After finishing their meal with their granddaughter, Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang carried small stools outside to sit under a tree and enjoy the cool breeze, placing their granddaughter in a bamboo-woven cradle stroller.
A gentle wind was blowing outside at the moment, making it quite pleasant under the tree, while the house felt somewhat stuffy and hot.
The Qiao family lived on the first floor, so people passing by their cooling spot were a common sight.
“Have you finished eating? Sitting here to cool off?” The speaker was Auntie Wu, the neighbor living upstairs from the Qiao family. Since they all worked at the same factory and lived in the same building, they were on good terms and often exchanged a few words whenever they met.
“Yes! We brought our granddaughter out to catch some breeze,” Qiao Zhufang replied, looking up with a smile.
“It really is a bit hot today, but didn’t your family buy an electric fan? Wouldn’t it be better to stay inside with the fan? There are mosquitoes out here!”
Auntie Wu was somewhat puzzled, wondering if perhaps the Qiao family’s fan had broken. Those fans weren’t cheap, and if it broke, who knew if it could be repaired? It would be such a shame if it couldn’t be used.
Even though it wasn’t her own fan, Auntie Wu couldn’t help feeling regretful. Who wouldn’t want such an electric fan? Even though the Qiao family’s fan was secondhand, it was still an electric fan—just plug it in and it blows cool air. How wonderful it would be during the hot summer days! It was just too expensive, costing one or two months’ wages—something she couldn’t afford.
Qiao Zhufang waved her hand and explained, “Ah, we do have a fan, but its wind is too strong and the noise is loud. A child shouldn’t be exposed to it for too long. We’re afraid she might catch a chill, so we decided to sit outside instead. The breeze out here is gentler.”
Could a fan really make a child sick? Auntie Wu didn’t quite believe it. She thought the Qiao couple was being a bit too indulgent with their granddaughter. After all, most families raised their children in a more rough-and-tumble way, not as meticulously as the Qiao family.
But she didn’t say much more about it. After all, it was their business, and if they were fine with it, why should she meddle? There was no need to stir up unnecessary displeasure.
So Auntie Wu nodded in agreement and said, “You really know how to raise a child, so attentive. Your Jiajia looks so well cared for—fair and tender, and most importantly, so pretty. To be honest, among all the children in our building, none can compare to your granddaughter in looks.”
This wasn’t just empty praise from Auntie Wu; she meant every word. As the saying goes, “You can tell a child’s future by the age of three.” Although the Qiao family’s child was only a year old, she already showed signs of growing into a beauty. She was truly good-looking—Auntie Wu had never seen a one-year-old child as pretty as this girl in all her years.
Sitting in the bamboo-woven cradle stroller, Qiao Jiajia didn’t react much to these words. From birth until now, she had been praised countless times and had grown immune to such compliments.
Because of this, even though she hadn’t seen herself in a mirror since birth, she felt reassured about her appearance in this life.
In her previous life, she had been beautiful. While beauty couldn’t fill one’s stomach, the desire to be attractive was universal. Given the chance to start over, she naturally hoped to be good-looking again.
Of course, from a genetic standpoint, her mother was a great beauty, and her father was handsome in a dignified way. The probability of her being unattractive wasn’t very high.
Qiao Jiajia continued to doze off with her eyes closed. As a child of just one year old, she was at an age when she needed plenty of sleep, so there was no need to worry about sleeping too much and suffering from insomnia at night. Of course, the main reason was that there was nothing else to do. At just one year old, she couldn’t get up and read books—what else could she do besides sleep?
Meanwhile, Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang, who were standing nearby, couldn’t help but smile when they heard Auntie Wu’s words. Who doesn’t like it when others praise their own child?
Because of this, the adults lingered at the doorway for a rare, extended chat, though it was mainly Qiao Zhufang and Auntie Wu doing the talking. Qiao Qiusheng remained dutifully on the side, continuing to fan his wife and granddaughter to keep the mosquitoes away.
However, they didn’t chat for long. Auntie Wu still had to rush home to cook. Her family didn’t eat at the factory canteen, as that required meal tickets, which had to be exchanged with grain coupons. With a large family, cooking at home was more economical, allowing them to save up their grain coupons.
She pointed at Qiao Zhufang’s wristwatch and said, “It must be almost half past five by now, right? I still have to go back and help my mother-in-law with dinner, so I’ll be off now. Let’s chat again next time.”
At this point, Auntie Wu couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy toward Qiao Zhufang.
In fact, Auntie Wu was only two years younger than Qiao Zhufang, just thirty-eight years old. But with both her parents-in-law still alive and exerting their authority, her youngest child only five, and her eldest not yet married, she had plenty to keep her busy every day, taking care of a large household. Her life was simply incomparable to Qiao Zhufang’s.
Still, she understood that Qiao Zhufang’s situation was something she couldn’t hope to replicate. In the Qiao family, Qiao Qiusheng, the head of the household, had married into the family, so Qiao Zhufang naturally didn’t have to serve in-laws or deal with those kinds of troubles.
Qiao Zhufang smiled and nodded, saying, “Alright, you should hurry back then. We’ll talk again next time.” After speaking, she also glanced at her watch, estimating that her son and daughter-in-law should have arrived at He Family Village by now.
As Auntie Wu was leaving, she remarked, “It really is convenient to have a watch—you can check the time anytime, anywhere.” However, she was just casually expressing her admiration, as she certainly didn’t have the money to buy one herself.
The watch on Qiao Zhufang’s wrist looked brand new, a Qianjin brand. Qiao Zhufang usually took great care of it. The watch had been brought back by Qiao Qiusheng last year when he went on a business trip to Shanghai with colleagues from the factory. It had cost fifty-six yuan!
Actually, Qiao Zhufang had owned a watch before—an antique one with an ornate design, bought from a trading company when her family was still well-off during her childhood. Even though thirty or forty years had passed since then, it still worked.
But nowadays, it wasn’t appropriate to wear it outside—it was too flashy. She could only take it out occasionally at home to check the time.
Qiao Qiusheng had noticed all this quietly. When he went on that business trip to Shanghai, he silently bought a new watch so his wife could wear one outside from then on.
Meanwhile, the young couple, Qiao Heping and He Yingying, were also trying to figure out a way to buy a watch. What young person these days didn’t want to own a watch? They just didn’t have the money.
Young workers who had just started their jobs had to hand over their earnings to support the family. Being able to keep a few yuan as pocket money for daily expenses was already considered generous. But wanting to buy a watch? That was a bit out of reach.
Enduring hardship and saving up could eventually accumulate enough money, but letting the family know would invite scolding. A watch is neither essential for food nor drink; buying a watch is not as practical as buying a bicycle, which the whole family can use.
However, the Qiao family’s situation is different. They are more financially comfortable than most households, and the key is that they have few mouths to feed but multiple earners. Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang only have one son, Qiao Heping, and there are no elderly dependents above them. Moreover, Qiao Qiusheng’s monthly salary is quite high, so supporting the family is completely stress-free, and they can easily save fifty or sixty yuan each month!
Thus, they don’t interfere much with their son and daughter-in-law’s wages, letting them keep the money for their own use.
However, the young couple is sensible. They often buy things for the family, and now that they have a daughter, they can no longer spend money as freely as before. They have to consider their daughter a bit—they can’t rely entirely on her grandparents to raise her. They understand their responsibilities.
Still, their wages are not low. He Yingying earns thirty-nine yuan a month, while Qiao Heping earns even more.
As a fourth-grade worker, his monthly salary is sixty-four yuan. So, after deducting expenses for the family and their daughter, the couple can still save a considerable amount each month. It is precisely because of this that Qiao Heping and He Yingying now have the idea of buying a watch too.
“Oh, your granddaughter is so well-behaved and doesn’t fuss, much better than my naughty boy!”
After Auntie Wu left, Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang were discussing their son and daughter-in-law’s trip to the He family village when they heard a loud voice nearby without looking up. The voice was familiar—it should be their neighbor, Master Hu.
When they looked up, they found it was indeed as they thought. Neighbor Master Hu was standing nearby, holding a lunchbox and watching!
However, the relationship between the two families has never been great, so the meaning behind his words now is questionable. Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang didn’t believe Master Hu had suddenly changed his ways and started praising people.
Sure enough, after saying this, Master Hu shifted the topic to his own son, his tone full of pride.
Then he shook his head and said, “But no matter how well-behaved she is, your family only has a girl, and a girl isn’t as useful as a son. Girls are just money-losers; they’ll marry out when they grow up and become outsiders.
Let me tell you, a family must have a son; otherwise, the family line will be cut off, and the family property will go to others. Your daughter-in-law only gave birth to this one girl after five or six years of marriage. Is there something wrong with her health? You should take her to the hospital for a check-up. You should also urge them to have a big, healthy boy soon.”
After saying this, Master Hu showed no awareness that his words were unwelcome. Instead, he pointed at Qiao Jiajia, who was sleeping in the cradle, and said, “But your little girl is quite pretty. She’ll definitely fetch a good bride price when she grows up. That’s about all a girl is good for, tsk tsk!
But you’re spoiling this girl too much. When she marries into her husband’s family, she’ll have a hard time.”
Upon hearing this, both Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang grew angry. To Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Zhufang, there was nothing wrong with boasting about one’s own children—just don’t do it by stepping on their granddaughter.
Qiao Qiusheng directly replied with a cold expression, “Our daughter is just as precious. Unlike your family, who act as if life is unbearable without a son. I remember you borrowed money to go to the hospital when your wife was giving birth to your son at the end of last year, right? Can you even afford to raise him now? Don’t tell me you’re going to go begging from your daughter again. That poor girl is truly suffering with parents like you.”
Master Hu was hit where it hurt. He had gone through great lengths to ensure his wife gave birth to a son, even marrying off his two daughters for hefty dowries just to save up for a son who hadn’t even been conceived yet.
Later, he spent money like water seeking medical treatments and remedies to have a son, all before the boy was even born. His wife’s health deteriorated from taking all those folk prescriptions. But in Master Hu’s eyes, it was all worth it in the end since he finally had a son. In fact, he was quite proud of it!
Now, provoked by Qiao Qiusheng’s words, he stiffened his neck and retorted, “So what? My child is a son. What does it matter if I borrowed money? It’s still better than your family having a little girl. Hmph, Qiao Qiusheng, you’re just a live-in son-in-law yourself. Why don’t you have your granddaughter take in a husband too, and let your family’s wealth go to outsiders!”
At the time, some people from He Family Village had come to work at the steel mill here. Whether out of jealousy or simply a slip of the tongue, it didn’t take long for the news that Qiao Qiusheng was a live-in son-in-law to spread far and wide.
However, in most people’s eyes, being a live-in son-in-law was hardly a glorious thing. Afraid of provoking anger by bringing it up, few dared to mention it in front of Qiao Qiusheng.
Meanwhile, Qiao Jiajia lay in her bamboo cradle, processing the overwhelming amount of information in this conversation. Her grandfather was a live-in son-in-law? Sigh, as a one-year-old child, she knew far too little about her family’s current situation. After all, no adult would bother explaining every detail of the family circumstances to a one-year-old.
But what did it matter to this person whether her grandfather was a live-in son-in-law or she was a girl? What, did being a girl mean she was eating his family’s rice? This outsider just wouldn’t stop blabbering. If only she weren’t just one year old, she’d definitely stand up and give him a piece of her mind—she never lost an argument.
Author’s Note:
Popping in to recommend my completed era novel from my column:
“Seventies Family Transmigration Daily Life”
Synopsis: Mom is from the apocalypse, Dad is from the interstellar age, older brother is a Medicine Cultivator, younger brother is from the elf clan—their identities before transmigration were anything but ordinary.
Only Li Yinong is just an ordinary college student who transmigrated from modern times to the seventies, and she didn’t regain her memories until she was eight.
Mom is the brawn, Dad is the brains, older brother’s medical skills are miraculous, younger brother can add a Luck Buff.
In this tough seventies era, Li Yinong’s life is nothing short of blissful.
But later, Li Yinong discovers that her entire family is history-blind—only she knows the historical trajectory of this era!
Perfect. It seems she’s been given the script to seize opportunities and lead the whole family to prosperity.
But why did she end up winning without even having to struggle later on? Well, blame it on her family being too capable!
Tagline: A family of time travelers becomes ten-thousand-yuan households in the 1970s, while also helping the entire village get rich.
The female lead appears as a child, without her memories restored. She regains her memories at the age of eight, as mentioned in the tagline. Her role may not be as prominent as that of Father Li and Mother Li, making this more of a story about the Li parents raising a child and building wealth through farming.
This story is also known as My Strange Family in the 1970s and The Whole Family Are Time Travelers.