Chapter 31: The Job Is Settled

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“What a wicked thing to do! I honestly don’t know what I could say to her that would make me feel better.”

When Su Qiao and her daughter returned, they found Su Qiao’s father and mother sitting in the shade of the courtyard, chatting.

“Dad, Mom.”

“Grandma, Grandpa.”

“Oh, you’re back.”

“You’re home. Come sit down and rest.”

“Let’s go inside. Your father has something to tell you.” As she spoke, Su Qiao’s mother took the net bag from her hands.

“Dad, do you have good news for us?” Su Qiao asked, looking at her parents’ kind smiles with certainty.

Her father smiled before answering. “I’ve already spoken with Director Li. Xiaoying can report to the archives next week.”

“The archives? That’s one of the most coveted departments around.”

“It is. When I went to see Director Li, the woman who used to work in the archives was just arranging her retirement. Since I happened to be there, he did me the favor of filling the vacancy with someone I recommended.”

“Auntie Liu is a wonderful person. I heard she’s going to retire to her son’s home.”

“That’s right. Her son lives in the capital, and I hear he’s doing quite well.”

“Dad, should we pay a visit to Director Li’s house?”

“Of course we should. I’ve already bought the gifts. I’ll take them over tonight, after dark.”

“Dad, how can we let you pay for everything?”

“What’s wrong with me paying? Besides, your mother and I earn money for you to spend, don’t we?”

“Dad…”

“Xiaoqiao, your father is right. We work hard precisely so you can have a better life.”

“Mom, I can never win an argument with either of you.”

“All right, then. It’s just that these gifts are a little too modest.”

“What else could we buy? The supply cooperative only carries so many things. Even if we wanted something better, there’s nowhere to get it.”

Su Qiao glanced at the things in the net bag and suddenly had an idea. “Dad, Mom, I’m going out for a while.”

“Xiaoqiao, where are you going in this heat?”

“I’ll tell you when I get back.” With that, Su Qiao hurried out.

“What’s gotten into that child today? She’s in such a rush, and she didn’t even say where she was going.”

“Oh, Xiaoqiao is thirty-six years old. You can’t keep treating her like a child.”

“Even if she were forty-six, she’d still be our child in our eyes.”

“Fine. I can’t argue with you.”

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Su Qiao left the family courtyard and hurried toward the textile mill.

The weather was sweltering, and her legs felt as heavy as if they had been filled with lead. Every step she took required an act of courage.

Thinking about how she would have to walk whenever she needed to go somewhere farther away, Su Qiao began wondering whether she ought to buy a bicycle.

Good grief! These few steps alone had exhausted her as though she had climbed all the way to Heaven’s Gate.

Sighing, Su Qiao fixed her eyes on the bend ahead. This was the spot. She was already drenched in sweat and had no desire to walk another step.

Once she had made up her mind, she glanced around the deserted corner and slipped into the supermarket.

She settled into a massage chair in the upstairs lounge. Enjoying the cool air-conditioning, she continued pondering what kind of gift she could give Director Li that he would accept wholeheartedly.

Her gaze wandered aimlessly. Then, all at once, inspiration struck. She sprang up from the massage chair and headed for the seafood section on the first floor.

Su Qiao knew that Director Li had once been a soldier. He had fought campaigns across the country and had even battled the Japanese invaders.

The reason Director Li and her father got along so well was that her father had once worked underground. After his identity was exposed, he had only managed to evade the Japanese pursuit with the help of a guerrilla unit.

In 1948, Su Qiao’s father had led a guerrilla squad in delivering supplies to the unit where Director Li served.

They were old acquaintances with similar experiences and plenty to talk about, and over time they had become close friends who could discuss anything.

For a bond so simple and sincere, Su Qiao decided that food would be the best gift. Rice, flour, and cooking oil were out of the question. Bright-red roasted shrimp and dried baby cuttlefish became her first choices.

She found the paper bags she had prepared earlier and put a pound of each into one.

She was certain those two gifts would touch the hearts of everyone in Director Li’s family.

The only problem was the heat. She truly did not want to go back outside. Su Qiao took a bottle of ice water from the freezer, twisted off the cap, and drank deeply before bracing herself against the blazing heat and heading home.

When she reached the gate, she thought she ought not to neglect her own family either. For a moment, she couldn’t decide what food to bring out.

After some thought, she took a piece of lean meat weighing a little over half a pound from the supermarket. There was sauce and chili at home, so she could fry the meat into a spicy meat sauce.

As for whether they should have noodles or rice cooked in plenty of water, they could decide after she got home.

Su Qiao’s father saw his daughter creeping back along the wall and was just about to ask where she had gone.

Instead, she handed him the net bag. When he saw the two paper bags inside, he opened them without a second thought.

The old man cried out when he saw what they contained. “Xiaoqiao, where did you get these? Don’t tell me you got them from…?” He stared at his daughter, leaving the words “the black market” unspoken.

“Dad, don’t worry about where they came from. Just tell me whether they’re suitable as gifts.”

“They are suitable, but…” Her father was still afraid she had gone to the black market.

“Dad, you can relax. I didn’t go there.”

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“You really didn’t?”

“I really didn’t. Dad, I would never lie to you.”

“As long as you didn’t go there. Xiaoqiao, remember this: you must never go to that place. If you truly need something, tell me, and I’ll go for you.”

“Dad…”

Once Su Qiao’s father knew she had not gone to the black market, his attention returned to the contents of the paper bags. “With just these two things, if we give them to Director Li, he’ll be too reluctant to eat them.”

“Whether he eats them or not is his business. As long as he’s satisfied with the gift.”

“He’ll definitely be satisfied.”

“That’s good. I’m going to cook.”

“What are you making?”

“I still have a piece of lean meat. I thought I’d fry it into meat sauce. As for whether we eat noodles or rice cooked in plenty of water, you can decide.”

“Let’s have rice. If we make noodles, the five of us would need to use two pounds of flour.” Her father did not say that in this heat, he had no desire to knead dough either. It was so hot that he was sweating even while standing still.

“All right. I’ll wash the rice.”

“I’ll dice the meat.”

“I’ll start the fire.”

When Fang Xiaofeng came home from school, he saw children peering toward the courtyard before he had even reached his own gate. From that alone, he knew that his family was cooking meat again.

Youth was a wonderful thing. Fang Xiaofeng hitched his green schoolbag higher onto his shoulder and dashed home.

The closer he got, the stronger the aroma became.

The rich fragrance of meat mingled with the bold, fiery scent of chili, throwing the taste buds of who knew how many people into turmoil.

Fang Xiaofeng paid no attention to anything else. He pushed open the courtyard gate and shouted, “Grandpa, you’ve made something delicious again!”

“Yes. Grandpa fried meat sauce for all of you.”

“Wonderful! I can eat three big bowls!”

Next door, Old Guo was muttering under his breath as well. “Forget eating meat—even smelling it makes me feel like I could eat three big bowls.”

“Have some dignity.” Mrs. Guo slapped her son lightly on the shoulder, then reluctantly fried the half portion of salted fish they had saved from last time.

But as she watched the children eating with such delight, the little ache of reluctance in her heart gradually faded away.