Jiang Lifeng regarded his daughter’s words as nothing more than a child’s passing whim and chuckled, “That won’t work. Both your mom and I are regular employees at the factory. We can’t just go into business on the side privately.”
Su Guiying nodded in agreement, “Yes, we both have work units.”
Even though state-owned factories were gradually declining, workers still took great pride in their status—a prevailing social mindset that had lasted for decades.
Jiang Qingning wasn’t ready to give up and continued, “But Uncle-in-law also has a work unit. How come he can start a company?”
Su Guiying picked up a cotton cloth to dry her daughter’s feet and patiently explained further, “Your uncle-in-law is on a leave of absence with pay retained. If his business were to fail, he could still go back to his job. But only a few units support that kind of policy. Your dad’s and my units don’t allow it.”
Jiang Qingning wasn’t too familiar with this aspect and thought for a moment before asking, “So, if our family wants to start a company, you’d have to resign, right?” That would indeed be a bit troublesome.
“Exactly,” Jiang Lifeng said. Seeing that Su Guiying had finished drying their daughter’s feet, he bent down to place the cotton slippers beside her.
Jiang Qingning lowered her head in thought. Her parents were both honest and cautious by nature, unlike her parents in her previous life, who were money-driven go-getters. If it had been them, seeing others getting rich would have definitely stirred envy and jealousy. With just a little encouragement from her, they probably would have resigned to go into business.
But with her current parents, things were different. Neither of them had been laid off yet at this point. Their jobs seemed stable, and the family’s livelihood was manageable. As a child, asking them to quit their secure jobs for no reason to dive into business was simply impossible.
Seeing his daughter frowning as if troubled, Jiang Lifeng smiled and ruffled the top of her head. “Mom and Dad’s salaries are enough for our family. After the New Year, I’ll look for some part-time work. It may not earn as much as running a business, but we’ll have stability—a steady paycheck every month. Someone in business might earn money one month and lose it all the next.”
Su Guiying felt the same way. “Exactly. Who knows how policies might change in the future? What if one day private business isn’t allowed anymore? It’d be hard to get back into the factory then.”
Jiang Qingning really wanted to tell them: Don’t worry, policies will encourage private business for at least the next thirty or forty years. Instead, the iron rice bowls you’re so proud of are about to shatter.
If you ask how a little kid like me knows this, it’s because I’m from the future, of course.
Hah.
If she said that out loud, they’d definitely think she’d lost her mind.
Su Guiying finished soaking her feet too, picked up the toiletries, and took her daughter to the washroom to brush their teeth and wash their faces.
“Your dad and I have to work tomorrow. How about you go to Grandma’s house and play with your cousin Xiaojie?”
“Oh, okay.”
Jiang Qingning didn’t bring up starting a company again. It seemed she’d need to find the right opportunity to mention it later.
Early the next morning, by the time Jiang Qingning got up, Jiang Lifeng had already left for work. His factory was near the Jiang family home, so he had to set out early.
Su Guiying first dropped her daughter off at the Su family home before heading to work herself. When they arrived, Grandma Su had just finished preparing breakfast.
“Guiying, have something to eat before going to work. Let me get you some porridge,” Grandma Su called out when she saw her daughter about to leave after dropping Qingning off, already reaching for a bowl to serve the porridge.
“No need, I’ll eat at the canteen. I’ll come back to pick up Qingning at noon,” Su Guiying replied hurriedly before rushing off to work.
Su Guiying and Jiang Lifeng worked rotating shifts and often couldn’t make meals for Jiang Qingning, so they would send her to the Su family for meals. The couple paid a monthly fee for her food.
Su Yuanjie was sitting at the dining table eating a fried egg, with a half-finished glass of milk beside him. When he saw Jiang Qingning arrive, he waved her over to sit and smilingly pushed the half-glass of milk toward her. “This is for you to drink.”
Jiang Qingning was carrying a small bag today. She shook her head. “I brought my own milk.” With that, she pulled a bottle of milk from her bag.
Su Yuanjie’s smile faded, and he frowned as he took the milk back.
“Xiaojie, you should drink more milk. If boys don’t grow tall later, it’ll really affect finding a girlfriend,” Jiang Qingning advised him.
“Call me ‘Brother’!”
Grandma Su walked over from the kitchen with a small bowl containing the fried egg she had just made for Jiang Qingning. Hearing the children’s conversation, she laughed. “Qingning’s right. Xiaojie, drink your milk properly. You need to grow taller than your dad in the future.”
Su Guilin took after his father; neither was very tall.
Grandma Su and Ye Yunxia, as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, surprisingly shared the exact same hope for Su Yuanjie to grow tall.
“Can I grow as tall as Uncle-in-law?”
Grandma Su nodded without hesitation. “Yes.”
“Alright then.” Su Yuanjie reluctantly picked up the milk, took a deep breath, and tilted his head back to gulp down the rest of it.
Jiang Qingning ate her egg in small bites while inwardly shaking her head: Ah, poor Xiaojie. Carrying Grandpa’s and Uncle’s genes, the pressure to grow tall is really on him.
After breakfast, Grandma Su quickly washed the dishes and asked the two children, “I’m going to Grandma Wu’s house in the next courtyard to knit a sweater. Do you want to come with me to play at her house?” She and the other old lady had arranged it earlier.
The two children exchanged a glance and shook their heads in unison. “No.”
“Then you can stay home and watch TV. I’ll be back soon. Xiaojie, take good care of your cousin, okay?” Grandma Su gathered her things and left. The children were old enough now, so leaving them at home wasn’t a worry.
Besides, everyone living in this neighborhood worked at the cotton mill, so there was no fear of strangers coming around.
Once Grandma Su was out the door, Jiang Qingning and Su Yuanjie grinned at each other, their eyes full of mischief.
Time to go ice skating!
Jiang Qingning patted the small backpack she had brought. “Brother Xiaojie, I brought money. I’ll treat you to tanghulu today.”
She hadn’t handed over the few red envelopes from neighbors yesterday—she kept them as her own pocket money. You couldn’t go out without money, after all.
Su Yuanjie cheered. “Great! I also asked my dad for two yuan yesterday. We can get roasted chestnuts too.”
The two of them happily slipped out.
In those days, children were still in a semi-free-range state. The streets were full of kids running around everywhere, unlike later times when even crossing the street downstairs practically required parental supervision.
By the time they reached Shichahai, the lake was already crowded with people skating. Not far away, several small vendors had set up stalls, including no fewer than three selling tanghulu.
“Let me teach you how to glide first. Be careful not to fall,” Su Yuanjie said as he slipped smoothly across the ice.
Jiang Qingning was thrilled. Ice skating on the lake was so much fun, way more interesting than a skating rink.
While they were enjoying themselves, a group of older kids suddenly surrounded them.
“Su Yuanjie, you were pretty cocky yesterday, huh? Not only did you take all my firecrackers, but you also got me a beating from my dad.”
Su Yuanjie stopped and looked at the unfriendly group, frowning. “Ermao, you lost your firecrackers to me fair and square in a card-slapping game. What does your dad beating you have to do with me?”
“This kid’s got quite an attitude, daring to bully my cousin?” The speaker was the oldest in the group, probably around fourteen or fifteen, with a delinquent air.
Su Yuanjie moved to shield Jiang Qingning behind him. “What do you want?”
One of the kids shouted, “Kneel down and kowtow to apologize!”
“Haha, yeah, and bark like a dog!” another boy chimed in.
Su Yuanjie retorted angrily, “No way!”
“Well, looks like you need to be taught a lesson if you won’t cooperate.” The leader grabbed Su Yuanjie by the collar. Being a few years older and taller, he easily lifted him off his feet.
Knowing she was no match for them, Jiang Qingning immediately ran away, yelling at the top of her lungs, “Help! Murder! Someone save me! Kidnappers!” She shouted while running toward the adults.
“What is that brat yelling about? Go catch her and bring her back!” the leader yelled.
Two younger boys obediently ran after Jiang Qingning.
Seeing them chase her, Jiang Qingning shouted even louder. By now, she had attracted the attention of quite a few onlookers.
Jiang Liye was also at Shichahai that day. A neighbor from his courtyard had set up a tanghulu stall here, and yesterday some local troublemakers had extorted “protection money” from him. Afraid they would demand more today, the neighbor had specifically asked Jiang Liye to come by early to watch over the stall.
This was a small matter for Jiang Liye. After all these years of his reputation, he still had some clout in the area.
Sure enough, as soon as he arrived, the troublemakers recognized him as “Brother Ye” and respectfully left, promising to exempt that stall from any further protection fees.
“Brother Ye, I really owe you. I don’t have much to thank you with, but here, take a few tanghulu back with you.”
Jiang Liye waved him off. “No need. I don’t have any kids at home. Keep them to sell. I’ve got other things to do, so I’ll head off now.”
Turning around, he faintly heard a familiar child’s voice and wondered about it.
He followed the sound and saw a little girl in a red coat running on the ice in the distance, chased by two older boys—probably just roughhousing.
He started to walk away again, thinking that the little girl looked a bit like his Qingning.
Remembering this, he went back and grabbed two tanghulu skewers, planning to drop by his big brother’s house on the way.
The little girl’s voice grew clearer, and he grew more puzzled—it sounded a lot like Qingning too. Maybe kids this age just all sounded alike.
Wait, something was off!
Jiang Liye squinted and took a closer look. The little girl shouting in the distance was unmistakably his Qingning!
He immediately yelled toward them, “Qingning, what are you shouting for?”
As she ran, Jiang Qingning grumbled inwardly: Weren’t people in this era supposed to be helpful? How come no one’s stepping in to mind someone else’s business yet?
Just as she was about to ask an adult for help, she heard a familiar voice. Her eyes lit up when she saw the person standing not far away, and she immediately waved. “Fourth Uncle, come save me! Someone’s trying to beat me up!”
Saved!
The previously swaggering boys were now standing in a row, looking thoroughly cowed. “You little brats who don’t know any better—go out and ask around. How dare you bully someone from my family…”
Jiang Liye paced back and forth in front of the group of kids, sternly lecturing them.
“Don’t you dare bully anyone again, understand?”
“Yes,” they replied weakly.
“Alright, go home now.”
The boys scattered in a flash.
Jiang Qingning put her hands on her hips, displeased. “Fourth Uncle, you should have taught them a proper lesson.”
Jiang Liye chuckled. “Your Fourth Uncle isn’t that shameless. Don’t worry, they definitely won’t dare bully you again. If they do, just tell me, and I’ll make sure to teach them a real lesson.”
As he spoke, he handed the two tanghulu skewers to them. “Here, have some tanghulu. One each.”
Su Yuanjie took it with a smile. “Thank you, Uncle.” He looked at the man before him with admiration.
Jiang Qingning instead offered her tanghulu back. “Fourth Uncle, here, this is for you.”
“Haha, I don’t really like these. You eat it.” Jiang Liye patted her little braids.
Jiang Qingning tilted her head and asked, “Then why did you buy them? Are they for Fourth Aunt?”
“No, the tanghulu seller over there is from our courtyard. He gave me two just now.” Jiang Liye pointed toward the vendor in a thick padded jacket who was calling out to customers.
Jiang Qingning glanced over, nodded, took a bite of the sweet and sour tanghulu, and then asked, “Fourth Uncle, are you here to set up a stall too?”
Jiang Liye didn’t have a regular job and had been picking up odd jobs here and there.
“No, I just came to help out. I’ve got other things to do. You two keep playing. I’ll head off now.”
Jiang Qingning looked at the group of children crowded around the tanghulu stall, and a sudden idea flashed in her mind.
She called out to Jiang Liye, who was about to leave. “Fourth Uncle, do you have something urgent to do today?”
“Not exactly urgent. A friend has some work for me.”
Jiang Qingning smiled slightly. “Fourth Uncle, I have some work for you too. Why don’t you come help me instead? I’ll pay wages that are definitely no less than anyone else’s.”
Jiang Liye laughed. “Pay me wages? What kind of work could you possibly have?”
Jiang Qingning raised an eyebrow with a knowing smile.