Back to my 1980s

The afternoon sun in spring is not strong, and the air is filled with the faint scent of grass and trees.

Zhao Hua habitually reached into his pocket, but couldn't find any cigarettes, and his mouth felt a little dry.

He smacked his lips, got up, went back to his room, stuffed the money into the bedside table, and then took out another fifty cents.

I walked to the village store, glanced around, but didn't see anyone.

He called out into the inner room:

"Is anyone there? I want to buy something!"

"What do you want? Help yourself." The old man who was minding the shop said as he came out carrying a rice bowl.

"Get me a pack of cigarettes."

These days, the only cigarettes commonly found in convenience stores are economy cigarettes and frugal cigarettes.

Daqianmen and Zhonghua cigarettes were rare commodities, requiring ration coupons to purchase. They were practically unseen in rural areas, and even if they were, they were kept hidden and only sold to those with ration coupons and connections.

Zhao Hua took a pack of 8-cent economy cigarettes and a box of 2-cent matches, which came to exactly 10 cents. After paying, he left the convenience store.

He skillfully opened the cigarette pack, took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and slowly walked home.

When Zhao Hua returned home, no one was at the dinner table, and his younger sister was standing by the stove washing the dishes.

"Where are my parents?"

"Let's get to work! They say the soil is soft right now, so weeding is the easiest thing to do."

"Oh, are you going later?"

"Of course I have to go. I have to go right after I finish washing the dishes," the little girl said resentfully.

Zhao Hua thought about it and decided not to join in the fun, lest he overdo it and get himself locked up in the ground...

But since I'm just idling around anyway, I might as well tidy up the house.

"Let's do it!" Zhao Hua took a deep drag on his cigarette, threw the butt on the ground, and stomped on it.

He turned and went inside. The room was simply furnished with a cabinet, a wooden table, several long benches, and small wooden stools.

A winnowing basket and a broom were leaning against the door.

Zhao Hua moved the mirrors, water glasses, and other items that were placed on the cabinet to the table.

"Brother, what are you looking for?" Zhao Ru shook the water droplets off her hands and walked in.

"I'm not looking for anything. I'll just tidy up the cabinet and table and wipe off the dust."

The little girl paused for a moment, stood aside, and watched her brother tidy up the house quickly, a hint of doubt in her eyes.

But I didn't say much. Who cares? It's already a miracle I didn't go out and fool around today.

She wiped her hands, clenched her fists, seemed about to ask something but swallowed it back, changed into a pair of rain boots, and went out.

In just over an hour, the house was cleaned up spotlessly.

The counter and tables were polished to a shine, and the floor was swept clean.

Zhao Hua straightened up and saw that the room looked much brighter, which gave him a sense of accomplishment.

While the food was still warm, he turned around and went to the stove to cook dinner as well, and also heated up bathwater for them.

In later generations, living alone, he would occasionally cook a meal for himself.

When my parents and sister returned home exhausted, it was already dark and the food had been cold for a while, but it was just right for them in this weather.

Upon entering the house, Mr. and Mrs. Zhao were stunned for a moment. They looked at the clean and tidy house, then at the food laid out on the table, and then at their son sitting to the side waiting. They were speechless for a long time.

Zhao Ru muttered quietly from the side, "See? I told you my brother wasn't acting right today, didn't I?"

Zhao's mother patted her, signaling her not to talk nonsense, gave Zhao Hua an approving look, and then went with Zhao's father to wash their hands and faces to prepare for dinner.

As soon as she sat down, Zhao's mother couldn't help but ask, "You didn't go out to play today?"

"No, I spent the whole afternoon at home tidying up."

While picking up some food, Zhao's father asked, "Didn't your friends come to see you?"

Zhao Hua replied casually, "Why would you come looking for me when there's mud everywhere? The roads are difficult to walk on."

Zhao Ru buried her head in her rice and remained silent, just like a wild boar.

Zhao Hua put down her chopsticks and casually asked, "Where am I sleeping tonight? Am I going to Grandma's again?"

"Well, your house doesn't leak. If the weather clears up these next couple of days, you can dry the rapeseed and take it to the grain station to bring it back."

Zhao Hua nodded, didn't ask any more questions, and continued eating with his head down. If he said anything more, he might step on some landmine and get scolded again.

But since I cooked this meal myself, I figured they wouldn't dare criticize me so easily...

Zhao Hua finished eating first, washed his own dishes and chopsticks, and then squatted at the door to smoke.

After her younger sister Zhao Ru came out, she pulled her aside, took out one yuan and fifty cents from her pocket, and quietly slipped it into her hand, saying in a low voice:

"Here, this is your reward for catching fish today. Don't tell Mom you secretly took the flowers for yourself."

In the afternoon, Zhao Hua had already noticed that his younger sister seemed hesitant to speak, but he didn't have enough money in his pocket at the time, and his hands were covered in dust and dirt. His younger sister left after changing her shoes, and the matter has been delayed until now.

Zhao Ru was both surprised and delighted as she held the 1.5 yuan in her hand. She had originally thought that the 1 yuan she received at noon was her reward, and that she only wanted to confirm it again in the afternoon...

In those days, rural children didn't have much pocket money. They were happy if they got a penny or two to buy a piece of candy. A dime was considered a very generous amount. After all, she was just a child.

Staring at the money in her palm, she looked up at her brother with bright eyes, nodded quickly, and clutched the money tightly.

"I know, bro! You're the most handsome! You're the best brother! You're the best to me!"

"What are you two whispering about here? Hua Zi, why aren't you going to sleep yet?"

...Zhao Hua wanted to hear his younger sister praise him a few more times.

Later, the younger sister grew up and went to work in Zhejiang Province. She was very disappointed in her brother and was closer to her wife. Whenever she called, she would give him a lot of advice.

It was a rare sight to see her so submissive to her. Zhao Hua was enjoying his younger sister's flattery when he was interrupted by his mother.

Upon hearing her mother's voice, Zhao Ru hid the money behind her back with her small hand.

"No! I didn't do anything! My brother just asked if I was tired from working this afternoon!"

Zhao's mother looked at the brother and sister suspiciously and said, "What's so interesting about such a small matter?"

His gaze fell on Zhao Ru's hands, which were tightly hidden behind her back. A knowing look flashed across his face as he said, "What are you hiding? Let me see what's worth sneaking around for."

Seeing that his mother seemed determined to find out the truth, and looking at his younger sister's nervous expression where she was speaking without thinking, he realized that his mother was determined to find out the truth.

Zhao Hua was practically laughing inside, but on the surface he nodded with a straight face:

"Yes, yes! I was asking if you were tired this afternoon? Thirsty? And if you got too much sun!"

Then he subtly winked at his mother.

Seeing the strange behavior of the brother and sister, Zhao's mother knew that they had a little secret they didn't want her to know. In the end, it couldn't be anything serious; it was probably related to the fish they had caught that day.

As children grow older, they no longer like to share things with their parents.

He snapped at Zhao Hua, annoyed, "All you do is take your little sister out to play around! You're like a child who hasn't grown up!"

"Xiaoru is happy to follow you around all day, she doesn't act like a proper young lady at all! If you have nothing to do, go back to sleep! I get annoyed just looking at you guys!" She said, cursing as she went to get water to take a bath and prepare for bed.

Zhao Hua and Zhao Ru exchanged a glance, and Zhao Ru visibly breathed a sigh of relief, her smile returning to her face.

Zhao Huachong shrugged and pouted, then obediently went to her grandmother's house to sleep.