Chapter 3

The Gu family lived in a dilapidated courtyard built during the Republic of China, mostly occupied by ordinary folks.

The supply and marketing cooperative was located in the busiest part of Yunshui County, passing by the moat, which flowed clear and bright. It was about two to three miles away from the courtyard, and walking there and back would take over half an hour.

Usually, when the Gu family ran out of oil or salt, or other daily necessities, it was Gu Chunmei who would bring them home after work, or Gu Mancang would ride his bicycle to buy them.

Dongzi, that little rascal, was typically lazy and could hardly be motivated by his family.

But today was different!

Sister Lin Yao, or rather, sister-in-law, told him to buy a can of lotus root powder, a pound of egg cake, half a pound of salt, three bars of jasmine soap, and some small sewing supplies.

Zhang Cuilan loved drinking lotus root powder, and egg cake was Uncle Mancang’s favorite.

As for the jasmine soap, Lin Yao wanted one for Zhang Cuilan and one for Gu Chunmei.

It was quite hot now, and taking a bath with jasmine soap at night would be so refreshing.

Lin Yao didn’t touch the money Zhang Cuilan had given her. Instead, she took out ten yuan from her small pouch along with some snack and sugar vouchers to give to Dongzi, while the remaining small change was for his running errands.

Gu Shidong calculated the expenses: the soap was three dimes each, and the salt was a dime and a half per pound… Adding it up, there were still over thirty cents left!

Zhang Cuilan only gave her youngest son a dime of pocket money each week.

Hehe!

Gu Shidong jumped up excitedly, not needing Zhang Cuilan to shout at him, and scampered out of the courtyard with a bamboo basket to collect the goods.

Just then, Gu Chunmei was coming home from work, pushing her bicycle through the door. The two siblings, one looking down to lift the bike and the other secretly pleased, didn’t pay attention to their feet and almost bumped into each other, nearly falling down.

Luckily, Gu Shidong braked in time, and the little rascal immediately complained, hands on his hips, “Second Sister, why don’t you watch where you’re going? What will you give me if you bump into me?”

Gu Chunmei, twenty-two years old, was tall and slender, with a standard oval face and fair skin. Her thick braid swung to one side, and her eyebrows and eyes resembled Zhang Cuilan’s but were more delicate. At a glance, she looked like a dignified and graceful young woman.

The siblings often bickered, but Gu Chunmei wouldn’t take any nonsense from her brother. Rolling her eyes, she scoffed, “Good dogs don’t block the way. Hurry and get out of the way!”

“Hey, if I’m a dog. What about you, Second Sister?”

“I’m your great-aunt!”

“Tsk, Second Sister, that won’t do! You’re engaged, after all. If you keep acting like a tigress, you might scare off my future brother-in-law!”

Hearing her brother’s nonsense, Gu Chunmei felt both embarrassed and angry. She abandoned her bicycle and began searching for something to hit him with around the yard.

Fortunately, Gu Shidong was quick on his feet, darting up on a stone pedestal and disappearing.

Fuming, Gu Chunmei went back inside, still huffing with anger.

Zhang Cuilan came over, glanced around, and seeing nothing was wrong, went back to the kitchen to get busy.

This wasn’t anything unusual. Her second daughter and eldest son had been quarreling since they were little.

What could be more intimate than family?

She still needed to clean the pig offal in the kitchen.

As a model worker at the state-owned pig farm, Zhang Cuilan often brought home a bag of pig offal. Being a long-time employee had its perks, and she could take home things like pig stomach, heart, liver, and intestines without needing vouchers, all at prices cheaper than those in stores.

Although these pig offals were insignificant, in a courtyard where meat was scarce, they were indeed a prized possession!

Every time the Gu family improved their meals, the other women in the courtyard would look on with green eyes!

Lin Yao had been cooped up in her room for half the day and couldn’t stand it anymore. She sweetly pleaded with Zhang Cuilan and finally received permission to stroll around the yard for half an hour.

The Gu family lived at the easternmost end of the courtyard. Because Old Man Gu was an old revolutionary, when the government distributed houses back then, the Gu family, having many members, was allocated three rooms, plus a kitchen and a small storage room.

Old Man Gu and his wife lived in the largest east room, Gu Mancang and his wife occupied the west room that also served as the living room, and the three children stayed in the south room.

Later, after Old Man Gu and his wife passed away, Gu Shi’an and his siblings grew up, and the east room was given to the eldest son, which was decorated for Lin Yao’s marriage.

Unmarried daughter Gu Chunmei lived in the south room, while the youngest, Gu Shidong, who couldn’t sleep properly, snored and passed gas, was sent to the small storage room.

That little rascal didn’t mind at all and even felt that living alone was comfortable and easy.

Before the liberation, the courtyard in Yunshui County was once a private residence of wealthy families, with eaves that curved upwards and a courtyard paved with bluestone.

Zhang Cuilan loved cleanliness, and her home was spotless inside and out. She had planted canna lilies and rose bushes in the corners, and there was a small shed on the wall of the storage room, which was the Gu family’s “bathroom” during the summer.

The courtyard’s toilet was public, located on the street, with separate facilities for men and women. Each household took turns cleaning it, so it was relatively clean and sanitary.

With such a small courtyard, Lin Yao, her head wrapped in white cloth, didn’t want to wander around and draw attention to herself.

After a few minutes outside, she decided to return.

As she passed the south room, she saw Gu Chunmei looking glum. She went back inside, took out a pink silk scarf from her space supermarket, and happily entered the south room.

“Sister Chunmei.”

Gu Chunmei looked up at the sound and saw Lin Yao standing at the door, her lively figure framed by her captivating almond-shaped eyes, which sparkled with emotion and were adorned with a small beauty mark at the corner. She gazed over, enchanting and flirtatious.

However, Lin Yao was currently a patient, with a bandage still on her forehead, so Gu Chunmei hurriedly pulled her inside.

“It’s scorching hot outside! Why are you just standing at the door like a fool, baking in the sun?”

While Gu Chunmei scolded her, she quickly poured a refreshing cup of cold tea for Lin Yao.

Lin Yao dragged over a small stool, sat down, and cheerfully took a sip of the tea. “It’s really sweet. You must have added rock sugar.”

Gu Chunmei examined her wound and casually replied, “Of course! You little brat have a sweet tooth. My brother said if it’s not sweet, someone won’t drink it.”

Lin Yao: “……..”

This was all on Gu Shi’an, she wouldn’t take the blame.

Lin Yao had played with Gu Chunmei since childhood, and she was actually a year younger. Although Lin Yao was now “married” to Gu Shi’an and was Gu Chunmei’s nominal sister-in-law, they both found it a bit absurd.

Fearing that the matter of Lin Yao’s marriage would be exposed, Lin Daguo’s family insisted that Gu Shi’an and the bride have a wedding ceremony first, then register their marriage later.

This series of maneuvers meant Lin Yao and Gu Shi’an had only held a wedding ceremony without actually obtaining a marriage certificate.

According to the customs of Yunshui County, Lin Yao was considered part of the Gu family.

But what would happen next? Who could say?

In any case, Gu Chunmei still habitually referred to Lin Yao as the little girl.

Even though she was younger, she was still the little girl in Gu Chunmei’s eyes.

Gu Shian was already twenty-eight. If he wanted to pursue a younger girl, it depended on whether he had the ability to do so!

Meanwhile, Gu Shi’an, far away in the army, “…….”

After finishing her internal complaints about her older brother, Gu Chunmei checked the scar on Lin Yao’s head, confirming everything was fine.

The two sisters then settled down to chat. Lin Yao took out a pink scarf and said it was a gift for Gu Chunmei as a token for her engagement.

Gu Chunmei was pleasantly surprised, taking the scarf in her hands. It felt soft and cool to the touch, adorned with a pink plum blossom she had always liked.

“This scarf is so soft and truly beautiful! We don’t have anything like this at our supply cooperative; it must not be cheap, right?”

Although Gu Chunmei loved it, she felt embarrassed to accept it.

Lin Yao, with a serious demeanor, exaggerated, claiming it was quite inexpensive and that she was lucky to have found it at the supply and marketing cooperative. She insisted that when Chunmei wore it, she would look like a fairy descended from heaven with her rosy lips and white teeth.

Her chatter left Gu Chunmei feeling dizzy.

In the yard, Gu Mancang heard the laughter and chatter coming from the house and rubbed his hands with a smile.

Gu Chunmei was in high spirits all evening, while Gu Shidong, the mischievous little brother, braced himself for a beating as he returned home.

He peeked cautiously around the door, terrified that his older sister would suddenly come out like a furious tigress with a stick in hand.

To his surprise, Gu Chunmei was smiling throughout the evening and even uncharacteristically served him a piece of pig heart.

Gu Shidong exclaimed, “Wow, the moon must have risen in the east today!”

*

There are many thunderstorms in June. There was heavy rain in Linjia Village last night.

The muddy roads in the village were filled with puddles. Li Aifeng, Lin Daguo’s wife, was returning home from work when she accidentally stepped into a puddle, cursing in anger.

A girl from the village laughed a few times and was chased home by this rude woman, who even cursed her ancestors for eighteen generations.

The girl, barely in her twenties, was shy and nearly in tears in the yard.

Seeing this, the villagers couldn’t bear it and came over to persuade Li Aifeng, who then stormed off to her own brick house.

Speaking of which, Lin Daguo’s family was considered well-off in the village. Lin Daguo’s father worked at a furniture factory, earning a meager thirty yuan a month, plus additional income from farming with his family.

Lin Daguo’s father had managed to accumulate some savings over time.

The family’s brick house was built with the money he had earned.

The small courtyard had three main rooms, with a mud stove on the south side, and to the north was a vegetable garden they had cultivated. In the corner of the west side of the yard, they kept three hens in a coop.

In those days, country folks relied on hens to lay eggs for sustenance.

In the northern room, there hung a faded indigo cloth curtain, which belonged to Lin Hongna.

Since Lin Daguo had lost his mind and arranged for his niece to marry into the Gu family, Lin Hongna had not stepped outside for several days, eating all her meals in her room without working or doing any chores.

At home, Lin Daguo put on a fierce act, while outside he was as timid as a mouse, the other men in the village laughed at him, and he didn’t dare to make a sound in response.

Lin Daguo’s eldest son, Lin Hongwu, was a temporary worker at the light bulb factory in town, having paid a hefty sum to get in, earning eighteen yuan a month. Although he wasn’t a permanent worker, it was still better than toiling in the fields at home. He had just started seeing a girl from town and was afraid that their family’s disgrace would scare her off, so he hadn’t been home in a long time.

All the household chores relied on Li Aifeng to manage.

She had grown accustomed to being lazy. When Lin Yao was around, all the chores had been done by her, whether cooking, cleaning the yard, or feeding the chickens—she never had to lift a finger.

Now, as soon as one entered the yard, the place was filled with the smell of chicken droppings that no one bothered to clean.

Seeing that no one was in the yard, Li Aifeng stormed into the kitchen. Inside, the pots were cold and the stove unlit, and nothing was prepared. Her anger flared up suddenly, and she was about to shout.

Just then, Lin Hongna emerged from the house, yawning. As soon as she stepped outside, she bluntly asked, “Mom, what time is it? Aren’t you going to cook yet?”