Chapter 91

Qiao Xinyi thought to herself, How could they not be bold? After being trafficked once, those two kids didn’t have even a bit of psychological trauma. If they weren’t brave, they wouldn’t have grown up doing such reckless things.

“Mom, don’t worry. I like those two kids, and they like me too. We get along really well,” Qiao Xinyi grinned, showing her teeth. “Once Fu Qingshan and I get married, Mom, congratulations—you’ll be upgraded straight to grandma.”

Chen Yubing instinctively glanced at Qiao Xinyi’s belly, her hand already raising as if to hit someone, but Qiao Baihe quickly grabbed her arm.

“Mom!” Qiao Baihe half-laughed, half-crying, “Where are you thinking? If Xinyi marries Fu Qingshan, then according to our local customs, the two kids, Xiaozhou and Xiaoyu, should indeed call you grandma. That’s correct.”

Qiao Yunbai’s eyes lit up. “So that means I get to be the uncle?” Suddenly the elders’ roles were assigned. This sounded really fun!

Chen Yubing sighed in relief, then her raised hand landed lightly on Qiao Xinyi’s arm. “You child.” She said this, then herself burst out laughing.

“Mom, Aunt Bailu said she doesn’t like going out. Our marriage with Qingshan, we’ll discuss it within our family and with Qingshan ourselves. After we get married, we’ll take photos of us with Fu Qingshan, and also of our family, and send them to her. Then we’ll send her some wedding candy—that will be enough.”

“This morning I went to Aunt Bailu’s house. She gave me the wedding gift in advance—a jade bracelet. But it’s not convenient for me to wear it now, so I told Fu Qingshan to take it and keep it with him for safekeeping.”

Qiao Xinyi patiently explained Aunt Fu Bailu’s personality to Chen Yubing: she was rather casual and it wasn’t that she looked down on Qiao Xinyi or refused to help Fu Qingshan arrange things.

Qiao Xinyi guessed that Fu Bailu stayed out of it mainly because she didn’t want to cause trouble for her and Fu Qingshan. After all, she was old, with limited mobility, and would have to take the train and need someone to accompany her both ways. Fu Bailu knew how busy the engaged couple would be, and Fu Qingshan already had two kids who needed constant adult care.

“You speak so highly of the old lady, so she must really be good. If you don’t feel wronged, then Mom doesn’t feel wronged either,” Chen Yubing said, not the kind of person to make a fuss. “Have you and Qingshan discussed the wedding? Is there any plan?”

“We discussed it on the train back. Fu Qingshan said he’d come and discuss with you later. We won’t invite many people on either side. If you don’t mind, we won’t have separate ceremonies. We’ll decide whether to hold it at his military unit or at a state-run restaurant near our home.”

Fu Qingshan had just been transferred to the provincial city, and he didn’t have many friends here—mostly just Li Jun and a few others, basically all from the military. As for Qiao Xinyi, she counted on her fingers, including Chen Yubing and a few others, there were only five or six people total— not even enough to fill one “Eight Immortals” table.

Hearing this, Chen Yubing said, “By that count, Fu Qingshan’s unit has more people to invite, so holding the banquet at the unit is fine. The wedding only happens once; it should be lively.”

If held near the textile factory at the state-run restaurant, many people from Fu Qingshan’s unit wouldn’t be able to come drink to celebrate. A once-in-a-lifetime happy occasion—Chen Yubing hoped her daughter’s wedding banquet would be lively.

“By the way, if it’s at the unit, it will be in the cafeteria, right?” Chen Yubing asked, “Have you decided on a date?”

“Yes, a few tables in the cafeteria,” Qiao Xinyi nodded. “He said once the marriage application is approved, we can get the certificate. Oh, and he told me to ask you if there are any requests or thoughts from our side, like the bride price.”

“What bride price? Mom only has one request—he must treat you well in the future,” Chen Yubing waved her hand. “Tell Qingshan not to be so impatient; Mom needs some time to prepare your dowry.”

Qiao Xinyi shyly touched the tip of her nose. It wasn’t that Fu Qingshan was impatient. Actually, she was pretty eager herself.

Having such a handsome young man right in front of her but only able to look and not touch—it made her pretty anxious. Fu Qingshan was very principled; before they got their marriage certificate, he wouldn’t even let her touch him. Qiao Xinyi had been back in Tong’an County with Fu Qingshan for several days, but besides holding hands and that one excited hug in front of the No. 1 Middle School, she hadn’t gotten any other “benefits.” No abs touched. No kisses on the lips.

“Mom, whatever Fu Qingshan lacks, he’ll prepare it. You don’t have to get anything ready,” Qiao Xinyi replied.

Chen Yubing shot her a glare. “He can prepare all he wants, but when a mother is marrying off her daughter, not preparing anything herself—is that even right? If I didn’t prepare, I’d slap myself twice awake in the middle of the night.”

Qiao Baihe and Qiao Yunbai laughed at that.

Chen Yubing immediately started listing all the dowry items a mother had to prepare when marrying off a daughter in the provincial city. Qiao Xinyi felt overwhelmed by how many and how complicated it was.

Chen Yubing happily went back to the hallway to cook. Qiao Baihe picked up a half-knitted sweater from a chair and began showing it in front of Qiao Xinyi. It was a sweater she was knitting for Qiao Xinyi. Although winters in the provincial city weren’t as cold as in the north, sweaters were still essential.

Qiao Xinyi had just come back from the countryside and, aside from a few sets of summer clothes, didn’t really have any other clothes. So Qiao Baihe planned to knit her a few sweaters over this quiet summer vacation. Meanwhile, Chen Yubing had started preparing Qiao Xinyi’s autumn clothes in the last few days, and since they didn’t have a sewing machine at home, she took the work to the factory.

“These are all styles I learned from ready-made clothes at the department store. I guarantee they’ll look exactly the same—super fashionable, not a bit old-fashioned,” Qiao Baihe said confidently.

Her hands were like a ruler—she ran them once over Qiao Xinyi’s hands and waist and immediately had a clear idea. Not to mention, Qiao Baihe’s hands were really skillful. The styles were indeed trendy, and Qiao Xinyi quite liked them, so she let Qiao Baihe keep adjusting the measurements on her.

After dinner, Qiao Xinyi grabbed her things, borrowed a bicycle from Aunt Hua, and went out.

She headed straight to Nan Street Alley to find Qiao Laidi. At this time, everyone in the alley had finished dinner and gathered in small groups under the big tree at the alley’s entrance, cooling off and chatting.

Qiao Xinyi was a new face here, so her arrival immediately attracted some attention. When someone asked who she was looking for, and upon hearing it was Qiao Laidi, a loud-voiced auntie immediately shouted into the alley, “Laidi, someone’s looking for you.”

Qiao Laidi didn’t come out immediately, but a slightly older girl Qiao Xinyi had seen at the train station that day ran out. She recognized Qiao Xinyi and ran over to guide her.

Once inside the house, she called to the back, “Mom, it’s the auntie who came to see you a few days ago.”

Qiao Laidi was sitting at the doorstep with her youngest daughter on her back, sewing clothes. Her needle and thread moved quickly. Judging by the size, she was sewing for her eldest daughter.

All the small courtyards in Nan Street Alley looked similar, but each housed several families. Qiao Xinyi followed the girl inside, and before she had a chance to speak with Qiao Laidi, the neighbors started asking questions.

“Laidi, who’s this? You’ve been married here so long, and this is the first time we’ve seen someone come looking for you.”

“Is she your friend? Why’s she wearing a hat so late at night? Her clothes are the most fashionable from the department store—her family must be well off. Is she married?”

“Laidi, Mrs. Qian wants to introduce your friend to his eldest son, but I think she’s too skinny—looks like she wouldn’t have good luck having children.”