Starting a new chapter in life

“That’s a good thing, but there’s only an old lady left at home. She probably won’t want your whole family to move there, so your husband is living separately from you?” Jingyan asked.

Sister Wang laughed and said, "My husband didn't want to move there. He's educated, but he actually looks down on me. He's very happy that I can move out and not live under his nose. They didn't stop me from taking the children with me. Over the years, he hasn't spent a single penny of the children's food, drink, or other necessities on us."

However, he doesn't think much of me, and I don't have any expectations of him. I married him for the city residency permit, but later I was able to earn my own money, and we were quite happy living separately. Now my son is all grown up and has a stable job, so he doesn't need his father anymore. Therefore, I'm happy even if I don't have many holidays.

"Did that old lady eventually pass away?" Jingyan asked.

"Yes, when the younger generation of that family left, they said they would come to pick them up after a few years once they had established themselves there. But everyone knows that the old lady was abandoned by them. They left her the house and a lot of money, so she lived a very comfortable life in her final days."

Before she passed away, the old lady transferred the house to me and left a will. The director of the neighborhood committee personally witnessed the will, saying that even if her younger relatives came looking for her in the future, it would prove that I hadn't mistreated the old lady and that she had voluntarily given me the house.

However, the chances of them coming back are slim. Not long after the old lady passed away, the Cultural Revolution broke out, making it even more impossible for those people to return. Besides, whether they even want to come back is another matter entirely. Sister Wang pouted, somewhat dissatisfied with the younger generation.

"And then what? You just kept working as a live-in nanny?" Jingyan was genuinely curious. Back then, it was no easy feat for Sister Wang to make a living like that. If it were her, she definitely couldn't have done what Sister Wang did.

"How could that be? Back then, who would dare hire someone? Weren't they afraid of getting arrested? They called it capitalist practices?" Sister Wang chuckled. "While I can't be a live-in nanny, I can help look after the kids in the neighborhood if they need anything, maybe cook them a couple of meals or something."

They always gave me something, more or less. Plus, I did laundry for others, and there was some money the old lady left me. I managed to get through those years. In the last two years, things have improved, and through an introduction, I've taken jobs at two different places. And that's how I ended up here with you.”

"Your child has a job, but his father hasn't come to visit?" Jingyan really felt that the family was going too far.

“I didn’t want my son, whom I raised, to suffer any injustice. After my son got a job, I went back to get his household registration booklet and transferred his household registration to his workplace.”

I registered my household registration under my son's name again. When I returned the household registration book, the man didn't even look at it. He probably still doesn't know that my son and I have moved our household registration.

After that, I sold the old lady's house and bought a small one for my son. I've fulfilled my responsibilities to my son, so now I just need to take care of myself. Sister Wang is quite decisive in her actions.

"You're still married, how can you just move your household registration like that?" Jingyan felt that transferring household registration these days shouldn't be so easy.

"The situation was chaotic a couple of years ago. I knew a minor leader in the Revolutionary Committee, and I gave him some money to bribe him, which is how it got done. Of course, it wouldn't have worked out according to the proper procedures. But later, I took out our original marriage certificate and tore it up."

The Revolutionary Committee also helped me destroy the paper records. Now, my son's household registration lists his father as deceased and only his mother is listed. That family will never be able to find us again." Sister Wang's eyes were very firm.

Well, nothing is perfect right now. If these documents can't be found, no one can say anything. Jingyan knows that she doesn't need a day off. "From now on, you can work at my house without worry. After I give birth, I'll be starting a braised meat business. At that time, I'll really be relying on you for the family."

Sister Wang was also very happy: "I'm happy to be able to work in one place all the time."

Seven days passed, no more, no less. Early Friday morning, the construction team came for the second time, moved the toilet in, and assembled it in the place that had been prepared before. They flushed a bucket of water into the toilet to confirm that the pipes were working properly before fixing it in place, sealing the edges with cement, connecting the water pipes, and installing the pull rope. After verifying that everything was normal, they finished work. Jingyan settled the remaining 150 yuan with the person, received the receipt, and saw them off.

The three family members, young, middle-aged, and old, gathered around the toilet in amazement. "This time we really don't have to go to the public toilet anymore. This is a sitting toilet, which is much better than the squat toilet I used in the nursing home. We would never have dared to imagine this before," Grandma exclaimed.

Sister Wang looked on with great curiosity: "This thing is really good, but it's too expensive. Otherwise, every household would have one, and there wouldn't be a queue at the public toilet every morning."

Jingyan was also very surprised. This kind of thing was not even common in many bungalows in 2000, but now her family had it more than 20 years ahead of schedule. This life was worth it.

After everyone marveled at it for a while, Jingyan and Sister Wang took hoes and shovels to fill the hole in the yard where the pipes had been buried back in. "These construction workers are quite amusing; they only dig but don't bury them," Jingyan complained a little.

"I checked the area outside the courtyard, and they've leveled it all back up. It's just that the area inside the courtyard hasn't been done yet. It's not much, and it'll be finished in a bit. It's just a pity that such a large gap has been left on the original cement ground," said Sister Wang.

Jingyan looked at it and agreed. However, it was already a good thing that the pipes didn't go through the vegetable garden. If they bumped or knocked it while planting vegetables or turning the soil, it would be difficult to repair later. Although going this way would dig up the cement ground, it was much safer because no vegetables were planted here. The two of them worked hard to fill the soil, and Grandma tamped down the soil after filling it.

This action startled Jingyan: "Grandma, please don't step on the dirt, it would be terrible if you fell."

Grandma waved her hand: "You underestimate me. I'm not so old that I can't fall down when I step on the dirt. You two hurry up and get to work. Look, I'm catching up."

Seeing her grandmother having so much fun, Jingyan could only say, "Then please be careful."

After burying the pipes and cleaning their dirty shoes, He Zhijun returned with a bag of bones: "Jingyan, I ran into Zhang Xiaofen on my way back. She had some bones left over today and wanted to ask if we wanted to keep them."

"I thought the bones looked good. The pork bones can be used to make soup, which you like. The other spare ribs can be used to stew with green beans or to make braised pork ribs, so I kept them... Oh, Grandma, you're back! When did you get back? Why didn't anyone tell me?" He Zhijun said as he walked into the courtyard. He looked up and saw his grandmother sitting in the yard, his surprise mixed with disbelief.

Grandma smiled and waved to him: "I moved back last weekend. Your dad and your brother drove over to pick me up. Your studies are the most important thing, there's no need to delay you. By the way, the lady your mom found, Sister Wang, also came over last week. She's a nice person, capable and clean. Jingyan and I are quite satisfied with her. You should try her cooking tonight."

He Zhijun put down the bones he was carrying, squatted down in front of his grandmother, and looked up at her: "I'm really happy that Grandma is back. I feel much more at ease with you at home. You don't know, Jingyan is always so restless. She's quite far along in her pregnancy now, and it's not good for her to be alone at home. I was planning to come back every week to keep her company starting next month."

"Isn't it the start of the new semester next month? You'll be starting school too. There's no need to make yourselves so tired. There are people at home to take care of Jingyan. You should focus on your studies, strive for good grades, and get a good job after graduation. With a higher salary, Jingyan's life will be easier, and you can raise your children more carefully in the future. That's what's important." Grandma lovingly patted his head.

As the two were talking, they suddenly felt a movement in the net bag placed to the side. Turning their heads, they saw two kittens using their little paws to pry at the bones in the net bag, not wanting to eat them, but seemingly just finding it fun.

"These two have grown quite a bit," He Zhijun said with some surprise.

Grandma turned her head to look, and smiled as she slapped the two little ones away: "You little gluttons, you can't eat this. We'll give it to you after it's cooked."

Jingyan came out of the house and was very happy to see He Zhijun. She leaned against the door frame and smiled at them. She only spoke when she saw He Zhijun stand up: "You came back quite early today. Mom and Dad should come over again tomorrow. Dad installed a flush toilet in the house. It was just finished today and you came back. You're so lucky."

He Zhijun stepped forward and touched her already quite large belly, asking gently, "Is the baby being good? Has it kicked you hard? Is your leg swollen?"

Jingyan grabbed his hand, smiled and shook her head: "It's only been less than six months, so it's not tiring yet. I heard that it gets heavy around eight or nine months. I even filled in the soil in the yard today, and I didn't feel very tired. I just get sleepy easily, but I sleep very well. Do you think I've gained weight recently?" Jingyan brought her face closer to him.

He Zhijun pinched her cheek and laughed, "It's good to be a little chubby, it's soft."

Jingyan slapped his hand away in annoyance, then turned to see her grandmother smiling happily and said shyly, "You chat with Grandma a little longer, I'm taking the meat inside." After saying that, she picked up the net bag on the ground and walked towards the kitchen. Her walk was so brisk that, just looking at her back, she really didn't look like a pregnant woman.

Grandma got up from the recliner: "Jingyan is capable and not delicate at all. She can still make and sell braised meat with such a big belly. If it weren't for the hot weather, she probably wouldn't have stopped. She also has a good personality. You've found a treasure. You have to treat her well in the future. You can't look down on your virtuous wife just because you've met more girls in college."

He Zhijun nodded repeatedly: "Grandma, don't worry. I know how good Jingyan is. She won't have any ulterior motives. Besides, I'm about to become a father. I won't neglect my responsibilities at home. No matter how good someone is outside, nothing is as reassuring as home."

"You know it in your heart, that's enough." Grandma was just hinting at it; saying more would only annoy him.

He Zhijun was very satisfied with his dinner: "The Hunan cuisine was delicious, and the local Shanghai dishes made by my elder sister weren't too sweet or greasy, which I thought was also quite good. I'll leave the family to my elder sister Wang from now on."

This time, Sister Wang got to know all the hosts. There were no difficult people in the family, which put her at ease. She quickly promised, "Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of the old lady and Jingyan. Not to mention anything else, I will make sure they enjoy the food."

The next morning, He Jiaoxu brought He Zhicheng over. Cui Hongru and Zhou Jie stayed in Yangzhou and didn't come this time. When they got home, they saw that He Zhijun had already returned and had another chat. Afterwards, they couldn't stand the missing piece of cement floor.

“Dad, you just drove back, let’s go buy a bag of cement and fix this patch,” He Zhijun suggested.

He Jiaoxu was naturally fine with it. The three of them went to the building materials market together. Having a car made things much faster, and they quickly bought two bags of cement and came back. He Zhijun had helped out before and was quite skilled with cement, but he was a bit overwhelmed when it came to mopping the floor.

"It used to be so easy to work on the floor inside the house, why can't it be done now?" He Zhijun was starting to doubt himself.

“Because that’s cement on a brick floor, and this is newly turned mud.” A smiling voice sounded behind him. He Zhijun turned around and saw a pair of legs. Following the legs, he looked up and saw Liu Qiang. It was like seeing a savior: “Brother Qiang, what brings you here? Perfect timing, come and help me see how to repair this piece of land.”

Liu Qiang shook his head, took the spatula from his hand, and started working: "You should focus on your studies. I'll do this kind of work. Just treat me to a meal later."

He Jiaoxu also came over and couldn't help but nod as he watched how efficiently the man worked: "How did you find such a capable craftsman? I remember you found someone in just two days."

"He came to our door looking for work when Jingyan was home. Jingyan thought he knew how to build kang (a traditional heated brick bed), and later we found out that he could do general masonry and carpentry work. Among his brothers, there is also an old Chen whose family has passed down the craft of building kang from their ancestors. You can rest assured that you can entrust our kang to them. Our kang will be easy to heat." He Zhijun highly praised Liu Qiang and his brothers' skills.

He Jiaoxu nodded: "Your wife is really lucky. I heard that when we were in Jiang City, Jingyan took care of everything at home, even finding a house. That girl is really capable."

He Zhijun nodded: "Later, our Battalion Commander Gao's wife and son came over, and the whole family lived in the dormitory he applied for. Later, when we left, we sublet the house to their family. His wife can only do farm work, and she doesn't take the lead in anything else, unlike Jingyan, who knows a lot of people. Many things were sold to her by those people she knew, and she didn't even need coupons."

Jingyan had no idea that her father-in-law and husband thought so highly of her. She was even helping Sister Wang in the kitchen. It was hot today, and they had to cook all the bones so they wouldn't be able to keep them.