If the second son really married Qiuye, wouldn’t that mean there’d be another person in the family eating commercial grain? This was incredible. From now on, when she went out, no one would dare insult her again.
If this were ancient times, wouldn’t she be considered Madam Gaoming? Almost everyone in the family held official positions—what an honor.
Mother Xu was so delighted she nearly slapped her own thighs in excitement. She wasn’t even in the mood to finish her meal; all she wanted was to hurry out and show off.
“Why aren’t you eating? What are you running off for?” Father Xu frowned when he saw her getting ready to leave. “It’s getting dark. Why are you still going out without eating?”
Mother Xu chuckled and lifted her chin proudly. “I’m going to chat with my sisters. You all go ahead and eat. Eat, eat!”
If it weren’t for the wide grin on her face, Xu Qiuye might’ve thought Mother Xu disliked her and was simply finding an excuse to leave.
But Mother Xu didn’t neglect her. She held Qiuye’s hand affectionately, like she was her own daughter, guiding her to sit down at the table. “You all eat first. I’ll be back soon.”
With that, Mother Xu carried a basket of eggs and happily left the house, knocking on doors along the way.
“Sister, let me tell you—my second son got hired as a teacher at the commune! And guess what, he’s dating someone now. That Xu girl—the one who used to be our village accountant’s daughter—who’s working at the textile factory!”
“She’s at the supply and marketing cooperative now. If the two of them get married, they’ll both be eating commercial grain.” Mother Xu’s eyes crinkled as she beamed, her smile so wide it nearly disappeared into her face.
Ignoring the jealous glances cast her way, she kept boasting, “And my daughter’s amazing too. Yesterday, she cooked a meal for the boss and earned ten yuan in one go!”
“My family’s kids are really blessed. Several of them will be eating commercial grain soon. And my daughter’s cooking—oh, it’s so good. The good days are just ahead.”
If she weren’t the captain’s wife, the others wouldn’t have tolerated this endless bragging.
Who went around knocking on people’s doors just to show off?
She handed out the eggs from her basket one by one as she made her rounds. More than an hour later, she’d passed out all twenty-something eggs, leaving a trail of envious and bitter villagers behind.
They muttered and cursed after she left. “Hmph, showing off your good fortune right at our doorstep—so annoying!”
But Mother Xu didn’t care one bit. She returned home with an empty basket, her face still glowing with pride—until a pang of regret struck.
“Oh no… those eggs…” she mumbled. “That was more than twenty eggs… do you know how much that costs?”
“Mom? What’s wrong?” Xu Ying asked, noticing her troubled expression.
With outsiders still around, Mother Xu held her tongue. But once the guests left, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She sat down and wailed, “My eggs! All gone! Over twenty eggs, just given away like that! My heart aches! Those people didn’t deserve my eggs! Oh, it hurts!”
“Alright, alright,” Xu Ying comforted her, “It’s done now. Besides, it was a happy occasion—what’s wrong with sharing a few eggs?”
“Yeah, Mom,” added Eldest sister-in law Xu, “Our old hens are still laying. You’ll have more eggs in a few days.”
At those words, Mother Xu immediately stopped crying. She thought of her hardworking hens and brightened up again.
“That’s right. In another week or so, they’ll lay more than twenty eggs.”
Once she’d figured that out, her heartache vanished.
Later that evening, it was quite late when Xu Qiuye and Gu Fuying finally returned. Second Brother Xu had even borrowed a car from the old house to send Qiuye home.
But Qiuye didn’t dare let Second Brother Xu walk her to the door. She quickly pushed her bicycle home, only to be met with Accountant Xu’s sharp voice the moment she entered.
“Look at the time! Why are you back so late? It’s pitch dark out! You’re a girl—don’t you care about your reputation?”
Her mother glared at her, equally displeased. “It’s past nine! Where were you?”
Facing her parents’ anger, Xu Qiuye’s heart thudded nervously. “Fuying and I went to Xujia Village to visit Yingying.”
“Fuying… the girl from your supply and marketing cooperative?” Accountant Xu narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “What’s she doing in Xujia Village?”
He knew Gu Fuying’s background—her father a cadre, her mother a teacher. Naturally, she was someone worth befriending. But why would such a girl visit Xujia Village?
“She’s good friends with Xu Ying. The two of us went to Uncle Xu’s house together.”
At the mention of Xu Shengcai, Accountant Xu’s thoughts shifted. “So? Did the second son pass his exam?”
“He did!” Xu Qiuye beamed. “He’ll start reporting next week.”
Accountant Xu’s face darkened. Shock and displeasure flickered in his eyes. That man had taken the gifts but hadn’t lifted a finger to help!
“Dad,” Xu Qiuye asked softly, “Shengcai said… if he passed the exam, you’d agree to our relationship?”
The words were out—like water spilled on the ground. Even if he was unwilling, Accountant Xu had no choice but to nod.
Qiuye’s mother didn’t object either. As long as her daughter was happy and the man’s family wasn’t too lacking, she didn’t have high demands.
Xu Qiuye was surprised by her father’s agreement. “Thank you, Dad!”
But Accountant Xu added coldly, “You can date if you want. But if you marry, Xu Sheng must take a teaching position in the county.”
Hearing this, Xu Qiuye realized he was deliberately making things difficult. But she didn’t dare argue.
Accountant Xu felt a stab of disappointment. He’d raised his daughter with high hopes—hopes of marrying well, hopes of elevating the family. Yet she insisted on liking a man from the countryside.
After being rebuked by Xu Ying last time, he no longer dared disparage country folks openly. If he earned a reputation for discrimination, it could ruin him.
Meanwhile, over at the Gu household, Father and Mother Gu were also fuming when their daughter returned so late.
“Fuying! Didn’t you get off work at six? Why are you back so late? Do you know how worried we’ve been?” Father Gu scolded sternly.
Mother Gu sighed. “Alright, she’s home now. Stop nagging.”
Father Gu grumbled but relented.
Gu Fuying grinned. “Mom, Dad, I went to Yingying’s house today—the girl who saved me the other day.”
“It’s a pity you weren’t there,” she added with a dreamy look, “otherwise, you’d have tasted a meal fit for an emperor.”
Father and Mother Gu exchanged exasperated glances. “A royal banquet, really?” they muttered.
But Gu Fuying simply licked her lips, still savoring the memory of that drunken duck dish. It was divine.
“Mom, Dad—when Big Brother gets married, let’s have Yingying cook the banquet! Her food is incredible!” she urged excitedly.
Part of her truly wanted to eat Yingying’s cooking again. But more than that, she’d heard Yingying had earned money cooking for others.
She hoped this wedding banquet would give Yingying a chance to showcase her skills. With so many prominent guests attending, maybe someone would offer Yingying a job—perhaps even at a state-owned hotel. Then she could eat her cooking every day.
Father and Mother Gu had no idea what their daughter was scheming. All they cared about was that their eldest son’s upcoming wedding would be grand and flawless—they didn’t want anything to go wrong.