A century of poverty

Chapter 89 Succession?

At night, we weave nets facing the window.

After warming my feet under the mattress, they became unbearably itchy. I scratched and rubbed them for a while, then took off my socks and saw they were red and swollen: "My feet are frostbitten; I have to sweep the frostbitten floor during the day."

"Hmm," Zhiqiang hummed through his nose.

The next morning, after washing the dishes and emptying the swill bucket into the roadside ditch, I watched my great-aunt and Xiao Xing go to my fifth uncle's house. Turning around, my fifth aunt was already there, carrying a large cardboard box wrapped in transparent plastic.

"Auntie Wu is here early!" I said hurriedly.

"You've come early! We'll go to the market later, or there won't be any good spots left." He said, then strode inside.

Fifth Aunt was impatient, short, with small eyes, and spoke quickly.

"Mom! My fifth aunt is here." I called out as she came into the outer room.

Aunt Wu went into the west room, and I went back to the east room, dusted off the dust, swept the floor, and then went with Zhiqiang to roll up the straw mat.

After we finished rolling up the straw mat, my great-uncle and great-aunt, who lived at Wu Family Farm, arrived with their daughter, Siya. Siya was wearing a nearly new green stand-up collar "female military uniform" trousers. My great-uncle and great-aunt were short and stocky, and they came in wearing ordinary old clothes.

We welcomed her into the house and led her to the kang (a heated brick bed). After my great-aunt sat down on the kang, she looked at me standing on the ground and smiled broadly.

"Tsk tsk"—making a clicking sound with the tongue in the mouth.

Mother-in-law: "Your aunt is praising you, saying you're good-looking!"

"Oh!" I smiled and shook my head. It turned out that my aunt was deaf and mute.

The door to the outer room creaked open, and I went out to greet them. It was Wang Ge, the tofu seller from our village, and his father. "You're all here? We're close by, but we're still late. Little Wang Ge came as soon as he sold out of tofu and hadn't even had time to change his shoes." Sure enough, Wang Ge was wearing a neat set of civilian clothes and a pair of "big-headed shoes" that were several sizes too big.

Aunt Wu replied, "It's alright. Everyone knows that once the beans are soaked, they have to be cooked and sold. Everyone understands this. This is my sister-in-law's niece, Siya. I think she and Wang Ge are a good match. Today, I'll play matchmaker and let the two girls meet. The adults can also give their opinions. Once they've decided on a relationship, you'll all know what to do next. Hehe—hehe—" She then laughed first.

Wang Ge's father, who had been expressionless, smiled slightly in agreement.

Just then, her older sister-in-law, dressed in a police uniform, pushed a khaki-colored bicycle to the window and came in. She glanced around, nodded to her uncle and aunt as a greeting.

"You all stay here, I have to go!" With that, Aunt Wu picked up her large suitcase and walked out.

I saw her out, and when I got to the door, Siya also came out.

"How's this child?" Aunt Wu asked, looking at Siya.

Siya: "I don't know either, let's ask my parents!"

"Oh, it's quite cold, hurry back inside." After crossing the small bridge at the gate, Aunt Wu walked briskly into the street. Back inside, Wang Ge's father stood up from the edge of the kang (heated brick bed): "I'm leaving too, it's getting late!"

"How is it?" the mother-in-law asked.

Wang Ge's father: "If the children agree, I have no objection!"

"If Wang Ge has no objections, then he can stay for a while," the eldest sister-in-law said.

Wang Ge did not leave; he stayed.

My great-uncle got off the kang (heated brick bed) to put on his shoes, and my great-aunt followed suit. My mother-in-law asked, "What are you doing? Where are you going?"

Uncle: "We don't have time either, it's the dead of winter, let alone going to the market."

The father-in-law urged them to stay, saying, "Go ahead and buy whatever you want. We'll have dinner ready and wait for you. Come back and eat when you're done shopping."

"Wang Ge accompanied them, wandering around and keeping an eye on things. When they were done, they came back with a bunch of stuff," the eldest sister-in-law said.

The group came out and walked towards the street.

After seeing them off and returning to the house, the eldest sister-in-law leaned against the trunk, arms crossed, her face stern. Looking at her mother sitting on the kang (heated brick bed), she glared at her mother, revealing her neat white teeth, and launched into a tirade: "Just stay put and take care of yourself! You can't run errands, yet you dragged my fifth aunt into this mess. Why are you bringing this up? You don't care if others have work or not, you just come whenever they call! If they do well, it's their own ability; if they don't, you'll just end up with a lot of complaints. You're just bored and have nothing better to do than act on a whim..."

The mother-in-law sat on the mattress, head bowed, at a loss. She shifted slightly and whispered, "Is it a good thing that I'm not in a good mood?"

Eldest sister-in-law: "Good thing! I wonder whose good thing this is. Meddling in other people's business always gets you into trouble. What's so good about you? What's so good about it?"

The mother-in-law had stopped eating. Her hands were tucked under her thighs, looking lost and confused. Her brows were furrowed, as if she were in sorrow or pain.

Before dinner, my great-uncle returned, but my great-aunt and Si-ya went home. Wang Ge didn't come either.

The father-in-law asked the uncle, "Why didn't she and her daughter come? How's Siya's situation?"

Uncle: "Why come if you're not going back? I'll just come! What will happen to the family if no one goes back? Damn it, the two kids have no objection to Siya's situation, but I don't really like Wang Ge."

Mother-in-law: "This child has a good physique. He might be a bit short, which might make him tough. He's been making tofu for years and also raises pigs. He's hardworking. I've taken a liking to him."

The uncle said, "If you've chosen her, then she's chosen. You're her aunt, so she won't mess with her. She trusts you!"

My great-uncle was not tall to begin with, and his hunched back made him look even shorter. Decades of hardship had etched deep wrinkles onto his face, and his hands were cracked and bleeding from the winter wind, which were taped back together with white tape.

The dinner table was placed next to my mother-in-law's mattress, with her occupying one side by herself, while my uncle and father-in-law sat opposite her.

On the table were a plate of braised pig's head, a plate of peanuts, a plate of pig's ears, and a small bowl of braised pork with pickled cabbage and vermicelli. Father-in-law was in a good mood today; a seven-qian glass wine cup was placed in front of the two of them, and he cheerfully filled both cups.

At this moment, the mother-in-law took out an identical wine cup from beside her pillow: "Pour some for me too." The father-in-law poured half a cup into her cup. She turned around and leaned close to her brother-in-law: "Come on! Let's drink this together," she said, tilting her head back and downing the cup of wine in one gulp, then turning the wine cup upside down and holding it up for her brother-in-law to see.

"Drink slowly, why rush?" Uncle-in-law was reaching for food with his chopsticks.

The father-in-law remained silent, squinting at his uncle's wine cup.

The great-uncle picked up the wine cup and said, "I'll drink it twice." He then drank half of the cup and put it down.

Father-in-law: "Who is this person? Who is this person? You did the job but you didn't! You're no good!"

Uncle: "If you're willing to do it yourself, don't tell me."

Father-in-law: "Huh? What's wrong? Something's not right. Go ahead and eat." As he spoke, he picked up a piece of pig's head meat with his chopsticks and put it into his brother-in-law's bowl.

"Why are you putting this on my plate? Leave some for others! I can take what I need, so don't put any more on my plate." The great-uncle put the bowl under the table. "Aren't you going to let me eat anything else?"

"You—you just don't know what's good for you."

"I don't know what's good or bad, you know that!"

Several rounds passed.

Father-in-law, take the wine pot and pour wine for Uncle-in-law. Uncle-in-law holds the wine cup in his hand and turns to the other side.

The father-in-law had no choice but to put down the wine jug: "If you won't let me pour the wine, listen to me. You're not too happy about Wang Ge's situation today. This place is a hundred times better than yours. Just look at my house and compare it to yours!"

Uncle: "No matter what, we all get by. Generations of us have lived like this for years, and no one has starved to death, and no one's son has remained a bachelor."

Father-in-law: "They're still not convinced. Our eldest son became a railway worker when the railway came to recruit. The second son, with nine years of education, worked in supply and marketing with only one eye; many people were envious. The third son, needless to say, was chosen by the recruiters, served for three years, and was assigned a job upon returning. He even found a wife who had her own job; both of them are regular workers. The fourth son doesn't like going to work; he won't go when asked to take over his shift, so his wife takes over during the Lunar New Year."

Huh? Look at this...

You're still not happy about Wang Ge? What are you talking about? What do you know? Don't you even look at where you are?

You can't compare to the land my daughters-in-law married. My eldest daughter-in-law's family was incredibly well-off back in her day; her father practically begged for it, and everything was provided perfectly. Her two aunts bought her Nanjing-style trousers and a mud-covered jacket from Beijing.

The second son, despite his shortcomings, has a wife who's quite good. Not only did they pay double the dowry, but they also brought his whole family to the suburbs. He won't go to any jobs he's unhappy with! They let his eldest daughter-in-law go. Both of them have jobs now. As for the third son, well, I won't say more. You've seen the fourth son's wife; she's beautiful, capable, hardworking, and doesn't complain much. She's one in a hundred. She even went back to work during the Lunar New Year.

Look at our group, we've secured this spot, haven't we? Spot, spot, don't you understand?

Uncle: "I don't understand, but you do. You've been an official your whole life and never left this place—Qiaotou Village—and you're still just a deputy. Back in the day, I was an soldier and went to the battlefield. I've seen the world! If I hadn't come back, I could have become a company commander or platoon leader."

"Here, keep 'wah, wah, wah' with me—"

Father-in-law: "Give me a break. How can you be so talkative? You're useless at everything and still refuse to admit defeat."

"Give me the wine cup, let's drink some more." He reached for the wine cup in his brother-in-law's hand. The uncle wouldn't let go, and the two rolled and wrestled together on the kang (heated brick bed), constantly saying "You...you..."

They talked in circles, babbling on and on, until they fell asleep and the argument stopped.

The next day, after her great-uncle left, the old woman sat on the mattress, picked up a piece of sheet, and twirled it: "Make a sheet for your father with this. You can put it on. It's like eating food, so wasteful!"

"Oh," I replied, and went to the door leading into the inner room, opened the sewing machine, pulled over a chair, and started sewing.

After rolling, use your finger to smooth the seam on the machine. Just then, you can hear the front door of the outer room open, and the clatter of high heels entering the room.

Mother-in-law: "I cut you some chives, don't forget to take them with you when you leave."

I turned around: "Is your older sister here?"

"Um!"

The newcomer had long, permed, flowing hair, her face was covered in thick face powder, and her lips were bright red. She wore red high heels with black cropped trousers, the crease perfectly straight. She wore a newly made, unbuttoned peaked coat and a purple wool overcoat. She looked at herself in the mirror, left and right, then twisted her neck to look behind her, patting herself down with her hand. Turning back, she fidgeted with the front of her coat, wondering where to sew the buttons. "Does being a little chubby or a little thin look better?"

Mother-in-law: "She's got energy; she looks good whether she's thin or fat!"

I replied, "It looks great! Are the clothes new?"

"Yes, it was done by Second Sister's mother. Old Mrs. He is a famous tailor in the neighborhood. She doesn't usually do it for people at the end of the year," said Su Zhichun, the third sister-in-law, proudly tugging at the hem of her clothes.

"I got my paycheck today, 2,700 yuan a year. What am I going to do with it? I bought everything for the New Year," my third aunt said proudly.

Mother-in-law: "That's quite a lot! The money Xiao Lei earns from selling sofas is enough for you to live on for a year!"

"Hmm! What about the flowers I can't spend, or my leftovers?" After saying that, she looked in the mirror and fiddled with the curls behind her ears. Then she turned around, lifted her leg, and patted the straight crease of her pants.

"Hehe," she chuckled smugly. After her display of pride, her vanity was greatly satisfied, and she walked away with light steps.

Before getting married, Su Zhichun worked as the brigade accountant and fell in love with Su Lei, a farmer from the same brigade, and they married. After the implementation of the household responsibility system, Su Lei abandoned farming and started making sofas. She continued working as the brigade accountant, a relaxed and respectable job with a stable income.

After marriage, four rooms were built in the backyard of the bride's parents' home, facing the road. Half of them were lived in and the other half were sold. The cost of the sold half was covered by the cost of the four rooms, and the half that was lived in was left unused.

Therefore, her economic conditions have always been relatively good. In addition, she lives with her parents' family and is also involved in work, so she is high-profile and fashionable.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the current manager of the "Prefabricated Parts Plant," Chang Hung-chuan, came to pay New Year's greetings to the former manager of the "Prefabricated Parts Plant," Su Chi-cheng.

Zhang Hongquan sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), and his father-in-law pointed at me: "Let Sixteen go to work and take over my job, what do you think?"

Zhang Hongquan: "Great! Absolutely fantastic!"

I was overjoyed; it was approved. What more could I say? I quickly bowed to Director Zhang and said, "Thank you, Director Zhang."

On the morning of the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, we had just rolled up a piece of straw mat when my father-in-law went into the shed to cut chives. Xiao Kai also took a small stool and went in to tie them up. After we finished rolling them up, we immediately went into the shed to tie up the chives as well.

The greenhouse was filled with dampness in the morning, and the tips of the chives were topped with glistening dewdrops. The clouds covered the ground, forming a vast expanse that did not expose the earth, all facing the same direction, creating a spectacular sight.

It's hard to bring oneself to harvest it, but after all, it's not for sightseeing; the purpose of tending the land is to reap the harvest.

My father-in-law had already harvested several times. We put down our stools, went to the entrance of the shed, grabbed a bundle of straw, and tied it up. A little while later, the shed door opened, and my second sister-in-law, Su Zhiqian, came in, carrying an iron frame, which she placed on the edge of the ridge.

He looked at each of us bundling the chives, squatted down next to Xiao Kai, took a straw and demonstrated while saying, "You have to bundle them properly, make sure they're neat, hey—bundle them tight, they'll look nice and sell better."

Xiao Kai: "Why are you saying so much? You're saying I didn't bundle the chives well? If I didn't bundle them well, they won't sell well? Whether they sell well or not depends on the quality of the chives! I'm not bundling them anymore." Saying that, he stood up, went to the shed door, opened the door, and crouched down to go out.

"Come back! Look, oh dear, they told me not to say anything, and they've already left." The second aunt said as she stacked bundles of chives into an iron frame.

"Qinglian, your second sister will take you to sell chives."

"Selling chives? I've never sold anything."

Second sister: "Selling vegetables is so much fun! I'll take you there, you can watch me sell them, I guarantee you'll love it."

Seeing that my two older sisters-in-law insisted on taking me along, I couldn't really say anything.