Lin Xiyu’s biological father was a soldier who participated in the Sino-Vietnamese War and sacrificed his life when she was eight years old.
Her mother remarried and later gave birth to a son with her new husband.
The blended family was fraught with conflicts. Her stepfather had a daughter from his previous marriage, who was one year older than Lin Xiyu. This stepsister, favored by her father, often targeted Lin Xiyu and her mother with insults and provocations. Worried that her daughter would be bullied by the father-daughter pair, Lin Xiyu’s mother left her at her grandmother’s house.
Thus, Lin Xiyu was raised by her grandmother.
Her grandmother had two daughters and one son.
The eldest daughter, after getting married, was allocated housing in a railway dormitory and moved her family away from the courtyard compound.
The second daughter—Lin Xiyu’s mother—lived with her new husband after remarrying. She visited her daughter and elderly mother once a week, bringing along her young son.
Currently, besides Lin Xiyu, the grandmother shared the courtyard compound with her son and daughter-in-law.
Both Lin Xiyu’s uncle and aunt were laid-off workers from the No. 14 Plastic Factory.
After losing his job, her uncle found work at a privately-owned hotel, transporting goods and delivering vegetables on an electric tricycle.
Her aunt rented a public telephone booth, where she also sold newspapers, magazines, and cigarettes to earn extra income for the household.
The couple had a harmonious and loving relationship, with their only regret being childlessness after years of marriage.
Her aunt had tried numerous traditional Chinese medicines for this issue and endured gossip from neighbors, leading to frequent arguments with them.
No. 9 Donghua Street was not occupied by a single family but housed four households.
The landlord’s family, surnamed Huang, lived in the best spot of the compound—three south-facing rooms—after Aunt Huang passed away, leaving Uncle Huang alone.
Lin Xiyu’s grandmother’s home was directly opposite Uncle Huang’s, also comprising three rooms. These faced north, with windows oriented the same way, while the southern side bordered the compound wall adjacent to a narrow alley.
The eastern side of the courtyard was occupied by the Wang family.
Uncle Wang, who knew how to make noodles, converted his two rooms into a noodle workshop with Uncle Huang’s permission.
With five family members—the elderly couple, their son, daughter-in-law, and grandson—cramped into the remaining single room, they expanded the kitchen into a small bedroom.
Without a kitchen, the Wang family had to use Uncle Huang’s kitchen for cooking.
They prepared three meals a day and conveniently cooked for Uncle Huang as well.
At 82 years old, Uncle Huang had limited mobility and no son nearby. With the Wang family caring for him, he lived comfortably.
The western side of the courtyard was home to the Zhang family. After the elderly couple passed away, their son and daughter continued living there.
The western rooms were the smallest.
Uncle Huang had planted two pomegranate trees and set up a grapevine trellis outside his west-facing windows, occupying nearly two-thirds of the area.
Thus, only two rooms remained on the western side: one slightly larger with east-facing windows, and another at the southwest corner of the courtyard, connected to Lin Xiyu’s grandmother’s home. This smaller room had north-facing windows.
Zhang Dafen’s older brother, Zhang Dashan, eight years her senior, was a simple, honest man. Like the uncle and aunt, he was also a laid-off worker from the No. 14 Plastic Factory.
After being laid off, he took on odd jobs wherever available. His wife was unemployed, and the couple had a daughter, making their life financially tight.
Zhang Dafen, however, was different. She excelled in her studies, was attractive, and was admitted to a technical secondary school. After graduation, she was assigned to a bank with a formal staffing.
Because of this, her temperament became rather haughty. She was extremely selective when looking for a partner and only found someone she liked at the age of 28. He was six years older than her, worked in the provincial Party committee, and was said to be a section chief.
Once married, she would be able to live in the provincial Party committee compound. Feeling her status had changed, she became even more arrogant, looking down her nose at the neighbors in the alley.