Chapter 80

Chapter 80

After He Qiuxia finished speaking about Lizi, her lips pressed into a thin, tight line, as if those four words had drained all her strength. She lowered her head and heaved a heavy sigh.

"After word spread that your father was going to retire, Lizi... stopped coming home as much." He Qiuxia's voice was low and strained. "Before, she'd come back every ten days or half a month—have a meal, sit for a while, then leave. Later it became once a month, and then we wouldn't see her for two months at a time. Your father wrote her letters but she never replied. Occasionally we'd bump into her in the compound and she'd always say she was busy."

Ji Yunshu stood by the window, not interrupting He Qiuxia, just listening in silence.

"That time Lizi argued with her mother-in-law, your father chewed out He Jianjun—I told you about that before." He Qiuxia said slowly. "After that, He Jianjun... stopped paying her much attention. He'd come home to eat and sleep, hardly say a word to her, and sometimes he'd be laughing and chatting with other women outside. When your father found out, he was even angrier. He went to He Jianjun's workplace and confronted him to his face, saying, 'If you mistreat my daughter, I, Ji Haiguo, won't let you get away with it.'"

He Qiuxia paused there, smiling bitterly and shaking her head. "Your father meant well. He always said Lizi had been missing for over a decade before she came back, that she and he weren't close, but in his heart he still thought of her as a daughter. And what happened? When Lizi found out about it, she came to the house and got into a huge fight with your father. Right to his face, she said—" He Qiuxia's voice caught. "She said: 'Who asked you to stick up for me? That's between me and He Jianjun—it's a married couple's business. What right do you have to interfere? Who are you to me?'"

Ji Yunshu's fists clenched tightly.

"Your father was sitting in his chair, and for a long time he didn't say a word. I watched his face change—from red to white, then from white to gray." He Qiuxia's tears finally fell, and she wiped them away. "In the end he said nothing, just waved her off and told Lizi to leave. After she was gone, your father sat alone in his study the entire night. When he came out the next morning, the circles under his eyes were dark with shadows."

"From that day on, your father stopped getting involved in Lizi's affairs—he truly didn't dare to anymore." He Qiuxia's voice carried a deep, heavy exhaustion. "He was afraid that if he intervened, Lizi would call him a busybody again. He'd never been treated like that in his life. But she was his own daughter—what could he do?"

Ji Yunshu stood there, her back ramrod straight, both hands at her sides, her fingernails digging into her palms leaving behind deep crescent-shaped marks. She wanted to say something harsh, but seeing He Qiuxia's tear-streaked face, those words died in her throat. This was He Qiuxia's own daughter—the child she had carried for ten months, given birth to, and lost for more than a decade. No matter how satisfying it might feel to curse her out, it would only hurt He Qiuxia more.

Seeing that Ji Yunshu wasn't speaking, He Qiuxia wiped her face again, as if determined to pour out all the harder truths at once.

"And there's something else I never dared to write and tell you." He Qiuxia's voice suddenly trembled even harder. "When word came back to the capital that Yufeng had gone missing at sea, your grandmother and I were out of our minds with worry. Your father made inquiries with the military, and they said the search was still ongoing, that we should wait for news. Those days, your grandmother was beside herself—she couldn't eat. When I urged her, she'd say, 'I'm fine, I've already eaten.' Then one day, Lizi suddenly showed up at the door—"

Ji Yunshu's eyelid twitched.

"She came to the house, and the moment she stepped inside she started saying things—" He Qiuxia closed her eyes, as if she couldn't bear to recall those words. "She said Pei Yufeng was destined to die young. She said she'd seen it the moment you married him—that he looked like someone who wouldn't live long, and now it had come true. She also said... she said you were born to bring bad luck to those around you—that you'd brought misfortune to your parents from birth, and now to your husband, and that anyone who got close to you would come to harm."

Ji Yunshu's lips pressed into a thin, pale line.

"Your grandmother was sitting on the sofa. When she heard those words, all the color drained from her face. I stepped in and told Lizi to stop, but she wouldn't listen. She kept going, saying if you'd just settled down and made a life with He Jianjun, none of this would have happened—that you had to go off with that Pei Yufeng, and now look what happened, you'd be a widow at such a young age—your grandmother heard about half of it, then her body fell back and she collapsed onto the sofa."

At this point, He Qiuxia couldn't hold it together anymore and burst into sobs.

He Qiuxia had always been cheerful and capable her whole life—when had she ever been so fragile, so hurt? Ji Yunshu quickly steadied her, but she continued her account. "I was terrified. I rushed to call the medic. Your grandmother stayed in the hospital for over ten days. The doctor said it was acute emotional distress, and combined with her age, she couldn't withstand the shock. During those days in the hospital she didn't say a word, just stared blankly at the ceiling. I kept telling her, 'Xiaoshu and the children are still on the island—they haven't even met their great-grandma yet.' Only then did she gradually improve, thinking of you and the children, knowing she had to pull herself together. Then your letter came saying Pei Yufeng was alive and had returned, and that's when she finally got better. She was only discharged not long ago."

Ji Yunshu's teeth ground so hard she could hear it. She stood in the moonlight, her whole body trembling slightly. She wished she could rush out and confront Meng Li face to face—how could she? How could she say such things to an elderly woman who had nearly lost everyone she loved? Anyone with even a shred of empathy wouldn't say such words in front of someone so old!

But looking at He Qiuxia sobbing with heaving shoulders, those furious words lodged in Ji Yunshu's throat and wouldn't come out.

Ji Yunshu pulled He Qiuxia into her arms. He Qiuxia leaned against her shoulder, trembling all over as she cried.

"Mom knows you're hurting," He Qiuxia said between sobs. "Mom hurts too. But she's... she's flesh of my flesh after all. I knew she was using the Meng family as a stepping stone, and now I know she looks down on our little family. I just... I just turned a blind eye, thinking as long as she was doing well, that was enough. Your father scolded her, saying those were the adoptive parents who raised her—she couldn't treat them that way. Maybe that's why she holds a grudge against us—feels like we're always controlling her, not letting her live her life."

He Qiuxia cried until she couldn't speak, and only after a long while could she continue: "Now He Jianjun is thriving under that leader of his, climbing fast. The neighbors in the compound have all heard about it too—that the Ji family has split with Meng Li, that even her own daughter won't acknowledge her parents. Those who already had it in for your father are just waiting to see him humiliated. I know the days ahead won't be easy."

Ji Yunshu held He Qiuxia even tighter, gently patting her back. Moonlight fell across her face, revealing the barely suppressed anger in her eyes.

"Mom," Ji Yunshu said, trying to keep her voice calm, "we won't have a hard time."

He Qiuxia looked up, eyes blurred with tears.

"Grandmother has been respected her whole life—who doesn't give her a thumbs up? Dad may have made enemies in the military, but he's been upright and selfless his entire career. More people have seen that. They may not say it out loud, but in their hearts they're on our side. Didn't my political review pass without any trouble? Good people don't suffer injustice—especially not Grandmother and Dad, who are the best of people."

He Qiuxia's tears welled up again, but this time the corners of her mouth curved slightly upward. She reached out and patted the back of Ji Yunshu's hand. "You child... you've really grown up."

Ji Yunshu held her hand and added softly: "And besides, you have me and Pei Yufeng. If Dad retires, he can come live on the island. Pei Yufeng and I will take care of him. Whatever those people in the compound want to say, let them say it—we just won't listen."

Hearing this, He Qiuxia finally laughed through her tears, wiping her face with her sleeve. "Alright, alright—no more of this on such a happy occasion. You've come home after so long; don't let these things trouble you. Come on, let's go see Nian Nian and Sheng Sheng. Your grandmother misses them terribly, and I want to hold them every day too."

Ji Yunshu nodded, then took He Qiuxia's wrist and looked at her seriously. "Mom, I've noted what happened with Meng Li. If she dares come to Grandmother again with those cruel words, I won't be polite with her."

He Qiuxia was taken aback, opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end just sighed. "Do what you think is right. Mom can't control her anymore."

Ji Yunshu said nothing more and let go of her hand. As the two of them walked out of the room together, the sound of Nian Nian's giggles filled the living room—she was riding on Ji Haiguo's shoulders, her two little hands tugging at his ears, her laughter echoing through the whole house. Sheng Sheng stood by Pei Yufeng's leg, looking up at his sister's antics, a faint smile on his face too.

Ji Yunshu stood in the doorway watching for a moment, then turned to He Qiuxia and said softly: "See, when Dad smiles, he's still just like before."

He Qiuxia followed her gaze. Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating Ji Haiguo's face—wrinkled but beaming with joy, eyes curved into crescents. He was spinning Nian Nian around the living room, the little girl shrieking with delight, while Sheng Sheng took a few running steps after them before being scooped up by Pei Yufeng and hoisted onto his shoulder.

The whole room was filled with laughter, temporarily pushing down all those heavy matters from before.

Ji Yunshu stood at the door, and finally the corners of her mouth curved upward too.

--

The next morning, Ji Yunshu was woken by Nian Nian plopping down directly on her chest. Nian Nian had woken up early and crawled around the bed before choosing the most comfortable spot—her mother's chest—and sitting down.

Ji Yunshu was crushed so hard she couldn't catch her breath. She reached down, scooped Nian Nian up, and pulled her into her arms, groggily patting her bottom twice. "You little rascal, tormenting your mother first thing in the morning."

Nian Nian giggled and squirmed out of her arms, crawling toward the foot of the bed. Pei Yufeng was already awake—he reached out, caught Nian Nian, and lifted her high in the air with a spin. Nian Nian shrieked with joy. Sheng Sheng was woken up too, rubbed his eyes, and sat up, quietly watching his father and sister play.

Ji Yunshu propped herself up on her elbows and glanced out the window. Spring in the capital was different from the island. On the island, spring was warm and balmy, with sea breezes carrying salt and moisture. Spring in the capital still carried a chill—the plane trees in the courtyard had just sprouted buds, a few clouds drifted across the sky, and the sunlight was thin, not very warm.

"We need to buy the kids some thicker clothes today," Ji Yunshu said. "The ones we brought from the island are too thin. Nian Nian's face was frozen red after playing in the yard yesterday."

Pei Yufeng set Nian Nian down. "I'll go with you after breakfast."

The department store wasn't far from the compound—about a twenty-minute walk. Ji Yunshu dressed Nian Nian and Sheng Sheng in thick coats and wrapped scarves around them. The two children were bundled up like round cotton balls. Nian Nian stumbled every couple of steps, then simply plopped down on the ground and refused to move, reaching both arms up toward Pei Yufeng with a whine. Pei Yufeng bent down and picked her up, and Nian Nian immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her little face against his shoulder with a triumphant expression. Sheng Sheng walked on his own, steady and sure, but his little hand clutched Ji Yunshu's coattail, never letting go.

The department store was bustling with people. Ji Yunshu spent a long time at the fabric counter before picking out two pieces of thick cotton cloth—one dark blue for Sheng Sheng, one light blue with tiny floral print for Nian Nian. She also bought a few catties of cotton to give to He Qiuxia, so she could make herself two new padded jackets.

Pei Yufeng waited nearby holding Nian Nian, who was perched on her father's shoulder looking around, chattering nonstop: "Daddy, that one!" "Daddy, what's that?" "Daddy, Nian Nian wants that!" Pei Yufeng pulled a piece of candy from his pocket and popped it into her mouth. Peace at last.

On the way back, the sun had come out and the wind had died down. Ji Yunshu and Pei Yufeng each held one child's hand as they walked toward the compound. Nian Nian clutched a candied hawthorn stick—she couldn't bite it, only lick it—while Sheng Sheng held a piece of osmanthus cake, eating it slowly.

As they approached the compound gate, they hit the evening rush hour when people were getting off work. The street was crowded, bicycle bells ringing in a cacophony, and several women workers in work clothes walked home together, carrying lunchboxes and vegetable baskets.

Ji Yunshu was bending down to wipe sugar residue from Nian Nian's mouth when she suddenly heard a sharp, almost distorted voice explode from nearby: "Pei Yufeng? How are you back? Weren't you dead?"

The voice was so loud that several passersby stopped and turned to look. Ji Yunshu looked up and saw Meng Li standing by the guardhouse at the compound gate, wearing a dark gray Lenin-style jacket, holding a cloth bag, her face as pale as paper, eyes wide as saucers, staring fixedly at Pei Yufeng.

Meng Li's lips were still trembling, as if she had seen something living that shouldn't exist in the mortal world: "You... weren't you swept away by the sea? How can you still be standing here?"

Several family members had already gathered around, whispering among themselves. Ji Yunshu tightened her grip on Nian Nian's hand slightly, but she didn't speak. She watched as Pei Yufeng set Nian Nian down, straightened up, and let his gaze fall calmly on Meng Li's face. In a voice neither loud nor soft, he said: "Comrade Meng, I'm fine. I've come back."

Meng Li looked as if those words had struck her. She staggered back half a step. She opened her mouth to say more, but a woman nearby spoke up first: "Oh, Meng Li, that's not right to say. Comrade Pei is a fine cadre of our compound. He's alive and well and back home—what do you mean wishing him dead?"

Another middle-aged woman chimed in: "Exactly. Comrade Pei's parents were both martyrs, and he's outstanding and down-to-earth. Everyone in the compound speaks well of him. How can you, his sister-in-law, say such things?"

"That's right," a third woman added, her voice not loud but clear. "Ji Yunshu and Pei Yufeng are living well on the island, with two healthy, chubby children. Instead of being happy for your sister, you're talking about death and dying. Is that proper?"

The women spoke one after another, surrounding Meng Li in the middle. Meng Li's face went from white to red, then from red to ashen. Her lips trembled several times, but she couldn't get a single word of rebuttal out. She had always been sharp-tongued, but these women she couldn't afford to offend—their husbands were all in the military, some as officers, some as technical experts. If she got into an argument with them, word would spread and make things even worse for her.

Just then, He Qiuxia's voice came from the compound gate: "Xiaoshu! You're back!"

Ji Yunshu turned to look. He Qiuxia and Ji Haiguo had come out to meet her.

He Qiuxia and Ji Haiguo's expressions shifted slightly when they saw Meng Li, but they held back and said nothing. They walked over to Ji Yunshu's side, each picking up one child. Nian Nian waved her two little arms vigorously in Ji Haiguo's arms: "Mommy! Mommy! We're going home!" Sheng Sheng turned his head in He Qiuxia's arms, saw Pei Yufeng, and grinned, revealing a row of little white teeth.

Only then did Meng Li's gaze fall on the two children. Nian Nian was plump and healthy, her round little face chubby, two small braids sticking up from the top of her head, glowing with soft golden fuzz in the sunlight. Sheng Sheng was quieter, but his features were neat and handsome, dressed in brand-new little clothes as he sat in his grandmother's arms, still clutching half a piece of osmanthus cake.

Meng Li's lips pressed into a thin line. Her gaze lingered on the two children's faces for a long time, her face cycling through a series of emotions—from shock to anger, and from anger to a sour, bitter resentment that ached in her chest. She looked down at her own belly, flat, with no visible curve under her clothes.

Three years, and nothing.

Meng Li's nails dug into her palms so hard it hurt. She remembered how her mother-in-law nagged at every single meal: "Other families bring in a daughter-in-law and get two grandkids in three years. What did our family get? A hen that won't lay an egg!"

Those words had stabbed her heart like needles for three years, until she'd instinctively look away from other people's kids. But now she couldn't avoid it—Ji Yunshu's kids were right there, two of them, a boy and a girl, chubby and fair-skinned, reaching out to Ji Yunshu and calling "Mama."

Wasn't Ji Yunshu supposed to be barren? Where did these kids come from?!

Meng Li spun around without a word, her shoes clattering as she stormed back into the compound. She'd never really believed Ji Yunshu was pregnant—wasn't the whole reason she'd rushed back to the island to hide that her pregnancy was fake? These kids must've been snatched from some family on the island!

Maybe not even snatched! Kids get abandoned all the time these days—nobody'd notice if you just grabbed one! He Qiuxia had always shielded Ji Yunshu—of course she'd make sure word of her infertility never got around the compound! That had to be it!

The kids didn't even look like Ji Yunshu! Meng Li's thinking twisted into something grotesque in that moment, and she felt dead sure she was right—yeah, why would a pregnant woman go to some remote island to give birth instead of kicking back in the capital? The island gets hammered by typhoons all year, so there had to be plenty of orphaned kids. Ji Yunshu could bring back someone else's kid and no one would know! Pei Yufeng was probably long dead too—this kid was from God knows where, all for the Pei family's money! She'd expose their lies and their fake faces!

...

Ji Yunshu, of course, had no idea what Meng Li was thinking. She stood there, glanced at Meng Li's retreating back, then turned away. Pei Yufeng walked over and reached out to rest his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle pat.

He Qiuxia came over with Sheng Sheng in her arms, a complicated look on her face. "What'd Lizi say?"

"Nothing." Ji Yunshu shook her head. "Nothing that matters."

He Qiuxia looked at her but didn't push it, turning instead to coax the kid in her arms. "Sheng Sheng, be good—great-grandma made date cake at home. Let's go back and have some."

Nian Nian clapped her hands from Ji Haiguo's arms. "Date cake! Nian Nian wants some!"

The family walked home chatting and laughing, the earlier unpleasantness blowing away like it was nothing. But Ji Yunshu knew that Meng Li's retreating back, those red-rimmed eyes locked on the kids—that wasn't going to blow away so easily.

Sure enough, by evening word had spread through the compound. He Qiuxia overheard it while borrowing vinegar from the neighbors and came back with a grim face.

"After Lizi went home, she had a fight with her mother-in-law." He Qiuxia sat on a small stool in the kitchen, picking vegetables, her voice low. "You know what Old He is like—sharp-tongued. Lizi stormed in, and her mother-in-law said, right in front of the neighbors—said, 'That Ji family daughter had two kids in three years, but you—three years and not a peep from your belly, and you still have the nerve to come home slamming doors?'"

He Qiuxia shook her head. "Lizi couldn't take it and talked back on the spot. Old He got even louder, saying things like 'a hen that won't lay an egg still acts so tough'—the neighbors could hear it through the wall. Lizi started crying and ran to her room, shutting the door and not coming out."

Ji Yunshu was silent for a moment, then placed the cleaned vegetables into a basin. "She brought it on herself."

He Qiuxia sighed. "That's true, but she's so lost in her own delusions..."

"Mom," Ji Yunshu interrupted, "yesterday she said to Pei Yufeng in front of everyone, 'Aren't you dead?' And today she did this again—if she had even a shred of feeling for our family, she wouldn't do these things. You're still feeling sorry for her, but has she ever felt sorry for you or Grandma?"

He Qiuxia opened her mouth, then closed it without a word, lowering her head to continue picking vegetables.

Ji Yunshu's heart softened. "Mom, I know you're not someone who hesitates like this. Why is it that with her, you always..."

He Qiuxia's eyes reddened. "I wish I knew. I'm decisive in everything else, but with Lizi... she was lost for so many years before we found her... but when I think about how she doesn't seem to truly see me and Old Ji as her parents, I just feel... ah..."

He Qiuxia's heart was bitter, and she didn't want Ji Yunshu to see her like this. "Go on outside. Let me have a moment—I'll be fine soon."

"Alright." Ji Yunshu stood and walked out of the kitchen.

In the courtyard, Ji Haiguo sat under the grapevine watching the two kids play. Pei Yufeng crouched nearby, teaching Sheng Sheng to watch an ant—Sheng Sheng lay on the ground, his little face nearly touching the dirt, chasing an ant with his finger. Nian Nian was riding on Pei Yufeng's back, tugging his ears and shouting "Giddy up, giddy up!" The setting sun cast long shadows across the three of them.

Ji Yunshu leaned against the doorframe, watching, a smile slowly spreading across her face. She didn't want to think about Meng Li anymore. That anger and helplessness meant nothing to her now. All she wanted was to watch these three people in the courtyard and hold this moment of sunlight close.

He Qiuxia washed vegetables in the kitchen, water running with a steady rush. In the distance, someone's radio played a news broadcast about national affairs, and the old locust tree's leaves rustled softly in the breeze.

Ji Yunshu sniffed and called out to the courtyard: "Nian Nian, stop riding your father—his back isn't good."

Nian Nian poked her head out from behind Pei Yufeng's shoulder. "His back is fine! Daddy's back is fine!"

Pei Yufeng laughed at his daughter's words and glanced over at Ji Yunshu. Ji Yunshu felt her cheeks warm under his gaze and shot him a glare. "What are you looking at?"

"You're beautiful." Pei Yufeng turned his head away, a smile tugging at his lips, lifting Nian Nian off his back and scooping Sheng Sheng up from the ground, one kid in each arm. The two children reached up with their small hands, trying to touch the new grapevine leaves above their heads.

The setting sun slanted down, bathing the entire courtyard in warm, golden light.

It was a quiet, peaceful afternoon.