055 The weather has changed again.
One second she thought she could be a great chef, the next second her dad brought over half a roast duck.
Guan Yuehe's eyes widened. "Are you having trouble making ends meet at home?"
Last month, her sister received her acceptance letter, and her family prepared a feast of meat dishes. She ate so much that even her burps smelled of meat.
It's only been a few days, just the beginning of the month, and her dad's already gone to buy roast duck again?!
Roast duck is expensive and hard to get, so she uses the money to buy fatty pork to render oil.
But you know what, there's a reason why it's expensive, it's really good!
Guan Canghai smiled calmly, "If there's good food, just take it and eat it, don't ask so many questions."
This sentence sounds familiar.
Oh, when Lin Yiku went home to visit his family last time, he brought her things every now and then, and every time he used this sentence to shut her down.
Lin Yi is tight-lipped, but her father is not.
Seeing that she really shut up and stopped asking questions, he couldn't help but blurt it all out.
“One of my fishing friends is a leader of a state-owned restaurant. I bought it from him.”
We only managed to buy one. We kept half for our family and gave the other half to our two daughters.
Guan Yuehe was even happier to see that her duck leg hadn't been chopped into small pieces. She had just taken it and smelled it, before she could even exclaim how fragrant it was, when suddenly she cried out, "Oh dear, my oil!"
She's about to start cooking at home again, so naturally she needs to catch up on all the little things around the house. The most important of these is the oil she's getting today.
The factory canteen provides plenty of food, but it's not always delicious. She carefully calculated that while she could eat at the factory for lunch to save time, it would be more cost-effective to cook at home for dinner.
After she scooped out the oil residue and put it on a plate to cool, and then put the oil into an oil can, she turned around and found that her father was still there.
She thought for a moment and asked, "Shall I make some more noodles? Would you like to eat here too?"
Guan Canghai rubbed his hands together, then pressed his advantage, saying, "Shall we have another drink, you and me?"
As she spoke, she glanced at her locked cupboard.
Last month, at the family celebration for her sister's college admission, there was a bottle of Moutai liquor, which her brother-in-law, Gu Mannian, had specially exchanged for. Half of it was left over after the meal.
Her brother-in-law said to leave it at home, but the other family members either didn't like drinking or weren't allowed to drink, so her mother gave her the remaining half bottle.
Guan Yuehe sneered, "Father, you're really cunning."
She said, "Why make a roast duck when it's not a holiday? You're just thinking about the leftover wine!"
"Just tell me if you're going to drink or not?"
"Hehe, just a little bit." Guan Yuehe's composure instantly crumbled, and she covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. She then added, "Did you tell my mom you're having dinner here tonight?"
"Go and tell them."
"Fine, don't tell me then, I'll drink it all tonight."
“…My unlucky daughter!” Guan Canghai scratched his head, pondering how to say it as he walked home.
As I passed by the front yard, I saw Jin Hongchang leading Sun Jiawang, who was covered in mud and smelled terrible, into the yard one after the other.
"What are you doing? Did you fall into the ditch?"
When Wu Erni came out and saw what had happened, she was both angry and anxious: "What happened?"
Sun Jiawang, who had just been teary-eyed, immediately pointed at Jin Hongchang and yelled indignantly when he saw Wu Erni: "He kicked me into a stinky ditch!"
The neighbors who came out to see what was going on all looked at Kim Hong-chang with surprise, their eyes all changing.
Jin Hongchang and Wu Erni had been married for six months. After the wedding, Jin Hongchang moved to Yinxing Hutong to live with Wu Erni. He usually seemed like a quiet but hardworking and honest man. He just looked fierce, but he never yelled at Wu Erni and Sun Jiawang. Therefore, the neighbors in the No. 2 courtyard all thought Jin Hongchang was a good person.
It's only been half a year, and you're already thinking of getting rid of your stepson, Sun Jiawang? Or even kicking him into the river?
Although people didn't like Sun Jiawang before, he's still young and less disliked now, so they feel there's still hope for him. They certainly can't just watch Jin Hongchang ruin Sun Jiawang!
"Officer Song!" This is a matter of life and death; we must get Officer Song to handle it.
Jin Hongchang was already bad at speaking, and now, with his neighbors criticizing and blaming him one after another, he didn't know where to begin.
If we really investigate, he did indeed kick Sun Jiawang into the river.
Police Officer Song rushed over and quickly understood the situation in a few words: "Sun Jiawang, how did your father kick you? Did anyone see it?"
“He kicked me down with a sweeping leg, and Uncle Xu and the others from courtyard number three saw it.”
Just then, Old Xu returned from delivering the bicycle and, upon hearing this, defended him, saying, "Hey! When Old Jin got on the bicycle, he accidentally knocked Jiawang, who was sitting behind him, off the bike. There was a stinky ditch right next to them. It's nothing serious. As soon as Jiawang fell in, Old Jin found a stick and pulled him out."
"Hey Lao Jin, here's your bicycle. It's a good thing we were here too. If we just left it there, someone else might pick it up and not necessarily return it."
After Xu Laoda finished speaking, only Sun Jiawang's aggrieved and increasingly loud crying could be heard in the courtyard. The others looked at the sky and the ground awkwardly, scratching their heads and touching their faces.
You've wronged someone.
Which child hasn't been swept off their feet by their own parents? But Sun Jiawang was unlucky; he was swept into a stinking ditch.
Jin Hongchang assured Sun Jiawang, "I'll be more careful next time."
"Waaaaah... I'm never riding in your car again!" He was so embarrassed by his friends' teasing on the way back that he couldn't even go out!
Wu Erni found it both amusing and exasperating, and patted Sun Jiawang on the head, "Stop howling, go to the bathhouse with your dad and wash yourself clean before you come back!"
Even as the aroma of food wafted from each house, Sun Jiawang would occasionally let out a wail.
Amidst Sun Jiawang's wailing and Wu Erni's scolding, Guan Yuehe and Guan Canghai clinked glasses.
Guan Canghai looked down at his own cup, which was only shallowly filled to the bottom, while his daughter's cup across from him was half full.
Guan Yuehe greeted him, "Dad, eat your food, don't be shy with me."
After saying that, he picked up a roasted duck leg and started eating it.
"These days are wonderful!"
Guan Canghai tapped the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks, making a crisp clinking sound, and said with a smile, "You're only a few years old, you have many good days ahead of you."
As she spoke, she thought of the past, "When we were your age, we were still struggling in the countryside, barely making ends meet..."
Guan Yuehe interrupted his reminiscence and clinked glasses with him again, saying, "You've also been fortunate to live in such a good time."
"Hey! It really is! Let me tell you, back in the countryside, before you even existed, your uncle and I..."
"Guan Canghai!" The light from the doorway was blocked, and Jiang Guiying glared angrily at the father and daughter with her hands on her hips. "I was wondering why you came to my daughter's place for dinner today. Were you secretly drinking behind my back?"
Guan Yuehe quickly distanced herself, saying, "Mom, I didn't pour much for Dad, I only gave him a little bit! It's all because Dad's greedy!"
Guan Canghai looked over in shock, “…You unlucky daughter!”
After watching the commotion at Wu Erni's house in the front yard, the neighbors came to the back yard to see the commotion at Guan Yuehe's house.
Holding a bowl and chopsticks, eating heartily, it's as if the food tastes better when eaten with less oil and salt, just like enjoying the lively atmosphere at someone else's house.
Lin Sitian watched with the most enthusiasm, laughing heartily and cheering for Jiang Guiying.
After the excitement subsided, Lin Sitian came over to see what she had for dinner and said regretfully, "Roast duck? I should have come earlier!"
Guan Yuehe snorted, "Even if you came earlier, I wouldn't have given you any!" Don't think she didn't see her stirring up trouble outside.
Lin Sitian quickly said a lot of nice things, and got the remaining piece of roast duck and a few pieces of pork cracklings in her bowl.
The two were talking about Ding Xuewen's return at the end of the month when they suddenly realized something important: "When Ding Xuewen comes back, will we not have any dried wood ear mushrooms left to eat?"
Without dried wood ear mushrooms, you can't make wood ear mushroom buns. They're too expensive to buy outside, and hard to find either. Guan Yuehe sighed with regret.
But who knows, maybe in three years.
Returning to the city to study does not guarantee that you will stay in Beijing after graduation. You may be assigned back to your original commune or to other units in Northeast China.
Guan Yuehe's class was the first cohort of worker-peasant-soldier college students. The graduates' destinations varied greatly, which can serve as a reference, but each case needs to be analyzed individually.
"Ding Xuewen and Chen Lizhong were assigned to the mechanical engineering major at the industrial college. After graduating, they should at least be assigned to factories, right? Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste?"
Guan Yuehe shook her head again, saying it was uncertain and depended on the situation when they graduated.
Leaving aside distant examples, take her for instance; her job has absolutely nothing to do with her major. There are also many farmers from rural areas who, after three years of university education, ultimately return to their villages to engage in agricultural production. Even more egregious are the former educated youth who were assigned to urban units but voluntarily applied to return to their rural hometowns…
Guan Yuehe felt that the universities of today were perhaps different from the ones her sister and Ding Xuewen had imagined and looked forward to.
Lin Sitian said she was overthinking it. "We're all going to university, what's the difference? Just like you, once you're in, you just need to study, right?"
But not every class is like their first foreign language department class, which was almost entirely composed of People's Liberation Army students.
The topic was rather dull, so Guan Yuehe didn't intend to think about it too much. After cleaning up the dishes, she invited Lin Sitian to go to the bathhouse together.
"It's convenient to take a shower at home, but it's still more satisfying to go to a public bathhouse for a scrub."
The two of them took a change of clothes and went straight to the bathhouse of Zhuoyue Garment Factory. As soon as Guan Yuehe entered, she was spotted by an old lady in the alley. "Yuehe is here. I'll go find Yuehe to scrub my back. You're just tickling me like that."
Guan Yuehe has made a name for herself in this bathhouse. She may not know all the older women here, but almost all of them know her.
You can get a back massage and listen to the older women chat about the latest happenings in various units in Changhu Street.
"That stepfather surnamed Jin in your alley, did he really kick his wife's son from her previous marriage into the river and kill him?"
Guan Yuehe: "......"
It's only been less than three hours, and the rumors outside are already this outrageous!
"No, that's not true. I was just accidentally swept into the ditch while getting on my bicycle. I'm perfectly fine."
The older women had their own ideas and wouldn't listen to Guan Yuehe's explanation at all. They huddled together and mysteriously analyzed why Jin Hongchang insisted on killing his stepson...
When Guan Yuehe returned to Courtyard No. 2 with the washed clothes, Jin Hongchang and Sun Jiawang, one big and one small, were washing clothes in front of the door.
The father and son seem to have a pretty good relationship, but I wonder if Kim Hong-chang would be so angry if he knew what bad things people were saying about him that he would kick the people who were spreading the rumors into a ditch.
Later that evening, neighbors from other courtyards brought small stools to courtyard number two and gathered at Aunt Er's house to listen to the radio.
We went to Aunt Zhao's house a while ago, but Uncle Chang failed the fitter's level 7 certificate exam again and was unhappy, so we tactfully changed our destination and went to Aunt Er's house instead.
As for Guan Yuehe, she spends her free time in the evenings listening to the radio before studying, and she doesn't like many people coming to her house and making noise. She closes the door at night so others know it's not convenient for her to host neighbors.
Yes, although she graduated, her learning did not end with the completion of her studies.
I haven't thought of anything new to learn yet, so I'll just have to keep learning English.
When she learned that the entire area was experiencing a power outage, she would wave a flashlight and go to the toilet, then come back to brush her teeth and go to sleep.
The sheets and pillowcases that were aired out all day still smell of soap.
In a moment of confusion, I mistakenly used the bath soap instead of the laundry soap, and it smelled strangely nice.
Guan Yuehe fell into a deep sleep, unaware that she was still smiling foolishly. Today was indeed a very fulfilling day.
But starting the next day, she was so busy she barely had time to breathe.
July was full of good things, but August was all about work and nothing good, making August feel particularly hot and irritable.
The latest recruitment exams have all concluded, and the list of successful candidates has been posted.
It's a time of joy for some and sorrow for others.
Fortunately, Section Chief Xiao's new desk was sturdy enough that it wasn't damaged by the impact.
No one from Ginkgo Alley has gotten a job at Zhuoyue Garment Factory anymore. Guan Yuehe wiped her sweat and sighed.
Xu Chengcai also sighed heavily, "I thought I was going to be a father, but I was only happy for nothing."
Guan Yuehe replied absentmindedly, "Then you and Zilan should work harder."
"...Never mind, I can't explain it to you. I'm going to find my wife."
Guan Yuehe stood in front of the workshop gate, looked up at the dark sky, and hoped that the rain would be delayed, at least until she got home.
But fate did not grant her wish. She had only pushed her bicycle a short distance out of the factory gate when a torrential downpour began.
"Oh dear! What's wrong with it raining if I get home first?" Guan Yuehe rushed home quickly in the heavy rain.
The clothes she hung out to dry were brought in, but they were still half wet.
Exclamations of surprise rang out from every courtyard: "All that drying was for nothing!"
The rain didn't stop until the early morning of the next day. The roads paved with bluestone slabs were washed clean, but the roads without bluestone slabs were so muddy that it was impossible to walk on them.
People going to work had mud on their clothes, and Guan Yuehe was no exception; her trouser legs were so dirty she couldn't bear to look at them.
It's all Chang Zhengyi's fault. He was rushing to work and didn't slow down when he passed a mud puddle. She was so unlucky that her pants got splashed with mud as she rushed over. If she hadn't also been in a hurry to get to work, she would have really wanted to chase after him and beat him up.
"Oh my god!"
A group of people gathered at the entrance of the mailroom, exclaiming in surprise. People from various departments were present, and even Section Chief Xiao had a stern face.
Guan Yuehe squeezed over to join the fun, but before she could even ask what was in today's newspaper, Xie Dongxue had already read it aloud.
The newspaper reprinted a letter from a test taker this year, writing: "This letter raises an important issue of the struggle between two lines and two ideologies on the education front, which is indeed thought-provoking."
Some people were confused, asking, "What does this mean?"
Some were confused, while others, with political acumen, noticed the deeper meaning behind the student's letter reprinted in the daily newspaper, vaguely reminding readers: "The college entrance examinations that have been reinstated this year..."
My colleague, who had just finished reading the newspaper, was still speculating, "Will those who passed the exam this year be able to go to school smoothly?"
"Who knows? The students who can register for the exam this year were recommended by the public. With so many people recommended, and then the best ones selected, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"
"That's hard to say."
Guan Yuehe's heart sank.
Newspapers across the country reprinted this news from the Daily News and the contents of the candidates' letters; almost everyone knew about it and was quietly discussing it.
"Oh God, how could the weather change so suddenly?! Quick, quick, go home and bring in the laundry! It's going to rain!"
Some people had already put away their clothes and stood under the eaves with their neighbors, lamenting the heavy rain of the past two days. Bored, they couldn't help but look towards Courtyard No. 3 when talking about recent events.
"With all this commotion, will Ding Laosi and Lao Guan's eldest daughter still be able to go to school?"
"Let's not worry about that. It's not our child's turn to go to school anyway." Relying on recommendations doesn't have a popular support base, and relying on exams doesn't meet their educational requirements.
"That's true." The speaker was secretly pleased and whispered, "I knew it was impossible for all the good things to go to one family. Yuehe from the Guan family has already graduated from university and been assigned to the planning department. Surely the good things should go to other families?"
"You'd better keep quiet. If Jiang Guiying hears you, you'll be in big trouble."
—
As soon as Guan Yuehe finished work, she went to the post office to send a telegram to inquire about Ding Xuewen's situation. After the people from the car factory returned from get off work, she hurried home.
"Dad... Ah, brother, Dad hasn't come back yet?" So she turned to her eldest brother and asked, "What are the car factory's plans for the workers who passed the exam this year? Are they going to let them continue their studies, or are they going to recommend new candidates?"
Guan Jianguo didn't get any more information either. "I only found out about it today. The factory will probably have to hold a meeting to discuss it."
"Don't worry, Dad went to ask the leaders."
How could Guan Yuehe not be anxious? It was all a done deal, how could it suddenly take such a dramatic turn?
Last month, she celebrated her sister receiving her acceptance letter. She, Lin Sitian, and Xu Cheng were saving up their meat coupons, waiting for Ding Xuewen to return. They had even discussed what dishes to order at the state-run restaurant...
But there was no use in her being anxious.
Ding Xuewen may not have received the telegram she sent yet, and the leaders of Wuxing Automobile Factory haven't reached a conclusion. However, Zhuoyue Garment Factory has already given a clear answer.
As instructed from above, the results of this entrance examination are invalidated and are for reference only. Students will still be recommended by their respective units through public recommendation and leadership approval.
The factory leaders of Zhuoyue Garment Factory held a two-day meeting and ultimately decided to maintain the current admission results and not to re-recommend them.
In other words, workers recommended by the factory to take the exam will be admitted to school according to the admission results as long as they pass the exam, and there will be no need for a new round of recommendations from the masses.
The factory's handling of the situation gave Guan Yuehe hope; perhaps many other companies would handle it the same way.
Time flew by until the last day of August, and Five Star Automobile Factory re-issued recommendations, no longer taking exam scores into account.
The good news is that her sister got a recommendation and can still go to university.
The university I was recommended to attend was changed from Huada University in Beijing to a foreign language school in a neighboring province.
The process was a bit bumpy, but the result was good.
Guan Yuehe breathed a sigh of relief, only to have another one slip away.
After the recommendation system for admission was reinstated, the commune where Ding Xuewen and Chen Lizhong lived only received two recommendation slots, and neither of them received one. The admission notices they had received before became worthless.
This was not good news, but Ding Xuewen wrote: I am about to return to the brigade's primary school as a teacher. Everything is fine, so don't worry. Lizhong said that the brigade's pig production exceeded its quota this year, and he is preparing to learn how to make sausages with the women's team leader. He will send some to you then.
"Yuehe! Has Ding Xuewen written to us? What did he say?"
Guan Yuehe handed over the letter in her hand, but Xu Chengcai snatched it first, making Lin Sitian stomp her feet in frustration, "Let me see it quickly!"
After a long while, the three remained silent, unsure of what to say.
Being disappointed is more painful than being unhappy in the first place.
But since things have come to this, there's no point in thinking about it anymore.
Guan Yuehe channeled her grief into her appetite, palms up, "Hand over the meat tickets you've saved up, come to my house for dinner this weekend. Xu Cheng, you hand over two portions, remember to call Zilan."
The other two did not object, and they both took out their meat tickets and ordered food:
"I want to eat braised pork ribs."
"My wife wants to eat Zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste)."
Guan Yuehe didn't respond to any of them, saying, "Eat whatever you're made, and don't be picky!"
They were unhappy, but Aunt Ding was very happy. She shouted loudly in the No. 3 courtyard: "I told you before, my fourth son is not destined to study. He will finish high school and that's the limit. Don't think so much. He should just be a good primary school teacher. Why does he have to make such a fuss!"
Zhou Hongqi retorted, "Aunt Ding, don't speak so hastily. I think your fourth son is capable; he'll go to university and come back to the city sooner or later. Besides, what kind of mother are you? Who doesn't want their own child to succeed?"
Jin Junwei chimed in, "Exactly! If my Yuanbao can go to university, I'll make sure everyone in Beijing knows my daughter's name!"
When Yuanbao, who had just learned to speak, heard her name, she kept making "ah ah ah" sounds, signaling her dad to look at her quickly.
The other neighbors all agreed with Jin Junwei's words, especially Zhang Desheng, who envied college students the most. He squatted down and whispered to his son Zhang Quanbin, "Son, if you can go to college in the future, our Zhang family genealogy will start from your dad. You have to make me proud, okay?"
Zhang Quanbin, impatient with his father's nagging, reached out for money, saying, "Give me a penny to buy candy so I can go to college later."
Zhang Quanbin received only a slap on the palm of his hand, and he cried out in grievance that he would never go to university.
That'll infuriate his dad!
Aunt Ding couldn't accept any rebuttal. She said, "What does my son's business have to do with anyone else?"
His face fell, and he started cursing, "What's the use of him going to college? The family can't rely on him for anything!"
It would be better to stay in the countryside. Her second grandson's place in the countryside is close by, and she can ask him for help if anything happens.
Guan Yuehe felt uncomfortable listening in Courtyard No. 2, so she borrowed a ladder from Aunt Bai, carried a bucket of water, climbed up the courtyard wall, and splashed it at Aunt Ding, who was standing in the middle of the courtyard.
She has excellent eyesight and a steady hand. With her mind focused on Aunt Ding, she would never harm anyone else.
Look, Aunt Ding got soaked, but Aunt Xu, who was not far from Aunt Ding, was not splashed.
"Who?! Guan Yuehe, is that you?! You little bastard! Come here right now, or I'll break your legs!" Aunt Ding was so angry she was practically fuming, but she didn't lose her senses. She immediately guessed that it was Guan Yuehe, who lived in courtyard number two, who had done this.
"You old hag, you old bastard, who are you calling names?" Jiang Guiying rushed out from the backyard. "Which eye of yours saw that it was my Yuehe who did it? Are you looking down on people?"
Guan Yuehe laughed heartily as she splashed water and slipped away.
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