Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Ji Yunshu had no idea what had gone down in the He family's courtyard. For the past few days, she'd had only two things on her mind—first, how to take care of the baby growing inside her, and second, the meeting she'd arranged with Meng Yunzhen.

On the sixth day after she got home, Meng Yunzhen and Yue Ling came early in the morning to visit Ji Yunshu.

Ji Yunshu heard the knock and went to open the door. Standing outside was Meng Yunzhen, with a young man in uniform right behind her. This was the first time Ji Yunshu had met Yue Ling. He was a bit shorter than Pei Yufeng, with broader shoulders and a face tanned a deep reddish-brown. He had a strong brow ridge and slightly deep-set eyes, and when he looked at you, his gaze was sharp and intent. He was carrying two cans of fruit and a basket of Beijing-style pastries, standing half a step behind Meng Yunzhen.

"Sister Yunzhen, come on in." Ji Yunshu reached out and took Meng Yunzhen's hand, noticing that her fingers were cold. Meng Yunzhen was wearing a dark blue wool coat that was neither new nor worn-out, and her hair was much shorter now, cut to just below her chin. Her face was a little rounder than before, but there was a carefully hidden layer of exhaustion under her eyes. Her smile was different—more forced, like she was trying too hard—and she was talking faster than usual, as if she was using all of it to cover up whatever she was hiding.

"Xiaoshu, it's been a while." Meng Yunzhen led Yue Ling inside, and the two of them sat down in the living room. "Looks like the island agrees with you. You look much better than before."

"Yes, there's so much good food on the island. I just kept eating and eating, and now I'm getting chubby." Ji Yunshu pinched her own cheek. "But Sister, you look like you've lost weight. You need to take your time and build yourself back up!"

"I'm fine. I actually thought I was a bit plump before; now I'm just about right." Meng Yunzhen was genuinely happy to see Ji Yunshu. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind Ji Yunshu's ear and studied her face. Ji Yunshu's eyes were bright and clear, almost magnetic, and Meng Yunzhen's heart suddenly settled.

"Sister, I've got good news. I haven't even told Mom and Dad yet." Ji Yunshu leaned in close to Meng Yunzhen's ear, their heads touching. "I'm pregnant."

"Really? Xiaoshu, congratulations! You're going to be a mother!" Meng Yunzhen was surprised and delighted at the same time. She knew Ji Yunshu's health was fragile and had worried whether she'd be able to get pregnant. Now that Ji Yunshu was pregnant, it was truly a blessing. Meng Yunzhen held Ji Yunshu's hand in hers, gave it a gentle squeeze, and asked if she'd had any pregnancy symptoms or discomfort.

Ji Yunshu shook her head. "This baby is being really good. I haven't had a single symptom."

Meng Yunzhen still wasn't convinced and insisted on taking Ji Yunshu's pulse. Ji Yunshu extended her wrist and let her examine it. Only after she confirmed that Ji Yunshu's pulse was strong and steady did Meng Yunzhen finally relax.

Then Meng Yunzhen turned and brought Yue Ling forward, introducing him to Ji Yunshu: "This is Yue Ling, my husband."

Yue Ling nodded at Ji Yunshu and said, "Hello, Comrade Ji." Then he reached out his hand to Pei Yufeng and said, "Deputy Regiment Commander Pei, I've heard a lot about you."

Pei Yufeng shook his hand and said, "No titles at home—just call me Yufeng."

Both men shook hands with perfect form and impeccable manners, but Ji Yunshu could tell they were each sizing the other up.

He Qiuxia and Ji Haiguo were very warm with Meng Yunzhen, inviting them to sit down for tea. He Qiuxia took the Beijing-style pastries and placed them on the table, saying, "You shouldn't have brought anything—you're too sweet, Yunzhen. Warm your hands up; it's windy out there today."

He Qiuxia poured each of them a cup of warm water into enamel mugs and said, "You all sit and chat. I'll go check on Grandma."

Now only the two couples were left in the house. After He Qiuxia left, Meng Yunzhen loosened up a bit.

Ji Yunshu asked Meng Yunzhen how work was going. Meng Yunzhen had told her earlier that after marriage, she'd been assigned to the traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy at the neighborhood clinic. The work was simple, but at least it was in the medical field she loved.

Ji Yunshu took Meng Yunzhen's hand and asked, "Is work at the clinic going smoothly? Are you tired?"

"Not tired at all—it's pretty laid-back." Meng Yunzhen held her teacup, a smile at the corner of her mouth. "There's only two of us in the pharmacy—me and an older pharmacist. Every day we fill prescriptions, organize the herb storage, and sometimes help the doctors change patients' dressings. Most patients are nearby residents. There's this old lady who's really sweet—every time she comes to pick up her meds, she brings me homemade pickled radish. I tell her she doesn't have to, but she insists, saying she'll bring more when I run out. I feel so bad about it."

"That means you're well-liked, Sister. The patients really like you." Ji Yunshu smiled. "Is the older pharmacist easy to get along with?"

"Easy to get along with, just really talkative. He spends all day telling me stories about when he was an apprentice at a traditional medicine shop. Sometimes he starts telling stories in the middle of filling a prescription, and I have to listen while reminding him not to grab the wrong herbs. His favorite story is about how he learned to identify herbs from his master—how the same herb, whether wild or cultivated, has different properties, and how some medicines must be soaked in wine to be effective. None of that's in the textbooks. I've learned a lot from him." Meng Yunzhen's eyes lit up as she spoke—that special spark she got when talking about her work.

Yue Ling added from the side: "Her position was reassigned after we got married. Her graduation assignment, which had been frozen, was unfrozen right after we got our marriage certificate and reassigned to the current clinic. It's just a small neighborhood clinic, but it's in her field, and it's close to home—only about ten minutes by bike."

Yue Ling said it in a natural, matter-of-fact way, with no hint of using his status to make Meng Yunzhen's job sound better than it was. Meng Yunzhen sat beside him quietly holding her teacup, saying nothing. The smile was still on her lips, but Ji Yunshu noticed her fingers tightening slightly around the cup.

After chatting about everyday matters for a while, Ji Yunshu pulled Meng Yunzhen into her room for a private conversation. They sat on the edge of the bed, and Ji Yunshu noticed Meng Yunzhen's gaze sweeping around the room, pausing briefly on the wedding photo on the nightstand before quickly looking away, as if weighed down by something.

"Sister Yunzhen." Ji Yunshu lowered her voice, holding Meng Yunzhen's hand that rested on her knee. "Tell me the truth—have you been happy since you got married?"

"Why do you ask so suddenly?" Meng Yunzhen was momentarily taken aback, then quickly recovered her smile. "Yue Ling treats me very well. You saw how he brought fruit and pastries for you—he knew you were pregnant and was even more attentive than I was. I'm working at the Chinese medicine pharmacy now, and my colleagues are all easy to get along with. No one brings up my family background anymore. Last month, the neighborhood office even named me an advanced worker. It's just a verbal commendation, but it's still a good thing."

Meng Yunzhen spoke half a beat faster than usual, as if she had prepared this script long in advance. Ji Yunshu looked into her eyes—they were smiling, but the smile didn't reach them, like sunlight falling on a thin layer of ice.

"Sister, if you're having any difficulties, you must tell me. We're family. Your problems are my problems." Ji Yunshu pressed her lips together. She didn't know what Meng Yunzhen was hiding, but she could tell that this marriage wasn't as easy and satisfying as Meng Yunzhen described.

Meng Yunzhen was silent for a long moment. Ji Yunshu almost thought she wouldn't answer and was about to change the subject when Meng Yunzhen suddenly reached out, covered Ji Yunshu's hand with her own, patted it gently, and sighed. "There really isn't anything. I'm just still adjusting to a new environment. Your sister has never left school her whole life, and now suddenly I'm working, dealing with patients every day—it's more tiring than doing experiments. I'll be fine once I adapt. Look, I can eat fruit cans every week now. Back in university, I'd worry about people pointing fingers if I wanted a can of fruit. Now I don't have to worry at all—Yue Ling buys them for me every week."

Meng Yunzhen still sidestepped the topic, trying to prove that she was actually doing well. Ji Yunshu sighed inwardly but didn't press further. She knew that when Meng Yunzhen didn't want to talk, no one could pry her mouth open. She turned her hand over and held Meng Yunzhen's. "Alright, I won't ask anymore. But you have to promise me—when the baby is born, you'll come to the island to see me and the child. You also have to make me a set of little quilts and mattresses. You're the baby's aunt, after all."

"I'll definitely make them." Meng Yunzhen's eyes reddened slightly, but she quickly smiled. "With the best cotton, softer than anything you can buy. I'll also make a little pillow filled with buckwheat husks—it'll be so comfortable to sleep on. I'll sew it all by hand, every stitch, without help from anyone."

"And a red envelope." Ji Yunshu deliberately put on a stern face. "Auntie's red envelope can't be missing."

"You won't be shortchanged." Meng Yunzhen laughed out loud at her antics and gently tapped her forehead. "I have my own job now. The pay isn't high, but all the household expenses come from Yue Ling's salary, so I've saved all of mine. I have a decent amount saved up now. Don't worry—besides the red envelope, I'll also make the baby a pair of tiger-head shoes. If it weren't for the current restrictions, I'd also make a pair of silver bracelets... that was our family's tradition."

"Silver bracelets aren't that useful now anyway, but the tiger-head shoes are a deal—they have to be from Auntie." Ji Yunshu extended her pinky finger. Meng Yunzhen hesitated for a moment, then extended hers and linked them with Ji Yunshu's. Meng Yunzhen's fingertips were still cold, but this time, her smile finally reached her eyes.

After seeing Meng Yunzhen and Yue Ling off, Ji Yunshu leaned against the sofa and stared into space for a long while. That evening, after Pei Yufeng finished his bath and came upstairs to lie down beside her, she turned over and buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder. "Brother Pei, could you find someone to look into Yue Ling's family situation?"

"What's wrong?" Pei Yufeng pulled the blanket up higher, worried that Ji Yunshu might catch cold.

"Sister Yunzhen is definitely hiding something from me. She says Yue Ling treats her well, but every time she mentions him, her eyes look wrong. Also, when she saw our wedding photo, she reacted very strangely. When the photo was first taken, she complimented me, saying I looked beautiful and that you were handsome too. But this time, her expression changed when she saw it. Think about it—what newlywed who's truly happy would have a bad reaction to someone else's wedding photo? And last time she said the wedding only invited Yue Ling's parents and comrades—not even her own parents. Even with the special circumstances, there's no reason her parents couldn't come. Something must have happened."

Pei Yufeng immediately said, "Alright, I'll have someone look into it."

"Did you two talk about anything outside today?" Ji Yunshu asked curiously.

"I asked a bit about his family situation. Yue Ling didn't seem willing to discuss his family, so we didn't go into it." Pei Yufeng said flatly.

"So you two didn't just sit there staring at each other, did you?" Ji Yunshu imagined the scene of the two men sitting in silence and found it oddly amusing.

"No. I gave him a newspaper and went to the kitchen to make you soup." Pei Yufeng said.

What Pei Yufeng promised, he delivered quickly. Two days later, he shared what he had learned with Ji Yunshu.

Yue Ling's father was a Political Commissar in a certain unit of the Capital Military Region. Yue Ling's biological mother had passed away when he was young. His father remarried and had another son, making a family of four. However, Yue Ling's relationship with his stepmother was particularly bad. He left home after joining the military. The specifics of his family matters couldn't be ascertained, but the friction seemed to stem from his father's inaction. That said, Yue Ling himself was hardworking and capable, with a good reputation at his unit—nothing improper. His half-brother was still in school this year but was known for fighting and causing trouble, reportedly a very troublesome second-generation rich kid, though he'd toned down somewhat recently.

"His father is a Political Commissar, his biological mother was a government cadre, and his stepmother is a nurse at a military hospital. Yue Ling himself has no issues and is well-regarded at work. It's unclear what his father's attitude toward this marriage is, but at least the marriage was approved by his father." Pei Yufeng placed the enamel mug on the nightstand and pulled her closer into his arms. "But whether there were difficulties for your sister along the way—that's hard to say. It's a family matter, and it's difficult to find out the facts. We can only hear vague rumors."

"What rumors?" Ji Yunshu asked immediately.

"It's still about family background. Although the Meng family has had their capitalist label removed, the eldest brother was sent down..." Pei Yufeng didn't finish, but Ji Yunshu understood what he meant.

Many cadres would avoid forming marriage ties with families that had such problems. It was highly possible that Yue Ling's father was dissatisfied with Meng Yunzhen for this reason.

"Xiaoshu, this is only one possibility. Don't overthink it. Some things she may not have sorted out herself yet. If she feels she can tell you, she'll eventually open up. If she doesn't say anything when you ask now, it doesn't mean she doesn't trust you—maybe she's just not ready to face it herself." Pei Yufeng advised. He didn't want Ji Yunshu's mood—and by extension her health—to be affected by Meng Yunzhen's situation.

Ji Yunshu buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder and gave a muffled "Mm."

The following days passed peacefully. Since that dry heave at the dinner table, Ji Yunshu's pregnancy symptoms had disappeared again. She hadn't vomited once since, but her taste in food had completely changed. Sometimes she suddenly craved spicy food, saying she wanted boiled pork slices in chili oil, and He Qiuxia would hurry to the supply cooperative to buy pork tenderloin and make it fresh. Other times she suddenly craved sour food, saying she wanted vinegar-cabbage stir-fry, and Grandma would personally cook it for her.

Once, He Qiuxia brought a freshly cooked plate of boiled pork slices to the table—shiny red oil, the numbing fragrance of Sichuan peppercorns wafting straight into the nose. Ji Yunshu sat at the table waiting eagerly. He Qiuxia set down the dish and muttered, "Why have you been eating such heavy flavors these past few days? Yesterday vinegar-cabbage, the day before boiled pork slices, and today pepper stir-fried pork. Xiaoshu, take it easy—don't ruin your stomach."

"I just want to eat this. The moment I smell that Sichuan peppercorn today, I feel comfortable all over. It smells better than any delicacy." Ji Yunshu picked up a slice of meat and put it in her mouth, blowing air to cool it, her eyes squinting into two crescent moons.

"Another time, I suddenly craved zhajiang noodles in the middle of the night—Mom, do you know what time it was? Two in the morning! Even I thought it was ridiculous. I turned over to try to go back to sleep, but my mind was full of the smell of zhajiang noodles. The more I thought about it, the less I could sleep. Brother Pei didn't say a word—he just threw on his coat and headed for the kitchen, but I grabbed him and stopped him. I said I was just talking, that I didn't really need to eat it. But the next morning, he still got up early and made it for me for breakfast. When I woke up, the whole house smelled of zhajiang sauce."

"I was wondering why he got up so early that morning. I'm always the one who goes to the supply cooperative to buy groceries, but that day, by the time I got up, he'd already come back with everything." He Qiuxia shook her head at the story, but the corners of her eyes were curved—clearly pleased with how much Pei Yufeng cherished Ji Yunshu.

Pei Yufeng was shelling peanuts for Ji Yunshu nearby without looking up. "It's my duty."

After that, Ji Yunshu's palate grew increasingly particular. The thing that amused and exasperated He Qiuxia most was another incident. One evening, the dinner table had sour-shredded potato and mapo tofu. Ji Yunshu took a couple of bites, then suddenly wanted raisins. She went to the cabinet, found the unfinished raisins, poured them into a bowl, picked some of each dish into the same bowl, mixed them with her chopsticks, and ate with great relish. He Qiuxia watched that sour, spicy, and sweet concoction with a furrowed brow.

“Xiaoshu, what kind of eating is this? Sour, spicy, and... raisins? How can that taste good?” He Qiuxia sighed. “You can eat raisins anytime—after a meal, even. But mixing them into your rice? Can you even taste them?”

He Qiuxia couldn’t help but recall hearing that some foreigners, after learning about Chinese baozi, had tried wrapping chocolate inside the buns and steaming them—how could that possibly be edible?

“It’s delicious, Mom. Try it. The vinegar cuts the greasiness of the chili oil, the chili amps up the vinegar’s tang, and when you bite into a raisin, it’s sweet—the more you eat, the more your appetite opens up.”

“I can’t handle that stuff.” He Qiuxia wrinkled her nose in disgust and took the bowl away, turning to Pei Yufeng. “Xiao Pei, keep an eye on her for me. Don’t let her mess up her stomach.”

Worried that Ji Yunshu’s sudden quirky and unusual eating habits might actually harm her stomach, Pei Yufeng went out of his way to ask at the military hospital. When he returned, Ji Yunshu was sitting on the sofa sewing a small garment, He Qiuxia was casting stitches for a sweater beside her, and Grandma was napping in her rattan chair.

Pei Yufeng said, “I asked the doctor.”

“What did the doctor say? Is she not supposed to eat such a mix?” He Qiuxia put down her knitting needles, her expression visibly tensing.

“The doctor said it’s completely normal for pregnant women’s tastes to change. Some crave sour, some crave spicy, some suddenly want a specific food in the middle of the night. As long as she can stomach it and it sits well, that’s fine—the most important thing is to stay in good spirits. Eating sour, spicy, sweet, and fresh together isn’t a problem either, as long as her stomach doesn’t feel uncomfortable. But she shouldn’t overdo it—eating too many different things at once can cause indigestion, which would be bad for both her and the baby.” Pei Yufeng walked over and sat down beside Ji Yunshu. “Xiaoshu, from now on you can eat whatever you want, but one thing at a time, okay?”

“Okay, okay, okay.” Ji Yunshu said yes without hesitation. “Actually, sometimes the things I want to eat are hard to find. Yesterday I suddenly craved fresh grapes, but what grapes are there this season? So I suddenly thought of making the raisins a bit sour—I didn’t expect vinegar-pickled raisins to taste pretty good.”

He Qiuxia let out a long breath, picked up her knitting needles again, and advised Ji Yunshu, “You can tell Mom and Xiao Pei. I’ll go check the supply store tomorrow—what if they have some? If not, I’ll go to the state-owned department store. Wouldn’t it be even better if I could find canned grapes?”

“Mom, you’re the best.” Ji Yunshu threw her arms around He Qiuxia’s neck. “I don’t want fresh grapes anymore—I want mango sticky rice and grilled oysters!”

He Qiuxia: “……”

Sigh. If others called her daughter “high-maintenance,” she’d be upset, but Ji Yunshu really could be “high-maintenance” sometimes!

The next day, although Pei Yufeng couldn’t find oysters, he managed to buy a small can of mango from two state-owned department stores. He made a very non-traditional version of mango sticky rice using glutinous rice and fresh milk yogurt. Ji Yunshu found it a bit sour, but she ate it happily and finished the whole bowl in no time.

During this time at home, Pei Yufeng followed He Qiuxia into the kitchen every day to learn how to cook Ji Yunshu’s favorite dishes. He Qiuxia taught him how to make authentic shredded pork in Beijing sauce—first slicing the pork tenderloin into thin strips, marinating it with cooking wine, soy sauce, and starch, then cutting scallion slivers and mixing the sauce. Pei Yufeng stood at the stove in an apron, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, cutting the meat into strips so uniform that each one was nearly the same length.

“Xiao Pei, your knife skills are impressive. Do all soldiers cut vegetables this well?” He Qiuxia watched from the side, unable to help but marvel.

“Cutting meat and cutting enemies follow the same principle—fast, accurate, and ruthless.” Pei Yufeng said it without changing his expression.

“……” He Qiuxia was stumped for a moment, the spatula frozen mid-air in her hand, her mouth opening and closing before she finally managed, “Don’t say stuff like that out in public—people will laugh at you.”

Ji Yunshu leaned against the kitchen doorframe, doubled over laughing, clutching her stomach and saying, “Mom, you’ll get used to it—he always talks like that.”

When Grandma heard about this, she was in stitches, wiping the tears from her eyes and saying, “Our Feng—he’s usually quiet, but when he opens his mouth, he leaves people speechless. Only he could say something like that with such a straight face.”

He Qiuxia put the spatula back in the pan and turned to look at Grandma: “Grandma, you’re making fun of me too!”

“No, I’m laughing at Feng.” Grandma pointed at the neatly arranged meat strips on the cutting board. “Look, with your teaching, it looks better than what you’d get at a restaurant.”

He Qiuxia glanced down and said nothing, because she really couldn’t find a reason to argue—Pei Yufeng learned everything quickly. And Grandma was also indirectly praising her, which left her quite satisfied.

The home leave flew by. On the day of departure, He Qiuxia got up early to pack Ji Yunshu’s luggage. The suitcase was stuffed with all sorts of things she’d bought from the state-owned department store—homemade maternity clothes, milk powder, condensed milk, brown sugar and red dates for nourishing the blood, sesame candy and milk skin specially prepared for Ji Yunshu to eat on the road, and a small blanket she had knitted herself.

He Qiuxia packed each item neatly into the suitcase, muttering instructions as she went: “Xiaoshu, be careful on the road, and call Mom when you arrive. If there’s another typhoon on the island, don’t go outside—have Xiao Pei help seal up the doors and windows. Once your belly gets big, don’t go beachcombing—if you fall, it’s no joke. Two months before the birth, make sure to write to Mom in advance—I need to come over and take care of you during your postpartum month. Xiao Pei is a big man—he can manage taking care of a pregnant woman, but he’s definitely not as good as Mom for postpartum care.”

Ji Yunshu looked at He Qiuxia’s slightly reddened eyes, reached out and hugged her, patting her gently on the back twice: “Mom, don’t worry. I’ll write to you as soon as I arrive. You take care of yourself too—don’t just worry about me.”

He Qiuxia wiped the corner of her eyes, then pushed Ji Yunshu’s shoulders back and said, “Hurry and get in the car—don’t delay. If you feel even a little unwell, go to the hospital. Don’t tough it out on your own, you hear?”

“I know.” Ji Yunshu turned and got into the car, leaning by the window to wave at He Qiuxia and Ji Haiguo on the platform. Grandma hadn’t come to the station—she was too old and her legs weren’t what they used to be—but Ji Yunshu knew she was sitting in the living room, wearing her reading glasses, counting on her fingers the days until Ji Yunshu would arrive home, waiting for her letter to come again.

Author’s note:

None.