“Aunt Jiang, we’re in a new era now. Those old master-servant dynamics from the past don’t apply anymore.”
“Comrade Qiao works in our household based on her own skills. The money she earns is legitimate labor income—she’s no servant.”
“Even Chairman Mao said that labor is the most glorious thing.”
“But Aunt Jiang, how long are you and Deng Yingying planning to freeload at our house this time?”
As Xie Zhongming spoke these words, his brow furrowed slightly.
His gaze beneath his prominent brow bones carried an air of righteous integrity, and even his voice held a solemn weight—this was his respect for a laborer, not tolerating any disrespect from others.
Moreover, he had no intention of indulging Jiang Chunyan.
If we’re talking about repaying debts of gratitude, ever since he could remember, the Xie family had been continuously assisting Jiang Chunyan and her daughter Deng Yingying. Any debt had long been repaid.
If the Xie family were to continue repaying this so-called debt, fine—but Jiang Chunyan couldn’t insult Comrade Qiao. What era was this to still talk about servants? Besides, he’d clearly heard Jiang Chunyan earlier calling Comrade Qiao a “seductress.”
Her ideological awareness was problematic!
Deeply problematic!
In the kitchen, Qiao Xingyue had just brought a steaming bowl of Meicai Kou Rou to the table.
She heard every word of Comrade Xie’s defense clearly, and she saw the respect in his eyes.
Previously, her impression of Comrade Xie was of an iron-willed, resolute man who was particularly shy.
Now she had another word to describe him—sharp-tongued!
Truly a comrade with solid moral principles.
Seeing her bring the Meicai Kou Rou to the table, Jiang Chunyan shot her a displeased glance. “Fine, fine, fine. She’s a glorious laborer, alright?”
Then she turned to the upright and stern Xie Zhongming, putting on an aggrieved act:
“But Zhongming, how can you say your Aunt Jiang is freeloading here? If Yingying’s father hadn’t sacrificed himself to save your dad, would I have had to remarry into Old Zhao’s family? Now that Old Zhao’s being sent down to the countryside for re-education, do you really want your Aunt Jiang to suffer in the countryside with him?”
“What did your parents say before? That your Xie family would definitely take good care of us mother and daughter on Yingying’s father’s behalf. They said that themselves! And now we’ve become freeloaders in your home?”
As she spoke, Jiang Chunyan deliberately wiped at nonexistent tears.
Beside her, Deng Yingying clung to her arm, weeping pitifully. “Mom, it seems we’re bothering Aunt Lan and Uncle Xie. Maybe we should just leave.”
Watching the mother and daughter’s tearful performance, Xie Jiang felt his chest tighten.
Remembering Old Deng’s life-saving grace toward him, guilt washed over him.
Nearby, Huang Guilan listened with mounting frustration. Clearly, it was Jiang Chunyan causing trouble, yet somehow they were made to look like the bad guys.
Just then, Xie Jiang spoke up. “Enough, Fourth Son. That’s enough from you. Let your Aunt Jiang and Yingying stay here for now and get settled. We’ll deal with everything else later.”
Xie Zhongming added, “They can stay, but not if it means Comrade Qiao, An An and Ningning have to sleep on the floor in the main hall.”
Huang Guilan agreed, “Yes, it’s really inconvenient for Xingyue, a female comrade, to sleep on the floor in the main hall. It would disturb the mother and daughter’s rest too. Xingyue and the children must stay in the study.”
Standing nearby, Qiao Xingyue understood her position perfectly. She tactfully said:
“Aunt Lan, Uncle Xie, Regiment Leader Xie, thank you for your kindness. Perhaps I should just take An An and Ningning to sleep on the floor. It’s fine – we three have always lived in the countryside, we’re tough and can sleep anywhere, as long as we have a place to rest…”
“That won’t do!” Before Qiao Xingyue could finish, Huang Guilan said firmly, “I won’t allow you to sleep on the floor in the main hall. The ground is too hard, and everyone passes through the hall when they get up to use the bathroom at night. You wouldn’t be able to sleep properly.”
Jiang Chunyan stiffened her neck, “What, Guilan? Are you suggesting that Yingying and I should sleep on the floor in the main hall instead?”
Xie Jiang mediated, “How about this, Chunyan – you and Yingying can stay in Old Fifth’s room for now. He won’t be back temporarily.”
Jiang Chunyan responded unhappily, “That won’t work either. Xie Mingzhe’s room is full of masculine smell.”
Xie Zhongming interjected, “Aunt Jiang, if you dislike the masculine smell in Mingzhe’s room, I can arrange a separate dormitory room for you and Deng Yingying. You’ll not only have more freedom there, but no one will disturb you.”
Jiang Chunyan muttered, “Forget it, we’ll stay in Mingzhe’s room. I don’t know what’s wrong with your family – everyone’s defending a mere nanny.”
As she spoke, Jiang Chunyan shot Qiao Xingyue an annoyed look, “She’s just a nanny, isn’t she?”
Xie Zhongming stated clearly, “Aunt Jiang, everyone deserves respect regardless of their profession.”
Qiao Xingyue felt warmth in her heart hearing this.
Every member of the Xie family defended and respected her like this, as if she weren’t just the family’s nanny, but part of their family.
This familial warmth moved Qiao Xingyue deeply. Beside her, An An and Ningning were also all smiles: Division Commander Grandpa is so good, Grandma is good too, and Uncle Zhongming is even better!
Qiao Xingyue broke the awkward atmosphere, “The food is ready. Everyone, please wash your hands and get ready for dinner.”
As she spoke, she went to the kitchen to bring out the remaining dishes, with Xie Zhongming following close behind to help with bowls, chopsticks, and serving rice.
During the meal, as usual, Xie Zhongming first went to Grandma’s room to feed her, allowing Qiao Xingyue and the children to sit down and eat with everyone.
Soon after, Xie Zhongming returned to the table.
Noticing Qiao Xingyue and the two children at the table, Jiang Chunyan glanced at Huang Guilan and Xie Jiang, “Division Commander Xie, Guilan, does your nanny usually eat at the table too?”
Even when angry, the beautiful and kind-hearted Huang Guilan maintained her gentle tone, “Chunyan, Zhongming has already made it clear – we’re in a new era now, there’s no master-servant distinction.”
“Xingyue, have some meat, don’t take it to heart.” As she spoke, Huang Guilan placed a piece of Meicai Kou Rou in Qiao Xingyue’s bowl.
The braised pork was much larger than usual red-braised pork – about three fingers wide, half an inch long, seventy percent fat and thirty percent lean. Though it had been fried first then steamed with soy sauce until fragrant and appetizing, it was unavoidably fatty.
She had been eating such oily food for over ten days straight.
She felt like she had gained quite some weight.
The original host had an obesity-prone constitution. Back in Chadian Village, Pang Ya ate either Sweet Potato Noodle Soup or Sweet Potato Congee every day – all three meals were inseparable from red sweet potatoes – yet still managed to become over two hundred pounds.
Now in the Xie family, eating meat every day, and mostly fatty meat at that, she constantly felt like she was putting on weight.
She stared at the piece of Meicai Kou Rou that Aunt Lan had given her for a long time, not daring to eat it.
After observing her for many days, Xie Zhongming had noticed that she didn’t seem to like fatty meat very much.
At that moment, Huang Guilan placed another piece of fatty pork into Qiao Xingyue’s bowl. The greasy sheen from the soy sauce left streaks on the porcelain-white bowl, all glistening with oil.
Qiao Xingyue held her chopsticks, pausing briefly as her fingertips subtly curled inward. She didn’t dare remove the fatty meat, especially with Aunt Lan murmuring about how thin she was and urging her to eat more meat. Such kindness made it impossible for her to refuse.
She could only soften her smile further, utter a thank you, and lower her head to cover the fatty pork with rice, pretending to eat while chewing the plain rice at a slower pace.
These subtle reactions were all caught by Xie Zhongming’s observant eyes. Seeing Huang Guilan about to serve Qiao Xingyue a third piece of fatty pork, Xie Zhongming intervened, “Mom, Comrade Qiao hasn’t been feeling well these past few days and can’t handle greasy food. Please don’t serve her any more. If you must, give her the lean meat instead.”
As he spoke, Xie Zhongming separated the fatty and lean parts of the braised pork beneath Huang Guilan’s chopsticks.
He picked the fatty portion into his own bowl and served the lean part to Qiao Xingyue.
Only then did Huang Guilan realize that Xingyue preferred lean meat—no wonder she hadn’t touched the two pieces served earlier. She quickly retrieved the fatty meat from Xingyue’s bowl, separated the lean from the fat, and returned all the lean meat to her.
Thus, only lean meat remained in Qiao Xingyue’s bowl.
“Xingyue, from now on, you must tell Aunt Lan what you like and dislike. Don’t feel embarrassed.”
Qiao Xingyue’s smile grew even gentler.
Her usual decisiveness now gave way to a sense of being overwhelmed by such unexpected kindness.
She hadn’t anticipated that over ten days of unease would be resolved by Regiment Leader Xie’s single remark. This man’s perceptiveness was truly remarkable—he had actually noticed her dislike for fatty pork.
Beyond admiration!
What she felt more deeply was gratitude.
“Alright, Aunt Lan, I won’t stand on ceremony from now on.”
Throughout this, Jiang Chunyan and her daughter Deng Yingying watched the scene as if struck dumb.
Wasn’t she just a nanny? Why were Huang Guilan and Xie Zhongming treating her like some revered ancestor?
Beside them, Deng Yingying felt a sour jealousy. She hadn’t seen Xie Zhongming in two years, yet he hadn’t served her any food, focusing entirely on Qiao Xingyue. Instantly, she felt envy and resentment toward Qiao Xingyue: Could this woman have truly bewitched Zhongming?
Jiang Chunyan remarked with sarcasm, “Zhongming, I know Comrade Qiao is your family’s nanny. But to anyone who didn’t know, seeing you serve her lean meat like this, they’d think she was your wife!”
She added, “Zhongming, you’ve been married before. You should maintain some distance and propriety with this young nanny of yours.”
Turning to Qiao Xingyue, she continued, “And you, Comrade Qiao. You’ve already given birth to two children. What? Are you trying to seduce Zhongming? Does your husband know you’re out here tempting other men?”
Jiang Chunyan had heard rumors that Xie Zhongming wanted to divorce his rural wife.
Once he was divorced, she planned to marry her daughter Deng Yingying to him.
Xie Zhongming was such a prized catch—even as a divorced man, he remained highly sought-after in their circles. With a monthly allowance of over a hundred yuan and the strong backing of the Xie and Huang families, Yingying would live comfortably after marrying him. They couldn’t let this little nanny get ahead of them.
Jiang Chunyan pressed on, “Comrade Qiao, you wouldn’t be a widow who’s lost her husband, would you? Is that why you dare to so brazenly seduce another woman’s man?”
These words caused Huang Guilan and Xie Jiang’s expressions to darken, and they were about to stand up for Qiao Xingyue.
Qiao Xingyue spoke first:
“Aunt Jiang, which eye of yours saw me seducing men? Falsely accusing others is subject to criticism and re-education. Aunt Jiang surely wouldn’t want the Family Committee and Political Department to know, right after you’ve just arrived at the Jincheng Military Region Compound, that you’re in the habit of making false accusations?”
“I did lose my husband, but he was a revolutionary martyr. What punishment awaits those who insult revolutionary martyrs—does Aunt Jiang not know that?”
Jiang Chunyan thought: This little maid is actually from a martyr’s family?
In these times, falsely accusing others indeed warranted criticism and re-education, especially when targeting martyr families.
Jiang Chunyan was left speechless and said nothing more. She picked up a piece of meat and began eating. Soon after, a triumphant smile suddenly crossed her heart.
Then, while still holding the meat with her chopsticks, she said:
“Division Commander Xie, Guilan, the second daughter-in-law of a distant relative of mine also married into the family as a widow with a child. To make a good impression, she was sweet-tongued and diligent, eager to do all the dirty and tiring tasks—utterly obedient. But not long after marrying in, her true nature was revealed: not only was she lazy and gluttonous, but she also disrespected her elders. Moreover, she brought two burdens with her and refused to have another child. Tell me, what was the point of marrying her?”
“And what’s more, not long after this widow married in, she brought misfortune upon two elders in my relative’s family, causing their deaths. They say widows who’ve lost their husbands carry bad luck, as if a jinx attaches itself to them, specifically bringing misfortune to those around them.”
As she spoke, Jiang Chunyan smiled and looked at Qiao Xingyue. “Comrade Qiao, I’m talking about my relative’s second daughter-in-law, not you. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Deng Yingying was overjoyed hearing her mother’s words.
Now she hadn’t falsely accused anyone, had she?
Deng Yingying prepared to watch the drama unfold, eager to see how Qiao Xingyue would save face.
Little did she know, Qiao Xingyue continued eating unhurriedly, taking in every subtle triumphant expression on Jiang Chunyan and Deng Yingying’s faces.
Clearly, this Jiang Chunyan was making insinuations to embarrass her while denying it.
Without showing anger, Qiao Xingyue smiled as she picked up food and responded, “Aunt Jiang, what are you saying? You didn’t mention any names or point directly at me—why would I mind?”
Then, shifting her tone, she added, “But what a coincidence—I used to know an old, dark-skinned auntie who looked just like you, Aunt Jiang, with equally non-fair skin and the same love for meat, eating bite after bite. In the end, she suddenly died.”
Qiao Xingyue deliberately continued, “Aunt Jiang, do you know how she died?”
“…” How could Jiang Chunyan possibly be in the mood to answer? Wasn’t this a curse on her death?
Huang Guilan chimed in, “Xingyue, could it be that this old, dark-skinned auntie choked to death on meat?”
Observing Jiang Chunyan’s face turn the color of liver, Qiao Xingyue felt immensely satisfied and calmly said:
“No. She died from being too talkative—she talked too much, always speaking ill of others in that insinuating way. Even Heaven couldn’t stand it and made her choke to death on her own saliva while she was talking.”
“Was it worth it? If she hadn’t spoken so much ill of others normally, Heaven wouldn’t have made her choke to death on her own saliva while talking.”
Making insinuations—who couldn’t do that?
Qiao Xingyue finished her sarcastic remarks toward Jiang Chunyan, deliberately picking up some vegetables while imitating Jiang Chunyan’s tone, and said with a smile, “Aunt Jiang, I wasn’t referring to you, so please don’t take it to heart.”
“…” How could Jiang Chunyan not take it to heart? She had just been cursed to choke on her own saliva while speaking—how could she remain calm?
But Jiang Chunyan couldn’t articulate a proper rebuttal.
After all, Comrade Qiao hadn’t explicitly cursed her by name. This bitter resentment could only be swallowed and forced down into her stomach.
The people around found the whole exchange utterly fascinating.
Xie Jiang had initially intended to step in and diffuse the awkwardness, but he hadn’t expected Comrade Qiao to resolve it so effortlessly on her own.
No wonder both of her children were so exceptionally clever.
Huang Guilan also felt a surge of satisfaction listening to it. Her gaze toward Qiao Xingyue instantly filled with admiration: her Xingyue was both intelligent and formidable! Even when arguing, she did it with such finesse.
Seeing Jiang Chunyan stammering, unable to get a word out, Huang Guilan had never felt more gratified than at this moment.
Beside them, Xie Zhongming suppressed a barely concealed smile at the corner of his lips—watching Comrade Qiao remain composed and unruffled, even the way her eyelashes fluttered when she argued exuded a refreshing sharpness!
This female comrade was truly quick-witted and eloquent!
It was hard not to admire her.
If any man were to marry a female comrade like her, he would surely be thoroughly tamed, obediently following her every word.