Chapter 78

Jiang Suihan turned to see Zhang Xiangqian, arms crossed, grinning and leaning against the wall.

He came over, grabbed a sugar-coated hawthorn without saying a word, and started eating, commenting, “This is my first time trying apple-flavored sugar-coated hawthorn. It’s pretty good. Xu Zhao, you’re hiding your skills well. After knowing you for over ten years, I didn’t know you had such a unique talent. Next time there’s something good like this, let me know in advance. Almost missed out today.”

A skewer of sugar-coated hawthorn had only four apple pieces. Zhang Xiangqian finished it in less than a minute, still wanting more. He reached for another skewer, but Xu Zhao ruthlessly swatted his hand, causing him to yelp in pain.

“Why are you so harsh? Did you break a bone? Is this how you treat your brother? It’s just one skewer of sugar-coated hawthorn. Is it really necessary to be so stingy?”

Zhang Xiangqian rubbed his hand and looked at Jiang Suihan, who was watching from the side, hoping to find an ally. “Sister-in-law, don’t you think he’s being stingy? I always share with him when I get something good. Even back in middle school, I’d split my meat bun with him. The disparity is stark. He’s the deputy regiment commander, and I’m just a small battalion commander. I can’t compare, I can’t compare.””

Such clumsy acting was truly painful to watch.

Jiang Suihan replied calmly, “Originally, these five skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn were mine. Now that you’ve eaten one, I have one less. Which side do you think I should be on?”

Zhang Xiangqian was momentarily stunned. Forgetting they were married, he wasn’t embarrassed at all. He chuckled and said, “Sister-in-law, you’re quite humorous. I was just trying the taste for you. Even though it’s not as good as the ones you buy outside, it’s still tasty.”

Xu Zhao shot him a dismissive glance, clearly signaling he should leave. Zhang Xiangqian, thick-skinned, decided to stay and be a nuisance.

Jiang Suihan’s face reddened. Zhang Xiangqian had surely seen her feeding Xu Zhao earlier. He was everywhere.

Zhang Xiangqian continued talking, “I saw Auntie earlier. Isn’t she staying in the capital for the New Year? Did she quit her job there, or has she retired? Your mom is staying here to take care of your wife, but what about your dad? Is it just the old man and your dad spending the New Year alone? That’s rather dull.”

Xu Zhao felt as if there was a fly buzzing around his ears, irritating him. “Why do you talk so much? Just get lost.”

Zhang Xiangqian refused to leave. “I’m just concerned about you, brother. You’re cold on the outside but warm on the inside. A little emotional talk and you can’t handle it. By the way, how many months is your son along? My son is showing brotherly love today, carrying a piece of candy in his pocket, saying it’s for your son. I’ve never even had a full piece of candy myself.”

Jiang Suihan listened quietly, feeling the statement was a bit bitter.

Was he jealous of an unborn baby?

Zhang Xiangqian’s resentment over not getting a full piece of candy from his son was quite something, especially during the New Year.

Xu Zhao handed Zhang Xiangqian a skewer of sugar-coated hawthorn with a stern face. “Just get lost.”

It was just a bit of effort, and he got another skewer of hawthorn out of it—worthwhile.

Zhang Xiangqian took the hawthorn and happily left, intending to cheer up his son. On the way, he couldn’t resist eating one himself. It had been years since he last had one, and he didn’t remember what hawthorn tasted like, so he decided to try it first.

The child was young, with a delicate stomach, so he couldn’t eat too much. His wife also wouldn’t allow it. Two pieces were enough for him, and he kept one for his wife.

He thought to himself, “I’m really a good father and husband.”

Jiang Suihan looked at the remaining three skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn and worried, “Should we take them home?”

The cafeteria was crowded with children. If someone wanted some, it would be hard to refuse. But she wanted to keep some for herself to enjoy slowly.

Xu Zhao said he had a plan. He led Jiang Suihan through a small door on the other side of the cafeteria and found an empty corner. There was an old, slightly worn wooden cabinet there. He opened it, placed the sugar-coated hawthorn inside, and then closed the cabinet.

Jiang Suihan was a bit uneasy and kept looking back. “Won’t someone take them?”

Xu Zhao’s face showed no sign of worry. “The cabinet is old and has a hole in the back. It was going to be discarded anyway. Putting them inside is fine. No one will open it.”

As they came out, they heard Dai Jia’s voice, “Come quickly, the dumplings are ready.”

There were two empty seats next to Dai Jia. Jiang Suihan sat down, with Xu Zhao on her left.

Youyou, sitting quietly in his mother’s lap, occasionally licked the sugar-coated hawthorn in his hand, his little face a bit dirty.

Dai Jia smiled and said, “I haven’t thanked you for the sugar-coated hawthorn yet. Youyou loves it so much he’s reluctant to eat it. He’s almost licked off all the sugar on the outside.”

She had also had one earlier, and it was indeed good. Honestly, she envied Jiang Suihan a bit. Xu Zhao seemed to be capable of everything and was willing to do it, not feeling embarrassed. Unlike Zhang Xiangqian, who only had a loud mouth. While he could be amusing at times, when he was in a bad mood, his constant chatter was really annoying. She wished she could kick him aside to be alone.

Jiang Suihan was playing with Youyou: “Is the candied hawthorn tasty?”

Youyou tilted his little head. Since this semester, his mother had taken him to school almost every day, and he knew everyone in the office. In a soft voice, he said, “It’s tasty.”

Dai Jia glanced at Jiang Suihan’s belly and teased, “You don’t need to envy. Your pregnancy is already four or five months along. By May or June, you should be giving birth. Children from one’s own family are always the cutest.”

Jiang Suihan nodded, “Four and a half months, it’s still early.”

She agreed with Dai Jia’s final remark—of course, one’s own child is the cutest. She used to find children cute and fun to play with, but she wasn’t keen on taking care of them. Sometimes children could be like little angels, but when they got restless, they could be little demons, which was quite exhausting.

Xu Zhao served Jiang Suihan a bowl of dumplings. It wasn’t much—just five or six dumplings, each quite large. She would need several bites to finish one. They were still warm, freshly taken from the pot.

Jiang Suihan picked up one dumpling and took a bite. The wrapper was a bit thick, but the filling was well-seasoned, with more cabbage than pork. She didn’t have dumplings very often—just a couple of times when her mother-in-law made them. At home, they would use generous amounts of filling, like cabbage and pork, chives and egg, or sauerkraut and meat, all of which she had tried.

As she bit into the second dumpling, her expression changed. She subtly tugged at Xu Zhao’s sleeve. Xu Zhao turned to her and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Suihan said in frustration, “There’s fatty meat in this one.”

Xu Zhao knew she didn’t eat fatty meat. She avoided any meat with even a bit of fat, whereas others preferred some fat for its juiciness. Lean meat could be too dry and lacking flavor.

He picked up the dumpling she had bitten into and put it in his own bowl, asking, “Do you want more?”

Jiang Suihan felt the chance of getting fatty meat was too high, so she shook her head, “No, I’d rather have some tangyuan.”

Xu Zhao poured all the dumplings from her bowl into his own and went to the kitchen.

Dai Jia asked curiously, “Where’s Xu Zhao going?”

The weather was cold, and the dumplings would be unappetizing once they cooled down.

Jiang Suihan whispered, “I want some tangyuan. He went to get me some.”

You could choose between tangyuan and dumplings, or have a bit of both, but you couldn’t eat freely. With so many people around and limited supplies, the evening was just to provide a space and some food to make everyone happy for the New Year.

Dai Jia continued feeding her son while eating, “Don’t you like dumplings?”

Jiang Suihan, not wanting to admit she couldn’t eat the ones with fatty meat, replied, “I don’t know what’s going on tonight. Eating meat feels a bit greasy, and I keep feeling nauseous.”

Dai Jia looked at Jiang Suihan with a bit of pity. It was rare to have a meal with meat-filled dumplings, and she couldn’t enjoy it. That was indeed unfortunate.

“You’re over four months pregnant and still feeling nauseous? I didn’t experience that with my pregnancy. I was always hungry and never felt sick. It sounds like you don’t like dumplings.”

A nearby sister-in-law joined the conversation, her curiosity piqued. “From your accent, you’re from the south. It seems like you don’t eat dumplings there. What do you eat for the New Year?”

Seeing their curiosity, Jiang Suihan briefly explained, “On New Year’s Day, we have a completely vegetarian breakfast—no meat or strong flavors, just spinach, tofu, and rice. Lunch and dinner are more casual and similar to usual meals. Families with better conditions might slaughter a chicken for the whole family to eat, while those with fewer resources might buy some pork to enjoy.”

Dai Jia said, “Your hometown’s customs are quite special. Here, we don’t have so many rules. For New Year’s Day breakfast, we have noodles, either plain or with meat. As long as it tastes good, that’s fine. I thought everyone liked pork.”

Jiang Suihan replied, “We do eat pork there, and chicken is also popular. There are many ways to prepare chicken—steamed, salt-baked, soy sauce chicken, ginger and scallion chicken, crispy chicken. In my hometown, there’s a saying, ‘No feast is complete without chicken,’ so you can imagine how much we love chicken.”

The sister-in-law couldn’t help but swallow, “You southerners really know how to eat. In our family, we always make chicken soup or stew chicken. Hearing you talk about all these dishes makes my mouth water. I really want to try them all.”

Jiang Suihan smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, if you get a chance, come visit us. There’s plenty of good food, and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.”

The sister-in-law sighed, “It’s nice to think about it. I’ll just have to wait and see if my husband has the opportunity to be transferred there.”

After enjoying a bowl of sweet sesame tangyuan, Jiang Suihan felt satisfied. After watching the program for half an hour, she started feeling sleepy.

Xu Zhao glanced at his watch, noting it was about her usual bedtime. He gently pulled her up, and they quietly slipped away. Jiang Leyun and Su Ying were still there, determined to watch all the programs before leaving. His mother-in-law mainly wanted to chat, while his younger brother-in-law was simply having a great time.

By noon, the whole family had already bathed, so there was no need to wash again in the evening.

Xu Zhao brought a basin of warm water, soaked a towel, wrung it out, and handed it to Jiang Suihan. She comfortably washed her face, and he used the same warm water to wash his own face.

Jiang Suihan noticed a redness on the back of his hand and thought it might be from the water being too hot. She grabbed his hand and examined it closely, “When did you get burned?”

As soon as she asked, she realized it must have happened when he was making the candied hawthorns. There was a swollen, red area with blisters on the back of his right hand, which looked painful.

Jiang Suihan felt both angry and worried. She was upset he hadn’t mentioned the burn, and if she hadn’t noticed, he would have kept it a secret. She anxiously said, “I’ll go find some medicine for you.”

There was a first aid kit at home with some common medicines, kept in the study.

Xu Zhao stopped her, “I’ll go.”

When he returned with a tube of white ointment, Jiang Suihan had a serious expression as she motioned for him to sit down. She took the ointment from his hand, opened the cap, squeezed a bit onto her fingertip, and carefully applied it to his burn.

Her movements were gentle and her focus was intense. She looked up and asked, “Does it hurt?”

Xu Zhao ruffled her hair, “Not really.”

Jiang Suihan frowned. It was a burn from hot oil, and there were blisters. How could it not hurt?

She didn’t call him out on it and continued applying the ointment. The burn wasn’t large, but she was concerned that applying too little might reduce its effectiveness, so she spread a thick layer. The tube of ointment was new, and she used up a tenth of it in one go.

She made sure to cover every corner, carefully checking both of his hands. Only the back of his right hand had a small burn. Once she finished applying the ointment, she gently blew on the area.

“Does that feel any better?”

Xu Zhao smiled, “Much better, it doesn’t hurt as much.”

Jiang Suihan looked at him sternly, “You’re not to get this wound wet for the next few days, understand?”

Xu Zhao certainly wouldn’t dare to disagree.

Time passed quickly, and it was suddenly the end of May. Jiang Suihan had stopped going to school for the past two months. Principal Cai had hired a new teacher, a family member of a new recruit, who came from the same province as Jiang Suihan, so they were from the same hometown.

After dinner, Su Ying talked about Xu Zhao: “He should be back in the next few days, right? I don’t know if he can catch up.”

Xu Zhao had been on a mission for the past two months. The political commissar originally didn’t want him to go, considering Jiang Suihan was pregnant and due in just two months. It would be better for him to stay home and take care of her.

Xu Zhao disagreed. Every family has its difficulties, and if a little trouble meant special treatment, then where would discipline in the military be? As a soldier, he had to follow orders.

Though Jiang Suihan wanted him to stay at home with her, she understood it was his duty. She only urged him to come back as soon as possible, as she wanted him to be there when she gave birth.

She touched her belly and quietly said to the baby, “Hang on a bit longer, wait until Daddy comes back, okay?”

In the middle of the night, Jiang Suihan suddenly woke up with intermittent pain in her abdomen. Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and the pain was so intense she could barely move. She reached down and felt that her pants were wet.

Slowly, she made her way to the door and called loudly for her mother-in-law.

It was Jiang Suihan’s due period, and Su Ying was anxious and uneasy, sleeping lightly. As soon as she heard her daughter-in-law calling, she woke up with a start, quickly put on her shoes, and rushed out.

Seeing her daughter-in-law’s condition, Su Ying said with certainty, “You’re about to give birth.”