Chapter 28 028 Gift
Meanwhile, Guan Jianguo and Lin Yufeng, who were at their maternal grandparents' house, were being pulled aside by their uncle and aunt to "talk about something."
Guan Jianguo was glad that they had come here first, so he could make an excuse that he had to leave to deliver a gift to the child's maternal grandmother's house, otherwise he would have been further "pushed on".
As soon as they left their grandparents' house, the couple breathed a sigh of relief. Weiwei and Jingjing, being young and naive, found it amusing and imitated their parents, sighing with worried expressions.
Since children love to mimic what others say, the two of them didn't immediately ask each other what they had been told when they were called away. Instead, they hopped on their bikes and hurried off to the Lin family's house.
I didn't expect there to be something going on with the Lin family.
Lin Yufeng is the eldest sister in her family, with two younger siblings, Lin Yuzhen and Lin Hongyang.
Lin Yuzhen and Lin Hongyang are only one year apart. It can be said that Lin Hongyang is the apple of their parents' eye, while Lin Yuzhen was raised by Lin Yufeng from a young age. The two sisters have the best relationship.
Lin Hongyang was given her parents' only job, but Lin Yufeng, who favored her younger sister, gave her her own job instead.
Now, Lin Yuzhen and Lin Hongyang are both of marriageable age and have found partners. They should get married within a year or two.
The problem is that Lin Hongyang's boyfriend has made demands: either give her a dowry of 300 yuan so she can buy a job, or transfer Lin Yuzhen's job to her, since Lin Yuzhen is going to get married anyway.
How could Lin Yuzhen possibly give up her job? Her parents told her to pay three hundred yuan. Lin Yuzhen couldn't afford that either.
Lin Yufeng likes her younger sister more than her younger brother, but she is also reluctant to give up a job for free.
The two sisters had agreed that Lin Yuzhen would give the bulk of her pre-marital salary to Lin Yufeng, essentially making Lin Yuzhen a helper at work. One of them would receive most of the salary without having to work, while the other could stay in the city through her job. After the wedding, Lin Yufeng would receive another 300 yuan, effectively buying out her job.
Lin Yuzhen had no objection to handing over the bulk of her salary and using the money to buy a job. She was also honest about her situation when she was dating her boyfriend. She and her boyfriend were saving 300 yuan together, and they were still a little short, but they should be able to save enough by the end of the year. After repaying her older sister, they planned to get married early next year.
Now you want her to do something for Lin Hongyang's marriage? Lin Yuzhen thought to herself, she'd be lucky if she didn't even try to get revenge.
No matter what her family said, Lin Yuzhen wouldn't budge.
She was completely unresponsive to reason, so when her older sister's husband came, her parents asked them to go and try to persuade her.
Lin Yuzhen glanced at Lin Hongyang, who was sitting beside her with his head down, silent and even looking aggrieved, and a sense of frustration inexplicably welled up in her heart.
“You’re all older sisters, you have to help Hongyang. Our family will still need him in the future.”
“Yuzhen has been working for several years and only gives six yuan to her family. Your mother and I have never said a word against her. What’s wrong with asking her for a helping hand now?”
“Jianguo, tell me, we just asked her to come up with three hundred yuan. She’s worked for four years and hasn’t contributed any money to her family. Does she really not even have three hundred yuan?”
As Guan Jianguo listened, he finally understood his father-in-law's true intentions.
Lin Yufeng transferred the job to Lin Yuzhen without saying a word. Later, her father-in-law and his wife found out the reason. Of course, they knew that Lin Yufeng was the one who collected Lin Yuzhen's salary, and that two-thirds of it had to go to Lin Yufeng.
After handing over most of her salary, Lin Yuzhen still had to give six yuan to her family every month. Even if she didn't spend a single penny, she wouldn't be able to save more than three hundred yuan in four years.
To put it bluntly, the money was actually from Lin Yufeng. When that didn't work, they wanted Lin Yuzhen to give up her job.
“Hongyang has been working for three years now. You haven’t saved up 300, but you must have saved up 250, right? A grown man like you, wanting to get married, still needs your sisters to contribute money?” Guan Jianguo joked. “Hongyang, once you get married, will you be able to support your wife?”
The Lin couple paused, looking awkward, wanting to refute but unable to find the words.
Lin Hongyang just looked down at his fingers. "I told them I paid for it, but my parents insisted that my sister help out too."
Guan Jianguo smiled and said, "Are you spouting nonsense with your eyes wide open?"
If they didn't mention the eldest and second eldest sisters, does that mean they're counting on both of them to help them out?
Lin Yufeng was extremely pleased with her sister-in-law's sharp tongue and her sister-in-law's ruthless fists, but she hated that she was too clumsy with words and dared not unleash her power at her parents' home.
Lin Yuzhen, who was hiding in the house, couldn't stand it anymore and rushed out, shouting, "Take it or leave it! Tomorrow I'll go to Zeng Xue's house and ask if they're so broke they have to sell their daughter to make money!"
Before she could finish speaking, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Lin Yuzhen hated her own tears for being so weak-willed; since childhood, whenever she argued with someone, tears would always fall as soon as she opened her mouth.
"You're not allowed to go!" Lin Hongyang suddenly stood up and glared at her, his hands clenched into fists.
Just a moment ago they were all meek and submissive, only listening to their parents, but now they've become tough and know to protest loudly.
"What are you asking?" Lin's mother slapped Lin Yuzhen's back twice and said angrily, "You went and made a scene, ruined Hongyang's relationship, and now you think you'll be alright? What will your boyfriend's family think of you? You're not allowed to go!"
"If you don't want me to cause trouble, then don't even think about selling me." Lin Yuzhen raised her hand and wiped her eyes hard, looking at Lin Hongyang as if she were a complete stranger.
"Who wants to sell you? We've raised you all these years, have we ever let you go hungry? We even sent you to junior high school. Look around, which girl can finish junior high? We ask you to contribute a little money to help the family, and you act like you're going to die. What use are you to us?"
"My sister gave me the money to go to junior high school. You guys never intended for me to go to junior high school!" If her sister hadn't transferred her job to her in advance, she would definitely have been one of those sent to the countryside when the policy came out.
"We didn't pay for your junior high school education, but you expect to eat for free? You expect to wear clothes for free? You're such an ingrate! Did you spring from a rock and live without food or water?"
The arguing grew louder, and a nosy neighbor knocked on the door. "Old Lin, what are you arguing about with your daughter? Your Yu Feng married well, and Yu Zhen is a successful worker. What's there to scold her about?"
"That's right, Lao Lin, you two are really living in bliss but don't know it."
Someone outside couldn't help but chuckle. These were the things that Lin's father and wife usually boasted about to their neighbors. They used their two successful daughters to belittle other people's daughters and take all the credit for themselves.
They usually don't have a chance to expose the couple's boasting, but now that they've finally got their chance, they're bound to say a lot more.
"What right do you have to comment on my family's affairs?" With a slam, she closed the doors and windows.
Guan Jianguo didn't want to get involved in his father-in-law's affairs, and he certainly wouldn't agree to give his brother-in-law three hundred yuan as a bride price. He put the gifts he brought on the table, pulled up the two kids who dared not make a fuss, and called to Lin Yufeng, "Mom and Dad, we still have to go home for dinner, let's go back first."
After thinking for a moment, he looked at Lin Yuzhen and said, "By the way, Yuehe said she needs your help, little sister. Mom and Dad, little sister, come with us. We'll bring her back later."
Before Lin Yuzhen could even react, Lin Yufeng had already dragged her out the door.
Guan Yuehe asked her for help? Lin Yuzhen knew immediately that this was an excuse her brother-in-law had come up with on the spot. She and Guan Yuehe had run into each other outside, and they might not even recognize each other at first glance.
That is indeed the case.
When they returned to Ginkgo Hutong, Guan Yuehe was running back from outside with some big news: a batch of fresh fish had arrived at the state-run store, but not in large quantities, and there weren't many people queuing up yet.
"Brother, you go queue up first. Sister-in-law, go get the food ration book." Guan Yuehe quickly made arrangements as soon as she saw him, as she also needed to go home to get her food ration book.
Seeing that there was another person next to her, she didn't bother to see who it was and said, "Don't just stand there, hurry back and get your book, and tell the people in your department while you're at it."
Lin Yuzhen was stunned: "..."
After saying that, she rushed into the No. 2 courtyard, shouting, "The department store has received fish! Hurry up!"
She kept all the household's food and oil ration book, non-staple food ration book, household registration book, etc., in a small bedside cabinet she had recently found in her bedroom, wrapped in a blue cloth. She took out the non-staple food ration book and then took out the money from the metal box next to it.
When she rushed out again, many neighbors in the alley followed her.
They were all out of breath from running, but when they looked up, Guan Yuehe had already disappeared.
Lin Sitian breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her arrive; she was quick enough to avoid not getting a turn.
The two of them went shopping at a department store and happened to run into a store that had stock. Neither of them had brought their food ration book or extra money. Without even discussing it, they decided that she would stay and wait in line for Grandpa Lin or Grandma Fang to bring their food ration book, while Guan Yuehe would run home to get her things.
Thanks to Guan Yuehe's quick action in spreading the news, by the time people from other places arrived, there were already dozens of people from Ginkgo Hutong lined up ahead of them.
My workplace provided meat, and now we've even bought fish. This year's Mid-Autumn Festival dishes are exceptionally plentiful.
But most families don't plan to finish the fish; they save it to eat the next day.
Lu Chang and Lu Yan missed buying fish while visiting relatives, and they felt so bad that their chests ached. After thinking it over, they decided to go to another store to exchange their fish.
Around 3 p.m., everyone finally started preparing today's main meal.
The other members of the Guan family found Lin Yuzhen's sudden arrival somewhat strange, but since she had already come and brought some snacks, they didn't ask why on the spot.
Everyone in the family had to work, so Lin Yuzhen rolled up her sleeves to help her older sister.
People in the yard gathered around the tap in the front yard to scrape fish scales, while others washed vegetables.
The fishy smell attracted stray cats from the alley, who stood on the wall and meowed incessantly.
The inedible entrails were thrown into a broken plate in the corner. Only after everyone stopped going to the corner did the stray cat on the wall jump down.
Like Lunar New Year's Eve, Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunion and dinner.
Not only did Xu Cheng, who only comes back once or twice a month, return, but the Ding family, who had almost severed ties with their father a few days ago, also returned.
Seeing that other families were all neat and tidy, Aunt Xie couldn't help but press her eyes, muttering to herself, "I wonder how Zhenxing and your father live at home," while secretly glancing at her daughter-in-law, Liu Axiu.
Liu Axiu replied, "Mom, if you're worried, you can go back to your hometown and check on her. You don't need to worry about Tingting. I'll send her to the factory's early childhood education program, and my mom will help too."
Aunt Xie felt as if someone had grabbed her by the neck, and dared not say anything more about her youngest son.
She came under the pretense that "both husband and wife are working, and Tingting is still young and has no one to take care of her," and she didn't bring any food rations. Every time her mother-in-law saw her, she would say a few words, mainly complaining that she couldn't help but was taking away food rations. If she thought of bringing her husband and youngest son to the city to stay for a few days, she was afraid that her mother-in-law would come knocking on her door immediately.
Xie Zhenhua inside the house still didn't say a word in her defense. She thought to herself: What's the difference between Zhenhua doing this and him marrying into her family?
She had her own thoughts, but she didn't dare to really cause trouble with Liu Axiu. Jin Junwei's family, on the other hand, did.
Having the guts but lacking the ability won't cut it.
Jin Junwei's parents and brothers and sisters-in-law came to Ginkgo Alley, saying that the family should be reunited for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and they came to their youngest son's place to spend it.
They had a pretty good idea of what to do, thinking that on such a big holiday, every family should celebrate together. They were in the right. Besides, almost everyone in Ginkgo Alley was a worker from the Five Star Automobile Factory. If Zhou Hongqi dared to kick them out, how would she live in Ginkgo Alley? Someone might even complain to her superiors.
Guan Yuehe looked at them smugly and thought to herself that they were truly a case of repeated defeats followed by repeated attempts.
When Jin Junwei married into the family, the Jin family came to cause trouble once, trying to take over the house they had been allocated. Zhou Hongqi beat them up, tied them up, and sent them to the police station.
They haven't learned their lesson and still want to cause trouble? Guan Yuehe was very impressed.
The people in courtyard number three couldn't help but stop cooking, and adults and children alike crowded into the front yard.
The Jin family members cried out for everyone to judge the matter, but no one responded. After seeing Zhou Hongqi slap the men, women, and children of the Jin family several times, they dared not speak up even more.
In fact, when Zhou Hongqi asked to borrow rope, everyone lent out their own rope, enough to tie up the entire Jin family.
Zhou Hongqi was not afraid of the Jin family causing trouble. Before the wedding, she had the leaders of the street office and the factory women's federation witness her actions and made the Jin family write a guarantee that they would sever ties with Jin Junwei. Even if they made trouble in front of the factory director, she would still be in the right.
The neighbors' opinions are even less important. She's a level 5 fitter; she can work hard to get promoted in a couple of years. With her skills, she won't be bullied at the factory, and plenty of people will want to send their children to her as apprentices.
Many people in the alley were indeed thinking about sending their children to Zhou Hongqi as apprentices; even Guan Canghai had considered sending Guan Aiguo there.
However, Zhou Hongqi said that he did not want to take on apprentices for the time being, and would wait until she became a level six fitter.
When Officer Song wanted to check what was going on, Cai Ying stopped him, saying, "They're handling it perfectly well, don't go up there and cause trouble."
Police Officer Song thought about it and agreed. Even if the families in this alley were at odds with each other to the point of never speaking to each other again, they would still meet at the alley entrance tomorrow to gossip. And if something good happened, all the grudges would be forgotten.
The more important the occasion, the more chaotic it becomes.
Just as things calmed down in Courtyard No. 3, the commotion started up again in Courtyard No. 2.
"Did Uncle Chang's son, Chang Zhengyi, bring his girlfriend home for dinner without asking?"
"No wonder Aunt Zhao said she wanted to kick Chang Zhengyi out and let him fend for himself. Why didn't he tell his family he was dating someone? Fine, if he didn't tell them, he should at least have told them beforehand that he was bringing his girlfriend home for dinner."
"Chang Zhengyi has grown too big for his britches and is now going against his family."
Hearing what others were saying, Jiang Guiying and Aunt Fang exchanged a glance, both glad that they had rejected Aunt Zhao and prevented their daughter from meeting Chang Zhengyi.
Even Aunt Bai said to Bai Xianghong at home, "It's a good thing they didn't agree, otherwise we would all have lost face."
“However, Zhao Damei disagrees. Chang Zhengyi and this woman won't get together. If she changes her mind and comes looking for me, I won't pay her any attention. Xiang Hong, you remember that too…”
Bai Xianghong felt helpless. Just a few months ago, everyone was eager for her to start a relationship with Chang Zhengyi. They even praised Chang Zhengyi for being such a good catch.
She had just glanced into the backyard and saw that the person Chang Zhengyi had brought back was the one she had met before. Calculating the timeline, they had been dating for at least two years. Could it really not work out just because Aunt Zhao disagreed? She didn't think so.
Grandpa Chang and Grandma Zhao were in a bad mood because Chang Zhengyi suddenly brought his girlfriend home; even the meat on the table didn't taste good anymore.
But Guan Yuehe thought it smelled especially good.
The last time I ate fish was when my second brother came to the city by himself, which was half a year ago!
But after this meal of pickled fish, the pickled cabbage at home will soon be gone.
Jiang Guiying asked Guan Yuehe, who was burping from her full meal, "How many jars of pickled cabbage do you want to make? Estimate first, and I'll buy them for you. You'll still need to order the jars..."
In the autumn and winter, the purchasing department of the automobile factory would go to the countryside to buy vegetables. Factory employees would purchase them with their food ration coupons, with a quota based on the number of employees' family members.
Even though Guan Yuehe has moved out of the household registration and no longer has a share, the family's share is more than enough to give her.
This is also one of the hidden benefits of large factories. T-Zhuoyue Garment Factory didn't have such benefits a few years ago; workers had to use their food ration coupons to queue up at department stores to buy food.
Guan Yuehe was well aware of her appetite, and immediately told him how much she wanted to buy, starting to think about what else she could get for herself.
I looked up at her sister; her sweater was only half-finished. Once the National Day holiday is over, her sister will have more free time and the process should be faster.
She was actually thinking of buying two more pounds of yarn to make another garment, otherwise she wouldn't have any replacements.
She saw the pattern on the sweater her sister had knitted, and it was especially beautiful. She was thinking of asking her sister to knit another one.
Guan Yuehua looked up. "What is it?"
Guan Yuehe stated her request and then added, "I'll help you buy some fabric or a pair of sneakers."
She has good relationships with people in the sales and purchasing departments, so she can ask Wang Zheng to exchange shoe vouchers.
"Buy the latest sneakers from your factory?" Zhuoyue sneakers are very popular lately, especially among young people, and Guan Yuehua was somewhat tempted.
"Uh-huh!"
"Okay, then I'll take the trouble to knit you a sweater."
Lin Yuzhen glanced at the two sisters, assuming their relationship was just so-so.
If Guan Yuehe knew about her doubts, she would definitely answer them for her: it really is just average!
I just finished eating, and my stomach is still full. I took out the mooncakes and put them on the table, but haven't opened them yet.
With four workers in the family, there were eight mooncakes in total. Although each one was only the size of a palm, it was still a lot compared to when Guan Yuehe was a child.
Jiang Guiying kept three of them, intending to take them back to her hometown during the National Day holiday.
Children are never full; when they encounter delicious food, their stomachs will always have room to hold it.
Weiwei and Jingjing won a small piece of mooncake. They took a small bite, squinted their eyes in satisfaction, and then couldn't wait to run out to play with their friends.
Under the ginkgo tree at the entrance of the alley, someone was listening to the radio, and many adults brought their stools and went out to join in the fun. Guan Yuehe, Lin Sitian, and Xu Chengcai, having nothing else to do, also went out to join in the excitement.
Grandpa Li, who lives in the gatehouse, was picked up by his nephew for the Mid-Autumn Festival and just returned. He was handing out bags of fruit candies to the children playing in the yard.
Even though the children were still afraid of Grandpa Li, whose face was covered in scars, they still shuffled forward, took the candy, and thanked him.
The three of them also received a piece of fruit candy and thanked Grandpa Li with great satisfaction.
Lin Sitian wasn't afraid of Grandpa Li and often talked to him. After putting a candy in her mouth, she would ask, "Grandpa Li, is there some good news in your family?"
Grandpa Li chuckled, making a "hehehe" sound. He probably thought the sound was scary, so he held back his laughter. He didn't deny it, but only said, "You have sharp eyes."
But Grandpa Li didn't say what the happy event was, nor did he give them a chance to ask. He put away the remaining candy and went home.
"Has Grandpa Li found his wife?"
"Huh? It's not impossible..."
"Look, look! Chang Zhengyi is with his girlfriend!" Xu Cheng exclaimed softly, reminding them to look quickly.
"Where? Oh, I see him. No, his girlfriend looks familiar. Isn't she one of our high school students?" Lin Sitian thought for a long time but still couldn't remember if it was her or not.
Guan Yuehe had even less reason to know.
She only completed one year of high school before starting work. Furthermore, the school didn't specify a mandatory school age, leading to a wide variation in the age at which children started school.
Lin Sitian and Ding Xuewen were in the same grade. She started high school a year earlier than them and two years earlier than Chang Zhengyi, so they never met during their school years.
Ding Xuewen started school late, and Lin Sitian graduated from junior high school after three years because of poor health.
Because the car factory has its own primary, middle, and high schools, and they are all located together, with the middle and high schools even in the same building, they are not in the same grade, but that doesn't prevent them from going to and from school together every day.
Lin Sitian quickly remembered this as well and stopped Guan Yuehe from thinking about it.
The three of them watched for as long as Chang Zhengyi and his partner talked not far away.
Guan Yuehe was the first to react, "We can't hear what they're saying, what's there to see?"
Lin Sitian and Xu Chengcai couldn't figure out what was so interesting about it, but they found it fun to join in the fun.
That makes sense.
After the broadcast, the adults from each household came out and called people back to eat mooncakes.
Courtyard No. 3
The neighbors all came out to the courtyard to admire the moon. Grandpa Lin brought out a table, and everyone brought out their own stools. They looked at the moon and ate a mooncake. After they finished eating, they chatted together.
Jiang Guiying took out the remaining four and a half mooncakes, giving half a piece to each adult and half a piece to each of the two children.
Every year it's the same flaky pastry mooncake, with an cloyingly sweet filling.
Guan Yuehua didn't like things that were too sweet, so she broke off a small piece to taste, and gave the rest to Guan Yuehe.
Guan Yuehe, however, thought the taste was just right. She liked all kinds of food, including sour, sweet, spicy, and salty, and was hardly a picky eater.
The neighbors kept glancing at Lin Yuzhen, all wondering why Lin Yufeng's sister had suddenly come to the Guan family to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
After eating the mooncakes, Guan Jianguo and Lin Yufeng made no move to send the person back, it seemed they planned to let the person stay overnight.
Guan Yuehe wouldn't even let her own sister stay at her house, let alone let a stranger sleep on the same kang (heated brick bed) with her.
So she said goodbye and went back to Courtyard No. 2.
There was her portion of fruit on the dining table at home. If she hadn't eaten so much tonight, she definitely would have washed one to eat.
Chang Zhengyi returned home in the dark. Grandpa Chang and Grandma Zhao cursed at him in hushed tones, but you could still hear them if you listened carefully. Guan Yuehe sat on the living room sofa until eleven o'clock before going to her bedroom to sleep.
The next day, on her way to work, Guan Yuehe happened to run into Chang Zhengyi, who was also leaving at the same time. Guan Yuehe glanced at him and noticed he had dark circles under his eyes.
Chang Zhengyi twitched the corners of his mouth, but still couldn't bring himself to greet him with a smile.
Days passed by, and it wasn't until two days before National Day that Jiang Guiying brought over a bowl of longevity noodles early in the morning, topped with two poached eggs. Only then did Guan Yuehe remember that it was her birthday.
It's not just her family; many families outside don't value birthdays. If they remember, they'll boil an egg; if they don't remember or feel it's unnecessary, the day just quietly passes by.
Therefore, Guan Yuehe was flattered to receive a large bowl of longevity noodles early in the morning.
"You're turning nineteen and about to turn twenty, so put more effort into your work and try to get an advanced award this year."
Jiang Guiying wasn't a "progressive fanatic" like Guan Canghai, but since her second daughter had nothing else to worry about, she just hoped her career could advance to a higher level.
Guan Yuehe had just picked up her chopsticks when she wanted to put them down. Could she really climb the ladder of work just by being ambitious? Who in the factory office wasn't more qualified and capable than her? Sigh.
"Mom, I'm only nineteen, how can I be preparing for twenty?" There are still more than three hundred days to go, it's a long way off.
"Don't argue with me, I don't want to yell at you today."
"Oh." Guan Yuehe stopped talking and ate her noodles in big mouthfuls.
It was an ordinary day. I went to work and came home as usual. There was no trouble at the factory or in the alley. Everything was uneventful.
After getting off work, Jiang Guiying went to Courtyard No. 3 first. She was surprised and said, "We're not getting food from the cafeteria tonight? Then I'll have to steam a few more buns."
"I've already eaten in the cafeteria."
"Have you eaten? Then I'll steam two more buns for you." Jiang Guiying got up to walk towards the kitchen in the back, but Guan Yuehe stopped her and stuffed something into her arms—a box of face cream.
Jiang Guiying: "For your sister?"
"No. It's for you."
Jiang Guiying was stunned, only to find that Guan Yuehe was unusually timid today. Her voice was not as strong as usual, but like a mosquito's hum. When she looked over, her eyes wandered around.
"Use it if it's offered to you, my sister won't skimp on herself. Okay, I'm going back now. I'm not eating the steamed bun." She fled as if she had done something wrong.
"Guiying, what are you looking at at the door?" Aunt Fang came out carrying a basin of clothes and saw her old friend standing there dumbfounded.
"Sigh!" Jiang Guiying came back to her senses, took out the face cream in her hand, pressed her lips together, and said with a troubled expression, "My Yuehe insists on buying face cream for me. I'm so old, I can just use some clam oil, but she insists that this is better."
Aunt Fang gave her a reproachful look and joked, "You're complaining about your daughter's gift? Then you can use it."
"Tell your daughter Sitian to buy it." Jiang Guiying quickly put the face cream back. Being stared at by her old friend, she couldn't help but laugh, and the wrinkles around her eyes deepened.
Aunt Fang sighed enviously, looking at other people's sons and daughters, and then thinking about her own, one was troublesome and the other was not considerate.
Jiang Guiying winked at her and teased, "Isn't it enough that your husband, Lao Lin, can buy it for you?"
Grandma Fang blushed with laughter.
Guan Yuehe, who had already eaten dinner, still received three steamed buns from home.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring house, Guan Aiguo was scolded for being a little slow in washing vegetables, Guan Yuehua was scolded for knitting a sweater, and Guan Jianguo was scolded for saying he was going to his master's house for dinner the next day...
Guan Jianguo only had a chance to ask his wife after he returned to his room that evening, "What's wrong with Mom today?"
"Nothing much. It's Yuehe's birthday, so I gave Mom a box of face cream."
"Oh!" Guan Jianguo laughed, "Our fourth son is actually the most considerate in our family."
Guan Jianguo at least knew why he was being scolded for no reason, and Guan Aiguo, who was often scolded, was so thick-skinned that he didn't care at all. Only Guan Yuehua couldn't understand it, tossing and turning all night, unable to figure it out.
—
"Hey! Dad, aren't you going to work yet? You're going to be late!"
"There's still time, I'm keeping an eye on the time." Guan Canghai patted the old pocket watch in his pocket and called out to his daughter as she hurriedly ran towards the toilet.
"Oh dear! Dad, what's wrong? I can't hold it in any longer!" Guan Yuehe said anxiously.
Guan Canghai coughed before hinting, "I heard you sent your mother a box of face cream?"
“Yes, that’s right.” Guan Yuehe was too preoccupied to think about anything else, so she said, “Dad, you should learn from Uncle Lin and how good he is to Aunt Fang. Alright, Dad, you should go to work now, don’t lose your title as an advanced worker this year.”
After saying that, he rushed into the toilet.
Guan Canghai failed to stop the person he was calling, his hints were unsuccessful, and he was even criticized by his daughter for not being good enough to his wife.
Because of this box of face cream, Guan Yuehe's nickname "stingy ghost" was temporarily forgotten, and a group of elderly people praised Guan Yuehe for being filial and envied Jiang Guiying for being lucky.
Whether they genuinely praised Guan Yuehe or were subtly suggesting their own children should learn from her, only they themselves know.
"Good daughter, come and lend a hand." Guan Canghai had a large box tied to the back of his bicycle, containing many odds and ends, including a large item: a radio.
This was bought by Guan Yuehe and her elder brother and sister together. The tickets were paid for by her elder brother, and the money was paid by Guan Yuehe and her elder sister. Guan Aiguo didn't have a penny, and couldn't afford to contribute. Guan Canghai and Jiang Guiying gave Guan Weiguo an extra portion of the money.
Although the second brother was given to his eldest uncle and aunt, they are still brothers from the same parents, so no one has any objection to him paying for it.
Having pooled together the money and tickets, Guan Canghai bought the radio the day before National Day.
Guan Yuehe went to help carry the cardboard boxes down, and said, "Dad, if you want me to deliver something to you, just say so."
Guan Canghai didn't say anything, but grunted twice. Seeing that Guan Yuehe ignored him, he thought to himself that he still couldn't argue with his stubborn daughter.
What are you going to send to your dad?
"I don't know, but would it be alright if I gave you two insoles?"
“I have insoles.”
"A hat? A pair of woolen gloves?"
"I have!"
"..." Guan Yuehe took a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Mom, my dad wants me to give him a bottle of wine!"
Jiang Guiying's furious voice rang out, "I think he's tired of living! Don't give him anything! Don't give him anything!"
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