Chapter 85

When Jiang Weiyu returned from work and saw Chenchen happily crawling on the mat, she smiled slyly, approaching to steal a kiss. Chenchen, sensing her move, waved his little chubby hand.

Jiang Weiyu covered her face and pretended to be hurt, saying with a tearful voice, “Chenchen, don’t you like your little aunt anymore? I’m so sad.”

Jiang Suihan quickly grabbed Chenchen’s chubby little legs as he was about to crawl off the mat and pulled him back, her tone slightly reproachful. “How can you hit your little aunt? It’s not right to hit people, you know?”

Chenchen, annoyed by his mother’s nagging, shook his little head and grinned at her, showing his tiny teeth.

Since the weather was nice and not too cold, Jiang Suihan decided to lay out a mat in the yard so Chenchen could play and enjoy the sunlight.

Jiang Weiyu sat cross-legged, picking up Chenchen and carefully prying open his mouth, delighted. “You’ve grown another tooth! It’s up top. Our Chenchen is so great.”

Despite Chenchen’s strong resistance, she held his face and gave him a firm kiss.

Chenchen wrinkled his little brow and, feeling displeased, wiped his face with his hand. Not satisfied, he did it again.

Jiang Weiyu pouted and said, “You’re so picky about my kisses? Even if you don’t let me kiss you, I will still kiss you anyway.”

Chenchen endured another kiss and a pinch on his little face.

He pouted and quickly crawled into Jiang Suihan’s arms, burying his head in her embrace, refusing to show his face no matter what his little aunt said.

Jiang Suihan shook her head and laughed. “You just love teasing Chenchen. Be careful, or he might get annoyed and refuse to play with you.”

At six months old, Chenchen has developed a distinct temperament. He’s friendly, but not everyone is allowed to touch or kiss him. Sometimes Jiang Suihan would kiss him, and while Chenchen would frown, he wouldn’t show outright resistance, accepting his mother’s exceptions but not those of others, including his father.

Jiang Weiyu cheerfully said, “Don’t worry. I’ve saved up lots of candies for Chenchen, so he won’t be mad at me.”

Xu Zhao doesn’t like sweets, but Chenchen takes after his mother and loves sugary treats. Jiang Suihan limits his daily candy intake, but there are always people in the household who spoil him with more candy despite her restrictions.

As Jiang Weiyu played with Chenchen, she casually asked, “Has my brother-in-law said when he’ll be back?”

Xu Zhao had been away for the past two months, on a mission whose details he didn’t share. Jiang Suihan didn’t ask either.

“He should be back soon, probably this week.”

Jiang Weiyu looked hesitant, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Jiang Suihan asked, “What’s wrong? Do you need to tell me something?”

Jiang Weiyu nodded and tentatively suggested, “Sister, how about I stay home to take care of Chenchen while you go back to teaching at school?”

Jiang Suihan has to take care of the children and cannot balance her work at school for the time being. Although Jiang Weiyu does not have a diploma, she has studied in the first year of high school and is considered a high school student. So Jiang Suihan suggested to Principal Cai that they let her cousin help substitute for the class. This way, they could keep the money within the family. Principal Cai asked Jiang Weiyu to try taking classes for a week first, and seeing that she looked good and had the qualifications, she agreed.

Jiang Suihan pondered for a moment. “Did someone say something to you?”

Jiang Weiyu instinctively shook her head but then met her cousin’s insightful gaze and wilted. “Actually, it’s nothing much. A few students and parents said my teaching isn’t as good or interesting as yours. They said I might not be suited to be a teacher. Staying home with Chenchen seems better for me, and I wouldn’t have to prepare lessons or grade papers.”

After finishing her class in the morning, she went back to the office to pack up. When she passed the corner of the classroom, she heard several students chattering. She didn’t care at first and didn’t intend to disturb the students, but she heard a student say that she didn’t like her class. Several other students nodded in agreement. Some pointed out that her class was boring, and some said that she was not as pretty and gentle as her cousin.

This was not the first time she had heard this. Last week, she happened to meet two parents of students who told her that their children’s grades had declined. They questioned her teaching ability and whether she had not taught well enough. She blushed and was so embarrassed and ashamed that she wished she could dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it.

After telling her cousin that she didn’t want to go to work at the school, she felt relieved, and the tension she had been feeling for the past few days was also relaxed.

Jiang Suihan had guessed correctly and gave Jiang Weiyu’s hand a reassuring pat. “Not everyone is born to be a teacher. Of course, there are some people who have a natural talent for it, but most are just ordinary people who need to learn and improve over time. Don’t worry too much about others’ opinions. We don’t live our lives for others. When I first stood in front of the classroom, I was so nervous my palms were sweating. I had to force myself to finish that first lesson. But as I taught more, I gained experience and improved.”

“It’s normal to struggle with the change from being a student to becoming a teacher. Everything takes time. Since you’ve recognized the issues, work on improving yourself. Besides, Chenchen is still small and needs me. As a mother, I don’t want to miss a single day of my child’s growth.”

Jiang Weiyu’s initial doubts were calmed by Jiang Suihan’s words. She thought about it and agreed with her cousin. She wasn’t living her life for those irrelevant people. She was living for herself.

Determined, she clenched her fists and declared, “I’m going to prepare my lessons now.”

Jiang Suihan smiled and said, “Go ahead.”

Chenchen, nestled in his mother’s arms, rubbed his eyes with his chubby hands and yawned.

Jiang Suihan looked down at him and asked, “Are you tired?”

She picked up Chenchen and prepared his bottle. Chenchen held the bottle with both hands and drank eagerly.

After a while, Jiang Suihan glanced over again. Chenchen’s eyes were closed, clearly exhausted, but his mouth continued to move, sometimes stopping, then starting again.

Jiang Suihan smiled at the sight. If only she had a camera to capture how cute Chenchen looked while drinking his milk.

*

The Xu Family in the Capital

Xu Zhenguo sat on the sofa and checked his watch, unable to contain his impatience. “It’s almost seven. Why aren’t they back yet?”

Xu Xiaoling watched the door anxiously. “Maybe the train was delayed or they ran into some trouble on the way?”

Qin Zheng, who was resting on Xu Xiaoling’s lap, rubbed his stomach and said, “Mommy, I’m hungry.”

Xu Xiaoling patted her son’s head. “Didn’t you just have some cookies? You’re hungry again? I’ll make you a cup of milk.”

Grandpa Xu, unwilling to see the child hungry, urged Xu Xiaoling to take the kids out for a meal.

As the sound of a car approached, Xu Xiaoling’s eyes lit up. “They’re back!”

After a long train ride, Su Ying was tired and sore. She took a big gulp of water from the cup her daughter handed her.

Grandpa Xu said, “It’s good that you’re back. Let’s eat first.”

At the dinner table, Qin Zheng held a large chicken leg in his left hand, took a few bites, and then buried his head in his rice, focused solely on eating.

The Xu family didn’t have strict rules about talking during meals. Xu Xiaoling joked, “Mom, I didn’t expect you to actually come back. I thought you’d stay there for another year or two.”

Su Ying glanced at her second daughter. “You’re an adult now, and you’re jealous of your barely one-year-old nephew? How shameless. Even Xiao Zheng seems more mature than you.”

Hearing his name, Qin Zheng looked up, his mouth covered in oil and rice, and cheerfully said, “That’s right, I’m the most mature.”

Kids are messy eaters, and watching them can be quite unpleasant.

Xu Xiaoling threw a cloth to her husband, Qin Jianming. “Wipe your son’s face. It’s hard to watch.”

Qin Jianming slightly twitched his mouth, thinking to himself that if the child was bad, it was his son. If the child was good, it was her son. Her double standards were evident.

Xu Xiaoling pouted. “I’m just worried about you. You’re over fifty years old and traveled all the way to Li Province, staying for more than a year. Even if you don’t miss me, you should at least think about my father. He lies awake every night, wishing he had someone to talk to.”

What’s it like to lie awake alone? To want to talk about one’s feelings?

Xu Zhenguo cleared his throat, feeling a bit awkward about his daughter’s dramatic display. “Alright, the food is getting cold. Let’s eat.”

After dinner, the family gathered in the living room to chat.

Su Ying opened her suitcase and pulled out a small tin box. “Here are Chenchen’s photos from his hundred-day celebration.”

Xu Zhenguo quickly grabbed the box and handed it to his father with a touch of reluctance. Despite his authoritative presence outside, he was unable to keep the photos from his elderly father.

There were three photos in total. One showed Chenchen wearing blue overalls and a light yellow top, smiling with his arms outstretched toward the camera, his big eyes curved into a joyful grin. Anyone who saw this photo would surely remark on how beautiful the little guy looked.

Another photo captured Chenchen sitting on a stool, his little brow furrowed and his mouth in a pout, as if he was about to cry. It was quite amusing to look at.

The last photo was a family portrait. Chenchen was with his parents, Jiang Suihan and Xu Zhao, who were sitting side by side on a bench. Chenchen sat on his mother’s lap, holding onto his father’s finger and smiling sweetly.

Xu Xiaoling leaned in beside her grandfather, unable to hide her amazement. “Chenchen looks even more beautiful than before. It’s almost embarrassing for the girls to stand next to him.”

Grandpa Xu laughed heartily. “Xu Zhao was good-looking as a child, but Chenchen is even more handsome. I think no one in the whole compound is as good-looking as my Chenchen.”

Xu Zhenguo, itching to see the photos, quickly said, “Let me see it.”

Grandpa Xu grew fonder of the photos the more he looked at them, unable to put them down. His favorite was the first one, where Chenchen looked lively and adorable, with a radiant smile.

After the old man had finished admiring the photos, he reluctantly handed them over to Xu Zhenuo, saying that he would want them back after Xu Zhenguo had seen them.

Xu Zhenguo muttered to himself, thinking that the old man was becoming increasingly domineering, even though he was Chenchen’s own grandfather.

…

On the road, Jiang Weiyu ran into Wang Dahe, and was surprised: “Comrade Wang, you’re back? Does that mean my brother-in-law has returned as well?”

Wang Dahe’s expression changed, and he regretted not taking another route. Avoiding eye contact with Jiang Weiyu, his gaze darted around as he stammered, “Uh, well, the deputy commander, he… he’ll be back a bit later. We returned first. Yes, we came back ahead of schedule.”

Jiang Weiyu scrutinized Wang Dahe, staring intently.

Wang Dahe, not skilled at lying, struggled to maintain his composure. Thinking quickly, he said, “I suddenly remembered I have something urgent to attend to. I need to leave now. Can we discuss it next time?”

His best plan was to make a quick escape.

Jiang Weiyu’s expression darkened: “Stop right there.”

Wang Dahe had no choice but to halt, continuing his previous story: “Comrade Jiang, I really have urgent business. It can’t be delayed. Can we talk about it another time?”

Jiang Weiyu, initially just suspicious, could see Wang Dahe’s desperate attempt to avoid her. She spoke up, “Has something happened to my brother-in-law?”

Wang Dahe’s face changed, and he quickly denied it: “No, nothing has happened.”

Jiang Weiyu insisted, “You didn’t even think before denying it. You’re definitely hiding something. What happened to my brother-in-law?”