After finishing their meal with their granddaughter, Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang carried small stools outside and sat under a tree to enjoy the cool air. They placed their granddaughter in a bamboo-woven rocking cradle beside them.
A light breeze was blowing outside, making it quite comfortable under the tree. The apartment, on the other hand, felt rather stuffy and hot.
The Qiao family’s apartment was on the first floor, so people often passed by the spot where they were sitting.
“Have you finished eating? You’re sitting out here to cool off?” The person asking was Auntie Wu, their upstairs neighbor. Everyone worked at the same factory and lived in the same building, so their relationship was fairly good. Whenever they met, they would usually exchange a few words.
“Mm! We brought our granddaughter out to get some fresh air,” Qiao Zhufang replied with a smile as she looked up.
“It really is a little hot today. But didn’t your family buy a fan? Wouldn’t it be better to use the fan inside? There are mosquitoes outside, too!”
Auntie Wu was a little puzzled. She even wondered if the Qiao family’s fan had broken. Electric fans weren’t cheap, after all, and she didn’t know whether theirs could be repaired. It would be such a shame if they couldn’t use it.
Although it wasn’t her own fan, that didn’t stop Auntie Wu from feeling sorry about it. Who wouldn’t want an electric fan like that? Even though the Qiao family’s fan was secondhand, it was still an electric fan. Just plug it in and it would blow cool air. How nice would that be during the hot summer?
Unfortunately, electric fans were considered a luxury. They couldn’t afford one. Buying one would cost one or two months’ wages!
Qiao Zhufang waved her hand and explained, “Oh, we do have a fan, but the wind is too strong and it’s noisy. A small child can’t be exposed to it for too long. We’re afraid she’ll get sick, so we decided to come outside instead. The breeze here is gentler.”
Could a fan really make a child sick?
Auntie Wu wasn’t entirely convinced. She felt that the Qiao couple were simply being too particular about their granddaughter. After all, most families at this time raised their children rather roughly. No one took such meticulous care of their children like the Qiaos did.
But she didn’t say anything more. It was their child, after all. If they were willing to fuss over her, what business was it of hers? Saying too much would only make people unhappy.
So Auntie Wu nodded in agreement.
“You really know how to raise a child. You’re so careful. Your Jiajia looks very well cared for—fair and chubby. And most importantly, she’s beautiful. To be honest, with all the children living in this building, none of them can compare with your granddaughter.”
Auntie Wu wasn’t simply flattering them. She genuinely meant what she said.
As the saying went, you could get an idea of what a child would look like when they grew up by looking at them at three years old. Although Jiajia had only just turned one, it was already obvious that she was a little beauty in the making. She really was exceptionally pretty. In all her years, Auntie Wu had never seen a one-year-old girl as beautiful as her.
Qiao Jiajia sat in the bamboo-woven cradle, listening to their conversation without much reaction.
From the moment she was born, she had been praised countless times. She was already immune to such compliments.
Because of that, even though she hadn’t looked into a mirror once since being born, she was no longer worried about what she looked like in this life.
She had been pretty in her previous life too. Of course, being beautiful couldn’t put food on the table, but everyone had a natural appreciation for beauty. Since she had been given a second chance at life, if she could choose, she naturally hoped to be good-looking.
Besides, from a genetic standpoint, her mother was a great beauty, while her father had handsome, regular features. The chances of her growing up ugly were pretty low.
Qiao Jiajia closed her eyes and continued to doze.
As a one-year-old child, she was at the age when she needed plenty of sleep. She didn’t have to worry about sleeping too much and being unable to sleep at night. More importantly, there was nothing else for her to do. She was only one year old—she couldn’t exactly get up and read a book. If she didn’t sleep, what else could she possibly do?
Meanwhile, after hearing Auntie Wu’s praise, smiles appeared on both Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang’s faces.
Who wouldn’t be happy when someone praised their child?
Because of this, the adults chatted for a little longer than usual at the doorway. Most of the conversation was between Qiao Zhufang and Auntie Wu, while Qiao Qiusheng quietly continued fanning his wife and granddaughter, keeping the mosquitoes away.
They didn’t talk for long, though. Auntie Wu still had to hurry home to cook.
Her family didn’t eat at the factory cafeteria because that required meal tickets, which had to be exchanged using grain coupons. Since her family had many members, cooking at home was more economical and allowed them to save their grain coupons.
She pointed at the watch on Qiao Zhufang’s wrist.
“It’s almost five-thirty, isn’t it? I still need to go home and help my mother-in-law cook. I’ll head back first. We’ll chat again next time.”
As she said this, Auntie Wu couldn’t help feeling envious of Qiao Zhufang.
In fact, Auntie Wu was only two years younger than Qiao Zhufang. She was just thirty-eight. But her parents-in-law were still alive, and she had to answer to them. Her youngest child was only five, while her oldest still wasn’t married. There was always a mountain of things for her to deal with. She had to take care of the entire family, so her life was completely different from Qiao Zhufang’s.
But Auntie Wu also understood that she had no reason to envy the Qiaos. Their circumstances were simply different.
Qiao Qiusheng, the head of the Qiao household, had married into his wife’s family. Naturally, Qiao Zhufang didn’t have to serve her husband’s parents or deal with all those troublesome family obligations.
Qiao Zhufang smiled and nodded.
“Okay, hurry home. We’ll talk again next time.”
After saying that, she glanced at her watch as well. Judging by the time, her son and daughter-in-law should have arrived at Hejia Village by now.
As Auntie Wu was leaving, she couldn’t help remarking, “Having a watch really is convenient. You can check the time whenever you want.”
It was merely a casual comment. After all, she didn’t have the money to buy one herself.
The watch on Qiao Zhufang’s wrist looked brand-new. It was a Qianjin brand watch, and she treasured it very much.
Qiao Qiusheng had bought it for her the previous year when he went on a business trip to Shanghai with several people from the factory. It had cost him fifty-six yuan!
Actually, Qiao Zhufang had owned a watch before. It was an antique watch with an extremely ornate design. Her family had bought it from a trading house when they were still wealthy, back when she was a child.
Even though three or four decades had passed, the watch still worked.
However, she didn’t dare wear it outside anymore. It was far too conspicuous. She could only take it out occasionally at home to check the time.
Qiao Qiusheng had noticed all of this.
So when he went to Shanghai on business, he quietly bought her a new watch so that she could wear it outside without attracting too much attention.
Meanwhile, the young couple, Qiao Heping and He Yingying, were also thinking about finding a way to buy a watch.
Which young person wouldn’t want a watch these days?
They simply didn’t have the money.
Young workers who had just started working usually had to hand their wages over to their families to help support the household. If they could keep a few yuan for pocket money and daily expenses, that was already considered generous.
Buying a watch was practically impossible.
If they were willing to go without things and save money little by little, they could eventually afford one. But if their families found out, they would definitely be scolded.
A watch couldn’t be eaten or drunk. Buying one was considered far less useful than buying a bicycle. At least the whole family could ride a bicycle.
The Qiao family, however, was different.
Their household was somewhat better off than most. More importantly, they had relatively few family members but several people earning wages.
Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang had only one son, Qiao Heping. There were no elderly parents above them to support. On top of that, Qiao Qiusheng’s monthly salary was quite high.
Supporting the family wasn’t a burden for him at all. They could easily save fifty or sixty yuan every month!
Because of this, Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang didn’t interfere much with their son’s and daughter-in-law’s wages. They let the young couple keep their money and spend it themselves.
The young couple were sensible, too. They often bought things for the family.
And now that they had a daughter, they certainly couldn’t spend money as freely as they had before. They had to think about their daughter, too. They couldn’t rely entirely on their parents to raise her. At least they understood their responsibilities.
Besides, their wages weren’t low.
He Yingying earned thirty-nine yuan a month, while Qiao Heping earned slightly more.
He was a Grade Four worker and earned sixty-four yuan a month.
So after setting aside money for the family and spending some on things for their daughter, the couple could still save quite a bit each month.
That was precisely why Qiao Heping and He Yingying were now considering buying a watch.
“Wow, your granddaughter really is well-behaved. She doesn’t make a fuss at all. She’s much better than that mischievous boy of mine!”
After Auntie Wu left, Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang were standing there talking about their son and daughter-in-law’s trip to Hejia Village.
Before they could even look up, they heard a loud voice coming from nearby.
The voice sounded familiar.
It seemed to belong to their neighbor, Master Hu.
When they looked up, they found that they had guessed correctly.
Their neighbor, Master Hu, was standing nearby with a lunchbox in his hand, looking at them.
The relationship between their two families had never been particularly good.
So what exactly did he mean by saying that?
Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang certainly didn’t believe that Master Hu had suddenly become a nicer person and learned how to compliment others.
Sure enough, after saying that, Master Hu changed the subject and began talking about his own son, his tone full of obvious pride.
Then he shook his head.
“Even if she’s well-behaved, your child is still just a girl. A boy is much more useful. Girls are nothing but money-losing goods. Once they grow up, they’ll marry into another family and become outsiders.
“I’m telling you, a family needs a son. Otherwise, the family line will end, and all your property will end up benefiting outsiders.
“Your daughter-in-law has been married for five or six years, and she’s only given birth to one girl. Could there be something wrong with her health? She should go to the hospital and get herself checked. You should urge them, too. They need to have a big, healthy son as soon as possible.”
After saying all that, Master Hu didn’t seem to realize that his words were unpleasant at all.
Instead, he pointed at the sleeping Qiao Jiajia in the cradle.
“Still, your little girl is quite pretty. When she grows up, she’ll probably bring in a lot of bride price. That’s about the only use a girl has. Tsk, tsk, tsk!
“But you spoil that little girl far too much. Just wait. When she marries into another family, she’ll have plenty of hardships to suffer.”
Hearing this, both Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang became angry.
As far as they were concerned, Master Hu could brag about his own child all he wanted. There was nothing wrong with that.
But he had no right to put down their granddaughter.
Qiao Qiusheng’s expression immediately turned cold.
“Our family has a daughter, and she’s just as precious. Unlike your family, which acts as if it can’t survive without a son.
“Your wife gave birth to a son before the New Year, didn’t she? I remember you had to borrow money to take her to the hospital.
“Now that you’ve got a son, can you even afford to raise him? Don’t tell me you’re going to mooch off your daughter again.
“Your daughter really drew the short straw having parents like you.”
Master Hu had been hit right where it hurt.
He had gone to great lengths to get his wife to give birth to a son.
He had even married off his two daughters in exchange for large bride prices, all so he could build up an inheritance for the son who hadn’t even been born yet and had only existed as a hope.
Later, he had gone everywhere seeking doctors and remedies in hopes of having a son.
Before the child was even born, the money had already flowed out like water.
His wife’s health had also deteriorated because she had constantly been taking all kinds of folk remedies.
But in Master Hu’s eyes, everything had been worth it because they had eventually had a son.
In fact, he was still quite proud of himself.
Now that Qiao Qiusheng had brought all of this up, Master Hu stiffened his neck and retorted,
“So what? Mine is a son!
“So what if I had to borrow money? At least I have a son. That’s still better than your family having a useless girl.
“Hmph! Qiao Qiusheng, you’re a man who married into your wife’s family yourself. Why don’t you let your granddaughter marry a man who marries into her family too?
“Then all your property can go to an outsider!”
Back then, there had also been people from Hejia Village who came to work at the steel factory.
Whether someone was jealous or simply let the information slip by accident, word that Qiao Qiusheng had married into his wife’s family quickly spread.
However, in most people’s eyes, being a live-in husband was hardly something to be proud of.
People were afraid that bringing it up might offend him, so very few dared mention it in front of Qiao Qiusheng.
Meanwhile, Qiao Jiajia lay in her bamboo-woven cradle, listening to all of this.
There was a lot of information to take in.
Her grandfather had married into his wife’s family?
Sigh.
As a one-year-old child, she really knew far too little about her current family situation.
After all, no adult would have nothing better to do than give a one-year-old child a detailed explanation of the entire family’s history.
But her grandfather being a live-in husband and her being a girl—what did any of that have to do with this man?
What was wrong with her being a girl? Had she eaten his family’s rice?
Why was this outsider standing there nagging about it?
It was only because she was one year old right now.
Otherwise, she would definitely have gotten up and argued with him.
She had never lost an argument in her life!