Chapter 007: Albanian Stitch

In truth, Xiaomei chose to tell her grandmother not just for the two reasons she had considered earlier, but mainly because she believed her grandmother was the true matriarch of the family—a position earned through wisdom and vision.

When she was young, Grandma had worked as a maid for a wealthy family in Shanghai, which broadened her horizons. Maids in wealthy households on the bustling Shanghai Bund naturally had more knowledge than rural women.

Grandma got married in Shanghai and gave birth to a daughter—Xiaomei’s third aunt.

One year, she received a letter from her brother saying their elderly mother was gravely ill. Grandma returned to Suzhou with her daughter to see her mother.

Who would have thought that upon arriving home, her brother would tie her up and marry her off to a man—Xiaomei’s grandfather.

Later, Grandma found out she had been lost in a bet—her brother had gambled her away to Xiaomei’s grandfather.

Xiaomei’s grandfather was not a villain, just an ordinary farmer from the village, and he was a decent man.

Grandma loathed her brother but couldn’t bring herself to hate her new husband.

Not long after, Xiaomei’s father was born. With no other option, Grandma settled down in Tianjing Village.

It’s said that right before the liberation, Grandma’s former husband came to the village to ask her to return to Shanghai with him, but she refused.

After the liberation, she had another daughter, but unfortunately, this aunt of Xiaomei’s didn’t survive.

Then, during the Great Famine, Grandpa passed away.

Among the three daughters, the eldest two were from his previous wife. The oldest had a limp since childhood, and Grandma found a way to get her into the village’s boxwood carving factory.

Though the factory was barely surviving, it meant her physically disabled stepdaughter didn’t have to labor in the fields—something the village praised Grandma for.

The second daughter was gentle and fell in love with a village orphan. Xiaomei’s second uncle was strong and hardworking, but his family was very poor.

Grandma believed that being poor now didn’t mean being poor forever, and she agreed to the marriage, even providing the best dowry she could. The four daughters they had were all raised by Grandma.

The third uncle was a soldier and wasn’t even discharged when he married Xiaomei’s third aunt. She was fiery in personality and always clashed with her in-laws, but Grandma never sided with her own daughter. She always said, “No matter how right you are, arguing with your in-laws means you’re wrong.”

So, ironically, the two stepdaughters were closer to Grandma than her biological daughter.

Xiaomei’s father was smart from a young age, and Grandma insisted he study, no matter how hard things got.

At first, the family was okay, but after Grandpa died, life got harder. Xiaomei’s father wanted to quit school and farm, but Grandma sold half the house to keep him in school.

But after a few more years, turmoil broke out in the city.

Grandma heard the news, sighed, and rushed to Suzhou overnight to bring him home.

Then she started matchmaking.

She had her eye on Xiaomei’s mother.

Xiaomei’s mom had two older sisters, and the three of them were known as the “Three Flowers of Tianjing Village”—beautiful, hard-working, and eloquent.

Grandma decided Xiaomei’s mother would be her daughter-in-law.

Because from the moment she brought her son back from Suzhou, she gave up the dream of him climbing the social ladder through education.

Since they were going to stay in the village, she had to find someone good at farming.

Of course, when Grandma sent a matchmaker, the villagers ridiculed her.

First, the boy only knew how to study and couldn’t farm. This was during the “useless education” era, and people thought selling property to send a son to school was wasteful.

As the saying goes, people borrow sacks for rice, not for books.

Second, Xiaomei’s father was pale and delicate. Who cared if he looked nice or talked well if he couldn’t farm or earn enough labor points?

Who did he think he was to want to marry the village beauty?

Many tried to talk Xiaomei’s maternal grandmother out of it.

But fate works in mysterious ways, and Xiaomei’s grandmother, uncle, and mother all agreed to the match.

Thus, Xiaomei and her younger brother Xiaohua were born.

Actually, Xiaomei admired her Grandma Wang’s vision. Because after her mother married into the Wang family, they gradually rose in fortune. They were still poor, but who wasn’t?

Another thing—after marrying into the Wang family, Grandma Wang never worked in the fields. Having grown up in Shanghai, she didn’t know how.

This was also something the villagers criticized. When Xiaomei and her brother were born, it made sense she stayed home to care for them. But even before that, she simply wouldn’t work in the fields.

And yet, she managed just fine.

She even got along well with the sent-down youth, like Wang Yanqin, who called her godmother.

Other youths often visited her house to knit sweaters with fancy patterns, like the so-called “Albanian Stitch”—a name no village woman had ever heard of.

Even the prettiest village girls couldn’t knit beyond basic stockinette or garter stitches. But these girls went to Grandma to learn or even paid her to knit for them.

She really had a way with people.

To Xiaomei, Grandma was amazing.

Life was tough, but Grandma lived with dignity and flair.

Such a grandmother wouldn’t panic over Xiaomei’s strange experiences—she’d cover for her and even teach her how to deal with people from the other side.

This, Xiaomei felt confident about.

At this moment, Grandma was still studying the 30 yuan note, and Xiaomei poured her a cup of water: “Grandma, have some water.”

To help her calm down.

Grandma took the cup and drank half of it, wiped her mouth, and stuffed the money into her pocket. “Come, let’s bring something for your grandma (on the mother’s side). I’ll go with you.”

She took Xiaomei into the kitchen and filled two bowls—one with rice, one with dishes.

All meat dishes; they saved the vegetables.

Xiaomei couldn’t help but say, “Shouldn’t we save some? Grandma won’t eat this much.”

“Don’t save. Your uncle’s family will definitely have guests tonight. These can help stretch the meal.” After a pause: “Actually, take all of it. The vegetables count as a dish too.”

She packed everything up, washed the plastic containers, and said, “If your parents ask, say I brought these back from your Aunt Wang’s place, got it?”

Xiaomei smiled. Grandma was already helping her keep secrets.

Yay!

“Grandma is the best!” Xiaomei hugged her grandma’s arm playfully.

Grandma tapped Xiaomei’s nose with a grin. “Little rascal.”

She went to the bedroom, pulled out a cloth pouch from a trunk, opened it, took out a lunchbox, removed 50 cents, put in the 30 yuan note, and packed everything back.

“Let’s go visit your grandma,” she said.