The courtyard: the atmosphere of human life

Seeing that Darong had been silent, Xiao Ling seemed to realize something later. She tidied her hair and stood up from the stone.

"Sister, where are you going?"

"I wanted to buy some canned food. Huazi has had a cold these past two days and can't eat."

"I'll go with you."

Xiao Ling took Darong's arm, and after the two of them came out of the alley, they walked towards the department store.

"Sister, I heard from my elder brother that you are engaged."

"Well, the date is set."

"Auntie... don't you mind that Brother Zhong's family is from an agricultural cooperative?"

Darong naturally understood what Xiaoling meant. Xiaoling's family was also from an agricultural cooperative, so even though Darong's family had never interfered with her relationship with Sibei'er, Xiaoling was still not sure whether she could marry Sibei'er.

"Nothing much. He is a worker and has a job."

Xiao Ling pursed her lips and didn't ask any more questions.

Darong's answer is meaningless to Xiao Ling, because not being picky about the family does not mean not being picky about the person. After all, Xiao Ling has not been able to find a job since graduation.

Ordinary time always passes quickly. On the night of the 30th, Darong's family sat in front of the black and white TV to watch the Spring Festival Gala.

The Spring Festival Gala at that time was not what it is now. The fire in 87 burned away the longing of thousands of girls for a whole year.

"Go to your grandma's house on the second day of the New Year. If you want to stay, stay there. If you don't want to, go out and play after paying your respects. Don't cause trouble with your third aunt."

While mixing the dumpling stuffing, Darong's mother gave instructions to the third child who was watching the show nearby.

"I know. I don't bother with her. Where can I go to have fun during the New Year? I just don't want to bother with her." The third brother replied without even turning his head.

My third aunt is now pregnant, and Darong's mother is afraid that the third child will become stubborn and argue with her for some unknown reason.

"Mom, I think it's useless for you to just talk about my brother. I can't tell the difference between my third aunt and me all day. Besides, she has to go back to her parents' home."

Xiaoying cracked a melon seed and pouted her lips to speak up for the third brother.

"Her parents are having a funeral, and she just got pregnant, so they probably won't let her go back. She is an elder after all, and your brother keeps messing with her, so your grandma will have to suffer in the end."

After Darong's mother said this, the children stopped talking.

Darong's grandma was really a bit of a coward. Although she would cry to Darong's mom every time she was wronged, when Darong's mom really wanted to stand up for her (Ba Chuang: a transliteration meaning to stand up for the weak and to vent one's anger), she would block it and refuse to let her.

This year's Chinese New Year happened to coincide with my grandma's stay at my third uncle's house, so naturally all of Darong's mom's bags of things were sent to my third uncle's house.

"Wow, it has to be the eldest sister. She really buys a lot of things."

As soon as Darong's family entered the door, the aunt-in-law started to speak in a sarcastic tone.

"Haha, isn't it Chinese New Year? You haven't gone to grandma's house yet?"

Although Darong's mother was very unhappy in her heart, it was New Year's Day after all, so she still responded happily for the sake of appearance.

In fact, Darong really didn't understand why there really was someone like her aunt.

She got up early and went to her third uncle's house, just to make sure she remembered everything she brought when she arrived at Darong's and second aunt's houses.

When it was grandma's turn to go home, she would count the children one by one and take them over. If she took too many, her third aunt would be unhappy, and if she took too few, her eldest aunt would also not agree.

Things that sound so bizarre actually happened in that era.

Darong lowered her head and packed up the things she had brought. Although she was dissatisfied in her heart, she did not show any abnormality on her face.

But the younger three brothers, Xiaoying, found it difficult to conceal their emotions. Xiaoying pouts as she sits on the head of grandma's kang, while the third brother rolls his eyes at his aunt.

My aunt was very calm and didn't seem to care at all. Ever since she was beaten, she had learned her lesson and never openly quarreled with Darong's family again.

"Sister-in-law, please count them carefully. Do you want to pick up the eggs in a basket?"

The third aunt had naturally heard about the story that the eldest aunt was beaten by Darong's mother because of the egg incident. At this moment, she was leaning against the door frame with a weird look on her face, and every time she opened her mouth, she looked like she was trying to cause trouble.

Da Rong, who was packing her things, paused for a moment, turned her head and glared at her third aunt. The warning in her eyes was clearly visible.

It’s very strange to say, the third aunt is only two years older than Darong. She is not afraid of grandma nor Darong’s mother. Instead, she seems to be a little afraid of Darong and the third brother.

If she said that the Third Brother was afraid of her because he had once severely damaged the Zhou family, it was understandable that she was afraid of him because she knew his temper. However, as for this inexplicable fear of Darong, I'm afraid even the Third Aunt herself couldn't find the root cause.

After being glared at by Darong, the third aunt blinked twice and turned back to the west room.

There are not many relatives at my grandma's house, and there is no TV, so the second day of the Chinese New Year was indeed a bit boring.

"Mom, my third aunt didn't even give me a TV as a dowry. She's so stingy."

On the way home in the evening, the third brother sat in the fourth brother's car and snorted coldly with his lips curled.

In the end, my third uncle gave my third aunt a dowry of 2,200 yuan, which was 200 yuan more than the regular dowry of ordinary families. These 200 yuan alone were enough for her family to buy a TV as a gift, so it was no wonder that the third uncle was picky.

"Mom, please buy a color TV for my sister. I went to Gangzi's house a few days ago, and his sister-in-law gave her a color TV as a present. It was really luxurious."

The fourth generation didn't really participate in gossip, but when he heard the third brother making fun of his third aunt, he first thought of Darong who was about to get married.

"You can ask around at the factory later to see if you can get a ticket."

After hearing what Sibei said, Darong's mother nodded and told him to ask if there were any colleagues who could help her with some tickets.

In fact, Yutian developed rapidly in those years. Black and white televisions could be purchased directly, but color TVs were still purchased with tickets due to their small quantity.

Although Darong's mother has never expressed her love for Darong, she has actually started saving up a dowry for her early on. Now all she needs is enough money to buy a color TV.

Early the next morning, Zhong Yunxing came home on time to pick up Darong. That day, Zhong Yunxing's family was going to visit relatives in Dacheng County, and Zhong's mother specifically told Zhong Yunxing to take Darong with them.

Mother Zhong was one of the few mothers of that era who attached great importance to academic studies, so even with three sons, life at home was still tight.

She never let her children neglect their studies because of farming, which is how she cultivated Zhong Yunhong, the only college student in Erdaohezi.

However, this also meant that Mother Zhong had to rely on a lot of help from her mother's family. Although her younger brothers and sisters didn't say it, they all looked down on her in their hearts.

Now, Darong is outstanding in both temperament and appearance. She is also a girl from a big city. When she moves to a small county town like Dacheng, Zhong's mother's capital of being proud is no longer just because of Zhong Yunhong.