☆ 15. Calling Dad

“Ah?”

It was too sudden, Ji Meng didn’t react for a moment.

Ji Qinghe felt a bit awkward and uncomfortable. Logically, he shouldn’t have brought this up since his son-in-law had just passed away.

But his daughter was still so young, and he really couldn’t bear to see her struggle to raise a child alone.

Being a single mother was hard, and being a widow was even harder.

Ji Qinghe could imagine the reactions of the people around them once they learned that his daughter’s husband had died.

In the years since he returned, he had been friendly with others and had a good relationship with his neighbors. They might not say anything openly, but there would surely be plenty of gossip behind his back.

His daughter was a strong-willed person, and hearing such things would make her very sad.

He thought of it as his old father’s selfishness, and in his heart, he silently apologized to the son-in-law he had never met. He cleared his throat and repeated what he had said.

“This matter was brought to me by your Uncle Fu. The Fu family had had an accident earlier than ours, and Junyan’s engagement with the daughter of the Huo family also fell through. Now that girl from the Huo family has two kids in elementary school, but your brother Junyan is still without a partner. Your Uncle Fu was thinking about seeing if you two could give it a try.”

“Dad knows. With my son-in-law gone, you might think I don’t want to think about these things for now, but Uncle Fu has brought this up with me several times. It wouldn’t be good for us not to respond…”

Ji Qinghe wanted to reassure Ji Meng that she didn’t have to worry about the issues of being a remarried mother with a child, but at this moment, Ji Meng had already responded to him without hesitation:

“Then Dad, please tell Uncle Fu I’m sorry. Right now, I just want to raise Qiuqiu, I don’t want to think about those things for the time being.”

Ji Meng knew Fu Junyan.

The memories of this person from her original body were very clear and vivid.

They had known each other since they were children, and by the time the original body was twelve, he was the best and most outstanding person in her life, becoming the embodiment of the original body’s white moonlight.

When the original body was casting a wide net, she had even looked for substitutes for this person.

However, it seemed that something had happened to that later person…

She wasn’t sure, as Sansan hadn’t passed on those memories to her.

But in the book, the original body’s feelings for Fu Junyan were genuine love compared to her previous husband, Su Cheng.

It even had a touch of infatuation.

The two had been married for many years without children. Once the original body learned that it was due to her difficulties in conceiving, she actively arranged for other women for him, saying that as long as he had her in his heart, she didn’t mind how he handled it.

Fu Junyan refused, which moved the original body deeply.

The original body wanted to control the male protagonist’s marriage. Apart from wanting to have the final say in the household, another reason was that she wanted the male protagonist’s future child to be acknowledged under their name, allowing Fu Junyan to have a descendant.

As for the descriptions of Fu Junyan in the book, they were few but it’s enough to make people feel deeply.

He was the only one who cried out in anguish when the original body died, holding her brains after she fell out. Later, unable to endure the grief, he became a monk.

In his words, he initially liked the original body’s face, but later grew accustomed to the love she gave him.

With the original body gone, he would never find another who loved only him.

This might be related to his own experience of being abandoned by his fiancée when his family fell into misfortune.

Fu Junyan was the kind of person who was extremely starved for love, even to the point of being a bit obsessive.

He loved the original body in a way that made him indifferent to everyone else, completely content with his own feelings.

So even though he knew the original body was doing those things, he still tolerated her and quietly cleaned up her mess from behind the scenes.

To a certain extent, these two were truly a perfect match.

Well… perfect for the original body, not for her.

She didn’t have any negative feelings towards Fu Junyan. While reading, she even found herself liking this character due to the slight male supporting role trope.

But in reality, it felt like they weren’t quite suited for each other.

Of course, she wasn’t in the mood to think about this now.

Having just arrived in the provincial capital, she needed to familiarize herself with the environment and settle down quickly.

“Dad, let’s not talk about this anymore. I’ve been away from home for too long, and today I almost couldn’t find the way back. Can you tell me what changes have happened around here?”

“I was planning to go to the Youth Educated Office later and see if they could arrange a job for me.”

Seeing that his daughter didn’t want to discuss it further, Ji Qinghe sighed inwardly. Upon hearing Ji Meng mention wanting a job, he furrowed his brow slightly, hesitated, and then revealed the actual situation:

“Right now, it’s unlikely that the Youth Educated Office can arrange any jobs. There have been too many young people returning to the city in the past two years, and they’re all waiting in line at the Youth Educated Office. Many factories have even set up large collectives just to accommodate more people.”

“The work at the large collective is hard, and the pay is even lower, but despite that, many people are eager to get in. Those who can’t get in form groups and set up a market under the overpass to sell some ^[1]“Odds and ends” refers to small, miscellaneous items that are often unimportant or left over. These are usually a mix of various things that don’t belong to a specific category, … Continue readingodds and ends.”

“Do you know Lingzi? She’s Meng Ling, the daughter of Aunt Lai.”

Ji Meng thought for a moment and vaguely remembered this person. She was about the same age as the original body and had previously had a very poor relationship with her.

Because the original body was pretty and had used her looks to attract a bunch of friends to play with her since she was little, including Meng Ling’s brother and her childhood friend, Meng Ling had been quite resentful.

Every time they met, they would argue fiercely.

But that was all before the family troubles. Afterward, the original body went to live with her uncle in the West City and was confined at home every day doing housework, leaving behind her carefree days.

“I know, what happened to her?”

“That market was organized by Meng Ling. She went to the countryside to be a young educated youth for a few years and returned to the city last year. She had originally joined the textile factory’s large collective, but for some reason, she left and went to the Youth Educated Office to negotiate with Aunt Lai, gathering people together to set up a street market.”

“At first, there weren’t many people there. This girl knows how to stir things up. Every factory handed out flyers saying that things didn’t require coupons and were good quality at low prices. Then, I don’t know how she managed it, but she arranged for a couple of movie screenings in the small square over there and organized a performance. Now it’s starting to get lively.”

She’s quite the talent!

Ji Meng raised her delicate eyebrows, wanting to ask more about Aunt Lai’s daughter, but Ji Qinghe didn’t continue and instead talked about how difficult it was to find a job.

“There are still several families in our alley waiting for jobs to be arranged by the street office.”

“Dad originally planned to buy you a job, and he could still hear some news back then, but now there’s no information at all.”

The overall environment wasn’t good, and Ji Qinghe couldn’t help but sigh. Thinking of something, he looked at Ji Meng and tried to ask:

“Mengmeng, how about you come help me at the pharmacy? This way, you can also get familiar with herbal medicine knowledge, and it won’t be so hard to study at night school.”

“How’s the business at the pharmacy now? Isn’t there anyone to help?” Ji Meng asked, recalling the dusty pharmacy covered in cobwebs.

“… It’s okay. Right now, only your brother Kui is helping me at the pharmacy. He learned medicine from me when he was young. After my incident, he found a small pharmacy to work at, helping to prepare medicines. When I came back, he approached me, and I took him back.”

“It’s not easy for him either. His child was born with some issues and can’t stand up. He also has mild autism, which makes it difficult to raise him. His wife couldn’t bear that hardship and divorced him two years ago.”

Brother Kui, Wu Kui.

In the book, the original body had sought his help to exchange medicines.

After Ji Qinghe passed away, he had been by the original body’s side, helping her with things that ^[2]“Couldn’t be seen in the light” refers to actions or activities that are secretive or illegal, or that one doesn’t want others to know about. These are things done in secrecy … Continue readingcouldn’t be seen in the light.

Ji Meng rubbed her forehead and said, “Since Brother Kui is helping at the pharmacy, I won’t go. One person is enough.”

“I’ll go to the Youth Educated Office and see. Since Qiuqiu’s father has passed away, he should be given a job according to the rules.”

Ji Qinghe preferred for his daughter to come to the pharmacy, believing he wouldn’t let her tire herself out while he was there.

But since he received news of his son’s death, the pharmacy had been closed for half a month. Reopening it would likely mean it would be quite idle, and his daughter would be even less willing to stay.

“Well, you go check it out first. If it can’t be arranged, I’ll think of a way for you,” Ji Qinghe said after thinking for a moment.

After finishing her conversation with Ji Qinghe, Ji Meng went to the room that Ji Qiao used to live in and lit incense before his portrait, then returned to her room.

At this time, Qiuqiu was still awake.

She had poured warm water into a soda bottle, drank it, wiped it clean, and placed it on the cabinet beside her, occasionally raising her head to take a look from time to time.

She was really happy today, she had met her grandfather, who liked her very much, and she had drunk soda.

This was Qiuqiu’s first time having orange juice. When she was in the village, she didn’t have access to these things. After going with her mother to the army, she saw her friends drinking orange juice, but she heard it was expensive and was always too shy to ask her father to buy it. She wanted to save money to buy it herself and enjoy it with her parents later.

But she didn’t expect that before she could save enough money, her father would never return.

Thinking of her father, Qiuqiu’s bright eyes dimmed again.

She looked at the new bed curtain above her. After a moment, she climbed up and knelt on the bed, imitating her grandmother’s secret prayers with her hands folded together:

“Daddy, I’m at Grandpa’s house now. Grandpa is very nice, and Mommy’s room is also great, it’s very clean, and the bed is very soft. Qiuqiu likes it very much, and Mommy hasn’t changed either.”

“Daddy, please continue to bless Qiuqiu and let Mommy not change… um, it’s best if Qiuqiu doesn’t have that terrible dream again. That dream is bad, and it’s not real.”

“Daddy, Qiuqiu is very happy today, so you should be happy too.”

After saying that, Qiuqiu knocked her head on the bed in a devout manner, and just then, Ji Meng walked in and saw her doing that.

“Qiuqiu, what are you doing?”

“Mom.”

Qiuqiu straightened up, her small face full of confusion. She was praying to her father, but Grandma said this had to be done secretly, otherwise, it wouldn’t work.

What should she do? How could she tell her mother…?

She couldn’t lie. If her mother found out she was lying, she would definitely get angry, and then things would change back!

“Qiuqiu hasn’t been sleeping, huh?”

The little girl looked clearly panicked, and Ji Meng didn’t want to scare her. Moreover, that earlier action looked like she was playing or something, it wasn’t a big deal. Ji Meng didn’t pursue it further and changed the topic.

They had been talking for quite a while, probably over an hour, but Qiuqiu’s eyes were clear and showed no signs of just waking up.

“Um, I’m not sleepy.”

Since her mother didn’t continue asking, Qiuqiu felt relieved and nodded in response.

“You haven’t slept for so long? Can’t sleep? So what has Qiuqiu been doing lying in bed for over an hour? Don’t you feel bored?”

At first, Ji Meng was worried that the child wouldn’t be able to adapt to the new environment. She gently combed her messy hair with her fingers and patiently asked.

“Qiuqiu isn’t sleepy and isn’t bored. Qiuqiu plays games with herself and thinks about things in bed,” Qiuqiu shook her head and replied.

“What kind of things? Can you tell Mommy?”

“Qiuqiu thought of many things…” Qiuqiu tilted her head to think for a moment before honestly answering.

Qiuqiu really had thought of a lot.

She thought about her grandfather, the provincial city, the soda she drank, this new place and new home, and also about Grandma, her Dad… She also wondered if this room where her mother used to live could prevent her from having those terrible dreams at night.

Qiuqiu didn’t really understand why, even though her mother was back, she still dreamed of things that happened after her mother left.

Just last night, she dreamed that she was begging for food.

Wearing very tattered clothes, she had a broken bowl and was robbed by someone.

When she was at home, the dreams she remembered waking up from were about her mother tying her up and Grandma having an accident. She didn’t remember much else clearly, but she suddenly remembered this morning.

If it weren’t been for the incident in the train carriage that morning, she would have been scared awake and definitely would have cried in her mother’s arms.

But she had already told her father about this, he would protect her, and she wouldn’t have that dream again soon.

So there was no need to trouble her mother with this worry.

Qiuqiu thought for a moment and picked something she felt would make her mother happy:

“Mom, this place is so big! The street is so long, and there are so many shops selling a lot of things. They have more than what’s in Dad’s place. When Grandpa took Qiuqiu shopping, we went into a really big store that had everything. Qiuqiu saw so many beautiful silk scarves, they were so pretty! Mom, you should go see them. You’ll definitely like them…”

The original body not only loved buying clothes but also had a big passion for buying all sorts of silk scarves.

She was so obsessed that she would spend her living expenses on them, and even though Qiuqiu was small, she remembered.

“Okay, Mom will go see them with Qiuqiu later.”

Ji Meng smiled and responded. Seeing the little girl’s reaction now, she didn’t have to worry about her not adapting for the time being. Ji Meng raised her hand to check the time and asked her again:

“Qiuqiu, Mommy needs to go out to take care of some things. Do you want to come, or would you rather stay home with Grandpa?”

“Qiuqiu wants to go!”

Qiuqiu immediately replied, realizing that she seemed too eager, she hadn’t considered that Grandpa, who had just bought her soda and snacks, might be the one to ask. Feeling a bit embarrassed, her ears turned slightly warm.

“Mom, how long are we going to be out? Can we go and come back quickly?”

The little girl’s emotions were written all over her face, and Ji Meng couldn’t help but smile, but she didn’t tease her. Instead, she nodded with a smile:

“Mm, we’ll go and come back quickly.”

“Alright, Mom will comb your hair, and once it’s done, we’ll head out.”

As Ji Meng said this, she went to get a comb and started fixing Qiuqiu’s hair, using the hairband she had made earlier to tie it into multiple braids. Qiuqiu looked much more lively after getting her hair done.

Once her hair was tied up, Ji Meng told Ji Qinghe and took Qiuqiu out the door.

Earlier, they had agreed to send a telegram to Fang Aihua once they arrived in the provincial city, so Ji Meng first went to the post office to send the telegram.

In order to avoid making Fang Aihua worry, Ji Meng chose an express telegram, which would arrive within a day and be delivered directly to their home.

After sending the telegram, Ji Meng began to take Qiuqiu for a stroll.

Since they had just arrived in the provincial city, everything was unfamiliar. Ji Meng wasn’t in a hurry and took her time to look around as they walked.

There were several streets here, the outermost street had state-run restaurants, a supply and marketing cooperative, and a department store.

The department store was large, with three entire floors. The items inside were neatly arranged and stacked in rows.

It had a hint of the old Soviet-style shops and looked quite stylish. Compared to the large malls of later years, it wasn’t lacking.

There was a wide variety of goods available, and the selection was much more extensive than in the small town.

There was even a special section for children’s items.

Ji Meng originally wanted to buy two outfits for Qiuqiu, but the children’s clothing wasn’t cheap.

Not only was it expensive, but it also required fabric coupons and wool coupons.

Ji Meng had her eye on a small pink checkered coat and a handmade white turtleneck sweater with floral designs that felt very comfortable and genuinely contained cashmere. However, the price made her hesitate.

The sweater and coat together cost 40 yuan, plus the fabric coupons and wool coupons.

Ji Meng had money, but she didn’t have enough fabric coupons and didn’t have any wool coupons at all.

She hesitated, she wanted to find someone to exchange coupons but didn’t know the price.

If this set of clothing would take almost half the money she had, it was too expensive for her to afford at the moment.

It was Qiuqiu’s first time in such a large department store, and she was quite timid. After entering, she spoke very little. Looking at the clothes her mother was looking at, she knew they were for her. She had never seen such beautiful and soft clothes before and liked them very much. But when the lady quoted a price, her eyes immediately dimmed.

For Qiuqiu, who thought even 5 cents was a lot, hearing that it cost 40 yuan nearly scared her to death. With that money, she could buy a lot of sodas.

Qiuqiu took the initiative to tug at her mother’s finger: “Mom, I still have clothes. Let’s go look at the beautiful silk scarves.”

“What’s wrong, baby?”

This time, Qiuqiu pulled Ji Meng’s hand with great force, practically dragging her along. Ji Meng was worried she might fall, so she quickly followed her to the side, instinctively asking her.

Ji Meng thought Qiuqiu would shake her head and say it was nothing, but this time, Qiuqiu turned her head, her small face full of seriousness. She spoke in a soft, pleading tone that felt like a negotiation.

“Mom, after you buy a silk scarf, can we go home?”

After finishing her sentence, Qiuqiu bit her lip, looking a little troubled: “Mom, can you hold on a little longer? When Qiuqiu grows up a bit, I’ll be able to earn money, and then whatever Mommy wants, Qiuqiu will buy for you.”

“Dad isn’t here anymore, no one is bringing back money. Although we are living at Grandpa’s house now, he is very old, just like Grandma, and doesn’t have much money. We need to save up a little, otherwise, we’ll go hungry later.”