On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Yang Wanwan, Er Ye, and Shang Tao went to the Fu family's house in Qingshan Town.
After settling things at home, the three siblings took gifts and drove to Qingshan Town.
First, we went to Uncle Fu's house.
Uncle Fu runs a business in the town and has made a lot of money over the years. He built a house in the town, a four-story building with five or six hundred single-story rooms, and the interior is decorated just like in the city.
There are two shops on the ground floor facing the street, one selling general merchandise and the other selling hardware, and both are doing very well.
When Yang Wanwan and her brother saw him, they first wished him a Happy New Year and said auspicious words such as "may you get rich" and "may your wishes come true".
Uncle Fu nodded lightly: "Get rich, get rich, everyone get rich."
Afterwards, he continued to serve customers who came to the grocery store to buy gifts.
As Yang Wanwan and her brother walked through the shop and looked back, Aunt Fu happened to be looking outside. Yang Wanwan and her brother exchanged some auspicious New Year's greetings, and Aunt Fu glanced at the gifts in their hands and said indifferently, "Come in and sit down."
The gifts they brought were a bag of white sugar, a bag of longan, and a bag of noodles, all packed in a nylon bag and easily visible. Such gifts were common, nothing special, but not insignificant either.
However, for someone as well-off as my aunt, she's probably too ordinary and wouldn't even look at her.
Yang Wanwan and her brother went inside and sat in the living room.
On the living room table were sunflower seeds, peanuts, candies, fruits, and some uncommon dried fruits. A few meters away, a color television was playing a Hong Kong and Taiwan martial arts film.
Aunt Fu and her daughter-in-law were cooking lunch in the kitchen. Several other people, men and women, young and old, were sitting in the living room. They seemed to be relatives of Aunt Fu's family.
It's not surprising that no one spoke to them; they were just relatives of Uncle Fu's family, so it's normal not to talk to them casually.
Since there was a television, it wasn't awkward at all; I could just pretend to be engrossed in watching TV.
After sitting for a while, Yang Wanwan went to the kitchen and said to her aunt, "Aunt, we still need to go to my uncle's house. We'll come back later."
Aunt Fu was chopping vegetables when she heard this and said, "They're having lunch at my house, and they'll be coming over later too."
Yang Wanwan agreed and took her younger siblings and gifts to her uncle Fu's house.
Uncle Fu's family wasn't as well-off as Uncle Fu's, but they still owned a house in town. The ground floor facing the street was used as a shop, where Aunt Fu sold daily necessities. Uncle Fu spent most of his time running business outside.
Aunt Fu's health is not good; she takes medication regularly, which is a significant burden on the family. They have three children, the youngest being Fu Xiaojuan. She helps out with chores after school to earn money, and during the Lunar New Year, she helps her mother sell things at the shop.
Aunt Fu and Fu Xiaojuan are selling goods. There are many people visiting relatives on the second day of the Lunar New Year, so business is pretty good.
Yang Wanwan and her siblings wished Aunt Fu a Happy New Year. Aunt Fu gave them a perfunctory auspicious greeting and then said, "Please sit down. Xiaojuan, go and bring Wanwan and the others some fruit and melon seeds to eat."
At this time, locals don't drink tea. When you visit someone's home, there's no tea to drink. They usually just eat some fruit and dried fruit. If a male guest is offered a cup of hot water, that's fine, but female guests aren't even offered hot water.
Fu Xiaojuan responded lukewarmly, ignoring Yang Wanwan and her brother.
Yang Wanwan and her brother sat down. There were no other customers at this time. Aunt Fu sat in the middle of the shop and asked casually, "Wanwan, I heard that you and your brother went to work in Shenzhen. When did you come back?"
Why are you only asking this now?
Yang Wanwan replied, "I came back before the start of the semester."
Aunt Fu kept her eyes on the passersby coming and going in front of the shop, and it was unclear whether she had heard what Yang Wanwan said.
As soon as someone approaches the shop, even if they're just passing by, she immediately greets them with a big smile: "Come on, take a look at these things, they're all great gifts."
The way they treat guests and their niece is completely different.
Yang Wanwan was keenly aware of this indifferent and dismissive attitude.
After sitting for a while, taking advantage of the customers, the three of them got up to say goodbye.
Aunt Fu said dismissively, "Sit a little longer."
Yang Wanwan said, "You go ahead with your work, we're going to my uncle's house first."
Aunt Fu stopped talking and Fu Xiaojuan didn't even look at Yang Wanwan and her brother, staring indifferently at the television.
After leaving Aunt Fu's shop, the three siblings didn't want to go back to their eldest uncle's house right away. There was still about an hour before dinner, so they took another road, which led to fields and villages in just a few dozen steps.
Standing under a camphor tree on a small earthen slope, the rapeseed flowers were in full bloom, bright yellow and shimmering, very beautiful.
Various unnamed wildflowers spread underfoot, and the grass was lush and green. Although it was still the middle of winter, everything was green and full of life.
There are also peach trees by the water, with a few blossoms in bloom, adding a touch of wild charm.
The three of them were in a good mood as they looked at the scenery.
After strolling around for a while, they figured that Uncle Fu's family would be having dinner soon, so they headed back.
Inside the house, dining tables were being set up. There were many guests, so three tables were set up: one for the men, one for the older women, and one for the children and younger girls.
Yang Wanwan and her siblings sat down at the children's table. The women there talked too much, and Yang Wanwan really didn't want to chat with them.
The meal was very lavish, with chicken, duck, fish and meat all available. The male guests were served wine, and the female guests and children each received orange juice. Such hospitality was quite generous, and it was clear that Uncle Fu's family was well-off.
The male guests' table was in the next room, while the female guests and children were in the living room.
When most of the dishes had been served, a woman in her forties said to the aunt, "Is that your sister-in-law's eldest daughter over there? Come on, there's an empty seat here, come and eat with us."
This female guest was the wife of Fu Da's maternal uncle's brother. She had a mole on the corner of her mouth, and she was the most talkative and loudest among them.
Aunt Fu then seemed to notice Yang Wanwan sitting at the children's table, and said with a smile, "Wanwan, look at you, why are you sitting here? Come, come, come sit down."
Yang Wanwan declined, saying, "Auntie, the dishes here are the same, I'm fine eating here."
Since she was already seated here, there was no need for Yang Wanwan to go to the other table.
Aunt Fu's face darkened, as if Yang Wanwan was deliberately causing trouble for her.
Yang Wanwan noticed, of course, and had no choice but to sit down.
As soon as she sat down, several female customers started asking Yang Wanwan all sorts of questions, like how she and her siblings had been living these past few years, how much money she had earned working in Shenzhen, and how she was already sixteen and they should introduce her to a boyfriend and get her married...
Some people inquired about Yang Dali and Yang Youneng with great interest, especially about Yang Youneng, and the women asked a lot of questions.
Yang Wanwan answered calmly, appearing very honest. However, when asked about Yang Youneng's affairs, she feigned ignorance.
They pressed for details, almost demanding to know exactly what Yang Wanwan ate the night before.
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