In 1968, the No. 3 courtyard house in Yangliu Hutong, Beijing.
It was June, and the sunset was breathtakingly beautiful, like a hazy dream.
The four rooms in the north wing of the No. 3 courtyard all belonged to the Jiang family. Unlike the other dozen or so households in the courtyard whose houses were allocated by the housing management bureau, the Jiang family's house was bought by Old Master Jiang and his second son, Jiang Jianjun, when they were still alive. Now, Old Master Jiang has passed away, and the second son, Jiang Jianjun, has also sacrificed his life, but at least they left their family with a place to shelter from the wind and rain.
The elderly couple, Jiang and his wife, had two sons and a daughter. The eldest son, Jiang Jianguo, was a quiet and reserved man who didn't talk much, but he was hardworking and could endure hardship. He was now a fourth-level fitter at the steel plant, earning more than sixty yuan a month. His wife, Wang Shuhua, was a female worker at the No. 2 Textile Factory, earning thirty-one yuan a month.
The couple had four children: two sons and two daughters. Their eldest son, Jiang Kai, was 25 years old this year. He worked as an apprentice in a machinery factory for three years. After becoming a full-time employee, he received a second-level salary of 37 yuan a month. He married Fang Meili last year, the year he became a full-time employee. Now they have a son named Jiang Yang, who is only one year old. Fang Meili does not work and stays at home to take care of the child.
Jiang Jianguo's eldest daughter, Jiang Ruyun, had already gotten married because she didn't have a job and didn't want to go to the countryside. Jiang Jun, the third son, happened to be going to the Great Northern Wilderness in 1966 when college entrance exams were suspended and he couldn't find a job in the city. He impulsively signed up with his classmates to go to the Great Northern Wilderness.
Jiang Jianguo also has a younger daughter who is only eighteen years old this year. After graduating from high school, she faces the major challenge of being sent to the countryside.
The Jiang family, usually quiet, was unusually lively today. Jiang Jianjun, the second son of the Jiang family, had served in the army for more than ten years and sacrificed his life a few years ago. His wife was originally an accountant at a department store. After giving birth to twin sons, her health had been poor. After hearing the news of her husband's sacrifice, she was shocked and her health deteriorated even more. To make matters worse, at that time, there were many spies, and she was unlucky enough to run into the spies who were being hunted and was killed in an accident.
At that time, the eldest son of the Jiang family had four children, the second son had three children, and the two youngest were only four years old. The old lady of the Jiang family could only shoulder the heavy responsibility of raising and taking care of her youngest son's children.
The Jiang family had already divided the family property before the old man passed away. Each family had two of the four houses, and the two sons took turns caring for the old lady. However, no one expected that Jiang Jianjun would die young, and his daughter-in-law would also pass away within two years.
At this time, Jiang Ruyu, the eldest daughter of the second son of the Jiang family, and Jiang Ruyi, the youngest daughter of the eldest son of the Jiang family, started arguing. The cause was going to the countryside.
In 1968, during the nationwide movement of sending people to the countryside, no family could escape it. Jiang Jianguo's youngest daughter, Jiang Ruyi, was eighteen years old this year, only half a year younger than her cousin Jiang Ruyu. If they didn't have jobs, they would both be sent to the countryside this year. The problem was that Jiang Ruyu had her mother's job to cover for her, but Jiang Ruyi did not.
In fact, according to the policy, Jiang Ruyi did not have to go to the countryside, but she did not want to stay at home doing nothing and be disliked by her sister-in-law. Besides, she wanted such a good job at the department store too. Why should all the good things go to Jiang Ruyu?
"Why can Jiang Ruyu take over Grandma's job, but I can't? I'm not convinced, Grandma, you're being unfair!" Jiang Ruyi's pretty face was filled with anger.
Jiang Ruyu, who usually had a good temper, was infuriated by her cousin, who was half a year younger than her, who had been causing trouble in various ways these past few days. She saw that her aunt and cousin's wife were standing silently to the side, and the unemployed neighbors in the tenement were standing not far away watching the commotion. She also saw her grandmother's face turning red with anger. Being young, she was unwilling to put up with such humiliation. Since her aunt and the others had tacitly approved of Jiang Ruyi's antics, then they shouldn't blame her for not giving their family any face.
"Jiang Ruyi, you need to make things clear. The job I took over wasn't Grandma's; it was left to me by my mother. Grandma took over the job to earn a living for us. How come it's become Grandma's job in your mouth after only a few years? Even if you're young and don't understand, your aunt and the others surely know. If you want to take advantage, you need to understand the facts. Don't try to pocket everything, good or bad. Aren't you afraid of overdoing it?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Shuhua, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Jiang family, also looked displeased. However, this was a dispute between the two sisters, and as an elder, she couldn't just interfere. Otherwise, onlookers would say she was being inconsiderate.
Jiang Ruyi, upon hearing her cousin's words, not only showed no shame but also retorted confidently, "Even if it was left to you by your mother, the money Grandma earned these past few years has supported all of you. We haven't seen a single one of you. So why is it that when it comes time to take over, you're the ones who benefit? Why should your family get all the good things while my family always suffers? Take this house, for example. Your family, including Grandma, only has four people, yet you occupy two rooms. My family has seven or eight people, yet we only have two rooms. Don't be so shameless. Just because your parents are dead, does that mean our family has to give in to your family in everything? We didn't kill your parents. Your plight is your misfortune, but it's not a reason for us to always suffer."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed, including Jiang Jianguo and Jiang Kai, who had just returned from get off work, and the brothers Jiang Hui and Jiang Lin, who had gone to the outskirts of the city to collect firewood during their summer vacation.
Jiang Ruyu's face turned pale after hearing Jiang Ruyi's words. She also saw her uncle, cousin, and two younger brothers returning home. At this moment, she didn't care about elders, relatives, or keeping family scandals private. Looking at Jiang Ruyi's smug face, she just wanted to tear her apart.
She strode up to Jiang Ruyi and slapped her twice across the face, which still seemed to think she was right. The two slaps stunned the Jiang family and the onlookers. Jiang Ruyi's lip was cut open from the slaps. Before she could react, Wang Shuhua jumped up and down.
"How could you be so cruel? She's your sister too. How could the two sisters fight over something so young? I never would have guessed. It's true what they say, the old saying goes, 'A barking dog doesn't bite.'"
As soon as Wang Shuhua finished speaking, Jiang Ruyi reacted: "Ah, Jiang Ruyu, you damned bitch, you dare to hit me, I'll fight you to the death."
Jiang Ruyu was so angry that her eyes turned red. She didn't care that Wang Shuhua was an elder anymore. She pointed at the mother and daughter and cursed, "What a shameless mother and daughter! You're the ones who lie through your teeth. You still dare to fight me? If I don't tear your shit-eaten mouth off today, I'll change my surname to yours."
Jiang Ruyu was half a head taller than Jiang Ruyi, taking advantage of her height. She grabbed Jiang Ruyi's long hair and pushed Wang Shuhua, who was trying to help her, away with her other hand. She then grabbed Jiang Ruyi's hair, pushed her to the ground, straddled her, and gave her two firm blows without holding back.
Before the onlookers, including Old Mrs. Jiang and the rest of the Jiang family, could react, Wang Shuhua, seeing her daughter being bullied, pounced on Jiang Ruyu, pinching and hitting her. Her fierce, teeth-gritting manner made the onlookers gasp.
When Jiang Hui and Jiang Lin saw their aunt and cousin beating their sister, they couldn't stand it anymore. They dropped the firewood they were carrying and rushed over, throwing Wang Shuhua several meters away.
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