When Wen Qian turned seventy, she lost a lot of weight and truly became an old lady, finding even walking exhausting.
She couldn't walk far and experienced various aches in her body. Despite taking care of herself and resting well in her younger years, she still needed a cane at this age.
When building her house, she had anticipated becoming an elderly woman, so she had prepared handrails. At sixty, she installed additional handrails and railings in her home.
When her child was learning to walk, she had added a long, gentle slope at the doorstep, which now proved useful for herself.
When going out, Wen Qian needed to use a cane and had to rest frequently during her walks.
In the mirror, she saw aging skin, increasingly white hair, and a gradually hunching back.
Wen Qian clearly felt the effects of aging and the loss of strength. Many tasks became challenging despite her willingness.
But isn't this the power of time? Everyone faces this someday.
Knowing this was one thing, but actually experiencing it still felt disheartening to Wen Qian.
This mindset didn't accompany her constantly, but occasionally surfaced, like when she couldn't lift a basket she used to carry easily, or when she realized how sensitive she had become to cold.
At this time, An An was twenty-four years old. Every time she saw her mother struggling, she felt particularly distressed. She feared the day when her mother would no longer be around and wished she could stay by her side forever.
But she knew that was impossible, so she could only treat her mother well while she was still present.
Although her body was aging, An An felt that her mother maintained a good mentality, and most of the time, there was no generation gap when they communicated.
An An thought her mother could understand her confusion and perplexities well. Even when she didn't understand, she respected An An's feelings, a quality many elders lacked.
Moreover, Wen Qian always maintained curiosity about the outside world. She paid attention to all the information An An brought back and approached the outside world with genuine interest rather than presumption.
At twenty-four, An An could go hunting alone, while Wen Qian set small traps near the house and fishing nets by the stream.
Without An An, Wen Qian would probably only be able to manage catching fish from the stream, checking nearby small traps, and tending to crops in the adjacent fields. Long-distance hunting would be practically impossible.
The skills An An had mastered reassured Wen Qian. Even if she were to leave one day, her child would be able to live well.
The most important point was that she taught An An to put herself first, always, and not to compromise herself too much for others.
When giving, one must ensure it's mutual. If it's one-sided giving without any return, it's best not to continue.
An An understood what she meant. Her mother worried that if An An had a partner in the future and lived unhappily, she should be responsible for herself and choose to leave.
She hoped this child would live for herself and not place her hopes on others.
She could choose to live alone or be with someone, but the prerequisite was that she herself was willing.
If she changed her mind later, she could do what she wanted, rather than complaining about her fate while taking no action to change it.
People should be responsible for their choices, Wen Qian had taught An An, but being responsible didn't mean persisting in mistakes or enduring hardships indefinitely.
Instead, she hoped An An could bear the consequences whether she chose to persist or give up, as giving up was also a choice.
Often, people find themselves in predicaments, unaware that they have more than one path, always thinking they can only continue on the current road.
In fact, when people realize they've taken a wrong turn, they can step off the current path at any time and take another route.
She just wanted An An to live well, happily and healthily, rather than suffering pain and torment.
An An had indeed learned this lesson well. Once, when someone tried to pursue her, he said that An An was too tall and most men wouldn't like it, but he didn't mind.
An An promptly told him to get lost.
If he didn't like women taller than him, he should find someone shorter. That would be the normal choice. Why say such things to a girl he had to look up to when talking?
Everyone has their own purpose when speaking or acting, and wasn't his purpose obvious?
When An An could handle these situations independently, Wen Qian was very appreciative. If the child had been insecure and returned home feeling disgusted with her height, that would have shown a lack of understanding.
Most of the time, An An encountered these suitors at village markets or when going to town.
This included the man on the boat who, after being rejected, said he would continue pursuing her if they met again.
Later, An An did see him on the boat, but each time she saw him, things were different.
The next encounter was seeing him with his wife. He remembered An An, so his expression was awkward, especially since he had found his love at first sight not long after the incident with An An.
Later, she saw him at the hospital while getting some ointment. He and his wife had had two children in three years and were expecting a third.
The man was complaining that his wife got pregnant too easily, even with the old "safe period" method passed down from before.
Then he was scorned by a nurse, who said this method had always been a rumor and shouldn't be believed. She was surprised people still trusted it nowadays.
An An thought it might be due to the lack of suitable contraceptives in this era. There wouldn't be birth control pills either, as the authorities were worried about insufficient population.
She knew all this thanks to Wen Qian's education, which gave her rich theoretical experience so she wouldn't be fooled by bad men.
Wen Qian had learned about the ways bad men deceive girls during her university days, in a physiological health class where the female teacher listed many examples.
Deception techniques, disease occurrence, abortion methods and procedures, psychological tactics, and more were covered.
Even in love, one needs to answer multiple choice, single choice, true or false, and essay questions, rather than blindly pursuing sweetness and the sanctity of love, forgetting even their parents' names.
Regarding sex, Wen Qian had educated An An, telling her the relevant knowledge when she started menstruating. Of course, for Wen Qian, it was all theory without practice, so she could only teach theoretical knowledge.
However, she still cautioned An An not to get pregnant carelessly. For one, giving birth is always potentially life-threatening at any time.
If one's own delivery goes smoothly, it should be considered fortunate due to good luck or a healthy body, rather than boasting smugly about it and assuming others should find it just as easy.
For instance, cases where the baby comes quickly, is born on a field ridge, then sent home while the mother continues working.
Another reason is that she didn't want An An to make an irreversible decision rashly when she wasn't mature enough. At that point, a person would become physically and mentally exhausted, after all, once a child is born it can't be put back.
An An took note of this, although at the time she felt she was still young and far from the age of having children.
