Chapter 27
◎Red Nail Polish◎
After the third branch’s family moved into the new house at the west end of the village, the south room where they had originally lived became vacant.
Zhang Guixiang indirectly probed Yu Juanfang to find out what she planned to do with the south room.
Their family of four was now also living in the east room. Zhang Guixiang calculated that if she could get the south room and let Tiedan and Gousheng move in, they would have much more space.
“Third Sister-in-law, I just picked some eggplants from my private plot. They’re so fresh. Do you want me to send some over for you to cook?” Zhang Guixiang said with a fawning smile, completely forgetting the past animosity between her and Yu Juanfang.
“Third Sister-in-law, are you watering the fields? I just saw that girl Tangtang go to the river to wash clothes. You’re so lucky to have such a filial and considerate daughter for free. Juesheng is also promising, he’s even gone to school in the county town. In the old society, only the sons of scholars could go to school in the city!”
Yu Juanfang was really annoyed. She finally found some time to go and see Yu Yahong.
Yu Yahong looked at the key Yu Juanfang handed her. “This is?”
“The key to the south room.”
Yu Yahong was stunned by this unexpected surprise for a long while. To be honest, she also wanted that south room, but she had been too embarrassed to ask. She didn’t expect Yu Juanfang to give her the key on her own initiative. Yu Yahong took the key, the joy on her face unconcealable.
“Let Wani and Manya, the two girls, live in this house. The two girls are grown up now, it’s not good for them to be squeezed in with the boys anymore.”
Yu Juanfang’s idea coincided with Yu Yahong’s. Her Wani was also 12 years old this year, and it was indeed not suitable for her to sleep on the same kang with them anymore. A smile appeared on her face. “Alright, that’s exactly what I was thinking! I’ll let the two girls move into the south room tonight. You’re such a good aunt to these two girls.”
Zhang Guixiang didn’t have a daughter, so she couldn’t benefit from this south room at all. She thought of how she had been fawning over the third sister-in-law for so many days, and Yu Juanfang had ignored her and given the key to the second sister-in-law instead. Zhang Guixiang was so angry she could have ground her teeth to pieces. She added another mark to her mental ledger.
…
After returning from work in the production team, Zhang Guixiang peeled a green onion and stir-fried a large plate of rice. She also took out the leftover stir-fried potato slices with sauce from the morning and heated them up. The eldest son, Su, had worked all day, his face covered in sweat. He was a taciturn middle-aged man, and he didn’t talk much even at home, silently shoveling rice into his mouth.
After dinner, the eldest son, Su, threw down his bowl and chopsticks, smoked two pipes in the courtyard, took a quick cold shower, and then lay down on the kang.
“About my niece coming to stay with us, do you agree or not?” Zhang Guixiang’s niece, Zhang Chunni, was 18 years old this year. After getting her junior high school diploma last year, she hadn’t continued her studies. She had done farm work at home for a year and said she felt stifled at home and wanted to come to the Su family’s home for a while to change her mood. Her family’s intention was to have her, as the aunt, find a match for her in Yuhuai Village.
Zhang Guixiang thought this was a good idea. She was now isolated and helpless in the Su family. Wasn’t it because she had no relatives to help her? If her niece married into Yuhuai Village, she wouldn’t have to worry about having no one to help her in an argument in the future.
“Where will she stay if she comes? She can’t be squeezed onto the same kang with us, right?” The eldest son, Su, was reluctant. The family had so little grain. In these times, which family had enough food to support an idle person? And she didn’t say how long she would stay. It would be fine for two or three days, but what if she stayed for two or three months?
“Didn’t the third sister-in-law’s south room be given to Wani and Manya? Just let Chunni squeeze in with them. They’re all girls anyway.”
The eldest son, Su, couldn’t think of a reason to refuse for a moment. He turned over helplessly. “Do as you please.”
Hearing her husband’s words, Zhang Guixiang finally beamed with a smile.
The next day, Zhang Guixiang personally went back to her parents’ home to pick up her niece, Zhang Chunni.
Zhang Chunni resembled her aunt, Zhang Guixiang, by five or six parts. She had a shrewd look, with slightly protruding brow bones and two thin, upturned eyebrows that slanted into her temples, always carrying an aggressive air. Her eyes were long and narrow, with upturned corners, and she always squinted slightly when looking at people.
At night, Wani, Manya, and Zhang Chunni slept on the same kang.
Wani was now in the first year of junior high at Hongqi Commune, and Manya was one grade below her.
Besides going to school, Wani also had to help with the housework at home and was already very sleepy. But Zhang Chunni chattered on, pulling the two of them into a conversation. “What do you two want to do when you grow up?”
In the darkness, Manya’s stomach rumbled. She blushed with embarrassment. Fortunately, the lamp was already out, so her liver-red face couldn’t be seen. Manya swallowed her saliva, her eyes shining. “I want to eat a lot of delicious food in the future. Braised pork trotters, braised pork, roasted chicken, big duck legs, smoked fish, pork rib noodles…”
“You’re such a foodie, always thinking about eating.” Zhang Chunni heard her list a long string of dishes and curled her lip in disinterest. She turned to Wani with great interest. “What about you, Wani?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead.” In the darkness, Wani opened her eyes and looked at the dark beams of the roof.
In fact, Wani had thought about the future, but she felt that if she said it out loud, she would be laughed at by others.
Wani wanted to go to a bigger world, not to be in Yuhuai Village all day, seeing nothing but loess and continuous mountains every day.
“Sister Chunni, what do you want to do in the future?” Manya asked.
“Me? I want to marry a tall, handsome, and rich Prince Charming.”
Manya bit her finger. “What is a Prince Charming?”
“Oh, you’re so stupid. A Prince Charming is like those rich young masters in the movies who wear long robes and top hats. Their leather shoes are polished so brightly. They get on a white horse, flick the reins, and come clattering over!” As Zhang Chunni spoke, she couldn’t help but blush. She had repeated a year to get her junior high school diploma and was already eighteen this year, old enough to get married.
She dreamed every day about what kind of match her family would find for her.
But the ones her family found were either plain-looking or honest and simple-minded rural youths who wouldn’t say a word even if you hit them with a stick, with no sense of romance at all. She looked down on them.
As she spoke, Zhang Chunni suddenly rustled and climbed up from the kang. She lit the oil lamp and showed her nails to Wani and Manya. “Look, aren’t they pretty?”
Zhang Chunni’s round nails were painted with bright red nail polish.
“What is this? Why are your nails colored?” Manya’s eyes widened.
“This is called nail polish. It’s a fashionable thing that only exists in the city.” Zhang Chunni took out a small bottle of red nail polish from her bundle. “It’s very expensive. This small bottle costs more than a yuan. I saved up for a long time to have someone buy it for me. Do you want to try it? You’ll definitely look good with this red nail polish…”
Manya nodded excitedly. “Yes, I want to try.”
“Go to sleep. If you’re not afraid of your mom scolding you tomorrow, then try it. Last time, Sister Axiu painted her nails red and was chased and scolded by her dad for three streets while she was working.” Wani pulled the quilt over her head.
In the eyes of farmers, only the concubines of landlords in the old society would paint their nails red.
Hearing Wani’s words, Manya’s eager heart became hesitant. She hesitated for a long while and pushed the nail polish back into Zhang Chunni’s hand. “Sister Chunni, I’d better not.”
“You really don’t want to try?” Zhang Chunni raised her eyebrows and shook the nail polish in her hand. The bottle reflected an alluring red light.
“Mhm.” Manya pictured her parents’ frowning, angry faces and couldn’t help but shrink her shoulders, stuffing all her anticipation and apprehension into the quilt.
“Tch, boring. Why are you two as old-fashioned as the villagers?” Zhang Chunni curled her lip in disdain. Seeing that they wouldn’t try it, she could only put the nail polish away again.
…
In April, the earth began to thaw. It was an important time for the start of spring plowing. The county high school where Su Juesheng and the others were studying was going to hold a week-long agricultural learning activity, and the location happened to be in Yuhuai Village.
At night, the Yuhuai Village Primary School where Tangtang and the others had their classes became a place for the students from other villages to stay. They would put the desks and chairs together, lay out their own bedding, and it would become a simple bed. During the day, they would pack up their bedding and stack it in an empty classroom used for storing miscellaneous things.
Of course, this could only accommodate some of the students. The rest were placed in the homes of villagers who had spare rooms.
Su Juesheng’s home was in the village. After the agricultural learning activity during the day, he would go back to his own home to stay. At dinner, Yu Juanfang steamed sorghum rice, stir-fried a plate of green vegetables, and there were also leftover pickled salted vegetable shreds from the morning. Su Juesheng shoveled two mouthfuls of rice.
“Dad, Mom, I want to discuss something with you. I want to let one of my classmates stay at our house.”
Hearing this, Tangtang was a little curious. “Big Brother’s classmate? Is he also studying at Yuanlin Middle School?”
“Mhm, he’s my classmate and also lives in the same dormitory. We’re very good friends.”
As soon as Su Juesheng finished speaking, Yu Juanfang smiled and nodded. “Alright! You’re all children. It’s not easy to be away from home. We should help if we can.”
Su Huimin also nodded. “It’s rare to hear you talk about your classmates at school. When he comes to stay, Tangtang and Juesheng can also get to know him. Tidy up the kang and make it warmer at night. Don’t let the child get cold.”
Tangtang’s eyes sparkled. “Big Brother, when is your classmate coming? I’ll tidy up our house to make it more spacious then.”
Su Juesheng also came over excitedly. “We haven’t had a guest for a long time. Mom will definitely make a delicious meal to entertain Big Brother’s classmate. We can also benefit from it.”
Hearing Su Juesheng’s words, Yu Juanfang couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s been a while since we’ve had meat at home. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the meat stall at the village entrance to buy two catties of pork belly and make my specialty, braised pork.”
Su Juesheng didn’t expect Yu Juanfang and Su Huimin to agree so readily. A brilliant smile appeared on his face. “Since Dad and Mom have agreed, I’ll have him come over to our house to stay tomorrow!”