Call Me Daddy

Currently, the work in the fields wasn’t heavy. The batch of grain previously harvested had been dried and stored in the warehouse. Therefore, upon hearing that Su Aobai had returned, many members of the Jiang family took leave and rushed home to see if he had truly come back.

The Jiang family’s old house was located near the village entrance. Jiang Dajun had two sons and one daughter. The youngest daughter, Jiang Lianmei, was born when he was older, and there was a significant age gap between her and her two older brothers. The eldest son, Jiang Lianjiang, had already married off his eldest grandson last year. Thus, when Jiang Lianmei got married, Jiang Dajun decided to split the family.

As the eldest son, Jiang Lianjiang naturally stayed in the old house with his father. The second son, Jiang Lianbian, received a plot of land and a sum of money during the division of the family property. Once his own house was built, he moved out.

Jiang Lianmei and her husband, Su Aobai, had a more complicated situation. As an educated youth, Su Aobai lived in the educated youth courtyard before their marriage, sharing a large room with six or seven other youths and sleeping on communal beds.

Jiang Dajun and his wife, Han Juan, didn’t mind their daughter and son-in-law continuing to live at home after marriage. After all, her room was spacious, and one more person wouldn’t be a problem. However, they were mindful that this arrangement could cause friction with their eldest daughter-in-law, who also lived with them, potentially harming family relations.

Moreover, living with the in-laws wasn’t considered prestigious. Jiang Dajun worried that village gossip might affect Su Aobai’s feelings. Although Jiang Dajun didn’t particularly like this marriage, he had no choice. If he had found a local, reliable son-in-law, these issues wouldn’t have arisen. Though rural life was poor, but at least they had their own homes.

Since children were karmic debts from previous lives, Jiang Dajun had to accept the situation. After securing a teaching job for his son-in-law through connections, he also rented a house from the village. This house belonged to an elderly person without heirs and was now the collective’s property.

The dilapidated house wasn’t far from the Jiang family’s old residence.

Jiang Dajun discussed with other village officials and rented it for 1 yuan a month, paid from Su Aobai’s salary. The money went into the village account, and the rent wasn’t excessively cheap due to Jiang Dajun’s position as the team leader. This arrangement prevented any village gossip.

Before Jiang Lianmei and Su Aobai got married, the men of the Jiang family repaired the dilapidated house, making it barely habitable. The old Jiang family house was next door, allowing the elderly couple to keep an eye on any commotion and feel more at ease.

Over the years, Jiang Lianmei gave birth to a son and a daughter. Su Aobai’s behavior was impeccable, which gradually led Jiang Dajun and Han Juan to accept their educated youth son-in-law. Otherwise, Jiang Dajun wouldn’t have quickly arranged for his son to approve the leave request for Su Aobai to go home.

However, the lack of news over the past 3 months had left them feeling disheartened and worried about their daughter’s marriage.

***

“Mingcheng’s dad!”

Su Aobai hadn’t even had a chance to put down his luggage when he ran into the rushing Jiang Lianmei at the door. She was holding a small boy by the hand; initially, she had been carrying him, but she switched to pulling him along when she couldn’t manage.

People of this era were reserved. Even couples rarely displayed affection in public. Despite Jiang Lianmei’s overwhelming emotions and her flushed, excited face, she didn’t dare to show affection towards Su Aobai in front of the villagers. Even in her excitement, she addressed him as the child’s father.

Su Aobai had inherited all of the original owner’s memories, so he naturally recognized the mother and son before him. Perhaps due to the original owner’s lingering emotions, he felt a sense of joy looking at her flushed face and her big, bright eyes.

The original owner genuinely liked this beautiful and pure wife and loved his children. But all of this was secondary to his own self-interest.

“Mei Zi.”

This was Jiang Lianmei’s nickname, used by those close to her.

“I’m sorry for being late. Mingcheng, why aren’t you calling me dad?”

He looked down at the thin, dark-skinned boy standing behind Jiang Lianmei, who was stubbornly looking at the sky, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Humph!”

Su Mingcheng was also feeling happy inside. He wasn’t a fatherless child, but he was a bit sulky at the moment, blaming his dad for coming back so late and not sending any messages home during the journey.

“Where’s Mingmei?”

Su Aobai chuckled at his stubborn son. He didn’t try to coax him but turned to look at his wife. He remembered that the original owner also had a daughter.

“Mom’s watching her.”

Jiang Lianmei spoke as Jiang Dajun, his wife, and Jiang Lianmei’s two brothers hurried over.

“You finally decided to come back!”

Han Juan, holding her 3-year-old granddaughter, blurted out somewhat forcefully.

The little girl in her arms was quite pretty. It’s said that daughters resemble their fathers, and Mingmei had inherited all the facial features from the original owner. Because she was a girl, her features were softened a bit. Fair skin, rosy cheeks, big eyes, long and dense eyelashes, and a head of naturally curly black hair made her look like a doll displayed in a high-end shop window.

Being so young, she didn’t remember much. After 3 months without seeing her father, she had almost forgotten him. Seeing Su Aobai now, she only found his face somewhat familiar, sucking on her fingers and tilting her head to look at him.

“He’s back now. We can discuss things at home.” Jiang Dajun, noticing the curious onlookers, tugged at his wife’s sleeve. Discussing these matters outside would only make them the subject of gossip.

Han Juan also felt indignant for her daughter. They had endured a lot of grievances due to the gossip in the past few months, all thanks to her good son-in-law.

However, she also understood her husband’s point. Since her son-in-law had returned, it meant he still wanted this family. She also wanted to know the reason behind his delayed return and the lack of communication with the family. So, the group went inside, and the onlookers gradually dispersed when they saw there was nothing exciting to see.

***

The arrangement at home hadn’t changed much since the original left. The first room after crossing the front yard was the hall used for entertaining guests, where the family of four also dined.

Though once an abandoned old house, with repairs and the gradual influence of living there over the years, the hall now looked spacious and clean.

The walls had been repainted 2 years ago, with a portrait of Chairman Mao hanging in the center facing the door. Below it were a row of bamboo benches and several stools. The dining table was placed on the right side, and there was another door on the right wall leading to the kitchen.

In addition to that, there were two bedrooms. The couple and their daughter lived in the largest room on the east side, while their eldest son, Su Mingcheng, had moved to another room when he was 6 years old.

Su Aobai glanced around the hall, barely having time to tidy up the things he brought from Ning City before being pulled down to sit by his two uncles, who solemnly questioned why he had returned so late.

“How’s your mother’s illness? This time, Lianmei didn’t go back with you. Your mother doesn’t have any complaints against Lianmei, right? Otherwise, why would she keep you there for so long and not let you come back?”

Jiang Dajun was indeed shrewd, asking the question with great finesse.

He didn’t directly ask why Su Aobai had returned so late or if he had initially decided not to return. Instead, he approached it through his mother, framing Su Aobai’s delayed return as his mother’s insistence.

“My Mom’s illness this time was quite severe, but luckily, we found a capable doctor. However, the doctor also said she needs to rest properly in the future and can’t work anymore. I told my Mom that Lianmei and the children didn’t come back because they couldn’t buy train tickets. I was afraid my Mom’s condition might worsen suddenly, so I came back alone. My Mom understood.”

Su Aobai recited the script he had prepared on the train early in the morning.

“The reason for my late return is also related to my Mom’s serious illness and her need for recuperation. Since she can’t work anymore, the family plans to transfer her job to me.”

As soon as he said that, the expressions of the Jiang family changed. Even Jiang Lianmei, who usually appeared innocent, pursed her lips and couldn’t muster a smile.

Only Su Mingcheng and Su Mingmei, the siblings, were confused, not understanding why the adults suddenly changed their expressions.

The procedures for returning to the city for educated youth were very difficult. There were only a few spots available each year, either through recommendation or by becoming a ‘Worker-peasant-soldier student.’ Another relatively simpler way was through succession.

(T/N: Worker-Peasant-Soldier student = students who entered colleges between 1970 and 1976. They weren’t accepted for their academic qualifications, but rather for their work experience. Favored by the Chinese Communist Party that enjoyed affirmative action during the Cultural Revolution.)

As long as a rural educated youth could find a unit willing to accept them, they could return. However, the positions of workers were usually hereditary, passed from parents to children. As long as the parents agreed to let their children take over, the problem could be solved.

But most educated youth sent to the countryside were forced to go because there were no vacant job positions left in their families. Now, if Su Aobai’s mother’s job position was to be left for him, didn’t it mean he was going back to the city?

What about Jiang Lianmei? What about the two children? Their household registration couldn’t just follow Su Aobai.

“My mom works as an accountant at the Second Food Factory in Ning City. Since I have a high school diploma, after taking over, I won’t have to work in production and can go straight to the office. Of course, my salary will be based on the first year of work, not as high as my mom’s senior accountant salary. It would be 42 yuan a month.”

Su Aobai continued.

42 yuan! Jiang Dajun had worked hard for half of his life to get him a temporary job at the elementary school, earning only 18 yuan a month. This was more than double! With such a high salary increase, there would certainly be other subsidies. The food factory, at first listen, seemed like a unit with excellent welfare benefits.

“Then why did you come back?” Jiang Dajun asked with a stern face. Did he come back to divorce my daughter? If this heartless thing dared to say such a thing, I’ll break his hands and see if the food factory wanted an accountant who couldn’t write.

“I didn’t take this job,” Su Aobai’s answer surprised everyone.

“If I took my Mom’s job, what about Lianmei and the two children? Their household registration can’t be moved over, and Ning City is so far from here. It takes 5 or 6 days round trip by train,” Su Aobai said with a wry smile. Obviously, he liked this job, but ultimately, it couldn’t compare to his wife and children in the countryside.

“For the past few months, I’ve been temporarily taking my Mom’s place. I also want to find a way to see if Lianmei and the children’s household registration can be moved to the countryside near Ning City. Although it’s still a rural household registration, it’s closer. Our family won’t be separated. Because I know the probability of this happening is low, I was too afraid of sending a telegram back, afraid you’ll be happy for nothing,” Su Aobai explained.

Su Aobai’s words made the people present alternate between furrowing their brows and relaxing, their moods changing with the content of his words.

Only Jiang Lianmei’s eyes sparkled with joy as she looked at her husband. He had planned both himself and the children in his life. Even with such a good job, he hadn’t given up on this family. Jiang Lianmei felt extremely happy.

“It’s a pity, it didn’t succeed,” this answer was already expected by everyone. Moving household registration wasn’t a simple matter.

Han Juan’s expression was filled with disappointment. Although she was somewhat worried about letting her daughter and grandchildren go so far with Su Aobai, it was such a good job! Her son-in-law could earn 42 yuan a month, and her daughter would live a comfortable life in the future.

“A month ago, I gave up. So I talked to my parents and suggested letting my younger sister take my Mom’s place. My younger sister is working as an educated youth in the northwest. She’s young and not in good health. If she could return to Ning City, my parents would also be more reassured.”

The original owner had an older brother and two sisters. The older brother had taken over their father’s job early on and now lived with their parents in a less than 40-square-meter apartment allocated by their unit. The original owner and the other two sisters were eligible for the countryside policy.

The older sister, like the original owner, couldn’t endure the hardships of rural life and married a local villager. The younger sister went to the countryside later and hadn’t found a partner yet. She was afraid that once she got married, she would be tied down and never able to return home.

The Su parents were quite surprised by their son’s decision. They couldn’t understand why their youngest suddenly changed his mind. But since he was unwilling to abandon his wife and children in the countryside and was willing to let his sister take over, his parents pondered over it all night and eventually agreed.

So they sent a telegram to their youngest daughter. After Su Xiaomei returned to Ning City to take over, Su Aobai returned.

***

“I didn’t discuss this matter with the family. Mei Zi, you’re not angry with me, are you?” Su Aobai looked apologetically at Jiang Lianmei.

Of course she wasn’t angry. Su Aobai knew that his wife, in her simplicity, wouldn’t even consider such things.

“Not at all,” Jiang Lianmei quickly shook her head, smiling sweetly at Su Aobai.

She only knew that her job had been given to her sister-in-law, and her husband would continue to live in the village as before. And Su Aobai had just said he hadn’t discussed it with his family, which meant he considered them as his own family

After explaining the situation, the anger that the Jiang family had accumulated over the past 3 months dissipated by half.

They still had some doubts. They felt that even if the problem was difficult, Su Aobai should have sent a message back, rather than letting his family in the countryside worry so much. But then they thought again, Su Aobai was still young, and it was understandable that he didn’t consider things thoroughly.

Just by giving up such a good job and returning to live a good life with Jiang Lianmei, the Jiang family recognized him as a good son-in-law.

For the first time, Jiang Dajun admitted that he might have been mistaken back then. Su Aobai was clearly a real man, a capable and reliable guy.

Seeing him return from Ning City looking dusty and tired, the Jiang family felt it was inappropriate to keep him any longer. Besides, after being apart for three months, the young couple might have a lot to talk about privately.

As they left, Jiang Dajun reminded his daughter and son-in-law to come over to the old house next door for dinner tomorrow, so the whole family could enjoy a reunion meal.

***

After they left, Jiang Lianmei couldn’t even think about being intimate with her husband. She rushed to the kitchen to boil water for him. After sitting on the train for several days, people felt a bit stale. They were too happy to notice before, but now with her parents and brother gone, Jiang Lianmei still wanted to hug her husband.

However, before she could get close, she was overwhelmed by the smell. Feeling embarrassed to mention it, she quickly ran to the kitchen, leaving her husband’s sour odor for their two children.

In the living room, only Su Aobai was left with his son and daughter staring at him with big eyes.

Su Mingcheng was waiting for his dad to comfort him, but Su Aobai turned and went to the side to tidy up the parcels he had brought.

He didn’t want to comfort the two little brats. After all, his mindset before was always bout being a good child to his parents, right?

Acting in front of the Jiang family earlier was just to stay, he hadn’t adjusted his mindset yet to truly accept this role.

Without him comforting them, Su Mingcheng stubbornly pursed his lips and glared at his back, while his little sister alternated between looking at her brother and her father, busily bustling about.

By the time Su Aobai had organized everything from the parcels onto the living room table, Jiang Lianmei had finished boiling the water.

There was already a pot of water on the stove that had been kept warm by residual heat. She just added some firewood, and soon it boiled. Su Aobai took the clean clothes she had prepared for him and headed towards the small bathhouse made of boards next to the kitchen.

Seeing his figure disappear, Su Mingcheng, who hadn’t been comforted yet, was on the verge of tears out of frustration.