Chapter 26: Tuan Tuan Going to School, Who Raises a Child Like You.

Chapter 26: Since When Is This How You Raise a Kid?

Zhang Huaimin shoved his son between himself and Su Xiaoxiao. "Satisfied?"

Tuan Tuan was perfectly content. He turned his back to his father and let out a fart at him.

Zhang Huaimin slapped his son's bottom.

Tuan Tuan whimpered pitifully, "Mom..." He clutched Su Xiaoxiao's clothes with a frightened expression, clearly seeking her protection.

Zhang Huaimin was stunned—this kid was too clever for his own good.

Su Xiaoxiao pulled the child into her arms. "Let's pay him no mind. Time for bed."

But Tuan Tuan wasn't sleepy.

Su Xiaoxiao gave Zhang Huaimin a knowing look. Following her gaze, he spotted a stack of newspapers on the desk. What's so special about those? Puzzled, he handed one over. With one arm around the child and the other unfolding the paper, she said, "Not sleepy? Then keep Mom company and read the paper."

"Okay." Tuan Tuan would rather suffer through boring newspapers than let Dad get close to Mom.

But the newspaper was too dull. Within ten minutes, the child was out like a light.

Zhang Huaimin motioned for Su Xiaoxiao to place him on the far side, near the wall.

Worried the boy might catch a chill there, Su Xiaoxiao tucked a thin blanket along the wall before carefully moving Tuan Tuan over.

Looking at his son’s angelic sleeping face, Zhang Huaimin couldn’t help but say, "He’s so well-behaved like this."

Su Xiaoxiao replied, "You're comparing apples and oranges!"

"Wasn’t he always this well-behaved before? I’m telling you we shouldn’t let him go out to play every day. The more he plays, the bolder and naughtier he gets!"

She asked, "Aren’t you worried he’ll grow up to be a pushover who can’t stand up for himself?"

"There’s a difference between being introverted and well-behaved."

"Sure," she countered, "but a well-behaved child might just take it when bullied. If he’s lively and outgoing, no one dares mess with him."

"What if *he* bullies others?"

"Then you spank him. One spanking doesn’t work, give two. Two aren’t enough? Send him to my aunt’s in the countryside. Some good old country living will straighten him out. Haven’t you seen how many sent-down youths came back completely changed after rural life?"

Zhang Huaimin fell silent. Who'd have thought of that parenting approach?

"Actually," Su Xiaoxiao continued, "Tuan Tuan is very well-behaved. These past few months coming with me to the post office, he never made a peep. Even when he wasn’t feeling well recently, he just sat quietly playing or zoning out and dozing off."

"So he behaves outside but lets loose at home?"

She laughed. "Do you act the same on base as you do at home?"

Of course not!

Unable to argue, Zhang Huaimin scrunched up against her. "Sleep!"

The next morning, Su Xiaoxiao saw nothing but vegetables in the kitchen and asked, "Want fish or shrimp today?"

He groaned at the mention. At the military base, they served seafood daily—he was sick to death of it. "Plain rice porridge and stir-fried bamboo shoots are fine," he said.

Seeing him make a face at the mention of fish and shrimp, she asked whether to expect him back that evening.

Zhang Huaimin nodded.

Su Xiaoxiao had asked him to buy a duck and have it plucked, so she could make duck and bamboo shoot stew that evening when she came home.

Zhang Huaimin went upstairs first to bring Tuan Tuan down, so Su Xiaoxiao wouldn’t have to run up and down the stairs. Tuan Tuan, just waking up, was very well-behaved—when Zhang Huaimin carried him, he didn’t fuss, and when they reached the Nonstaple Food Factory and Zhang told him to get down, he didn’t complain either.

Holding his hand, Zhang bought the groceries while Tuan Tuan, still half-asleep, obediently followed wherever he was led.

Back home, after washing his face and brushing his teeth, Tuan Tuan woke up properly. Bouncing around and chattering “Mom” this and “Mom” that, he first asked when they would eat, then asked if he could go play at the neighbor’s sister’s house for a while.

Su Xiaoxiao said, “The sister’s family is already eating. Why would you go? Su Tuan Tuan, these days they only cook four eggs—one for each of the four brothers and sisters. If you go, should they give you one or not? If they give you one, there won’t be enough for them. If they don’t, wouldn’t that look rude? Think how you’d feel.”

Tuan Tuan imagined himself eating an egg while the sister watched, and felt it would be inconsiderate. But if he gave the egg to the sister, what would *he* eat? He shook his head. “Mom, I won’t go anywhere.”

Su Xiaoxiao asked, “Do you want sesame leaves (a local snack)?”

The child nodded.

Zhang Huaimin gave him one.

Tuan Tuan asked for two.

Su Xiaoxiao said, “Dinner’s coming soon. After dinner, I’ll take a few pieces to the post office (where she worked) and leave some for you to eat later.”

Hearing there would be more after dinner, Tuan Tuan immediately said, “Okay, Mom.”

Zhang Huaimin couldn’t help remarking, “See how reasonable he is? By the way, Xiaoxiao, when I was buying groceries, I ran into the wife of Division Commander Liu. When she saw me buying bamboo shoots, she said there are plenty in the mountains—you don’t need to buy them. She also said if you want to go, you can call on her; she’s always at home and has time to go up the mountain anytime.”

“Which commander’s wife?”

“There’s only one Liu in our division around here. The officers living nearby are all from our unit. Others are stationed elsewhere.”

Su Xiaoxiao asked, “Over by the tiled houses?”

“And the apartment complex too.”

Su Xiaoxiao said, “Auntie Wang next door also wants to go up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots. I’ve already talked to her—we’ll go check it out in a few days.”

Zhang Huaimin, realizing the Lunar New Year was approaching in a few days, asked Su Xiaoxiao if she had prepared all the New Year’s supplies.

“I plan to buy them on the 29th,” she replied. “You’ll be at the barracks, and it’s just me and Tuan Tuan at home. We don’t need much. Besides, the weather here is warm—it could be in the 50s (Fahrenheit) on New Year’s Day. We don’t even have a fridge. If we buy too much, it’ll spoil before we can finish it in three days.”

Zhang Huaimin had momentarily forgotten they weren’t in the capital, where chicken, fish, and pork bought for the New Year could last outside until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. “Then prepare as you see fit.”

While slicing bamboo shoots, Su Xiaoxiao asked, “Should we prepare some candy and peanuts? There are so many kids here—they might come making New Year’s visits.”

Zhang Huaimin wasn’t sure. He had never spent the New Year in the residential area. “Southern New Year’s is different from ours. They just have a family meal together—no dumplings or steamed buns (unlike our northern traditions), though some families pound rice cakes. I haven’t seen kids on the island going around making New Year’s visits either.”

“But our neighbors on both sides are northerners,” Su Xiaoxiao pointed out. “I’ve heard Regiment Commander Zhong and Division Commander Liu are also northerners. Won’t their kids come over?”

Zhang Huaimin said, “Then just buy a little. Don’t get too much—peanuts will go stale in three days.”

Hearing this, Su Xiaoxiao knew how to proceed.

As she took the metal cooking pot off the stove, Su Xiaoxiao noticed Tuan Tuan propping his chin in his hands, listening intently, and thought to herself, *Do you even understand any of this?*

Tuan Tuan paid such close attention precisely because he didn’t understand. If he did, he’d just find all this grown-up talk boring.

After lunch, Su Xiaoxiao took him to work. Passing by the co-op store, Su Xiaoxiao went in to check and confirmed they had peanuts, candies, and sunflower seeds, deciding to buy them on the afternoon of the 29th.

On the morning of the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Su Xiaoxiao bought two pounds of pork, a duck, several saltwater fish, and two pounds of shrimp.

Tuan Tuan was excited to see the long hairtail fish and eagerly told Political Commissar Zhang's family in the residential area: "Uncle, my mom bought fish!"

Political Commissar Zhang patted his little head: "Your mom did great."

Tuan Tuan loudly declared: "My mom is the best."

Su Xiaoxiao couldn't take it anymore: "Tuan Tuan, come help me wash the vegetables."

"Okay." The child ran home.

Political Commissar Zhang chuckled to himself as he went inside: "That boy's really coming out of his shell."

Wang Sufen: "Yes. When he first arrived, he would hide in Su Xiaoxiao's arms if I greeted him. Look at him now." Suddenly remembering something, she added, "Tell Su Xiaoxiao we'll go up the mountain after we finish eating."

Her daughter came downstairs: "I'll go." She went next door to tell Tuan Tuan they would go up the mountain to dig for bamboo shoots after lunch.

Tuan Tuan, like a little messenger, ran to the kitchen to tell his mom he was going up the mountain to dig for bamboo shoots.

Su Xiaoxiao couldn't help but smile: "Got it, you're going up the mountain to dig for bamboo shoots."

With just the two of them at home, cooking was simple. By the time Su Xiaoxiao's family finished eating, Political Commissar Zhang's family had just started. Seeing this, Su Xiaoxiao cleaned and salted the fish she'd bought.

After finishing her tasks and resting for a while, Wang Sufen came out with a hoe and a basket.

Wu Shuang was working today, so Su Xiaoxiao borrowed her hoe. Wu Shuang's eldest son also wanted to go up the mountain to dig for bamboo shoots, so Su Xiaoxiao asked him to look after Tuan Tuan, promising to share half the bamboo shoots they dug with him.

The older boy felt embarrassed and kept insisting, "Just two will be enough."

Su Xiaoxiao had no idea how to dig for bamboo shoots, so Wang Sufen found them for her.

Fortunately, the mountain had plenty of bamboo shoots. Where Wang Sufen found one, there were usually two or three nearby. In about an hour, both their baskets were full. Su Xiaoxiao whispered, "Auntie, is this mountain communal land?"

Wang Sufen nodded: "Yes. Why?"

"I was afraid it belonged to the fishing village, and if we dug them all, they might complain to the leaders."

"Don't worry about that," Wang Sufen laughed. "As long as you don’t uproot them completely, you can’t dig them all. Even though we’ve cleared this area, as long as the roots remain, new shoots will sprout in a couple of days. Bamboo is different from other plants. Plant one this year, and you’ll have a whole grove next year. The fishermen are more afraid of us not digging than of us digging too much, because in a few years, the bamboo might be growing in their yards."

Su Xiaoxiao thought, "Really?"

Wang Sufen, seeing her expression, nodded with a smile: "Yes. When I first came here, this mountain only had a small grove of bamboo. Look at it now—it’s a whole bamboo forest. Let’s go, we still need to prepare tomorrow’s dishes."

Su Xiaoxiao tried lifting the basket but couldn't the first time. Wang Sufen helped her up and said, "Later, have the kids help carry some."

At the foot of the mountain, Su Xiaoxiao had Wu Shuang’s three children each carry two bamboo shoots. Seeing this, Tuan Tuan wanted some too, so Su Xiaoxiao let him carry one.

Wang Sufen frowned: "His clothes will get dirty."

"Clothes can always be washed," Su Xiaoxiao said. "As long as he doesn’t cause trouble, he can do what he wants."

Wang Sufen wanted to say, "Is that any way to raise a child?" But remembering she also disliked noisy children, she smiled and said, "As long as he doesn’t cause trouble."

When they got back, Su Xiaoxiao asked Wu Shuang’s children to take six bamboo shoots, explaining that she and Tuan Tuan would never eat that many.

Even missing six, Su Xiaoxiao still had more than a dozen bamboo shoots in her basket. She asked Wang Sufen how to preserve them, and Wang Sufen taught her how to prepare dried bamboo shoots.

In the afternoon, after Su Xiaoxiao finished preparing and drying the bamboo shoots, she took Tuan Tuan to the co-op store to buy plenty of snacks.

The next morning, Su Xiaoxiao dressed the duck. For lunch, she boiled a plate of shrimp, sautéed potatoes with half a pound of pork, cooked a ribbon fish, and stewed a duck—that was their Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner.

Even with just four dishes, the mother and son couldn’t finish them all.

That evening, Su Xiaoxiao made dumplings. Once Tuan Tuan was full, he wanted to go out and play. Since it was the Lunar New Year, Su Xiaoxiao didn’t want to keep him cooped up and crying, so she sent him outside.

Familiar with the path, Tuan Tuan wasn’t afraid. As soon as he stepped out of the yard, he waved at his mother. Su Xiaoxiao went back inside to wash up, put away the leftovers and uncooked dumplings into the cupboard, then boiled water to bank the stove.

In both this life and her previous one, Su Xiaoxiao had never experienced such a quiet Spring Festival. Suddenly, she felt a little homesick. But when she heard children laughing outside, she thought it wasn’t so bad—no meddling in-laws, no one nagging her to marry or have children, Tuan Tuan was three and didn’t need constant carrying, and she didn’t have to endure childbirth pain. What else did she need?

Since she felt content, she shouldn’t overthink things. Su Xiaoxiao got up, turned off the light, and went out to see how the Lunar New Year celebrations differed between now and fifty years ago.

Outside, she heard footsteps. Looking around, she saw Wang Sufen and Wu Shuang coming out. Both came unplanned, walking toward Su Xiaoxiao’s house. When she reached the yard, they chatted together at her gate.

Seizing the opportunity, Su Xiaoxiao mentioned her plan to send Tuan Tuan to kindergarten.

Wu Shuang asked, “Does Tuan Tuan want to go?”

Su Xiaoxiao nodded. “He heard the kindergarten is close to the elementary school and wants to play with the older kids, so he’s willing. I’m just worried he won’t like the food there and end up skinny as a rail.”

Wu Shuang had seen the meals Su Xiaoxiao prepared—simple but clearly had more oil than hers. “Tell him to eat more if he likes it and less if he doesn’t. You can make him something tasty when he gets home. Oh, and kindergarten gets out earlier than we finish work, so you’ll need to buy a bicycle for pick-up and drop-off.”

Wang Sufen thought it unnecessary—a bicycle cost over a hundred yuan, and it wasn’t worth it just to fetch a kid. “Why not let Tuan Tuan come to our house first?”

Wu Shuang suddenly realized, “That’s right! Tuan Tuan can come back with my little one and play at our place.”

Wang Sufen said, “Then it’s settled. Su Xiaoxiao, don’t fret over it. As long as he’s willing to go, everything else is a small matter.”

Being a first-time mother, Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but worry. She brought up Tuan Tuan’s situation to hear their opinions.

Su Xiaoxiao replied, “Let’s try it first. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll buy a bicycle and pick him up at noon and in the afternoon.”

Wu Shuang added, “Take off work on the first day. Wait outside—if he cries or can’t adjust, you can take him home. Honestly, it’s fine if he doesn’t go. The kindergarten here is just for keeping an eye on the kids while they play.”

Su Xiaoxiao asked, “Don’t they teach pinyin or math?”

Wu Shuang laughed.

Su Xiaoxiao was confused.

Wang Sufen explained, “No. The teachers there can’t even explain things properly—they’d just teach nonsense. The highest-educated one didn’t complete junior high. Look at Sister Shuang—she attended a literacy class for a few days and landed a job at the post office. That tells you the level of the kindergarten teachers.”

Su Xiaoxiao asked, “Aren’t there sent-down youth on the island?”

Wang Sufen nodded. “But they’re assigned to the elementary schools and fishing villages. Our island has more than one fishing village—there are others to the north and west. Each work brigade has its own village school. They once considered consolidating them, but the mountain roads are treacherous, and it’s unsafe for young kids to walk them. The sent-down youth from other brigades can only work within their own production teams, so they just built local schools nearby.”

Hearing this, Su Xiaoxiao hesitated about sending Tuan Tuan to kindergarten. What if he picked up bad habits instead of learning anything?

This wasn’t just unnecessary worry.

In less than three months since moving here, Tuan Tuan had already copied Wu Shuang’s booming voice to a T.

Every time she heard Tuan Tuan shouting in Wu Shuang’s tone, Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but think of “Mencius’ mother moving neighborhoods three times.”

Su Xiaoxiao had originally planned to coax Su Tuantuan into going to school properly, but she instantly decided to go with the flow instead.

Without Su Xiaoxiao giving him a heads-up beforehand, Su Tuantuan was deeply disappointed with kindergarten—the other kids were clueless, and the food tasted terrible. Halfway through the meal, he dropped his chopsticks and marched out.

The teacher hurried after him: "Su Tuantuan, where are you going?"

"Home!" Su Tuantuan didn’t even look back.

The teacher grabbed his arm: "School’s not over yet. You haven’t finished eating."

"It’s yucky!" Su Tuantuan pushed her hand away. "I wanna go home!"

The teacher didn’t argue—she scooped him up and carried him back to the cafeteria. The moment Su Tuantuan’s feet touched the ground, he darted outside again. The teacher ran after him, but the little boy was too fast. By the time she reached the gate, Su Tuantuan was already in his mother’s arms.

Instinctively, the teacher asked, "Tuan Tuan’s mom, why are you here?"

Su Xiaoxiao replied, "I was worried he might throw a fit. Did he act up?"

"Not at all," said the teacher. "It’s normal for the first day to be tough. Let me take Su Tuantuan back."