All Good Days

[22]Chapter 22: All Are Good Days

Zhu Shian met Song Weiguo's mother for the first time.

The old Mrs. Song was dressed neatly and simply, gentle and polite in speech, and loved to joke around. She could chat with anyone, and such a person, regardless of age or background, would be welcome everywhere.

Zhu Changfang whispered behind Zhu Shian, "I hear the old lady is sixty-seven this year, but she doesn't look her age at all."

Zhang Hui nodded. Not only did she not look her age, she didn't look like a lady from the countryside either. At her age, one could still see her bearing—the old lady must have come from an extraordinary family.

Over there, Zhu Fengqin was still chatting and laughing with the old Mrs. Song: "If you ask me, you should stay here with us until summer passes before going home. It's cool here in summer with all the mountains and water."

The old Mrs. Song had naturally smiling eyes. She said warmly, "It's already troublesome enough bothering you all once, so I shouldn't stay too long. Besides, there's a bunch of things at home. Our fourth son runs off somewhere the moment he's free, and the house can't be left unattended for long."

The old Song couple now lives in the countryside with their fourth son Song Weiguo's family. Old Mr. Song and the old Mrs. Song, plus Song Weiguo and his wife, only make four adults. Since the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law came to the Zhu Family for treatment, Song Weiguo has gone somewhere on business, leaving only Old Mr. Song alone to take care of the two young grandsons at home.

The old Mrs. Song sighed with a smile: "Those two grandsons are at the age when children are a nuisance to people and dogs. The moment you look away, they cause trouble—it's so worrying."

Zhu Fengqin helped the old lady inside: "Last time I heard your fourth son say the older one is seven and the younger one five, right?"

"Yes, both are grandsons in the fourth son's family. They originally wanted a granddaughter, but who knew... there's no fate."

Zheng Meiqing, Song Weiguo's wife, couldn't help but redden her eyes. The child had already taken form—a daughter—and somehow she miscarried.

Noticing they'd touched on a sad topic for the Song family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Zhu Fengqin懊悔 quickly remedied the situation: "Let's not talk about that. Since you've come to our family, we'll make sure you leave healthy. When the time is right, the child will come to you again."

The old Mrs. Song sighed: "Everything is fate, and nothing is within human control."

When Zhu Shian met the Song family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, before Zhu Fengqin could introduce her, the old Mrs. Song walked up to Zhu Shian with a smile: "So you're An'an. I've met your mother-in-law. You resemble your mother-in-law somewhat, so I feel close to you immediately."

Zhu Shian invited the old lady to sit and personally poured tea, saying with a smile: "People in our family also say I resemble my maternal grandparents a bit, but not so much my parents."

The old lady studied Zhu Shian's face carefully and smiled: "Your face shape and eyes are like your mother-in-law's, your nose like your grandfather's, and the lower half of your face like your mother's. When your parents got married, we came to celebrate—you resemble your mother when she was young."

When Zhu Fengqin came to the Zhu Family, Zhu Shian's parents were already gone, so she never met them. Zhu Changfang and Zhang Hui were too young to have met them either. Old Lady Wu and a couple of other elder Zhu Family matriarchs nodded along. The old Mrs. Song was right.

"The young lady is well-favored, having inherited the benefits of your ancestors—a beautiful face."

"As for looks, there are no ugly people in the Zhu Family. Even my husband was a handsome young man when he was young. If he hadn't been good-looking, I wouldn't have chosen him from among all the suitors who came to my family back then."

Old Lady Wu was quite proud when talking about her youth. The young wives all laughed.

Old Lady Wu wasn't afraid of being laughed at. She said, "My family also ran a business before. My parents doted on me and prepared a generous dowry. There were many families coveting me."

Everyone laughed again. Zhu Changfang laughed so hard her stomach hurt; she leaned sideways into Zhang Hui's embrace.

The old Mrs. Song said with a smile: "The men and women, old and young, of the Zhu Family are indeed good-looking. The daughters-in-law who married in aren't bad either. I also know a few matriarchs in your clan. Back then, their natal families were also prominent families along the river."

The Zhu Family had indeed flourished once. It wasn't apparent in Zhu Changfang's generation, but looking back one more generation, among Zhu Shian's grandfather's generation, the families chosen for marriage—all had substance: daughters of minor officials, daughters of merchant families, young ladies from scholarly families... Later, the situation changed. To avoid drawing attention, they all moved from the city back to the countryside, and for decades they've lived in obscurity.

Old Lady Wu谦虚道: "We really can't compare to your family. Your grandfather, Liu Laodaren, was an official in the capital and had seen great世面."

The old Mrs. Song's maiden family was the Liu Family. The Liu family's ancestral home was in Zhenjiang. The old Mrs. Song's grandfather was a scholar, passed the imperial examinations, and rose through the ranks, reaching the highest position of fourth-rank official. Later, seeing how corrupt the court had become, he retreated wisely and took a post in Chongqing Prefecture. The Liu family settled in Ba County at that time.

Later, when the Qing dynasty fell, the outside world fell into chaos. The Liu family didn't produce any more capable people, but they got by in Ba County. They also married into the local Song family, and together they've weathered all the storms.

The old Mrs. Song waved her hand: "That's all in the past. A hero doesn't boast of past glory. Now that we're farmers, we should farm properly and live well in the present."

Hearing this, Zhu Fengqin, Old Lady Wu, and the others couldn't help but sigh.

The old Mrs. Song was indeed far-sighted. Times change and circumstances shift. Rather than reminiscing about the past, it's better to live well in the present.

The old Mrs. Song mentioned Song Weiguo: "We received the letter you sent some time ago. Our third son served in the army before. His old superior's wife's sister's sister-in-law works at Beijing People's Hospital. The third son specifically asked the old leader to help inquire about this. As soon as there's news, we'll definitely let you know."

Zhu Shian expressed her gratitude: "Thank you for your trouble."

The old Mrs. Song smiled: "We're old friends. We should help each other on these major matters—no need for thanks. Besides, if the news is true, other industries will gradually be decontrolled. Our fourth son is very happy about that."

Zhu Fengqin joined the conversation: "I was just about to ask—why didn't your fourth son escort you here?"

"The fourth son opened a letter of introduction and went to Zhenjiang. I hear that after the policy on correcting overseas relations came out earlier this year, many overseas Chinese near us have returned. The Tan Clan of Zhenjiang seems to have also returned. The fourth son heard about it and absolutely had to go to Zhenjiang for a trip."

Old Lady Wu was surprised: "The Tan Clan of Zhenjiang? The Tan Clan that led the Canal Guild?"

"Exactly."

People who made a living on the water were a very large group. Just like the Song Family once controlled the transportation industry on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the various rivers north and south each had their own forces. But there were also leaders who oversaw the water forces overall, and the Tan Clan was one of them.

At the end of the Qing dynasty, with the rise of sea transport and railways, the canal transport declined. Those who could no longer make a living on the water followed the leading families and formed new forces, changing their name to the Green Gang. During the Republic of China, Huang Jinrong, Du Yuesheng, and Zhang Xiaolin were representative figures who wielded immense power in Shanghai.

The Tan Clan wasn't among them, because the Tan family had moved to Southeast Asia in the later Qing dynasty. In Southeast Asia, they fought for territory with others and gradually developed their own forces there—having guns, cannons, and ships, and thriving in sea transport. They had long since stopped associating with the Huang, Du, and Zhang families.

Speaking of the Tan Clan, the old Mrs. Song was envious: "The ancestors of the Tan Clan were far-sighted and courageous. Our old man said that back then, those in the Canal Guild with vision could see that life would get hard, but none had the courage to venture out like the Tan Clan did."

Old Lady Wu nodded quickly: "Our roots are here. Even if we went back to that time, the head of the family probably couldn't make the decision to move the whole family to make a living at sea."

"Yes, that's why the Tan people are impressive."

"But anyway, why did the Tan people return so quickly?"

"The Tan Clan has good information channels. The Tan Clan has always had connections with the government. During the war, they helped transport supplies, and later they helped get equipment from overseas. Once there's any movement in the country, the Tan people are sure to know."

The old Mrs. Song hesitated, then said: "There's some news I'm not sure is accurate. I hear the reason the Tan people returned so quickly is because there's a young person in the Tan Clan's younger generation who contracted a strange illness—incurable. The Tan Clan patriarch wants to come back to seek treatment from Traditional Chinese Medicine. For this, the Tan Clan agreed to donate several Traditional Chinese Medicine Universities."

"Oh my, several? The Tan Clan is really wealthy."

The old Mrs. Song smiled: "They have a big family and great assets. They don't lack this bit of donation, I suppose."

The Song Family and the Zhu Family are old friends and former business partners. Their backgrounds are similar. Besides daily necessities and household topics, they have many topics they can discuss.

After the Song family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law came to Sanqing Lane for treatment, the Zhu Family matriarchs who had always stayed in the village were willing to go out. As soon as they came to the main house, they warmly greeted the old Mrs. Song. Everyone sat down to chat and reminisce about the old days.

With all this excitement, young wives like Zhu Changfang weren't interested in listening to gossip about which mother-in-law and daughter-in-law didn't get along outside. Whenever they had free time, they came to the main house to sit, pouring water and tea for the matriarchs while eagerly listening to the ancestors' stories. When they heard something exciting, they couldn't help but slap their thighs, regretting they weren't born during the Zhu Family's prosperous times.

The old Mrs. Song smiled at the young wives: "Those were chaotic times—how could they compare to the present stability? Seeing that life gets better day by day, your good days are still ahead. Don't believe me? Ask the young lady?"

Everyone stared at Zhu Shian, and she nodded.

Zhu Shian only nodded without saying a word, but the Zhu Family people were already convinced. Everyone burst into joy.

Zhu Shian's medical skills were good. She prescribed herbal formulas to regulate the Song family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law's bodies, and used acupuncture as辅助. The Song family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had only been staying at the Zhu Family for half a month, but visibly, their pale cheeks gradually gained color, their speech became more energetic, and even their sluggish bodies gained vitality—they became more active than before.

Every day, someone came to the main house. Everyone saw the changes in the Song family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and they were all in awe of the young lady's ability to regulate health.

Zhu Changming came to check on the Song family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law every few days. Day by day, he saw their bodies improve. He went home and said to his wife Zhang Hui: "I really think I don't need to quit my job at the County Hospital. When the family's Medical Hall opens, with the young lady presiding, any illness can be treated. Even if there's an illness the young lady can't treat, I have even less ability to cure it."

Zhang Hui didn't see it his way: "You're foolish. People strive for higher ground, water flows downward. It's precisely because the young lady is better than you that you should find ways to learn from her. What can you learn at the County Hospital? Look at the gifts the young lady receives from treating relatives—isn't that better than your monthly salary?"

Zhu Changming laughed: "It's really strange—when the young lady first came back, you didn't allow me to—"

Zhang Hui interrupted him and gave him a glare: "Don't mention that. That's all in the past. What's the point of bringing it up now? I didn't know how capable the young lady was back then. It was my poor judgment, okay?"

Zhu Changming laughed loudly and kept nodding: "Alright, alright, no more mention."

Zhang Hui threw potatoes at him: "Go peel the potatoes, cut them into strips. Your son wants potato shred pancake."

"Are there oil pancakes at home too?"

"Yes, the clan just collected rapeseed and pressed rapeseed oil. I exchanged with the clan for two jin." Zhang Hui sighed: "When will we never run out of oil to eat?"

In times of scarce supplies, even with money you can't buy good things.

"Wait for it. When life gets better, you can eat as many oil pancakes as you want in one meal."

Soon, soon. Everything will get better.