Reborn in 1966

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Eldest Aunt

My aunt was a kind-hearted person. Whenever villagers came to her with something, she would do her best to help. I heard from the villagers that when someone from the village went to the provincial hospital for treatment, my aunt not only helped find the hospital and doctor, but also helped pay the medical fees. She even brought them meals in her spare time. Because of my aunt's kindness, she was the most outstanding person in the hearts of the elderly in Shenjia Village. The Shen family, which was relatively wealthy before liberation, was not affected by the various political movements. Even when my father was labeled a rightist and returned home to work in the countryside, the villagers did their best to help him.

My aunt took a lot of things with her when she left. Many people in the village gave her millet, mung beans, and other grains. The whole family saw her off early in the morning at the village entrance to catch the bus.

Grandpa Tian also came and said to Aunt, "Shengyu, don't worry. We will take good care of the family as much as we can. You and Comrade Zhao also need to take good care of yourselves."

Secretary Tian said, "Shengyu, go back and tell Political Commissar Zhao that I'll visit you when I have the chance." It's said that the eldest uncle was Secretary Tian's political commissar when he joined the army, and it's estimated that the Shen family received a lot of help from Secretary Tian because of this.

On an autumn morning, the dew evaporates into a mist, and in the distance, the crops are shrouded in a haze. Some withered corn stalks still stand tall, row upon row like soldiers.

Pei Yin was held by Shen's mother and watched as her aunt carried a white grain bag. Inside was grain that the villagers and her parents had put in for her. Although it wasn't much, it represented everyone's goodwill.

After seeing off her eldest aunt, Grandma was sad for several days. Once, when Grandma was holding Peiyin, she talked to herself about how her eldest aunt had gone to study away from home when she was a teenager, and later joined the revolution without her family knowing. Later, when she followed the army to her hometown to fight the Japanese devils, she didn't come home many times. She hadn't even seen her eldest nephew many times.

My aunt's experience is actually the experience of many young people of that era. They left their hometowns to study in other places for their ideals. Some joined the revolutionary ranks and some joined anti-Japanese organizations to save the country. It was because of their dedication and sacrifice that the War of Resistance against Japan was won and that the country, which had been trampled by the invaders, was pulled out of the quagmire and stood up again.

When her eldest aunt came back, she had a private talk with her second uncle. Pei Yin didn't have a chance to hear the details, but her second uncle's spirits improved a lot after that. He even accompanied Tian Lingling to the department store in the county to buy a lot of things.

The biggest thing for the Shen family right now is preparing for the second uncle's wedding. The house has been painted, and the carpenter hired by Secretary Tian has finished making the furniture to be given to his daughter. They have chosen a date to deliver it. The furniture will be delivered by some female relatives from the Tian family. In the local area, it is called "installing cabinets". The furniture will be delivered a few days before the wedding, and the groom's family must treat these female relatives well.

The two families agreed to come three days before the wedding to "assemble the wardrobe." This is a very important part of the entire wedding process. It's not just about the bride's dowry coming over, but also about discovering any shortcomings through the groom's family's hospitality. For the sake of the groom's family's reputation, this hospitality must be done well.

A few days ago, Grandma inquired and bought a lot of things, from the melon seeds and peanuts before the banquet to the dishes at the banquet, and then to the things that needed to be taken back to these relatives after the banquet. Grandma asked Peihua to help her make a list, which detailed the things needed for each step and the people who needed them.

In the village, weddings always require a chief steward. After discussing it, the Shen family invited the production team leader. Shen's father called him "Fourth Uncle," and Peihua and the others called him "Fourth Grandfather." This production team leader was also the father of Shengmin, who saved Xiaohui.

The head steward had to start working as soon as he "installed the cabinets," helping to hire a head chef, purchase various dried and fresh vegetables, and prepare a large banquet for Uncle Shen's wedding, which meant that many tables of food needed to be prepared. The fourth grandfather helped borrow tables, chairs, benches, plates, bowls, and spoons from the villagers. He had to remember which family borrowed from whom and what kind of items they had. After finishing his work, he had to go and return the items to the families.

In the village, there's a master chef who specializes in cooking for weddings and funerals. He's from the Tian family, the sixth child in his family. The older generation calls him "Sixth Brother," while Pei Yin's peers call him "Sixth Brother Tian." But Pei Yin has to call him "Sixth Grandpa." Sixth Grandpa is in his sixties. He used to be the head chef at the "Zhuangyuanlou" restaurant in the county town. Later, "Zhuangyuanlou" became a joint public-private enterprise and turned into the Xiping County Guesthouse. Sixth Grandpa worked there until he retired and went home. Now, he takes on wedding and funeral catering jobs for the surrounding villages and towns with an apprentice.

The night before the cabinet was to be installed, Shen's father invited his fourth and sixth grandfathers to his home to discuss the banquet arrangements.

Peiyin has always been curious about weddings during this period. It's said that weddings in the 1960s were very simple. A history teacher once remarked that the cost of weddings now is incomparable to that of the past. His parents got married during that time. The teacher recalled that his parents simply tidied up their office desks and chairs after work, set out some candy and melon seeds, had some fun with their colleagues, and received some encouraging words from their supervisor—that was considered a major life event. Back then, fruit candy only cost a few cents a pound. After the wedding, they simply moved their belongings into a dormitory room, sharing two beds. It's nothing like now, where you have to buy a house, a car, and book a banquet; you can't even afford a low-end hotel. But judging from Grandma's antics these past few days, rural weddings aren't as simple as those in the city.

As the weather grew cooler, the adults discussed matters in the north room. Grandma asked Peihua to take her younger siblings to the east wing. Because Peiyin was small, she was left to sit on the kang (heated brick bed) in the north room, playing with a beanbag that Grandma had sewn from scraps of cloth.

The production team leader, Fourth Grandfather, was in his fifties, a typical farmer, of medium build, stocky, with a dark complexion and a perpetually bright and cheerful smile, much like the sunshine these past few days.

Grandpa Liu, the head chef, had a goatee, gray hair, a slightly hunched back, and a rather thin build, unlike the fat, steamed-bun-like faces of the restaurant chefs of decades later. Grandpa Liu brought a pipe with him, and when they sat down on the kang (heated brick bed), he and Grandpa Liu lit their pipes and each took a few deep puffs.

Grandma from the whole family was invited because she was the matchmaker. So, several old people sat around a small table on the kang (a heated brick bed), along with Pei Yin, the pseudo-loli. Fourth Grandpa and Shen's father sat on the edge of the kang, while Second Uncle moved a stool and sat in front of the kang.

After exchanging pleasantries, they got down to business. The fourth grandfather, who was in charge of the overall arrangements, spoke first: "Tomorrow is the day for 'installing the cabinet.' We'll see how Sixth Brother arranges the banquet, and as for the guests, we'll leave that to the two sisters-in-law."

Grandpa Liu took a puff of his pipe, tapped it on the kang table, and said, “For the wedding banquet, we’ll just follow the general menu of the surrounding villages. Nowadays, eight bowls are served for weddings, so we don’t need to be too extravagant; something decent will do. Tomorrow, the ‘gathering’ will be better than the banquet. It’s the bride’s family’s first time visiting, so it won’t look good if we’re too frugal. I think ten bowls will do: two desserts, two cold dishes, four vegetarian dishes, and two meat dishes. We don’t need to buy too much meat for the meat dishes. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take Shengsi to the supply and marketing cooperative in town to buy some. We need a lot for the banquet. We can also see if the team has a suitable pig. We can slaughter one ourselves; we can’t buy that much meat anyway.”

Grandma calculated the family's money and said, "Just listen to your sixth uncle. Shengsi, tomorrow morning you will use your eldest brother Shengquan's bicycle to take your sixth uncle to the county's supply and marketing cooperative to buy things."

Father Shen agreed, and Fourth Grandfather asked, "Who should we invite to accompany the guests at tomorrow's banquet?"

Grandma said, "Peihua's mother has to help serve the dishes and do chores. Sister-in-law, let Jinhua's mother help out." Grandma said this to the eldest sister-in-law.

Grandma said, "Sure, as long as you need our family's help, we're all set."

Grandma said, "The Tian family said they need eight cabinets, so we need to find one more."

Grandma said, "His fourth uncle, isn't your family's daughter-in-law just right?"

Upon hearing this, Grandma happily said, "That's right, Fourth Uncle, do you think Shengmin's wife is free tomorrow?"

Shen Shengmin, the youngest son of my great-uncle, married Chen Qiuping, a music teacher at the village primary school, after he retired from the army at the age of 26 or 27. She was honest, cheerful, and loved to talk and laugh, which made her very popular with the aunties, older women, and sisters-in-law in the village.

Fourth Grandfather said with a smile, "Sure, Qiuping doesn't have much to do at home, let her come and help with some chores tomorrow."

With the guests arranged, Fourth Grandfather said, "After this banquet is over tomorrow, I'll help borrow tables, chairs, and benches. Sixth Brother, we'll have to rely on you for the things at the banquet."

Grandpa Liu said, "Then you'd better watch carefully." This remark made everyone burst into laughter.

The person who "assembles the cabinet" must be a female relative from the bride's side—a sister-in-law, aunt, cousin, or other female relative is fine, but a sister-in-law is preferred. There's a saying, "If the sister-in-law assembles the cabinet, you'll be rich for life." They put small fish made of dough, flower baskets, chess pieces, peanuts, chestnuts, dates, and other treats prepared by the bride's family into the prepared furniture, then seal it with red paper. It can only be opened after the wedding. Actually, "assembling the cabinet" means sending the dowry; the bride doesn't need to be present on this day.

Early in the morning, Shen's father rode the whole family's bicycle with Grandpa Tian to the county town more than ten miles away to buy things. Shen's second uncle was woken up early by his grandmother, who then cleaned his room several times. Although the Tian family said they would make the furniture for the new house, Grandma still asked the village carpenter to make a three-drawer table with a cabinet and two chairs. As for the wardrobe and dressing table in the house, the Tian family had already asked someone to make them according to the popular styles in the city, and they would be delivered today.