The courtyard: the atmosphere of human life

Darong and Qiaozhen hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they chatted as they walked and didn't feel the distance was far until they arrived at Qiaozhen's house.

"Okay, you should go home early too. I'll go back and rest too."

"Okay, I'm leaving now. Come and chat with me next time."

After saying goodbye to Qiaozhen, Darong got on the bike and prepared to go home.

As soon as she got on the small road, Darong saw Sibei from a distance. There were several men and women following him, but Darong didn't recognize them.

"Fourth brother? What are you doing here?" Darong took a few steps closer before getting out of the car.

"Sister? Why are you taking this path?"

Sibei was also a little surprised to see Darong. Normally, Darong would not pass by here on her way home from work. He had just arrived here with his friends when Darong appeared, and it seemed more like she came following him.

"You haven't been home since you got off work these days. What have you been busy with?"

Darong and Sibei'er are only one year apart in age, so their circles of friends from childhood to adulthood are almost overlapping, but Darong doesn't recognize any of the people in front of her.

"I'm not busy. We're all friends, so we came out to play together."

Although Darong spoke softly, the people standing behind Sibei'er heard it, which made Sibei'er somewhat embarrassed.

"It's a good thing you're here. I just twisted my leg in the factory, so I had to force myself to ride here."

Darong looked up at a few people not far away, and immediately handed the car to Sibei, indicating that he should take her home.

"Ah? Is it badly twisted? Do I need to go to the hospital?"

It is said that Sibei is a simple-minded person. After hearing what Darong said, he quickly looked around his sister. Although he didn't see any problems, he still said goodbye to the people behind him and rode his bike to send Darong home.

"Fourth Brother, tell me the truth, what exactly do those people do?"

After Sibei'er turned his bike into the alley, Darong jumped down from the back seat, grabbed Sibei'er's arm and asked very seriously.

"Hey? Is your leg okay?" Sibei looked at Darong's agile appearance and then realized that she was lying to him.

"Don't interrupt. What are those people doing?"

"They... they are all in business... I've been hanging out with them lately."

Sibei'er couldn't stand Darong's aggressive momentum, so he confessed the truth.

"You'd better give up that thought. After all, you are now a regular employee of a state-owned factory, with a stable job that guarantees you a stable income. If our mother knew that you were not doing your job properly, she would break your legs."

Darong was a young proletarian pioneer who grew up in an atmosphere of red sentiment. At that time, she was unaware of her own superficiality and limitations, and only adhered to the conservative ideas instilled in her by the older generation.

"Sister, you don't understand. Nowadays, people who do business earn more than those who work. Look at which 'ten thousand yuan households' work in factories."

In the impression of his family, Sibei was definitely not a smart person, but strangely, when everyone else was sticking to the old ways and holding on to their iron rice bowls, only Sibei realized the opportunities for economic development.

Although he did not get the support of his family, Sibeier never gave up on understanding the development of the market, which also pointed out the direction for his future life.

The days that followed passed in an orderly manner, and in the blink of an eye, the streets and alleys of Yutian were full of crabapple blossoms.

Darong always likes to ride a bicycle and enjoy the fragrance of flowers under the crabapple tree. Under the gentle caress of the breeze, the pink and white petals all over the sky decorate the whole spring with colors.

"Big sister, you're back."

Xiao Ling greeted Darong cheerfully. Since the weather got warmer, Xiao Ling came home almost every day to help Darong's mother make a quilt for Darong's dowry.

"Hey, you're back. You've been busy all day."

Darong took off the cotton wool on Xiao Ling's head with some heartache. Although she had a bit of a stingy and domineering personality, she was still very decent when working.

When Darong's mother got married, her family was poor and the quilts and mattresses she brought as a dowry were not thick enough. During the coldest times of winter, the couple could only huddle in a thin quilt and endure the cold.

So when it came to preparing Darong's dowry, she bought dozens of kilograms of cotton and made six sets of bedding, thick and thin. Fortunately, Xiao Ling helped.

"It's okay, I'm not tired, big sister, look!"

Xiao Ling took Darong's hand and walked quickly into the house, taking out a paper bag from her backpack.

"Wow, it's so beautiful." Darong looked at the fabric with soft light in the paper package and was immediately stunned.

"It looks good, doesn't it? This is the silk material I mentioned. You can use it to make a cheongsam. It will definitely look good on you."

"Give it to me? That won't work. Aren't you going to be the dowry yourself?"

Darong really didn't expect that the material that Xiao Ling had fought so hard to get would now be given to her.

"Big sister, just take it. My mother has two pieces, and I'll keep one for myself. This piece is for you to make, and I won't give it to that zhelijing (zheli: a transliteration word, meaning pretentious and unreasonable)."

"I can't choose. You can keep it for yourself. I'll make two beautiful dresses for you when you get married."

Although Darong was very touched, she did not want to accept Xiaoling's offer.

She knew Xiao Ling's temper and personality very well. If she gave her this material now, she would probably find it difficult to give her a comparable gift when she got married.

It's not about equality of value, but inner satisfaction. Xiao Ling herself has the temper that the world owes only her. Even if she gives you a piece of dirt, you will still not be satisfied even if you hold golden beans in your hands.

However, even with such a stingy and calculative character, the fact that he was determined to give Darong the materials was enough to move her.

"But sister, I don't have anything else to give you, so just accept it."

Xiao Ling was very sincere this time. Seeing that Darong refused to accept it, she pouted her lips and felt a little lonely.

"Take it. She has been waiting for you with the material for most of the day, just waiting for you to be happy."

Darong's mother looked at Xiao Ling standing beside her and showed an expression of approval for the first time. Xiao Ling, who was so stingy, was willing to give Darong such a good material. How much she wanted to marry her fourth cousin, how could Darong's mother not know that?

"Okay, thank you Ling'er. When you get married, I will prepare a good gift for you."

Seeing that Darong's mother also agreed to the reconciliation, Darong stopped refusing and directly accepted the material.

The days passed carelessly. During the half year of preparing for the wedding, Darong and Zhong Yunxing spent more and more time together. She also felt more and more clearly the dullness and conservatism in Zhong Yunxing's character.