Reborn in 1966

Chapter 104 Eavesdropping

The wife of the Tian family took another woman's hand and said, "We haven't seen each other since we got married, have we?"

Another said, "Who can argue with that? Sigh, we're busy with all this at home all day, taking care of the elderly and raising the young. We have to work as soon as we open our eyes. Where do we have time to think about anything else? If you ask me, we should have enjoyed our time as daughters."

The Tian family's wife said, "Yes, so what brings you here this time?"

Another person said, "Someone recommended a family to my eldest daughter. They're from your village. I've come to inquire about them first."

The woman from the Tian family said, "Really? Whose family is it? I know everyone in our village."

Another person said, "It's someone from your village surnamed Shen. I heard that the child's father was labeled a rightist, but people say the child is capable. I thought that when my daughter is looking for a husband, she just wants someone who is caring and can work to support the family."

The Tian family's wife said, "Oh dear, I know this family. They have a lot of children. My dear sister, let me tell you, this family has been back for over ten years. Their eldest child is already over twenty. And now that wife is pregnant again. Isn't that another bachelor?"

Another said, "Really? Oh dear, I'll have to think about it carefully, sister. How many children does they have?"

Mrs. Tian said, "We've already had five, and this one looks pretty big. You know, she's over forty and still has to have children, hehehe."

Another person said, "It's fine to have children at this age. Many people in our village are over forty and still have children. By the way, have your children's marriages been arranged yet? I remember your eldest son is already over twenty."

The wife of the Tian family said with undisguised pride, "That's right. Our eldest son may not have much else, but he's a very hard worker. I'm talking about the girl from Zhao Village. That girl is also a very capable worker, and she's known for being feisty."

Just then, the sound of a school bell ringing came from the school. Tian's wife said, "Oh my, school's out! My dear sister, come home with me. We haven't seen each other for so many years, we should have a good time together."

The other one said, "No, no, I have students who need to go home for dinner. I have to hurry home. Besides, it's not far. When you go to the market in Xujia Village, you must come and visit us."

After saying goodbye, the two parted ways and left. Hiding behind the low wall, Pei Yin felt complicated. Tian's wife's words, "Another bachelor," deeply hurt Pei Yin. Her little brother was being insulted like that even before he was born, but she couldn't go out and argue with her. In this era, people of her social class had to live a life of humiliation.

Pei Yin gritted her teeth and thought to herself, "Hmph, you just wait. Just because of what you said, I'll find my little brother a wife who will outshine all the beauties in the world. I'll show you that the guy you called a bachelor in his mother's womb will find a wife who is better than anyone else."

Little Peiyin gritted her teeth and swallowed her anger. This woman from the Tian family wasn't the most mean-spirited person in the village. Since she said such things, who knew how many other families in the village were laughing at her family? Her eldest son was so old and still couldn't find a wife. The baby in her belly would also end up like her older brother, a bachelor.

Angry, Pei Yin squatted on the ground, gritting her teeth and venting her dissatisfaction in her heart, but considering the current situation, Pei Yin could only sigh in vain.

……

It was already past the twelfth lunar month, and after several heavy snowfalls, the fields were too barren to work in. After the village officials had distributed the work points and supplies to the villagers, they stopped sending people to work and told everyone to prepare for the New Year.

This decision was incredibly bold. Back then, workers and farmers didn't have holidays for the New Year. The village cadres didn't say anything else, just that they couldn't go to the fields yet, and they would go back to work when they could. But Xujia Village and Zhaojia Village didn't have such a good deal. They had to go to the fields even if they couldn't. The village cadres said, "We'll face difficulties, even if there aren't any. What's a little snow? The Red Army faced far more difficulties crossing snow-capped mountains and grasslands back then, and our predecessors overcame them! Our conditions are so good now, how can these little difficulties possibly stop our peasant class in this new society?"

Because the villagers of Shenjia Village didn't go to work, the village heads and party secretaries of several villages went to the commune leaders, saying that Shenjia Village's actions were bourgeois hedonism and should be criticized. However, the commune leaders said that the people of Shenjia Village usually do a better job than you. Go and see how well they've prepared their fields; they're much better than yours. The hard work they put in is not hedonism. So the village cadres from several villages slunk back to their villages. Although the commune cadres didn't say anything else, their implication was that your villages hadn't done their work well beforehand, and were only trying to catch up at the last minute.

The villagers in the nearby villages were very envious of Shenjia Village. They thought, "Look at that village! They get more grain and supplies. Even in this bad weather, they can stay at home. Although they're idle, the money they get for each work point is more than what people in our village get all year round. It seems that having a good cadre is the most important thing."

The people of Shenjia Village are at ease preparing for the New Year at home. Although many things can no longer be done after the destruction of the Four Olds, the New Year is still a very important event. They are busy all year round, and having a New Year means having something to look forward to. Otherwise, what's the point of living year after year without any hope?

Pei Yin kept trying to mentally prepare herself, telling herself things like "fortune changes every thirty years" and "what goes around comes around." But she still felt regretful that she hadn't come out and spat in the face of the Tian family's wife that day. But even if she had, what difference would it have made? She hadn't said those things herself; if she had, then many people in the village must have said them. The fact that her older brother was still unmarried at his age was undeniable.

But the thought of being spoken of like this before his mother's unborn child was truly unbearable. Just then, the Shen family, who had been the subject of gossip in the village because of Shen's mother's pregnancy, once again became the talk of the village.

In winter, when everyone is idle at home, any news from any household spreads incredibly fast. Imagine a military jeep driving up to the Shen family's doorstep, and the officer who got out salutes Grandpa and Grandma Shen. That would be huge news, attracting a lot of attention, and stirring up everyone's curiosity and gossip.

Although Shen's father was labeled a rightist, he was very learned and talented, and had excellent calligraphy skills. At the end of the year, when the village bought red team paper, Shen's father was invited to the brigade headquarters to help the villagers write couplets. The village would then distribute them during the New Year. Because of this, the people of Shenjia Village remembered Shen's father's kindness. In the years since he returned to Shenjia Village, the villagers have not made things difficult for the Shen family. Unlike the rightists who returned to their hometowns for reform in other villages, some rightists even committed suicide because they could not bear the criticism and struggle sessions in the village.

Peiyin was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) in her grandmother's room watching her grandmother make cotton-padded clothes for the children. She was still thinking about the rumors she had heard a few days ago. When she heard the sound of a car engine at the gate of the courtyard, she felt very strange. Cars were not as common as they were in her time. There were only a few cars in the entire Xiping County. It was very strange to hear the sound of a car engine in her own home.

Grandpa, who was clearing snow in the yard, heard a knock at the door and went to open it. He was startled by a standard salute from a man in military uniform. Grandma, who came in after him, was also taken aback by the salute. Grandma looked closely and saw a military officer in his forties standing at her door. A military jeep was parked at the gate, and the back door was open. An elderly man was helping an elderly woman out of the vehicle. Some villagers were standing around the vehicle watching the commotion.

After Shen's mother, who was still inside the house making clothes for the villagers with a sewing machine, came out, she revealed the identities of the visitors: Dr. Li and his wife from Xiping County Hospital, along with their youngest son, Li Zhongxuan.

When Shen's mother saw Dr. Li helping Aunt Zhou out of the car, she quickly went over to help. Pei Hua and Pei Jun, who had come out with her, also went over to help, helping to lift Aunt Zhou's legs out of the car and carefully helping her down to the ground. Then they helped Aunt Zhou slowly walk into the yard.

After entering the courtyard, Dr. Li smiled and said to Shen's mother, "Your younger brother Zhongxuan is on leave to come see us. We were thinking of coming to see your parents-in-law and children since it's almost Chinese New Year. I'm also a little worried about the baby in your belly, so I took this opportunity to come and take a look at it for you."

Li Zhongxuan told the children to unload the things from the car. There was meat, oil, and noodles, all kinds of scarce items. After the introductions, Grandma learned who the visitors were and took Aunt Zhou's hand, saying, "Auntie, why did you bring these things? You all eat rations in the city. What will you eat if we get them?"

Aunt Zhou said with a smile, "How much can we old folks eat? Sister, we haven't seen Yueran for many years. Yueran's parents have passed away. We watched her grow up from a young age, and now we treat her like our own daughter. Sister, how can we, her family, come empty-handed?"

Grandma said, "Auntie, you have such a lovely voice."

Aunt Zhou's face froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered and said with a smile, "I'm so embarrassed to be told this by an older sister at my age."

Hearing the two old ladies' words, Shen's mother felt a little sad. Aunt Zhou was a traditional opera actress, a master at that. If it weren't for this movement, she would still be standing on the stage, shining brightly, singing opera.