Across from the twins’ room lived the second sister Yuyao and the fifth sister Yuhan—that is, the room right in front of their parents’. This side was about one meter wider than the other, and when divided equally into two rooms, each still had an area of about eight or nine square meters.
The small courtyard was narrow and shaped like an L. The gate was on the right, next to the kitchen, which was about a foot shorter than the main house in front. It had a small window about two feet square, facing the outside path.
Connected to one side of the kitchen was Tong Yuheng’s room. This was built mainly by her father, with the whole family participating and doing the work themselves, enclosing half of the small courtyard.
At that time, the youngest sister was just over a year old and slept with their parents. Yuyao took care of the twins in one room, while she shared a room with the fifth and sixth sisters.
Sometimes, their maternal grandparents stayed in the front room of their parents’ house. When they came, they would take the two youngest sisters to live with them.
Later, as the children gradually grew up and there wasn’t enough space, Tong Linsheng built that room in the courtyard himself, which was then occupied by the eldest sister, Tong Yuheng.
This was actually the largest room, about twelve or thirteen square meters.
Inside, besides her single bed, a small wardrobe, and a desk with drawers, there was also a foldable round table and a stack of round stools.
So this space was not only her bedroom but also the family’s dining room and living room.
Her father installed a cloth curtain for her section, which she could pull closed to maintain the privacy of her personal belongings.
The Tong Family sisters were all taught to be very disciplined and would not rummage through their sisters’ things, though of course, there was no shortage of noise and squabbles among the children.
Their parents often said, “Thank goodness these are seven daughters—if they were seven sons, the house would be turned upside down!”
In the original owner’s memories, the elders of the Tong Family were all very kind and loving.
Her uncle’s family lived in another city and didn’t return often. Whenever they did, they would go together with her parents to her maternal grandparents’ home.
The little girls would laugh and play with their cousin in that small courtyard, which had one jujube tree and two persimmon trees.
Her cousin, Tong Yuchen, was the same age as the sixth sister, just a few months older. They often dressed him up as a girl to play house.
Her aunt was not very pleased with this. However, she had a gentle nature and only asked everyone not to tease her cousin like that or dress him up as a girl, lest he become confused about his gender. She also taught her little cousin to be a strong and upright man.
Now, her maternal grandfather and uncle’s family had been labeled as Black Five Categories elements, and her uncle was additionally accused of being an Oppose Academic Authority.
Her uncle wanted to divorce her aunt so she could keep her job and take care of their son. But her aunt, who had always been gentle and soft-spoken, refused. She insisted on taking their little cousin with them to be sent-down.
Her aunt knew they had been reported by one of her uncle’s colleagues because she had been threatened—if she didn’t submit to that person, they would target her uncle.
Of course, her aunt refused, and as a result, her uncle was reported. If her aunt left her uncle now, she and her cousin wouldn’t be able to survive on their own. It was better for the whole family to stay together, even if they had to die together!
Tong Yuheng: Such a wonderful family—how could the original author bear to write them as cannon fodder?! That’s just too much! Watch how I’ll change it! Change it! Change it!
Next came two and a half days of final exams, followed by graduation exams for some. The results would be announced three days later, and then winter break would begin.
Those who weren't planning to take the early graduation exam could happily enjoy a two-day holiday, while those who needed the graduation certificate were told by their teachers to come to the classroom in the afternoon after the final exams, ready for them to "highlight the key points." How worried they were that these students might fail!
Tong Yuheng felt it was unnecessary but still went. She had been quite happy these past two days because Fan Yaqing had a high fever and was completely exhausted, making it impossible for her to even enter the exam hall!
Hahaha, now even if she wanted to muddle through the graduation exam to find a job, she’d have to wait until the official graduation half a year later! How satisfying!
Since school ended early in the afternoon, she simply took the bus to the home of her father’s comrade-in-arms, Gu Zhi Tao. The matter of her mother transferring her job still hadn’t been settled.
"Auntie Liu, Uncle Gu, you’re both home!"
"It’s Yuheng! Come in quickly! Is your mother not with you?" Auntie Liu looked behind her and saw she was alone.
At that moment, their daughter Gu Yan Ting had already poured a cup of warm water and placed it in her hands.
"Sister Yanting is here too, perfect. I have something to discuss with you…"
The Gu family also had two children, both daughters. The eldest sister, Xiu Ting, passed the recruitment exam last year and was already working.
The second daughter, Yan Ting, who was half a year older than Yuheng, had graduated from high school over half a year ago but still hadn’t found a job. By the start of spring, she would have to go to the countryside!
Upon hearing Tong Yuheng’s plan, the family immediately objected, urging them to think carefully. With eight women in the family, life in the countryside wouldn’t be easy either.
"Uncle Gu, Auntie Liu, over the years, you two have taken great care of our family. If it weren’t for your help, who knows how miserable my grandfather and the others would have been.
I came here today, firstly to transfer my mother’s job to Sister Yan Ting, and secondly, to ask Uncle Gu if he could arrange for our entire family to be assigned to the same village as my grandfather…"
"Did your mother really decide this? She’s so bold, entrusting such an important matter to a child like you?"
Auntie Liu sighed and continued, "Tomorrow, I’ll go find Jiahui. I need to talk to her in person!"
"Of course, Auntie Liu, you’re welcome to come to our home. Why don’t you all come over for dinner tomorrow evening? We won’t prepare anything special."
"Alright, we’ll come over tomorrow evening!"
After Tong Yuheng left, the three members of the Gu family began discussing the matter. They were certain that Tong Jiahui was facing difficulties and decided to ask her about it clearly the next day to see if they could help.
Although they wanted to find a job for their daughter, they didn’t want Tong Jiahui to take her seven beautiful daughters to the countryside. Life in the city was complicated, but was the countryside any simpler?
The graduation exam the next day was indeed very simple, consisting of basic question types, with even half of them being the "key points" the teacher had covered the day before.
If someone still failed this exam, you’d have to open their head and see if it was filled with shit, wouldn’t you?
In the morning, they took Chinese and Math, and in the afternoon, Politics and Physics. The next morning would be Geography and Chemistry, followed by History and Biology in the afternoon.
After that, it was just a matter of waiting for the results and the graduation certificate. Once they received the certificate, they could start planning the next steps!
This process would take about a week. With less than a month left until the New Year, she planned to make arrangements in the countryside once the relocation was confirmed. The family needed a place to stay first, and then they could check on her grandfather’s family’s situation.
In the evening, Gu Zhi Tao and his family came to the Tong Family, bringing plenty of food. After a simple meal, Tong Jiahui sent the children to their rooms to study, leaving only their family and Tong Yuheng in the room to speak quietly.
"Jiahui, have you really decided to send all the children to the countryside? Life there is tough, and without a job, how will you manage in the future?"