Night falls and the lights dim.
In the large courtyard where the Xu family is located, the older ones are sitting in the courtyard holding big cattail fans to enjoy the cool air, while the younger ones meet up to go out to cross the road.
Most of the people living in this large courtyard are textile factory workers. The walls are close to the wall, the doors are close to the doors, and the yard is shared. Who doesn't know about the commotion that the Xu family made half a month ago.
Therefore, seeing Xu Yin coming back at this point attracted the attention of the neighbors enjoying the shade in the yard.
"Hey, isn't this the fourth son of the Xu family? Why are you back at this time? Have you had dinner? Oh, you are still carrying something in your hand. Did you buy anything good for the family?"
Xu Yin: I said it was just a small cushion. Do you believe it?
Everyone is guessing: Could it be that the fourth son of the Xu family was fired from the breeding farm? Come to think of it, this guy with thin arms and thin legs doesn't look like he's cut out for work.
"According to me, you must have come back for Xu Yao's marriage, right?" asked the aunt next door to the Xu family.
Xu Yin: "???"
What's wrong with Xu Yao?
It was already this time, and the neighbors had already eaten. But the Xu family, sitting around the table around the kerosene lamp, sighed and had not started eating yet.
It's not that I'm waiting for Xu Yin, but that Xu Yao has recently been with a partner. The other person's family is not that good, but the lion is open. In addition to the "four items" (double bed, washbasin, spittoon, thermos), the bride price also includes If you want furniture with "thirty-six legs", you won't marry if it lacks one.
Even though Xu Aiguo and his wife were prepared to use their savings for their son's marriage, they didn't expect that the other party's demands would be so high. They didn't have enough savings!
I asked my eldest daughter to borrow it. The eldest daughter said that her child was about to go to school and the expenses were high, so she could only borrow 20 yuan from her parents' family.
What's the use of twenty yuan!
The wood cost of "Thirty-six Legs" alone was over a hundred yuan, not counting the cost of hiring a carpenter and the cost of painting... When the whole set was completed, Xu's mother asked someone to estimate it, and it was at least one hundred and fifty yuan.
Xu's mother's eldest sister gave her an idea: "Isn't Fang girl old enough? Why don't we tell her about my family first, make the engagement, and give Yaoer a wife with the gift."
Xu's mother originally wanted to arrange marriages for her children in order of age, but she was really short of money. She felt that the children's aunt made sense, so she began to look for a partner for Xu Fang.
Xu Fang actually has someone she likes, an apprentice accountant from the Second Factory.
Accountants are indeed very popular, but accounting apprentices don't have much money, and their monthly salary is not as high as that of Xu Fang, a warehouse manager.
In addition, the conditions of the other party's family are not very good. If the two of them are in a relationship, her parents will definitely object, so they don't dare to express their feelings. They can only hide it secretly in their hearts and wait for the other party to change their relationship.
Unexpectedly, her parents wanted to marry Xu Yao for the sake of her marriage, and they didn't ask her if she was happy or not. They immediately got angry and started a hunger strike.
This made the whole family feel overwhelmed, and they were not in the mood to eat.
Xu Yin pushed the door open and came in, startled: "Father, mother, did you know that I was waiting for me when I came back today?"
"..."
Who is waiting for you!
"Fourth brother, you are so cool. You just patted your butt and left this house without making a sound for half a month."
Xu Yao took the initiative and taught Xu Yin:
"When something happens at home, I don't see you helping me. You have to eat as soon as you come back. If you don't contribute to the family, who will give you food?"
Xu Yin was confused: "Why haven't I contributed to the family? Haven't all the previous wages been handed over to the family? It's not time to pay wages this month, what are you choking on! It seems that you have a loud voice and are angry. Aren't you satisfied? With such energy, why don't you earn some extra money and bring more income to your family? You work hard every day and wait for dinner after get off work. How dare you blame me for your virtue? "
"you!"
Xu Yao was so angry that he raised his hand to hit her, but Xu Aiguo stopped him.
"Second brother, what are you doing! The brother and sister just had a few quarrels, why did they start fighting?"
"Okay, okay, let's stop talking. Don't you think our house is not lively enough for outsiders to see?" Xu's mother went to the kitchen to make a bowl of mustard egg drop soup and came out to smooth things over. "Second brother, please calm down. Fourth child, please calm down." That’s right, with this mouth, how can I say hello to you... I’ll start talking to your brother as soon as I come back.”
Xu Yin gave her elders face and did not argue with her.
To be honest, if Sister Tian hadn't persuaded her to take a leave of absence out of good intentions, she would rather stay with the piglets every day.
Comrade Xu Aiguo, the head of the family, can be reasonable. Xu's mother prefers her two sons. It's not that she doesn't care about her daughter, but whenever the interests of her two sons are involved, she will definitely stand with her sons, no matter right or wrong.
But if she doesn't go home after taking a rest, Sister Tian will think that something happened to her and her family. After all, everyone else runs home during the holidays.
It would be great if there were commercial housing transactions in this era... Xu Yin sighed inwardly.
Then she would buy a small courtyard and live there by herself during the holidays, so that she would not have to stare at her brothers and sisters who didn't get along with her when she came back.
"It's pickles, pickles and pickled melon sticks again... When can I have some meat!" Xu Rong's lament interrupted Xu Yin's distraction.
Xu Fang, who was hiding in the house on a hunger strike, raised the door curtain and snorted: "Wait a minute, unless your second brother marries a wife, he will have a meal of pickles. Oh, even if you marry a wife, you may not be able to eat meat, because you have to save up." Money to repay the debt of those thirty-six legs!”
Xu Yao knew he was in the wrong, so he threw away his chopsticks, got up and went back to his room: "I won't eat anymore!"
Xu Fang sneered: "Don't eat if you can! Save your rations and make thirty-six legs for your future wife!"
Xu Yin was thoughtful and seemed to understand a little bit.
No wonder so many people in the yard pointed at her house and whispered, they were eating Xu Yao's melons.
"Father, mother." Xu Fang said with a straight face, "I have to sacrifice my marriage to make the second child happy, but I can't do it. The fourth child is only one year younger than me and has reached the age of marriage, why not Let her get married?"
Xu Yin: "..."
You just joined the queue of melon-eating people, and the war is burning you?
She looked innocent: "What does it have to do with me!"
Comrade Xiaojin of her family has not yet met and fallen in love with her, so it is too early to talk about marriage.
"It's none of your business, and it's none of my business either. Why should I get married now?" Xu Fang said unconvinced.
Xu's mother murmured: "That's not true. You are one year older than the fourth child..."
"There's only one year difference. You asked me to marry in front of Xu Yao. That's what you advised me to do - there's only two years difference."
Xu's mother wiped away her tears: "Then what do you want me to do! The second brother has reached the age of marrying a wife, and he found it himself. If he doesn't agree, he won't even go to work, saying that he has no love in life... "
"He said that, and you agreed? Then I also said that, let the fourth child get married. Didn't you say that the marriage introduced by the aunt is very good? Let the fourth child do it! Otherwise, I won't go to work! I won't go to work either. I have no love in my life!"
"..."
Xu Yin: Damn it! Sisters, this move of yours is a bit cruel!
She held her forehead and inadvertently glanced at her younger brother, who was holding a bowl beside her and eating pickles, pickles and melons while he was heartlessly eating rice.
Xu Rong shuddered: "Fourth sister, look at what I'm doing! I'm not a woman, and I'm not ready to marry... uh, a wife. You can't push it to me like the third sister."
"..."
My child, you think too much!
(End of chapter)
