Aunt Gu Er ran out of Chen Aifang’s house, and she even stepped in chicken droppings by bad luck. She went home in a fit of indignation.
Seeing Second Uncle Gu at home, she complained, “We should never have let Mingcheng marry that Chen Aifang back then. She’s a shrew! What kind of teacher is she, actually chasing people away with a broom?”
Come to think of it, Chen Aifang being able to become a teacher at the commune primary school was also because the commune took Gu Mingcheng’s face into account and gave her priority consideration, after all, they had to take care of the military wife. Otherwise, with so many educated youths in the commune, and quite a few of them high school graduates, how would it ever have been her turn, with Chen Aifang only having graduated from middle school.
Second Uncle Gu did understand this in his heart. “She’s just a fierce one. Otherwise Mingcheng wouldn’t have married her back then.”
Back then, when Gu Mingcheng chose to marry Chen Aifang, it was precisely because he wanted to bring back a fierce wife who could keep the bunch of people in the Gu family in line, otherwise once he went to the army and was away from home for a long time, wouldn’t the wives and girls in the family be bullied to death?
Then it would be better to marry one who was fierce.
Chen Aifang really was fierce too. Over these years, no one in the Gu family had been able to take advantage of her.
Second Uncle Gu asked, “Jiajia really doesn’t want to marry Director Jiang?”
“I haven’t even asked yet, and Chen Aifang already started chasing people off,” Aunt Gu Er said angrily. “I just don’t believe it. With such good conditions as Director Jiang has, who would bear to give them up?”
Otherwise, over these years, there wouldn’t have been so many rural girls sharpening their heads and wanting to marry into the city.
Although she had been driven away by that shrew Chen Aifang, Aunt Gu Er did not give up. She went to find Third Aunt Gu and discussed countermeasures with her.
In any case, they all wanted to marry Gu Yijia to Jiang Jinwang. That was a city job slot, and there was also a generous betrothal gift. With Gu Yijia’s soft and obedient personality, when the time came, if these uncles and aunts asked her for a little money to spend, she probably would give it too.
Of course, this had to be done behind Chen Aifang’s back.
Even if they did not look at the betrothal gift, if Gu Yijia really could marry into the city, then when the time came, as her maternal family, asking that Director Jiang to promote these uncles and aunts a little would not be too much, right?
Otherwise, promoting Gu Yijia’s paternal cousins a little would also be fine.
Gu Yijia now had the habit of going out for a walk every day.
Especially recently, her body had obviously gotten much better. When she went out, she could walk farther, no longer gasping after taking one step and then three breaths, and the chest tightness and shortness of breath were not as severe anymore. As long as she did not tire herself out, she could still walk a few more steps.
As long as she progressed gradually like this, she felt that even if she could not become like a normal person, she would not have to be like she was now, getting dizzy and seeing stars at the drop of a hat and only able to lie on the bed like a corpse.
So every day after breakfast, Gu Yijia would take Baohua and slowly walk to the old peach tree at the village entrance.
It was said that this old peach tree was already over three hundred years old. Every spring, the peach blossoms bloomed very luxuriantly. Quite a few young girls in the village would come to pick some peach blossoms to take home. They could be used to boil peach blossom porridge or brew peach blossom wine; when summer came, the peach tree would be lush and full of leaves, forming a large stretch of shade. When the mountain breeze blew over, it was refreshing and bright, and sitting under the shade to cool off was beyond comfortable.
So whenever the weather got hot, the open space under this old peach tree became the place everyone liked to gather most.
Every morning, quite a few old people sat in the shade of the old peach tree, working while chatting.
These old people were all very old. Most of them no longer went to the fields to work, and what they did were all light tasks. Some took out old clothes from home to sew and mend, or made cloth shoes, or bound shoe soles, or were weaving bamboo baskets, bamboo baskets, bamboo mats, and so on…
After coming a few times, Gu Yijia successfully blended in among the grandmas and grandpas and became somewhat familiar with them.
She especially liked listening to these older people talk and work. There was a kind of calm and peace in them that had settled through the years, and their leisurely tone, with words carrying a local accent, always gave people a sense of closeness.
That day, after breakfast, Gu Yijia went out for a walk again with Baohua.
Now Baohua had already gotten used to following her little aunt out every morning. She bounced and skipped along in front. When she saw wild flowers by the roadside that were pretty, she would reach out and pick them off. After playing with them for a while, she would crush them and throw them away, leaving flower juice all over her hand.
She looked like a naughty little girl.
However, Baohua did not forget her little aunt. Every few steps, she would turn back to look at her to confirm how she was doing.
The aunt and niece came together to the village entrance. Gu Yijia sat under the shade of the tree and set the umbrella aside, while Baohua ran off happily to play with the children nearby.
There was a patch of open ground over by the old peach tree, and quite a few children liked coming here to play.
The older people could work while also watching the children, keeping them from going to dangerous places to play.
Baohua was still a child after all. If she was kept at home all the time, she would get bored too. There were many children here, and she liked coming here to play.
Besides, there were also many grandpas and grandmas around. With them watching, there was no need to worry about anyone bullying her little aunt.
Gu Yijia picked up the military water canteen and took a sip of water. She looked curiously at Grandma Guihua, who was making cloth shoes, and felt that although the style of the cloth shoes she made was plain, the stitching was fine and dense, and very sturdy. They should be very comfortable to wear.
Looking at it for a few days like this, she felt that she should be able to do it too, as long as she got her hands on it and made one.
Grandma Guihua was a kindly person. Seeing that she wanted to learn to make cloth shoes, she would deliberately slow down every time and teach her how to do it, how to bind the shoe soles.
“Jiajia~”
Gu Yijia was studying very earnestly when she heard that deliberately softened, coquettish voice, and goose bumps immediately rose all over her.
She looked up and saw Aunt Gu Er coming over, deliberately putting on an expression full of affection, and her brow moved slightly.
Actually, she was also very curious. Just what kind of benefits had Jiang Jinwang promised the Gu family members that made them so persistent in coming to persuade her to marry? Unfortunately, when she had read the novel back then, she had only casually skimmed “Gu Yijia”’s ending and had not looked carefully at all, so she did not know many details.
Although she did not know, it was probably only those few things, money, coupons, city job opportunities, and the like.
Aunt Gu Er had specifically inquired around and knew that Gu Yijia came here every morning. Chen Aifang just happened not to be here, so it was a good opportunity.
So today she specially took leave, did not go to the fields to work, and came directly to find her.
After seeing her, Aunt Gu Er began persuading her again.
“Jiajia, not to mince words, you’re already nineteen this year. If you don’t marry soon, you’ll be old…”
Gu Yijia retorted, “Second Aunt, I’m only nineteen. I’m still very young.”
She had a lot to say about this. In her view, nineteen meant she had not even graduated from university yet, and it was not the time to talk about marriage. She had never thought that she would get married at nineteen.
Gu Yijia shamelessly forgot for the moment her real age before she crossed over.
Aunt Gu Er acted as if she had not heard it and continued, “Which girl in our commune here doesn’t get married at eighteen or nineteen? Even the pickier ones, at most in their early twenties, have to get married too. I know your body is not good. Your older brother and sister-in-law can support you for now, and they don’t mind, but Baoshan and Baohua will grow up sooner or later. By then, the money needed will be a lot, and your older brother and sister-in-law will also have to have children, right? Your sister-in-law hasn’t gone to join the army with him yet, and she only gave birth to two. Later, when she goes to join him in the army, she will definitely keep having children…”
The grandpas and grandmas working around them all looked over.
Grandma Guihua was somewhat unhappy and said, “I say, Meng Dahuā, what’s wrong with Jiajia not wanting to marry someone from the city? City people are not all good. I’ve heard they especially look down on wives from the countryside.”
“Right, our rural girls marrying into the city don’t know how much grievance they suffer. The daughter of the party secretary from the neighboring production brigade married into the city, and she runs back to her maternal home crying every few days.”
“Better to find a capable and caring young man in the commune and marry him.”
“The young men from our production brigade are good. They’re not any worse than the ones in the city.”
“…”
The old ladies all spoke up one after another. They did not think that village girls had to marry into the city in order to be happy.
Especially with Gu Yijia’s body, if she married into the city, she would probably have to face even more side-eye. It would be better to stay in the village. Everyone knew each other well, and no one would say much.
Aunt Gu Er did not refrain from speaking just because these were her elders. She huffed and said, “You’re just jealous that our Jiajia has been taken a fancy to by a city director.”
The old people were choked speechless for a moment. They wanted to curse, but did not want to bother with her on the same level.
An aunt said angrily, “If you like it so much, why don’t you go and marry that whatever director yourself!”
Aunt Gu Er was a shameless sort. She blurted out, “If that Director Jiang were willing to look at me, I’d marry him without another word.”
Even if it meant divorce, she would still be willing to marry.
The old people around them could not help but shake their heads. This Meng Dahuā, already this old, and still so improper. Back then, Second Old Gu really should not have married her.
Aunt Gu Er was a person who did not care about worldly reputation, a rough sort. Even if people criticized her, she did not take it to heart.
Those things did not hurt or itch to her, and she continued turning her head to persuade Gu Yijia.
Gu Yijia listened in silence. Suddenly she asked, “Second Aunt, what benefits did Director Jiang give you that made you so eager to persuade me?”
Right now Aunt Gu Er’s mind was full of how to persuade her. Hearing her suddenly speak, her brain did not catch up, and one careless slip of the tongue came right out.
“It’s nothing much. Director Jiang just agreed that if you marry him, he’ll get your cousin brother a city job slot…”
When the people around heard this, it exploded with a bang.
Grandma Guihua angrily smashed the shoe sole she was binding in her hands over.
Gu Yijia was dealt a heavy blow. Her face turned pale, and she said with difficulty, “Second Aunt, so you were all doing it for the benefits Director Jiang gave you, and you were willing to push your niece into a fire pit?”
As she spoke, she clutched her chest and looked as if she were about to sway and fall.
The people around were startled. Even Aunt Gu Er’s scalp went numb, and she thought she had angered her into fainting.
The matter of Gu Mingyue angering Gu Yijia into fainting had not passed very long ago. Although later Baohua said it had been a misunderstanding, by the end, many people still believed it was Gu Mingyue who had angered her into fainting.
She hurriedly sprang up and shouted, “What fire pit? This is a nest of happiness!”
Gu Yijia lowered her eyes and said sadly, “But I don’t like him, and Director Jiang is only taking a fancy to my face. Once… what good would there be for me in marrying over there? Second Aunt, are you really going to force me to marry just for the benefits Director Jiang gives? I, I…”
As she spoke, she closed her eyes and softly fell backward.
An aunt sitting nearby quickly reached out and held her, rubbing her chest for her, worried that she really might faint from anger.
The others were afraid that something really would happen to her, and all began loudly cursing Aunt Gu Er.
Even with a face as thick as hers, being pointed at and cursed by a bunch of elders, and with someone directly going to find the production team leader, Aunt Gu Er finally became somewhat unable to sit still.
She did not understand. This was clearly a good thing, so why would Gu Yijia not agree?
Looking at her appearance as if she were about to be angered into fainting, it seemed as though she had done something utterly outrageous to her…
For a moment, Aunt Gu Er was almost about to explode.