The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 219 - 218: Better Days

"That’s bullshit! My Shitou already has a girlfriend, and she’s from the city. You can keep your precious niece for yourselves. Don’t try to set us up with just any reject."

"Your Shitou has a girlfriend? And she’s a city person? For real? Would a city girl even be interested in your Shitou?"

Shitou’s mother’s eyes widened. "Of course it’s real! My son wrote me a letter specifically to tell me."

Shitou hadn’t written home in a long time. The last letter he’d sent was to tell his mother he’d found a girlfriend in Beijing City, so she had no idea that they had already broken up.

As soon as Mr. and Mrs. He entered the courtyard, they saw the familiar surroundings.

Mrs. He sighed. "There’s no place like home. That saying is so true. Tell me, do you think I was just born to suffer?"

Mr. He smiled. "You’re just feeling nostalgic and homesick. I’ve been wanting to come back for a while now, too."

Mrs. He pouted. "From what I saw, you were living the good life in Beijing City, going out to play chess and stroll through the parks. I didn’t see you acting homesick at all."

Mr. He’s expression stiffened. "I was feeling it on the inside. Did you expect me to show it?"

He Nan listened with amusement as the two of them bickered.

When Little Chen entered the courtyard, he shouted toward the house, "Mom! Mom, I’m back!"

Hearing Little Chen’s voice, Gao Cuiyun and the children came running out of the house.

"Big Brother, Grandpa, Grandma, you’re back!"

The children ran over excitedly. Gao Cuiyun looked at Little Chen first—he’d grown taller and become a handsome young man—before glancing at Mr. He’s leg.

"Dad, is your leg better?"

Mr. He nodded. "It’s better."

Xiao Yang looked at Mr. and Mrs. He. "Grandpa, you and Grandma are dressed so nicely."

"Hahaha, you little rascal."

The family bustled into the house, where Mrs. He started pulling things out of a duffel bag for them.

"These are all from your third uncle and aunt. They don’t have time to come back for the New Year this year, but they had us bring the gifts back for you. Here, they even gave me your lucky money in advance."

"Wow! Third Uncle is so generous," Xiao Yang said.

Mrs. He corrected him, "Wrong. It was your third aunt who gave it to me."

"Thanks, Third Aunt! Hehe."

Gao Cuiyun asked, "Third Brother and his wife aren’t coming back for the New Year? Is the shop that busy? Will Little Chen coming back cause any problems?"

Mr. He waved his hand. "It’s fine. They have other people at the shop. Shitou isn’t back either. He Lang was worried about your mom and me traveling alone, so he had Little Chen come with us. It’s the New Year, so of course they’re going to be busy for a while."

Xiao Nian didn’t see his older sister. "Grandma, why didn’t my sister come back with you?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

He Nan told him, "Your sister called Dad earlier. She said she won’t be able to come home for a few more days."

Xiao Nian was a little disappointed. He hadn’t seen his sister in a year.

Then, Mrs. He asked about how things were at home, and Gao Cuiyun filled her in on everything.

"The quota pig has been handed over. Our family got dozens of pounds of meat, plus the pig’s blood. I’ve frozen it all. When winter started, two chickens froze to death, so we ate them. As for the grain rations, He Nan brought yours back for you, but... it might not be enough to last until the next grain distribution."

Mrs. He nodded. "I figured as much. It’s fine. We won’t be here next year anyway, so we won’t be eating much of the grain."

He Nan was a little confused. "Where are you two going next year? Isn’t Dad’s leg fully healed?"

Mrs. He glanced at Mr. He and said, "Next year, your dad and I are planning to go to Beijing City to help Third Brother. He’s preparing to open some kind of supermarket, and we’re afraid he’ll be too busy to manage. Besides, he can’t have only outsiders working there. It’ll be better if your dad is there to keep an eye on things."

"Then why didn’t Third Brother mention it on the phone last time?"

Mr. He told him, "It’s just a plan for now. It’s a big project, not something that can be set up overnight."

He Nan didn’t understand what a "supermarket" was, but he could tell that his third brother’s business was getting bigger and bigger.

As if remembering something, Mrs. He took a bag out of her purse.

"Eldest, this is from Third Brother’s wife for her family. Take it over to them this afternoon, and while you’re there, let them know that Third Brother and his wife won’t be back for the New Year."

He Nan nodded.

When Little Chen went back to their room with Gao Cuiyun and the others, she placed her hands on his shoulders and studied him carefully.

"You’ve grown again, and your skin is paler."

Little Chen said with a smile, "I’m inside the shop every day and never go out in the sun. How could I not get paler?"

Then, Little Chen took out the money He Lang had given him before he left.

Gao Cuiyun climbed onto the kang bed, opened the cabinet built into it, and took out a bundle. She unwrapped it, took out all the money from inside, and handed it to Little Chen.

"This is all the money you sent back before. Mom saved all of it. There’s over four thousand yuan here."

Little Chen looked at the money and said with determination, "Mom, let’s build a house. Just like Third Uncle’s family, let’s build one just like theirs. This money is definitely enough."

Gao Cuiyun hesitated. "How about we just build something decent? I was planning to use this money to find you a wife."

Little Chen was stunned when she finished speaking.

"A wife?"

Gao Cuiyun looked at him with amusement. "That’s right. After the New Year, you’ll be twenty. You’re old enough to get married."

Little Chen’s expression froze. He then said, "All I want to do right now is earn money. Let’s not talk about getting married for now."

"Earning money is important, but so is getting married. I know you’re busy now and haven’t given it much thought, but you’re at the right age, so it’s something to consider for the future. Mom isn’t trying to rush you. Just keep an eye out for yourself in Beijing City. If possible, finding a girl from the city wouldn’t be a bad thing."

Little Chen blushed a little. "Why would a city girl be interested in a country boy like me?"

"You never know. My Little Chen is very handsome."

Gao Cuiyun wasn’t wrong. No one in the He Family was ugly. Little Chen actually looked a bit like He Ze, who was known for his good looks.

"I know, Mom. For now, let’s just talk about the house. I’ll go talk to Grandpa and my father in a bit to see when would be a good time to build. It’d be best to start right after the New Year so I can go back sooner."

Gao Cuiyun looked at him. "Will that interfere with your third uncle’s business?"

"It shouldn’t. I’ll ask Third Uncle. As for the house, if we’re going to build one, let’s build a good one. When I earn more money in the future, I’ll build a house for both Xiao Yang and Ziming right here in the village. It’ll be easier for them to get married then."

Little Chen was thinking long-term. He was taking on the responsibility of caring for his family and even helping his younger brothers start their own.

The corners of Gao Cuiyun’s eyes turned red, but she knew it was from happiness.

"With you here, our family’s life is finally looking up."

Little Chen said with a smile, "Things will only get better from now on."

"Build a house?" He Nan was a little surprised.

Little Chen nodded. "Yes, Dad. I’ve earned some money working for Third Uncle, and I plan to use it to build a house just like his."

He Nan looked at his father. "Dad, how much did Third Brother’s house cost back then?"

Mr. He shook his head. "I never asked for the exact amount. Kid Xue was in charge of all of it. But it must have been over a thousand yuan. And that was the price from a few years ago. Bricks and tiles have all gone up in price now, so that amount definitely wouldn’t be enough anymore."

"Grandpa, Dad, I have the money. I want to build the house."