047 Farewell
This year's New Year's Eve dinner was a bit better than last year's, all because Guan Jianguo was frequently assigned to trips to neighboring provinces in the second half of the year.
Drivers are one of the eight key personnel in the industry. With more opportunities to travel, they can obtain more supplies.
But Guan Jianguo didn't dare to follow the example of the other members of the transport team, who would bring back a lot of things to Beijing and resell them at a higher price. So he dared to buy more things that didn't require ration coupons and bring them home.
Half of the chicken on our dinner table this year came from the car factory, and the other half was obtained by Guan Jianguo from fellow villagers in other places.
How did Guan Yuehe determine that this year's food was better than last year's? Her mother actually bought pork ribs instead of fatty meat!
It's not that pork ribs aren't tasty, but these days, when people are busy, their first thought is to eat more oily and juicy food; whether it tastes good or not takes a backseat. If it were her, she would definitely replace it with pork belly!
After the New Year's Eve dinner, it was still early, so everyone was waiting for the movie to start that night. Together with the neighborhood committee staff, they set up a temporary tent, put down small stools, and gathered around to chat. Everyone's lips were greasy, as if they wanted everyone to know how oily their New Year's Eve dinner was.
"It's so much easier to celebrate the New Year now. A few years ago, we had to put up Spring Festival couplets and New Year pictures, and we even had to buy good ones. Ah, there used to be an old scholar in our courtyard who had beautiful handwriting. He wrote all the slogans in the alleys of the factory. Every New Year's Eve, he would set up a long table in the courtyard and write couplets for the neighbors."
"That's ancient history. Look at it now, they don't even allow firecrackers anymore. It's all those little bastards using firecrackers to scare people and blow up toilets."
When Grandpa Chang saw that everyone was getting off-topic, he said, "Weren't we just saying that life is getting better and better? Why are you bringing up things that shouldn't be discussed?"
He quickly picked up his enamel mug and said, "Let's have some tea."
Someone snapped out of their reverie and said, "Let's not talk about that anymore. By the way, are we going to build buildings at our car factory?"
As soon as the topic came up, everyone sat up straight. "Really? I went to the housing management office the other day and they said it's nothing!"
"Do you really think they'll just tell you directly? My information is reliable; they're definitely going to build houses, but I don't know how many."
“The garment factory is still the best. They build new buildings every year and distribute housing every year. By the way, Uncle Xu, is your Xu Chengcai also eligible for housing?” Zhang Desheng said with emotion.
His family and Zhou Hongqi's family share the west wing. They don't know when they'll get him a room. It's alright now that they only have one son, but if they have one or two more kids later, it'll be hard to get a room.
"Not yet, but soon." Grandpa Xu couldn't hide his smile. Who would have thought that his fourth son, who used to seem the least promising, would turn out to be the most successful? He's become a group leader and is about to be allocated a house.
Zhang Desheng's eyes darted around and he looked at Aunt Ding.
“Aunt Ding, if you hadn’t been so anxious and signed up as soon as the educated youth office came to mobilize them, your Ding Xuewen would have been allocated a house soon too.”
Aunt Ding was just smiling, but upon hearing this, her face darkened, and she splashed the water in her bowl on Zhang Desheng's face. "Was I wrong to say you were getting close to the widow in courtyard number six? Mind your own business, and don't try to interfere in my family's affairs!"
The neighbors all looked over: Zhang Desheng and the widow from courtyard number six?
The shed was quiet, everyone waiting for Aunt Ding to continue digging into Zhang Desheng's affairs.
But after being splashed with water, Zhang Desheng suppressed his anger and said sternly, "Don't talk nonsense. Last Friday, there was a strong wind, and I was helping the neighborhood committee members inspect the houses of people in need. I happened to be assigned to inspect Sister Qin's house. If you continue to spread rumors, I will call the neighborhood committee members over to clarify things!"
Aunt Ding scoffed, "You know the details yourself."
After saying that, he turned his head to the side.
After this little incident, no one dared to bring up Ding Xuewen's past as a child going to the countryside again, but they would whisper about it behind Ding Dama's back.
Soon, new lively discussions arose among them.
"Isn't that Hao Daren from our factory? He's blatantly coming to ask Chao Nan to go to the movies? Where's Auntie Er? Do you think she'll agree to that?"
The name "Good Man" is so easy to remember that many people can remember him after hearing it just once.
"When did you get this news? Auntie Er has already given her word. That young man even came to Courtyard No. 2 before the New Year to help Auntie Er repair the roof and move coal briquettes. He's very hardworking."
Guan Yuehe finally learned what the legendary Hao Daren looked like.
Well, she has a rather cheerful appearance. She's tall and round, with a smile always on her face, and when she smiles, she has a noticeable dimple on both cheeks.
Gu Mannian also loves to laugh, but Gu Mannian looks more clever, while Hao Daren looks simple-minded.
"Fire! Help! Fire!"
A series of banging sounds and cries for help rang out, and everyone could no longer sit still. The able-bodied men rushed home to fetch water to put out the fire.
The younger children were all held back by the older ones. They couldn't let the kids run around at night, in case there were human traffickers hiding in some dark place.
The fire started at a row of bungalows at the end of Changhu Street. The houses were almost connected, and if the fire had spread, more than just one row would have been burned.
After the fire was completely extinguished, the New Year passed by unnoticed as the police came to question and investigate the case.
The next day was the first day of the Lunar New Year. Director Ma led the comrades from the street office to conduct fire prevention publicity in each courtyard. Some residents had built wooden sheds without permission, which required a lot of effort to persuade them to demolish.
In the evening, meetings were held in each courtyard. Grandpa Chang repeatedly emphasized that people should not play with fire, especially to keep a close eye on the children and not to throw firecrackers.
The fire last night was caused by a few children burning paper money and setting off firecrackers, who accidentally set someone's woodpile on fire.
During the Lunar New Year, the house was burned down. The affected families must be feeling incredibly distressed.
That day, Zhang Chaonan's older sister, Zhang Caihong, returned with her husband and children.
Zhang Caihong's house was among the burned-down bungalows. Since the house couldn't be repaired anytime soon, she had to go back to her parents' house to stay for the time being.
Second Aunt's family occupied the entire west wing. Originally, it was just Second Aunt, Uncle Zhang, and Zhang Chaonan, so it was naturally spacious. Now that Zhang Caihong has returned with her husband and two children, the original two and a half rooms have become crowded.
"You must be Yuehe? I'm your sister Caihong. I even took you to school when you were little."
Guan Yuehe didn't recall this. In her memory, when she was little, she either rode in her father's car to school or walked there with Lin Sitian and the others. Because of the big age difference, she and Zhang Caihong were not familiar with each other at all.
Guan Yuehe didn't reply. She stood in the middle of the doorway and blocked Zhang Caihong from squeezing into the house.
"Sister Caihong, let's talk here. I was just about to go out."
"Ah, is that so?" Zhang Caihong's eyes reddened as she recounted how her house had burned down. She then added that her house was too cramped to fit comfortably.
After saying that, he glanced at Guan Yuehe and, seeing that her expression hadn't changed at all, gritted his teeth and revealed his purpose.
"Let me be frank, I'd like to borrow your place for a while. I'll move back once the house is fixed up. When are you going back to school? I heard you only come back once or twice a semester, and you don't stay at home for more than a few days. Plus, there aren't any other places available to borrow..."
Guan Yuehe took a step forward, turned around and locked the door, saying, "Let me be frank with you, this is my house, no one can borrow it."
“We’re paying rent… Hey, Yuehe… Mom, why are you pulling me?!” Zhang Caihong watched as Guan Yuehe pushed her bicycle out the door, trying to chase after her, but was stopped by her own mother.
Aunt Er slapped her twice in annoyance, "I already said we have a place to live at home, why are you asking Yuehe to lend you your house? Tell Daqing to find someone to help repair the house right away."
“She lives in such a big house all by herself, it’s just sitting empty anyway. We’re not refusing to pay rent, what’s wrong with her staying for a while?” Zhang Caihong said even more irritably. “There’s room in the house, but you still make us sleep on the floor in the living room? Just because Chao Nan is your own daughter doesn’t mean I’m just water spilled out of your mouth.”
“Let’s talk this out. Don’t take it out on me. If you and Daqing agree to change your son’s surname to Zhang, you’ll get a room in the house.”
"Does not having the surname Zhang mean I'm not your granddaughter? Mom, you don't have the surname Zhang either, so why do you care if the Zhang family line continues? You and Dad are just biased, wanting to leave the house to Chaonan. Daqing and I have been filial to you two a lot, haven't we?"
“I can’t argue with you. Go talk to your father about this. Anyway, don’t even think about taking Yuehe’s house. She won’t lend it to you unless the sun rises in the west.”
"Okay, I won't lend you the house. You can have Chaonan vacate the room, and Daqing and I will stay in her room. She can sleep on the floor in the living room at night."
Zhang Chaonan returned from outside just in time to hear this, and immediately became displeased. He threw the tools in his hand on the ground and said, "I even went to borrow tools from someone, are you still not going to fix your house?"
"Are you afraid that if I stay at home for too long, I'll take your house away from you?"
Aunt Bai and Aunt Zhao came one after the other to mediate the fight, urging the two sisters to discuss it properly, as arguing during the New Year would ruin the atmosphere.
But Zhang Caihong had been holding back her anger because of the house issue, and now that she finally found an excuse to vent her dissatisfaction, she wouldn't listen to anyone else.
Guan Yuehe was in a hurry to leave, unaware of the commotion that was taking place in Courtyard No. 2.
After pedaling for a while, he turned around and asked Lin Sitian on the back seat, "How many pounds have you gained?"
Lin Sitian buried her face in the fur collar and replied in a muffled voice, "The new military overcoat is thicker."
Guan Yuehe hummed twice. Lin Sitian's brother got a military overcoat, which was originally meant for Aunt Fang, but Grandpa Lin had someone exchange the cotton for a new cotton-padded jacket for Aunt Fang, so the military overcoat ended up on Lin Sitian.
From five- or six-year-old children to fifty- or sixty-year-old grandpas and grandmas, who wouldn't want an authentic military overcoat?!
Wearing this and walking down the street will attract a lot of attention.
The moment Guan Yuehe saw Lin Sitian's military overcoat, her round eyes were filled with envy.
"I'll lend it to you for a day when we get back," Lin Sitian said generously.
Guan Yuehe pressed her advantage, saying, "Take it off right now and let me wear it."
"No way!" Lin Sitian had barely refused when the bicycle started wobbling and wobbling. "Aaaaah! We're going to crash into a tree!"
Xu Cheng, who was pedaling hard behind them, was afraid of bumping into them, so he had to ride along, making a series of twists and turns.
Ding Xuewen was used to it; as long as he didn't ride into a ditch, it was no big deal.
We laughed and joked all the way, and finally made it to the city library without any trouble.
The city library was a place they especially loved to visit when they were children. The librarian would patiently recommend interesting books to them.
The city library was closed for a period of time, and when it reopened, there were far fewer books inside. The familiar librarian had also been transferred to another unit.
They came today to help Ding Xuewen find books related to agricultural machinery, agricultural planting, and livestock breeding.
They'd only choose to come on the first day of the Lunar New Year. There are staff members on duty at the library, but it's closed today.
Lin Sitian led them to the old man who guarded the gate, offered him two cigarettes, and the old man turned his head to the other side to continue reading his newspaper. They then sneaked in.
"Aunt Wen!" Lin Sitian successfully found the person on duty today, chatted with them for a while, and then waved to the people behind her, "Let's go!"
Xu Cheng looked at Lin Sitian with admiration, "You have acquaintances in the city library too?!"
“Aunt Wen is the aunt of one of my classmates in my training class. I often come here to borrow books, and that’s how we got to know each other.” Lin Sitian didn’t think it was anything worth mentioning. Seeing that the three of them hadn’t moved, she urged, “Hurry up and find the books!”
They spent half a morning in the library, finding a total of eight books. Lin Sitian used her library card to check them out.
These books are for Ding Xuewen and his classmates. They can borrow them to copy down useful knowledge or have someone make a copy for them. Before returning to the countryside, they must hand them over to Lin Sitian.
Why isn't Chen Lizhong coming out?
"Yes, we also want to get to know him."
"I have to go back to school after I finish junior high."
Ding Xuewen also felt a little regretful, but there was nothing he could do if he couldn't see him. "Something happened at his home, and he can't leave for the time being."
Lin Sitian hesitated, but Ding Xuewen knew what she wanted to ask, so he said, "I can't say anything about his family's affairs, so don't ask."
"Alright."
They went to the library, the four of them even hitched a ride on someone else's ice sled, and they also ate lunch outside.
Ding Xuewen's hand, which was about to take out money, was stopped. "Keep your money. Send us dried goods when you have the chance."
Guan Yuehe nodded vigorously, "Yes! We need lots of dried black fungus, and it's best to mince it with meat to make filling for steamed buns."
"Stop talking, the more I talk, the hungrier I get. I'm going to go check if our noodles are ready."
Ding Xuewen had no choice but to try and find another fellow villager to trade for dried black fungus.
They had a good time outside all day, but when they got back they found out that a lot had happened in the alley that day.
Leaving aside the other courtyards, the house of Aunt Er in courtyard number two was practically chaotic all day long.
The whole day was filled with arguments about the house, and the eldest daughter's family, who came in the morning, left again in the evening.
Aunt Xie came to see Wu Erni in the afternoon. After chatting for a while, Wu Erni hit her with a rolling pin and sent her flying.
Everyone then understood: Aunt Xie actually wanted to matchmake Xie Zhenxing and Wu Erni!
He deserved to be beaten.
Every day brings something new and exciting.
Guan Yuehe had only been lying down for a short while when there was another knock on the door; it was her biological mother.
She was about to lie back down when she was pulled up and sat up straight.
Jiang Guiying said sternly, "I won't stop you from going out with Ding Laosi and the others, but you absolutely cannot go out alone with Ding Laosi, do you understand?"
"Don't give me that 'oh oh' nonsense. Aunt Ding is thinking of getting Ding Laosi and you together. If it happens, will you still be able to keep your job and your house?"
Guan Yuehe sighed heavily. She really wanted to punch someone right now. It was so annoying to have people eyeing her job and house all day long.
So, when she saw her aunt's family at home on the second day of the Lunar New Year, she preemptively said, "If anyone asks me to borrow a house or a job again, I'll slap them twice and kick them into the toilet so they can borrow as much as they want."
Guan Yuehua, who had brought Gu Mannian back, sharply glanced at her aunt.
Aunt: "......"
She didn't come here today thinking about borrowing a house or a job!
My aunt's son, Hongwei, responded to the call to go to the countryside and was assigned to the same city as Ding Xuewen. My aunt came today to ask Ding Xuewen to help her send supplies to Hongwei.
"Auntie, don't overthink it. I wasn't targeting you." She was targeting everyone.
Guan Yuehe turned to see what her elder sister and brother-in-law had brought to the door.
Her older sister had just given her an orange when her mother pulled her inside to whisper something.
Guan Yuehe was curious and insisted on going in to listen.
The moment her mother opened her mouth, all she asked were how her sister's New Year was at her in-laws' house, and whether her belly was showing any signs of pregnancy... She should have known better than to come in; she wasn't interested in those questions.
Guan Yuehua was even less willing to hear this, "I've already told him that we don't plan to have children for the next two years."
She had finally been transferred to the publicity department, and just when she thought she could finally put her heart into her work, was she about to start having and raising children? Guan Yuehua felt it was such a pity.
Jiang Guiying wanted to persuade the young couple further, saying that they were both receiving cadre salaries and working in good departments, so they wouldn't have to worry about the future. She pointed out that promotions at the car factory were a long shot, and that it was the perfect time to start having a child now. She added that children don't just appear out of nowhere.
But when she heard that Gu Mannian also supported it, she had nothing to say.
The young couple had already discussed and decided on their own; if she interfered, it could easily cause problems.
Guan Yuehua secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Ever since she got married, everyone's been asking her when she's going to have children. It's driving me crazy.
After being warned by her own mother not to walk alone with Ding Xuewen, Guan Yuehe was repeatedly told by her older sister to keep her distance from Ding Xuewen.
To be honest, Aunt Ding doesn't act logically at all, no wonder her mother and sister think they have to be on guard.
But even if Aunt Ding had the intention, she couldn't stop Ding Xuewen from leaving early.
Ding Xuewen returned with a mission from the commune. After borrowing the books, he went to find Chen Lizhong, and the two went straight to the Beijing No. 2 Machinery Factory. With their letters of introduction, they stayed at the factory for a few days. When Ding Xuewen returned to Ginkgo Hutong to return the books to Lin Sitian, Guan Yuehe had already started the new semester at school.
Ding Xuewen hurriedly returned to the city and then hurriedly went back to his hometown. He didn't have time to write to his childhood friends before returning, nor did he have time to say goodbye when he left.
Guan Yuehe saw a book on postpartum care for sows in the library and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and smile.
I felt a little lost.
She's been back at school for half a month, so Ding Xuewen must have already left Beijing.
This semester, two of my roommates were gone; they had returned to their military units early. And just like before, there wasn't a single goodbye.
I don't know when we'll meet again.
"Yuehe, did you find it?" Chunmei leaned closer and asked, then frowned when she saw the book in front of her. "You want to change your major?"
Turn your head! You haven't even mastered English yet.
Guan Yuehe took a deep breath, exhaling all her negative emotions, and then buried herself in her books again.
In April, the school's second batch of students arrived at the school to register. As returning students, Guan Yuehe and her classmates were naturally assigned to greet the new students.
The English major has three classes of new students. Unlike the first class, half of this year's new students are educated youth who have spent three years in the countryside, and only a small number are People's Liberation Army students.
She only focuses on English majors and is not very aware of the changes in the school as a whole.
It was only when He Shuangshuang mentioned it to her during a conversation that she learned that many of the new students were elementary school graduates, and most of them were from poor and lower-middle peasant families.
No wonder she's been seeing several teachers sighing and scratching their heads in the office lately, saying: "We still have to start teaching Chinese from elementary school."
Class monitor Shenghua said that when they first entered the school, they were all in the same boat. Everyone's level was different, so some students had to catch up on their junior and senior high school knowledge first.
But it's a bit better than the latest one.
Guan Yuehe hadn't expected that this involved her.
In her spare time, she was assigned by her teacher to work as a teaching assistant, responsible for teaching some of the new students Mandarin.
After teaching for half a month, the new students' Mandarin proficiency did not improve much, but Guan Yuehe's Mandarin proficiency dropped rapidly. The various accents from all over the country mixed together, causing her to be led astray as she read.
Fortunately, this mental torment ended a month and a half after the start of the semester.
The political movements in society still affected the teaching activities in schools. Students started making big-character posters, organizing discussion groups, and even the teachers got involved.
Even though Guan Yuehe's classmates were determined and focused solely on studying so they could return to the army as soon as possible, the classes were forced to stop, and they couldn't learn much by themselves.
Xie Dongxue took a break from her busy schedule to visit the two of them. The three of them sat on the grass, looking at each other in silence, their sighs growing louder and louder.
"You two are alright, but I'm caught up in it, it's hard not to join the discussion group." Xie Dongxue was a little confused for a moment.
The school's teaching activities were sometimes normal and sometimes abnormal, so Guan Yuehe and her roommates started a "guerrilla war." They went to class when there was class, and waited for the teacher to ask questions when there was no class.
This continued for a while until the authorities began to rectify education, and teaching returned to normal, with the quality of teaching even improving significantly.
Xie Dongxue seemed to come alive again, telling them that the Chinese class was particularly interesting and inviting them to audit the classes when they had time.
On Labor Day, a document was issued from above criticizing and eliminating the practice of "backdoor admissions," which caused another uproar at the school.
The issue of getting into university through "backdoor" connections is not only being discussed within schools, but also in society at large.
There have been two rounds of unrest at the Five Star Automobile Factory. Some people are questioning whether the list of students recommended for school this year was selected through back channels. The workers are demanding an explanation, and the factory leaders are worried about the situation.
Guan Yue was carrying a thick quilt home to wash and dry when she was approached by elderly men and women who asked her, "Are there many students who got into school through back channels?"
"I don't know, I've been too busy studying to know anything about other people's business." For questions that are difficult to answer, just pretend you don't know.
Before the semester was over, Guan Yuehe was notified that she would have to go to a factory to "learn to work" during the summer vacation.
"Yuehe, which factory did you get assigned to?"
Guan Yuehe found her name on the posted list, then looked to the right following the names, "Five Star Automobile Factory?"
Hey, what a coincidence!
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