Chapter 86

Old Lin has a nephew now?

The political commissar of the camp shared in the happiness and patted Lin Yi on the shoulder, congratulating him. “Well, Old Lin, just yesterday you were still single and today you’ve become an uncle! You’ve just become an uncle, so shouldn’t you send a big red envelope to your nephew!”

Lin Yi was in high spirits, his face glowing with joy. “Absolutely! I’ll send a red envelope to Doudou right away!”

As an uncle, not only did Lin Yi plan to send a generous red envelope, but he also intended to send some of his allowance to his sister. After all, Lin Yi had been in the army for ten years, and for the first few years, he sent most of his allowance to his parents.

Since his parents passed away, Lin Yi had been keeping the money himself for the past two years. Living in the Gobi Desert in Xinjiang, he rarely spent money and found it hard to spend even when he wanted to.

“My sister is alone in her husband’s family and she needs to have some money for support.”

Lin Yi reminisced about the times he spent with his sister, his eyes filled with tender smiles. As a child, he loved pulling his sister’s little pigtails, which made little Lin Yao cry and chase him around, hitting him. Now, after more than ten years, they had both grown up, living far apart. His sister had her own family and a son. If something happened, he would be powerless from the Gobi Desert.

Though the Gu family was good, Lin Yi, as her brother, wanted to support and protect his sister. He intended to send money to her so that she and Doudou could live more comfortably and have more confidence when facing any difficulties.

The winter in the Gobi Desert was exceptionally cold. Yesterday, the sand was golden, but overnight, snow had fallen, turning everything white.

Supplies were scarce in the Xinjiang Military Corps, and many young soldiers worked the land in the harsh winter, their hands freezing while wielding iron shovels. Their hands, feet, ears, and faces were numb from the cold, and their faces cracked from the intense wind. By evening, their faces itched terribly.

The soldiers had no other way to warm up. They could only take turns soaking their hands in a basin of hot water or warming up by the fire. Some soldiers ended up with their hands frozen to the wooden handles of their tools, leaving their hands bloodied from forcing them off.

The dozens of pairs of work gloves and ten jars of frostbite ointment sent by Lin Yao proved extremely useful.

Although there weren’t many items, they were enough for the soldiers to take turns using. The frostbite ointment, produced by the old brand Tong Ren Tang, worked remarkably well. After applying it a few times, the frostbite on their hands and feet improved significantly, and the itching lessened.

Lin Yi beamed with pride at his fellow soldiers’ thanks. Even the leaders of the camp praised Lin Yao, who was miles away.

That day, Lin Yi went to the Kashgar Post Office to send a letter and transfer some money.

*

On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, Yunshui County experienced a heavy snowfall. The entire world was covered in a silver blanket, and winters had become colder each year.

This year, as winter began, the moat outside the city was covered with thick ice, over a meter thick. The children in the city skated on the ice, and the air was so cold that one’s breath turned into frost.

In the afternoon, after school, Gu Shidong, that mischievous boy, went out to skate on the ice with a few friends.

The pulley well used by the big compound was covered with ice in winter, making it extremely slippery. Getting water required great caution. Gu Mancang and his son would go out to fetch water.

The Gu family’s home had a honeycomb stove, and thick cotton curtains and straw mats covered the doors and windows. When stepping outside in the morning, long icicles hung from the eaves.

At home, little Doudou was seven months old and had a growing appetite. As soon as he woke up, he had a bottle of milk, and by ten o’clock, he was hungry again. Lin Yao had to prepare some stewed fruit and vegetable puree for the little one.

Seeing Doudou eat so well brought Zhang Cuilan immense joy.

As a grandmother, she didn’t expect much. She was just grateful for Doudou’s health and safety.

With the snow falling outside, Gu Shi’an got up early to shovel the snow. Little Doudou was sleeping soundly in his crib. Lin Yao tucked him in, adjusted the stove’s honeycomb, and brought out a hot water bottle to warm up. She stood in the yard, admiring the snowy landscape.

The snow that had accumulated overnight weighed down the branches of the pomegranate tree by the window. Gu Shidong, wearing a gray cotton coat, played energetically in the yard.

Zhang Cuilan yelled at her youngest son.

“Little rascal, what are you doing? It’s almost seven o’clock. Come in for breakfast!”

Gu Shidong responded with an “oh,” went inside to grab a bowl of sorghum rice, hurriedly slung his bag over his shoulder, put on the cotton shoes his mother made, and trudged through the snow to the primary school.

In another year, the little rascal would be starting middle school. Nowadays, children take coal to school for heating. Of course, there were also families with poor conditions who could only bring wood or corn cobs. Despite the poor conditions, children shouldn’t be left out in the cold.

Outside Yunshui County, the wind howled fiercely, cutting like a knife on the face. Lin Yao had spun cotton and made knee pads for the family. The cotton was thick, and wearing these knee pads outside in the winter kept them warm.

Zhang Cuilan and her husband both had health issues: one had a bad back from years of carrying heavy loads, and the other suffered from chronic leg pain. During the severe cold of winter, their knees hurt as if pricked by needles, making walking and lying down uncomfortable, except when lying on a warm kang.

Zhang Cuilan had a waist protector on, which helped support her back while feeding the pigs at the pig farm.

Lin Yao had a bowl of rice, wearing a Lei Feng hat^[1]The hat is very retro-looking, lined with fluffy faux fur and outfitted with two detachable flaps that can cover the ears. and wrapped in a military coat, with only her delicate, jade-like face visible. She stood in the yard, watching Gu Shi’an work.

Busy until after eight, Gu Shi’an finally cleared most of the snow from the yard. He pushed the snow to the base of the wall, sweating from the effort.

He warmed his hands by blowing on them, put down the shovel, and went inside. Lin Yao quickly brought him an enamel mug of ginger tea. The ginger tea would drive away the cold and the brown sugar would warm him up. Gu Shi’an didn’t mind the heat and drank it all in one gulp.

Lin Yao was startled and rushed over to him.

“What are you doing? The ginger tea is still hot. Aren’t you afraid of burning yourself?”

Gu Shi’an smiled, “I’m used to both cold and hot water from my time in the military.”

Lin Yao felt a pang in her heart. Seeing his expression, Gu Shi’an noticed something was off and leaned in to kiss her.

“What’s wrong?”

Lin Yao’s eyes were red, and she didn’t know what to say. She knew life in the army was tough, and thinking about Gu Shi’an’s past in the military and her older brother stationed far away in Xinjiang made her eyes well up with tears.

“Do you miss your brother?”

“Yes.”

“It’s alright. Your brother is very resilient. He’ll be fine wherever he is.”

That was true. Lin Yi was like an indestructible cockroach—so resilient!

Lin Yao found her own thoughts amusing. Gu Shi’an noticed and embraced her, and they went back to the house together to check on Gu Doudou.

In the east wing room, Gu Doudou had been sleeping spread out for about two hours but had already woken up. Feeling warm, the little guy had kicked off his blanket and was looking around with his big, shiny eyes.

Lin Yao, seeing her chubby son being so well-behaved, smiled and picked him up. Gu Doudou could already lift his head and turn over skillfully, more active than other children his age in the alley.

Whenever Gu Doudou made any progress, Zhang Cuilan and Gu Mancang were extremely excited.

Gu Shidong, at school, proudly boasted about his nephew, comparing him to other children in terms of size and even the smell of their poop.

Gu Doudou’s impressive pooping skills had earned him the crown as the smelliest poop in the family.

Gu Shidong returned home proudly and leaned over the crib to share the good news with his little nephew.

Gu Doudou: ???

Lin Yao cuddled with her son, and Gu Shi’an went to wash the baby’s diaper. After cleaning it, he hung it on a bamboo rack. This bamboo rack, a remnant from the Republic era, was used to dry diapers. In the old society, people used it to care for their children.

In winter, with the cold wind, Gu Doudou’s diapers needed frequent changing and would take days to dry outside. So, Gu Mancang made a cover for the rack, keeping it clean and warm.

At noon, Gu Shidong returned from school.

Lin Yao had just steamed a bowl of egg custard with shrimp and drizzled with a few drops of sesame oil. She brought it to the room and fed it to Gu Doudou spoonful by spoonful. The little guy enjoyed it very much.

Seeing her son eating so well, Lin Yao playfully poked his chubby cheeks.

Gu Doudou was displeased and made a fuss.

Gu Shidong also complained, “Sister-in-law, Doudou is so young, how can you bully him?”

With his uncle backing him up, the chubby little one blew bubbles at his mother.

Lin Yao, amused, took a spoonful of egg custard and held it up to her son’s mouth, apologizing, “Okay, Mommy apologizes to Doudou. Do you want to eat it?”

The egg custard was tender and fragrant, practically melting on the tongue.

The chubby little guy, knowing what was good for him, opened his mouth and swallowed the custard.

After finishing the custard, Deputy Director Gu came home.

The chubby little one was eager to go out and see the snow. Zhang Cuilan exclaimed, “It’s cold outside. I don’t want Doudou to catch a cold.”

Seeing snow for the first time, the little guy was fascinated, holding onto the crib rails and reluctantly letting go, stretching his little neck to look outside.

Lin Yao came over to pick him up, but the little guy turned his head away, burying it in Gu Shi’an’s arms, leaving her with just his chubby bottom.

Alright, it seemed impossible to keep the little one indoors.

Lin Yao dressed Gu Doudou in a floral cotton coat, put on a tiger hat, and wrapped him in a small cape. Gu Shi’an then tucked the little one into his military coat, wrapping him up tightly, and they took a walk in the yard.

The little guy was delighted, waving his hands and feet in his father’s arms. Back inside, he showered Deputy Director Gu with slobbery kisses.

On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the village production team slaughtered the pig they had been raising all year. Half of it was kept for the village, and half was sent to the county’s supply store. By early morning, the county supply store was packed with people queuing to buy pork.

Gu Chunmei also brought a basket and called Lin Yao, and the two sisters went to the supply store together.

The pork this year was well-raised, and there was a long line at the meat stall. People who arrived early held meat coupons, entering with smiles and leaving with small, fatty pieces of pork.

Having bought the meat, they could look forward to a prosperous year.

In the crowd, people discussed the pork they saw being carried by a particular lady.

“This year’s pork is great. Look at that lard, it’s so fatty.”

“Indeed, how much is the fatty pork per pound?”

“Fatty pork is the premium meat, seventy-eight cents a pound.”

“Seventy-eight cents? That’s quite expensive.”

“It’s not too bad. We only eat this once a year. We should have some meat for the New Year.”

As the discussions went on, Lin Yao gazed longingly at a whole piece of pork on the counter, imagining how delicious it would be if she brought it home to make meat sauce.

Gu Chunmei laughed at her.

“Your greedy expression is exactly the same as Doudou’s expression when he was breastfeeding.”

Lin Yao wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. Shaking her head and swaying, she said, “Food and life go hand in hand. Tasting delicious food is like experiencing life itself. That’s just how I am.”

The two sisters chatted and laughed, and soon they were at the counter.

Back then, first-grade meat was 78 cents per jin, second-grade was 73 cents, and third-grade was 66 cents. First-grade meat was the fatty kind with a lot of lard, like the fatty meat of later years.

Gu Chunmei bought one and a half jin of first-grade meat and half a jin of second-grade meat.

Lin Yao could hardly eat meat that was all fat, so she symbolically bought one jin of it and the rest as one jin of second-grade pork belly. These two jin of meat tickets had been saved by the family for several months.

With the fatty meat in hand, the two sisters went home.

Gu Doudou, in his baby walker, was waddling along with his chubby legs. Lin Yao put the little chubby boy aside, washed her hands, and began to render the lard.

Lin Yao had been married for over a year and was now quite skilled at rendering lard. She heated the bottom of the pot, put in the meat pieces with a sizzle, added water to the pot with pork fat, and a small half bowl of clear water. She brought it to a boil over high heat and then cooked off the water, turning to low heat to slowly render the lard. The backyard soon filled with a fragrant aroma.

Meanwhile, in the town, Sun Jialiang was troubled, watching his mother, who was sitting in a wheelchair and needed to use the toilet.