Chapter 19 1962
Time flies, and it's already 1962.
Gu Yihan was already 10 years old and 146 cm tall. In 1961, her family built her a mud-brick house, which made all the other girls in the village extremely envious.
However, she wouldn't be able to stay for long, because after the summer vacation, she would be going to junior high school in the commune and starting her boarding school life.
Because of the disasters of the past three years, Gu Hao was on holiday from school and studied at home. In 1961, he went to school and, with approval, took an exam to get his high school diploma ahead of schedule.
Gu Hao himself was also very determined. He got the team leader to give him a letter of introduction and found a job in the county for three months.
At the beginning of the year, I passed the exam and was admitted to the propaganda department of the machinery factory, becoming a proud worker.
Monthly salary at level 10 is 27.5 yuan, plus some receipts.
"Grandma, do you think Dad's blind date will go well today?" Gu Yihan looked at Grandma Gu with a gossipy little eye.
Grandma Gu looked at her granddaughter's expression.
He said speechlessly, "That girl is quite pretty. If it weren't for her family being poor, your father wouldn't even have a chance. If he can't even approve of someone like her, does he expect to marry a celestial being?"
Gu Yihan: "Hehe, I just heard that the girl is very capable and filial at home, and I'm worried that she won't be interested in my dad."
A short while later, Gu Yihan heard her adoptive father humming a little tune as he returned.
Grandma Gu knew from that expression that it had worked: "Second son, it worked, didn't it?"
Gu Lao Er said happily, "Look what you're saying, Mother. Your son is good-looking too. As soon as I went there, the girl agreed to date me."
Gu Yihan thought to herself, "Apart from being 175cm tall, it's not too short for this era."
But the others, their facial features are top-notch and quite decent. They work every day and their faces are tanned dark, but they're not bad.
Grandma Gu was delighted to hear this and said, "Then let's send a matchmaker to propose marriage."
“Mother, I’ve already discussed it with Chen Xiu. The bride price will be 50 yuan.” Gu Aidang had just finished speaking.
Gu's sister-in-law, who had just returned, overheard: "Mother, my child's second uncle is getting married for the second time, and he's spending more money than he did in his first marriage. Even Zhang Cuihua didn't ask for this much money."
"Is it edged with gold?"
Gu Aidang was very angry: "Sister-in-law, why are you talking so rudely? Chen Xiu is getting married for the first time, what's wrong with that?"
Gu's sister-in-law, Wang Ni, said sarcastically, "Second Uncle, don't forget, there's some of my family's money in this money."
“Your family only earns work points, which isn’t enough to support your whole family. You rely entirely on our family.”
Grandma Gu: "What's all the noise about? Eldest daughter-in-law, do you want Ai Dang to remain a bachelor? What's wrong with me? I'm not dead yet! You think you can turn the world upside down?"
"Mother, don't forget, our family hasn't divided yet. Every penny we take out belongs to our eldest son's family." Sister-in-law Gu said indignantly.
Ever since her son became a worker, Sister Gu has stood up straight.
Grandma Gu stared straight at her: "You want to separate the family? Are you thinking that your own children are all grown up and you don't need us old folks anymore?"
Of course, Sister-in-law Gu wanted to separate the family: "Mother, we can't keep letting our eldest son's family suffer losses."
"Besides, you're still sending Hanhan to school in the commune. Doesn't that cost a lot of money?"
Grandma Gu was furious this time: "Hmph, when it comes to your son's schooling, why don't you mention the cost?"
"During those three years of famine, you were living off the savings your father and I had accumulated. Why don't you take that into account? We've only had a few good days, and you're telling me you've suffered a loss?"
"If you want to separate the family, that's fine too. As long as your man agrees, I'll separate the family for you right away."
Gu Yihan was speechless. They were bringing up her schooling for no reason. She guessed that her adoptive father wouldn't want her to go to school anymore.
Gu Aidang thought for a moment and said, "Mother, what my sister-in-law said makes sense. It's not very useful for girls to go to school. They should stay at home and do housework, and then find a good family to marry into in a few years."
See, I knew this cheap father was unreliable; he's even considering her as a potential wife in order to get married.
He was probably going to be disappointed. Her efforts over the past ten years hadn't been in vain. She had been making empty promises to Grandma Gu every day, and this was exactly the moment she had been waiting for.
Upon hearing this, Grandma Gu jumped up and said, "Gu Aidang, you have never raised her for a single day, and you haven't spent a single penny of your money on her schooling."
"You don't even earn enough to cover your own misdeeds. You think you can ruin my granddaughter? No way! My granddaughter is going to marry into the city."
Gu Aidang scoffed: "Mother, stop daydreaming. Marrying someone from the city? Without an urban household registration, you won't get a grain ration. Who would marry you?"
Grandma Gu looked at Gu Aidang with disdain: "You, as a father, really don't care about your daughter. My granddaughter gets first place in her class every year. She's going to go to university and get a job after graduation. Why are you worried about that?"
“I’m telling you this: anyone who dares to try to prevent my granddaughter from going to school can get out of this house.”
Gu Yihan immediately pledged her loyalty: "Grandma, don't worry, once I start working, I will only be filial to you and Grandpa, and I will take care of you and Grandpa in your old age."
Although she loves her granddaughter and has said more than once that she wants to take care of the elderly couple, she knows that she still has to rely on her son for old age.
Seeing that Grandma Gu didn't seem to take her words to heart, Gu Yihan realized that she truly intended to take care of the elderly couple in their old age.
Without Grandma Gu, she wouldn't be living such a free life.
Grandma Gu patted her granddaughter's hand and said, "I'm waiting for my granddaughter to take the college entrance exam."
Gu Aidang looked at the grandfather and grandson daydreaming and thought, "They're really having a wonderful time. Don't they even think about whether anyone in the surrounding villages has been admitted to university?"
He didn't care about any of that; he needed to go back inside and think about what would happen after the wedding.
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