Chapter 10: Becoming a Godmother
Page (1/3)
Watching the two young men scramble to drink water, Su Qiao placed the pickled vegetables on the bedside table in front of them.
“How come these pickled vegetables taste different from the ones we had before?” Wang Jianguo asked before he had even picked up his chopsticks.
“Auntie Su made them herself. She stir-fried the soybean paste in oil first.”
“No wonder they look so glossy. I could polish off three bowls of rice in one go.”
“Look at you, acting so proud.”
Watching the three children bicker, all of them eighteen or nineteen, Su Qiao felt young right along with them.
It was only after she made out what they were saying that she nearly burst out laughing.
“Wang Jianguo, you were putting on airs just now, telling Auntie Su you couldn’t eat any more. Why don’t you let her see how you can finish an entire steamed bun in three bites?”
Wang Jianguo lowered his head and kept eating, completely unbothered by Qiu Dazhu buzzing beside him.
Eventually, Li Ling could not stand it anymore and gave him a shove. “If you keep talking, Wang Jianguo will have finished everything.”
“What? You’ve already eaten three steamed buns? You didn’t wait for me!”
“Wait for you? Thank goodness we’re all friends here. Otherwise, you’d starve to death.” Li Ling was the one who said this.
As for Wang Jianguo, he was eating with such relish that he had no time to bother with Qiu Dazhu.
Only after Wang Jianguo drank the last mouthful of noodle soup did he rise, thoroughly satisfied, and say to Su Qiao, “Auntie Su, thank you. This is the fullest meal I’ve had in years.”
There was a note of bitterness in Wang Jianguo’s voice, and Su Qiao did not know how to respond.
Li Ling was good at smoothing things over. When she saw that Wang Jianguo had finished eating, she pulled him over and told him about the time Su Qiao had beaten up the Chen family’s mother and daughter-in-law.
Li Ling told the story with vivid gestures, leaving Wang Jianguo and Qiu Dazhu staring at her in fascination.
Then she told them how Su Qiao had lashed out at the Chen father and son.
“Auntie Su argued them into silence. They could only open and close their mouths without saying a word. It was so satisfying to watch.”
Wang Jianguo and Qiu Dazhu were completely captivated.
“How come I can’t think of things like that to say?”
“You could write every word down in a little notebook and still never learn.”
“How could that be? If I read them over a few times, I’d learn.”
“Please. Those words have to come naturally in the moment. You don’t have that talent.”
“True. Whenever I get anxious, my hands start itching.”
“Hmph! Let me tell you something. I’m going to take Auntie Su as my godmother. Then we’ll see who dares bully me. I’ll have Auntie Su beat him up for me.”
Thinking of the heroic way Auntie Su had beaten the Chen women, Li Ling’s eyes filled with admiration.
Su Qiao thought to herself: I don’t want this. I’d be doing well enough just raising Fang Xiaoying and Fang Xiaofeng properly.
Wang Jianguo said, “A good thing like that can’t leave me out.”
Page (2/3)
Qiu Dazhu said, “If you two don’t take me with you, I’m never playing with you again.”
Su Qiao thought to herself: With those thick brows and such a manly appearance, how can he keep talking like a child? And he says it so smoothly. Clearly, he does this all the time.
While Su Qiao was muttering inwardly, Li Ling sidled up beside her and asked ingratiatingly, “Auntie Su, will you be my godmother?”
“Me too.”
“Me too.”
When Ye Ting arrived, he happened to witness this scene.
Ye Ting found it rather amusing as well. Just because Comrade Su Qiao knew how to fight, three children had come running to ask her to be their godmother.
These kids were truly hilarious.
Su Qiao had not expected to be so popular. She could not resist teasing the three children across from her.
“If your parents knew how good I was at fighting, wouldn’t they worry that I might lead you astray?”
“They wouldn’t. My mother likes arguing with people too. It’s just that the people in her crowd aren’t very good at it.”
Su Qiao said, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Heh-heh. I’m telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, ask Wang Jianguo and Qiu Dazhu. They both know.”
“That’s right.”
“Mm. My mother’s even worse. All she can do is chase people with a broken broom and shout the same few words: ‘You little bastard!’”
“You three all live together?”
“We all live in the steel mill housing compound. We’ve known each other since we were children. Wang Jianguo and Qiu Dazhu especially—they practically grew up sharing a pair of trousers.”
“No way!”
“You’re exaggerating.”
Seeing that the two fools still refused to admit it, Li Ling did not want to waste any more time arguing. Becoming goddaughter was what mattered.
“Auntie Su, please say yes!”
“That’s right, Auntie Su.”
“Auntie Su, please!”
Su Qiao truly did not want to take on any more trouble. But the three children across from her had saved Fang Xiaoying. Without them, Fang Xiaoying might have died long ago.
After thinking it over, Su Qiao finally nodded.
“Auntie Su, you’re so kind.”
“You called her by the wrong name. You’re supposed to call her Godmother!”
“Godmother!”
Page (3/3)
“Godmother.”
“Godmother.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Su Qiao had not expected the three children to be such sweet talkers. They called her Godmother without the slightest hesitation.
But now that they had called her Godmother, she could not let them do so for nothing. When she thought about giving them presents to mark the occasion, Su Qiao was stumped.
She had never done anything like this before, and neither had the original owner of her body. What was she supposed to do?
Just as Su Qiao was racking her brains, the female police officer from the local station arrived again.
“Comrade Su Qiao, our station chief sent me to ask what demands you have regarding the Chen family.”
“My demands? They need to return the two hundred yuan they took from my daughter. And they must return all the clothing and daily necessities as well.”
Thinking of the clothes that ugly monkey had worn, Su Qiao felt a wave of disgust.
“They’ve already used those clothes and other things. Seeing them makes me uncomfortable, so they can convert their value into cash instead.
“They also need to compensate my daughter for her medical expenses, lost wages, nutritional costs, and emotional distress. She suffered all that for nothing if they don’t pay her properly.”
The female police officer had never heard of compensation for emotional distress before.
“Comrade Police, what I’ve just described concerns the civil matter. As for the criminal aspect, I’ll be relying on you.”
The female police officer could not help wondering whether Comrade Su Qiao knew more about the relevant penalties than she did.
Ye Ting had not expected Comrade Su Qiao not only to speak so forcefully, but also to make such sound and well-reasoned arguments.
He found himself viewing the woman in an entirely new light.
How could there be a woman like her? When she was quiet, she brought to mind peaceful, beautiful years.
But when she beat someone, the decisiveness of her movements reminded him of the women soldiers he had seen carrying out missions. He almost wanted to applaud along with her.
It was just a pity that Comrade Su Qiao was already older.
If she had been twenty years younger, he would have taken her away without hesitation and sent her to the women’s army company.
What a fine recruit she would have made. What a pity.
Whenever Ye Ting thought of how, at her age, Comrade Su Qiao still moved with such precision—never wasting a motion, every punch landing solidly—he could not help feeling regret.
Before he knew it, he said aloud, “Comrade Su Qiao, I wish I’d met you twenty years earlier.”
“Why?”
“If I had met you twenty years ago, you would have made an outstanding woman soldier.”
Hearing this, Su Qiao smiled ruefully. “When I was young, I really did want to become a woman soldier. It’s just that I never had the opportunity.”
Fang Xiaofeng had been quietly listening without saying a word. Now, hearing Commander Ye and his mother talking about joining the army, his thoughts began to stir.