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墨書 Inktalez
No matter whether they have truly matured mentally, most high school students consider themselves "adults" now, and being an adult means they can engage in social interactions.
In Hu Ruoyun's middle school class, there were fifty-four students, but only thirteen of them advanced to high school after the entrance exams. Consequently, the more than forty students who did not go to high school rarely kept in touch with those who did, while the connections among high school classmates became even closer.
In Annan County, located over thirty kilometers from the town of Gaoqiao, it was too far to ride a bicycle. Taking the shuttle bus back and forth cost two yuan, which meant Hu Ruoyun had fewer opportunities to meet with his brother Biao, who studied in the county city.
There are many ways to socialize, and writing letters is one of them. The content of the letters had no specific theme; they were filled with daily trivialities and observations, written on long sheets of paper, sealed in envelopes with an eight-cent "Great Wall" stamp, ready to be delivered by the postman.
Besides maintaining close contact with brother Biao, Hu Ruoyun also exchanged news with classmates who attended other high schools. However, receiving a letter from Jiang Qiuying still caught him somewhat off guard.
In her letter, Jiang Qiuying mentioned that she learned about Hu Ruoyun's class at Eight Middle School from brother Biao before writing to him. She briefly described the current situation in high school and shared some fresh experiences while reminiscing about their three years in middle school. Finally, she suggested that since they had been apart for a few months, could they gather during the winter vacation?
With his forty-six years of experience, Hu Ruoyun felt that there was something more implied in her letter.
Who would be there? In what way would they gather? Where would they meet?
It is important to note that in this era, gatherings between boys and girls outside of organized events were somewhat inappropriate.
However, since a girl had made such a proposal, he had no reason not to agree. Thus, he vaguely replied that they would definitely meet during the winter vacation for the New Year.
Around the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, elementary and middle school students began their winter break. According to rural customs, once the Lunar New Year arrived, everyone aged a year older; this is reflected in the couplets that say "As time passes, may life be enriched."
Hu Ruoyun's aunt Zhao Meixia was married in Gaoqiao Town to someone with the surname Zhang; he only vaguely remembered what she looked like.
Before reporting back to school, his mother repeatedly reminded him: "When you get there, go to your aunt's house first and recognize the place. You've been studying right by her door for three years; if anything happens, she and your uncle can look out for you... Your uncle's brother is still the team leader..."
To be honest, Hu Ruoyun did not have a good impression of his aunt.
In rural areas, there is a saying that describes "the three distant relatives": uncle-in-law, uncle, and aunt-in-law.
This means that an uncle-in-law, an uncle, and an aunt-in-law are merely theoretical relatives without any blood ties or deep emotional connections.
Hu Ruoyun's mother was the eldest among four siblings, with a younger sister, a younger brother, and another younger sister, each spaced a year or two apart. They were a total of four sisters. Her aunt had married into Gaoqiao Town, where she not only owned some farmland but also ran a small shop selling daily necessities. It was said that her life was much easier compared to her two sisters and one brother, who toiled away on their meager plots of land in the countryside.
During the New Year celebrations, it was customary for married daughters to bring their families back to their maternal homes to visit their parents and relatives. This occasion inadvertently became an opportunity for everyone to showcase their living standards. After marrying off their daughters, the women in town would often boast about the variety of snacks their sons-in-law brought home when gossiping on the streets.
Before her aunt got married, Hu Ruoyun's mother would discuss with her second sister, Zhao Meiying, about returning to their maternal home for the Lunar New Year on the second day of the new year. They would avoid overlapping with their brother Zhao Shunqiang and his family’s visits to relatives, ensuring that they could gather together as a big family in a lively atmosphere. This tradition had continued for many years until three years ago when her aunt changed everything after getting married.
In her first year of marriage, she unilaterally decided to return to her maternal home on the second day of the new year and only “informed” her two sisters without giving them any room for discussion.
This forced her sister-in-law to notify her own maternal family at the last minute, changing their plans for visiting.
This incident planted a thorn in her sister-in-law's heart, while her brother advised his wife not to take it personally since she was the youngest. Yet he too felt displeased.
On the second day of the new year, the three sisters returned to their maternal home with their families. As the only boy in the family, Hu Ruoyun's brother warmly welcomed his wife as she prepared food and drinks for his sisters, brothers-in-law, and nephews.
Hu Ruoyun’s mother and her Second Aunt took the initiative to help their sister-in-law with preparations. In previous years, such lively scenes always brought joy to their aging grandmother, who would wipe her glasses with satisfaction.
However, this year, Hu Ruoyun's aunt’s actions completely altered the harmonious atmosphere of their New Year celebrations.
First, she chattered incessantly: “Mom, I brought two pounds of beef from Old Temple Village; it’s genuine Old Temple beef! It costs about ten yuan per pound…” She spoke as if afraid that her sisters, brothers-in-law, or brother wouldn’t hear her.
Then she continued: “The bike I rode is the best model from our Gaoqiao Town supply and marketing cooperative…
Tieshan (her Third Aunt's husband) said that all five storefronts at the market belong to us. We’re using two of them for our little retail store where we sell sewing supplies and cooking essentials. After New Year’s, we plan to add tobacco and tea to our inventory and expand our business! The other three storefronts are rented out; we earn one hundred fifty yuan in rent each month!”
There was nothing wrong with showing off what gifts she had brought or boasting about riding a brand-new bicycle or having a business at the market; however…
What was utterly inappropriate was that while munching on sunflower seeds herself, she pointed fingers at her sisters and sisters-in-law working in the kitchen: questioning whether there was too much salt in one dish or too much oil in another…
Uncle Zhang Tieshan was a straightforward man who disapproved of his wife's behavior and occasionally shot her disapproving glances urging her to tone it down, but Hu Ruoyun's aunt pretended not to notice.
The two older sisters said to her with annoyance, "If you’re not going to do anything, then don’t just sit there and make a fuss!" Yet, deep down, they still treated her like the youngest sister they spoiled.
Sister-in-law Hou Feng Cai didn’t say a word, but inside, she was boiling with anger.
What no one expected was that during dinner, another remark from the aunt completely blocked everyone’s hearts. She raised her chopsticks, first putting a piece of beef into her mouth, then looking directly at Grandfather across the table and saying, "Dad, how much money do we have saved up at home? We need to buy supplies in the spring, and we don’t have enough cash on hand."
In the countryside, the property of parents is traditionally considered to belong to the sons. This is an established rule, and the aunt's challenge to this ironclad principle caught everyone off guard. Not only did it leave the parents speechless, but it also changed the expressions on the faces of Sister-in-law and Brother. The atmosphere at the dinner table became quite strange.
But the aunt wasn’t finished; she turned to her two sisters and one brother and said, "Brother, Sister, could you lend us 500 yuan?"
This move left everyone in the room utterly bewildered.
In rural areas, borrowing money—even from close relatives—requires some preliminary conversation. You need to gauge whether they are willing to lend and if they have the means to do so.
Otherwise, for whatever reason, if you ask for money and they can’t lend it, it puts both parties in an awkward position.
Typically, one would start by hinting at their situation—mentioning some difficulties or a temporary cash crunch...
Those who are able and willing to help usually respond with something like, "How much more do you need? Let me see if I can help..." If they avoid your question or change the subject, it generally means they either can’t or don’t want to lend you money. In that case, there’s no need to press further; otherwise, it could lead to an uncomfortable situation where you ask and get turned down, leaving both sides feeling uneasy.
Today’s actions by the aunt left everyone feeling unsettled.
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