Starting a new chapter in life

With the basic framework set, He Jiaoxu began to focus on his application. Fortunately, the application was approved quickly. Given the distance to Liaoning Province, the organization granted him a month-long leave, and Cui Hongru followed suit by requesting a month-long leave as well.

On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, the eldest brother, He Zhicheng, returned with his family. The usually quiet house suddenly became noisy. His three-year-old nephew was in the talkative stage and loved to chatter away all the time. His parents must have been annoyed by him before, so when he finally came back, they simply washed their hands of the household.

Mr. He loved his eldest grandson, but he wasn't a talkative person. The child didn't stick to him much and preferred to run around Mr. He Zhijun, a handsome but unfamiliar uncle. Mr. He was a patient man. While the family was preparing food for the New Year, he would play with the child, building blocks, playing checkers, and there was also a very childlike abacus.

Zhou Jie, the eldest sister-in-law, was helping her mother-in-law cook in the kitchen. Occasionally, she would glance into the living room and see He Zhijun patiently answering questions about the children. She couldn't help but chuckle and say to her mother-in-law, "Mom, look how patient my younger brother is with Chaoli. If he becomes a father in the future, he will definitely be a good father. I just don't know when he will settle down. Should I organize a gathering after the New Year and bring over the unmarried young women from my workplace so that my younger brother can also be introduced to them?"

Cui Hongru shook her head: "No rush. Xiaojun has a girl he likes, but she's in Liaoning Province. Your dad and I plan to go see her after the New Year. We'll talk about the rest when we get back."

Zhou Jie was a little surprised: "My brother has been looking at so many girls before but none of them suited him. It's really not easy for him to fall for her this time. Did my brother tell her about the girl in detail? Mom, should I prepare some gifts for you to give to her when you meet her? That way, it can also help my brother win her favor."

"There's no rush. Right now, it's all one-sided on Xiaojun's part. That girl is from the countryside and works in the mess hall of Xiaojun's army. That's how Xiaojun took a liking to her. His superiors sounded out her beforehand, and your dad also asked around. Gao Ying said that the girl is a woman with her own ideas. Although she doesn't object to marrying a soldier, she doesn't want to stay in her hometown or live too far away from her husband. If she can't come with him to the army, she won't even be interested in meeting him. Besides, she doesn't know that Xiaojun likes her."

"Huh? Is this just wishful thinking on my part?" Zhou Jie was dumbfounded.

“There are plenty of good-looking and high-ranking officers in the army. Xiao Jun is indeed one of the best in our family compound, but he’s not that noticeable in the army. Although that girl is from the countryside, she is educated and has high standards. Xiao Jun is around, and there are other people around too, so it’s not surprising that no one noticed.”

Although Cui Hongru spoke lightly, she felt a little sour inside. Since ancient times, one's own children have always been the best. After hearing the news that Lao He had inquired about from Gao Ying, her calm mood, which she had originally thought was that her own children had chosen, couldn't help but become a little anxious.

"When are you planning to go to Liaoning Province to see the real person?" Zhou Jie pressed.

“Xiaojun originally said he would go back to the army after the fifteenth, but I thought since we are going too, we might as well go earlier. Your dad and I only have a month's leave, so we can stay there a little longer and prepare to leave on the sixth day of the new year. That would be a good day.”

Zhou Jie originally wanted to ask her to accompany them, but then she thought that since the elderly couple were going together, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to come along. Although she was incredibly curious, she held back.

Hongxing Village, Panxian County, Liaoning Province

The Zhang sisters have officially begun their hibernation. The branches and twigs they had dragged back from the mountain were of completely uneven lengths and thicknesses. Now that they had time, Jingyan would carry the branches from the storeroom back to the kitchen whenever she had a spare moment, making it easier to start a fire. She gathered a whole bunch of them and then broke off the thin branches in the open space of the kitchen, while using an axe to chop the thicker ones into sections.

After finishing a bundle, they carried it back to the storeroom in a winnowing basket and piled it in the corner. After a few days of tidying up, the branches that were originally piled up haphazardly on the floor of the west room were neatly placed in the corner of the west room, and a large portion of the storeroom was suddenly freed up.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, there was a market in the county. Early in the morning, the two sisters carried baskets on their backs and several large cloth bags in the baskets. They also took meat and oil coupons with them, thinking that they could buy everything they needed during the New Year. With the remaining thirty yuan in their pockets, they walked towards the county town.

The weather was nice today. When the sun came out, it shone on the snow and made the sky look golden, which made people feel happy in the winter. The two sisters walked slowly through the crunching snow. Because they set off early, they rarely saw any villagers on the road.

When they arrived at the county supply and marketing cooperative, it was just opening. Taking advantage of the fact that there were few people, the two of them went inside and split up. Jingyan went to buy oil, and Jinghuan went to buy meat. Perhaps they were lucky, because as soon as they met up after buying their food, they saw canned yellow peaches on the counter. The bright yellow fruit in the glass jars looked really delicious.

Jing Yan thought for a moment, then stepped forward and asked, "Comrade, how much is this canned food? Do I need a coupon?"

The sales clerk had just put the canned goods on the shelf when she heard someone ask. She turned around and saw that the person asking was quite good-looking, so her tone softened: "Yellow peach? Fifty cents a bottle, no coupon required."

Jinghuan came over at this moment, "Jingyan, what are you buying?"

Jingyan turned around: "Fourth Sister, let's buy a few cans of peaches, 50 cents a can."

"After buying flour, soybean oil, and pork, we only have five yuan and fifty cents left. We were thinking of seeing if they sell any fruit later. How much do you think we'll have left?" Jinghuan didn't approve of buying such a luxury item.

Zhang Jingyan did some calculations: "Buy two bottles, and give them to the children when my older brothers come back in a few days."

Jinghuan thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you." Then she said to the sales clerk, "Comrade, two cans of yellow peaches." She handed over a dollar and put the cans in her basket.

"Jingyan, let's go see if they have any apples or oranges today. If they do, we'll use the remaining four yuan and fifty cents to buy fruit," Jinghuan said cheerfully.

The two sisters wandered around the supply and marketing cooperative again, and gradually more and more people arrived. As the crowd grew, the noise and chatter increased. The two sisters circled around but still couldn't find it. Just as they were about to leave in disappointment, a male voice rang out: "Hey, you were the one who asked me about fruit at the door last time, right? Do you want to buy some more today?"

Jinghuan looked up and, after a moment's thought, realized who it was. "Comrade, it's you! Thank you for telling me where to buy fruit last time. My sister and I have been looking around all day today, but we haven't seen any fruit. Do you still have any?"

The man smiled and said, "Yes, but not in large quantities. It's almost Chinese New Year, and all the companies are distributing welfare benefits. Most of the oranges and apples have already been ordered, and we only have a few baskets left to distribute internally, so we haven't put them out. How much do you want? I'll see if I can share some with you."

Jinghuan was very happy. "I still have four yuan and fifty cents here. I thought I'd just spend it all."

"That should be enough to buy about 22 or 23 jin. You should be able to spare some. Come on, I'll take you to the warehouse. You can buy it directly from there." He then led the way in a very good manner.

Jing Huan said to Jing Yan with a big smile, "Little sister, we've met a good person. We'll have snacks for the New Year."

Seeing Jinghuan's silly grin, Jingyan felt a little heavy-hearted. In her dream, her fourth sister married this man in front of her—Chen Fu. Before the marriage, he was just as warm-hearted and good-tempered. He had only two brothers in the family and no burdens. He also had a stable job. By all accounts, he was a perfect match.

But after getting married, Chen Fu was fine on ordinary days, but he would become a different person once he drank alcohol. She remembered seeing bruises on her fourth sister's body several times. It wasn't until her two sons grew up that Chen Fu's temper softened, and she was able to live a peaceful old age.

In the past, everyone was deceived by his appearance, but now that she is here, we won't let Fourth Sister repeat the same mistake. The young man from the Peng family is a good person, and we grew up together. Apart from not having a formal job, he has no bad points. He is worth marrying. When my eldest and second brothers come back, I will mention it to them.

"Are you from a nearby village, comrade? My name is Chen Fu, and I'm a local from Panxian County. I work at the supply and marketing cooperative, where I'm responsible for tallying the types and quantities of goods on the shelves. And you?" Chen Fu's words were brimming with a sense of superiority.

Jinghuan was a little surprised, not expecting to have to introduce herself, but she didn't think much of it and replied, "My name is Zhang Jinghuan, I'm a villager from Hongxing Village, and this is my sister."

Jingyan and Chen Fu exchanged a glance. Jingyan smiled slightly as a greeting, and Chen Fu nodded to her before turning his gaze to Jinghuan: "Is it very hard in the village? I heard that spring planting and autumn harvest are especially tough."

"It's alright, I don't get full marks, so the workload isn't too bad. By the way, have we arrived at the warehouse?" Jinghuan was gentle, but she was quite shrewd. This man was so proactive and inquired about her, so she knew he had ulterior motives. However, she wasn't thinking about getting married right now and didn't want to continue the conversation.

Chen Fu was momentarily stunned, but reacted quickly, "Ah? Ah, right, we're at the warehouse." After saying that, he turned to the warehouse manager at the door and said, "Xiao Li, do we still have fruit to sell? My relatives want to buy some oranges and apples to take home for the New Year. It's not much, just about twenty pounds. Can you spare some?"

The warehouse clerk at the door saw him, his eyes lit up, and he quickly stood up: "Hey, Brother Chen, if anyone else asked me, I would definitely say no, after all, we can divide it up about the same among our own people, but since you are Brother Chen's relative, we can surely spare about twenty kilograms."

Zhang Jingyan looked up following the voices. The warehouse manager named Xiaoli was slightly chubby, with a long face and a slightly pointed chin. She had a pretty face, but her single eyelids made her eyes look a little small. However, she was still quite attractive.

“Are these two comrades your relatives? They’re really good-looking.” Xiaoli’s eyes swept over and lit up when she saw Jinghuan: “You two sisters look so alike, both with round faces and big eyes, so beautiful.”

Jing Huan smiled at her: "You look good too."

Xiaoli was a little embarrassed by the praise: "How many apples and oranges do you need? I'll see if I can spare some. We don't have many oranges left, but we have enough apples."

“We bought New Year’s goods and only have four yuan and fifty cents left. You can help us choose what to buy; we’re not picky.” Jing Huan’s voice was gentle, and her pace was unhurried.

“Okay, that makes things easier if you don’t pick and choose.” After she finished speaking, she picked up the notebook on the table and checked: “Four yuan and fifty cents, that can get you twenty-three jin of goods. How about this, ten jin of oranges and thirteen jin of apples, is that alright?” Xiaoli readily agreed.

"Okay, okay, thank you so much." Jing Huan smiled, her eyes crinkling.

Xiaoli stepped out of her desk and led them toward a corner of the warehouse.

Jingyan thought for a moment, then took out a few pieces of candy wrapped in oil paper from her pocket and stuffed them into Jinghuan's hand. Jinghuan was a little confused and looked up at Jingyan. Jingyan gestured towards Xiaoli with her mouth. Jinghuan realized what she meant, followed Xiaoli in front of her, and stuffed the paper package in her hand into her hand: "These are candies I brought from home as snacks. They're nothing, just to sweeten your mouth."

Xiaoli blushed a little: "I can't accept this, the candy is quite expensive."

"It's just a token of my appreciation. Being able to buy fruit makes this New Year much more fulfilling. I don't know how to say more words of thanks, so please just take it," Jinghuan advised.

Xiaoli took the paper package shyly and put it in the pocket of her military green coat, becoming even more enthusiastic.

The two put the weighed fruit into two cloth bags, and Jingyan put her arm around one shoulder. Xiaoli was a little surprised: "Your sister is pretty amazing. She can carry so many things and still lift them up."

“My sister is stronger. She can do just as much heavy and tiring work as my brother. During the autumn harvest, I can only get a maximum of six centimeters, but she can get a full centimeter. She’s one of the best in our village.” Jinghuan said with great pride.

Xiaoli looked at him with admiration: "Wow, that's amazing! I'm not like that. I'm not strong enough. My mom says it's a good thing I'm in the county. If I were in the village, I probably would be disliked for not being able to do the work."

“You have such a good job, it’s so much better than us toiling in the fields. It’s respectable and comfortable.” Jinghuan said, holding Xiaoli up, making her beam with joy. “You have such a nice voice. If you ever come to the county again, come visit me here. I really like you.”

"Okay, we'll definitely come back to see you next time." Xiaoli saw the two sisters off at the gate and waved to them, "I'm still at work, so I can only take you this far. See you again sometime."

Chen Fu was waiting at the door. When he saw them come out, he went up to them and asked, "You're going home already?"

Just as Jing Huan was about to speak, Jing Yan stepped forward and said with a smile, "Yes, Comrade Chen, thank you so much this time. We'll definitely treat you to a meal next time we come over."

Chen Fu glanced at Jing Huan, and seeing that she didn't intend to speak, he looked away and smiled, "Isn't it fate? Well then, see you next time?"

"See you next time."

The two sisters left, and even as they turned the corner, they could still see Chen Fu standing at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative.

"Little sister, do you not like Comrade Chen very much? Your smile for him seems a bit fake," Jing Huan turned her head and asked.

"Yeah, I don't really like him. He's a bit superficial in his speech and actions. You've only met him twice, and he's already trying to strike up a conversation with you. He doesn't seem like a reliable person to me," Jingyan said honestly.