077 Celebration
Lin Yiku returned with a cadre appointment notice; he will report for duty after the New Year.
The neighbors who came over joked, "Then we're all looking forward to the wedding banquet! Lao Fang, Guiying, have you two families decided on a date yet?"
Aunt Fang hurriedly said, "Once the job situation is stable, let the young people discuss it themselves."
Jiang Guiying also said, "That's right, it won't make a difference if it takes a little more time. Let them discuss it themselves."
He even joked, "Both of them are stubborn; we can't force them to change their minds."
Aunt Xie pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, "Isn't a little more time enough? Yuehe is already twenty-six this year, and Yiku is thirty, right? Little Sister Xu got married and registered her marriage last year."
Aunt Xu's face immediately fell. She couldn't stand hearing people say that Xu Xiaomei and Cheng Peng had gotten married. It made her furious.
But Aunt Xu just sulks and only yells at people when she gets home. Unlike Lin Yiku, who, if she doesn't like what she hears, will immediately retort.
"Auntie Xie, Yuehe is not yet twenty-six, and I am only twenty-eight. My family does not calculate age according to the traditional Chinese age system."
"Hey, it's all about the same. Who doesn't use the lunar calendar for age calculation?"
“My family doesn’t do that.” Lin Yi thought to herself, could twenty-eight and thirty be the same thing? It sounds like she’s aged a lot.
Not wanting to continue arguing about age with Aunt Xie, Lin Yiku asked, "Has my Uncle Xie moved here from his hometown yet? I heard that he comes to our No. 3 courtyard every year to cause trouble, hoping you'll go back to your hometown to live with him?"
Aunt Xie: "..." She really knew how to rub salt in the wound.
She glared at Lin Yiku, then turned and went home in a huff.
Aunt Xu breathed a sigh of relief, but it was impossible for her to praise Lin Yiku.
The thought of her youngest daughter secretly getting a marriage certificate with Cheng Peng made Aunt Xu angry, and hearing that Lin Yiku and Guan Yuehe might get married made her even angrier.
If she had been able to match her youngest daughter with Lin Yiku back then, she wouldn't have had to worry about anything. Her youngest daughter used to say that Lin Yiku was in the south and she didn't want to go there and suffer a hard life, but look, he's been transferred back now!
Out of sight, out of mind, Aunt Xu stormed off in a huff.
After the neighbors left, Aunt Fang patted Lin Yiku on the back and said, "Don't bother cleaning up. Sitian and Yuehe are queuing up at the supply and marketing cooperative to buy canned fruit. Go and pick them up."
"They wanted to have a private conversation and didn't want me to follow them, so they called me back."
As Lin Yiku spoke, she took out gifts from her luggage, clearly indicating which gifts were for whom. Even Guan Canghai and Jiang Guiying next door received one.
He put the last one aside without saying who it was for. Aunt Fang secretly smiled: At least this blockhead still knows to give gifts to his partner.
—
"What is this?" Guan Yuehe asked, then shook the package and said confidently, "A pair of leather shoes."
Her shoes were almost all cloth shoes made by her mother, or sneakers bought from the factory. She also had a pair of liberation shoes to keep for working.
She still has two pairs of leather shoes at home. One pair was bought after moving to the new house, and the other pair was a prize she received when attending the Canton Fair. Leather shoes are durable and haven't worn out over the years, so she hasn't bought any new ones.
"Little red leather shoes!"
Guan Yuehe looked at Lin Yiku, who was blocking the doorway, with surprise and praised him for choosing such a good gift.
Comrade Lin Yiku has a very good sense of aesthetics. In the two years they've been dating, Guan Yuehe has always liked the meat coupons, food, scarves, and leather shoes that Lin Yiku gave her.
Upon closer inspection, Guan Yuehe finally noticed the changes in Lin Yiku since his return.
Her hair had grown a bit longer, and her bangs hung down, perfectly covering the scar on her left eyebrow.
Lin Yiku couldn't help but look away from her gaze, cleared her throat, and asked if she wanted to try on the shoes to see if they fit.
It's strange to just stand here talking like this, one inside and one outside the door. Guan Yuehe stepped aside, gesturing for him to come inside.
"Next time, the Northwest and Southwest aren't home."
Not home?
Guan Yuehe pushed open the window and called out, "Southwest, Northwest, come and watch TV!"
Before long, not only did people from the southwest and northwest come over, but also Shunshun from Aunt Zhao's house, Wu Jiawang from the front yard, Bao'an Baoning, and Jinhua all ran towards Guan Yuehe's house.
Guan Yuehe grinned triumphantly at Lin Yiku: "Just calling out to people won't work. The kids are no longer interested in your military academy life!"
Now, the children in Ginkgo Hutong love television the most!
But the power hadn't come back on yet, so Guan Yuehe turned on the radio for them to listen to the broadcast, and said, "I'll save you front-row seats tonight, okay?"
That finally calmed those little devils down.
With these annoying little devils around, she couldn't even hold hands with Lin Yiku. But if they weren't there, Lin Yiku, that old fogey, would absolutely refuse to come inside.
The nickname "Old Antique" was given to him by Lin Sitian.
"Old... uh, Lin Yiku, come help me move the cabinet."
After moving the cabinets around the house and doing a thorough cleaning, it was almost dinnertime. Jiang Guiying and Aunt Fang called them from the next courtyard to eat before finally letting the group of little devils go.
Before leaving, they all repeatedly reminded each other, "Sister Yuehe/Auntie, please save a seat for me!"
As soon as Lin Yiku stepped out of the gate of Courtyard No. 2, she asked, "What nicknames have you and Lin Sitian given me this time?"
"No way!" Guan Yuehe had wanted to secretly hold his hand when no one was around, but she had no time for that now. She slipped into courtyard number three and said, "My mom is calling me home for dinner."
What's the difference between this and protesting too much?
"Hey, you're back from Yiku? You'll be able to come home more often from now on, right? Yuehe, are you moving to the military compound with you or staying in our No. 2 compound?"
When he turned around, he found that the person who called him was Lu Chang, who lived in the gatehouse of courtyard number two.
Lu Chang and Lu Yan didn't attract much attention when they moved in. At the time, he was in middle school and was always looking for time to go out, so he wasn't very familiar with his two new neighbors.
If Yuehe hadn't lived in Courtyard No. 2, he probably would have completely ignored the two of them. After all, they were usually quite unnoticed; they wouldn't even join in when neighbors were fighting or when something was dug up in the public toilet.
He couldn't quite figure out what the two of them were thinking.
But the neighbors who visited him today asked a lot of questions, wondering if Yuehe would move to his workplace area after marrying him.
These people must be eyeing Yuehe's house. If she moves out, her house will have to be redistributed.
Lin Yiku replied in unison, "Yuehe's workplace is nearby, so it's more convenient to stay here."
This was also the answer given to Lu Chang.
Lu Chang clapped his hands happily and laughed, "That's great! With Song Gong'an and Yuehe around, our No. 2 courtyard has never been burgled. From now on, when you move in, the thieves will have to take a detour."
"Old Lu, what are you chatting about? Dinner's ready." Lu Yan's voice came from inside the house.
Lu Chang said, "I'm not going to say anything more. My wife is calling me for dinner. You should go back too."
Lin Yiku reached the entrance of Courtyard No. 3, then stopped and looked back at the location of Lu Chang's house.
Lin Yiku was subtly inquired about where he would live afterward, while Guan Yuehe received many people's advice: "Won't Yiku get a promotion when he comes back? If he gets promoted again, won't he be at the regimental level? Then he can be allocated a decent apartment, right?"
Someone else chimed in, "If you can live in a military compound, the housing conditions must be better than ours. Does it have its own private toilet? That's much better than us having to use public toilets every day."
"You're right! Before, we had to run to the public toilet at the entrance of the alley, but now the new public toilet is even further away. It's such a hassle every day!"
Guan Yuehe ignored everyone else and stared intently at the TV. Only after the others had run out of things to say did she slowly say, "I love our Ginkgo Hutong. It's lively here, and it's so much fun running to the public toilet every day."
The others were speechless, unsure of what else to say.
Then Guan Yuehe said, "The house was allocated to me by my work unit. As long as I am still at Zhuoyue Garment Factory, this house must belong to me. Anyone who tries to take my house will be taught a lesson by my fists, hmph!"
After saying that, she glanced at the adults sitting in the back and said, "Are you still going to watch TV or not? If you are, then be quiet. Even the kids are more well-behaved than you. If you're not going to watch, then go outside and chat. You're always worrying about nothing. What do you care where I live? Mind your own business."
"What are you saying? Shouldn't you consider the consequences of remembering the bitter past?"
"Never mind, my kang (heated brick bed) is wide and big enough." Guan Yuehe glanced over indifferently, her eyes practically piercing.
Others: "......"
Lin Sitian, who was sitting next to her, was trying hard to suppress her laughter. Who said Yuehe's tongue wasn't sharp enough?
These people are just worrying unnecessarily. Her brother is just waiting to report to his new workplace, then submit his marriage application. Once the application is approved, he can pack his bags and move into Yuehe's house.
Lin Yiku, who had just stepped outside, stopped in her tracks upon hearing this, scratched her hair, and thought it best not to go in, lest she feel embarrassed.
Grandma Fang looked at her son, who had been out for less than three minutes, in surprise. She then looked him up and down and said, "You're all dressed up. Aren't you going to find Yuehe?"
So you just spent half a day messing around at home?
"Oh, I'll wear it another day."
"I told you not to get all dressed up so late at night," Aunt Fang said. "Wait until your date to dress up. What's the point of looking good now? Everyone's thinking about watching TV at this hour."
Lin Yiku took a deep breath and decided to listen to the "old man's words".
The day before Lunar New Year's Eve, Guan Yuehe returned with the New Year's goods and was busy taking some sweet potatoes and potatoes from the cellar when Lin Yiku's classmate came to visit.
Lin Yiku came to find her, squatted at the cellar entrance and waited for her to come up, asking her if she wanted to come over and sit for a while.
"Wait a minute!" Guan Yuehe put the sweet potatoes in the kitchen, went back inside to change her coat, and then went out.
Lin Yiku's deskmate was named Zhong Sheng, a very unique name that she remembered after hearing it only once.
Zhong Sheng is very eloquent and can chat well with anyone, but he looks fierce and menacing.
"You can't be tough if you're not fierce. When you're out driving and you run into unreasonable people, you have to settle things with your fists. People will think twice before causing trouble because you look fierce."
As Zhong Sheng was talking, he suddenly exclaimed "Eh?", stared at Guan Yuehe for a while, scratched his head and said, "Old Lin, why do I feel like your girlfriend looks familiar?"
"Oh! I remember now!" Zhong Sheng slapped his thigh. "Back in our first year of high school, we sneaked off to the car factory auditorium... mmm..."
Lin Yiku quickly covered his mouth to stop him from revealing his shortcomings.
But Guan Yuehe remembered that she was still in elementary school at that time. Elementary school ended early, and she waited for her three childhood friends to finish class so they could go home together. However, she ended up waiting for Lin Yiku, who should have been in class.
To shut her up, Lin Yiku even promised to treat her to candy when he got home.
If they hadn't mentioned it, Guan Yuehe wouldn't have remembered that Lin Yiku still owed her a piece of candy!
When Aunt Fang and Uncle Lin saw Zhong Sheng, they recognized him at a glance, without Lin Yiku needing to introduce him.
Zhong Sheng smiled sheepishly and said, "I was ignorant when I was in school."
Otherwise, his parents wouldn't be called to his home so often by the teachers. Old Lin's parents have seen him in the teachers' offices quite a few times, so it would be strange if they didn't recognize him.
"It's okay to be a little mischievous at a young age, as long as you're more sensible now. Hey, Xiao Zhong, are you married yet?"
“Oh dear, my eldest son is old enough to run errands, but my youngest can’t even talk yet.”
“In this respect, you are more sensible than Lin Yiku. We used to worry about you a lot.”
"His current partner is so great, it saves you so much trouble, doesn't it?"
"That's true." Aunt Fang was pleased and said, "Xiao Zhong, you have a sweeter tongue than him, that's good."
Zhong Sheng started chatting with Aunt Fang and Uncle Lin, so the cooking job fell to Lin Yiku and Lin Sitian.
Jiang Guiying had just come out of Guan Aiguo's empty room when she was almost startled by the large, living person on the sofa.
"Perfect timing! Are you having dinner at home tonight? If you are, I'll make extra noodles."
"Yes, it's here." Guan Yuehe pointed to the milk powder on the table. "It's milk powder that Lin Yiku's friend brought over. You and Dad can keep it to help you recover."
Aunt Fang invited her to stay for dinner, but she felt a little embarrassed. During the time when Lin Yiku and Sitian were not at home, if Uncle Lin had to stay at the factory to work overtime, she would occasionally go to Aunt Fang's house to stay a little longer, and Aunt Fang would often give her food.
But now that Lin Yiku is at home, and they haven't registered their marriage yet, she feels uncomfortable having him stay at his house for dinner to entertain guests.
Jiang Guiying didn't say whether it was good or bad, she just said, "There will be plenty of opportunities to stay for meals over there in the future."
He then picked up a bag of milk powder from the table. "I'll keep it for your sister. Milk powder is hard to come by. It'll be difficult to find it after the baby is born."
Guan Yuehua found out she was pregnant in October. Gu Mannian was nervous for a while, but in the end, she still went to work every day as usual.
Guan Yuehe counted the time on her fingers and said, "There are still several months left, aren't there?"
It's only February now, and she won't be born until June, so it's still a long way off.
“Everything needs to be prepared in advance, how can it be early?” Jiang Guiying sighed. “I told her to switch to this side when she was assigned a room. Her sister-in-law just had another baby, and her mother-in-law can’t leave. If it’s close by, she can leave the baby with me to take care of it… I don’t care about yours. From now on, Lao Fang and I will take good care of it for you. You two go and do your work.”
Guan Yuehe shrugged. They hadn't even gotten their marriage certificate yet, and they were already discussing who would raise the child? She felt that this was a long way off.
"It's not far!" Jiang Guiying saw that she was covering her ears and looked like she didn't want to listen, so she didn't bother to continue and said, "You and Yiku can discuss it yourselves. I can't control you."
After dinner, Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku went to see Zhong Sheng off, and only turned around and went home after seeing him off to the street.
Guan Yuehe finally got the chance to hold hands with Lin Yiku!
As soon as they held hands, she brought Lin Yiku's hand closer to look at it. In the past two years, there had been many thin scars.
He and Lin Sitian were like brothers in misfortune, both of them returning with a lot of injuries.
"It's a minor injury, it doesn't hurt." Lin Yiku didn't let her continue looking at it, and instead grabbed her hand and put it into his coat pocket.
Guan Yuehe's eyes lit up. How come she had never thought they could hold hands like this before?!
In winter, the cold wind howls, and it's very cold to leave your bare hands exposed.
"Hey, over there."
Lin Yiku followed her finger and looked over. The original public toilet had been filled in, and the open space had now been turned into a community activity area for residents of Ginkgo Hutong, with a total of six ping-pong tables set up.
"When the ginkgo leaves turn yellow, the neighborhood committee and the car factory jointly funded the project to catch up with the national sports craze, so that men, women, young and old can play the national sport together."
"If it weren't for the cold weather keeping the elderly folks from coming out to exercise, I'd definitely show you my skills. I'm now the best in Ginkgo Alley!"
"Oh, you must never play with Uncle Ming again. He loves to cheat. This ball doesn't count, that ball doesn't count, and if you lose, it's because you weren't prepared... What are you laughing at? I'm giving you some advice."
"If I win, are you going to cheat too?"
"Impossible! I, Guan Yuehe, am not that kind of person! I am now a proud member of the Communist Party, and I would never do such a dishonest thing!"
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. "You're a full party member now?"
Someone raised their chin smugly and let out a loud "humph," as if to say: "Is that even a question?!"
“Oh right,” Guan Yuehe asked him when he would be reporting for duty after the New Year, “Auntie said she wants you to go back so she can see you, otherwise she won’t feel at ease.”
"I'll report for duty on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. Whichever day is convenient for you, I'll leave it to you."
"If the first day of the Lunar New Year doesn't work, then the second day is fine. How about the third day, which is Sunday and I don't have to work? Is that okay?"
"Okay." Lin Yi nodded, noticing that she kept her face hidden in her scarf, and rubbed the back of her hand in his pocket. "Let's go home."
"Let's go around one more time." She hadn't seen anyone for two years, and now that she finally had a chance to be alone, why was she in such a hurry to go home? Lin Sitian was right, Lin Yiku was an old-fashioned person.
After circling around, taking advantage of Lin Yiku's inattention and the absence of others, she quickly hugged him and ran away before he could react.
The entire alley was filled with her loud laughter after her success.
Lin Yiku, standing still, took a deep breath. He almost thought she was going to pick him up, a thought that startled him so much that he didn't react for a moment.
The scent of her kiss still lingered on Lin Yiku's clothes. She walked around outside for a while longer until the heat dissipated before returning home.
This year's Lunar New Year's Eve was the most festive in nearly a decade.
Everyone seemed to be deliberately raising their voices; you could hear someone say from afar, "My family has prepared all the chicken, duck, fish, and meat this year!"
And the children could finally play with firecrackers again. With their newly acquired pocket money, they called their friends and headed straight for the supply and marketing cooperative.
People from other courtyards kept walking towards courtyard number three, each carrying red paper and two eggs, while others carried candy or small packets of brown sugar.
"Teacher Xie, could you please write a couplet for us? We need one that can bring us children, wealth, and high-ranking official positions."
"Oh my, you're so greedy! Teacher Xie, my family isn't greedy, we just want someone who can make our wishes come true. This year, you must give our eldest son a room, we can't fit him in the house anymore."
"Thank you, Teacher Xie..."
Aunt Xie was busy accepting bribes, smiling from ear to ear, and agreed to everything anyone suggested.
Xie Zhenhua didn't mind Aunt Xie's behavior. He seemed to enjoy writing couplets for his neighbors, and his beautiful calligraphy drew praise from them.
Guan Yuehe also came with red paper and eggs to ask for couplets, but after hearing what the elderly folks were thinking, she couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Are you here to ask for couplets or to worship gods and Buddhas?"
Now nobody cares about feudal superstitions anymore, and people don't have to be careful what they say.
Guan Yuehe's ideas are quite simple: "Next year I want a camera and a washing machine!"
She didn't know there was such a thing as a washing machine before, but Zhong Sheng came to visit yesterday and knew that her older brother usually travels to the south. Before leaving, she exchanged contact information with her older brother and asked him to bring one back for him if he had any connections.
No need to do laundry by hand? She immediately decided to save up to buy a washing machine.
As for the camera, she will be going to the Canton Fair with the Five Star Motors factory's delegation in March, but she hasn't been able to borrow a camera yet.
Saying she went with the Five Star Motors factory isn't entirely accurate; she was more of a translator for the Beijing delegation, but was specifically assigned to translate for the Five Star Motors factory.
Lin Yi, standing outside the crowd, let out a bitter laugh.
Xie Zhenhua, who was about to pick up his pen, felt helpless and put it down, telling her to think of something more practical.
Guan Yuehe pointed to the couplet on the table for reference, "Let's use this one, 'Abundant food and clothing,' it's very practical."
Xie Zhenhua worked extremely quickly, writing her couplet and immediately letting the next person come up.
He was afraid that Guan Yuehe would ask him to conjure up a camera and a washing machine, which was really outrageous!
After joining in the commotion, Guan Yuehe left the crowd carrying the couplets and received a "Fu" character (福, meaning good fortune) as a free gift from Tingting.
"Not bad! You write better than your dad. Here's a candy for you. Help yourself." Guan Yuehe turned to the side so Tingting could reach into her pocket herself.
Tingting, who was being praised, covered her mouth and smiled shyly as she thanked him.
As Guan Yuehe was about to leave, she noticed that someone was tugging at her clothes. Looking down, she saw Yuanbao glaring at her angrily.
"You want candy too? Then take one."
Yuanbao, who had no shortage of candy, held up the "Fu" character in his hand and said, "Mine is beautiful too!"
Guan Yuehe couldn't bring herself to praise her scribbled mess, so she simply slipped her a piece of candy and hurriedly slipped away.
Don't be surprised, the festive atmosphere of the New Year is twice as bad whether there are couplets or not!
Cai Ying came over and saw it, and said with annoyance, "I forgot to buy red paper!"
"I have extra here, you can take it and use it first. There's a really long line for Teacher Xie, go early."
After pasting up the couplets, Guan Yuehe went to Wu Erni's house to exchange the paper-cut window decorations.
"Sister Erni, you have this skill too?!" The little animals she cut out were so lifelike that not only children liked them, but she, as an adult, also loved them.
"I didn't want to show it off before, but now that nobody cares, I've picked it up again. I haven't cut it for years, so I'm a bit rusty."
Wu Erni's house was also crowded with people. Wu Jiawang took his younger brother out for some fresh air and was given two biscuits by Aunt Hua, who was about to leave.
Lin Yiku also gave him two pieces of candy and asked, "Have you seen your Aunt Yuehe?"
Wu Jiawang pointed to his own home.
Guan Yuehe carefully took out more than a dozen paper-cuts, saw Lin Yiku, and invited him to go home together.
Wu Jiawang and his younger brother were brought into Guan Yuehe's house in a daze, and sat on the sofa watching the two adults put up paper-cuts everywhere.
It's such a boring thing, and I don't understand why the adults are so happy about it.
In addition to posting couplets this year, families also had a more sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner.
Guan Aiguo and Zhou Baoyu returned home in the afternoon, just in time for everyone to finish frying their New Year's treats.
Lin Sitian lazily nestled in front of the stove, relaying her mother's instructions to her brother, "Brother, Mom wants you to deliver New Year's goods to Yuehe's family!"
"Your brother's plucking chicken feathers, go deliver them." Aunt Fang patted her on the shoulder and muttered, "You're usually so eager to see Yuehe, isn't it good that I'm giving you a task today?"
"You don't understand, I'm creating an opportunity for them to meet," Yuehe said, adding that she missed her brother a little.
Before Lin Yiku could be called back, Guan Yuehe had already arrived with her family's fried food, expertly finding plates to pour it in, and also taking away the food that was to be delivered to her family.
"Hey, Xu Chengcai, Zilan! Come over to our house for some fried food." Guan Yuehe ignored their refusal and picked up Niu Niu with one hand. "If you're not going, Niu Niu says she wants to go."
The courtyard was bustling with activity until everyone started their meals, at which point they all went home and huddled in their small houses to celebrate.
—
"Yuehe! Yuehe, come out and set off some firecrackers!" Lin Sitian shouted from the yard.
She peeked out and saw Lin Sitian and Lin Yiku waiting for her. Xu Chengcai, carrying Niu Niu and Qin Zilan, also came out after hearing the noise.
The open space in front of the alley entrance has become the best place to set off firecrackers, and adults no longer have to worry about the naughty kids blowing up the toilets!
Although the days before were somewhat dull, the days now are more joyful than ever before.
Guan Yuehe truly felt that this was the most satisfying Spring Festival she had experienced in nearly ten years.
Oh, it would be even better if Ding Xuewen, who lives far away in the Northeast, were here too!
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