The skinny man selling radios was named Hou Lei. People in the black market called him Skinny Monkey. His partners in reselling radios were two men and one woman, all in their thirties, with the woman being his wife.
To thank Li Qingxiu, Skinny Monkey offered her five yuan, but she declined. Instead, she asked him about matters related to the black market.
Skinny Monkey said that inspections had been lax recently. Occasionally, officials would come to check, but they weren’t particularly strict. As long as you ran fast enough when needed, it was fine.
Back when she was in school, Li Qingxiu occasionally watched TV dramas with her grandmother. The older generation loved period dramas, many of which featured business-related plots, so she had some impression of speculation and profiteering. It seemed that the crackdown started around 1983, leaving about two years of leeway.
“What do you want to sell, girl? Vegetables grown at home?” Skinny Monkey glanced at Li Qingxiu’s basket. “With your skills, why not help me sell watches? I’ll pay you two yuan a day.”
Two yuan a day was quite a lot—sixty yuan a month. But Li Qingxiu couldn’t agree. Reselling goods was just her side hustle; she still had her main job.
“No need. I still have to work and don’t have the time.”
When out in the world, your identity is what you make it. Engaging in such high-risk activities required caution to avoid implicating her brother and sister-in-law.
Skinny Monkey felt a bit regretful. “Alright then. If you ever want to sell vegetables, come find me. I’ll look out for you.”
Li Qingxiu smiled. “Okay, thank you.”
In the blink of an eye, it was Su Qingyun’s payday, and the day after payday was Saturday.
On Friday evening, Li Qingxiu began showcasing her not-so-impressive acting skills. She said she had dreamed of a child who was extremely thin and weak, crying and calling her “aunt” in a voice as faint as a kitten’s meow. The sight had made her heart ache so much she could barely breathe.
Then, she insisted that Su Qingyun go to the hospital for a checkup.
Truthfully, Li Qingxiu’s excuse wasn’t perfect, but she didn’t want to waste time coming up with a better one. In the original story, Su Qingyun’s child was stillborn, and with less than two months left until the due date, it was crucial to go to the hospital as soon as possible to check on the baby’s condition and take the necessary steps to nurture and supplement as needed.
As long as this child was born safely, the fate of Su Qingyun and Li Weiguo would be altered.
Besides, since she was being paid twenty yuan a month to look after the child, there had to be a child for her to look after.
Su Qingyun didn’t believe in the idea of “pregnancy dreams,” but she was deeply touched by her sister-in-law’s concern and insistence that she go to the hospital for a checkup.
Back when her mother gave birth to her, she had also been pregnant three more times. At the time, her mother was frail, so her father had a doctor stay at their home to check her pulse daily. But in the end, the child wasn’t saved, and her mother’s health was severely damaged. She passed away less than two years later.
In Su Qingyun’s view, pregnancy required constant caution and observation, but she didn’t have the means for that now.
Unlike Su Qingyun, Li Weiguo lowered his voice and harshly scolded Li Qingxiu, saying she was talking nonsense in broad daylight.
Li Qingxiu understood him. In this era, superstitions and supernatural talk were strictly forbidden, especially since Li Weiguo was the deputy director of a state-owned factory and had to be extra cautious in his words and actions.
Li Qingxiu listened to Li Weiguo’s lecture with one ear and let it go out the other. After repeatedly promising not to speak carelessly outside, she was shooed off to bed by Li Weiguo.
Early the next morning, as soon as Li Qingxiu got up to make breakfast, Li Weiguo left the house. On his way out, he secretly tucked a jar of his sister’s homemade strawberry jam into his pocket.
By the time Li Qingxiu finished cooking, Su Qingyun had also gotten up and washed up, and it was only then that Li Weiguo drove back home.
Li Qingxiu couldn’t help but tease him: “Big brother, what’s with the car? Taking me out for a spin?”
A flicker of unease crossed Li Weiguo’s face, but he insisted stubbornly: “Yeah, it’s Saturday. I’m taking you out for a stroll, and by the way, taking your sister-in-law to the hospital for a check-up.”
“Oh”
With all the twists and turns and sarcastic tone, Li Weiguo glared at his sister, while Su Qingyun, sitting on the stool, covered her mouth and chuckled quietly.
In this era, ultrasound scans were not yet widespread, and prenatal check-ups still relied on observation, listening, questioning, and pulse diagnosis. The hospital wasn’t too crowded, and they walked out after just an hour, but the expressions on all three faces were grim.
Li Qingxiu had expected the doctor to say that Su Qingyun was malnourished and the baby was too small, but she hadn’t anticipated it would be this serious.
In the few days she had been here, she had taken good care of Su Qingyun with nourishing food and drink, watching her complexion improve day by day, and had thought she was already recovering.
She had insisted on the check-up partly for extra precaution and partly to find a reason to take control of Su Qingyun’s salary, to prevent it from being taken by that aunt.
But now, the doctor said Su Qingyun’s pregnancy was unstable, her nutrition inadequate, and she needed to rest in bed for a week while supplementing her diet, preferably with more dairy products like malted milk powder.
Su Qingyun hadn’t believed in the idea of pregnancy dreams before, but now that the doctor also said the fetus was weak, the two combined forced her to believe it. Her face could only be described as deathly pale.
Li Qingxiu also felt some regret. If she had known, she wouldn’t have spoken that way. It felt like she had nearly broken Su Qingyun’s spirit.
“Sister-in-law, don’t worry too much,” Li Qingxiu comforted her. “As long as we follow the doctor’s advice, rest properly, and nourish your body well, in two months, the baby will surely recover.”
Su Qingyun looked dazed, tears welling in her eyes. “But… the malted milk powder ration ticket was prepared for the baby. If I drink it now, what will the baby drink?”
Li Qingxiu was truly exasperated and blurted out: “If you don’t drink it now, he probably won’t even get the chance to drink it later.”
“Xiù'er!” Li Weiguo scolded loudly. “What are you saying?!”
“Sorry, sorry,” Li Qingxiu patted her mouth with her hand. “Sister-in-law, that’s not what I meant. I meant you should prioritize your own health. Only when you’re healthy can the baby be healthy.”
“I know, Qingxiu. I know you mean well.” Su Qingyun wiped the corner of her eye, forcing herself to calm down. For the sake of the baby in her belly, she had to be stronger.
“Weiguo, don’t blame Qingxiu. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have known about the baby’s… condition.”
Li Weiguo quickly soothed her: “Alright, alright, I won’t scold her. It’s all my fault for not taking good care of you and letting you suffer.”
Li Weiguo deeply regretted it. He knew about his wife’s habit of subsidizing her aunt but hadn’t paid much attention or tried to stop it. He thought as long as they could save a fixed amount for the child each month, he’d let his wife handle the rest. He never expected things would turn out like this.
If only he had given his wife more household expenses.
Su Qingyun lowered her head without speaking. The household money Li Weiguo gave was actually quite substantial. Combined with her own salary, they had seventy yuan a month—more than enough for two adults to eat meat every day.
It was because she had given part of her salary, and even some of the household money, to her aunt that the baby ended up malnourished.
Su Qingyun silently shed tears, and the Li siblings didn't know how to comfort her. At this point, no words of comfort would help—the most important thing was to replenish her nutrition.
Li Weiguo wanted to first take the two of them home, get the ration coupons, and then go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy malted milk powder, but Li Qingxiu stopped him.
"How many malted milk powder coupons do you have? You'll need them later. I know where to buy malted milk powder, though the price is a bit higher."
Li Weiguo was taken aback and immediately thought of the black market. "How do you know where to find it?"
"Don't worry about that. Just give me the money you have."
Malted milk powder on the black market was considerably more expensive.
Li Weiguo was still uneasy. "No, I'll go with you." His sister had just arrived here not long ago—how could he let her go to such a place alone?
Li Qingxiu found him overly cautious and asked, "Since I arrived, have I ever failed to handle things properly for you?"
Given Li Weiguo's status, Li Qingxiu didn't want him showing his face at the black market, nor did she want anyone to know about their sibling relationship.
Remembering how well his sister had taken care of the household since her arrival, Li Weiguo fell silent. He took out the thirty yuan from his pocket and handed it to his sister—that was all he had brought to the hospital today.
"This probably isn't enough. Did you bring any money?"
"I did. It should be enough."
Li Qingxiu always carried money when she went out; she felt uneasy without it.
"Qingxiu, be careful,"
Su Qingyun also gave her sister-in-law the dozen or so yuan she had with her. Though they hadn't known each other for long, she inexplicably felt that her sister-in-law was very reliable.
"Don't worry, sister-in-law."
Half an hour later, Li Qingxiu returned carrying two cans of malted milk powder. She hadn't bought the small bottles but instead opted for the 800-gram canned malted milk powder, spending a total of thirty-five yuan. This time, she really owed thanks to Shouhou—otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to buy malted milk powder at that price.
Seeing Li Qingxiu return with two cans of malted milk powder, Li Weiguo and Su Qingyun were both delighted, and the earlier somber atmosphere lightened considerably.
"Xiù'er, I'll give you the money when we get back."
"Of course you will. Did you think you could get away without paying?"