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墨書 Inktalez
As the Lunar New Year approached, Hu Ruoyun eagerly waited at the intersection in Laogu Township, knowing that Mao Na was coming. Xiao Feng and Xiao Hu wanted to join her, but their mother stopped them.
She and Second Aunt were busy preparing food and drinks at home, asking the two little ones to 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 arriving in a bright red down jacket, wearing half-heeled black leather shoes and a hand-knitted wool scarf gifted by Qiuying. With Hu Ruoyun's help, she pulled a large bag from the car.
After the bus left, Mao Na exclaimed, "I'm exhausted!"
Hu Ruoyun helped her steady the bicycle and placed the heavy bag on the rear rack. "What did you bring? Why is it so heavy?"
"Don't even ask! It's all the wine and meat that people brought when they came to pay New Year visits... I couldn't refuse them when they offered it. My parents just told me to bring some here to share since we can't finish it all at home..." Mao Na explained.
Hu Ruoyun inquired, "No one gave you anything particularly valuable, right? Like red envelopes or something..."
Mao Na widened her eyes in surprise. "What are you talking about? My dad said we can't refuse social niceties, but anyone who brings expensive gifts is turned away!"
Hu Ruoyun tugged at her arm playfully. "Look at you, ready to fight with me in the street."
Mao Na laughed. "I know you're looking out for my dad; don't worry, he knows what he's doing!" She leaned closer and teased, "Is it really that scary when I glare like this?"
After loading the items onto the bike, they had no choice but to walk back home.
Mao Na said, "Yesterday I hung out with Li Shengnan at Ouyang Xiaxue's place all day. When I got home last night, 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 complimented, "Uncle Mao is always decisive!"
Mao Na asked curiously, "What was it about?"
Hu Ruoyun briefly recounted what she had heard yesterday.
Mao Na listened in disbelief. "Is Gaoqiao Town really that chaotic now?"
As they chatted, they arrived home.
Seeing Second Aunt and her mother busy in the kitchen, Mao Na shyly said, "Auntie, you can't keep treating me like a guest!"
Second Aunt laughed while quickly placing dishes on the table. "If you came 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 a feast!"
Mao Na asked for 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 Mu Xiumei—the eldest daughter-in-law of Woodzi—along with a group of women from the neighborhood came over to see the "New Bride." In their customs, an unmarried young man visiting a woman's family is called a "New Son-in-law," while an unmarried woman visiting a man's family is referred to as a "New Bride," attracting neighbors who come to observe.
Aunt Kui joked, "Girl, you haven't even entered the door yet, and you can't be expected to work. If your future mother-in-law sees you doing well, she'll make you do all sorts of chores once you're married!"
Mao Na confidently brought out a plate of sunflower seeds and candies. "Don't worry, my aunt isn't that kind of person..."
Sister-in-law Wei Hong had been feeling constrained over the years, often clashing with her mother-in-law. Now, with her feelings laid bare, she said to Aunt Kui, "Second Aunt, I'm not like that, and Sister-in-law Qi Hua isn't the type to be unreasonable either. Who's like our family? Always looking for trouble and making noise over nothing..."
Mu Xiumei had learned a lot from her "struggles" with the women in the community. "That's just how I am. If you treat me well, I'll return it tenfold; if you treat me poorly, I'll also return it tenfold... With some people, you have to be tough; otherwise, they won't know what 'the trumpet is brass and the pot is iron' means... I see that Sister-in-law Qi Hua and Sister-in-law Ruo Yun are just 'two good ones together,' and they'll never cause a scene."
Mao Na blushed at this and Zhao Meirong seemed even happier.
It wasn't until the dishes were served that Second Aunt called everyone to sit together, and the group shared their sentiments as they moved to their seats.
The two families gathered around two tables pushed together. Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua's cups were filled with wine, and it was Second Aunt who spoke up again: "Na, from now on this will be your proper 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 thoughts: "In the past, I felt our family was worse off than others; now I think no one lives as comfortably as we do!"
Everyone raised their glasses of wine or drinks and toasted.
Since Mao Na would be staying over, Zhao Meirong took out several newly made quilts from the cupboard and piled them onto Xiao Feng's bed.
After dinner, as they cleared the dishes, Mao Na asked Hu Ruoyun to bring over her bag. From it, she pulled out several dried rabbits, a few hams, as well as preserved chicken, duck, fish, and meat from the south—along with dried mushrooms and wood ears from the north—and several bottles of wine that Zhang Xiuzhen had stuffed 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 brick hauling in spring, Hu Ruoyun interjected: "Dad, Second Uncle, don’t bother with hauling bricks anymore; it's too early and tiring!"
For Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua, as long as they could earn money, a little hard work or hardship didn’t matter. Hu Qihua replied, "What’s that? It’s better than working like animals in the production team without earning any points!"
Second Uncle added, "Young people in the village go out to 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; we can’t go out much. Hauling bricks is just right for us—aside from loading and unloading being a bit tiring, we can earn twenty bucks a day or so."
Hu Ruoyun said, "Not hauling 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 grinding flour but also corn grits and rice. Rain or shine wouldn’t stop us from working."
Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua were clearly intrigued: this idea seemed promising.
Hu Ruoyun continued, "Isn’t there an empty courtyard by my grandparents' place on the street? We could tidy it up and set up machines there. Our village is large enough; just from milling flour for our villagers should earn more than hauling bricks."
"Also," she added, "we could tear down the courtyard wall and add a feed machine. The peanut stalks and corn cobs that used to be burned can be processed into feed for livestock..."
Second Uncle exclaimed, "This sounds good!"
Hu Qihua agreed: "We can handle milling flour and making feed!"
Hu Ruoyun concluded with enthusiasm: "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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