051 Lively (Catching Bugs)
The car factory has not scheduled any outdoor movie screenings this year, so there's no need to worry about eating dinner early to reserve a good spot.
Even though there are no movies to watch, everyone is still busy.
To prevent fires, staff from the neighborhood office went door-to-door to remind adults and children to be careful with fire.
On the morning of New Year's Eve, under the organization of the stewards of each courtyard, the residents of each courtyard took action to check the sheds they had set up and tidy up every corner of the courtyard that was not usually cleaned.
In previous years, people would get up early on this day and sneak outside to burn paper money, but now everyone is enthusiastically doing a thorough cleaning, making the atmosphere even more festive. This can be considered a new activity for the Spring Festival.
Police Officer Song helped each household check if any roof tiles needed replacing. To keep an eye on his mischievous son, Officer Song specifically asked Guan Yuehe to guard the ladder.
The skinny Song Xibei stood beside the ladder, hands on his hips, looking up. "I already told him to let me up, but he wouldn't let me, and then he accused me of doing something wrong. Sister Yuehe, you be the judge, wasn't my dad right?"
Guan Yuehe nodded, "I think your dad did the right thing."
There was a precedent in the neighboring No. 3 courtyard: when Grandpa Lin climbed onto the roof to inspect the tiles, Lin Yiku took the ladder away and bargained with Grandpa Lin, saying he would let him enlist in the army once he turned sixteen. The enlistment was delayed by a year, and Lin Yiku was given a severe beating by Grandpa Lin and Aunt Fang.
"Sister Yuehe, are you still on our side of T?!"
Guan Yuehe frowned and tried to reason with Northwest, "Stop yelling. Every time you yell, it reminds me of the ducks we didn't manage to get yesterday, and it makes me feel worse."
Almost there! She was just one step too late; by the time it was her turn, there wouldn't be any left to sell.
Song Xibei let out two howls, then turned and went back into the house in anger: Sister Yuehe laughed at his hoarse voice!
Inside the room, Cai Ying scolded, "Song Xibei! I think you're asking for a beating again!"
Compared to Baoyu, who is about the same age as Baoyu in the front yard, Baoyu already knows how to help with household chores.
Just as she was about to say that her daughter was the most thoughtful, she turned around and saw her daughter, Song Xinan, taking scissors to cut a dress for herself. Cai Ying took a deep breath and asked, "Where did I put my rolling pin?"
Even though it's New Year's Eve, she's still going to discipline the two mischievous kids in the house.
Aunt Zhao's eldest son and his family of four also came back for New Year's Eve. With so many people, it got lively, and the children's shouts were quite noisy.
The houses in the back building were the quietest, probably because there were no children in those houses yet.
The front yard was even more lively.
Zhang Chaonan and Hao Daren, these two young people, have been dating openly for a year. They've talked about marriage several times, but each time they had to put it on hold because their elders were critical. Neither set of parents has completely given their blessing yet. But they don't mind, thinking they can date for another year or two. They both feel they're still young and not in a hurry.
They calmed down, but their parents on both sides became anxious.
These days, who dates for a year or two without getting married? I've almost never seen that in the car factory, unless it's a case where both families have agreed to arrange a marriage long ago.
Or, like Xu Xiaomei, you could date for a while, break up, and then start dating someone else; that way, you could date for a year or two.
So, Hao Daren, at his parents' behest, delivered pork to Zhang Chaonan's family on New Year's Eve, which was seen as a signal from the Hao family to show goodwill, thinking that they could finalize the marriage of the two children after a while.
Auntie Er knew when to stop, returned a similar gift to Hao Daren, and said that they would arrange to meet at their home for dinner when both families were free.
Not only did Aunt Er's family receive meat deliveries, but Wu Erni's family did too.
Sun Jiawang is ten years old this year and understands a lot. When he saw a man about the same age as his mother carrying things to his house, he immediately thought of what the old men and women in the alley were talking about.
Since his father was arrested and his grandparents returned to their hometown, he hasn't dared to cause any more trouble in the alley or at school.
He was afraid that his mother would really listen to what the older folks said and send him back to his grandparents so that she could remarry and find someone with decent conditions.
After two years of anxiety, he thought his mother wouldn't find him a stepfather, so when he overheard matchmaker Liu saying that his mother had made a deal with someone, he just assumed that matchmaker Liu was gossiping again.
Who knew! A man came to my house today. He looked like he'd get into a fight.
Sun Jiawang couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears.
Jin Hongchang was also meeting Sun Jiawang for the first time and wanted to make a good impression on the child, but when he twitched the corner of his mouth, the scar on his right cheek trembled, making him look even fiercer.
"Wow... I don't want you to be my dad!" Sun Jiawang looked up and howled.
When Wu Erni arrived home a few steps late, she saw her son wailing, her husband at a loss, and the neighbors watching the commotion from behind the window.
"Stop crying! Shut up! Go home!"
Without Sun Dashan and his grandparents, Wu Erni and Zhou Dasao have become closer in the past two years, and Wu Erni's temper has hardened. She can easily lose her temper with those who have ill intentions towards her, and she can now shut up her disobedient son with just a shout.
Sun Jiawang rushed home, sobbing. Jin Hongchang scratched his head and followed her into the house, explaining in a low voice, "I just got here and didn't lay a finger on him."
Wu Erni said, "You have to be fierce to him. If you're nice to him, he'll take advantage of you."
She then looked at the things he was carrying, "What did you bring? Are you staying for dinner?"
"I'm going to deliver this to you and then go back to cook." Jin Hongchang didn't look around. After putting the things down, he glanced into the inner room, where Sun Jiawang was crying. "I'm going back now."
“You’ll be alone when you go back anyway. Have New Year’s Eve dinner first.” Wu Erni then told him to go and deal with the frozen fish, and to drag Sun Jiawang out to work.
Only after kicking them both out did Wu Erni get busy with other things.
Sister-in-law Zhou seized the opportunity to come find her, gesturing with her chin towards the outside, "You've already taken a liking to her?"
Wu Erni nodded shyly and whispered, "Director Wen from the Women's Federation introduced him to me. His ex-wife passed away early, he has no children, and no elders in his family. He plans to get the marriage certificate after the New Year."
She had suffered greatly at the hands of her in-laws when she married Sun Dashan, and was terrified that she would encounter the same fate if she married someone else. It was only after Director Wen heard her concerns that he introduced her to Jin Hongchang.
“He looks a bit fierce, but he’s a good person. I asked around through my dad’s old friends, and they said he’s trustworthy.” Wu Erni sighed. “It’s better to find someone sooner rather than later, so that Sun Dashan won’t come back to cause trouble in a few years.”
“Yes, the sooner you find one, the sooner you can have another one.” Sister-in-law Zhou didn’t put it too bluntly.
She felt that Sun Jiawang hadn't been raised well since he was little. Wu Erni was barely managing to keep him in check now, but what if Sun Dashan came back in the future? Who knew if Sun Jiawang would side with his father? It would be better to have another child, so that Sun Dashan wouldn't use Sun Jiawang as an excuse to come and see Wu Erni so often after he got out.
Wu Erni hadn't thought of that. She craned her neck to look outside and saw that Jin Hongchang was working carefully, which made her even more satisfied.
A strange man came to the front yard, and Guan Yuehe couldn't help but stare at him when she went to fetch water.
Kim Hong-chang nodded awkwardly in greeting, moving the basin aside. "Come fetch water?"
"Oh right, come get some water." Guan Yuehe said as she fetched water, glancing at the strange man and Sun Jiawang, who looked like he was about to cry. She had a guess in her mind.
She filled the water tank, carried one in each hand, and hurried back to the backyard. She poured the water into the water vat, covered it with a wooden lid, and immediately ran to Aunt Zhao's house.
"Aunt Zhao, who is that man in the front yard?"
"Wu Erni's boyfriend was introduced to her by the factory leaders." Aunt Zhao pulled her to sit down, also looking curious. "Did Yi Ku's relationship work out?"
"I don't know."
"You and Sitian study together every day, hasn't she said anything to you?" Aunt Zhao suddenly stuffed a handful of candy into Guan Yuehe's pocket, saying, "Our scrap yard manager has a niece, about the same age as Yiku. Yuehe, could you help Aunt Zhao sound out the Lin family's opinion..."
Guan Yuehe quickly took all the candy out of her pocket and put it on the table, her gossipy thoughts completely gone. "I'm not good at matchmaking. Aunt Zhao, you might as well go talk to Aunt Fang directly."
As Guan Yuehe left Aunt Zhao's house, she clicked her tongue.
Aunt Zhao is usually a very open and honest person, but she's unreliable when it comes to matchmaking.
Previously, when Aunt Zhao wanted to pair Chang Zhengyi with her and Si Tian, she wouldn't say it openly, always being vague. Now, she wants to play matchmaker for the leader's niece and Lin Yiku, is she also indirectly trying to get Aunt Zhao's help?
"I can't do it!" She wasn't interested in introducing potential partners to others.
"What can't you do?"
Guan Yuehe looked up and saw Lin Yiku standing guard at her door with a bag of apples. She thought to herself, "Why don't you come out and ask Lin Yiku now, Aunt Zhao?"
"It's nothing." Guan Yuehe's eyes fell on the apples he was carrying. "Where did you get them?"
She also wanted to exchange it; this apple looked bigger and redder than the ones from the car factory, and it looked even tastier.
"Don't ask too many questions, as long as there's food, that's enough." Lin Yi weighed the net bag in her hand, gesturing for her to open the door.
With a forceful push, Guan Yuehe opened the door.
Since Sun Dashan and Grandpa and Grandma Sun left, No. 2 Courtyard has become safe.
Sun Jiawang was strictly controlled by Wu Erni and had to go to school regularly. No one from the other neighborhoods would dare to steal anything from him. If anyone from other courtyards wanted to sneak in, they would have to get past Aunt Er and Aunt Bai first.
Therefore, she was not as guarded as when she first moved in, only locking the bedroom and leaving the front door slightly ajar.
She had just stepped aside to let Lin Yiku pass into the house when he stood outside the threshold and handed her a net bag of fruit. "Your relatives are here. Aunt Jiang said you shouldn't go over yet."
"My relatives? Who? My maternal grandfather's family or my aunt's family?"
"I'm not familiar with it, I don't know." Lin Yi urged her, "Hurry up and get it."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Consider it a thank you gift for borrowing the bicycle."
Guan Yuehe chuckled as she accepted it, a sweet apple scent wafting into her nose. "Thank you, Brother Yiku!"
As soon as I finished speaking, I found it even funnier; she was being obsequious again.
Lin Yiku watched her grin foolishly for a while before saying, "Don't just stand here in the wind, come inside."
"Oh, I almost forgot, I still need to fetch water."
"I'll help you."
"No need!" Guan Yuehe refused. "My family only has two buckets, we don't have any more."
There's not much for her to exercise at home, so she's only given tasks like moving things. She's even afraid to go back to school, because she's always last in arm wrestling in the dorm.
So Lin Yiku stood at her door and watched her carry two buckets of water with incredible speed.
"When you were little, I asked you to help me carry water, and you kicked over my water bucket. Now you're so keen on carrying water?"
Guan Yuehe gave a soft hum, but for the sake of the bag of apples in the room, she decided not to expose him.
He tricked her into carrying water with sugar water, but instead gave her salt water. If she had been this strong when she was a child, she would have definitely pushed his head into the bucket.
"Lin Yiku!" Aunt Fang called from next door, "Sitian, look where your brother has run off to again. He said he was going to help buy some wine, but he hasn't shown up for ages."
Guan Yuehe turned to look at him, but his hands were empty; there wasn't even a trace of wine.
Lin Yiku said without changing her expression, "I'm going to buy some wine. Do you want me to bring you a bottle?"
After asking the question, she realized it was a stupid one, and said that it would be a waste to buy the wine for her anyway.
Guan Yuehe behind her muttered softly, "How is it a waste? It's not like I can't drink it."
But Lin Yiku had already strode to the front yard, where Lin Sitian caught him outside. "Lin Yiku! You're slacking off!"
"You have no manners! How dare you call Lin Yiku that?"
Just as Guan Yuehe was about to close the door, she looked up and saw Aunt Zhao winking at her.
"Yuehe, just pretend you didn't hear what Auntie said to you today. Oh my, I didn't expect... Auntie knows what's going on, I won't say anything nonsense."
"Huh?" Guan Yuehe looked bewildered.
It wasn't until lunchtime that Guan Aiguo came to call her home for lunch.
"My cousin and his wife came to visit. My cousin's wife wanted her younger brother to learn to drive from my older brother, but he didn't agree. They just left."
These days, learning to drive isn't that difficult. If you know someone who can be your driver, they can teach you how to practice and even show you how to register.
The difficulty lies in the fact that individuals cannot register to take the driving test; those who can register must have a letter of introduction from their employer, and there is even a very strict political background check.
"Is your cousin's brother still unemployed?"
Guan Aiguo praised, "Second sister, you're so smart. You could tell there was a problem right away."
Because he didn't have a job yet, he was thinking of having his older brother take him on as an apprentice so he could get a temporary job at a car factory. Once he became a temporary worker, he would have a chance to become a permanent employee.
That's quite a clever calculation.
But if that had worked, Hongwei from my aunt's family would have been taken in as an apprentice by my older brother, and there would have been no need for him to go to the countryside.
Guan Aiguo spread his hands and said, "That was before. Now my brother's master is the captain of the transport team, and my brother has also been assigned to drive long distances. My cousin and his wife think that my brother is capable and has a voice in the transport team."
"Then why did you tell me not to go over there? What do I have to do with this?" She's had some peace and quiet for quite a while now. Could it be that someone is after her again?
"Oh, Mom is overthinking it. She thought they came to introduce you to someone, which is why she told you not to go."
Guan Aiguo counted the heads of people for her and said, "Since you came back from your holiday, at least eight people have come to your house to introduce you to potential partners, but Mom turned them all down, saying they weren't very good."
She really didn't know!
But she still trusted her mother's judgment. The fact that she didn't even share the news with her meant that the people she introduced must not be very good.
Guan Aiguo laughed again and said, "Even more people went to Aunt Fang's house to introduce Yiku to potential partners. Some people even told Aunt Fang to just take Yiku to the Civil Affairs Bureau and force her to agree, whether she wanted to or not."
Guan Yuehe slapped his head, "Idiot! Soldiers can't just get married whenever they want! They need a marriage application! If it's not approved, it won't be processed."
"We still need to submit a report? I thought everyone was the same." Guan Aiguo said regretfully, "Then tying up Brother Yiku won't do any good."
Guan Yuehe: "......"
It's as if you can control him.
Where did Baoyu go?
Guan Yuehe heard footsteps behind her, turned around and saw Baoyu carrying a large bowl of chicken, following them into courtyard number three.
Zhou Baoyu smiled shyly, "It's for my master."
Who is your master?
Guan Aiguo eagerly replied, "Sister Hongqi. Sister Hongqi said that after Zhou Baoyu graduates, she will apply to the factory to take on apprentices. Sister Hongqi is now a level 5 welder."
If I work hard for the next two years, I might be able to pass the Level 6 welder's certificate exam when Baoyu graduates.
Guan Yuehe congratulated her, "That's wonderful!"
So many people wanted to have Sister Hongqi take their children as apprentices but failed, yet Sister Hongqi accepted Baoyu without saying a word.
That's great. With Sister Hongqi, who is so protective of her son, Sister-in-law Zhou doesn't have to worry about Baoyu going to the countryside after graduation. And Baoyu can also learn real skills from her.
Turning to look at her younger brother, Guan Yuehe slapped him again in disgust.
Guan Aiguo hummed aggrievedly, but once inside the house, he came over to gossip with her again.
"Do you know why Sister Hongqi took Zhou Baoyu in as a student?"
Upon receiving a sharp glare from his second sister, Guan Aiguo shrank back and immediately answered his own question: "Sister Hongqi's water broke halfway back. Fortunately, Sister-in-law Zhou saw it and found someone to take her to the hospital. So, Sister Hongqi took Zhou Baoyu as her apprentice."
"Aunt Ding was still making a fuss, saying that taking in one or two people was the same, and she wanted Sister Hongqi to take in Ding Laowu as an apprentice as well. Brother-in-law Jin beat her out."
"Aunt Ding is such a person. She wanted Sister Hongqi to help her, but instead of saying nice things or helping her, she even looked down on Sister Hongqi's daughter, Yuanbao. Aunt Ding is getting more and more confused as she gets older."
Guan Aiguo went on and on, "Aunt Xu's family also wanted Sister Hongqi to take Dabao as an apprentice. They are quite sensible. Sister-in-law Xu said she would go to help take care of the new mother, but when she went there she kept saying unpleasant things and was kicked out by Brother-in-law Jin. So it didn't work out."
"Second sister, why are you looking at me like that?" Guan Aiguo touched his face, wondering if there was something dirty on it.
"It's nothing. If you had used the same energy you spend listening to gossip on your studies, you wouldn't have needed to go to Teacher Xie for extra lessons."
Jiang Guiying chimed in, "Exactly!!"
Just because they had asked Xie Zhenhua for help with math, Aunt Xie acted as if they owed her a huge favor. She would constantly use the excuse, "If it weren't for Zhenhua, Aiguo wouldn't have gotten into high school and would have had to stay home until he was sent to the countryside in a couple of years," to ask for all sorts of help. She even wanted Xie Zhenxing to help find a woman with a house and a job in the city. They had given her a gift in return; it wasn't like she was asking for help for nothing.
Although Aunt Xie was later scolded so badly that she dared not make any more demands, she still felt a lump in her throat whenever she thought about it.
"If you don't get your high school diploma, you'll be in big trouble!" Jiang Guiying warned, pulling her youngest son's ear.
Guan Aiguo nodded with a worried look on his face, having finally managed to free his ear.
Taking advantage of the fact that it was only family members present, Jiang Guiying said to Guan Yuehe, "Once Aiguo gets his high school diploma, we'll let him become an apprentice in the factory's transportation team. With his older brother around, he'll have someone to look after him in the future."
The factory has now raised the requirements for shift work. Those with higher education levels are more likely to be able to take over the shift smoothly, while those with lower education levels may be assigned to other positions.
Otherwise, they would have sent Guan Aiguo to the factory's transportation team as an apprentice long ago.
Guan Yuehe nodded knowingly.
It seems that the reason they didn't agree to their cousin and his wife's request was to keep the position for Guan Aiguo. That way, their father could keep his job.
Her father achieved the great goal of being recognized as an advanced worker for ten consecutive years last year. He was not recognized this year, but that did not affect his salary from rising to another level.
With 21 years of experience, a highly respected barber, and numerous awards for excellence, her father now earns 55 yuan a month.
His salary alone is roughly equivalent to the combined salaries of four apprentices.
Letting Guan Aiguo succeed him is a huge mistake.
Guan Aiguo is already dreaming that when he gets a salary, he will follow his older sister's example and buy himself clothes and shoes.
Oh, if he goes on long-distance trips with his older brother, he can broaden his horizons.
Thinking of this, Guan Aiguo grinned foolishly, patted his chest, and boasted, "Second sister, when I get a job, I'll give you a pair of little leather shoes."
Guan Yuehe didn't believe her at all and replied perfunctorily, "Then I'll thank you in advance."
"Where are my older brother and sister-in-law?"
"I went to see your sister-in-law. Her brother came to tell me that she gave birth."
Lin Yuzhen has already given birth?
Guan Yuehe noticed that in the past two years, people of similar age to her have been getting married and having children one after another, which made her start to doubt herself.
"What's there to doubt?" Lin Sitian asked, puzzled. "Men should marry when they're of age, and women should marry when they're of age. Marriage is just about having children and living a normal life."
After saying that, he gave her half an apple, saying, "It was a gift from my brother's friend. It's sweeter than the ones from the factory. I'll get you two more later."
The delicious food instantly dispelled her minor confusion.
Guan Yuehe shook her head, "No need, I already have enough. You can keep it for yourself."
She counted them; Lin Yiku had sent her six, which was quite a lot. Taking any more would be greedy.
Lin Sitian looked at her in confusion, "You think this apple doesn't taste good? That shouldn't be the case!"
"It's delicious!"
"Then why don't you want it?"
"I have six, that's a lot."
"The factory's stuff can't compare to this. I... Lin Yiku! You pulled my hair!" Lin Sitian glared angrily at her brother behind her.
Lin Yiku stopped pulling her hair and said, "Come and help me make dumplings."
"Mom said you should do more housework. If you're not diligent, no one will want you in the future. Right, Yuehe?"
Guan Yuehe, of course, completely listened to her childhood friend, nodding like a chick pecking at rice and agreeing, "Yes, yes!"
Lin Yiku gave her a deep look and nodded, "Okay, I'll do all the housework, alright?"
Guan Yuehe thought to herself: Do it or not, it's none of my business.
Then, she was also called home to make dumplings.
Guan Yuehe rushed out of the house less than a minute after entering, standing at the gate of courtyard number three and calling out, "Dad! Comrade Guan Canghai! Comrade Jiang Guiying is calling you home to make dumplings!"
"You unlucky girl, I was about to win the game of chess, and you shouted, which gave your Uncle Ming a chance to cheat."
Guan Yuehe sniffed at it like a puppy, and said with certainty, "You've been drinking!"
"Nonsense!" Guan Canghai jumped up in anger. "Your Uncle Ming and I are playing chess and drinking tea!"
"You must have been drinking!" she retorted, "But my nose isn't hurt!"
She and her father jogged into the house, still arguing about whether they had been drinking. Jiang Guiying, annoyed by their noise, said she would gag them with dough. Guan Aiguo chimed in, offering to help.
Meanwhile, in the adjacent side room, Lin Sitian was also yelling, "Lin! Yi! Ku! Dad, Mom, look at him!"
The front yard was also bustling with activity.
"Oh, Cheng Cai brought his wife home for the New Year?"
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