Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Second Update…
Qian Yu remained silent for a long while before slowly saying, “Your brother-in-law… he wasn’t like this before.”
Qian Qing watched as Qian Yu’s expression grew distant, lost in memories of the past.
“He used to be such a warm-hearted person, always ready to lend a hand whenever someone was in trouble. Back when I first went down to the countryside, I couldn’t manage the farm work and constantly failed to meet my quotas. He would find moments of free time to come help me, keeping his distance and barely speaking to avoid any suspicion. He’d just quietly finish the work and leave.”
“Later, the roof of the educated youth dormitory started leaking, and the production brigade announced they needed to relocate us.”
“I remember that day particularly clearly. Everyone was temporarily lodged in the homes of local commune members. Two days prior, I had applied for leave to visit my family in the city. When I returned, the brigade leader was absent, so no accommodation had been assigned to me.”
“So I stayed at the educated youth dormitory.”
“Late that night, it began to rain. Suddenly, I sensed moisture near my head. Reaching out to light the oil lamp, I bumped straight into someone.”
“Screaming in fright, I fumbled for the lamp, while the person remained utterly still, standing rigidly there.”
“I only saw who it was after lighting the oil lamp—it was an old bachelor from our production brigade. He just stared at me, eyes fixed and unblinking. I screamed in terror, trying to dash outside.”
“Then your brother-in-law burst in, clutching a heavy flashlight. Thinking I was being assaulted, he immediately lunged at the old bachelor and started fighting him.”
“Somehow during the struggle, the old bachelor’s leg got caught against the fireplace poker inside the room, impaling his thigh clean through.”
“He thought he was about to be dragged away and executed, so he told me he loved me and hoped for a chance in the next life.”
“That night, he had gone out to chase after a runaway chicken and happened upon the incident. Terrified, he urged me to pack my things and move to another room at the educated youth outpost, claiming that he had discovered the disturbance himself and that I had nothing to do with it.”
“I know what you’re going to say: gratitude is not the same as love. But I didn’t marry him solely out of gratitude. Perhaps I had already fallen for him long before. Even though, because of this incident, he nearly got sent to a labor camp, and the fear of having to pay compensation shattered his courage, gradually turning him into someone unlike his former self, I still believed he would change someday.”
Qian Qing felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She had only just heard the beginning of her sister’s story when indignation surged within her; she had assumed Huang Sanping had deceived her sister, staging a “hero saving the beauty” scenario to win her sister’s unwavering devotion.
So that was the truth.
“Then how was it finally resolved?”
“I hid in the neighboring room at the time, while he went out to call for help and had the old bachelor taken to the hospital. Later, the man was arrested; the brigade leader even dispatched militia to escort him for interrogation. That old bachelor still shouted demands for my brother-in-law to be executed and insisted the Huang family pay compensation. His leg wasn’t completely crippled, just a bit stiff. Yet he immediately demanded one thousand yuan, an amount the Huang family simply couldn’t afford.”
“After thinking it over, I finally stepped forward. I stated that on that night, the old bachelor had sneaked into the educated youth station. I heard him rummaging around next door, got up to check, and it was his attempt to harm me that drew your brother-in-law’s attention.”
“Finally, the brigade leader proposed a solution: the Huang family would compensate the old bachelor with one hundred yuan, and both parties would let the matter rest.”
“Huang Sanping’s mother couldn’t scrape together the hundred yuan, so Huang Sanping exchanged his work points for cash to pay the old bachelor.”
“Because of this incident, my reputation in the brigade suffered greatly. At one point, your brother-in-law nearly signed up to reclaim wasteland in the west. In the end, we simply went ahead and got married.”
Speaking of the past, though it was fraught with twists and turns, a nostalgic smile graced Qian Yu’s face.
“Your brother-in-law is not like Zhou Hao. Zhou Hao shares with you years of camaraderie forged in school, and your temperaments align perfectly. Your brother-in-law, however, was locked up for three or four solid days; never particularly bold to begin with, he was so terrified that he withdrew completely into himself. Later, I argued and quarreled with him, even smashing bowls and plates in my anger, yet I still couldn’t bear to leave him alone in such a state.”
“He was already bullied by his brothers at home; after this incident, his mother grew even more displeased with him.”
Qian Qing never imagined that the connection from those years had unfolded in such a way; for a moment, she found herself at a loss for words. Her brother-in-law, as he appeared now, bore not the slightest trace of the youthful vigor he once possessed.
“Sister… I know it might not be appropriate to ask this, but… was Brother-in-law really just passing by that day by chance?”
Qian Yu burst out laughing. “Why are you just like Mom? Back when I said I wanted to get married, she asked me the exact same thing right off the bat.”
“Where could there be any falsehood? Although your brother-in-law is timid, his character is still decent. Besides, even if it were an act, no entire production team would accompany him in such a performance. He was genuinely imprisoned and suffered hardship; they even said he was beaten. In the end, he paid a hundred yuan as compensation. If he truly wanted to marry, a hundred yuan in the countryside would be sufficient betrothal gift to wed a good woman. It’s unlikely this was all a scheme against me.”
Qian Qing sighed, “I never realized my brother-in-law had such resilience when facing adversity.”
Qian Yu raised her eyebrows, “Exactly. All these years, he’s simply been frightened. Having never committed any offense since birth, suddenly spending a few days behind bars made him overly cautious once he recovered.”
At this moment, Qian Qing slightly revised her opinion of Huang Sanping. According to her sister, there might still be hope for redemption. She only hoped her brother-in-law would soon stand firm and not waste her sister’s sincere efforts.
The sisters had barely finished speaking when Ding Jie’s suppressed, excited voice came from outside.
“Sis! Sis! I sold six bottles!”
Qian Qing and Qian Yu each composed themselves, putting on bright smiles.
“Not bad at all. How did you manage to sell them?”
Ding Jie pulled Huang Sanping in with him, then vividly recounted to his sister the story of how the two of them had made the sale.
“I warmed the flatbreads and steamed buns we brought over hot water for a while, then had Brother-in-law pretend he couldn’t find a ticket with a seat. We targeted passengers traveling in hard-seat cars who looked well-off and were accompanied by children. He’d sidle up beside them, eating the chili sauce with his bun. Then I’d pretend to want to buy some, and sure enough, others would follow suit. At five yuan per bottle, we sold six!”
Ding Jie patted Huang Sanping’s shoulder: “Brother-in-law, you’re amazing! You were so composed while talking earlier, not a single expression on your face. Anyone unaware would have thought you were an old hand at this, hahaha!”
Huang Sanping: …
Composed? He was clearly terrified! Ding Jie’s acting was so clumsy it practically screamed across his face, “I’m a shill; come buy this chili sauce!” If Huang Sanping hadn’t held it together, the train conductor would likely have caught them both by now and given them a severe scolding.
Qian Qing praised him briefly, then turned to Huang Sanping and asked, “Brother-in-law, how does it feel? Would you like to try selling some yourself at dinner time?”
Huang Sanping couldn’t quite put his feelings into words. Ding Jie had immediately set the price at five yuan per bottle, yet those interested in buying hardly haggled over the cost; they simply pulled out their money and paid. Walking from the sleeper car to the hard-seat carriage, Huang Sanping finally realized just how much the world outside had changed.
So many different kinds of people—nothing like back in the countryside.
Some carried briefcases, others brought children along, and many dressed fashionably…
In the countryside, five yuan was an amount that could not be saved up in an entire month; for many farmers, a whole year of tilling the land yielded only a few dozen yuan in hand. Yet here on the bus, these same people could casually spend five yuan on a bottle of chili sauce that, in his view, was not worth a single fen.
What’s so special about chili sauce? Any rural household can make it. Even if my mother-in-law makes it delicious, so what? In the countryside, there are wives who deliberately cook unpalatable meals just because if the food tastes too good, the whole family ends up eating too much.
Have people outside become so affluent that they now ignore price in favor of flavor?
Seeing that Huang Sanping seemed moved, Qian Qing quickly pushed the point further: “Now that life is better, everyone wants to make things a little easier for themselves in terms of food, clothing, shelter, and transport. A bottle of sauce sells for over two yuan at the supply and marketing cooperative; we’re selling it for five. Don’t think we’re charging too much—that meal set Xiao Jie just sold goes for only fifty cents down below, yet once on the train, the price triples. We’re only doubling it, which isn’t excessive. Besides, one bottle of sauce lasts a long time; after they get off the train, they can keep eating it for another half month. We’re being more than fair.”
“Xiao Jie did well just now. Let’s think if there’s an even better way to sell faster and with less effort. Also, take some time to observe those people who travel on trains reselling goods—see how they manage their sales.”
This time, Huang Sanping did not refuse; instead, he turned his gaze toward Qian Yu.
Qian Yu just recounted their shared past, and his heart was softening now: “Just give it a try; sell however many bottles you can.”
Huang Sanping nodded. If someone as flighty as Ding Jie could do it, why couldn’t he? He was far more steady than Ding Jie ever was. Selling even one bottle meant earning two yuan; even if it meant dealing with people, he would grit his teeth and accept it!
At dinner that day, Huang Sanping sold seven bottles, while Ding Jie managed only five.
Ding Jie sat slumped in dejection, unable to suppress a chuckle from Qian Qing.
You lost out because of your appearance, young man! Huang Sanping looked honest and straightforward; such people tend to earn trust more easily. Ding Jie was simply too young; his performance fell short.
Of the twenty-plus bottles Qian Qing had brought, nearly all were now sold, with just one left for herself.
Huang Sanping clutched the fourteen yuan Qian Qing had given him, his heart a swirl of conflicting emotions.
No wonder Qian Yu had become so extravagant after accompanying Qian Qing on that trip to the provincial city; it turned out money was that easy to make out there. Simply reselling goods on the train could earn you more than most people made in an entire month.
Ding Jie’s momentary dejection quickly passed on its own. Instead, he eagerly pulled Qian Qing aside to recount what he’d witnessed: “Sister, someone just asked which factory we got our goods from! I didn’t dare admit we made them ourselves, so I gave him a fake name. Why doesn’t Aunt put labels on her bottles? We could look much more professional. Just now, there was a woman who clearly wanted to buy some, but seeing the bare bottles, she decided against it…”
Qian Qing also began to look at Ding Jie with new respect; traveling away from home truly tempered a person, enough to stir even a mind like Ding Jie’s that had nearly rusted over.
This was indeed an issue. Her mother’s sauces were excellent, yet some people would dismiss them solely based on the packaging. They would need to change the packaging upon returning home; even if everyone knew the products’ origins were questionable, at least the superficial presentation had to be pleasing to the eye.
“We’ll handle it as soon as we get back! We’ll come up with a name too; from now on, our goods will be legitimate.”
Nights on the train tended to be somewhat chilly. When Qian Qing woke in the middle of the night, she happened to see Huang Sanping carefully draping clothes over Qian Yu. His movements were cautious and gentle; after finishing, he curled back into his lower bunk to sleep.
Qian Qing turned over and closed her eyes, hoping only that her sister’s hopes would not come to nothing.