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As the Lunar New Year approached, Hu Ruoyun arrived early at Cross Street in Laogu Township, knowing that Mao Na would be coming. Xiao Feng and Xiao Hu wanted to tag along but were stopped by their mother.
Meanwhile, their mother and Second Aunt were busy preparing food and drinks at home, having the two little ones help with washing vegetables and lighting the fire, while Shuangyun and Cai Yun from Second Uncle's family helped set up tables and benches.
Finally, Hu Ruoyun spotted Mao Na, who was dressed in a bright red down jacket, wearing half-heeled black leather shoes, and wrapped in a handmade wool scarf gifted by Qiuying. With Hu Ruoyun's help, she pulled a large bag from the car.
As the bus departed, Mao Na exclaimed, “I’m exhausted!”
Hu Ruoyun helped her steady the bike and placed the heavy bag on the rear rack. “What did you bring? Why is it so heavy?”
“Don’t even get me started! It’s all the wine and meat people brought when they came to pay New Year’s visits… If I didn’t take it, they’d be offended. My parents just told me to bring some here for us to share since we can’t finish it all at home…” Mao Na explained.
Hu Ruoyun asked, “No one gave you anything particularly valuable, right? Like red envelopes or something?”
Mao Na widened her eyes. “What are you talking about? My dad said we can’t refuse social niceties, but anyone trying to give us expensive gifts is turned away!”
Hu Ruoyun tugged at her arm. “Look at you, ready to pick a fight with me right here on the street.”
Mao Na laughed. “I know you’re just looking out for my dad. Don’t worry; he knows what he’s doing!”
Leaning closer, she teased, “Is it that my glare looks particularly ugly?”
After placing their things on the bike rack, the two could only walk back home.
Mao Na said, “Yesterday I went to Ouyang Xiaxue’s place with Li Shengnan for half the day. Later that night at home, I heard you called my dad. He even summoned my uncle to his office; it seems like there were people from the County Public Security Bureau and Town Police Station too…”
Hu Ruoyun praised, “Uncle Mao is decisive in his actions!”
“What’s going on?” Mao Na asked.
Hu Ruoyun briefly recounted what she had heard yesterday.
Mao Na listened in disbelief. “Is Gaoqiao Town really that chaotic now?”
As they chatted along the way, they finally reached home.
Seeing her aunt and second aunt busy in the kitchen, Mao Na shyly said, “Auntie, you can’t keep treating me like a guest!”
Second Aunt laughed while quickly serving dishes onto the table. “If you had come during the busy farming season in May or June, we’d be too occupied with fieldwork to make anything special for you… But it’s New Year now! Whether it’s you or anyone else visiting, we have to set up a feast!”
Mao Na requested an apron and had Xiao Feng help her tie it on. Ignoring her mother and Second Aunt's protests, she joined in.
Sister Jie, Aunt Kui, Sister-in-law Wei Hong, and Woodzi’s eldest daughter-in-law Mu Xiumei… a group of women from the neighborhood came over to see the "New Bride" (it’s customary in our area that unmarried young men visiting a girl’s family are called "new sons-in-law," while unmarried girls visiting a boy’s family are referred to as "new brides," attracting neighbors who come to observe).
Aunt Kui joked, "Girl, you haven't even married yet! When you come here, you shouldn't be working. If your future mother-in-law sees how well you handle things... she might bully you into doing all the chores every day!"
Mao Na confidently brought out a plate of sunflower seeds and candies. "Don't worry, my aunt isn't like that..."
Sister-in-law Wei Hong, who had been feeling stifled over the years and often clashed with her mother-in-law, suddenly spoke up, "Second Aunt, I'm not like that, and neither is Sister-in-law Qi Hua. Not everyone is like our family, always looking for trouble and making a fuss over nothing..."
Mu Xiumei shared her experiences from her "struggles" with the Woodzi Woman. "That's just how I am. If you treat me well, I'll repay you tenfold; if you're unkind, I'll still repay you tenfold... With some people, you have to be a bit tough; otherwise, they won't know what 'a brass trumpet is a copper pot' means... I think Sister-in-law Qi Hua and Sister-in-law Ruo Yun are 'two good ones together,' they never cause trouble."
Mao Na blushed at this, while Zhao Meirong looked increasingly pleased.
When the dishes were served, Second Aunt called everyone to sit down together, and the cups of Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua were filled with wine. Second Aunt spoke again, "Na, from now on this is your real home. You should eat and drink as you please; just don't pretend..."
Zhao Meirong also inquired about Mao Na's parents before expressing her heartfelt sentiment: "In the past, I thought our family was struggling more than anyone else. Now I feel like no one lives as comfortably as we do!"
Everyone raised their cups and drinks to toast.
Since Mao Na was staying over, Zhao Meirong took out several newly made quilts from the cupboard and piled them onto Xiao Feng's bed.
After dinner, once the dishes were cleared away, Mao Na asked Hu Ruoyun to bring over her bag. She took out several dried rabbits, some hams, and preserved chicken, duck, fish, and meat from the south—along with dried mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms from the north—and several bottles of wine that Zhang Xiuzhen had packed in: "My mom said my dad should drink less in the future and not keep so much alcohol at home!"
She found a bag to share some of these items with Second Aunt and Second Uncle.
Seeing Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua discussing plans for hauling bricks in spring, Hu Ruoyun said, "Dad, Second Uncle, don't do that brick hauling anymore. It's too tiring getting up early and working late!"
For Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua, as long as they could earn money, a little hard work didn't matter. Hu Qihua replied, "What’s wrong with it? It’s better than working like an animal in the production team without earning any points!"
Second Uncle added, "Young people in the village go out to work in factories or construction teams; they send back quite a bit of money each year. But at our age, we can't do that anymore. We still have land at home but can't go out. Hauling bricks is fine; aside from loading and unloading being a bit tiring, we can earn twenty or thirty bucks a day—that's good enough."
Hu Ruoyun said, "Just because we’re not letting you haul bricks doesn’t mean you have to sit idle. We can do something else! Right now in Laogu Township, there’s only one flour mill at the Grain Management Office. We’d have to wait half a day just to get flour; it would be better to open a mill right here in our village—not only for flour but also for corn grits and rice. Rain or shine, we can keep working."
Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua clearly perked up at this idea: it seemed promising.
Hu Ruoyun continued, "Isn’t my grandpa's little courtyard on the street still empty? We can tidy it up and buy machines to set up there. Our village is big enough; just the income from milling for our villagers should be better than hauling bricks.
Also, we could tear down the courtyard wall and add a feed machine—those peanut stalks and corn cobs that used to just be burned could be processed into feed for livestock..."
Second Uncle said enthusiastically, "That sounds good!"
Hu Qihua added, "We can do milling and feed processing!"
Hu Ruoyun concluded, "If we don’t have enough money for machines, I still have twenty or thirty thousand..."
"Brother, we don't need any help," Hu Ruoyun said, glancing at Mao Na. They spoke in unison, "We have our own ways!"
After all, the child's wife was right there; the child's money was the wife's money. Even if neither the child nor the wife said anything, the elders should have that awareness.
Moreover, shouldn't a mother and father be allowed to feel a bit of pride?
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