Daily Life in the 70s-Chapter 111 Musical Instruments

Chapter 111: Trivial Matters

After consoling Chen Guizhi for a good while, her emotions finally stabilized.

Yang PeiMin didn’t dare let her cook anymore and quickly helped her back into the room, preparing her a cup of sugar water to drink. Just then, Shen Yiyue and the others returned and upon seeing this scene, they couldn’t help but ask, "What’s happened to mom?"

Chen Guizhi hurriedly said it was nothing and told them to go help their sister-in-law with cooking.

Following behind Yang PeiMin into the kitchen, Shen Yiyue started asking about Chen Guizhi’s wellbeing, while Shen Yixiang refused to come out.

Yang PeiMin shared what had happened with Fourth Aunt Shen’s visit.

Shen Yiyue couldn’t help but curse, "Why won’t these people leave our family alone, acting like bloodsuckers!" She sat down on the chair in front of the stove, taking over the cooking duty, and after her rant, she said to Yang PeiMin, "We have to thank sister-in-law for being here, otherwise mom would have soft-heartedly thrown our money into the sea again."

Yang PeiMin, however, was curious about why they were late today. Normally, Shen Yiyue’s school release time was similar to hers, and getting home too late was unsafe for the two girls. Hence, the family was always painstakingly instructive for them to head straight home after school, not allowing any lingering at school or elsewhere.

Shen Yiyue explained, "It was the school’s rehearsal that delayed us."

"Is your school still planning to do a cultural performance for March 8th Women’s Day, as mentioned before?"

Shen Yiyue nodded, "There are only a few days left, and we’re so anxious we can hardly stand it. We wish we could spend the whole day on rehearsals, but it’s killing us; we just can’t get the rhythm transitions right."

Yang PeiMin asked, "Don’t you have music?"

Shen Yiyue shook her head, "Only the cultural propaganda teams in the townships are equipped with bands. Our school isn’t large and we’ve never had such programs before. We originally thought of borrowing one for our dress rehearsals, but they’re too booked to spare any time to come here. So even having a flute is considered pretty good. But even with the flute, we can’t seem to keep up. Maybe we’re not skilled enough."

"We thought that a stage play could go without music, but then it feels more like a skit. We’re not sure if we can make it out of town smoothly," Shen Yiyue said, furrowing her brows with an air of frustration on her face.

Yang PeiMin listened, a bit dumbfounded by how basic the conditions were.

"Have we thought about putting together a band ourselves?"

Shen Yiyue looked at her, shaking her head once more, "Sister-in-law, we haven’t even touched a flute, let alone play it well enough to bring on stage. And apart from the flute, I can’t think of any other instruments. Maybe an erhu?"

Upon mentioning other options, Shen Yiyue twisted her brows together in a knot, looking deeply troubled.

Yang PeiMin thought for a moment and suggested, "What about the harmonium?" She didn’t dare to ask about other instruments; asking would not only come up empty but also raise suspicions.

Shen Yiyue’s eyes brightened momentarily but then dimmed again, "I’ve only seen it once at the home of a classmate of my father when he was Political Commissar. I heard it was brought from Shanglu—a prized possession. When it was brought to school, she wouldn’t let us touch it, not even a graze. But she’s transferred now, she’s not here anymore. Where are we going to find one?"

"Even if we do find one, who would know how to play? There’s no telling if any of the educated youth would know."

Yang PeiMin discussed with her, "Then let’s ask the classmates to spread out and ask around. We might really find one, and the harmonium is quite simple. I can teach..."

"Sister-in-law, you know how?" Shen Yiyue said in surprise, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on Yang PeiMin, feeling somewhat incredulous. But then she remembered that Yang PeiMin had come from a high school and her surprise dissipated a bit. Maybe she had learned from classmates who were better off, "If sister-in-law knows, that would be great."

Yang PeiMin broke into a sweat, relieved that Yiyue hadn’t asked how she knew. She could imagine that backstory now, though having something was indeed better than nothing given the circumstances.

As Shen Yiyue looked into Yang PeiMin’s eyes, they grew brighter. She clapped her hands and laughed, "Sister-in-law, once we’ve borrowed the harmonium, you can play it for us and help us with our makeup too." freewёbnoνel.com

Yang PeiMin chuckled, the young girl sure knew how to delegate tasks.

She asked about more details of the performance, but they still needed to see their practice, borrow the instrument, and practice the songs.

After they settled on these matters, Shen Yiyue beamed with joy, repeatedly telling Yang PeiMin about the people performing with her this time. Because of the limit on spots, Shen Yixiang hadn’t made it into the group.

After preparing dinner, Yang PeiMin thought that Fourth Aunt’s house would also be eating at this time. Since she had fried some bacon and made quite a bit, fourth Uncle enjoyed eating it with a drink, so she filled a bowl to take some over to the elderly couple.

Shen Yidong, who had just returned from visiting neighbors, was somewhat dissatisfied with Yang PeiMin’s behavior, muttering, "We don’t have enough for ourselves, yet she’s generous enough to help others. There isn’t enough money in the house for her to waste." She was especially unhappy about Yang PeiMin giving away eggs to school kids—that was the Shen family’s money.

Yet, since no one at home objected, she couldn’t complain out loud. But now, giving meat to fourth Uncle, who lived better than they did, was too much for her to bear.

Shen Yixiang, however, held her back, "Fourth sister, I won’t support you this time. Fourth Aunt often made good food and had sister-in-law bring some back for us to try. Why didn’t you say anything then? You were happy to eat it yourself, weren’t you?"

Shen Yidong glared at her, "Always butting in." She thought about the sweet rice balls and pastries that had gone from fourth Aunt’s hands to their stomachs and chose not to say anything more.

Yang PeiMin pretended not to hear, knowing that Shen Yidong was prone to jealousy, easily spat vitriol, and sometimes it wasn’t about the matter at hand but rather disdain towards her. But she also feared turning the situation into what had happened with her husband last time, so even if Shen Yidong had her opinions, she no longer openly nagged Yang PeiMin as before; she just muttered under her breath, but nobody chimed in, leaving Shen Yidong to stew in her own discontent.

Fourth Aunt was an excellent cook, someone who didn’t short-change herself. Fourth Uncle had a skill; in the past years, he helped around the village making furniture for others, earning work points from the team, and a little extra on the side, living comfortably.

Now that they were older, they no longer went out to work, only helping out at the grain field and other light tasks when it was busy. Both their sons were married, even their grandson had taken a wife, and they were all capable of feeding themselves, so there was little to worry about.

Since Fourth Aunt didn’t get along with her daughters-in-law, she didn’t live with them. When she had nothing to do, she indulged in her hobby of concocting delicious food, offering tastes to the younger generation.