Chapter 16

“Mom, don’t worry, I have money.” Yang Qiujin pressed the money into Wu Shulian’s hand again, smiling shyly. “Shengqing came back and gave me a lot of household subsidies. I’m not lacking money. After I leave, I don’t know when I can see you again. I can’t always take care of you. This money is for you. Keep it for yourself. Don’t tell Dad.”

When her father-in-law passed away and her mother-in-law fell ill, Yang Qiujin took her mother-in-law to seek treatment everywhere, leading the Pioneer Brigade to mistakenly believe Li Xiu’e was seriously ill. But Yang Qiujin saw through the second wife’s intentions and did this on purpose to see if she would lend money for treatment. As expected, the second wife ignored them, leading to their split.

At the time, Li Xiu’e was indeed ill, suffering from depression. She refused to eat or drink and wanted to die with her husband. To comfort her, Yang Qiujin took her on a trip under the pretext of visiting a doctor. This gave Li Xiu’e, who had lived in the countryside for many years, a broader perspective, which helped her recover mentally. Afterward, she returned home.

Yang Qiujin also learned a lot on this trip, which changed her personality.

Most of Chen Shengqing’s allowance over the years had been mailed back to Yang Qiujin. It started at one or two yuan a month and grew to fifty yuan a month. After deducting daily expenses, Yang Qiujin had more than three hundred yuan left. Plus, Chen Shengqing gave her twelve hundred yuan after he returned. She gave one hundred yuan to her mother, which wasn’t much.

Wu Shulian could not refuse, knowing it was a thoughtful gift from her daughter, and she accepted it with red eyes.

During lunch, Yang Chenghua, for the first time, did not look displeased at Yang Qiujin. He even hugged Tianyou and joked around happily.

After the meal, when Yang Qiujin’s family was about to leave, Yang Chenghua sneakily stuffed a bunch of crumpled banknotes into Yang Qiujin’s hands, saying, “Use this money to buy Tianyou some good food and drinks. Don’t let my grandson starve.”

This was the first time Yang Chenghua had given money to Yang Qiujin since their marriage.

Yang Qiujin looked at the crumpled notes in her hand, totaling only five yuan, and threw the money back at him with disdain. “You can keep it for yourself. I don’t need money, and Tianyou doesn’t need your concern.”

She did not understand his intention. He wanted to please her because Chen Shengqing had returned and was promoted to battalion commander. Yang Chenghua hoped to gain favor and future benefits, but she wanted to nip it in the bud.

“You! You don’t know what’s good for you!” Yang Chenghua was angered by her dismissive attitude and wanted to curse at her, but just then, Chen Shengqing appeared beside him like a ghost. His narrow eyes were cold, and he gave off a chilling aura, as if he had just stepped out of the snow. Yang Chenghua, frightened, swallowed back the words he was about to say and watched the family leave, eyes wide open.

After returning home, Yang Qiujin immediately began packing. She filled three large bags with clothes, pickled vegetables, dried radishes, bacon, and sausages.

She also packed various seeds she had hung under the eaves, such as cabbage, soybeans, radishes, rapeseed, pumpkin, and pepper seeds. After thinking it over, she added a small bag containing yellow-heart sweet potatoes and potatoes developed by Professor Zheng, intending to plant them in the frontier family compound.

Chen Tianyou sat under the eaves, watching his mother and grandmother busy packing. He leaned against the door, looking sad, and asked, “Mom, do I have to go with the army? Can’t I stay here?”

“Why don’t you want to go?” Yang Qiujin asked, turning around as she stuffed homemade canned bean paste into her already bulging bag.

“I can’t bear to leave Grandma and Xiaohua, who I play with. What will they do if I leave?” Chen Tianyou sighed dramatically like an adult.

Xiaohua is Chen Tianyou’s female classmate. She is cute, well-behaved, and obedient.

“Pfft…” Li Xiu’e, who was helping Yang Qiujin pack, turned around and saw his expression. She chuckled and teased him, “Then you won’t leave. Stay with Grandma and Xiaohua. Your mom will go to the border with your dad and come back to see you during the holidays. Okay?”

“No!” Chen Tianyou refused immediately. “I want to go with Mom.”

No matter how good Grandma or Xiaohua were, they couldn’t compare to his mom. He refused to be separated from her.

“You little rascal, your mother loves you so much!” Li Xiu’e poked his round little head, both angry and amused. “You forget about your mother when you have one.”

“Mom, you really don’t want to come with us?” Yang Qiujin tied the last cloth bag and turned to her seriously. “We could rent a small house outside the army, and you could find a job with me. We can earn money and see Tianyou all the time. How great is that?”

“No.” Li Xiu’e waved her hand. “I’ve lived in the Pioneer Brigade for most of my life. I can’t leave my hometown. I can’t bear to leave your father. I visit his grave up the mountain often. Besides, you two are living happily. I, as an old woman, don’t need to join in. When you get pregnant, I will come to take care of you. Before that, I won’t go anywhere. Don’t waste money renting a house. People will laugh at us.”

Yang Qiujin couldn’t persuade her, so she simply shook her head and went into the kitchen to cook.

She prepared a simple lunch by washing two spicy sausages and cooking them in the pot. She then added a handful of dried radish strips that had been preserved last winter, and steamed a layer of rice on top. For a cold dish, she smashed two juicy green cucumbers from her private plot. Soon, the kitchen filled with the special aroma of a mixture of dried radish and sausages.

“What delicious food are you making?” Chen Shengqing pushed a half-worn 28-inch bicycle into the yard. He smelled the rich aroma of radish and meat in the air, and his throat moved.

“I cooked dried radish and sausages, with steamed rice,” Yang Qiujin said, cutting the sausages into thin, shiny slices and placing them on a white porcelain plate. She also scooped up the shiny dried radish soup, with a little red oil, and placed the food on the wooden table in the yard. When she saw him push his bicycle in, she exclaimed, “The team leader was willing to lend you his bicycle.”

This bicycle had been assembled from parts purchased by the team leader at a county scrap yard a few years ago. He treasured it greatly, treating it as more precious than his own son. He never rode it much and never lent it to outsiders. He polished it daily, keeping it inside the house. The fact that he lent it to Chen Shengqing was like the sun rising in the west.

“We are somewhat related. He has to lend it to us even if he doesn’t want to,” Chen Shengqing said as he parked the bike, took Chen Tianyou to wash his hands at the corner of the yard, and then sat at the table. He scooped rice for her and Li Xiu’e first, then for Chen Tianyou, and finally for himself. “After lunch, we’ll go to the county department store to see what you want to buy. Buy everything, and I’ll take care of the tickets. Tomorrow morning, we’ll take the bus to the provincial capital to catch the train.”

At that time, transportation was underdeveloped, especially in southern Sichuan Province. The mountain roads were rugged and muddy. To travel from southern Sichuan to the border, one had to take a one-day bus ride to the provincial capital to buy a train ticket, then take a two-day, one-night train ride, and change buses twice to reach the military camp where Chen Shengqing’s troops were stationed.

Yang Qiujin had no objections and didn’t ask why he wasn’t taking Ji Mingchen’s jeep. “Okay, when we get to the county, I’ll visit my sister and take care of a few things for her.”

Chen Shengqing didn’t ask for details. He lowered his head, picked up his chopsticks, and invited everyone to eat.

The sausages on the table were cut into uniform slices and arranged neatly on a white porcelain plate. In the sunlight, they emitted an enticing oily glow.

Chen Shengqing picked up a piece of sausage and tasted it. It was spicy, fresh, and had a faint smoky aroma of pine and cypress. His mouth watered after the first bite, and the meaty aroma filled the air.

He knew that his mother couldn’t make sausages like this, so it must have been Yang Qiujin’s work.

It had been many years since he had eaten such delicious sausages. During his time in the frontier as a soldier, his meals mainly consisted of big pot dishes and dry rations. He rarely enjoyed flavorful food. But now, eating authentic Sichuan cuisine, the spicy seasoning made his lips tingle.

The hotter it was, the more he wanted to eat. He quickly turned his chopsticks and ate some cold cucumber. The crispy, tender, and refreshing spicy taste made him eat two mouthfuls of rice. He then grabbed a radish strip to balance the spice.

To his surprise, the radish strips were tender and absorbed the soup, making them soft and delicious. The strong aroma of sausage gravy filled the bite. He was stunned by how good it tasted and wondered when Yang Qiujin’s cooking had become this good.

The meal was to his liking. In no time, he had eaten two large bowls of rice and finished the carrot soup.

“Eat slowly, no one’s going to snatch it from you,” Li Xiu’e said with concern. “Are you full? If not, I can make more.”

“No, I’m full,” Chen Shengqing replied. Although he felt he could still eat two more bowls, the rice was limited, and there was little meat or vegetables these days. He decided to leave some for the family and stopped when he was halfway full.

Yang Qiujin was also surprised by how much Chen Shengqing ate. She thought he wasn’t full and was surprised at his appetite. As they drove to the county, passing a state-owned restaurant, she asked, “Do you want to buy more food?”

“How much do you think I can eat?” Chen Shengqing stopped the bike with a creak. He propped it up with his long legs, looked back at her with a mischievous smile, “I bet those state-owned chefs’ cooking can’t compare to yours. You should feel sorry for me and cook more meals in the future so I can eat more.”

Yang Qiujin’s face heated up at his look. “Who cares about you? You’re just being sentimental.”

Chen Shengqing raised his eyebrows and smiled, not saying much more. He pushed his long legs and the bike moved forward.

“Wuhu~ take off~!” Chen Tianyou, sitting on the front bumper, laughed with his arms wide.

“Hey? What are you doing?” Yang Qiujin, startled by the sudden speed, grabbed the clothes around Chen Shengqing’s waist. But he sped up even more. It felt as if she were going to fly. She had to hold tightly to his strong back with both hands and even freed one hand to hit his shoulder, “Ride slower, do you want to kill me?”

Feeling her warm body against his back and hearing Chen Tianyou’s laugh in front of him, Chen Shengqing laughed along with the child, gradually slowing down as they reached the county department store.