Reborn in 1966

Chapter Ninety-One: A Place of Peace of Mind

Father Shen said softly, “Mother, with the destruction of the Four Olds, who would dare to do this? I think we should make some ginger soup for Peiyin, drink it, and then coax her to have a good sleep. These past few days, the little one has been following her older brother and sister all over the hill collecting firewood, so she's probably caught a bit of a chill.”

Grandma said, "Okay, I'll go make some ginger soup. Or I'll make a lot so everyone can have some. The sky looks so gloomy; I reckon it'll snow this afternoon."

Father Shen said, “Mother, you and Peihua’s mother stay here and watch over Peiyin. I’m going to make ginger soup. Later, I’ll take Peihua and Peijun to tidy up the vegetables in the backyard. The radishes and cabbages need to be stored in the cellar, otherwise they’ll freeze when it snows.”

After finishing his sentence, Mr. Shen left the house. Grandma looked at Pei Yin, who was still sleeping with her eyes closed, and said to Mrs. Shen, "She looks like she's having a nightmare. Pei Hua's mother, let's wake the child up. It's not good for her to keep sleeping like this."

Shen's mother wiped away Pei Yin's tears and said, "Pei Yin, it's time to get up. Let's get up quickly and have breakfast."

Still immersed in her dream, Pei Yin couldn't quite distinguish between reality and dream. She groggily opened her eyes and saw her mother and grandmother's worried faces. She called out, "Grandma, Mom."

Grandma said, "Hey, hey, good child, we need to get up and wash our faces and eat. Look, everyone else is up and eating, but you, this little lazy pig, are still lying in bed and won't get up."

Pei-Yin said, "I want my grandma to dress me."

Grandma said, "Okay, okay, Grandma will dress you. Today you'll wear that red floral cotton-padded jacket. The sky is very overcast today; it'll probably snow this afternoon."

Pei-Yin said, "When it snows, I'll ask my older brothers to build me a snowman, and I'll put a carrot nose on it."

Grandma said, "Okay, stick a carrot nose in it. Peiyin can do whatever she wants, but Peiyin can't sleep anymore. Your dad is going to make you some ginger soup. We'll add some brown sugar, and you can drink a hot bowl in a bit to sweat it out. Then we'll be fine."

Pei-Yin wrinkled her little nose at the thought of ginger soup and said, "Grandma, ginger soup smells awful. Can we not drink it?"

Grandma said, "You can't refuse to drink it. Grandma will secretly add extra brown sugar to your ginger soup, so it'll be sweet before we drink it, okay?"

Pei-Yin said, "Okay then, be sure to add plenty of brown sugar."

Pei Yin felt it was wonderful to have someone pamper her like this. The past was the past. Although she didn't want to think about those things, it was impossible for her not to care. Now that she had such a loving family, she could let go of the things she used to care about. There was no need to keep dwelling on the things about people who didn't love her.

Having figured things out, Pei Yin felt it was a good thing to say goodbye to her past. She felt much lighter. She knew she would have family who loved her, and she would do her best to protect them. Family is meant to be protected. As a Chinese literature major, she knew the future course of history, so how could she not lead her family to a good life?

Thinking of this, Pei Yin happily said to her grandmother, "Grandma, Third Grandma's fish is so delicious! Do you think Third Grandma would agree if I asked her to teach me how to cook fish?"

Grandma thought for a moment and said, "Peiyin, some of your third aunt's cooking skills were passed down from her ancestors, so it's really hard to say. Grandma will ask her for you. If your third aunt agrees to teach you, then we can go and learn from her. What do you think?"

Pei Yin said, "Okay."

Grandma breathed a sigh of relief and said to Peiyin, "If your third grandma is in a difficult position, then we can't learn from others. Don't be sad. Grandma makes very good noodles. Grandma will teach you how to make noodles later, okay?"

Pei-Yin said, "Okay, I'll listen to Grandma."

Listening to the conversation between the grandmother and granddaughter, Shen's mother smiled and said, "Peiyin, you're still so young, why are you already thinking about learning this and that? Isn't that a bit too early?"

Pei Yin blinked her big eyes at her grandmother, her expressive eyes seeming to say: Tell my mother quickly, it's too early, too early.

Unable to bear the look in her granddaughter's eyes, the grandmother said, "It's not too early, it's not too early. Even if we can't do anything now, listening to what she's saying is a good way to learn more."

I still remember when I was in school, I really liked Su Shi's poems. The last line of one of them, "To the Tune of Ding Feng Bo: I Often Envy the Jade Carvers of the World," "Where my heart finds peace is my hometown," touched me the most. Whenever I saw other classmates being affectionate with their parents, I would use this line to comfort myself, but deep down I knew it was just self-deception. Now I can deeply understand that when I have family members who care for and love me, my restless heart can settle down, and this is my hometown.

The little girl loves her family even more than before. Even though she can't go out to earn money or work points, she can still care for them in her own way. When they are tired, she brings them a bowl of hot water. When they are in a bad mood, she dresses up in colorful clothes to amuse them. Anyway, she looks like a little girl, so it doesn't matter how childish she is.

Time slowly passed amidst all the bittersweet experiences. By the time four-year-old Pei-yin led two-year-old Pei-jing to wait for her second aunt to come home from get off work under the big locust tree at the village entrance, it was already 1970.

Not far from the big locust tree are the school and the brigade headquarters of Shenjia Village. In the past two years, a lot has happened in the village. Among them, the most interesting thing for Peiyin is the marriage of her great-uncle's aunt, Shen Guixiang.

Shen Guixiang got married this summer. Her great-uncle went to great lengths to find a good husband for his youngest daughter. She couldn't marry too far away, otherwise he wouldn't know immediately if she suffered any mistreatment in her husband's family. Her mother-in-law couldn't be too domineering, otherwise what if his daughter was bullied by her? The man she found couldn't be too weak, otherwise he would be incompetent and mistreat his daughter. But he also couldn't be too domineering, otherwise he would control his daughter. He knew his daughter well; she had never been disciplined since she was a child because everyone in the family had spoiled her.

This constant picking and choosing only made my great-uncle and great-aunt extremely worried.

In fact, Aunt Guixiang always had someone in her heart, and that person was Tian Xiuwu, the second son of Tian Shenxing's family.

Pei Yin learned this later: Aunt Gui Xiang was the same age as Tian Xiu Wu. They went to school together and worked in the fields together since they were little. Gradually, the two developed a common language, which eventually blossomed into love.

The two young people carefully cherished their sincere feelings, rarely daring to say a word to each other. They would only express their affection and longing by exchanging a few words with other young people from the village when they went to the market in Xujia Village together, or by giving each other small gifts.

Later, Fourth Grandfather cast a wide net to find a husband for Aunt Guixiang. Aunt Guixiang was very anxious. Although she knew that Fourth Grandfather would not settle on any family without her consent, she knew that this search was not a long-term solution. So she asked Tian Xiuwu to talk to her mother and ask her to come to the house to propose marriage as soon as possible.

Tian Xiuwu's mother was a girl from the Shen family in Shenjia Village. She was a strong-willed girl, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to raise four children and find a wife for her eldest son after marrying Tian Shenxing, an outsider, for so many years.

The strong-willed Tian Xiuwu's mother had always looked down on Aunt Guixiang from her fourth grandfather's family. She would even tell her children at home, "Look at your fourth uncle's family, so ostentatious. They're just trying to find a husband for their daughter, but they act like an emperor choosing a concubine."

Tian Xiuwu originally intended to talk to his mother about it, but after hearing what his mother said, he felt that if he brought it up now, his mother would probably reject it.

Tian Xiuwu was a very shrewd man. During a meal, he heard his mother talking about his fourth grandfather's aunt Guixiang's marriage again. He jokingly said to his mother, "Mom, Guixiang and I are childhood sweethearts. Why don't you go to their house to propose marriage?"

Tian Xiuwu's mother glanced at her son and said, "Speaking of Shen Guixiang's dowry, it must be substantial, but most people wouldn't dare to choose such in-laws. Look at Guixiang, she's been pampered by her family since she was little. If she suffers any injustice in our family, wouldn't your fourth uncle come looking for her?"

Tian Xiuwu was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Guixiang isn't the type to cause trouble. We grew up together, and I know her well. Among our group of women, none can match Guixiang's efficiency in working."

Tian Xiuwu's mother said, "Xiuwu, it's not enough to just be capable in life. A family needs someone who can take charge. If you find someone who wants to make all the decisions, how can the family's efforts be focused on one thing?"

As Tian Xiuwu's mother spoke, she kept glancing at her eldest daughter-in-law. Ever since that time the village sold reed mats and this daughter-in-law started thinking about saving money on her own, Xiuwu's mother, as the mother-in-law, felt that her authority had been challenged. Looking at her eldest daughter-in-law's big belly, she swallowed some of her words. She looked at other families; those who married into the family at the same time had already given birth to their grandsons. But her own daughter-in-law hadn't had a pregnancy for over a year. She was really a troublemaker.

Having figured out his mother's attitude, Tian Xiuwu exchanged information with Aunt Guixiang when he went to the market again.

When a large group of people go to the market together, two people can huddle together and whisper to each other without attracting much attention. Otherwise, why wouldn't there be any rumors about the two of them in the village?

Gui Xiang asked, "Have you told your mother about going to my house to propose marriage?"

Tian Xiuwu said, "I told you, my mother is afraid that you will take over our power after you come to our house."

Gui Xiang said reproachfully, "Go away, who's going to take over your family's power? If you don't hurry up, my dad will find me a husband. My mom said last night that I don't know what's good for me, I look down on this one and that one. If this continues, they'll lose face."

Tian Xiuwu said, "Don't worry, I will definitely handle this matter well." After saying that, he looked around and saw that no one in front of them was paying attention to the two of them, and then secretly took Guixiang's hand.

Gui Xiang reacted as if she had been scratched by a cat, quickly pulling her hand back and saying with a flushed face, "Are you trying to get yourself killed? What if someone sees us?"

Tian Xiuwu said, "It's alright, it's alright, no one saw it."