Bai Jiu didn’t push the matter. "Then I’ll try to save enough material to make two quilts for you and Brother Bai, and leave enough for two sets of clothes for you. My sewing skills aren’t great, though, so Mother Bai will have to put in some hard work when the time comes," she said with a smile.
Xiang Gaoli’s face turned bright red, but she didn’t refuse. Instead, she accepted the offer graciously. "Then thank you, Bai Jiu."
The events of today also made her realize that a turning point had arrived in her relationship with Brother Bai. In the past, he had always been afraid of dragging her down with him. But now, with Bai Jiu here, Xiang Gaoli didn’t feel like she would be a burden. In fact, she felt like she would be the one benefiting from the Bai Family’s good fortune.
Bai Jiu really liked her straightforward personality. People like this might have a sharp tongue at worst, but their hearts were kind. Moreover, Xiang Gaoli didn’t even have a sharp tongue, and she was wholeheartedly devoted to Brother Bai.
Having someone to help made a world of difference. They finally managed to finish cooking shortly past the usual lunch hour.
As Father Bai watched the young women bustling about in the kitchen, a few more worried wrinkles unconsciously etched themselves onto his face.
"Xinghua, could you do me a favor and deliver this food to Brother Bai? He must be starving by now." Bai Jiu moved quickly, packing the food into a new aluminum lunchbox she had just bought. Not only that, but worried the food would get cold on the way, she wrapped the box tightly in a cloth.
She felt a tinge of regret. If she had known it would take this long, she would have told Brother Bai to just eat at the cafeteria so he could have a bowl of hot soup. Even though he was used to being frugal, at least he would have had a hot meal.
"Don’t worry. I’ll definitely get this to him on time," Xinghua assured her.
Looking at the thriving atmosphere in the house, Father Bai couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache for his aging wife and Xingbang. They worked far from home, and their jobs were exhausting. Even if the family wanted to send them something good to eat, they couldn’t.
Bai Jiu certainly hadn’t forgotten about Mother Bai and Xingbang. However, their workplaces were simply too far away. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have to leave the house before dawn every day.
Mother Bai’s job was arguably the most physically demanding in the family. This was also why Bai Jiu felt that the current Mother Bai looked drastically different from the woman in the original owner’s memories. She worked at a food factory, but she was merely a sorter. She had to stand all day, separating the good fruit from the bad. It was incredibly draining, and she had to work for about nine hours a day. After so many years of such grueling labor, how could she not look aged? How could she not have changed so much?
If it weren’t for the fact that the Bai Family had several working members, allowing them to at least keep their stomachs relatively full, Mother Bai would have collapsed long ago.
Bai Jiu originally had a job, too—one secured only after begging for a favor. At the time, family background was a highly sensitive issue, and she had suffered no small amount of bullying at her workplace. Eventually, the family decided it would be better to marry her off to someone with a good background; at least it would be a step up from staying at home.
Because of that, her job was passed on to Bai Xingbang, who was two years younger than her. Back then, Bai Jiu had been assigned to an office role. She had been shielded from the elements. But as a young woman, she couldn’t withstand the constant gossip and slander, which ultimately made her deeply depressed. This only strengthened her parents’ resolve to find her a good husband to marry her away.
Now, Bai Xingbang was doing the same job she used to do. He wasn’t recognized for his achievements, yet he endured plenty of hardship. He never received any of the benefits, but whenever something went wrong, he was the one forced to take the blame. It was truly a heavy burden to bear.
Bai Xinghua had now graduated. Although it wouldn’t be long before the political climate shifted and things were set right, that time hadn’t arrived just yet. If things went poorly, Bai Xinghua might also be sent down to the countryside. Combined with Father Bai’s severe illness, Father Bai had intended for Xinghua to take over his job. Even if the work was hard and tiring, it was far better than being sent to the countryside.
Unfortunately, someone else had set their sights on Father Bai’s position, which was what sparked all the recent trouble. Bai Jiu was not someone who would let others bully her. This time, she was going to make an example of the culprits to show everyone else what happened when they tried to step on the Bai Family.
"Father, what’s wrong?" Bai Jiu, who had been paying close attention to her family, noticed Father Bai’s dampened mood.
Father Bai didn’t hide his feelings. "My heart aches for Mother Bai and Xingbang." No one in the family had it easy; they were all suffering in their own ways.
Hearing this, everyone fell silent.
Bai Jiu, however, was much more optimistic. "It’s fine. We’ll just cook another good meal tonight and let Mother Bai and Xingbang eat their fill." After all, Brother Bai only got food delivered because he was nearby. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered making the trip in the freezing dead of winter.
"It’s so good to have you back, Bai Jiu." Xinghua beamed with joy at the promise of more delicious food that evening.
"Don’t worry, Sir. Things will only get better from here," Xiang Gaoli chimed in, softly comforting Father Bai.
"Alright, I was just expressing a fleeting thought." Father Bai was also fairly open-minded; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to keep going all these years. "Xinghua, hurry up and go. We’ll wait for you to come back before we eat."
"You don’t need to wait for me. Just save me some." Xinghua couldn’t bear the thought of his father and sister staying hungry while waiting for him.
Bai Jiu wasn’t in the habit of waiting to eat, either. When it was time for a meal, she ate, though she always made sure to leave portions for anyone who wasn’t home yet.
"Deal. I’ll save your favorite meat for you," Bai Jiu said, smiling as she patted Xinghua’s shoulder.
"Don’t save too much. I won’t be able to finish it."
What a silly kid.
After Xinghua left, Bai Jiu called everyone over. The five of them started eating right there in the kitchen. Lunch was incredibly hearty. Even Xiang Gaoli, whose own family never lacked meat, ended up eating an extra bowl of rice. She couldn’t help it; the food simply tasted too good.
After the meal, the two women cleared the dishes and sat in the kitchen to chat. They had no other choice—they couldn’t exactly invite Xiang Gaoli into Father Bai’s bedroom. Meanwhile, Xiuxiu and Zhengyang were tasked with keeping their grandfather company.
"Gaoli, tell me about you and Brother Bai," Bai Jiu said, her gossipy side emerging.
Xiang Gaoli was straightforward. She liked Bai Xingguo, and there was nothing to hide. "I was the one who set my sights on him first." As soon as she said this, her face turned bright red. No matter how outspoken a woman was, how could she not feel shy when talking about the man she loved?
After hearing their story, Bai Jiu felt that Xiang Gaoli was truly a perfect fit for their family. Earlier, she had just been joking around, but now, she genuinely approved of Gaoli from the bottom of her heart.
"What does your family think about this?" Although free love was advocated in this era, marriage still meant two families coming together. Bai Jiu couldn’t let Gaoli cut ties with the Xiang Family just for Brother Bai. People who did such things certainly existed, but if someone was willing to abandon their own parents, could they really be a good wife or daughter-in-law?
"My family lets me make my own decisions." The Xiang Family hadn’t agreed at first, but after seeing how fully committed she was to him, they decided to support her.
What they hadn’t expected was for Bai Xingguo to be the reluctant one. Back then, this fact had nearly infuriated Father Xiang to death, and Mother Xiang had scolded her silly daughter more times than she could count.
"Why don’t you go back and ask them today? If your family is willing, our two families can sit down and talk," Bai Jiu suggested. Brother Bai was already twenty-seven, so Bai Jiu was indeed quite anxious for him to settle down.
Besides, it was rare to find someone who didn’t despise their family’s background. A person like that shouldn’t be let down. Of course, she could also tell that Brother Bai liked Gaoli. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so considerate of her.
"Ah." Xiang Gaoli was startled to hear this. But then she remembered what Brother Bai had told her, and she felt a wave of disappointment. "He wouldn’t agree to it."
Bai Jiu rolled her eyes. "It’s fine. He listens to my parents the most. I’ll have them talk to him tonight. I’m sure he’ll be more than willing."
No one could have anticipated that the marriage alliance between the Xiang Family and the Bai Family would end up being settled by Bai Jiu.