Chapter 23: Preparing for New Year, Great, Don’t Give Dad Any!…

**Chapter 23: Getting Ready for New Year’s—Too Good for Dad!…**

In her past life, Su Xiaoxiao had been a polite person who avoided fights and never laid a hand on anyone—even until her death.

But sometimes not fighting back meant bottling up your anger.

No one should put up with crap—especially not her.

Seeing how hardheaded Lin Ying was, refusing to listen, Su Xiaoxiao swung the soft broom at her face. It wouldn’t hurt anyway.

Lin Ying scrambled back in fear but forgot about the step between the porch and the ground. She missed her footing and landed on her butt with a thud.

Wu Shuang peeked over from next door and called out, “Xiaoxiao, did your dad and sister come again?”

“No,” Su Xiaoxiao replied. “Lin Ying from the clinic dropped off some saline bottles.” She bent down and whispered, “Tell me, Lin Ying, if I told Sister Shuang you were haunted in my house, do you think she’d believe me?”

Lin Ying suddenly remembered that this house had seen a couple pass away.

Coincidentally, in both this life and her past one, Lin Ying had seen Regimental Commander Ma and his wife more than once. In her past life, she’d often complained to her aunt about how stupidly softhearted the Zhongs were—didn’t they realize how much it took to raise seven growing boys?

Lin Ying didn’t know if Wu Shuang would believe in ghosts, but she did. If there were no such things as spirits, how else could she explain being reborn after her drunken husband accidentally killed her? She had always believed it was the universe paying her back for her suffering. But now it seemed like the heavens were screwing with her, making her suffer all over again!

And just her luck—she was reborn only a few months ago. If it had been a few years earlier—it still wouldn’t have helped. Zhang Huaimin had married Su Xiaoxiao when Lin Ying was only fifteen, too young to be engaged to him.

Lin Ying clambered up, glaring. “Su Xiaoxiao, I’ll prove you’re not who you say you are sooner or later!”

Su Xiaoxiao was sure Lin Ying had lost it. Even after being reborn, was being some guy’s stepmom really the best she could do?

If she had been reborn ten years ago, right when the college entrance exams were suspended and there were no other paths forward, Su Xiaoxiao could understand marrying Zhang Huaimin. But now, with the exams resuming in less than three years, Lin Ying would only be twenty-three or twenty-four by then. Why not start studying now and aim for medical school?

Su Xiaoxiao wasn’t about to help her out. “You’ve got no proof—and you never will. Even if you could prove I’m not me, I could just as easily prove you’re not you. But if you really want to make me regret crossing you, there are plenty of ways—like becoming the wife of Zhang Huaimin’s superior.”

“You want me to marry an older guy?” Lin Ying gasped. “How cruel can you be?”

“Older guys come with perks,” Su Xiaoxiao shrugged. “Marry him and you won’t have to have kids right away. A few years later, when he retires, the army’ll assign you a maid—or at least cover the cost. He’s got a fat pension. After he’s gone, you can live off that money. Remarry if you want, or don’t—you’ll be set either way.”

Lin Ying sneered. “Do you think I’m stupid? If it’s so great, why don’t you—”

“I’m Zhang Huaimin’s wife. How could I marry someone else?” Su Xiaoxiao cut her off, exasperated. “I’ve never met anyone as dense as you. You’re making my brain hurt!”

Lin Ying narrowed her eyes. “Why would you be so kind?”

“Believe what you want. But if you don’t leave now, don’t blame me for what happens next!” Su Xiaoxiao raised the broom, ready to chase her out.

Lin Ying bolted like a scared rabbit.

Wu Shuang came over from next door. She hadn’t made out what they were saying, but it clearly wasn’t about saline bottles. Watching Lin Ying disappear, she asked, “What did she want?”

Su Xiaoxiao knew Wu Shuang hadn’t heard anything.

Not surprising—neither of them had dared speak loudly.

Su Xiaoxiao lied without missing a beat. “She said I was too harsh on my dad. Like she’s some kind of saint.”

Wu Shuang nodded. “Young and naive—thinks everyone’s a good person. Plus, she’s a nurse. Soft-hearted, I guess. Just ignore her. Next time she says something like that, tell her you’ll send your dad and sister to live with her.”

Su Xiaoxiao ran with it, saying she’d threatened exactly that—even threatened to drag Lin Ying to the docks, which sent her crumpling to the ground in fear. When Lin Ying snapped that she was vicious, that’s when Su Xiaoxiao went at her with the broom.

Wu Shuang couldn't help but say, "That’s the way to do it! Xiaoxiao, since you've had a falling-out with your family and you're the only one left, if you don’t stand firm, even relatives who are nice now will think you’re easy to push around later."

Su Xiaoxiao suspected Wu Shuang was referring to her in-laws, her brother-in-law, and sister-in-law: "I get it, Sister-in-law. I’ll come to you for advice if there’s anything I don’t understand."

Wu Shuang had many things to attend to at home. Taking the hint, she agreed to continue their conversation at work another time.

Su Xiaoxiao cleaned the upstairs and downstairs before preparing lunch.

Just as she finished cooking, Commissar Zhang’s daughter brought Tuan Tuan over.

The boy clutched his coat, his forehead sweaty.

Su Xiaoxiao smiled at his rosy cheeks—children should be this lively.

She wiped his sweat, changed him into clean clothes in the sun, then washed his face and hands.

Once tidy, Tuan Tuan pulled out a candy from his pocket and popped it into his mother’s mouth.

Su Xiaoxiao instinctively opened her mouth and was surprised by the milky taste: "Where’d you get this milk candy?"

"San Wa gave it to me," Tuan Tuan held up two fingers. "One for me, one for you. Mommy, is it yummy?"

Su Xiaoxiao nodded: "So good!" She kissed his cheek. "Thanks for saving one for Mommy. Mommy made something delicious for you too. Ready to eat?"

"Okay!" Tuan Tuan reached out, and Su Xiaoxiao handed him two sets of bowls and chopsticks. He carried them to the living room to wait for her.

After lunch, the boy nodded off in his chair. Su Xiaoxiao carried him upstairs, watching him sleep while writing a letter to her aunt.

When Tuan Tuan woke up, Su Xiaoxiao took him to the grocery market with a basket. She bought a basketful of cheap, bulk dried seafood. The next morning, she mailed it along with the letter to her aunt.

When Wu Shuang saw what she had sent, she recalled the saying: "Gifts oblige the receiver."

If Su Xiaoxiao's aunt had any conscience at all, receiving these gifts would make her want to help protect Su Xiaoxiao’s home.

Early on Laba Festival morning, just as Su Xiaoxiao's aunt had put various grains into the pot and told her daughter to light the fire, she led her family’s goat outside to eat bean stalks. Then she spotted the postman cycling toward her.

Aunt Liu thought, "Who’d write to me?"

Before she could ask, the postman stopped and said, "Are you Liu Dani? Your letter! And fill this out."

Aunt Liu couldn’t read. After thinking, she called out her youngest daughter, who had studied with the educated youth for a few years.

Su Xiaoxiao’s cousin signed for it, and the postman left for the next production team. Aunt Liu grabbed her daughter’s arm and asked, "Is it from your cousin Xiaoxiao?"

Her daughter nodded: "There’s also a delivery slip. Must be a package to collect from the post office. Mom, don’t you think Xiaoxiao has been acting strange lately? She never used to give us anything."

"Before, she lived with your uncle. He’s stingy, and with Tuan Tuan being so young, Xiaoxiao relied on them to help look after him. If he disagreed, how could she dare disobey?" Aunt Liu told her daughter to open the letter and read it aloud.

Su Xiaoxiao’s letter first mentioned that she was doing well in the south and that winters there were warm without snow. Then she explained that her father had visited days earlier and shared Wu Shuang’s insight about “borrowing death but not life” with her aunt. When her cousin read this part, Aunt Liu couldn’t help cursing Liu Dajun’s cruelty.

Su Xiaoxiao’s cousin waited until her mother finished venting before continuing, as she too thought her third uncle was heartless.

In the latter part, Su Xiaoxiao explained that she had sent New Year gifts to her in-laws and bought some things for her aunt and uncles, adding, "Seafood’s cheaper than eggs there." She ended by hoping her aunt would visit at year’s end, as Chen Xue’s due date was approaching.

Upon hearing that her brother wanted Chen Xue to give birth in Su Xiaoxiao’s home to “borrow” their luck, Aunt Liu had her husband and daughter pick up the parcel from the post office after breakfast while she and her son headed to the city with homemade goods.

Finding Su Xiaoxiao’s gate locked, the mother and son got worried. But after entering the courtyard and seeing the locks on Su Xiaoxiao’s bedroom and main house intact, they sighed in relief.

Su Xiaoxiao’s wealthy western neighbor, spotting Aunt Liu, slipped over to ask what she was carrying. Aunt Liu truthfully said there wasn’t much—today was mainly to check if Liu Dajun had moved in.

Su Xiaoxiao’s neighbor also believed in the saying “borrow death, not birth”—a superstitious notion about avoiding lending to those in need. Upon hearing from Aunt Liu that Liu Dajun thought the feng shui here was good and had been eager to move back, she confidently declared that she would be the first to call the police if Liu Dajun dared come. She then took everything Aunt Liu had brought with her.

The neighbor didn’t want to sort through the mixed grains and simply handed Aunt Liu money. The under-the-table deal left Aunt Liu uneasy, so she locked her door and went home immediately after receiving the cash. Then she asked the village teacher to write a reply letter for Su Xiaoxiao.

By the middle of the twelfth lunar month, Su Xiaoxiao received her aunt’s letter. Her anxious heart finally settled, and she felt ready to prepare for the New Year.

She had saved up meat coupons and oil coupons. On the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month, she used the oil coupons and bought two pounds of pork belly. She trimmed most of the fat off to render lard, which she then mixed with rapeseed oil. It was best to use the oil after frying something first; otherwise, it might carry a fishy smell.

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t know how to fry things—she’d never done it before, because since childhood, oil had always been rationed at home. Even during the New Year, she never dared to fry treats herself and just bought some from the state-owned grocery store every year.

Before heating the oil, Su Xiaoxiao went to Wu Shuang’s house. Unfortunately, Wu Shuang was working that day. As Su Xiaoxiao came out, she saw Commissar Zhang’s wife weeding the yard and went over to ask why she hadn’t started preparing New Year goods yet.

Commissar Zhang’s wife put down her hoe and explained, “The dough hasn’t risen yet. I’ll make it this afternoon. I saw you bought oil today too—what’re you frying?”

Su Xiaoxiao felt embarrassed to admit she didn’t know how to fry anything. Luckily, she had a clever son who wasn’t home at the moment, so she didn’t have to worry about him blurting out the truth seconds after she spoke: “Tuan Tuan wants to eat sanzi (crispy fried noodles). But no one where we live knows how to make them. Auntie, do you know how?”

“Of course.”

Commissar Zhang’s wife, Wang Sufen, had previously asked her husband whether people from the capital had any taboos—after all, Su Xiaoxiao was the only military wife in the residential area who came from the capital. Before Wang Sufen arrived, she had never interacted with anyone from Beijing and worried about embarrassing herself in front of Su Xiaoxiao and bringing shame to her husband. In casual conversation, Commissar Zhang once mentioned “mahua (twisted crullers).”

Wang Sufen asked, “Do people from your hometown eat mahua?”

Su Xiaoxiao nodded. “But nobody fries them at home. They’re easier to buy ready-made, so I’ve never learned how to make either.”

“So, do you want to fry sanzi or mahua?”

Su Xiaoxiao replied, “Sanzi. Tuan Tuan saw someone eating them and asked me about it.”

“When do you want to fry them? If it’s today, I can teach you how to knead the dough now. After I finish frying mine, I can help you with yours. How much do you want to make?”

Su Xiaoxiao had seen Wang Sufen cooking on an earthen stove and wondered if she used it for frying. “I’ll use the stove, but it’s slow. Would two or three pounds be okay? Tuan Tuan’s dad’s rarely home, so it doesn’t matter if I eat any—it’s mainly for Tuan Tuan to enjoy. We’ve got other food stocked up.”

Wang Sufen said, “Then let’s do it today. I’ll come over soon.”

Su Xiaoxiao went home first, covered the pot of oil, and scooped out the flour.

Just as she finished tidying the kitchen, Wang Sufen arrived with a piece of yeast starter to teach Su Xiaoxiao how to knead the dough, reminding her to come find her once the dough had risen.

After kneading the dough, Su Xiaoxiao noticed it wasn’t noon yet, so she minced nine parts lean, one part fat pork into filling, chopped the celery she’d bought that morning, mixed it with the meat, and mixed another batch of dough for dumpling wrappers.

Once the wrappers were rolled out, Su Xiaoxiao carried the dining table out under the eaves and sat in the sun folding dumplings. She had just made a few when Su Tuan Tuan came skipping home—this time without his jacket, his shirt flapping open.

Su Xiaoxiao worried he might catch a cold. “Aren’t you cold?”

“Not at all!” Tuan Tuan approached the table and, seeing the dumplings, his eyes lit up. “Mom, are we having dumplings?”

Su Xiaoxiao asked, “Do you want some?”

Tuan Tuan nodded vigorously, then glanced toward the house. “Where’s Dad?”

Su Xiaoxiao replied, “Dad’s at work.”

“So it’s just me and Mom eating dumplings?” Before his mother could answer, he cheered, “Great! No dumplings for Dad!”

As the saying goes, “Speak of Cao Cao, and he appears.”

Zhang Huaimin returned from his run. “Dad heard you.”

Tuan Tuan jumped, turned to see his father had already entered the yard, and darted behind his mother.

Su Xiaoxiao chuckled, "Getting scared now? Dad hasn’t spanked you lately. Why won’t you share with him?"

"Dad’s bad!" Tuan Tuan said defiantly, protected by his mother in front.

Zhang Huaimin flicked him on the head, "Then I’ll really give you something to cry about!"

Tuan Tuan stomped his foot angrily.

Zhang Huaimin went inside to wash his hands, then sat across from Su Xiaoxiao and asked her to show him how to wrap dumplings.

Su Xiaoxiao was curious, "You’ve learned to do laundry and water the plants, but never made dumplings?"

"I never went home for New Year—the army had a mess team, so I never had to do it myself. Who would I learn from?" Zhang Huaimin asked again, "So are you gonna teach me or what?"

Tuan Tuan: "Mom, teach me!"

Su Xiaoxiao: "Your hands aren’t even as big as the dumpling wrappers. Don’t get in the way. Mom and Dad can finish faster if you don’t interfere."

Tuan Tuan wasn’t convinced and stretched out his hand, "Let’s see!"

Su Xiaoxiao gave Zhang Huaimin a look, and Zhang Huaimin hauled his son inside to wash his hands. When they came back, he handed Tuan Tuan a dumpling wrapper to play with.

Tuan Tuan wasn’t having any of that and asked his mom to add some filling for him.

Su Xiaoxiao dolloped a little filling onto the wrapper and taught him to make wontons. Tuan Tuan struggled with dumplings but found wontons easy enough. Once done, he proudly showed it off to his dad, "Dad, I made this! Can you?"

Zhang Huaimin grinned, "I know how to spank. Su Tuan Tuan, where do you need it?"

Tuan Tuan ran to his mom to complain—Dad was bullying him.

Su Xiaoxiao warned, "Tuan Tuan, if you make Dad angry, even Mom might not be able to stop him."

"Mom can stop him!" Tuan Tuan declared loudly. "Mom’s tough. Even Grandpa and Auntie are scared of Mom." The implication was clear—Dad was no exception.

Tuan Tuan’s words reminded Su Xiaoxiao, "The things I sent to Auntie arrived."

Zhang Huaimin knew about sending packages to Aunt Liu, "Did she reply? Say anything?"

Su Xiaoxiao answered, "Not much. Just told me to relax—if Dad dares to sneak over, she’ll gather the uncles and toss his stuff out."

"That’s good," Zhang Huaimin thought for a moment. "From now on, send them gifts during holidays—Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Spring Festival. Three times a year. If we send too often, even if Auntie and the uncles don’t mind, their kids and in-laws might think we’ve got money to burn."

Su Xiaoxiao suspected what Zhang Huaimin really meant was: Don’t go overboard like before, when a little kindness had her ready to give the shirt off her back.