Chapter 21: Entering the County (4)

When Jiang Dahai hurried to his younger sister’s house with his son, Meng Chuoping and his father were still at the steel factory working. At home, only Jiang Dazhen and her mother-in-law, Qu Ying, were busy with chores.

Qu Ying had been a senior accountant at the textile factory. She retired the year before last. Although her retirement pay was only half of her original salary, it gave her more than enough time to take care of the two children at home.

Originally, Qu Ying hadn’t needed to retire so early. With her years of experience, even the factory director had hoped she’d stay on a few more years. But her health had been poor for some time, and besides, if she retired, the position could be passed to her daughter-in-law, Jiang Dazhen. That way, the job wouldn’t go to outsiders, and since Jiang Dazhen’s temp worker pay was about the same as her retirement benefits, the household income wouldn’t drop. Qu Ying didn’t hesitate much before agreeing.

However, that accounting position led to a bit of unpleasantness between the Meng family and the family of Meng Chuoping’s first wife.

His first wife, who died from complications during childbirth, was surnamed Wen, given name Wen Qin. The Wen family had been longtime neighbors of the Mengs, though they drifted apart after the Mengs moved into their newly allocated apartment.

Old Mr. Wen had been a coworker of Meng Chuoping’s father, Meng Donglin, and their relationship had always been fairly good. Even after Chuoping remarried, things remained civil between the families.

The real issue arose after Jiang Dazhen gave birth to a son. That made the Wen family uncomfortable, thinking that once the Mengs had a male heir, their granddaughter’s status would drop. They began taking their granddaughter, Meng Xiangwen, back to their home frequently, afraid she might be mistreated.

With the Wens treating them like potential villains, it was hard for the Meng family not to feel slighted. Still, they couldn’t just refuse to let the child visit her maternal grandparents. Over time, Meng Xiangwen ended up spending nearly half the year with the Wens, gradually weakening her bond with the Mengs. Whether that was a wise move by the Wen family was another matter entirely.

The Wen family had one son and three daughters. The eldest was Wen Qin, who passed away during childbirth. The second daughter was Wen Qi, and the youngest was Wen Shu.

Back when Wen Qin married into the Meng family, Qu Ying had gone out of her way to arrange a factory worker job for her at the textile mill—a position that had cost her nearly all her accumulated favor over the years.

After Wen Qin passed, her job slot opened up. Wen Qi had just graduated from junior high, and the Wens approached the Mengs, saying they wanted Wen Qi to take over her late sister’s position, with the understanding that the job would eventually be passed to Wen Qin’s daughter, Meng Xiangwen.

The Mengs agreed. If they didn’t let Wen Qi take it, the factory would just reassign the job anyway. Plus, since Wen Qin had died giving birth for their family, they owed the Wens something. The job slot was a reasonable form of compensation.

It should have been a win-win arrangement. But problems arose when Qu Ying retired and left the highly coveted accounting position to her new daughter-in-law, Jiang Dazhen. That stirred up a hornet’s nest on the Wen side.

The youngest Wen daughter, Wen Shu, was nearing twenty and still working as a temp. She’d long been disgruntled that all her siblings had permanent positions while she was stuck in temporary work. This status made it harder to find a marriage prospect of her liking. Over time, she began eyeing the Mengs’ resources.

In Wen Shu’s mind, a mere factory worker’s job was nothing compared to an accounting role, which came with better pay and more respect. Since her sister had died giving birth to a Meng child, she figured her second sister’s job slot was already the Wen family's rightful compensation. The accounting job, therefore, should go to their niece, Meng Xiangwen.

Meng Xiangwen was already fifteen, though not yet old enough to work. Wen Shu thought she should be allowed to hold the job temporarily. As Xiangwen’s aunt, she would never take it for herself. If she became the accountant now, she could find a better husband, and when Xiangwen came of age, she’d hand it back. Or so she claimed.

But what about Jiang Dazhen? As a stepmother, could she be trusted to return the job slot? What if she gave it to her own country relatives instead?

Wen Shu floated the idea to her family, and they unanimously agreed. Even Old Mr. Wen, who had initially hesitated, was convinced. After all, wasn’t he just looking out for his poor, motherless granddaughter? Now that the Mengs had a son, his granddaughter might be overlooked. As her grandfather, didn’t he owe it to her to secure some kind of advantage?

The accountant position was stable and well-paid. If his granddaughter had it, he wouldn’t have to worry about her future. As for whether Wen Shu would actually return the job—he didn’t bother thinking that far. In his eyes, they were all one family. How could Wen Shu steal from her own niece? A stepmother, however, couldn’t be trusted.

The next day, Old Mr. Wen took Wen Shu to the Mengs to make the request. Unsurprisingly, the Mengs flatly refused.

Years of the Wen family's antics had already soured the Mengs’ opinion. Their once-sweet granddaughter had been raised to be sarcastic and confrontational. She used to get along well with Jiang Dazhen, but now, thanks to constant meddling, she wouldn’t even greet her stepmother. She acted hostile toward her little half-brother, Meng Xiangxue, and the two fought every time they met.

Though the Mengs felt sorry for the girl who had lost her mother so young, even sympathy has its limits. Compared to a granddaughter who was rarely around, of course they were more emotionally attached to the grandson they raised themselves. Besides, the granddaughter was always the one picking fights, while their good-natured grandson swallowed his grievances in silence.

To the Wens, Jiang Dazhen was an outsider. But to the Mengs, she was family. Wen Shu, in their eyes, was the real outsider. Who in their right mind would give a good job to an outsider and not their own?

As for Meng Xiangwen, the Mengs had every intention of arranging a job for her when she came of age. She wouldn’t be left behind.

That last meeting ended on a sour note. Meng Xiangwen was taken back to the Wen household and hadn’t returned to the Mengs for over half a month.

Yesterday, she unexpectedly sent word saying she wanted to come home for a few days. Jiang Dazhen, eager to improve their relationship, took a day off work to prepare her favorite dishes and cleaned her room top to bottom. She even changed the bedsheets and made a fresh set of covers.

Qu Ying saw all of this and became even more satisfied with her daughter-in-law, believing that introducing her to her son was the best decision she’d ever made.

So when Jiang Dahai showed up with his son, Qu Ying was exceedingly warm and welcoming.

“You didn’t have to bring anything,” she said with a smile, accepting the bundle from Jiang Dahai. Feeling its weight, her smile grew more genuine. She patted Jiang Yiliu’s head and said, “You’ve grown so big, and you're getting more handsome by the day.”

Jiang Dahai, being the quiet type, just grinned sheepishly and didn’t say much.

Jiang Yiliu sighed inwardly and stepped up.

“Grandma Qu, my grandma specifically asked us to bring these. It’s all thanks to Uncle Chuoping helping us get that batch of coal briquettes recently. Things have been a lot better at home. We don’t have anything fancy, just some mountain goods. Please accept them as a small token of our thanks.” His face was soft and fair, and his sweet smile was the kind that melted the hearts of grandmothers like Qu Ying.

Qu Ying had no complaints about her daughter-in-law—only about her in-laws, the Jiang family. She had been upset that her son went through so much trouble to secure those briquettes. But now, seeing that the Jiangs were so polite and thoughtful, and that they even brought gifts, she felt comforted. Compared to the troublesome Wen family, the Jiangs left a much better impression.

“What a clever child. You’ll surely do great things one day. Sit tight, I’ll go make you some tea,” Qu Ying beamed as she took the bundles into the kitchen, instructing her daughter-in-law to look after her family well.

“Not bad, Xiaobao. You didn’t embarrass your aunt,” Jiang Dazhen grinned, giving her little nephew’s face a firm pinch. Her older brother and sister-in-law were notoriously reserved, but this boy was a smooth talker who could charm even someone as shrewd as her mother-in-law. She was genuinely impressed.

Jiang Yiliu covered his face. Somehow, in this life, he had become especially popular with aunties and grannies, all of whom loved to touch his cheeks. He puffed out his face in protest, but that only made him more adorable, and Jiang Dazhen couldn’t get enough of it.

Jiang Dahai happily accepted the praise. In his eyes, his son was perfect. He even recounted what had happened earlier, finishing with a proud sigh. “Can you believe a kid that young knows so much? I was stunned. It was my boy who saw through that little leader and shut him right up. Turns out the guy really was a spy from America.”

Still visibly shaken, he patted his chest as he spoke.

Jiang Dazhen was also shocked. She hadn’t expected her brother to encounter something like that in the county. But seeing they were safe, she was relieved. She warned, “If something like that happens again, just get away fast. This isn’t the first time. Lots of once-respected people here have been targeted. The old man from the building in front used to be the county hospital’s director. Just a few days ago, a bunch of Red Guards stormed in and smashed everything. They said his practice of traditional Chinese medicine was part of the ‘Four Olds’ and needed to be eliminated. His wife even had her head shaved in that half-bald style and hasn’t dared leave the house since.”

She sighed. Schools were already shutting down. The middle schoolers were all clamoring to join the revolution. Teachers and principals lived in fear. No one was thinking about studying. So far, elementary schools were still functioning, and her son, Meng Xiangxue, could still attend, but that wouldn’t last forever.

Teachers had become targets. Who would be left to teach the children?

“Grandma, I’m home!”

A crisp, high-pitched voice interrupted the tense mood. Everyone turned to see a girl in a military green outfit and cap, with a Chairman Mao badge pinned to her chest, walking into the room.

Her face twisted into a look of disdain as she took in the three people sitting in the living room.

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Chapter 21: Entering the County (4)