Chapter 138: Other People's Children (Part Two)

After lunch, Dong Yanyan followed Li Juan over to her house to watch television. Li Juan's family belonged to that first wave of rural residents who had grown rich. Their house was like most people's, consisting of three spacious and bright brick-tiled rooms, but it was finished with exceptional elegance. The walls were entirely covered in ceramic tiles, the furniture consisted of the modular units popular at the time, the television was a Panda color set costing over two thousand yuan, and they had even spent another two thousand and more on a VCR.

Accustomed as she was to color television, Dong Yanyan found that returning home to watch their black-and-white set felt genuinely awkward. Her own family would not be able to afford a color TV for another two years.

Li Juan’s mother was an intensely meticulous middle-aged woman. Not only did she keep herself impeccably groomed every day, but she also maintained a spotless household. Her father was a fiercely chauvinistic man who believed that the three women in his house must unconditionally obey him. His greatest wish was to have a son, but alas, things turned out contrary to his desires, and they had only given birth to two daughters, Li Juan and her older sister Li Xiu.

The moment they stepped inside, Li Juan's mother warmly greeted them. "Yanyan is here! Come right in! You've really grown up over the past six months—you're fairer, plumper, and taller."

Li Juan’s father was sitting on the sofa watching TV. Seeing her arrive, he also laughed heartily. "Ain't that the truth? She used to be quite a bit shorter than our Juan'er, and now she's almost caught up."

"Uncle, Auntie, you're both home!" Dong Yanyan sat down on the edge of the brick-bed, smiling obediently at them.

Li Juan's mother brought over a pretty lotus-leaf-shaped fruit tray filled with melon seeds, candies, and small tangerines.

"I couldn't find any large melon seeds when I went shopping yesterday, but these small ones are pretty tasty too. Have a try."

"Auntie, the melon seeds at your place always taste more fragrant than ours." Dong Yanyan smiled as she cracked open a seed.

"If you like them, stuff your pockets with a few more." Li Juan's mother enthusiastically filled all of her coat pockets with melon seeds.

"Thank you, that's plenty, really." Dong Yanyan smiled.

"Juan'er, look at how sensible Yanyan is. Now look at you, acting like a street punk day in and day out. If you had even half of her gentleness, I'd have so much less to worry about," Li Juan's father chuckled.

Li Juan's parents were of that sort who always found their own children inferior to everyone else's in every possible way; in their eyes, other people's children were the ideal. Thus, for over a decade, she and Li Juan had served as tools for their respective parents to chastise their own offspring. Dong Yanyan's introverted, taciturn nature and good grades were viewed by Li Juan's parents as meekness and poise, whereas Li Juan's uninhibited, attention-seeking personality was seen by her own parents as outgoing and lively. People always fancied that what they could not attain was better. Human desires were truly insatiable.

Dong Yanyan sighed sentimentally to herself.

On the television, a promotional program from the provincial station was currently airing. As Dong Yanyan watched, she suddenly caught sight of herself on the screen; that styling and those expressions were genuinely awkward.

"Yanyan, does this little girl look like you or not? The first time I saw it, I thought it was you," Li Juan's mother laughed.

Dong Yanyan smiled. "That actually is me. The makeup makes me look quite young."

As soon as these words left her mouth, the other three people looked at her with utter disbelief.

"I knew Yanyan was taking the broadcasting and television course—she was bound to get on TV. Little Juan, if you actually studied hard for your high school entrance exams, couldn't you have gotten on TV too?" Li Juan's father said with a hint of envy.

"Uncle, that time I was just helping out a classmate from the broadcasting class on a whim. I study engineering, so after graduation, I won't have any opportunities to be in front of the camera—only opportunities to repair televisions," Dong Yanyan explained with a smile.

"Then you should find a boyfriend in the broadcasting class! Once you graduate, won't you be able to get on TV then? Look at my Juan'er here, studying accounting. Who knows what use that is? I can do basic math myself; is there really any need to study it?!" Li Juan's father boomed in a loud voice.

Dong Yanyan was startled: Uncle, are you psychic? You even managed to guess that I'm dating someone?

Li Juan’s expression soured. She grabbed Yanyan by the hand and pulled her along, turning back to say to her parents, "We're going to my grandma's room! I'm eating over there tonight!"

Dong Yanyan walked with her down the hallway, through the kitchen, and into her grandparents' room. The two elderly people were sitting on the brick-bed watching TV. Suddenly, a wave of apprehension washed over Dong Yanyan. Fifteen years later, these two old folks would have already passed away. When she had first seen her own grandparents after her return, she felt only pleasant surprise without a trace of fear, but meeting these two made her feel somewhat unnerved.

"Oh? If it isn't little Yanyan! You're on vacation too? Come up on the bed!" Li Juan's grandmother grabbed her hand and pulled her up onto the brick-bed. The old woman adored children, and Dong Yanyan was immediately subjected to a round of affectionate hand-holding and head-patting. The old woman's warm hands brought her a great deal of comfort, and she repeatedly reminded herself in her heart: This is fifteen years ago, so all of this is normal.

"Grandma Li, you're looking more and more spirited." Dong Yanyan smiled affectionately.

"Little Juan is the same way. Ever since you girls started school, her grandpa and I have had such dull days. Look, this jacket was bought for me by little Juan. She didn't even buy one for her mother, she only bought it for me, which made her mother pout with annoyance," Grandma Li chattered away with a face full of contentment.

"That's right, little Juan is the most filial," Dong Yanyan said, wrapping her arm around Li Juan's neck with a smile.

Li Juan pinched her cheek with a smug grin and asked, "Hey, what did you buy for your grandma?"

"A massager, the kind that massages the waist and legs. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten! I haven't even been to see my own grandpa and grandma yet! I've just been playing around with you all day!"

"It's already dark, go tomorrow instead. Stay and have dinner at our place in a little while!" Grandma Li said cheerfully.

"No, I have to go home shortly," Dong Yanyan smiled.

Sure enough, as soon as dusk fell, her mother arrived with a flashlight to take her home. The education she had received from childhood onward was that one could never casually eat at other people's houses, not even at relatives' or friends' places. After she grew into an adult, those relatives would still remark: Yanyan, you mustn't be like your mother—she's too shy and doesn't know how to network. But could an introverted and stubborn mother ever raise an outgoing, lively child?

The answer was: No.

Later on, her own eloquence and sharp-tongued stubbornness were all forged through a harsh and demanding life and career. The process had been exceptionally painful. This was an era devoid of aristocracy; only young ladies from wealthy and leisurely families could afford to play the gentle maiden, laughing without showing their teeth, speaking in hushed tones, and swaying like slender willows in the wind. A grassroots weed like her, who struggled merely to guarantee her basic survival, had neither the opportunity nor the qualification to be so fastidious.

The next day was Sunday. Early in the morning, Dong Yanyan boarded a tractor heading to the township market. The vehicle carried two long benches, a few wooden boards, and the merchandise she had brought back from the provincial capital. As soon as she stepped out the door, Dong Yanyan felt a tinge of regret. Winter mornings were far too bitter, and standing in the biting wind for an entire morning was hardly worth it if she happened to catch a cold.

There weren't many people at the market yet, presumably because she had arrived early. The vendors who routinely set up stalls here had their own fixed spots. Dong Yanyan set up her display rack in a marginal location and arranged her goods. A full travel bag's worth of items looked remarkably sparse once laid out, but their bright colors and attractive designs made them quite eye-catching.