Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 272 Cheng Xiaoran (Grandma) — 1

I was born in the late Qing Dynasty, a turbulent era. My father's generation was quite wealthy. From what I can remember, my family was relatively simple: my parents and two older brothers. I was the youngest daughter, so I was naturally the most favored.

My parents' family lived in Yangzhou and were considered a wealthy family in the area. They owned many businesses and several shops, so I grew up in an environment where I had no worries about food or clothing.

When I was six years old, my father sent me to Haishi Zhongxi Girls' School. In order to take care of me, he opened a cotton mill in Haishi. Except for my eldest brother, who stayed in Yangzhou to take care of the family business, my parents brought my second brother and me to settle in Haishi.

At that time, I didn't know why my family came to Haishi. It wasn't until I grew up a bit that I learned that my family belonged to a collateral branch of the main family, which was originally weaker than the main family. However, due to my father's high business acumen, he had gained the ability and wealth to suppress the main family in Yangshi, which was not allowed.

The father did not want to have too much conflict with the main family, so he could only turn his attention to other cities. As for the family business in Yangzhou, it was not too difficult for the eldest brother to just maintain it.

I grew up in Shanghai and attended a girls' high school for seven years. After graduation, my father originally planned to send me abroad to study, but he was worried about me, so the idea was abandoned.

For two years, I lived like a pampered young lady at home. The young ladies around me, who were about my age, would talk about clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics all the time, which were none of my interests.

Seeing that I was really bored, my father had me do chores around him. Through this, I experienced a different world, the world of men. Many times, witnessing my father's way of doing things, I couldn't help but think that if I were to do them, I might not necessarily mess them up.

But women were restricted too much in that era. Even though my father doted on me, he would not let me handle things at the factory. At most, he would let me handle the household chores and let my mother teach me how to manage the household. I was very resentful, but I had no choice but to submit.

My father knew about my dissatisfaction, but he was powerless to do anything about it. Later, by chance, I met He Wanqing, who was just a junior staff member at the railway bureau at the time. The first time we met was when he came to the factory to confirm the time and quantity of the reserved wagons with my father.

He stood there, neither humble nor arrogant, checking with his father one by one. The afternoon sun shone into the room from outside the window, shining on his face and giving him a golden glow. His refined and handsome appearance stunned me for a moment, and I couldn't help but think: This young man is really good-looking.

During a break in our conversation, my father glanced at me and saw my infatuated look. He nudged my arm with his elbow, and I looked down at him: "Don't stare at people like that. Get your eyes off me."

I, who have never known what shyness is, actually blushed a little at this moment. I turned around and left the office to pour myself some tea in the break room. I didn't leave the break room until I saw the young man's departing figure.

My father sat at his desk, glanced at me sideways, and asked with a smile, "Have you taken a fancy to someone?"

I nodded without any hesitation: "He's good-looking, just the kind of look I like."

The father smiled and nodded: "Yes, the young man is indeed good. He is down-to-earth and hardworking. I'll ask around about his background. If he has a clean background, he'll be willing. You two can get to know each other. Our family doesn't need any arranged marriages. It's good enough if you find someone you like."

I laughed: "Didn't you ever think about arranging a marriage between us? We're being suppressed by our main family in Yangshi. If we attach ourselves to a large family here, maybe our family can be removed from the family tree and become independent."

The father shook his head: "What does it matter whether we move or not? Our family's money is enough for the three of you to live a carefree life. There's no need to make things so difficult. Happiness is the most important thing. Besides, things are too turbulent right now, and no one can predict what the future holds."

"It's better to be content with modest wealth than to be easily coveted by others. You're still too young and inexperienced; you don't know how difficult the world can be."

At the time, I was unaware of the chaos in the outside world. After all, I was well protected by my family and only knew that I was living a happy life.

My father acted quickly; He Wanqing's information was soon on his desk. After reviewing it, he seemed satisfied and called me into his study: "Ranran, the investigation into He Wanqing is complete. There's hardly anyone left in the family."

He had attended a private school, but never a proper school. His job at the railway bureau was essentially unofficial. If he had to rely on himself for the rest of his life, it would just be an ordinary life.

"Are you... really sure? If you really decide on him, I'll help him establish himself at the railway bureau, and maybe even get promoted in the future. But what if one day he gets too ambitious and abandons me after using me? Can you accept that outcome?"

I looked at my father, puzzled: "He shouldn't... right?"

My father looked at me earnestly and said, "Don't think too highly of the world. Before making any decision, you must consider the worst possible outcome. Only do something if you can bear the worst consequences. Don't gamble with human nature. You can't afford to gamble, and there's no need to."

I hesitated: "Father, I want to think about it carefully."

The father nodded: "Okay, think it over carefully, and come back to me when you've made a decision."

I left the study, feeling somewhat heavy-hearted.

The next day, I went to a teahouse with my girlfriends. There have been so few young men around me who I can't stand these days. The good-looking ones with good family backgrounds are too promiscuous, while the honest ones are not good-looking enough. I really can't settle for just any of them. While I was wavering, I told my girlfriends about my dilemma.

To be honest, the person who enjoys playing with flowers has a pretty insightful perspective. The young woman took a sip of tea, looking completely unconcerned: "Of course you have to find something pretty! It's pleasing to the eye and improves your mood."

"Looking for someone who seems honest might not be honest at all. It's better to just enjoy life one day at a time. At worst, we'll part ways and find someone else. Who knows what the future holds? Worrying now is useless."

I'm someone who listens to advice, so I went back to my father and said, "I've made up my mind. I'll take him. If we don't get along in the future or he treats me badly, I'll just divorce him because I have you and my brother as my support."

My father was very satisfied with my attitude: "That's right, my daughter doesn't need to humble herself or be afraid of making the wrong choice. Your brother and I will back you up."

A few days later, when He Wanqing came to check the railway bureau's use of wagons with my father, he took the opportunity to bring up this matter. I hid outside the door to eavesdrop, mainly to find out what he was thinking. If he was unwilling, I didn't want to force him. I was confident that I was good-looking and didn't need to worry about not being able to get married.

Upon hearing this news, He Wanqing was stunned for a moment before he finally spoke up to confirm, "Are you serious? Miss, you must have many talented young men willing to marry you. I... I'm all alone in my family, and I haven't had much schooling. I'm afraid I'll be letting Miss down."

"So, are you willing or not? You don't need to consider anything else." The father was still as straightforward as ever.

"I am willing, but I'm afraid of wronging Miss." He Wanqing's tone was slightly excited.

The father smiled upon hearing this: "I'm glad you're willing. My family is just a branch of the Cheng family, and we don't really have strict views on social status. I only have one requirement for you: that you be sincere towards my daughter and treat her well."

From childhood to adulthood, she's been the apple of my eye. I just wanted to find someone who truly loves her, someone who can cherish her for a lifetime. I hope choosing you wasn't the wrong decision. Don't let me down.

He Wanqing quickly promised, "Don't worry, I will definitely treat Miss well. I didn't study much, but I will study hard and read newspapers in the future so as not to embarrass Miss."

My father was very satisfied with his attitude. After sending her away, he called my second brother over and asked him to help me buy a house and property and prepare for my wedding. He went to a famous Taoist temple to help me match our birth dates and confirm the wedding date.

After getting past my parents, He Wanqing would run to the factory every few days, even if it was just to say a few words to me. He was happy to do so, and seeing his silly appearance greatly satisfied my vanity.

The wedding date was set, and everything fell into place naturally. After the marriage, he really cared about me. My father wanted to hand over the factory to him to manage, but he refused. He still preferred to stay in the railway bureau and seek promotion on his own.

The year after our marriage, our eldest son was born and named He Jiaoxu. Actually, he originally wanted the surname Cheng, but since my family didn't need any more sons, there was no need to make such a fuss, so we kept his surname. Our relationship became even closer.

When my son was three years old, the Nationalist government was established. My father, along with the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, donated money to the new government, which was considered a way of currying favor with them and buying peace. This was the right thing to do; at least as far as I remember, our family business wasn't affected much during that period.

I remained a glamorous young lady, spending my days helping my father with household chores, dressing up, and shopping—a very comfortable life. Meanwhile, influenced by Western culture, many socialites preferred Western-style clothing during this period.

But I still love cheongsams the most, especially the ones with embroidery. Whenever new fabrics or patterns come out, I go to the tailor shop and have a master tailor make one for me. My wardrobe is overflowing with cheongsams, but I can't bear to throw them away, so I store them in large wooden boxes to protect them from moisture and moths.

Even though I spend so much money, Lao He never complains. He even helps me tidy up. He also takes care of our son most of the time. My life hasn't changed much since I got married, and I'm very satisfied with that.

I thought my life would continue smoothly like this, but the arrival of war shattered all my beautiful life. My second brother accompanied our father to a banquet, and on their way back, they encountered a gang fight in the street.

The second brother took a bullet for our father. Our father was not injured, but the second brother was wounded in the middle of the night. By the time he was taken to the hospital, it was too late and he could not be saved. He already had a marriage partner, but now it had to be abandoned.

My father was devastated and his health collapsed. My mother could do nothing but grieve. At this time, my second daughter was already taking her first steps. I entrusted the children to my mother and took over all of my father's business.

After seeing the guests off and closing the door, the family returned to the main room, where the mother was already in tears.

I stepped forward and hugged her, tilting my head back to stop the tears from falling. In this damned era, human life is the cheapest thing. I felt indignant, but powerless.

My father had an accident, and then my mother collapsed. I was busy with business and also had to take care of my mother. My son was okay, as I could send him to school, but my daughter was still young, and I had to take care of her too. I was so busy that I was in a complete mess.

Wan Qing has also taken time out of his schedule to help me manage the business. After all, my mother is a woman, so it's not convenient for him to stay in the inner quarters for too long. He has to take over the cotton mill and also deal with the work of the railway bureau, so he's very busy.

Seeing how hard he was working, I suggested that he quit his job at the railway bureau, but he disagreed, saying only that the job was very important and he couldn't give it up, so I didn't press him any further.

My mother endured for several months, but eventually lost the will to live and passed away with my father. I wanted to bury them together in the ancestral graveyard in Yangzhou, but the family refused, saying that there were too many people in the clan and the ancestral graveyard could not hold them all.

My older brother argued with them, but I didn't want to get into a conflict with those people, so I stopped him. After discussing it, my brother and I decided to find a new place to separate ourselves. Of course, our branch in the family genealogy also had to be separated. They wouldn't let us in without the ancestral graves. And our family's assets were still being coveted by others. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

The family must have heard about what happened when my father used most of his wealth to buy weapons for the Kuomintang. In addition, my elder brother's business in Yangzhou was only doing so-so. So they didn't make things difficult for him and simply wrote my father's name out separately. On their family tree, the page that belonged to us was torn off.

My eldest brother, carrying the new family genealogy book, came back to the old house with me. We'd spent several days searching and finally settled on a hilltop. Although it was small, it wasn't on the outskirts of the city, and even during wartime, it wouldn't become a military stronghold.

Ever since I took over my father's business, Wan Qing has been asking me to transfer money to him every few days. I know he's hiding something from me, but as long as he's not spending the money on other women, I usually turn a blind eye.

Moreover, some of these payments were regular sums given by my father. Although their whereabouts were unknown, I knew that in chaotic times, it was best to ask as few questions as possible and prioritize survival.

In 1933, the Japanese invasion of China began. A special envoy from the Kuomintang came to my father's house and had a long private talk with him in his study. After the man left, my father sat alone in his study all night.

The next morning, he called me to his side and handed me the house keys: "Ranran, your eldest brother will be in charge of the businesses in Yangzhou from now on, and the ones in Haishi will be yours. Don't complain about the hard work; your father has no other choice. If your second brother were still alive, he would be the one to support this family, but now, you're all we have left..."

I frowned: "Father, your health has almost recovered, hasn't it? I can help you, but if you take over everything, I might not be able to manage."

My father stroked my hair. “I have to go on a long trip and may not be back for a while. Things are chaotic now. If something happens, you have to take care of the family, yourself, your mother, and the children.”