Siheyuan: Happy He Yuzhu

During the New Year, in villages like Qinjiacun, women who have relatives who will go home to pay New Year greetings have already gathered at the entrance of the village waiting to pick up their relatives.

It is said that it is picking up relatives, but it actually also means comparison.

But these days, there is nothing comparable. Most of the girls in the family are married to neighboring villages.

They are all foraging in the ground to see what good things they can find.

Please note that the good things mentioned here refer to things that are rare in rural areas. For example, the tobacco, wine, sweets and meat originally prepared by Jia Dongxu, no matter how bad these things are in the city, they are still good things in the countryside.

Nowadays, most cigarettes smoked in rural areas are dry cigarettes, and cigarettes can only be smoked by commune cadres.

The wine I drank was either loose wine or home-brewed sweet potato wine.

As for sugar, whether brown sugar or white sugar, it is even more rare these days.

Until the 1980s and 1990s, when a guest came to the house and some sugar water was made, it was regarded as hospitality.

But to be honest, in terms of value, the New Year greetings for those married in neighboring villages are really not that bad.

These days, every household still has some private land. This will not be banned until next year. Private plots are the source of running water for every household.

It accounted for about 5% to 7% of the original cultivated land area. Later, it was expanded several times. By 1981, private land accounted for 15% of the cultivated land area.

For private land, you only need to remember two points, one is long-term use, and the other is family side business.

In other words, the produce from this land belongs to the individual, and there is no need to pay various taxes like the ration fields.

Moreover, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to breeding, although there are restrictions on quantity. But there are policies from above and countermeasures from below.

There are many families who split their households in order to raise two more chickens.

Eggs, the output of private land, are the source of farmers' living expenses.

So for New Year greetings or something, I exchanged eggs for some meat, brought a few eggs, exchanged eggs for sugar and wine, etc., and prepared for today.

So if you want to say how bad the rural areas are this year, it’s not that bad.

These days, when visiting relatives or something, there is no other means of transportation, so we all rely on our legs.

So most of them set off before dawn and arrive at their parents' house early. Women gather at the entrance of the village just to see whose family has more things and who has less things, so that they can have the capital to gossip.

Usually when Qin Huairu returns to her parents' home, it's a nice sight. No matter whether the things are good or bad, they are still rare things in rural areas.

The girl married in the city, and the son-in-law is a factory worker. In this day and age, it must be a matter of honor.

But this year, Qin Huairu was waiting at the entrance of the village for lunch, and her daughter and son-in-law were nowhere to be seen. I saw other girls and uncles carrying large and small bags and holding children in their arms, entering the village in a lively manner.

At first, some women who were close friends with Qin Huairu tried to comfort her, saying that it was normal for her to arrive a little late since the city was far away and she was carrying large and small bags.

Later, every household received the news that all their girls were gone. The smile before leaving was a mockery in the eyes of Qin Huairu.

Does this make Mrs. Qin Huairu feel better?

This is not Qin Huairu's fault. The couple came out quite early, but with two children and nothing in their hands, Qin Huairu's face must not look good.

And Jia Dongxu gave some words of comfort at the beginning, which probably meant that he would make up for what he owed this year when things get better in the future.

It's normal for couples to quarrel about this kind of thing. The noise made Jia Dongxu feel uncomfortable. His temper got worse, so he threw the stick into Qin Huairu's arms halfway, turned around and left.

Qin Huairu was left alone, dragging her children along with her, so how could she go so fast?

If this were still in the city, Qin Huairu could still go into the store and buy some sweets and snacks that were free of charge. Then we meet a familiar donkey cart or something and take a ride.

But this place has no village in front and no shop in back, and there are only a few pedestrians coming and going. Who can Qin Huairu count on? I could only carry one on my back, hold another in my arms, and walk towards my parents' home step by step.

By the time Qin Huairu arrived at her parents' house, it was already after lunch. The three mothers had dusty faces, and the two children still had tears on their faces.

The other family's daughter and son-in-law had already finished their lunch and were saying goodbye to go home when Qin Huairu mother and son entered the village. This embarrassment on his body was all visible to everyone.

Now Qin Huairu's whole family was embarrassed, which was a big loss. Seeing the pointing fingers of the villagers, the complaints of brothers and sisters, and the worries of parents, it was impossible not to feel resentment in Qin Huairu's eyes.

As for what will happen after this resentment, no one knows.

Fortunately, Qin Huairu has money. Although she is not good-looking, she has made up for her parents' appearance. At least her family still has no objections to her.

Especially when Qin's mother told her sisters-in-law that her daughter had given her twenty yuan, the envy she aroused satisfies Qin's mother's vanity.

Of course, it is certain to keep it a secret. Otherwise, the matter will spread to Jia Zhang's ears, which will be another disaster for Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu's eight-year-old married man made trouble for her on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

Instead, she relied on the money that Yi Zhonghai usually provided her with to buy her face back.

What should Qin Huairu think?

Especially her cousins, when they learned about this, they looked at Qin Huairu with envy. Qin Huairu's sense of satisfaction could not be told to outsiders.

When it comes to living a good life, money is the most important thing.

……

He Daqing can't go to Uncle Liu Ping's house on the second day of the new year this year. All his apprentices have to come over to pay New Year's greetings this year.

This is also because the people in Liujiacun are just uncles. If Liu Ping's parents are still there, they will naturally have to focus on that end first.

At the beginning of this year, two families were the most lively in the Erlao Siheyuan.

Liu Haizhong's family, He's family, Liu Haizhong's family, and a dozen disciples came over, filling two big tables.

And He Daqing's family has more apprentices. Basically, all the cooks in the steel rolling mill can be regarded as He Daqing's apprentices.

Of course, it is unclear whether He Daqing is the deputy director of the cafeteria.

But He Daqing was not as free as Liu Haizhong in this matter. No matter what Liu Haizhong's apprentice brought, Liu Haizhong could keep it generously.

After all, He Daqing had some things to worry about. Basically, the apprentice came over, kowtowed a few times, said New Year greetings, and then took the things he brought back as gifts in return for the apprentice to take back. Every family picks up half of the cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, and so on, and that’s considered as a sign of appreciation.

Including the red envelope as a return gift, it is equivalent to buying it from the disciples.

Say hello before every year and ask the apprentices not to come over, or to come empty-handed.

But how can those who really want to come to pay New Year greetings be empty-handed?

For those who are concerned, for example, Liu Ping's two cousins, the New Year's Eve gifts have arrived.

And He Daqing naturally knows what the relationship is between those who have come here now.

But the Chinese people are so sophisticated, and if they celebrate the New Year and pay New Year greetings, they can’t be turned away, right?

So how much to collect, how to be fair and how to collect and how to repay is a question.

In the past, He Daqing gave red envelopes and wrapped them in red paper. But this year, He Daqing directly gave cash to those who were closer to each other. He left more things and gave him more New Year's money, one yuan and two yuan.

Anyway, after all the fussing, the neighbors in the yard finally saw it.

There is no other way.