There was a kindergarten in the residential compound, newly built last year, but it had only been open for less than a month before it was shut down. Now, the four children had been temporarily placed there.
Aunt Hua let out a sigh and tried to stop them from going.
“I already heard about it yesterday. They’re war orphaned children of martyrs who were never adopted. They were sent to the military hospital for treatment, and now that they’ve recovered, there’s nowhere to place them. If you go, they’ll try to persuade you to take them in. Xiaoyu already has three kids, and Xiuzhen, you’re only a few months away from giving birth. None of you can take in foster children. It’ll just make you feel bad after seeing them. Better not go.”
Ke Xiu had actually thought about taking one back herself, but when she saw her mother-in-law subtly disapprove, she instinctively touched her belly and said regretfully, “Then I won’t go.”
Jiang Xiaoyu, however, wanted to go. She called over Damei and the Second Sister and picked up Little Brother.
“I’ll go take a look. I already have three kids. Even if they try to persuade me, I can’t possibly take any home.”
Aunt Hua knew her daughter-in-law was soft-hearted because of her own experiences, so she patiently tried to reason with her.
“It’s not that I’m being cruel. The grain ration this month has changed again, more coarse grain, less fine grain. One more mouth to feed isn’t just adding a pair of chopsticks. You’re about to give birth, and we’re even saving our own fine grain for you and Mancang so you can have enough milk for the baby.”
Ke Xiu felt a little down. Her mother-in-law was a kind-hearted person who had taken her in back then. Now she was thinking of the family’s situation and not letting her go. Even if she went, she wouldn’t be able to help, and it would only make her feel worse.
“Mom, I understand. I shouldn’t have told Xiaoyu about it.”
Aunt Hua said, “It’s fine if she goes. She already has three children anyway. Adding another one wouldn’t make her unwilling. As long as she doesn’t feel bad, it’s fine to take a look.”
……
The kindergarten was quite new, with classrooms, activity rooms, a kitchen, storage room, and even an outdoor play area. The layout was very complete.
The four children were all in the activity room. Their small beds were already made up. Since it was summer, each bed had a straw mat, a small pillow, and a thin blanket to cover the stomach.
Two of the older boys were already fighting. Their movements were almost identical, each grabbing the other’s arm with one hand and pulling hair with the other, foreheads pressed together as they struggled evenly.
The two younger children, one sat blankly as if he could not hear anything, while the other was crying loudly. Jiang Xiaoyu felt her heart ache watching them. These were children of martyrs. With famine approaching, even if adoptive families could not be found immediately, foster families should be arranged first.
“Xiaojun, Qingshan, why are you fighting again? Stop it.”
At Qian Chunmei’s stern voice, the two boys separated, glaring at each other as if ready to continue at any moment.
Seeing Jiang Xiaoyu arrive with the children, Qian Chunmei asked, “Xiaoyu, you’re the first to come. Is there food in that basket?”
“Yes, I heard from Xiuzhen that you were here. It’s almost afternoon, so I thought you might be hungry, so I made some pancakes.”
Jiang Xiaoyu lifted the cloth from the basket, revealing steaming chives and egg pancakes, and handed the basket to the two children.
“Go share them with the younger ones.”
Food always comforted people. The two seven or eight-year-old boys swallowed hard at the smell and stopped fighting. They turned to look at Qian Chunmei, waiting for permission.
Qian Chunmei was holding the crying child and soothing him. She took a small palm-sized pancake, now warm enough not to burn, tore off a piece, and fed it to him. With food in his mouth, the child gradually stopped crying.
“Go on, two each. Take some over to feed Wangzhou.”
Although the boys had been fighting, they were obedient. They carried the basket over to Yu Wangzhou and even bowed slightly to Jiang Xiaoyu before they went.
Qian Chunmei gently patted the child in her arms.
“These children were sent from the military hospital after treatment. Only these four orphans were left without anyone willing to take them in. You saw it yourself, each one has their own issues. The two older boys were rejected by several adoptive families already. Xiaojun said people wanted their parents’ pension money, and Qingshan insisted on staying with his younger brother and refused to be separated. With these conditions, it’s hard to find a family willing to take them.”
She glanced at the blank-looking little child.
“He’s about the same age as your Little Brother. He hasn’t spoken a word since he arrived at the hospital. People think he might be slow, so no one wants him either.”
Jiang Xiaoyu had been watching that child the whole time. He ate when fed, didn’t cry or fuss, and once he finished, he simply sat there blankly. She had heard his name was Wangzhou.
She also had fragments of knowledge from the story she had read after transmigrating. In that story, there was indeed a child named Yu Wangzhou, an extraordinary genius among geniuses. But in the end, he was ruined by his adoptive family and ended up broken in every way except his intelligence. What a pity.
But the Wangzhou in the story was not a martyr orphan, so she was unsure.
“Sister-in-law, what’s that child’s surname?”
“Yu,” Qian Chunmei replied. “His name is Wangzhou. Poor little thing.”
She wrote his name down on the table.
“Xiaojun and Qingshan have no family left, and their adoption requirements are too high. They’ve offended quite a few families. Wangzhou seems dull, and since he’s not a martyr’s orphan, there’s no pension attached. The higher-ups want the military hospital to handle placements properly. It’s really troubling.”
Everyone in the compound had heard about these children and didn’t want to come, fearing they would be pressured into adopting them. Jiang Xiaoyu had been willing to come see them, but looking at the three children beside her, Qian Chunmei found it hard to speak further. Damei and Second Sister could help a bit, but Little Brother was only three years old and extremely clingy. And Jiang Xiaoyu was a stepmother with three children of her own. In this compound, no one would think she was suitable to take a child in.
“Director Qian, the kitchen is cleaned up, and the obstetrics ward is busy. I’ll head back first.”
Gao Hongfen glanced at Jiang Xiaoyu and instinctively looked down on her. Her family couldn’t foster children anyway. What was she pretending for? So hypocritical.
Placing the children in this abandoned kindergarten had been a decision made by hospital leadership. As cadres, they were expected to set an example. Today, Qian Chunmei and Gao Hongfen were on duty caring for the children.
“Deputy Director Gao, your son has already been admitted to university. It shouldn’t be a problem to take one child in, right?”
Gao Hongfen had no intention of taking on such trouble. If she wanted a child, she would have had one herself.
She forced a smile. “My Chunlan is getting married. If the other party sees she suddenly has a little brother like this, they might object.”
Qian Chunmei snapped, furious. “If they object, so be it. What kind of excuse is that? Who in a family doesn’t have siblings?”
Gao Hongfen straightened her back. “Those kinds of families are not suitable for Chunlan. She doesn’t want to be a sister-in-law or a stepmother. Our family only has two children. When Chunlan marries, she’ll only choose families with one son and one daughter.”
“Then leave,” Qian Chunmei waved her off.
Damei nervously twisted her fingers, feeling upset. Something in her surged up, and she looked straight at Gao Hongfen.
“My sister and I can help take care of the younger ones. We won’t let Mom become a joke.”
Gao Hongfen was not in the mood to argue with a child and walked away with a dismissive expression.
Jiang Xiaoyu patted Damei’s head. “You were very brave today.”
Damei smiled shyly. Second Sister wanted to say that actions mattered more than words, but seeing her usually timid sister act out of character today, she held back. As always, she remained quiet.
Little Brother, seeing another child his age, was very happy. He chatted nonstop with Yu Wangzhou, though Wangzhou remained blank and unresponsive. Still, just being looked at made Little Brother excited.
He pulled Wangzhou toward the outdoor play area to play on the seesaw. Damei and Second Sister stood on either side watching.
Even the child in Qian Chunmei’s arms twisted his body, reaching out and babbling, “Seesaw… play…”
Qian Chunmei waved at the older two boys. “Xiaojun, Qingshan, take the younger ones outside to play for a while.”
The four orphaned children played outside together with Jiang Xiaoyu’s three children. With Damei and Second Sister joining in, the older boys stopped showing any signs of fighting. Only then did Qian Chunmei finally have a moment to speak.
“Qingshan and Qinghe are brothers and cannot be separated. My husband and I have already discussed it. We’ll take them home. If they can be adopted later, that’s even better. If not, they’ll stay with us. If my sons or daughters-in-law complain, I’ll use a ruler on them.”
“But Sister, you and Director Jiang are already in your fifties. Qingshan is one thing, but Qinghe is only three. You’re not even retired yet. That’s going to be exhausting.”
Jiang Xiaoyu was secretly eyeing the abandoned kindergarten. If it could reopen, Little Brother would have a place to go during the day, and she might even get a job as a preschool teacher. That would be her old profession, and it would bring in extra income.
In the 1960s, kindergarten was mostly just about watching children play, with some light teaching. It was manageable, with early dismissal and full holidays. She quite liked the idea.
Qian Chunmei truly had no time to care for a three-year-old child. She and her husband were both cadres, and they barely had time for their own grandchildren. But as cadres, they had to lead by example.
She looked around the well-built kindergarten. It had only opened for less than a month before closing. What a waste.
“Old Man Jiang is planning to apply to reopen this kindergarten. If it works out, Qinghe can come here during the day.”
Jiang Xiaoyu’s heart quietly lifted. It felt like opportunity was waving at her. She had to seize it.
“If it reopens, can my Little Brother come too?”
Qian Chunmei laughed. “Of course! I remember you’re one of the few high school graduates in your village. When the kindergarten reopens, they’ll need to hire teachers. You should apply too. That way you can work and take care of your child at the same time.”
That was exactly what Jiang Xiaoyu meant. She said a little shyly, “Actually… I’m not just saying this because of work. I really did think of it when I saw Wangzhou. He’s the same age as my Little Brother. Taking care of one is taking care, taking care of two is the same. My son would also have a playmate his age. I was thinking… I could bring Wangzhou home as a foster child.”
Qian Chunmei was startled and stared at her in disbelief, even reaching out to touch her forehead.
“You’re not running a fever, are you?”