Early the next morning, Meng Qiushi and Xu Chunhua took their four children onto the ox cart that Xu Qiang and Liu Yezi had hired to head into the county town.
The basket on Meng Qiushi’s back was packed full of medicinal herbs, worth about one yuan altogether.
That one yuan—the amount he could openly account for—would be handed over to Wang Cuilian. As for the valuable herbs, he had hidden them inside Meng Yu’s storage space. That basket alone could probably sell for four yuan.
Cradled in Meng Qiushi’s arms, Meng Yu leaned her head against his shoulder and happily watched the lush green forest path.
Using herb-selling as an excuse, Meng Qiushou could visit the county four times a month. Twice of those trips, he would bring the whole family along and secretly enjoy a good meal at the state-run restaurant.
Xu Chunhua’s third brother, Xu Chunqiu, and his family of three were also on the ox cart. Wang Qin held their energetic two-year-old son Xu Yanchuan between her legs and reached out to squeeze Meng Che’s chubby butt.
“Little sister, how did you raise these two kids so well? I’m almost jealous to death.”
Wang Qin had only managed to have one son after many years of marriage, and both she and Xu Chunqiu doted on him dearly. Unfortunately, Xu Yanchuan refused to gain weight, something that constantly worried her.
“They’re just plain fat,” Xu Chunhua replied while cracking sunflower seeds. Lowering her eyes, she noticed her daughter’s little hat slipping crooked and quickly fixed it.
“Mom…” Meng Yu looked at Xu Chunhua resentfully, then lowered her head to examine her own pudgy little hands. Hah. She really was pretty fat.
Liu Yezi shot Xu Chunhua a reproachful glance, slid her hands under Meng Yu’s arms, and pulled her into her lap.
“A child’s baby fat is a blessing,” she coaxed softly. “Look at my little Yu’er—so blessed. She’ll definitely grow up safe and healthy.”
Meng Yu wrapped her arms around Liu Yezi’s neck and kissed her cheek. “Yu’er likes Grandma the most.”
Their family visited Xu Family Village once a week. On the surface it was to visit relatives, but in reality it was to secretly enjoy good food.
Otherwise, with the Meng family eating nothing but vegetables and wild greens all week long, Xu Chunhua’s complexion would probably turn green from malnutrition.
Because they met so often, all the children adored their maternal grandparents.
Wang Cuilian had no objections to this. In fact, she wished Xu Chunhua would take the whole family back to her parents’ home every day to freeload meals. That way, the Meng family could save a lot of grain.
At the state-run restaurant, they reserved two tables of dishes. The Xu family and Meng Qiucan’s family all came.
Everyone was usually busy with work, so it was rare for them to gather together. During the meal, laughter and conversation filled the air.
After eating, Meng Qiushi discussed with the Xu family about going to the photo studio to take a family portrait.
Their large group headed noisily to the studio. First, the Xu family and Meng Qiushi’s family took a big family portrait together.
Three generations, seventeen people in total, sat neatly arranged in the middle of the photo studio courtyard.
This was only Meng Yu’s second time encountering photography from this era.
The first time had been shortly after her one-month celebration last year, when Xu Chunhua brought their family of six to take a family portrait.
The photographer stood behind a camera draped in red cloth. Accompanied by a puff of smoke and a bright flash, the family portrait was frozen in time.
One photograph cost one yuan—equivalent to an ordinary worker’s daily wage. Each household ordered a copy, making five copies total.
After finishing with the Xu family photos, Meng Qiushi’s and Meng Qiucan’s families sat together for another portrait belonging solely to the siblings.
Xu Chunhua stared at the photographs displayed on the studio wall, her eyes sparkling brightly. Pulling Meng Qiushi along, she insisted on taking another small family portrait of just their family of six. Afterwards, she even had Meng Qiushi change into a Zhongshan suit provided by the studio so the two of them could take a couple’s portrait together.
Ever since childhood, Xu Chunhua had visited photo studios every year. Marriage hadn’t changed that habit—every year she still brought her husband and children for photographs.
A person only had a few decades of youth. Taking photos left memories behind. When they grew old, they could pull them out and look at them often. Memories faded with time, but photographs did not.
The family photos used to be secretly hidden away, but later they were stored together with the family’s money inside Meng Yu’s storage space.
To Xu Chunhua, precious things were far safer inside her daughter’s magical space than inside the Meng family’s tiny house.
The photo studio buzzed with activity. Several small families each took their own portraits, and they even took individual pictures of the children.
When everything was finished, the final price left everyone stunned—it had cost thirty yuan, equivalent to an ordinary worker’s entire monthly salary.
Meng Qiushou pulled thirty yuan from his pocket and handed it to the photographer. Xu Chunhua stopped everyone else from trying to pay.
“We’ll cover this. Don’t fight us for it.”
She pressed down Liu Yezi’s hand as she tried reaching for her wallet. “Mom, give your daughter a little face.”
Liu Yezi smiled helplessly and lightly patted Xu Chunhua’s arm. “Alright then. After receiving so many red envelopes today, it’s only fair you young couple bleed a little.”
Xu Chunhua grinned brightly, dimples faintly appearing at the corners of her mouth.
After leaving the photo studio, Meng Qiushi said to Meng Qiucan, “Tomorrow is Chen Rou’s daughter’s first birthday banquet. Mom wants you to come.”
Meng Qiucan lifted her chin and snorted. “I’m not going.”
Xu Chunhua raised an eyebrow. “The old hag plans to marry Chen Rou to Meng Qiufeng.”
Meng Qiucan froze, then burst into loud laughter. “Seriously?”
Meng Qiushi and Xu Chunhua nodded at the same time. “Seriously!”
“Wang Cuilian is really rushing to make her son take over another man’s mess. As expected of her.” Meng Qiucan gave a thumbs-up. “Not only will I attend tomorrow’s birthday banquet, I’ll attend Chen Rou and Meng Qiufeng’s wedding banquet too.”
There were plenty of jokes in the world she could ignore, but Chen Rou’s misfortune? That she absolutely had to watch.
Even though Chen Rou was a widow remarrying, given how much Wang Cuilian doted on her, she would definitely organize a grand wedding banquet.
Before heading back to the village, Meng Qiushi first sold the herbs in his basket.
Meanwhile, Xu Chunhua took the children to the supply and marketing cooperative. Xu Qiang, Liu Yezi, and Xu Yanchuan came along too.
Recently, Wang Qin had been suffering from frequent nausea. The village barefoot doctor couldn’t figure out the problem, so Xu Chunqiu took her to the hospital for a checkup and planned to stay overnight. Xu Yanchuan would return home with Xu Qiang and Liu Yezi.
Meng Qing immediately took a liking to a little backpack hanging on the wall. Tugging on Xu Chunhua’s sleeve, she said, “Mom, I want that army-green backpack.”
Since Xu Qiang and Liu Yezi were there, Xu Qiang cheerfully pointed at the backpack and told the sales clerk, “Comrade, we’ll take that schoolbag.”
The Xu family had always been prosperous. Their private life was much better than most village families, and even some city families couldn’t compare.
In this era, any family capable of sending a child to university couldn’t possibly be poor.
Liu Yezi never mistreated her children. As long as she was able, she tried her best to fulfill their wishes.
Xu Chunhua had grown up in such an environment. She never forced herself to suffer or settle for less. Even after having children, her own feelings still came first.
Liu Yezi rubbed Meng Wei’s head. “Xiao Wei, if you want anything, tell Grandpa and Grandma. We’ll buy it for you.”
Xu Chunhua wrapped herself around Liu Yezi’s arm and acted coquettishly. “Mom, I want things too. You can’t play favorites.”
Enjoying her daughter’s spoiled behavior, Liu Yezi smiled gently. “Alright, alright. Go pick whatever you want.”
Xu Chunhua’s smile widened. Releasing Liu Yezi’s arm, she ran to the shoe counter. “Comrade, I want these leather shoes.”
Meng Wei picked out a backpack matching Meng Qing’s.
The total came to over twenty yuan. Xu Qiang paid happily. Every time he spent money on the children and saw their smiles, his heart felt deeply satisfied.
Wasn’t the whole point of working hard to give his wife and children a better life?
Outside the supply cooperative, Madam Zhao had originally been waiting for someone. Seeing several familiar faces inside, she froze in surprise.
“Xiaofang, isn’t that the third son from Chen Rou’s adoptive family?” Madam Zhao nudged her eldest daughter-in-law with her elbow.
Li Xiaofang narrowed her eyes. “It really is. Tsk tsk, these country people are pretty wealthy to buy so many things at once.”
Madam Zhao nodded lightly, her gaze falling on the tall Xu Qiang. “Chen Rou once said the third daughter-in-law of the Meng family has a father who’s a butcher, and her older brother is the only university student in all the nearby villages. Their family conditions are pretty good.”
The moment Xu Chunhua turned around and saw the two women standing at the cooperative entrance, her eyes lit up.
As the saying went, the enemy of your enemy is your friend.
She immediately walked over to greet them.
“Auntie Zhao, shopping today?”
Madam Zhao’s smile stiffened. “Yes.”
“Oh? Tomorrow is your granddaughter’s first birthday banquet. Aren’t you going to take a look?” Xu Chunhua asked with a smile.
Madam Zhao’s face darkened. She stared deeply at Xu Chunhua.
What was so precious about a money-losing granddaughter? Was Xu Chunhua deliberately looking for trouble?
“You don’t know this, but my mother-in-law absolutely adores Zhuzhu. She even let Zhuzhu take the Meng family surname and is throwing her a first birthday banquet. None of the Meng family’s actual grandchildren have ever received treatment like this.” Xu Chunhua sighed enviously.
“My granddaughter’s surname is Meng?” Madam Zhao’s mouth twitched. She felt rather unhappy. Though she disliked having a granddaughter, the girl was still her youngest son’s only bloodline in this world. How could she take another family’s surname? “That doesn’t seem appropriate.”
“What’s inappropriate about it?” Xu Chunhua asked innocently. “Soon Chen Rou will marry Meng Qiufeng. Zhuzhu taking her stepfather’s surname makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?”
Seeing Madam Zhao’s expression change, the smile on Xu Chunhua’s face deepened.
“Auntie, we’ll be leaving first. We’ll chat again if we get the chance.”
Xu Chunhua proudly flicked the braid hanging over her chest. She absolutely had to make Chen Rou miserable somehow.
After leaving the cooperative, everyone waited by the ox cart for a while before Meng Qiushi came jogging over, leaping onto the cart with his basket on his back.
Xu Qiang glanced at him. “Went to the black market again?”
Meng Qiushi grinned. “Dad, let’s head back.”
On the road back to the village, with nobody around, Meng Qiushi pulled out a bag of milk powder from his basket and stuffed it into Liu Yezi’s arms.
“Mom, this milk powder is for you. It’s rare stuff—I worked really hard to snatch up three bags.”
Liu Yezi pushed the milk powder back into his hands. “Keep this milk powder for Chunhua and the children to nourish themselves. I don’t need things like this.”
Xu Qiang, who was driving the ox cart, chimed in, “The best way you can honor us is by treating Chunhua and the children well. Since she was little, Chunhua has been the treasure we held in the palms of our hands. When she’s happy, we feel happy too.”
Xu Chunhua’s nose stung with emotion. She pressed her lips tightly together as tears welled in her eyes.
Having seen so many unkind parents, Xu Chunhua felt that in her previous life she must have accumulated a great deal of good fortune to become her parents’ daughter in this life.
“Mom…” Like a child, Xu Chunhua leaned into Liu Yezi’s embrace and lifted her eyes toward Xu Qiang’s broad back as he drove the ox cart. “It feels so good to have you two love me like this.”
When they arrived at the village entrance, Meng Qiushi and Xu Chunhua got off the ox cart with the children.
Watching Xu Qiang and Liu Yezi leave, Meng Qiushi crouched down and placed the basket in front of Meng Yu.
“Little Yu’er, can you help Daddy put these things into your space?”
Meanwhile, Xu Chunhua led Meng Wei and Meng Qing farther ahead, occasionally turning back to glance at her husband and youngest daughter lagging behind.
Meng Yu nodded. In the blink of an eye, the basket that had been stuffed full instantly became empty.
Even though it wasn’t the first time he had seen such a scene, Meng Qiushi’s eyes still lit up with amazement. It was simply too magical.
He picked Meng Yu up with one arm and grabbed the basket with the other before sprinting forward.
“Little Yu’er, hold on tight to Daddy.”
Though Meng Qiushi was lean, he was as strong as an ox. Meng Yu felt the wind brushing past her as the strands of hair on her forehead fluttered wildly.
Before long, Meng Qiushi arrived beside Xu Chunhua carrying her in his arms.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Xu Chunhua, Meng Qiushi turned to look at her, his eyes filled with deep tenderness and affection.
Under the setting sun, a family of four—that was happiness.
“Let’s go home.”
“Okay.”
Wherever family was, that was home.