Chapter 16 Zhao Family
My uncle is very busy at work and often travels around on missions. He will not come back until my cousin is about to get married.
Grandpa is meeting an old friend in Chengde. When he heard about her coming, he would return to Beijing in a few days. Now I don’t know when my eldest brother will come back.
Xiuzhu asked, "Aunt, did my elder brother say when he would be back?"
When talking about her eldest son, Aunt Lin also smiled and said gently, "He said he will take his annual leave in the next few days and will stay at home until Xiu Li gets married."
Uncle Lin has three children, two boys and one girl.
The eldest son, Lin Yaoyu, 24 years old this year, is a very good pilot. He is stationed at the Shanghai Air Force Base. He seldom goes home because of his heavy workload.
My daughter, Lin Xiuli, is 20 years old and works in a news publishing house. She is going to marry her childhood sweetheart in a month.
The youngest son, Lin Yaowen, is the same age as Xiuzhu, both are 18 years old and are in their senior year of high school. (For brain deposit, the age limit is not approved, so it is changed to 18 years old. Please don’t worry about whether it is reasonable.)
The Lin family is also considered a military family. Grandpa Lin served in the army and fought in wars during the warlord period.
Later, during the Anti-Japanese War, he followed the leaders to fight and made many contributions, but now he has retired.
Uncle Lin is a division commander in the military region, and Father Lin is a deputy division commander who is stationed in Chongqing.
In Beijing, the Lin family is considered a well-known family.
Xiuzhu was very happy to hear that her elder brother was coming back soon, "That's great, I missed him so much."
"Hmph, my elder brother treats you much better than me, his biological brother." Lin Yaowen was also looking forward to his elder brother's return, but he still couldn't help feeling jealous.
When he and Xiuzhu quarreled when they were young, the eldest brother would always favor Xiuzhu.
Aunt Lin was infected by the children's emotions and felt much better. She smiled and said, "Okay, wait until your eldest brother comes back, then you can go and compete for his favor."
When Lin Yaowen heard the word "compete for favor", he quickly denied it, "Mom, I'm a man, why should I compete for favor?"
…
In the living room, simple dishes were laid out, and soft light shone on the dining table, illuminating a warm scene of several figures sitting together.
The Lin family members were laughing and talking in a harmonious atmosphere.
*
In the Zhao family's slum, Bai Huifen was cursing in the yard.
The scattered and disorderly houses and the narrow alleys are filled with all kinds of daily necessities.
Beijing is hot in summer, and the temperature only drops at night.
The space in the courtyard is small and each household has many people, so most men, women, old and young move their own small wooden stools to enjoy the cool in the courtyard.
While she was knitting a sweater, chatting about family matters, the children were chasing and playing in the yard, it was very lively.
"Why did Old Zhao's wife quarrel with someone again?"
"With her in our compound, we can still have peace."
When talking about the Zhao family, the women in the courtyard all looked quite disgusted.
There is no good person in this family. Old Zhao is extremely lazy and he drinks and beats his wife.
His wife is even more weird. No matter how her husband treats her as a human being, she will immediately start a quarrel with others if they say something to her, accusing them of sowing discord and being jealous of her.
I work as a nanny every day and get beaten, but I don't know what there is to be jealous of.
The two sons also followed the Zhao family's lead, and neither of them was willing to work hard.
Only the little girl is not bad. She is pretty and can speak and do things well.
At this time, Bai Huifen was in a bad mood because she was kicked out of the Lin family and didn't get a penny.
When I got home in the afternoon, my daughter suddenly had a high fever and is now sleeping in the house.
Old Wang's family in the backyard built a kitchen in the yard some time ago. The thick smoke from cooking was carried by the wind and drifted to her house, choking her.
Standing in the yard with his hands on his waist, he yelled at Lao Wang's family, "Damn it! The smoke from your cooking has reached my house and it's choking me."
"My daughter San Ya had a high fever this afternoon. It was you who fumigated her."
"Bah, I've never heard of fumigation causing a fever. Why do you think your daughter is so precious? You are so shameless."
"The environment in our slum is like this. If you have the ability, you can live in an apartment building." The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the Wang family are not easy to deal with and will not spoil Bai Huifen.
"I'm hungry. Why don't you come back and cook for me?" A man's cursing voice sounded.
When Bai Huifen heard that her husband was hungry, she hurried back to the house to cook.
Zhao Heping lost the card game today. When he heard that she didn't get any benefits from going to the Lin family, he was so angry that he cursed: "You useless thing, you didn't bring me a penny."
"Marrying an unlucky thing like you is really bad luck for the rest of my life."
Bai Huifen dared not say anything in front of her husband. She felt wronged and cooked silently in the kitchen.
But in her heart, she hated Bai Huifang and the Lin family. If it weren't for them, she wouldn't have been scolded by her husband.
I was a little worried about my daughter who was sleeping in the room, so I planned to cook an egg for her after cooking.
San Ya looks the most like her husband, with a pretty face and a sweet mouth, and she loves him as well as his family.
I'm just a little too ambitious and want everything to be the best.
But she also gave in to her daughter, hoping that she could find a better-off man in the future so that she could help the family more.
It would be best to find a high-ranking official, one who is higher than the Lin family’s official, so that they can show off again.
The people waiting for dinner at the table were a little disgusted when they saw that Bai Huifen only brought a plate of pickles and shredded potatoes.
The eldest son, Zhao Xiaogang, complained: "Mom, there is not even a bit of oil or water, how can we eat it?"
"If you don't like it, get out of here." Zhao Heping was in a bad mood today and was annoyed by everyone he saw.
No one at the table dared to say anything more. They lowered their heads and quickly ate, fearing that they would be scolded later.
The soup was watery and we finished it quickly.
Zhao Xiaogang and his wife were dissatisfied with the idea of buying a job for their younger brother Zhao Xiaoqiang.
Seeing his wife winking at him, Zhao Xiaogang said to his father, "Otherwise, don't buy a job for Xiaoqiang. There are job openings, so let him try again."
Zhao Xiaoqiang's eyes flashed, and he thought angrily in his heart that by the time he passed the exam, his eldest brother would probably be a grandfather.
He looked at Bai Huifen with a wronged look, but he didn't say a word.
Seeing that her little darling was being wronged, Bai Huifen knew that it must have been instigated by her eldest daughter-in-law.
He pointed at her and yelled at her: "You little bastard, you can't hold your fart in. I'll buy it for him with your money."
The eldest daughter-in-law was so upset after being scolded that she said sarcastically, "Mom, our family is so poor that we have to eat pickles every meal. What can we buy?"
"Don't worry about it. Your aunt will pay for it. I'll bring someone to collect it in a couple of days."
Bai Huifen felt that the money should be paid by the Lin family. They were relatives and they were so well off, so what was wrong with them helping her? It was their duty.
Zhao Heping heard what he loved to hear, and then he spoke: "Okay, go back to your rooms, don't make your mother angry."
Bai Huifen was deeply moved when she heard this. She thought her husband was the best to her and she did not marry the wrong person.
*
Zhao Xiaoyuan was lying on a small bed. She had a high fever and fell asleep after returning from Lin's house in the afternoon. Now she slowly opened her eyes.
It felt as if a layer of mist covered my eyes, making them look hazy and unreal.
The layout of the room was strange yet familiar. The room was simple and small. Apart from a wooden box, there was only a small wooden table next to the bed.
There is a calendar on the table, and the time is July 12, 1965.
She stood up and picked up the small mirror on the table, held it up carefully, and put it to her face, somewhat incredulous.
I rubbed my temples, closed my eyes, and opened them again. It was still the same room.
He pinched his arm again, "Shh, it hurts, this is not a dream."
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