Elder Sister did not come over until the tenth day of the new month, but she came alone, Zhang Jisheng was nowhere to be seen.
"Since the Lantern Festival has not yet passed, my mother-in-law insists that one of us stays at home. So here I am, coming over first, and he will come after the fifteenth. Thatâs okay, right?" Qi Fenglian asked tentatively.
Cheng Su smiled and replied, "Itâs okay, brother-in-law has to join the renovation team, and itâs fine if he arrives later, since my friend hasnât started back at work either."
Qi Fenglian breathed a sigh of relief at those words.
Cheng Su was helping them out of a favor, and she was worried it might be hard for her.
"Big sister, have you been crying?" Cheng Su asked cautiously.
Qi Fenglian paused for a moment, then touched her cheek: "Is it that obvious?"
"Your eyes are swollen and red," Cheng Su pointed at her eyes.
Qi Fenglian gave a bitter smile and said, "I cried all the way here."
"You canât bear to be apart from Yunyun and her siblings, can you?" Cheng Su spoke directly to the heart.
Qi Fenglian nodded and sighed deeply, "How could I bear it? Itâs the first time in over a decade that Iâve had to leave them, especially Baobao, who is still so young. When I left, he cried until his voice was hoarse and still wouldnât let go. My heart, itâs almost shattered."
Cheng Su said, "Children and mothers are connected at heart, he couldnât bear to let you go either."
"Indeed, itâs my own flesh and blood, of course itâs attached. But speaking about this now, you might not understand it fully since you havenât had a child. Wait until you become a mother yourself, then youâll know this heart-wrenching feeling, itâs like hundreds of needles stabbing your heart, such pain!" Qi Fenglian said, her eyes reddening again as she spoke.
Cheng Su hastened to say, "I might not be able to feel it, but I know it must be unbearable. Big sister, you must think on the brighter side, thinking of carving out a path here and then bringing the two children over to study, reuniting the family."
Qi Fenglian nodded in agreement, "Thatâs all I can hope for now, itâs my only comfort. You donât know, seeing Baobao cry like that, I almost didnât come. But thinking deeper, if I didnât come, there would really be no way out. I have to earn something for the children, to stand up for myself. When it comes down to it, I guess I am being selfish."
"How can you call that selfish? If you ask me, women shouldnât just stay at home as housewives. Even earning ten yuan means having a job; thatâs your own support. And besides, youâre doing it for the children, for your family. Otherwise, which parents would want to be separated from their kids? Isnât this all out of necessity?" Cheng Su exclaimed.
Who would want to suffer if they had hair on their head, and what parents, given the choice, would want their children to become left-behind children, forcibly parted from their mother and deprived of affection?
One cannot have both the fish and the bearâs paw. The thing to do now is not to succumb to seasonal depressions, but to strive even harder to move forward, in the hopes of reuniting sooner rather than later.
The comfort Cheng Su offered allowed Qi Fenglianâs downcast heart to receive considerable solace, and it also helped her make up her mind to work hard and strive for reunion.
As the two talked, they headed back home. When Chunhuaâs mother-in-law, Old Madam Liang, saw Cheng Su, she greeted her warmly and then looked questioningly at Qi Fenglian.
"This is my Elder Sister," Cheng Su introduced with a smile, "Sheâs come to work in Qing City and will stay with us for a few days."
"Very good, Iâll bring you some red eggs later!" Old Madam Liang said with a laugh.
Cheng Su then told Elder Sister that Chunhua had given birth to a daughter. Elder Sister offered her congratulations again and again. After setting down her luggage, she even wrapped a small red packet of money and went with Cheng Su to see the newborn baby next door.