Chapter 61
◎Many Gossips at a Widow’s Door (Revised)◎
Wani and Song Xiaojun’s wedding date was set for the eighth of next month.
The Song family sent the betrothal gifts in advance at the end of the month: two hundred catties of wheat, which was equivalent to half a year’s food for an ordinary family; 10 feet of blue and white polyester fabric, which felt as smooth as freshly scooped jelly from a well; the blue and white looked fresh, no wonder it was called “polyester,” it would definitely be cool to wear.
Among them was also sixty yuan in cash, and four quilt covers, two of which were polyester with red peony print patterns, and two were homespun with dragon and phoenix patterns.
Yu Yahong touched the polyester fabric, planning to use it to make a fitted spring and autumn outfit for Wani, which would be just right for her wedding day.
The house was filled with relatives and neighbors who had come to watch the excitement. The crowd marveled at the betrothal gifts.
“For the Song family to send such a generous betrothal gift shows that they value Wani! Wani is so fortunate. Her in-laws value her, so she will enjoy a life of ease after she gets married.” The betrothal gifts of ordinary rural families were usually stingy, and they wished they could just cut them in half. For example, if it was agreed to be one hundred meters of wheat at the time of marriage, some families would directly substitute it with coarse grains like corn. Some even worse ones would directly send sorghum. Yet, there were still some who would send twice the amount.
“That young Song is also good-looking, tall and thin. He and Wani look good together.” Wu Fangmei covered her mouth and smiled. “It would be great if my Manya could also find such a good marriage in the future!”
“With you as her mother, do you still need to worry about Manya’s marriage in the future?”
“That’s true. Anyway, my Manya is younger than Wani. I’ll take my time and find her an even better marriage!”
Granny Li pinched the red peony on the polyester quilt cover, her nails scraping across the fabric with a rustle. “Look how bright this flower is printed! It’s better than the ones on the counter at our Hongqi Commune. It’s clearly a good thing for a new bride to put in her dowry.”
“A full sixty yuan, and it’s all in ten-yuan bills. When my husband’s younger sister got married, the groom’s family only gave fifteen yuan, and it was all scraped together, even the coins were counted!”
Several women picked at the plump wheat grains in the bag, clicking their tongues. “Look how sincere these in-laws are. Two hundred catties of wheat are all good wheat. The flour ground from it, I estimate, can be used to make two li of long noodles!”
“Last month, when my daughter got married, it was originally agreed to be one hundred catties of wheat. But the wheat they sent was mixed with half coarse grains like corn. In the end, it was only forty-two catties of wheat!” one of the village women said indignantly.
“In these times, which family doesn’t mix half fine grain and half coarse grain when marrying off a daughter?” Yu Yahong looked at the plump wheat grains, her smile so wide it couldn’t be contained. “I remember that it was only Auntie Zhang’s daughter, Axiu, who, when she got married a few years ago, the groom’s family sent one hundred and twenty catties of wheat. Right, Auntie Zhang?”
Auntie Zhang curled her lip, looking unenthusiastic. “I guess so. I don’t remember.”
“What’s wrong with Auntie Zhang?” Yu Yahong noticed that something was wrong with Auntie Zhang and asked the woman next to her in a low voice.
“Auntie Zhang’s eldest son broke his leg while hunting in the mountains a few days ago. He went to Xiashan Village to borrow money from Axiu for treatment, but that Axiu didn’t even pay attention to him and just sent him away!”
“If you ask me, that’s what she should have done. When Axiu was at her parents’ home, she dropped out of school before she even finished primary school to help with the work at home. She did the laundry, cooked, gathered firewood, and managed everything in an orderly manner. The betrothal gift from the groom’s family, if not generous, was at least higher than the standard of ordinary families. But in the end, Auntie Zhang didn’t even sew a quilt for Axiu. She just let Axiu get married in patched clothes with a small bundle. Fortunately, the groom’s family didn’t mind Axiu’s meager dowry and still lived a warm and happy life. A couple of years ago, during the famine, she went back to her parents’ home to borrow grain. She was still breastfeeding then, but the eldest son, Zhang, was so heartless that he just shut the door on her. I think Axiu’s attitude is firm this time, and she probably won’t have any contact with her parents’ family in the future!”
Seeing that Auntie Zhang’s face was getting uglier and uglier, Yu Yahong didn’t want to cause any unpleasantness at this time, so she quickly changed the subject. “We’re talking about betrothal gifts. Why are you all dragging Axiu into this? I’m planning to make a new set of clothes for Wani. I haven’t made clothes for a long time, so I don’t know what styles are fashionable now. Do you know anyone who can make clothes?”
“Do you still need to find someone for this? Your third sister-in-law is a good tailor. I’ve seen the clothes she usually makes for Tangtang. They look very pretty on her.”
Yu Yahong remembered and nodded repeatedly. “That’s right. The clothes the third sister-in-law usually makes are all fashionable styles from the city. It’s my fault for being so muddle-headed recently!”
Seeing that it was getting late, everyone dispersed. Just then, Yu Juanfang walked in.
A smile appeared on Yu Yahong’s face. “Third Sister-in-law, I was just looking for you. Look at the polyester fabric the Song family sent. Just by touching it, you can tell that this fabric must be durable. I want to ask you to make a new set of clothes for Wani for her wedding day.”
“Making clothes is no problem for me… Second Sister-in-law, I came over this time to talk to you about something else.” Yu Juanfang put the fabric in her hand aside.
She sighed. “Have you ever thought that Wani might not be willing to get married so early? She’s only twenty this year. I know you don’t want her to suffer at home, but how much better can life be at her in-laws’ house than at home? At home, she’s still family. At her in-laws’ house, she’s an outsider. If Wani has a conflict with her in-laws in the future, will that Song Xiaojun be able to stand up for her?”
“Early? Which girl in this village doesn’t get married at seventeen or eighteen? That young Song’s personality seems a bit weak, but Wani’s personality is resolute. In life, it’s enough for one person to make the decisions. Besides, it was Wani who agreed to get married herself. I didn’t hold a knife to her neck and force her.”
“Maybe Wani agreed on the surface, but she’s not happy in her heart? You know Wani’s character best. She’s a rare filial child. She only agreed because she couldn’t bear to see you cry in front of her and kneel down to her… And to get married on the eighth of next month, isn’t that a bit too rushed?”
Although she knew that what Yu Juanfang said was the truth, Yu Yahong’s expression hesitated for a few seconds before she pursed her thin lips. “This marriage has already been agreed upon by both families. The wedding date is the eighth of next month. It’s absolutely impossible to call it off.”
…
In the fourth year of her marriage to her uncle, Yu Laowu, Tangtang’s aunt, Li Suqin, successfully gave birth to a six-catty, six-liang boy. Yu Laowu, who was almost thirty, finally had his first child. This made the young couple overjoyed.
Yu Laowu gave the child the nickname Chichi, and his formal name was Yu Huanxi, which meant “late-coming joy.”
After their marriage, Yu Laowu and Li Suqin had been living in the staff dormitory in the city. This time, after giving birth, she returned to Wangxiang Village for her postpartum confinement. There were more people at home, so it was more convenient to take care of the new mother and the baby.
On this day, Yu Juanfang specially steamed some brown sugar sponge cake and had Tangtang and Juesheng send it to her sister-in-law, Li Suqin. She also repeatedly reminded them not to disturb the new mother’s rest.
To make it convenient for Li Suqin’s postpartum confinement, Yu Laowu had returned half a month in advance to renovate the house. A new mother could not be exposed to the wind, so he had blocked all the possible places where the wind could leak in, re-papered the windows, and renovated the fire kang. He had also specially built a confinement cabinet by the kang to store the new mother’s food and nutritional supplements.
Not long after Li Suqin had given birth, her head was wrapped in a headscarf, and a thin layer of sweat was on her forehead. Her face had a flush from the postpartum confinement.
It was not convenient for Su Juesheng to enter the room, so Tangtang went in to deliver the things to Li Suqin. Yu Juanfang had told them not to disturb the new mother’s rest, so the brother and sister had to go back after delivering the things.
“Brother Juesheng, isn’t that our future brother-in-law?” Walking on the village road, Tangtang’s sharp eyes spotted Song Xiaojun’s figure. The last time the Song family had come to the old Su family’s house, Tangtang had seen Song Xiaojun once, so she remembered his appearance.
…
Song Xiaojun was still wearing that set of labor cloth uniform, holding something in his hand. He was looking left and right. After making sure that no one was paying attention, he slipped into a small alley.
Su Juesheng looked around and couldn’t help but frown. “It’s broad daylight. Why is he acting so sneakily?”
Tangtang pursed her lips. She already had an idea in her heart. She made a shushing gesture with her finger. “Let’s go, let’s go and see.”
The brother and sister quietly followed behind. They saw that Song Xiaojun had sneakily turned into a family’s house. Wangxiang Village was not far from Yuhuai Village, and it was also Tangtang’s grandmother’s home, so she had a general understanding of the families in the village. She knew that this family’s surname was Liu. Three years ago, the hostess’s husband had passed away, and she was raising a child alone. Life was very difficult. And there were many gossips at a widow’s door. Not many families in the village were willing to associate with the widow Liu.
Tangtang and her brother, Juesheng, saw a cart for transporting soil next to them, so they moved it over. The brother and sister stood on the cart and could barely see the situation in the courtyard.
As soon as Song Xiaojun entered the door, the widow Liu threw herself into his arms. “You dead ghost, why are you so late? I thought you didn’t want us mother and son anymore!”
The little boy next to her looked to be three or four years old and was calling out with a tiger-like head, “Daddy, Daddy.”
That little boy was not Song Xiaojun’s son, but the widow Liu’s and her late husband’s. The child had just turned one when his biological father died of illness.
Song Xiaojun, who was always timid and shrinking in front of others, was now uncharacteristically strong and manly. He clenched his fists, his body straight and rigid. After a long while, he reached out and wiped the tears from the woman’s face, then lowered his head to coax the child.
He took out a piece of candy he had bought from the supply and marketing cooperative from his pocket. “Maodan, be good. Daddy will give you candy.”
“Daddy is so good. Daddy, give me a piggyback ride!”
“Alright, Daddy will give Maodan a piggyback ride!”
That Song Xiaojun put the child on his shoulders and walked in circles in the courtyard with his back bent. Maodan’s small, dirty hands were pulling at the hair at the back of his head. The sweet water from the candy melting in his mouth flowed down the corners of his mouth and dripped into the sweat grooves on Song Xiaojun’s neck.
Coming down from the cart, Su Juesheng clenched his fists, his teeth grinding. “He’s getting married next month, and he’s still fooling around with other women here, even being a cheap dad to someone else. I’m going to rush in right now and expose this fickle man!”
Su Juesheng really felt it was not worth it for his sister, Wani. If it weren’t for Tangtang holding him back, he would have rushed in and knocked this pig- and dog-like Song Xiaojun to the ground.
Tangtang quickly covered his mouth, glanced in the direction of the courtyard, and forcefully pulled her brother away. “Brother Juesheng, calm down. How to deal with this matter, whether to get married or not, and how to deal with this matter, we still have to let Sister Wani decide for herself…”