Chapter 38: A Mother’s Love (Part 2)

After eating some steamed buns and noodles, and paying the bill, he tied the two cloth bags onto the back rack of his bicycle and carefully carried the bamboo basket packed by the chef as he headed home. Glancing at the time, he realized it was already quite late—he’d probably be riding home in the dark.

He hurried all the way, not daring to waste a minute. What should have been a half-hour ride took him forty minutes, since he was carrying wine as well. He felt a bit ashamed that he couldn’t keep better track of time—maybe it was time to buy a watch.

When he entered the courtyard, it was quiet. Only the main room had lights and voices—his family must have come back from work and were having dinner there. Seeing the large bags in his hands, Zhang Guoqing didn’t go in, but headed straight to his own room, planning to put his things away and check on his wife and child before joining the others for dinner.

He parked his bicycle under the eaves of the west wing, set his things down at his door, locked the bike, and tiptoed into the bedroom with his packages. He saw Jiao Jiao quietly chatting to their son, talking to herself in a silly, sweet way—she must have been really bored.

“Oh, son, you’re still awake? Did you know Daddy was coming home? Daddy brought you some persimmons, pears, and wild berries, but you’re too little to eat them yet. When you grow up, Daddy will take you and Mommy up the mountain to pick wild fruit. The wild fruit on Daqingshan is the best—you can find it all year round, much better than in other mountains.”

As he spoke, Zhang Guoqing smiled, poured some hot water, washed his face, and then said to Zhou Jiao with some pride, “I saw some ‘bitter melon’ today—since you like it, I bought some for you. Later, let’s ask Mom if you can eat it after blanching it in hot water. Maybe it’ll help satisfy your cravings.”

Zhou Jiao perked up immediately and said happily, “You can only eat it hot, not even if it’s just blanched. The baby is still small, so I’d better hold off—I can’t be careless. Give it to me, I’ll hide it for now. Once my confinement is over, I can eat it. It wasn’t sweet before the frost, and we don’t grow any at home. My aunt’s family has a couple of plants, but I’m too embarrassed to fight the kids for it. Now it’s perfect—I can save it and eat it slowly. By the way, why were you gone so long? Weren’t you just shopping? Did something happen? Is everything okay? Is the county town really chaotic right now?”

Zhang Guoqing handed her the worn bag with the persimmons, pears, and wild berries. Seeing her watching him closely, waiting for an answer, he reassured her, “It’s fine. There are still people selling fruit on the street, just like when you went last year. But today I saw some new slogans—looks like the People’s Commune will be established soon, maybe after the New Year. The production teams will probably agree to the change, and the Anti-Rightist campaign is pretty intense—those slogans are everywhere in town. Anyway, that’s not our concern. I was late because I went to ask the chef for some wine, that’s all. Did you eat dinner? What did you have? Is there anything you’re craving? Tell me and I’ll ask Mom to make it.”

Zhou Jiao thought for a moment and shook her head. “It’s all the same, whatever low-salt stew she makes. If I ask for anything special, it’ll just make people unhappy. Tonight I had Mom’s stewed pig’s feet and a bowl of noodles. I put some pig’s feet in a small bowl and made Mom eat it—had to force her. The pig’s feet and noodles were both bland, but I’m doing it for the baby. When Mom went out to wash diapers and told me to rest, I secretly ate my special postpartum meal.”

Zhang Guoqing pressed his lips together, wanting to say something but holding back. In a big family, everyone shares the same food, so anything special is immediately obvious—this really wasn’t ideal. He’d have to figure out how to install a stove for her; she couldn’t keep sneaking her postpartum meals like a thief, and it wasn’t good for digestion either.

“If they say anything, just ignore it. Even if they’re eating cornbread, it’s none of their business. We bought everything ourselves—they might grumble behind our backs, but there’s no need to shortchange ourselves for others. If they’re easy to get along with, then great; if not, just keep your distance.”

“It’s fine—even Second Sister-in-law didn’t grumble. Everyone’s been nice, so I try to be understanding too, and not say anything to upset anyone. The older sisters just came by to check on Ping’an and chatted a bit. I do feel a bit bad eating special food by myself. By the way, have you eaten? It’s probably sweet potato porridge again tonight. Do you want to eat something first? Did you exchange your ration tickets for goods? You should put these things in the cabinet—more and more people will be coming by.”

Zhou Jiao quickly shook her head and waved her hand, not wanting Zhang Guoqing to misunderstand.

“That’s good. After the New Year, when we move out, things will be much easier. There’s not much here—just what I got with the tickets. But today there were some good deals on imperfect goods. The wool yarn was just off-color, but good quality. It was 28 yuan but discounted to 12, so I bought some. It’ll be perfect for winter here. Your wool sweaters are still pretty new, so no rush—you gave me some nice ones already. We’ll save this for later.

There were also cloth shoes at half price—I bought two pairs, one for Dad. The saleswoman said women’s sweaters take 8 taels to a jin, men’s 1 to 1.2 jin, right? I got a jin of maroon yarn for Mom, a jin of dark blue for Dad, so they can knit their own. There were also imperfect towels for just 20 cents each—I bought five. Mom’s always envied Ping’an’s diapers, so I’ll give her two. I also bought two cans of malted milk. It’s safe, and good for us—just dilute it a bit. As for the wine, put it in your storage space, otherwise the smell is too strong. Pour out two jin for Dad, and keep the rest in the space. By the way, I forgot to ask—does using the space during your confinement affect your health? Are you feeling tired or unwell? If you notice anything unusual, stop right away. Wait until you’ve recovered, and use it less in the future.”

“No, nothing unusual. Didn’t you have me test it when I was collecting gold before? Don’t worry, I take care of myself. My bottles are all pretty, so I won’t take them out carelessly.” Zhou Jiao pouted and rolled her eyes at him. Zhang Guoqing turned and kissed her.

“Just put the wine in another bottle, leave two or three jin out, it’s the same.” Zhang Guoqing hugged her, “Let’s go to bed early tonight—I haven’t been paying attention to your rest. Tomorrow I’ll stay home with you and not go out.”

Zhang Guoqing stroked his son’s head and gave him a loud kiss on the forehead.

“When did our son last have milk? Last night he slept until 2 a.m. before waking up crying, so I fed him formula. When I left at 5 a.m., he was still asleep.”

“He woke up crying right after you left in the morning. After feeding, he went back to sleep, and had more milk around 9 or 10. Looks like he eats every three or four hours.”

“Keep observing for a few more days and you’ll figure out his routine. As for milk, use formula too, otherwise you’ll wear yourself out—no amount of supplements will help. Eat as much of your postpartum meals as you can. I didn’t find a stove today, but I’ll check the storeroom later. I ate in town today—by the way, Sister Huang from the restaurant is marrying that crazy guy at the end of the year, and wants you to come to the wedding. The wine is also from the chef.”

When Zhou Jiao heard “the chef,” she knew he’d gone to beg for more wine and shot him a look. “I still have some of your stash here—bring two bottles to the chef sometime. As for this jar of wine, the yarn, and the shoes, take them over now so they can be on the table before dinner.”

He listened for movement in the courtyard, nodded, picked up the bags she’d packed, cradled the wine and beef, and said, “I’ll go to the main house now. Ping’an, Daddy’s going to eat—be good and keep Mommy company.”

Watching him leave, Zhou Jiao turned to her son and said, “Baby, it’s just the two of us again.” She stroked Ping’an’s little hand. “My baby will grow up soon, and then Mommy can take you to the city to play. Let’s see what Grandma wrote in her letter…”"