Chapter 74: At the Banquet Table

As Zhou Jiao listened to her mother speak, she gradually calmed down. Watching her mother fuss over who had prepared what, what could or couldn’t be given away, and who she could share things with—aside from Zhang Guoqing, no one else ever managed her affairs so meticulously, as if she were still a child who didn’t understand anything.

“Mom, how did Dad get discharged from the army? Don’t tell me he fainted from fright in battle?”

“No, your dad was a top soldier, wasn’t he? Everyone talked about his family. One time, someone just happened to say in front of your grandpa, ‘He’s nothing like his father. Even a coward can have a brave son.’ Your grandpa thought it was odd, because he really liked your dad.

That person went on to say that your dad’s discharge was actually because the higher-ups told him to leave voluntarily. Some soldiers suspected he was secretly hiding gold. In the end, the higher-ups couldn’t find any evidence, so they advised him to resign himself, and he could still get a pension.

Think about it—your grandma was a doctor at the hospital back then, with a pretty good job. So why did they come back? Your grandpa was worried it would affect your dad, so he warned that person, and later they checked the records and erased everything.

Isn’t that just being obsessed with money? Your grandpa never told anyone. He only mentioned it to me when I wanted to date and marry your dad, just to warn me in case family relations got tense in the future. He also told me never to bring it up in front of your dad. How’s that for a secret? Interesting, right?”

“Mom, that’s exactly the kind of thing he’d do. You can see he doesn’t have any of the backbone of a big, scholarly family. Xiao Wu says all he cares about now is the money and things right under his nose. Yesterday, Xiao Wu went to town at 4 a.m. to share the good news, brought back a bunch of stuff for the baby, and happened to pass by their place.

Who would’ve thought Huang Zhaodi would show up halfway, making a scene, crying and yelling. But Grandpa just sat there and didn’t stop her. Grandma was so angry she cursed her out, calling her an ingrate, saying they’d supported her whole family and even made her mother’s side rich. Grandpa kept interrupting Grandma, and when Huang Zhaodi started crying that all those things you sent couldn’t just be given to her, and that the baby was too young to enjoy any of it anyway, she really pissed off Guoqing. He told her to go ahead and try, that those things were prepared by his eldest sister, and she should see what happens when his sister comes to ‘loosen her bones’ for her. That finally scared her off.

Guoqing said Grandpa was really disappointed at the time. When he told me about it later, I laughed so hard. He said even the village shrews aren’t as shameless as her, and even more shameless is Grandpa sitting there supporting her tantrum.

Grandma was shaking with anger, but Grandpa just sat there pretending not to see, interrupting every time Grandma cursed. Huang Zhaodi kept yelling, and Grandpa just watched the show. He says if my dad were really outstanding, he definitely wouldn’t be a Zhou family member. There’s no way just my dad would be so different; environment shapes people. You should ask my dad if he’s really their biological son.”

“Heh, whether your dad’s their biological son or not, only your grandma knows. No one else will say. Your dad and your uncle are fifteen years apart. He knows, but he won’t talk. If he’d married earlier, your eldest cousin would be about the same age as your dad. He’s old enough to be your grandpa, still so harsh on you. Who knows if he’ll get his comeuppance before your grandpa does. That bunch only cares about benefits, never says a word otherwise. It’s disgusting.” Lin Lishan got angry just thinking about the days her daughter spent with the Zhou family. She couldn’t curse her father-in-law, but as for Zhou Xiaocun, who was he anyway?

“Otherwise, do you think I’d be so confrontational? I’ve just been disgusted too much. Just look at Zhou Xue and you’ll know what kind of person Grandpa is. She’s the one he doted on most since she was little. If you all didn’t say I looked like Grandma, I’d be afraid Zhou Xue would’ve replaced me in Grandpa’s family.”

“No way. We all know about your birthmark, your blood type, everything. If people could just swap kids like that, there wouldn’t be so many children fostered out to other families. If they got caught, they’d be shot.”

Lin Lishan saw it was getting late, so she quickly got up to sort out the valuable items for Zhou Jiao, putting away those not meant as gifts in the cabinet and boxes. The things to be given away were all put together at the end of Jiao Jiao’s kang bed, ready for Xiao Wu to deliver to her mother and two sisters-in-law later when there were fewer people around.

“Waaah…” Suddenly the baby started crying. Zhou Jiao hurriedly picked him up, unbuttoned her shirt to nurse him, and finally managed to calm him down. The child was getting more and more impatient. “Mom, can you hand me that white diaper? As soon as he’s done eating, I’ll need to change him.”

Lin Lishan went to the outer room, brought all the washed diapers into the bedroom, and put them with the ones she’d brought earlier under the cabinet by the kang, so Zhou Jiao could easily reach them when she was alone. “The diapers I brought have all been washed. I’ll leave them here together. Next time you need to change him, you can grab them easily. These diapers are good quality—if you have extra, buy more.”

Zhou Jiao made a face at her mother and winked. “My mother-in-law prepared a pile of rags, collected since half a year ago. In the countryside, it’s hard to even get enough cloth for a pair of underwear in a year, so it wasn’t easy for her to gather them. As soon as the baby was born, Guoqing started using diapers, and gave the rags to his second sister-in-law. My mother-in-law was heartbroken. When she saw the diapers, she kept saying they were whiter and better than the towels at home. Guoqing told her they’d prevent diaper rash, so she said if they’re good, we should buy more. Yesterday afternoon, when he went to town, I had him buy towels to give her. If anyone heard about this, I’d be struck by lightning, haha.”

“Haha, I’ve been to many places. In some places, a whole family uses one rag as a towel. The Northeast is already pretty well-off. In the countryside, it’s rare to see villages like yours with brick and tile houses. Once you leave this village, most places still have thatched huts. When I came, your grandpa and I agreed to build you a house directly, whether you go to Beijing or not—you need a house back home.”

“There’s stone at the foot of the mountain, and the villagers can quarry it, so it doesn’t cost much. My in-laws finished building the house before letting us move out. The whole courtyard cost less than 150 yuan. See how cheap that is? In the countryside, there are advantages—wood from the mountain is free, the stone is free, you just buy tiles and pay for some help and food. Even so, there are still people in the village who can’t afford to build and live in thatched huts.”

“That’s why everyone is desperate to move to the city. That’s why I say the Zhou family is foolish. If they’d treated you well, I would’ve arranged a job for you without a second thought. Ping’an, I’m your grandma, Grandma’s little Ping’an, aren’t you going to sleep? Our Ping’an will grow up fast and Grandma will take you out to play.” Lin Lishan poured hot water on a towel and happily wiped Ping’an’s bottom and changed his diaper, cooing gently to her grandson.

“Mom, go see if dinner’s ready. I haven’t had any supplements or snacks, I’m probably starving. Go see if you can help in the kitchen. I’ll just rest here with Ping’an.”

“Oh, I’m not that hungry. Just go chat with them, but don’t do any work. You’ve been traveling all day, you must be tired.”"