Starting a new chapter in life

Jingyan stood up, leaning on the wooden post at the gate, and replied, "Sir, I'm the one who needs a ride."

He Chunni had recovered and came over to open the gate. She smiled at the old man and said, "Hello, sir. This is my friend. She lives in Hongqi Commune. Could you please give her a ride?" After saying that, she asked Jingyan to help her onto the oxcart. Then she turned around and put the two large bags and a basket that were placed at the door onto the cart. After making sure that Jingyan was comfortable, she smiled at the old man and said, "Please drive carefully. My friend hasn't worked in a long time and is a little tired."

The old man flicked his whip, lightly striking the ox's rump, and the oxcart slowly began to move. The old man's voice came over: "Huizi's wife, don't worry, your grandpa will definitely get this girl home safely."

Jingyan lay half-reclined on the oxcart, and with the swaying motion of the cart, she became drowsy. It felt like not long before the oxcart stopped, and the old man's loud voice rang out: "Girl, this is Hongqi Commune. Where is your home? Sit up and show me the way."

Jingyan was startled awake. She rubbed her eyes, looked around, and then began to give directions. When they arrived at the door, she opened it. Her father-in-law, carrying a bag in one hand and a basket on his back in the other, placed the bag on the ground in the yard. He turned and reached out to Jingyan. Jingyan took out a fifty-cent coin from her pocket and handed it to him. Her father-in-law took it, went out the door, cracked his whip, and the oxcart swayed away.

Jingyan was really exhausted today. She locked the front door, opened the back door, and made two trips to carry the two bags of mushrooms and a basket to the backyard. She found a large tarpaulin in the house and laid it on the storage room floor. She opened the bags and dumped the mushrooms on it, piling them into two huge heaps. She wanted to bend down and spread the mushrooms out to let them air out, but she was too tired. She looked around, picked up the broom in the corner, and spread the mushrooms out. They had already taken up all the space on the tarpaulin.

She could only pull out the two baskets she had used before, pour the mushrooms from the basket into them, spread them out, and then, not wanting to tidy up anymore, she turned around and went back into the house. She took off her coat and pants and threw them on the living room floor, poured some water, washed up quickly, went into the guest room, lay down on the bed, and didn't move at all. Yes, she stretched out her stiff and tired body and drifted off to sleep.

She woke up hungry again. It was already bright outside. She checked the time and saw it was 6:30. She turned over and felt aches all over. Jingyan was a little confused. She had done a lot of work, so why was she so tired?

After changing my clothes, washing my face and brushing my teeth, I went into the kitchen, felt lazy, picked up two aluminum lunchboxes, put them in the basket, slung the basket over my shoulder, grabbed my wallet, and went out. Fortunately, the state-run restaurant wasn't too far away; it was only a ten-minute walk. I went in, ordered a bowl of peach blossom noodles, paid with my money and food coupons, found a table, sat down, and started eating. Yesterday at noon, I had just eaten two pieces of chicken cake for a quick meal and went straight to sleep last night. I was really hungry.

After eating half of the noodles, I finally felt less panicked and less dizzy. I finished the noodles and drank all the broth. Then I glanced at the small blackboard at the state-run restaurant. I really didn't want to cook today. I bought two meat buns and two cabbage buns, thinking of buying some vegetables, but it was morning and there were no stir-fries available. So I just got a serving of tofu pudding. I also picked some of the free pickled vegetables from the restaurant table and put them into the empty lunchbox. I put the lids on, stacked the two lunchboxes together in my basket, and put the four buns wrapped in brown paper in as well. Then I went home.

When we got home, the sun was just rising and it wasn't hot yet. We first dragged the waterproof cloth from the warehouse floor out and laid it out on the cement ground in the backyard to dry. We also brought out the baskets so we could dry the mushrooms at noon.

After washing and hanging up the clothes I changed out of yesterday, I finally had time to grab a small chair and a basin to sort the mushrooms in the pile. I picked out the fresh and delicious ones and put them in the basin, while setting aside the hazel mushrooms to dry. By the time the sun got warmer, I had sorted them out pretty much.

I went back inside, drank some water, fed the chickens, and collected their eggs. "The sun is shining brightly; it's perfect for taking a nap indoors," I thought, and so I took a nap.

After a couple of days, the fatigue from picking mushrooms in the mountains subsided. With her energy restored, she was able to look at her vegetable garden and think about what to cook. In two more days, He Zhijun should be able to take a vacation, and she would stay home to cook and wait for him to come home, being a good wife and mother.

This time, He Zhijun enjoyed VIP treatment for the first time since his return. There was a small dish of cold tomato salad, a small dish of smashed cucumber with garlic, a small bowl of eggplant with garlic, a plate of stir-fried mushrooms with chicken fat, and finally, braised pork ribs with steamed rice. It was a very rich meal.

"The dishes are plentiful, but why are they all served in small plates? Is it to avoid leaving any food?" He Zhijun asked. In the past, Jingyan always used bowls for meals at home and rarely used plates. He didn't even remember using small plates when guests came. What's going on today?

When Jingyan saw him come back, she smiled and said, "Go wash your hands and come eat. Oh dear, today's vegetables were all picked from our garden. It's the first batch, and only one or two of them are ripe. There's too little to fit on a big plate, so we'll use small plates."

He Zhijun looked again and nodded: "I've been here for a long time and I'm used to the portion sizes here, so it's a bit strange to be suddenly used to it. The plate you used to serve the food was bought by my sister-in-law, right? We use this kind of plate to serve food where we're from. If you don't mind, you can use this to serve the food in the future. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't be used to it when you go to Yangzhou."

Jingyan pointed to the plate and asked, "Where do you eat, this little bit of food is enough to fill you up?"

He Zhijun laughed: "Here, a family of several people only has one or two dishes per meal. Of course, the portions need to be large, otherwise it won't be enough. In my hometown, families with fewer people have three or four dishes per meal, and families with more people have seven or eight dishes, which is normal. If the portions are too large, there will be leftovers. It's much hotter there than here, so leftovers will spoil. That's why there are smaller portions but more variety."

Jingyan nodded: "Indeed, look at our family, it's just the two of us. I made five dishes with this amount of tableware and I still felt that the quantity was not enough. If there were more people, it would be quite troublesome just to wash the pots and pans, not to mention cooking. Just thinking about it makes me tired."

He Zhijun smiled and agreed, "Yes, cooking a meal over there is quite tiring, but it's just the two of us, so do whatever makes you comfortable."

From winter to summer, they finally got to eat different kinds of vegetables. They ate well and were full, and both of them were very satisfied. "It's so nice to have our own yard. People at the canteen are still eating radishes and cabbage. At home, we can eat something different. It's so wonderful."

He Zhijun has always preferred vegetables. His hometown has no shortage of vegetables all year round, but the winters in the north are too long and there are few varieties of vegetables. For the first time, he is looking forward to being transferred back in 1979, so that he can bring Jingyan with him and she will no longer have to worry about vegetables.

"With the vegetables ripe, the rest will be ready even faster. I'll cook you more dishes when you come back next time. There are still a few tomatoes that are turning red. I'll send them to you when more come in, okay? Tomatoes and cucumbers can be eaten raw like fruit. Our fruit season hasn't started yet, so we'll use these for now. Oh, and I'll share some with Battalion Commander Gao later. Hey, didn't you say his wife was coming to join him? Have you heard anything about that?"

"Commander Gao has already applied for a dormitory, changing from a single room to a two-bedroom apartment. He will go to the station to pick people up tomorrow."

"Didn't you say before the New Year that you were going to separate from the family and come here? Why are you only coming now?" Jingyan asked in confusion.

"Because the brothers from Battalion Commander Gao's hometown opposed the division of the family property, it has been delayed until now."

"Why are you against it?" Jingyan asked, puzzled. "Wouldn't it be more liberating to be in charge of your own household after the family splits up than to stay together?"

"Commander Gao's monthly allowance is about a hundred yuan, and he sends forty yuan to his parents. You know, even a working worker in the city only earns twenty-three or twenty-four yuan a month. That's equivalent to two workers for him. How much of a bargain can the brothers get? Naturally, they don't want to let go of such a golden opportunity."

Besides, Sister-in-law Gao is quite capable; she does the housework efficiently and earns a good amount of work points in the fields. Her two sons are eight and six years old, and they can both help with the chores. If it were you, would you be willing to separate the household?"

Jingyan shook her head: "Yes, they didn't want to. Didn't you say they would arrive tomorrow? So how were they divided in the end?"

"Battalion Commander Gao promised to give his parents ten yuan each a month for their retirement, which is twenty yuan a month. Although the amount is half of what it used to be, it is still the biggest concession that Battalion Commander Gao has made. His parents did not want to be a burden on their second son and insisted on separating the family property. This matter even went to the town government. Later, it was the comrades from the local armed forces department who stepped in and mediated for half a year before the family property was finally separated. Battalion Commander Gao and his wife gave up everything in their hometown so that his wife and son could come over as soon as possible. They were too lazy to argue with his brothers."

"It's not that his parents are willing to separate the family, why is it so difficult for them?"

"He's forgotten his father after getting married. Originally, his parents planned to live with their eldest son's family after the family split up. They're still able to work now, and when they get old, their two younger sons would provide for them, while the eldest son would take care of them. It was a good arrangement. But when it came time to split up the family, the eldest daughter-in-law made a fuss and disagreed. In the end, she just couldn't bear to part with Battalion Commander Gao's monthly allowance."

Fortunately, when Battalion Commander Gao was promoted to platoon leader, he told his family that he would increase the monthly remittance to forty yuan, keeping twenty yuan for himself for living expenses and savings. Later, when he was promoted again, his wife had given birth, and he wanted to save some money for his family. He told his parents about this but not his brothers; otherwise, the division of the family property might have been even more difficult this time.

"His parents didn't want him to tell, right?" Jingyan asked.

He Zhijun nodded: "His parents said that once the brothers started their own families, they became selfish. In particular, his eldest sister-in-law and third sister-in-law were very shrewd. They argued and bickered over trivial matters every day. His mother felt that if his daughters-in-law were unreliable, then his sons were unreliable too."

Battalion Commander Gao's wife was chosen by his mother. She's honest, dutiful, and filial to her parents, which his mother likes very much. Therefore, she's more considerate of their family. Battalion Commander Gao mentioned to me the other day when we were drinking that his allowance, besides the portion his parents previously contributed to household expenses and some used up during the recent family division, is mostly kept by his parents.

With this money to keep them on their toes, their other two daughters-in-law will be more attentive to them. And if they can no longer work, they'll have their own savings. If their other two sons are truly unreliable, they can come and rely on Battalion Commander Gao.”

Jing Yan sighed: "Every family has its own problems, but fortunately they will be reunited soon. The child's school has been arranged."

"It's all arranged. His eldest son is eight years old and can start first grade, but he hasn't had any prior training, so I don't know if he can keep up. His younger son is six, so there's still time for him to get used to things. We've already arranged a kindergarten with the government. His wife only went to primary school, so she can't find a job here and has to stay home to take care of the family."

Originally, Battalion Commander Gao also wanted to find a detached house with a yard like ours, but considering that his wife also needed to get to know the surrounding military families and adapt to city life, he applied for a change of dormitory. I went to see it; it's on the third floor. The floor is okay, but it doesn't have a kang (heated brick bed) like we do here. Cooking is done with a small coal stove, but it's enough for a small family. It's just that you have to store coal there, so it's not as clean as here.”

"How do you keep warm in winter? Do you want to light a fire here? Or use a charcoal brazier?" Jingyan has always lived in a single-story house and really doesn't know how people in apartment buildings keep warm at this time of year. She's quite curious, to be honest.

“With centralized heating, there’s a dedicated person to run the boiler, so the whole building is warm. But the heating cost isn’t cheaper than burning coal ourselves. We can also cook our meals there. If they cook their own meals, they have to use a separate coal stove, which isn’t as convenient or comfortable as here. Plus, the temperature isn’t very stable. It depends on the boiler operator’s skill. If he’s good at it, it’s more comfortable; if he’s not, you might freeze.” He Zhijun shivered as he spoke. “During the Spring Festival, the dormitory I lived in was sometimes cold and sometimes hot. Anyway, I’m afraid of the cold, so going back to my home is the most comfortable.”

“You’ll have to pay for accommodation over there too? You might as well come back every day,” Jingyan muttered.

"Accommodation is free, but we have to pay for heating for five months from November to March of the following year. We pay this fee ourselves. There are four people in my dormitory, so it's not much when we split it among ourselves," He Zhijun explained.

Jingyan nodded and said with satisfaction, "That's more like it. I'd be reluctant to spend money on two separate occasions."

He Zhijun rested his forehead against her neck and said gently, "Don't be reluctant. My allowance is enough for the two of us. Don't think about saving or cutting back. You'll see when we get back to Yangzhou. Our family has no shortage of houses or money. My mom has already prepared my wedding house for me. It's a two-bedroom apartment of over 50 square meters with a yard. I went to visit her when I went back to visit relatives the year before last. My mom had rented it out. When we go back, I'll ask her to take it back, and we can renovate it and move in."

Jing Yan exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't realize you came from a wealthy family. It's impressive that you've managed to keep your house despite being so active all these years."