Reborn in 1966

Chapter Eighty-Eight Osmanthus Fragrance

The reed mats and straw felts sold for a lot of money this time. Even each educated youth received a share of the money according to their assigned tasks, not to mention the skillful young women and wives in the village.

Second Grandma also received a few yuan. After receiving the money, she asked someone to buy some fruit candies from the supply and marketing cooperative for the children. She also bought some cloth for Aunt Qiong's children, preparing to make some clothes for the New Year.

Aunt Qiong's family was having a very hard time. Last time, Aunt Qiong's second brother came here and took some grain. He said that his family hadn't received any grain and had been starving for several days. He had no choice but to take some grain from his second grandmother. His second grandmother told his grandmother that even if they received grain, they wouldn't dare to eat a full meal. Their village was too busy with class struggle, and the harvests in the fields were getting worse year by year. In the past two years, the villagers had been complaining, but no one dared to bring it up. If they did, they would be considered counter-revolutionaries, which could cost them their heads.

Pei Yin was very glad that she wasn't in Aunt Qiong's village. Shenjia Village had a good leader and a good head of the family. The daily criticism meetings were just going through the motions. Most of the time, experienced farmers in the village would talk to the villagers about how to farm and what tricks they had to improve the crops. In Pei Yin's eyes, Shenjia Village was a small piece of pure land in the vast ocean of the world.

When the village sold the reed mats and straw felts to the purchasing station, it caused a small stir in the village. It wasn't for anything else, but because of the few coins that some young women and wives had. Some people were envious, some were jealous, and there was a lot of noise and commotion for a while.

The woven reed mats and straw mats were delivered to the commune's purchasing station by the village's storekeeper and others in an oxcart. After the goods were sold to the purchasing station, they returned. That afternoon, Party Secretary Tian called on the village's loudspeaker to those who had woven the reed mats to go to the brigade headquarters to collect their wages.

Peiyin, wanting to see the excitement, clung to her second grandmother's clothes and followed her to the brigade headquarters.

When they arrived, the brigade office was bustling with activity. The young women and wives who had received their wages were all smiles. Pei Yin felt much happier in the festive atmosphere.

Pei Yin, being young, stood in a corner waiting for her second grandmother. She overheard the two young wives talking in the corner.

The young wife, A, asked, "Hey, how much money did you make?"

The young wife, B, said, "A little over a dollar. What about you?"

The young woman, let's call her A, said, "It's less than two yuan. By the way, how do you plan to spend this money?"

The young wife said irritably, "What's the point of spending it? My mother-in-law told me yesterday that I should hand this money over to the government."

The young wife, let's call her A, said incredulously, "Really? This is money you earned yourself, isn't it? You weren't keeping it as your secret stash?"

The young wife, B, said, "My mother-in-law said that we all live together as a family, and there is no such thing as a secret stash of money. Once I bring the money home, I have to hand it over to her."

The young woman, let's call her A, said, "My mother-in-law didn't mention this, but I'm not going to hand it over. Why should I give my mother-in-law the money I earn? She hasn't spent much money on me."

The young wife sighed and said, "You're so lucky to have married the youngest child in your family. I can't do that. My husband is the eldest in his family, and he has several younger brothers and sisters. I'll have to help prepare their betrothal gifts and dowries in the future."

The young wife, A, said, "Can't we separate the family?"

The young wife, B, said, "Dividing the family property? Who brought this up? My husband has been working day and night ever since we got married. His mother keeps telling us that she spent all the family's money on our wedding. The eldest brother is like a father, and the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother. In the future, these younger brothers and sisters will have to rely on us to help them get married. Just thinking about it gives me a headache."

The young wife, A, said, "You can't just follow your husband around and pull the plow for their family like that. You'll have your own children in the future."

The young wife sighed and said, "Luckily we don't have children yet, otherwise we would all suffer."

The two exchanged some more private words and then left together.

Pei Yin watched the two women's backs. These two must be newly married women from the village. She didn't know whose family they were, but her mother-in-law insisted on taking even a dollar she had earned. It seemed unbelievable, but that was the reality. Everyone was poor now. In the future, not many people would even pick up a dollar coin that had fallen on the road.

Several young women from the village came together. After receiving the money, they discussed what to buy. Among them were Tian Xiaomin's older sister, Tian Aimei, and Fourth Grandfather's youngest daughter, Shen Guixiang.

Tian Xiaomin's older sister, Tian Aimei, was a woman of few words but quick and efficient. When Peiyin was weaving reed mats, she overheard her second grandmother telling others that this girl was quick and efficient, and did everything with a certain flair. Her fourth grandfather's youngest daughter, Shen Guixiang, was born to an old man and was much younger than her two older brothers. She was pampered at home and had a cheerful personality. She got along well with several girls of similar age in the village. It was said that her fourth grandfather was currently looking for a husband for her.

The village accountant was a talkative man. When he saw several young women coming to collect their money, he chuckled and said, "You guys are quite shrewd. You've earned the money for your dowries, haven't you?"

The girls all blushed. Pei Yin thought people these days were really cute; even a joke could make them blush.

Aunt Guixiang, being the outspoken one, said to the accountant, "Yes, it's for dowry. Accountant, please calculate it for us quickly so we can go buy the dowry after we get the money."

Everyone in the room burst into laughter. Someone joked with the accountant, "Accountant, hurry up! Don't delay these young ladies from finding husbands!" Another burst of laughter followed.

Second Grandma said with a smile, "Guixiang is really good with words. I wonder which family is lucky enough to find such a capable and efficient daughter-in-law as you."

Gui Xiang had to call her Second Grandma and Second Aunt. Hearing Second Grandma teasing her like that, her face turned even redder. She pouted at Second Grandma and pretended to be angry: "Oh dear, Second Aunt, you are still my elder. How can you say that?"

Second Grandma laughed and said, "Alright, alright, Second Aunt won't say anything to you, won't say anything to you."

After the accountant finished calculating the bills for the girls, he settled the accounts with them. The girls huddled in a corner, chattering and discussing what to buy.

Pei Yin moved closer discreetly to eavesdrop. She had come here to join in the fun, so how could she not listen to what they were saying?

One of the girls said, "Let's wait until the market day in Xujia Village to buy some things."

Tian Aimei said, "What can you buy with just two yuan?"

Shen Guixiang said, "Let's buy some needles and thread. My hair tie broke, so I need to buy some new ones. Let's go together then."

Another girl said, "You love beauty, and you earn more than two dollars, don't you?"

Tian Aimei said, "I told my mother that I would give her a dollar when I got back, and the rest would be mine. I also promised Xiaomin that I would buy him and Aiqin some good food. In the end, I didn't have much money left. Unlike you guys, you keep everything you earn."

Shen Guixiang said, "Did your mother ask you for it?"

Tian Aimei said, "No, I told my mother it was for her. My older brother is looking for a wife, and the family is short of money."

Shen Guixiang said, "Why don't we go to the market? We finally earned some money, it would be a shame not to treat ourselves to something."

Tian Aimei said, "Okay then, I'll go buy some needles and thread. Xiaomin's clothes are worn out, so I'll have to help him sew and mend them."

Shen Guixiang, feeling utterly disappointed, gently tapped Tian Aimei's forehead with her index finger and said softly, "Look, look, you only think about others, why don't you think about yourself?"

Tian Aimei chuckled and said, "Once things get better at home, I'll definitely think more about myself."

There are still markets at this time, but not in Shenjia Village. If you want to go to the market, you have to go to Xujia Village, which is not far away. Xujia Village's market is on the 2nd and 7th of the lunar calendar, which is the 2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd, and 27th. You can't sell planned items at the market, like grains and eggs. You can only sell vegetables, needles and thread, and fruit picked from your own trees.

When it was market day, the young men and women in the village would go to Xujia Village together. However, Peiyin thought that these young people went to the market to date. If two people liked each other but were too shy to meet alone in the village, they would invite a few close friends of the same age to go to the market together to say a few words or give each other something.

Such a shy and beautiful interaction, if told to children decades from now, probably no one would believe in this way of dating. People in this era regard love as very sacred and beautiful, and carefully cherish and nurture it. It's nothing like that era where everything was fast-paced, and dating was also about speed, ignoring many beautiful scenes.

The educated youth also came to collect their money. Xiuju earned a little more for weaving reed mats, less than two yuan. The others who wove straw felt earned less, averaging less than one yuan per person. Zheng Tonghui held a few small bills in his hand, curling his lip in disdain. Peiyin saw worry on Zhou Qian's face. This money wouldn't buy much food, and the grain they were allotted was not much. Peiyin knew that Zhou Qian's family was not well-off, and she guessed that her family couldn't afford to give her any more grain. Since these educated youth came to the countryside, their grain and oil rations had all come with them, and their families no longer had their share of grain. If they wanted to help them, they could only save from their own food.

The little girl, Pei Yin, leaned against a corner of the office, watching the people who came to collect their money. She wondered what they would do with the money after they took it home. As a Chinese student, she would always imagine an ending for every little thing she saw. As she thought about it, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself, thinking that she was really destined to worry.

In the following days, some things happened in the village that evoked pity or indignation over this small sum of money.

When Aunt Shengquan came to my house to ask my grandmother to do needlework, she mentioned a family surnamed Tian at the north end of the village. However, this family surnamed Tian moved there later, and they were not related to Secretary Tian or the other family.