Chapter 40

Even Lin Yun couldn’t help but sigh — no wonder Lin Chuntian was able to make money. With his dedication to studying and improving things, he truly deserved to earn well.

It’s said that back when times were tougher, Lin Chuntian had also thought about taking risks to do something profitable. But back then, on one hand, there weren’t many suitable opportunities to try, and on the other, the local conflicts were far too intense — many people had died because of them.

It wasn’t until this year, when the political climate had relaxed a bit compared to before, and after he’d heard that people in other places had already started doing similar businesses, that he dared to give it a try. It was hard work, for sure, but the income was promising. Just look at how much better their New Year goods were this year compared to previous ones — that alone said a lot.

The last few days of 1982 were joyful for Lin Yun. Around this time, movie screenings became more frequent than usual. Even though everyone was poor, the New Year held great importance, and it allowed the children to get a few little trinkets. They were few and simple, but kids could always find ways to create their own joy with what they had.

Chinese New Year’s Eve on the lunar calendar in 1982 fell on February 13. That morning, Lin Yun hadn’t even opened her eyes yet when she started hearing the intermittent sound of firecrackers going off outside.

When she got up, Zhao Lanxiu and Lin Chuntian were already busy cooking in the kitchen. After the three children got up, Zhao Lanxiu sent them off to clean the house. Ideally, they were to clean both inside and out — though there wasn’t really much to clean, given how small the house was and how little they owned. It was mostly just dusting the tables and chairs.

The three of them chatted and joked as they cleaned. By the time they were mostly done, the reunion dinner was just about ready.

Zhao Lanxiu called them over to set the table and get the bowls and chopsticks. After laying out the dishes, the family would first offer a tribute to their ancestors. Then, Lin Chuntian went outside to light a small string of firecrackers bought especially for the New Year. Right after, he came back in and shut all the doors and windows tight — and the family finally sat down together for their reunion meal.

Compared to previous years, this year’s reunion dinner was much more bountiful. Counting it all up, they actually had ten dishes, including fish — something they rarely ever had. Fish required a lot of oil to cook, and oil was precious. The family only had a small amount for the entire year and had to use it sparingly.

Earlier, Lin Yun and the others had also brought back some grain alcohol for Lin Chuntian, so this year’s reunion dinner was truly festive and lively.

“Erya, you’ll be taking the college entrance exam next year. Do your best. Our Lin family has never had a college student before,” said Lin Chuntian first. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but he was far more talkative than usual.

Before Lin Yun could even respond, he continued, “And Yumei and Gangzi too — studying is still the best path. Just look at your eldest uncle. He’s a teacher now. Compared to someone like me, digging in the dirt to make a living, he’s living much more comfortably.” The “eldest uncle” he referred to was his older brother. Although Lin Chuntian had fled with his mother to Zhaojiawan back then, they had never completely severed ties with their family. It was just that the journey was far, so they rarely visited.

“Back then, things were tough, and not sending you to school wasn’t something we wanted to do — we just couldn’t. But now that I can earn some money, as long as you want to study, I’ll support you. Your mother and I aren’t capable of much, but if we could raise three college students, that would really bring honor to the family,” Lin Chuntian said passionately. It was obvious he’d been holding this in for a while and couldn’t stop now that he’d started.

“I know what Gangzi’s grades are like — his heart’s just not in it. But you two, if you work hard, you can have a bright future. I support you leaving this mountain valley. I just hope that when you succeed in the future, you won’t forget your younger brother.” In the end, his words circled back to Lin Yonggang.

“Dad, we understand. We’ll study hard,” Lin Yumei responded first. Lin Yun simply nodded in agreement, without saying much.

Looking at his three children, Lin Chuntian suddenly felt that in just a blink of an eye, they had all grown up. It was like he hadn’t even had time to react. Time truly flew by.

“Alright, enough. Drink a little and you lose all sense of time and place,” Zhao Lanxiu interrupted.

“I’m happy today, what’s wrong with wanting to talk?” Lin Chuntian rarely spoke to her like that.

“Yeah, Mom, let Dad talk. He usually doesn’t even have time, and we barely see him,” Lin Yonggang spoke up in his father’s defense.

“Okay, okay, you all talk. But hurry up and eat, before the dishes get cold. After we’re done, you three should take a bath early. While the weather’s still decent, I’ll wash all your clothes. Later we’ll go send the liang together.” (Note: “Sending the liang” is a New Year tradition to honor ancestors.)

The meal lasted a long time. Mostly because, by the end, everyone had opened up and started talking.

After eating and bathing, the family set off, and Lin Yun experienced what it was like to trek through the mountains.

Even during the walk, Lin Yun kept marveling at how incredible people were back then. At that time, burials were still done the traditional way — they had to carry coffins all the way through these rugged mountain roads. Lin Yun looked at the difficult path they were walking and couldn’t imagine how people managed to do it.

It took them over three hours in total to complete the trip and return home. By then, it was nearly dark.

At night, there were no real entertainment options, but there was the tradition of staying up all night — keeping vigil. Though Lin Yun and the others had never actually made it till dawn, the formality of it all was something they went through each year.

As it got too dark to see, Zhao Lanxiu lit many candles throughout the house. They were all white, and many had clearly been used in previous years. Lin Yun helped her fix them in place with wax in various rooms.

Tonight, the Lin family home was brighter than usual. After all, they normally wouldn’t light this many candles.

“I wonder when our village will finally get electricity. Sis, I read in a book that some places are bright at night — filled with lights everywhere. Is that true?”

“Yeah, big cities are usually like that.”

“And those colorful lights — are they real too?”

“Neon lights? Yeah, they’re real. If you study hard and get into college, you’ll be able to see them too.” Lin Yun took the opportunity to promote the idea of going to college again.

“Sis, what’s up with you? No matter what I ask, you always bring it back to that.”

“That’s because I’m your big sister. And the best path for you right now is to go to college.”

“I want to, really, but I’m just not good at studying… Or — hey, Sis, what do you think about me joining the army? One of my classmates’ older brothers joined.”