TGDS Chapter 77.1

The Good Dad System (Arc 11) Chapter 77.1: A Patriarchal Family (1)

Winters in Province C are always cold, with temperatures fluctuating dramatically around zero degrees Celsius. However, due to its geographical location and other conditions, Heping Township has never had central heating or traditional heated brick beds. To put it bluntly, getting through the winter relies entirely on wearing more clothes and blankets, huddling in bed, or simply shivering to generate heat. This goes on year after year.

But no matter how cold it is, the surrounding area presents a completely different scene during the Spring Festival.

In Heping Township, the Spring Festival is always the most important event. Whether they work in other places or have moved away after achieving success, almost everyone returns at this time. Every household has prepared Spring Festival couplets, “Fu” characters, and the kitchen god to be worshipped. Even in the poorest families, you can smell the stove burning brightly from afar.

Accompanied by the increasingly loud, headache-inducing cries of a little boy, someone shouted at the top of their lungs, “Where has that brat Xiaoping gone?”

Kitchens were usually built near the yard, with a haphazardly slab of sheet metal on top to keep out rain and snow, and a flat, dark earthen floor underneath. The earthen stove had been built long ago, but instead of firewood, it burned honeycomb briquettes. Next to it was a dark iron fork for shoveling the briquettes through the fire. The fire was already lit, and the stove was full of oil. Next to it were various seasoned meats and vegetables, such as taro, tofu, ribs, and dried fish—you name it. When you put them in, the yellow oil bubbled and sizzled, releasing a fragrant aroma and steam that made the cook sweat profusely.

At this moment, holding long chopsticks in one hand and a mesh strainer in the other, was Wu Guizhi, the “head” of the Pei family. She was wearing a cotton-padded jacket, her face flushed from the smoke, and her forehead covered in sweat. She was impatiently shouting into the house.

Near the house, there was another woman, who looked younger, but she rarely smiled. When she had a blank expression, she looked miserable. She was sitting on a small stool, bent over, looking down at a basin bigger than a child’s. Underneath it were various vegetables, such as radishes and cucumbers, which had been washed, peeled, and were being shredded. She was Tang Zhaodi, Wu Guizhi’s daughter-in-law. When she heard her mother-in-law calling, she became anxious.

“I just told her to stay inside and watch over her little brother!” Tang Zhaodi, wearing an apron, hurriedly put down her things, wiped the water on her apron, and rushed into the house, calling out as she went, “Xiaoping, you good-for-nothing! I told you to watch over your little brother and you don’t even know how!”

Wu Guizhi rolled her eyes at this scene and cursed inwardly. It was all because of her daughter-in-law; she had given birth to a useless granddaughter! She didn’t even know how to take care of her little brother. If their Zihao cried himself hoarse, she would skin her alive! But since her daughter-in-law had gone inside, she didn’t interfere anymore. It was the New Year, and she had to prepare the offerings first, otherwise, she wouldn’t want to offend the Jade Emperor.

“Mom, I’m here!” Pei Xiaoping is not yet six years old. Whether she was lacking something at birth or suffered from malnutrition later, she is exceptionally thin and frail, making her head appear large and her body small. She is quite pretty, with large, watery eyes that look pitiful when she looks at people. At this moment, she is standing on tiptoe near the table, looking at the water on it. When she saw her mother enter the room, she trembled and stammered a few words.

“Here, what’s the use of being here? You don’t even respond when I call you, do you!” As soon as Tang Zhaodi entered the room, the first thing she did was to pick up her son, who was lying on the bed crying uncontrollably, and gently shake him as she walked around. Her movements were exceptionally gentle, but when it came to her daughter, she immediately put on a stern face and gave her a slap without any politeness.

During the New Year, she and her mother-in-law were so busy that they didn’t have time to take care of her son. She had specifically told Xiaoping repeatedly, but the girl still wandered off. In such a short time, Zihao had cried like this!

Pei Xiaoping took the slap head-on. She didn’t dare to dodge, otherwise her mother would definitely continue to get angry. She forced a smile and explained to her mother, “Mom, my little brother cried. I looked and saw that his diaper wasn’t wet. I couldn’t soothe him, so I thought he was hungry and went to make him some formula…”

She pointed to the table, where there was a can of formula. It was a trendy product. After her brother was born, her father spent a lot of money to have a friend from out of town buy it for him. He would give him rice cereal instead of rice cereal. He heard that there was something in this formula that would make the child smarter.

“Don’t cry, Zihao.” Tang Zhaodi tried to comfort her son, but he kept crying. She finally agreed with her daughter’s explanation. Being an adult, she didn’t have to be as overwhelmed as her daughter. She quickly prepared some formula, a method taught to her by her husband’s friend. Once it was ready, she sat by the bed and slowly fed him with a small spoon. Pei Zihao finally stopped crying. His fists were clenched tightly against his chest, and tears still clung to the corners of his eyes, but his anger had subsided.

Pei Xiaoping stood quietly to the side, afraid to make a sound, her hands behind her back, head bowed, completely still.

Tang Zhaodi couldn’t help but continue, “Xiaoping, think about it. It’s the New Year, and your grandma and I are so busy. We don’t have time to stay indoors all the time. As the older sister, you have to take responsibility. Zihao is the only son of our Pei family. We absolutely can’t let anything happen to him!” Her eyes softened as she looked at her son, becoming incredibly gentle. She had suffered so much to give birth to this child!

“I know,” she replied, her face still showing the innocence of a child, yet already possessing the fortitude of an adult.

“Then I’ll go back to my work with your grandma.” Tang Zhaodi, seeing her son asleep, carefully placed Pei Zihao on the bed, supporting his neck. She got up and prepared to leave, tapping her daughter’s head before doing so: “Xiaoping, your little brother will be your support in the future, understand?”

“…I understand.” She nodded obediently, without arguing. After her mother disappeared, she quietly lay down on the bed, watching her little brother. He was only seven months old, with sparse, soft hair. When he lay there peacefully, he was so adorable it was hard to look away, but when he started fussing, it was unbearable.

Whenever she was home, she heard the admonition that her little brother was her precious treasure many times, and over time, she had etched these words into her heart.

Unable to resist, Pei Xiaoping reached out and placed her tiny fingers into Pei Zihao’s fist. Children this age love to grasp things, and he immediately reacted, squeezing his sister’s fingers tightly before continuing to sleep soundly, even blowing bubbles as he breathed.

“My younger brother is special,” Pei Xiaoping repeated to herself. He was different from her; he was a boy, the root of the Pei family, and their future support.

The front house and back yard were very close, and soon Tang Zhaodi returned to the kitchen. As she put on her apron, she apologized to her mother-in-law, “Mom, Xiaoping didn’t run away. Zihao was hungry, and she wanted to make him some formula, but she forgot. He’s fine now, don’t worry. I was just gone, and you had to work so hard!” She immediately sat down and continued working, her face flushed with embarrassment at having been lazy.

Wu Guizhi, with her sharp ears, felt a little relieved upon hearing her daughter-in-law’s words. She had already fried a whole tray of food, and now a second layer was piled on top: “That’s good. I was worried Zihao would cry too much!” Her heart had been filled with concern for her precious grandson.

“I’m sorry to have worried Mom.”

“It’s alright, it’s alright.” Now, Wu Guizhi was no longer the anxious and angry woman she had been moments before. Instead, she had become the most amiable old lady in the world. She squinted her eyes and smiled, “Zhao Di, you’ve worked so hard this year. Make sure you eat plenty of chicken soup later; you’re the number one contributor to our Pei family!”

Tang Zhao Di was flattered: “Mom, please drink more. It’ll nourish your body, and both Nao Chun and I will be happy.” She quickly declined.

Wu Guizhi was firm: “If I tell you to drink, you drink!”

“Oh, good.” She felt as sweet as if she’d drunk honey. After Pei Zihao was born, she could finally hold her head high and live like a human being in the family. Before, her mother-in-law wasn’t too bad to her, but whenever she saw someone else with a son, she’d always look down on them, full of resentment, and would often make sarcastic remarks. This past year and a half, though difficult, had finally brought some relief.

All of this was thanks to Zihao!

“By the way, when is Naochun coming back?” Wu Guizhi asked again, frowning. Now, with her grandson, everything was fine. The only thing that bothered her was her son who had quit his job. If it weren’t for that brat Xiaoping, things wouldn’t be like this.

Speaking of this, Tang Zhaodi was also worried. She sighed inwardly, not daring to show it on her face, and just smiled and said, “He said he’ll be back in the next couple of days!” How could she tell her mother-in-law that her husband hadn’t sent any money home for the past few months? If it weren’t for their savings, the family would probably be penniless!

This cycle of robbing Peter to pay Paul, she wondered if it would ever end! She was incredibly worried!

…

“Naochun, you’re back?” Although the weather was clearly freezing, the chess-playing area at the village entrance was still open as always. Many grown men squatted or stood there, pontificating as if they were chess masters, while those actually holding pieces remained silent, pondering deeply for each move, just like masters of chess.

“I’m back, I’m back!” Pei Naochun carried large and small bags, wearing a thick cotton coat that looked warm at first glance.

The second uncle of the Pei family, having failed to secure a spot inside to play chess, was smoking outside. This cigarette was homemade; he bought cheap tobacco, rolled it up himself, sealed it with paper, and it burned with a cloud of smoke, quite impressive. Even in the dead of winter, his mouth and nose were filled with smoke. “Naochun, you’ve really made something of yourself! Look at your new clothes, I can tell they’re nice!”

His aesthetic sense wasn’t particularly refined, but he could tell the difference between new and old. The clothes Pei Naochun was wearing were even better than the ones his third son had brought back!

“A defective piece from the factory, bought at an internal price, not expensive.” Pei Naochun turned around, tugging at the back of the pocket; a stitch was crooked, clearly having been re-sewn.

Second Uncle’s words attracted a lot of attention. Everyone wanted to bury their heads in the mirror to get a better look. When they noticed the minor flaw, they were all shocked: “Are city people so particular? It’s just a tiny thing, what’s wrong with it?”

“This batch of clothes is sold to foreigners. They are particular. They want to return anything that’s not good. So we’re selling it at a discount to our customers.” Pei Naochun spoke slowly and calmly, his smile gentle.

Second Uncle’s ears twitched, quick as a flash: “Are you still buying? My third son is looking for a partner! If it’s not too expensive, I’ll buy him one, okay?”

Pei Naochun was prepared. He pointed to the package behind him: “I bought two! I’ll come find you later. I haven’t been home in a long time, I have to go back and see him!”