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Chapter 20: Bai Qing
Bai Sha’s elder sister, Bai Qing, was the epitome of a dutiful daughter, a child who lived by the book.
She completed her university education as her parents wished, earned her teaching certificate, and became a teacher.
Within a few years of graduating, she married her college boyfriend.
“Life isn’t particularly joyful, but it’s peaceful and fulfilling,” she had once mused.
“At the very least, I lack nothing, having walked the path everyone must take in the first half of their lives.”
Bai Sha, tidying up the little one’s belongings, found herself overwhelmed with emotion.
She had not only ventured down paths her sister never took but was also far ahead on the very path her sister currently trod.
Watching the little one bounce with boundless energy, Bai Sha thought, ‘A new battery certainly works wonders.’
Yet, she wondered if there was anyone the child didn’t get excited to see.
She gently ruffled the child’s hair.
“You truly are an adorable little darling, loved by everyone.”
“Mommy, don’t always touch my head,” the child protested, shaking their head to dislodge Bai Sha’s hand.
“I won’t grow tall!”
“Who told you that?”
“Grandma did! Grandma said Daddy grew so, so tall because she didn’t rub *his* head!”
“Why do you want to grow so tall?”
Clenching their tiny fists, the child mimicked fighting sounds, “Hmph, hmph, ha-hey! I want to protect the Earth and become an Ultraman warrior!”
Seeing the pink and tender little girl exclaiming “Ultraman!” with one breath and demonstrating a “Rasengan” with the other, Bai Sha suddenly realized that her daughter might indeed be growing up a little ‘crooked’.
‘Never mind,’ she thought.
‘At least she hasn’t hit this old mother with a Phantom Rotation attack.’
Bai Qing hadn’t married far.
Her husband’s family resided in Gan Province, just one county away from Bai Sha’s hometown, making them relatively close.
Zhou Haochen, on the other hand, hailed from the Northeast, though he usually lived in S City.
‘Does that mean I’m marrying far away?’ Bai Sha wondered.
‘Oh, who cares!’ she quickly dismissed the thought.
‘Whether I marry him or not is still uncertain, so what’s with ‘far away’!’
This visit to her sister also presented an opportunity to spend a few days in Gan Province, making up for all the delicious `guo` (TL Note: A general term for various traditional Hakka snacks or cakes made from rice flour, often savory or subtly sweet) she hadn’t eaten in years.
For friends from out of town, Gan Province might not be known for much, but it certainly boasts an abundance of `guo`: Lantern `Guo`, Huangyuan Rice `Guo`, Fanfu `Guo`, Mochi `Guo`, Xiageng `Guo`, Clip `Guo`, Buckwheat `Guo`.
They would also go mountain climbing, visiting Ge Xian Mountain, San Qing Mountain, and Long Hu Mountain—renowned as Jiangxi’s three great mountains—along with a reclining Buddha.
In truth, there was also Mount Guifeng in Bai Sha’s hometown, but it was less famous.
Zhou Haochen, for his part, had taken a few more days off work.
Observing him standing in the living room, fully prepared for their journey, Bai Sha asked with a hint of confusion, “Why do you keep taking days off? The holidays are coming soon; aren’t you afraid of failing your courses?”
Zhou Haochen pulled out his sunglasses and put them on, a dismissive air about him.
“The probability of me failing is lower than Li Qingyu finding a girlfriend.”
Bai Sha feigned an exaggerated gasp.
“Wow! Is this what a top student looks like?!”
Zhou Haochen waved a hand dismissively, a light chuckle escaping his lips.
“Keep it low-key.”
The little one, meanwhile, was already excitedly calling out, “Auntie, Auntie! Here I come!”
It was evident that Bai Qing, if not fulfilling every whim, at least provided the child with everything they desired.
Bai Sha worried.
This entire family spoiled the little one rotten; if she weren’t there to keep them in check, the child would soon become a ‘world-destroying little tyrant’.
She pictured those viral videos: ‘My dad’s a doctor, my mom’s a judge; either you come with my dad, or you come with my mom.’
Bearing the self-appointed mission of instilling proper values in her child, Bai Sha pulled the little one closer.
“No asking for gifts, and no asking for phones.”
The child’s round eyes widened, a tiny huff escaping their lips as they prepared to argue.
Bai Sha merely uttered a soft, questioning “Hmm?”
Immediately, the child wilted.
“Oh, Auntie, I don’t want to go anymore.”
Bai Sha clapped her hands, a proud smile on her face.
“Little rascal, easily handled.”
****
In just a few short weeks, the family of three had already contributed significantly to the railway bureau’s passenger count, and today, they were at it again.
Despite the little one’s earlier reluctant demeanor, once they arrived at the high-speed rail station, they were bouncing and skipping around their parents.
It was clear their affection for Auntie was genuine, not merely an act.
Equally delighted was Bai Sha, who swayed happily while holding Zhou Haochen’s hand, humming a tune.
Perhaps the only one in the family feeling a touch of nervousness was Zhou Haochen, who hadn’t yet met Bai Qing—a meeting that felt akin to meeting the parents, a ‘mother-in-law’ even more formidable than a true mother-in-law for this ‘new son-in-law’.
For this trip, Zhou Haochen had specifically asked Bai Sha to help him dress up.
His gradually lengthening hair was neatly combed back with pomade, and paired with black sunglasses, he exuded a roguishly handsome charm that even captivated Bai Sha.
“Don’t be nervous,” Bai Sha reassured him, noticing the tension in his hand.
“My sister won’t eat you.”
“I’m fine, really, not *that* nervous,” Zhou Haochen replied, his eyelids twitching slightly.
When it came to the child, both of them had implicitly avoided involving their respective parents in the relationship.
Just as Bai Sha’s aunt and uncle were to him, and Zhou Haochen’s parents were to her, neither had brought their elders into the picture.
But now! She was taking the child and him to meet *her* sister!
Given Bai Sha’s strained relationship with her parents, this wasn’t just ‘her sister’ at all!
Zhou Haochen was utterly consumed by nerves.
Only after examining the implications of meeting ‘the sister’ did he truly grasp the situation: this was unmistakably a mother-in-law!
“Is Auntie scary?” Xiao Yu asked innocently.
“Why is Daddy nervous?”
Bai Sha almost laughed.
‘Oh, darling,’ she thought, ‘when you grow up and start dating, your dad will be even more nervous.’
“Don’t be afraid,” she told Zhou Haochen.
“My sister is experienced; she’s not some bad person who breaks up couples.”
“She used to urge me to find a partner, you know.”
Bai Sha reflected on how her sister used to urge her to find a *girlfriend*, and now she was bringing home a *boyfriend*.
‘In just one month,’ she mused, ‘did I give in too quickly? Not long ago, I was still a tough, independent person!’
“I’m really fine,” Zhou Haochen said, his gaze firm as he tried to convince himself.
“It’s just meeting the parents, it was bound to happen eventually.”
“This isn’t meeting the parents,” Bai Sha corrected him gently.
“It’s just you two accompanying me to see my sister.”
Xiao Yu nodded vigorously in agreement.
“It’s not meeting the parents!”
In Bai Sha’s memory, her sister was a graceful beauty, her voice as gentle as water, her eyes conveying deep affection—a quintessential Southern girl, soft and tender.
However, after transferring from elementary to middle school this year, her brother-in-law mentioned she had become considerably more irritable.
At first, Bai Sha hadn’t believed it.
But then, a thought struck her: smoking, drinking, fighting, perming hair, dating—most of these nascent behaviors emerged during middle school.
Viewed through that lens, a gradual shift towards irritability seemed plausible.
Still, Bai Sha found it impossible to imagine her sister angry; at least, no such image existed in her memory.
“Xiao Yu,” she asked the child, “have you ever seen Auntie angry?”
The little one abruptly recoiled, shrinking their neck.
“Auntie is very, very scary when she’s angry!”
****
Inside the middle school, electric fan blades whirred with a creaking sound.
The mottled, crumbling walls were covered in graffiti and signatures.
On the podium, the shrill, piercing voice from a ‘little bee’ (TL Note: A portable loudspeaker, often worn by teachers) echoed throughout the classroom.
“Wang Yang! You’re quite something, aren’t you!”
“Did you pry open the iron window at the back door? Huh? Answer me!!”
“You’re really something!! Not even stainless steel can hold back the restless little bird of freedom in your heart!
Try prying it open again, and I’ll show you why flowers are so red!” (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning ‘I’ll teach you a painful lesson’ or ‘you’ll find out the hard way’.)
The combination of a loud voice and the ‘little bee’ was truly a torment, especially when the teacher liked to pace around, and even more so when they chose to stand still in one spot!
The student directly facing the loudspeaker was peacefully asleep, not because of good sleep quality, but because they had been ‘out’ for a while.
“Class dismissed!”
Bai Qing placed the ‘little bee’ on her desk.
“These brats are going to be the death of me! Useless at everything else, but number one at causing trouble!”
The teacher next door sighed helplessly.
‘How gentle Teacher Xiao Bai was when she first arrived. Another one driven mad by the cause of education.’