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Hu Ruoyun had been staying in Mao Weiguo's study for two days. During the day, County Chief Mao was busy with his work, and at night, he would pull Hu Ruoyun into discussions that he called "thought collisions." Sometimes, they would talk until past eleven o'clock.
Hu Ruoyun didn’t mind, but Mao Na found it quite bothersome. Women are often sensitive, and that night, Zhang Xiuzhen said to her husband, “Look at this girl; she seems to care less and less about her parents. During the day, she’s all over Xiao Hu, and at night, seeing you two together talking like that makes her all huffy!”
Mao Weiguo, slow to realize, replied, “Really? I have too much on my mind right now. Xiao Hu is here to help me sort things out and offer advice.”
Zhang Xiuzhen poked him gently. “I’m worried that our daughter might end up like Ouyang Xiaxue and Li Shengnan—getting pregnant before even getting married! She’s not like those two; she’s still in school…”
Mao Weiguo dismissed her concerns. “Don’t worry; they both know what they’re doing!”
Zhang Xiuzhen remained unconvinced. “Whatever happens in Jiangcheng is one thing; out of sight, out of mind. But seeing her so close with Xiao Hu at home makes me uneasy…”
Mao Weiguo put his arm around her shoulder. “Come on now, aren’t you happy they get along? You used to worry that Xiao Hu wasn’t good enough for our daughter, but now that they’re both in college, you’re still unhappy? Remember how she used to sulk whenever you mentioned Xiao Qiu?”
Seeing that Zhang Xiuzhen seemed to understand, Mao Weiguo continued, “It’s just that Xiao Hu isn’t of legal age yet; once he is, we should just let them get their marriage certificate.”
Zhang Xiuzhen pinched him playfully. “You really are open-minded!”
Mao Weiguo took the opportunity to give her a gentle pat. “As long as I see happiness on our child’s face, I’m fine with anything!”
On the 26th, which was already the fifteenth day of the Lunar Calendar, Hu Ruoyun was preparing to return to Lao Gu. The night before, Zhang Xiuzhen worried that her daughter would want to tag along again and had a talk with her: “After the Second Day of the Lunar New Year, you can go visit your grandmother. By then, it’ll be better for you to go; right now, Xiao Hu’s parents are busy preparing for the New Year—cleaning the house and making dumplings and rice cakes. If you go there to help out, they might feel bad about it; if you don’t help out, they won’t have time to entertain you…”
The next day, Zhang Xiuzhen busied herself preparing gifts for the in-laws she hadn’t met yet (given their social standing, many things didn’t require spending money themselves; it was all about maintaining relationships), while Mao Weiguo prepared some tea leaves and liquor.
At Lao Gu Market, they got off the bus just as the big market was bustling with activity. Brother Jie and Sister Jie had just finished shopping for New Year goods when they spotted Hu Ruoyun carrying several bags. They hurried over and called out to him: “Hu Ruoyun! Are you back for the holidays? Come on, let’s load your things onto the bike and head home!”
Hu Ruoyun didn’t hesitate. “Brother Jie! Sister Jie! I was just wondering how to get home!”
They piled the bags onto the back of the bicycle while Brother Jie pushed from the front and Hu Ruoyun supported from behind as they made their way down the dirt road leading to Hu Family Village.
“Why did you bring so much stuff?” Sister Jie asked. “Did you buy all this in Jiangcheng?”
Hu Ruoyun replied, “The clothes for Xiao Feng and Xiao Hu were bought in Jiangcheng; everything else was prepared by Mao Na’s parents.”
Sister Jie complimented him: “Look at your father-in-law and mother-in-law; they’re really generous… My Uncle Qihua and Aunt Qihua haven’t even met them yet! And here they are sending us gifts—you're doing great!”
Then she leaned in conspiratorially. “Have you heard? That old lady from your front yard has been causing a stir again?”
Curiosity piqued in Hu Ruoyun. “I don’t know; what happened?”
It turned out that ever since his Third Sister Wu Mingliang went off to college in Jiangcheng (the one who attended that so-called Jingnan Academy), the Woodzi woman had been boasting about how her daughter would graduate in two years and become Town Chief… As a result, matchmakers from Three Miles and Five Villages had started coming around with proposals, which delighted the Woodzi woman.
This woman had an imaginative streak and came up with what she thought was a brilliant idea…
She gathered the seven or eight matchmakers who had come to propose for her family and told them that she wanted to hold a public matchmaking event. The final candidates would be determined based on two criteria: first, they would look at photos to assess appearances, giving priority to those who looked handsome; second, they would compare betrothal gifts, with those asking for less being prioritized.
It was already unusual for the matchmakers to gather together, but when they heard the woman’s words, they were left dumbfounded! The woman believed that her child was good-looking and would soon become the Town Chief in a couple of years, so she thought her actions were not excessive.
Little did she know that after the matchmakers left, it was as if they had vanished into thin air; no one came to propose for her Third Sister after that!
Hu Ruoyun could hardly believe such a thing could happen. “Sister-in-law, is this true? I find it hard to believe what you’re saying.”
Brother Jie chimed in, “You might think your sister-in-law is just talking nonsense, but it really happened. A couple of days ago, Ming Liang came home for a break and heard that his mother was doing this. He got so angry that he caused quite a scene; you could hear him yelling at his mother over your courtyard wall, ‘What are you doing? This is so embarrassing!’”
The three of them chatted as they walked until they reached the alley. Hu Ruoyun pulled out a bag of candy from her bag and stuffed it into Sister Jie’s hands. “Sister-in-law, take this home for my little nephew and niece.”
Sister Jie hesitated to accept it, but Brother Jie insisted, “Just take it; it’s a gesture from your brother.”
Their father Hu Qihua was busy with the spring cleaning—what they called “sweeping dust,” which meant a thorough cleaning at the end of the year when every household would clear away cobwebs and dust. It was said in ancient times that the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month was the day for sweeping dust. Normally, this would be done after offering sacrifices to the stove god, but fearing that Mao Na would come over with Hu Ruoyun before New Year’s and see their house in disarray, they decided to do it early. Meanwhile, their mother was in the kitchen frying oil cakes, twisting doughnuts, and frying peanuts.
Xiao Hu and Xiao Feng ran out to help carry bags inside while asking, “Brother, what’s in these bags?”
Seeing their eager expressions, once inside the house, Hu Ruoyun took out the clothes she had bought for them. Xiao Hu received a military-style cotton jacket along with a “Lei Feng hat.” She helped him take off his old cotton jacket (to avoid getting it dirty; new clothes were only allowed to be worn during the New Year) and quickly put on the new jacket and hat before he dashed off to show off to their mother in the kitchen.
Xiao Feng got a red down jacket that was slightly oversized. Their father and mother each had a pair of corduroy pants, and there were four pairs of cotton shoes for everyone.
After finishing her tasks, their mother looked over everything in her hands and asked, “How much did all this cost?”
Their father first looked at Yanghe and then at Xifeng. “Isn’t the liquor from the county chief’s family better than what Village gave us last year?”
He picked up a box of Hongta Mountain cigarettes. “How much is this box? It’s still hard!”
…
Finally, they returned to the same question: “When is Mao Na coming to our house?”
That evening, Wu Mingliang came to find Hu Ruoyun. The two of them hid in Hu Ruoyun's small room to talk. Wu Mingliang first asked about Hu Ruoyun's situation; she answered all his questions before asking about him. Wu Mingliang looked somewhat dejected. “I shouldn’t have gone to school this year. Tuition is fourteen hundred a year, plus living expenses and various other costs—it adds up to over a thousand each year!
We’re just self-taught here; if I can’t pass my exams in these three years, I won’t even get any certificate… In October I registered for ‘Overview of Marxist Basic Principles,’ ‘Marketing,’ and ‘Auditing.’ I didn’t pass Auditing!”
Hu Ruoyun could empathize with his situation but didn’t know how to comfort him.
It was Wu Mingliang who brought up the matchmaking issue again: “My mom can really do anything… She says I’m going to be Town Chief in the future; now I’m afraid I won’t even dare go home after graduation! My sisters-in-law aren’t even talking to her anymore…”
Who knows what happens or has happened in other families?
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