoman, grabbing pillows and blankets and throwing them at him. "Child, child, all you ever think about is having a child. You want to have one whenever you feel like it, as if you can hold your daughter the next morning if you say it tonight. Have you ever thought about me? Everyone around me is urging me to have a child. I thought you were on my side and would care about me. I never imagined you would be so suspicious of me. Think about it yourself. Which of your colleagues' wives can work, earn money to support the family, and also have children and raise them non-stop? With two kids, we need to stew two chickens every month, eat meat every few days, and stew a bowl of eggs every day. Do the math yourself. If I have another child and don't go to work, can you afford to raise them?"
Taking advantage of the man's stunned silence after being scolded, Su Yu kicked him again, saying, "Go and have your own baby girl while I sleep with Xiao Yuan."
She got out of bed, put on her shoes, and was about to leave when Ning Jin realized what was happening and quickly apologized. He hugged her, pressed her back onto the bed, and covered her with the blanket. "No, no, we won't have the baby. We'll have the baby whenever you want. It's my fault. I was just being silly and overthinking things."
"Don't talk like I'm forcing you. I'm just asking you if what I said is right or not. Do the math yourself, and take a look at yourself. Your son has grown a whole inch taller in the last six months, and he's gained weight. Do the math properly, so you won't suspect me of subsidizing my family when you can't save any money later." Su Yu pulled out a stack of banknotes from the box and threw them in front of him, continuing to make a scene.
"No need to count, I believe you. You're not that kind of person. I was just out of my mind and talking nonsense." He resolutely refused to touch a single penny, lest she think he suspected her.
“Let’s have a proper talk about having a baby, so you don’t keep bringing it up. It’s really annoying, especially since my mom urges me every time we meet and suspects I have health problems.” Su Yu continued her rambling, knowing Ning Jin wouldn’t ask her mother for confirmation. “What I just said is something I’ve seriously considered. I know my body; I can’t handle raising a child, working, and being pregnant at the same time. I can’t sell my job just to have a baby. When you’re not home, I have to be on high alert at night, worried someone might break in to steal or try to harm me. I’m afraid to sleep when Xiao Hei calls. After my belly got bigger, I had to get up five or six times a night. If I fell, who would take me to the hospital? If I ruined my health and had a miscarriage or a difficult delivery, who would take care of everything at home?”
"It was my oversight, I didn't think things through, and I talked nonsense. Please don't be angry." The man lowered his head and admitted his mistake with shame.
"Furthermore, our family has only been peaceful for a little over a month. It's finally been a while since anyone has come to cause trouble, and the children have been obedient. Have you ever thought about what it would be like for me to be pregnant with two children, what your mother would think, or what Ping An's grandmother would think? The children might worry that we'll have our own children and won't like them anymore. Your mother and Ping An's grandmother are worried that I'll mistreat Ping An after I have my own children. So, if I make Ping An light a fire while I'm pregnant, then it's a heinous crime to bully my stepson." Su Yu continued to press him.
"I'm not having any more children." He said it, but then changed his mind and said, "Wait a few years, wait a few years before having children. I won't mention it anymore. If anyone urges you to have children in the future, just say I don't want any more. Say whatever you want and put the blame on me."
He loosened his grip slightly, only feeling relieved when he saw she stopped fidgeting and kicking. "It was all nonsense of mine. I spoke without thinking. Don't worry, don't be angry. I won't mention having children again. I'll cooperate with you as soon as you feel the time is right."
Su Yu was satisfied and glanced at him sideways, "Get into bed, it's not cold."
He wasn't cold, but he was so flustered that he broke out in a sweat.
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