Three years later.
After going through both good times and bad several times, the shop’s staff had completely stabilized, and the annual gross profit steadily increased. After holding meetings for four consecutive quarters, Qin Sheng analyzed customer traffic and customer demographics, then leased the shop next door as well, turning it into a small showroom and securing cooperation with several brands for electrical components and paint protection film.
The masters were all honest people, and their skills were beyond question. Although there was an unspoken rule in the industry that fixing cars too well would lead to losses, because even card-holding repeat customers would come less frequently if their vehicles had no problems for a long time, it had been the same back when they were at Beidaihe Car Repair Center.
This rule didn’t apply to Qin Sheng. The masters repaired everything that should be repaired, without harboring any ulterior motives. A considerable number of knowledgeable car owners, such as ride-hailing and taxi drivers, as long as they recognized good skills and reasonable prices, were willing to give Qin Sheng free publicity and felt more at ease using the parts purchased by the shop.
Adding the year and a half since the shop opened, it was about to reach five years. Huojia had already entered the senior kindergarten class, and Qin Shui’s new book had also been published. Qin Sheng had taken a liking to a fully furnished school-district residential project in the High-Tech Zone. The environment was good and the property management was good, and the building had already topped out. He and Qin Shui only needed to take out a mortgage for a few years to secure it. Nearby supermarkets, subway lines, and buses were all very convenient, and most importantly, it was zoned for the city’s best international affiliated primary school and middle school.
The two of them went to see it on site. The residential area was very large. On the south and north sides of the road were detached houses and large flat apartments, respectively. The detached area consisted of neighboring small villas, each with a small courtyard and three-story balconies, with excellent greenery both inside and out.
Qin Shui was quite satisfied with these small duplexes. Huojia could play in the yard, and the community’s security and the overall quality of residents were generally higher. Qin Sheng, therefore, listed their old apartment with an agency for sale, took out an additional loan from the bank, and bought this completed unit. He transferred Huojia to a private kindergarten near the community.
The child only knew that she had stayed at Grandpa’s house for a few days and when she came back, the home had become bigger. Her little hamsters and silkworms moved from the bedroom to the yard, and the faces of the children around her had changed as well.
Huojia was already able to use fluent sign language to communicate with her mother. Even when she sometimes only moved her lips, Qin Shui could still understand what she was saying. The little girl was particularly skilled at abacus mental arithmetic in kindergarten, and after entering the preschool class, she obtained the Level Nine Children’s Certificate. Qin Sheng praised his daughter to the skies every day while holding her, but Huojia disliked the smell of engine oil on him and would hum unhappily every time she was picked up.
It was the end of the year again. Qin Sheng treated the employees to food and drinks and, as usual, carried out cash dividends, ensuring everyone could have a good New Year.
In the past, New Year’s Eve was always spent by the three of them alone. Ever since moving into this house, Qin Sheng would always call Qin Kang and Zhang Haimei in advance to come over, arrange the guest bedroom on the first floor, and also invite Qin Jianmin, spending a lively and harmonious reunion year together.
Qin Shui knew that Qin Sheng didn’t want her to take Huojia back and forth between homes. During the Spring Festival travel rush, when crowds were heavy, her parents were already retired and could avoid peak flows by coming earlier to see their granddaughter.
Huojia had a fair and delicate complexion and talked nonstop, her little mouth chattering away as if she wanted to make up for all the words her mother didn’t speak. When Qin Shui couldn’t hear her, the little girl would often suddenly rush over while her mother was cooking, hug her legs, and follow behind calling “Mom,” or insist on being held while watching cartoons, all to attract attention.
Before the New Year, Qin Sheng and Qin Shui took her to the nearby Walmart to buy New Year goods, and at the same time prepared gifts for managers of client companies and longtime customers. The three of them filled the entire car with big and small bags. Huojia carried a small Fanny Loup backpack, stuffed full with snacks and fruit-flavored yogurt her father had bought for her.
Qin Sheng was still driving that Volkswagen Golf, but the interior was no longer like before, with only a small pony hanging. A child safety seat was installed in the back. In front hung a peace talisman Qin Shui had prayed for at Famen Temple and a string of small family photos. The storage compartment also held jelly cups and wet wipes for Huojia.
With the kindergarten on break, Qin Shui and her parents stayed home to take care of her, while also frying New Year snacks and steaming sweet rice.
In recent years, as business picked up, there were also partners who sent gifts during holidays. Knowing that Qin Sheng had a child, some even brought car toys for Huojia. Qin Shui kept the house neat inside and out. The flowers and trees in the yard were decorated with colorful lights, tied with small red lanterns and peace knots.
However, this year was a little different from previous years. Qin Sheng’s mother, Hu Lifan, called and said she wanted to bring her husband and child to the house to see Huojia and Qin Shui.
The call was first made to Qin Jianmin. After all, Qin Sheng’s attitude was firm, and she was afraid she wouldn’t gain any favor. Although Qin Jianmin had been more confident these past two years, his temperament had become gentler. He didn’t dare make decisions for his son and daughter-in-law. The next day, he called the shop and informed Qin Sheng.
As expected, it was rejected.
Before the New Year, Qin Jianmin deliberately came over under the pretext of picking up Huojia from school, specifically to test the waters on this matter. Qin Sheng felt that Hu Lifan had no sense of boundaries, while Qin Shui didn’t express a stance, only waiting for the result of the father-and-son discussion.
Qin Sheng directly said there wasn’t enough space at home. His father-in-law snored at night and had to sleep in a separate room from his mother-in-law, taking up two guest rooms. Qin Jianmin didn’t say anything upon hearing this. After a long while, he took out his phone and said he would call Hu Lifan right then to refuse.
“Isn’t Sun Zhong repeating a year in university?” Qin Sheng asked. “I heard Aunt mention it last year, but I don’t know if it’s true.”
Huojia asked from his arms what repeating a year meant. Qin Sheng said she didn’t need to know.
Qin Jianmin waved his hand dismissively. “He repeated in his junior year. That school isn’t very good either. If you ask me, instead of spending money on a private third-tier university, it’d be better to properly learn a trade.”
“Does she think her backup child didn’t turn out well, so she came back to see how Huojia and I are doing?”
Qin Shui, who was sitting across the coffee table shelling peanuts, suddenly raised her eyes at him. This reminded Qin Sheng, and he said with a laugh, he didn’t know whether to cry or not, “When Qin Shui and I got married, did she ever give my wife a decent gift? When Qin Shui was pregnant and giving birth, it was my mother-in-law who took care of everything. And over all these years, how many times has she asked about Huojia? How many times has she shown concern?”
Qin Shui understood what he was saying and still didn’t speak. Seeing that his daughter-in-law was present, Qin Jianmin hurriedly echoed, “She saw that your lives are going well. Last time she called, she said she bought gold jewelry for her daughter-in-law and granddaughter and planned to bring it over together. I already told her not to.”
“Even if I let her come, bringing the whole family along, wouldn’t she feel awkward herself?”
Qin Sheng held Huojia with one arm and leaned forward to take some cherries from the table for her. The family fell silent for a moment. Qin Jianmin also hadn’t figured out how to phrase the call yet. Only the sound of the TV program filled the living room. Huojia spat the cherry pit into Qin Sheng’s hand, twisted her body, refused to be held, and ran upstairs on her own.
After she left, Qin Sheng finally laid it bare. “Dad, I know she looks down on Qin Shui’s hearing impairment and thinks Huojia is a girl, so she can’t be bothered to ask. If it weren’t for my wife and family supporting my early business, she wouldn’t even think of contacting me. She probably even worries I’ll take her money.”
Qin Jianmin raised his hand to draw attention and asked, “Qin Shui, what do you think?”
She looked at the father and son, smiled a little awkwardly, and answered vaguely, “I’m fine with anything. It’s also okay if my parents stay in the same room.”
Qin Sheng interrupted, “There’s no need. If she’s determined to come, then book a hotel in advance, walk around the city and nearby attractions, and don’t come to the house. Our family can go soak in hot springs nearby for the New Year.”
Qin Jianmin felt this would make things look rather ugly, but he didn’t object. He only looked at Qin Shui with difficulty. She understood and finally spoke. “Even if we go out to play, we still have to come home eventually. We can’t avoid it.”
Qin Sheng leaned back against the sofa and signed with a sigh, “I just feel she treats you and Huojia badly. Why go through all this? Even if she comes, it’s pointless.”
The discussion ended unhappily without any conclusion. Everyone knew that refusal wouldn’t work, so they tacitly chose to handle it coldly.
On the evening of the second day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Haimei and Qin Jianmin were playing mahjong at home with Qin Shui and Qin Kang. A Spring Festival Gala rerun played on the TV as background noise. Qin Sheng went to the upstairs balcony to call longtime customers to send New Year greetings. Huojia, who was playing with hamsters in the yard, suddenly screamed and ran to the sliding door of the living room, looked up and shouted “Dad,” then rushed into the house and dove into Qin Shui’s arms.
She was still holding the hamster in her hand. Qin Jianmin was afraid of the little creature and stopped playing immediately, standing up to ask, “Jiajia, what’s wrong?”
“There’s someone outside looking at me!” Huojia pointed toward the fence outside with the hand holding the hamster. “It’s too dark! It’s too scary! There’s a face outside the house!”
The yard was surrounded by low bamboo plants. Unless someone reached in to part them, it was very hard to see inside the yard. Qin Sheng came down from upstairs. Before he could check what was going on, the doorbell rang.
Hu Lifan and her family were pressing the gatebell outside the yard fence. Qin Sheng went over to answer it and saw the three of them. Helplessly, he turned to look at Qin Shui.
“What’s going on? Who is it?” Zhang Haimei, restless, went over to look at the screen. She hadn’t seen Hu Lifan before and didn’t recognize her, so she could only ask Qin Sheng, “Are relatives here to pay New Year visits? Why aren’t you opening the door?”
Qin Jianmin hurried over to smooth things out. “In-laws, let Qin Sheng keep you company inside for a bit. I’ll go take a look outside!”
Huojia bounced around nearby, making trouble like she was watching a show, and Qin Shui quickly picked her up. Qin Sheng pulled his coat off the rack and said calmly, “Dad, Mom, you and Qin Shui stay inside and watch TV. It’s fine.”
He turned and went out, closing the door behind him. Qin Shui knew very well who had come. She led her parents to sit on the sofa and, without reservation and in a concise way, explained to Qin Kang and Zhang Haimei through sign language Qin Sheng’s past with Hu Lifan, as well as his prejudice and resistance toward his biological mother.
Qin Kang slowly walked to the window to listen to the commotion outside and signed to Qin Shui, “I understand Qin Sheng, but since his mother has already come, at least let her come in and sit for a while. Otherwise, it’ll look very bad.”
“But honestly speaking, our daughter really didn’t receive any jewelry or red envelopes from her mother-in-law. On this point, the son-in-law isn’t wrong at all!”
Qin Shui sent Huojia upstairs and gave her a tablet to watch Little Nezha. She then went downstairs herself and stood by the window to peek. Hu Lifan’s family had already entered the yard. The five of them were sitting on chairs talking. She saw the cigarette light flickering between Qin Jianmin’s fingers, while Qin Sheng sat there with his coat wrapped around him, arms crossed.
Seven or eight minutes later, Hu Lifan’s emotions became somewhat agitated, and her voice carried into the living room. Qin Kang vaguely heard some of it and relayed it to Qin Shui in real time using sign language.
As the discussion went on, their voices grew louder and louder. Zhang Haimei quickly patted Qin Kang’s back lightly and complained, “What’s going on? Arguing at home during the New Year. Don’t draw the neighbors and the property management over.”
“We don’t really have the standing to interfere,” Qin Kang said. “Their family of three has long-standing unresolved issues. It’s not like they’ll be settled just because of a few words from us.”
Suddenly, Hu Lifan slapped the table and stood up. Qin Shui was surprised to see that she was actually reaching across the table to hit Qin Sheng. Afraid the situation would truly spiral out of control, Qin Shui didn’t even have time to put on her down jacket. She stepped forward first and pushed open the front door.
The quarrel in the yard stopped abruptly. She knew clearly that shutting people out was not a solution. You could dodge the first day of the lunar year, but not the fifteenth. Before Qin Sheng and Qin Jianmin could react, she opened the door wider and signed, “It’s too cold outside. Everyone, come in and talk.”
She deliberately waved warmly. Qin Jianmin was the first to come back to his senses and quickly tried to smooth things over, calling out, “Come on, come on, let’s all go inside! Quarreling outside is so embarrassing.”
Qin Shui turned to instruct Qin Kang to pour three cups of hot tea, smiling as she welcomed her mother-in-law’s family of three inside. She took out slippers for them to change into. Hu Lifan’s expression was indeed extremely unpleasant, or rather, her features themselves carried a certain harshness. Qin Shui noticed that when Hu Lifan entered the house, she slightly raised her chin and quickly scanned her surroundings. She clearly saw Qin Kang and Zhang Haimei inside, yet angrily turned her face away, refusing to greet them.
Instead, it was her current husband, Sun Chengtao, who forced a smile and raised his hand to greet Qin Shui, also greeting her parents. He then sat down on the sofa somewhat stiffly.
Perhaps with the lively gala program playing as background noise, the atmosphere gradually became less tense. Qin Sheng originally wanted to go upstairs to check on Huojia, but he was afraid Qin Shui wouldn’t be able to handle Hu Lifan alone, so he suppressed his discomfort and returned to the living room.
“Have some peanuts and fruit,” Qin Shui said considerately. “Qin Sheng’s in a bad mood today. He’s usually like this. Don’t take it to heart.”
Qin Shui’s voice was soft and gentle. Sun Zhong and Sun Chengtao didn’t fully understand, but they caught the meaning and lifted their tea cups to drink. Qin Jianmin translated for them again, “Qin Shui says Qin Sheng has a bad temper. That’s just how he is.”
Sun Chengtao said, “It’s the New Year. Lifan said she wanted to come see her son and also play around nearby for a few days. We didn’t know you had plans tonight. This was really presumptuous of us.”
After personally seeing the warm, lived-in home, and then noticing the mahjong table placed on the south side of the living room, Hu Lifan’s domineering air rose again. She opened her mouth as if interrogating someone and asked, “Where’s Huojia?”
“She’s asleep,” Qin Sheng answered bluntly. “She was just frightened and finally got coaxed to sleep. Keep your voices down.”
Qin Shui glanced sideways and saw some New Year goods that Sun Chengtao and the others had brought in. Beside them were two small red gift bags, which were probably the gold jewelry Qin Jianmin had mentioned. She spoke to Zhang Haimei, “Mom, you and Dad go upstairs to check on Huojia and keep her company for a bit.”
Six of them were sitting in the living room. Sun Chengtao spoke first. “Since the child is asleep, we should head back to the hotel early. You should all rest too.”
The younger son, Sun Zhong, kept his head down the entire time and didn’t make a sound. He also didn’t meet Qin Shui’s eyes, looking overly introverted. When Hu Lifan heard her husband say this, she retorted mercilessly, “We didn’t book a hotel at all when we came. It’s the night of the second day of the New Year. Are the three of us supposed to sleep on the street?”
Sun Chengtao fell completely silent. Qin Jianmin answered offhandedly, “Let’s go, let’s go! Come stay at my place. There’s room. Is that okay?”
“I came all the way from Zhuhai, and my son and daughter-in-law won’t even call me Mom, and I don’t even get to see my granddaughter! Qin Jianmin, does your whole family think we’re beggars?”
Qin Sheng didn’t respond to her accusation. Instead, he spoke calmly. “Uncle Sun, Sun Zhong, we already explained things outside earlier. I, Qin Sheng, have no objections toward you. This matter is a dispute among our original family of three. Qin Shui is right. Please don’t take it to heart. On behalf of the whole family, I welcome you.”
Sun Chengtao nodded good-naturedly. Qin Jianmin snapped back, “Hu Lifan, do you really have the nerve to say that? You never gave your daughter-in-law a single gift. Why should she call you Mom?”
“Fine! I brought the gifts!” Hu Lifan stood up, walked past Qin Shui, picked up the two red paper bags, and bowed twice, placing them on Qin Shui’s legs. She said obstinately, “Is this enough? Gold bracelets. Can’t they buy me a ‘Mom’?”
Qin Shui opened one of the bags and glanced inside. There were two boxes and two receipts. After looking carefully, she calmly placed the bags back on the coffee table.
Hu Lifan used the situation to mock indirectly. “If you don’t change how you address someone without gifts, then what are those poor rural mothers-in-law who can’t afford gold supposed to do? Do other people’s daughters-in-law not call them Mom?”
Qin Sheng retorted angrily, “All you talk about is gold and silver. Qin Shui’s bridal gold was not lacking at all. My father delivered everything. Even if you couldn’t afford it, that wouldn’t matter. But as a grandmother, have you ever asked about Huojia? You don’t even ask about me. Over all these years, have you participated in a single major event of our lives?”
Qin Shui raised her hand to stop him. “Lower your voice. Our daughter is sleeping.”
She stood up, refilled water into the three cups, made a gesture asking them to wait a moment, and went upstairs. Five minutes later, Qin Shui returned holding a small pink paper bag. Qin Sheng recognized it as one Huojia had decorated herself using a Barbie gift bag, previously used to store her doll jewelry.
In front of everyone, Qin Shui accepted the two gold bracelets from the table, then sat down on the single sofa beside Hu Lifan and called out, “Mom.”
Her attitude was impeccable, leaving no room for fault. “I’ve received the gift. Thank you for your thoughtfulness. Huojia will definitely like it too. I’ll tell her it was from Grandma.”
The anger in Qin Sheng’s chest gradually dissipated. He and Qin Jianmin watched as Qin Shui used both hands to pass the pink gift bag to Sun Zhong, speaking softly and gently. “When your brother and I got married, you were right in the middle of your high school entrance exams. After that, your studies kept you busy, and you never had time to meet us. Qin Sheng and I also have a small token for you, to wish you smooth progress through your high school and college entrance exams and graduation from your ideal university.”
Sun Chengtao stood up to decline, but Qin Shui insisted on personally stuffing the red envelope into Sun Zhong’s arms.
“It’s only right,” Qin Jianmin said. “Hurry up and thank your brother and sister-in-law. Take it.”
Only then did Sun Zhong nod and thank them. “Thank you, Brother. Thank you, Sister-in-law.”
Hu Lifan was left speechless. She could clearly hear the implications behind Qin Shui’s words. First, it was a clear message that she would not be seeing Huojia today no matter what. Second, it showed that the gift was accepted purely for the sake of appearances, with no intention of benefiting from her status as a mother-in-law. The red envelope was an equal exchange, returning the value straight back.
She had deliberately asked the gold shop to leave the receipts in the bag, only to be countered like this. Qin Shui had turned it into an equal exchange, making Hu Lifan’s gift effectively meaningless, while still delivering all the polite words and concern flawlessly. It was completely different from what Hu Lifan had imagined.
“Dad, I’m going upstairs to deal with some work. You all chat,” Qin Shui said to Qin Jianmin. She then nodded politely to Sun Chengtao, glanced at Hu Lifan’s dispirited face, and returned upstairs.
Huojia was quietly watching her tablet on the bed. When she saw Qin Shui come in, she leaped out of her maternal grandfather’s arms and into Qin Shui’s, leaning close to her ear and calling Mom. Qin Shui locked the door and sighed to Zhang Haimei. “I’m going to step away for now. I don’t know how long they’ll stay.”
“You’re really not letting them see Huojia?” Qin Kang asked. “Will Qin Sheng’s mother really let this go?”
Qin Shui shook her head and deliberately avoided signing in front of her daughter. “No. She doesn’t care about Huojia at all, and Huojia doesn’t like her either. There’s no need for a child to be involved in adults’ matters.”
They coaxed Huojia to sleep in the room. Half an hour later, Qin Sheng came upstairs and knocked, saying he had already seen them off properly. Qin Jianmin had driven them to the hotel, and Qin Kang and the others could go downstairs to wash up and rest.
When they returned to the living room, Zhang Haimei began clearing the table and mopping the floor, finally finding the chance to ask, “How did you resolve it? Where are they staying tonight?”
“I contacted Wang Quan. There were still empty rooms at his hotel. I’m really sorry, Mom, for interrupting your mahjong,” Qin Sheng said.
Qin Kang smiled. “After all, it was your mother coming to visit. You can play mahjong anytime, but things like this are hard to deal with. It’s been hard on your father too.”
“They need to buy tickets back before the Spring Festival return rush. Most likely they won’t come again in the future. Even if they do, we won’t receive them,” Qin Sheng said. He hugged Qin Shui from behind and quickly stole a kiss on her cheek, then stepped forward to take the mop from Zhang Haimei’s hands. “Mom, Dad, don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of this. Go rest. Tomorrow we’ll take Huojia out to play.”
He efficiently tidied up the living room. Zhang Haimei and Qin Kang turned off the automatic mahjong table and went back to their room to wash up and sleep. Qin Shui washed the cups in the kitchen, and Qin Sheng came over as well to wash his hands, cautiously testing the waters. “You’re not mad, right?”
After drying the cups and putting them back in the cabinet, Qin Shui lifted her hand and patted his cheek like she was comforting a child. They turned off the lights, locked the doors, and went upstairs one after the other.
Qin Sheng gently pushed open Huojia’s room. The child had played too hard during the day and was sleeping soundly. Qin Shui returned to the bedroom to shower, and he shamelessly followed her in, claiming it was to save water.
He knew this unexpected incident would affect Qin Shui’s mood, but compared to Hu Lifan’s completely unrestrained, explosive behavior, Qin Shui’s approach had been more effective than either his or Qin Jianmin’s. Qin Sheng dried his wife’s hair for her. Only after they sat back on the bed did Qin Shui finally speak. “It’s not your fault. I don’t blame anyone. There’s nothing to blame.”
“When the time comes, we’ll take those two bracelets and melt them down, then make two gold silkworms for Huojia,” he said. “That’s just how she is. You can’t even describe it as menopause. Once she goes crazy, she can’t control her temper. Dealing with someone like that is exhausting.”
Qin Shui took the face cream from the dressing table and teased him, “I’ve seen it now. Good thing you weren’t raised by your mother, otherwise you’d end up like Sun Zhong too.”
“Hu Lifan is too domineering and refuses to reason. She doesn’t know how to raise children.”
“What did you say in the end? Did you come to any conclusion?”
Qin Sheng lay beside her with one arm as a pillow, sneering as he signed, “Nothing useful. She said she can accept no contact and no support, but wants money to buy it off. Six hundred thousand.”
Qin Shui paused, then asked calmly, without joy or anger, “Why no contact and no support? Of course, we should keep in touch. We’d welcome her to come every week.”
Qin Sheng laughed. He leaned over and pinched Qin Shui’s ear lightly, looking relaxed as he said, “That’s exactly what I said. As a son, I have a duty to support her. As long as they have the time, they can come every day. They wouldn’t even need to go back to their home in Zhuhai. I don’t mind. Worst case, we’ll just set up a couple more beds in the yard.”
“I don’t think Uncle Sun really wants to come here. Do you think he’s the type to instigate trouble and cling on?”
“He still has five or six years before retirement, and he’s a grassroots civil servant. Is he going to give up his job just to come north every week?” Qin Sheng said. “Don’t worry. I know them too well. Hu Lifan doesn’t even know how to grab high-speed rail tickets. Her natal family gave her an apartment within the Third Ring Road as dowry. After the divorce, she sold it. She doesn’t even have a foothold here.”
Qin Shui said suddenly, “She could go look for your dad.”
Qin Sheng reacted as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke. “Good wife, please spare Qin Jianmin.”
Although he was joking, Qin Sheng would absolutely not give Hu Lifan a single cent. Their priority these past few years has been to pay off the mortgage. With elders helping the household, he and Qin Shui could still put aside an education fund for Huojia. Expenses were coming from all sides at home, and the factory’s long-term development also required capital. Qin Sheng could not understand why Hu Lifan insisted on coming to make trouble and still had the nerve to ask for money.
He was not a hard-hearted person, and Qin Shui’s temperament was even gentler. If Hu Lifan had at least sent a greeting to Huojia during holidays or bought her a new piece of clothing once in a while, he would not have been this angry, and Qin Shui would not have had to be put in a difficult position over the mother-in-law relationship.
Qin Sheng could ensure that he would not tear things apart with Hu Lifan, as long as there was less contact in the future and less interference in their lives.
After all, every family has its own difficult scriptures to recite.
Over the next two years, Huojia smoothly entered the international division of Gaoxin No. 1 Primary School. Yan Jiabao and Wang Quan’s child was also born, and everything returned to calm again. Aside from making a few phone calls, Hu Lifan indeed did not come dragging her family along anymore.
This year, the birthday gift Qin Shui gave Qin Sheng was a portable handheld camera. She planned to use professional equipment to run a proper account for the factory, sharing daily work routines and parts usage, and also simply teaching everyone how to handle small car issues on their own, gradually building up subscribers.
They did not plan to have a second child for the time being. Although their conditions were more suitable now than when Qin Shui was pregnant with Huojia, Qin Shui felt that caring for their daughter was already exhausting, and she did not want to go through the ordeal of childbirth again in the short term.
On Children’s Day, she went to pick up Huojia from her interest class and brought her to the factory for dinner. Qin Sheng did not have many jobs on hand that day, so he drove two kilometers away to buy her hamburgers and also brought afternoon tea for everyone.
Qin Shui did not want Huojia to eat these things, but since it was a holiday, indulging once in a while did not really matter.
KFC was full of parents with children. Qin Sheng deliberately grabbed a set meal that came with a free toy for Huojia. She insisted on eating while reading a comic book, smearing ketchup onto the pages, and was dragged by Qin Shui to the restroom to wash her hands.
“Dad!”
Huojia shook water off her hands and ran over to complain. “Mom won’t let me eat anymore!”
Qin Sheng said, “Who told you to eat until your whole face was covered?”
The little girl, with two small buns in her hair, huffed heavily, crossed her arms, and sat down next to him in a sulk. Qin Shui came over holding the set meals and the family bucket, then scolded Qin Sheng, “You bought too much. She can’t finish it.”
“It’s fine. I’ll eat the rest later,” Qin Sheng said, shifting his gaze away from the computer screen and signing, “Huojia says you’re not letting her eat?”
“I reheated it in the microwave for her. She dawdled too much, and it all went cold.”
Huojia ran over to Qin Shui, calling “Mom,” took the hamburger back, and sat on the sofa to finish eating. The little girl gave one of the toys from the set meal to her mother, then turned to ask Qin Sheng, “Dad, when are we going home?”
“Soon. Dad will be done within half an hour.” He handed the reception room remote to Qin Shui. “Go watch some cartoons with Mom. Don’t overeat.”
“I’m not watching. I’ll eat here and watch when we get home.”
She stood up to dig out chicken nuggets from the bucket. Qin Shui tore open the sauce packet for her to dip. Since it was rare for Huojia to get KFC, she insisted on tasting everything before being satisfied. After she finished eating, washed her hands, and started doing homework, Qin Shui reheated the leftovers and let Qin Sheng make do with a few bites.
The family of three left the shop at sunset. Huojia held a juice box and was lifted by Qin Sheng into the safety seat. Qin Shui sat in the passenger seat and placed her daughter’s small backpack in the back.
He turned on the car radio, and soft music played. Qin Sheng turned the key and was just about to press a button to switch to the children’s channel when Qin Shui suddenly reached out and stopped him.
The scrolling subtitles on the screen were very familiar. Although Qin Shui could not immediately recall her connection to this song, that familiar feeling wrapped around her all the same, making her think of the past, of that sweltering August when she first met Qin Sheng.
The female voice in the speakers sang softly—
We want a gentle, lasting flow
We want boundless skies and seas
We want to grow old together
We want eternity
Say you love me
Truly love me
Let me be captivated by you
Seeing the lyrics, Qin Shui suddenly remembered.
On the night Qin Sheng sent her home, when she lay on the small bed in her rental room with half-damp hair, missing the man she had met at Beidaihe Car Repair Center, this was the very song recommended on her phone. Back then, Qin Shui had even thought that the lyric “my heart has already melted, my love is burning” felt as if it were written exactly for her at that moment.
Huojia in the back seat seemed to like the song too. She patted Qin Shui’s left shoulder and signed, “Mom, can you hear this song?”
Qin Shui smiled and shook her head. Her daughter then praised, “This song sounds nice. It’s gentle, just like Mom. I like listening to it.”
At this moment, it was impossible to count how many days and nights had passed since the rear-end collision, but Qin Shui still clearly remembered the date she met Qin Sheng at Beidaihe Car Repair Center.
The pain of losing her job back then, the embarrassment of the collision, and even the restless tossing and turning during their ambiguous phase had all turned to smoke and drifted away. Now, her daughter was in the back seat, Qin Sheng was by her side, and Qin Shui did not ask for grand, earth-shaking passion. Just like the song said, a gentle, lasting flow and boundless skies and seas were enough.
Growing old together, lasting forever, and hoping Huojia would grow up healthy and safe.
This was the love myth of Qin Shui’s quiet world.