Dinner was soon set on the table. That night they had lobster millet seafood porridge, along with a steaming pot of braised mixed fish stew. The fish had very few fine bones, so even the youngest child could eat it safely.
Damei handed Mu Chengfeng a pair of chopsticks. “Dad, eat.”
Mu Chengfeng nodded. “Let’s eat.”
Jiang Xiaoyu brought over the reheated cornmeal buns and set them down before sitting herself. She first handed a softened bun to Mu Chengfeng, just like at work when the boss was always served first. That was basic awareness.
“I sent a bowl of fish stew to Aunt Hua next door. She gave us a big bunch of greens in return. Later I also sent her a bowl of seafood porridge to try, and she even brought over six corn buns. Aunt Hua really is too kind.”
There were five people in the family, and Aunt Hua had sent six buns. Mu Chengfeng’s appetite alone meant one would never be enough, so her extra thoughtfulness made the meal much easier.
Damei carefully observed her father and her stepmother. Jiang Xiaoyu gave the biggest fish pieces to her, the second largest to Second Sister. Mu Jinzhi suddenly felt like crying. She had never dared to serve herself like this before, whether at her grandfather’s home or her maternal grandmother’s home.
Her eyes stung, but she quickly lowered her head to hide it and ate in silence.
Second Sister was much more natural. If there was food, she ate. She did not overthink things.
Jiang Xiaoyu suddenly slapped her thigh. “The sea urchin steamed egg is ready!”
The sea urchins had been cleaned by the Second Sister herself. She immediately jumped up and followed Jiang Xiaoyu to bring them out. There were exactly four in total. Damei, Second Sister, and the little brother each got one. The last one would be shared between Jiang Xiaoyu and Mu Chengfeng.
“There were only four sea urchins from the fisherman, I didn’t deliberately buy one less,” Jiang Xiaoyu explained. The sea urchins themselves were small. She scooped out a generous spoonful, nearly half, and handed it along with the spoon to Mu Chengfeng. “Try it.”
Mu Chengfeng was not greedy. Why would he compete with the children for a steamed egg?
“You eat it,” he said, shaking his head.
“This alone won’t fill me up. Just taste it,” Jiang Xiaoyu insisted. After handing it over, she took another spoon for herself. The freshness exploded on her tongue.
She remembered visiting the seaside in her previous life, buying seafood and having it cooked, only to find that the sea urchin had already been cleaned out in the kitchen, leaving just the shell for steaming eggs. Later she had even ordered them online and cooked them herself, and this was exactly the same taste. Eating truly fresh seafood felt like pure happiness.
But this was 1960.
Since last year, there had already been a severe drought, and grain production had dropped. The island had been spared last year, but the drought was spreading. This year it was likely to be affected as well.
Jiang Xiaoyu still remembered the “three difficult years” described in history books and felt a quiet sense of urgency. Even if the island avoided drought, there were still typhoons and floods. They needed to prepare early—raise chickens and ducks, plant vegetables, and if possible, store long-lasting canned goods.
“I ran into the head teacher from Damei’s school at the dock today, along with a young and very pretty girl. They didn’t seem to like me very much,” Jiang Xiaoyu said casually, her bright eyes watching Mu Chengfeng. She was not jealous, just observing his reaction.
Mu Chengfeng immediately understood. The Gao family sisters were not acting out of nowhere.
“I see the problem now,” he said calmly. “Vice Director Gao once wanted to match his daughter with me. The condition was that I would send the three children to be raised by the stepmother. I refused. They’ve been unhappy ever since.”
Damei tightened her grip on her chopsticks. Her chest felt heavy. Fortunately, her father had not married that Gao family woman.
Jiang Xiaoyu patted Damei’s head. “If they can’t get what they want, they take it out on others. Narrow-minded people like that aren’t worth worrying about. If that Gao teacher dares to give you trouble at school, I’ll go settle it with her myself. Don’t be afraid.”
Mu Chengfeng believed she was entirely capable of doing it.
He did not intend to explain himself to outsiders. His previous marriage contract had lasted ten years. During that time, he had focused on his professional training and accumulated experience. Now he truly wanted a stable family.
A harmonious family required effort from both sides. He would not be an idle bystander.
“Until bedtime, is there anything you need me to do?” he asked.
Jiang Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up instantly. A boss who not only provided money but also willingly worked in the 1960s was rare. She would not be foolish enough to refuse.
“I’ll heat water and bathe the children. You wash the dishes. I saw dry firewood in the yard, split enough for two or three days. That should be enough.”
……
Mu Chengfeng worked quickly and efficiently.
By the time Jiang Xiaoyu carried the bathwater into the room, he had already cleaned up the kitchen. The firewood had been chopped neatly into a small pile, enough for several days of cooking. He swept the wood chips in the yard clean and stacked everything under the eaves.
The children were still not done bathing.
Bathing took time, but there was nothing to rush in the evening anyway. In this era, power outages happened nine out of ten nights, so households slept early.
Mu Chengfeng sat in the main room, lost in thought.
His late wife had been two years older than him. When they signed their agreement, he had been busy with further studies and agreed without much hesitation. They had lived apart most of the time, each focused on their own life.
He had never fully understood why she insisted on adopting three children. She adopted them but did not raise them herself. Instead, part of their wages were sent to either the paternal grandfather’s home or maternal grandmother’s home. The children grew up timid and insecure.
Since the adoption had been agreed upon, responsibility came with it. If they were living apart, there were ways to solve it—either the children followed the father or the mother, or they hired a nanny. But his late wife had been strong-willed, and his opinions were never taken into account.
Now that she was gone, he naturally had to take responsibility as their father. However, he had never found a suitable partner. He believed in quality over quantity. If it was not right, he would rather remain single.
But now, Jiang Xiaoyu seemed to meet all his expectations.
Except for one issue, whether or not to have children.
He was still uncertain.
After bathing the youngest child, Jiang Xiaoyu noticed Mu Chengfeng sitting in thought in the main room. She guessed he was considering the sleeping arrangements.
She ran to the entrance first. Under the eaves, the firewood was neatly stacked, and the yard was clean. Satisfied, she smiled.
At least in housework, her “boss” was not the kind who needed constant instructions.
Mu Chengfeng poured out the bathwater and stood at the door. “How was my work?”
“Perfect,” Jiang Xiaoyu replied without hesitation.
Then she hesitated slightly. The youngest child in her arms was already dozing off. She adjusted him carefully.
“You see, he doesn’t sleep well in unfamiliar places. Damei said he sometimes gets startled for days after changing environments. I’ll take him for now and sleep with Damei and Second Sister in the east room. Is that alright?”
Mu Chengfeng opened his mouth, then simply said, “Alright.”
Jiang Xiaoyu had not expected him to agree so easily. She secretly felt relieved.
Good. He really was the type of man she had guessed from novels—emotionally restrained, possibly even indifferent. That was fine. In this era, pregnancy was risky enough as it was. Better to reduce complications.
If they ever needed to discuss that issue later, he worked in a hospital anyway. Access to contraceptives should not be a problem.
She quickly said, “There’s hot water in the kitchen. Go bathe yourself. Just leave your clothes there, I’ll wash them tomorrow.”
Then she slipped away with the child and fled to the east room, successfully avoiding what might have been their first night together.
Mu Chengfeng stood in place for a long time.
He even considered whether she might already have someone in her heart and was avoiding intimacy for that reason, but quickly dismissed it. This marriage had been something she fought hard for. She had been smiling all day and showed no sadness. If she had feelings for someone else, she would not have agreed to marry him.
As for her refusal to have children, he was now certain that was the issue.
She likely did not even know about contraceptive methods given her rural background. She was probably just worried and trying to avoid the situation altogether.
If that was all, he could find a chance to explain it to her and ease her concerns.
Early the next morning, Jiang Xiaoyu got up to prepare breakfast. Damei rubbed her eyes and sat up.
“Mom, I’ll help you.”
Second Sister also sat up without a word. She was used to helping with the fire.
Whether it was at her grandfather’s house or maternal grandmother’s house, she and her sister were never allowed to sleep in. Only the younger boys could stay in bed.
Jiang Xiaoyu did not force them, but she also did not refuse. She treated it as a job, not exploitation.
“Thank you, Damei and Second Sister. You’re both very good.”
Damei felt warmth in her chest. No one had ever thanked her for housework before.
Second Sister blinked. “Mom, why are you thanking us?”
Damei did not understand either, but she was happy to be praised.
Breakfast was simple—vegetable millet dough soup. The flour would not last more than two meals, so they would need to buy more at the supply and marketing cooperative later.
“Hubby,” Jiang Xiaoyu called out, “do we still have grain and oil ration tickets? I’ll go buy some food later.”
That word again made Mu Chengfeng feel unexpectedly steady.
She still wanted to live a good life with him.
He nodded and instructed Damei to wash dishes and Second Sister to watch the youngest child. Then he called Jiang Xiaoyu into the west room.
“Come here. I have something for you.”
Curious, Jiang Xiaoyu followed him inside.
He opened a small wooden box.
“This is everything I’ve saved over the past ten years. From now on, you will manage it.”
“I’ll handle the money and ration tickets. This household will be yours.”
Jiang Xiaoyu felt pleasantly shocked. She had always liked counting savings, just like she used to pour out her piggy bank as a child.
Inside were four nested boxes.
One contained the property deed to his hometown house. He was actually a property owner.
Another held neatly stacked ten-yuan bills, about two thousand yuan in total.
There were also IOUs.
A third box contained loose change—over two hundred yuan.
The last contained industrial coupons, bicycle tickets, sewing machine tickets, and accumulated grain, oil, sugar, and cloth ration tickets.
Jiang Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up as she counted. “How did you save so much?”
“I’ve been working for ten years. I saved twenty yuan every month. When I was transferred to the island hospital, I withdrew everything and haven’t deposited it again yet. You can take it to the credit union later.”
Ten years, two thousand yuan. In this era, it was a huge sum.
No wonder Gao Hongfen had been so eager.
Jiang Xiaoyu nodded quickly. “Don’t worry. I’ll manage this household properly. I’ll take good care of the three children too.”
Mu Chengfeng smiled slightly when he saw how happy she was.
“Today there’s a market fair. I already took a half-day leave yesterday. We’ll go together. See what else you need and buy it all at once.”
Free labor for carrying things, and now a household fund in hand. The two hundred yuan was already plenty to spend today.
Jiang Xiaoyu carefully gathered the money and tickets, then called the children.
“Damei, Second Sister, Little Brother, we’re going to the market. Each of you gets two yuan today. Buy whatever you want.”