Chapter 44: The Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household Celebrated with Gongs and Drums

Ji Yang patted his son’s head without saying anything.

He told him to go out and play and not disturb his mother’s sleep.

Su Ai felt she had slept a long time; when she woke up, the room was dark.

Although no one was beside her, the bed was filled with the scent of her husband and child, still lingering in her nose; Su Ai didn’t feel uncomfortable.

She ruffled her hair; it was completely dry.  She tied it up with a hair tie and followed the scent to the kitchen.

Ji Yang was cooking, and Ji Lele was tending the fire, talking to his father.

They didn’t know what they were talking about, but the child was laughing uproariously; the flickering red flames cast a warm glow on the little guy.

“Mom!”

Ji Yang was cooking while sitting in his wheelchair. Although it wasn’t convenient, he didn’t stand up; he was just slower, but he could still do the work.

“Awake?”

“The last dish is in the pot; dinner is ready.”

“Mm.” Su Ai took a deep breath: “It smells delicious.”

“Lele, push Dad to the table; Mom will serve the food.”

“Okay, Mom.”

Su Ai brought the food inside. The family of three, in the dim light of their simple mud house, looked incredibly warm.

Su Ai’s family was harmonious, but many families in the village couldn’t eat or sleep tonight.

“Su Ai came back with a cart full of things today.”

“A cart? What kind of cart?”

“One of those big carts.”

“A huge cart, food, drinks, clothes; I saw dozens of bags of clothes alone.”

“That many?”

“I guess Doctor Ji’s money is all gone.”

“When she got married, her parents asked Ji Yang for a thousand yuan; I guess Ji Yang doesn’t have much money left.”

“The children said, Ji Lele said, that Su Ai took Ji Yang to the city for surgery on his leg, and his leg is all better.”

“That shouldn’t be right; Ji Yang doesn’t have that much money.”

“He had surgery and bought so many things; maybe he got rich somewhere.  Would he tell us?”

Everyone was gossiping while eating.

“I say, Ji Yang is so unlucky.”

“To marry such a woman?”

“Who says otherwise.”

“It’s a pity.”

“Hey, how did they get rich? Can we get rich too?”

The cart full of things was astonishing, making everyone envious.

Everyone was restless, unable to eat or sleep, wanting to know how Ji Yang and Su Ai got rich.

But most people just thought about it; one family, however, was plotting against Su Ai.

A middle-aged woman tidying up the dishes said: “It’s all over the village; that girl bought a cartload of things from the department store today.”

“Forget the food and drinks; just look at the half-cart of clothes; she didn’t even bring a single piece back for us old folks.”

“That girl was raised for nothing.”

An old man sat at the door, puffing on his pipe.

A young man was beside him.

“Mom and Dad, don’t you think you asked Ji Yang for too little money? He must have a lot of money left.”

“I’ve said it before; Ji Yang and that girl have been together for a long time.”

“Otherwise, would Ji Yang be willing to spend so much money?”

“Luckily, we asked for money in time; otherwise, they might have run away.”

“That cartload of stuff is worth at least a thousand yuan.”

“Mom, they casually spent a thousand yuan on some things. How much money do they have at home? It must be several thousand!”

The man’s eyes lit up.

“Xiaoxiu said that if I want to marry her, I have to give her the ‘three turns and one ring’. I’m already 20; if I don’t marry Xiaoxiu soon, I’ll become an old bachelor.”

“And many people like Xiaoxiu. If someone else marries her, I won’t marry anyone else in my life. You just wait for the Lao Su family to die out!”

Slap!

The man at the door slapped the door.

“Nonsense!”

“What dying out? If you talk nonsense again, I’ll beat you to death!”

The young man didn’t speak anymore, but his expression clearly showed his dissatisfaction.

Then no one spoke. After a long while, the man tapped his finished cigarette on the ground.

“Go see the children tomorrow. They’ve never done any housework; will they be able to tidy up after buying so many things?”

“Isn’t Ji Yang’s leg injured?”

“Take some things there and help out, take care of Ji Yang.”

“Give your daughter a hand.”

As soon as these words came out, the mother and son in the house’s eyes lit up.

“Okay~”

“Okay, I’ll go early tomorrow morning.”

“Wait a minute, Mom. Xiaoxiu said she’s coming tomorrow; you should go the day after tomorrow.”

“Besides, she just bought things back today. If you go tomorrow, she’ll know what we’re doing. It’s better to go after two days.”

“It’s just the three of them; how much food can they eat?”

“They definitely won’t be able to finish it all.”

“Okay!”

Without Su Ai’s knowledge, those things seemed to have become theirs.

Two or three peaceful days passed. Su Ai slept until she woke up naturally every day. Since Ji Yang had the wheelchair, he didn’t need Su Ai to help him wash up or use the toilet anymore.

He did it all himself.

He even got up earlier than Su Ai. Every time Su Ai woke up, the hot water was ready, and the porridge was cooked.

Su Ai only needed to stir-fry a couple of dishes.

Sometimes, the vegetables were already chopped.

Su Ai chatted with her husband while cooking. After eating, she helped her husband with his rehabilitation, walking and eating tofu.

Then she cooked, ate, and tidied up the house in the afternoon.

Lele ran out every day and wasn’t home for a moment.

Su Ai and Ji Yang went out every day. Besides seeing patients, Ji Yang worked for a while and dealt with villagers who subtly inquired about how they made their money. Their life was peaceful and harmonious.

While walking with Ji Yang in the morning, they heard the sound of gongs and drums outside.

“What’s that sound?”

Su Ai suddenly remembered the red flower ceremony and realized she hadn’t told Ji Yang yet.

They must be here.

Su Ai quickly told Ji Yang: “I deposited the ten thousand yuan I earned from setting up a stall in the city a few days ago.”

“They celebrate ‘ten-thousand-yuan households’ with red flowers, gongs, and drums.”

This was a characteristic of this era, to encourage people to go out and make money, to set an example, to make others envious, and once envious, they would follow suit. Gradually, the economy would improve, and people would quickly get rid of the shadows of the past few years.

This was one of the government’s policies.

“Then quickly open the door.” Although he only found out about this big event a few days later, Ji Yang didn’t blame her but told Su Ai to hurry.

He sat in his wheelchair, and as soon as Su Ai opened the door, she saw Ji Lele leading the people, followed by gongs, drums, red flowers, and a plaque.