“Uncle Liu, it’s freezing tonight, and you’re out here playing again at the alley entrance!” Zeng Shuyi got off her bicycle, having just ridden all the way back, feeling like her ears were frozen stiff.
Liu Xiwang tugged at the cotton jacket with both hands.
“Hey, your Uncle Liu’s family isn’t home, and I’m bored being alone, so I came out to chat with everyone. Oh, by the way, Shuyi, your family has some good news. You should head home quickly.”
Good news?
Zeng Shuyi couldn’t think of anything at once.
When she got home, she found out that after more than two months of effort, her elder sister-in-law was finally pregnant.
Wang Juan sat proudly on a chair, one hand resting on her still flat belly.
“Oh, Shuyi, you brought roast chicken back? You don’t know yet, do you? I’m carrying your future nephew. Once you marry out, you’ll have your nephew to back you up. Come on, give me a chicken drumstick first.”
Zeng Shuyi couldn’t stand her elder sister-in-law’s arrogance.
“No way, none for you.”
“Fine then, Xiang Ping, go buy me one. Our son is craving it.” Wang Juan wasn’t angry.
She was the family’s precious darling now and didn’t care about the single chicken drumstick Shuyi offered.
If she wanted roast chicken, she’d have a whole one herself.
With the wife pregnant, Zeng Xiang Ping felt happy and rode off on his bicycle to buy roast chicken.
Zeng Shuyi took out the roast chicken to share with the family, leaving her elder sister-in-law to watch it for now.
Then she pulled out thirty yuan.
“Mom, this is money I earned. I have to pay you back. I can’t do this against my conscience. Otherwise, I’m the only one with money; Second Sister and Xiangmin don’t have any, and I feel bad.”
Lin Jiazhen looked at the money but said nothing before Zeng Qingliang snatched it away.
“If she gives it to you, take it. Why make such a fuss?”
“It’s not that,” Lin Jiazhen said. “Shuyi, you gave us so much. Do you still have money left for yourself?”
She worried her daughter might be short of cash and not able to manage her daily expenses.
Zeng Shuyi said she did. “I still have ten yuan left, enough for me to run my business.”
She wouldn’t tell the whole truth; better not to flaunt wealth, especially at home.
Lin Jiazhen accepted the money.
Wang Juan glanced at her mother-in-law’s pocket, and after dinner, she deliberately went to the mother-in-law’s room for a visit.
As for Zeng Shuyi, she had no idea that her elder sister-in-law and parents had borrowed money.
A few days later, she overheard her elder sister-in-law boasting about her husband finding such a great wife, now a dual-income family.
“People need face, and trees need bark. You still have to work yourself; otherwise, you’d need a really thick skin to freeload at someone else’s house for over half a year.” Wang Juan said this deliberately so that Zeng Shuyue could hear.
Since Zeng Shuyue returned, she hadn’t found a job yet.
Although she helped Shuyi make sugar syrup, the monthly income didn’t even cover the five yuan living expenses.
Zeng Shuyue could only help with housework, cleaning thoroughly inside and out, but she still felt uneasy living there, wanting to find a job quickly.
But jobs were hard to find, and Zeng Shuyue was beginning to feel desperate.
He Shengnan leaned against her mother.
Since returning to the city, her personality had become increasingly timid.
She glanced nervously at her eldest aunt’s face and then at her mother’s, lowering her head shyly.
Luckily, Zeng Shuyi wasn’t home, or she’d surely have argued with Wang Juan.
While cooking dinner, Lin Jiazhen sighed, “Don’t bother with your elder sister-in-law. That’s just how she is—sharp-tongued but decent. Now she’s pregnant and can’t afford to get angry.”
“I know, Mom.” Zeng Shuyue didn’t have the energy to argue. Her father had been obliging to the elder sister-in-law lately, and they were convinced she’d have a son.
Mother and daughter busied themselves in the kitchen.
Just as the meal was almost ready, Zeng Shuyi returned from selling goods.
Her bamboo basket was getting heavier.
She called her brother to help carry it down.
“Xiangmin, what’s wrong with your face?”
“I got into a fight with my senior.” Zeng Xiangmin lowered his voice, “Don’t tell the family, just you. Don’t worry, he got it worse than me. I just scraped a little skin.”
“Why fight?”
“He always stirs up trouble and claims credit for stuff we did.
It’s so annoying. I finally lost it and tore him apart. He came looking for trouble, so we fought.” Zeng Xiangmin sounded quite pleased.
“Third Sister, I’ve put up with him a long time. When I finally stuffed a rag into his mouth, it felt so good.”
Hearing his victory, Zeng Shuyi didn’t say much. “As long as you know where you stand. The factory is like that—relationships are everything. But you’ve always been like this. Do as you like.”
“Third Sister, you’re the best. I envy you. If I could do business like you, I’d be dreaming sweet every night.” Zeng Xiangmin put down the bamboo basket. “Isn’t your basket a bit small? Shouldn’t you get a bigger one?”
“My bike can’t carry anything bigger. Maybe later I’ll get a tricycle.” Zeng Shuyi was full of drive, always thinking about how to make more money.
Especially when she had cash in hand, she felt addicted to earning money.
“Third Sister, be honest, help me out. Or give me some advice. I really don’t want to keep working for Carpenter Feng. Every time I hear Zhao Fu and the others talk about it, I get so jealous.”
Mentioning a few friends, Zeng Xiangmin suddenly got serious. “Third Sister, Zhao Fu and the others haven’t said anything strange to you, right?”
“What strange things?”
“Good. Just do business with them but never go eat or hang out with them.” Zeng Xiangmin insisted that a brother could only be a brother, never a brother-in-law.
Zhao Fu had privately asked him more than five times to ask his sister out to dinner, even offering to pay. Zeng Xiangmin always refused.
No way Zhao Fu was going to woo his sister!
Zeng Shuyi hadn’t thought much when dealing with Zhao Fu, but now she found her brother’s behavior strange. “You really are something. Before, you said they were your good friends, and now you can’t even eat with them. Don’t meddle in my business—I know my limits.”
“That won’t do. You have to listen to me!” Zeng Xiangmin made her promise. “Did you hear me?”
“Alright, alright, I’ll listen.” Zeng Shuyi said reluctantly.
When the siblings left the room, the meal was ready.
Shuyi was already starving and began eating heartily.
But Wang Juan said she had no appetite. “Mom, didn’t I say I wanted it sweeter? Why didn’t you put sugar in?”
Lin Jiazhen said the family was out of sugar.
“No way! The family makes sugar syrup every day. Doesn’t Shuyi give you any? ” Wang Juan poked the food with chopsticks, bored. “Forget it, I won’t eat, I might as well starve.”
As she went to her room, Lin Jiazhen hurried to knock on the door, urging Wang Juan to come out and eat some more.
Zeng Qingliang looked at his daughter. “Shuyi, I have to say something. We all live under one roof. Why make a fuss over this and that? Your elder sister-in-law is pregnant now; why not give her some sugar?”
“Dad, is the baby hers or mine? Will it support me when I’m old?” Zeng Shuyi didn’t stop eating but smiled when she saw her dad couldn’t answer. “See? You can’t answer. You want your sons and grandsons to bring glory to the family, so you’re biased. That’s your business. But don’t bother me. I pay my living expenses every month; I’m not freeloading.”
She didn’t care about her elder sister-in-law’s temper.
Zeng Qingliang was left speechless. “Fine, fine, you’re very capable. I won’t manage you anymore!”
“Then don’t! You’d better pray the baby’s a boy; otherwise, all this is for nothing.” Shuyi, full and done eating, ran off quickly to avoid getting scolded.
“You little brat, what did you say?” Zeng Qingliang couldn’t bear it. With family planning policies uncertain, if the eldest son’s wife was expecting a girl, the family line might end.
Zeng Shuyi ran into the yard, pretending not to hear her father’s scolding.
After lubricating her bike’s chain, someone suddenly called her from the wall.
“Shuyi, it’s me.” Xu Zhaodi waved at Zeng Shuyi, signaling her to come closer. “Shuyi, I heard your business is doing well lately. That’s great.”
“Just so-so,” Zeng Shuyi replied.
“Oh, you can keep it up. Can you help me with a little favor?” Xu Zhaodi tapped her feet; they ached.
Just as Zeng Shuyi reached the door, Xu Zhaodi pulled her into the yard as if afraid someone would see.
“Auntie, what is it? Speak up.” Zeng Shuyi was puzzled. Acting like a thief in her own home? If she were asked to steal, she wouldn’t!
“Keep your voice down.” Xu Zhaodi didn’t want others to hear. “I want to buy some milk powder to supplement the family. Can you help me get some?”
Her son had been married for five or six years but still no children.
Now that family planning was imminent, she was desperate.
Others were rushing to have second or third children, but her family hadn’t had even one.
Milk powder was expensive and needed foreign exchange coupons, only sold at the department store.
Zeng Shuyi couldn’t help. “Zhizai, I really can’t do this. I don’t know anyone at the department store.”
“How could that be? Where do you get the stuff you sell?” Xu Zhaodi didn’t believe her, thinking she was bargaining. “If you help me, I’ll give you a one-yuan tip. Deal?”
She had money but no foreign exchange coupons; otherwise, she’d just buy it herself.
Zeng Shuyi thought Xu Zhaodi was calculating.
Buying one coupon cost more than one yuan.
“Zhizai, I really don’t have that ability. If I were that good, I’d be selling better stuff. Why wait till now? Look at me—I’ve never brought home anything that good.”
“How would I know? I don’t live with you.” Xu Zhaodi raised her offer by fifty cents, but Zeng Shuyi still shook her head. Annoyed, she said, “Shuyi, I’m not asking you to steal or rob, just to help buy the milk powder. What’s so hard?”
Zeng Shuyi was speechless. “Then Auntie, if you give me five yuan, I might actually get you a can of milk powder.”
She could ask Zhao Fu and the others, spend two or three yuan on coupons, and earn two yuan as a runner’s fee.
That could work.
“Five yuan?” Xu Zhaodi saw Zeng Shuyi’s open palm and felt disrespected.
She stormed off angrily.
Back home, she vented to her husband. “Shuyi is hopeless. When we met in the alley, she was so sweet. Now? She wants five yuan to help. I might as well go buy it myself!”
Zhang Shuncai was shocked at the five yuan. “How could she ask for that much?”
“I don’t know!” Xu Zhaodi snapped. “They say the bourgeoisie are the worst. Now I get it. Rich people change. She’s just like Wang Chaoyang—I think they’re already an item.”
“You can’t say that. You didn’t see anything.” Zhang Shuncai said.
“Whatever! People say milk powder is nutritious. Look at Zhang Changhong—married so many years, and he’s our only son. If he never has kids, the neighbors will laugh. You find a way to get a can.” Xu Zhaodi insisted.
Zhang Shuncai couldn’t bear to spend five yuan, so he tried to figure something out himself.
A couple of days later, when Zeng Shuyi returned home, Liu Xiwang called her over at the alley entrance.
“Shuyi, you’re like a kid we watched grow up. When you started selling, we knew it wasn’t easy and helped you with your business. You can’t be so heartless. The neighbors ask you to do something; if you can help, you should.”
Liu Xiwang sat at the alley entrance every day.
Whenever something happened in the neighborhood, he liked to get involved.
His own family had nothing to do, and staying home bored him to death.
When Liu Xiwang spoke, Zeng Shuyi looked at Xu Zhaodi sitting nearby.
Seeing Xu’s evasive eyes, she immediately understood what was going on and smiled. “Is this a misunderstanding? Auntie Xu asked me to buy milk powder and offered me one yuan as a tip. I said one yuan isn’t enough to buy foreign exchange coupons, so I really can’t do it. I can’t just pay out of my own pocket. Uncle Liu, isn’t that right?”
Liu Xiwang couldn’t understand why Xu Zhaodi only offered one yuan.
From what Xu said, she gave a lot more tips, which was why she came looking for Zeng Shuyi.
Only one yuan?
That really can’t be done.
Embarrassed, Liu Xiwang didn’t continue. “Right, right.”
Zeng Shuyi looked at Xu Zhaodi warmly. “Auntie Xu, you said the milk powder is to help Brother Changhong, right? He does need it, but does milk powder really work? My parents gave my eldest brother some supplements, and my elder sister-in-law got pregnant. Maybe you should ask my parents what they gave my brother. It might be cheaper than milk powder!”
Everyone in the alley knew Zhang Changhong had been married many years without children.
Now that Zeng Shuyi brought it up, everyone understood the situation.
Liu Xiwang smiled right away. “Yes, Shuncai’s wife. Why don’t you ask the Zeng family?”
Xu Zhaodi couldn’t stand it anymore and hurriedly left, shooting Zeng Shuyi a warning glance as she ran home.
Zeng Shuyi walked home happily.
With the year’s end approaching, everyone’s desire to buy things was growing.
Some even asked if she sold preserved meats.
She wanted to sell, but meat required meat ration tickets, not just money.
Still, she felt it was a shame.
If those goods didn’t need ration tickets, her business would definitely grow bigger.
After parking her bicycle in the yard, Zeng Shuyi called Second Sister to help carry the bamboo basket.
Zeng Shuyue walked ahead. “Why come home so early today?”
“The goods sold well. I didn’t prepare enough. I’ll head home first. Tomorrow I’ll go to the cotton mill and buy two bags of scraps.” Shuyi noticed Second Sister’s pants were stained with mud.
Shuyue said she hadn’t had time to change. “On the way out today, I helped an old lady who fell. I got mud on me. By the way, her son thanked me by giving me a box of Taro Paste Cakes. You should try some.”
Zeng Shuyi put the basket in the room.
Second Sister brought out the Taro Paste Cakes.
One bite revealed a light milky aroma inside, and the outer crust was crisp and flaky.
The cakes came in an iron box, looking precious.
“Second Sister, this box of Taro Paste Cakes looks fancy. Is that family very rich?” Zeng Shuyi asked.
“I don’t know. I saw the other side at the hospital.” Shuyue hadn’t thought much of it.
She never imagined that a simple act of kindness would lead to a job opportunity.