After saying that, he left. Jiang Ruyu called him back and took out a pair of wool gloves from her system backpack. She had knitted them herself with wool yarn, which was quite expensive. "Here's a New Year's gift for you. Happy New Year."
Jiang Ruyu gave him the things and ran home. Zheng Yang watched her back with sparkling eyes: "Slow down, be careful not to slip."
After entering the gate, Jiang Ruyu patted her wildly beating heart before walking in normally. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she found that they were surrounded by onlookers again. This time, the center of gossip was still the Sun family at noon, and this time it was the three children of the Sun family who had started a fight.
"Dad, Mom, you arranged for me to go to the countryside. You said you would let me come back. Now I'm married and have children. I can't stay in the countryside forever. Do you want Xiaobao to be a country bumpkin for the rest of his life?"
At this moment, Sun Yuan's wife's child, who was less than a year old, started to cry, as if complaining about the injustice done to him by his grandparents.
Li Xiuying and Sun Datou both felt guilty towards their eldest son. Back then, the Cultural Revolution was too intense, and their eldest son was like a hothead. The couple were so afraid that their eldest son would be used as a pawn and lose his life, so they insisted on sending him to the countryside. More than two years have passed in the blink of an eye, and they never expected that their eldest son would get married and have a child in the countryside. Now they were caught in a dilemma.
"Big brother, just say what you want to say. Why are you using this self-inflicted pain? We're all family." The second brother, Sun Chang, could tell from his parents' expressions that they felt guilty after what he said, so he quickly offered some advice.
Sun Yuan raised his head and glanced at his younger brother with an unreadable expression. He said self-deprecatingly, "Heh, I used a self-inflicted injury trick. Second brother, open your eyes and look at the calluses on your brother's hands. I suffered in the countryside for two or three years. What about you? You don't even have to wash your own clothes at home. Someone cooks for you. All you have to do is study. As for me, do you have any conscience when you say this?"
Sun Chang fell silent. Sun Datou sat to the side, head down, smoking. Li Xiuying wiped away her tears and gritted her teeth, making a decision: "My eldest brother will hand over his job at the textile factory after the New Year, but you'll have to hand over half your salary every month. Your second brother and your sister are both unmarried and unemployed. I have to consider them. Have you thought about how to deal with your wife and the others? They're both from rural areas, unemployed, and without food rations. Can your meager salary of a dozen yuan and one person's food rations be enough for your family of three?"
Sun Yuan glanced at his wife and children, then looked at his parents with a hint of hesitation. He moved his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but hesitated because of something else. Sun Chang spoke up for him: "Mom, can't you see? He wants you and Dad to support his wife and children."
Li Xiuying sighed, holding her forehead. She knew what her second son was angry about: "Eldest son, our family isn't some kind of cadre family. We don't have that much wealth to support your wife and children buying expensive food. That's all we can do. You'll have to figure out the rest yourself. Lili, vacate the room and move into my and your dad's room to sleep."
Seeing that the matter was settled so easily, Sun Chang was extremely anxious: "Mom, you've made arrangements for my older brother, but what about me? If I don't have a job after the New Year, I'll have to go to the countryside. Look at my older brother's situation, do you still want me to go to the countryside too?"
Sun Datou looked up at his wife and opened his mouth to say something, but Li Xiuying stopped him with a look: "Second son, let's talk about this after the New Year. Your father is already a fourth-level worker at the shipyard, earning a few dozen yuan a month. If we give you the job, you'll have to work as an apprentice for three years, earning only eighteen yuan a month, which won't even cover our family's expenses. Besides, you're not married yet, and Lili is still in school. We can't give you the job now. If you really can't avoid it, you can go to the countryside first and come back to take over the job in two years."
Sun Chang was naturally unwilling, but looking at the neighbors watching the commotion in the yard, he didn't say anything unpleasant. He just glanced at his elder brother's family with a complicated expression, and finally went back to his room in resentment.
The onlookers dispersed, except for Granny Xu and Granny Li, who had just entered the courtyard. They offered Li Xiuying a few words of advice: "There will be a way, don't worry."
"That's right. Have your eldest son and his wife take the child to the neighborhood committee and talk to the director to see if they can transfer their household registration back. At least they can receive the grain rations. Aren't there those jobs that don't require taking care of the family? Bring them back so you can earn some money at home."
Li Xiuying is usually a calculating person. It was only after this incident that Jiang Ruyu realized that she also had a commendable side. If this had happened in a family that favored sons over daughters, they would have definitely forced their daughter to go to the countryside. However, neither Li Xiuying nor Sun Datou mentioned this incident, which shows that the couple was not a bad match.
"Sigh, every family has its own problems. I understand. Thank you, aunties."
"Hey, it's nothing. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Let's have a happy New Year."
Jiang Ruyu helped her grandmother home and saw an old-fashioned copper pot on the dining table, which was already boiling and bubbling.
"Oh, Grandma, are we having hot pot today? Did you cut up the beef and mutton that were frozen a few days ago? Perfect for hot pot!" Jiang Ruyu said happily.
Grandma Jiang looked at her with annoyance: "You're talking about Jiang Lin, aren't you? All you think about is food."
"Isn't this the New Year?" Jiang Ruyu smiled ingratiatingly.
Jiang Hui brought in the washed vegetables: "Grandma is all talk and no action. She knows that my sister is the only one in our family who likes hot pot the most, but she made me queue up and buy sesame paste a long time ago. Look, the beef and lamb are all sliced."
"Hehe, I knew it! Grandma just doesn't want to admit that she loves me the most. You two have to take three steps back, right, Grandma?" Jiang Ruyu said coquettishly, hugging her grandmother's neck.
Grandma Jiang was quite embarrassed by her granddaughter's antics: "You're really shameless! I love our Jiang Hui the most. He's obedient, sensible, and doesn't cause trouble. You and Jiang Lin are too much trouble, hmph!" After saying that, she went to fuss over.
Jiang Ruyu shrugged: "This old lady still won't admit it."
The family of four had a wonderful time eating hot pot that evening. They finished off a whole pound of beef and mutton slices, along with several plates of vegetables such as potato slices, cabbage, spinach, and kelp slices. They even made hand-pulled noodles, which were all eaten clean.
Looking at the clean plates, Grandma Jiang exclaimed, "Is this how many calves I've raised? They can really eat!"
The family of four played cards together for a while in the evening. Unfortunately, Jiang Ruyu had to go to work the next day, even though it was Chinese New Year. Fortunately, it was only for half a day, and she could come back in the afternoon to help her grandmother make New Year's Eve dinner.
Before going to bed, Jiang Ruyu sorted out the New Year's gifts she was going to send to her friend Annie, who was far away abroad. They had kept in touch for the past few months. When Annie returned to China, she sent her a letter with photos of her country and a letter in which she expressed her hope that Jiang Ruyu would reply.
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