Chapter 49: The Sweet Taste of Victory

“Wow, I want biscuits too!” The child’s ear-splitting wails echoed throughout the entire ward.

Old Lady Chen frantically tried to soothe the child. “Oh, my precious, don’t cry,” she cooed. “Grandma will boil an egg for you.”

“I want biscuits! I want pastries!” the child wailed, “Waaah…”

The Old Lady attempted to console him for a long while, but the child continued to cry himself hoarse.

It was clear he was putting his whole strength into it, his voice nearly cracking from the effort.

The Old Lady’s heart ached terribly. There was nothing she could do.

Currently, the city’s supply and marketing cooperative had no pastries for sale. The last time glutinous rice strips were stocked, she had rushed over as soon as she heard the news, only to find them completely sold out.

Old Lady Chen’s wrinkled face crumpled in distress. Her grandson continued to howl incessantly, and she couldn’t soothe him.

She desperately needed a solution.

Finally, the Old Lady rummaged in the pocket of her innermost garment, pulling out a small cloth pouch.

She carefully unfolded it layer by layer, revealing a few loose bills.

The Old Lady took out twenty cents and approached Song Wenbin, handing him the money. “Buy me a pound of those pastries. Keep the change.”

Beside them, Granny Zhao had just been given half a biscuit by her granddaughter, which she happily finished.

Hearing the Old Lady’s words, she immediately scoffed. “Old hag, you must have lost your mind. Twenty cents? Why don’t you go to the supply and marketing cooperative and see if they’ll sell you glutinous rice strips?”

At that time, a steamed bun without any filling cost five cents, plus a grain coupon. Pastries with sugar, like glutinous rice strips, cost several tens of cents per pound, with grain coupons calculated separately.

Items like those Xu Hengzhou brought back from the provincial capital could be wrapped in a few pieces and considered a decent gift when visiting someone.

The Old Lady’s attempt to buy Xu Hengzhou’s pastries with twenty cents was indeed a fool’s errand.

“How can that be the same?” Old Lady Chen retorted self-righteously. “The supply and marketing cooperative belongs to the state. These are his own pastries; how can he charge so much? Besides, they’ve been bought back for so long, who knows if they’re still fresh?”

“You don’t need to worry about their freshness, madam.” Song Wenbin did not accept the money from the Old Lady’s hand. “We’re not selling these pastries. Please take your money back.”

“What do you mean by that?” Old Lady Chen exploded in anger. “You give them pastries but not us? That’s differential treatment! I won’t argue with you, but I’m offering money to buy them, and you’re still playing hard to get.

I heard you’re a factory director. Is this how a cadre should act? You can’t treat the common people unequally. I’ll go to your factory and report you!”

Song Wenbin had specifically inquired about this family’s background yesterday, so he merely sneered at her words. “Go ahead. Do you need me to point the way? Probably not, since your son and I work at the same factory.”

The Old Lady’s face instantly changed, and she asked awkwardly, “You’re the director of the Machinery Factory? I’ve never heard of a director named Song…”

The factory hospital wasn’t run solely by the Machinery Factory; it was a collaboration of several nearby factories, and its scale was comparable to the city hospital.

As soon as Xiang Chen moved in, the Old Lady had inquired about their family. She heard that the head of the family, surnamed Song, was a deputy director.

Old Lady Chen felt she had never heard of him, so he must be a powerless one.

She wasn’t someone who dared to provoke just anyone. For those truly untouchable, she would keep her tail between her legs, or she would have been dealt with long ago.

For instance, the family of Granny Zhao next door. The reason she dared to let her grandson snatch things from the little girl was because she knew Granny Zhao’s family situation.

Only Zhao Qiqin’s father worked at the Machinery Factory, having taken over Granny Zhao’s position, who in turn had taken over her late husband, Grandpa Zhao’s, position.

Qiqin’s Mother had a rural household registration. Although she was diligent and capable, it was difficult for her to find work in the city, especially in a factory.

She usually stayed at home, doing housework and taking care of the elderly and children.

The Old Lady’s family was slightly better off than the Zhao family. Her son also worked at the Machinery Factory, though due to health reasons, he could only do odd jobs in logistics.

However, her daughter-in-law was an employee at the neighboring Cotton Textile Factory. A family with two working adults—how impressive!

Old Lady Chen felt her family was quite remarkable. She looked down on the Zhao family and wasn’t intimidated by the Song family.

She thought, ‘So what if Song Wenbin is a deputy director? There are several deputy directors in a factory. Who knows which small factory he’s from, and he can’t control my son anyway. What is there to fear?’

However, she never expected that Song Wenbin was actually her son’s direct superior.

“I haven’t been here long, so it’s not surprising you haven’t heard of me,” Song Wenbin said unhurriedly. “If you want to report me to the factory, it’s best to go to the factory director.

Other deputy directors are on the same level as me and it would be difficult for them to handle.”

The Old Lady quickly waved her hand, forcing a smile. “Look at me, getting confused in my old age. Please don’t take offense. I was just asking where these pastries were bought.”

Song Wenbin remained expressionless. “If you truly have an opinion, feel free to voice it. We act with integrity, and we are not afraid of slander.”

“No, no, no opinion…” The Old Lady cowered even more than her son.

Song Wenbin still maintained an upright expression. “If you have an opinion, you absolutely must go to the factory to state it.

Remember to explain all the details clearly, otherwise, if the factory arranges an investigation team and finds that the facts don’t align, your son’s position might become difficult.”

Seeing the Old Lady trembling, Song Wenbin kindly added, “The pastries were bought from the provincial capital. They’re very fresh. Biscuits are the cheapest, about sixty cents a pound, and they don’t require many grain coupons.

You can bring some back next time you go.”

“Good, good…” The Old Lady hung a smile on her face and scurried back with nimble steps.

****

Xiang Chen, watching his uncle display such authority, was almost dumbfounded.

“Uncle, you’re so cool!” Xiang Chen exclaimed.

Song Wenbin smiled proudly. Although he didn’t understand what ‘cool’ meant, he knew it was a compliment.

Granny Zhao next to them also clicked her tongue in admiration. Although she hadn’t suffered much at the Old Lady’s hands, she couldn’t beat her either.

Such constant commotion was very annoying to Granny Zhao. Song Wenbin’s swift handling of the situation was incredibly satisfying.

While Song Wenbin was beaming with pride at the praise, Xu Hengzhou felt a pang of jealousy. He had been planning everything for Xiang Chen, yet the little rascal still thought he was stingy!

He didn’t even consider who he was doing it all for.

Xiang Chen, still grinning broadly, was oblivious to all this. His gaze kept drifting uncontrollably to the pile of pastries on the table.

It was bad enough not to have any, but seeing them and not being able to eat them was simply too cruel.

And that flaky crust smelled so good! Although he had only tasted a tiny, thin piece of the crust, it was so crisp that it practically melted in his mouth. That walnut shortbread must be incredibly delicious.

Xiang Chen licked his lips and smiled ingratiatingly at his brother. “Brother, do you want some pastries?”

Xu Hengzhou glanced at him sideways, wanting to know what mischief he was planning. He nodded and said, “One piece is fine.”

Xiang Chen eagerly offered, “I’ll get it for you. I just washed my hands.”

Having said that, he purposefully reached for a piece of walnut shortbread, then subserviently brought it to Xu Hengzhou’s mouth. “Brother, you eat. I’ll feed you.”

Xu Hengzhou raised an eyebrow. Was he trying to curry favor? Tsk, the benefits were indeed good, but even if you try to flatter me, I won’t give you pastries.

In truth, it wasn’t that he was genuinely reluctant to part with the food. He had bought them for his family, and he wasn’t particularly fond of them himself.

The crucial point was that Xiang Chen hadn’t fully recovered from his illness, and the doctor had advised him to watch his diet. Since there weren’t many facilities to prepare suitable invalid meals for patients at the time, the doctor’s dietary restrictions were actually quite broad.

Very few things were forbidden, with only a general instruction to eat light, easily digestible food.

Pastries and the like were truly something Xiang Chen couldn’t eat right now. If it weren’t to get rid of the grandmother and grandson from the next bed, Xu Hengzhou wouldn’t have brought these things over to tempt Xiang Chen.

But Xiang Chen didn’t know this. He looked at his brother with a sweet, obedient expression, his chubby little paw holding a piece of walnut shortbread, eagerly feeding it to his brother.

Xu Hengzhou happily enjoyed his child’s filial piety. Every bite he took, he saw Xiang Chen swallow, which made the pastry in his mouth taste even better.

Because walnut shortbread tends to crumble easily, with its flaky crust shedding at the slightest touch, Xiang Chen used one hand to feed him and the other to catch the crumbs below.

After Xu Hengzhou finished eating, Xiang Chen’s palm held a small pinch of crumbs, the largest of which was no bigger than a fingernail.

Xu Hengzhou, finding the first piece delicious, was about to ask Xiang Chen to get him another when he saw Xiang Chen righteously declare, “Brother, how can you spill food when you eat? What a waste!”

With a flick of his hand, he poured all the crumbs from his palm directly into his own mouth.

Xu Hengzhou: “…”

Xu Hengzhou nearly choked on the pastry he hadn’t yet swallowed. If it weren’t for the delighted smile on Xiang Chen’s face, he might have actually believed his nonsense!

After licking up the last bit, Xiang Chen leaned in again and asked Xu Hengzhou, “Brother, do you want more?”

Although it was rare for his little one to use his wits for a mouthful of food, which made him feel both pained and tender, he dared not let him eat too much. Those few crumbs were the limit.

Xiang Chen shrank back, disheartened. Xu Hengzhou’s heart softened again. He stroked his hair and whispered, “Brother has saved a lot. You can eat them when you’re better.”

Xiang Chen instantly brightened. He knew his brother loved him the most.

Their corner of the ward was filled with cheer, but in the innermost part, the cries continued to shake the heavens.

The child was no longer feigning tears; this time, he cried with genuine anguish, and before long, his voice cracked from the effort.

Old Lady Chen listened to her precious grandson’s hoarse voice, her lips trembling with heartache.

Finally, left with no other choice, the Old Lady went to another ward and bought two glutinous rice strips at an exorbitant price.

Only when her precious grandson ate them, filling his mouth, did his wailing cease.

Xu Hengzhou waited for the child to finish the glutinous rice strips, then unhurriedly opened the bag of candy he had brought.

He had bought several types of candy. The cheapest kind, which he was holding now, had no wrappers; they were just loose candy balls, but they were also inexpensive.

Slightly more expensive ones had wrappers, with colorful fruit-flavored candies inside. There were also peanut brittle and crispy candies, which were also costly.

Most families only bought a little for weddings or other major festivals.

Of course, it wasn’t that Xu Hengzhou was unwilling to give out the expensive candies; it was just that if he gave out the expensive ones, the family in the next bed probably wouldn’t dare to accept them.

He wrapped the candies neatly in clean kraft paper, making them look presentable and appealing to children with their pile of candy balls.

Xiang Chen was fine; he loved milk candy, which his brother supplied regularly, so he didn’t have a strong craving for these candy balls.

However, the other two children in the ward were different. The allure of candy for children was simply too great.

Xu Hengzhou, fearing they wouldn’t notice, deliberately said to Xiang Chen, “Chenchen, give some candy to the little sister.”

Xiang Chen obediently took the paper package from his brother’s hand, holding it with both hands, and walked up to Zhao Qiqin. In a sweet, childish voice, he said, “Sister, have some candy.”

Zhao Qiqin eyed the candies longingly but didn’t reach out to take them, instead turning to look at her grandmother.

Granny Zhao had already felt quite embarrassed accepting their pastries earlier, and now they were offering candy again.

Although Granny Zhao’s heart ached for her granddaughter, she refused to accept them.

Xiang Chen also sensed that his brother’s series of actions were somewhat unusual, but he certainly wouldn’t undermine him at this moment.

So, he diligently persuaded the little girl and spoke a few kind words to Granny Zhao. His appearance was endearing, and his words were sweet.

Granny Zhao was coaxed into a wide smile and finally relented, allowing Zhao Qiqin to take the candy.

The little girl was overjoyed. Xiang Chen, seeing the unwrapped candy balls, asked her to hold a small bowl, then poured the candy into it for her.

The little girl held the small bowl, picked out a candy, first fed it to her grandmother, and then happily ate one herself.

The child next door lay on the bed, staring blankly at them. As Zhao Qiqin ate the candy, a long string of drool ran from the corner of his mouth.

When Xu Hengzhou took out the candy, Old Lady Chen had tried to block her grandson’s view, but the child pushed her away and just stared blankly.

After Xiang Chen finished distributing candy to Zhao Qiqin, he walked back with the remaining candy. Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him.

He turned to see the boy next door being held down by Granny Zhao, struggling to reach out and grab Zhao Qiqin. Zhao Qiqin, clutching her small bowl, hid behind her grandmother.

“Let go of my grandson!” Old Lady Chen tried to pry Granny Zhao’s hands away. “You old harridan, if you hurt my grandson, I’ll never forgive you.”

Granny Zhao also became furious. Was this family treating them as easy targets? This was the second time they had tried to snatch food from her child.

“Old hag, haven’t you learned your lesson yet?!” Granny Zhao retorted, unwilling to back down. “If your family tries to snatch something from our Qiqin again, I’ll smash up your house.

At worst, I’ll go to the factory and let the leaders arbitrate. Should workers behave like a bunch of robbers?!”

Old Lady Chen indignantly pried open Granny Zhao’s hands and pulled her precious grandson back. “My darling, let’s go. We don’t want theirs. Who cares?!”

But her grandson was very uncooperative. He slumped down and refused to move. “No, I want candy, I want candy, give me candy…”

Granny Zhao sighed, about to try and coax him again, when the child suddenly scrambled up and rushed straight towards Xiang Chen.

Xiang Chen turned to dodge, but Xu Hengzhou was already prepared. He pulled Xiang Chen behind him, coldly watching the charging child.

That child, like his grandmother, was a bully who picked on the weak and feared the strong. He had been kicked by Xu Hengzhou yesterday and hadn’t been able to regain face, so he remembered that this person was not to be provoked.

He ran over, intending to snatch Xiang Chen’s candy, but froze in place upon meeting Xu Hengzhou’s icy gaze. Old Lady Chen rushed up, grabbing him tightly, fearing he would provoke the brothers.

Unable to snatch the candy, the child would surely trouble his grandmother, crying and howling for sweets. After all, his grandma wouldn’t hit him, and if he cried and fussed enough, he’d always get candy.

Old Lady Chen was physically and mentally exhausted. Most of the money she had brought was spent on glutinous rice strips for her grandson, and she still needed to save some for tomorrow’s sugar-boiled egg.

Brown sugar and eggs didn’t require coupons, but money was still needed. In the Old Lady’s eyes, brown sugar and eggs were good things, much more cost-effective than eating those glutinous rice strips.

But there was nothing she could do now; if she didn’t give her precious grandson something to eat, he would just keep crying. The Old Lady could only use the remaining bit of money to buy another glutinous rice strip, which finally quieted the child.

After all that commotion, Old Lady Chen felt utterly overwhelmed. Fortunately, the food the Song family had brought was almost all distributed.

In the evening, when her daughter-in-law brought dinner, she would ask her for some money to buy brown sugar and eggs for her sweet grandson tomorrow.

Old Lady Chen was making her careful calculations when she heard Xu Hengzhou’s clear, youthful voice from the other end. He was talking to Song Wenbin.

Xu Hengzhou: “Uncle, what do you want to eat tomorrow? We still have some meat at home. Should I braise it?”

Song Wenbin was quick to respond, “Sounds good. Same as last time, cut it into big chunks, the kind that drip oil when you take a bite. It’s most fragrant when eaten with steamed buns.”

“Alright,” Xu Hengzhou nodded, continuing, “So, braised meat for lunch. I’ll make a steamed egg custard for Chenchen in the morning, and we’ll just have noodles to get by.

As for dinner, I brought back a few large meat buns. The meat filling doesn’t keep well, so let’s eat them all.”

“Good, that’s the plan.” Song Wenbin was practically drooling at the thought. ‘If only we could really eat like this,’ he thought, but he still had to play along. “There’s probably too much meat to eat in one meal, and it’s getting hotter every day.

How about we continue to cook meat the day after tomorrow, so it doesn’t spoil?”

“Alright, then not braised. I’ll make it a different way,” Xu Hengzhou said. “Garlic pork belly, crispy fried pork, stewed pork, stir-fried pork, or we can continue with pork stew with vermicelli. How do you want it?”

‘Any way! I love it all!’ Song Wenbin answered in his heart, but on the surface, he said lightly, “You decide.”

Xiang Chen listened in a daze. Did his family really have that much meat? The last time they had ribs, his uncle had bought them from Master Zhu’s house.

Why had his brother brought back so much meat? Even if he brought it back, he could keep it in his space and take it out slowly to eat. Why had he taken it all out?

He looked up at his brother, about to ask, when he saw his brother give him a wink.

Xiang Chen stared blankly at his brother, then wisely kept quiet.

He thought it was just a normal discussion about food, but the Old Lady on the other side listened with her heart pounding in fear. ‘My heavens, if they keep eating like this, how much will my precious grandson cry!’

But she didn’t dare tell Song Wenbin, ‘My grandson is craving it, so you’re not allowed to eat meat.’

Old Lady Chen slapped her thigh, then turned to find the doctor to request a change of ward.

The doctor had long been fed up with them. Why stay in the hospital after recovering? They were just causing trouble, not to mention how restless this family was.

Old Lady Chen begged and pleaded, cried and fussed, but the doctor refused to budge.

Left with no choice, when dinner was served that evening, her precious grandson actually looked at the Song family’s meal first, and was preparing to throw a tantrum.

Old Lady Chen’s heart turned cold. She left the hospital with her grandson that very night. Her son handled the discharge procedures the next day.

“Good riddance!” Granny Zhao clapped her hands and cheered. “They’re finally gone. Otherwise, they’d cause trouble again next time.”

Xiang Chen looked at the empty bed and only then realized his brother might have pulled a trick. Recalling his brother’s unusual behavior, Xiang Chen quickly understood.

“Brother, brother!” Xiang Chen looked at Xu Hengzhou with shining eyes. “Were they tempted away?”

Xu Hengzhou was amused by his words. He pursed his lips and smiled, saying, “Or perhaps they were scared away.”

Xiang Chen laughed. He glanced at his uncle, then asked his brother, “Do we really have meat at home? Are we making braised pork tomorrow?”

Hu Hengzhou could easily see through his little ploy, trying to cause mischief since he couldn’t eat it himself.

“No meat. No meat dishes tomorrow,” Xu Hengzhou indulged his small wish.

Song Wenbin was heartbroken, almost blurting out, ‘If there’s no meat, I can buy some!’ His grand-nephew had only had two good meals since returning. Was he going back to gruel again?

Xiang Chen: “What about the large meat buns then?”

Hu Hengzhou: “None. I made it up.”

The smile on Xiang Chen’s face grew even sweeter. Uncle had eaten ten pieces of walnut shortbread today, and he had enjoyed them so much.

Xiang Chen: “So, what will you two eat tomorrow?”

Hu Hengzhou: “Steamed buns and porridge.”

Song Wenbin: “…”

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