Chapter 11: None of Them Are Real Family

In Da Dan and Er Dan’s memories, pickled cucumber strips were always just a single, dark, shriveled stick. Usually, you’d slice one up, drizzle some sesame oil over it, and eat it with steamed buns or mantou. Or maybe you’d smash up some fresh cucumber with garlic, salt, oil, and vinegar. That was about as fancy as it got.

But this—this was the first time they’d ever seen anything like it.

“Does it smell good?” Su Qinghu smiled, her pretty eyes curving, her voice taking on the sly, coaxing tone of the Big Bad Wolf tempting Little Red Riding Hood.

Da Dan hesitated, but Er Dan nodded enthusiastically and said, “It smells great!”

“As long as it smells good, that’s all that matters.” Su Qinghu shook her head, a little regretful. “If only we had some dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, or little hot peppers...”

Seasonings in this era were pretty limited, and the stores didn’t carry much. Trying to stock a kitchen with all the spices you’d want was no easy feat.

As Su Qinghu muttered about it, Er Dan was practically drooling. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and raised his hand. “Mom, I can get you some Sichuan peppercorns.”

Su Qinghu glanced at him and said slowly, “I can buy them myself.”

From what she remembered, Sichuan peppercorns didn’t require ration tickets.

“The peppercorn trees are wild, nobody owns them,” Er Dan grinned, catching Su Qinghu’s meaning. “Don’t worry, I promise I won’t steal or take anything that isn’t mine.”

Da Dan paused, looked at her, and said, “It’s true.”

Su Qinghu did a quick calculation of when the peppercorns would be ready to harvest, then nodded. “Alright, we’ll wait two more weeks and go together.”

Da Dan blurted out a refusal, but just as he opened his mouth, Su Qinghu stuffed a piece of beef in. He chewed twice on reflex and swallowed before he could even taste it.

“Is it good?” Su Qinghu didn’t notice Da Dan’s stiffness and laughed. “Tasty, right? When I was little, I loved hanging around the kitchen too. I’d always sneak a bite or two before dinner, and it always tasted better than what ended up on the table.”

As she spoke, she popped a piece into Er Dan’s mouth, patting his head. “Eat up, big belly!”

As she turned away, Da Dan unconsciously ran his tongue around his mouth. The flavor of the beef still lingered on his taste buds, making him hesitate.

When Su Qinghu said she could buy peppercorns, he’d decided not to tell her where the wild trees were. He’d planned to play dumb, or find an excuse over the next few days to make her drop the idea. But now, after the way she treated them, he felt a flicker of doubt.

Er Dan, caught up in the excitement of eating meat, didn’t notice his brother’s silence. Just as he was about to say something clever—maybe brag about how big and tall the peppercorn trees were—he suddenly felt his brother looking at him.

He turned his head, met Da Dan’s gaze for a moment, and shut his mouth.

Big brother didn’t want him to say anything.

Just as the atmosphere was about to turn awkwardly quiet, there was a knock at the door. Er Dan grabbed Da Dan’s hand and pulled him along. “Come on, let’s go answer it.”

He needed to ask his brother what they could and couldn’t say—couldn’t risk slipping up in front of the new mom.

Outside was Zhang Dongsheng’s childhood friend, Zhao Liangyan, carrying two big honeydew melons. He called out “sister-in-law” as soon as he came in.

He didn’t plan to come inside, just stood not far from the gate, clearly trying to avoid any awkwardness. After a few pleasantries, Su Qinghu got straight to the point.

“Sister-in-law, Zhang Dongsheng is a bit crazy—he does things without thinking about the consequences. I can’t control him, but I’ll do my best to help you out if anything comes up.” Zhao Liangyan looked helpless. “The boss was in a hurry this time, only had time to send me a note asking me to look after you three. I was out of town for a few days and only just got the message today.”

“Sorry, I only just found out you were in the hospital too.” He’d actually heard it from Zhang Dongsheng himself.

Zhao Liangyan pulled out a stack of ration tickets and handed them to Su Qinghu. “The boss asked me to give you these to use for now.”

Su Qinghu made a show of refusing twice, then accepted the tickets. “Thank you for going out of your way to bring these.”

Crisis averted!

Just as Su Qinghu was feeling relieved, Zhao Liangyan hesitated and asked, “Sister-in-law, did the boss ever mention wanting to change careers?”

“Why would he want to change careers?” Su Qinghu frowned, sounding righteous. “The country worked hard to train him to be an all-round talent. If he changes careers, he’s letting the country down.”

Let it be a weak connection! Please, just a weak connection! If the man only comes home once in a while, that’s fine. Just don’t let him be around all the time—she’s used to her freedom, and she might scare off a perfectly decent guy!

Zhao Liangyan: “...You didn’t know?”

Su Qinghu raised an eyebrow. “Know what?”

Seeing that Su Qinghu was completely in the dark, Zhao Liangyan stopped talking. Maybe the pressure for Zhang Dongsheng to change careers wasn’t coming from her after all.

Since Zhao Liangyan didn’t continue, Su Qinghu didn’t press. She knew when to stop, but made her position clear. “I can handle things at home and take care of the kids. If you can get in touch with him, just tell him to do whatever he wants—he doesn’t need to worry about outside interference.”

“In this life, everyone should do something meaningful. Tell him to do it for both of us.”

=====

After seeing off the bewildered Zhao Liangyan, Su Qinghu was visited by her matchmaker, Teacher Sun Yun. She did her best to gloss over the suicide-by-overdose incident, painted a rosy picture of her future life, and finally managed to send the white-haired old lady on her way.

Letting out a long breath, Su Qinghu looked at the two kids and pulled out some money. “No dinner at home tonight. Go buy some fried dough sticks or buns from outside.”

The rest of the food would be the cold dishes from the deli, plus some pickled cucumber strips.

Da Dan and Er Dan agreed, took the money, and headed out. Watching their backs, Su Qinghu collapsed into a chair.

What a day—people coming and going nonstop. It was enough to wear anyone out.

As soon as Da Dan and Er Dan left the hospital gate, they made sure to close the door behind them, then dashed off until they were well out of sight. Only then did they stop.

“Bro, is there something wrong with the peppercorn trees?” Er Dan asked.

Da Dan didn’t sound guilty at all. “Those wild peppercorn trees produce a lot. We pick some for ourselves, and sell the rest.”

Er Dan suddenly understood. “You’re worried the new mom will find out?”

Before Da Dan could answer, Er Dan kept talking. “Makes sense. The new mom isn’t our real mom, and that woman who went abroad isn’t our real mom either. None of them are. So she might leave too. If that happens, she’ll probably take over the whole tree and leave nothing for us. If she saves up enough money, maybe she’ll want to study abroad and never come back.”

Green onions, ginger, and garlic are expensive. Peppercorns might be too. Even if they only sell for fifty cents a pound, they could still save up quite a bit.

How much does it cost to go abroad again?

He couldn’t quite remember. “Bro, do you remember how much it costs to go abroad?”

“It’s not about the cost to go abroad—it’s the $40 application fee for the school,” Da Dan said. “Travel expenses, like plane or boat tickets, are nothing.”

If you actually got into a school in America, just the scholarship alone would be several hundred dollars."