Chapter 20 p1
On a September evening, as the sun set and a cool breeze gently blew, the villagers who had worked hard all day came out of their houses with their bowls, eating and chatting.
Suddenly, Big Sister Wang came running from outside the village, shouting excitedly, “Did you all know? Qingzhi’s new husband is a military officer, and he’s taking her to the army base now.”
“What?”
Everyone looked at Big Sister Wang, trying to find a trace of a joke in her expression.
“It’s true. They’ve already left by bus,” Big Sister Wang said, emphasizing her words when she saw that no one believed her.
Everyone still couldn’t believe it. Just yesterday, she was an object of pity for everyone. How could she have married a military officer and become an officer’s wife in the blink of an eye?
“Why are we guessing here? Let’s just go ask Auntie Ye,” Auntie Lin said, quickly finishing the rice in her bowl. She placed her bowl and chopsticks on a nearby stone and hurried towards Auntie Ye’s house.
Many people followed behind her with their bowls, eating and watching the show.
Seeing so many people coming to find her, especially with Big Sister Wang in the lead, Auntie Ye knew that the news of Ye Qingzhi joining the army had been discovered.
By now, Ye Qingzhi had already boarded the train with her children and He Qiming. They might have even left the province. No matter what the villagers knew, it wouldn’t affect Ye Qingzhi, so Auntie Ye didn’t hide it.
“Qingzhi has gone to join the army with her children,” Auntie Ye said, laughing at their shocked expressions, completely forgetting her own shock when she first heard the news.
“Then what’s Qingzhi’s partner’s rank?” Big Sister Li squeezed out from the crowd.
Auntie Ye raised her chin slightly and pretended to think for a moment. “I think he’s a deputy regiment commander.”
Everyone first gasped, then became curious about how high a rank a deputy regiment commander was.
“Is a battalion commander higher or a regiment commander? How many people does a regiment commander command?” Auntie Lin asked, voicing everyone’s confusion.
How would Auntie Ye know? Just then, the Brigade Leader came over, so she told everyone to ask him.
The Brigade Leader coughed twice. “You don’t even know this? Of course, a regiment commander is higher. A battalion has a few hundred men, but a regiment commands over a thousand. Qingzhi’s partner is only twenty-nine this year, right? Tsk, tsk, a twenty-nine-year-old deputy regiment commander. He has a boundless future!”
Everyone exclaimed in amazement. A regiment commanded over a thousand men. Even though he was a deputy, he was still a high-ranking officer. With such qualifications, what kind of wife couldn’t he marry? Why would he marry a widow like Ye Qingzhi?
The Brigade Leader glanced at them. When he had found out yesterday, he had been just as amazed as they were. That was why when Ye Qingzhi had wanted to use her work points in advance to exchange for grain, he and the Village Secretary had agreed after discussing it.
“Qingzhi is really amazing. She’s become a regiment commander’s wife. How much is a deputy regiment commander’s monthly salary?” Big Sister Wang asked curiously.
“A deputy regiment commander, at least a hundred yuan a month,” the Brigade Leader said, looking at everyone’s shocked expressions. He shook his head with a smile. “Alright, alright, no matter how much money it is, it has nothing to do with you. Hurry up and go home to eat. Rest well these few days. We’re about to cut the rice. Don’t drop the ball then.”
No one had the heart to eat now. Their minds were full of a hundred yuan. A hundred yuan! So much money, could they even spend it all?
In the crowd, Wei Youliang’s eyes darted around. A deputy regiment commander? A deputy regiment commander is good. He can definitely raise my two grandsons to be successful. When I’m old, I’ll have someone to rely on.
Not only Houxicun was in a heated discussion, but Dayangcun was also abuzz with gossip. They didn’t understand why, after He Qiming’s promotion, He Dali and his wife hadn’t made any move and had even found a widow for their second son.
“What else could it be? Favoritism. He Dali values the eldest, Qigao, the most, and Yang Fuzhen dotes on the youngest, Qiwang. Qiming was always stuck in the middle, and he was raised by his grandparents. Do you remember Qiming’s ex-wife?” Seeing everyone looking at her, Third Aunt He didn’t keep them in suspense. “Yang Fuzhen only took a fancy to her because her family didn’t ask for a bride price. Now look at Qigao and Qiwang. How grand were their weddings? Tsk, didn’t Qiming pay for their weddings?”
He Dali and Yang Fuzhen had originally married Xu Baoli because it was cheap. Who would have thought that Xu Baoli was no pushover? Not long after she married into the family, she caused a scene and split the family.
At this moment, He Dali, Yang Fuzhen, and He Dagu sat there, speechless.
This time, they were truly like a mute eating a bitter melon, unable to voice their suffering.
They had indeed been tempted by the Xu family not asking for a bride price last time. And Xu Baoli looked gentle and pretty. That was why they had arranged this marriage for He Qiming.
Who would have thought that Xu Baoli already had someone in her heart? After marrying He Qiming, she was cold to him, neglected the children, and later even abused He Qiming’s adopted son.
If they had known that He Qiming was a deputy regiment commander and could have his family join him at the base, they would never have found a widow for him. They wouldn’t even have considered a country girl. They would have had to find an educated city girl. It would have been more respectable.
“What was Qiming thinking, not telling us about his promotion?” He Dagu was worried that her older brother and sister-in-law would blame her for introducing Ye Qingzhi to He Qiming, so she was the first to shift the blame to him.
Finally breaking the heavy atmosphere in the house, Li Hehua breathed a sigh of relief and said in a low voice, “I think Second Brother likes Second Sister-in-law very much.”
“What like? They’ve only met a few times. And I thought she was well-behaved and sensible. I didn’t expect her to be so cunning on the inside. This was all Ye Qingzhi’s doing. Without her whispering in his ear, how could Qiming have hidden it from us?” He Dali said, slapping the table in anger.
“Then what do we do now?” Yang Fuzhen’s eyes were red. She didn’t understand how a happy occasion had turned into this.
He Dali’s face was grim. He had originally wanted to keep Ye Qingzhi and find a way to make them divorce, then find a better match for his second son. He hadn’t expected his second son to be so ungrateful.
“What else can we do? The person has already left with the second son. What else can we do?” He Dali was so angry he went straight into the room and lay down on the bed, not even eating dinner.
The two main characters of the discussion were already on the train. He Qiming had pulled some strings and bought three sleeper tickets. The few of them were now eating the dinner Ye Qingzhi had prepared that morning.
“Mama, are we really going to live with Uncle He at the army base?” Ye Anjie still couldn’t believe it.
“Yes,” Ye Qingzhi said, stroking his head. Seeing Yangyang reach out for a hug, she picked him up. He was so young, yet so bossy. If his brothers were a little intimate with her, he would come over to fight for attention.
“Yangyang, are you hungry? Shall Auntie peel an egg for you?” Ye Qingzhi asked gently, looking down at him.
He Jingyang shook his head, his small face taut and serious. “Not Auntie. Papa said you’re Mama.”
Ye Qingzhi was taken aback for a moment. She looked up at He Qiming and saw him looking at her with a broad smile. Her eyes curved, and she nodded in agreement. “That’s right. I’ll be your mama from now on.”
“Mama,” He Jingyang immediately called out loudly.
With He Jingyang taking the lead, Anmin and Anjie also changed their form of address. Anmin seemed calm but was actually a little shy as he called out “Papa.” Anjie, like Yangyang, was very happy to call him “Papa.”
Finally, only He Jingyan was left. He pursed his lips, glanced at Ye Qingzhi, and opened his mouth, but he couldn’t bring himself to say “Mama.”
Ye Anmin and Ye Anjie were not very happy. They had already felt that this older brother was not easy to get close to. Now he wouldn’t even call her “Ma.” Their mother was so good. Why did he look down on her?
Ye Qingzhi pulled Ye Anjie back. She knew what He Jingyan had been through. He must have been deeply hurt by his biological mother and his adoptive mother. It would definitely take some time for him to accept a new mother.
“It’s fine. It’s just a name. Jingyan can call me whatever he wants,” Ye Qingzhi said, peeling a tea egg and putting it in He Jingyan’s lunchbox. “Don’t just eat rice. Have an egg.”
“Mama, I want one too,” He Jingyang said, hugging Ye Qingzhi’s arm.
“Alright, Mama will peel one for you,” Ye Qingzhi said with a smile.
Just as Ye Anmin and Ye Anjie were feeling a little upset, an egg appeared in each of their lunchboxes. They looked up and saw He Qiming smiling at them.
“What are you looking at me for? Hurry up and eat. I’ll take you to brush your teeth and wash your faces later. You’ve been tired all day. Go to bed early tonight,” He Qiming said, gently tapping their heads.
The two brothers’ faces instantly lit up. “We know, Papa.”
Is this what it feels like to have a father? It’s different from a mother, but they like it too.
Ye Qingzhi saw all of this, a slight smile on her lips. She lowered her head and gently fed Yangyang the egg.
“Wife, don’t mind him. He needs to be fed even to eat an egg. You’re spoiling him. Let him eat it himself,” He Qiming said, suddenly displeased. His wife hadn’t even fed him yet, but this little rascal was enjoying it.
Ye Qingzhi shot him a smiling glare. The egg yolk was crumbly, and a child Yangyang’s age would easily make a mess. It would be hard to clean up later. It was more convenient to feed him.
She only fed him the egg. Yangyang ate the rice himself. But he still needed her help to brush his teeth and wash his face. After all, he was only three.
At bedtime, Yangyang insisted on sleeping with Ye Qingzhi. Ye Anjie wanted to sleep with He Qiming. In the end, He Jingyan and Ye Anmin were left to share a bed.
After Anjie and Yangyang had fallen asleep, He Qiming carried the little pig-like Yangyang to Anjie’s side, and he himself lay down next to Ye Qingzhi.
“What are you doing? It’s not good if someone sees,” Ye Qingzhi whispered in He Qiming’s ear.
“What’s there to be afraid of? We’re a legally married couple. We have a certificate,” He Qiming said, but his body was well-behaved. After all, they were in public. He wasn’t that desperate.
“Is there anything you want to ask me?” He Qiming felt that a husband and wife should be open with each other.
Ye Qingzhi had wanted to ask for a long time, but they had been in a hurry to catch the train at noon and had been busy. She hadn’t had the chance.
“Is everything alright with your parents?” She didn’t mind. Anyway, she had already joined him at the base. Even if He Dali and the others had an opinion of her, it wouldn’t affect her.
He Qiming was different. They were his biological parents, after all.
“What’s there to be alright about?” He Qiming smiled and took Ye Qingzhi’s hand. “I grew up with my grandparents. My relationship with them is so-so. Besides, we’ve already split the family. I give them ten yuan a month for their retirement. Who can say I’m not filial?”
He Dali was very concerned about his reputation. If he knew about his promotion, he would definitely force him to spend money on a banquet. One or two tables wouldn’t satisfy him, but having three or five tables would not be good for his reputation.
Yang Fuzhen was greedy. If she knew about his promotion, she would definitely look down on Ye Qingzhi and would surely find him a seemingly good match. In the end, he would be the one to suffer.
As for his older brother and sister-in-law, and his younger brother and sister-in-law, they all wanted to take advantage of him. Since they couldn’t, they could only go through his parents.
Thinking of the news he had heard yesterday, the reason Xu Baoli had misunderstood that Jingyan was his illegitimate son was very likely the doing of the old house.
In the final analysis, it was because they resented Xu Baoli for causing the family to split, which had reduced the money he gave them from thirty to fifteen, and then to ten yuan.