Nowadays, housing is tight. It’s common for large families of over a dozen people to squeeze into a space of ten to twenty square meters. With many children, it’s almost impossible for each to have their own room, so naturally, siblings have to share.
Regardless of gender differences or the inconvenience of living together, in the eyes of adults, having a place to live is enough. Girls often just hang a curtain by the bed for privacy. Whether in the countryside or the city, such situations are all too common—there’s simply not enough space!
But Qiao Heping would never agree to this. It’s too unfair to the children.
As an only child, Qiao Heping had his own room from a young age. The idea that siblings living together fosters closeness and strengthens bonds doesn’t hold water for him. He firmly believes that having one’s own room is far more comfortable.
Their current home layout is just right—three bedrooms and a living room, spacious and comfortable. How wonderful! Qiao Heping feels that having one child is the ideal situation, and he has no intention of having a second.
Hearing that his wife shares the same view, he feels delighted. Holding his daughter, he leans toward his wife and says happily, “We’re on the same page. Let’s not have any more children. What do you think, Mom and Dad?” Qiao Heping doesn’t forget to ask his parents.
Qiao Qiusheng doesn’t mind either way, while Qiao Zhufang waves her hand and says, “It’s up to you. It’s not me giving birth, after all. One child is fine. When I gave birth to you, it was so painful I told my mother I’d never have another. It’s good you’re only having one—Yingying won’t have to suffer twice.”
“Besides, I’ve heard that the more children a woman has, the faster she ages. Yingying is so beautiful—it’s not worth it to keep having children and risk losing her looks,” Qiao Zhufang adds seriously.
She has always cared about her daughter-in-law He Yingying’s appearance. When she goes to the department store to buy snowflake cream, she never forgets to bring some for Yingying too.
Her son may be average-looking, but having a beautiful daughter-in-law makes her happy. Yingying is so pretty—she shouldn’t be affected by having too many children. One child is enough.
Hearing his parents’ words, Qiao Heping nods in satisfaction. Holding his daughter, whether she understands or not, he smiles and says to her, “From now on, your mom and I will only dote on you. Listen to Dad—life without siblings is wonderful. When you grow up, don’t pester us to give you a little brother or sister!”
Seeing her son’s carefree attitude, Qiao Zhufang waves her hand and says, “Stop teasing your daughter. It’s already past eight—let Jiajia go to sleep. Children shouldn’t stay up late! And you two have to get up for work tomorrow morning.”
Hearing this, Qiao Heping scratches his head sheepishly and says, “Alright. Mom and Dad, you go to bed first. Yingying and I will wash up and go to sleep soon.”
Reluctantly, Qiao Heping places his daughter in the bamboo cradle. He hasn’t held her enough yet. Having a daughter feels completely different from before. Now, he and his wife are eager to finish work and rush home to spend time with their little girl.
But it was indeed getting late now, so it was time to let their daughter sleep. Qiao Heping kissed his daughter’s little cheeks several more times before slowly tucking her in with a thin floral-patterned blanket. Then, he moved the cradle back beside the bed in the room and watched as his daughter closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep before finally going out to wash up.
While washing up, He Yingying whispered through a mouthful of toothpaste, “Remember not to let anyone catch you when you do that thing tomorrow. It won’t look good for your reputation.”
Qiao Heping replied confidently, “Don’t worry, no one will notice. I’ve got experience. Dalong, Zhuzi, Huzi, and I will split up, change clothes, put on hats, and even stick on fake mustaches. We’ll casually drop a few words in front of those who lent money to the Hu family and leave right away. No one will recognize us.
Besides, when the Hu family is busy dealing with people chasing them for money, they won’t have time to figure out where the information came from!”
He Yingying felt reassured and said, “Then I’ll leave it to you. Hmph, they’ve got no virtue in their words—let their family suffer!”
Knowing that the Hu family next door was about to face trouble, He Yingying couldn’t help but feel cheerful. When she went out to water their vegetable patch in the morning, she hummed a tune. Qiao Heping had already left earlier to discuss the plan with his friends.
Meanwhile, Qiao Zhufang came out pushing a bamboo-woven cradle cart. The sun at around six or seven in the morning was gentle and not too harsh. She was used to taking her granddaughter out for fresh air after breakfast in the morning and again around four or five in the afternoon. Staying cooped up at home all the time wasn’t good for anyone.
Qiao Jiajia was well-rested and full of energy. She had just finished half a bowl of sweet pumpkin porridge and was now holding a small tomato in both hands, eating it happily.
She loved tomatoes and was quite skilled at eating them! Today’s tomato was specially picked by her mother—about the size of an egg, perfect for her to hold with both hands. She would first bite a small hole to slowly suck out the juice before nibbling on the flesh, ensuring her clothes stayed clean.
The sun had just risen, and it felt truly comfortable to bask in its warmth while eating a tomato. As a child, she didn’t have to worry about anything—just eat well, sleep well, and grow up slowly.
This kind of life was truly joyful, something Qiao Jiajia had dreamed of in her previous life. Having a family made everything so happy! She thought to herself contentedly as she munched on the tomato.
The tomatoes came from their own vegetable patch. In front of their building, there was a large open space. Aside from the walkways, the rest of the area was divided into small plots for each household to grow vegetables.
The Qiao family’s plot was planted with tomatoes and cucumbers. Worried that the tomatoes might be too cold for a child’s stomach, Qiao Zhufang had thoughtfully warmed the small tomato in hot water.
Just then, Ma Dahua, the wife of Master Hu next door, came out holding her son. At this time, everyone’s routines were quite similar—most households were up by five or six in the morning.
He Yingying hummed a tune while watering the plants, her carefree demeanor a clear sign of a contented life. Seeing her like this, Ma Dahua, who had just stepped out, felt a surge of jealousy. To make matters worse, He Yingying’s mother-in-law was helping look after her child, which only deepened Ma Dahua’s resentment.
In Ma Dahua’s eyes, He Yingying had only given birth to a child after five or six years of marriage—and a girl at that. She should have long been ashamed, living a miserable life in the Qiao family.
When Ma Dahua married into the Hu family, she had given birth to two girls in a row, unable to bear a son no matter what. During that time, her mother-in-law constantly berated her as a “hen that couldn’t lay eggs,” nearly having her husband divorce her. Those days felt like drowning in bitterness. If her mother-in-law hadn’t passed away early, she would have been sent back to her parents’ home long ago.
Having endured such hardship for lacking a son, why should He Yingying, who had only given birth to a girl after five or six years of marriage, live so comfortably?
Qiao Zhufang, as the mother-in-law, not only didn’t mistreat He Yingying but continued to treat her like a daughter, doting on her granddaughter and even quitting work to help care for her. Why? He Yingying had only given birth to a girl!
Ma Dahua felt deeply aggrieved. The more she saw He Yingying living so freely next door, the more it gnawed at her. He Yingying, having failed to bear a son, should have suffered just as she had!
That morning, she had even overheard He Yingying ordering her husband to fetch wash water. How dare a woman who couldn’t even bear a son boss her husband around? With only a daughter, she should feel ashamed and guilty toward her husband!
Back when she had no son, Ma Dahua couldn’t hold her head high at home, constantly feeling she had failed the Hu family by nearly cutting off their lineage. In front of her husband, she had to humble herself, serving him like an emperor.
It was only after she finally had a son that she dared to make demands of her husband in his name. Otherwise, in the past, she would never have dared to order him to hurry home with dinner like she did yesterday!
But He Yingying? She had only given birth to a girl, yet her life was even better than Ma Dahua’s, who had a son. Her husband was considerate, her mother-in-law affectionate—why?
Nothing stings more than comparison. Watching her neighbor live so well, Ma Dahua felt as if ants were crawling in her heart, bitterness bubbling up. Seeing He Yingying humming while watering the plants, with her mother-in-law tending to the granddaughter, only made her more resentful.
Holding her son, Ma Dahua forced a smile and said to He Yingying, “Haven’t left for work yet? You’ll be late if you don’t hurry. Yingying, I don’t mean to lecture you, but since you don’t have to worry about childcare like other female workers or handle household chores, you should take your job at the factory more seriously. You can’t be late or leave early.
As a senior employee, you should set an example for the younger newcomers. If they see you slacking off, they might follow suit, and then the factory would be in chaos. I speak bluntly, so don’t take offense—I’m just giving you some advice for your own good.”
Qiao Jiajia, listening from not far away, stopped munching on her tomato for a moment. She pondered, why did Master Hu’s wife speak in such an unpleasant way? It sounded as if she were genuinely offering advice, earnest and well-intentioned, but upon closer thought, wasn’t she subtly implying that her mother had a poor work attitude? She was just slapping on a label!
As for He Yingying, she had been quite skilled at quarreling back in the village—how could she not detect the insinuations in Ma Dahua’s words? She replied with a smile:
“Hey, hey, hey, we can’t mess up the generational order. I can’t call you ‘big sister’—you’re around the same age as my mother-in-law, and you even look older than her. I should call you ‘auntie.’ I’ve never gotten generational matters wrong since I was little.
By the way, Auntie Ma, now that your son is grown up, have you returned to work at the factory? Are you a director now? Starting to manage discipline? I don’t think I’ve heard about Director Guan from our logistics department being transferred. I’ll make sure to ask about it when I go to work today.
But no matter who the director is, I certainly won’t be late for work. Your family doesn’t have a bicycle, so you wouldn’t know—riding a bicycle to work is really fast. It only takes five minutes to get to the factory, so how could I ever be late?
You’ll understand once your family buys a bicycle. Oh, wait—Auntie Ma, your family is still borrowing money to raise your son, so I guess you won’t be able to afford a bicycle for the next few years. I’m just speaking bluntly here—I really don’t mean to say your family is poor, so please don’t misunderstand me.”
Author’s Note:
Today’s update has arrived. Good night!