Zheng Hui sighed inwardly, thinking that Zhilan had raised the children well. As she walked out of the bathhouse, she said, "All of you go ahead, let Qiangqiang show you the way."
Everyone here was familiar, the kids were already this old, and there was nothing much to worry about.
Jiang Chengzhou opened the door and led his younger sister and brothers outside.
The post office wasn't far from Chen Jin's house, just under 200 meters away.
Jiang Chengzhou picked up the receiver and dialed the number.
A long-distance call required waiting.
Nearby, some children were lying on the ground playing marbles, and the two younger ones were drawn to them.
But they didn't have any marbles themselves, so the others wouldn't play with them.
Su Li had no choice but to come to Jiang Chengzhou, saying, "Brother, I want to buy marbles."
Jiang Chengzhou raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Don't you have money? Go buy them yourself."
Su Li was reluctant to spend his own money and had come to his brother precisely for that reason. Hearing Jiang Chengzhou's reply, he gave a sly grin. "I left my money at home, didn't bring it."
The moment Su Li pursed his lips, Jiang Chengzhou knew what kind of excuse was coming.
"I can lend it to you, and you can pay me back when you get home. How about that?"
Su Li's eyes darted around. "Forget it, then I won't play."
Jiang Chengzhou couldn't stand his stinginess. Watching him and Chen Yanqiang gaze enviously at the other kids playing, Jiang Chengzhou fished out a dime and handed it to him. "Go buy the marbles. You don't have to pay me back."
Su Li cheered and ran off with Chen Yanqiang to the supply cooperative to buy marbles.
At that moment, the call went through. Linlin happily talked to Lin Zhilan, sharing every detail of their journey, even telling her about eating a big bowl of cold noodles that afternoon.
Jiang Chengzhou spoke a couple of words with his aunt, then handed the receiver back to his sister.
His brow was already furrowed.
Su Li was completely engrossed in playing marbles, lying flat on the ground with two dark gray patches of dirt smudged on the knees of his pants.
Children grew fast, so Lin Zhilan bought new clothes for the three kids every year.
Su Li and Linlin had never worn hand-me-downs from others—except for Su Li.
It wasn't that Lin Zhilan didn't buy him new clothes; it was that this kid was too hard on them.
Liu Chunhua once joked that Su Li had mouths sewn onto his knees and backside that ate through his clothes.
A pair of pants wouldn't last long before there was a hole at the knees or the seat.
Su Li had become the child who inherited his older brother's clothes.
Jiang Chengzhou quickly walked over and yanked him up. "Don't you care about your pants? This isn't home—if you get them dirty, you don't have a spare pair."
Su Li stood up, brushed the dust off his knees, and gave Jiang Chengzhou a placating smile.
Jiang Chengzhou tapped him on the head. "Keep playing, but no kneeling on the ground!"
Linlin, having said goodbye to her mother and hung up, saw a girl approaching with a look of hostility. "Zhou Lin, you're pretty pleased with yourself now, aren't you?"
...
Zhou Yue had married very early.
Her husband, Gu Zhiyuan, came from a well-off family. His grandfather was a retired old commander, his father was a county leader, and his mother worked at a hospital as the head of the gynecology department.
Gu Zhiyuan had done well in school, and after graduating from university, he married her and was assigned a job in the government sector.
Though the couple had occasional small disagreements, their relationship was good, and Zhou Yue felt she had little to complain about.
The only headache was that her in-laws had never thought highly of her before the marriage, but with Gu Zhiyuan protecting her and them not living with his parents, Zhou Yue had always felt rather happy.
Yet every time she visited her own family, she would feel stifled for a long time afterward.
Her father, Zhou Jianjun, had been stuck at the rank of deputy regimental commander for ages and was eager to advance.
Military regulations dictated that only regimental-level officers with 30 years of service and at least 50 years old could retire from the military with benefits.
Zhou Jianjun was a deputy regimental commander, and upon reaching the age limit, he would have to transfer to civilian work.
He wasn't willing to accept this and had turned to Zhou Yue for help.
He hoped she would go back and plead with Gu Zhiyuan's grandfather to pull some strings for him.
Zhou Yue naturally couldn't agree to that.
Gu Zhiyuan's grandfather was a man who drew a clear line between public and private matters and detested such underhanded tactics. He did have some influence in the military, but among the grandchildren of Gu Zhiyuan's generation, only one had joined the army, and his grandfather had never given any special treatment.
Her in-laws already looked down on her family somewhat, and the grandfather had been on her side. Zhou Yue couldn't afford to antagonize him and ruin the image she had built in his eyes.
When she refused, Zhou Jianjun flew into a rage at home, slamming the door as he stormed out.
Song Fang scolded her for being unreasonable, saying that even marrying into such a good family was useless if she couldn't help her father.
Zhou Yue got angry and was about to leave, but Song Fang grabbed her. "Your younger brother is already this old; in a few years, he'll need to get married. I heard there's a development zone in Guangzhou now, selling beautifully designed commercial apartments. Some even have elevators. I plan to buy one for your brother, but we don't have enough money at home..."
Zhou Yue sighed inwardly. "How much do you need?"
"I've asked about the prices. It's not too expensive, and I don't expect to buy the best one for your brother. Just give me 200,000 yuan."
"200,000 yuan?" Zhou Yue was stunned. "Where am I supposed to get that much?"
"If you don't have it, ask Zhiyuan. If he doesn't have it either, then go borrow it from his parents. I don't believe your in-laws can't come up with it."
Zhou Yue laughed bitterly. "Even if they could afford it, I'd be too ashamed to ask."
"Just say it's a loan!"
Zhou Yue looked at her mother. "Would you actually pay it back? Or would I be the one to repay it with me? I only make a few thousand yuan a year—even if I ate nothing and drank nothing, it'd take decades to pay off."
"Useless," Song Fang scolded. "I wasted all those years sending you to school. Even Zhou Lin is better than you!"
Zhou Yue found it ridiculous.
Her mother probably hated Zhou Lin's mother more than anyone else in the world.
Zhou Lin never got a good word from her, either.
Back when Zhou Lin got into a technical secondary school, her mother refused to pay the tuition and tried to set her up with someone.
Zhou Lin refused, ran away, and went to live with her former brother.
Song Fang always called Zhou Lin's mother a seductress, and Zhou Lin herself never got any praise.
Zhou Yue had heard Song Fang say many times that Zhou Lin was now living with two men and was reportedly doing business.
Song Fang constantly disparaged Zhou Lin and the two men in front of Zhou Yue. Now, when Zhou Yue couldn't come up with money, Song Fang turned around and used Zhou Lin to belittle her.
Zhou Yue also disliked her sister Zhou Lin.
From a young age, Song Fang had told her that Zhou Lin's mother was a seductress who had seduced her father, which was why the family had taken Zhou Lin in.
Zhou Lin was gloomy and withdrawn, rarely spoke, and often let her long hair cover her eyes, giving her a sinister look that made her hard to like.
Zhou Yue had always sided with her mother, Song Fang, united in their resentment.
But in that very moment, she even felt envious of Zhou Lin for not being Song Fang's biological daughter and enduring constant exploitation by her parents.
Zhou Yue shook her head, dismissing the thought.
She suddenly wanted to see Zhou Lin.
She knew where Zhou Lin lived.
Since the reform and opening up, Guangzhou had developed rapidly over the past few years, with shops crowding the streets.
Zhou Yue took a bus directly to the Southern Building, knowing that Zhou Lin's brother ran a shop there.
