Chapter 142: 1975

On the first day of the Lunar New Year in 1975, Xu Mo got up early. Today, his Grandpa Qi was going to take him into the city to have some fun.

Xu Ning helped him put on a thick cotton jacket and gave him fifty cents to buy some candied hawthorn. Xu An also handed him another fifty cents.

He happily accepted the money and patted his pocket, feeling the New Year’s gifts that several elders had given him yesterday.

Today, Xiao Wang and San Dan were also going to the city with their families.

He planned to buy several candied hawthorn, one for each of his brothers, and another for his sister, second brother, and the elders at home.

Xu Ning turned to Xu An and said, “Xiao An, why don’t you go into the city and have some fun too? There’s not much to do at home, and you’ve been cooped up all winter.”

Xu An asked, “Sister, will you be alright staying home by yourself?”

“What’s wrong with that? There’s plenty of food at home, and I don’t like going out. I’ll just stay here. You should go have fun with Jianmin and Da Lin! Enjoy your day,” Xu Ning said.

When Xu Mo came back in the evening, he brought two sticks of candied hawthorn and said, “Sister, second brother, these are for you. Hurry and eat! They’re so delicious—sweet and sour!”

Xu Ning took one and asked, “Did you spend all the money I gave you today?”

Xu Mo shook his head and replied, “Sister, I didn’t spend any money today. It was all bought by Grandpa Qi. He told me to save my New Year’s money for when I get married in the future.”

Xu An almost spit out the water he was drinking and asked, “Why are you thinking about getting married every day?”

Xu Mo shot him a glare and ignored him. He turned to Xu Ning and asked with a smile, “Sister, are the candied hawthorns tasty? Second brother doesn’t like them, so I brought these back for you and the little nephew.”

Seeing Xu Mo take the candied hawthorns he received and give them to Xu Ning, Xu An thought helplessly to himself that this kid was too petty.

In April, the village was getting ready for spring planting, and by this time, Xu Ning was already six months pregnant. Her belly looked almost ready for delivery.

Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu had confirmed that she was having twins.

The adults were all quite nervous, not allowing her to do any work at all. After meals, they encouraged her to walk around in the yard.

Lu Xiaotang wrote her a letter every week, reminding her not to do any farm work, promising he would be back soon.

He even personally wrote a letter to the village chief, asking him not to assign her any labor.

Xu Ning felt a bit worried herself. This was her first pregnancy, and it was twins. She was both excited and anxious.

On Saturday, when Xu An returned home from school, he brought all his luggage with him.

Xu Ning was surprised and asked, “Xiao An, what happened? Why did you bring your quilt back?”

Xu An smiled and said, “Sister, nothing happened. I’ve finished all the material in our textbooks. I discussed it with the teacher, and they agreed that I could take the exam in two months.”

“Xiao An, there’s no need for that. I’m fine at home; you should continue going to school,” Xu Ning replied.

Xu An insisted, “Sister, I’ve already learned everything. Staying at school would just be a waste of time.

Xiao Mo is about to have his farming break, so he can stay home with you while I go to work.”

The adults had also discussed this. Since the house was far from the village, they were worried about her being alone at home. In case something happened, it would be difficult to call for help. So they decided that Xiao Mo wouldn’t work this year and would stay home to accompany her and help with the cooking.

Xu Ning realized that he hadn’t consulted her before bringing his things back. He was clearly trying to avoid any opposition from her.

Xiao Mo cooked for his sister every day and, following Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu’s instructions, helped her exercise in the yard.

San Dan and Xiao Wang didn’t see Xu Mo going to work, so they ran to ask Father Xu and Mother Xu.

Father Xu laughed and said, “Grandpa Qi has been having some leg trouble these past few days, so he asked Xiao Mo to stay home and help feed the cows, which is why he hasn’t gone to work.”

The two children returned home disappointed.

Feeling bored at home, Xu Ning picked up a hoe, intending to till her garden plot.

Seeing this, Xu Mo rushed over and said, “Sister, what are you doing with that hoe? You shouldn’t be working! Go sit down and rest; I don’t want to tire out my little nephew.”

Xu An, amused by Xu Mo’s fussiness, said, “Xiao Mo, really, she’s fine. Look at the sisters in the village; even when they’re pregnant, they still work in the fields. And you won’t even let her cook a meal!”

Xu Mo replied, “Sister, you can’t compare yourself to them. They’re having one child, but you’re having two! You definitely can’t work in the fields. Go sit inside and be obedient. I’ll cook you some meat for lunch.”

Xu Ning found his words both amusing and frustrating, so she put the hoe down and decided to wait until Xu An returned in the afternoon to dig.

Xu Mo was busy as well. He first prepared meals for his sister and second brother, then ran to the cattle shed to cook for the others, all while keeping an eye on his sister to ensure she was moving around in the yard.

When Xu An returned in the afternoon, Xu Mo went back to the cattle shed, knowing that the people from the youth camp would be finishing work soon, and he didn’t want to be seen by them.

Xu An noticed a small patch of soil that had been dug and asked, “Sister, did you do this? Didn’t we say you should rest? Why are you digging?”

Xu Ning sighed, “This isn’t my doing. It was Xiao Mo who dug it. He won’t let me do anything; he just wants me to sit there.”

Xu An laughed and said, “That kid, aside from being a little greedy, is quite reliable in other ways.”

Xu Ning then remembered some of Xu Mo’s antics from last winter.

“Have you asked Uncle Dashuan when he’s going to his house to pick up the vegetable seedlings?” she inquired.

“I asked. Uncle Dashuan said the vegetable seedlings will be ready to pull up in a couple of days. I plan to go get them right after work tomorrow so we can plant them early,” Xu An replied.

After dinner, Father Xu and Uncle Lu quietly came over with hoes and soon joined Xu An and the others to finish digging the two acres of land.

After locking the door, Xu An said, “Sister, while we were digging, I heard some noise coming from the youth compound. I wonder what they’re up to now.”

Xu Ning laughed and said, “There aren’t many people left in the commune now. The ones who cause trouble are just those few. Don’t worry about it too much; we’ve worked hard all day. Let’s get to bed early.”

What she didn’t know was that this time, no one was causing trouble—Yang Xiaomei had given birth.

Early in the morning, Sun Hao came over to tell her that Yang Xiaomei had a baby girl last night.

Xu Ning was very happy for her. She gathered some eggs and brown sugar and, with her big belly, made her way to the youth compound to visit her.

When Wei Lanlan saw her, she exclaimed in surprise, “I haven’t seen you for just a few days, but your belly looks even bigger! It’s way larger than mine when I was pregnant. How many are you having?”

Xu Ning laughed and said, “The doctor told me during my last checkup that it’s two.”

As they talked, they walked toward Yang Xiaomei’s room, where she was sitting on the kang eating.

Upon seeing them, Yang Xiaomei boasted, “Come and see how beautiful my daughter is!”

They walked over to look at the baby swaddled in blankets, who resembled a little monkey, making it impossible to judge her beauty.

Wei Lanlan teased, “You really know how to brag! She’s so tiny; how can you tell anything?”

Yang Xiaomei was not pleased and replied, “How can you say that? She’s adorable! Just look at her; she’s like a little monkey!”

The two burst into laughter. To be honest, that comparison was quite fitting.