TPW – Chapter 28

After lunch, they took the relatives for a walk around a nearby park. When it was time to leave, everyone had a box of peach crisps in their hands, even the children. These were prepared in advance by Hou Caijun at Xu Haizhou’s request. The cost wasn’t much for him, and it was a good way to make a positive impression on the relatives.

Sure enough, on the way back, Xu Haizhou was surrounded by a crowd, unable to get away. The Qiao family relatives clustered around him with compliments, asking what job he did in the city to earn so much money and whether he could help them find work too.

Qiao Lu felt a bit anxious watching this, but she trusted Xu Haizhou’s intelligence enough to handle it. She planned to talk to him seriously later—how could he be so high-profile? If their relatives came knocking later to borrow money, it would be a real headache.

Lu Xiuhua pulled Qiao Lu aside and spoke in a low voice, “Your man is really generous. Fourteen people! Fourteen boxes of peach crisps! Do you know how much that costs?”

Back when Yuan Jianghe and his wife hosted their wedding banquet, only five people from the Qiao family got some snacks. This time, everyone did. Even Qiao Yan’s husband, who was a department head, wasn’t so generous.

“We know what we’re doing, no need for you to worry,” Qiao Lu deflected, although she also found it a bit excessive. She changed the subject, “Speaking of which, I haven’t asked you—how’s sister-in-law been lately? Still acting up?”

Lu Xiuhua shook her head with a smile, clearly pleased. “Lu, ever since you left that day, your sister-in-law has been treating me and your dad so well, it’s almost unbelievable.”

Qiao Lu smiled faintly, without warmth, and let out a sarcastic snort. “Being nice for no reason? That woman never does anything without a motive.”

“Exactly,” Lu Xiuhua agreed.

But life at home had indeed gotten much better.

This incident had been a wake-up call for Lu Xiuhua—she realized she could no longer let her daughter-in-law have the upper hand all the time.

She used to believe that taking a step back would bring harmony to the family. Now she understood that for someone like Niu Qiaoli, backing down only made her push further.

“Keep the money I gave you for yourself. Don’t let her see it. And the five yuan my second sister sends each month? I’ve already asked her to stop mailing it—it draws too much attention. That military wife in our village, Zhu Xiaoling, goes to the city every month to collect money. I asked my second aunt to give it to her. On the first of every month, go to her house and pick it up,” Qiao Lu instructed.

With her two daughters worrying about her like this, Lu Xiuhua felt a wave of emotion.

What a good home this could’ve been… What on earth had she been doing all those years?

Gripping her daughter’s hand tightly, her eyes turned red with emotion. “Mom knows, Mom knows now. From now on, I’ll listen to you and your second sister.”

Qiao Lu sighed. “You’d better not lie to me again.”

Her tone was reminiscent of little Qiao An—like mother, like son.

“I won’t. I’ve finally figured it out. Your sister-in-law… sigh, she’s just not a good person. I don’t have many good years left. If I don’t start looking after myself now, what will I say to your grandmother when I go down below? She’ll see how miserable I’ve been and be heartbroken.”

Qiao Lu’s grandmother had passed away ten years ago. She had loved Lu Xiuhua dearly in her lifetime.

If the old woman knew what had become of her daughter, she’d probably be furious enough to rise from the grave.

After this heartfelt promise, Qiao Lu finally looked a bit relieved. “It’s good that you’ve come around. As your daughter, this is all I can do.”

After sending off the Qiao family’s relatives and friends, the family of three happily rode their bicycle to the photo studio to take a family portrait.

Qiao An was overjoyed. He’d eaten lots of tasty food at lunch, and now they were going to take a photo—what a satisfying day!

His little legs swung back and forth as he shouted, “Daddy, hurry! Daddy, faster!”

Qiao Lu quickly covered his mouth. “If we go any faster, it’ll be dangerous.”

“Mmm mmm—” The little one couldn’t make a sound and could only cheer for Daddy silently in his heart.

Up front, Xu Haizhou let out a low laugh.

During the planned economy era, photo studios weren’t places ordinary families could casually visit. Photos were expensive. Many older people considered taking just one photo in their entire lifetime a dream fulfilled.

Fortunately, by the 1980s, prices had become more affordable, and photo studios gradually became accessible to the common folk.

At the time, photo backdrops were usually exaggerated scenic images. Pull a rope on the wall, and you could choose any background you liked—mountains, oceans, plains, jungles—they had them all.

The most popular background was Tiananmen Square. A photo like that, taken back to the countryside, could cause quite a stir!

Qiao Lu thought these backdrops were pretty tacky, but in twenty or thirty years, they might actually seem kind of charming.

So she picked a less gaudy pavilion background. Qiao An sat on Xu Haizhou’s arm while Qiao Lu held her husband’s other arm, standing close to him. Once everyone was in position, there was a crisp click—

The first family portrait of the trio was freshly printed.

Little Qiao An loved it so much, he insisted they put it on the bedside table the moment they got home! He wanted to look at it a hundred times a day!

They paid extra for express service and got the photos the same day. They had five copies printed—three large and two small. The smaller ones were slipped into Xu Haizhou’s wallet, so whenever he missed his wife and child, he could take one out and have a look.

The photo studio owner liked the photo so much, he asked if he could put one on display in the window as a sample.

Qiao Lu thought about it and declined.

She didn’t want to be famous across the whole of Lian City.

After a full day of entertaining guests and taking photos, Qiao Lu didn’t want to move at all once she got home.

Dinner was noodles, cooked by Xu Haizhou, served with pre-sliced marinated meat from outside. These days, unless Qiao Lu or her son had no appetite, they had meat at almost every meal.

Now that the wedding banquet was over, it was time to focus on the gloves. Xu Haizhou planned to take them to the market early the next morning to test the response. Since the cost was a bit higher, he priced them fifty cents more than regular gloves—but of course, the price could be adjusted any time.

In the evening, Qiao Lu had no energy left to chat with the neighbors under the loquat tree. She found her bath ticket, gathered some clean clothes, and got ready for a hot shower at the public bath.

But before she could step out of the courtyard, Sister Liu grabbed her arm. “Hey, Qiao Lu, wow, where did you get such a pretty outfit? This style is really something new!”

Sister Liu had gone to work at seven in the morning, so she hadn’t seen Qiao Lu wearing new clothes. She wasn’t the only one—many of the neighbors in the courtyard hadn’t seen her either. Now they all swarmed over, eyes practically red with envy.

“What kind of clothes are these? Let me have a look.” The women all reached out, unable to hide their amazement.

“Wow, there’s even a big pocket! It’s so deep, feels like it could hold half a pound of rice.”

“These must be wide-leg pants, right? The cut is so loose, but why do you look so slim in them?”

The two Chen sisters-in-law, both young and fashion-conscious, were practically dazzled by Qiao Lu’s outfit—like they were seeing gold.

“How did you make this? Can I borrow it to take home and copy a set?” Song Qingping’s hand was trembling as she touched the fabric. Qiao Lu, in this coat, didn’t seem like someone from their social circle anymore. She radiated a kind of “I’m noble” aura.

Then they noticed Qiao Lu’s delicately made-up face—she hadn’t had time to take the makeup off yet. Song Qingping asked curiously, “I heard recently that the Shuanghong Liquor Factory was hiring pretty women for a pictorial ad. You didn’t go shoot for them, did you?”

In everyone’s mind, only those in pictorials wore makeup and lipstick. Qiao Lu fit the bill perfectly!

Qiao Lu couldn’t help laughing. She put down the wooden bucket in her hands and took a breather. “No, I just had relatives from my hometown over for a wedding banquet today, so I dressed up a little.”

Chen’s eldest sister-in-law, Lin Caihe, clicked her tongue repeatedly. “This is what you call ‘a little’? You might as well try auditioning for the liquor factory ad. Just wear this set—you never know, they might really pick you.”

Qiao Lu smiled and shook her head. “No, I don’t want to become famous.”

That one sentence made everyone burst into laughter.

It took quite an effort to escape the enthusiastic neighbors. By the time she finished washing up, it was already 8:30 p.m. As usual, once in bed, she told her son a bedtime story. Tonight’s story was an Aesop’s Fable—The Farmer and the Snake.

The little guy listened intently. As soon as the story reached the part where the farmer found a frozen, stiff snake, his face changed. When he heard that the farmer had placed the snake on his stomach to warm it, he shrank into Qiao Lu’s arms in fright.

“Mama, is he dumb? Why would he put a snake on his belly? Snakes bite people,” he said, and actually shivered.

He knew what snakes were. Once, during the summer back in the countryside, a checkered snake about the thickness of a baby’s wrist had slipped into the house and curled up on the bed he and his mom slept on. They’d nearly been bitten! It was terrifying!

Qiao Lu patted his shoulder. “Listen to the rest first. Mama will explain it later.”

The little one quieted down. When he heard that the snake bit the farmer after waking up, he wore an expression of I knew it.

Lifting his small face proudly, he declared, “Mama, I was right. Snakes bite people. That farmer was really dumb.”

Little Qiao An’s thinking was just as logical as always.

“An’an, Mama wants to ask you: in this story, who do you think was wrong, the farmer or the snake?”

With confidence, Qiao An gave his answer: “Mama, it’s the farmer’s fault. Snakes bite people. I don’t even dare touch one. But the farmer put it on his belly and wanted it to wake up!”

“Very good. Congratulations, An’an! You got it right again.” Qiao Lu tapped his little nose and quizzed him further. “Now tell me, do you think the snake was ungrateful?”

“What does ‘ungrateful’ mean?” Qiao An asked.

“It’s like not saying thank you,” Qiao Lu explained.

The little guy shook his head, lying on her stomach and swinging his legs. “But snakes aren’t people. They don’t say thank you.”

Qiao Lu chuckled. “This is a fable. The animals in it can talk.”

In his soft voice, Qiao An refuted, “Even if a snake can talk, it’s still a snake. It still bites.”

Pfft—Qiao Lu couldn’t hold in her laughter. She poked his forehead. “You clever little rascal.”

Round and round they went, but little Qiao An never got confused. He was doing great.

“So after this story, Mama wants to tell you: protecting yourself is the most important thing. No matter when, always keep a clear head. Don’t associate with bad people, and don’t go soft on them. Understand?”

“Mm! Mama, I know. We should make friends with good people. We shouldn’t be friends with bad people. Bad people are always bad, just like Chen Ergou—he’s always been bad.”

Although his words were a little absolute, in such a complicated and dangerous world, caution was indeed wise. Hoping to change a bad person was less useful than simply staying away from them.

Qiao Lu’s smile softened, her whole being glowing with a mother’s loving aura. “That’s right. Our An’an is very smart. Remember that, okay?”

Qiao An nodded hard, clenching his little fists. “Mm! Mama, I remember! I won’t play with bad people. I’ll only play with good people.”

Qiao Lu laughed and pulled him over to tuck him in snugly against the wall. “Alright, story time’s over. Time to sleep.”

The little guy pulled the blanket up to his neck and grabbed Qiao Lu’s hand. “Mama, aren’t we learning pinyin tonight?”

Qiao Lu chuckled and pinched his cheek. “It’s already so late. Aren’t you sleepy?”

“Mm! Mama, I’m not sleepy. We can learn just a little bit.” He brought his index finger and thumb close together to show “just a little bit,” his big, blinking eyes melting her heart.

Seeing her son’s eager expression, Qiao Lu gave in.

She wouldn’t soften toward bad people, but for her soft, sweet, and obedient son—it was hard to say no.

“Alright then, today we’ll just learn the six basic vowels.”

The little guy shot out from under the covers, ran to the drawer to get paper, a pen, and a book for Qiao Lu, then quickly jumped back into bed. The whole process took less than a minute.

Qiao Lu was amused and exasperated. How could a child be this enthusiastic about studying?

She wrote a few vowel letters on the paper. “Come, read with Mommy: a, o, e, i, u, ü…”

The little guy followed along seriously, “a, o, e, i, u, ü…”

But after just a few repetitions, he fell asleep.

Well, so much for being studious—humans really are wired to get sleepy the moment they start studying.

…

The moon was bright, the stars sparse, and the world vast and clear—it was another peaceful, cloudless night.

Since he didn’t bathe last night, Xu Haizhou went to the bathhouse again today. When he returned, his hair was still damp.

“An’an’s asleep again?” he asked, glancing at the bed.

“Mm.” Qiao Lu put on her jacket, came down, and grabbed a dry towel to help him dry his hair.

Xu Haizhou closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment. “Thanks, wifey.”

Qiao Lu gave a soft chuckle and briskly rubbed his hair a few times, then flicked out the towel and hung it up. “You can’t lie down until it’s completely dry.”

This man liked to cuddle her in his sleep, and sometimes they ended up on the same pillow. She didn’t want to sleep on a cold, damp one in the middle of winter.

“Alright.”

After hanging the towel by the window, Qiao Lu climbed back into bed, pulled the blanket over herself, and began reading. She flipped through a volume of Aesop’s Fables, but quickly lost interest. They were all stories she knew too well from her past life.

“Next time you go home, bring me some books too,” she said to Xu Haizhou.

After thinking for a bit, she added, “I’d like something with more plot—novels, magazines, anything is fine… Oh right, is there a library in our city?”

“There is.” Xu Haizhou gave his hair a final tousle, made sure it was dry, then quickly climbed into bed and pulled her into his arms. “I’ll take you there next time we have some free time. It’s pretty big.”

“Great.” Qiao Lu felt satisfied. In her past life, she had too many forms of entertainment and no time for books. Now, she had all the time in the world. This was a good chance to read and build up her knowledge.

Thinking about it gave her a sense of hope for the future. She snuggled into his arms and lay down.

The two of them cuddled in silence. The atmosphere turned warm and intimate, and someone’s hand started to wander again.

Thinking about everything that had happened that day—especially Hou Caijun’s parting blessing—Qiao Lu gently slapped his hand away. “Hey, didn’t Big Brother Hou say he hopes we have a baby soon? I want to ask—what do you think about that?”

Xu Haizhou, who had just lifted the blanket to reach for the lamp cord, paused and pulled the covers back up. He pressed down the edges of the quilt before finally turning off the light.

“What do I think?” After lying down, he kissed her on the lips, then moved to her neck and nibbled gently. He seemed to particularly like the skin there, saying it smelled better thAn’anywhere else.

Qiao Lu herself couldn’t smell any difference, but just chalked it up to a little “couple’s fun.”

“I mean about having kids.” Qiao Lu’s eyes curved with a smile, though he couldn’t see it in the dark.

Xu Haizhou’s head, still buried in her neck, lifted slightly. His prominent nose grazed her collarbone, making her giggle a little.

He spoke with warm breath brushing her chin. “Aren’t you the one giving birth? Shouldn’t I be asking what you think?”

“Well…” Qiao Lu lazily stroked the back of his head. “Giving birth hurts a lot. What if I don’t want to do it?”

Even though she hadn’t experienced childbirth herself, the original owner’s memories told her it was far from pleasant.

Xu Haizhou hugged her and kissed her gently, his fingers softly brushing her temple with exquisite care. “Then we won’t. We already have An’an, after all.”

Qiao Lu pushed his hand away and bit his fingers lightly. His long fingers only let her bite down on three joints.

“But An’an’s not your real son.”

“Nonsense. He is my son.” Xu Haizhou pulled his hand back and pinched her nose in mock punishment. He used a little too much force, and Qiao Lu smacked him away, slightly out of breath.

She asked again, “Well, if I do give birth, would you rather have a boy or a girl?”

“As long as it’s ours, I’ll love it either way.”

“Come on, just pick one.”

Without thinking, Xu Haizhou replied, “A girl.”

“Why?”

“I like girls. And we already have a son, right? Having a daughter would be great—she’d definitely look like you.”

Daughters are like a warm padded jacket close to the heart; sons are more like leaky windbreakers. Even though Qiao An was well-behaved, Xu Haizhou wasn’t confident that their son would turn out just as obedient.

Thinking about obedient kids, he laughed. “I was a little terror when I was young—got beaten by my parents all the time. If we had a son, I’m afraid he’d turn out just like me.”

Qiao Lu tried not to laugh and snuggled closer. “Really? You seem so steady now. You were that naughty as a kid?”

Xu Haizhou pulled her in by the shoulder. “Yep, that’s why I prefer the idea of having a daughter.”

She knew what he was really thinking—he just wanted to be considerate of Qiao An.

“If we can, just one more would be enough. One son and one daughter—that’d be perfect,” he said.

“And if you don’t get a son, won’t you regret it?”

Qiao Lu was testing him.

Xu Haizhou shook his head. “Why would I? Don’t we already have An’an? It’s not like we’re royalty needing a male heir.”

Pfft—Qiao Lu burst into laughter, unable to stop.

“He’s not even your biological son.”

“Nonsense.” The man leaned down and sealed her lips with a kiss, gently biting her upper lip like a playful punishment. “He is my son—my real son.”

Qiao Lu covered her mouth, giggling, her heart full to the brim.

Right, An’an was only three years old. As long as they didn’t say anything, in a few years he’d probably believe Xu Haizhou really was his dad.

“Don’t regret it later.”

“I won’t.” Even without another child, he wouldn’t regret it.

After all, they already had An’an. And they had each other. Wasn’t that a perfectly good family of three?

Xu Haizhou was a traditional man, but not entirely so. Honestly, more than having children, he cared about the harmony of their home. If the topic of children ever put a rift between them, he’d rather not have any more at all.

Qiao An was so well-behaved—he truly regarded him as his own flesh and blood.

And having a child wasn’t something you could do just by flapping your lips. The wife would have to take a trip to the gates of hell to give birth. Besides, after the child was born, the couple’s private life would basically be nonexistent for at least three years. They had just gotten married and were still in the honeymoon phase—why bring a kid into the mix and complicate things?

After thinking it over, he decided it was best not to have one.

“Let’s not talk about this anymore.”

He flipped over and silenced the woman’s endless chatter with a kiss.

“Mm—gentler!”

Tonight was destined to be another sleepless night.

The next morning, Xu Haizhou got up early to make breakfast. He had tired out his little wife for most of the night, and now she was still collapsed in bed, barely able to move.

Qiao An, on the other hand, woke up right on time at 7 a.m. Just as he was about to pat his mom to wake her up, Xu Haizhou stopped him.

“Shhh—let mommy sleep a little longer.”

Qiao An blinked his big eyes, stuck his butt up, and crawled off the bed on his own. Huffing and puffing, he dug out his clothes and started putting them on one by one—starting with thermal underwear, then a wool sweater, then a cotton-padded jacket, and finally a thick cotton coat.

Xu Haizhou wanted to help, but the little guy raised his hand and waved it carelessly. “I don’t need help. I can dress myself.”

With his calm and composed demeanor, he looked like a little adult.

Xu Haizhou held back a laugh, then led him out to wash up once he was dressed. There was freshly boiled water in the pot that hadn’t been sitting long. He poured it into an enamel basin and adjusted the temperature. After that, the little one could handle everything himself—no adult supervision needed. Super convenient.

When Qiao Lu got up, her son was in the main room playing with bubbles and Little White. The two little ones panicked and scurried around in the water trying to dodge his fingers, making him giggle uncontrollably.

Qiao Lu threw back the covers—her legs were still a little sore—and walked out to find no sign of Xu Haizhou. But there was Qiao An, who spotted her and ran over excitedly, leaping into her arms.

“Mommy! Mommy, you lazy pig! The sun is already shining on your butt!”

Qiao Lu nearly got knocked over by his pounce. After steadying herself, she playfully pinched his nose and scolded, “You’re the lazy pig! Where’s the sun today, huh?”

Qiao An turned his head to look outside—sure enough, it was a cloudy day.

He scratched his head, unsure how to respond. But still, Mommy was such a lazy pig today—she had slept for so, so, so long. He wanted to wake her up earlier, but Daddy had told him before leaving to let Mommy sleep until she woke up on her own, so he hadn’t dared to make too much noise.

Having successfully won the verbal battle, Qiao Lu felt rather proud and began humming a little tune as she got dressed.

The little guy stared at her eagerly, circling around her like a spinning top. “Mommy, can you teach me more pinyin today?”

He wanted to finish learning it all quickly so he could read books by himself—no need for Mommy to read to him!

“Sure, I’ll teach you when I have time. No rush.”

They say a child’s future can be seen by age three. With a son this eager to learn, the future was bright indeed!

“Okay then.”

That morning, Qiao Lu stayed home doing housework. Just as she picked up the broom, Wu Guifang came to ask if she wanted to go to the market together to buy groceries. Chatting and laughing along the way made the trip much more fun than going alone.

There were perks to shopping with Wu Guifang—she taught Qiao Lu how to pick good vegetables. For example, thick vegetable stems weren’t necessarily tough, and thin ones weren’t always tender. If you could easily leave a mark on the base with your fingernail, that meant the stem was fresh and tender.

Before her transmigration, Qiao Lu had never even touched cold water, let alone picked vegetables. Only now did she realize there was so much knowledge involved in grocery shopping.

On the way home, Qiao Lu asked her for more tips, and Wu Guifang patiently answered all her questions. Eventually, the topic shifted to the new clothes Qiao Lu had worn yesterday. Wu Guifang hinted that she’d like to see them—though her intentions were obvious.

That gave Qiao Lu a new business idea—since everyone was so interested in her new outfit, and she had been a fashion designer before her transmigration, why not continue in that line of work? There was even a sewing machine at home—everything was ready, just waiting for her to act.

The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. So she casually agreed to show Wu Guifang the clothes.

Meanwhile, little Qiao An enthusiastically helped carry a bag of potatoes for Mommy, huffing and puffing under the weight. The two adults laughed and waited for him as he caught up, which slowed them down and made them return home later than planned.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Li Hongjun pacing anxiously in front of the house like an ant on a hot pan.

When he saw them, he rushed over with furrowed brows. “Sis-in-law, where did you go? I’ve been looking for you!”

Qiao Lu quickly set down the basket of groceries and looked at him with concern. “What’s wrong? Did something happen to Haizhou?”

Wu Guifang patted her arm. “Don’t panic—let’s hear him out first.”

Realizing his anxious expression had scared her, Li Hongjun quickly broke into a wide grin and explained, “No, no, Haizhou’s fine! It’s just… the flip-top gloves you made—they’re selling like crazy!”

“Huh? Selling… like crazy?”