"Bullshit, get lost." Seeing Old Mrs. Song pointing a finger at her, Bai Jiu directly slapped her hand away. SMACK. It sounded painful just listening to it.
"Stay away from me from now on. I’m afraid you won’t be able to control your mouth, and if that happens, I’m afraid I won’t be able to control my hands either."
Putting the money away securely, Bai Jiu looked at the people sprawled on the ground in the Gao family’s yard, a smile finally gracing her face.
"Captain, ladies, thank you all," Bai Jiu said, thanking the surrounding crowd.
"Alright, alright, let’s break it up, everyone disperse." The captain’s head was pounding; he didn’t want to see Bai Jiu at all lately. Clasping his hands behind his back, he turned around and left without another word.
Mrs. Li offered a few words of comfort before leading her people away as well.
Bai Jiu didn’t linger either, supporting Aunt Peng as they left together.
After almost everyone had cleared out, a sound like a squealing pig erupted from the Gao family’s courtyard.
"What are you howling for? Haven’t we lost enough face?" Old Man Gao scolded sharply.
Bai Jiu didn’t mention the incident to the children after returning home. However, she planned to have a good meal tonight and invite Aunt Peng and Aiguo to join them.
***
"Mr. Gao, did the experiment fail again?"
Ever since returning from the neighboring Mao Bear Country, they had buried themselves in the laboratory, hoping to thoroughly study the items they brought back as quickly as possible.
A burly man, about 1.8 meters tall and covered in engine oil, was forcefully tightening a blackened machine with a large wrench. If an expert saw this, they would undoubtedly scream in shock. This was one of the most advanced engines in the world, boasting a thrust of about twenty tons. It represented the absolute pinnacle of current technological development.
"Something isn’t right. The data they left us is fake, and the materials we brought back are missing crucial parts. All we can do now is conduct our own research and hope for a breakthrough."
The tall and sturdy man was none other than Gao Zhijun, the father of Bai Jiu’s two children. He was neither missing nor dead. However, due to the classified nature of his mission and his family’s persistent inquiries, his superiors had no choice but to officially declare him missing.
No one expected that the Gao Family would cause such a massive scene. Ultimately, for Gao Zhijun’s sake, the higher-ups provided the Gao Family with compensation. If the leaders knew that this compensation and the false news of his disappearance had shattered Gao Zhijun’s family, they would likely deeply regret their decision.
"By the way, Zhang, has Old Hua made any breakthroughs on his end?" Gao Zhijun asked with a look of anticipation.
Shortly after enlisting, he had been assigned to protect Old Hua. Old Hua was a very friendly elderly man and an approachable teacher. Gao Zhijun was eager to learn, and his journey from a clueless young boy to his current position as chief engineer was entirely due to Old Hua’s mentorship. He respected Old Hua even more than his own biological parents.
He had enlisted at fifteen, and almost ten years had passed since then. Aside from returning once a year, he rarely had contact with his family. Marrying and having children was merely to fulfill his parents’ wishes. The only thing he could do was send money back every month.
He did like her, otherwise, he wouldn’t have married her in the first place. However, his line of work was far too special, and he didn’t want to burden her. The only thing he could give her was a child. That way, if he were to ever perish, she would at least have someone to rely on. The most unfair thing he had done in his entire life was probably marrying her. He felt incredibly guilty, but selfishly, he had wanted to marry her and be with her. Yet, his identity could not be exposed, so she had to bear all the grievances alone.
Zhang shook his head. "No. Old Hua also asked me to check if you have any new ideas. He wants you to avoid fixating on other people’s work and to broaden your thinking."
Zhang was an assistant responsible for managing Gao Zhijun’s schedule and relaying messages, but he didn’t understand scientific research himself.
"Understood. I will. Go tell Old Hua to get plenty of rest; I’ve got things covered here."
"Alright."
***
Bai Jiu prepared a large table full of delicious food. She had Aiguo go and invite Weimin over to eat, along with Zhou Qingshan’s family, of course. She always remembered the favors she owed.
"Mrs. Xiuxiu, your cooking skills are truly amazing. I was drooling before the food was even fully cooked." Gouwa’s mother’s surname was Yang, a girl from Xia Village in the neighboring town. Zhou Qingshan had courted and married her of his own accord. They could be considered the very first couple in the village to marry for love.
"If you like it, Ms. Yang, I can teach you." Bai Jiu was quite happy to have her culinary skills recognized.
"Oh, give it a rest. With so much oil and seasoning, it would be weird if it didn’t smell good." Aunt Peng was someone who had lived through bitter hardships. Seeing Bai Jiu cook like this made her heart ache with the perceived wastefulness.
"That’s completely different! Even though Mrs. Xiuxiu puts in a lot of ingredients, this aroma isn’t just from that. It’s definitely because of her great cooking. If it were me, it wouldn’t smell this good no matter how much I added." Gouwa’s mother completely disagreed with Aunt Peng’s words. She only wished she had such talent.
"Just keep flattering her. Look at how much food is being wasted, honestly..."
Bai Jiu felt helpless. "Aunt Peng, why don’t you go check on Xiuxiu and the others? Dinner will be ready after one more dish. Don’t let them finish all those snacks, or they won’t have any room left for the meal."
With Gouwa coming over, the two little ones were absolutely thrilled and had brought out all their snacks to share. It covered an entire table.
"Oh, look at my memory! How could I forget those three?" Hearing Bai Jiu’s words, Aunt Peng slapped her thigh and hurried toward the bedroom.
Once she left, Bai Jiu and Gouwa’s mother exchanged a knowing smile. Both of them doted on their children and were willing to spend on food and clothing. The clothes Gouwa wore were among the very few in the village that had absolutely no patches.
"Aunt Peng is used to hardship, so she tends to nag a bit more. Please don’t take it to heart, Ms. Yang," Bai Jiu said with a smile.
Gouwa’s mother cast a sidelong glance at Bai Jiu. "Do I look like that kind of person? Aunt Peng just hates to see things go to waste. Though, you really are generous with your ingredients."
After she and Gouwa’s father got married, they had separated from the main household. Her parents-in-law were easy to get along with, and since she managed her own household, she never mistreated herself. But even she wouldn’t bear to be as lavish as Bai Jiu.
For instance, right now, the best staple food in most homes was corn rice or sweet potato rice. Steamed white rice was a rare luxury. Yet here Bai Jiu was, cooking a massive pot of it. The aroma of the rice alone had made her swallow her saliva more times than she could count, not to mention the dishes Bai Jiu was preparing.
That evening, the dilapidated little house was bustling with life. Bai Jiu was generous; she even brought out a bottle of liquor for Weimin and Zhou Qingshan. Aiguo was still young, but Weimin roped him into having a cup anyway. However, the boy was a total lightweight—or perhaps it was just because it was his first time drinking. One cup down, and he collapsed face-first onto the table, which sent Gouwa’s father and Weimin into absolute fits of laughter.
Aunt Peng wasn’t worried about Aiguo. It was a rite of passage for a boy, and although she was a traditional woman, she didn’t coddle her children.
"Look what you’ve done. Aiguo didn’t even have any food in his stomach yet. Who knows how awful he’ll feel when he wakes up tomorrow," Gouwa’s mother said, glaring crossly at her husband and Weimin.
"It’s fine. Later, I’ll have Aunt Peng take some food back for Aiguo. If he wakes up in the middle of the night, he can fill his stomach so he won’t feel too bad." Bai Jiu also felt helpless. She hadn’t expected Aiguo to be so honest and down the whole cup in one gulp, much less that his alcohol tolerance would be so incredibly low.