Xu Qiguang was the type to see his target, make his move, grab his things, and leave.
His daughter, Xu Changqing, was much the same—not one for wasting words.
Just like now.
She wouldn’t have objected to not going in, but once they did, she wouldn’t stop him.
She certainly wouldn’t nag about what they should or shouldn’t buy.
All she had to do was listen and follow her old man.
‘In my humble opinion,’ she thought, ‘we can’t let Dad lose face in public.
If we’re going to pinch pennies, we have to do it in private.
Might as well just buy it.
If we get too much, can’t we just sell it back in the village?’
One time, her dad’s work unit had given out benefits, and she’d flipped all the bars of soap at the village threshing ground.
It hadn’t even taken an hour—the women, young and old, had swarmed her, and just like that, they were gone.
‘They were so easy to resell, and I even traded for a bunch of good stuff.
It’s a shame, though.
After that, I never saw Dad bring home any more perks from work in such large quantities.’
Xu Qiguang had no idea about his daughter’s regret, or else he would have given her a good, long lecture.
The reason he’d brought them home that time was for something else entirely.
The result?
That little brat hadn’t even waited for him to come out of the old family house before she lugged the entire bag to the threshing ground.
She’d nearly sold everything—including the two bars of soap he had intended to keep for their own home.
If he wanted to flip things for cash, there were a million ways to do it.
Why would he bother lugging bags all the way home in the dead of winter?
When his daughter got mischievous, it was enough to make him not know whether to laugh or cry.
Xu Qiguang really went all out this time.
He bought so much that it wouldn’t fit in the wicker basket he’d brought—which had only been carrying a water flask.
He had to use the net bag he’d also brought to carry another large load.
The father-daughter duo was quick to enter and just as quick to leave.
Once out the doors of the supply and marketing co-op, Xu Changqing followed her father to the left.
She didn’t bother asking where they were headed next; she was too curious.
The moment he heard his daughter ask if they could really use everything they’d bought, Xu Qiguang had a knee-jerk reaction.
“Let’s get this straight right now.
You are not to resell any of this.”
‘I wasn’t planning on reselling *all* of it,’ Xu Changqing thought, nodding silently.
“It’s just…
this is a lot of yarn and fabric.
It’s enough to last our family for three to five years, and the babies won’t need much cloth.”
‘So you think I bought all this fabric for two babies who aren’t even born yet?’ Xu Qiguang shot his daughter an amused look and reminded her, “You don’t have a single new set of clothes.”
“What do you mean?” Xu Changqing jutted her chin toward the clothes she was wearing.
“These are new.
There isn’t a single patch on them.
I have more clothes than any of my classmates.”
For a moment, Xu Qiguang couldn’t find the words to describe how he felt.
He looked up, squinted at the sky, and said, “It’s getting late.
Let’s hurry.”
“Are we going straight there now?” ‘Isn’t that a bad idea?
It’s almost lunchtime, for one.
And showing up with all these bags isn’t exactly proper, either.’
Seeing someone up ahead pedaling furiously toward them on a bicycle, Xu Changqing quickly moved to her father’s other side, positioning herself half a step in front of him as a shield.
“Careful,” she warned.
‘Are you the parent, or am I?’ Seeing his daughter shielding him so diligently, Xu Qiguang chuckled and shook his head.
“We’re going to meet someone first.”
“Oh.”
“Shouldn’t you be asking who?”
“I’ll know when we see them.”
“You’re really not curious.” Xu Qiguang looked at his daughter, whose temperament was growing calmer and more mature by the day.
He considered for a moment as they walked.
“I need to ask someone for help renting a room for your mother to stay in for a few days.”
“She’s not doing her postpartum confinement at home?”
‘See?
No matter how mature you try to be, there are still things you don’t understand.’ “She’ll stay there for a few days *before* the birth.
After she gets out of the hospital, she’ll come home for her postpartum confinement.
Our house is just too far from here.”
‘Perfect!’ It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered this.
But with everyone so busy during the wheat harvest, she’d been wavering between finding a skilled local midwife to stay at their house or having her mother fake a stomachache so they could go to the hospital early.
How had she not thought of renting a room first?
“It’s not surprising.
How old are you?
The fact that you’ve thought about it this much is already very impressive.” When he was fifteen, he hadn’t been nearly as thorough in his thinking as his daughter was now.
Back then, all he thought about day in and day out was how to escape his rural background.
He just wanted to study harder and harder, to earn a chance to see the bigger world out there.
At this thought, Xu Qiguang let out a self-deprecating laugh.
“Brother Guang!
…It’s me!
…Brother Qi Guang, I’m calling you!
…It’s me, it’s really me!
…Xu Qiguang!
…Hey, slow down!
I’m calling you…”
If she hadn’t initially registered who was yelling behind them, the sound of “Xu Qiguang” being shrieked at a pitch that almost broke made it perfectly clear to Xu Changqing.
Her family—or, to be precise, her maternal grandmother’s family—had one such grande dame who was even more spoiled than Xu Baimei.
A thirty-two-year-old woman who still acted coy in front of Xu Changqing’s father.
It was her youngest aunt, Bai Lao Yao—Bai Xiulian.
The youngest daughter of the Bai family who had married someone in the county seat.
Right now, she was running toward them in a pair of leather shoes, shouting all the while.
Xu Qiguang had identified the person shouting long before his daughter did.
He suppressed his irritation, but when he saw his daughter turn and stop, he had no choice but to slowly turn around as well.
“Brother Guang, it really is you!
I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.” Bai Xiulian’s eyes were wide, her lips pursed in a pout, her face a mask of displeasure.
“When did you get back?
How come you didn’t come to see me?”
‘Why would my dad, her brother-in-law, have to come see *you* when he gets back?
Wait a minute!’ How had she never noticed before?
This wasn’t the welcoming attitude a sister-in-law should have toward her brother-in-law.
Had that dream made her this sensitive?
Xu Qiguang saw his sister-in-law shamelessly reach for his arm right there on the street.
He took a step back, his brow furrowed, and snapped, “How inappropriate!”
“It’s not like we’re strangers.” Bai Xiulian feigned shock, one hand patting her chest while the other pointed at Xu Changqing.
“My, is this Changqing?
How did you get so dark?
You look a fright!”
‘Are your eyes plastered with shit?’ Xu Changqing turned her head away.
‘Acting like such a lovestruck fool.
And people say Xu Baimei doesn’t take after her aunt.’
“Brother Guang, I’m not trying to be critical, but how is it that neither of your children looks like you?
This one can’t even compare to Bai Mi.
At least Bai Mi looks somewhat like a proper young lady…”
‘You’re full of shit!’
“Brother Guang, don’t be in such a hurry to leave!
You’re already here, and look how hot it is.
Come to my place for a meal before you go.
If you need anything, you can just have the kid run errands for you.”
Seeing that she was shamelessly trying to grab his arm right there on the street, refusing to take no for an answer, Xu Qiguang’s brow tightened.
He glanced at his daughter, who had once again stopped beside him.
‘What does he want?
For me to leave?
Not a chance!’ Xu Changqing blinked, putting on a confused expression.
Of course, she knew her father really just wanted her to give them some space.
He had something to say.
Xu Qiguang shot his daughter an exasperated look before turning his frown on his sister-in-law, who hadn’t stopped talking since she appeared.
“Bai Xiulian!”
“Fine, fine, I’ll stop talking.
Let’s go.”
Xu Qiguang’s frown deepened.
“Have you already forgotten what I told you before?
Just because I’m not home doesn’t mean I can be kept in the dark.
I’ve been tolerating it for your sister’s sake.
“I don’t owe you a thing.
Whether you’re doing it on purpose or not, if you dare to lay a hand on my family again, don’t blame me for embarrassing the Bai family.
I imagine your husband would be very interested to hear about this.”