Seeing how clever and quick-witted Qiao Xingyue was when dealing with Jiang Chunyan, Xie Zhongming lifted his eyes to study her.
He paused in the middle of serving the dishes.
His gentlemanly and polite gaze rested on Qiao Xingyue for a moment longer.
This comrade had saved him in Shantang Village and then appeared in the Xie family as a housekeeper. She knew Chinese medicine, could perform surgeries, and seemed proficient in English. Although her identity was somewhat suspicious, so far he had found no concrete evidence to prove that she was the female spy the organization had warned about, one who approached him with a soft demeanor to extract confidential information.
After more than ten days of contact, he saw her as simply a woman carrying two children, hardened by life, yet resilient.
The fact that she could sharply respond to Jiang Chunyan suggested that she had been criticized countless times before, training her quick thinking and clear eloquence.
He could not imagine how difficult her life had been while raising two children.
Huang Guilan glanced at Jiang Chunyan, who was stammering and whose face had turned dark, and could not help but secretly smile.
From childhood, Jiang Chunyan had been known for her fiery temper.
No one had ever been able to silence her.
Yet Qiao Xingyue had managed to leave this “shrew” speechless.
Huang Guilan felt relieved, as if all the blocked energy in her body had been suddenly released. She felt completely refreshed.
Jiang Chunyan, noticing Huang Guilan’s smile, glared at her.
“Huang Guilan, I have been your sister since childhood, and Yingying’s father saved Xie Shizhang’s life. Your housekeeper just cursed me to choke on my own saliva, and you are smiling instead of saying something?”
Huang Guilan immediately wiped off her amused expression, replacing it with a serious one.
“Chunyan, Qiao Xingyue did not curse you. She was talking about an aunt she used to know who choked on her own saliva. You are reading into it yourself. How can you blame Xingyue?”
Jiang Chunyan listened to Huang Guilan repeatedly calling her Xingyue.
It made Qiao Xingyue seem less like a housekeeper and more like a treasured daughter-in-law.
Jiang Chunyan said angrily, “She was obviously indirectly cursing me to choke on my own saliva, Guilan.”
“Chunyan, what you are saying is wrong.” Huang Guilan interrupted before Jiang Chunyan could continue. “You just sarcastically said our Xingyue was a widow carrying bad luck. Are only officials allowed to act, and the common people not allowed? Can you only indirectly insult others?”
Huang Guilan added, “Chunyan, I am telling you, Xingyue works in our house, but I already treat her as half a daughter. You can bully me, but you cannot bully our Xingyue, nor can you bully An’an or Ningning.”
Even Huang Guilan, who normally would not dare speak firmly to Jiang Chunyan, found herself saying these words without hesitation.
Hearing this, Qiao Xingyue and the twin daughters felt warmth fill their hearts.
The mother and daughters looked at Huang Guilan with gratitude, sensing a special bond, though Qiao Xingyue could not define what kind of bond it was.
Jiang Chunyan questioned, “Huang Guilan, am I still your sister from childhood?”
Huang Guilan countered, “Chunyan, if you truly were my sister, would you make things difficult for Xingyue?”
“Huang Guilan, you…”
“Enough, Mom, say less.” Deng Yingying interrupted, tugging at Jiang Chunyan’s arm. She whispered in her ear, “It’s our first day at Aunt Lan’s house. Don’t make things awkward.”
Jiang Chunyan, still angry, shook off her daughter’s hand. “Do I need your lessons? When your mother was being bullied by this housekeeper, why didn’t you speak up?”
Deng Yingying looked around at the Xie family members, tugged Jiang Chunyan’s clothing, and said in a lowered voice, “Mom, you started the sarcasm first. How can you still claim the right?”
Huang Guilan added, “I think Yingying is more sensible and understanding. Don’t follow your mother’s example.”
Deng Yingying had originally wanted to watch Qiao Xingyue be embarrassed, but Qiao Xingyue’s quick wit had silenced her mother.
Yet she could not speak up for her mother.
She had to maintain her image with Aunt Lan and Xie Shizhang. Once Xie Zhongming divorced, she wanted their support to marry him successfully.
So she played along politely.
She smiled at Huang Guilan and said, “Aunt Lan, don’t worry. This is my mother’s fault. I will speak to her later. Please don’t take it to heart.”
“Hey, Deng Yingying, which one is your mother, and which one is mine?” Jiang Chunyan snapped.
She slammed her chopsticks on the table, ready to lose her temper.
Seeing this, Deng Yingying frowned seriously. “Mom, it is our first day at Aunt Lan’s house. Are you trying to make a mess? Do you forget why we came? If you continue like this, we will move out. That way you won’t disturb Aunt Lan’s house.”
Jiang Chunyan, no matter how foolish, would not forget the purpose of coming to the Xie family. She wanted to wait until Xie Zhongming divorced, so her daughter Deng Yingying could marry into the family.
So Jiang Chunyan shut her mouth and restrained herself.
Deng Yingying breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Qiao Xingyue. “Sister Xingyue, today my mother was wrong. I apologize to you on her behalf. Please do not take it to heart.”
Qiao Xingyue was slightly surprised.
This mother was a skilled actress with a certain level of cunning.
She responded promptly, “It’s okay, Jiang Chunyan. I shouldn’t have spoken so sharply either. Please do not take it to heart. But I do have principles. If no one provokes me, I do not provoke anyone. I am easy to get along with as long as you do not mess with me.”
She was making her attitude and principles clear, letting Jiang Chunyan and Deng Yingying know that she was not to be trifled with.
Deng Yingying quickly nudged her mother. “Mom, Sister Xingyue already apologized. You should be better behaved and say sorry too.”
“I…” Jiang Chunyan was reluctant.
Seeing this, Huang Guilan prioritized the bigger picture. “Comrade Qiao, I am sorry. I will be more careful with my words in the future.”
Xie Jiang, seeing the atmosphere calm, finally relaxed and urged everyone to eat. “Chunyan, when dealing with others, harmony is valuable. You need to work on your temper.”
“I…”
“Mom, eat!” Deng Yingying glared at Jiang Chunyan to stop her from speaking further.
After the meal, Deng Yingying and Jiang Chunyan moved into Xie Mingzhe’s room. From now on, the room belonged to them.
They had considered living in Xie Shizhang’s former study because it was bright and spacious, with a good view, but it had been given to Qiao Xingyue and her children. Jiang Chunyan still harbored hostility toward Qiao Xingyue but at least they were now living in the Xie family.
While tidying the room, the mother and daughter spoke privately.
“Mom, I think Qiao Xingyue is not an easy person. She is difficult to handle. You should not provoke her. Remember why we came to the Xie family.”
“She is just a housekeeper with two children. How can she compare to me?”
“Didn’t you notice Aunt Lan likes this housekeeper? I think when Zhongming divorces, Aunt Lan might want her to become his daughter-in-law. We need to maintain good relations with her to have a chance.”
“She is a second-hand woman with two children. How can she compete with someone like me?”
“Mom, the more Aunt Lan likes this housekeeper, the less we should provoke her. We must maintain good relations. Only then will Aunt Lan like me more, and I will have a chance to marry Zhongming. Understand?”
“Yingying, why not just get rid of the housekeeper and make things easier?”
“Mom, why are you so stubborn? Can you be smarter?”
The next morning, Qiao Xingyue went to the vegetable garden in the Xie family courtyard. She put yesterday’s fruit and vegetable peels into the fermentation bin as fertilizer and watered the seedlings. The plants were growing well, promising a bountiful harvest in the summer. She felt accomplished.
Before traveling to this time, she had been a wealthy young lady with a family of high social standing. She loved cultivating fruits and vegetables on the family estate besides studying medicine.
For the past few years, she had struggled to make ends meet. Unexpectedly, living at Aunt Lan’s house allowed her to pursue her ideal life of gardening.
However, she knew she could not stay at Aunt Lan’s house forever and needed to plan ahead.
In the morning, after finishing chores, she went alone to the Military District Cultural and Education Office.
“Comrade, I want to register for the college entrance exam.”
This year, the exam had just been reinstated with relatively relaxed requirements. Many workers, farmers, sent-down youth, demobilized soldiers, and recent high school graduates were eligible.
The officer asked her to fill out a form.
“Comrade Qiao, you are almost twenty-six?”
“Yes, I will be twenty-six in May.”
“Married?”
“Yes, widowed.”
“Comrade Qiao, policy requires applicants to be unmarried and under twenty-five. Sorry, you do not meet the requirements.”
“Comrade, cannot exceptions be made? I know Chinese medicine, acupuncture, foreign languages…”
She knew many skills but lacked formal credentials.
High school graduates were highly sought after. If she had a diploma, she could find better work and live a better life.
“Comrade, I am sorry. Policy is policy.”
Qiao Xingyue was frustrated. How could she not qualify? What could she do?
In the afternoon, Huang Guilan went to the office to enroll Deng Yingying in Yingcai High School. She noticed an abandoned form on top of the stack.
It had Qiao Xingyue’s name.
She realized Xingyue wanted to take the college entrance exam. Why didn’t she tell her? A single word from her could have solved the issue.
Xingyue was clearly considerate and did not want to trouble her.
At dusk, Xie Zhongming returned home. Huang Guilan locked the door of his room.
“Mom, why lock the door?”
“Old Fourth, Xingyue is ambitious. She wants to take the exam but is over twenty-five and married, so she does not qualify. If she had told me, I could have helped her through a back door, but she didn’t want to trouble us.”
Xie Zhongming began to unbutton his uniform.
“Mom, are you saying Comrade Qiao wants to take the exam?”
He recalled that Qiao Xingyue had said she had learned medicine from her late parents while being sent down.
She wanted a diploma to change her destiny.
Xie Zhongming thought for a moment. “Mom, help Comrade Qiao. Let the office admit her as a special talent.”
Huang Guilan smiled. “That is exactly my intention. Xingyue should not be stuck as a housekeeper forever. She deserves better opportunities.”
She added, “Old Fourth, have you noticed that Xingyue is not like other women?”
Xie Zhongming asked, “How so?”
Huang Guilan said, “Comrade Qiao has many outstanding qualities.”
Xie Zhongming agreed.
She could perform surgeries, cook well, keep the house spotless, and manage the garden with vigor. She was quick-witted, calm, and courageous.
Huang Guilan already had plans. Once Xie Zhongming divorced, she hoped to match him with Qiao Xingyue.