"There are many jobs a high school student like me can do, do I have to be a teacher?" Gao Jiazhi said.
Zheng Xianghong smiled and replied, "Being a teacher is quite good, but it’s dangerous to be one now. Luckily, your school is closed, or I would be worried."
"Mom, why won’t you let me join the military?" Gao Jiazhi asked again.
"Why are you asking so many whys today? I don’t want any of you to join the military; it’s too dangerous. I’d be worried sick at home, constantly on edge," Zheng Xianghong said.
Gao Jiazhi actually wanted to ask, "Mom, whose child am I really, and where’s my birth mother?"
But the words reached his lips and he swallowed them back down. Gao Jiazhi lacked the courage to ask.
The love from his parents and his siblings was strong; Gao Jiazhi loved his family. He feared that once he brought it up, things would become awkward at home, afraid of both the confrontation and the possibility of having to leave this family.
"Now that Sun Yuhua has agreed to date you, you have to treat her well. You’re not getting any younger, I hope you can settle down soon and let me hold a grandchild," Zheng Xianghong said.
Gao Jiazhi responded, "A granddaughter wouldn’t make you happy then?"
"How could I not be happy? I’d love to have grandsons or granddaughters, but I still hope you each have a son."
Once Zheng Xianghong finished speaking, Gao Jiazhi said, "Maybe I’m not destined to have a son in this life. When the time comes, we can have Jiaxing have a few more, and then adopt one for me."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Xianghong slapped Gao Jiazhi lightly and disagreed, "Your own children are the best; what’s the point in adopting? Old Lady Gao even wanted to adopt out you or Jiaxing back then, but your dad and I stopped it."
Indeed, Old Lady Gao had such intentions at the time. Her two sons were childless, and both Lin Xuebi and Zheng Xianghong had two sons, so Old Lady Gao thought about adopting one out to ensure both her sons had children.
However, Lin Xuebi didn’t like the idea, neither did Zheng Xianghong, and both Gao Guoqiang and Gao Guofu also persuaded against it, so the matter was dropped.
"Jiaxing and I are brothers, sharing the same bloodline, what does it matter?" Gao Jiazhi said nonchalantly.
Zheng Xianghong shook her head with a wry smile, "Even so, it would need your brother and sister-in-law’s approval. Who would want to give up their own flesh and blood for adoption? Even if they are brothers, once adopted out, they become someone else’s children."
And his birth mother? Gao Jiazhi really wanted to ask where his birth mother had gone and why she didn’t want him.
Gao Jiazhi ultimately didn’t ask, and Zheng Xianghong failed to notice anything amiss. After taking a sip of water, she grabbed her hoe and went out, leaving Gao Jiazhi alone with his tangled thoughts.
Gao Guoqiang had also gone out to work. Right after Zheng Xianghong left, Gao Jiazhi rummaged through the family documents, hoping to find something related to himself.
But he found nothing, so he simply picked up a hoe and went out as well. Zheng Xianghong wasn’t surprised to see Gao Jiazhi join her, but Gao Jiazhi got close and asked, "Mom, what did Educated Youth Xia say when he came over?"
Then Gao Jiazhi added, "Tell me about yours and dad’s time in the military, and about my eldest uncle’s?"
"What’s there to know about that," Zheng Xianghong shook her head.
"If you won’t let me join the military, can’t I at least know some things about it? You’re too domineering," Gao Jiazhi said.
At that, Zheng Xianghong softened a bit and started to share some stories about her time in the military with Gao Jiazhi.
Gao Jiazhi added, "Did my eldest uncle ever get married?"
Zheng Xianghong nodded ambiguously, and Gao Jiazhi said, "Then why haven’t we seen his wife or his children?"
Zheng Xianghong didn’t look up and simply said, "I don’t know, after your eldest uncle left, we never saw her again."
Unable to see Zheng Xianghong’s face but hearing her words, Gao Jiazhi sensed that she might be his birth mother and that she might still be alive. His heart stirred with strange emotions.
Zheng Xianghong continued, "Sun Yuhua is over there, hurry and go help her with the work, don’t let her get too tired."
Gao Jiazhi replied, "I’ll finish helping you first, Mom; you can’t get too tired either."
Zheng Xianghong smiled with relief, "Good boy, you know how to care for your mom."
"If only Jiaxing were here too, sigh, that little rascal is away, and I’ve started missing him. I don’t know how he’s doing in the military, whether he’s being bullied."
"As long as he’s not bullying others, that’s fine," Gao Jiazhi said.
Despite that, Zheng Xianghong was still worried, saying, "Your brother is competitive, I’m afraid he’ll act like a hothead and offend people in the military."
"What’s there to worry about, isn’t Educated Youth Xia’s cousin there? Jiaxing is under the command of Xia Xiao’s cousin; nothing will happen," Gao Jiazhi assured her.
At this, Zheng Xianghong nodded and after finishing the work, she said, "Let’s go over to Xia Xiao’s place. I’ll help Xia Xiao with something, and you help Sun Yuhua with her tasks. With your brother not at home, we have to look out for Xia Xiao."
Gao Jiazhi nodded and followed Zheng Xianghong towards Xia Xiao’s place. The other people in the production team were surprised not to see Gao Jiaxing and inquired about him. Zheng Xianghong simply said her son had gone to serve in the military, without elaborating further.
"Auntie, take a break, I’m almost done," Xia Xiao shook her head, refusing Zheng Xianghong’s help and suggesting she rest on the side.
Feeling a bit tired, Zheng Xianghong helped Xia Xiao for a while, then sat down to rest.
On the other side, Li Shengmei and Dong Meihua were busy working together. Seeing Zheng Xianghong resting, Li Shengmei also sat down and started chatting with others.
Dong Meihua felt very dissatisfied with Li Shengmei for stopping her work to chat, leaving her to work alone. She then glanced over at where Zheng Xianghong and Gao Jiazhi were; the mother and son duo were either working or resting, but they never stopped their hands from working. Another was helping Sun Yuhua. Dong Meihua felt stifled.
After a while, Dong Meihua saw that Li Shengmei was still chatting and not working, and said, "Mom, it’s getting dark soon."
Li Shengmei glanced at the sky and resumed working, but in less than two minutes, she was chatting with the neighbors again, laughing and talking.
Dong Meihua saw that everyone else was close to finishing, while they still had more than half to do. Li Shengmei piddled along, causing discontent in Dong Meihua, who was also tired. Seeing Xia Xiao now resting, Dong Meihua followed suit.
She had just taken a sip of water when Li Shengmei said, "Meihua, hurry up, we need to finish this task before it gets dark, and then you have to cook dinner for your dad."
"I’m drinking water now, taking a break," Dong Meihua replied.
Li Shengmei said, "If you get pregnant soon, I won’t make you work anymore, but right now it’s just the two of us sharing the workload. We must finish quickly; how can we not? Look, Xia Xiao’s tasks are nearly done, so hurry up and then you can rest all you want."