The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 217 - 216: Celebration, Shitou’s Treat

Good heavens, those women had some serious fight in them. After they were done, the shop was a disaster. Not only were clothes strewn all over the floor, but some were also trampled dirty and ripped to shreds. They were a total mess.

The shop owner was so furious he stood inside, cursing them out for being so unreasonable and boorish.

Shitou listened for a while, then finally returned to their shop, completely satisfied. He proceeded to give everyone an animated, play-by-play account of the scene, complete with gestures, which had everyone else doubling over with laughter.

Another two weeks passed, and the clothing store across the street finally couldn’t hang on any longer. A "For Lease" notice was posted on its door.

Shitou was so happy he practically jumped for joy. He immediately and generously announced that he was treating everyone to dinner that day.

He Lang raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t you saving up to get married?"

Shitou scratched his head. "I still need to save, but I’m just so happy today. It won’t hurt to splurge a little just this once."

Yang Wenxiu smiled and said, "Brother Shitou, I heard a new braised-meats shop opened up not far from here. Everyone says it’s delicious. Why don’t you treat us there?"

Guan Wenwen tutted. "Honestly, Wenxiu, are you trying to save him money? How much could braised meats possibly cost? It’s a rare treat from Shitou; we should at least go to a proper restaurant for a big meal."

Yang Wenxiu blushed. "I think the braised meats are delicious! And... can I order a soda, too?"

Shitou nodded. "Of course."

That was enough to make Yang Wenxiu happy. Guan Wenwen looked at her and shook her head, exasperated.

Then, as if a thought struck her, she glanced from Shitou to the blushing Yang Wenxiu, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Little Chen was also chiming in with requests, asking for pig’s head meat one moment and suggesting pork intestines the next. Shitou magnanimously agreed to everything.

He Lang watched them, a smile playing on his lips.

He Lang hadn’t been spending much time at the store recently. He’d been riding his tricycle all around the central districts of Beijing City, scouting for good locations and suitable storefronts.

He needed a place with high foot traffic, so the location couldn’t be out of the way. It also had to be large enough. He was thinking of something like the supermarket he had seen in Shanghai, which occupied a huge plot of land and had three whole floors dedicated to the store.

So far, He Lang hadn’t found any property that fit the bill.

Before long, it was the twelfth lunar month.

While Mr. He’s leg wasn’t completely healed, he could now walk without any issues. He had finally put away the wheelchair and crutches for good and would even take the kids out for a stroll every day.

Xue Yue and the children were now on winter break.

Time flew by so quickly; Mr. and Mrs. He had already been in Beijing City for six months.

The family began discussing whether to return home for the New Year, and if so, when.

He Lang suggested, "I think we should just stay in Beijing City for the New Year. The shop is swamped right now. Even if we wanted to go back, we couldn’t leave until the end of the month. Plus, the trains will be mobbed, and who knows if we could even get tickets."

It was clear that Mr. and Mrs. He wanted to return.

Mrs. He began to worry aloud. "We left in such a rush, there’s still a mountain of work to do at home. Our eldest called last time and said the harvest was good this year. I wonder how much grain my work points will amount to... And my chickens, I hope they haven’t frozen to death. The pig has to be handed over for the quota soon, too. I wonder how fat it’s gotten? Will our share be enough? And all the kids back home, I miss them. Especially your big brother. He has to work and look after Xiao Nian. What if he’s out on a long drive? Who will feed Xiao Nian?"

Mrs. He went on like this for some time; there were simply too many people and things weighing on her mind.

Mr. He said to He Lang, "If you’re busy, you don’t need to come with us. The New Year can be celebrated anywhere. Your family should stay here in Beijing City. Your mother and I will go back to check on things. I can’t rest easy otherwise. We’ve been gone for more than six months, and I miss everyone in the village. We’ll come back next year when you’re about to open the supermarket."

Ruanruan and Shiyi clung to their grandparents’ legs, refusing to let them go.

"Grandma, please don’t go! Why don’t you just have Uncle and Brother Xiao Yang come here instead? That would solve everything, right? We have plenty of room!" Ruanruan couldn’t bear for her grandmother to leave.

Shiyi chimed in, "Grandpa, Grandma, please don’t go."

Mrs. He was torn. She really was worried after being away for so long. In the past, she couldn’t have even imagined leaving home for such a long time to come all the way to Beijing City.

With Xue Yue on break now, she could look after the children and the household. In truth, Mr. and Mrs. He had already decided between themselves that they would return home.

Xue Yue could see what was on her in-laws’ minds. "Mom, Dad," she said, "if you want to go back and check on things, then you should go. The trains probably aren’t too crowded yet. I’ll have He Lang buy your tickets tomorrow. Then, after the New Year, once you’ve got everything settled at home, you can come right back. Having you here for the past six months has made life so much easier for He Lang and me. You’ve been a huge help, and I’m truly grateful. And if I may be so bold, Mom, I’ll be counting on you to come back and help with the cooking and taking care of the kids."

Mrs. He’s heart warmed at her words. She smiled and nodded. "Alright, alright. I’ll be sure to come back before the kids start school next year."

Mr. and Mrs. He left two days later. They had Little Chen go with them so they would have someone to look after them on the journey.

Xue Yue bought new clothes for her in-laws and packed plenty of food and drinks for their trip. She also secretly slipped a wad of cash into Mrs. He’s pocket, worried they would refuse it if she offered it outright. Since they hadn’t worked much this year, she figured they would be short on grain. Only after she had seen them settled on the train did she finally tell her.

Mrs. He tried to refuse, but Xue Yue and the others were already off the train. She felt her pocket and, sure enough, found a thick wad of bills.

She sighed emotionally. "Our third son’s wife... she’s so good to us, there are no words. We’ve been in Beijing City for six months, and she’s bought us all new clothes, from the inside out. I haven’t worn anything old in ages. We eat meat every single day; I’ve even put on weight! I think back to when our children were young, how we never knew where our next meal was coming from. We’d forage for wild vegetables on the mountain every day, and when we were desperate, we even ate tree bark. And now... look at the food we eat, the clothes we wear. This kind of life... I never could have imagined it."

Mr. He patted the back of her hand. "You’ve endured so much with me."

Mrs. He glanced at him. "Everyone had it rough back then. As long as you were good to me, the other hardships were nothing."

A woman isn’t afraid of hardship, really. What she fears is that her suffering goes unseen, and worse, that she has to put up with being mistreated on top of it all.

This would be Xue Yue and her family’s first New Year in Beijing City.

Xue Xingzhou’s family wasn’t returning home for the holiday either. They were worried because Tun Tun was still so little, and mainly, because Black Province was just too cold. They feared that after several days on the road, the child might get sick from being too hot or too cold, which would be a huge problem.

So, the two families talked it over and decided to celebrate the New Year together, which would also save the children from having to travel back and forth.

Furthermore, Xue Xingzhou’s nanny had gone home for the holiday, so Xue Yue insisted his family come stay with them. After all, they had plenty of extra rooms.

On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, Shitou finally departed by train. He Lang kept the shop open all the way until the twenty-ninth before finally closing for the holiday.