After Zhan Aiping became Director Zhan, the news quickly spread through the family compound. For the first couple of days, everyone she ran into would congratulate her.
“Congratulations, Director Zhan.”
“Director Zhan!”
The gap between vice director and director was huge, and people here were especially sensitive to the difference between “deputy” and “full” positions. It was just like how some people reached deputy regiment commander and stopped there, never able to become full regiment commander. The further up one went, the more every position became a fixed slot. Whether one could be promoted depended partly on ability, and partly on luck.
Luck was also a kind of strength.
After hearing “Director Zhan” so many times, even the two little ones at home started calling her that.
“Director Zhan!”
Guobaorou said, “Director Zhan, our family should eat meat today!”
Little Tangyuan said, “Director Zhan, Yuanyuan’s feet are tired.”
“Then I’ll carry you.” Zhan Aiping had brought the children back home from the hospital. At the gate, Little Tangyuan started making a fuss, saying she could not walk anymore. As the older brother, Guobaorou bravely took responsibility and offered to carry his little sister home.
Little Tangyuan shook her head. She glanced at the tall older brother on patrol. She only wanted to be carried home by someone tall.
Yesterday, she had even seen Shen Liqing’s Tangcuyu riding on one of the soldier brothers’ shoulders like a horse. She wanted that too.
Zhan Aiping: “…”
Zhan Aiping pretended not to understand her daughter’s little thoughts. A strong little powerhouse like her saying her feet were tired? Who was she trying to fool?
“Director Zhan says she’s taking you home. Bear with it a little longer, we’re almost there.” Zhan Aiping held her daughter’s hand and walked toward their home. “When Daddy comes back later, let Daddy carry you.”
Little Tangyuan said, “Alright.”
Her Yuanyuan’s daddy was tall, handsome, and especially good-looking. Unfortunately, he never stood guard at the compound gate.
Comrade Little Tangyuan felt that the comrades standing guard at the gate with guns were very impressive!
Her daddy was never seen with a gun or bayonet in his hands, so he did not look very impressive. He was probably someone who did paperwork, just like her own older brother, who liked reading books.
Little Tangyuan and Guobaorou walked hand in hand, skipping toward home. They skipped ahead while Zhan Aiping followed behind them. After the two little ones had bounced forward a few steps, they would turn back to look at their mother behind them.
If the distance between them grew too much, they would stand still and wait for a while.
“Director Zhan, Daddy said you have to walk slowly.”
“Director Zhan, Daddy said you can’t tire yourself out.”
“…”
Listening to the two of them call her Director Zhan over and over again made Zhan Aiping’s head buzz, as if she were raising two little bees — and very attentive little bees at that.
When they reached the yard and opened the gate, the two little ones stretched out their hands courteously and said in unison, “Director Zhan goes in first!”
Zhan Aiping: “…”
Had she raised two Haidilao waiters?
Children were always startled and excited by everything. A tiny thing happening in life could become a huge event in their world.
It was all Gu Sheng’s fault. These past few days, he had kept calling her “Director Zhan.” Every day at home, it was “Director Zhan this” and “Director Zhan that,” until both children were now constantly saying “Director Zhan” too.
“Mom is a director now. She’s different from before.”
What was different? She had simply been officially promoted from deputy to full director.
Still, hearing “Director Zhan” was rather pleasant. Zhan Aiping was happy to play along with the two children. She held her head high and strode back home, then closed the door.
“At home, everyone has to listen to Director Zhan!”
Zhang Lirong came out of the neighbouring yard. She had heard all those calls of “Director Zhan” from far away. Zhang Lirong gave a disdainful scoff.
“She’s just the director of some shabby township hospital. What’s so impressive about that?”
“Little Zhang, that way of thinking isn’t right.” Director Li Yuxia, who had been strolling through the family compound, happened to overhear Zhang Lirong.
“Do you have some kind of problem with Director Zhan?”
Zhang Lirong said, “What problem could I have? Director Zhan is so impressive now. Every day in their yard, it’s Director Zhan this, Director Zhan that.”
Li Yuxia looked at her with a half-smile. “What, are you envious? She became director, so of course she’s happy. Who wouldn’t be happy after getting promoted? When your husband gets promoted, I guarantee you’ll be even happier than she is.”
Zhang Lirong curled her lips, thinking that who knew what year or month that would happen.
She was more afraid that Gu Sheng next door would be promoted even faster.
After Zhan Aiping became hospital director, quite a few people in the family compound truly were envious. Never mind the increase in wages and benefits, and never mind that it was only a small township hospital. Even if it was a township hospital, she was still the director. She had dozens of people under her management. That was impressive.
Director, ah, director.
Zhang Lirong bit her lip, the few intestines in her stomach twisting together. They all worked in the hospital — who would not envy becoming the director? Who did not want to be an official? It was glorious.
When Regiment Commander Luo came home, Zhang Lirong mocked sourly, “That couple next door really are birds of a feather.”
Regiment Commander Luo asked, “What happened?”
“When Gu Sheng became regiment commander last year, wasn’t he so arrogant at home? Zhan Aiping was practically short of becoming a virtuous wife and good mother to serve him. Now look, Zhan Aiping has become director. The wheel of fortune turns. Now every day in their yard, it’s Director Zhan, Director Zhan. So impressive.”
“She’s just the director of some shabby hospital.”
Regiment Commander Luo sighed inwardly. “It’s still the best township hospital. That’s quite good.”
“Doctor Zhan returning to the township hospital means she won’t be as busy as she was at the military hospital.” Regiment Commander Luo was still hoping Zhang Lirong could go work at the township hospital.
The township hospital’s benefits might be a bit worse, but it was more relaxed than the military hospital, and the rules were not as strict. It would make it easier for her to take care of the family.
Zhang Lirong: “…”
Regiment Commander Luo chuckled foolishly a few times. “His wife became director, so she deserves to be proud for a few days. Little Gu is probably going to suffer now.”
Thinking back to when Gu Sheng had just become regiment commander, he had been so arrogant and smug, practically like a petty man intoxicated by success. Now things were good. The west wind had overwhelmed the east wind. His wife should hurry up and be smug for a while.
Regiment Commander Luo knew that the man next door would have to lower his head and act small for a few days, but he had not expected Gu Sheng’s behaviour to become simply outrageous.
For the past month or two, Gu Sheng had been quite busy, so busy that he could barely rest in a day and only had one or two hours of free time. But this man surnamed Gu still squeezed time out of every crack. During the little gap he had to rest in the evening, he rushed home, cooked for his wife, and after finishing the food, ran back to continue working. All the back and forth was treated as exercise.
What ordinary person would go to such trouble?
Zhang Lirong said, “Isn’t it just because his wife is pregnant again?”
Regiment Commander Luo sighed. “The family next door already has two children, and now they’re having a third? The country is now promoting birth control. One or two children is enough, especially when they already have both a son and a daughter.”
Regiment Commander Luo could say such things not because of anything else, but because he could not have more children.
He himself had somehow managed to have a chubby son by chance, but that did not mean he could have a second. He and Zhang Lirong had no plans to have a second child either. Before marriage, Zhang Lirong had already said she would only give birth to one.
Zhang Lirong said, “Who knows whether the one in her belly is one child or two? What if it’s two girls? Then their family will have three golden flowers.”
Regiment Commander Luo swallowed. “It could also be two boys. Then their family would have three little boys.”
When he said this, Regiment Commander Luo was sincerely envious. He was a very traditional man. In his hometown, the more sons a family had, the better. In the village, only when there were many brothers in your family would no one dare bully you.
“No wonder he’s so attentive. So it turns out he’s afraid of starving his son.” Regiment Commander Luo found an explanation for Gu Sheng’s behaviour, thinking that it could only be this.
Who was not doing things for the sake of his son?
If Zhang Lirong had not been holding their son over him, Regiment Commander Luo would never have tolerated her to this extent.
When Zhang Lirong heard Regiment Commander Luo say this, she muttered inwardly. She had also heard those rumours outside. Regiment Commander Luo had previously had two sons, but those two children were not actually his… His ex-wife had given him a green hat.
On top of that, the old lady had protected those two eldest grandsons. How could Zhang Lirong fail to guess the truth? She had been disgusted enough. Of course, Zhang Lirong could only turn a blind eye and pretend she knew nothing.
Because of this, Zhang Lirong knew how to control Regiment Commander Luo. Her one child was Regiment Commander Luo’s lifeline.
She had to protect this lifeline properly.
It was just as well that she could not have more. If there were too many children, they would no longer be precious. This single heir was much better than the one, two, three next door.
Recently, Guobaorou and Little Tangyuan had been especially obedient when eating, because their father always cooked delicious food and tried every possible way to nourish Zhan Aiping’s body. Zhan Aiping had just started showing, but she had lost even more weight.
The child in her belly was a troublesome one. Her reaction to this pregnancy was severe, and she never seemed to gain weight.
Knowing their mother felt unwell, the two children also felt sorry for her and always told Zhan Aiping to eat more meat and eggs.
“Mom, eat!”
With two such well-behaved children, Zhan Aiping felt especially comforted. How had she and Gu Sheng managed to give birth to two such little warm treasures?
The third one should also be a warm treasure, right?
Zhan Aiping was also worried that she might be pregnant with twins again. She went to the hospital for a check-up, and it was only a single pregnancy. It had been confirmed: just one child. Gu Sheng was going to be the father of three, not four.
Zhan Aiping really had been a little afraid of having two children at once again. If that happened, there would be too many people in the family, going directly from a family of four to a family of six.
“Father of Three, don’t worry. Your fourth child doesn’t even have a shadow yet.”
“You really spoke it into existence.” Zhan Aiping found it funny whenever she thought back to the scene on the train when they had first come.
Gu Sheng smiled. “Mother of Three, you don’t need to worry either. How could there be so many twins? In the past few years, in our compound, only you and Old Wang’s family had twins.”
Zhan Aiping said, “That’s right. Twins are an extremely small-probability event.”
Unless pregnancy was assisted by technology, naturally occurring twins were indeed rare.
Zhan Aiping still hoped to have a little daughter, a little marshmallow. Three warm treasures.
Shen Liqing came to visit her with the two “fish” in her family. “You wish.”
“What if it’s a mischievous little troublemaker?” It had not been easy for Shen Liqing to raise the two fish in her family. Her younger son was still alright, just a little lazy. But her eldest daughter… she was practically a little demon king causing chaos in the world. Even those tall and sturdy soldier brothers were afraid of her, a loud-voiced little demon.
Shen Liqing was especially envious of Zhan Aiping’s Guobaorou and Little Tangyuan siblings. What obedient children.
Zhan Aiping said, “A little mischievous is fine too.”
The two warm treasures at home were too warm. Being treated every day like she had entered Haidilao made her feel it was unreal. Perhaps she and Gu Sheng had already used up all their luck drawing those two cards. How could everything in the world go exactly as one wished?
If it was a little troublemaker, that would be fine too — that would make the child more like hers and Gu Sheng’s.
Shen Liqing said, “A little mischievous is fine too?”
“Zhan Pingping, don’t stand there making sarcastic remarks. If you really get a naughty child, you won’t even have time to cry.”
“But then again—” Shen Liqing moved her lips. “Children who can cry and make trouble get milk. Just like that cousin of mine. I have a quiet, well-behaved cousin who’s about to go down to the countryside as an educated youth, while the other one who causes trouble all day actually got a job.”
Leave a Reply