“I’m 41 years old. It’s normal to have wrinkles.” Hong Huiying stopped glaring at her daughter, pulled up a chair to sit down, picked up the already cold tea on the table, took a sip, and said coolly, “You sure are generous. All those fine cigarettes and liquor your dad had, you went and wasted them all in one night.”
Zhan Lin: “How is that a waste? Eldest Aunt’s Husband is the son-in-law Grandfather approved of, and he got into the Gongyingju on his own. After joining the Gongyingju, he transferred to the Caigouke based on his own abilities. Even though he’s only a deputy section chief now, he’s been in procurement for 11 years and has a wide network of contacts. You have to admit that, right?”
“My Second Uncle has been driving trucks for twenty years, traveling all over the country. His connections aren’t narrow either. Just think about where all the extra coal our family uses every year comes from?”
“Whether there are dates or not, I’ll first give the date-picking pole to others. What if we actually manage to pick some dates?”
“Even if you don’t give them anything, they’ll still do their best. Your dad is their own full brother.” Hong Huiying slammed the teacup onto the table: “They relied on our family plenty in the past.”
“Was it only them relying on our family? Did the coal in our kitchen fall from the sky or get blown in by a great wind? The 26-inch women’s bicycle you ride and the 26-inch women’s bicycle I ride—did they just roll into our house by themselves?”
“The Zhao family next door, Director Zhao, wanted to buy a 26-inch women’s bicycle as a dowry for his daughter. They’ve been waiting in line for almost a year.” Zhan Lin knew what her mother was thinking, but she just didn’t want to give in.
Hong Huiying felt somewhat embarrassed by her daughter’s words: “But you didn’t have to lay out all the good things from our house, did you? I originally planned to go see your Second Aunt and Third Aunt again tomorrow.”
“You know very well, your Second Aunt’s eldest brother-in-law is the third-in-command at the Municipal Public Security Bureau. He can speak up about your dad’s situation. Your Third Aunt’s Husband may not be in Weiyang City, but he’s a division-level cadre in the Jingshi Junqu. Good things used where they’re most needed are truly good things.”
Zhan Lin sneered: “Didn’t you go see Second Aunt He at noon? If Second Aunt He knows something, wouldn’t she inform Third Aunt He? Do they have some urgent matter tonight? My Second Uncle and Eldest Aunt came to our house. Why didn’t they come?”
“My Second Uncle and Eldest Aunt call my dad ‘big brother.’ Don’t they also call my dad ‘big brother’? Didn’t their mother marry my grandfather? When Grandfather was alive, they called him ‘Dad,’ even more affectionately than my own dad did.”
“Doesn’t our Grandma Zhang always say that we’re one family, sharing both honor and disgrace? In the past, my dad and you gave them your whole hearts. Now that my dad is in trouble and needs their help, you have to bring lavish gifts and visit them again and again.”
“So it turns out Grandma Zhang’s words were only meant for us to hear, huh?”
Hong Huiying: “What does a little girl like you understand? With the status and backgrounds of your Second Aunt and Third Aunt’s in-laws, they should keep their distance at a time like this.”
“What status and background?” Zhan Lin leaned sideways, bringing her head close to her mother’s face: “You really overestimate my Second Aunt He and Third Aunt He. Does my Second Aunt He know that Wei Junyi is the child Wei Min had with his ex-wife?”
Hong Huiying’s eyes widened instantly. How could that be? The next second, she remembered that Wei Min’s ex-wife was a capitalist’s daughter who fled to Hong Kong. Her heart began to pound.
Zhan Lin: "As for Third Aunt He, is she really not joining her husband in the military just because she's worried about the old and young in her in-laws' family?" She blinked twice, feigning confusion. "How come I heard that Third Aunt's Husband originally wanted to marry someone else, not my Third Aunt?"
"How did he end up marrying my Third Aunt? Did he take a liking to her himself?"
The room fell dead silent, mother and daughter staring into each other's eyes.
"Linlin," looking at her own reflection in her daughter's eyes, Hong Huiying felt an inexplicable panic rising. "Do you… do you have some misunderstanding about Mom?"
Zhan Lin: "I have no misunderstanding about you."
"Then you must have some resentment toward Mom." Hong Huiying thought of what her daughter had just said and quickly explained, "Mom treats your Second Aunt and Third Aunt well because I want them to help you and your brother in the future. Now that your father has gotten into trouble, we need to stay even closer to them."
"I was born from you, and I have no resentment toward you either." Zhan Lin straightened up.
Whether she truly meant it or not, Hong Huiying instinctively didn't want to dig deeper. Slowly, she withdrew her gaze and lowered her head, her hands on her lap clenching and unclenching, betraying her nervousness.
Zhan Lin also stopped looking at her, picking up the teacup from the table to take a sip.
After a moment of silence, Hong Huiying took a deep breath, as if finally making up her mind. "Linlin, Mom will divorce your father."
"I support you." Zhan Lin's heart was now at peace. "You are a living person with thoughts and a sense of self. After what Dad did, so disgracefully, if you choose to leave, no one can criticize you. My brother and I are both educated and reasonable."
She would always respect her mother's dignity as a person, unlike how her mother had treated her in her previous life.
A low sob reached Zhan Lin's ears. She tilted her head slightly, looking up at the dim yellow lightbulb hanging from the ceiling.
A drop of snot fell from Hong Huiying's nose, stretching into a long, thin strand.
She had imagined her daughter trying to persuade her, thought about how to convince her daughter to agree to the divorce, how to broach the subject with her son… she had thought about many, many things. The only thing she hadn't anticipated was that her daughter would support her decision to divorce without hesitation.
This should have been what she wanted, yet instead of feeling any relief, she was overwhelmed with guilt—so much guilt.
Taking a handkerchief from her pocket and placing it on the table, Zhan Lin went to the kitchen to prepare bathwater, carrying it to the bathroom. Returning to her room, she gathered a towel, pajamas, shampoo, and soap. She had sweated a lot today and wanted a good wash.
By the time she finished bathing, Ms. Hong Huiying was no longer in the living room.
Zhan Lin dried her hair halfway with an electric fan and combed it through with a wooden comb. She considered whether to cut her hair shorter—it was really too long now, reaching past her waist.
After combing it a few times, her hair was almost dry.
That night, Zhan Lin thought she would sleep fitfully like the night before, but as she lay in bed replaying the day's events, she fell asleep almost as soon as she started. She slept soundly until morning without even dreaming. When she woke up, she felt refreshed and full of energy.
After lingering in bed for a few minutes, she got up. There was still a lot to do today.
At 7:30, Hong Huiying brought the cooked porridge to the living room table. Compared to yesterday, her complexion was even duller, with dark bags under her eyes.
A bowl of porridge with a salted duck egg and two pieces of sponge cake made for a good breakfast, yet she ate as if merely fulfilling a duty.
Zhan Lin opened the door and stepped out of the room. After washing up, she also sat down at the table, taking a bowl to serve herself some porridge. "You're almost running out of time."
"It's fine, I'm leaving now." Hong Huiying finished the last mouthful of porridge in her bowl and swept the broken eggshells from the table into it. "As for Yuanqian Hutong, I'll go tidy it up for you in a few days. Don't go to work for now—I'll speak to your director again."
"Alright." Zhan Lin cracked a salted duck egg.
"Originally, after returning from a long business trip, you had two days off. Combined with the weekend, that makes three days. You've already used up those three days as of yesterday, so starting today, it's considered leave." Hong Huiying stood up. "Don't go out much either. I'm requesting sick leave for you, so make sure none of your colleagues run into you outside."
"Understood." She would be careful. "Please also explain clearly to our director that for my absence, my wages should be docked accordingly. If I need to make up the shifts later, I'll accept whatever arrangements are made."
Hong Huiying went to the kitchen to rinse her mouth, then came back to grab her bag. "Wash the dishes later."
"Alright."
There were only two bowls of porridge in the pot, and Zhan Lin finished them both. After washing the pot and bowls, she pulled out a large cloth bag and stuffed all the yarn from the dressing table drawer into it. Then she tucked two bags of White Rabbit milk candies into the sides of the bag, and finally glanced at the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes on the desk.
Her eldest brother had insisted on leaving them for Ning Yunshu.
Zhan Lin scratched her head and walked over. Might as well take them. Just one pack of these could handle quite a significant matter.
At half past eight, wearing a large straw hat and carrying her bag, she headed out. In the courtyard, several children were arguing over who got to spin the top, too busy to pay her any attention.
It took half an hour to bike from Qigu Xiang to Yuanqian Hutong. On the way, Zhan Lin stopped and queued for six or seven minutes to buy three beef and scallion buns. She happened to get lucky—this filling wasn't usually available.
Today, No. 6 Yuanqian Hutong was quite lively. As soon as she entered the small gate, she saw a large crowd gathered outside the home of You Shaochun—You Jie—two doors down from hers.
"You Shaochun, you shrew! Just because I don't hit women doesn't mean I'm a coward. I'm warning you—push me again and I'll make a move."
"Go ahead, make your move, right here." A clear, forceful voice shot back. "You are nothing but a cowardly piece of trash. I've got this fertile land, and you've been tilling it for a year without planting a single seed. The You family has only me left to carry on the line. What do you think I took you in as a live-in husband for?"
"You can't bear a child, and you blame me? You've got no shame!"
"If not you, then who? The hospital doctor said I'm perfectly healthy. Good soil that yields no sprouts means the seeds are rotten. Today, this marriage ends whether you agree or not. If you dare mention adopting that son from your previous marriage one more time, I'll castrate you."
Passing by, Zhan Lin tiptoed to peek inside and saw You Jie tossing a roll of bedding out the door. She cheered loudly in her heart.
You Jie's husband, with his thick eyebrows, big eyes, and upright, sturdy appearance, was no good man.
In her previous life, not long after their divorce, Auntie Shui from the front courtyard—a matchmaker—heard a rumor that this man had long had his eyes on the You family and that his divorce from his previous wife was a sham.
Later, You Jie personally confirmed this rumor when she confronted them. She single-handedly fought the man and his ex-wife, sending both to the hospital for half a month.
Comrade You Shaochun, a veterinarian by family tradition, specialized in treating all kinds of uncooperative animals. At twelve, she had already taken over her father's job castrating pigs at the breeding farm. By seventeen, she was assigned to the city's livestock station. Standing 1.75 meters tall, she was both scholarly and martial.
Want to take advantage of her being the last of her line? Even Pan An would have to make her bear a child first. Continuing the You family line was her obsession.
The onlookers all craned their necks to watch the spectacle. Zhan Lin had originally thought she would be the biggest spectacle here today—had she overestimated herself?
In an unnoticed corner, she quietly pushed her bicycle into the small courtyard and closed the gate. Untying the rope securing the cloth bundle on the rear seat, she picked up the bag and opened the main house door.
Once inside, she first found a place to safely store her bankbook, then began tidying up. Starting upstairs, then moving downstairs, she organized and cleaned methodically.
By the time she finished cleaning, it was exactly 12 o'clock. For lunch, Zhan Lin ate the beef buns she had bought earlier. After eating, she took out Mrs. Hong Huiying's account book and began copying it.
She copied until 3:40 in the afternoon, finishing just one book, then put away the account book and headed to the post office.
The post office on Sanhuaguo Jiedao was closer to Yuanqian Hutong, but she didn't dare go there. Instead, she cycled eleven or twelve li to Xichang Youju.
At this hour, there weren't many people making long-distance calls. Zhan Lin went to the long-distance service window, picked up an application form, and clearly filled in Song Yuhe's work unit and its telephone number, specifying that the caller was Hong Huiying.
After submitting the application form, she waited.
At 5:05, the long-distance service called for Hong Huiying. Zhan Lin immediately went over. 26xxxx—it was indeed the telephone number for the logistics department of Hushi Yinhang. Gripping the receiver, her knuckles turned white as she waited for Song Yuhe. The window staff asked if she wanted to hang up first and have them call back later. She shook her head and refused.
After waiting three and a half minutes, Song Yuhe arrived.
"Hello?"
The voice was gentle and refined, matching the temperament Zhan Lin remembered of Song Yuhe. She steadied her breath and spoke in a lowered voice: "It's me."
"Huiying." The other person's voice softened: "Has something happened again?"
Zhan Lin: "No, I just wanted to hear your voice." To confirm her suspicions.
Song Yuhe clearly sighed in relief: "It's good nothing happened. After you called me this morning, I went to ask someone to help look for a job for you at noon. After work, I'll go find a few of my classmates. You were a neighborhood committee director in Weiyang City—your job in Hu Shi shouldn't be any worse."
"Alright." Zhan Lin wanted to hang up: "See you in Hu Shi then."
"I'll be waiting for you."
Author's note: