Siheyuan: A warm home with wife and children

Li Ying is a person with her own mind; once she's made up her mind, she won't change it. "Auntie, I'm willing."

Grabbing her wrist, Aunt Liu strode forward, head held high: "Come on, let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative to find your father."

Chapter Ten: Children, No Choice

Aunt Liu took Li Ying to the supply and marketing cooperative to talk to her father.

Yang Jianguo was also thinking about getting a marriage certificate. He just wanted to put a circle of wedding candies around the courtyard to make it look presentable.

There will be several tables set up outside, for the factory workers and the woman's family.

We have the means, there's no need to wrong them.

We also need to maintain our connections in the factory, so on this joyous occasion, we should celebrate with him in a happy and lively way.

Yang Jianguo was all alone and didn't need to consult anyone; he could make his own decisions.

"As for the bride price, 20 jin of wheat flour, chicken, duck, fish and meat... With chicken and fish, life is good. Also, some milk candy and fruit..."

The saying "three turns and one sound" has become quite popular these days.

However, it's not true that ordinary families must have "three turns and one sound" (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument, a sewing machine, a radio, and a watch) to get married.

If someone has one, the whole street will be envious.

Yang Jianguo has already bought a bicycle; he plans to buy the rest later.

Besides, he didn't have any 'watch coupons' or 'radio coupons' on him.

After glancing at the canned goods in the warehouse, Yang Jianguo decided to take out a few as an extra.

After finalizing the gift list, Yang Jianguo glanced around his home.

Apart from that newly bought Phoenix bicycle, it's really an eyesore. "This place needs to be cleaned up too."

Upon closer reflection, there are truly a lot of things to deal with.

Looking at the leftover food on the table, Yang Jianguo thought for a moment, then picked up his bowl and went out.

Little Dang, who was squatting in the yard, was poking at the ground with his finger.

He poked it twice, then put his muddy finger in his mouth and sucked on it.

Her grandmother, Jia Zhangshi, sat at the doorway, staring at Yang Jianguo with a sullen face...

Yang Jianguo ignored him and looked closely at the ground. He saw that Xiao Dang was using his fingers to pick up the sugar crumbs on the ground.

Seeing him come out, Xiao Dang stuck out her bottom, sucked her fingers, and said in a childish voice, "Uncle Yang."

I glanced at the disheveled, mushy child, who looked pale and thin from hunger.

Yang Jianguo's heart softened. "Xiao Dang, go with Uncle Yang to deliver the things."

Xiao Dang glanced back at his grandmother, and seeing that she didn't say anything, he happily followed Yang Jianguo away.

After taking her out of the central courtyard, Yang Jianguo squatted down, and Xiao Dang immediately saw the meat in his bowl.

"Uncle Yang, meat~" Xiao Dang's mouth was watering and his eyes were wide open.

Yang Jianguo placed the bowl in his right hand on the table and picked up a piece of oily beef from it: "Open your mouth."

"Ah~" Xiao Dang opened her mouth wide as much as she could.

Ah woo~

With a mouthful of beef, Xiao Dang's eyes narrowed as she ate.

"Uncle Yang will give you meat, but don't tell anyone, understand?"

"Mmm~" Little Dang nodded vigorously while chewing on the beef.

This is the first time I've ever eaten meat like this in my life, it's so delicious!

On ordinary days, having some scraps of meat and meat broth to dip in steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat and water is already considered a New Year's celebration.

After feeding the little girl two pieces of beef and then a piece of fish, Yang Jianguo refused to give her any more.

Little Dang was sucking on his fingers, wanting to eat more, but he obediently followed suit and didn't say a word.

"You can't eat too much meat at once, or you'll get a stomachache."

"Don't follow your brother's and grandma's example. You can take what others give you, but if you take what they don't give you, that's stealing."

"If Xiao Dang goes astray, Uncle Yang won't give him any meat anymore."

"Yes, Uncle Yang, Xiao Dang...remembers..." Xiao Dang nodded, indicating that he had remembered.

Though he may be clumsy with words, he's certainly not stupid.

Sometimes children are much smarter than adults think.

He patted her head, thinking to himself, 'What did the child do wrong? The most unfair thing in this world is not having a choice in who you're born with…'

If it were another child, falling into the hands of that old woman Jia Zhangshi, the outcome wouldn't be much better.

Fortunately, the old woman was a sexist and looked down on her two granddaughters, Xiaodang and Huaihua.

The two eventually became selfish, partly due to the prevailing social environment where everyone had to calculate their own lives.

Secondly, they were influenced by what they saw and heard, and were led astray by Jia Zhangshi and Banggeng.

Right now, Xiao Dang is still young, and Huaihua is still nursing in her swaddling clothes.

Instill correct values ​​in them early on, and teach them to listen to their teachers more and their brother and grandmother less.

In the future, I will definitely not be able to think only of myself and be a selfish bastard.

Whether it succeeds or fails, Yang Jianguo does it casually.

As for feeding Xiaodang meat, Yang Jianguo didn't expect her to repay him in the future.

When you do good deeds and seek peace of mind, goodness isn't that complicated.

The idea of ​​expecting something in return for doing good deeds only complicates the issue.

In the end, you might end up complaining and getting yourself into a mess...

"Alright, let's go back!"

After wiping Xiao Dang's mouth to make sure there were no traces of oil, Yang Jianguo picked up the bowl and knocked on the door of the side room built in the corner of the courtyard.

"Who?"

"I am Jian Guo."

"It's Jianguo! The door's unlocked, come in quickly."

Pushing open the door, I saw Liu, who was lying on the bed with a limp, pasting cardboard boxes.

Seeing his awkward smile, he said, "Jianguo, please sit wherever you like. I can't let go of what I'm doing."

Chapter Eleven: People, they're so complicated.

Da Liu, Liu Jianping.

He was originally an employee of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, working in the same workshop as Yang Jianguo's father.

His father died in an accident, and Liu Jianping's leg was pierced by a flying debris.

When Yang Jianguo buried his father, Liu Jianping was lying in the hospital after undergoing surgery.

Because of the complexity of his injuries, he struggled on the brink of death several times before being saved.

However, he also became disabled.

Nowadays, the family relies on Da Liu's wife, who works in a textile factory, while Da Liu stays home pasting cardboard boxes to supplement the family income.

Paper boxes, folding pages, threading books, embroidery, patching, and sharpening blades—these jobs don't have a standardized workshop.

Therefore, the funds are distributed to the various subdistrict offices, which then allocate them to residents with financial difficulties based on their applications.

Liu Jianping broke his leg and has two children to support, so he is qualified to apply for the job of pasting cardboard boxes.

Otherwise, even if they wanted to fade into obscurity, they wouldn't have the right to.

Cardboard boxes are not standardized; the main categories include cardboard boxes and paper bags.

The more specific categories are medicine packaging, lock packaging, tool packaging, and product packaging.

Light bulb wrapping paper, cake paper, etc...

The prices also vary; some cost one cent each, while others cost one cent for three or five.

Moreover, there isn't work every day.

The quantity of semi-finished products delivered is limited, and the number of households to be divided among them is also limited.

There's a lot of work, and I earn about nine or ten yuan a month.

I've had so little work that I haven't seen any money for months...

"Uncle Liu, I had a blind date at noon today and prepared some good dishes. We didn't finish them after the blind date, so I thought I'd bring them over for you to try."

Seeing that the cardboard box in his hand was properly glued together, Da Liu put the things on the table next to the kang (a heated brick bed) and sat up, propping himself up.

Looking into the bowl, Da Liu felt a pang of sadness and his eyes reddened.

A small bowl of beef, half a fish, and some braised pork piled up next to it.

This isn't leftovers; it's clearly something I saved specifically for myself...

What kind of era is this, where there's still a reason to have more meat than you can eat?

Da Liu felt so warm inside that he kept moving closer to the bed, which made Yang Jianguo's heart race.

"Uncle Liu, don't move, don't move... we mustn't fall." Yang Jianguo stepped forward to help him up.

Da Liu grabbed his hand, his eyes red and choked with sobs, "Jianguo, sob sob..."

A grown man in his forties, who used to handle a hundred-pound iron weight as if it were nothing.

Now, however, she cries like a child.

“Uncle, when my father was alive, you two were like brothers. Now that my father is gone, you… if you can help, just ask.”

Yang Jianguo's eyes were also a little wet. When he buried his father, Da Liu was in the hospital and had not yet struggled out of the brink of death.

He insisted on having his wife come back to help Yang Jianguo with the funeral arrangements, follow the proper etiquette, and maintain appearances.

If it weren't for Aunt Liu, Yang Jianguo, a 21st-century man, wouldn't know anything about funeral customs.

If we make a fool of ourselves, it will be the Yang family who loses face.

Everyone in the surrounding villages talks about it, using it as a topic of conversation over tea.

If he were to be branded as disrespectful to his elders, Yang Jianguo would never be able to hold his head high again.

These days, reputation is extremely important.

A single sentence can kill someone invisibly, which shows how important reputation is.

Sha Zhu went on so many blind dates, only to have his reputation ruined.

Sha Zhu, with the word "sha" (meaning foolish) in his name, gives a bad first impression.

Afterwards, I found out he was having an affair with a widow, and it never ended.

Upon further questioning, it turned out he was still a reckless scoundrel, always ready to fight...

These are the very people who are high-paid, well-off, from good families, and own two houses, yet they have all been turned into unmarried old bachelors with no one willing to date them.

Let a yard full of leeches crawl on your body and suck your blood.

One breath, and it lasts a lifetime!

Is Sha Zhu stupid? No, he's not.

Am I a slacker? Not really, I'm just straightforward and single-minded, not very clever.

If you really point out where he went wrong, explain it to him clearly.

He can immediately bow his head and admit his mistake; that's just his straightforward nature.

But around me...