Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 122 Sending Ho Chiu-lai to Shanghai

Upon entering the house and seeing He Zhicheng's family, Jingyan greeted them happily: "Big brother and sister-in-law, what brings you here at this hour?"

He Zhicheng said somewhat embarrassedly, "Xiao Li is on winter vacation. Your sister-in-law just found a job recently, and we thought that no one would keep Xiao Li company at home, so we sent him here. We'll have to trouble you and your wife to take care of him from now on."

Jingyan washed her hands and said with a smile, "It's no trouble at all. Xiaoli is very sensible, and there are always people at home, so don't worry. If you miss the child, you can come and see him on the weekend."

After saying that, she squatted down and touched He Chaoli's little face, and said with a smile, "Little Li, you will live here from now on. In winter, you will share a room with your great-grandmother, and in spring and summer, you can move to the second floor, okay? Do you dare to live in a room by yourself?"

He Chaoli nodded, "I dare. I've been living by myself since I was six. Don't worry, Auntie. When my younger brother gets older, I'll sleep in the same room with him."

Jing Yan affectionately kissed his forehead, and the little boy blushed with embarrassment. He covered his face and said nervously, "Auntie, you can't kiss Xiaoli. Men and women shouldn't touch each other. I'm a grown man now, I can't be kissed."

Seeing his shy expression, Jingyan laughed out loud: "Well, men and women shouldn't touch each other, right? Then when Auntie has another little sister, Xiaoli won't be allowed to kiss his little sister either."

He Chaoli was shocked and his eyes widened: "When my sister was little, I could kiss her, but now that she's grown up, I won't. Auntie, don't try to fool the child."

Jingyan couldn't help but laugh; kids are so much fun.

He Zhijun asked in confusion, "Jingyan is pregnant again?"

Jingyan shook her head: "No, I do want to have another one. I'm still young and don't have much to do. My grandma is also healthy and can help me take care of the child for a few years. Otherwise, I'll wait a few more years. Even if my grandma wanted to take care of the child, I wouldn't feel at ease."

Zhou Jie nodded in agreement: "That's true. If the conditions are right, we can definitely have another one. If I hadn't been unable to conceive, I would have liked to give Xiaoli another little sister."

Jingyan grasped her hand: "Sister-in-law, don't think too much. The fate of children is mainly about destiny. What's meant to come will come naturally when the time is right. I've heard Mom say before that your health has improved; just let fate decide the rest."

Besides, Xiaoli is so smart and sensible; a good child is much more helpful than a bunch of unruly kids, so there's no need to feel regretful.

Grandma agreed wholeheartedly: "Yes, Jiao Xu is my only son. You see, no matter how difficult things have been all these years, he always finds a way to come see me. Many of my fellow elderly women in the nursing home have four or five sons and daughters."

When the movement started, her own children cut ties with her to protect themselves, which was understandable. But now that the storm has passed, her house has been returned, and she's even received a significant amount of back pay.

Then those children shamelessly come knocking on my door again, saying they want to fulfill their filial duties. Pah! Even having a piece of barbecued pork is better than those bastards; they're nothing but a nuisance.

These words perked everyone up, and even the act of moving things paused: "So how is it being handled now? Is it still a stalemate?" Jing Yan asked with a gossipy look on her face.

Grandma pursed her lips: "That old friend who stayed with us for two days a few days ago, she was staying at the nursing home and getting bored, so she came to stay with me for two days. I gave her some advice: her children all have jobs, or at least their own children have jobs."

I told her that if she decided to ignore those ungrateful bastards, she should make it clear that if anyone harassed her again, she should go directly to their supervisor. Unfilial people don't deserve to work.

If we push her too far, she'll just go to her workplace and cause a scene, then let's see who dares to cause trouble. That's why she made the decision with me and immediately went back to the sanatorium. As for what happens next, she should come back and tell me in a while; there's no rush.”

Zhou Jie frowned: "Wouldn't that be a bad idea? That would be offending your children to death, so they won't have anyone to help them when they die."

Jingyan, however, didn't seem to care: "Sister-in-law, what era are we living in? Those who can stay in sanatoriums have all contributed to the country. The government will take care of their affairs before and after their death. Children aren't necessarily as reliable as the government."

Don't spout any nonsense about breaking pots and carrying sails when you're out there; that's feudal dregs. Besides, as long as you're comfortable in life, who cares about what happens after death? It's unnecessary. A person needs to be open-minded to live a few more years; there's no need to worry so much about reputation before and after death.

He Zhicheng also agreed: "Your sister-in-law is right. They were ungrateful before. Do you really expect them to be filial when you're old and can't move? It's much better to have caregivers in a nursing home who take better care of you than your own children at home."

After saying that, she started carrying heavy items like rice, flour, and cooking oil into the house. Zhou Jie seemed thoughtful, then looked at the huge pile of food with some surprise: "Jingyan, you're already starting to prepare for the New Year?"

Jingyan shook her head: "No, it's just that sausages have been selling quite well since winter started. Today, Sister Zhang sent word that the slaughterhouse slaughtered an extra pig to distribute to the employees, so I went to buy meat from them. This time I had a selection, and I bought quite a bit of pork belly."

There's other meat and bones too. You've come all this way, so we'll make pork rib stew tonight. Take some back with you tomorrow, give some to your parents, and keep some for yourself to improve your meals.

Zhou Jie shook her head repeatedly: "We won't take them back. You're going to sell all these things for money. As for what we'll eat, we can just buy some from the supply and marketing cooperative. What kind of work do you need to do with these sausages? I'll help you."

"Skinning the pork belly and mincing it with some lean meat is hard work. It would be best to buy a meat grinder, but I couldn't find one. I didn't see any for sale in ordinary stores like the supply and marketing cooperatives. Otherwise, it would save a lot of effort," Jing Yan said as she unloaded the goods.

Zhou Jie quickly stepped forward to help: "Then I'll chop the meat. You decide how much you need, put the meat together, and I'll chop it slowly."

"My brother just said you've started working. What kind of job did you find? Are you busy? Are you tired?" Jingyan asked.

“Working as a dishwasher in the kitchen of a state-run restaurant isn’t tiring. Although you wash a lot of pots and pans, you can wash them with warm water, so it’s not too strenuous. Unlike the vegetable washer, many vegetables can’t be washed with warm water, and her hands are always red and swollen in this weather. It’s heartbreaking to see.” Zhou Jie said in a light tone.

Jingyan could tell from the light in her eyes when she talked about work that things were going fairly well. "As long as I'm not suffering, that's good. My fourth sister sent me some local specialties a while ago, including some snow frog oil, which is considered a tonic."

You should also take some back for your parents. They can make some stew when they have time. Snow frog and lotus seed soup is the most common; it only needs snow frog oil, red dates, and lotus seeds. If you have white fungus, you can add some too. Add some rock sugar, simmer it slowly in a clay pot over low heat, and it's a delicious dish.

Zhou Jie quickly waved her hand: "I can't bring this. I've heard of it. It seems to be hard to buy and quite expensive. Grandma is with you. Let's leave these nice things for Grandma."

"My fourth sister's family caught these frogs themselves this year. They said that my fourth sister's husband and a few unruly boys from the village went into the woods to catch them and brought them back to their home. Apart from being a bit troublesome and not being a large quantity, it's not a big deal. We just wanted to try them out, and we've already set aside some for Grandma."

"I heard from Mom before that you suffered a lot in your younger years and your health has never been very good. This stuff can boost immunity. We don't have much, but it's okay to eat a little every now and then." Jingyan wasn't stingy at all.

Grandma peeled peanuts for He Chaoli. "Jingyan said you should take some back with you. It's her kind gesture. Jingyan, later you should see if you want to mail some local specialties back to your siblings too. It's always good to give and take."

Jingyan shook her head: "We don't have anything good here. There's plenty more food and drink back home. We'll send some back home when we come across something better."

Oh, by the way, I ordered some dried hazel mushrooms from Sister He in the Great Northern Wilderness last autumn, and they arrived a while ago. We've had them before, they're really delicious, right? I'll bring some back with me this time.

"Oh, right, Grandma, I forgot to ask before. After Zhijun and I got married, we received a remittance of 300 yuan from my eldest uncle, saying it was a wedding gift. But when it arrived, Mom said, 'You only have Dad as your son, so whose uncle is this?'"

Grandma smiled upon hearing this: "It's true that you call him Uncle, but he's not my child. He's the son of your grandfather's comrade-in-arms. After his comrade-in-arms died for his country, he was the only son left in the family."

Your grandfather took him into our family, and he was raised by me along with Jiao Xu. Later, they both joined the army; he was assigned to a military unit stationed in the far northwest.

Although they didn't keep in touch much afterward, they were, after all, children who grew up together, and he always treated Jiao Xu like a younger brother, so they had a very good relationship.

“There’s quite a lot of dried hazelnuts this time. I’ll take a lot back with me, and Mom and Dad can send some to Uncle’s side as well. It’s a small token of our appreciation,” Jingyan said.

Grandma smiled and nodded: "Good, you're so thoughtful. It's tough in the Northwest. Forget about specialties, we're just grateful to have enough to eat. We haven't been able to take care of him over the years. Now that you've brought it up, I was thinking of sending some sausages to your uncle. Meat and grain are probably scarce there."

Jingyan readily agreed: "That's fine too. These sausages won't be a problem even if it's hot over there. They can be stored for quite a while if kept in a dark place. It's perfect that my brother and sister-in-law are here too, so let's work together and make sure no one is idle."

And so, the task of chopping meat that Zhou Jie was originally supposed to do was transferred to He Zhicheng. After all, men have enough arm strength. Jing Yan and Sister Wang, on the other hand, had to prepare the seasoning ratios and dry and grind the spices, which was quite troublesome.

Zhou Jie helped clean the sausage casings. As everyone got to work, the pile of meat that had been stacked in the living room visibly decreased, while the amount of minced meat in the kitchen increased.

After everyone finished all the preparations, most of the day had passed. Sister Wang quickly cooked some food, served the ribs that had been stewing all afternoon, and after dinner, she mixed the minced meat together...

Unable to bear it any longer, they scattered to wash up and went back to their bedrooms to sleep. He Zhicheng and He Chaoli were given a double room, while all the women stayed in Jingyan's room.

The next morning, after breakfast, they started making sausages. Jingyan led Zhou Jie in one group, and Sister Wang led He Zhicheng in another. The two groups worked together and were quite fast. By the time they were about to leave in the afternoon, there were already two rows of sausages on the clothesline in the yard.

Two kittens squatted on the ground, looking up at the clothesline with longing eyes. Their eager little paws, after jumping a few times without success, could only squat on the ground and watch with regret. He Chaoli, wearing a cotton coat, squatted in the yard watching the two kittens' antics, smiling and not feeling bored at all.

On the contrary, An'an was not satisfied with the kittens remaining still. She took small, quick steps and rushed over to grab them. When the two kittens saw the naughty child, they ran and jumped very fast. He Jin'an couldn't even touch their tails. She was so angry that she cried out and tried to grab them again.

Zhou Jie was shocked to see this: "Jingyan, look, An'an is scratching the cat. Should we go and pick her up? What if she angers the cat and scratches it?"

Jingyan glanced back and shook her head indifferently: "It's alright, the kittens know their own strength. You see, they never let An'an catch them. An'an doesn't know his own strength, and the kittens know that too, so they don't go near him."

Besides, if you piss the cat off, you can just scratch it a couple of times. It'll hurt, and it won't do it again. It's not a big deal.

Seeing Jing Yan's laissez-faire attitude towards raising the child, Zhou Jie finally understood the difference between the two women in their approach to the child. She endured it for a while, but in the end, she turned her head away, preferring not to see it.

Later, Xiaoli saw An'an scratching the cat and couldn't bear it any longer, so she ran over, took An'an's hand, and coaxed her to the side to play with her.

When Zhou Jie turned around and saw this scene, she finally felt relieved. She was at ease about Xiao Li's choice to stay here. As long as the child had a place where she could help, that was fine. Otherwise, she would always feel like she was causing trouble for her family.

As evening approached, there was only a small packet of snow frog oil in He Zhicheng's car trunk, not much, but the dried mushrooms took up space and the fresh sausages took up weight, so it was quite full. The car slowly drove away, and only then did He Chaoli feel a little sad.

Jingyan hugged him and comforted him, "Xiaoli is a big boy now. You'll face more and more separations in the future. Every separation will be followed by a reunion. There's nothing to be sad about. How about Auntie takes you to play with your friends tomorrow?"

He Chaoli held back the tears in his eyes and mumbled an "Mmm". That night, his grandmother held He Chaoli and slept on the kang. He Chaoli kept tossing and turning and couldn't fall asleep. His grandmother was also disturbed and couldn't fall asleep either, so she came to find Jingyan.

Jingyan took He Chaoli to her room and let him sleep next to her, next to An'an. After thinking for a moment, she decided to tell them a bedtime story.

After thinking for a long time, she told the idiom story of "marking the boat to find the sword" (meaning to find someone who has lost their way). After finishing the story, she heard the even breathing of the child next to her, and Jingyan closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep.