Chapter 12: Relatives

In recent years, life had been tough, and the traditional customs of celebrating the third-day and full-month milestones after a baby's birth had gradually faded from people’s memories. At most, more attentive families would invite a few relatives over for a bit of liveliness. After all, the more guests, the faster the food stores dwindled—and no household had much in reserve.

Jiang Yiliu was the only child in the main Jiang household. The three-day celebration had already been skipped, but his grandfather Jiang Cheng still wanted to hold a modest full-month banquet for his grandson. It didn’t need to be extravagant—just a gathering of a few close relatives.

A few days ago, old man Jiang had just received his subsidy. The family’s grain reserves were still holding up, and with the commune about to distribute rations soon, Grandma Miao Sanfeng did the math and determined they could afford to host the full-month banquet. Besides, when relatives came over, they wouldn’t show up empty-handed. Even if they only brought a few eggs, it was still something extra.

Gu Dongmei’s father had died young. She was raised by her widowed mother, Zhao Hong, who had two sons and another daughter besides her. A widow raising four children safely into adulthood, marrying off the daughters and finding wives for the sons—the hardship of that could only be understood by Zhao Hong herself.

When Zhao Hong’s husband had just passed away, her children were still young, and she herself was still relatively young. Unsavory men would often come around causing trouble. Not only did her in-laws refuse to help, but they even tried to drive her out so they could seize the house her husband had left behind. Despite such adversity, Zhao Hong held her ground, forging a tough and formidable personality in the process.

Among her four children, Zhao Hong doted most on her youngest daughter, Gu Dongmei. The girl had been fatherless from birth and had never known an easy day. Zhao Hong tried to shield her from every hardship. As a result, Dongmei grew up with a gentle, overly soft temperament. By the time Zhao Hong realized this might not be ideal, it was already too late.

When Zhao Hong learned her daughter had finally given birth to a son, she was overjoyed. That old crone from the Jiang family used to belittle her daughter for not bearing a boy—well, let’s see what excuse she has now!

In the countryside, not having a son meant a lack of status. Zhao Hong used to want to stand up for her daughter, but without a grandson, she lacked the confidence. The moment news reached their village, Daqian, she wanted to visit her daughter. But she was busy earning work points, and Daqian was far from Qingshan Village. A round trip took a whole day.

Qingshan Village wasn’t the easiest place to get to. Practically isolated from the outside world, entering the village meant trudging down a narrow, muddy mountain path. Even tractors struggled on that road; the only reliable transport was a donkey cart driven by a seasoned hand. And if there wasn’t one? You’d be walking for one or two hours on foot.

But that isolation turned out to be a blessing. During the turbulent political movements of the era, Qingshan Village was among the least affected. Revolutionaries couldn’t be bothered to brave the terrain just to stir up struggle sessions.

Zhao Hong got lucky—she happened to catch a ride with the Qingshan village captain, Captain Mo, who was returning from a county meeting. If not for his donkey cart, she and her second son, Gu Xiashi, would’ve had a rough time hauling all their bags.

The moment Grandma Miao Sanfeng heard the commotion, she came out to greet them. When she saw her in-laws Zhao Hong and Captain Mo entering the courtyard with bundles in hand, she couldn’t hide the delighted smile on her face.

After a few pleasantries with Zhao Hong, she turned to Captain Mo and said, “Captain Mo, why don’t you stay for lunch?”

It was customary in the village to invite the captain and party secretary to drink during celebratory events.

“No need. My wife’s already prepared lunch back home. I’ll have a drink with Uncle Jiang another time.” Mo Daxuan politely declined and made his exit after seeing them off.

Miao Sanfeng didn’t insist and pulled Zhao Hong into the house.

“Has Shitou found a match yet?” she asked. Shitou was the nickname of Gu Xiashi, the second son accompanying Zhao Hong.

“With his lazy, good-for-nothing ways, what decent family would want their daughter to marry him?” Zhao Hong shot a glare at her younger son. Of her children, it was this unmotivated boy and her youngest daughter who worried her most. But now that her daughter had a son, she could finally breathe a bit easier.

Gu Xiashi had a sharp, clever look. He wasn’t tall—about 170 centimeters—but slim, like most men of the era. People rarely saw fat folks back then. Embarrassed by his mother’s words, he rubbed his nose sheepishly, a bit uncomfortable being scolded in front of outsiders.

“In-law, this is the food for today’s meal, brought by me and Shitou. We’ve also brought some eggs and salted fish—good for Dongmei’s recovery.”

Zhao Hong opened her bundles and took out the contents.

She had brought sea fish. Their village wasn’t near the coast, and fish from the river had been almost wiped out during the three-year famine. Only recently had fish started appearing again, and catching them was still tough.

[TR: I love the MC’s maternal family, specially this two]

Jiang Dahai had thought of catching some fish to make soup for his wife, but all he managed were finger-sized minnows—not enough to fill a tooth gap, much less flavor a pot of soup.

“These were sent by Dongmei’s third sister. Just a little token of love.” Gu Dongmei’s third sister, Gu Qiuju, had married far away and could only keep in touch by letter. When she heard her sister had given birth to a boy, she sent salted fish, dried fish, and even a few cakes of seaweed. Just tear off a bit, soak it in hot soup, sprinkle some scallions—it made for an incredibly fresh treat.

Zhao Hong hadn’t told anyone about the delivery, afraid her eldest daughter-in-law might sneak some of it for herself. That’s why she only brought her younger son this time. They left early before anyone else woke up, lugging bags all the way to Qingshan Village.

Her eldest daughter-in-law, meanwhile, was still gloating—thinking she’d saved on having to give a gift.

“In-law, you’re too kind. I’ll cook some fish right away. Dongmei and the baby are in the house. You and Shitou go on in.” Miao Sanfeng’s eyes crinkled with joy as she bustled toward the kitchen, not forgetting to take the gifts with her.

Jiang Yiliu had already heard his grandmother and uncle’s voices and was excitedly watching the straw curtain at the doorway, waiting for them to enter.

Besides his little aunt, they were the closest relatives he had.

Compared to the Jiangs, the Gu family had it much harder. Zhao Hong, a lone widow, had just enough strength to raise her children. Back then, it was only thanks to the large old house her husband left behind that Gu Chunhui, the eldest son, managed to find a wife. The family never split up; Zhao Hong, her eldest son’s family, and unmarried second son all lived together. It was tolerable for a short time, but conflict inevitably arose in the long run.

The eldest daughter-in-law, who had only borne one son, already started scheming to take over the old house for her son. She constantly found fault with Gu Xiashi, trying to drive him out.

Gu Chunhui was a coward, afraid of his wife. He always pretended to be a block of wood while his wife lorded over the household. If not for Zhao Hong’s toughness, that daughter-in-law would’ve turned the place upside down long ago.

Zhao Hong had sacrificed her whole life for her children. In her later years, she still had to endure her daughter-in-law’s temper. When Jiang Yiliu was fourteen, Zhao Hong got into an argument with her eldest daughter-in-law, Niu Fang. During the fight, she was pushed and hit her head on the corner of the stove. She was paralyzed on the spot—her strong body suddenly needing help with even the most basic tasks.

Gu Chunhui, the idiot, actually pleaded with his mother to forgive Niu Fang for the sake of their child. But Zhao Hong finally had enough. She kicked them out of the house. The deed was in her name anyway. She had once hesitated, but the moment her son pleaded for her attacker, she let go of any illusion.

Niu Fang screamed and fought, but seeing Zhao Hong about to call the police, she slunk away.

Thankfully, the second son was filial and never resented caring for his paralyzed mother. But Zhao Hong couldn’t get over the shame of being a burden. She believed her son would never marry because of her condition. One day, when no one was watching, she drank a bottle of pesticide. By the time Gu Xiashi returned from work, her body was already cold.

After Zhao Hong’s death, Niu Fang even came back, demanding a share of the house. Gu Xiashi drove her off with a gang of thugs. He nearly strangled her in his fury.

From that day on, the Gu siblings cut ties with their eldest brother’s family. Gu Xiashi never married. He stayed in the old house, looking after a few nieces, never leaving.

Jiang Yiliu knew his second uncle wasn’t ordinary. In his past life, part of the reason he could study abroad—besides his little aunt’s connections—was thanks to a box of antiques Gu Xiashi had hidden away.

No one expected that, during those chaotic ten years, he’d dared to stash so many items that would’ve been labeled as reactionary at the time.

Jiang Yiliu believed that, if his grandmother hadn’t died, this uncle—who appeared careless and aimless to outsiders—could’ve built an amazing career.

Now that he had been reborn, he would never let the tragedies of his past life repeat themselves. All good people deserved a happy ending. And those who had done wrong—if they sinned again in this life—they would get what they deserved.

“Grandma—!”

Today, Daniu and Erni hadn’t taken their two younger sisters out. Instead, they stayed home to keep their little brother company. When Sanni saw Grandma arrive, her eyes lit up. She knew whenever Grandma came, she always brought tasty treats.

“Oh, my little glutton.” Zhao Hong scooped her granddaughter up and pulled out a handkerchief, tightly wrapped. When she unfolded it, several colorful candies rolled out, looking like little marbles.

Sanni clapped her hands in delight. Children loved sweets, especially when sugar was so rare and precious. Even buying white sugar at the co-op was a treat—no one would splurge on fancy fruit candy like this.

She picked the smallest one and took a careful nibble with her tiny teeth. As she tucked the rest into her mouth, her eyes squinted into a line from pure joy. Then she stretched her hand out to offer the rest to Grandma.

“Grandma’s teeth are almost gone—I can’t eat candy,” Zhao Hong said, laughing as she gently turned her head away. She was not yet fifty and still had all her teeth—it was just that she couldn’t bear to eat it.

Gu Dongmei and Gu Xiashi also declined the candy with a smile. Sanni tilted her head and carefully placed the remaining half-candy in the enamel mug on the kang table.

“Big Sister said Sini is still too little and can’t eat hard things. I’ll melt the candy in water so my little sister can drink it,” Sanni said seriously. Sini, sitting beside her, gave a cheerful “Ahh!” in agreement.

The rest of the candies were hidden away by Sanni to share with her big sisters when they got home.

Just a few plain fruit candies, yet Jiang Yiliu felt a deep ache in his heart. He thought of all the colorful treats in his space and wondered when he’d find the right moment to bring them out.

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Chapter 12: Relatives