Back to my 1980s

"What do you want from me?"

Zhao Hua strode into the courtyard and found his mother.

Just as Zhao's mother picked up a pile of dry straw to prepare dinner, she saw Zhao Hua and asked, "Where did you go today? I asked you this morning but you didn't answer." As she spoke, she walked towards the kitchen.

Zhao Hua walked towards the kitchen with his mother and said, "I went to find a friend. Zhao Ru told me you were looking for me, so I came to ask why."

Zhao's mother placed the dry straw under the kitchen stove, straightened up, and poured the well water she had drawn into the pot, saying, "I just wanted to ask where you'd been. What would I need you for? It's always this friend or that friend."

After seeing his mother put the pot lid back on and go to start the fire, Zhao Hua thought for a moment, then took two steps forward, squatted down, and whispered, "Mother, guess what kind of friend I went to see today?"

Zhao's mother stuffed the straw she was holding into the stove, her brows furrowing slightly from the rising soot. Intrigued by Zhao Hua's mysterious question, she turned to him and asked, "Where did you go? Didn't all your friends come looking for you? It's just the same people, who else could it be?"

Zhao Hua raised an eyebrow and smiled, "You really haven't seen this before. It's a girl, a year younger than me."

No parent is indifferent when their children reach marriageable age. Upon hearing this, Zhao's mother had a sudden inspiration. She pushed the straw in her hand into the stove, clapped her hands, and smiled at Zhao Hua, saying, "What? Is there a saying?"

Zhao Hua thought to himself that there must be a reason; they'd been together for a lifetime, how could there not be a reason? But he said aloud, "Hmm, I have some thoughts."

Mother Zhao pressed further, "What do you mean? Which family's daughter is she? Do I know her or not?"

Zhao Hua shook his head and frowned, saying, "He's not from our village, you don't know him."

Zhao's mother glanced at Zhao Hua, her hands still busy, then looked at him sideways and said, "I was right. How could any girl in our village possibly be interested in you? How far have things progressed between you two?"

Zhao Hua didn't refute, but pursed her lips and said, "There's been no progress. We've only known each other for a short time. I just wanted to let you know."

Zhao's mother looked at Zhao Hua with annoyance and said, "You're good at going up mountains and down rivers all day, but you're useless when it comes to serious matters. What are you telling me if there's no progress? I still don't know which family's daughter you're with."

Zhao Hua quickly replied, "Her home is in Hongguang Brigade, on the outskirts of the county town."

When Zhao's mother first heard "county town," she was taken aback. Could a girl from a county town be easy to marry? But when she heard "Hongguang Brigade" following behind, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Hongguang Brigade is Hongguang Brigade, what's with this 'near the county town' thing?"

"I'm just worried you won't know where I am."

Zhao's mother looked up at Zhao Hua and said calmly, "I don't know where this area is within dozens of miles, but when I was traveling around with my sisters, you didn't even know where you were."

Zhao Hua was surprised. In those days, transportation was inconvenient. In his memory, his mother had never even gone far from home. She stayed either in the fields or at home.

Then Zhao's mother asked, "What's her surname? How many people are in her family?"

Zhao Hua didn't think much of it and stood up, saying, "Song, there are four people in the family, including an older brother."

"So you went to her house this time? Why didn't you tell me? You went empty-handed?"

"No way, I bought two bottles of wine and some canned cigarettes and stuff." Zhao Hua felt a little guilty saying this, because he had only bought two canned goods when he first went there.

Relieved, Zhao's mother scolded Zhao Hua, "Next time you go to a girl's house, remember to tell her beforehand. You're just a young man, so impetuous. Don't offend her."

Zhao Hua smiled and said, "I didn't say anything before. She has an older brother. I went to see her brother. Her family doesn't know what I was doing there."

Zhao's mother nodded in relief and said, "Okay, I understand. Don't just act on a whim. Think it over first, and only tell me when you're really sure."

Zhao Hua nodded slightly and said, "Understood."

Zhao's mother hurriedly asked, "By the way, what's this girl's name?"

Zhao Hua turned around and replied, "Song Xueping." After saying that, he went out to watch Zhao Ru play jacks. He had only mentioned it briefly to give his family a heads-up.

Zhao Ru was very enthusiastic when she saw Zhao Hua coming over. Recently, she had given Zhao Hua quite a bit of money. Other children could only eat candy and get a few cents of pocket money during the New Year or when there was something going on at home, but Zhao Hua had saved more than a dollar.

He quickly stood up and walked over, saying, "Brother, are you going out again?"

Zhao Hua waved his hand and said, "I'm not going out. I was just bored and came to see what you guys are playing."

Zhao Ru smiled and nodded, then squatted back down. She wouldn't need to cook or help with the fire that night.

Only after hearing Zhao's mother calling them to eat did the two return to their room to eat.

Zhao's father is not eating at home today; he's out making furniture for someone else, and the employer usually provides meals.

After Zhao Hua and Zhao Ru helped serve the food and sat down, Zhao Ru looked at Zhao Hua and asked, "Brother, are you going out again tomorrow?"

Zhao Hua knew what she was thinking, picked up a piece of cornbread, chewed it, and said, "No, you should get up early tomorrow. We're going to the river."

After getting the reply she wanted, Zhao Ru smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, I'll wake you up tomorrow morning."

Looking at the energetic Zhao Ru, Zhao's mother said, "Just let her go help you. Why give her money? She's so young and there's not much she needs to spend money on. The family doesn't need her to eat or drink."

Zhao Ru could no longer laugh, but Zhao Hua did.

Zhao Hua waved his hand and said, "Mother, let's eat. My little sister worked hard with me, we can't let her help for nothing."

Zhao's mother didn't say anything more, it was just a casual remark. She knew she wouldn't be able to give much anyway, it was just a habitual way of saying it, and after saying it, she didn't take it seriously and focused on eating.

Seeing that her mother didn't say anything more, Zhao Ru secretly breathed a sigh of relief and obediently finished her meal, not daring to even breathe too loudly, for fear of bringing up the past again.

After dinner, Zhao Hua returned to his room, opened a drawer, and looked at his secret stash of money.

He silently went over the accounts again in his mind.

This trip to Song Xueping's house cost eleven yuan and eighty-five cents, including two bottles of liquor, a carton of cigarettes, two cans of oranges, two packets of brown sugar, a packet of fruit candy, and two bottles of face cream.

In later generations, this amount of money is nothing, but nowadays, people are reluctant to give canned food to their children. Instead, they choose to sell it for money or give it away as gifts during holidays.

This is already top-tier gift-giving! As the old saying goes, it's never wrong to give many gifts!

Next time I go, Song Zhiqiang will probably be more enthusiastic. I still need to make money; the more money I have, the easier it is to do whatever I want.

At least it won't be like in my previous life, where I would feel so bad about my wife's trip home and even just a car ride.

Thinking back to the past, every time my wife went back to her parents' home, she would clutch the few cents she had for the bus ticket, her eyes filled with reluctance.

Zhao Hua felt a tightness in his chest, secretly hating himself for being so foolish and ignorant in his previous life.

Zhao Hua gently closed the drawer and stared blankly out the window.

He shook his head, letting go of his affectation, washed his feet, and prepared to go to sleep.