Master Hu…
How could Master Hu possibly fulfill Qiao Heping’s wish? He had borrowed money from several families in the building as well. If he repaid the Qiao family, wouldn’t he have to repay the others too? So he put on a pitiful tone and said, “Heping, it’s not that Uncle Hu doesn’t want to repay you, but look—I still have a bunch of people to repay. We’re neighbors, after all, so our relationship is definitely closer than with outsiders, right? Let’s wait a bit longer. After I finish repaying them, we’ll talk about your matter!”
Closer than outsiders, my foot! Yesterday you were calling my daughter a money-loser, and today you’re trying to act chummy to avoid repaying? No way!
Qiao Heping simply shook his head and said, “Uncle Hu, you’re playing favorites here. Since we’re neighbors and closer than outsiders, you should repay us neighbors first.
However, I do understand your family’s difficulties. How about this—let’s use the vegetables you’ve grown to settle the debt. I see the tomatoes in your plot are quite good. The tomatoes from this patch must weigh one to two hundred jin, right? Tomatoes sell for fifteen fen per jin outside now, so the total value of the tomatoes in your plot should be around twenty to thirty yuan!”
At this time, cucumbers, cabbage, radishes, pumpkins, and greens at state-run vegetable shops mostly cost one or two fen per jin, rarely exceeding five fen—they were dirt cheap. Tomatoes, however, were different. At fifteen fen per jin, they were expensive!
Moreover, someone in the factory had managed to get tomato seeds from somewhere and distributed them around, so most families in their Tongzilou had planted tomatoes in their allocated vegetable plots downstairs. The Hu family was no exception.
Then Qiao Heping added, “Back then, besides our family, several others also lent you ten yuan each, right? The tomatoes from this plot can be divided among us—it works out perfectly! Since I happen to have some free time, I’ll help you, Uncle Hu, by notifying them. I’m sure they’ll be happy to hear you’re using tomatoes to repay the debt.
I’ve really helped you solve a big problem, Uncle Hu, but no need to thank me! We’ve been neighbors for years now—we’re practically family!”
After saying this, Qiao Heping called out to the neighbors in the Tongzilou. By now, everyone was off work, and with the commotion earlier at the Hu family’s door, many had opened their windows to watch. Upon hearing Qiao Heping’s words, those who had lent money to the Hu family immediately rushed downstairs.
They were delighted by Qiao Heping’s proposal. After all, the shortest loan to the Hu family had been outstanding for a year, and some had lent money two or three years ago. No matter the era, debtors often acted like they were doing the lenders a favor. The Hu family had thick skin and showed no intention of repaying.
As for the lending neighbors, they were more reserved, believing in harmony and valuing their long-term relationships as neighbors. They didn’t want to cause a rift over a mere ten yuan or so and felt too embarrassed to press the Hu family for repayment. It seemed the debt was about to become a lost cause.
Now that someone had stepped up to demand repayment from the Hu family, everyone was more than willing. Although using vegetables as repayment was a hassle, it was just a matter of handling the produce. It was still better than letting the Hu family drag their feet indefinitely and risk losing the money altogether.
So, as soon as Qiao Heping informed the other neighbors who had also lent money, it took less than half an hour for someone to show up with sacks to collect the tomatoes.
Those who came to demand money finally left, and Master Hu finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, thinking about how more than half of his just-received monthly wages had vanished in an instant, he couldn’t help but turn pale with anger. And when he realized that most of next month’s wages would also have to be handed over, his heart ached even more.
Looking outside now, the ripe tomatoes planted in the vegetable patch had all been picked clean. As for the remaining green ones, everyone had already discussed coming back in a couple of days for a second round of picking!
Despite the Hu family’s miserable situation, few of their neighbors in the same building felt any sympathy for them. After all, they all worked in the same factory and had been neighbors for several years—who didn’t know what kind of people the Hu family were? First, they hastily married off their two daughters to anyone willing to pay a bride price, and then they squeezed money from their daughters in their desperate quest for a son. Their sons-in-law had even come to their doorstep to make a scene, nearly divorcing their daughters. The Hu family’s reputation had long been ruined.
Moreover, the neighbors in the building who had lent them money and never gotten it back, though usually too polite to say anything, were certainly not going to speak well of the Hu family now. They all felt the Hu family deserved it and even secretly rejoiced that they could take advantage of the outsiders blocking the door to demand their own money back.
In short, the only ones shrouded in gloom were the Hu family. No one else cared about their plight. Kong Xingwang, a workshop director at the factory, also lived in this building.
He naturally felt no sympathy for the Hu family either, but he did have a grudge against the Qiao family. Back when housing was being allocated, if it hadn’tt been for Qiao Qiusheng, that three-bedroom apartment would have gone to him. Because of this, he held a grudge against the Qiao family.
While watching the scene unfold today, Kong Xingwang had originally planned to use Qiao Heping’s act of taking the tomatoes from the Hu family’s vegetable patch as an excuse to criticize him for being petty and overly calculating with neighbors.
But seeing the others who had gone with Qiao Heping to bag the tomatoes in sacks, he abandoned his original idea. It wasn’t worth offending other neighbors just for the sake of that Qiao kid.
Qiao Heping, of course, had no idea that Director Kong had harbored such thoughts. He was busy preparing for his daughter’s first birthday celebration. The day fell on a Sunday, so they didn’t have to go to the factory and could celebrate at home.
The Qiao family had no relatives—neither Qiao Qiusheng nor Qiao Zhufang had any. So, just like during the full-month celebration, they only invited a few close friends, colleagues, and the He family. They cooked the dishes themselves at home, and one table was enough to seat everyone.
The day before yesterday, Qiao Heping and He Yingying had gone to He Family Village to inform them about the celebration. Although they weren’t sure whether Father He and Mother He, as the maternal grandparents, would have time to come, they still felt they should let them know.
Upon hearing the news, Father He and Mother He naturally said they would definitely come. They had attended their granddaughter’s full-month celebration before, and since their daughter and son-in-law had notified them about this first birthday, they naturally planned to attend as well.
For country folk, it was actually quite rare to set aside a full day of farm work just to celebrate a granddaughter’s birthday. Moreover, in the countryside, it was uncommon to hold first-year birthday celebrations for girls. Most people still held rather conservative views, with a strong preference for sons over daughters. The more typical practice was for the mother to bring a few eggs to visit her daughter during the postpartum confinement period, and to leave after a short while so as not to delay farm work.
Father He was of the old school, inherently somewhat biased toward sons over daughters. As the youngest and the only girl in the family, He Yingying didn’t have to toil like most girls her age, doing all sorts of dirty and exhausting chores. Still, compared to her two older brothers, she was somewhat overlooked by Father He.
It was only after she married and moved to the city, becoming a factory worker, that Father He gradually began to value this daughter. Every time He Yingying returned to her parents’ home, she was treated with the respect befitting a married daughter.
As for his granddaughter Qiao Jiajia, Father He didn’t think much of her. He didn’t see the point in making a fuss over a little girl’s first birthday. However, he never showed this outwardly. Whether it was the full-month celebration or this first birthday, he always acted as though he took it very seriously. When he saw his granddaughter, he appeared quite affectionate.
This wasn’t because he particularly liked Qiao Jiajia—a granddaughter could never compare to a grandson in his eyes. His behavior was mainly due to his regard for his son-in-law, Qiao Heping, and his in-law, Qiao Qiusheng. They were capable men, and in the years since his daughter’s marriage, they had often sent things back to the family. It was because of this that the family’s circumstances had eased a little.
Father He also wondered whether there might be a chance in the future for his grandsons to become factory workers in the city. For that, he would have to rely on his daughter and son-in-law, who had married into the city.
Of course, Father He was a sensible man. Under these circumstances, even with his preference for sons over daughters, he would still show affection toward his granddaughter Qiao Jiajia.
“Dad, why not take Chengcai and Chengzhu along?” suggested He Lao’er. Chengcai was the third son of his eldest brother, and Chengzhu was his own youngest son. If only his own son went with his father, his brother’s family would surely make a fuss, so it was better to take one child from each family.
Sister-in-law He agreed wholeheartedly when she heard this. After all, her sister-in-law’s family was well-off, and with it being a birthday celebration, there was bound to be meat to eat. Perhaps they could even bring something back with them—her sister-in-law’s mother-in-law was always generous.
Just as Sister-in-law He was happily imagining this, her husband frowned beside her and said, “Dad, it’s better not to bring them. The Qiao family is celebrating Jiajia’s birthday, and besides us, the maternal family, they’ll surely invite colleagues from the city. City folk tend to look down on us country people. If Chengcai and Chengzhu go and eat greedily at the banquet, it’ll embarrass their aunt. Let’s not make things difficult for her.”
At that time, the countryside was poor, and meat was a rare treat. Families had many children—like the He family, with six children. During meals, someone had to specifically portion out the food for the children, or else fights would break out as they scrambled for it. This was fine at home, where no outsiders could see, but if it happened at the Qiao family’s place, wouldn’t it shame their aunt?
As the eldest brother, Brother He had always been quite fond of his younger sister since childhood. Previously, whenever Yingying returned to her parents’ home, she would bring back quite a few things. Although she spent her own wages on them, it still amounted to supporting her natal family. What if her mother-in-law had objections and treated her poorly because of it?
And every time, Yingying would say that the things she brought back were all given by her mother-in-law, and there was no disagreement. But Brother He felt this was just putting on a brave face and not reporting the troubles.
As her eldest brother, there wasn’t much else he could do. He could only make sure she took more vegetables and fruits with her when she left, so that when she returned, her in-laws would be a bit happier.
Thinking that their parents would be going over there tomorrow, Brother He started planning in his mind what else to bring along. How about a sack of sweet potatoes and radishes? Besides these, he would go check later to see what other vegetables could be taken.
Just as Brother He was lost in thought, Sister-in-law He angrily pinched her husband’s waist hard, thinking to herself, You’re overthinking things. The children finally have a chance to eat some meat, and here you are holding them back.
But Brother He had no idea why Sister-in-law He was suddenly angry and didn’t take it seriously at all.
However, after listening, Father He felt that his eldest son was right. They really shouldn’t embarrass their daughter. Yingying had been married for five or six years and hadn’t been able to have a child. Now she finally gave birth, but it was a girl. Even if the Qiao family didn’t say anything openly, they might already have some reservations in their hearts.
Father He thought that if this were his own family—for example, if his eldest daughter-in-law had only given birth to a girl after five or six years of marriage—he definitely wouldn’t be pleased, let alone allow her to support her natal family. If she couldn’t even bear a son for the family and still took good things back to her parents, how could such a daughter-in-law be acceptable?
If Yingying had given the Qiao family a son, they could have considered it their grandson’s home and felt at ease doing anything there. After all, the Qiao family had only one heir per generation, and Yingyang giving birth to a son would have been a great contribution!
But now she had given birth to a daughter, hadn’t she? They were somewhat in the wrong here. If they made a scene at the dinner table now and embarrassed their in-laws in front of colleagues, with all these things piled up, wouldn’t the in-laws hold it against Yingying later? And then they’d look down even more on her natal family.
Thinking of this, Father He said directly, “We won’t take Chengcai or Chengdong. Just your mother and I will go.”
Mother He thought for a moment and stepped forward to persuade him, “How about we take one child? Last time at Jiajia’s full-month celebration, our in-laws even asked why we didn’t bring a child along to play. Let’s take Rourou. She’s only four and has always been well-behaved. She definitely won’t make a fuss at the table, and Yingying likes her too!”
After listening, Father He felt Mother He had a point and decided, “Alright, then let’s take Rourou.”
He Lao’er was happy. Although his son didn’t get to go, it was still good that his daughter could go along.
Sister-in-law He was dissatisfied but couldn’t do anything about it. After all, only the second brother’s family had a daughter, and since her in-laws had spoken, she didn’t dare say anything. Fortunately, her in-laws were fair. If any good things were brought back from there, they would surely be divided equally and not just go to Rourou alone.
As for the Qiao family, early on Sunday morning, Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Heping, father and son, went together to the vegetable shop to buy groceries, since they were the ones cooking today.
Qiao Zhufang was utterly incapable of cooking. In the past, when her mother and wet nurse were still around, they never let her step into the kitchen. After all, she was their own daughter—they couldn’t bear to marry her off and instead arranged for a son-in-law to join the family, so how could they bear to make her do household chores?
Author’s Note:
Please check out and add to your collection the same-genre era-themed pre-release in my column:
“Only Daughter of a 1970s Working-Class Family”
Synopsis:
Zhou Zhenzhen has transmigrated. Her father is a steel mill worker, and her mother works in the propaganda department of a food factory.
With seven older male cousins in the family, Zhou Zhenzhen, as the only daughter of her generation, has been doted on by the adults since childhood.
But one day, she suddenly realizes that she has transmigrated into a period novel as the Cannon Fodder female supporting character who serves as a foil to the female lead.
The original character was lazy, materialistic, willful, and spoiled.
She was intensely jealous of the female lead living in the same Tongzilou—hardworking, filial, sensible, and praised by all the neighbors—and frequently targeted her.
As the Cannon Fodder female supporting character, the original naturally suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of the female lead, ultimately dragging her parents down, causing them to lose their jobs and meet a tragic end.
Zhou Zhenzhen, who shares a similar temperament to the original character, feels a bit uneasy. But then she turns and sees the female lead, currently washing clothes for her younger siblings, burdened with endless household chores, and being forced by her parents to become an educated youth in the countryside after the New Year because of her filial and sensible nature.
…Whoever wants to envy such a female lead can go right ahead!
But what Zhou Zhenzhen doesn’t know is that the female lead in the book has been reborn. She is determined not to be that filial daughter in this life and absolutely refuses to go to the countryside as her parents demand!
Thus, the Tongzilou becomes lively—the Jiang family’s always sensible daughter starts rebelling against her parents!
**
Qin Shuo has fallen for a young girl, who also happens to be his younger brother’s classmate.
The girl is willful, spoiled, and has a fiery temper, but in his eyes, she is perfect in every way, utterly adorable no matter how he looks at her.
He sternly lectures his younger brother with a straight face: “You’re still wet behind the ears and already thinking about chasing after a female classmate? Nonsense!”
Then he turns around and becomes her protector himself, using his brother’s name as an excuse to strike up conversations with the young girl.
The female lead transmigrates as a newborn!
This time, writing a relatively less virtuous and pure but still adorable and spoiled female lead.