037 Lunar New Year's Eve
Early on New Year's Eve, Grandma Sun and her daughter-in-law Wu Erni began preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.
Things are different now. Worshipping ancestors during the Lunar New Year is now forbidden. But as long as you do it quietly and don't make a fuss about it outside, no one will catch you.
Wu Erni didn't know when her mother-in-law had bought the paper money. Right now, she was burning it in front of the stove while muttering prayers for this person and that person.
She looked at it in surprise several times, after all, she had never seen her mother-in-law do these things in previous years.
Although she felt uneasy, she didn't say anything wrong about her mother-in-law. Last night, her parents-in-law and Sun Dashan whispered to each other behind her back, clearly treating her like an outsider. What weight could the words of an outsider carry? She simply pretended to be blind and mute.
Before the paper money had even finished burning, there was a loud banging on the door.
Startled, Grandma Sun turned pale. In her panic, Wu Erni quickly threw the still-burnt paper money into the stove.
For once, Grandma Sun thought her daughter-in-law was quite clever.
"Knock, knock, knock! If you break the door, you'll have to pay for it!" Guan Yuehe kicked the door last time, and it's already loose. If I keep banging on it, I'll probably have to replace it with a new one.
As soon as Aunt Sun opened the door, she saw three police officers standing in a row at her door. As soon as she opened the door, the officers' eyes swept into the house. "Where's Sun Dashan?"
"He...he went out." Aunt Sun's lips trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. "You want to see him? You've already found those two girls from the Zhou family, what else do you want to ask us? We only said a few words to them, is it really necessary to call the police?"
The police officer standing in the middle looked the oldest. He waved his hand, signaling the other two to go in and find the person.
"No, you're supposed to be police officers? How can you just barge into someone's house like that? I'm going to report you to your workplace!" Grandma Sun tried to stop them, but couldn't. She called for help from Wu Erni, who was standing against the wall. Wu Erni was already terrified: Had Sun Dashan committed a crime?
The police acted quickly. Sun Dashan, who was in the inner room, tried to push open the back window to run, but when he stepped over it with one leg, the police pulled him down.
"Officers, what are you doing? I'm perfectly fine at home, I haven't done anything wrong, why are you arresting me?"
One of the police officers said expressionlessly, "You know in your heart whether you've committed a crime or not. Keep these words to yourself and tell Zhou Changshun when you get to the police station."
Zhou Changshun is the eldest son of the Zhou family. He colluded with outsiders to kidnap and hide his two nieces. He not only wanted to take away his sister-in-law's job, but also contacted human traffickers hiding in the shadows to sell the children.
The Municipal Public Security Bureau organized personnel from several police stations to arrest and interrogate those who provided the list of names provided by Zhou Changshun.
The first person on the list was Sun Dashan.
Upon hearing this, cold sweat poured down Sun Dashan's forehead, his limbs went limp, and his mouth trembled so much that he couldn't utter a complete sentence. Only one thought filled his mind: It's over.
Seeing that Sun Dashan was about to be taken away, Grandma Sun panicked and could only throw a tantrum on the spot, howling and screaming, refusing to let the police take him away.
Police Officer Song knew all too well what kind of people Grandpa and Grandma Sun were, so before the leaders assigned the task, he submitted an application requesting to go to another location to carry out the operation.
Otherwise, if he were to come, Grandma Sun would still have to mention the "kindness" they had as neighbors.
The police officers who came to arrest her didn't fall for her tantrums. One of them pulled her away, while the other two held down Sun Dashan, who suddenly started to struggle.
The commotion at the Sun family's place was so great that soon, even several families from the back houses came to the front yard to see what was going on. Neighbors from the nearby No. 1 and No. 3 courtyards also arrived quickly.
What did Sun Dashan do wrong?
The police haven't started interrogation or investigation yet, so they naturally won't convict anyone prematurely. They only say it's related to the twins being abducted a few days ago.
Yes, the police are now classifying the disappearance in Bao'an and Baoning as abduction, rather than a family dispute involving the child being hidden by his uncle.
Once the case is closed, even if Zhou Changshun doesn't get shot, he'll still be sentenced to at least ten years in prison. All the workers in the Zhou family who have jobs will be affected. At worst, they'll be fired from their jobs, and at best, they'll be transferred to other positions and assigned to clean toilets.
The police didn't explain clearly, but the neighbors already had their own guesses: Could Sun Dashan have conspired with Zhou Changshun to abduct Bao'an and Baoning?
Soon, everyone thought: That must be it!
Otherwise, why would the police come to arrest him?
The crowd looked at Sun Dashan with disdain, disgust, and loathing, and they disliked Sun Dama even more.
If Sun Dashan succeeds this time, will he continue to prey on other children in the alley?
"Sun Dashan! I'll fight you to the death!" Aunt Zhou rushed out with a rolling pin and smashed it into Sun Dashan's head, causing him to howl in pain. Luckily, the police intervened in time, otherwise he would have been hit again.
Sister-in-law Zhou had heard the commotion at the Sun family's house, but she didn't take it to heart. She was busy comforting her twin daughters, who had been frightened by Aunt Sun's shrill voice.
It was Aunt Bai who came to call her, saying that Sun Dashan had also helped Zhou Changshun abduct her two daughters, which is why the police came to arrest him.
When Sister-in-law Zhou heard this, she was furious. She had been bullied by the Sun family next door quite often, and they had gone even further the other day. She never expected that the Sun family would have a say in her daughter's disappearance! Her anger flared up instantly, and she wished she could beat Sun Dashan to death on the spot.
"Luo Guifang! You widow, how dare you hit my son! I'll fight you to the death!"
"Stop!" The oldest police officer startled the others. "If you obstruct the police investigation any further, you'll all be going to the police station to wait in line!"
The police took Sun Dashan away. Grandma Sun looked inside the house and then at the door. In the end, she left Wu Erni at home to wait for Grandpa Sun and Sun Jiawang, and went to the police station with them.
Sister-in-law Zhou also had to go along to give a statement. She was worried about her daughters, so she brought all three of them with her.
"Why don't we go take a look?" someone suddenly suggested.
"Let's go! We're all neighbors, we should go see what's going on!" Many people echoed.
So, a group of neighbors from Ginkgo Alley followed behind Aunt Zhou.
Guan Yuehe hurriedly told her family and called Lin Sitian to go out.
Their large group walking together inevitably attracted the attention of passersby.
"Where are you going?" This was also a question from the residents of Ginkgo Hutong, who were quite puzzled as to why the group of people were not staying at home on New Year's Eve but instead going out together.
As soon as someone explained, the person who asked the question exclaimed, "Oh my god!" and rushed home to tell their neighbors in the yard: "Do you know how those twins went missing? Their neighbor kidnapped them! It's true! The police have come to arrest them! Everyone in the second courtyard has gone to the police station!"
"Which police station? Changhu Police Station? Come on, let's go see what's going on! This kind of kidnapper deserves to be torn to pieces!"
"That's right! This kind of person can't stay in our alley. We need to report this to the factory leaders. What if he kidnaps another child one day?"
"Hey! Sun Dashan's gone, but his parents are still here, aren't they? I don't believe they don't know anything!"
Before Sun Dashan even stepped into the police station, the news that he was a kidnapper had already spread throughout Ginkgo Alley.
Workers from their own factory were taken to the police station, and the head of the security department of Wuxing Automobile Factory and the director of the workshop where Sun Dashan worked were also summoned to the police station for questioning.
Guan Yuehe and Lin Sitian stood behind the elderly men and women, using one side to block out the wind, while listening to their analysis:
“The Sun family is definitely doomed unless others publish a notice in the newspaper severing ties with Sun Dashan.”
"Work? The jobs will definitely be taken back. They can't even live in the houses. Those were houses allocated to the workers by the car factory. They're not workers anymore, so why should they still live in Ginkgo Hutong?"
In no time, those who reacted quickly had their eyes on the Sun family's house. If the factory took the house back, wouldn't it be able to be allocated?
Some people started wondering about Sun Dashan's job. The workshop was short-staffed; was he going to fill a vacancy? He still had children at home who were unemployed...
Only Grandpa Chang and Grandma Er thought of something else: their No. 2 courtyard would not be eligible for the title of "Civilized Collective" this year!
People from Ginkgo Alley filled the open space in front of the police station. Passersby, curious, came over to ask what was going on. Before long, more and more people arrived.
But they were quickly persuaded to leave by the police, who said that they were obstructing official business and that they should go home for the New Year.
Everyone lingered for quite a while before finally leaving, and once they got back, they gathered together again to discuss the matter.
When Guan Yuehe returned to Courtyard No. 2, she found that the door to the Sun family's house was locked, presumably because the rest of the family had gone to the police station.
She went home to get some food, intending to take it to the neighboring No. 3 courtyard.
When she arrived, she happened to run into Grandpa Li, who lived in the gatehouse, carrying a small package as he went out.
Without thinking much of it, she greeted him casually, "Uncle Li, are you going to visit relatives?"
Grandpa Li touched his face sheepishly, shook his head and then nodded, pointed to the alley entrance, gave her a wry smile, and strode out.
There were far more people in Courtyard No. 3 than in Courtyard No. 2. They were almost all crammed into the front yard chatting, discussing how Sun Dashan had become a human trafficker.
The adults would say a few words, then remind their children: "Stay away from the Sun family, do you hear me? If you get kidnapped and sold, you'll suffer!"
The child was so frightened that he nodded repeatedly.
As soon as Zhang Desheng saw Guan Yuehe, he asked, "Yuehe, you're here. You're starting school in March, right? It takes more than an hour to get to Peking University from here by bike. You'll have to live on campus, right?"
Guan Yuehe immediately became alert.
Ever since she received her acceptance letter, Zhang Desheng would greet her with a smile whenever he saw her, always asking about her university life.
She hadn't thought much of it before, after all, the envy in Zhang Desheng's words was quite obvious, and Zhang Desheng often tried to emulate Xie Zhenhua's cultured ways. The neighbors in courtyard number three all knew that Zhang Desheng also harbored a dream of going to university.
But now, when her house is mentioned, Guan Yuehe has to think twice.
The envy is real, and the desire for her house is also likely real.
"I didn't go to university, so I don't know."
Aunt Xie looked up proudly, "My Zhenhua went to university, Yuehe. If you don't understand anything, just ask. But the university Zhenhua went to is different from yours. Back then, you had to take exams. In our whole county, Zhenhua was the only one who got in..."
Aunt Xie couldn't stop talking about Xie Zhenhua getting into university back then, but was interrupted by the impatient Aunt Ding: "That's ancient history from so many years ago, the college entrance exam doesn't even exist anymore!"
Aunt Ding tentatively asked Guan Yuehe, "You usually live at school, so isn't the house a waste? Why not rent it out to someone else...?"
“I’m not at school every day, and I go home to stay during holidays.” Guan Yuehe didn’t want anyone to come knocking on her door again, so she said directly, “I’m not renting or lending the house, it doesn’t matter who asks. If anyone dares to touch my house while I’m at school, I will definitely report it to the police. Let me make this clear upfront, so as not to hurt our neighborly relationship. Aunt Ding, please don’t mind, I’m not targeting you personally.”
Aunt Ding's smile immediately faded.
The others also gave up on the idea.
Only Zhang Desheng remained unfazed, skipping the question about the house and continuing to ask her what else she needed to prepare for going to university.
"Oh, by the way, Yuehe, do you still need that bicycle ticket? If not, lend it to us first, and we'll exchange it for your ticket at the outside price," Boss Xu asked.
"Yes, I'll use it. I'm almost ready to save up enough money. I'll buy the car before school starts," Guan Yuehe said again.
Xu Laoda didn't ask any more questions, inwardly cursing Guan Yuehe as a stingy wretch.
He and his fourth brother were childhood friends who grew up together, yet he wouldn't even lend them a ticket.
He was just thinking about his fourth brother when the fourth brother returned carrying a bag of pastries. His expression instantly darkened further: his wife had specifically inquired about the welfare benefits the Zhuoyue Garment Factory gave out. She had thought that his fourth brother would at least bring back half, if not all of it? And all he got was this bag of pastries? What about the rice, flour, cooking oil, and fruit?
Xu Cheng pretended not to see his elder brother's expression, greeted the neighbors one by one, and then raised the pastries in his hand so that everyone could see them.
"I went to the department store to queue up and buy it; I can't just stay at home and eat for nothing."
As for the rice, flour, and cooking oil he was allocated? He took some to give to his master, and kept the rest. He borrowed a space from the canteen's senior cooks so he could have a good meal every now and then.
He brought it back to show his filial piety to his parents, but the food just ended up in other people's stomachs anyway. He might as well eat it himself and give his parents living expenses.
Boss Xu snorted coldly.
At this moment, Jin Junwei finally mixed the seasoned minced meat evenly and praised Xu Chengcai for being filial.
"A tree with many branches can support itself without the family having to worry. Uncle Xu and Aunt Xu must be so happy to have such a filial son. Those who live at home are all talk and no action, and they even hide from their parents when buying them good food, afraid of missing out on a single bite."
As he spoke, he kept glancing in the direction of Boss Xu.
Old Master Xu's face darkened, and he turned and went back into the house. Jin Junwei chuckled smugly.
Guan Yuehe quietly gave Xu Cheng a wink: What's going on?
Xu Chengcai was also baffled. Who knew what was wrong with his older brother, that he would have a conflict with Jin Junwei?
Wanting Da Bao to become Sister Hongqi's apprentice, instead of getting along with people properly, he offended Sister Hongqi's lover? His brain is rusty!
Curious, Guan Yuehe didn't linger and went straight to the kitchen when she got home. She gave her mother the meat and flour she had brought and hurriedly asked, "What kind of conflict did Brother Xu and Brother-in-law Jin have?"
Guan Aiguo poked his head in and said, "I know! Sister-in-law Xu said that if Sister Hongqi doesn't have children soon, she won't be able to have any when she gets older. So Brother-in-law Jin went to the Xu family to ask them to settle the matter. Brother Xu said that maybe Brother-in-law Jin has a problem."
"..." The Xu couple had completely offended Sister Hongqi and her husband, so it seemed that the plan to have him apprentice was no longer possible.
“There’s more!” Guan Aiguo’s eyes shone brighter than a flashlight.
"Anything else?"
"Aunt Ding wants Ding Xianzong to marry into the Xu family and be paired with Xu Xiaomei!"
"Why does Aunt Ding always think of such unreliable things?"
There are always some people whose ideas are so strange that they shock Guan Yuehe. Do they think with their toes?
"Stop nagging! Come help me knead the dough." Jiang Guiying assigned tasks to everyone in the family, but only Weiwei and Jingjing were allowed to run around the yard with a bag of sunflower seeds in their hands.
It's still unknown whether the entire human trafficking gang has been apprehended, and no one is allowed to let their children out of the yard. Therefore, the sound of firecrackers at the entrance of the alley has disappeared this year.
Adults don't need to worry about troublesome children throwing firecrackers into the toilet.
Wait, something's not right!
Guan Yuehua is not at home.
Jiang Guiying was muttering to herself, "I sent her out to buy a bag of salt, and she's still not back at this hour. Oh dear, I might as well have gone myself!"
Guan Yuehe and Guan Aiguo's lips curled up in a smile, then they glanced at the rest of the family and lowered their heads again: "Why hasn't anyone noticed yet?" I really wanted to say...
They don't need to say anything.
Guan Yuehua brought back salt and, seeing the whole family there, announced, "I've started dating someone. He'll be visiting on the second day of the Lunar New Year, so we won't be going to Grandma and Grandpa's house this year, right?"
Jiang Guiying had said early on that she wouldn't be visiting her parents' home this year. But Guan Yuehua was afraid that she might change her mind at the last minute, so she told her about her own plans first.
"What?" Jiang Guiying only caught the part about her eldest daughter having a boyfriend again, and quickly asked, "What's the situation with the guy?"
Guan Yuehua looked at Guan Yuehe, and the others followed suit.
Guan Yuehe: "Shall I speak for you?"
“…” Guan Yuehua rolled her eyes at her and said, “His name is Gu Mannian. He works at Zhuoyue Garment Factory. He used to work in the same workshop as Yuehe. Now he works in the purchasing department. He has qualified for housing allocation. If all goes well, he will be able to get the house in July.”
Jiang Guiying nodded in satisfaction. This sounded alright; it was from the same factory as Yuehe, so it would be easy to get information from them.
What's his family situation?
"His family all work in the machinery factory. He has an older brother and sister, both of whom are married and have their own families. There aren't any extra houses in the family to give him, so they'll separate after he gets married. His family is alright; I've never heard of anyone with a strange temper, and they get along well with the neighbors."
Learning from her previous experience with dating, before committing to a relationship this time, she asked a friend to inquire about Gu Mannian's family background. She felt that his family wasn't the type to cause trouble. In addition, he had helped her find twins recently, so she thought he had good character, a good temperament, was humorous, and patient. So she decided to commit to the relationship.
As for whether someone has the air of a cultured person? She now feels that people with the air of a cultured person can only be admired from afar; living with them would be infuriating.
For example, his ex-girlfriend Gao Yuansen, and Xie Zhenhua, the neighbor who doesn't care about anything.
"That's good!" Jiang Guiying then asked Guan Yuehe, "What's your sister's boyfriend's name again? Oh right, Xiao Gu. How's he doing at work?"
"It's alright, a bit worse than me," Guan Yuehe said shamelessly.
After being warned by her sister, Guan Yuehe clicked her tongue and then honestly said, "Sister Zhu from our factory office often praises him for being reliable, and she even wants to introduce her family members to him."
But when it comes to promotion, that's a bit uncertain. Mo Zhinan is in the purchasing department, and he's the one they're really grooming to be the head of the purchasing department; Gu Mannian has to wait his turn.
Jiang Guiying continued to ask, and Guan Yuehe finally revealed Gu Mannian's greatest advantage: "He works in the purchasing department and often buys chickens, ducks, fish and meat from all over the place, so he must make a lot of money."
This doesn't mean that Gu Mannian secretly pocketed the benefits, but rather that being able to regularly exchange for chicken, duck, fish, and meat to eat, and not needing meat coupons to exchange for them, is already very good.
When it comes to daily life, food should be the top priority. "My sister and he got together, so she'll never go hungry."
Guan Yuehua: "Who's like you, spending all your time eating and drinking?"
“Then don’t eat meat later.” Guan Yuehe retorted, “And don’t eat vegetarian meatballs either, they’re fried.”
"There's no point in talking to you!" Guan Yuehua thought to herself. What was the point of discussing this with a blockhead like her? It would be a waste of time.
Jiang Guiying felt that her youngest daughter's words were very practical; life is all about eating and drinking!
Soon, a rich aroma of meat wafted through the courtyard, and everyone opened their doors wide, as if afraid their neighbors wouldn't be able to smell the delicious aroma.
Normally, they're afraid their neighbors will find out they eat meat, but at this time of year, they want to show off how much meat they have.
All year round, we're busy and never stop working, and all we look forward to is being able to eat our fill of fine grains for the New Year's Eve dinner.
The Guan family had a bumper harvest this year, with almost everyone reaping a reward.
Guan Canghai, the apparent head of the family, gave a summary and encouraged the younger generation to continue their efforts in the new year.
"Let's work hard and bring back four advanced awards by the end of next year!"
Guan Yuehe wanted to say that she would be going to university next year and would no longer be eligible for the factory's advanced worker award!
And! She's going to university, so she can't keep collecting rat tails for her dad anymore... No! With Gu Manyian around, her dad should still be able to exceed his quota next year.
But since everyone was so happy, she didn't want to spoil the fun. She rested her hand on her chopsticks, waiting for her father to finish speaking.
If we don't eat now, the food will get cold.
Guan Canghai, still wanting more, pushed the empty bowl toward his wife, giving her a knowing look: It's New Year's, can we have a couple of sips?
Jiang Guiying glared at him, but still took out the key to open the cabinet, took out the wine, and poured a little bit, when another bowl appeared.
Guan Yuehe grinned, "Mom, I'll have a drink with Dad."
There was a tiny bit more wine than usual swirling at the bottom of the bowl, and Guan Yuehe picked it up and downed it in one gulp.
Ha! That's awesome!
Although she had said it many times, she couldn't help but say it again: "This year is so wonderful!"
After the New Year's Eve dinner, just as dusk was falling, everyone rushed to the homes of those with radios, carrying their small stools.
The Chang family's house in courtyard number two was packed with people again.
Guan Yuehe found the other side too crowded, so she left the door of her house open to listen to the noise.
The young people in the neighborhood all flock to her place, forming two or three groups to play cards, making it quite lively.
Someone wagered sunflower seeds, and Lin Sitian won a small pile of them. Guan Yuehe sat next to her and helped her finish them.
The roasted sunflower seeds at her house were roasted by Aunt Zhou, they were so fragrant, and Aunt Zhou probably wouldn't have time to roast them for her recently, so she couldn't bear to serve them to the guests.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
Sister-in-law Zhou took her three daughters to the Chang family's house to listen to the radio.
Everyone suppressed their curiosity and waited until the broadcast ended before asking Sister-in-law Zhou, "Is Sun Dashan really a human trafficker?"
“No,” Sister-in-law Zhou said angrily, “but Zhou Changshun was instigated by him, otherwise he would not have thought of such a despicable trick as kidnapping the child.”
Although Sun Dashan only offered an idea, would so many things have happened if it weren't for him? She really regretted not taking the opportunity to give him a few more whacks today.
"He actually started this?! What's his motive?"
Everyone quickly figured it out: What were they after? The Zhou family's house, of course.
"If he's not a human trafficker, can he be convicted?"
"The police said he'd get at least five years." They really let him off easy by not shooting him.
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