Reborn in 1966

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Joining the Army

Party Secretary Tian said, "If your brother wants to do it this way, then so be it. But he can't take the college entrance exam now. I want him to join the army. The provincial champion came back to visit home a few days ago. I think he has knowledge and can have a future in the army."

Tian Lingling said, "But the family is already in the patriotic camp. If the patriotic camp leaves, the house will be too lonely."

Party Secretary Tian said, "It's alright, don't you come back every weekend?"

Tian Lingling said, "I just feel that I haven't seen Aiguo for a long time and I miss him. Also, I heard from Aijun that military training is very tough."

Party Secretary Tian said, "What's there to worry about? When I joined the army, things were much tougher than they are now. Back then, it was wartime, and all the promising young people joined the army to defend our country. Now it's a peaceful era, much better than back then."

Secretary Tian's wife said, "Yes, you worked hard in the army back then. You have no idea how much I missed you at home. I was gone for several years, and I was taking care of Lingling by myself. I don't even dare to think about those times anymore."

Party Secretary Tian patted his wife's hand and said, "Back then, we didn't know how long we would live. Before each battle, I would write my will and put it in my pocket. There were also photos of you and Lingling in my pocket. I told my comrades that those who didn't die had to go home and visit their families, their wives and children, on behalf of those who did. Lingling's mother, thank you so much for all these years."

The atmosphere was somewhat somber. Tian's wife's eyes reddened, and she wiped away her tears with her sleeve, saying, "No need to thank me. This is all I should do. Having married into your Tian family, I'm now one of you. No matter what, I'll always stand behind you. I've thought it through sending Aiguo to the army. The army is for protecting our country. If you're afraid of danger and don't go, and I'm afraid of danger and don't go either, then who will go? If they come to our doorstep and no one stands up for us, we'll be the ones who suffer in the end."

Pei Yin felt her soul was cleansed once again. More than twenty years ago, as a military wife, her husband was away fighting, and she was always worried about him. Tian's wife would stay home alone with her child, waiting for her husband to return from the war. This time, she had to send her seventeen or eighteen-year-old son to the army. Tian's wife spoke simply, without any grand pronouncements, just plainly expressing her feelings. It was these words that made people realize that even the most ordinary Chinese people have a sense of patriotism.

Party Secretary Tian said, "Back then, we were able to achieve victory, and you, the military families who stood behind us, also deserve credit for our achievements."

After chatting for a while, Uncle Shen and Tian Lingling, along with Pei Yin, bid farewell to the Tian family and returned to the Shen family courtyard.

Three grandmothers are tidying up the pickle jars in the backyard.

In this era, almost every household had a pickling jar, which contained all sorts of pickled vegetables. The most common ones were cabbage stalks, radish stems, and cucumber stalks. These were leftovers from cooking, which were simply thrown into the pickling jar. After a while, once they were pickled, they could be taken out and eaten mixed with other dishes or stir-fried. They could all be added to the dinner table as a side dish.

The Shen family's pickled vegetable jar wasn't very big; it was round and filled to the brim with pickled vegetables. After Grandma put in new vegetables, she would stir it a few times with a stick, turning the old ones to the top and the new ones to the bottom, making it convenient to eat.

Third Grandma was a very refined person. She prepared some sealed jars for making some fermented pickles. This time, she was making sauerkraut. Grandma and Second Grandma helped out. Peiyin didn't know the specific process. When they arrived home, the three grandmas had already poured water on the jars and sealed them for fermentation.

Uncle Shen saw the sealed jars of pickled vegetables at the base of the wall and said with a smile, "Third Aunt's pickled vegetables are the best. In a few days, when they've fermented, take them out and mix them with water. They're sour and refreshing."

Grandma San said, "You children love my pickled vegetables the most. Once they're ready, I'll send some to you to take to the city."

Second Uncle laughed and said, "That's great! I've been eating Third Aunt's pickled vegetables for over twenty years and I still haven't had enough."

Grandma looked at the things in Pei Yin's pocket and said, "Lingling, why did you bring things back for Pei Yin? These days, no family is well-off. How can we possibly visit you again if you do this?"

Tian Lingling smiled and said, "Mom, it's nothing, it's just a few peanuts. They were given to you because Peiyin is sensible and obedient, right, Peiyin?"

Pei Yin nodded seriously and said to her grandmother, "Yes, because I am sensible."

Grandma smiled and patted Pei Yin's head, saying, "Good, our Pei Yin is the most sensible and obedient."

The Shen family's backyard is separated from the front yard by a side gate. The small backyard is kept neat and tidy. Originally, vegetables such as cabbage and radishes were grown here. When it got cold, the mature cabbage and radishes were harvested. A place was dug in the backyard to bury the roots of the cabbage in the soil and cover them with straw. The radishes were buried in a large pit. When they were ready to eat, they could simply dig up the soil and take them out. This was how the family preserved these two vegetables so that they could be kept until the following spring.

According to my grandmother, in the past few years when the "capitalist tail" was being cut off, the number of vegetable plants in the backyard was limited. In recent years, the restrictions have been gradually lifted, and the number of vegetables in the Shen family's backyard has slowly increased.

In fact, many families in Shenjia Village have backyards where they raise chickens, ducks, geese, and dogs, and most of them also grow some vegetables.

Grandma San lived in the east wing of the backyard, two small rooms. Because of this, Grandma San rarely went out. Also, because she didn't have to participate in the production team's labor, and because she considered herself a widow, she rarely left the backyard. So, this small area in the backyard became Grandma San's territory. She would help weed the vegetables she planted, and help feed the chickens she raised. There was also a pig in the pigsty in the Shen family's backyard. The children were responsible for cutting pig feed, while Grandma San was responsible for feeding the pig. Now the pig was quite robust. Peijun, who loved to eat, had been looking forward to slaughtering the pig for the New Year since winter began. For this pig, Peijun had been cutting pig feed all summer long.

When Third Grandma saw Second Uncle and Second Aunt leading Peiyin into the backyard, she said with a smile, "Peiyin, Third Grandma will give you something good to eat."

Pei Yin followed Third Grandma into Third Grandma's house.

To be honest, this was Pei Yin's first time entering Third Grandma's room. The two rooms were not separated; there was only a kang (a heated brick bed) set up near the window, and a fire wall about half a person's height was built between the large pot for heating the kang and the kang, so that the room would be much warmer in winter.

The kang mat was wiped very clean. There were two red wooden boxes on the kang, with neatly folded quilts on the boxes, and pillows covered with a pillowcase on the quilts. The windowsill was wiped clean, and the paper pasted on the windows was also snow-white. The three-drawer table in the room and the long bench next to it were also wiped clean.

Opposite the stove was a small, light-colored wooden cabinet. You could still see the original color of the wood from which the cabinet was made. It seemed that Third Grandma was a very efficient person. Not only did she keep herself neat and tidy from head to toe, but she also kept her living quarters spotless.

Grandma San's three-drawer table was painted black. It had three drawers on top and a cabinet with two doors below. Grandma San took out a bag of pastries from one of the drawers and said, "This was sent by your aunt from the frontier. Peiyin, take it and have your older brothers and sisters try it."

Pei-Yin held the large bag of pastries, looking at her third grandmother's kind face, and felt deeply moved.

My third grandmother's aunt went to serve on the frontier with her husband and has been gone for many years. My grandmother said that since my aunt left to join the army, my third grandmother has never seen her daughter. Even when she got married, she only sent a photo back to my third grandmother. However, she gave my third grandmother a lot of money and gifts every year.

Pei-Yin said, "Thank you, Grandma."

Third Grandma patted Pei Yin's hair and said, "You're welcome. Come on, Third Grandma will take you to find your grandma."

Third Grandma led Pei Yin out of the house. When Grandma saw the bag of pastries in Pei Yin's arms, she said, "Look at you. Sheng Yao sent you such good things from so far away. You can eat them yourself."

Grandma San smiled and said, "I'm still missing a bite or two. The children are still young and growing."

In Shenjia Village, children usually live with their parents. It's rare for older brothers to live in the same courtyard like Peiyin's family, but that's just how it is.

Pei Yin's grandparents had their eldest son's family living with them, her second grandfather's family had two married daughters, and her third grandmother only had one daughter left, who lived far away in the border region. They were all quite old, and it was worrying for them to live alone, so they lived in the same courtyard.

It was also because the second and third grandmothers had no children or grandchildren around them that there were fewer conflicts in the family. Of course, if all three families had children around them, they probably would have separated long ago.

At noon, Grandpa saw the bag of snacks on the kang table and said to Grandma, "Did his third aunt give it to him?"

Grandma said, "Yes, it's for Peiyin. The postman just delivered a package yesterday, I guess it was just sent back by Yao."

Grandpa said, "Make more dishes for lunch and have the child deliver them. His third aunt sometimes just eats simple, make-up meals when she's eating alone."

Grandma said, "I know. We'll have cabbage and tofu stew for lunch. I'll have Peijun bring a bowl over."

More than twenty days later, it was already the end of November, and the weather was getting colder. Shen's mother was even more worried, fearing that Peihua might catch a cold while she was out. Fortunately, Peihua returned with the procession of the husbands a few days later.

The procession of husbands was organized by commune. After the men returned, each village would prepare transportation to wait at the commune before continuing their journey home. At this time, the most common mode of transportation was the oxcart.

Perhaps it was because he had exerted himself so much, Pei Yin felt that Pei Hua's physique had become much stronger. The winter sunset was chilly, and under the not-so-bright light, Pei Hua looked much darker, but also much more rugged. When he saw his family members coming to pick him up at the village entrance, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

Grandma wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "It's good that you're back. Come on, let's go home and warm up first."

Peihua, carrying his own luggage in one hand and supporting his grandmother with the other, said to Shen's mother, who was standing beside him with an excited expression, "Mom, let's go home quickly, I miss you all too."