Bai Fumei in the 70’s

After Zhao Lanxiang and He Songbai got married, He Songbai handed over his property to her, and Zhao Lanxiang finally realized how rich the person she was married to.

But she still manages her little shop, conscientiously and hardworking.

He Songbai fulfilled his promise and respected everything about her. Although he was busy, he still had dinner with her on time every day. He Songbai took Zhao Lanxiang to many auctions and private parties. He spent a lot of money to buy a lot of valuable gifts for her. Zhao Lanxiang was very distressed, but over time she became accustomed to him.

He has a large collection room with many antiques in it. He Songbai said that these are all treasures handed down from their ancestors. He had to sell them because of poverty, and then redeemed them again. Every position on the wooden frame has a name, some are vacant, and some are decorated with expensive antiques.

He Songbai once pointed to Zhao Lanxiang, pointing to a wall of collection shelves, "One day, I will redeem all the He family's treasures."

After forty years, he only redeemed half of it.

In the center of the wooden frame lies two frames. A man in a black and white photo and grandma in color photos.

Zhao Lanxiang touched the frame. In the photo, the man in the Chinese tunic was very elegant, his eyes were arrogant and cold. The style of the clothes and the man's hairstyle made it easy for Zhao Lanxiang to recognize this photo was from the Republic of China era. She couldn't help but applaud, "You look a bit like grandpa, you are all so handsome."

He Songbai hummed disapprovingly, "I'm better than him. My grandma told me."

Zhao Lanxiang stared at the picture of the kind-hearted grandmother next to it. She wiped the photo of the old woman year after year. The old woman experienced eight years of turmoil during the war of resistance and survived the difficult period of the Cultural Revolution for ten years. After He Songbai was in prison, she shouldered the burden of the family with her own strength. She was undoubtedly a very strong and brave woman.

Zhao Lanxiang regretted that she had never seen Granny. If she knew He Songbai a year earlier, she might still be able to meet Granny.

She said to He Songbai, "If I opened the shop earlier, I might still able to meet her."

He Songbai did not speak, but silently said to the old woman in his heart, "Grandma, did you see her in the sky? It doesn't matter if you don't meet her now, you will meet her again in your next life. For the happiness of your grandson, you must bless Lan Xiang so that she can be happy and healthy, free from disasters and diseases."1

He Songbai was very nervous about Zhao Lanxiang's body, and he took her on a regular body check every six months. Zhao Lanxiang also took him for an examination, but the result was not good. Her miscarriages in previous years were too bad, and she did not take good care of her body afterward, so she was ill. He also had experienced fifteen years of prison and his health is not very good.

Two people with poor health had to supervise each other and strive to live a healthy life in their old age. He Songbai originally had the mentality of an elderly, he has been living in old age for many years. It is easy for him to nag. When it is cold, he nagged his wife to wear more clothes. And when the weather is hot, she is not allowed to eat cold drinks. When he stubbornly took off Zhao Lanxiang's stockings and replaced them with warm pants, she added a nickname of "old man" for him.2

He Songbai calmly said to his wife, "It is okay to grow old. Old men are mature and stable, and rich in experience. It is not comparable to young people."

He himself was more restrained, he did not drink or smoke. He Songbai knows his physical condition very well. He finally earned this life, and maybe after this life, there will be no afterlife. The rest of his days will be very precious--to accompany her and love her.

Zhao Lanxiang once asked him carefully, "Now the medical level is very advanced. If we cooperate with the doctor's treatment, maybe we can still have a baby..."

There was guilt in her eyes.

A child is a blessing given by God. Zhao Lanxiang did not have them in this life, nor did He Songbai. But He Songbai knew that they would have them in their next life. Two of them, one Tang Tang and one Dahai.

Both are naughty but filial good children. He Songbai touched his wife's hair and said with a smile, "You don't have to take risks for me. If I want a child, why should I wait until this age?"

"Furthermore, raising children is very troublesome. I don't want to spend the rest of our lives on our children. Raising a child will at least cost us a few years of life."

Zhao Lanxiang was amused by He Songbai, and the tears moved in her eyes. Her heart felt sour but warm.

"Let's enjoy the rest of our day," she murmured.

...

Zhao Lanxiang reduced her work in the ready-to-wear shop and began to wash her hands and make soup, and spare time to study flower arrangement and baking, making the world of two people more relaxed and enjoyable.

One day, Zhao Lanxiang saw an advertisement on the color TV. It was a program for finding folk cuisine called "Xun Wei". She relentlessly chased on it after watching several episodes. On the weekend, she would cook herself and invite Sister He to taste it together.

When she came across something with very complicated procedures and difficult to make, Zhao Lanxiang pondered overwhelmingly, and she was depressed for several days. The frequency of her talking to He Songbai was reduced.

After He Songbai knew the issue, he called the program team and generously allocated a sponsorship fee. He sent his wife to the show as a guest cheekily. Zhao Lanxiang was very pleasantly surprised. When she was watching the TV, she encountered interesting food and couldn't help but try it out. Fifty to sixty percent of the time, she failed. But her husband's arrogant sponsorship fee relieved her troubles. Zhao Lanxiang has lived with the TV crew ever since.

He Songbai, who occasionally hangs out, will also go to the show to watch her. After the shooting, the husband and wife will be nestled in the kitchen and will taste the delicious food from the south and the north.

In spring, they tasted the crisp bamboo shoots and toon. The bamboo shoots were filled with the tender spring rain. They were crisp and refreshing, the toon was very tender, and the newly picked toon buds were fragrant and delicious. In summer, they took shelter from the heat in the depths of the 100,000 mountains. Sweet melons ripened one after another, and it was cold after it was kept down the well. In autumn, it was roasted lamb, thinly sliced, fat oil sizzling, mixed with green onions tender and sweet. In winter, they eat hot and spicy hot pot in Sichuan, the meat is fragrant and delicious, the peppers drive cold temperature away, and they are warm after eating sweatily.

Every season is so fresh, the transition between spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Zhao Lanxiang felt the joy that she had not experienced in the first half of her life. As time goes on, she was not only aged but also accumulated experience.

He Songbai once again talked about love. His elderly mentality also became younger, although he was always dubbed the old man by his wife.

The only pity is that He Songbai can no longer taste the plump and attractive crabs in autumn. Whenever he sees the fertile and yellow crab, he can't help but remember the crabs made by his wife in his previous life. The two of them watched the red crabs with the program crew while drooling, but for the sake of his wife's body, He Songbai had to calmly say to her, "I don't like crabs. I felt uncomfortable after eating it."