“Tian Tian, what’s gotten into you today?”
As evening came and work ended, Tian Tian was waiting by the roadside for the bus when Xu Lifen’s familiar voice suddenly came from behind her. She silently curled her lip in annoyance, then turned around with her usual smile already on her face. “Nothing. Lifen, why do you ask?”
Xu Lifen stared intently at Tian Tian. She was still as pretty as ever, still wearing that same bright smile—exactly the same as before. But earlier that morning, Tian Tian had acted out of character and argued with Sister Liu. Then she’d said all those things that got Xu Lifen cornered in the restroom, with Sister Liu grabbing her by the hair. The old Tian Tian would never have done that.
A sense of panic rose in her heart. She felt that something about Tian Tian was off. But she couldn’t quite put her finger on what.
Tian Tian pretended not to notice her probing. Then she lowered her voice and said, “Lifen, I heard before quitting time that Sister Liu went out of her way to give you a hard time. Is that true?”
Hearing this familiar, concerned tone, Xu Lifen’s suspicion faded considerably. Her face immediately took on its usual miserable, melancholy expression.
Tian Tian reached out and patted her on the shoulder. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t offended Sister Liu, maybe she wouldn’t have turned her attention to you. Lifen, why don’t you do what I did and just have it out with her?”
Hearing this, Xu Lifen shook her head repeatedly. “No, no, I couldn’t possibly. I don’t dare!” She looked at Tian Tian with pleading eyes, hoping she would step up and defend her like she always used to.
But unfortunately, the Tian Tian of today was no longer the eager, career-advancing Tian Tian of the past. She was now Tian Tian · Niohuru · Sweet.
“Well, then what are you going to do?” Tian Tian spread her hands and shook her head, looking concerned but helpless.
Xu Lifen froze for a moment. Before she could respond, Tian Tian spoke again in that same worried voice. “Lifen, you can’t go on like this. If you’re afraid to have it out with Sister Liu, she’s going to bully you every day. You know what she’s like. She’s been here a long time and has too many connections in the cooperative. I’m an accountant, so she doesn’t dare go too far with me. But you’re different—you’re inventory. It would be easy for her to trip you up…”
Just then, a bus appeared in the distance.
“The bus is here. I’ve got to go…”
Tian Tian hopped on the bus and left without a backward glance. Through the window, she could see Xu Lifen’s expression shifting unpredictably.
She had a feeling Xu Lifen wouldn’t disappoint her.
——
“Off work, Tian Tian?”
“Oh, Tian Tian, you’re off work! It’s almost New Year’s—did the cooperative get any new goods in today?”
Tian Tian greeted the villagers she passed along the way as she walked home.
It was 1984 now, and material supplies weren’t as tight as they had been a few years earlier. But in a small village like theirs, the county supply and marketing cooperative was still a big deal.
“Tian Baomin must have some kind of luck to have such an impressive daughter.”
“Ha, no matter how impressive, she’s still just a girl. After she gets married and moves away, Tian Baomin and his wife will have no one to take care of them in their old age.”
“Exactly! Working at the cooperative is fine, but she only earns a fixed salary every month. That’s nothing compared to going up to Guangzhou or down to Shenzhen to work.”
Once that topic came up, everyone had plenty to say.
Although their place was a small village, it was only a few hours’ drive from Shenzhen and Guangzhou. As early as 1977, people had started going to those two cities for work. Especially after reform and opening up, when many big bosses from Hong Kong and Taiwan came to open factories, the wages were quite high.
Of course, there were those who earned even more. Those people had gone through various channels to work in places like Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Europe, and America. Whether on construction sites or washing dishes in restaurants, the wages they earned were truly astonishing.
Tian Tian, already walking away, couldn’t make out what the villagers were saying. But seeing them occasionally point in her direction, she knew they were gossiping about her family.
That was nothing new. Her family had always been a favorite topic among the villagers.
After all, she was an only child, a technical secondary school graduate, and worked for a state-owned unit. In their village—and even in their town—it was rare to find someone who checked all three boxes.
Tian Tian shook her head and kept walking toward home. Then she saw Tian Xin approaching with a brilliant smile.
“Sis, you’re off work! I was just telling Auntie that you’d probably be back soon.” She stepped forward and tried to loop her arm through Tian Tian’s.
Seeing how fake she was being, Tian Tian put on a matching smile and played along.
“Yeah, I’m off. Why aren’t you home eating dinner yet? Aren’t you worried Auntie might think you’re out with some bleached-haired guy…”
“Oh, sis, didn’t you promise you wouldn’t bring that up anymore?” Tian Xin shook Tian Tian’s arm and stamped her foot coquettishly, putting on a show of being embarrassed and annoyed.
Tian Tian thought to herself, No wonder she can keep so many backups on the line. Being able to turn on the charm like that at any moment isn’t something just anyone can do. She didn’t say anything, just wanted to see what Tian Xin was really after.
Sure enough, when Tian Tian didn’t take the bait, Tian Xin couldn’t keep the act going. She immediately changed the subject. “After you left for work today, I asked Brother Xiaoming for you. Make sure you go to the warehouse early to pick up the sugar from your procurement slip. If you wait too long, they might be out of stock. You know how it is—end of the year, sugar is in high demand. I already put in a good word for you with Brother Xiaoming, but I’m still worried there might not be any left…”
She finished speaking and looked at Tian Tian as if waiting to be praised.
Hearing this, Tian Tian understood. Her earlier suspicion had been correct. Tian Xin was still the same Tian Xin who couldn’t stand to see anyone else do well.
“Really? Then I’ll go to the sugar refinery tomorrow and check.” Tian Tian pretended to look anxious. Sure enough, she caught a flash of delight in Tian Xin’s eyes.
“Hey, sis, don’t panic…”
…
“Don’t panic about what?”
“Dad, you’re back!” The moment she walked through the door and heard her father’s voice, Tian Tian rushed over in delight.
Her father, Tian Baomin, was half-reclining in the rattan chair in the living room, snacking on red melon seeds. When he saw his daughter’s beaming smile, he jumped up from the chair in surprise, his mouth already running.
“Oh my, sweetheart. You’re being so warm and enthusiastic—it’s making your old man nervous.”
The joy Tian Tian had felt at seeing her father for the first time since being reborn instantly cooled because of this remark. She shot him an annoyed glare. “Dad! I’m happy to see you. What’s there to be nervous about?”
Her father chuckled and shoved the handful of melon seeds he’d been holding directly into Tian Tian’s hands.
“Well, it’s just that every time you smile at me like that, you’re about to ask for something. Your old man isn’t very capable, so of course I get nervous!”
Tian Tian wanted to roll her eyes again. But when she thought about how her father had supported every decision she made in her previous life, she couldn’t really be angry. That was just how her father was—he’d never been able to handle hardship his whole life. From a young age, he hated manual labor. During the production team era, he was always complaining of headaches and back pain to avoid working in the fields. When he reached marriageable age, he announced he didn’t want to get married because he’d just be a burden to someone.
This kind of eccentric character was famous throughout the region.
Later, his parents forced him into marriage. Then he said he didn’t want children, claiming he wasn’t capable enough and would just end up burdening them too.
After Tian Tian was born, he somehow learned about vasectomies and quietly went into town by himself to get the procedure done.
At the time, that caused quite a stir.
All of the above are the exploits of Comrade Tian Baomin.
People talked about it for over a decade. Then, just a couple of years ago, when family planning became state policy, her father magically transformed into a model advocate for the one-child policy across the region. He even joined outreach teams to spread the word about the benefits of having only one child.
He hadn’t come home yesterday because he was in a neighboring county promoting the one-child policy. The red melon seeds in his hand were probably something he’d picked up from the outreach team.
——
Seeing his daughter’s expression shift back and forth, Tian Baomin quickly changed the subject. “I thought I just heard Tian Xin saying something about you panicking about something. Did something happen?”
Seeing the concern on her father’s face, Tian Tian’s eyes darted around mischievously. She pretended to look troubled. “I’ve been a little short on cash lately…”
The moment he heard it was about money, her father’s expression stiffened.
Then, wincing as if in pain, he pulled a handful of crumpled bills and coins from his pocket. He stared at them with a conflicted expression for a long moment, then turned his head away while shoving his hand out toward Tian Tian, mumbling under his breath, “Sweetheart, your old man is useless. This is all I’ve got. If it’s not enough, I’ll go borrow from someone!”
Seeing her father’s pained expression, Tian Tian finally burst out laughing.
Tian Baomin realized he’d been had and quickly snatched his hand back.
“You little rascal! Toying with your old man!” Then he broke into a goofy grin and patted the pocket where he’d put the money back. “Private savings saved. Tomorrow I’m going to town to buy roast goose.”
There was a time-honored roast goose shop in town. Legend had it the recipe had been passed down since the Xianfeng era. Regardless, it was delicious—people even came from the city to eat there. The only catch was that it was very expensive.
“So, Tian Baomin, you’ve been hiding money from me!”
Tian Tian’s mother had appeared from the kitchen at some point, still holding her cooking spatula. She ran over to Tian Baomin and started digging through his pockets with her free hand.
Tian Baomin made a sour face and let his wife search him, still protesting. “I’m being wronged here! That money was my per diem from the outreach team. I wasn’t hiding it—I just forgot to hand it over.”
Tian Tian’s mother stuffed the money directly into her own pocket and snorted. “Next time, try to remember, got it?”
Tian Baomin grimaced and winked at Tian Tian, mouthing silently: Sweetheart, the roast goose is gone…
Watching her parents playfully squabble, Tian Tian felt happy. In her previous life, she had died from a falling object. Her parents must have been devastated. But at least they had each other to lean on. She figured they would have made it through.
After the laughter died down, dinner was ready, and the family sat down at the table to eat.
Only then did Tian Tian begin to discuss serious matters.
——
“What? A procurement slip for 100 catties of white sugar? Sweetheart, are you trying to fly to the heavens?”
As soon as Tian Baomin said this, his wife whacked him on the head with her chopsticks. “Nonsense. Our girl is making big moves!”
“Mom, you’re the sharp one. So, about this 100-catty white sugar procurement slip…”
Tian Tian explained where the slip had come from and also mentioned that Tian Xin might try to sabotage things.
“Procurement slips like this—the leaders at the sugar refinery must have issued a bunch of them. There’s only so much sugar in the warehouse. Whether you can actually redeem the slip depends on who you know. If you can’t redeem it, it’s just a piece of paper.”
“Sweetheart, that’s true. But can your coworker really exchange it for 130 catties of brown granulated sugar?”
Tian Tian nodded. “Absolutely. White sugar is much more valuable than brown granulated sugar. Dad, you’re coming with me tomorrow. Once we get the brown sugar, you’ll bring it back home first…”
“Sweetheart, what about me? What do I need to do?” her mother immediately asked.
Tian Tian said, “Mom, tomorrow you take some money and go around the village. Help me buy 80 catties of peanuts and 30 catties of sesame seeds.”
Hearing this, both Tian Baomin and his wife said in unison, “You’re going to make peanut brittle!”
Tian Tian nodded. “That’s right—peanut brittle.”
“That could work. With the New Year coming up, that peanut brittle will definitely sell. And it’s simple to make. Once it’s done, Mom will help you take it to the market to sell…”
Tian Tian smiled. “Once it’s made, I have something else in mind.”
Taking simple peanut brittle to the market to sell would make some profit. But Tian Tian had a better sales plan.
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