Qiziyue is a very tactful and measured person. On this matter, she knew when to stop; going too far would only make things worse.
All she needed was for her second sister-in-law to come back and mention this issue so that someone in the family would criticize her second sister-in-law. That way, no one could use it to stir up trouble against her.
When the two of them were about to reach the alley leading to the supply and marketing cooperative, Qiziyue noticed there weren’t many people around, so she casually changed the topic to probe her.
“Sister-in-law,” she said, “although I went crazy for a few years, I still had some awareness of the outside world. I know that during those years, it was you and my brother who took care of me the most.”
Qiziyue’s elder sister-in-law felt a bit embarrassed. She hadn’t actually gone in to see her crazy sister-in-law much, but who doesn’t like to hear nice words?
She smiled and replied, “Why bring that up? As long as you’re well now, that’s better than anything.”
Qiziyue nodded and thanked her brother and sister-in-law sincerely. Then she showed a troubled expression again.
“It’s just… sister-in-law, there’s something I still feel isn’t quite right.”
Because the alley ahead suddenly became narrower, the elder sister-in-law intended to let her go first. But hearing that there was an issue, she thought: You’ve been crazy for years—what could possibly be worse than that?
Still, since her sister-in-law had finally recovered, she was a little curious. “What is it?”
Qiziyue stepped back half a step and let her sister-in-law walk ahead. The two of them were now almost shoulder to shoulder. Only then did she explain, “Actually, sister-in-law, I think this matter might involve my eldest brother, so I felt I had to mention it to you.”
The elder sister-in-law immediately stopped walking.
“What could possibly involve your eldest brother?”
She didn’t care about most things, but anything involving her husband was different.
This was a sensitive time. A single spark could drag the whole family down, so she didn’t dare be careless.
Qiziyue said, “Sister-in-law, here’s how I see it. A few years ago when I went crazy, I was locked at home. If people asked, they only said I was insane. But we also have An’an in the family—he’s been hidden away since birth and never seen the light of day.
“If no one investigates, it’s fine. But if someone does, they’ll dig into my past too. You know that accusations like ‘improper relations between men and women’ can be serious or minor depending on how it’s handled. If the higher-ups find out, it could affect everyone working in our family.
“Even if my brother says he isn’t afraid of being sent down, and even if you’re willing to go with him to the countryside, life in the countryside is hard. Adults might be fine, but what about Rui Rui and Hao Hao? Growing up in that environment would affect their health and education. The gap between them and other children would become enormous.”
The elder sister-in-law was already too anxious to get angry. She thought: Wasn’t all of this caused by you in the first place?
Suppressing her emotions, she blurted out, “Then let’s just send An’an to the countryside first. That way, even if someone investigates, it’ll be safer.”
Qiziyue: “?”
Thanks a lot.
She thought inwardly: So you want a simple one-step solution. Setting aside the fact that the child isn’t even officially recognized yet—he doesn’t even have a household registration—and you want to send him to the countryside? What kind of life would that be? It would be no different from hell.
But the child was born with an unknown father, and his mother had no backing.
A child’s respect in society often depends on their parents’ status. Qiziyue knew she had no backing, so she didn’t feel surprised that her sister-in-law instinctively thought of this “risk elimination” method.
Instead, she kept smiling even as she felt increasingly uncomfortable.
After calming down, the sister-in-law explained further, “Yueyue, I’m not being cruel. But if An’an’s existence really brings trouble to the whole Qiz family, it would be a disaster. We need to preserve at least some people so there’s hope for the future. If the whole family falls, how can we ever recover?”
That made sense.
Qiziyue didn’t rush to refute her. After they turned a corner through the narrow alley, she took her sister-in-law’s hand again and calmly analyzed, “Sister-in-law, in this special period, many people are sent down—not just cases like An’an. Even experts and teachers are being sent down. Do you think our family can avoid it?”
The sister-in-law’s expression tightened.
Qiziyue continued, “Also, sister-in-law, if we haven’t actually done anything wrong, I believe that even if we are sent down, the country will eventually rehabilitate us.
“But if we send An’an away in advance, and someone from our father’s or brother’s political enemies discovers him first and reports it, the consequences would be worse. The more you do, the more mistakes you risk making. Right now, so many people are watching us.
“You can’t hide paper with fire. Sister-in-law, do you still think sending An’an away is the best option?”
She slowed her pace and led her sister-in-law to a shaded part of the alley to talk.
With each sentence Qiziyue spoke, the sister-in-law thought more deeply. In the end, she found that everything she said actually made sense.
The sister-in-law stopped again and asked, “Then since you’ve pointed out the problem, do you have a solution?”
Qiziyue knew the moment had come and finally revealed her idea.
Under a large tree by a stone, she asked her sister-in-law to lean closer and whispered her plan.
After hearing it, the sister-in-law frowned and immediately said, “Putting aside your brother, your father would never agree to this.”
Qiziyue looked at her and asked, “But sister-in-law, think about it—once An’an has a legitimate identity, even if someone investigates later, would they still be able to casually drag my brother and Rui Rui into it?”
“If it works, could you please talk to my brother about it? Your words might carry more weight than mine.”
She then changed the topic smoothly, saying a few lighthearted things about how much her brother liked his wife, until the sister-in-law relaxed.
They then continued walking toward the supply and marketing cooperative.
On the way, the sister-in-law hesitated and asked, “Even if An’an gets a household registration, where would it go? Either our family or your second brother’s family?”
Qiziyue immediately replied, “Neither is suitable. I think it should be under my name.”
The sister-in-law rejected it without hesitation. “If you have a child under your name, how will you get married? Your father and brother would never agree.”
Qiziyue understood and said, “Sister-in-law, let me try. I don’t plan to marry again. I want to raise An’an myself.”
Then she continued, “My idea is this: the safest way to protect the family is for An’an to get registered under my name, and then I take him to the countryside as an educated youth. The rest of the family should also prepare early so we can minimize risks.”
At this point, the sister-in-law was already being drawn into her reasoning.
But she still firmly said, “No. This would ruin you. Your brother would never agree.”
Qiziyue didn’t push further.
Instead, when they were about to reach the cooperative, she suddenly asked, “Sister-in-law, what sizes do Rui Rui and Hao Hao wear?”
The sister-in-law, already focused on shopping, casually answered.
Qiziyue said she wanted to buy clothes for An’an and then left alone.
Back at the Qiz family courtyard:
Qiz’s second daughter-in-law had returned from her parents’ home and was washing vegetables with her mother-in-law, talking about finding a new marriage for the youngest daughter-in-law.
The mother-in-law felt conflicted, but the second daughter-in-law was persuasive and had almost convinced her.
Their idea was simple: the youngest daughter-in-law had suffered too much in the past, and now that she had finally recovered from madness, she should remarry a good man and live a stable life.
The mother-in-law hesitated. “But she has a past, and she even has a child now…”
The second daughter-in-law quickly said, “We can just send An’an away. Then no one will know.”
Before they could continue, a loud noise came from the yard—children shouting that a “little beggar” had run off.
It was An’an, covered in dirt like a little coal ball, struggling free and running away.
The grandmother chased him but failed to catch him. When she came back, she asked the children if they had bullied him.
“He’s just a little beggar, a black coal ball. What did we say wrong?”
The two children, aged 8 and 6, disliked An’an and ran away.
The grandmother sighed and returned to cooking, deciding to make something nice later to make up for it.
Later, Qiziyue bought clothes and took her sister-in-law to eat at a state-run restaurant, then they went shopping for New Year goods before returning home in the afternoon.
When she came back, she couldn’t find An’an and eventually found him near the burnt ruins of their old room.
She brought him rice cakes, but the child refused to eat and ran away.
Qiziyue wasn’t angry. She simply called after him, telling him not to run too far and to come back for dinner.
After a pause, the child actually ran back toward the room.
Qiziyue was surprised.
“Is this what they call… tsundere?”