Chapter 1568 - Between Father and Daughter

In the past, Ziqi had always felt slightly uncomfortable with such attendance, but she'd grown accustomed to it now. As a certain Senator auntie had put it: "The Life Secretary is just your father's concubine—not your mother. What's there to be polite about? Fortune not enjoyed invites heaven's wrath!"

"Mm, I'll bathe right away. It's a bit hot outside." Lin Ziqi flopped down on the living room sofa. Fetching a change of clothes was naturally Menglan's job. She had once felt uneasy about another woman rummaging through her underwear drawer, but after being waited on for so long, the notion no longer struck her as improper.

Menglan had already brought her a bottle of kvass chilled in well water, the soaking time perfectly judged—cool enough, but not too icy for a May afternoon. Aside from that habit of not knocking, the maid training class really did produce exceptional results.

The house was quiet. Lin Fatian was probably out in some field or plantation, still at work. Lin Ziqi hadn't expected her father to get off work early anyway. Since coming to Lingao, these men had all become "fervent with passion," like characters from some revolutionary drama—not only did they all wear those four-pocket Zhongshan suits you only saw in old TV series, complete with a pen clipped to the pocket, but they also "walked with the wind, spoke like bells, shook hands vigorously, and called everyone 'comrade.'" When standing still, they all habitually planted their hands on their hips—who knew where they'd picked up that habit.

For a while, Ziqi had felt quite awkward when others called her father "comrade." It took her some time to get used to it.

Glancing around, the house was spotless, the furnishings neat and orderly. Even the glass had been recently polished. The flowers on the table had been freshly changed, and the sofa covers were clearly just washed.

Compared to the messy dormitory she and her father used to share, Menglan had brought the warmth of a home to the house. This was why Ziqi didn't object to her father having a Life Secretary—a home really needed a woman's touch to feel like a home.

Menglan hurried to add wood to the stove. The bathroom and bathtub had been scrubbed fresh that morning with dilute hydrochloric acid, then rinsed clean. Now the fixtures and tiles gleamed, absolutely without a single hair to be seen. The Senators were all particular about hygiene, and the Young Miss even more so. As a result, most of Menglan's energy went into cleaning.

Beyond this, Menglan was quite satisfied with her current life. The living conditions alone—though the house was small—exceeded even what the big grain merchants back home enjoyed. Menglan had accompanied her parents to work at a landlord's house when she was little, so she'd seen something of the world. Never mind anything else—just the floors, the glass windows—even the landlord's house lacked such things. As for the food, it was luxury beyond her wildest dreams. In the village where she was born, even the landlord's family normally ate only coarse grains.

So Menglan devoted herself wholeheartedly to this household. Keeping the Chief and the Young Miss satisfied so this kind of life could continue forever—that was her greatest wish.

Unfortunately, her belly wasn't cooperating. Still no pregnancy after all this time. Every time she saw other Life Secretaries holding babies, she felt quite dejected. Last time at Store No. 43, she'd overheard a Life Secretary surnamed Sun say that Life Secretaries without children were never secure in their positions—the Chief would surely "dismiss" them once he grew tired of them.

The General Affairs Office doctor had checked her pulse and prescribed medicine. She'd taken plenty of tonics from Runshi Tang, but still no news. The thought that the Chief was already approaching fifty—her own father had passed away before reaching that age—if she still couldn't bear him a child, what would become of her later years if the master met with misfortune? The Young Miss treated her well enough, but surely she wouldn't take her along to her husband's house when she married...

With these complicated feelings churning inside her, Menglan finished adding wood, washed her hands, and went to the Young Miss's room to fetch her undergarments. The first time she'd worn such undergarments at the training class, she'd blushed with embarrassment—these Chiefs were truly lecherous. Now she knew this was simply ordinary clothing among the Australians, nothing special.

"Young Miss, you may bathe now." After placing the clothes in the bathroom and preparing a large towel, Menglan tested the water temperature. Finding it just right, she called out.

After attending to Lin Ziqi's bath, she hurried to collect the changed clothes into the laundry basket—the washing would wait until evening. She still had to rush to prepare dinner.

Because of Ziqi's homecoming, tonight's dinner would be far more sumptuous than usual. She had placed her order at the special supply store yesterday for today's ingredients. The Young Miss loved sashimi best, but this dish was particularly troublesome—the entire cold chain had to be maintained. Most Senators found it too bothersome to prepare at home. Menglan had specifically borrowed the Golden Star Zero-type bicycle from neighbor Wu Nanhai's household, carried an insulated box stuffed with sawdust and ice all the way to the special supply store, and rattled home just in time to get the fish into their "earthen refrigerator."

Because his daughter was coming home, Lin Fatian finished work early and came home. The moment he stepped through the door and saw his daughter sitting at the dining table waiting for him, all the fatigue of the day's labor miraculously vanished. While letting Menglan help him change clothes and slippers, he asked: "How many days off this time?"

Students at Fangcaodi rarely had holidays, and the same was true at the Academy.

"Two days. The school is holding a Cultural Festival."

"What? Putting on plays again?" Having changed into casual clothes and washed his hands and face, he sat down beside his daughter. "Let Dad have a look..."

"What's there to look at? I'm not one of your bonsai stumps for you to check if something's bound wrong..." At this, her face suddenly reddened, her mind drifting to that night in the dormitory discussing certain... topics with her roommates.

Lin Fatian's mind didn't travel in such directions. "How could bonsai stumps be as pretty as you?"

"Dad, you really need to upgrade those clichéd compliments of yours." Lin Ziqi picked up a piece of sea bream sashimi, dipped it in wasabi soy sauce, and popped it into her mouth.

Menglan brought out a large plate of golden, crispy fried chicken wings. Not quite the same as the KFC wings from her memory, but close enough. This was one of Lin Ziqi's favorite foods. Unfortunately, the school never served fried food—supposedly on Chen Sigen's recommendation.

Lin Ziqi let out a small cheer, eagerly grabbed one with all five fingers, and began munching away, speaking around her mouthful. "Dad, you got off work early today."

"All for you."

"Who would've thought Dad loved me this much..."

"Just eat your meal." Lin Fatian had barely finished speaking when Menglan brought out the rice. Lin Fatian slept early at night, so his evening staple was mixed grain porridge: brown rice, millet, various beans cooked together, plus a piece of sweet potato. Menglan could never understand why the Chief wouldn't eat perfectly good white rice and flour, insisting on this stuff instead.

"Sit down and eat," Lin Fatian said, seeing that Menglan didn't dare take a seat.

"There's still soup. Let me bring out the soup first." Menglan turned toward the kitchen.

"The chicken soup needs to simmer a while longer. Sister Lan, just eat first." Lin Ziqi, impatient with her "meek wife" attentiveness, spoke up.

Only after Lin Ziqi said this did Menglan sit down to eat.

"Dad, I want to go to Lingao Point on Sunday."

"Going to play on the Feiyun?" Lin Fatian ate in large mouthfuls, one chopstick-load clearing a third of the dish.

"Yes. With Zhang Yunmi, Qian Duoduo, and the others." Lin Ziqi shrewdly omitted that they were planning a trial voyage. If she told him that, her old dad would surely worry himself to death and start nagging about "not safe" and "dangerous," doing everything he could to stop her.

"Fine. Go if you want. I'm not off work these two days either." Lin Fatian sighed as he spoke. Lin Ziqi sensed something complicated in her father's gaze.

In the blink of an eye, they had been in this world for nearly six years.

"Are you doing well at school?" Dad was asking these pointless questions again.

In the twenty-first century, Lin Ziqi would probably be playing with her phone right now, saying vaguely: "Fine, I guess."

This time she didn't have a smartphone, but her answer was much the same: "Fine. Just too much academic pressure."

"You need to study hard..."

Here we go again. So tiresome. He said this every time they met—before the crossing and after. Lin Ziqi said impatiently: "I'll still be a Senator even if my grades are bad. Dad, you'd better hurry up and give me a little brother or sister with Sister Lan to be your heir."

Lin Fatian actually blushed. "That's none of your concern." As for Menglan, her face turned even redder.

"Our family has two seats, you know. If you don't give me a sibling, aren't we losing out big time?" Lin Ziqi, having successfully diverted the conversation, continued eating fried chicken wings with satisfaction.

Lin Fatian nodded slightly. "You think having a little sibling is a good thing?"

"Why wouldn't it be? Otherwise, wouldn't it go to waste?"

"From that perspective, certainly. But—" Lin Fatian paused. "You have a friend named Zhang Yunmi, right?"

"Yes, she's not just a classmate but also my roommate."

"Last time her father and I were drinking together, he was lamenting his troubles. There's been some family strife lately."

Zhang Yunmi's father had been an unsuccessful man in the old spacetime—the type who'd tried many jobs without making headway in any. He knew a little of everything but was mediocre at all of it. His wife had abandoned them when Zhang Yunmi was very young, divorcing him and leaving. Before deciding to join the crossing, he'd been working as a network administrator at a smallish company.

As one might imagine, such a profession garnered little attention after the crossing. Zhang Yunmi's father had always been a "basic laborer." Even as ordinary Senators successively earned promotions to official positions over the years, he remained merely an obscure mid-level cadre in the Planning Commission: Director of the Data Division. He managed the Planning Commission's computer database and the newly built massive card index system.

"...As you know, Uncle Zhang is a man without much ambition. He feels his current life is pretty good. Living arrangements are handled by the General Affairs Office, Zhang Yunmi has grown up, and his Life Secretary has given him two kids in a row—he has a son now, living a flourishing little life."

"That sounds great. How is Uncle Zhang's Life Secretary 'unsettled'? Won't let him in bed? Or is she putting a green hat on Uncle Zhang?"

"Where did you learn to talk like this?" Lin Fatian said disapprovingly.

"Please. Your daughter is seventeen, not seven..."

Lin Fatian looked at his daughter. Indeed, from any angle, she was already a woman. But the image of his daughter that surfaced in his mind was still the child who had clutched his hand tightly on the deck all those years ago.

He sighed inwardly, his feelings complicated as he glanced at Menglan busy in the kitchen. He raised his beer and took another long gulp before saying slowly:

"Originally things were fine, but after his Life Secretary gave birth to a daughter, she changed a bit. How to put it—" he hesitated, as if searching for the right words, "—she's become a bit difficult..."

"Difficult how?" Lin Ziqi's mind instantly raced through countless melodramatic plotlines from romance novels.

"Old Zhang didn't go into details, but basically, she's been very unkind to his daughter..."

"What? She dares to mistreat Zhang Yunmi? She's asking for death!" Lin Ziqi's eyes widened in shock, the image of Xueyi from Romance in the Rain immediately surfacing in her mind.

"It's not that extreme, but there's been cold remarks and passive-aggressive behavior with housework. Every time Zhang Yunmi comes home, she doesn't even cook. Old Zhang ends up ordering takeout every time. Old Zhang says it started when she gave birth to her daughter and grew worse after she had the son. When Old Zhang says a few words to her about it, she claims she's got two kids to look after now, the younger one just weaned—how can she manage everything?"

"Then get an hourly domestic maid. Doesn't the General Affairs Office have such services?" Lin Ziqi thought about Zhang Yunmi's usual manner—she didn't seem like someone being mistreated, just not particularly eager to go home.

"They did. But Old Zhang says his wife—Life Secretary—has been acting strange. Every time Zhang Yunmi comes home, there's nothing but cold looks. Even Old Zhang showing a bit more concern for Yunmi leads to trouble. Either she finds some excuse to beat her own daughter, or she picks a quarrel about wanting to kill herself... It's been giving Old Zhang no peace."

"She's got such nerve?" Lin Ziqi was utterly puzzled. In her understanding, Life Secretaries were loyal to the Senators heart and soul. The Senators' grace to them was "higher than mountains, deeper than seas." From her daily interactions with Menglan and other maids, Lin Ziqi knew they placed great importance on hierarchical distinctions, completely regarding themselves as servants.

It was hard to imagine a "slave girl" acting this way toward her master. After all, without the Senator, this Life Secretary would be nothing. "Uncle Zhang is a Senator, and she's just a concubine... uh, Life Secretary. Isn't she afraid Uncle Zhang will fire her in a fit of rage? The Arts and Sciences College is full of Life Secretaries-in-waiting who haven't gotten posts yet."

"Fire her? Then what about the children? One's three, one's one. Without a mother, even with an hourly maid, they can't be properly looked after." Lin Fatian smiled bitterly. "What can Old Zhang do besides swallow his anger?"

"That's true." Lin Ziqi understood a bit now. Life Secretaries who had borne children weren't merely Life Secretaries anymore—they were mothers of Senators' children. The children were their greatest asset. "Holding the children hostage—that's shameless!" she said indignantly.

"Who's saying otherwise."

"But what's she after by making such a fuss?" Lin Ziqi suddenly wondered. Not living a perfectly good life, stirring up the household until chickens fly and dogs jump—there had to be some scheme.

"From what Old Zhang says, it seems she wants Yunmi to marry off early..."

"What's the point of that?" Lin Ziqi was dismissive. "First of all, it's none of her business. Second, Yunmi hardly ever stays at home anyway—she's not in the way. Besides, she'll be eighteen soon. The General Affairs Office will naturally assign her an apartment. She'll move out without being pushed. What's the point of making such a fuss?"

"You don't understand." Lin Fatian continued to frown for his drinking buddy, his voice gloomy. "What this woman's scheming is that once Yunmi is married off, there'll be no one to compete with her son for the family property."

Lin Ziqi's face flushed with anger. "Bah, shameless! What right does she have to covet family property? A Life Secretary is at most a live-in mistress—she gives birth to a son and starts thinking about property? Uncle Zhang must be blind!"

"Why else do you think Old Zhang regrets it? He said while drinking that if he'd known, he never would have wanted a Life Secretary at all. He could have just lived peacefully with his daughter! Housework can be done by hourly maids anyway."

"You men talk a good game," Lin Ziqi scoffed. "He's even younger than you, Dad, isn't he? I absolutely don't believe he could endure going without a woman. I heard Uncle Zhang was quite the fighter during the Maid Revolution—charging up to the Executive Committee gates, just short of hitting Ma Supervisor with a brick."

Lin Fatian really didn't know what to say about his daughter. He frowned and drank another half cup of beer, then smacked his lips. "Old Zhang's in a bind right now, so stop making sarcastic remarks."

"He can't hear my sarcastic remarks anyway. Besides, I'm not wrong." Lin Ziqi said, "Doesn't the General Affairs Office handle this? Aren't all Life Secretaries managed by the General Affairs Office?"

"How can the General Affairs Office handle this? It's a family matter!" Lin Fatian emphasized the words "family matter." "As the saying goes, even an upright official finds it hard to settle a family dispute. Besides, what can the General Affairs Office do? She hasn't done anything wrong. At most they could throw this woman out—but Old Zhang can't agree to that either. Troubled as things are, they're still a family. Once it goes to the authorities, everything becomes official business. Old Zhang can't bear to see his two children motherless!"

"In the end, it's just that Uncle Zhang is too soft." Lin Ziqi said disdainfully. "If he just toughened up a bit, would that woman dare be so arrogant? It's outrageous—Yunmi is a Senator! If Menglan acted like this, I'd whip her into submission first!"

Before she'd finished speaking, something clattered to the floor in the kitchen. Lin Ziqi turned her head impatiently. "What happened?!"

"Nothing... my hand slipped, something fell on the floor."

Lin Ziqi sneered. "If you're care-ful, nothing will happen!"

"Yes, Young Miss," Menglan replied tremulously.

Lin Fatian said disapprovingly: "Don't get carried away. Why are you taking it out on Menglan?"

Ziqi's face contorted briefly—her eyes blinking as if tears were about to fall. She covered her face and choked out: "I don't even have a little brother yet, and you already think I'm a nuisance..."

Lin Fatian panicked. "Xiaoqi, don't cry! Dad doesn't want a son! You'll always be Dad's darling daughter..."

Lin Ziqi suddenly dropped her hands and made a face. "Just kidding! Dad, don't worry. Even if that day comes, I won't put you in a difficult position."

"Don't say that..." Lin Fatian's expression was conflicted. "Dad won't let you suffer—"

"Suffer? I won't." Lin Ziqi said lightly. "I know how to handle it. I'll definitely never let you end up in Uncle Zhang's situation." Then she sneered again. "Menglan, bring out the chicken soup."

That evening, Menglan served with extra care, not even daring to sit in Lin Ziqi's presence. This made Lin Fatian shake his head repeatedly. After all, he was a modern person raised under the red flag, harboring "simple feelings for the working people." He found this kind of "lording over others" behavior quite distasteful. Compared to his daughter, who'd grown up watching palace intrigue dramas and romance novels, he was even less suited to this "hierarchical" situation.

But family dynamics were like this—if the east wind doesn't prevail over the west wind, then the west wind prevails over the east. Otherwise, the family couldn't function. So he was helpless.

Lin Ziqi read for a while before yawning and getting up to change into her nightgown. Though the environment here was beautiful with fresh air, there was no network like in the Senator apartment complex, nor were there various modern entertainment facilities. Entertainment options were extremely scarce. Lin Ziqi was already a bit tired, and with the "excursion" tomorrow, she went to bed early.

The next morning, she rose early. Lin Fatian wasn't up yet, but Menglan was already awake, and steaming hot breakfast sat on the table. After Lin Ziqi finished eating, Menglan handed her the canvas bag.

"Everything's packed," she said respectfully.

What to bring for an excursion—Lin Ziqi had already given instructions the night before. She took the bag. "I won't be back for lunch. Just save me dinner—no need to wait for me."

"Yes, Young Miss."

"Dad's off today too, so you can have a nice day together, just the two of you." Lin Ziqi smiled suddenly as she put on her woven sandals.

Menglan's face flushed red, and she didn't dare say a word.

Lin Ziqi left the farm and found the Dongfeng carriage sent by the General Affairs Office already waiting at the designated exit. Since the route to Lingao Point Park wasn't entirely within the Green Zone, and Lin Ziqi was a "minor Senator," regulations required a security escort. So the previous evening, Menglan had reported Lin Ziqi's itinerary to the General Affairs Office service point at the entrance to the residential area.

"Good morning, Miss." The Guard Company soldier standing by the carriage step saluted. His handsome face and dashing bearing made Lin Ziqi look at him several times.

"Good morning." She lifted the hem of her skirt with one hand and stepped onto the footboard.

The soldier steadied her arm at just the right moment. "Please be careful getting in," he reminded politely.

"Thank you." Lin Ziqi smiled graciously, quite enjoying this small gesture of attention.

The interior of the Dongfeng carriage was both clean and comfortable. The General Affairs Office Service Division had cleaned and redecorated the vehicle as soon as they received the itinerary the previous night: seat cushions, back cushions, and curtains all freshly washed and changed. Fresh flowers had been placed in the vase, and a faint floral fragrance perfumed the air. The cabinet had been stocked with fresh bottled mineral water; the ice bucket held chilled kvass and soda.

The carriage began rolling forward to the clip-clop of hooves. Without her having to give any instructions, the driver would naturally deliver her to her destination on time, following the route on the itinerary issued by the General Affairs Office.

The carriage body trembled slightly with the turning of wheels on the smooth road. Lin Ziqi gazed out the window. The weather was fine, and after the rain a few days ago, the air was fresh—neither cold nor hot. Perfect for an outing.

Thank you for bringing me here, Dad. Ziqi whispered to herself.

Though this spacetime had no Mercedes, no BMW, no Rolls-Royce—she was riding in a mere two-wheeled carriage—in this spacetime, those who could ride in such a carriage were more noble and more powerful than those who could afford a Mercedes or BMW in the other world.

Although Lin Ziqi had loved watching palace intrigue dramas since childhood and was obsessed with prince-and-princess Cinderella stories, she also knew very well that in the original spacetime, unless she had extraordinarily good luck, her future would inevitably be marrying a man of similar family background, the two of them scrimping and saving to pay off the mortgage, driving an "economy family car" to work—and worrying about parking problems...

Now, she was a genuine "princess," riding in a carriage with guards escorting her, with a respectful Life Secretary attending to her at home. What did those so-called "fashionable lifestyles" in fashion magazines amount to? What did buying an island amount to? Someday, she would claim Tahiti Island all for herself. Queen of Tahiti? Too ordinary. Queen Consort of Tahiti? That would require a king. How about just "Mistress"? That sounded a bit off...

The carriage took her all the way to the Flying Cloud Club at Lingao Point Park. Moored at the pier in the bay was the Feiyun, all sails set. Though this ship had been in this spacetime for nearly six years and had made several long voyages, it remained in excellent condition—clearly, the Qian family had put great effort into maintaining it.

On the beach, the coconut grove planted on D-Day had already achieved a modest scale. Beneath the trees stood three elevated thatched huts. This was the location of the Flying Cloud Club. Lin Ziqi and her classmates from the Academy had come here more than once for bonfire parties and barbecues. She had also joined children from the Selection Group for gatherings here, even singing a few songs—drawing ardent gazes from some of the older primary school boys...

But now, behind these three huts, sat a new boat cradle with a beautiful small boat resting on it. The boat wasn't large—at most five or six meters long—fitted with a very tall mast. Since there was no suitable paint for coating, it retained its natural wood color, looking very pretty against the blue sea and silver sand.

Qian Duoduo was wearing a sailor's striped shirt and canvas shorts, a stiff straw hat on her head, barefoot, carrying a tin bucket in her hand. She squatted by the boat cradle, daubing something on the hull. Seeing Lin Ziqi arrive, she set down her brush and came running over excitedly.

"Look! How do you like this boat?" She proudly waved her hand, showing off her new toy.

"This boat is really beautiful," Lin Ziqi said sincerely. Though she knew nothing about boats, this light, pretty hull with its streamlined body and straight mast immediately gave her an impression of well-proportioned beauty.

"Too bad we can't make white paint—otherwise, painted white, it would look just like a white swan!" Qian Duoduo said dreamily. Actually, by Lin Ziqi's reckoning, the boat was already beautiful enough—the hull was natural wood colored, covered with lovely wood grain patterns.

This boat had been designed and built by Qian Shuiting according to blueprints for a type of small family boat common in America. Stores there sold ready-made plans and kits for such boats, which could be assembled in one's backyard or even garage. Normally they were kept on trailer frames. Lengths ranged from 17 to 21 feet. The Qian brothers had collected quite a few blueprints and specialized reference books in electronic format when they crossed over, and had even brought a set of specialized tools.

The small boat they had built together this time was 17 feet (5.18 meters) long and 7 feet 4 inches (2.26 meters) wide. Though it looked small, a well-built boat of this type could not only sail along the coast but, with the right equipment, was even capable of ocean crossings.

"What kind of wood is this? The grain is beautiful." Lin Ziqi studied it closely.

"The deck is teak," Qian Duoduo said. "The planking is fir. As for the keel, that's Philippine mahogany. The lumber mill has so much good wood, it's almost overwhelming."

Lin Ziqi kept nodding, though in truth she couldn't tell one wood from another. She was just thinking about how no wonder Qian Duoduo's father could be Speaker. They said he could hunt in the mountains, shoot on plains, and build boats at sea, and was even a double master's degree holder... Her own father was nothing compared to him.

Truly, comparing people could make you die of envy.

"How long did it take to build?" Lin Ziqi carefully stroked the hull. "Did your father build it all by himself?"

"Just over a year, I guess. My dad and I built it together. Uncle Zhou and Second Uncle helped when they came back to Lingao. I said over a year, but really we only worked on it during holidays. Who has time otherwise?"

"You're really amazing," Lin Ziqi said sincerely. "That's so impressive."

(End of Chapter)