Chapter 17: A Visit to Say Thank You

Sister-in-law Zhang ignored Qi Huiying, who had run off, and patted her chest in relief. “Jianhong, it’s a good thing you caught the snake, or the two kids might have been bitten!”

She then pointed at the snake and said, “You, girl, you’re too brave! You just grabbed such a big snake without a second thought. Aren’t you afraid it might bite you?”

Han Jianhong shrugged and replied, “Auntie, when I was young in the countryside, I often caught snakes. During the famine years, the whole village went up the mountain to catch snakes.”

Sister-in-law Zhang recalled what she had heard from others—Han Jianhong grew up in the countryside and only joined the military in the past couple of years.

Although conditions on the island were tough, they weren’t bad enough to make children go up the mountain to catch snakes for food. Thinking of this made Sister-in-law Zhang feel a little sorry for her.

She hesitated and asked, “So, you’re planning to eat this snake?”

Han Jianhong nodded. “Mm. Auntie, the skin’s been peeled off, and if you stew it, it’s delicious. Would you like to try it?”

“No, no, thank you.” Sister-in-law Zhang quickly shook her head in refusal. Goodness, she wasn’t about to eat that!

It was at that moment that Xia Qinqin suddenly asked, “Is it really delicious?”

Han Jianhong looked down at her with an expectant gaze and nodded. After thinking for a moment, she said, “But if you want to eat it, you should ask your parents first. They have to approve.”

Xia Qinqin looked at the frightening long snake and shrank back a little. It looked so scary, she didn’t know if her mom would let her eat it.

Meanwhile, Meng Yufei, who had been looking through the account book, suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if she had heard Qinqin calling out.

She frowned and put her hand to her chest, starting to worry that something had happened to Qinqin. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head, feeling she was overreacting. The island was very safe, and there were guards at the entrance of the family compound. Whether it was strangers trying to get in or the children wanting to go out on their own, it wasn’t easy, and there shouldn’t be any danger.

Clearing her thoughts, Meng Yufei returned to her account book.

It wasn’t until 11:30 AM that Xiao Zhang from the Human Resources Department knocked on her door, interrupting her.

“Sister Meng, I heard you’re working in the Finance Department now. That’s great! We’ll be colleagues from now on.”

Meng Yufei looked up and smiled. “Director Wang asked me to come over to help.”

Xiao Zhang walked over and said, “Let’s go. It’s already 11:30, time to finish up and go eat. Work doesn’t start again until 2:30 in the afternoon.”

Meng Yufei glanced at her watch, surprised. “I didn’t realize it was this late. Thank you for reminding me, I would have lost track of time.”

She closed the account book, locked it in the cabinet, grabbed her bag, and left with Xiao Zhang.

“Sister Meng, I’ll be eating in the cafeteria. Are you going home to eat, or will you eat there too?”

Meng Yufei took a lunchbox from her bag and said, “I’ll grab two dishes from the cafeteria and take them home.”

Xiao Zhang nodded. “Oh, I forgot that you still have Qinqin and Regiment Commander Xia at home. Unlike me, when I eat, no one else has to worry about food.”

Today, the cafeteria’s menu was mainly seafood. Following Xiao Zhang’s recommendation, Meng Yufei tried stir-fried squid, something she hadn’t had before, though it looked a bit strange.

She also got stir-fried spinach with eggs, a seaweed and egg soup, and half a kilogram of rice.

It cost a total of fifty-five cents, and the squid didn’t require meat coupons. Meng Yufei thought to herself that if it was tasty, she could order it again next time, as anything that didn’t require coupons was good.

After saying goodbye to Xiao Zhang, Meng Yufei carried her lunchbox home.

By the time she arrived home, Xia Junshan was already back, and Xia Qinqin had been brought home by him from next door.

“You’re back! How was your first day at work there?” Xia Junshan stepped forward and took the lunchbox from Meng Yufei’s hand.

Meng Yufei hung her bag on the hook behind the door and replied, “I spent the whole morning reviewing account books. It’s fine, not as complicated as I thought. I should be able to finish it this afternoon.”

Xia Qinqin ran over and hugged Meng Yufei’s leg, acting cute. “Mom, I missed you~”

Meng Yufei squatted down, smiling as she kissed her daughter’s little face. “Mom missed you too. Did you have fun playing with Sister Fangfang this morning?”

Xia Qinqin nodded and said, “Mm, I had fun~ We dressed up the dolls, and Sister Fangfang even braided their hair! Her braids looked so pretty. She learned it from her second sister…”

Meng Yufei, holding her daughter who chattered non-stop, led her to wash her hands while listening to her talk about what she had done in the morning.

Xia Junshan, setting the chopsticks on the table, transferred the food from the lunchbox to the plates. He usually wasn’t this particular when eating alone, but since his wife liked things this way, he followed her example.

After talking for a while, Xia Qinqin’s mouth became dry, and she swallowed. Meng Yufei took her to the table and poured her a glass of warm water.

“By the way, Mom, Sister Fangfang and I also went to pick flowers. There were so many pretty flowers! We even met a really amazing sister. She caught a long, long snake! She even said the snake was delicious…”

“Snake?” Meng Yufei frowned and quickly asked, “Qinqin, who caught the snake?”

Xia Qinqin blinked and said, “The amazing sister caught it.”

At this point, Xia Junshan spoke up. “It was the eldest daughter of Regiment Commander Han’s family, Han Jianhong. She’s the girl we met when we first arrived. I heard from Aunt Zhang when I was picking Qinqin up next door. Qinqin and Fangfang encountered a snake while playing, and Jianhong caught it right away…”

“Qinqin, did it bite you?” Meng Yufei asked in a panic, pulling her daughter close and quickly checking her small body for any bites.

Xia Qinqin shook her head. “It didn’t bite me.”

Seeing Meng Yufei’s worried expression, Xia Junshan quickly reassured her. “Don’t worry. I just checked, and she wasn’t bitten. Also, that snake was a water snake, which is non-venomous.”

Having grown up in the countryside, Xia Junshan was very familiar with snakes, insects, and other such creatures. He didn’t think it was anything to be afraid of, and after confirming that the children weren’t hurt, he didn’t think much more of it.

Meng Yufei still carefully checked Xia Qinqin once more and, upon confirming that she was truly unharmed, let out a slight sigh of relief. She hugged her daughter and said, “It’s all Mommy’s fault. I won’t leave you behind next time.”

Xia Qinqin gently patted her mother’s shoulder. “Mom, I’m fine.”

Xia Junshan leaned down to comfort her. “Feifei, don’t overthink it. How could we have known a snake would show up? It has nothing to do with you. Don’t worry, I’ll report it to the commander this afternoon, and we’ll have the officers clear the bushes along the road in the family compound to prevent something like this from happening again.”

Meng Yufei took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She had grown up in Haishi, and not only had she rarely seen snakes, but she hadn’t seen many insects either. She had always thought that the biggest danger to children was kidnapping. The family compound was very safe, and she never expected there would be a snake here!

“Thinking about it, it’s really frightening. What if we hadn’t met Regiment Commander Han’s daughter? What if the snake had been venomous… If it had bitten her, I…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the thought.

Xia Junshan quickly patted her and reassured her. “Don’t think about it too much. The child is fine, right? Venomous snakes live in the sea. There shouldn’t be snakes around here in the family compound. This time was just bad luck…”

Meng Yufei sighed. “Anyway, I’ll keep Qinqin with me this afternoon. I can’t leave her outside alone, I’m just too worried.”

Xia Junshan sat his wife and daughter down at the table and served them both their meals.

Meng Yufei took the bowl and said, “By the way, we really need to thank Jianhong. If it weren’t for her, our Qinqin might have been bitten by the snake. After we finish eating, let’s go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy some things to express our gratitude.”

“Alright, we should do that,” Xia Junshan nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Xia Qinqin spoke up, “That amazing sister said she was going to take the snake home to eat.”

Xia Junshan replied, “Oh, she eats it? Snake meat does actually taste pretty good.”

Xia Qinqin’s eyes lit up. “Really? The amazing sister said I have to ask Dad and Mom if I can eat it. Mom, can I eat it?” She looked at Meng Yufei expectantly.

Hearing this, Meng Yufei immediately imagined her daughter eating snake meat and quickly shook her head. “No! Little kids can’t eat that. We’ll talk about it when you’re older.”

In order to distract her daughter, Meng Yufei picked up a piece of squid and placed it in her bowl. “This is squid. Try it and see if you like it.”

Xia Qinqin stared at the squid tentacles she had never seen before. Suddenly, she remembered something and asked, “Mom, was what Auntie Xiao Zhang gave me yesterday also called squid?”

Meng Yufei was taken aback, surprised that her daughter remembered. She nodded and said, “Yes, what she gave you yesterday was dried squid, and today’s is fresh squid. Try it and see how it tastes.”

Xia Qinqin picked up the squid and put it in her mouth. The crisp and fresh taste spread in her mouth. “It’s delicious!”

“Then eat more,” Meng Yufei added, putting a few more pieces on her plate.

Seeing her daughter happily eating the squid, Meng Yufei let out a sigh of relief. She was really afraid that Qinqin might start asking to eat snake meat.

Xia Junshan couldn’t help but chuckle, and Meng Yufei shot him a glare. This man just knew how to stir up trouble!

Seeing his wife’s warning look, Xia Junshan quickly stopped laughing and courteously added more vegetables to her plate.

After finishing their meal, the family of three went to the supply and marketing cooperative first. They bought two packages of peach crisps and two pounds of candy. The peach crisps were one yuan per pound, and the two packages, each weighing eight ounces, cost eight jiao, using two four-ounce snack coupons.

Peach crisps were a delicacy in those days, made with oil, sugar, and flour, all valuable ingredients. For an ordinary family, bringing two packages of peach crisps as a gift when visiting relatives during festivals was a very respectable gesture.

The candy was just the regular square candy from the cooperative, and it was the only kind left today. It cost fifty cents and didn’t require coupons.

They also picked up the coconuts they had ordered yesterday and bought two pounds of strawberries. The strawberries were still the same price as before, costing six jiao for two pounds.

Zheng Sanmei, seeing her regular “big customer” returning, warmly gave them an extra coconut. Meng Yufei, feeling a bit shy, hesitated to accept.

“Sister, these coconut trees are everywhere on our island. The only trouble is picking them, but otherwise, we don’t have to take care of them, so they’re very cheap. This one is only five cents. Consider it my thanks for your support of my fruit stand. Please continue to buy fruit here in the future,” Zheng Sanmei said.

“Thank you so much,” Meng Yufei smiled and accepted.

Zheng Sanmei added, “When you get home, open a small hole in the coconut. Inside, there’s plenty of coconut water—sweet, refreshing, and really delicious.”

Xia Qinqin, curious, pointed at the coconut and asked, “Is it full of water inside?”

“Yes,” Zheng Sanmei said, picking up a coconut and shaking it next to Xia Qinqin’s ear. “Listen, do you hear the water inside?”

Xia Qinqin perked up her ears and, sure enough, she heard the sound of water sloshing inside. She opened her mouth in surprise and said, “Wow, there really is water.”

She then took a closer look at the round coconut, which looked like a ball, perfectly sealed, and asked, “Why doesn’t the water leak out? Where is the lid?”

Zheng Sanmei laughed and said, “It doesn’t have a lid. It grows like this on the tree.”

Xia Qinqin was still puzzled as she stared at the coconut. Meng Yufei said to her, “When we get home, we’ll open it up and take a good look at what’s inside, okay?”

“Okay!”

The family of three left the supply and marketing cooperative with their big and small bags. Apart from the coconut, which was for their own consumption, the other items were intended as a thank-you gift for the Han family.

Peach crisps, candy, and strawberries—these three items made for a generous gift. After all, Xia Qinqin hadn’t actually been bitten by the snake. Most people would have just offered a verbal thanks, and neighbors weren’t usually that formal, especially since the other party was also a child of similar age.

Meng Yufei and Xia Junshan were more serious about it mainly because they doted on Xia Qinqin. No matter who had saved their daughter, they wanted to express their gratitude properly.

—

At the Han family’s home, the five family members were gathered around the dining table.

Regiment Commander Han and his current wife, Wei Shufang, were both on their second marriages. Regiment Commander Han’s first wife was someone he had married before joining the army, and she passed away from illness, leaving behind a daughter, Han Jianhong, who had been raised in the countryside.

Wei Shufang worked at the Qiongzhou Soap Factory. Her first husband died when a tree branch fell on him during a typhoon, leaving behind a daughter, Han Jianping, who was two years younger than Han Jianhong. Afterward, they changed her surname to Han, and she was named Han Jianping.

After they married, they had a son, Han Jianbao, who was only five years old this year.

After Wei Shufang remarried, she had continued to work at the soap factory. However, her mother-in-law, who had been difficult, kept coming to her workplace, demanding the death benefits her son had been entitled to. Eventually, the situation became unbearable, so Wei Shufang decided to sell her job, took the money, and moved with her daughter to the island to live with the military.

She was good at socializing and, although she was from the city, she wasn’t pretentious and got along well with the other families from the countryside.

A couple of years ago, she brought her stepdaughter from the countryside to live with them. Everything—food, clothing, and other necessities—was treated the same as for her biological daughter, and many people had seen her share snacks with her stepdaughter, which earned her a good reputation as a “good stepmother.”

At today’s dinner table, besides the usual dishes that Wei Shufang had prepared, there was an extra fragrant dish of meat. Han Jianbao pointed at the meat and shouted, “It smells so good, it’s meat! I want to eat it!”

Smack! Han Jianping slapped his hand. “Eat what? Do you even know what kind of meat this is?”

“Ah, that hurts!” Han Jianbao covered his hand and complained, then ran to his mother to report, “Mom, Sister hit me!”

Wei Shufang pulled her son’s hand and gently rubbed it, then said to her daughter, “Just talk to him properly. Why did you hit him?”

Han Jianping pointed at the plate of meat and said, “Mom, this is snake meat. It’s so scary! Who would want to eat that stuff?” She cast a disdainful glance at Han Jianhong, who had been silent, and sneered, “Only people from the countryside would eat that. We city people go buy pork or chicken when we want meat.”

Wei Shufang said, “Jianping, be careful how you speak.”

Han Jianping huffed and said, “Hmph, I’m just speaking the truth.”

Wei Shufang turned to her husband and said, “It’s also my fault. I talked too much at Battalion Commander Cao’s place this morning, and by the time I came back, Jianhong had already cooked the snake meat. If I had come back earlier, I could’ve stopped her.”

Han Jianping said, “Mom, you can’t blame yourself. Some people just like to cause trouble.”

Regiment Commander Han remained silent for a moment, then said to Han Jianhong, “We have plenty of food at home. Don’t bring things like this back to eat in the future.”

Han Jianhong swept her gaze around the people at the table, and a cold sneer flashed in her heart. She stood up, picked up the plate of meat, and placed it in front of herself. “If you’re not going to eat it, I’ll eat it myself.”

If this had happened in her previous life, hearing Han Jianping’s mockery would have made her feel inferior and embarrassed about her actions.

But now, she only found it laughable. If they didn’t want to eat it, she would eat it alone! Having lived another life, Han Jianhong had come to terms with it. She was originally from the countryside, so wasn’t it normal to do things that people from the countryside would do?

Moreover, her father was also from the countryside!

Wei Shufang and her daughter thought of themselves as superior because they were from the city. In her previous life, they always criticized her living habits, belittled her, and discriminated against her, which made her more and more self-conscious and insecure.

Now, looking back, what was so noble about them? One of them married Regiment Commander Han, who was from the countryside, and the other changed her surname to Han, yet they seemed to look down on her. What were they looking down on?

Thinking this, Han Jianhong looked up and saw her father’s disapproving gaze. Her heart sank, and she bitterly thought: Maybe I’m the only real person from the countryside in this family now.

The family continued to eat in a heavy atmosphere. The only one occasionally glancing over at Han Jianhong, who was eating the meat happily, was Han Jianbao, who secretly swallowed his saliva.

When the Xia family of three arrived at the Han household, the family had already finished eating. Han Jianping, who opened the door, noticed the things they were carrying and cheerfully shouted inside, “Mom, we have guests!”

Wei Shufang, who had been mending clothes for her son, heard her daughter’s voice and looked up from her sewing to see who was at the door.

Seeing Regiment Commander Xia, she naturally guessed that the beautiful woman beside him was a new family member. She stood up and smiled, saying, “Regiment Commander Xia, why are you both here?”

Regiment Commander Han, who had been preparing to nap in the bedroom, quickly came out when he heard the voices. “Old Xia, sister-in-law, what brings you both here? Please, sit down.”

He extended his hand and led them to the sofa, then said to Wei Shufang, “Go bring two cups of tea.”

“Okay,” she replied.

Xia Junshan placed the items on the coffee table and said, “We came here specifically to thank you. This morning, your daughter Jianhong saved our Qinqin.”

“Huh?” Regiment Commander Han was stunned. “You said who? Jianhong saved your Qinqin?”

He lowered his gaze to the girl resting in Meng Yufei’s arms, realizing this was Regiment Commander Xia’s daughter. He had heard that the couple only had one daughter, whom they doted on.

Xia Junshan nodded. “Yes, our Qinqin was playing by the roadside this morning when a snake suddenly appeared. Fortunately, Jianhong showed up in time and caught it. We’re here to thank her in person.”

Wei Shufang brought the tea and smiled as she handed it over. “You’re too polite. She’s just a child. There’s no need for such formal thanks.”

Meng Yufei took the tea and looked at the family of four standing in the living room. Regiment Commander Han was chatting with Xia Junshan on the sofa, and Wei Shufang, after serving the tea, sat down next to him. The two children standing nearby kept glancing at the things on the coffee table.

Unable to hold back, she asked, “Where’s Jianhong? Isn’t she home?”

Wei Shufang replied, “She’s in the kitchen. That snake was cooked for lunch, but none of us dared to eat it. She’s the only one who ate it.”

Her words implied that Han Jianhong had a craving for the meat, while the rest of the family had finished eating and she continued eating alone in the kitchen.

In reality, Han Jianhong was washing the dishes in the kitchen.

Since she didn’t get into middle school last year, she had stopped attending school and stayed home, naturally taking on household chores such as washing clothes, dishes, and sweeping the floors. Cooking, however, required buying ingredients, so that was always Wei Shufang’s responsibility.

Meng Yufei stood up and said, “Then I’ll go check on her in the kitchen and thank her personally.”

Wei Shufang’s polite smile froze at the corner of her mouth. She quickly stood up and said, “No need, the kitchen is a bit messy. I’ll just call her out.”

As they were talking, Han Jianhong came out of the kitchen after washing the dishes, looking a bit surprised when she saw the people in the living room.

Xia Qinqin saw her and ran over with a smile, saying, “Sister, my parents and I came to thank you.”

Meng Yufei walked over, her gaze sweeping over Han Jianhong’s hands, which still had water stains. Her eyes shifted slightly as she smiled, “Jianhong, thank goodness you were there this morning to spot the snake and save Qinqin. Aunt and Uncle are really grateful to you.”

Han Jianhong replied, “It’s nothing, it’s no big deal. I just happened to pass by.”

Xia Qinqin, curious, asked, “Sister, did you eat the snake? Was it tasty? Mom says kids shouldn’t eat it.”

Han Jianping interjected, “Who would eat something like that? Only people from the countryside, like her, would eat such things. It’s disgusting.”

Her words immediately made the atmosphere awkward.

Meng Yufei gently took Han Jianhong’s hand and said, “My husband, Xia, really likes to eat such things. I, however, am too scared to eat it. Qinqin here has a big appetite, she would probably be thrilled to eat it, but if I let her, she’d probably end up wasting it.”

Xia Junshan laughed and said, “Old Han, Jianhong is just like you, fearless. Truly, like father, like daughter.”

Regiment Commander Han smiled and said, “She grew up in the countryside. She’s tough.”

Meng Yufei sat down beside Han Jianhong and praised her, “Regiment Commander Han, your daughter Jianhong is brave and kind-hearted, really a rare good child.”

Regiment Commander Han waved his hand with a smile, “Sister-in-law, you’re being too polite. She was just helping out, that’s all.”

Meng Yufei looked at Han Jianhong and asked, “Jianhong, how old are you this year?”

Han Jianhong answered, “Fifteen.”

Meng Yufei said, “Fifteen? You’re really tall, almost 1.7 meters, right?”

Han Jianhong shook her head and replied, “I’m not sure, I haven’t measured.”

Wei Shufang suddenly spoke up, “Your dad and I are often worried about this. A girl who’s this tall will have trouble finding a good match in the future.” She said this with a hint of worry, shaking her head.

Regiment Commander Han nodded in agreement, “Yes, this girl just keeps growing taller.”

Han Jianping snickered and said, “She really is a big, silly girl. She just graduated from elementary school last year and didn’t even pass the middle school entrance exam. I’m embarrassed to tell people I know her.”

Her tone was full of schadenfreude. Regiment Commander Han’s smile froze, and his expression darkened. However, since Han Jianping was his stepdaughter, he didn’t know what to say. Besides, what she said wasn’t untrue.

Wei Shufang gave Han Jianping a subtle look, signaling her to be more careful, but she didn’t respond to her comment.

Han Jianhong lowered her eyes, a flicker of resentment passing through them. Because she was so tall, she often heard such remarks at home, and her classmates at school would frequently mock her for being taller than the boys. The term “big silly girl” made her subconsciously hunch her back.

Meng Yufei coldly watched the family, then gently patted Han Jianhong’s hand and said, “The customs here are different from our Haishi. In our place, children who grow tall, whether they’re boys or girls, are really admired. Look at the stars in movies, they’re all tall. And in magazines, they don’t even choose models shorter than 1.7 meters.”

Han Jianping scoffed and muttered, “What’s so great about Haishi? Does she think she can become a movie star or a model?”

Her words even offended Meng Yufei, an elder, and Regiment Commander Han’s face grew darker.

Wei Shufang noticed Regiment Commander Han’s change in expression and quickly spoke up, “You silly girl, stop muttering.” She turned to Meng Yufei and smiled, “Sister-in-law, don’t take it to heart. Don’t argue with the kids.”

Meng Yufei responded calmly, “What my sister-in-law said makes sense. Ordinary people like us don’t think about becoming movie stars. I’ve heard that many families don’t want their kids to grow too tall because it wastes fabric when making clothes. However…”

She smiled and added, “With Regiment Commander Han’s benefits, you shouldn’t have to worry about that.”

Regiment Commander Han subconsciously glanced at Han Jianhong’s clothes and noticed that the sleeves of her shirt were clearly too short…