Chapter 5

In mid-April, it’s time to plant rice seedlings in the southwest, and all the production teams are busy.

Spring planting is an urgent task. Each year, when this season arrives, every team member has to go to the fields, and village leaders also work there.

As the brigade’s accountant, Xu Qiujin had to help in the fields during the busy farming season.

She got up early before dawn to prepare breakfast.

For breakfast, she made corn steamed bread. Unlike most people who used black flour, Yang Qiujin mixed finely ground corn flour with white flour. She combined the flour with warm water and let the dough rest before kneading it into fist-sized portions, making a hole in the center, and steaming it in a bamboo steamer.

The bread turned a bright golden color, was soft, and had a slightly sweet aftertaste. It was then filled with a mixture of diced bamboo shoots, carrots, lettuce, and bacon, stir-fried together, which gave it a savory flavor.

Tianyou, who was picky about food, ate three large steamed breads in a row. His belly rounded out, and grease collected at the corners of his mouth. He then lay back in the wooden rocking chair in the yard, burped, and said, “Mom, the steamed bread is so delicious. I wish you could make it for me every day.”

“You’re so sweet,” Yang Qiujin said while clearing the dishes with her mother-in-law. “I’d love to make steamed bread every day, but we’re almost out of Fuqiang flour. After we finish this batch, are you and I going to make it with black flour like the neighbors do?”

Tianyou thought of the black, thick steamed bread his second aunt made next door. It was hard to eat and made his throat feel scratchy. His cousin said if you ate too much, you couldn’t poop and had to use a stick to help. Tianyou was so scared that he shook his head. “Then I won’t eat steamed bread anymore.”

“It’s okay, our dear grandson can have whatever he wants,” Li Xiu’e said as she gathered the dishes and headed to the kitchen. “Your father sent us money, and grandma has some too. I’ll buy you whatever you like. We’re out of Fuqiang flour, so I’ll go to the black market when I get a chance.”

“Mom, you’re spoiling him!” Yang Qiujin said firmly. “I’ve told you so many times—children shouldn’t be spoiled. If you keep buying him anything he asks for, he’ll never learn the value of money. Do you know how hard his father works to make it? And some families are starving. He’s already living a good life, without having to worry about food or clothes.”

Li Xiu’e muttered, “My family is well-off, and I have money. If I don’t give it to my grandson, who should I give it to?”

“Mom, I understand you love Tianyou, but think about it. Shengqing has been sending more money each year, which means his position in the army is improving. It also means he’s earning that money with his life and hard work. As his family, we can’t just take it for granted.”

Yang Qiujin took a loofah and scrubbed the pot while speaking seriously, “Shengqing can’t be a soldier forever. One day he’ll retire. We need to think about the future for him and Tianyou. I’ve saved most of the money. We’ll build a big house so that Shengqing can rest properly when he’s home. He won’t have to keep running around to make a living. We also need to help Tianyou study, go to college, get married, have children, and take care of you in your old age, taking you out to play… These are all things I’m planning for. You have to support me when I educate the children.”

“Okay, Qiu Jin, I know you’re doing this for Tianyou’s sake. I won’t argue anymore.” Li Xiu’e, feeling both moved and emotional, took the washed dishes from her and put them in the cupboard.

When Yang Qiujin married into the Chen family, she had some resentment because she wasn’t the daughter-in-law her father had chosen.

But over time, she got to know Yang Qiujin’s character and saw that she was forced to act so tough. She also realized that Yang Qiujin ran the household well, was extremely respectful to her and her husband, and was well-educated. Now, Li Xiu’e was very satisfied with her.

Li Xiu’e had her own plans, though. She promised not to buy things unnecessarily, but secretly decided to visit the supply and marketing cooperative^[1]which refers to a government-controlled store selling basic goods. to buy more snacks and food for Tianyou when Yang Qiujin wasn’t around.

Li Xiu’e would never let her precious grandson go hungry.

Tianyou, who had been eavesdropping by the kitchen door, heard his grandma agreeing with his mom about not buying him things. His mouth pouted, and he wanted to speak up, but when his grandma winked at him, he understood and left the kitchen smiling.

Yang Qiujin noticed the little exchange and smiled helplessly but chose to ignore it.

In rural areas, most older people deeply love their children and grandchildren. They tend to save things for them, even at their own expense.

Li Xiu’e was the type of person who would rather go without than let her family suffer. If she were really restricted from buying treats for Tianyou, she would feel miserable.

As long as Li Xiu’e didn’t openly oppose Yang Qiujin’s methods of raising the children, Yang Qiujin turned a blind eye to other things.

After breakfast, as they cleaned up the dishes, dawn broke. Li Xiu’e had to send Tianyou to school as usual.

Tianyou attended the commune primary school, about 40 minutes’ walk from the Pioneer Brigade. Yang Qiujin had initially wanted to train Tianyou to be independent by having him go to school alone, but Li Xiu’e was concerned about him being kidnapped or encountering bad people along the way, so she insisted on accompanying him, and Yang Qiujin agreed.

After packing Tianyou’s cloth schoolbag, Yang Qiujin knelt in front of him and reminded him again: “Pay attention in class, don’t run around or skip school, don’t make noise and disturb others, and don’t fight or argue. And remember, you are not allowed to…”

“I know, Mom, please stop saying it. My ears are getting sore from hearing it every day.” Tianyou made a sad face and covered his ears, pretending to have a headache. “I know it all. You say the same thing every day, and even if you don’t get annoyed, I do.”

“You think I’m annoying? Then why didn’t you study hard when you were in school and instead caused trouble everywhere?” Yang Qiujin sneered, anger flashing in her eyes. “You should sit still and focus on your studies. If the teacher doesn’t complain about you, do I have to scold you every day? You’re tired of hearing it, but I’m tired of repeating myself!”

When she was pregnant with Tianyou, the delivery was difficult. She labored for a full day and night but couldn’t deliver the baby. Tianyou was deprived of oxygen while in her womb, and after birth, he was different from other children. He was often a little slow and didn’t respond to the outside world as other kids did. In short, he was a bit slow and lived in his own world.

Children like him often didn’t understand boundaries and struggled to follow instructions. Yang Qiujin was angry and worried about why her child wasn’t listening, constantly causing trouble, and running around. She even complained to the nursery teacher every day, demanding that Tianyou be sent home and expelled from school. She cried in frustration.

Yang Qiujin tried countless methods but couldn’t get through to him. All she could do was continuously lecture Tianyou about what he shouldn’t do. Although it upset him, her efforts began to show results over time.

“Mom, please stop. It’s going to get dark if you keep talking,” Tianyou said, afraid of her constant nagging. He grabbed his grandmother’s hand and walked out of the yard without looking back.

Once they were outside, Tianyou spoke to Li Xiu’e, “Grandma, it’s not that I don’t want to study. I just can’t sit still. I can’t control myself; I just want to walk out of the classroom and play outside.”

“It’s alright. Your dad was just like you when he was your age,” Li Xiu’e said as she lovingly patted his head. “As long as you don’t argue or fight with your classmates and avoid doing bad things, you’re a good boy.”

“Is my dad as naughty as me?” Tianyou asked curiously, his bright black eyes filled with confusion. “Didn’t mom say Dad was very well-behaved as a child?”

“Well-behaved?”

He was well-behaved in front of others, but Li Xiu’e knew him best when it came to family matters. She smiled gently and replied, “When your dad comes back, you’ll see if he was like you.”

“When will he come back?” Tianyou asked eagerly.

“He should be back soon. Grandma had a dream about your dad last night,” Li Xiu’e said.

Li Xiu’e rarely dreamt of her son, but when she did, it usually meant a letter was coming soon. Last night, she dreamed he returned home. When she woke up, she was laughing and crying, wondering whether he would send a letter or come to visit.

After Li Xiu’e left, Yang Qiujin went to the village brigade headquarters, wearing a straw hat. The brigade leader, Deng Jianshe, was blowing his whistle to signal the start of the workday, waiting for the villagers to arrive and assign tasks.

The Pioneer Brigade was focused on growing rice, so the main work now was plowing the paddy fields and planting rice seedlings. Men did the heavier plowing work, while women planted the seedlings.

Yang Qiujin was assigned to a group with several young village wives. As the sun rose, they rolled up their trousers to their knees and stepped barefoot into the knee-deep paddy fields. They held rice seedlings in one hand and quickly planted them with the other.

Transplanting rice seedlings seems easy but is tiring. You have to bend over constantly and wade through the muddy water. Your feet are soaked, and it’s uncomfortable, especially with leeches that bite and suck your blood. Even experienced farmers straighten their backs every half hour to relieve their aching waists and check for leeches.

Yang Qiujin, however, bent over continuously, planting the seedlings quickly and neatly, leaving the other four women in the field behind.

The women whispered, “Why is she working so fast? No matter how much she does, it’s still the same number of work points.”

“Of course, we’re fast enough, but she wants to be the best. She works so hard, even for something like planting rice seedlings. Is it really necessary to try so hard? No wonder Brother Shengqing hasn’t wanted to come back for all these years.”

“Oh, Brother Shengqing… You’re already married with two kids, yet you’re still thinking about him?”

“Pah, pah, pah! Nonsense! I just feel sorry for Brother Shengqing. He’s such a cultured, handsome man, but he has to live with a shrew like Yang Qiujin. His life must be miserable.”

“I think you’re just jealous of Yang Qiujin. She may be tough, but she’s pretty, well-educated, and even the brigade’s accountant. She works hard and does everything well. She doesn’t need Chen Shengqing to stand on her own. You can’t keep up with her, so there’s no need to say nonsense about her.”

“Hey, whose side are you on?”

“Shh, something interesting is happening.”

The four women straightened up and looked toward the village road, where a dozen young people were approaching noisily.

When they saw who it was, three of the women couldn’t help but smirk.

***

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