The Chen Brothers were cousins living in adjacent courtyards, close enough to hear each other's coughs.
The villagers saw Chen's Second Sister-in-law constantly berating and cursing in the neighboring yard, often openly saying things like "a woman who can't bear sons is worse than a hen that can't lay eggs." They all felt the second sister-in-law was too harsh and Meilan was pitiful.
It was the 1990s, and a divorced woman could live independently. After all, her wealthy ex-husband would surely give Chen Meilan some money in the divorce settlement, right? She could use that money to move out of the village, rent a place somewhere else, and live on her own. Why endure the second sister-in-law's constant scolding?
But Chen Meilan remained silent. After a few days, news spread that her Elder Sister-in-law had introduced her to a potential match, and she was about to go on a blind date.
The prospective groom was a man with two sons. She already had her own child as a single parent, and marrying him would mean becoming a stepmother. It seemed like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Was she not thinking clearly?
To complicate matters, the man was distantly related to the Elder Sister-in-law, a former in-law.
He was the ex-husband of Zhou Qiaofang's sister, Zhou Xueqin.
This gave the villagers even more to gossip about: "Zhou Xueqin is divorced from her ex-husband, right? Is Zhou Qiaofang trying to set up her former brother-in-law with her sister-in-law? Could it be that she wants Meilan to raise her nephew and be a stepmother to him?"
"Yes, I remember Zhou Qiaofang mentioning that her sister used to argue a lot with that man. Well, her sister has escaped that misery, but what about our Meilan? Is she just a replacement?"
"They're all relatives. How awkward will family gatherings be?"
After being beaten by the wealthy ex-husband, the Second Brother had been bedridden. Though the second sister-in-law had a sharp tongue, she knew nothing about farm work.
It was the busy July harvest season. Chen's elder brother and sister-in-law were working hard to harvest crops for both families. Hearing all the gossip, they returned from the fields, parched and exhausted, but still had to explain the situation.
"My sister has a bad temper and always argued with Yan Zhao, but Meilan has a good nature. It takes two to fight, so what is there to argue about?" the Elder Sister-in-law said.
Seeing that people didn't believe her, she continued loudly: "Yan Zhao is a military man, a regimental-level officer. He fought on the Laoshan front for three years with distinguished service. If it weren't for the large-scale military downsizing, he could have become a division-level officer. Meilan marrying him is marrying up!"
Yan Zhao was the man the Elder Sister-in-law wanted to introduce to Meilan, the soldier who had fought on the Laoshan front.
After the Elder Sister-in-law's hasty explanation, people started to believe her. However, the second sister-in-law chimed in with a sarcastic comment: "I think Meilan sees that Yan Zhao has two sons and is afraid she won't be able to bear sons herself. She wants to raise his sons instead, to have someone to care for her in old age."
The 1990s were approaching, and the village had many high school and college students who had explained to their parents that chromosomes determine whether a child is male or female, X or Y.
So instead of spreading rumors, villagers began advising Chen Meilan: "Meilan, having boys or girls isn't just up to you. Don't do anything foolish."
"That's right. Your wealthy ex must have given you money. Use that to settle yourself. Why consider such a drastic step, raising your own child and becoming a stepmother to others?"
Chen Meilan listened calmly to everyone's advice, just smiling without saying anything.
First of all, her ex-husband had started his own business, and Chen Meilan was just a housewife responsible for raising their child at home. So she had no idea how much money he had.
Secondly, her ex-husband hadn't given her any money during the divorce, not a single cent.
This was because she had tied him to a chair when he was drunk and beaten him black and blue.
Originally, he wanted her to leave with nothing, but after her two brothers caused a scene and the village officials mediated, he gave her a large courtyard house on the outskirts of Xiping City.
The family had savings, and her ex-husband had plenty of money. Meilan wasn't satisfied with the financial settlement, and her two brothers wanted to fight for more savings for her. But when the Second Brother went to the city to negotiate money matters, he was beaten up by men hired by the ex-husband.
Concerned for her Second Brother's health and fearing that further entanglement with her ex-husband might lead to more trouble for her brothers, Chen Meilan swallowed her anger and finalized the divorce.
However, after the divorce, her ex-husband played another trick on her. On the day of the divorce, he used his connections to have her household registration transferred back to her rural birthplace.
Although he had personally written her a "Homestead Transfer Agreement," her household registration had already been moved back to her rural origin. With just a paper agreement, she couldn't register herself as the homeowner of that courtyard house and transfer her household registration there.
Unless she could transfer her household registration to Xiping City.
At present, there were only two ways to change from rural to urban registration: job transfer or marrying a city resident and transferring the household registration with the spouse.
In her previous life, because she couldn't transfer her household registration with her husband, Chen Meilan had given up that courtyard house.
When the demolition project started in the 90s, housing was allocated based on household registration, and that house still belonged to her ex-husband.
Chen Meilan had remarried a local man and completely let go of the house.
When she first came back after being reborn, thinking about how her second marriage in her previous life wasn't happy, Chen Meilan didn't want to remarry. Instead, she thought about going south to become a migrant worker and support herself.
But she had a daughter, and in 1988, when the economy was just beginning to recover and job opportunities were scarce, with strict household registration controls in cities, it wasn't easy to go south for work.
The biggest problem was the child's education. Rural children could only attend school in rural areas at that time. Even if you could afford the temporary schooling fees, city schools wouldn't accept you.
In her previous life, when she remarried, she had left Zhaodi behind once, though only for three months.
But she never imagined that those three months would change the child's personality and even affect her entire life.
So in this life, she absolutely couldn't leave Zhaodi behind again.
After calming down and analyzing the situation, she felt that finding a job and getting rich could be put off. The house was more important. After all, that old courtyard could be demolished and turned into seven or eight apartments in the future. In an era of rapidly rising house prices, how many people could earn seven or eight apartments in a lifetime?
So after being reborn, she still had to choose the path of remarriage.
However, she wouldn't choose the man who had made her unhappy for the second time in her previous life.
The reason she chose Yan Zhao was because, in her previous life, he would become the Chief of Public Security in the Capital City, known for his integrity and strictness.
Moreover, when he divorced Zhou Xueqin, he left with nothing, which proved he wasn't a man who coveted others' property.
More importantly, he had a Xiping City household registration. As long as they got married, she could transfer her household registration back to Xiping City and naturally move back into her courtyard house.
Mother and daughter each held a corn flour bun, eating with relish like two little rabbits. There was still half a pot left, which was for the Elder Sister-in-law's family.
"Mmm..." Zhaodi remembered the spicy strips in steamed buns that Yinbao had eaten earlier and sighed softly.
She had grown up in the city, and when Chen Meilan was in good financial condition, she often bought her snacks and treats. So the little girl was quite picky about food.
The corn flour bun was bland, and just eating it plain was difficult. Being made of coarse grain, it was hard to swallow. The child had to gasp for air after each bite.
Seeing her mother also struggling to swallow the corn cake, the little girl couldn't help saying, "Mama, if only we had some white sugar to dip it in, that would be so nice."
But fearing her mother would feel troubled, she quickly added, "It's okay, I can eat my fill like this too."
Corn flour buns taste better with white sugar or honey.
Chen Meilan yanked open the cupboard door, but it was completely empty.
Now that land reform had happened, farmers relied on their own small plots of land for food. Her elder brother's family already had three children, and suddenly adding two more mouths to feed meant there wasn't enough grain, let alone cooking oil or white sugar.
Not to mention her elder brother often sighed in private, and although the Elder Sister-in-law put on a brave face, at night when lying next to her husband, she couldn't help but sigh too: there's not enough food.
"Let's go buy some white sugar," Chen Meilan said.
Before returning to her parents' home, she had some savings and jewelry, but their house had been robbed. When she came back to her parents' home, she only had about ten yuan left, which she had been saving in case the child got sick and needed urgent care.
It's just a bit of white sugar. They'd buy it and the whole family could enjoy sweet corn buns today.
In the small shop at the village entrance, with "Public-Private Partnership" written in large characters, Chen Meilan weighed out a pound of white sugar in a jar. Zhaodi couldn't wait and pressed her warm corn flour bun to the jar's mouth, carefully scooping up every loose sugar grain scattered around the rim.
The sweet white sugar, not a single grain could be wasted.
The warm corn flour bun was at its peak flavor. The white sugar complemented the fresh aroma of the corn flour, both sticky and chewy. The sugar crunched between her teeth, its sweetness mingling with saliva to lubricate the sticky, slightly astringent bun, making it dance in her mouth, both sweet and fragrant.
This was the authentic taste a corn flour bun should have.
Zhaodi savored this bite with complete satisfaction.
Just then, Chen's Second Sister-in-law passed by carrying a roasted chicken. It seemed freshly cooked, with the skin's oils still glistening. As she walked past, the aroma wafted behind her.
Yinbao followed his mother, and as soon as she twisted off a leg, he eagerly took a big bite.
"Zhaodi, look! We have roasted chicken to eat at home," Yinbao said, deliberately waving the oily chicken leg.
Chen's Second Sister-in-law glanced at the jar in Chen Meilan's hand and exclaimed, "My, Meilan is being generous today. Your family is so poor, yet you can still afford to buy white sugar."
"Second Sister-in-law, did you buy this chicken to nourish my Second Brother?" Chen Meilan asked.
Chen's Second Sister-in-law smiled, her voice rising, "Your Second Brother was injured because of you, his back broken by that nouveau riche. If I don't care for him, who will? Shouldn't I buy a chicken to help him recover?"
"I think we should take Second Brother to the hospital. If he keeps lying like this, what if he really becomes paralyzed?" Chen Meilan said sincerely.
Chen's Second Sister-in-law constantly complained that the nouveau riche had broken her husband's back, but when asked to go to the hospital, she stubbornly refused. She slammed the courtyard gate shut, saying, "Going to the hospital costs money. Where would we get the money? I can't afford his medical bills!"
Just across the wall, not long after Chen's Second Sister-in-law went in, Second Brother's voice could be heard from next door.
"Since we have roasted chicken, let's invite Elder Brother's family and Meilan over. We can all eat together," he said in a muffled voice.
But after a long while, no more sounds came from next door.
Zhaodi continued to savor her corn flour bun, carefully coating each bun in the steamer basket with white sugar. Those were set aside for her uncle's family.
The aroma of roasted chicken, carried by the gentle evening breeze, drifted over from next door. The child couldn't help but sniff the air, then take another bite of her bun, eagerly listening for any movement next door. She really thought her Second Aunt would invite her over for chicken, so she kept waiting.
But Chen Meilan, having lived through her previous life, knew that her Second Brother and his wife would never invite them over for chicken. Seeing her daughter's pitiful, hungry expression, she smiled and asked, "Zhaodi, what do you think is the most delicious thing in the world?"
Without hesitation, Zhaodi blurted out, "Spicy strips in a steamed bun and roasted chicken." Everything Yinbao had eaten today was what she craved and loved the most.
"Mom thinks egg cake tastes even better. How about I buy you some egg cake another day?" Chen Meilan said.
Egg cake?
It was a delicacy made by mixing flour, oil, and eggs into a batter, adding plenty of white sugar, then pouring it into an iron mold and baking it over high heat on both sides. The result was a cake with a crispy exterior and a soft, fluffy interior.
Zhaodi had tasted it when they lived in the city as a child, and it was indeed even more delicious than roasted chicken.
Zhaodi's face instantly lit up with hope for tomorrow, beaming like a flower: "Mom, yes, I want that!"
Chen Meilan smiled too, but her eyes dimmed slightly as she hugged her daughter tightly. In her previous life, when she remarried, she initially left Zhaodi with her parents, fearing conflicts if she suddenly brought her into a household with other children.
Before leaving, she had bought Zhaodi a pound of egg cake, telling her that she would come back for her when the cakes were finished.
Zhaodi didn't eat a single piece. For three months, until Chen Meilan came to get her, all the egg cakes had dried out in their plastic bag. The child carried them on her shoulder during the day and hugged them while sleeping at night.
In the child's words, during the days without her mother, the egg cakes were her mother's scent. She couldn't bear to eat them, afraid that once they were gone, her mother's scent would disappear too.
In this life, no matter what happened or where she went, Chen Meilan was determined never to leave her child behind again.
