The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 445 - 416: Thawing Prejudices, Peach_1

Chapter 445: Chapter 416: Thawing Prejudices, Peach_1

He refused to comment on the emotions of the older generation; all he needed to know was that his mother didn’t abandon him, and that was enough. Everything else was irrelevant to him.

Bai Qiongyu said carefully, "All these are true, and there are no lies. Can you forgive me?"

He Jingyu nodded and said, "Although you didn’t raise me, you had your difficulties. I forgive you. But since you’re in Country M, you must have remarried, right? Maybe you have other children. Isn’t it improper for you to come here and acknowledge me so abruptly?"

When Bai Qiongyu heard her son’s words, she wept again, "I did remarry, but I didn’t have any other children. You are my only child."

"Oh." He Jingyu knew that for a woman, being childless in a remarriage was unfortunate, but somehow he felt relieved deep inside—no need to deal with a messy situation of half-brothers and -sisters.

He knew this was selfish.

"Seeing you, I’m conflicted, but I’m mostly happy," He Jingyu said, "I assume you won’t stay here for long, right?"

Bai Qiongyu nodded, "Yes, Mr. Qi kept our relationship a secret to protect me. I wanted to ask you in person if you want to come back to Country M with me. As long as you’re willing, I can definitely take you with me. Once in Country M, you can continue your research, and Tiantian can receive a good education."

If his unit found out he still had a mother in Country M, he didn’t know what the future would hold.

He didn’t like the idea of going abroad, but the characteristically mild and peaceful He Jingyu liked even less the idea of being suspected, living in fear, and he didn’t want his wife and daughter to live like that.

"Let’s talk about this later," He Jingyu said. He needed to discuss it with his daughter and wife.

Besides, it wouldn’t be easy for the family of three to leave.

"Sure, think about it," Bai Qiongyu said, "I can make it happen if you want."

"Why are you so sure?" He Jingyu asked, secretly leaving was definitely not an option; it would have to be through official channels.

What could his mother do to facilitate this?

"Don’t be surprised, I have bargaining chips," Bai Qiongyu said. "Don’t worry."

No wonder his daughter had said her mother was a formidable person; the Bai Family in Country M was also a family of substantial heritage.

"Alright," He Jingyu said, "People outside must be worried about us. Let’s go out."

"Yes!" Bai Qiongyu exclaimed excitedly, her son had forgiven her, and all her worries along the way had finally vanished.

Outside, He Tiantian and Wang Shuping were both very anxious, worrying about their father and husband.

Third Grandma Qi said with a smile, "It’s alright now, you two don’t need to worry. Your grandmother and father are both reasonable people; as long as things are discussed openly, everything will be fine. As long as everyone is sincere, things will usually turn out well."

"Stepmother is right," Wang Shuping said with a smile, knowing no one understood her husband’s longing for his birth mother better than she did.

This time, by acknowledging his mother, her husband might finally have no more regrets.

The mother and daughter waited patiently outside.

Finally, after half an hour, the father and grandmother came out of the house.

Seeing that both of them had red eyes but looked happy, everyone knew the mother and son had recognized each other.

He Tiantian, feeling the mood was a little awkward, quickly said with a smile, "My dad has picked some peaches, let’s wash them and eat them together. Zhengmin, come help me wash them."

"Sure!" Qi Zhengmin said, following He Tiantian to wash the peaches.

The atmosphere lightened with He Tiantian’s interjection, making everyone smile.

He Tiantian and Qi Zhengmin washed all the peaches in the basket.

The peaches were large, about the size of an adult man’s fist, with yellow skin and a hint of blush, tender and pretty.

Third Grandma Qi, Bai Qiongyu, and Xianglan preferred soft peaches, while the younger ones liked them crisp.

"Sister Tiantian, I’m afraid I’ve never tasted such delicious peaches," exclaimed Qi Zhengmin, holding a soft peach and biting off the tip like He Tiantian did, then sucking forcefully as if eating jelly.

"Yes, these peaches are really delicious," Qi Zhenghan praised, "The peaches we buy for five US dollars a pound in Country M are not as good as these."

"Uh-huh, my brother is right," Qi Zhengmin agreed.

Third Grandma Qi was particularly pleased, enjoying the ease of eating them without straining her teeth, and asked, "Are these from your Peach Orchard?"

"Yes, this is the first year. The yield isn’t high, but each tree still produced several tens of pounds," He Jingyu said. "Just now, Village Chief Qi had Shuming go to the Peach Orchard to pick some for the leaders to try. If it works out, we might start harvesting in large quantities to sell for money in a couple of days."

"That’s really great," Third Grandma Qi said, "These peaches are delicious. Life in Qijia Village will surely improve."

Anna, not quite understanding the situation, asked, "Does the village own all the land and the Peach Orchard? Is the money from the sales also distributed evenly?"

Third Grandma Qi smiled and explained simply, "It’s not exactly equal distribution. Since Jingyu, Shuping, and a few others from the village take care of the orchard, they will get more. The rest is collected by the village and goes into the village’s general fund. Then based on the work points each person earns, their share of the money is calculated."

Anna caught some nuances and had further questions, "Doesn’t this cause some to slack off? After all, it’s work for everyone’s benefit, and many would think it doesn’t matter if they do less work."

Anna mused, planning to continue observing in the future.

She intended to stay in Qijia Village for a long time, patiently learning about the politics and life of a foreign land.

******

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