1987 My Era

Chapter 582, Chinese New Year, My Thoughtful Sister-in-Law
It was already afternoon when we got back from town; it was getting late. My second sister was busy in the kitchen preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, with Grandma and Zijing helping her.

Tian Run'e was killing a chicken in the yard, and Yang Yingwen's mother was squatting next to her. The two of them were plucking the chicken feathers while chatting and complaining.

The children at the crossroads had gone on a wild run through the village, setting off firecrackers wherever they went. Several neighbors' latrines were damaged, and several roaring adults with brooms were chasing after them.

According to custom, the New Year's Eve dinner in Shangwan Village must include chicken, pork, and fish. Pig's blood dumplings, radishes, and egg dumplings are staple dishes. Other dishes are made according to local custom; families with better financial conditions prepare more, while those struggling to make ends meet can only serve the same dishes repeatedly. Loach and eel are not allowed, as these are considered insects by the ancestors and thus disrespectful.

Li Heng stayed in the courtyard for a while, then couldn't help but ask Yang's mother, "Auntie, have you contacted Ying Wen yet?"

Yang's mother looked unwell: "We did manage to get in touch with him; Xiao Han made the call, but Ying Wen is unwilling to come back."

Li Heng asked, "Did you tell me about Uncle's condition?"

"I told her, but she still doesn't want to come back." Yang's mother still remembers her youngest daughter's cold words.

Yang Yingwen said on the phone: If I really die, don't include my name in the funeral rites. Just pretend I never existed.

Yang's mother cried on the phone and tried to persuade him, but Yang Yingwen shut her up with the words, "The 11 scars on my back don't allow me to have feelings."

The 11 scars are very deep, some as short as a finger, others running across his entire back. They were all inflicted by his father when he was a child, when he used a whip to beat him mercilessly.

How so?

In the neighborhood's parlance, Yang's father truly didn't treat Yang Yingwen like a human being back then. When he had conflicts with his wife outside, or when he was called a bastard, he would take his anger out on his youngest daughter. Whether he was right or wrong, he would beat her first and then talk about it, usually beating her to death.

Even the old village secretary couldn't stand it anymore, so he led dozens of villagers, some of whom were related to him, to tie up Yang's father and force him to write a guarantee promising not to beat the children like that again. But it was no use; he still beat them whenever he wanted, and no one could stop him.

Tian Run'e asked, "What exactly is this illness?"

"She's so stubborn, she doesn't want to go to the hospital. Yangxin Road did come to see her, and they said it's very likely a lung disease. She's been coughing up blood these past few nights, and in the middle of the night she's in so much pain it's like a pig being slaughtered. Whenever the pain comes, she gets up, smashes bowls and bangs on the door, and yells at me. But last night she didn't have the strength to get up, so I just watched from the side. I wasn't sad, and I didn't shed a tear. Run'e, tell me, is my heart made of iron?" Yang's mother rambled on. In this matter concerning her youngest daughter, she hated her husband to the core.

But Yang's mother was a rural woman with little education and could barely read or write. Without a man in the family, she was easily bullied in the village. She was conflicted, unsure whether to hope for her husband's death or for him to recover. Yet, every time she burned incense and consulted the oracle, she would kneel before the shrine and pray for her husband's well-being.

Oh, Yang Xinlu is the village's barefoot doctor. I heard he used to be a military doctor in the army, but he fought with his superior for a wife, and when he lost, he secretly eloped with her, giving up his secure job to become a doctor in the village. But his medical skills are quite excellent; he's famous for miles around.

Li Hengdong's brother-in-law brought over the bookshelf. He touched it and felt it was quite sturdy, and was very happy. He immediately asked someone to move it to the study on the second floor.

Starting at 4 p.m., firecrackers were set off one after another in Lu Village to mark the start of Lu New Year's Eve.

The Li family didn't eat until it was almost dark. Twelve bowls filled the table, each with a different dish, a truly sumptuous feast. Li Heng held the firecrackers, while Chen Zijin lit them with incense several times before finally setting them on fire. Amidst the crackling and popping, the family sat down to eat their New Year's Eve dinner.

Before they started eating, Grandma took out a red envelope and handed it to Li Heng and Chen Zijin, saying, "May you have abundance every year and good fortune every year. I wish you two a love stronger than gold and a long and happy life together."

Chen Zijin happily accepted the red envelope, saying, "Thank you, Grandma."

Li Heng took the red envelope and felt it; it contained about 120 yuan. He then handed it to Zijing, saying, "Wife, please keep it safe for me."

Under the watchful eyes of her grandmother, Li Jianguo, Tian Run'e, and her second sister, Chen Zijing blushed and hesitated for a moment before finally accepting the gift. Then she turned around and placed a piece of cured meat with bone on her plate for Li Heng.

Bones, in particular, symbolize wealth and joy during Chinese New Year's Eve, making them an extremely auspicious symbol.

The New Year's Eve dinner is very particular. Bones cannot touch the ground, and chopsticks cannot be placed off the table. If there are children in the family, they need to pay attention to these things. Usually, an adult will accompany and supervise them throughout the whole process.

Halfway through the lively New Year's Eve dinner, cries and screams erupted from the Liang family's house two doors down. It was Aunt Pang's heart-wrenching cries. Curious neighbors went to investigate, and soon a piece of gossip began to circulate throughout the village: Aunt Pang had painstakingly prepared the New Year's Eve dinner, only to turn around and find her husband and daughter-in-law gone, along with all the valuables in the house—they had eloped!
The village's notorious scoundrel put his hand to his mouth and shouted, "It's terrible! It's terrible! The philanderer has run away with his daughter-in-law!"

This was the first joke of the new year in 1989. Everyone was both amused and exasperated, but they were used to it.

After dinner, Li Heng asked Zijing, "Are you going over tonight?"

In the past, it referred to going to the Chen family's house across the street.

Chen Zijin hummed in agreement, and then, when no one was looking, she secretly kissed the corner of his mouth: "I'll be back around 9 o'clock, honey, remember to leave the door open for me."

Li Heng affectionately stroked her hair: "Why leave the door open? You're my wife, of course I have to wait for you in the yard."

"Okay." Chen Zijin kissed him again with great joy and returned to the Chen family home.

As soon as Zijing left, her second sister quickly moved a stool and sat down next to him, asking with concern, "I heard from Mom that Teacher Yu really spent the New Year at Teacher Wang's house in Shaoshi?"

Li Heng said, "Yes."

Second sister reached out her hand.

Li Heng asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Li Lan said, "Let me see the note that Teacher Yu left."

Li Heng slapped her hand away impatiently: "Do you think I'm stupid? With Zijing by my side, how could I leave that kind of note on my person?"

Li Lan agreed, and said with envy, "I used to just give Teacher Yu perfunctory answers, but this time she has made me look at her in a new light."

Li Heng asked, "Perfunctory?"

Li Lan stretched and said, "Of course. Women from such families are so precious. How could she really be with you? She doesn't give me the same sense of reliability as Zijing and Xiaohan, but I don't think so anymore."

Li Heng was in a daze and remained silent.

“Oh, by the way, I saw Wang Ye last night,” Li Lan said abruptly.

Li Heng turned his head. "Why did you bring her up?"

Li Lan said, "This woman is a shrewd businesswoman. I went to learn from her and also had a meal with Ying Wen."

Li Heng said, "That's true. He's a genuine graduate of Harvard Business School and has been the head of Hong Kong's Ming Pao for many years, so he's naturally very experienced." Since their college entrance exams, the two siblings hadn't had such a long, leisurely chat, and they were quite happy. During this time, Li Lan took out 5000 yuan and handed it to him.

Li Heng didn't take it: "Take it for your allowance, I don't need this little bit of money."

"Look at you, so smug. You always talk so pretentiously. I don't like listening to you." Li Lan pouted, stuffed all the money into his pocket, and then clapped her hands to show that even brothers should keep clear accounts, and it is only right to repay loans.

Around 9 o'clock, Chen Zijing arrived. She also brought along her little tagalong, Chen Zitong.

Chen Zitong greeted him with a beaming smile and called him "brother-in-law" upon meeting him.

Li Heng was very perceptive. He immediately reached into his pocket with his right hand, took out some of the money his second sister had given him, and put it in his sister-in-law's palm without even counting it.

Chen Zitong wanted to say, "Oh, no need for a red envelope," but when she saw the thick wad of cash, her mouth dropped open in a wide grin. She said nothing, hurriedly pocketed the money, and then obsequiously ran behind him, fawning over him like a sycophant.
"Brother-in-law, let me give you a massage."

Li Heng asked, "You can also give massages?"

“Of course I would! How could I not? I used to charge your wife one dollar for a ten-minute massage. I’ve been doing this for ten years!” Chen Zitong accused her sister of her crimes.

Li Heng looked at Zi Jin questioningly.

How come he didn't know about this?

Well, in his previous life, this sister-in-law was strictly controlled by the Chen family and didn't have much contact with him. They rarely talked about their private lives during their few meetings.

Well, another point is that she later became a successful businesswoman, working in a ministry, and rarely had time to meet with them.

Chen Zijin smacked her lips and said, "She's a real foodie, always eyeing everything. She usually steals half of my allowance with sweet talk."

Chen Zitong was very proud of this: "Who told you to be my sister, you should spoil me."

Zhong Lan appeared behind the curtains on the second floor at some point. Through the gap in the curtains, she saw her youngest daughter laughing and talking as she massaged that little bastard's back and shoulders. She was instantly furious and worried that the scoundrel would also ruin her youngest daughter.

Despite her worries, Li Heng was no longer the same person she used to be, and she could only watch helplessly, holding her breath in silence.

She couldn't control her eldest daughter anymore, and if her youngest daughter was also captivated by him, Zhong Lan would really want to die. What hope would she have left to live?
Her wild thoughts weren't without reason: to be fair, that little bastard's face perfectly inherited Tian Run'e's essence, and even surpassed her, making him very deceptive and lethal to women. Even if she couldn't stand his despicable behavior of harming her daughter, she couldn't deny the charm of that face.

Fortunately, Chen Zitong knew what was good for her and didn't stay at the Li family's house for long. She returned after about 20 minutes, which made Zhong Lan, who was behind the curtains, breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Zhong Lan called her youngest daughter into the room: "Did you lose your mind during the New Year? Giving him a massage, and for 20 minutes at that?"

“If someone gives me money, I’ll give you a massage in return,” Chen Zitong said matter-of-factly.

Zhong Lan was furious: "Didn't I give you enough money?"

"Here, if you give me this much at once, I won't say anything to you." With that, Chen Zitong pulled out a wad of money from her pocket, waving it around and showing it off, almost driving her own mother crazy.

Zhong Lan's eyes narrowed: "You're not young anymore, you'll be 19 in half a year. Haven't you heard that men and women shouldn't touch each other? He's your sister's man, can't you be a little more mindful of your boundaries?"

"Oh, I see. But if you use that same 'I drove my sister crazy' approach to scold me again, do you believe I'll turn around and make him my lover?" Chen Zitong, nicknamed the Little Devil, wouldn't listen to her nonsense at all and even threatened her instead.

Zhong Lan stared wide-eyed at her youngest daughter, clenching her fists, but dared not utter another word. She knew that her youngest daughter was even more headstrong than her eldest, and if she said too much, she might just throw herself into her arms.

After a long standoff between mother and daughter, Chen Zitong finally put the money back in her pocket, clapped her hands nonchalantly, and said, "Today is the New Year, and I want to solemnly announce something to you. From today onwards, I will no longer pretend. If you dare to restrict my personal freedom again, the next news you hear from me will definitely be: I am pregnant with my brother-in-law's child."

Chen Zitong's cheeks were chubby and quite cute, but the words she uttered were so outrageous.

The problem is, hey! Zhong Lan was completely under his thumb and didn't dare to refute him. She had already been fooled into losing one daughter, and she couldn't afford to lose a second one. Her actions and words were no longer as arrogant as before, and she was somewhat hesitant to act rashly.

On New Year's Eve, Li Heng and Chen Zijin were very excited. They hugged each other in bed, whispering intimate words and cuddling all night long.

New Year's Day.

Li Lan got up around 4:30 in the morning to cook.

Traditionally, there are two very elaborate meals during the Lunar New Year: the meal on New Year's Eve and the first meal of the new year.

A little later, Grandma, Li Jianguo, and Tian Run'e also got up, and the four of them squeezed into the kitchen.

Chen Zijing glanced at her watch and asked him, "Honey, should we get up?"

Li Heng said no.

Chen Zijin said, "Mom and the others are all up. Would it be bad if we didn't get up?"

Li Heng hugged her and said, "Don't worry about it. The dishes were all prepared in advance. We just need to cook them. We'll get up at 6 o'clock."

"No, honey, Grandma and the others are downstairs. It wouldn't be good if they saw me taking a shower later," Chen Zijin pleaded.

Li Heng chuckled and kissed her, then rolled off the bed and replied, "Okay, Mom, you go downstairs first, Zijing and I will be right there."

Tian Run'e realized something and left.

Then, Chen Zijin hid behind him, went downstairs and quickly went into the shower room to take a shower.

Tian Run'e secretly observed all of this and knew exactly what was going on, but she pretended not to know and went back to her work.

ps: Change first and then change.

(End of this chapter)