Chapter 19

Thinking of that soft little face and those star-bright eyes, Chen Zai’s heart softened for once.

But his next words exploded in the room like a thunderclap. Chen Fumi’s hand shook, spilling tea onto his clothes and the floor. As he wiped his clothes with a handkerchief, the old man asked, “A son? Your own? You got married? When?”

Chen Zai answered concisely, “He was born in the countryside. It wasn’t convenient to get married at the time.”

Chen Fumi was so shocked it was as if he had heard something out of a fantasy. He truly couldn’t imagine that his rule-abiding grandson would do something so utterly unconventional.

“Where’s the child now? Why didn’t you bring him home? What about the child’s mother? Is she dead? You’re still not married even now?” The old man fired off a string of questions.

Of course, Chen Zai wasn’t going to tell his grandfather that he had only found out yesterday that he had a son. He simply replied vaguely, “The child is in Lucheng. We’ll meet eventually.”

Chen Fumi didn’t know whether he was excited or furious. His hands kept trembling as he grabbed the cane beside the round-backed chair, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to lift it. He let out two cold snorts and said, “What do you mean by this? If I hadn’t arranged a blind date for you, were you planning not to say a word even though you already have a child? Why didn’t you bring the child home? What about the child’s mother? What kind of person is she? Why aren’t you married?”

Having a child out of wedlock in the countryside raised serious questions. Just how unreliable would two people have to be to do something like that?

Chen Zai spoke in a calm voice to soothe the old man’s emotions. “Grandfather, the child is doing well. You’ll meet him eventually. The child’s mother is a decent person. She was with me through the hardest times when I was in the countryside.”

Every word he said was difficult to utter, as it touched on the part of the past he least wanted to face. But it wasn’t a lie. In the beginning, it was indeed like that. Later, she dealt him a fatal blow.

Chen Fumi didn’t believe what Chen Zai said. He didn’t think highly of the child’s mother. The fact that Chen Zai was tight-lipped about both the son and the child’s mother suggested he was hiding something. Perhaps the so-called companionship was made up. Perhaps it had been a moment of impulse. Perhaps the child’s mother was much older than him, or maybe a widow, or even another man’s wife…

How terrifying!

For the moment, Chen Fumi decided not to dwell on the child’s mother. What he was truly curious about was his great-grandson. He said, “The child’s mother is raising him? You should bring the boy home and let our family raise him.”

Chen Zai calmly shared his own thoughts. “I’ll find a way to transfer back to Lucheng for work. When that happens, you’ll be able to see the child.”

“What about the child’s mother? Are you two going to get married? She doesn’t already have a family, does she?” Chen Fumi, having moved past his initial shock, was now trying to figure out how to handle the situation between his grandson and the child’s mother.

If the child’s mother was a decent person, having a grandson wasn’t such a bad thing. These past few years, he had been constantly worrying about Chen Zai’s marriage, afraid that if he kept delaying, he would end up all alone. Now that a grandson had dropped from the sky, perhaps this wasn’t so bad after all.

Chen Zai spoke with a hint of mockery in his tone. “Grandfather, Chen Jin had an affair while married. Surely you don’t believe everyone is bound to cheat.”

Back then, maybe he had misunderstood Shu Yuan’s feelings, or maybe she had simply fallen for someone else. Whichever it was, just thinking about it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Chen Fumi waved his hand. “Don’t bring up that unfilial son. It was my failure to raise him properly.”

His thoughts had almost been led astray by Chen Zai, but he quickly returned to the matter of this grandson who had seemingly dropped from the sky. He made his request clear. “You must bring the child home and have our family raise him. And give me a straight answer. Are you going to marry the child’s mother or not?”

Chen Zai forcefully suppressed the negative thoughts in his heart and replied, “I’m still considering it.”

He didn’t want to tell the old man that he and Shu Yuan had already decided to have a fake marriage. Shu Yuan lacked consistency in her actions. Who knew if she would change her mind? There was no need to tell the elder so much before they had even registered their marriage.

Chen Fumi was so exasperated he laughed. “That’s as good as saying nothing at all. In a few days, you’ll be off to the northwest. Where am I supposed to find you to ask about this again? I won’t even get to meet my eldest grandson?”

Chen Zai answered calmly, “I’ll take care of it as soon as possible. You’ll get to see your grandson. I’ll give the child, the child’s mother, and myself a proper resolution.”

Chen Zai gave away nothing about the child or the child’s mother, but since things had already reached this point, Chen Fumi knew that pressing further would do no good. It was better to go along with the situation and act like a reasonable elder. So he said, “I’m already this old. Don’t make me keep worrying about you. Don’t wait until I’m six feet under before I get to see my grandson. There’s still that blind date tonight. What are we going to do about it?”

Chen Zai responded decisively, “You all go ahead with the dinner. I happen to have plans with a friend.”

Chen Fumi: “…”

After Chen Zai walked out of the main room, Du Kang watched him head toward the front gate. She went into the study and, glancing at the old man’s expression, asked cautiously, “Dad, what did you two talk about? You actually look quite pleased.”

Chen Fumi said, “Chen Zai still has work tonight and won’t be joining us for dinner. Whether the Sheng family comes or not, you handle it.”

Du Kang: “…”

Isn’t this supposed to be a blind date? What does it mean if the person in question isn’t even showing up?

Then again, maybe that’s a good thing. No blind date with Sheng Zhiyi means she can go ahead and match Chen Zai with Tao Leshan instead. The Tao family was, after all, her own relatives.

——

Shu Yuan’s top priority was still to find a job. After thinking things through over the past few days, she had clarified two points. First, she didn’t want to continue running a street stall, nor did she want to earn her first pot of gold by starting a business that way. Second, she didn’t want to prepare for the college entrance exam. If she were younger and didn’t have a child, she might have considered changing her fate through education. But in her current situation, taking the college entrance exam wasn’t even on the table.

That meant she needed to find a decent job.

With only a high school diploma, not to mention landing a good job, she couldn’t even find a way into a factory.

In the past couple of days, she had taken Xiao Man to read newspapers posted in the factory district’s bulletin boards and wandered the streets, but saw no job postings. Given how limited access to information was in this era, she completely understood why people had to rely on relatives, friends, or even pay money to secure a job.

Her previous major had been Communications. She had no interest in becoming a reporter, always rushing about. After graduation, she had planned to work in public relations at the family business. But in the 1980s, there was no such thing as a PR career. Still, if she combined her education, strengths, and interests, she thought she could become a photographer.

The first thing she did was share her idea with Xiao Man. “I could find a job as a photographer.”

Xiao Man exclaimed with delight, “Wow, Mom, you know how to take photos? People who can take photos are always amazing. Mom, you’re amazing!”

That day, the mother and son were walking down the street, studying the People’s Photo Studio by the roadside. It had been established during the Republic of China era and was the oldest photo studio in Lucheng. Later, when photography salons began to rise, other studios were gradually eliminated by the tide of the times, shutting down one after another. But this one had managed to survive, sustained by a sense of nostalgia.

Shu Yuan wasn’t sure how to obtain job information. She was wondering whether she should go inside and ask if they needed a photographer.

In fact, before she found a proper job, she could also go from street to street taking photos for people. That would probably earn more than a regular job. The problem was, she didn’t have the money to buy a camera.

“Mom, why don’t you go in and ask if they need help?” Xiao Man asked, sounding like a little adult.

For once, Shu Yuan hesitated. She felt there was a ninety percent chance it wouldn’t work out if she went in directly to ask. That wouldn’t discourage her, but she wasn’t sure if witnessing that failure would be disheartening for Xiao Man.

Just as Shu Yuan was lost in thought, she heard Xiao Man encouraging her, “Mom, give it a try. You only get a chance if you try.”

Shu Yuan had originally thought that after bringing Xiao Man back, her life would become a tough, joyless struggle of raising a child. She hadn’t expected Xiao Man to be more mature and understanding than most children, constantly giving her emotional support.

He truly believed his mother was good, excellent, and capable. And he encouraged her, just like he was doing now.

“All right, Xiao Man, then let’s go ask,” Shu Yuan said with a smile, taking his hand as they walked into the photo studio together.

As expected, the photo studio wasn’t looking for walk-in applicants. These studios operated under the traditional master-apprentice system, where masters trained their own apprentices, so they were never short of help.

They walked a long way, wearing Xiao Man’s little legs even thinner, only to receive the same answer again and again.

Shu Yuan couldn’t help but feel a little sour. Her child had witnessed all of her repeated failures, and that child was her own son. The feeling was bitter and sharp all at once.

However, Xiao Man held her hand tightly, his voice soft yet firm as he encouraged her, “Don’t be discouraged, Mom. If we keep walking and asking, we’ll find a job eventually.”

He was clearly a child with a resilient personality, someone who wouldn’t be easily defeated by hardship.

“That’s right. As long as you have a skill, there’s no need to worry about finding work,” Shu Yuan replied, her tone full of confidence.

In truth, she had no idea how to find a job in this era.

She had originally planned to go home and try again tomorrow. But unexpectedly, while walking through an alley near the electronics factory, they came across another small shop front: Weimin Photo Studio. A piece of paper was taped to the window glass, with the words, “Temporary Help Wanted.”

Xiao Man widened his eyes and read the words aloud with excitement. “Mom, they’re hiring! Let’s go in and take a look.”

The little guy was full of enthusiasm and successfully drew Shu Yuan’s attention.

This was a shabby little shop, so plain and unremarkable that it was easy to overlook. The signboard had small lettering, and the old wooden door was only half open. They entered through the narrow half-door into a room of barely over ten square meters, packed with miscellaneous items.

The receptionist was a young woman around twenty-three or twenty-four. Shu Yuan spoke up, “Are you hiring temporary help here?”

The receptionist looked her over and said, “You’re looking for work? We’re looking for a photographer, someone to cover a shift temporarily.”

“I know how to take photos,” Shu Yuan replied with confidence.

The receptionist was skeptical. Shu Yuan looked young, about the same age as the two apprentices in the shop, who had already been training for one or two years. Even so, the master still didn’t fully entrust them with the work.

Trying to make her back down, the receptionist threw out a few technical questions: “How many years have you worked? Got any good photos to show? Where did you learn photography? What’s your certification level?”

Shu Yuan: “…”

No work experience, no portfolio.

Not every photographer bothered with certification levels.

Right now, all she could rely on was her words. Shu Yuan spoke with unwavering certainty. “My photography skills don’t need a certification to be validated.”

Receptionist: “…”

Most people who had come before were timid and overly modest. This one, with her overflowing confidence, was oddly convincing.

The receptionist was suddenly very tempted. She genuinely wanted to see whether Shu Yuan truly had the skills or was just full of hot air.

She made a quick decision and rummaged through the counter, pulling out a one-inch black-and-white photo. “Can you color this photo?”

Shu Yuan nodded calmly. “I can.”

Before she transmigrated, Shu Yuan’s major had been Communications. News photography was a required course, and film photography was an elective. She had a passion for photography and enough financial resources to support it. She had collected a variety of vintage cameras, had her own darkroom, and was very familiar with both shooting and developing film.

The receptionist walked out from behind the counter and went into the back room. She came back with a calligraphy brush and some paint, saying, “Then go ahead and color this photo.”

Shu Yuan hadn’t expected to be tested on the spot, and with the one task she disliked most: coloring black-and-white photos. In her view, black-and-white photos had a unique charm of their own. Adding color was completely unnecessary. Unfortunately, it was all the rage at the moment.

The photo was tiny, but the workload was heavy.

Shu Yuan asked, “If I do a good job coloring it, can I work here?”

The receptionist replied, “Depends on your skill. Master Zhao isn’t in the shop these couple of days. If you’re good, he’ll definitely have you come in.”

Shu Yuan pulled out a chair and sat down, letting Xiao Man sit beside her. “All right,” she said.

The photo featured a soldier. Shu Yuan first needed to tone the image in sepia, adjusting the portrait to a brownish hue to bring the skin tone closer to a natural complexion. Then she mixed the paints: coloring the lips red, painting the five-pointed star and epaulettes a bright red, and shading the uniform green.

Xiao Man sat beside her, eyes wide as he watched his mom work. So Mom knew art too. Xiao Man also liked to draw, maybe he had inherited that from her.

The little guy stared nervously at the brush in Shu Yuan’s hand. He didn’t dare speak, and even his breathing grew lighter, afraid he might disturb her. After all, a single misstroke could ruin the entire photo.

The two apprentices also came over to watch, standing silently as Shu Yuan outlined and filled in the colors stroke by stroke. Like Xiao Man, they didn’t dare make a sound.

The black-and-white photo was transformed into a color portrait in Shu Yuan’s hands. Xiao Man was the first to let out a long breath. “Wow, it’s finally finished! It’s so bright and natural. Mom, you’re amazing!”

Xiao Man was Shu Yuan’s number one fan, utterly admiring her.

All three shop staff agreed with him.

The receptionist was full of admiration. “You color so quickly, and your skill is incredible. It looks just like a photo taken in color.”

The two apprentices felt a bit embarrassed. They had been learning for over a year and still hadn’t reached that level.

The receptionist didn’t hesitate. “The day after tomorrow, Master Zhao will stop by the shop before he gets off work. Come back around four in the afternoon.”

With coloring skills that good, her photography and darkroom abilities were likely just as strong. She was determined to give Shu Yuan a strong recommendation when Master Zhao arrived.

The current manager of the studio, who was also the only senior master, suffered from severe rheumatism and had limited mobility. He needed rest, so they were temporarily looking for someone to fill in.

“All right,” Shu Yuan agreed readily.

After they left the photo studio, Xiao Man held Shu Yuan’s hand, swinging it back and forth, his voice sweet and cheerful. “Mom, you’re so skilled. You’re definitely going to find a job as a photographer. Even if this shop doesn’t work out, another one will.”

“I think so too,” Shu Yuan said, the corners of her lips lifting high.

She had received her son’s encouragement.

The little guy provided just the right kind of emotional support, though Shu Yuan actually wished he could be more like other kids, carefree and without worries.

Mother and son walked home in good spirits.

In Li Hongxia’s eyes, Shu Yuan’s marriage situation was a complete mess. Worrying about it wouldn’t help, so she might as well focus on her job prospects instead.

She had a bit of an advantage. She worked in the same office as the deputy factory director’s wife, who was also in accounting and in charge of personnel. When it came to recruitment, naturally, she had better access to inside information.

As soon as the deputy director’s wife arrived at the office, Li Hongxia warmly offered her some tea. After a few pleasantries, she smoothly steered the conversation toward the spring hiring round. With a broad smile, she asked, “Our Shu Yuan has been waiting for over a year. It’s finally her turn in this round of recruitment, isn’t it?”

Though both were ordinary staff members, the deputy factory director’s wife, Jia Caiqin, spoke just like her husband, full of official-sounding excuses. “There are so many children of factory workers waiting for placement, but only so many positions. How do you expect us to manage that? Old Tan’s job isn’t easy. Whoever he gives priority to, someone else will be offended.”

Li Hongxia went on for a while, playing the sympathy card. “We’ve known each other for years. Can’t you talk to Old Tan for us? Any position for Shu Yuan will do. We’re not picky.”

Jia Caiqin sighed and said, “It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but it’s really difficult. A ton of workers have already come to our house carrying big bags of gifts, all trying to pull strings. But Old Tan is upright and fair. He kicked out both the people and their gifts. So how am I supposed to help you?”

Li Hongxia was a shrewd person. She understood perfectly what Jia Caiqin meant: personal ties were useless. If you wanted a job, you had to offer gifts. And with so many people doing the same, ordinary tobacco, liquor, and snacks wouldn’t even catch their eye.

——

The next day was Saturday. In the evening, Shu Ping’s family was coming over for dinner. Before six in the morning, Shu Yuan took Xiao Man with her to buy groceries. Their first stop was the butcher’s. By the time they arrived, more than twenty people were already in line. When it was finally Shu Yuan’s turn, she spent one yuan and two mao (1.2 yuan) to buy one jin (500 g) of pork belly. It wasn’t that she was stingy. If she bought too much meat, Li Hongxia would feel bad about the money and ration coupons.

Next to the butcher’s was the vegetable stall. Unlike the butcher, there was no line at the vegetable stand. The mother and son bought spinach and radishes, and even splurged a little on a small bunch of yellow chives, all carried proudly by Xiao Man, the little man of the house.

As they passed the supply and marketing cooperative, they spent another six mao (0.6 yuan) or so to buy half a jin (250 g) each of White Rabbit milk candies and fruit candies. Shu Yuan unwrapped a milk candy and popped it into Xiao Man’s mouth. His cheeks immediately puffed up like a squirrel’s.

Xiao Man unwrapped a candy too, carefully folded the wrapper and tucked it into his pocket, then raised his little hand and said, “Mom, you have one too.”

Shu Yuan bent down and accepted the candy he offered. “So sweet,” she said contentedly.