Chapter 83
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, waves of guests came to Tangtang’s family’s house. Seeing that the old Yu family had all arrived, Yu Juanfang quickly took the things from their hands and welcomed them into the house with a smile. “Dad, Mom, Laowu, Suqin! Come in, come in. Laowu, you’re really something. You just came, why did you bring so many things?”
In the net bag that Yu Laowu handed over, besides several packs of pastries, there were also a few cans of fruit.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Auntie.” The brother and sister, Tangtang, welcomed their grandparents into the house.
Father Yu and Mother Yu were so happy they couldn’t close their mouths. They immediately responded, “Hey, two good children!”
Before everyone could sit down, Mother Yu took out two thick red envelopes from her pocket and stuffed them into the hands of Tangtang and her brother.
Seeing this, Yu Juanfang smiled helplessly. “Mom, the children are so big now.”
“Tangtang and Juesheng are so promising. Your dad and I are very happy. Hurry up and take them!”
“Aren’t you going to thank your grandparents?”
Since Yu Juanfang had said so, the brother and sister accepted them with peace of mind. “Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma. We wish you good health and a long life!”
“I was planning to bring the children over in the afternoon, but I didn’t expect you to come first.”
“If it weren’t for the busy work of dividing the land before the New Year, Dad and Mom would have wanted to come over long ago.” Yu Laowu smiled. Not only had the Yuhuai Village production brigade implemented the household responsibility system, but their production brigade had also done it. Now, everyone’s heart was filled with a passionate fire!
The red firecracker paper from the explosions was all over the ground in front of every household. Red lanterns were also hung in the courtyard, and “fu” characters were pasted on the doors. The windows were pasted with bright red paper-cuts. The atmosphere of the New Year was very strong. Although it was still very cold today, the snow had finally stopped.
After a while, Tangtang and Juesheng’s classmates, Su Zitian and Sun Xiangrong, also came over to visit.
Yu Laowu used a small knife to pry open the lid of the can. The orange segments were soaked in an amber-colored sugar water, like peeled crescent moons. The orange-yellow pulp was glistening with a honey-colored light.
He ladled the canned fruit into small bowls and distributed them to everyone. “Tangtang, Juesheng, why don’t you two tell us about the new things at your school? We’ve never been to such a faraway place, let alone seen what a university is like. We’re so curious.”
Everyone crowded into the Su family’s main hall, eagerly waiting to hear her talk about the new things at her school.
Tangtang ate the cool, sour, and sweet canned oranges and exchanged a smile with her brother. “Capital University… then I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Capital University has more than two thousand mu of land and several thousand students. The school environment is very beautiful, with teaching buildings, student dormitories, a library, and laboratories…”
“There’s also a large auditorium with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The auditorium is very large and can directly accommodate several thousand students. The playground is covered with a lawn where you can play football, and there’s also a swimming pool on the side. The school’s library has five floors, and the bookshelves are arranged like a maze. There’s a whole room just for foreign language books.”
“There’s also a lake in the school called Panyue Lake. A large area of willow trees is planted by the lake. In the winter, it freezes over and you can walk on it. There’s a small island in the middle of the lake, which is full of lotus flowers in the summer. It’s so beautiful!”
The adults and children all listened with rapt attention, their eyes wide and their mouths open. They even forgot to eat the canned fruit in their hands.
Juesheng also added, “Tangtang’s school was originally the residence of a grand scholar of the Qing Dynasty. It’s a large area of courtyards, very magnificent.”
“Juesheng, what about the University of Transportation? What is the University of Transportation like?” Li Suqin asked, holding her child.
Su Juesheng grinned with a mouthful of white teeth. “The University of Transportation is also very impressive! Although it’s not as big as Capital University, it also covers an area of more than a thousand mu. I’m studying railway transportation engineering. There’s a national railway network map hanging in the classroom, and there’s a locomotive model in the laboratory. The tracks are also scaled down from a real railway… The most amazing thing is the train dispatching simulation platform. When you press a button, a light turns on, and you can learn how to command trains to run at different times!”
“Then after graduating from the University of Transportation, can you go and direct traffic?” Auntie Zhang asked with wide eyes.
As soon as Auntie Zhang said this, everyone present couldn’t help but laugh and slap their thighs.
After Su Huimin finished laughing, he explained to Auntie Zhang, “Auntie Zhang, after graduating from the University of Transportation, you don’t direct traffic. Juesheng and the others are studying railway transportation engineering. They manage trains. Road traffic is not their business!”
Although Auntie Zhang didn’t understand, she also knew that this University of Transportation was very impressive!
Sun Xiangrong also shared about things at the normal college. Her face was beaming with a smile. “Although our normal college’s campus is not big, the cultural atmosphere is very strong. The classrooms have new projectors. When the teacher gives us a lecture, it’s projected on the wall, like watching a movie. Not only is there no tuition at university, but there are also various subsidies every month, and the prices at the school are also much lower than outside.”
The several peers all shared interesting stories about their respective university campuses.
Originally, after the household responsibility system was implemented, many families in the village had planned to let their children drop out of school to help with the farm work. But seeing these children who had gone to university talking so enthusiastically about university life and the benefits of going to university, the abacus beads in their hearts became more and more chaotic. In the end, they gritted their teeth and felt that they still had to let their children study for two more years. What if their own children also got into university like Tangtang and the others?
…
The house was lively all day. In the evening, after finally seeing off all the relatives and friends, Tangtang brought a basin of hot water for her mother to wash her feet.
Just as Tangtang rolled up her sleeves, Yu Juanfang stopped her and had her sit down next to her. Her rough palm held her slender fingers.
Tangtang rested her head on Yu Juanfang’s lap. “Mom.”
During the summer vacation, because they were the first batch of candidates after the restoration of the college entrance examination, the school had a lot of things to do, and the journey was long, so the brother and sister couldn’t go home for the summer vacation.
Yu Juanfang felt that her daughter’s appearance hadn’t changed much, but after going to university, her temperament seemed to have changed. She had become more scholarly.
She remembered when Tangtang first came to the Su family’s house. She didn’t even dare to speak loudly, was timid and shrinking, and was most afraid that she would be abandoned. But now, Tangtang was not only clear and articulate, generous and decent, but also decisive and did not shrink back from things. Yu Juanfang was happy for her growth and transformation.
“Are you happy at university in the capital?”
“Mhm, I’m happy.” Tangtang nodded, a smile on her lips. “Mom, the capital is really big and prosperous. When there’s a chance in the future, I will definitely let you and Dad go to the capital to see the outside world.”
Hearing this, Yu Juanfang couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, then I’ll wait for you to establish yourselves in the capital in the future. At that time, your dad and I will also go and see the outside world.”
“Mom, although our family has been allocated wheat fields and autumn fields, we don’t have enough manpower. How are we going to plant the land?” Tangtang frowned. When school started, she and Juesheng would go to school, and her dad would have to go to the commune for work. The only labor force at home would be her mother.
Yu Juanfang thought for a moment. “Aren’t there still your several uncles? And your cousin Shuanfu and the others. At that time, I’ll ask them to help out. When it’s time to harvest the grain, I’ll just give them a share. You just study hard. You don’t have to worry about the family’s affairs.”
Tangtang nodded.
“In February, Big Brother came to the capital to see me and Brother Juesheng. He also brought us to see someone. Guess who?”
Hearing her daughter say this, that person was most likely someone they also knew. She recalled in her mind the friends who were closer to Juesheng. “Little Zhou?”
“That’s right! I didn’t expect you to think of him right away!” Tangtang’s eyes crinkled with a smile.
“In that fake grain seed incident, if it weren’t for Little Zhou, our whole family would have had a hard time getting through that crisis. Our family has to remember this kindness for the rest of our lives. Last time, I heard from your brother that he was working at a machinery factory in the capital. How is he now? Is he okay?” In that year of famine, how many families had run out of grain and could only eat wheat bran, dig grass roots and tree bark? Although Tangtang had later made acorn tofu and it was promoted in the surrounding villages and communes, although the acorn tofu could fill their stomachs, the taste was really not good, and it was also time-consuming to make. Their family had not gone hungry for the whole year of famine because of the money and grain coupons that Zhou Shunian had given them. Their life was warm and comfortable.
“He’s fine now. He also got into Capital University, the same school as me, but he’s in the physics department, not the same department as me.”
“Really?” Yu Juanfang was surprised.
“Mhm.” Tangtang nodded.
“That’s great! I didn’t expect such a coincidence. Little Zhou also got into Capital University! He’s a rare good child, with a rare scholarly air, gentle and modest. And your Auntie Wang, she was so good to your brother Juesheng, to you, and to Juesheng when she was still alive. She never disliked us for being from the countryside. Now Little Zhou has also gotten into Capital University. Good, really good.” Yu Juanfang couldn’t help but say.
A faint smile appeared on Tangtang’s lips.
The water in the foot basin was slowly getting cold. She added some more hot water from the thermos.
Tangtang remembered something. “By the way, Mom, we’re out of soap at home. Why didn’t you buy any new ones? These past two days, I’ve been washing clothes with soda ash, and they come out hard.”
Her dad, Su Huimin, worked at the commune and would occasionally be issued soap coupons. Her mother would take the soap coupons to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy them. Sometimes, they were not issued. Yu Juanfang would exchange eggs for soap with others, or ask someone to buy it from outside. Every time she bought a bar of soap, she would cut it into several small pieces to use sparingly. But Tangtang had been home for several days and hadn’t seen any soap. The wooden box for the soap was already covered with dust.
“That soap is too expensive. We haven’t used it at home for a while. Now we just use soap beans and soda ash. I’ll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to see tomorrow.” It was only because their family’s conditions were much better than other families that they could afford to use soap. Families like Yu Yahong’s and Wu Fangmei’s never used soap.
…
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Tangtang, her cousin Wani, and her brother Su Juesheng had arranged to go back to Yuanlin High School to visit their old teachers. Before going to school, the three of them decided to go to the store first to buy some gifts for the teachers.
Just after the New Year, the things in the store were all sold out. There were only a few shabby items left on the shelves, with a thin layer of dust on them.
Su Juesheng looked at the shelves, which were full of things like salted fish, slippers, and plastic nets. They were really not suitable for giving as gifts. He curled his lip and said, “We might as well take the New Year’s goods from home to give to the teachers.”
Tangtang was choosing gifts in front of the shelf. “If we give away the New Year’s goods from home, what will we use to entertain guests when they come?”
“Didn’t we visit almost all our relatives yesterday? Are there still guests coming? Who?” Su Juesheng’s eyes widened.
Tangtang was at a loss for words.
“Alright, you two stop arguing. What do you think of this cloud cake?” Wani stopped her younger brother and sister from bickering and picked out two boxes of cloud cake wrapped in oil paper from the shelf.
Tangtang nodded. “Alright, then let’s get this.”
While they were queuing up to pay, a woman with fashionable wavy curls and a red floral dress covered her mouth in surprise and said, “Wani?”
“I heard you got into a medical school in the capital?!”
Since the restrictions were lifted last year, the trend of perming hair had spread like willow catkins into the streets and alleys. The entrance of the only dilapidated barbershop in Hongqi Commune was crowded with women queuing up to get their hair permed.
Wani recognized the person as Zhang Chunni. She had heard that she had married a man from the grain bureau. Although they had had a lot of contact before, when Zhang Chunni was not married, she would come to the old Su family’s house for a short stay every three or two days. At that time, they would be squeezed onto the same kang in the south room. But the relationship between Wani and Zhang Chunni had never been deep. They had no common topics, and their temperaments did not suit each other.
“Yes, Sister Chunni.”
Tangtang also greeted her faintly. “Sister Chunni.”
Only then did Zhang Chunni notice that Tangtang was also there. She sized up Tangtang with a dark expression. She hadn’t expected this damn girl to have become so beautiful. She had big eyes and double eyelids, a high-bridged nose, and her skin was so fair it looked as if water could be squeezed out of it. She was wearing a dark blue cotton coat with a cream-colored scarf. Her soft hair was simply tied into a ponytail. Her outfit was fresh and elegant, and her temperament was otherworldly.
In contrast, she herself had freckles and a sallow complexion that couldn’t be covered even with a thick layer of powder. Her permed, shiny curly hair was still stained with the cold perm crystals from yesterday. The wine-red floral polyester shirt was tight on her body, making her look particularly vulgar and cheap. Zhang Chunni had originally planned to go back to her parents’ home today to show off, but now she felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured on her face.
She had heard that she had also gotten into Capital University. Now she had truly flown up to a high branch and become a phoenix!
Just think, Zhang Chunni had once looked down on Tangtang for being abandoned by her biological mother at the age of six and being picked up and raised by Su Laosan and Yu Juanfang. But now, the third branch’s family’s life was getting better and better. Tangtang and her brother had gotten into university and had been reborn. In contrast, her own aunt, Zhang Guixiang’s family’s situation was getting worse and worse. Although she had married a man from the grain bureau, not only was he much older than her, but his appearance was also very ordinary, and one of his legs was lame. It really made her sad and aggrieved.
Her nails dug into her palm. She forced a decent smile and said with a feigned generosity, “Buying pastries? Why are you only buying so little? Pick a few more good ones. I’ll help you pay for them together.”
Tangtang refused faintly. “No need, Sister Chunni. This is a gift for our teachers. It’s our heartfelt gesture. It’s not good for you to pay for it.”
The few of them queued up to pay. Zhang Chunni took a pair of slippers and stood behind Tangtang and the others.
“Juesheng, when did you buy such an impressive watch? This watch is not cheap.” Wani asked.
“You mean this?” Su Juesheng rolled up his sleeve and grinned with a mouthful of big white teeth. “This was a gift from Brother Shunian! He also gave one to Tangtang. Hers looks even more expensive!”
As he spoke, Su Juesheng had Tangtang roll up her sleeve so that Wani could see more clearly.
From where Zhang Chunni was standing, she could just see the watch on Tangtang’s wrist. It had a light purple face, inlaid with small diamonds, and looked elegant and delicate. She felt as if she had drunk a large vat of vinegar, so sour and uncomfortable!