Good Days
He Mingzhang and his mother left the wedding banquet empty-handed, feeling as anxious as ants on a hot pan. He was hoping that Zhan Aiping’s marriage proposal was a sham, and she still had feelings for him. Perhaps the next day, she would regret her decision and come looking for him…
However, to his surprise, it wasn’t Zhan Aiping who showed up at his door the next day. Instead, it was Mrs. Qin, the mother-in-law of the widow.
Mrs. Qin arrived with a group of people and shouted, “Smash! Smash everything!”
The people behind her rushed forward and began to vandalize the He family’s home. Zhou Jiacui screamed, “What are you doing? You can’t do this!”
He Mingzhang rushed forward to intervene, but Mrs. Qin spat on his face and struck him with a cane. He stumbled and fell to the ground. He was trying to figure out how to escape when Mrs. Qin said, “Old lady, I’m sorry for what I did to your family. What do you want as compensation?”
Mrs. Qin aimed for a vulnerable spot and stomped on it with all her strength. After all, she was halfway into her grave. Her son was gone, and her grandson wasn’t even her blood. What was the point of her continuing to live? She decided to take him down with her!
“Tianci? I’ll make sure you die!” Mrs. Qin stepped on the vulnerable area and pulled out a knife from her sleeve. With precision, she stabbed him.
“Ahhhh!!!” He Mingzhang screamed like a slaughtered pig, and a pool of blood soaked through his pants.”
A few days later, Zhan Aiping learned about the ‘tragic incident’ that had occurred in the He family. He Mingzhang hadn’t died, but Mrs. Qin had incapacitated him. That ‘thing’ of his was now useless. It was said that when they carried him to the hospital, part of that ‘thing’ had fallen off along the way, and many people in the courtyard witnessed it.
Once this incident came to light, the men in the vicinity felt a chill down their spines. On the other hand, many widows found some relief. Gossips and idle talk about men decreased, and fewer people dared to harass widows. They were all afraid of encountering another ruthless mother-in-law who had no regard for her own life, so they learned their lessons.
Mrs. Qin was already quite old, and even if she was sent to prison, she would spend her twilight years there. Moreover, the incident had its reasons, and He Mingzhang was still alive and well. He was sent to reform himself.
After learning about his fate, Zhan Aiping felt that it was a relief for everyone. However, she was no longer concerned about these matters. She was now the newlywed wife of Gu Sheng, and with the year coming to an end, she was leisurely preparing for the upcoming Chinese New Year.
Zhu Jiaorong and Zhan Aijia had returned to their own lives. Zhan Bo gave her a call, ‘Now that you’re married, live a good life, don’t be stubborn, listen to Xiao Gu more… and make sure to get your marriage certificate soon.’
Zhan Aiping responded absentmindedly. Although he was her biological father, in her eyes, he had been a figure who had been dead for many years. Any subtle father-daughter feelings had long dissipated.”
“Zhan Bo was a fan of authority, but lacked real capability. In the past, Zhan Aiping’s mother held a high position, which made Zhan Bo uncomfortable. However, he managed to benefit from her position to some extent and was somewhat idolized.
When her mother sacrificed her life and became a martyr, she left behind a good reputation. However, people are forgotten once they pass away, and no one cares about a remarried husband. Others might show concern for her daughter and son because of her mother’s legacy, but nobody pays much attention to a husband who remarried.
As the eldest daughter of the Zhan family, even though she had good academic achievements and joined the military, she chose to become a military doctor. This meant she was only a technical officer, not pursuing an administrative career or becoming a commanding officer. She had no authority or prestige.
Zhan Bo had always been critical of this. When she transferred to the school, he urged her to strive for an administrative role and become a school leader in the future.
Zhan Aiping didn’t have ambitions to become a leader. She believed that pursuing a technical path was good enough, with promotions based on merit. Becoming a leader meant having more responsibilities and challenges.
Now, Zhan Bo frequently referred to Gu Sheng as ‘Xiao Gu,’ indicating his satisfaction with his promising son-in-law. He no longer pressured Zhan Aiping to pursue an administrative career and instead advised her to be a good wife.
“You’re not a child anymore. Don’t argue with Xiao Gu. Learn more from your Aunt Zhu about how to be a virtuous wife.”
“In the future, we’ll all listen to Xiao Gu at home.”
Zhan Aiping said indifferently, “At my home, only I can make decisions. Do you still not know your daughter’s temper?”
Zhan Bo was furious on the other end, “Xiao Gu, can you make him listen to you?”
Zhan Aiping retorted directly, “Even if he doesn’t listen to me, he has to listen to me.”
Zhan Bo was so frustrated that his liver hurt, “What, do you want to fight with him too?”
Zhan Aiping replied, “If he wants to fight, I’ll accompany him.”
“Is he planning to divorce you?”
Zhan Aiping chuckled, “If he wants to divorce, then let him. We haven’t even registered yet, might as well do it sooner.”
“You’re insane, you really are.”
After hanging up the phone with his daughter, Zhan Bo felt extremely frustrated. When he knew that Gu Sheng might become his son-in-law, and he had been excited for several days, unable to sleep. To have such a great thing happen? To be related to the Gu family? To have Gu Sheng as a son-in-law, who had both a good family background and outstanding abilities?
He waited anxiously until his daughter’s wedding banquet, and only felt relieved when he knew that Gu Sheng had indeed arrived.
However, he didn’t have much time to relax. As soon as he heard what Zhan Aiping said, he felt uneasy!
Now Zhan Bo felt a chill in his heart. His daughter was not behaving properly. He was afraid that if the marriage with the Gu family couldn’t be finalized, it might turn into a feud in the end.
He didn’t even dare to boast to others about having Gu Sheng as a good son-in-law, fearing that they might not last a year or even a few months into their marriage. The Tang Monk and his disciples endured eighty-one trials without parting ways, while his eldest daughter and son-in-law probably couldn’t even endure one. It wouldn’t be long before they separated.
Zhan Bo sighed.
Zhu Jiaorong asked him why he sighed, and Zhan Bo said, “It’s because I didn’t raise my daughter well.”
“It’s partly my fault that Ping Ping has developed this temper,” Zhu Jiaorong said.
Internally, Zhu Jiaorong felt secretly pleased, but as a stepmother, she couldn’t say much. She changed the subject and said, “Ping Ping is an excellent and good girl. Having a bit of temper is normal.”
Zhan Bo replied, “We shouldn’t spoil our daughter. If we keep spoiling her, she won’t be able to face others. We need to teach her well from a young age.”
“Ping Ping has turned out like this, so Jia Jia can’t be like that anymore. I already consider Jia Jia as my own daughter now,” Zhan Bo said.
Zhu Jiaorong smiled happily, “That’s right, Jia Jia told me secretly that you are even closer to her than her own father.”
Zhan Bo replied, “A parent’s love for their child involves long-term planning.”
Zhu Jiaorong nodded, even though she didn’t fully understand, she agreed.
“Jiaorong, in the future, let Jia Jia handle all the household chores like washing dishes, cooking, grocery shopping, and cleaning. You can take a break,” Zhan Bo said, his heart burning with a fiery determination. With his own daughter not around, he had the desire to discipline her, but he lacked the ability.
Every time he thought about Zhan Aiping and Gu Sheng quarrelling and fighting, he felt furious. His good son-in-law and his good in-laws might be lost because of it, and that made him angry, even to the point of having liver pain.
He couldn’t dwell on it too much; the more he thought, the angrier he became.
His eldest daughter needed to be straightened out, but he couldn’t do anything from afar.
Zhan Aijia had to be educated properly; otherwise, they might end up losing a good son-in-law for nothing.
Zhu Jiaorong was taken aback and asked, “Why?”
Zhan Bo concluded, “She needs to learn how to be a good wife! For her own good, you must educate her and not let her become a lazy woman.”
Zhu Jiaorong hesitated, “But she still wants to find a job, and she has already made some contacts…”
“What about the job? After work, just let her come back and do household chores. I’ll keep an eye on her and teach her a lesson when she’s at home,” Zhan Bo replied firmly.
Zhu Jiaorong’s expression turned grim, “But she doesn’t want to do it.”
“She doesn’t want to? You tell her then. If she doesn’t do the household chores, send her to the countryside. She must stay at home and do household chores diligently for three years—laundry, dishwashing, sweeping, mopping. If she refuses? Forget about the job as well,” Zhan Bo said.
Zhu Jiaorong hesitated, “This…”
Zhan Aijia was still unaware that her “good times” in the Zhan family were about to begin.
*
It was already the end of the year. Despite her “married” status, Zhan Aiping was still spending the New Year alone in Shanghai. She told others that Gu Sheng had gone on a business trip; after all, being a military man, it was natural for him to be busy and not present.
Of course, some people were suspicious, but those with keen eyes had seen Gu Sheng helping her with laundry and considered him a good husband who cared for his wife.
News in the apartment building couldn’t be kept a secret for long.
During the winter break, when most students had returned home for the New Year, Zhan Aiping’s work at the school mostly involved taking turns on duty with other teachers. When she wasn’t on duty, she stayed at home, cocooning herself for the winter.
After Gu Sheng left that day, she didn’t contact him again, choosing to spend her “hibernation” days alone.
During this time, there was no central heating or air conditioning in the winter, and Zhan Aiping didn’t want to bother herself. During the daytime, when she had nothing to do, she would exercise for an hour or two around noon. The rest of the time, she stayed curled up in her blankets. She had borrowed a radio for her home and had also acquired several old books on traditional Chinese medicine from Ye Fangjing. Every day, she would read at home, study medical books, listen to the radio, and snack on sunflower seeds and roasted sweet potatoes.
Being lazy and lounging in her blankets every day felt really comfortable.
She didn’t worry about her meals either. When she was on duty, she worked part-time as a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, and news of her helping the pregnant teacher had spread among the other teachers. They knew she was skilled in Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and many of them were willing to give it a try.
For people of this era, even those in the medical field tended to trust traditional Chinese medicine more than Western medicine.
Because the Western medical system was not yet fully developed, many who studied Western medicine were only semi-skilled and couldn’t achieve much. Meanwhile, during this time, there were countless stories and remedies in Chinese traditional medicine.
These remedies sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t, varied from person to person, and often had no clear explanation for their effectiveness.
Although people were hesitant to seek Zhan Aiping’s treatment for serious illnesses, they did come to her for minor issues like hair loss, rashes, and the like. She was known as the old military doctor who had some traditional remedies up her sleeve.
In the coming new century, many people suffered from stress and anxiety, leading to hair loss issues becoming a common problem. Zhan Aiping, as an experienced traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, had dealt with hair loss problems countless times.
When it came to treating patients, Zhan Aiping didn’t charge any fees. Instead, people often brought her food as a token of appreciation. She received a variety of gifts, including eggs, sunflower seeds, peanuts, pork, and pastries, which made her quite content.
In this era, money wasn’t as important, and everything required receipts. Food was more valuable.
On a cold day, being alone at home, by the fire, cocooned in blankets, was truly comfortable. While others were busy preparing for the New Year, she, on the other hand, enjoyed a life where she could eat her fill without worrying about the family going hungry.
Being young had its advantages, and she treasured the days when she could lie in bed and sleep.
Until the second day of the Lunar New Year, when someone couldn’t hold back any longer and called her:
“…”
Zhan Aiping didn’t say anything either: “…”
“On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, I have some free time. Let’s go get registered.”
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