Yang Yuan silently rolled her eyes.
As expected… another old-fashioned aunt with old-fashioned ideas.
Old clothes.
Old thinking.
She quietly slipped away, leaving Yang Wenping behind to listen obediently to the elders’ lecture.
“Yuanyuan.”
“You’re not young anymore.”
“Has anyone introduced a marriage prospect to you yet?”
Here we go again…
Yang Yuan instantly put on her perfectly practiced polite smile.
“My Third Sister and Fourth Brother aren’t married yet.”
“I’m in no hurry.”
Mind your own business.
The woman spat out a sunflower seed shell and became even more enthusiastic.
“Listen to your Fourth Aunt.”
“You have to move quickly when looking for a husband.”
“If you’re too slow, all the good young men will be taken.”
“Your Third Sister couldn’t help going to the countryside.”
“But what’s there to worry about with your Fourth Brother?”
“Once he starts working, plenty of leaders will appreciate him.”
“We’re family.”
“Of course your Fourth Aunt has to worry about you.”
Oh, thank you so very much.
Unlike many girls her age, Yang Yuan wasn’t the least bit shy when marriage came up.
Instead she smiled sweetly.
“I heard Cousin Tingting cried her eyes out when she left for the countryside.”
“Poor thing.”
The mention of her own daughter instantly ruined Fourth Aunt’s mood.
The sunflower seeds no longer tasted good.
Yang Yuan continued innocently.
“Farm work in the countryside is exhausting.”
“You have to get up around five or six every morning.”
“At noon the sun beats down so hard that sweat runs into your eyes.”
“Swinging a hoe all day leaves your hands covered in blisters.”
“And when you irrigate the fields…”
“You can’t see what’s hiding in the muddy water.”
“Leeches stick to your legs and suck your blood.”
“It hurts terribly.”
“It’s frightening.”
She described everything vividly.
Fourth Aunt’s face gradually paled.
“And what if Cousin Tingting can’t endure it anymore?”
“What if she marries some village man just to survive?”
“Then she’d spend the rest of her life facing nothing but dirt fields.”
That was enough.
Fourth Aunt immediately forgot all about introducing Yang Yuan to anyone.
Her mind filled entirely with thoughts of her daughter suffering somewhere in the countryside.
“So sharp-tongued after only a short while.”
“You’ve scared your Fourth Aunt half to death.”
A middle-aged woman leaned casually against the doorway.
She wore her hair in the fashionable “Hu Lan” style.
A purple-red wool sweater peeked out beneath a tweed coat.
Her pressed trousers still held crisp creases.
Polished black leather shoes completed the outfit.
It was obvious she cared about appearances.
Yang Yuan recognized her immediately.
Her Fifth Aunt.
The woman who had given birth to four daughters yet insisted on having a son no matter what.
The very son who had pushed the original Yang Yuan down during New Year’s.
Yang Yuan smiled politely.
“Aunt.”
“I’m not trying to scare Fourth Aunt.”
“Everything I said is true.”
“Your daughter also went to the countryside.”
“Aren’t you worried she’ll attract the attention of hooligans?”
“…or men with bad intentions?”
“Oh.”
“I almost forgot.”
“You’re busy taking care of your precious son.”
“You probably don’t have time to worry about all that.”
Fifth Aunt’s expression barely changed.
Only when her beloved son was mentioned did she glance seriously at Yang Yuan.
“Those girls have always been used to working.”
“They can handle it.”
“Besides…”
“They don’t have a face as pretty as your Second Sister.”
“So there’s less to worry about.”
“And my son?”
“He’s doing just fine.”
“You’d better worry about yourself instead.”
With that…
She turned and went inside.
Yang Yuan shrugged.
As if I wanted to talk to you.
She immediately went over to chat with Sixth Aunt instead.
Sixth Uncle had been adopted into the Yang family.
Because of that…
He always ranked slightly lower than the other brothers.
Quiet by nature…
He simply worked hard without complaining.
As a result…
His entire household tended to fade into the background.
Except, of course…
Whenever there was dirty or difficult work to be done.
Yang Father’s own mother had died when he was young.
Grandfather Yang had brought home the future Sixth Uncle as a child, and both boys had been raised together by Grandmother Yang.
Since she wasn’t Yang Father’s biological mother…
Yang Father had always felt a subtle sense of kinship with the adopted Sixth Uncle.
They shared a similar loneliness.
Because of that…
Their relationship was much warmer than with the other siblings.
With so many relatives gathered…
Naturally the daughters-in-law prepared the meal.
One dinner was enough to reveal everyone’s character.
Who quietly did the work.
Who cleverly avoided it.
Fourth Aunt and Fifth Aunt were Grandmother Yang’s biological daughter-in-law and daughter.
Naturally…
They sat comfortably eating sunflower seeds while everyone else cooked.
Yang Yuan had no interest in gossiping with elderly women.
She wandered off to join her cousins instead.
With her gift for conversation…
She could fit in anywhere.
The original Yang Yuan had already been popular.
The current Yang Yuan…
Was even better.
The day Yang Wenping officially reported to work…
The entire family accompanied him.
He looked a little embarrassed.
“I’m already an adult.”
“And Mom and Dad are still walking me to work.”
Yang Yuan didn’t say anything.
What’s so strange about that?
In modern times…
Parents practically moved their children’s belongings into university dormitories.
Fathers cried when their daughters got married.
Things like that happened every day.
Only in this era…
With families having so many children…
Such attention seemed unusual.
Zhengqiu County lay directly beneath their city.
One old bus traveled back and forth each day.
The vehicle was ancient.
It rattled and lurched constantly.
Every imaginable smell filled the cabin.
Yang Yuan grabbed a seat beside the window.
Fresh air…
Unfortunately came bundled with clouds of dust.
She pinched her nose.
Looks like I’m prone to motion sickness in this life.
County towns all looked much the same in those days.
One dusty main street.
Simple government compounds.
The Civil Affairs Bureau occupied a plain courtyard.
When Yang Wenping arrived…
He received an extremely warm welcome.
The staff seemed surprised to see so many family members escorting him.
At noon…
The family ate at the state-owned restaurant.
Yang Father and Yang Mother each ordered a bowl of plain noodles costing eight fen.
For Yang Yuan and Yang Wenping…
They ordered beef noodles costing fifteen fen each.
Yang Yuan couldn’t bear to watch.
She immediately paid the difference herself.
“Everyone’s eating beef noodles.”
Then she ordered another dish.
Steamed pork with preserved vegetables.
The meat had been sliced paper-thin.
Golden in color.
Wonderfully fragrant.
Even the fatty pieces tasted rich without being greasy.
Yang Mother immediately complained.
“What a waste of money.”
Yang Yuan picked up the very first slice of pork and placed it into her mother’s bowl.
“Mom.”
“We don’t eat like this every day.”
“It isn’t that expensive.”
“Try it.”
“See how it compares with the steamed pork you make.”
Then she picked up another slice for her father.
“Dad.”
“You should eat too.”
“You’ve gotten thinner.”
Yang Father rarely spoke much.
Hearing that…
He broke into a broad smile.
His dark face shone with pride.
“Our daughter’s so thoughtful.”
“Old Chen…”
“Stop complaining.”
“Our child means well.”
“Eat.”
Yang Yuan beamed.
“Exactly.”
“Mom.”
“I feel sorry for you.”
“You barely ate anything back at Grandpa’s house.”
“I ordered this dish especially for you.”
“We’re old.”
“It doesn’t matter whether we eat.”
“You should eat more.”
“You’re still growing.”
Watching from the side…
Yang Wenping finally understood why his younger sister had always been the family’s favorite.
Just look at that mouth.
She knew exactly what to say.
She was generous.
In only a few minutes…
She’d completely charmed both parents.
She’d become their sweetest, most considerate daughter.
And somehow…
By the end of the meal…
Most of the meat had found its way into her stomach.
He shook his head, smiling.
This little sister…
She’s the cleverest one of us all.
Yang Wenping brought only a simple set of bedding.
The Civil Affairs Bureau had cleaned out an empty room to serve as his dormitory.
Traveling between the city and county every day simply wasn’t practical.
From now on…
He would live in the county and return home only on days off.
The only bus back to the city left Zhengqiu County at three in the afternoon.
He walked his family to the station.
Long before this day…
Yang Yuan had used every favor she could call in at the factory to obtain high-quality fabric.
Combining elements of a Western suit and a Zhongshan (Mao) suit…
She had custom-made a gray outfit tailored specifically for Yang Wenping.
She’d even gone to the department store to buy him a crisp white dress shirt.
The fabric had come all the way from Shanghai.
It was meant as her gift to celebrate his first job.
Once dressed properly…
His entire bearing changed.
From the bus window…
Yang Yuan looked back.
Yang Wenping stood alone where they’d left him.
Tall.
Straight-backed.
Fair-skinned.
His glasses rested neatly upon his nose.
His smile was bright and full of hope.
He still carried the freshness of youth…
Along with the confidence of a young man stepping into adulthood.
Bathed in the warm light of the setting sun…
He raised his hand and waved toward the departing bus.
Yang Yuan answered with the biggest smile she could manage.
She truly believed…
Her Fourth Brother was about to begin a better life.
A brighter future.
And one day…
He would find someone truly worthy to walk beside him.
Yang Wenping deserved nothing less.