Starting a new chapter in life

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the gates are opened early in the morning, and the village children start to visit each other to wish each other a Happy New Year. Some give red envelopes, which are only a penny or two each, while others give a few candies, a handful of peanuts, or a handful of melon seeds. Everyone just wants to have some fun. Suddenly, the once quiet winter village comes alive.

The two sisters visited the Peng family to wish them a Happy New Year, received red envelopes, and chatted. Uncle Peng and Aunt Peng liked the two sisters very much and brought out a lot of delicious food. The two sisters ate a couple of bites and then put the food down, chatting for a while.

"Will your eldest brother come back again after the New Year?" Peng Chunlai's mother, Aunt Liu, asked.

Jing Yan replied with a smile, "I should be able to come back again on the sixth day of the new year. If Auntie is looking for my older brother, he should be home around that afternoon."

Aunt Liu's smile grew even more loving: "Alright, your uncle and I will go see him that day. We haven't seen Jingtian for almost a year. Every time he comes back, he's in a hurry. He's been hibernating in the middle of winter, so it's hard to run into him."

After talking for a while, the two sisters went straight home.

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, my older brother came back to visit his younger sister and also to bring her some coupons. Grain coupons were generally not needed by the villagers, as the village's surplus grain belonged to the public and could be bought with money. Oil coupons, meat coupons, cloth coupons, and sugar coupons were the rarer items.

Jingyan and Jinghuan looked at the tickets their older brother had brought back and remained silent for a while. Jingyan spoke up, "Brother, you need to buy everything in the city. We don't lack anything in the village. You don't need to give us these. When I start working in the spring, we will also have tickets every month."

Jing Tian forcefully stuffed the clothes into his younger sister's hands: "Take them. You're all grown up now. Buy yourself some cloth and make yourself some clothes. They'll look bright and pretty. I've already set aside enough for household expenses, so I brought some back. Use them without worry."

The two sisters had just collected their tickets when they heard someone knocking at the gate. Jingyan rushed over to see what was happening and found that the Peng family had arrived with Peng Xiaoge and Chunlai. She quickly welcomed them in, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, Aunt Liu began to speak.

“Jingtian, look, we’re all from the same village. You’ve watched my Xiaohai grow up. Apart from being a bit quiet, he’s a good person. Jinghuan is of marriageable age. We’re all from the same village and know each other well. My family wants to ask for Jinghuan’s hand in marriage. They say the eldest brother is like a father, so it’s most appropriate to discuss this with you.”

The older brother glanced at Peng Chunhai and said, "Auntie, as you know, my younger sister's mourning period won't end until this spring. Isn't it a bit early to talk about marriage now?"

“Our family thought that we should get engaged first, so that we could prepare the wedding items in advance. To be honest, our house is already full. Aunt Liu is thinking that if we get engaged, we can ask the village chief to approve a plot of land to build a house in the spring. Once the house and furniture are finished, we can get married around the same time.” Aunt Liu is really satisfied with Jinghuan.

"Does Auntie mean that after the wedding, my fourth sister will live separately?"

"Yes, after they get married, they will separate from the family and have their wedding at the new house. We, the old couple, will live with our eldest son in the future, and we will have to separate from the family sooner or later. If it were other people's daughters, I might not feel comfortable letting them live separately, but I trust Jinghuan. It's good that they live separately, so I won't have to worry about them. After we get Chunlai married in two years, our mission will be accomplished."

The elder brother's initial reluctance suddenly softened considerably. He looked at Jinghuan and said, "What do you mean? If you don't want to marry, we'll back out. If you're interested, we can set it off first."

Jing Huan blushed slightly: "It's fine as long as it's decided by my elder brother."

Jing Tian... Alright, judging from the looks of it, my own sister is willing too.

"Auntie, how about this? I really can't make this decision on my own. I'll have to discuss it with my second brother first. After all, we only have these two sisters left in the family. Once we've discussed it, I'll come back and give you a definite answer. Hmm, after the first month of the lunar calendar, I'll take a day off to come back and confirm this. Is that okay?"

"Okay, okay, then we'll wait for news at home. If it works out, we can go to the village chief together and see which plot of land to build the house on." Aunt Liu's face beamed with joy.

After seeing the Peng family of four off, the eldest brother asked gently, "Jinghuan, are you keeping an eye on the Peng family boy?"

Jinghuan glanced at his younger sister, then raised his head, which had been lowered: "Big brother, Peng's son is a good person. He works hard and is reliable. Most importantly, I think I can handle him. I can manage the household without being bullied. Besides, Aunt Liu has a good temperament and won't mistreat her daughter-in-law. I can marry into the family and live independently. I don't think there's another family in the village that can offer such conditions."

Jingyan added, "Fourth Sister is gentle and easygoing. She's a pushover when it comes to arguing. If she ends up with a mother-in-law who's fierce, she'll definitely suffer. Aunt Liu is known in our village for her straightforward and good temper, so Fourth Sister can have a more comfortable life."

"Alright, I'll go back to your second brother's house first and talk to him about this. We'll discuss it, and after the first month of the lunar calendar, we'll go to the Peng family together to talk to them." After saying that, the eldest brother got up to leave.

"Brother, there's no rush. Let's cook some dumplings, eat our fill, and then we can go. It's the dead of winter, we can't go on without something warm and cozy." Jingyan stopped him.

"Do you have dumplings ready?"

"Yes, it was made before the New Year and it's frozen. It's filled with cabbage and pork. It'll be ready soon."

After eating a large bowl of dumplings, the older brother left feeling full.

Liaoning Province continued to be shrouded in winter, and He Zhijun and his parents also boarded the train. After three days of travel, they finally arrived on the ninth day of the lunar new year. They found a guesthouse in the county and stayed there for one night to relieve their fatigue.

The next day, Cui Hongru said, "Your unit is near the village, right? I was thinking if we could find a villager's house in Hongxing Village to stay with for a while. We'll pay the rent. You go back and ask around to see if anyone has a spare room. We can also find out about that girl from the side."

He Zhijun accepted his mother's request, carried his luggage, returned to his own room to go back to the army, and after settling in, went to ask the logistics department for directions. He happened to run into Sister Liu from the canteen.

When Sister Liu heard that his parents wanted to stay here for a while and were looking for a place to rent in Hongxing Village, she brought up Zhang Jingyan's house: "Her house has three rooms in the yard, each with two bedrooms. The two sisters are currently living in the main room, and the two side rooms have been empty for a long time. If your parents want to stay, her house is the most suitable."

He Zhijun's eyes lit up: "That tall guy in your cafeteria?"

"Yes, that's her house. I'll take you there to ask her in a bit."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Sister Liu."

Sister Liu was very enthusiastic. She knew that Jingyan's family was small, with only two young girls. She wouldn't dare let anyone else move in, but she and her husband were quite familiar with He Zhijun's family. He Zhijun's parents were both key members of the army, so their character was beyond question. The rental period was also short, only three yuan a month for a room in the county. So, a two-bedroom apartment would only cost six yuan. Although the price of coal for burning in winter had increased, the He family had given ten yuan, which was still a high price. She was determined to let Jingyan make a profit.

When they arrived at the house with He Zhijun, the two sisters were knitting. Jingyan thought that since she had nothing else to do, it would be nice to learn to knit sweaters and pants from her fourth sister. They found two sweaters with holes in them during the pre-New Year's cleaning. The two sisters discussed it and decided to unravel the old sweaters. Jinghuan would use the old yarn to teach her younger sister, and they would buy new yarn after she learned. After all, yarn is a precious commodity these days and it's not easy to buy.

Sister Liu pushed the door open. Hmm, it wasn't locked; it opened with a single push. He Zhijun was a little dumbfounded: "This... this isn't locked? Aren't you afraid strangers will come in?"

"We're all neighbors, and we don't want to come out in the dead of winter. We just drop by each other's doors. The gate isn't locked; we just shout a greeting in the yard when we come in," Sister Liu explained to him.

"Jingyan, are you home?" Sister Liu called out as she entered the yard.

The two sisters were each holding a sweater, while the other used both hands to pull the yarn into a bundle. After unraveling it, they would wash the yarn before using it. Hearing Sister Liu's voice, Jinghuan, who was holding the sweater, put down the sweater, slipped on her shoes, got off the kang (a heated brick bed), walked to the door, opened it, and said with a smile, "Come in quickly, it's cold outside. We're unraveling a sweater."

Sister Liu smiled, stomped her feet to clean the snow off the soles of her shoes before going into the inner room. He Zhijun followed quietly, and Jing Huan closed the door and followed the two into the inner room.

Jingyan heard someone, but didn't recognize it as Sister Liu. After all, she didn't expect Sister Liu from the cafeteria to come. She was quite surprised to see her enter: "Sister Liu, what brings you here? I didn't recognize you. Oh dear, how rude of me." As she spoke, she tried to put down the cable harness that she was holding.

"Oh, you're taking apart a sweater. Don't put it down, or it'll get messy and a hassle to clean up later," Sister Liu quickly stopped her.

Jingyan smiled and said, "Then I'm sorry for not being hospitable enough. Fourth Sister, pour two glasses of water for Sister Liu and this comrade. Hmm, add some sugar."

Jinghuan smiled and went to get the teacup to pour water.

Sister Liu didn't stand on ceremony with her. She took off her shoes, got onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and picked up the sweater to help her untie the stitches.

Jinghuan brought over the sugar water, placing one cup by the kang (heated brick bed) for Sister Liu and handing the other to He Zhijun: "Comrade, have some water."

He Zhijun took the teacup and politely thanked her. Jing Huan then carried a long bench from the wall and placed it by the kang (a heated brick bed): "Comrade, please sit down."

He Zhijun sat down somewhat awkwardly. Jing Huan looked at the two people sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), thought for a moment, and then sat directly on the edge of the kang.

"Did Sister Liu come to see me about something? Is it about the cafeteria?" Jing Yan asked cautiously.

"It's not that there's something wrong with the canteen. This is He Zhijun, a technician in our unit. In previous years, they had heavy tasks and didn't go home for the Spring Festival. This year, he went back to visit his family. His parents must be curious about where their son works. So, they want to come and stay with him for about a month. They want to find a fellow villager's house near the unit to rent for a while."

The rent is very generous, ten yuan a month. I overheard He Zhijun asking around in the logistics department today, and that's when I immediately thought of your family. You have a lot of houses but few people, so this money should be earned by your family.”

Jing Yan's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Ten yuan? Wow, that's really high! Sister Liu, do you have any high demands? Wouldn't this be considered speculation?"

Sister Liu chuckled and said, "What do you mean by speculation? This is just helping out. As for their demands, I've already brought my son along, so you can just ask them directly."

Jingyan and Jinghuan exchanged a glance, and Jinghuan nodded.

Jing Yan looked at He Zhijun and asked, "Comrade He, do your parents have any requirements regarding where they live?"

"No special requirements, as long as it's clean. Hmm, they only brought a change of clothes this time, no bedding or anything. They'll need to burn coal in the winter. Is ten yuan a month enough to cover all of that?" He Zhijun's ears turned a little red.

Jingyan thought for a moment, and then she happened to walk around to the hole in the sweater. The yarn had broken, and the bundle of yarn in her hand was about the right thickness. Jingyan tied the bundle of yarn into a knot. "I don't have a problem with the price. I also have extra bedding at home. The sheets and duvet covers are all clean. As long as Uncle and Aunt don't mind that they are old, that's fine. Let me show you my empty rooms first. After you choose a room, my fourth sister and I will clean it up. It's cold outside, so we need to light a fire in advance to warm the room."

After saying that, he got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and put on the shoes that were placed on the ground beside the kang.

He Zhijun looked at her feet with some surprise: "Your shoes seem a bit big."

Jingyan was a little puzzled: "Ah, my hands and feet are big, so my shoes naturally have to be big too. Small shoes will make my feet feel cramped."

She had already stood up after speaking, and He Zhijun also got up from the stool. Standing close to her, he was surprised to find that she wasn't much shorter than him: "How tall are you?"

Jing Yan frowned, but still replied, "1.72 meters."

This was the first time He Zhijun had stood so close to her, and his face turned slightly red: "I've seen you in the cafeteria before, but I didn't realize you were so tall then, so I apologize for being so abrupt."

"Oh, I have to bend over a bit when I get your food, so I'm a little short. Um, would you like to go take a look at the room?"

“Look, look,” He Zhijun answered eagerly.

Sister Liu looked at him strangely and said, "Xiao He, what's wrong with you today? You're talking without thinking." Then she turned to Jing Yan and said, "Forget it, don't bother with him. This room isn't for him to live in anyway."

Jingyan and Jinghuan led Sister Liu and He Zhijun to see the east room first. The layout inside was the same as at noon. There was a kitchen where you could boil water and cook food as soon as you entered. There was a room on each side, and each room also had a large kang (heated brick bed). However, no one lived there now, and the kang was made of adobe bricks without any mats.

After looking at the west room, which had the same layout, He Zhijun thought for a moment, "Does the east room get more sunlight during the day?"

Jing Yan nodded: "That's right, but it's winter now, so even if the sun is shining, it's not very warm. But once we start a fire, the house will be warm, so don't worry."

"Then let's reserve the east room. I'll give you a month's rent in advance. Can my parents move in tomorrow?"

"No problem, we'll clean right away. Don't worry, my fourth sister is very efficient; she cleans the house quickly and well." Jing Yan smiled, feeling great with the money in hand.

"And what about you? Aren't you quite efficient at your work too?" He Zhijun asked, following up on the conversation.

"I'm not good at it, I don't like doing housework, but I'm strong, I can carry things without any problem," Jing Yan said frankly.

He Zhijun...