Back to the 60s: The Struggle Career of a Charmed Wife
Chapter 305 - 0305: Choose One From Two 1_1

Chapter 305: Chapter 0305: Choose One From Two 1_1

Feng Qingxue took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

She felt a bitter-sweet sorrow.

Sorrow over an orphaned child of a martyr and the hilarity of the same child, whom a production brigade could not afford, seeking her out for care.

"Uncle Song, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but that I can’t, and there’s no way around it," Feng Qingxue uttered helplessly. "Even with the money and grain tickets that my spouse and I send, your entire production brigade cannot support a single child of a martyr. How can I alone presume to support him? In my home, there is an elderly and five little ones, and by next year it will be six little ones. I believe you are aware of how life is in the rural areas."

Old man Song was not a fool; he certainly heard the sarcasm in Feng Qingxue’s words. "I...I just don’t know what else to do anymore."

He mumbled to himself, repeating over and over again.

Feng Qingxue raised an eyebrow. "Indeed, you have no choice but to bring the child here, and the entire production brigade abandons its duty. But I too am unable to adopt him! Do you know? The ten dollars and ten kilos of grain tickets we’ve sent to the child were squeezed out of our own scarce resources. We just felt that without Comrade Song Dazhu’s salary, life at home wouldn’t be easy, so we did our part. Our benevolence has now brought you and the child to us, far beyond our expectations."

She gritted her teeth and steeled her heart, but only her mouth could not openly refuse.

Once committed, it would lead to endless complications.

Old man Song looked down at the child named Gangzi in his arms, his old eyes filled with tears. "I know it is difficult for you, but I really have no other options! If something were to happen to this child, no one in our production brigade could bear the responsibility."

"If you and the entire production brigade can’t bear it, how can I?"

A hint of annoyance finally flashed across Feng Qingxue’s face. If before she had been sympathetic towards the child, she was now filled with anger.

She couldn’t help but raise her voice and challenge. "Raising a child is not simply a matter of providing food and clothes. What about education? What about health care? What if an accident occurs? In the countryside, where there are few doctors and medicines, countless children have died prematurely. Uncle Song, I believe you are very aware of this. If you really understood, you wouldn’t have brought the child here. I can’t bear the consequences if he falls ill or an accident happens!"

She was soft-hearted, always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need.

However, kindness must be predicated on ensuring her own and her family’s safety, and not bringing unnecessary trouble to herself and her family out of mere benevolence, such as adopting Gangzi.

She understood that the child was innocent, but the thoughts of adults were not so simple.

Old man Song was taken aback; he never considered the potential consequences Feng Qingxue mentioned.

"I... I never thought about all that!"

Mr. Lu interjected, "Brother Song, isn’t there a welfare institution for orphans in your area? If a child loses his parents, hasn’t your production brigade reported it to the local government? Being the child of a martyr, the state surely wouldn’t abandon him. To be frank, when you brought the child here, you should have been prepared for us to refuse. Your life is not easy, and ours is equally difficult!"

As soon as he heard the word "difficult," Old man Song’s gaze wandered around the room.

White flour dumplings in the bowl, furniture all around the room, and well-dressed people, none of it looked like they were having a hard life.

"Today is the winter solstice. As you just said, brother, having a meal of dumplings today means our family will have to tighten our belts for a while," Mr. Lu deftly addressed Old man Song’s thoughts.