Free Web NovelChapter 30: Chapter 30: Space Dewdrop
"Mom, she can definitely eat it all. Don’t be fooled by how skinny she is. When she finds something she likes, her appetite is huge. You have no idea how much she looks forward to coming here. Her appetite always opens up whenever she visits," Zhang Minzhen chimed in, partly to flatter her mother.
"You have the nerve to say that? It’s obvious the child is like this because she’s been deprived of good food." Hearing this, Wen Xiu didn’t smile; instead, she started wiping away tears.
’Why else would I go out of my way to make so much good food every time my daughter brought the child home, and insist they take so much back with them? It’s because I could always tell my granddaughter was being severely deprived. I felt so bad for the child, but I couldn’t say anything bad about my son-in-law for fear that my daughter and he would fight about it when they got home.’
’More than once, I had hinted, and even told my daughter outright, that she needed to find a way to take back control of the household. But my son-in-law is domineering and controlling, and my daughter’s personality isn’t forceful enough. After trying to bring it up a few times, she knew it was impossible and gave up. There was nothing I could do. Seeing the child suffer made me even more afraid to speak my mind.’
’Now that they’ve seen the Gu man’s true colors and are preparing to divorce, I don’t have to worry about this and that and can finally speak the truth.’
’It’s good that they’re divorcing. At least my daughter will be her own boss and won’t have to suffer at every turn. So what if she loses her job at the supply and marketing cooperative after the divorce?’
’I knew how much my daughter suffered all these years for that job. For the sake of the bigger picture, no matter how heartbroken I felt, I always told her to endure it. Well, that’s over now. No more enduring.’
’I refuse to believe that someone as capable as my daughter can’t support herself and her child. The Gu Family is a den of wolves! From top to bottom, is a single one of them easy to get along with? My daughter’s life might even be more comfortable after the divorce.’
’What do people live for, if not to have a comfortable and happy life?’
Wen Xiu tried her best to convince herself.
’After being in-laws with the Gu Family for so many years, I’d seen right through them. Before, I just thought the man was a bit stingy, which wasn’t a huge flaw. Holding onto the belief that one should advise reconciliation, not separation, I was willing to let my daughter suffer a little. In my view, where in this world can you find a truly perfect marriage?’
’What if she married someone else who turned out to be even worse? And there’s the child to consider; when parents divorce, the children are the first to suffer. But I never imagined that even with her own father, my granddaughter would be treated as if she were picked up off the street.’
Now that she understood, she was naturally unwilling to let her daughter continue to just make do in a family like that.
Zhang Minzhen lowered her head, her expression a mixture of sadness and self-reproach. Gu Nuan Nuan’s heart ached. ’So Grandma saw it all along. I really was deprived of good food when I was little. That’s why even after I grew up, I had a strange fixation on food. Thankfully, I have the kind of constitution that never gets fat no matter how much I eat. Otherwise...’
"Look at me, let’s not talk about all that. We have to look forward in life. From now on, things will only get better for us." Seeing Zhang Minzhen’s expression, Wen Xiu couldn’t bear to be harsh with her any longer.
With that, she turned to Gu Nuan Nuan and said, "Nuannuan, Grandma and your mom are going to clean up a room. You take your time eating here. Just leave the bowl when you’re done. If you get sleepy, you can go take a nap in Grandma and Grandpa’s room."
"Mhm," Gu Nuan Nuan nodded.
"Let’s go."
Zhang Minzhen responded somberly, stood up, and finished the soup at the bottom of her bowl. The west room Wen Xiu had mentioned was her old bedroom from before she married. However, since she hadn’t stayed overnight at her parents’ house in all these years, it had gradually filled with clutter and become a storage room.
After watching her grandma and mom leave, Gu Nuan Nuan quickly finished the food in her bowl. She patted her little tummy; she was a bit full, but not uncomfortably so. She took her bowl to the well, washed it, returned it to the kitchen, and then ran back to her grandpa’s side to quietly watch him weave.
She watched her grandpa’s rough fingers move up and down with extraordinary dexterity. In an instant, a large section was woven. It was so pleasing to the eye, it felt like she was watching a work of art being created.
Late June was just after the busy farming season. Her grandpa, unable to sit idle, would weave various items and, once he had enough, take them to the town market to sell. He was skillful and honest, never cutting corners. Anything he wove or made was always a cut above others in refinement. As a result, his wares were always quickly snapped up at the market; he never had to worry about sales.
Unfortunately, handmade goods weren’t worth much in this era. No matter how exquisite the crafts her grandpa made in his spare time were, they couldn’t fetch a high price in this remote little town. That was why her second and third uncles would rather do odd jobs during the agricultural off-season than sit down with their father to do this kind of work, which required a great deal of patience.
Only her eldest uncle and her mother had been willing to learn their father’s craft in their youth. Her eldest uncle was as nimble-fingered as her grandpa, but her mother, on the other hand, lacked much of a talent for it.
But later, her eldest uncle went to work at the grain station, while her mother, soon after marrying, got a job at the supply and marketing cooperative with the help of her in-laws. After her shift, she would also take on piecework folding paper boxes from the neighborhood factory. The income from that was much better than what her grandpa earned by weaving or making small trinkets.
If her grandpa didn’t live so far from town, her mother probably would have suggested he also take on work like gluing paper boxes.
Gu Nuan Nuan was suddenly reminded of a lament by Li Si: "A man’s worth is like that of a rat; it all depends on its location."
The meaning is that a person’s success, much like a rat’s, depends on whether they can find a superior environment for themselves.
’People need a superior environment to increase their own value. Isn’t it the same for objects? For example, the difference between the same item sold at a street stall versus displayed in a large department store is extremely obvious.’
’Grandpa’s craftsmanship is so good. What would happen if his creations were sold in a different place, or even in a different way?’ Gu Nuan Nuan wondered, resting her chin on her hand in deep thought.
’Ever since my rebirth, I’ve been confident that with my help, Mom’s future would be a good one. This was the early period of the Reform and Opening-Up, a time when Gold was said to be everywhere for the taking. The opportunities to get rich were abundant.’
’But how exactly should I help my mother? What should I suggest she do? I haven’t really had the time to think about this question carefully before.’
Countless ideas flashed through Gu Nuan Nuan’s mind, only to be rejected one by one.
’All the ideas I came up with seemed feasible, yet each one also felt imperfect and flawed.’ Her head was about to burst from all the thinking, but she refused to give up. ’Hmph, I refuse to believe it! With a whole extra lifetime of experience, I can’t come up with a more perfect plan to get rich?’
Out of habit, Gu Nuan Nuan extended her consciousness into her mysterious space. As usual, she subconsciously glanced at the nameless plant that never seemed to change. Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat. She immediately noticed that on the topmost leaf of the plant, a single, crystal-clear dewdrop had appeared.
This had never happened before.
