Chapter 83

The iron in those days was the old-fashioned kind from the Republic era—a heavy, triangular iron box with an iron plate inside. It was cumbersome and had to be heated on a charcoal stove.

With the autumn heat still blazing, Lin Yao wouldn’t have bothered with the iron if it weren’t for the family photo.

In the main house, Zhang Cuilan walked back and forth holding the awakened Gu Doudou and offered some advice to her daughter-in-law.

“Yao Yao, this iron is quite heavy. In the past, our family used to use enamel basins filled with hot water as irons, and the clothes turned out just fine,” Zhang Cuilan suggested.

Using an enamel basin with hot water?

Lin Yao thought about it for a moment and then glanced at the steaming hot water coming out of the bamboo water jug. She immediately abandoned this impractical idea.

If she used an enamel basin to iron clothes for the whole family—five people plus Gu Doudou’s red bellyband—her hands would surely get burned to a crisp after the process.

Zhang Cuilan also considered this and smiled, saying, “That’s true. Hot water can be very scalding, and Yao Yao, your hands are as delicate as spring onions. You can’t use an enamel basin.”

Outside the window, birds were chirping. Lin Yao hadn’t had breakfast yet and struggled with the heavy iron, barely managing to iron Gu Doudou’s red bellyband. Just as she was about to iron her own clothes, her hands became too sore to lift.

She realized that when using a hot iron, to prevent burning the clothes, you had to sprinkle some water on them first to create steam. On a hot day, ironing clothes until they are smooth makes the person doing it sweat profusely.

This autumn, Zhang Cuilan had cleared out the bean, loofah, and cucumber plants from the garden and planted two patches of vegetables: one with cabbage seeds and the other with radishes. Another small plot was planted with chives. With the winter cabbage and potatoes grown at home, it was more convenient.

Otherwise, in winter, if you wanted vegetables, you’d have to wake up early and queue up at the food store in the north of the city. Buying just a few vegetables meant they would be gone in one meal, which wasn’t satisfying at all.

When Gu Shi’an got off work, he helped his mother clean up the vegetable garden. The wild vegetables were pulled out and put in the vegetable basket, chopped finely, mixed with rice bran, and then soaked with water and fed to the rabbits. The rabbits enjoyed it very much.

At this time, it was still early, and Gu Shi’an and Gu Shidong were busy—one weeding in the vegetable garden, and the other cleaning the rabbit hut in the north yard.

Gu Shidong set up a small stool and casually shelled peanuts in the yard. The peanuts were a gift from Second Uncle Zhang. In the city, they were considered a delicacy—not only could they be pressed into peanut oil, but if not fried, they could be boiled.

After finishing cleaning the rabbit hut, Gu Shi’an washed his hands at the basin and wiped them with a towel. Turning around, he saw his wife struggling with ironing clothes, and he couldn’t help but smile. He told Lin Yao to have breakfast while he finished the ironing.

Lin Yao, who was starving, immediately put down the heavy iron, shook her aching arms, and obediently sat at the breakfast table.

Today’s breakfast was homemade pickled bamboo shoots, cornmeal steamed buns, and millet porridge. Since Lin Yao was still breastfeeding, Zhang Cuilan made an extra dish of scrambled eggs with chives, fried in pork lard. The eggs were tender and fragrant, topped with a sprinkle of green onions.

Lin Yao ate heartily. After having eaten little the previous night and working up an appetite this morning, her small appetite had improved significantly. Today, she managed to eat a small plate of scrambled eggs and two cornmeal steamed buns.

After breakfast, Gu Shi’an had also finished ironing. Lin Yao was astonished to see that the stack of clothes, just taken from the wardrobe, was perfectly ironed, without a single wrinkle.

The family dressed up and went to the county’s photo studio to take a family portrait.

After the disaster, Yunshui County was still bustling.

The streets were lined with traditional buildings, with old, cobbled paths. Occasionally, there were two- or three-story shops that used to belong to local gentry before liberation. Now, they had been renovated into county-run restaurants, grocery stores, or supply cooperatives.

In those days, taking photos involved using an old-fashioned wooden camera on a stand. The Gu family, all dressed neatly, looked striking—Gu Shi’an was tall and handsome, and Lin Yao was stunningly beautiful. The couple looked perfect together, and Gu Shi’an held little Gu Doudou, who looked like a precious jade doll. They took a family photo first.

The photographer also took a separate photo of Gu Doudou for his full moon celebration. The family of six took their family portrait, and the photographer praised them, discussing with Gu Mancang.

“Brother, your son and daughter-in-law look great in photos. Here’s a deal: a photo normally costs thirty cents, but I’ll give you a discount of ten cents. I’ll put your family portrait in our studio’s display cabinet. What do you think?”

Gu Mancang, who was not the head of the Gu family, quickly looked at Zhang Cuilan.

Zhang Cuilan smiled brightly. “Sure, that’s fine.”

The photographer smiled and gave a thumbs-up. “Great! Old sister-in-law, we’ll do that. In the future, whenever your family comes to our studio, we’ll give you a discount.”

Zhang Cuilan held Gu Doudou in her arms, her face full of joy. “That sounds wonderful. My little grandson will need to have his picture taken at least two or three times a year.”

Gu Shidong, listening to his mother, was delighted. If little Doudou had his picture taken two or three times a year, his uncle could also benefit from it.

In the past, Zhang Cuilan lived frugally, but now with a new little member in the family, taking pictures two or three times a year has become a norm.

Childhood is fleeting, and it’s not worth saving a few dollars at the cost of having no photos to remember it by.

“That makes sense.”

Gu Mancang, beaming with joy, patted Gu Doudou’s little chubby hand and said in a deep voice. Gu Doudou responded with a bubble for his beloved grandfather, making Gu Mancang’s face break into a broad smile.

The photographer asked, “Is this your only child?”

“There’s another one. My daughter just had a grandson, born around the same time as this one.”

“It’s good to have more children at home. More children make things lively. If your daughter-in-law has a granddaughter next year, it will be just perfect.”

Lin Yao, who had been drinking water with her head down, looked up at the sound of this comment and thought, “Oh no, here we go again with the baby pressure.”

She quickly nudged Gu Shi’an beside her.

Gu Shi’an glanced over with his dark eyes, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. Just as he was about to change the subject, little Gu Doudou in his grandmother’s arms made a sound, his chubby legs kicking with effort.

Gu Shidong suddenly smelled a strong odor and wrinkled his nose.

“Mom, what’s that smell? Why is it so foul?”

Zhang Cuilan, looking flustered, slapped her thigh. “The baby’s had another mess. He just had one this morning before we left. Now we need to change his diaper. Where’s the diaper?”

“It’s in the bag, with us,” replied Gu Shi’an.

“Quickly get it out. We don’t want to trouble the photographer.”

“It’s fine. We also have a little grandson at home. I’m used to it.”

The family scrambled to get a diaper for Gu Doudou, changed his diaper, and borrowed some water from the photographer to clean him up. The topic of having more babies was soon forgotten.

After leaving the photo studio, the family went their separate ways: some headed to the steel mill, others to the state-run pig farm. Dongzi proudly carried the five-pointed star bag his sister made for him, heading off to school.

Gu Shi’an rode his bicycle, first taking his wife and child back to the large courtyard before heading to the police station.

In early September in Yunshui County, the sun rose, and the temperature followed suit. Lin Yao was so focused on shading her chubby little one from the sun during the ride that she didn’t pay attention to herself. After about ten minutes of exposure, her forehead was already covered in fine beads of sweat, and her fair, delicate face was slightly flushed.

Before leaving, Gu Shi’an specifically prepared a basin of cool water and a towel for Lin Yao, so she could wash her face and cool off.

Otherwise, if the police station were not so busy today, Deputy Director Gu would have definitely taken care of his wife’s face-washing needs.

Lin Yao, feeling a bit annoyed by his fuss, waved at Gu Doudou’s little chubby hand and indicated that she understood.

“Oh, why haven’t you left yet? If you don’t go soon, you’ll be late for work.”

Gu Shi’an mounted his bicycle with long legs and set off.

Lin Yao smiled as she held Gu Doudou’s chubby legs and gave him a kiss, saying, “You are really my good Doudou.”

Gu Doudou, munching on his fingers, babbled to his mother. Lin Yao gently placed the little chub in his cradle, washed her face, and then took out some face cream from her storage space to apply carefully. She was satisfied as she inhaled the pleasant fragrance on her body.

The carved wooden windows in the room were open, and a cool breeze blew through, making the whole place refreshing.

At noon, Lin Yao took a nap with the chubby little one on the bed. In the afternoon, Gu Chunmei who was also on maternity leave, brought Xu Tangyuan back to her parents home.

Xu Tangyuan, who was about a month older than Gu Doudou, was the elder brother, while Gu Doudou was the younger brother.

Because Gu Chunmei had less milk during her confinement period, Xu Tangyuan had less breast milk and initially didn’t get enough nutrition, making him less chubby compared to Gu Doudou.

Gu Doudou was indeed very chubby, inheriting Lin Yao’s fair skin. He was a round, plump little boy with the same beautiful eyes as Gu Shi’an. Despite his chubbiness, he looked quite handsome.

Fortunately, Xu Tangyuan could now eat some supplementary food, which improved his nutrition. He ate well and slept well, also becoming a plump little boy.

The two chubby little ones lay on the bed, babbling baby talk to each other, and got along harmoniously.

The two mothers enjoyed a rare moment of relaxation, chatting about everyday life.

Gu Chunmei had only half a month left of her maternity leave. The leaders at the supply and marketing cooperative took care of her by transferring her to a lighter position at the fabric counter, which was a good arrangement.

Gu Chunmei hadn’t been back to the large courtyard for a week. Since becoming a mother, she had been busy day and night at home.

The two sisters went to the vegetable garden to pick chives, beat some eggs to prepare filling, and kneaded dough to make dumplings for a family reunion.

Gu Shidong brought over two small stools for his sister and sister-in-law to sit on, then sat down himself, helping to prepare the vegetables while chatting about recent events.

Gu Chunmei suddenly said, “Yao Yao, have you heard? The Sun family in town is in trouble.”