This was not like later generations, when people worked five days and had two days off every week. At this time, people had only one day off—Sunday.
Because of that, everyone was incredibly busy on Sundays. Washing and drying clothes, visiting relatives, going shopping, buying things, and taking care of all sorts of errands were crammed into that one day. In fact, Sundays were hardly any more relaxing than workdays.
For this reason, the Qiao family did not keep their guests for too long. By a little after two in the afternoon, everyone had left except He Yingying’s parents.
It was not easy for their in-laws to visit, so naturally, they had to entertain them properly. While the other guests were there, they had not been able to talk much. Now that everyone else had left, they naturally wanted to sit together and chat for a while.
The last time He Yingying had gone back to her parents’ home, it had been to tell them about Jia Jia’s first birthday.
She had only gone after getting off work at a little after five in the afternoon, so she had been in a hurry. By the time she reached He Family Village, it was already dark. After telling them about the birthday celebration, she had barely warmed the stool before she had to leave again.
She and her mother had not even had time to close the door and have a proper heart-to-heart conversation.
Today, however, He Yingying’s parents were not in a hurry to return home, so mother and daughter naturally wanted to sit together and talk for a while.
Qiao Zhufang also knew that He Yingying’s mother must have a lot she wanted to say to her daughter. So she told Yingying to take Jia Jia into the room and have a good talk with her mother.
She did not let Yingying worry about cleaning up outside. She left everything for her son to handle.
He Yingying had always had a good relationship with her mother-in-law. So after hearing her mother-in-law say this, she naturally took her daughter’s hand, ignored the mess outside, and led her mother into the room, preparing to close the door and have a private mother-daughter conversation.
He Yingying’s father stayed outside, where Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang entertained him.
Qiao Heping was busy clearing away the table and chairs. He also dismantled the large round table they had borrowed so that he could return it.
He Yingying’s mother had originally wanted to help her son-in-law clean up, but her daughter immediately pulled her into the room and made her sit down.
Fortunately, after seeing that Yingying’s in-laws did not seem to mind at all, she finally felt at ease and sat down.
He Yingying had a very close relationship with her mother, much closer than with her father. There were many things she would only confide in her mother.
And her mother loved her daughter dearly. Even though Yingying was married, had her own family, and had already become a mother herself, her mother still worried about her like she was a little girl.
Every time she saw her daughter, she could not help asking a whole list of questions.
How was she doing at her husband’s family home? How was her son-in-law treating her? How were her parents-in-law treating her?
He Yingying was already used to these questions. They were almost the same every time, so she answered them skillfully.
“Mom, put your mind at ease. I’m really doing very well. We all grew up in the same village, and you’ve watched Heping grow up since he was little. Don’t you know what kind of person he is? He’s never changed toward me. He won’t even let me do any heavy work at home.
“My parents-in-law are good to me too. They truly treat me like their own daughter. I’ve been married for almost seven years now. Just look at me. Do I look like I’m having a bad life?”
“You’ve only had one daughter. Your in-laws haven’t said anything about it?” her mother asked cautiously.
He Yingying knew exactly what her mother meant. She patiently explained, “Heping and his parents aren’t the kind of people who favor sons over daughters. They loved Jia Jia the moment she was born. They’ve never complained about having a daughter, and they’ve never demanded that I have a son. Mom, you really don’t need to worry about this.”
Her mother was afraid her daughter was only telling her the good things and hiding the bad ones.
She earnestly advised, “Your in-laws are good people, but even if they don’t say anything out loud, they must still want a grandson.
“Yingying, the fact that you were able to have a daughter means there’s nothing wrong with your body and that you can have children. You’re only twenty-four and still young. You and Heping should put in a little more effort and have a son. Once you do, you’ll have a firmer place in the Qiao family, and then Mom won’t have to worry about you anymore.”
He Yingying’s mother genuinely loved her granddaughter, Qiao Jia Jia. And she was genuinely advising her daughter to have a son as well.
It was not because she did not like Jia Jia.
She simply feared that her daughter would suffer at her husband’s family home because she had not given birth to a son.
In those days, if a woman did not have a son, it was difficult for her to hold her head high in her husband’s family.
He Yingying knew that her mother was saying all this out of kindness and concern for her.
Besides, in the countryside, the belief that a family needed a son to continue its family line was everywhere. Her mother had grown up in that environment, so changing her thinking was practically impossible.
At this moment, He Yingying did not tell her mother that she and Heping had already discussed having only one child—a daughter.
Otherwise, her mother would probably worry even more.
Although she had no intention of having another son, He Yingying still went along with her mother’s words.
“Mm, Mom, don’t worry. I know. I’ll put in more effort.”
Only after hearing this did her mother finally nod in relief.
However, after a while, the expression on her face changed several times. Finally, she lowered her voice and said,
“Yingying, you were married for almost six years before Jia Jia was born. Who knows when the second child will come. But no matter what, don’t take any strange medicines, okay? Promise Mom. Do you hear me?
“If you can’t have a son… then, then let’s just not have one. You mustn’t ruin your health.”
He Yingying’s mother had seen women in the village take all sorts of medicines and even drink water used for talismans because they desperately wanted sons. Some had damaged their health so badly that they eventually suffered massive bleeding during childbirth and died.
In her heart, her daughter’s health came first.
Although she hoped her daughter would have a boy, she did not want her daughter to take such enormous risks for a child who did not even exist yet.
Hearing this, He Yingying was deeply moved.
She knew that, in her mother’s heart, she herself would always come first.
She hugged her mother and rested her head on her shoulder as she smiled.
“Mm, Mom, don’t worry. I’m not a child anymore. I know what I’m doing. I definitely won’t take any medicine recklessly.”
“That’s good. Just live a good life with Heping. As long as you’re doing well, I’ll be at ease.
“And from now on, don’t bring so many things back whenever you visit home. Don’t listen to all that your father says about helping the family.
“We aren’t lacking those things. Didn’t our family manage just fine before you got married? The country has already been established, and we’re living in a new society. Life is even better than before. Why would we need a married daughter to support her parents?
“Besides, you’ve married out now. You’re supposed to follow your husband and build your own family. You and Heping already have a daughter, so you have your own little household now. You really don’t need to worry about your parents’ family anymore.
“Every time you come home, you bring so many things. If you keep doing that, your in-laws may eventually have opinions about it.
“You have a long life ahead of you. There’s no need to make things difficult for yourself at home over something this small.”
He Yingying’s mother held her daughter’s hand as she tried to persuade her.
Hearing her mother’s words, He Yingying felt a little sad.
How could she not know what kind of life her family was living?
There were five nephews and one niece in the family, and her eldest sister-in-law was apparently pregnant again.
The more children there were, the more money the family needed to spend.
The two oldest nephews would also be reaching marriageable age in another couple of years. The family would have to save money for their bride prices and weddings.
There was so little money at home that they practically had to split every yuan into two just to make ends meet.
And every time He Yingying went home, she did not actually bring that much.
Everything together usually amounted to only two or three yuan—perhaps a few jin of meat and a few packages of pastries.
She only returned to her parents’ home once every month or two.
How could those few things really be considered supporting her parents’ family?
Since ancient times, most parents-in-law disliked it when a married daughter sent things back to her parents’ home.
Her mother said all this simply because she was afraid Yingying would have a difficult time with her in-laws because of it.
He Yingying knew that her mother was saying these things because she loved her.
She did not want her mother to feel burdened.
“Mom, why worry about this? Your daughter has a salary too. With my salary and allowances, I make almost forty yuan a month. How much could those little things I bring home possibly cost?
“And I’ve already told you that my parents-in-law really are good people. Whenever Heping and I are preparing to visit my family, they actually tell me to bring more things home.
“It’s not easy to visit my parents, so I bring more things during the holidays. At other times, it’s usually just a few jin of meat or a few packages of pastries.
“To my parents-in-law, those things really aren’t much. They even think I’m not bringing enough!
“So, Mom, just put your mind at ease. I know what I’m doing.”
Everything He Yingying said was true.
Sometimes when she went back to her parents’ home, the things she brought were actually packed by her mother-in-law, Qiao Zhufang.
If Yingying had not stopped her, her mother-in-law would have packed so many things that there would not have been enough room on the bicycle.
Her mother-in-law often told Heping,
“We raised someone else’s daughter carefully for more than ten years, and now we’ve married her into our family. She even followed us into the city.
“She isn’t like those village women who can frequently return to their parents’ homes. Since she only gets to go back once in a while, it’s only right for her to bring some things home to show her parents her respect.
“And your wife’s salary is money she earned herself. There’s no reason she has to spend all of it on our family and can’t use some of it on her own parents.
“Your wife stays in our home every day and helps you honor and care for me and your father. When you go to your wife’s parents’ home, you should help her too. Show your respect to your father-in-law and mother-in-law, bring more things, and help out with some chores while you’re there.”
After being married for so many years, how could He Yingying not know what kind of person her mother-in-law was?
She knew those words had all come from the heart.
Seeing that her mother still looked somewhat uncertain, He Yingying simply said,
“Why don’t I ask Mom to come in and tell you herself? Then you’ll believe me.”
Her mother quickly stopped her.
“What would that look like? I believe you, I believe you!”
To change the subject, He Yingying picked up her daughter and said,
“Mom, why don’t you talk to Jia Jia for a while? She can talk now. She can say short sentences very fluently.
“The last time you saw Jia Jia was half a year ago. If you don’t talk to her more now, by the next time you see her, she might not even remember what her maternal grandmother looks like!”
Qiao Jia Jia was not a real little child, so she had naturally heard every word of her mother’s conversation with her grandmother.
She loved her mother very much.
From that conversation, she could tell that her maternal grandmother also loved her mother dearly.
Thinking about this, she felt even more affection for her grandmother.
So now she very cooperatively reached out her little arms, asking her grandmother to hold her.
“Mom, look! Jia Jia likes you, her maternal grandmother!” He Yingying said with a smile.
“Come here, let Grandma hold you!”
He Yingying’s mother adored her beautiful granddaughter. She immediately picked Jia Jia up and said,
“Jia Jia’s eyes and features look so much like yours when you were little. But she’s much fairer and plumper than you were at that age.”
He Yingying stroked her daughter’s hair as she said,
“That’s what my mother-in-law says too. She says Jia Jia inherited all the best features from Heping and me. She says our daughter is beautiful everywhere you look.
“Mom, look at Jia Jia’s hair. It’s so thick and shiny too. That must be from Heping. My hair was thin and yellow when I was little. It became darker after I grew older and took better care of it, but it was never very thick.
“Jia Jia is different. She’s only one year old, and her hair is already thick enough to tie into two little braids.”
Qiao Jia Jia felt extremely pleased listening to this.
Having thick hair really did make a person happy!
Baldness was a universal nightmare, no matter what era one lived in.
In her previous life, she had worked in finance. She had earned an annual salary of a million yuan as soon as she graduated, and that had definitely not been because of luck.
To avoid losing everything under the manipulation of powerful financial tycoons, working late into the night had practically been part of her daily routine.
She watched the stock market every day.
Whenever the pressure became intense, she could lose a handful of hair just from combing it.
Fortunately, her hair had been thick even in her previous life. Otherwise, she really might have had to consider getting a hair transplant.
In this life, she had many relatives.
Her family’s life was neither the best nor the worst. They were not wealthy, but they were certainly not poor either.
She had already experienced a luxurious life in her previous existence. It had simply been too exhausting.
So in this life, she decided to live a more relaxed life.
She could treat stock trading as a side business!
Unfortunately, it was only the 1950s now, and stock trading was not possible in China at this time.
Perhaps after the reform and opening-up period began, she could go to Hong Kong and make a huge profit in one go.
She was quite familiar with the stock markets of the 1970s and 1980s. She had studied countless cases in her previous life.
There was no way she would lose money.
After making a fortune, she could use the money to invest and then simply lie back and enjoy life.
The only problem was that stock trading required capital.
Qiao Jia Jia looked down at her tiny little body, rested her chin in her hands, and sighed.