Chapter 22

“Grandma, I’m here.”

“It’s really my granddaughter, why did you come at this time?”

Grandma Xu quickly wiped her hands and took the things from Xu Di’s hands.

“I was helping someone with their work, I worked for a month, I finished yesterday, I came to give you and Grandpa New Year’s gifts today.”

“Second sister, do I have anything?”

Her younger cousin, Xu Jun, jumped over and hugged Xu Di’s arm, acting cute.

“Yes, everyone has something.”

Xu Di took out the firecrackers she bought for her cousins, “Two strings each, don’t throw them at the firewood pile.”

Xu Di reminded them, every year during the New Year, children playing with firecrackers would easily set the firewood pile on fire.

“I know, older sister, the head of the brigade said it on the loudspeaker every day, Grandpa also said it.”

Xu Jun took the firecrackers and shared them with his brothers, Xu Di then gave her younger cousin, Xu Jia, two hair ties, and she also took out Grandpa’s hat, Second Uncle’s liberation shoes, and Grandma and Second Aunt’s headscarves.

“Oh, you prodigal child, why did you buy so much, you spent all your hard-earned money.”

Grandma patted Xu Di with a pained expression, but she didn’t dare to use force, it was like dusting her off.

“No, this is the first time I’ve earned money, everyone has a share, let’s have some fun.”

Xu Di had the original owner’s memories, Grandpa, Grandma, and Second Uncle’s family truly loved Xu Di.

“Alright, don’t spend money recklessly in the future. My granddaughter is all grown up, she can get married. Save it, it will be your dowry later.”

Grandma touched Xu Di’s head, it seemed like her granddaughter was already of marriageable age.

“Grandma, I’m still young.”

“What do you mean young, you’re eighteen this year, at your age, I already had your father running around.”

This was a common saying of the older generation, in her previous life, Xu Di also often heard the older generation say this.

“Okay, I’m not young, I’ll find someone after I graduate.”

Xu Di didn’t reject marriage, if she found someone suitable, she would get married and have children, live a simple life, and try to live a long life.

“Where did you get those firecrackers?”

Grandpa Xu and Second Uncle Xu came back from the yard, they saw the boys dismantling the firecrackers, they didn’t mind the cold.

“Grandpa, Second Sister bought them.”

Xu Jun didn’t even raise his head, he was dismantling the slowest.

“Xu Di is here?”

“Second Uncle, I’m here too.”

Xu Jun stood up, so that his grandpa and second uncle could see him.

“Your brother was here, Second Uncle didn’t see you.”

Xu Jun didn’t get angry, he squatted down and helped dismantle the firecrackers, his second sister said she would buy him two strings when they went back.

“Xu Di, Second Uncle will kill a chicken for you to eat later.”

“Second Uncle, don’t kill it, I have to go back later. My parents and brother and sister-in-law haven’t had a day off before the New Year, they haven’t prepared the New Year’s stuff yet.”

Xu Di really didn’t know that there was no seven-day Spring Festival holiday in the 1970s.

“Everyone is working overtime this year, I thought I could come back for the New Year.”

“We can’t come back, everyone is working, only me and Xu Jun are free.”

Xu Di was anxious to go back, there were a lot of things to do at home.

“Xu Di, are you going back today?”

Second Aunt Xu came in with a large basin of tofu, she had been making tofu.

“Second Aunt, it’s freshly made tofu! I’ll go back after I eat some tofu, my mom and the others haven’t had a day off before the New Year, I’m the main force at home.”

Xu Di looked at the steaming tofu, she thought of scallions mixed with tofu, tofu mixed with soy sauce… Tofu was delicious no matter how you ate it, especially freshly made tofu.

“Then hurry up, Second Aunt will bring you a bowl of soy sauce, there’s also a basin of sprouted scallions by the stove in the kitchen, eat it while it’s hot.”

Second Aunt Xu put down the basin of tofu and went to get the scallions and soy sauce.

“Your second aunt made a lot of tofu yesterday, it’s frozen outside, I’ll give you some to take back. Your second uncle is learning accounting now, he hasn’t had time.”

Grandpa Xu was the accountant of the brigade, he was now training Second Uncle Xu to take over.

“My second uncle at least finished elementary school, he’s considered a cultured person among his peers. Second Uncle, I’ll bring you some books next time, you can learn by yourself.”

“Don’t be silly, how can I understand that?”

Second Uncle Xu knew his limitations, he hadn’t learned much when he was in school.

He said he graduated from elementary school, but that just meant he was literate, he could recognize and write commonly used characters.  He learned how to use an abacus from his father, otherwise, accounting would have nothing to do with him.

“Look at you, why are you so easily discouraged?  You learn something new every day, I’ll definitely bring books next time. Grandpa, you supervise my second uncle.”

“Xu Di, don’t worry, Second Aunt will supervise him. Hurry up and eat, the scallions and soy sauce will get cold later.

Xu Jun, do you want some scallions mixed with tofu?”

Second Aunt Xu shouted again towards the yard, and soon, they all came in.

“Delicious, it’s so delicious!”

Youngsters, they could eat their fathers out of house and home!

Xu Yong, Xu Qiang, and Xu Jun, all lined up, one bowl of tofu each, they finished it in a few bites.

Xu Di also ate a large bowl, she had to get ready to go home, she wouldn’t catch the bus later.

She had brought a lot of things when she came, when she left, she also brought a lot of things, dried vegetables that Grandma and Second Aunt had dried, a whole bucket, a prepared chicken, a fish, frozen tofu…

“Grandpa, Grandma, we’ll come back after your parents have a day off after the New Year.”

“Second Sister, come back soon.”

“I know, I’ll take you all to the city to play for a few days.”

Second Uncle and Xu Yong helped carry the things to the bus stop, otherwise, the two of them wouldn’t be able to carry them.  They would call her brother later, and ask Xu Li to pick them up at the station.

Xu Di and Xu Jun got on the bus and waved goodbye to their second uncle.

The same bus, the same road, it was bumpy all the way back.

When they got there, Xu Di wasn’t in a hurry, she waited for everyone to get off before slowly getting off.

“Xu Di, Xu Jun?”

“Oh, we’re here, Big Brother.”

Xu Di’s eyes lit up, someone was here to carry things.

“You two are in no hurry, I waited for a long time and didn’t see you get off, I was scared.”

It was rare for Big Brother Xu to say so much in one breath, it was unusual.

“Big Brother, this is the last stop, I can’t squeeze with them with all these things!”

“You’re right, let’s go, I have to go back to work later.”

Big Brother Xu took the heavier things, and asked Xu Di to take the lighter ones, Xu Jun was empty-handed, walking ahead.

The three siblings entered the family courtyard, they were attracting attention with all their bags.

“Xu Di, did you come back from your grandma’s house?”

“Yeah, my parents and the others aren’t off, I went back to give Grandpa and Grandma some things, and my grandparents gave me some things back.”

“Oh, it’s good to have relatives in the countryside, you won’t lack vegetables to eat all year round.”

“Right.”

…

The aunts and grandmothers in the family courtyard all agreed, their opinions were unified, they had forgotten about the people who came from their hometowns, and their complaints.

Big Brother Xu was anxious to go to work, he put the things down at home and hurried away, Xu Di went inside, took a break, and quickly tidied up.

She put the things that needed to be frozen in the baskets outside the window, in winter, this was a natural refrigerator.

The wooden baskets were made by Xu’s father, the lids had hinges, and there were lock holes, after putting things in, she could lock them.

She put the rest of the dried vegetables in the kitchen cabinets, then swept the floor, and she was done.

In the evening, Xu’s mother came back from work, she was grateful when she knew that they had brought back a lot of food from her hometown.

On New Year’s Eve, Xu’s mother didn’t get off work until the afternoon, she quickly came back to prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Xu’s father and Big Brother Xu hadn’t gotten off work yet, the factory workshop didn’t have a break, they worked in three shifts.

When Xu’s mother finished cooking, the others came back one after another.

The whole family sat together and celebrated the New Year together.