Qian Juhua’s heart was burning with excitement. She had never seriously considered changing her children’s surnames before. Even if she had thought about it, it probably wouldn’t have been possible—after all, the Tian family was still around, and Tian Dazhu would never agree to it.
After all, he was the biological father. Getting divorced could still be spun into an excuse—he could say Qian Juhua couldn’t give him a son, so they split—but if his daughters changed their surname, he definitely wouldn’t accept that.
Too humiliating. He wasn’t a live-in son-in-law—why should the kids follow Qian Juhua’s surname?
But now, things were different. Qian Juhua thought to herself: Tian Dazhu was currently basking in the joy of finally having a son. If she brought this up now and changed the girls’ surnames, it would be the perfect opportunity to clearly divide everything.
You, Tian Dazhu, married a new wife and are having your own son. I’ll give the three girls my surname. Once that surname is changed, there really won’t be any ties between us anymore—not even sharing an ancestral line.
Qian Juhua said, “Good! I’ll ask them right now!”
Wang Ying had already advised her before to listen to the children’s opinions. After all, this was a big decision that would affect their entire future—so they had to be asked.
Wang Ying added, “Not just the surname—in my opinion, the names should be changed too. Da Ya and Er Ya are just nicknames; proper names should be reconsidered.”
Qian Juhua thought for a moment and said, “How about Mai Miao (Wheat Sprout), Mai Sui (Wheat Ear), and Mai Ya (Barley)? I’d always wanted to give them those names but never got around to it.”
Wang Ying thought about it and felt that both the symbolism and the sound of the names were quite fitting.
She nodded. “I think they sound great. You should talk to them.”
After sending Wang Ying off, Qian Juhua wasted no time in sharing the news with her two older daughters.
Da Ya and Er Ya both blushed deeply.
As Qian Juhua explained the name-changing idea, she added, “If you don’t want to, that’s okay too. You don’t have to change it if you don’t want…”
She hadn’t even finished when Er Ya eagerly leaned forward and blurted out, “I want to! I’ll be Mai Sui, right? I like that name! From now on, I’ll be Qian Mai Sui!”
Da Ya also nodded. “I’ll be Qian Mai Miao!”
Er Ya pointed at their still-sleeping little sister. “Little sister will be Qian Mai Ya!”
Qian Juhua smiled and stroked her daughters’ hair. “Alright then, I’ll take you all to change your names tomorrow!”
She would also take her daughters back to her mother’s home. Though her maternal family was poor, and her elder brother had to live under the thumb of his wife after getting married, such a major decision—like the girls taking her surname—was something they should be informed about.
As for whether the girls would be entered into the family genealogy, Qian Juhua didn’t insist on it.
What mattered was that they had her surname. From now on, their lives would have nothing to do with anyone else.
When Wang Ying got home after delivering all the pork, she had about seven or eight jin (roughly 3.5 to 4 kg) left for her own family. Part of it was tenderloin, some were ribs, one pork tail, and the rest was pork belly.
Granny Xu was skilled at cooking pork tail. While Wang Ying was out delivering meat earlier, she had already cleaned and prepped the pork tail at home.
The pork tail had been cleaned and de-haired, then chopped into sections with a heavy cleaver. It was first boiled in cold water to remove impurities. Then, sugar was caramelized in oil in the bottom of the pot, and the pork tail pieces were added to fry until golden. With oil left in the pan and a fatty layer on the pork itself, it was first fried for a bit before adding spices and seasonings for braising.
It was braised for two full hours. A handful of white sugar was added at the end, simmering until the sauce was red and glossy and the pork tail soft and tender.
Granny Xu added a generous amount of red and green chili peppers. The sweet and spicy aroma drifted out from the stove, making Wang Ying drool uncontrollably.
Granny Xu said, “When Xu Shuang’s father was still alive, he loved eating this pork tail. Sweet and spicy red-braised flavor—best thing with wine.”
Wang Ying was itching with anticipation. “It smells amazing!”
She asked, “Mom, do we still have any yellow wine at home?”
Talking about drinking to go with this dish made her crave it even more. She thought: once Xu Shuang gets back, they could fry up some peanuts, eat pork tail, and drink wine—ah, just imagining it was blissful.
But Granny Xu shook her head and didn’t agree. “We do, but you can’t drink it. Don’t forget your monthly cycle isn’t over yet. Wait until it’s over, then you can.”
Wang Ying really had forgotten. Yesterday, she’d been so irritable, and today, with meat to eat, she’d forgotten everything…
“Alright then,” Wang Ying said regretfully.
Although she couldn’t drink wine, Granny Xu still generously steamed a big pot of rice. When the smell of the pork tail couldn’t be contained anymore, the rice was also perfectly cooked.
Just then, Xu Shuang walked in, carrying a lunchbox.
He handed the lunchbox to Wang Ying. “These are fried pastries made at the restaurant today.”
Fried pastries weren’t something the restaurant made often, mainly because they used up too much oil. When they did make them, they usually made a large batch that could be sold over several days.
After pouring himself a glass of water, Xu Shuang said, “Xie Yuejin is getting married. These pastries are part of his order.”
Wang Ying recalled the woman with a similar name she had met at the restaurant last time, “Sister Ying.” She figured that was probably Xie Yuejin’s fiancée. These days, people didn’t change partners often—usually they’d just get married after dating briefly.
“That’s great. Is he planning to hold the wedding at your restaurant?”
Xu Shuang looked a little conflicted. “Yes, he’s booking tables.”
Old Lady Xu chimed in, “Booking tables? How many?”
Xu Shuang replied, “All of them.”
Wang Ying was so shocked she nearly dropped the fried pastries. This guy was really going all out—the restaurant had about a dozen tables, and he booked them all?
That must cost a fortune!
Xu Shuang continued, “It’s going to be close to a hundred yuan.”
A meat dish cost over a yuan, and even vegetable dishes were a few cents each. Xie Yuejin had ordered a full set for each table—four cold dishes, eight hot dishes, and a soup. That meant each table cost about seven or eight yuan. With more than a dozen tables, the total would easily reach around a hundred.
Wang Ying clicked her tongue, astonished. “That’s just… too much.”
Nowadays, most people didn’t spend like that for a wedding. A hundred yuan could buy plenty of other things, but he insisted on spending it on a banquet. Plus, wedding gift money wasn’t like it would be in the future, when people gave hundreds. Back now, if a family gave even one or two mao, it was considered generous.
With a banquet like that, there was no way he’d recover the cost through the gifts.
Xu Shuang quietly went to the kitchen to serve the food. What he didn’t mention was that Xie Yuejin had slipped him ten yuan, asking him to keep it a secret from the bride’s family that he was just a cook, and to help coordinate the banquet.
Xie Yuejin had nearly begged him, saying, “Master Xu, please help me out. My fiancée’s family is well-off, and she works in the union office at the thermos factory. I’m worried she’ll dump me if she finds out I’m not a head chef. I finally have a chance to get married—please help me.”
Xu Shuang hadn’t wanted to get involved. To be honest, what Xie Yuejin was doing was basically fraud—tricking the woman into marrying him.
He was deceiving the bride.
So Xu Shuang didn’t respond.
But Xie Yuejin was persistent, and even raised the offer from ten yuan to fifteen.
Xu Shuang couldn’t be bothered with this nonsense. He didn’t think highly of Xie Yuejin’s fiancée either, but fraud was still fraud.
Xie Yuejin wasn’t just lying about being a chef—he’d also told her he’d been allocated a house. In truth, he had simply rented one.
Xu Shuang figured it couldn’t last. One day, the truth would come out, and when it did, the woman certainly wouldn’t let him off easily.
Shaking his head, Xu Shuang pushed the mess out of his mind.
He saw the pot of braised pig tail was ready, so he stir-fried a plate of greens and made a cucumber salad.
The three of them sat down to eat by the oil lamp. Since Xu Shuang came home late, their family usually ate later than everyone else in the commune.
Under the oil lamp, the braised pig tail looked as if it was coated in a faint red glow. The glossy, richly sauced tails were incredibly tempting. Wang Ying expertly spooned a few pieces over her rice. The savory sauce flowed into the rice, giving it a beautiful reddish sheen.
The gelatin-rich pig tail was packed with flavor. The sweet and spicy taste stood out. When biting into the tail, one could even hear the crisp snap of the skin. The outer layer, soaked in sauce, was charred and fragrant, while the inside was tender and rich. The white gelatin gave the illusion of creamy fat melting across the tongue.
The whole pot of pig tails was soon devoured.
Wang Ying still felt it wasn’t enough. What a shame—why? Because pigs only have one tail.
Sigh, if only pigs had more than one tail.
—
The next morning, Wang Ying was up early when someone came to see her for a consultation.
The person had a swollen forehead from a wasp sting and was complaining, “It didn’t feel like much at first, so I didn’t think about it. I just rinsed it with some soapy water. But why’s it swelling more and more? Doctor, please have a look.”
Wang Ying said, “There’s still the wasp’s stinger inside. You disinfected it but didn’t remove the stinger. Of course it swelled up.”
She cleaned and treated the wound, then gave a few aftercare instructions. The visit cost ten cents.
Just then, Tian Xinghua arrived, and Wang Ying started teaching her about medicinal herbs.
The two were at it until late morning, when someone outside called out.
It was Wu Guihua. She said, “Wang Ying, can you come with me? Widow Yu is making a scene. She says she won’t let Qian Juhua’s daughters change their surname and insists that Dayan and Erya return to live with Tian Dazhu.”
Wang Ying calmly got up, “I’ll go.”
She also called for Xinghua. “Come on, you should see this for yourself. Rare chance to examine a pregnant woman—go check on her condition.”
The three of them headed to the commune office. From a distance, they could already hear Qian Juhua shouting.
“Tian Dazhu, come out and talk to me. Don’t hide behind a woman. Didn’t we agree before? The girls are mine. You won’t raise them, and they won’t have to support you in old age. It’s all in writing—black and white, clear as day. How can you go back on that now?”
“You’ve got a new wife and want to drag your daughters back to be your little maids? Dream on! I’ll never let my girls stay with a stepfather and stepmother!”
A woman tried to placate her. “Sister-in-law, that’s not fair. We never meant it like that. We just thought the girls are suffering with you, so…”
