Chapter 14 p2
As they spoke, they reached the foot of the mountain. He Qiming’s aunt’s was the only house here. The backyard was large, with many fruit trees and a few chickens, ducks, and geese.
Because of their approach, the geese in the backyard were honking loudly.
Hearing the noise, He Qiming came out of the house. Seeing Ye Qingzhi arrive with the two children, a bright smile spread across his face.
“You’re here. You must be tired from the walk.” He took her basket, and feeling the weight, he looked at her in surprise. “What’s in here? It’s so heavy.”
“I made some chili sauce and mushroom sauce yesterday for you to take to the base. It’s hot, so don’t be reluctant to eat it. It’ll go bad if you keep it for too long. If you like it, let me know, and I’ll make more for you,” she said as she followed him into the house.
He Qiming’s parents, aunt, uncle, Auntie Ye, and his two children were all sitting there.
Ye Qingzhi was hesitating about how to address them when a woman who resembled He Qiming stood up, took her hand, and looked her up and down.
“Qingzhi, we finally meet. I’m Qiming’s mother. This is his father. You’ve met his aunt, and this is his uncle.” Yang Fuzhen looked at the fair-skinned, gentle, and clear-eyed Ye Qingzhi and was more and more satisfied.
“Hello, Uncle He. Hello, Auntie He. Hello, Uncle. Hello, Aunt.” Ye Qingzhi looked at the two children, waved, then pulled her two sons forward. “These are my sons. The older one is Wei Anmin, seven this year. The younger one is Wei Anjie, six this year. Anmin, Anjie, greet everyone.”
“Hello, Grandpa He…” The two brothers obediently greeted everyone.
Looking at the fair-skinned, well-behaved, and sensible brothers, Yang Fuzhen pulled them over and praised them for a long time, even giving each of them a red envelope.
Seeing the two children looking at her, not knowing what to do, Ye Qingzhi glanced at He Qiming and said with a smile, “Grandpa and Grandma gave them to you. You can accept them.”
He Qiming’s aunt was holding He Jingyang. She waved to the two brothers. “This is Jingyan, eight this year. He’ll be your older brother from now on. And this is Jingyang, three, your younger brother.”
Because he had woken up so early, He Jingyang was a bit sleepy. But when he saw Ye Qingzhi, his eyes lit up, and he held out his little hands for a hug.
“Oh my, this little rascal is so happy to see his mama,” his aunt said, grinning from ear to ear at how much her grandnephew liked Ye Qingzhi.
He Dali and Yang Fuzhen were also happy. They say that children’s eyes are the purest; they can see who is sincere and who is not. The fact that Yangyang liked Ye Qingzhi so much meant she was truly a good person.
Hearing his aunt say she was He Jingyang’s mother, Ye Qingzhi’s cheeks flushed slightly. She took the child in her arms but didn’t awkwardly refute it.
He Dali nodded. Although this Ye Qingzhi was a widow, her appearance and character were not bad. She was poised and graceful in her speech and actions, much better than their former daughter-in-law.
After everyone was seated, He Qiming’s aunt and Auntie Ye went to serve the “chicken tea,” which was poached eggs, a dish for honored guests in their region.
Everyone got a bowl with two eggs, but Ye Qingzhi’s bowl had five.
She searched the original owner’s memories. This was a sign that the man’s family thought highly of the woman on her first visit. But she had eaten breakfast before coming and was really full.
Just as she was about to switch bowls with He Qiming, He Jingyang tugged on her arm. “Auntie, I want to eat an egg.”
“Alright, I’ll feed you.” She picked up a spoon, but He Qiming stopped her.
“No need. Let him eat by himself.” He Qiming glanced at his son, moved him to a nearby stool, scooped an egg into a small bowl, and told him to eat it with a spoon.
Ye Qingzhi made another polite offer, but when He Qiming didn’t agree, she didn’t insist. She had never had children of her own, but she had watched many parenting videos, especially those with cute babies.
The vlogger had trained her child to eat independently at eight months, which she thought was a good idea.
Because He Qiming had given an egg to his son, he only had one left. Ye Qingzhi switched bowls with him.
“I ate before I came. I’m still very full and really can’t eat any more. Could you help me out?” she whispered in his ear.
The warm breath on his ear instantly sent a shiver down his spine. He Qiming’s eyes darkened, and he said in a low voice, “Alright.”
Seeing them switch bowls, his aunt quickly said, “There’s more in the pot. I’ll get you some.”
“No, no, Aunt. I’m the one who can’t eat, so I asked Qiming for help,” Ye Qingzhi said, waving her hands.
“Alright. Let me know if you want more. There’s still some in the pot,” his aunt said with a cheerful smile.
Meanwhile, Wei Anmin saw that He Jingyang had almost finished his egg and scooped one from his own bowl into his. “Little brother, you eat.”
He Jingyang looked up from his bowl, his mouth smeared with yolk, his eyes wide. Then he broke into a big smile and said sweetly, “Thank you, big brother.”
He Jingyan pressed his lips together, not very happy. He felt like his little brother had been stolen.
Wei Anjie, who was sitting opposite him, noticed his mood and asked, puzzled, “Big brother, don’t you have enough to eat? I can give you one from my bowl. We ate breakfast at home, so we’re not hungry now.”
He Jingyan was taken aback. “What did you call me?”
“Big brother! You’re eight this year, older than all of us, so you’re our big brother. My brother is the second brother, and I’m the third brother.” Wei Anjie patted He Jingyang’s head and said excitedly, “This is our little brother. Hehe, I’m not the youngest in the family anymore. Little brother, you have to listen to your big brothers from now on, understand?”
“Listen to big brothers,” He Jingyang said, nodding blankly with his big, dark eyes.
“That’s right. I’m your third brother, so you have to listen to me,” Wei Anjie said, lifting his little chin proudly.
Beside him, Wei Anmin couldn’t stand it and tapped him on the back of the head. “You still have me and big brother above you. Why should he listen to you?”
“Because… because I’m his third brother.” Wei Anjie looked at Wei Anmin, then at He Jingyan. “Anyway, I’m a big brother now, and little brothers have to listen to their big brothers.”
“Oh, I’m your big brother,” Wei Anmin said flatly.
Wei Anjie was momentarily speechless. He glanced at He Jingyan and suddenly said with a smile, “You’re only the second brother. Now we have a big brother in the family. You have to listen to him too.”
“That’s right, that’s right. Jingyan will be the big brother from now on. You have to take good care of your younger brothers, understand?” Yang Fuzhen said, ruffling Wei Anjie’s little head. She liked him more and more.
He Jingyan blinked. So, not only had he not lost a little brother, but he had also gained two?
With Wei Anjie’s clowning around, the four children quickly became familiar with each other—or rather, three of them did. He Jingyan still didn’t talk much, but when Wei Anjie clamored to go to the backyard to see the geese, he followed along.
With the children gone, the adults could finally talk business.
Yang Fuzhen took Ye Qingzhi’s hand. “Qingzhi, we know all about your situation, and Qiming has told us everything. Auntie Ye is here too, so let her be a witness. Let’s settle the marriage today. After your hundred-day mourning period is over, you and Qiming can go get your marriage certificate?”
He Dali took a few puffs from his long-stemmed pipe, nodding from time to in agreement.
“As for the bride price and betrothal gifts, we’ve already split from Qiming, so he’ll have to prepare those himself. Anyway, it will all be yours after you get married, so you two can discuss it yourselves.” Yang Fuzhen patted the back of her hand and continued, “Jingyan and Yangyang will stay with me for the next two months. After you get married, you’ll have to take care of them.”
Ye Qingzhi nodded. “Of course.”
But from the sound of it, the He family didn’t seem to know they were going to join him at the base.
She glanced at He Qiming. Seeing him shake his head slightly, she understood there might be other reasons and didn’t ask, just smiled and dealt with her future mother-in-law.
After talking for a long time and having lunch, Ye Qingzhi prepared to take her children home. Before leaving, she took their measurements.
“If there’s not enough cloth, don’t make clothes for Jingyan and Yangyang first. They have enough to wear.” On the other hand, Ye Qingzhi and her two children probably didn’t have many clothes, especially thick cotton-padded jackets.
“I’ll see to it,” Ye Qingzhi said with a smile. She would listen to his words but definitely not take them to heart.
“You didn’t tell your family about joining you at the base?” she asked softly when they were halfway up the mountain.
“I haven’t told them about my promotion yet. I was afraid my parents would want to throw a banquet and invite people over for meals. It’s a hassle. I was planning to tell them before I went back to the base, but now I want to wait until after we’re married,” he explained simply.
Although he didn’t say it explicitly, she understood. He was doing it all for her.
After his promotion, he could apply for his family to join him at the base. This would raise the bar for his marriage prospects. In other words, his parents might not approve of her. So, he was keeping it a secret for now. Once it was a done deal, even if they objected, it would be useless.
“Alright, this is as far as we go. I won’t see you off tomorrow. Write to me when you get there. Send it to my aunt’s place, and she’ll have Auntie Ye give it to me,” she said apologetically.
He Qiming suddenly hugged her. “Comrade Ye Qingzhi, you have to write to me too. And remember to miss me.”
She chuckled. “Alright, Comrade He Qiming.”
The two of them looked at each other and smiled. If not for her two sons being there, he would have definitely kissed her.
Looking at his green-glowing eyes, Ye Qingzhi, who was not an innocent little girl, blushed slightly. She gently pushed him away, straightened his collar, and, while the two children weren’t looking, kissed him on the cheek. “Go back now. We’re leaving too.”
He Qiming touched the cheek she had kissed, chuckled, and turned to leave quickly.
Back at home, Ye Qingzhi realized she had forgotten to ask about He Jingyan’s situation. But there was no rush. After they got married, there would be plenty of time to get to know him.
He Qiming returned to the base. Half a month later, she finally received his letter.
He said the chili sauce and mushroom sauce she had made were delicious. If he hadn’t guarded them well, his comrades would have snatched them all.
He said he had bought a lot of cotton and had someone buy some red floral cloth to make thick quilts, just waiting for the five of them to go over.
He also said he missed her very much and asked if she missed him.
A wide smile spread across her face. She first wrote a letter back to him, then shook the envelope and saw various tickets and a money order.
There were mostly cloth tickets, followed by national grain tickets. He knew that cooking meat at home would attract attention, so he told her to eat at the state-run restaurant.
The money order was for one hundred and ten yuan. He had kept ten for emergencies, told her to give ten to his parents, and gave the remaining one hundred to her.
Although he had said he would hand over his salary after they got married, they weren’t married yet. She hadn’t expected him to give it to her now.
One hundred yuan. An ordinary family of six might not be able to save that much in two years. And he would be giving her one hundred every month from now on. It made her feel like she had become rich overnight.
“Mama, did Uncle He write to you?” Wei Anmin asked, seeing the various tickets on the table.
She nodded. “Yes. He sent back a lot of cloth tickets. In a couple of days, I’ll go to the city to buy some more cloth and make you two some thick clothes.”
It was mid-July. It had been over two months since Wei Jiancheng had “died.” Gradually, some of the village loafers started to hang around her door.
Every night, besides bolting the door, she would also prop a wooden stick against it and keep a hatchet by her bed. She was as careful as she could be.
“Mama,” Wei Anmin said, his little face pale, hating that he was too young to protect her.
“It’s alright. Just endure it for another month. After I marry Uncle He, they won’t dare to come anymore,” she said, hugging the two children and comforting them gently.
Just loitering was one thing. But one afternoon, she came home from work, and before she could even have a drink of water, a well-known matchmaker from Qianxi Village came knocking.
“Qingzhi, you’re finally back. This is my second time here,” the matchmaker said, sitting down without being invited. “It’s been several months since your husband died. It’s time to find someone new.”
Ye Qingzhi interrupted her. “Jiancheng has only been dead for a little over two months. It hasn’t even been a hundred days. Let’s talk about it then.”
She was using the same delaying tactic as before. After the hundred days were over, she would have He Qiming’s aunt and Auntie Ye come to her house, she would “reluctantly” agree, and then she could join the army with her children.
“What’s the point of waiting a hundred days? After forty-nine days is good enough. Besides, Wei Jiancheng had another woman. If you ask me, you don’t even have to mourn for him for these few months. You could have remarried after the first seven days,” the matchmaker said, thinking she was too stubborn. No wonder she had been played for a fool by Wei Jiancheng.
“Qingzhi, why do you have to struggle so much as a single woman? You’re still young. Hurry up and find someone to remarry so you’ll have someone to rely on for the rest of your life,” she continued to persuade earnestly.
“Auntie, I never said I wouldn’t remarry. Actually, when I first got the news of Jiancheng’s death, I did intend to be a widow for him for the rest of my life. But when I found out he had another woman and had given all his wages to her, the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Why should I waste my youth being a widow for him?” The more she spoke, the more indignant she became.
The matchmaker nodded repeatedly. “That’s right. It’s good that you can think this way. I happen to have a suitable match for you. It’s Wei Jianbing from your village. He’s tall and strong, and his parents are still young and can help you look after the children.”
Wei Jianbing? Wasn’t he one of the loafers who had been hanging around her door recently? He was idle all day, didn’t work, and even stole chickens and dogs with the loafers from other villages.
He wanted to marry her because, one, his reputation was so bad that he couldn’t find a wife from a good family. Two, she was beautiful. And three, he was after her house.
“Auntie, Wei Jianbing is from the same village as me. I know his family’s situation better than you do. If you’re trying to set me up with him, I’ll be really angry,” she said, her face darkening.
The matchmaker laughed awkwardly. Wei Jianbing’s mother had offered a high fee, so she had tried to test the waters. As expected, it was a no-go.