Upon hearing this, Wang Cuilan gave a slight smile.
"Your father is the deputy mayor, a high-ranked and high-paid official, living in the city committee compound. And you yourself are a university student in the capital, with a promising career future. It is only natural that he’s a little picky about marriage. Don’t worry," Wang Cuilan said unsympathetically. "Just keep looking, and you will eventually find a girl who is perfect in Yougui’s eyes."
The vice mayor, Zhu, snorted dismissively and shook his head. "I doubt it," he said.
There is no such thing as perfect. How could one expect to find a perfect mate?
A father might voice such concerns, but Wang Cuilan, as an outsider, had to abstain from agreeing. If this conversation were to reach the ears of the deputy mayor’s wife and son, it would be difficult to smooth things over.
The deputy mayor’s wife, Liu Cuihong, was fiery and fierce, and their son, Zhu Yougui, was proud and aloof, least likely to appreciate criticism from others.
Chen Xueniang, perceptive as always, hastily handed the Golden Fruit Bar and the handkerchief it was wrapped in to Wang Cuilan. "I noticed Xibao really likes it. Take it home for him to teethe on. Tell his mother not to look down on it."
"What would she find objectionable? These days everyone is equal, nobody is superior," said Chen Xueniang, who was upstanding and kind-hearted. In Wang Cuilan’s eyes, she was a good comrade. So what if she had worked in kilns? Hadn’t she herself marched and fought alongside Cheng Baoguo, among people of all backgrounds? Even high-ranking military officials married divorced women.
Chen Xueniang was very pleased with Wang Cuilan’s straightforwardness. She always enjoyed dealing with such frank people, much like Feng Qingxue, who, despite her gentle exterior, spoke as frankly as Wang Cuilan.
If given a choice, she wouldn’t have wanted to work in the kiln, to endure all the torment and humiliation.
Thanks to New China and its leaders, the whole of China had been liberated, as had all of humanity, and women like herself, who had been forced into disreputable lives. Although life was hard now, at least she was able to call herself a respectable housewife.
The deputy mayor, hearing their mother-daughter conversation, nodded at Cheng’s father before pushing his bicycle through the back gate.
Feng Qingxue, who had come looking for her son with a cotton vest in hand, overheard Wang Cuilan saying to Chen Xueniang, "I’m not working tomorrow. I thought I’d go foraging in the Wanglou Brigade with Qingxue. Would you like to join us?"
Chen Xueniang seemed taken aback, and hurriedly said, "I’d love to, but I don’t know if Qingxue would welcome me."
"Of course, you’d be more than welcome. Nothing would please me more!" Feng Qingxue, who enjoyed making friends, especially those she could converse with, assured her.
After all, heroes never ask where others come from.
"See? I told you Qingxue wouldn’t object." Wang Cuilan finished speaking just as she saw Feng Qingxue helping Xibao into his vest while Xibao tried to shove his saliva-covered, tooth-marked Golden Fruit Bar into Feng Qingxue’s mouth, calling, "Mama, Mama, Mama!"
"Ah, well!" Feng Qingxue pretended to take a bite, but didn’t really eat any. "It’s yours, Xibao."
While she was fastening the buttons on Xibao’s vest, Xibao continued licking and gnawing on the bar until finally, his milk teeth broke the bar apart. Unable to chew it fully with his few teeth, he swirled it around in his mouth before spitting it out.
"What a waste! Good children don’t waste things," Feng Qingxue said, taking the broken fruit bar from his hand. Unfazed by the saliva on it, she popped it into her mouth and chewed it before swallowing.
"Huh?" Xibao looked in confusion at his empty hand.
Wang Cuilan laughed so hard her stomach hurt. And when Xibao turned to look at Chen Xueniang, she quickly wrapped up her own Golden Fruit Bar to keep it out of sight.