Even though Wang Mingxia had prepared herself for this, Mother Jiang’s words still made her teeth chatter with rage. If she hadn't seen Song Wanlin give birth to Xu Qinghuan with her own eyes, she would have doubted whether Xu Qinghuan was truly Song Wanlin’s biological daughter.
If she didn't hold a grudge against her daughter, why would she find such an in-law family for her?
The relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is so crucial! With a mother-in-law like this, could Xu Qinghuan ever have a moment's peace after marrying into that family?
Fortunately, Xu Qinghuan was not her own, and her goal was to call off this engagement.
"Sister Shao, you’ve misunderstood," Wang Mingxia said. "Although Qinghuan has no objection to the engagement, she has no plans to get married for the time being. With the modern push for ideological liberation, there is one thing I hadn't dared to mention: previously, her second uncle had a fortune teller cast her horoscope, and it said she cannot marry before the age of twenty-four, or she will bring a curse upon her husband."
Upon hearing this, Mother Jiang nearly jumped out of her skin. "Is such a thing true?" she demanded angrily. "Why didn't you mention this earlier?"
Many things are a matter of belief; if you believe, they exist, and if you don't, they don't. Although thoughts were being liberated, Buddhism and Taoism had been passed down for one or two thousand years, and these beliefs were carved into people's bones. The more intangible and mysterious something was, the more people feared not believing in it.
If they had to wait until she was twenty-four to marry, that meant waiting another six or seven years. How could that be possible!
If they married sooner, it might not affect Xu Qinghuan, but a curse on her husband? She only had one son—could she let him be cursed to death?
No, this engagement had to be broken at all costs.
Wang Mingxia felt a surge of triumph, though she put on an embarrassed face. "Sister Shao, this is our fault. We didn't dare speak of such things lightly. If you hadn't brought up the marriage today, I still wouldn't have dared to say it."
Mother Jiang’s chest heaved with fury. "You—!"
"I have raised her for fourteen years; it’s only right that she calls me 'Mother.' She also said that she wants her second uncle and me to decide on her marriage. If you have any dissatisfaction, we can certainly understand. However, we have a daughter to consider, and we aren't going to take the blame for this. After all, it wasn't us who were desperate to force this union." Though Wang Mingxia hoped her own daughter could marry Jiang Chengxu, if the Jiang family initiated the break, she would be absolved of responsibility toward her sister-in-law, and she might even be able to squeeze out some benefits.
Mother Jiang was incensed once again. She had never encountered anyone so shameless. She sneered, "Are you implying that we were the ones begging to enter into this marriage?"
Wang Mingxia was quick to reply, "That’s perfect then. Since neither side is willing, a forced melon won't be sweet. You have a son, and we have a daughter. Since you aren't willing, we are even less so. Let’s just call off the engagement right now!"
Mother Jiang was equally eager to do so, but she didn't have the authority to make the final decision. She had to swallow her pride and said, "I have to ask his father about this."
***
Xu Qinghuan had arranged to meet Lin Xialan at the hospital in the morning. Arriving a bit early, she went to check on the woman she had helped. The wound was healing well, and the woman’s recovery was coming along nicely.
"Thank you so much!" the new mother said with genuine gratitude. "My mother wanted to thank you, but you insisted on refusing. My whole family is so grateful to you."
"Really, it’s not necessary. It was just a small favor, don't keep it on your mind," Xu Qinghuan said with a smile. "Actually, we helped each other. You had a need, and I happened to have the ability. I'm just happy I could help."
"Oh, by the way, my name is Tian Xia, and I work at Yong'an Department Store. If you need to buy anything, come find me. I’m on maternity leave right now, but you can go to the counter and ask for Wang Juan. She’s coming to visit me today; I’ll tell her, and when you go shopping, I’ll ask her to take care of you."
Xu Qinghuan replied, "Then I won't stand on ceremony. I actually have some shopping to do in the next few days, so I'll go find Sister Wang later."
Tian Xia was delighted that she could be of some help to Xu Qinghuan.
Xu Qinghuan took another look at the baby. "The baby is doing well, just a bit of jaundice. Let him soak in the sun when it's not too harsh, morning and evening, and it will fade in a few days. Everything else is fine."
Relieved by her words, Tian Xia watched as Xu Qinghuan departed.
Lin Xialan had already arrived with her sister-in-law. Xu Qinghuan led them to the personnel office. "Section Chief Liu, regarding the position that was previously mine, would it be possible to transfer it to my sister-in-law?"
Although selling positions privately was not officially permitted, there was a market wherever there was demand. The section chief had seen plenty of this; it was usually passed off as "a relative" or something similar. Since Xu Qinghuan was someone highly regarded by Dean Wu, he naturally had no objections and even eagerly helped process the transfer paperwork.
"This position was an internship role, paying eighteen yuan and fifty cents a month. Once she becomes a permanent staff member, it will be twenty-eight yuan," Section Chief Liu said, calling over a clerk. "Take this comrade to handle the onboarding. If there's time, training can start today."
"There's time, there's time!" Lin Xialan’s sister-in-law had already dropped her child off at daycare, ready to start work that very day. Being a nurse was a technical job that required learning a lot, and while she was nervous, her attitude was incredibly proactive. Section Chief Liu was very satisfied.
After thanking him, Xu Qinghuan left the hospital with Lin Xialan. "Huanhuan, thank you so much for this. Here is the money and some ration coupons," Lin Xialan said, pressing a fairly heavy cloth bag into Xu Qinghuan’s hands.
Xu Qinghuan opened it to find ten bundles of ten-yuan notes, along with quite a few coupons. It was one thousand yuan.
"Why so much? It doesn't need to be this much. Six hundred at most would have been enough." Xu Qinghuan had some understanding of the going rate for these positions—roughly two years' salary for a permanent staffer—so she had expected six or seven hundred.
When Xu Qinghuan tried to return the extra money, Lin Xialan refused point-blank, her eyes turning red. "If you don't take it, we can no longer be friends!"
Xu Qinghuan was stunned by the severity of her tone. "Lanan, I feel bad taking so much of your family's money!"
Lin Xialan shook her head. "You don't understand, this isn't about the money."
Since Xu Qinghuan was no outsider, and time had passed, Lin Xialan didn't hold back. "You don't know, but my whole family was very worried about my sister-in-law. My mother once felt that my sister-in-law wanted to take my nephew and die with him. My mother was scared out of her wits at the time. My sister-in-law graduated from high school but could never find a job, and without one, she couldn't transfer her household registration to a grain-ration status. Even though we didn't say anything, we could see she was under immense pressure. The more careful we were around her, the more uncomfortable she felt. As time went on, we were truly terrified."
Feeling a sense of relief, Lin Xialan wiped away tears, then wrapped her arms around Xu Qinghuan. "Huanhuan, please take the money. We are friends, and we help each other; there's no need to be so particular. Really, I specifically asked my mother to give you more money and coupons. It’s my token of appreciation—are you going to refuse that too?"