RBI1960 Chapter 13

“So this is my sweet little grandson, huh? Look at that round little face—just like his daddy’s! But that nose and those eyes? Must have taken after his uncle. People say nephews look like their uncles, and I’d say that’s right on the money.”

Zhao Hong looked down at her brand-new grandson, her face full of love.

“Really? Let me have a look.” Gu Xiashi didn’t like her sister-in-law, nor did she care for the little brat of a son she’d raised, always causing trouble and spoiled rotten. On the other hand, she got along well with the nieces her little sister had given birth to. Anytime she had a few coins in her pocket, she’d bring them treats.

Now, hearing the new nephew looked like her, she eagerly rubbed her hands together, kicked off her shoes, climbed up on the heated brick bed, and settled beside her mother to examine the newborn, who had just shed the last of his birth redness.

Jiang Yiliu, despite having been reborn for some time now, still hadn’t seen what he looked like in this new life. Thinking of his grandmother’s comment, he just couldn’t picture what his father’s face would look like if you swapped in his uncle’s eyes and nose.

Jiang Dahai was your typical rural man—big, sturdy, and plain. He had a broad, square-shaped face, thick and messy brows, average-sized eyes, a high nose bridge, and slightly thick lips. When he smiled, he looked downright honest. Years of working in the sun had given him deeply tanned skin. Most people would look at him and think: dependable, but nothing special.

Compared to him, Gu Xiashi was much more refined. Because she was born premature, she was frailer than most and couldn’t do heavy labor. That left her skin fairer than most folks in the village. Her features were delicate, even a bit scholarly—more like someone from the city. She didn’t lose out in looks even when compared to the educated youth sent down to the countryside.

She had a wild streak, always wandering into town or other places, up to who knows what. If it weren’t for Zhao Hong keeping an eye on her, with the measly work points she earned, she wouldn’t have been able to feed herself. Folks in the village grouped her in with those good-for-nothing loafers. No wonder her sister-in-law Niu Fang didn’t like her.

These days, when girls looked for a husband, they weren’t after pretty boys. They wanted someone reliable, someone willing to work hard, or better yet, someone with a stable job in the city. Someone like Gu Xiashi—weak and unreliable—just wasn’t marriage material. Nearly thirty now, and still no wife.

In his previous life, Jiang Yiliu was the sister who looked the most like this second uncle of his, though his features were softer, more feminine. If she’d put some effort into her appearance, she’d have been quite the beauty. Unfortunately, weighed down by family burdens, she went her whole life without even dating.

Gu Xiashi never had a wife or kids, and among his nieces, he doted the most on Jiang Yiliu—the one who looked the most like him. Now reborn as a boy, Jiang Yiliu figured: if I take after my second uncle again, that wouldn’t be so bad.

Zhao Hong looked between her grandchildren on the brick bed and her youngest son. Once she helped him find a wife, she could finally face her late husband with some peace of mind.

“Hey, little sis! He’s grabbing my finger. Look at that grip—he’s strong!” Gu Xiashi laughed as her newborn nephew latched tightly onto her finger with his tiny, chubby fist.

“He likes me already—won’t even let me go!” she grinned widely. She liked her nieces, too, but the boys were different. There were some fun things you just couldn’t do with girls. Now that she had a nephew, once he got older, she could take him out and have some real fun.

“What are you getting all giddy for? Babies do that. They just like grabbing onto stuff.” Zhao Hong rolled her eyes at her silly child, but then looked back down at her grandson with delight. “This little guy’s gonna be strong. He’s already got this much strength at barely a month old. None of his sisters were this sturdy when they were babies.”

The moment those words left her mouth, she regretted them. Why had the girls been weak? Because Miao didn’t do proper postpartum recovery. If the mother doesn’t eat well, where’s the milk going to come from? Embarrassed, she lightly slapped her mouth and pulled out a wad of ration coupons from her pocket.

“Mom, what are you doing?”

Gu Dongmei saw the stack of ration tickets—there were several for flour and rice, all premium items—and quickly tried to push them back. She knew exactly how hard her mom must’ve worked to get them. Their family didn’t have much. Her mom and second brother must’ve been tightening their belts just to get by these days.

“You know my father-in-law gets a regiment-level pension now, and we get a monthly allotment of premium grain. It’s more than enough for me. You don’t have to worry. Take these back. Second Brother’s not getting any younger—he needs to start saving up if he wants to find a wife,” Gu Dongmei said, her voice full of mixed emotion.

Hearing this, Zhao Hong quietly pointed eastward, toward Jiang Dahai’s younger brother Jiang Dachuan’s house.

Gu Dongmei leaned in, whispering: “He must’ve done something to piss off the old man. Dad said they’re not allowed to come around anymore. When we split the family property, it was agreed that Mom and Dad would live with us, and we’d get the subsidies. Now that I’ve had a son, they treat him like he’s made of gold. Trust me—he’s not missing out on a thing.”

“Xiaobao” was the nickname Grandpa Jiang had come up with—it sounded more affectionate than a formal name.

Zhao Hong let out a long breath and smiled as she gently tapped her daughter on the forehead. “You’re lucky, you know that? As long as the old folks stay loyal to your branch of the family, you’ll never be short on good stuff. But you’d better not start favoring your son like your in-laws do. The Gu family doesn’t play that ‘sons over daughters’ nonsense.”

She spoke sternly. Gu Dongmei glanced at her two daughters, happily sipping sweet soup together, and nodded like a drum being beaten.

Jiang Yiliu, though, was more focused on bonding with her little uncle. Her mother’s words? She scoffed inwardly. If her mom cared about her daughters, would things have turned out the way they did in the last life?

She remembered it clearly—right after her eldest sister got engaged, Grandma had rushed over from Daqian Village and slapped her mom across the face. And what good did it do? Her eldest sister still married that widower. Her second sister got stuck with a cripple. If her mother had stood up even once back then, maybe she would’ve remembered her kindly. But all she did was cry in secret—never said a word in their defense.

Maybe that was the day she truly gave up on her family.

Jiang Yiliu shook her head and pushed away those past-life memories. No matter what, she wouldn’t let history repeat itself. As for this life’s parents and grandparents…

They’d been good to her so far, but only because she was a boy now. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d fallen into a strange cycle: tangled in gender roles and lifetimes past.

They were kind, sure—but she doubted she’d ever be able to respect them with a clean heart.

For a special day like the baby’s full month celebration, of course, Jiang Dazhen, the baby’s aunt, wasn’t going to miss it. She even brought her husband and child along.

Her son, Meng Xiangxue, was three years old, chubby, and full of energy thanks to good food. He ran and jumped nonstop, practically bouncing out of his mother’s grasp. Right now, he was clamoring to see his baby cousin.

“Hey, little sis—you’re here!”

Gu Dongmei came out holding her daughter when she heard the commotion outside. Her son, meanwhile, was nestled in Gu Xiashi’s arms, refusing to be let go.

“Cousin! I want to see my baby cousin!” Meng Xiangxue thought the baby in Gu Dongmei’s arms was his new cousin. He clung to her leg, bouncing up and down to get a peek.

“This one’s your baby cousin sister, not the little brother. Your baby cousin brother’s over there.” Gu Dongmei crouched and pointed toward Gu Xiashi. As soon as he heard that, Meng Xiangxue darted across the yard and tugged on her to let him see the baby.

“Xiangxue’s sturdy for his age,” Gu Dongmei commented, then quickly invited her sister-in-law and brother-in-law inside to sit.

Meng Pingchuan was a quiet, refined man, though a bit older. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and had neatly combed hair. He didn’t look like a factory worker at all—more like an old-fashioned schoolteacher.

“Where’s Xiangwen? Didn’t she come?” Gu Dongmei looked behind them curiously. Meng Xiangwen was Meng Pingchuan’s daughter from his first marriage, already ten years old. She usually got along well with Jiang Dazhen, her stepmother.

“She went to visit her maternal grandparents today,” Jiang Dazhen replied casually. Of course, she meant the girl’s real grandma on her mother’s side. Although she wasn’t a wicked stepmother, others didn’t always see it that way. Her husband’s in-laws were constantly worried she’d mistreat their precious granddaughter and frequently brought the girl over. Just recently, when they heard Dazhen was taking her to visit her family, they rushed over and took the girl back.

Jiang Dazhen thought it was ridiculous, but didn’t stop them. Let them act up—every time they did, they only drove her husband further away. They were so suspicious, it was like they didn’t even trust their son. Stirring up drama like that? No wonder the girl was growing up all twisted. In her eyes, Meng Pingchuan wouldn’t put up with it for much longer.

Being a stepmother wasn’t easy. Gu Dongmei didn’t bring it up again, not wanting to dampen the mood. She handed the baby off to her mom and went into the kitchen with Jiang Dazhen to help. With so many guests today, they needed all hands on deck—Grandma Miao couldn’t handle it alone.

The Jiang family quickly returned and began setting up tables. There was only one big wooden table at home, so Grandpa Jiang had borrowed a large round tabletop from the production team and placed it on top of their Eight Immortals Table. That way, more people could fit.

The meal was shockingly rich. Grandma Miao had pulled out all the stops—she steamed a big sea fish, sliced up some preserved pork, cooked a pot of seaweed egg-drop soup, laid out several vegetable dishes and pickled sides. Honestly, it was as good as a New Year’s feast.

And that wasn’t even the end of it. Grandma Miao brought out a big pot of stewed hen soup—made with a fat old hen she’d raised just for laying eggs. Her heart had trembled when she killed it, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime day for her precious grandson. Gritting her teeth, she’d chosen the plumpest one and stewed it until the meat practically melted off the bones.

After a month of nothing but milk, Jiang Yiliu’s mouth watered at the sight of the feast. Grandma Miao might’ve been stingy, but her cooking? The best in ten miles. Especially her homemade pickles—he could eat three bowls of porridge with those alone.

But now, all he could do was look. Torture.

Aside from Meng Pingchuan’s family, no one here had any real money. Faced with a table full of rare dishes, everyone stuffed themselves shamelessly. Even Meng Pingchuan’s family wasn’t immune—meat every day? Please. And sea fish? Practically unheard of.

“Look, he’s drooling! Auntie, you better feed the baby before he soaks his bib!”

Meng Xiangxue was sitting in Jiang Dazhen’s lap, being spoon-fed, when he noticed his baby cousin practically drooling a puddle. But Gu Dongmei didn’t seem in a hurry to feed him, and the little guy panicked, shaking her hand and begging urgently.

Jiang Yiliu instinctively shut his mouth tight, but baby drool had a mind of its own. It poured like a leaky faucet.