"Xingbang," Bai Jiu said, feeling a warmth spread through her chest as she watched her goofy younger brother. This was family.
The original owner’s family was now hers.
It was so good to have a family.
"Your eldest sister has missed you, too." The original owner had genuinely missed her maiden family, but she hadn’t visited even once since her marriage. Of course, Father Bai and Mother Bai had told her not to come back unless it was absolutely necessary. Back then, the Bai family had been going through a truly difficult time, restricted and manipulated at every turn.
Now, the youngest brother was the only one missing.
"Mother, when will Xinghua be back?" Bai Jiu asked once her mother had calmed down.
Mother Bai smiled at the people gathered around her. "Your youngest brother won’t be back today. He won’t return until tomorrow morning. It’s your father’s turn for the night shift today, so Xinghua went to cover for him since he’s sick."
Although the job wasn’t lost, Xinghua only earned half of Father Bai’s wages while covering the shift. Father Bai’s wages were already meager to begin with, so half of that was practically nothing. Otherwise, people wouldn’t have pressured them to sell the job for twenty yuan; they knew the family was desperate for money.
The original owner had known very little about the family’s work situation, which meant Bai Jiu understood even less.
"In that case, let’s eat, Mother. I’ve already prepared the food," she said. It was completely dark outside now, and the kerosene lamp in the room had long been lit.
"Alright, let’s eat." Mother Bai was genuinely happy and willing to go along with whatever her daughter suggested.
In the kitchen, Mother Bai felt a mix of reluctance and joy as she looked at the dishes on the dining table. Her daughter deserved to eat well now that she was back. However, she also realized why she had seen their neighbor at the door when she returned. They were clearly plotting against her family again.
Bai Jiu served everyone a bowl of chicken soup. Mother Bai and the two brothers refused to drink it, insisting it be saved for the children and sick Father Bai. Bai Jiu, however, wouldn’t take no for an answer.
"Mother, once the chicken is gone, we can just buy another one. There’s no need to deprive yourselves like this." She had a pretty good grasp of her family’s situation by now. They were just afraid of people using their status against them. "What’s there to be afraid of? We don’t steal or rob; we’re proper workers. Why shouldn’t we eat well?"
They should eat to their hearts’ content. She refused to believe anyone would dare cause trouble. If they came one by one, she’d beat them one by one. If they came in pairs, she’d beat them in pairs. She wouldn’t show any mercy.
Looking into her daughter’s determined eyes, Mother Bai knew Bai Jiu had arranged everything tonight. Though she noticed the changes in her daughter, she only felt heartache. If she hadn’t been forced by circumstances, how could her daughter have become so forceful?
"Alright, everyone drink."
After setting aside a portion for Father Bai for the next morning, the rest of the soup was divided among them. Bai Jiu herself had a hearty serving. Paired with a few simple dishes, they polished off an entire pot of white rice.
"So full," Bai Xingbang said, leaning against the wall with a look of absolute satisfaction. "It’s been a long time since I’ve had a full meal."
"From now on, you’ll eat until you’re full every day," Bai Jiu said, her heart aching for her second brother.
They always said a growing boy could eat a family out of house and home, and the three Bai brothers were all burly men. How could their usual rations possibly be enough?
"Just tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll make it for you. If nothing else, my cooking is even better than Mother’s," Bai Jiu boasted shamelessly.
Her words made everyone laugh out loud. Xiuxiu and Zhengyang were even more enthusiastic in their praise, making Bai Xingbang’s stomach rumble with hunger all over again just from listening to them.
As soon as the meal was finished, Bai Xingguo immediately stood up to wash the dishes, and no one fought him for the chore.
"Jiu’er, what brings you back this time?" Mother Bai asked. Before her daughter arrived, she hadn’t wanted her to return due to the hardships, but now that she was here, Mother Bai was overjoyed.
Bai Jiu didn’t mention that her eldest brother had come home thinking her husband had died; she simply said he had told her about their father’s illness.
"Your eldest brother worries over nothing. Thank goodness the village is resting for the winter. If this had delayed your work, earning this year’s grain would have been difficult." Having lived through such hard times, Mother Bai now had a unique obsession with grain.
"It’s fine. Even without work points, I can still get by. Did you forget your son-in-law earns a monthly salary?" Bai Jiu had no intention of bringing up Gao Zhijun’s situation.
With that, she took out ten ten-yuan bills from her pocket.
"Mother, this is pension money for you and Father. Don’t go depriving yourselves anymore."
Not only did she give them money, but she also pulled out a thick stack of ration coupons. "Keep these coupons, too. There’s plenty of time; spend them slowly."
Seeing his younger sister take out so much money and so many coupons, Bai Xingguo nearly dropped the bowl he was holding. Fortunately, his hands were steady enough to catch it. He had planned to talk to his mother later about everything his sister had bought today, hoping his mother could reimburse her. He hadn’t expected his sister to beat him to the punch by handing over pension money first.
The three Bai family members stared at the pile of money on the table, utterly dumbfounded. Xiuxiu and Zhengyang, on the other hand, merely glanced at it before losing interest. Although they didn’t know exactly how much money their family had, their mother had shown them her savings before, and it was far more than this. It was only right to give some to their grandmother, and they had no objections.
"Put it away quickly, you silly child. Mother has money." Snapping back to reality, Mother Bai immediately pushed the money across the table. "Don’t worry, our family isn’t short on money. We have enough. You, on the other hand—Zhijun isn’t home, and you’re raising the children all by yourself. It’s best to keep some savings for emergencies."
What mother didn’t ache for her child? Life at home might be tough, but they wouldn’t starve. She couldn’t possibly accept this money. What would her son-in-law think if she did? She couldn’t make things difficult for her daughter with her in-laws.
"I have my own, Mother. You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve saved all the money Zhijun sent back over the years. The kids and I don’t spend that much on a daily basis anyway." There was no need to bring up past grievances; mentioning them would only cause unnecessary sorrow. It was better left unsaid.
This time, Bai Jiu pressed the money directly into Mother Bai’s hands. "Mother, if you don’t accept this, I’ll pack up the kids and head back to the village right now."
Hearing this, Mother Bai was torn. "You stubborn child." She felt both touched and deeply sorrowful. It was the family that had failed their daughter. Not only could they not help her, but they were also a burden to her. If she had been born with a better background, she wouldn’t have been put in this situation.
Though her son-in-law was a good man, he rarely came home even once a year. She truly wished her daughter could have a caring man by her side to look after her.
"I’m really not lying to you, Mother. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you my savings later." It was time to show her maiden family that she had the means to support herself. After all, she planned to buy more things for the household tomorrow.
"But this is too much. How about this? I’ll just take twenty." One hundred yuan was the equivalent of seven or eight months of her wages. It was filial for her daughter to offer it, but she couldn’t take all of it.
"Mother, if you keep doing this, I’m genuinely going to get angry." Twenty yuan? What could that even buy?
"You need to think about Brother Bai, too. He’s twenty-seven now; it’s time he found a wife. That way, your life will be a bit easier as well, won’t it?" Out of options, Bai Jiu had no choice but to use Brother Bai as a shield.
"I have no intention of marrying a wife right now," Bai Xingguo immediately spoke up the moment he heard his younger sister mention him.
He knew his own limits. Marriage was out of the question; he had never even entertained the thought. Besides, who would ever look favorably upon their family?
Mother Bai knew her son’s thoughts on the matter. If he didn’t want to marry, then he wouldn’t. As long as her children were happy, that was enough.