Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 274 Cheng Xiaoran (Grandma) — 3

Jiao Xu and I were the only ones in the family, relying on each other for survival. We also ran a cotton mill on the side. Because we paid tribute to the local government every year, no one bothered us. To avoid attracting attention, I even put away my cheongsams.

When I'm out and about, I always choose looser clothes. Although I'm in my thirties, I'm confident that I still have some charm. Especially lately, the streets have become increasingly chaotic, and I often see Japanese men chasing after young women in the streets, which is truly disgusting.

One day, I got home a little late because of something at the cotton mill. I felt like I was being watched. When I walked into a small alley, someone grabbed my neck from behind. My heart jumped into my throat.

Fortunately, years of experience have kept me somewhat clear-headed. I reached into my handbag, pulled out a finely crafted pistol, and fired a shot from under my left armpit. Luckily, the silencer was still attached to the muzzle, so the noise was minimal.

The man loosened his grip in pain. I turned around and saw his clothes; I knew it was another bastard. He even had a samurai sword hanging from his waist. What a close call! Luckily, he didn't take me, a woman, seriously, which is why he underestimated me. If he had been more vigilant, I wouldn't have had a chance to fight back.

Startled, I fired another shot at his head with trembling hands. Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, I quickly put the gun in my bag, checked that I hadn't left any of my belongings behind, and fled in a panic.

When I got home, my heart was still pounding. I couldn't sleep that night. The next morning, I went to the foreign concession and spent a lot of money to buy an inconspicuous little courtyard house. I moved in with my son.

The cotton mill is mostly made up of female workers, and it's too unsafe now. Business is indeed not easy these days. I took stock of the money I had and figured I could make ends meet for a few years. I went to the factory to arrange for the orders I had received to be sent out, checked and locked up the remaining inventory in the warehouse, paid the workers three months' back wages, and temporarily closed the cotton mill.

Perhaps I was lucky; I moved quickly, and by the time that area was investigated because of the incident, I had already entered the concession and escaped unscathed.

For the rest of the days, I stayed at home and didn't interact much with my neighbors. Sometimes when I went out to buy groceries and encountered them, I would dismiss them by saying that there was always trouble around a widow's house and that I just wanted to live peacefully with my son. After all, Wan Qing had faked her death, so it wasn't wrong to call her a widow.

I endured it all, finally seeing the victory of the War of Resistance. I was able to relax a little, and just then, Jiao Xu reached the age where it was time to start thinking about marriage. His father was still fighting on the front lines, and I couldn't let him delay my son's life.

Aside from the fact that Jiao Xu himself was the one who chose his wife, I handled everything from the wedding date to the wedding ceremony. My daughter-in-law is a nurse at the hospital; she has a good job, is well-educated and reasonable, and doesn't seem difficult to get along with.

Even if they were easy to get along with, I didn't plan to live with the young couple. After all, they're newlyweds, all lovey-dovey. What would it be like to have a mother constantly wandering around the house? If the young couple is in a good relationship, it's heartbreaking to see them like this. If they're not, I'll be worried too. Why bother?

After the wedding, I sent the two of them to live independently in a small courtyard I had bought in the concession area, while I returned to my old residence. Since I had nothing to do at home, I went to the cotton mill and posted a job advertisement outside the gate, ready to start work.

Most of the workers who left three years ago have returned. They are all elderly and they picked things up quickly. I thought things would settle down soon, but unexpectedly, the civil war started again. Fortunately, no matter how they fight, they won't target the common people to cause trouble, so I can still live in peace in my corner.

The following year, my eldest grandson, He Zhicheng, was born. I went to see him, and he was chubby and doing very well. However, since my daughter-in-law's mother was taking care of him, I didn't need to do anything. I didn't think about competing for anything, so I gave the young couple some money and then busied myself with the shop and the cotton mill.

By the end of 1948, the Kuomintang was already on the verge of defeat, and the New Year was just around the corner. I went back to Yangzhou to sweep the tombs and also to spend the New Year with my eldest brother's family. Since the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, my mother and I had spent almost every New Year at my eldest brother's house.

However, after Jiao Xu got married, I ended up going there by myself. It was fine for the young couple to go to the mother-in-law's house, so no one would be lonely. Originally, the Cui family also invited me to go with them, but it wouldn't be appropriate for a single woman like me to spend the New Year at my in-laws' house. After all, it wouldn't sound good.

But this year is destined to be different. When my older brother and I returned from sweeping the tombs, I noticed that he had been frowning the whole time. I was puzzled and asked him. After hesitating for a while, he finally spoke up: "Little sister, do you want to come to Taiwan with me?"

I was stunned and asked in confusion, "Brother, why would you leave for no reason? Our parents are still buried here, and our roots are here. The War of Resistance against Japan has been won, and even if the civil war is raging now, it won't have much of an impact on us. Why do you want to leave?"

The elder brother sighed, “The KMT’s situation isn’t good. Over the years, I’ve provided the KMT with a lot of material and financial aid. Some time ago, a government official came to me privately, implying that they wanted to send a group of people to Taiwan to scout things out. Although I’m not very good at business, they think I’m loyal enough and wanted to take me with them. I…”

"Are you worried that if the Communists win, they'll settle scores with you later?" I understood my brother's concerns.

The elder brother nodded: "It's not that I'm being petty, but every emperor has his own officials. It's common knowledge that I have close ties with the Kuomintang in this area, and you're in a similar situation. You're both on the Kuomintang's radar. If someone with ulterior motives finds out in the future, you'll be in serious trouble, if not dead. It's better to step back now and wait for the future."

"What's the news from the main branch? They have a good relationship with the Kuomintang, so will they follow suit?" I'm still most worried about that side. Back then, my eldest brother poached the machinery factory from me, and I still feel resentful about it.

The eldest brother shook his head: "They are too spineless. During the War of Resistance, they wavered between the Japanese army and the Kuomintang. Even if they donated all their wealth, they would not be interested in such opportunists. Besides, no capable people have emerged over there in recent years. They are all just living off their past achievements and pose no threat."

I nodded: "That's fine then. At least we can't let them cause you trouble. But I don't plan to leave. Not to mention my parents and second brother are still here, even if it's just for the future, I'm not afraid of who's in power."

In previous years, I openly provided a lot of supplies to the Kuomintang, and secretly also prepared medicines and money for the Communist Party. I didn't offend either side. Even if they wanted to settle scores later, I still have the ledgers of the supplies I provided to them.

"If they had any sense of shame, they wouldn't have done anything to me. But brother, if you leave, will you be able to come back?"

The older brother shook his head: "I don't know. Who can say what will happen in the future? As long as you have a plan in mind, that's fine. If you encounter difficulties in the future, I'll be there for you on the island of Taiwan. It's a backup plan for you."

I smiled and nodded: "Yes, if you're not having a good time over there, come back. Your sister is here, she won't let you go hungry."

My older brother ruffled my hair just like when I was a child: "Okay, I'll go find them after the New Year. Once we've confirmed the specific time, we'll pack up. I'll take all the assets that can be disposed of, and leave the rest to you. Jiao Xu isn't young anymore, so he can come and try to take over, saving you the trouble of running around."

"It's better to be rich than poor, brother. We'll dig up the stuff you buried in those two courtyards in the next few days. Take it with you. Who knows what the situation is like over there? Having money in hand will put your mind at ease." I suddenly remembered this hidden fortune.

The elder brother shook his head: "This is what I left for you. Don't worry, I brought a lot with me, you won't be poor."

I was still worried: "You're not in politics, and you don't have many capable close friends. Without personal connections, you can only rely on money. It's always good to bring extra money, so listen to me and bring it all. When I return to Haishi after the New Year, I'll gather all the money I have and give it to you. I'm in charge of the family and land, so my life is much easier than yours."

My older brother couldn't persuade me otherwise. After the New Year, he went to confirm the departure date, which was at the end of February. There were still more than half a month left. One day, my older brother sent the elderly people who were looking after the house here to the countryside to help collect debts. While no one was home, my brother and I went to work under the cover of night.

The two of them dug for quite a while before they finally found something. They carried out a large wooden box, which was quite heavy. I curiously opened it, and wow, the gold and silver colors were really beautiful. My eyes were full of stars: "Brother, you've managed to save up so much, that's amazing. Is your other house also this old?"

The older brother calmly closed the box, picked up a shovel and filled it with soil: "Those over there aren't gold or silver, they're jade jewelry and calligraphy and paintings, and um, a small box of silver dollars. But those things are hard to carry and hard to convert into cash, so I won't take them. The location is the same as here. You can dig them out later if you need them."

I thought about it and realized that my brother's concerns were not unfounded, so I let him be. After filling the hole with soil, I moved the water vat that had been there earlier back to cover the spot where the soil had been turned over. Then I carried the wooden box to the trunk of the car parked outside and left that night.

The next day, I returned to Haishi, exchanged all the money I had for goldfish-shaped coins, scraped together enough to make a hand-held suitcase, and called Jiao Xu to come back to Yangshi with me.

I gave the goldfish in this small suitcase to my older brother. He didn't want it at first, but I insisted. In the end, he accepted the suitcase only after I took possession of something from another house. After that, he transferred all the properties that Jiao Xu hadn't had time to deal with to my name.

On the way back to Haishi, Jiao Xu glanced at me several times, which made me laugh each time: "Just say what you want to say, why are you sneaking around like a thief?"

"Mom, is Uncle trying to run away?"

"How can you talk like that, kid? This is called evacuation. Seeing that the Kuomintang's situation is not good, of course they should leave first if there is a way out. If they are too late and can't leave, they will regret it to the core." I said irritably.

"Then why don't we go with Uncle? Aren't you afraid of being punished later?" Jiao Xu was still quite worried.

“We’re not afraid. Our family made two preparations back then. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, I provided support to both sides. At that time, I thought it was simple: we were both fighting the Japanese, so I gave what I had. I never expected it would become our escape route.” I’m still somewhat grateful that I was generous enough back then, so I’m not panicking now.

He Jiaoxu leaned closer to me and whispered, "Are my dad and older brother here too? They're your support."

I smiled at him and said, "Guess?"

After that, my older brother never contacted me again, including when he left. We both knew that at this point, the less contact we had, the better.

I stayed in Haishi without any worries, while Jiao Xu went to Yangshi to take over the management of the businesses there and sell off anything that could be sold, since he wasn't particularly good at business. Cui Hongru also had her family pull some strings and got her transferred to a hospital in Yangshi.

The family of three went to Yangzhou, so they didn't have to be separated. They stayed in the house where the treasure hadn't been unearthed yet. I also arranged for the elderly people who originally lived there to move to another house so that the two elderly people could keep each other company.

After the civil war ended, He Wanqing returned with He Jiaosheng, his wife, and their six-year-old son. He had been away from home for fifteen or sixteen years. Although he had returned twice in between, I probably would have collapsed long ago if I hadn't been mentally strong.

When we met again, there was no tearful reunion as I had imagined, only a faint sense of estrangement. Seeing my indifferent expression, it was Wan Qing who was teary-eyed. I didn't know if he missed me, missed home, or had suffered too much hardship away from home. In the end, I couldn't understand him, and he probably couldn't feel my hardships either.

I'm already in my forties, long past the age of romance. I calmly welcomed them into the house, asked a few questions about my daughter-in-law and grandson, and then took my daughter-in-law into the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Having lived alone for many years, I've become an all-rounder, managing everything at home and outside. To be honest, my husband has long lost his practical significance to me. However, considering his decent position in the new regime, he should be able to protect our family, so I can appease him.

Sure enough, men really do need to be coaxed. I just said a few words of sympathy, and he felt like we were back in our youth. Hmm, he's pretty easy to fool. Looks like my acting skills have improved a lot over the years. Sigh, life is tough, it all comes down to acting.

Life seemed to have entered a peaceful period. I took them to Yangzhou to pay respects to my parents and visit Jiao Xu's family. Jiao Sheng had already established himself in the army. The father and son thought we were both in Haishi, so they applied to be stationed in Haishi as well. That was fine, at least it was close to home.

Jiao Xu has sold off most of the properties in Yangzhou. The political situation is uncertain; who knows what tricks the new regime will pull? The less superficial appearances, the better. It's a new society; former government positions will change.

I asked Wan Qing to think of a way to arrange a stable position for Jiao Xu, but I don't know what he was thinking. He turned around and threw Wan Qing into the army. Well, there are advantages. Apart from the tough training, his life is guaranteed. I saw that he was enjoying it, so I didn't bother to interfere.

I live with Wan Qing. The house that used to belong to Jiao Xu and his wife is now occupied by Jiao Sheng's family, so I have some peace and quiet. However, the child is still attached to me and will come back to visit whenever he has time. Of course, I won't mistreat him; I love all good children very much.