Chapter 35

In the peak of summer, by 7 or 8 in the morning, the sun was already high in the sky. Outside, the leaves curled in the wind, and the air was filled with the loud, frantic chirping of cicadas.

Lin Yao woke up early to pull Gu Chunmei out of bed. She was so tired that her eyelids kept drooping, and at this moment, she was leaning on the table, trying to catch a bit of sleep.

Zhang Cuilan had finished getting ready and came over with a net bag to hurry her along. “Yao Yao, it’s time to go. How can you be so sleepy?”

Gu Shidong also came to urge her. “Sister-in-law, the jeep is waiting outside the alley. Don’t you want to ride in the big car?”

Lin Yao obediently stood up, wiped her tears away, and her bright eyes shimmered with a touch of pink.

Gu Chunmei leaned over and teased her. “Are you getting up or not? If you can’t, I’ll help you.”

Lin Yao pushed her aside. “Go away. Isn’t Da Tou Brother going to the countryside for a task today?”

When she mentioned this, Gu Chunmei rarely became shy. “He’s waiting at the alley entrance!”

It was quite absurd—why would he insist on tagging along to her grandmother’s birthday when it had nothing to do with him? He just had to use his countryside task as an excuse.

Lin Yao smiled, her eyes curving as she teased. “Oh, Da Tou Brother isn’t even married yet, and he’s already so clingy. There’s a saying, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder.’ For Da Tou Brother, it’s not just a matter of a few days—it’s like a few seasons apart.”

Gu Chunmei playfully chased after her, both laughing as they ran through the yard, finally meeting and hugging each other in a joyful embrace.

Zhang Cuilan saw this and scolded them with a smile. “You two are grown-ups, yet still messing around. We won’t get going at this rate. Hurry up and lock the door, or we’ll miss your grandmother’s birthday.”

The sisters listened obediently, returned to their rooms to grab their bags, and locked the doors behind them.

At the entrance of the courtyard, a military-green jeep was parked outside. In those days, cars were still rare in the county, and the people from the nearby alleys gathered to take a look, with the children running alongside the car, laughing and shouting.

Grandma Sun squinted and peered at the car window. “Xiangqian, is this the four-wheeled carriage that the foreigners used to drive?”

“No, Grandma Sun, this is a car.”

“A car? What’s that? Isn’t it just like the four-wheeled carriage?”

Xu Xiangqian sighed. “Why does it get more confusing the more we talk about it?”

While Da Tou Brother and Grandma Sun debated, the onlookers were marveling at the jeep.

“Wow, the Gu family is really shining now! Mancang and his wife are riding in a car used by big leaders.”

“Having a good son is key. When the son succeeds, the parents benefit. If you look at someone else’s daughter…”

“Don’t talk nonsense. There are plenty of sons in this alley. How many are as impressive as the Gu family? It’s all fate, destined from past lives.”

As the gossip continued, the crowd gradually dispersed, with everyone hurrying off to work as the time ticked by.

Xu Xiangqian finally gave in to Grandma Sun’s insistence and admitted that the jeep was indeed like the foreigner’s four-wheeled carriage.

Grandma Sun, shaking her head, walked back home.

Hastily, Xu Xiangqian opened the door and climbed into the car, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Seeing Gu Shi’an placing a bamboo mat on the back seat, he couldn’t help but be puzzled. “Old Gu, why are you putting a bamboo mat back there?”

Gu Shi’an gave him a glance, then tilted his head slightly, measuring him up. “You sit in the front seat later, don’t go to the back.”

Xu Xiangqian was shocked. “Why? I get car sick! What if I throw up in the front seat?”

Gu Shi’an tossed him a nylon bag. “Then get out, throw up, and come back.”

“Yao Yao didn’t sleep well last night. Don’t make her uncomfortable.”

Then, Deputy Director Gu pulled out a small pillow and placed it on the back seat, adding a blanket as well.

Xu Xiangqian glanced between the bamboo mat and Gu Shi’an, his expression turning speechless. After a long pause, he finally managed to say:

“Old Gu, you really are something.”

No one had ever spoiled their wife this much before.

When the Gu family finally got into the car, Da Tou Brother realized just how low his status was in the family.

As soon as Lin Yao sat down, she curled up with the blanket and fell sound asleep. Dongzi waved a fan beside her, while Chunmei, not even glancing at him, held onto a packet of hawthorn candy like a treasure.

Along the way, Xu Xiangqian, feeling hungry, thought about grabbing some hawthorn candy. As his hand reached for it, Gu Chunmei slapped it away.

“That’s for Yao Yao! It’s not for you!”

“…”

On the road, Da Tou Brother quickly understood his place in the Gu family.

After a brief thunderstorm in the countryside, the jeep bumped along the mountain road, splashing thick mud, which coated the tires in yellow clay.

After bouncing for more than half an hour, the Gu family finally arrived at Hongqi Commune.

At the end of August, it was time to harvest corn in the countryside. The strong laborers in Hongqi Commune had all gone to the fields to work.

At the old Zhang family home, only Grandma Zhang was there. Eldest Uncle Zhang and Second Uncle Zhang, had a close bond and never split up, so the entire family still lived in the old house.

The old house was rebuilt on the base of the original home.

The Zhang family was large, and their house was equally big, a row of mud-brick houses lined up side by side. The walls inside were made of mud, and the outside was covered in white lime. The eaves were covered with a mix of straw and clay bricks, and several long strands of garlic were hanging under the eaves. In the courtyard, fish and mushrooms were neatly laid out on drying racks.

On the north side of the yard was a grass hut with a mud stove. The smoke had blackened the walls, and next to it, stacks of firewood were piled high. Further north was a well, with a rusty iron wheel, showing its age. On the west side of the yard, there was a vegetable garden, and next to it, a food cellar.

Near the cellar was a chicken coop with seven or eight hens clucking away.

Lin Yao took a curious look and sighed in her heart that starting next year, each household would only be allowed to raise three chickens. If they raised more, it would be considered cutting off their capitalist tail.

On the wall of the Zhang family’s living room hung a picture of Chairman Mao. There was an old, slightly worn red lacquered Eight Immortals table with two Eight Immortals chairs beside it. Grandma Zhang, with her white hair tied up in a small bun, wore a faded blue cloth dress and black cloth shoes. She had neatly arranged herself, with clean nails, showing that she was a tidy person.

Grandma Zhang, who hadn’t seen her daughter’s family in a long time, smiled widely, her toothless mouth stretched into a grin as she held the hands of her grandchildren.

“Xiao Dongzi, come here and let Grandma see. You’ve grown taller, how’s school? Don’t end up like before, always getting zeroes. A boy should learn well, otherwise, how will he support a family in the future?” she said.

“My Chunmei has become more beautiful! This is my grandson-in-law, he looks really sharp!”

“Oh, my eldest grandson has come, he’s become a police officer! Good, very good, he’s catching bad guys with my grandson-in-law. This beautiful girl is my granddaughter-in-law? Oh, she’s so pretty, just like a fairy from a painting!”

This was the first time Grandma Zhang met her granddaughter-in-law, and her joy was beyond words. She fumbled through her handkerchief and pulled out a yuan to give to Lin Yao.

“Good girl, take it from Grandma.”

Lin Yao smiled as she accepted it. Then she took out a neatly folded wool vest and gloves from her small bag. Originally, she had planned to knit a sweater and pants for her grandmother, but when Gu Shi’an reminded her that Grandma lived in the countryside and used a heated clay bed in winter, she decided it would be better to knit a wool vest instead, which could be worn under a cotton coat.

Lin Yao changed her plan and unraveled the sweater she had started, re-knitting it into a vest. The remaining yarn was used to make gloves for her grandmother. With her clever hands, she added a row of wooden buttons to the vest, making it easier to wear directly over the cotton coat.

Grandma Zhang had never worn such a comfortable wool vest in her life. She couldn’t put it down, feeling the soft fabric and marveling at how comfortable it was.

The eldest aunt and second aunt, who had heard the news and returned, were also holding the woolen vest, constantly praising Lin Yao for her craftsmanship, calling her a thoughtful and good child.

“Look at our mother today, she looks so spirited, just like the city women,” one of them remarked.

“Our mother has always been fashionable,” another replied.

“Grandma’s skin is so fair and beautiful,” said one of the children.

The children of the family showered compliments on their grandmother, and Grandma Zhang couldn’t have been happier on her birthday.

Zhang Cuilan, feeling content, smiled radiantly, her face glowing with satisfaction.

Grandma Zhang changed into the new clothes made by her daughter and walked proudly to the village to show off to her old friends.

Eldest Uncle Zhang and Second Uncle Zhang were smoking their pipes and smiling happily at the side.

The Zhang family didn’t go to the village canteen for lunch. Second Uncle Zhang brought a fat rabbit, and Eldest Uncle Zhang killed the old hen from their home, along with some homegrown vegetables.

At noon, the family had a lively meal. At the table, the eldest uncle and aunt, the second uncle and aunt, and several cousins ​​kept picking up dishes for Lin Yao.

Da Tou Brother, on the other hand, had to sadly serve himself.

Lin Yao tugged at Gu Shi’an’s sleeve with a pouting face, silently asking for help.

Gu Shi’an smiled, and when the table was busy, he quietly swapped their plates.

Lin Yao breathed a sigh of relief.

After the meal, Lin Yao didn’t act spoiled. She washed the dishes, swept the floor, and Eldest Aunt couldn’t help but nod approvingly.

Eldest Aunt had seen Lin Yao a couple of times before, and back then, she had seemed shy and looked like a pampered young lady.

In the countryside, when a man married, it was expected that the wife could handle the work and endure hardship. A pampered girl, aside from her pretty face, was not much use. Beauty couldn’t put food on the table.

Eldest Aunt was a capable woman herself. She had given birth to two sons, and when she was eight months pregnant with her first, she was still planting rice in the fields. After giving birth, she carried her baby in a bamboo basket while she went to collect firewood. Her second child had even been born in the fields. This was how she had lived her life, and she was familiar with every aspect of farm work.

The villagers often praised Eldest Aunt for being hardworking. They would say, “Eldest Uncle Zhang is a good man, and his wife is no less than a hero. In this new society, women can hold up half the sky.”

Eldest Aunt had realized something important over the years. The daughter-in-law of a family wasn’t just valued for her farming skills. Like Dongzi had said, his sister-in-law was cultured, beautiful, could make delicious pastries, sew clothes, and knit sweaters. This was a different kind of capability, one that was just as important.

Although Eldest Aunt didn’t understand the complicated terms, she appreciated how Lin Yao was respectful to her elders and didn’t act pretentious. It was okay if she was a little delicate; after all, who else could knit a sweater more fashionable than those sold in the city? That was a skill too!

Eldest Aunt, having come to this realization, sincerely praised Lin Yao for being a good girl.

Zhang Cuilan raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Oh, what’s gotten into you today, sister-in-law? You used to think so little of Yao Yao, calling her a fragile girl. Now you’re actually saying something nice. That’s a big change.”

In the afternoon, Xu Xiangqian drove the jeep to the town for a task, and in the evening, he came to pick up the Gu family.

Second Uncle Zhang picked a basket of tender corn from his land and brought it home to cook.

The fresh corn was sweet and juicy, and Lin Yao ate one and a half ears. The rest, she couldn’t finish, so she gave them to Gu Shi’an.

After eating and drinking, she felt sleepy. Lin Yao wanted to find a place to take a nap, but since there were many people sleeping on the heated bed, she wasn’t used to sleeping in someone else’s house. So, she simply leaned against Gu Shi’an and slept in his arms.

After a good nap, Lin Yao stretched, feeling refreshed. Gu Shidong, seeing that his sister-in-law had woken up, excitedly shouted, “Let’s go to the back mountain and pick raspberries and wild mulberries!”

Behind Zhangjia Village was a wild fruit forest, and this time of year, the raspberries and wild fruits in the mountain were ripe.

Lin Yao was tempted and decided to go to the mountain to pick some fruit to make jam.

Second Uncle Zhang knocked the white ash from his tobacco pipe and smiled, “Go ahead, it’s rare that you’re back, though I don’t know if there will be any left. The boys in the village have been picking them nonstop.”

The group excitedly took small baskets and headed toward the back mountain, with a tall figure following behind.

— Deputy Director Gu couldn’t rest assured about his little girl and insisted on coming along.

“Fine, just treat it as having an extra person to carry the basket,” Lin Yao thought cheerfully.

However, none of them expected that their trip would lead to danger.