Chapter 32 Regret That Cannot Be Spoken
Fan Yani wore a red flower in her hair and smiled happily. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had a very pleasant appearance.
"Commander Qin, sister-in-law, you absolutely have to come!" Fan Yani said. "We live on this small hillside, it's very close to your place, we're practically neighbors."
Song Fenglan accepted the invitation, which had the date written on it.
Yue Hongwei grabbed a handful of candy and placed it on the table. Fan Yani had initially considered wrapping it in a small box, but then decided against it. It was just a few candies; putting them in a small box would cost money. Given their current situation, they should be frugal and not waste money like that. If they left the candy out like that, people might say behind their backs that they didn't know how to manage money.
Fan Yani thought it made sense. In this era of rationing, many people were still struggling to feed themselves, so why bother with fancy things? Instead of buying small boxes, they should buy more candy and distribute it to everyone.
“Okay,” Song Fenglan said, unsure if she would have time to go; Qin Yizhou probably had more time than she did. “Congratulations.”
Yue Hongwei and his wife quickly went out to distribute candy and invitations elsewhere. Fan Yani had already moved out of Guo Peng and his wife's house. She was married now, and the sooner she moved out, the better, to avoid gossip. Calling Guo Peng "brother" was of little use; everyone knew they weren't related by blood. As long as Fan Yani stayed there, people would talk.
Fan Yani disgusted Li Hui and Guo Peng.
That's enough. If this goes on for too long, she'll start to feel disgusted with herself. Fan Yani admitted that Li Hui was indeed prettier than her, but that wasn't the reason Guo Peng abandoned his child bride. If Guo Peng didn't want his child bride, he should have said so earlier instead of dragging it out and making the original owner of this body wait.
Song Fenglan glanced at the invitation and placed it on the table.
“They’re quite fast,” Song Fenglan said.
"It's not particularly fast," Qin Yizhou said. "Some people meet and get married the day after tomorrow, which is even faster."
"..." Song Fenglan remained silent. That's right, such a situation does exist in this era.
"If you go on a blind date and both parties are satisfied, get married as soon as possible," Qin Yizhou said. "Sometimes, the people involved don't even know they're engaged. But such cases are rare, so it's still best to tell them beforehand."
“It requires the consent of the parties involved,” Song Fenglan said. “If they don’t want to get engaged, and the parties involved find out on the spot, they might cause a scene.”
“Some of them will be held down,” Qin Yizhou said.
Song Fenglan looked at Qin Yizhou, "You've met him before?"
"I have indeed seen it," Qin Yizhou said. "A relative of mine was like that; he didn't want to, and his family persuaded him until he agreed."
This is the harsh reality. After a few words of persuasion from family members, most will agree, unable to bear the embarrassment. That's what the woman will think. She'll also think that since they're already engaged, everyone believes she's engaged. If she says she's not engaged, no one will believe her, and they'll think there's something wrong with her.
In such matters, outsiders cannot make the decision; it ultimately depends on the family that is in charge.
"For the sake of my family, and to avoid being criticized, I would agree," Qin Yizhou said. "Take arranged marriages in the past, for example. It was all arranged by parents and matchmakers. People in the past got married without ever meeting each other beforehand. We couldn't control it. Such situations were common, and it was their family matter."
Song Fenglan couldn't help but think that such things were still possible in this era. If it were her, she would make a scene. But what good would making a scene do? Many women didn't have the power to back down. If they broke off relations with their families, where would they live? How would they survive? Families could use all sorts of means to force them to agree, such as if the family had already received the bride price, and the girl would have no choice but to marry.
“Fan Yani, it’s good that she gets married sooner,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s not good for her to live in her so-called brother’s house. Everyone knows she’s a child bride and a sister-in-law. If she stays there for too long, her sister-in-law will be unhappy.”
Song Fenglan dislikes Li Hui, who is a cousin of Shi Guilan. In the recent events, it seemed Shi Guilan was the one who intervened, but did Li Hui really have no involvement whatsoever? Li Hui is still hung up on Qin Yizhou and refuses to marry, waiting for him to divorce, even though he's already married.
There was no affection between Qin Yizhou and Li Hui, yet Li Hui still had the nerve to do that. She just felt that Qin Yizhou had no feelings for his wife.
Regardless of whether Li Hui was truly innocent or feigning innocence, from Song Fenglan's perspective, she had no need to understand Li Hui.
Since Staff Officer Xu didn't want Shi Guilan to have much contact with Li Hui, Shi Guilan could only tell Li Hui to visit less often in the future, since they were both married and couldn't always be together like before.
Shi Guilan went to Li Hui's house, not the other way around.
"You've moved out already?" Shi Guilan asked.
“She moved out,” Li Hui said. “It’s better that she moved out sooner rather than later. Just looking at her gives me a headache.”
Li Hui disliked Fan Yani. Even though Fan Yani married another man, Li Hui still felt that Fan Yani had deliberately made her lose face.
“She married Yue Hongwei.” Li Hui said irritably, “I told her that I had been on a blind date with Yue Hongwei, and she asked me if I felt like I was picking up trash that she didn’t want.”
"Why do you care about her? As long as she gets married and doesn't live with you, that's fine," Shi Guilan said. "She can't live here with you forever."
“Her husband’s position is similar to Guo Peng’s.” This is what Li Hui is most unhappy about; she hopes Fan Yani will marry an even more useless man.
Fan Yani was just a village woman from the countryside; how could she possibly be qualified to marry such a good man?
Most importantly, Yue Hongwei looked down on Li Hui, yet he married Fan Yani. This infuriated Li Hui, making others think that Fan Yani was better than her. How could Fan Yani be better than Li Hui? She was ugly, not pretty, had a bad figure, and was uneducated; all Fan Yani knew how to do was housework.
"..." Shi Guilan understood Li Hui's thoughts. Song Fenglan's husband held a high position, which was why she was in a passive situation and was always told, "You two should see each other less in the future..."
"See each other less often?" Li Hui shook her head. "We all live in the family compound, how could we see each other less often? She calls us 'big brother' and 'big sister-in-law,' how could we really ignore her? She calls us, how could we not respond?"
Li Hui felt that Fan Yani's existence was a constant reminder that Guo Peng already had a fiancée, and that it was Li Hui who had interfered.
“I regret it. I shouldn’t have married Guo Peng,” Li Hui said. “He’s terrible.”
Guo Peng was outside the door, not yet pushing it open, when he heard Li Hui's words. Guo Peng's hand was on the doorknob; he stood there, motionless.
"Aren't you going in? Standing at the door?" A neighbor noticed Guo Peng standing there and said a few words, his voice not low, which Li Hui and her cousins overheard. The neighbor continued, "Did you offend your wife? Is she not letting you in?"
Li Hui went to open the door and, sure enough, saw Guo Peng standing there. The neighbor, seeing Li Hui come out, also left and didn't stand there. The neighbor didn't like Li Hui much; she had previously tried to become a mistress, and this time she had even stolen someone else's fiancé. The neighbor all thought Li Hui was of bad character.
"I just got back, and before I even had a chance to open the door, I ran into the neighbor." Guo Peng pretended not to hear what Li Hui said.
Guo Peng knew long ago that Li Hui didn't love him or like him, but he liked Li Hui and pursued her. When Li Hui agreed to be with Guo Peng, he was extremely happy, overjoyed.
Now, even though Guo Peng heard those words, he couldn't say them out loud. Saying them would only make everyone feel bad.
“You’re back, come inside. If you keep standing at the door, the neighbors will think I’m not letting you in,” Li Hui said irritably.
Li Hui was in a very bad mood. During the day at the cultural troupe, she was told that she couldn't play the lead role and had to be a corps de ballet dancer. The leader said that it was already good that she was being allowed to play a corps de ballet dancer, since Li Hui and Guo Peng were a legitimate couple. However, Guo Peng already had a child bride, and making Li Hui play a lead role would cause misunderstandings.
Many people in the cultural troupe were dissatisfied with Li Hui. Li Hui always felt she was capable, and with her cousin-in-law being Staff Officer Xu, she became even more arrogant in front of others. After some incidents involving Li Hui, others naturally took the opportunity to criticize her harshly. Even Shi Guilan was criticized, let alone Li Hui.
Guo Peng seems to have no problem, but it wouldn't be good if Fan Yani insisted on making a fuss. Fan Yani didn't make a fuss because she's kind-hearted and didn't want to make things difficult for Guo Peng.
"I just got back, I just got back," Guo Peng emphasized.
"I just got back, so I just got back." Li Hui didn't repeat what she had just said.
"I'm going back first." Shi Guilan stood up. "I'm leaving."
Shi Guilan didn't know if Guo Peng had heard those words, but she knew she wasn't suited to stay there any longer. Regardless of whether Guo Peng had heard them or not, it was up to Li Hui to handle it; Shi Guilan wouldn't get involved.
Shi Guilan felt a little guilty. She thought about how her own family already had so many things to deal with, and she shouldn't meddle in other people's business. Her cousin was married, and her cousin had to learn to handle those problems on her own.
Fan Yani and Yue Hongwei went to distribute invitations and candy; they did not go to Staff Officer Xu's house.
"Don't we need to go to Staff Officer Xu's house?" Fan Yani asked Yue Hongwei as they walked down the street.
“No need,” Yue Hongwei said. “They might not be happy if we go.”
Yue Hongwei had previously lived in the army dormitory, not in the family compound, but he had heard about some things happening there. Staff Officer Xu and Regiment Commander Qin appeared to have no conflict, but in reality, their wives had become enemies, which meant Staff Officer Xu and Regiment Commander Qin were enemies, though neither man would show it.
Under these circumstances, Yue Hongwei was even less willing to contact Staff Officer Xu.
“From now on, you should not have any contact with Staff Officer Xu’s family,” Yue Hongwei said. “Their family is quite arrogant. When Qin’s son was playing at home, Staff Officer Xu’s son dared to rush out and try to steal things, and even threw stones at people. Previously, Staff Officer Xu’s wife made things difficult for Qin’s wife, who had just come to join the army. My sister-in-law has had a hard time, coming here alone with her child. She did nothing, yet she was harassed.”
Yue Hongwei has his own eyes and ears; he doesn't need anyone to tell him who is right and who is wrong. He can judge for himself who is at fault.
"Chief of Staff Xu's wife is not content with this, and she might be planning to have another child," Yue Hongwei said. "She knows your sister-in-law; they are cousins. You should be careful."
Yue Hongwei didn't want his wife to hold him back. He wanted someone who could help him stabilize his home front, so he could have a hot meal when he got home and his wife would cause him less trouble.
“Okay.” Fan Yani understood Yue Hongwei’s thoughts. The reason they were together was more like they were just living together as a couple. Fan Yani knew that she wasn’t very pretty, but Yue Hongwei was willing to be with her because he valued her hard work.
This is normal. People in this era like women who are hardworking and can handle all the things at home perfectly.
Every era has its own characteristics. Fan Yani didn't think there was anything wrong with Yue Hongwei. She valued his military background and his reliable demeanor. He also didn't have in-laws yet, which made life easier for them both. They were united in their efforts, both thinking of their little family, and that's how they could have a better life.
That evening, Qin Zihang stood in the living room hugging a pillow, looking pitiful, but after a while, he looked very strong again.
"Mom, I want to sleep by myself," Qin Zihang said.
"Sleep by yourself?" Song Fenglan asked in surprise. "Didn't we say we'd wait until you started kindergarten?"
“I can adapt early.” Qin Zihang glanced at his father. “I can do it. I can sleep by myself.”
"Let him sleep alone." Qin Yizhou coughed lightly. "He's not a little kid anymore, he should learn to sleep by himself. Our Hangbao is a little man, he doesn't need to cling to his mother anymore. Close your eyes to sleep, and when you open them again, you'll still see your mother. Hangbao, don't you think so?"
"Yes." Qin Zihang almost cried, but he still had to say "yes." His mother's health wasn't good; she was sick. His father said he needed to be strong and sleep alone. Qin Zihang thought he had to sleep alone for his mother's sake. "Mom, I can sleep in my own bed. It's a big bed, all by myself. I can roll around all I want; it's great."
"..." Song Fenglan stared at her son. Did her son really think that way?
"A big bed, it's nice and comfortable," Qin Zihang said. "It's all mine."
"Alright then," Song Fenglan said. "Won't you cry tonight?"
"No!" Qin Zihang said firmly, "I won't cry, I'll be good."
"If it thunders and rains..."
"I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid!" Qin Zihang shouted. "I'm not hiding under the bed, I'm hiding on the bed. There are blankets on the bed, they're soft."
His mother had said that the area under the bed was unclean, so Qin Zihang said he would hide on the bed, or if that didn't work, in the closet. He could manage by himself.
"Let him sleep alone." Qin Yizhou repeated the same sentence. "It's his own idea, so we as parents should agree. Our Hangbao is becoming independent."
“Yes, independent, an independent man, Hangbao can do it.” Qin Zihang said, “Many children want their own rooms, but Brother Xiaohu still has to sleep with his brother, while I have my own room.”
Song Fenglan turned to look at Qin Yizhou. What had Qin Yizhou said to her son that made him want to sleep alone today? Since her son wanted a separate room, Song Fenglan couldn't say no; it was fine for him to sleep alone.
"Okay, let our Hangbao sleep alone. Mom and Dad will prepare everything for you." Song Fenglan thought that she should put a urinal in the room. It's too late at night, and if Qin Zihang needs to pee in the middle of the night and he doesn't call for his parents, having a urinal in the room will be much more convenient.
It's scary for a child to go to the toilet alone at night, especially since the toilet is in a corner of the yard. Although it's a squat toilet, not a dry toilet, it's still best not to let a child go out alone.
At night, crickets chirp, frogs croak, and the wind howls—a cacophony of sounds. Some children get scared alone; and it's not just children, even some adults feel afraid.
There are no human voices, only the sounds of small animals and the natural environment. It doesn't appear to be silent, but it is a kind of silence in itself, which makes people feel uneasy.
"Dad, get ready," Qin Zihang said. "Mom, get some rest."
“Okay, Mom should rest well. Let your dad help you get ready. If you need anything, just tell your dad. He's your dad,” Song Fenglan said.
“Dad is a mountain,” Qin Zihang said. He had heard people say that fatherly love is like a mountain, and this sentence came to mind. “Zhuangzhuang’s dad, do more work and let mom support you.”
Song Fenglan chuckled softly; her son was truly adorable. Every time she went to work, Song Fenglan thought about finishing her day's work quickly so she could come home early to be with her little one. Her son was so cute.
Although Song Fenglan now loves children, she doesn't regret being single in her previous life. Being single has its own joys, and having children has its own joys; the two are different, and it's impossible to say which path is better. Different paths offer different kinds of fun.
Qin Yizhou didn't move the fan to Qin Zihang's room. There were trees outside, so it wasn't too hot at night. Letting a child use a fan all the time could cause problems. Qin Yizhou changed the curtains; the old ones were too thin and let in too much light, making it hard for him to fall asleep. The new curtains were thicker, preventing light from getting in so easily.
The bed frame was quite hard, so Qin Yizhou put a quilt underneath and then a straw mat on top to make it softer and prevent it from getting too hot. Having several quilts would make it much warmer, but one quilt was fine. Qin Yizhou also poured water for his son's kettle so his son could drink if he wanted in the middle of the night. The light switch was also next to the bed, not far away.
Qin Yizhou had previously installed a safety railing so Qin Zihang wouldn't have to worry about rolling off the bed. The railing was also movable and had openings, so Qin Zihang could still get out of bed.
"Dad, you have to take good care of Mom." Qin Zihang said worriedly, "If you don't take good care of Mom, you're not a good dad. I'm entrusting Mom to you."
Listening to his son's rambling, Qin Yizhou felt that his son was much more obedient and didn't think his son talked too much.
"Don't worry about Dad," Qin Yizhou said. "You don't need to worry about Mom. You can sleep peacefully tonight."
"I'll sleep peacefully, I'm a big kid." Qin Zihang sniffed. He had no intention of sleeping with his mother, no way. "Dad, you need to be more careful."
“Okay, do it well,” Qin Yizhou said.
Qin Zihang lay on the bed, covering his lower abdomen with a blanket.
"Are you going to sleep already?" Song Fenglan entered the room.
"Not yet." As soon as Qin Zihang heard his mother's voice, he quickly got up again. "Mom, I haven't gone to sleep yet. Mom, you... I don't want to listen to Mom's stories today. Mom needs to rest."
Qin Zihang really wanted to hear his mother tell a story, but for her health, he could choose not to listen and wait until another day.
“Let your father talk to you,” Song Fenglan said.
“Dad tells Mom a story,” Qin Zihang said. “I’m a big kid, I don’t have to listen to stories.”
Looking at her son's feigned strength, Song Fenglan wondered, "Are all children like this?"
"Mom, I'm all grown up now." Qin Zihang emphasized that he couldn't let his mother see any weakness in front of him.
“Yes, yes, our Hangbao has grown up.” Song Fenglan said with a smile.
Qin Yizhou placed the chamber pot in the corner. He had thought everything through and wanted to prepare more things for his son. Qin Yizhou also planned that his son could easily reach the next room if he climbed out of bed in the middle of the night and left the door open.
The child is still young, and needs time to get used to it.
Qin Yizhou isn't a heartless father after all; he still needs to think more about his son. If he doesn't do a good job, his wife will also dislike him.
"I'm lying down now," Qin Zihang said. "I've covered myself with a small blanket to hide my tummy, closed my eyes, and am snoring away."
"Okay, Mom will go rest now. We'll see our Hangbao when he opens his eyes tomorrow." Song Fenglan gently moved the blanket, making sure her son was covered up properly.
"See you tomorrow, Mom," Qin Zihang said with his eyes closed.
"Do you want to turn off the lights?" Song Fenglan asked. "You can leave the lights on all night."
"Turn off the lights, turn off the lights," Qin Zihang said. "I'm not afraid. I'm a man. My mother is next door. I'm not afraid."
"Alright," Song Fenglan said, worried about her son, "we can leave the lights on."
“He has hands, he knows how to turn on the light.” Qin Yizhou put a hand on Song Fenglan’s waist. “Go and rest first.”
"Goodnight, Mom," Qin Zihang said again, "snoring away."
Song Fenglan then went out, and Qin Yizhou then went to Qin Zihang's bedside and turned off the light.
The couple walked out the door, closed it, and Song Fenglan looked back one last time.
"It's alright, Hangbao can sleep by himself," Qin Zihang said. "Children have to grow up sooner or later; we can't let him sleep with us forever."
“He never slept alone before,” Song Fenglan said with some concern. “At night…”
“I’ll keep a closer eye on him tonight, you can get some sleep,” Qin Yizhou said. “You used to be the one who got up at night to cover him with a blanket, it’s time for me to do it.”
He slept next to me, just casually.
"That's the situation," Song Fenglan said. "With him around, he does indeed wake up at night."
Before giving birth, Song Fenglan didn't wake up as frequently at night. But after having a baby, she woke up more often, constantly worrying about whether the baby was properly covered and whether the baby had crawled to the side of the bed. She had to keep a close eye on things herself; she couldn't expect her aunt and uncle to come over every night.
"Keep an eye on him," Song Fenglan said. "He's fine now, it's hot, so even if he kicks off the blanket, he's still wearing clothes and won't catch a cold. But in a few days, the temperature difference between day and night will be greater, and he'll be more likely to catch a cold."
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on it," Qin Yizhou said. "There are steamed brown sugar eggs in the pot."
The eggs were cracked in whole, without scrambling the yolks and whites. First, water was placed in a bowl with some brown sugar. After the brown sugar dissolved and the water heated up, Qin Yizhou cracked two eggs into the bowl. Since it was sweet, Qin Yizhou didn't let his son eat it. He also boiled a hard-boiled egg, thinking his son could eat it, but his son went to sleep.
Qin Yizhou planned to let Song Fenglan eat them all, but his son wanted eggs, so he would cook them for him tomorrow morning.
Song Fenglan sat at the dining table eating brown sugar eggs. She looked at the two eggs in the bowl, and then at the boiled egg next to her.
“You’ve eaten everything, Zihang is going to sleep,” Qin Yizhou said.
“I can’t eat that much,” Song Fenglan said. “These two in my bowl are enough. Why don’t you go check on Zihang? I don’t think he’s asleep. He slept alone the first night, so he was probably counting dumplings with his eyes closed, one dumpling, two dumplings… I guarantee he didn’t sleep. Why don’t you eat them?”
"I'll go check on him." Qin Yizhou took the egg to Qin Zihang, who was indeed still awake. Qin Yizhou didn't think of eating it himself; he wanted his wife to eat it, and if she didn't, then his son would. Qin Yizhou hadn't spent much time with his son and felt he owed his wife and children a lot, so he wanted to be kinder to them.
Qin Yizhou called Qin Zihang's name, and Qin Zihang's eyes were still moving, but he didn't open his eyelids.
"There are eggs to eat, do you want some?" Qin Yizhou said, tapping the egg and peeling off the shell. "Okay, I know you're not asleep. Get up and eat, then brush your teeth, rinse your mouth, and go back to sleep."
"I've opened my eyes." Qin Zihang opened one eye and closed the other, then opened both eyes. "Give it to Mom."
"Mom has something to eat, this is for you." Qin Yizhou patted Qin Zihang's head. "Eat it."
Qin Zihang took a bite of the egg, then looked at his father. He pointed the uneaten end at his father and said, "Dad, eat."
“You eat, and our Hangbao will eat too,” Qin Yizhou said. “Daddy wants to eat eggs, and there will be eggs to eat.”
“But Dad hasn’t eaten yet,” Qin Zihang said.
“Dad’s not hungry, you eat,” Qin Yizhou said. “If you didn’t eat tonight, you can still eat tomorrow morning. Our family can afford eggs, it’s not that we can’t afford them.”
“At my great-aunt’s house, we rarely eat eggs,” Qin Zihang said. He still quite likes eggs. “My brother would secretly hide to eat them, and my mother would take me outside to eat them secretly. Everyone ate them secretly.”
"That's because it's at my aunt's house," Qin Yizhou said with emotion. "At our own home, we don't have to hide when we eat; we can eat openly and honestly."
"My aunt gave me eggs," Qin Zihang said. "I don't need to hide them."
Qin Zihang felt that his life here was too good. He had his parents with him, and his aunt always gave him all kinds of delicious food. Qin Zihang didn't need to share with others, and he didn't have to watch others hide away to eat good food. His aunt and the others always gave him the best food, and his mother would cook lots and lots of delicious food.
Previously, at Qin Zihang's aunt's house, Song Fenglan would make some pastries, but she never made much. Even if she made a little more, with so many mouths to feed, it would be gone in no time, leaving no pastries behind. Jiang Yufei would also come over, eat some herself, and take some pastries with her.
As a result, Qin Zihang ate less. Even if Song Fenglan would hide some food for Qin Zihang, he still felt it was not as good as it was now.
"Eat slowly, don't choke." Qin Yizhou took the water bottle and fed Qin Zihang water.
After Qin Zihang finished eating the eggs, Qin Yizhou took him to brush his teeth and rinse his mouth before letting him go to sleep. After Qin Yizhou finished these things, Song Fenglan also finished eating her eggs. Qin Yizhou didn't let Song Fenglan wash the dishes; he washed them himself.
Once in the room, Song Fenglan and Qin Yizhou slept together, without Qin Zihang in the middle. Song Fenglan felt a little uncomfortable; she and Qin Yizhou seemed to be able to get closer, and turning around meant they might bump into each other.
Song Fenglan lay there, not particularly moved. She was on her period, and Qin Yizhou couldn't do anything about it. Qin Yizhou turned to look at Song Fenglan, who was lying flat on her back.
"What's wrong?" Song Fenglan sensed Qin Yizhou's gaze.
"Does your stomach still hurt? Do you want me to rub it for you?" Qin Yizhou asked.
"No need, I'm much better," Song Fenglan said.
"Shall I get you a hot water bottle?" Qin Yizhou asked again.
"No need. It's hot, and using a hot water bottle would only make me more uncomfortable and cause me to sweat," Song Fenglan said.
Qin Yizhou gently rubbed Song Fenglan's stomach, not daring to use too much force for fear of making her uncomfortable.
“I… Zihang just fell asleep and covered himself with a blanket.” Qin Yizhou looked at Song Fenglan, a little uneasy and nervous. “He can sleep well; you’ve taught him so well.”
"I hope so." Song Fenglan wasn't quite used to sleeping in the same room as Qin Yizhou. Of course, she couldn't suggest that Qin Yizhou sleep with Qin Zihang. They were husband and wife, and sooner or later they would have to sleep in the same room. Right now, she was on her period, so they could only chat under the covers. "Zihang will be starting school in a few days. The kindergarten is nearby. The mornings are fine; I can take him there. But at noon and in the afternoon, I guess his aunt will have to pick him up."
Song Fenglan decided to bring up a topic: Qin Zihang starting kindergarten, which was a big deal.
“In the morning, I take him to kindergarten,” Qin Yizhou said. “I don’t go to training as early as they do.”
“I’ll have to see him off during the first few days of school,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s his first time going to school, and I don’t know if he’ll be able to get used to it. We won’t be around to help him, and he’ll be surrounded by strangers. I’m afraid he’ll cry.”
"It's alright, kids cry, they'll be fine after a few times," Qin Yizhou said. "The kindergartens here are relatively safe. We'll talk to Zihang a bit more and tell him to be careful and not to run away on his own."
“Yes, it’s dangerous for them to run away on their own. I’m afraid that the traffickers will grab the children and run away in a flash,” Song Fenglan said.
As they talked, Song Fenglan fell asleep, but Qin Yizhou was still awake. Qin Yizhou didn't continue gently rubbing Song Fenglan's stomach; he was afraid of waking her. He reached out to hug his wife. A slight smile played on Qin Yizhou's lips; he and his wife shared a room.
In the middle of the night, Song Fenglan woke up. Perhaps because her son was sleeping alone, she hadn't been sleeping very soundly. Song Fenglan tried to get up, but Qin Yizhou pressed her down.
"I just went to Zihang's place and covered him with a blanket. Luckily, he didn't kick it all off." Qin Yizhou said he would take better care of his son, and he kept his word. There was no need for his wife to get up in the middle of the night.
"Okay." Upon hearing this, Song Fenglan closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Qin Yizhou gently embraced his wife, not too close. Song Fenglan was still dazed and didn't make any further moves.
Early in the morning, Qin Zihang woke up around 5 or 6 a.m. Qin Yizhou had specially placed a clock in Qin Zihang's room, saying that he could get up whenever the hour hand reached a certain point. Qin Zihang was thinking of going to find his mother, but he decided to lie in bed a little longer. Why hadn't the hour hand moved yet? He wanted it to move soon!
"Move, move, move," Qin Zihang muttered to himself.
Qin Yizhou got up early. He had sharp ears and heard some noises from Qin Zihang's room. When he opened the door, Qin Zihang almost jumped out of bed as soon as he saw Qin Yizhou.
"Dad, can you get up now?" Qin Zihang asked.
"Shh, Mom's still sleeping, keep your voice down." Qin Yizhou walked to the window and pulled back the curtains.
Qin Zihang dashed off the bed. It was summer, so he just wore his clothes; unlike winter, he didn't have to take them off. Song Fenglan hadn't specifically prepared pajamas for her son; after all, he was just a kid, the important thing was that he could wear something that looked good.
The clothes that were taken away.
After a while, Qin Zihang got up and didn't need to change his clothes.
"Dad, I want to brush my teeth and wash my face," Qin Zihang said.
"Do you need to use the restroom first?" Qin Yizhou asked.
"Yes, I want it," Qin Zihang said.
Qin Yizhou glanced at the urinal. It had contained a little water, but regardless of whether Qin Zihang had urinated last night, Qin Yizhou still had to clean it, rinse it, and change the water. Qin Yizhou then squeezed toothpaste onto Qin Zihang's toothbrush and filled the water cup.
After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Qin Zihang did not bother Song Fenglan; he stayed obediently in the living room.
When Song Fenglan woke up, she saw her son practicing calligraphy in the living room.
"Mom, I'm writing," Qin Zihang said.
“Our Hangbao is so well-behaved,” Song Fenglan said.
"It's time to eat," Qin Yizhou said.
In the capital, Qin's fake pregnancy was exposed, and not only the Qin family knew, but others did as well.
The Song family felt that the Qin family was really troublesome; they were all just pretending and bullying Song Fenglan. Song's mother was thinking that once the state returned all their property—no, as long as the house was returned—they could give the house to Song Fenglan.
In front of her son and daughter-in-law, Song's mother said that Song's eldest brother and his wife had no objections, and Song's second brother, who was lame and unmarried, also had no objections. Song's second brother had originally planned to stay in the countryside until he died, but who would have thought that his sister was still trying so hard to help them? Song's second brother thought that if it were him, he wouldn't have been able to do that.
When Brother Song wasn't walking particularly fast, you couldn't tell he was lame, but it became noticeable when he walked too fast, let alone when he ran. Brother Song now works at the grain bureau; at least he has a job and doesn't have to live like before.
“Leave a detached house for Fenglan, and also prepare a dowry for her,” said Song’s mother. “I only have one daughter, so the dowry I brought with me, including the jewelry and such, will be left to Fenglan.”
"Of course, of course," said Sister-in-law Song. "Mom, we need to prepare more things for our little sister. If it weren't for her, how could we have come back so quickly? And even if we had, would those things have gotten back to us?"
Sister-in-law Song wasn't unreasonable; she didn't think her parents-in-law were being too good to Song Fenglan. If it were Sister-in-law Song herself, she would only treat her daughter even better.
"Second son, you should find a suitable wife too," said Song's mother. "You're almost thirty years old, don't keep putting it off."
People at this time tend to get married earlier, and Song Erge was considered relatively late to get married as he hadn't married yet.
"We should take a look," said Brother Song.
Recently, many people have been introducing potential partners to Brother Song. These women don't seem to mind his legs at all, and quite a few have even been flirting with him. Brother Song wants a stable wife, not someone who will cause trouble later on.
Song Erge once wanted to find a beautiful wife, but after going to the farm, he stopped trusting beautiful women. Those people only took advantage of him, and some even blamed him for their own mistakes.
Back then, Brother Song helped a female educated youth who had been sent to the countryside, but she turned around and betrayed him, causing Brother Song's leg to become like this. As a result, Brother Song no longer trusts women; he trusts himself more.
"If you have someone you like, just say so, and Mom will go and propose marriage," said Song's mother.
"Not yet," said Song Erge. "Mom, the situation is still a bit tense this year, so my marriage isn't in a hurry. It's okay to wait another year or two. My little sister is having a hard time. She's so young and she's still staying in the city, sending us things, helping us, and even thinking about clearing her family's name and getting married. And her in-laws are all so awful."
Song Erge thought that they weren't doing well on the farm, but their sister, who stayed in the city, might not be doing any better. Song Erge felt that his sister was like a backup plan they had kept for them; she had worked so hard to save them, and she deserved to be cherished and pampered.
They used to dote on their younger sister; she was delicate, cute, and beautiful. Song Erge couldn't imagine what their sister had gone through over the years to have grown up so much.
If Song Erge had stayed in the city, he wouldn't have been able to do what his sister did.
"Let's clean up the house first, and prepare all the furniture and bedding inside," said Brother Song. "If my sister comes back, she can stay there."
It's not that Song Fenglan can't live with the Song family, but since she's married, her second brother is worried that Qin Yizhou might not want to live with them anymore, and he's also concerned about potential objections from the Qin family. He's not afraid of the Qin family; he just doesn't want his sister to be caught in the middle and put in a difficult position.
"Mom, we need a nicer house, with a bigger yard," said Sister-in-law Song. Although she was a country woman and not very educated, she thought that someone like Song Fenglan would definitely prefer flowers and plants. Song Fenglan was so cultured, she would also need a study. "Those people said that they couldn't find all the books from before, only a small part. Should we put those books with my younger sister?"
“Let some of the past go,” said Mother Song. “Your little sister used to love reading. She would read whatever she could, whether she understood it or not.”
Recalling the past, Song's mother remembered her daughter, a tiny bundle of a child, hiding in the study reading. Her daughter would fall asleep while reading, and they searched for her for quite a while without success. Finally, someone suggested checking the study, and they found her. Besides the house in the capital, the Song family also owned property elsewhere, which was still being returned gradually.
While the Song family was considering the house, Aunt Qin was also thinking about it. Aunt Qin now appeared to be genuinely concerned for Qin Yizhou and his wife; no one could tell that she had ever treated them badly.
"Are you going to buy a house?" Aunt Qin asked Qin's mother. "Your eldest son's family is eyeing this house of yours. It wouldn't be right for you to let Yizhou and his family live here. If Yizhou comes back for the holidays and they stay here, won't your eldest son's family have something to say about it and make a fuss? You've already prepared a house for your eldest son's family, don't you want a house for the younger generation?"
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