Jiang Xiaoyu stewed the large yellow fish maw she had soaked at noon together with pork ribs. In the sixties, fish maw only cost a few yuan per jin, which already counted as expensive for ordinary people. At a time when even white rice and flour could not be eaten freely, luxurious ingredients like fish maw were not something families bought often. But Jiang Xiaoyu was willing to eat it every single week.
“Xiaoyu, what are you cooking that smells so good?” Ke Xiu’s family had bought shrimp today, and she brought over several shrimp pancakes.
The shrimp had been peeled, mixed with finely chopped cabbage into the batter, then slowly pan fried with just a little oil until both sides turned golden brown. They were especially delicious. Ever since her daughter in law became pregnant, Aunt Hua made them several times a month for her. Today she had wanted to ask about the children, so she intentionally made extra to bring over.
There were four shrimp pancakes in total. Damei and Second Sister both licked their lips at the sight. Jiang Xiaoyu got one too, even though she had not eaten enough. After asking for the recipe, she smiled and said, “Tomorrow I’ll go buy some shrimp too. Sister Xiuxiu, this fish maw and rib soup is especially good for pregnant women, have a bowl.”
The moment she heard it was good for pregnant women and children, Ke Xiu stopped refusing. Sitting down, she took one sip of the soup and immediately could not stop drinking. The broth was incredibly fresh, and the ribs had already stewed until the meat fell from the bone, making them especially fragrant.
Jiang Xiaoyu filled another bowl for Aunt Hua, but she waved it away. “Your family already has so many mouths to feed. One bowl here, another bowl there, soon there won’t be enough left for yourselves. Is this stuff really that good? Next market day, I’ll buy some too and let Xiuxiu nourish herself properly.”
Ke Xiu felt touched. Her mother in law treated her just like a biological daughter, yet she herself had been thinking about adopting a child. She suddenly felt she was letting down all of her mother in law’s good intentions.
“Xiaoyu, when you went to the kindergarten today, how were those four children?” Aunt Hua asked proactively.
Jiang Xiaoyu told her honestly, “Sister Qian and Director Jiang are both cadres, so they’re leading by example and plan to take Qingshan and Qinghe home together. I said I’d come back and discuss it with Mu Chengfeng. If he agrees, then we’ll bring Wangzhou home too, so he can be a companion for Little Brother.”
“You want to bring a child home?” Aunt Hua’s voice rose involuntarily, so loudly that even Damei, who was tending the fire under the stove, looked up.
She quickly lowered her voice again. “Xiaoyu, how can you be so foolish?”
Jiang Xiaoyu was not entirely foolish. She explained, “This was a task assigned to the hospital by the logistics department leadership. There are so many cadres at the hospital, but none of them are willing to take a child home. So wouldn’t the people willing to do it show especially high political awareness? In the future, that counts as a bonus when evaluating professional titles. Mu Chengfeng is already an associate chief physician, but he’s always just a step short of becoming chief physician. Our family already has three children, yet we’re still willing to endure the hardship and help the hospital. Maybe during the evaluations later this year, he’ll finally pass. Once his salary rises another grade, the extra money will easily cover one child’s meals. As for me, raising three children is raising them, and raising four is still raising them. Of course I hope Mu Chengfeng’s career keeps advancing smoothly.”
Aunt Hua fell silent in thought, her emotions tangled as she looked at Jiang Xiaoyu. She was only eighteen years old, yet she could already think this far ahead for her husband. Her mind truly worked quickly.
At first, she had only thought about how difficult life already was. Taking in another child was far more than simply adding another mouth to feed. But if raising one extra child could help her son become an associate chief physician and later continue climbing toward chief physician…
At her age, she actually had less foresight than Xiaoyu.
Her thoughts were in complete disarray as she called to her daughter in law, “Let’s go home. Don’t keep them from eating dinner.”
Ke Xiu felt conflicted too. She had wanted to adopt a child partly because of her own difficult past, wanting to repay kindness by helping another child in need, and partly to accumulate blessings for the baby in her belly. But after hearing Xiaoyu’s reasoning, and seeing her mother in law change her mind because of it, didn’t that make it seem as if they had ulterior motives?
At that moment, Jiang Xiaoyu added, “No matter what thoughts I may have inside, as long as Wangzhou ends up with someone willing to raise him, that’s still a very good thing.”
The conflict in Ke Xiu’s heart instantly eased.
That was right. The children who needed help would finally receive help. So what if there were a few selfish motives mixed in?
A sly smile curled at Jiang Xiaoyu’s lips. After the others left, she said to Damei, “Damei, Xiaojun probably has a family willing to adopt him now too.”
Damei was clever enough to guess immediately. “Mom, you said all that on purpose so Xiaojun could find a good family, didn’t you?”
Jiang Xiaoyu praised her, “Exactly! So don’t repeat a single word of what I said earlier.”
Damei nodded repeatedly. She would not even tell Xiaojun and the others. After one night’s sleep, she would probably forget it herself.
No sooner had Aunt Hua returned home than her son came back as well, complaining that he was hungry. Ke Xiu brought out the meal, while Aunt Hua, whose thoughts were occupied with her son’s future career prospects, asked instead about the children.
“Are there people in your unit willing to take those children in?” If there were already families lined up, then perhaps it simply was not meant to be.
Wei Mancang looked troubled. “Today the director gathered all the cadres for a meeting, but everyone said they had difficulties and didn’t want to take responsibility. Tomorrow they’ll probably start holding meetings with us backbone staff instead.”
Deep down, he was willing to bring one child home. But with a baby about to be born into the family, adopting another child would only increase the burden on his wife and mother. He could not bring himself to say it aloud.
“If nobody volunteers tomorrow when they come looking for you, then bring one child home,” Aunt Hua said. “Xiuxiu’s health isn’t strong. No matter whether this baby is a boy or girl, we only plan to have this one child. Our family can afford to raise two children.”
Wei Mancang looked surprised, then laughed. “Mom’s political awareness is really high.”
Ke Xiu’s heart was full of joy. “Xiaoyu’s awareness is even higher. Her family already has three children, yet she still wants to adopt one, and she even wants the youngest.”
Aunt Hua glared at her daughter in law. “Eat your food. Xiaoyu may want to adopt him, but Mu Chengfeng might not agree.”
Wei Mancang immediately understood. It had been Jiang Xiaoyu who first suggested adopting the youngest child. Since the director’s family would take in Qingshan and Qinghe, only the eight year old Xiaojun remained. That was why his mother had finally relented. No matter the reason, at least the children would finally have homes.
Wei Mancang happily said, “That’s wonderful. Mom, honestly, a small child doesn’t eat that much. I’ll work even harder and strive to earn promotions and raises sooner.”
Aunt Hua rolled her eyes at both her son and daughter in law. “The two of you, when will you ever learn to think things through before acting impulsively? Once you bring a child home, food, clothing, and housing must all be treated equally. Biological children can be scolded, hit, or ordered around, but with an adopted child, you have to be more careful not to hurt the child’s feelings. And if there’s any survivor’s pension money, open a bankbook and leave it with the director for safekeeping. Once the child grows up, return it to him. Our family won’t covet that money.”
Ke Xiu reminded her husband, “Mom really has thought this through carefully. Tomorrow, if someone else brings up adoption, make sure you mention all the conditions Mom just said. Not for any other reason, but simply to help the children find families who truly care.”
…
Jiang Xiaoyu kept the stove warm in the kitchen while waiting for Mu Chengfeng to return. When he finally came home and entered the kitchen, he asked why she was still awake so late. The three children had already gone to sleep. She had stayed up specifically to talk to him.
She lifted the lid off the pot, revealing a bowl of fish maw and pork rib soup kept warm over hot water. Carrying it out for him, she said, “Hubby, you work so hard, you should nourish yourself properly. Eat this midnight snack, I’ll go draw your bath water.”
Mu Chengfeng had never enjoyed treatment like this for as long as he could remember. He stopped her immediately. “Whenever the interns I supervise get into trouble, they suddenly become extremely attentive too, serving tea and pouring water. Xiaoyu, what did you do?”
Jiang Xiaoyu put away her little tricks and honestly told him everything about her trip to the kindergarten that afternoon. She also admitted that she wanted to bring Wangzhou home and raise him, but had already told Qian Chunmei she needed to discuss it with him first.
Looking at him expectantly, she said, “I can tell Wangzhou is especially smart. He’s probably only like this because he suffered such a shock at such a young age. With proper companionship, he should recover. He’s exactly the same age as Little Brother, so if we bring him home, they can grow up together. Raising one little child is raising them, raising two is still raising them. When I told Sister Chunmei I was willing, she seemed really happy.”
What a coincidence.
That afternoon, the director had gathered the cadres to discuss the children’s situation. After the meeting ended, the director’s face looked extremely grim. Every family had one difficulty or another, and not a single person volunteered. Tomorrow they would have to start persuading the backbone staff one by one.
Originally, Mu Chengfeng had wanted to say that if nobody volunteered during tomorrow’s meeting, then he himself would take one child home. But the words never left his mouth. In the past, he could always pay someone else to help raise the children he adopted, but now Jiang Xiaoyu stayed home. Bringing another child back would only increase her burden, so he could only watch the director worry while feeling miserable himself.
“This is a good thing. My salary is enough to support another child. Starting this month, I’ll give you another ten yuan each month for household expenses.”
Jiang Xiaoyu’s eyes immediately lit up. “Then I won’t stand in ceremony with you.”
Inwardly, she quickly calculated Mu Chengfeng’s finances. Thirty yuan from his salary plus forty yuan for living expenses meant he would still have more than ten yuan left over as spending money. It was definitely enough. Since the boss himself had voluntarily increased the household allowance, Jiang Xiaoyu was thrilled. From now on, she would make even more nourishing meals for him.
“Then hurry and eat your midnight snack. I’m going to sleep first.”
Mu Chengfeng found it amusing. She really planned to run away the moment their discussion ended. She truly was heartless.
“Weren’t you going to help me prepare bath water?”
Jiang Xiaoyu pretended to be innocent. “The water’s too heavy. Use the hot water from the water heater first. If it’s not enough, use the thermos water. All four thermoses are full, so use as much as you need.”
She slipped away, but before disappearing through the doorway, she turned back to remind him, “Hubby, even though you’re handsome, young, and full of energy right now, being a doctor is both mentally and physically exhausting. You must nourish yourself well and not wear yourself out too early.”
Mu Chengfeng: …
It sounded like praise and concern, yet she still refused to share a bed with him. Just how long was she planning to keep hiding?
…
Early the next morning there was another meeting. Gao Hongfen went up to the administrative floor looking for her husband, but when she could not find him, she hurried to the inpatient ward and saw him doing rounds. Pulling him aside, she whispered urgently,
“The logistics department leaders are coming today too, so why haven’t you gone to the meeting yet?”
Xiao Baoguo snapped irritably, “Our family fits the adoption requirements the best, yet you stubbornly refuse. Will I go to the meeting? The logistics department wants the cadres to set an example. How exactly am I supposed to set an example? If you fail to receive your title evaluation this year, don’t say I didn’t vote in your favor. With your level of political awareness, I can’t support you.”
Gao Hongfen felt guilty. If this year failed, then there was always next year. But adopting a child meant investing more than ten years of effort. She had already raised two children herself and knew exactly how exhausting it was. Even if she failed this year’s evaluation, she still refused to bring another child home.
“If you don’t want to go, then don’t go. This month’s grain ration already has an even larger proportion of coarse grains. My hometown suffered a disaster last year, and this year there’s another severe drought. Food supplies are only going to become scarcer. If we really bring a child home, there won’t be enough to eat.”
Xiao Baoguo truly did not want to argue anymore. At least this place was near the sea, where people could still eat fish and shrimp. That was also why the logistics department wanted the hospital leadership to arrange local placements for the four children. If even people here could not eat their fill, conditions elsewhere would only be worse.
“If someone actually adopts one today, where am I supposed to put the face of a cadre like myself?”
Gao Hongfen curled her lips dismissively. “I know the situations of the backbone staff families at the hospital. Several backbone staff in our department are all in their thirties, with multiple children already at home. Bringing another child back, especially one who isn’t biologically theirs, would easily create fights if they couldn’t treat everyone equally. It would be a headache. And your neurosurgery department’s Mu Chengfeng already has three children. Wei Mancang’s wife is pregnant too, what if bringing home an unfamiliar child disturbs the pregnant woman? As for the others, they’ve only just finally gotten their own children old enough to start school. They haven’t even had time to relax yet, so they definitely won’t want to take on more responsibility. I don’t think today’s meeting will end with any results.”