Showing Support
Zhu Jiaorong brought the dishes to the table, and the whole Zhan family sat together to eat. After Zhan Aiping’s group returned, they filled an entire large round table. Outside, fine snow drifted down, and misty frost bloomed on the glass windows, while inside, the room was warm, festive, and lively.
Looking at the crowd before him, Zhan Bo felt especially pleased. As people got older, they liked liveliness and crowds. He was happy.
He took out a few bottles of aged wine he had privately stored away, intending to have a few drinks with his good son-in-law, Gu Sheng.
Zhan Aiping was pregnant and did not drink. She sat to the side with the two little ones, Guobaorou and Little Tangyuan. Gu Xiangyi sat beside the three of them.
Zhu Jiaorong smiled as she spoke to Gu Xiangyi, her mouth pouring out one compliment after another. “You and our Mingzhao truly are a match made in heaven. You’re childhood sweethearts too. Thinking about it, this really is making close ties even closer…”
Her words left Zhan Aijia stunned. What was wrong with her mother? From her tone, it sounded as if she fully approved of this marriage. Was she really going to let Zhan Mingzhao marry Gu Xiangyi?
Zhan Aijia did not want such a thing to happen, so she quickly interrupted, “Making close ties closer is good, but I’m afraid outsiders might gossip.”
“This marriage still needs careful consideration. Little Sister Gu, marriage is a major matter for a woman. Don’t act recklessly. Your conditions are very good.”
Gu Xiangyi said, “I just think he’s good.”
Zhan Aijia deliberately sighed. “Whatever you value, don’t just value him being good. Look at me, Sister Jiajia, as a cautionary example.”
Gu Xiangyi: “?!”
“Zhan Aijia!” Zhu Jiaorong glared at her. “Don’t talk nonsense. Do you think everyone is as unable to tell good from bad as you? Young and still on your first marriage, yet you rushed off to become stepmother to three children.”
Zhan Aijia’s face instantly turned pale. She had never expected Zhu Jiaorong to say something so blunt and merciless.
Zhan Aijia muttered, “Didn’t I learn from you?”
Zhan Mingzhao had originally wanted to say something, but after seeing the scene before him, he kept quiet. This mother and daughter pair had actually started biting each other.
“Pingping is pregnant again?” Zhan Bo’s old face wrinkled into a chrysanthemum-like smile. He was overjoyed and quickly poured several more cups of wine. “Little Gu, it would be best if Pingping gives you another big, chubby boy!”
“It’s better to have a daughter.” Zhan Aijia interrupted from the side. “Sister Pingping, you don’t know how noisy several boys can be.”
Zhan Aijia did not want Zhan Aiping to add another big, chubby boy. If she gave the Gu family another grandson, then she would become the Gu family’s top daughter-in-law.
Zhan Aiping said, “Your family has four boys. You’ll have plenty of noise to deal with.”
Speaking of it, Zhan Aijia had not had it easy. After just over two years of marriage, she looked as if she had aged more than ten years. Looking after children drained a woman’s energy the most, and that man surnamed Lin clearly was not someone who cherished his wife. He treated his wife like a nanny.
Pain stabbed through Zhan Aijia’s heart. She regretted it terribly, feeling that her brain must have been flooded two years ago.
Back when she had lived in the Zhan family, although she had been an invisible person living under someone else’s roof, she had still never had to touch housework. All the chores had been done by the virtuous Zhu Jiaorong.
But later, she had eagerly married Lin Gang to become the so-called “regiment commander’s wife.” In reality, she had gone to become a nanny for four men. All the dirty, tiring, bitter work at home fell to her, and she could not even complain.
At first, Lin Gang had treated her well and coaxed her. But men were often away from home, so didn’t all the housework still fall on her?
If she dared to slack off, those cheap women in the family compound would spit criticism all over her face.
Zhan Aiping wore a happy smile and said longingly, “I just want to have another daughter, a daughter who can sing and dance.”
When Zhan Aijia saw the smile on Zhan Aiping’s face, the discomfort in her heart grew even worse, like a fire burning inside her.
Suddenly, she understood.
Face could not be eaten as food. Two years ago, she had been ridiculously stupid. Becoming a regiment commander’s wife had indeed given her prospects and let her show off in front of the Zhan family for a while… but what came after?
Being this regiment commander’s wife was too painful. She was exhausted, working like an ox and horse. The treatment was not even as good as when she had lived under someone else’s roof in the Zhan family.
Zhan Aijia pressed her lips together.
If Zhan Aiping gave birth to a daughter, it indeed would not give as much face as giving birth to a big, chubby boy. But daughters were considerate, daughters caused less worry, daughters were their mothers’ little padded jackets. If even two of her three stepsons had been stepdaughters, she, Zhan Aijia, would have had no idea how much more comfortable her life would be.
She had suffered enough from the bitterness of three boys. Zhan Aiping deserved to suffer it too!
Zhan Aijia changed the topic. “Sister Pingping, things always go against one’s wishes. You want to have a daughter, but maybe it’ll be a big, chubby boy. Last time you had twins, so maybe this time it’ll be twins again.”
“Doesn’t Brother-in-law have twin brothers?” Zhan Aijia smiled. “Maybe this time you’ll give birth to twin boys too! Then you’ll have given the Gu family three grandsons!”
Beside them, Zhu Jiaorong’s hand trembled as she held her chopsticks. What nonsense was this wretched daughter saying? Zhan Aiping giving birth to three big, chubby boys? Did she have that kind of good fortune? If she really had three big, chubby boys, wouldn’t she soar straight to the heavens?
Zhu Jiaorong glared at Zhan Aijia. What nonsense was she spouting?
“Don’t talk about your sister. Have another child yourself.”
Zhan Aijia smiled proudly. “I already have four boys now. If I have a daughter next, I’ll be perfectly satisfied!”
Putting aside whether she was a stepmother or not, the fact remained that she had four sons. Four sons—who wouldn’t envy that if she said it out loud?
Zhan Aiping said lightly, “Little sister, things always go against one’s wishes. Maybe you’ll have another boy next, five boys, five hearts.”
Zhan Aijia choked. “…”
At the thought of five boys, Zhan Aijia’s vision darkened. If she had five sons, she would indeed win face. But Lin Gang was not a good man. In his old, rotten way of thinking, men could not do any housework. He did nothing at home, and he did not allow his sons to do anything either, believing those were women’s tasks.
If a man did women’s work, it would affect his ability to achieve great things.
At this moment, Zhan Aijia no longer wanted any face. She just wanted to give birth to two daughters to reduce her burden.
She truly wanted daughters.
Zhan Bo laughed cheerfully. “You two sisters should both have boys. Have a few more big, chubby boys.”
As a grandfather, Zhan Bo actually did not care much about gender. Whether he had more grandsons or granddaughters, he would be happy.
Zhu Jiaorong slapped her chopsticks down. Her throat felt as if five or six walnuts were stuck in it, suffocating her. More than anyone, she had wanted to give birth to big, chubby boys, but in this lifetime, she had only managed to have one son, Zhan Mingkang.
She had only given birth to one son, yet her two daughters each had more than one son. Zhu Jiaorong felt as if ten million ants were crawling through her heart.
Zhu Jiaorong glared at her disobedient daughter, Zhan Aijia, thinking: You just had to run your mouth.
“Zhan Aijia, you’re already a mother. Stop worrying so much. Look at you. As the younger sister, you look even older than your Sister Pingping.”
When Zhan Aijia heard this, her eyes widened. Zhu Jiaorong’s words were like a sharp knife stabbing fiercely into her heart.
Gu Xiangyi silently drank her soup. “…”
This Zhan family was not very peaceful. On the surface, everything looked calm, but in reality, everyone was fighting with words, exchanging blows back and forth. This was the real battlefield filled with smoke and gunpowder. It seemed she would have to learn more from now on.
Little Sister Gu was, after all, from a military family. Faced with this kind of situation, she did not shrink back at all. Instead, she felt eager to try.
After she got married, would she also get to join the battlefield?
Gu Xiangyi’s heart surged with excitement.
Come on! Let’s fight.
Although Gu Xiangyi came from a military family, she had five older brothers above her and was the only younger sister and daughter. The family disputes basically involved her brothers. They were too lazy to argue or fight with her.
As for Gu Ze’an and Qin Ying, most of the time, they also took care of Gu Xiangyi.
And in the compound, because she had five biological older brothers, no one dared bully her, the only little sister. So… most of the time, conflict stayed far away from her.
Although Little Sister Gu seemed to have effortlessly won at life, she always felt like an invisible person excluded from the war chariot.
—She could clearly drive a war chariot too!
When she was at the military hospital, Gu Xiangyi had heard plenty of stories about battles between mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, and sisters-in-law. Now, she was eagerly waiting for her own chance to enter the stage.
Just as Gu Xiangyi was building up her emotions, Zhan Mingkang, who had been sitting silently in his seat, put down his bowl and chopsticks.
Before Zhan Aiping returned, Zhan Bo had sternly warned Zhan Mingkang. If he caused trouble like he had two years ago again, he would be thrown out…
The current Zhan Mingkang had also become a little smarter. The one who suffered from hunger was himself. So this time, as soon as the food was served, he silently ate without joining the conversation, making sure to fill his stomach before speaking.
Zhan Mingkang pushed away the bowl and chopsticks in front of him. He raised his eyes and truly examined his older brother, Zhan Mingzhao, the older brother who had gone to the countryside as an educated youth.
In Zhan Mingkang’s memory, this older brother had always been useless. Either he was being scolded by their father at home, or his sister came back and argued with Zhan Aiping, making a scene… He had never expected that after several years, Zhan Mingzhao would become such a pretty, red-lipped, white-toothed little pretty boy.
With malicious intent, Zhan Mingkang said, “Big Brother, didn’t you go to the countryside as an educated youth? Why didn’t you marry a rural wife and bring her back? My mum said rural wives are the best at serving men. You could have enjoyed yourself.”
The moment he said this, Zhan Bo’s expression turned ugly, and Zhu Jiaorong’s smile became strained.
Zhan Mingzhao smiled. “I did want to choose a wife from the village, but I didn’t get the chance. I already found a partner. Zhan Mingkang, when you go to the countryside, you can choose yourself a good wife from the village.”
Zhu Jiaorong said, “Mingzhao, don’t joke around. Why would Mingkang need to go to the countryside?”
It was enough for one person in the family to go to the countryside. Zhu Jiaorong had long planned to find her son an easy job in the city.
With Zhan Mingkang’s temper, he was not suited to becoming an official or cadre. Under his parents’ protection, finding an easy city job would already make him a good catch. Then he could marry a virtuous and sensible wife, and the whole family could live harmoniously.
Zhu Jiaorong had not served Zhan Aijia during confinement for nothing. She wanted to build a good relationship with her daughter, Zhan Aijia. Although Zhan Aijia had become a stepmother, she was still a regiment commander’s wife. In future, she would definitely be able to look after her younger brother.
“Yes! Go to the countryside!”
At that moment, Zhan Bo suddenly froze. He looked at Zhan Mingzhao, then at Zhan Mingkang, whose face had grown so fat it had changed shape. In that instant, it was as if his governing and conception vessels had been opened. He thought of something wonderful!
—Send Zhan Mingkang to the countryside as an educated youth!
Zhan Mingzhao smiled faintly. “Being an educated youth is good. Responding to the call…”
Zhan Mingzhao spoke fluently and at length about the benefits of becoming an educated youth. They were all grand, impressive, and inspiring words, the kind that could stir a person’s blood and make them burn with enthusiasm… Zhu Jiaorong was so angry she wanted to curse, but she truly could not refute him.
Going to the countryside as an educated youth was something the government encouraged. If she dared oppose becoming an educated youth, wouldn’t that be opposing government policy?
Zhan Bo’s head grew hot with excitement. The more he looked at his eldest son, the more pleasing he found him.
“Exactly. You have this level of awareness. It comforts me as your father! Your thinking is very good. As expected, as expected…”
In that instant, Zhan Bo felt that going up to the mountains and down to the countryside for re-education really was an excellent thing.
Look at his eldest son. After spending a few years as an educated youth, he had become like a different person, and had even turned into a prized catch everyone was fighting over.
Sending Zhan Mingkang to the countryside instantly filled Zhan Bo’s mind like a spell. If Zhan Mingkang went to the countryside as an educated youth and accepted re-education, he would no longer be so lazy and useless at home, unable to do anything. He would become a positive and ambitious man.
Right now, he was the same as his older brother had been back then: pale, plump, unremarkable, with shapeless features. Send him to the countryside for a while, and he might become dark, thin, and handsome too… Maybe Zhan Mingkang would also be fancied by many girls from good families.
Zhan Bo’s chest rose and fell countless times. Wonderful! Truly wonderful!
It was fine for Zhan Mingzhao and Gu Xiangyi to marry. If they ruined the relationship between those two, they might harm the bond between the Zhan and Gu families. Now, with close ties becoming even closer, everything was getting better and better!
Zhan Bo was not afraid of outsiders saying anything about their family either.
When the time came, Zhan Bo would spread the news that he was sending his youngest son to become an educated youth next year! In this era, going to the countryside as an educated youth was an extremely glorious thing.
He, Zhan Bo, had sent both of his biological sons to the countryside as educated youths!
A man who made such a choice would gain tremendous honour. Even if it made the newspaper, they would praise him a few times. Who would dare attack him then? Both of his biological sons had become educated youths!
How righteous he was. How progressive his thinking was.
Zhan Bo immersed himself in this fantasy. Once Zhan Mingkang became an educated youth, Zhan Bo would gain face. Once Zhan Mingkang lost weight and became handsome, he might find him a daughter-in-law from a good family, and Zhan Bo would gain even more face.
Zhan Aiping: “…”
Zhan Aiping and Gu Sheng exchanged a glance. As his biological daughter, how could Zhan Aiping not know what Zhan Bo was thinking?
After going to the countryside for several years, her younger brother Zhan Mingzhao had truly become smarter. Everyone in the Zhan family had found Zhan Bo’s weak spot.
Sending Zhan Mingkang to the countryside as an educated youth?
That was indeed a good thing.
Zhu Jiaorong felt uneasy. After being Zhan Bo’s pillow companion for more than ten years, how could she not know what he was thinking? How had the topic twisted into Zhan Mingkang going to the countryside as an educated youth?
It was all because that damned brat Zhan Mingzhao had brought it up!
That night, after returning to their room, Zhu Jiaorong quickly whispered privately to Zhan Bo, “Do you really want Mingkang to become an educated youth?”
Zhan Bo said enthusiastically, “I think this can work. We can just write Xiaokang’s age a little older and send him to the countryside as an educated youth next year. Or maybe this year? The sooner, the better!”
Zhu Jiaorong’s eyes nearly bulged out. Had Zhan Bo gone mad? Was there something wrong with his brain? He really wanted to send his own biological son to become an educated youth?
“Xiaokang is our only child together. I can’t bear to let him suffer in the countryside. Being an educated youth is so tiring. Life in the countryside isn’t easy…”
Zhan Bo frowned. “Zhu Jiaorong, that’s not what you said when Mingzhao went to the countryside. You said men needed more tempering. Mingzhao originally didn’t have to go to the countryside. He went in Jiajia’s place.”
Zhu Jiaorong’s breath caught. “…”
“Have you forgotten what you said back then? When boys grow up, they need more tempering. A girl like Jiajia could avoid going to the countryside to suffer, but what was there to worry about with a man? Men should not fear hardship or exhaustion. I think we should let Xiaokang go to the countryside and toughen himself up.”
Of course, the most important thing was gaining face for Zhan Bo.
Zhan Bo had already calculated it all in his heart. His eldest daughter, Zhan Aiping, was a deputy hospital director, and his son-in-law was a regiment commander who might become a division commander or army commander in the future. His younger daughter, Zhan Aijia, had also married a regiment commander. Zhan Mingzhao was going to marry a partner from a good family… Now, in the whole family, only Zhan Mingkang was left.
Zhan Mingkang had no prospects. If he stayed in the city, he would at most be arranged into some easy job. Girls from good families would absolutely not fancy him.
Rather than let Zhan Mingkang stay in the city eating and idling around, it would be better to send him to the countryside as an educated youth. First, it would bring Zhan Bo face. Second… once Zhan Mingkang became thin and handsome, heh heh heh, maybe he could also marry a daughter-in-law from a good family.
Zhu Jiaorong gritted her teeth. “I can’t bear it. I absolutely won’t let him go to the countryside as an educated youth. I want Xiaokang to stay by our side.”
Zhan Bo advised her, “If you can’t bear to risk the child, you won’t catch the wolf.”
Zhu Jiaorong: “…I don’t want to catch a wolf.”
Zhu Jiaorong’s mind was in chaos.
Zhan Bo continued, “Look at Xiaokang’s older brothers and sisters. Which one of them isn’t successful? Pingping and Jiajia both married military officers, regiment commanders. Mingzhao is going to marry the commander’s youngest daughter… Now only Zhan Mingkang is left. Do you really want him to marry a rural wife?”
“Only city girls with poor conditions would try to cling to our family.”
“…You may be able to lose face like that, but I can’t.”
“If he can’t compare with his older brothers and sisters, do you want your youngest son to be unable to lift his head?”
Zhu Jiaorong opened her mouth. She had no idea what to say. Yes, there were four children in the family. Three had married well or were marrying well. Only Zhan Mingkang remained. If he had no prospects and married an ordinary girl… the couple would lose tremendous face, and Zhan Mingkang would not be able to lift his head either.
Zhu Jiaorong said painfully, “If we send Xiaokang to the countryside, will he be able to marry a girl from a good family?”
Zhan Bo said, “Look at his brother Mingzhao. Isn’t he a ready-made example? And look at photos of me when I was young.”
Although Zhan Bo’s current temperament and appearance were a complete mess, when he was young, he had still been a fairly delicate-looking young man. Otherwise, he would not have been able to marry Ai Feihong, nor would he have produced two good-looking children like Zhan Aiping and Zhan Mingzhao.
Zhu Jiaorong: “…”
When Zhu Jiaorong married Zhan Bo, he had already been a middle-aged man. Only from old black-and-white photographs could one see that he had once been fairly good-looking.
“With Xiaokang carrying around that pig-headed look, what good girl would like him?” Although elders these days liked juniors who were fair and plump, Zhan Bo knew that if he wanted his youngest son to climb high, girls liked men who were slim, tall, and handsome.
He was already as fat as a pig’s head. What girl would like him?
“Let him go to the countryside as an educated youth and properly reform himself!”
Zhu Jiaorong: “…” He called it reform, but wasn’t that just making her son suffer?
“I can’t harden my heart to do it.”
Zhan Bo advised her, “Even if you can’t harden your heart, you still have to. This is for our son’s own good. Can you really bear to let Xiaokang be unable to lift his head?”
“If Xiaokang becomes handsome, he can marry you a daughter-in-law with good conditions. Do you still remember the families I listed for you yesterday? Old Lu’s family, Old Cheng’s family…”
Zhan Bo counted them off one by one, listing all kinds of positions, posts, and family backgrounds. “Look, if Xiaokang can become one of their prized sons-in-law, wouldn’t that feel wonderful?”
Zhu Jiaorong: “…”
Zhan Bo threw in another heavy blow. “Touch your conscience and think back. These past two years, after Zhan Aijia became a regiment commander’s wife, how has she acted in front of you? And how did she act before?”
“You serve her so eagerly. Isn’t it all so Gangzi will look after Xiaokang?”
Zhu Jiaorong remained silent.
Zhan Bo continued, “If Xiaokang becomes someone’s prized son-in-law, with several powerful elder brothers-in-law above him, won’t that bring you face and glory? When the time comes, Jiajia will be the one begging you, not you begging her.”
Zhu Jiaorong: “…”
Zhu Jiaorong was faintly persuaded.
Although this had not been her original aim, Zhu Jiaorong had never had much ambition. If her son was useless, then he was useless. She only hoped his biological father would look after him while he was alive, and after his father was gone, a brother-in-law could still take care of him.
As long as Zhan Mingkang married her an obedient daughter-in-law who could do housework, that would be enough—this had always been Zhu Jiaorong’s plan.
But now, Zhan Bo had shown her a new path.
Let Zhan Mingkang become someone else’s prized son-in-law!
Zhu Jiaorong’s heartbeat paused for a moment, and a vast new world opened before her eyes.
She and Zhan Bo truly were husband and wife. These few words from him had struck right into her heart. Zhan Aijia’s change before and after marriage had made Zhu Jiaorong feel like she was having a heart attack, but because she still had to rely on her daughter and son-in-law, Zhu Jiaorong did not dare say much.
But what if Zhan Mingkang’s status changed?
Zhu Jiaorong also wanted others to eagerly beg her!
Zhu Jiaorong asked, “Let Xiaokang go to the countryside as an educated youth? Where would he go?”
She had more or less already agreed in her heart to let Zhan Mingkang become an educated youth, but Zhu Jiaorong still did not want him to go somewhere too harsh. The borderlands were too bitter and too cold.
Zhan Bo answered without even thinking, “Does that even need asking? Of course he’ll go to Yunnan Province as an educated youth.”
Zhu Jiaorong was dumbfounded. “…”
“Yunnan is good. Our area is paired with Yunnan anyway. There are plenty of quotas, so it’s convenient. His older brother and sister are both over there too. That place is good. It’s just a little hot, but being hot is better than freezing in the north, don’t you think?”
Zhu Jiaorong’s expression shifted unpredictably. She thought: Think my foot.
Let Zhan Mingkang go to Yunnan as an educated youth, right under the eyes of his half-siblings… Only Zhan Bo could come up with such a thing.
Zhan Bo smiled so widely his mouth could barely close. “His sister and brother-in-law can look after him too!”
Zhu Jiaorong felt Zhan Bo’s brain must be filled with filth. Only he could think up something like this. Sending Zhan Mingkang to Yunnan as an educated youth—wasn’t that just sending a sheep into the tiger’s mouth?
Yet Zhan Bo himself truly did not think there was any problem. In his eyes, the Zhan family was harmonious and happy, all family members enjoying each other’s company. Their Zhan family was a warm, blissful big family.
The next day, Zhan Bo woke up early. In high spirits, he ground ink and laid out paper himself. He did not want anyone’s help. With the family watching from the side, he shook out his sleeves, spread the calligraphy paper across the table, and with a casual flourish of his brush, wrote the line middle-aged men loved most:
—When the family is harmonious, all affairs prosper.
The expressions on the faces of the rest of the Zhan family were wonderfully varied. Only little Comrade Gu Xiangyi applauded him the most enthusiastically.
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