TPW – Chapter 59

After New Year’s Day passed, it was a new year again.

The family of three began packing their luggage to return to the North. Qiao Lu had prepared gifts for Xu Haizhou’s family.

A watch for her elder brother-in-law, a woolen coat for sister-in-law, cashmere sweaters for her parents-in-law… It was said that the elder brother had a three-year-old daughter, so… she decided to design a little dress herself. It would be perfect for late spring and early summer, guaranteed to make them look as beautiful as little princesses.

There was still half a month before departure, so Qiao Lu had plenty of time. In the meantime, she took some time to make a backpack each for her husband and son. She used labor cloth for durability and sturdiness.

She didn’t focus much on appearance, but the practicality was excellent. There were mesh side pockets specifically for thermos bottles, hidden compartments inside the bag, and three outer layers, each capable of holding different items.

Upon receiving his very own little backpack, Qiao An was so excited he bounced up and down. He opened his treasure box and dumped all the snacks into his backpack.

He even reasoned confidently, “Daddy said the train ride will take three days. We need to bring more food, or we’ll go hungry.”

Qiao Lu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “They sell boxed meals on the train, we can buy those. Besides, do you really think you know better than your mom and dad? If we had to rely on a little guy like you to worry about things, what would the grown-ups be for?”

His amber eyes rolled mischievously as he grinned and asked, “Then do they have cake on the train? Candy? Cookies? Do they have—”

“Yes, yes, they have all of that, but you have to pay for it,” Qiao Lu said as she tousled his hair.

“Then, Mama, can I bring my own? That way we don’t have to spend money.” He was actually trying to help his parents save money.

“Sure, but you’ll have to carry your little backpack yourself. If you get tired, you can’t throw it to Daddy—he’ll be carrying a lot of luggage.”

“Okay! I can do it! I won’t give it to Daddy!” He clenched his fist determinedly, slung on his backpack, and ran out into the courtyard. “Mama, look! I can carry it! I can even run with it! I’m so fast!”

Chen Jingkang came out of the house with a rice bowl in his hand and was surprised when he saw him. “Qiao An, did your mom buy you a new backpack?”

The little guy stopped running and stood still to let him feel it. “Nope, my mom made it for me. It’s exactly the same as Daddy’s backpack.”

“Wow, your dad has one too?” he mumbled through a mouthful of rice.

Qiao An proudly lifted his chin. “Yup! Because we’re going to the North, really, really far away. That’s my daddy’s hometown. My grandpa and grandma live there.”

Chen Jingkang opened his mouth in surprise. “You have grandparents? I thought you only had your mom, dad, and second aunt.”

Chen Jiamei came out of the house with a basin of water and casually splashed it into the courtyard. She noticed Qiao An.

After a brief pause, she suddenly put down the wooden basin, ran back inside for about half a minute, and then rushed straight to Qiao Lu’s house.

At that time, Qiao Lu was making Xu Haizhou’s backpack. Seeing who it was, she glanced up and continued working. “Jiamei, need something?”

Taking a quick glance at Xu Haizhou packing in the bedroom, she scratched her face a little awkwardly and asked, “Um… do you have something cheap, that women would like?”

She spoke more cautiously than usual, and Qiao Lu seemed to guess her intention.

“A wool coat. Lots of women like those.”

“No! Didn’t you hear me? I said cheap.” Chen Jiamei was exasperated.

Qiao Lu rubbed her ear. “Oh, sorry. If it’s something cheap…”

She pointed to a few leather purses piled on the dining table, ready to be sent for mass production by Wu Guifang. “These are cheaper than coats. Fifteen yuan each.”

“Huh? These are bags?” She picked one up and inspected it over and over. “It’s barely bigger than my palm… and it’s fifteen yuan? You’re a swindler!”

She had to admit, it was good-looking. But seriously, such a tiny bag—what could it hold? A wallet and a few hair clips or ties and it’d already be full!

“No, no. Feel it. This isn’t made of fabric—it’s leather. Do you know how much the material costs?”

“How much?” she asked, touching the material.

“Three times that of fabric.”

“What… really? That expensive?”

Qiao Lu smirked slightly and pointed at the pair of pigskin shoes on Chen Jiamei’s feet. “Then let me ask you—those 765 pigskin shoes you’re wearing, how much did they cost?”

“Uh…” If we’re talking about those shoes, yeah, they were pricey—twenty-seven yuan for a pair!

Thinking about it that way, a leather purse for fifteen yuan didn’t seem so unreasonable after all.

“Besides, I’ve only made four of these so far. They haven’t been mass-produced yet. You won’t find the same ones in the market. Just that alone makes it worth more than fifteen, don’t you think?”

The uniqueness, the rarity, and the quality materials…

“But I don’t have that much money.” Chen Jiamei wilted.

“Then what exactly do you want to buy? The cheapest thing I have is a vest—one yuan each.”

“Who gives someone such an intimate thing as a gift…” Chen Jiamei pouted speechlessly, then cautiously asked, “Do you have… any purses around three or four yuan?”

Qiao Lu chuckled. “Nope. The cheapest bag I’ve got is six yuan. Here, this one.”

It was the color-blocked cloth bag that had been a hot seller before.

“Oh no, this won’t do, my sister-in-law already bought one a long time ago… uh…” Realizing she had slipped, Chen Jiamei quickly covered her mouth, “No, no, I mean, I mean I’ve seen a lot of people with this bag…”

Qiao Lu looked at her teasingly. “Oh~ So you were planning to buy a bag to give to Song Qingping as a peace offering, huh…”

Chen Jiamei’s face turned bright red. “It’s not for her!”

“It’s not for her? Alright then. I was about to say, Qingping would definitely like this bag. She said before she wanted a bag to match her New Year outfit. Look, I designed this one especially to go with wool coats. See how smooth and soft the fabric is? And it’s white — it goes best with red coats.”

The corners of her lips lifted slightly, and she said casually, “I was also going to say, if you’re giving it to your second sister-in-law, I could give you a two-yuan discount…”

“Yes, yes, it’s for my second sister-in-law!” For the sake of money, Chen Jiamei was willing to slap her own face — after all, it wouldn’t be the first time. “Yes, it’s for her! Sister Qiao Lu, have a heart, please give me a discount. My second brother scolds me every day, and my nephew hits me — if I don’t coax my second sister-in-law back home, I’ll be a sinner for life!”

Pfft—

Forgive Qiao Lu for laughing out loud, unable to hold back.

“Alright then, I’ll give it to you for thirteen yuan. Hey, where’s your mom? Didn’t she slap your sister-in-law? Is she not planning to do something to make amends? Are you sure a bag will be enough to bring her back?”

“Sigh! The women in our courtyard are all prideful. As for my mom apologizing to my sister-in-law — that’s never going to happen.” As she spoke, she took out a stack of wrinkled cash from her pocket and began counting. “It has to be shameless me doing the coaxing… It’s been half a month, her anger should have cooled off. This bag’s so expensive — if she still doesn’t come back, I’ll tell my brother to divorce her! She’s been given enough face!”

Chen Jiamei always had a sharp tongue, but if her brother and sister-in-law really got divorced, she’d probably be the first to object. After all, if not for her, the whole situation wouldn’t have blown up like this.

“The money for the bag — it’s not all from you, right?” Qiao Lu asked.

After counting and handing over the money, Chen Jiamei nodded. “Of course not, where would I get that much money? My second brother gave some, my mom chipped in secretly, and I added two yuan myself… A bit short, yeah, but it shows my sincerity.”

Qiao Lu took the cash and counted — thirteen yuan, not a cent short.

“Alright, take the bag.”

“Thanks!” She grabbed the leather bag and ran out of the courtyard without even looking back.

Around five in the afternoon, the whole courtyard erupted in excitement!

Chen Jiamei had successfully brought Song Qingping back from her parents’ house. The family resolved their issues and looked as harmonious as if nothing had happened. With Aunt Tian’s big mouth as a cautionary tale, Chen Ershun specifically reminded everyone not to gossip about Qingping’s situation — just in case they upset her and she left again.

Although Aunt Chen never apologized, her attitude had softened a lot. Conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law existed in every household, and in this era, divorce wasn’t something people did just over arguments. Since the daughter-in-law had returned, the days should be lived peacefully. No matter what one felt inside, appearances had to be kept.

And so, the noisy courtyard finally returned to its usual calm.

Since they were leaving for the north, Qiao Lu and her husband needed to hand over their business affairs to Li Hongjun before they left.

The period before and after Spring Festival was peak season for business. After a week of observation, the two men discovered that the leather bags Qiao Lu designed were a huge hit in the market.

Compared to cloth bags, leather ones had a better texture and sheen. One particular design — a sapphire blue leather saddle bag — was especially popular. It could be worn on the shoulder, crossbody with an adjustable strap, or as a tucked-under-the-arm purse… a multi-purpose bag.

Because leather was expensive, the pricing was generally no less than fifteen yuan. Despite that, it sold extremely well — many customers came to Baiyun Street specifically to buy this saddle bag!

Although town workers didn’t earn much in this era, the cost of living was also low — and with reform and opening-up, consumption levels were rising.

With just a bit of innovation, one could earn several times the profit of others.

Xu Haizhou had observed that most buyers were factory workers — about 40% were single, 50% were in a relationship but not yet married. Some male workers were especially generous in buying bags for their girlfriends.

The remaining 10% were split between high school/university students and married women.

After identifying the target customer base, they designed two more styles tailored specifically for them.

After all arrangements were made and the luggage packed, on January 15th — half a month past her due date — Qiao Yan finally gave birth!

Led by Yuan Jianghe, the family of three rushed to the hospital room.

Inside, the room was crowded with the husband’s relatives and friends. On the two hospital beds, one held the newborn baby, and the other held Qiao Yan, with only Yuan Jianghe at her side. Everyone else’s attention was focused on the child.

“Sis, sis, are you okay? Nothing went wrong, right?”

“Nope.” Her voice was hoarse, but her tone was light and happy.

Her lips were pale and dry. She looked at her sister with slightly dazed eyes. “Just a bit tired. If something had happened, your brother-in-law wouldn’t have had the mind to tell you.”

“Seems like you’re fine, still joking with me.”

“Auntie~” Qiao An broke free from his father’s hand, ran to the hospital bed, and hugged Qiao Yan. “Auntie~ Uncle said you gave birth to a little baby!”

Qiao Yan lovingly rubbed his cheek. “Yep, I had a baby brother. Go take a look — he’s over there.”

“Where? Where is he? Where’s little brother?”

Xu Haizhou chuckled, picked up his son, and walked over to the other bed. Thanks to his height, he could see the red-skinned baby swaddled in a blanket beyond the crowd.

“Waa—waaah—”

He was more surprised than if he had discovered a new continent.

Pulling her gaze back, Qiao Lu grabbed Qiao Yan’s hand and choked up, “My heart was about to jump out on the way here. I kept thinking of scary stories. They say giving birth is like walking through the gates of hell. Thank goodness you’re okay.”

Qiao Yan let out a dry laugh, her lips cracking from the effort. “What could happen? There are tons of women giving birth every day.”

Qiao Lu shook her head helplessly. “It’s still risky. I’m just glad you’re alright.”

Qiao Yan gently patted her hand. “Enough about me — go look at the baby. It’s a boy. Go see if he’s as handsome as An’an.”

She glanced back. The baby was surrounded by people — she couldn’t squeeze in even if she wanted to.

“No need to look. I already know — he definitely isn’t as cute as Qiao An right now. Newborns are all ugly. You didn’t see Qiao An when he was born — all wrinkled like a little old man. Scared me so bad I almost threw him away.”

Qiao An’s ears were sharp. He slid down from his dad’s arms with a thump-thump-thump, ran over, and tugged on her clothes. “Mama, was I really ugly when I was little? And you wanted to throw me away? How could you do that, Mama?”

His voice was full of grievance.

Everyone burst out laughing.

“Qiao Yan, this is your third sister, right?”

“And this must be your son. So handsome, so sweet.”

“He came here last Spring Festival, right? He was just a tiny little thing then. He’s grown fast — already up to my waist.”

After chatting with Yuan Jianghe’s relatives for a bit, Qiao Lu squatted down, cupped her son’s face, and kissed him repeatedly. “Of course not — Mama was just joking. You were only ugly right after birth. Now you’re super handsome.”

The little mouth pouted miserably: “What if An’an grows up and becomes ugly? Will Mommy still like me?”

“Of course I will. No matter what you become, you’ll always be Mommy’s little baby.”

Just one sentence and the little one was coaxed into a happy mood again. It was that simple—unconditionally trusting in Mommy.

Newborn babies weren’t much to look at, really. They did nothing but sleep. Their eyes couldn’t even open, and even when they were awake, they often kept them closed. Forget interacting—don’t even think about it.

Seeing that both her sister and the baby were safe and sound, Qiao Lu finally let out a long breath of relief. She stayed until noon before deciding it was time to go home.

“What about Mom and Dad? Do they know you’ve given birth?”

Qiao Yan paused, then pursed her lips and said, “I just had Jiang He write a letter to inform them. Whether they come or not is up to them.”

“That works too.” At least they’d been notified—whether they came or not was their own business. “Oh right, sis, I didn’t get a chance to tell you, I’m going to the north with Haizhou on the 21st.”

“Taking the train?”

“Mm.”

“This time of year… won’t it be super crowded?” Qiao Yan asked worriedly.

“It’s alright. He pulled some strings and got hard sleeper tickets.”

“That’s good.” She glanced up at Xu Haizhou, then looked at her younger sister.

Whether a woman was happy or not could often be seen from her demeanor. Two years of marriage had made Qiao Lu look more radiant and full. She was more confident and smiled more often. These little changes might’ve even gone unnoticed by Qiao Lu herself.

“The ugly daughter-in-law is finally going to meet the in-laws.”

“You make it sound like I should be nervous.” Qiao Lu laughed.

“What’s there to be nervous about? I think, since you and Xu Haizhou are settling in Lian, their attitude doesn’t really matter much. What’s most important—” she crooked her finger, signaling Qiao Lu to lean in, then lowered her voice, “—what’s most important is, if you end up having a conflict with your in-laws, you need to see which side your man takes.”

Qiao Lu raised an eyebrow and glanced at her husband, nodding thoughtfully.

“Especially if his parents or siblings make things difficult for you—see if he supports you, defends you.”

“And what about my brother-in-law? Does he defend you?” Qiao Lu glanced over at Yuan Jianghe, who was holding the baby.

“Duh. He wouldn’t dare not to. Besides, even before we got married, my in-laws liked me. After marriage, they liked me even more. So I never even had that kind of issue. That’s why I’m just reminding you.”

She sighed, “Actually, judging by your appearance, you’re the type that elders usually dote on. But you’re also bringing along Qiao An, so it might not be that simple.”

Which normal set of parents would be happy about their son marrying a divorced woman with a “baggage” child?

“I don’t know. We’ll see. I’ll deal with whatever comes.” The tickets were already booked. She couldn’t back out now. Since she’d married Xu Haizhou, she was bound to meet his family at least… once in her life, right?

Qiao Yan smiled and took her hand, rubbing it warmly until it grew hot.

“Don’t be afraid. No matter what happens… you’ll always have me.”

Qiao Lu chuckled and squeezed her hand back. “If I ever really have to rely on you, I’d be a total failure.”

“Silly girl.” Qiao Yan’s gaze was filled with unprecedented gentleness. “What failure? Even though I’m married, I’ll always be your big sister, always your support.”

On the morning of the 21st, the sky was just beginning to brighten when the couple was shaken awake by Qiao An.

“Mama~ Papa~ wake up! We’re going to catch the train! No more sleeping in!”

His little warm hands patted their faces with crisp little slaps.

Xu Haizhou woke up groggily, stretched out a long arm, and tucked his son under his armpit into the blanket.

“What’s the rush? It’s still early. Sleep a bit more.”

After giggling for a while, Qiao Lu and Xu Haizhou still didn’t get up. Qiao An, bored from the lack of attention, ended up dozing off again between the two adults.

When they woke again, Xu Haizhou was almost done making breakfast.

The little guy rubbed his eyes and burrowed into Qiao Lu’s arms.

Qiao Lu froze for a second or two: “An’an, how come you’re here?”

The little one mumbled in a muffled voice as he wrapped his arms around her neck: “Mama, I came a long time ago. Then Papa caught me and stuffed me in here.”

Pfft—

The fuzzy memory finally came back.

She patted his little butt: “Alright then, time to get up. We’re going to the train station after breakfast.”

“Okay~”

After they finished eating, there was a commotion outside. It sounded like Chen Jiamei and Tian Jianzhong arguing, with the occasional shout from Aunt Tian.

Curious, she peeked out—Wu Guifang was holding her stomach, laughing under the eaves, having the time of her life.

“What’s going on, sis? Who’s arguing now?”

Wu Guifang, eager to spill the gossip, pulled her over: “Tian Jianzhong went on a date and got disrupted by Chen Jiamei! Isn’t that wicked? Hahaha—now they’re yelling, but in a bit they’ll be fighting for sure.”

“What?”

Here’s what happened—this morning, Tian Jianzhong got up early, dressed himself neatly, and put on a newly bought suit to go on a date with a female comrade. Aunt Tian didn’t know anything about it and was puzzled about why her son was wearing a suit in this freezing weather. Afraid he’d catch a cold, she hurried to send him his padded jacket.

But her old legs couldn’t keep up with him, so she asked Jiamei to chase after him and give it to him.

And guess what? Chen Jiamei chased after him and saw him at the alley entrance, arm in arm with a woman, sweet-talking and flirting while walking shoulder to shoulder—

“Hey, Tian Jianzhong! Your mom asked me to bring you a cotton-padded jacket!” After saying that, she jogged over. When she saw the young woman with him, she feigned shock and covered her mouth, “Wow, Tian Jianzhong, how come the woman you’re with today is different from the last one?”

With that one sentence, she completely shattered the woman’s impression of Tian Jianzhong.

And just like that, the budding romance that hadn’t even started was smothered in its cradle.

“There was really something like that? Chen Jiamei’s mouth is way too toxic… Tsk, those two are really a pair of destined nemeses.”

“Exactly, she’s always mouthing off.”

“Alright, enough gossiping. Let’s go pack up, it’s time to leave.”

Five minutes later, they came out of the house, and those two nemeses were still chasing each other around in the courtyard. After all that running, Tian Jianzhong hadn’t even touched the corner of Chen Jiamei’s coat.

Wu Guifang quickly called out to everyone: “Hey! You two over there, stop horsing around. Haizhou and his wife are about to head back to their hometown!”

Everyone streamed out of the house at once.

“Oh, you’re leaving already?”

“Do you need help carrying anything?”

“No need, it’s just two bags,” Qiao Lu declined with a smile.

They walked the family of three to the courtyard gate and exchanged farewells. “An’an, say goodbye to everyone.”

“Goodbye! Goodbye Auntie, goodbye Uncle, goodbye Grandpa and Grandma, Brother Kangkang, Sister Nannan, Brother Taotao…” He rattled off a long list of names, nearly out of breath.

His little red mouth opened wide as he took a deep breath, making everyone burst into laughter.

“Qiao An, remember to bring some northern snacks when you come back,” Chen Nannan reminded her.

“You child.” Lin Caihe gave her a helpless tap on the head.

“Okay~”

“Safe travels!”

At the very end, Chen Jiamei couldn’t resist roasting Tian Jianzhong one more time: “Let us know when you arrive—Tian Jianzhong bought a pager. I’ll have him pick you up!”

Tian Jianzhong kicked at her, “Get lost, will you! They don’t even have a pager, how are they supposed to message me? Why don’t you go pick them up yourself?”

Chen Jiamei dodged nimbly and stuck her tongue out, “Hahahaha, bleh bleh bleh—”

Their train was at 1 PM, but the couple arrived at the station by 10.

To be fair, Xu Haizhou was quite forward-thinking—just getting from the train station entrance to the waiting hall took them a whole hour because of the crowd.

They moved slowly, careful not to let Qiao An get bumped or separated.

Even after making it in, it wasn’t over. The waiting hall was still packed to the brim.

In the middle of the freezing winter, the couple broke out into a sweat from the crush of people.

They finally found a tiny corner with space to sit and quickly dropped their luggage.

Qiao Lu sat on the luggage while Xu Haizhou held their son.

“You should sit too. An’an, come to Mommy.”

Wriggling out of Xu Haizhou’s arms, the little guy dove into Qiao Lu’s embrace.

Xu Haizhou didn’t sit down. Train stations in those days were full of all kinds of people—you had to stay alert at all times.

In the 1980s, population movement wasn’t common, except for the explosive surge right before and after the Spring Festival.

As the crowd slowly moved toward the platform, the couple each tightly held one of Qiao An’s hands to keep from getting separated.

It took forever, but they finally made it to the platform. The train pulled in slowly. The hard seat carriages were packed with people, while the sleeper section had only a few people trickling in—nice and peaceful.

Sleeping berths were so comfortable.

Out of the chaotic crowd, the family of three walked calmly toward their carriage. At last, they were free from the chaotic mix of strange smells.

Looking around, everyone in the car was either in military uniforms or Zhongshan suits—typical “old cadre” types.

At that time, sleeper tickets weren’t easy to come by for ordinary people. They were usually allocated to employees sent on official trips by factories or government units. A traveling family of three like theirs was extremely rare.

Naturally, they attracted quite a few stares.

Once inside the car, they found their assigned berths. Qiao Lu quietly reminded her son, “Shh—An’an, see? There are many elders here. We must not be noisy, okay?”

The little guy mimicked her and whispered, “Okay, Mommy, I know.”

It was Qiao An’s first time on a train, and he was so excited he didn’t know where to look. The window was open, and he huffed and puffed his way up to the bed, trying to lean against it. Qiao Lu quickly pulled him back.

“Be careful, it’s windy here. If you get blown away, Mommy won’t even be able to find you.”

“Then you hold me, Mommy.” With Mom holding him, he felt completely safe. “If you hold me, I can even stick my hand out. See, I’m not afraid at all.”

He was fearless as long as his mom was behind him.

“Your hand will turn into an ice cube.” Qiao Lu chuckled helplessly and tucked his tiny hand back in. “Wait until we reach the north—let’s see if you still dare to stick your hand out then.”

It was all very new and exciting at first. But after about half an hour, the scenery outside became repetitive, and the little one began to feel drowsy.

Curled up in Qiao Lu’s arms, he yawned, “Mommy, I’m so sleepy.”

She gently stroked his head. “Then go to sleep. Do you want to sleep on Daddy’s bed or Mommy’s?”

They had two sleeper tickets, one upper and one lower. Qiao Lu took the lower bunk—it was safer and more convenient—while Xu Haizhou took the upper one. On the opposite lower bunk sat a man in a military uniform. The other upper berth was empty—perhaps unsold, or the passenger hadn’t boarded yet.

“Hmm… I’ll sleep with Mommy first, and next time I’ll sleep with Daddy.”

Qiao Lu laughed and patted his little bottom. “Alright, go ahead. Mommy’s bed is the lower one.”

He crawled back and flopped down onto the bed, hugging the blanket and falling asleep.

When he woke up, the train had just reached a station. By then, they had already left the province and stopped at a small county along the route.

“Wow—” Not fully awake yet, Qiao An rubbed his eyes in amazement. “Mommy, there are so many people outside! That little cart has so much food on it!”