Yun Su watched as her little aunt, full of energy, dragged Yun’s mother over to the house across the way, all while holding a baby in her arms. She found it a little funny.
Yun’s father was in the yard cleaning seafood. Seeing his daughter’s expression, he burst out laughing. Then he said quietly, “Your little aunt really doesn’t have a bad heart. She’s always been good to you and your siblings.”
Yun Su nodded and gently bounced the milky-smelling baby in her arms. The child, who had been pouting and about to cry, immediately broke into a smile.
Looking at this adorable baby, Yun Su thought to herself just what hardships her little aunt had faced. Why did both her parents keep saying her little aunt hadn’t had it easy?
—
Yun Su’s little aunt left quickly and returned just as fast.
“You should have seen the look on Liu Zhaodi’s face—so cowed, it was hilarious.” Before she married, Yun Su’s little aunt had endured quite a bit of bullying from this second sister-in-law. Seeing her now fuming but not daring to lose her temper made this trip back home worth it.
Yun’s father cheerfully handed over a bowl of freshly cooked seafood soup. “Have some soup to fill your stomach. That household won’t be eating anytime soon.”
Yun Su’s little aunt didn’t stand on ceremony. She downed the seafood soup in a few gulps, wiped her mouth, and said she was going to see her parents, picking up the baby as she spoke.
Yun’s father led his sister out.
“Mom, what exactly happened to Little Aunt back then? Why did she end up marrying in Yangcheng?”
No one else was home at the moment.
Her eldest brother had gone to work at the processing factory and wouldn’t be off until tomorrow. He would probably rush back after work this afternoon. Her little brother Fuzai was out with the other village kids watching the excitement. A wedding was the best time for village children, because each one would get at least one piece of wedding candy.
Yun’s mother sighed. “Before your little aunt married her current husband, she was actually engaged to someone else.”
Few people in the village knew these old stories, let alone the younger generation.
“She married Pan Wen at twenty-five. When she was twenty, she was engaged to a young man who had just finished high school. Not long after the engagement, he got into university. He said he would come back and marry her after he graduated…”
Yun Su didn’t need to think hard to guess what happened next. That man must have graduated and then decided not to come back to marry her little aunt. In the end, her little aunt had no choice but to marry her current uncle.
Yun’s mother’s next words confirmed this.
—
“Your little aunt isn’t the type to be completely wrapped up in romantic feelings. That man wasted the four best years of her youth, turning her into an ‘old maid.’ She went directly to him and demanded he find her a job. Otherwise, she would make it impossible for him to live or work in peace.”
This twist was unexpected.
Yun’s mother laughingly tapped her daughter. “See? I told you your little aunt isn’t simple. She’s very smart. She knew that making a big emotional scene was useless. Once a man’s heart changes, everything is fake. Only a job and money are real.”
Yun Su quickly admitted she was wrong.
Yun’s mother continued: “Anyway, she ended up getting a job out of it. At the Yangcheng No. 3 Textile Factory. The very same unit where your uncle is now the director.”
This development…
Yun Su looked at her mother in surprise and asked directly, “If Little Aunt already had a job, why did she have to marry a twice-married man?”
In that era, a first marriage to a divorcee was relatively rare unless the two were otherwise mismatched in status.
Hearing this, Yun’s mother’s expression turned a bit resentful.
“It was all those gossiping women. They said that even though your little aunt had a job, she was still someone who had been engaged and abandoned. And she was nearly twenty-five by then—an ‘old maid’ in their eyes. When she worked at the factory, the matches they set up for her were either men with pockmarked faces, crippled legs, or men with overwhelming family burdens.”
Yun Su understood.
Her little aunt was quite beautiful. The Yun family, men and women alike, were all good-looking. For such a pretty woman to be forced to marry someone undesirable was truly unfair.
“Your little aunt said at the time: since they’re only introducing her to pockmarked, crippled men or men poor enough to have to support a dozen relatives, she might as well marry a good-looking, wealthy twice-married man.”
Yun’s mother hadn’t entirely agreed with this reasoning. But given the situation, she had no better option. Within her limited circle, Pan Wen, despite being a divorcee, was the best match available.
So, despite the family’s reluctance, her little sister-in-law had married with a smile.
But after marriage, life wasn’t easy, though it wasn’t impossible either.
—
“Before having this baby, your little aunt was actually pregnant once, about ten years ago. When she was eight months along, Pan Wen’s daughter pushed her. She fell, and the baby was born prematurely and didn’t survive. After that, your little aunt couldn’t conceive again until last year, when she finally got good news. This time, everything went smoothly, and she gave birth safely.”
Yun Su hadn’t known there was such a story behind it. Her little aunt must be full of resentment. Yet she was still living under the same roof with that person.
Yun’s mother sighed. “When it happened, they said the child just lost her balance and didn’t push on purpose. That child was ten years old by then. Who can say for certain whether it was intentional? Anyway, being a stepmother is never easy.”
Yun’s mother didn’t want to speak ill of a child behind her back, but the truth was something the Pan family knew well. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent the child to live with her grandparents next door after the incident. And they never pressured her little sister-in-law to have more children over the years, because the premature birth had damaged her health.
“In any case, I’m not telling you this to make you pity your little aunt. She doesn’t think of herself as pitiful. She’s the kind of person who strives for what she wants on her own. I’m telling you this so you’ll know: if Xiao Ji ever fails you in the future, you should be brave enough to fight for your own interests.”
Although Xiao Ji seemed very reliable now, Yun’s mother wasn’t the type to rely on a man for everything. If a man truly became useless, a woman needed to make early plans.
She hadn’t wanted to bring up such unpleasant topics before her daughter’s engagement. But since she had already mentioned her little sister-in-law, naturally she wanted to give her daughter a word of caution.
Yun Su nodded. She wasn’t foolish. She wouldn’t just marry into a family and let herself be bullied. As long as she kept her wits about her, if someone bullied her, she would bully them back. If she wasn’t strong enough to fight back, she would come home for reinforcements. There was always a way to protect herself.
—
Yun Su’s little aunt stayed at Grandpa and Grandma Yun’s place until the groom came to pick up the bride before returning.
Yun Su had never seen how a bride was fetched in this era, so she stood in the yard to watch the excitement.
Leading the procession was a tractor, its front decorated with red ropes. The groom, Chen Pingshun, dressed in a neat cadre’s outfit, sat in the tractor cart, happily waving to everyone.
That sight was, to be honest, a bit of an eyesore.
Yun Su’s little aunt said bluntly, “I thought Yun Yan was smart, but the man she found is really ugly.”
Yun Su nodded along. She didn’t know Chen Pingshun’s character, but he was truly unattractive. He wasn’t even as tall as Yun Yan.
But Yun Yan clearly didn’t mind.
Soon enough, she was led out with a radiant smile. The couple climbed onto the tractor together and noisily left Yun Family Hollow Brigade.
The entire bride-fetching process took less than an hour. Before leaving, they handed out a round of wedding candies to the villagers.
The onlookers were all very happy—they got a free piece of candy!
The only ones who might have been unhappy were Second Uncle Yun, Second Aunt-in-law, and Yun Feng.
Yes, Yun Su truly admired this person. She didn’t even like Chen Pingshun, yet when he married Yun Yan, she pulled a long face. Anyone who didn’t know better would think Yun Yan had stolen her boyfriend.
That said, Yun Feng only pulled a long face today; she stayed silently tucked away in a corner and didn’t cause any trouble.
Her subdued behavior made quite a few people nod, thinking she had finally come to her senses.
—
After sending off the newlyweds, the brigade captain, who had been overseeing the wedding at Second Uncle Yun’s house, invited the clan elders, along with Grandpa Yun, Grandma Yun, First Uncle Yun’s family, Third Uncle Yun’s family, and Yun Su’s little aunt, to sit down and eat together.
Yun Su didn’t go over for the meal. Mainly, she would have been seated at the same table as Yun Feng. So she decided not to go. Using the excuse of avoiding bad luck, she stayed home, took her little aunt’s baby, and ate a bowl of seafood noodles.
The noodles were handmade and brought by her little aunt—very chewy. In their area, rice noodles and river noodles were more common; wheat noodles were rare.
So Yun Su felt particularly satisfied.
She also got to see the era’s powdered milk and baby bottles.
The glass bottle and rubber nipple had apparently been bought at a Friendship Store; ordinary department stores didn’t carry such things.
Of course, there were no diapers either.
In any case, Yun Su got a small taste of how hard it was to raise a child in this era. Fortunately, Ji Xiangtian was reliable. Before they were even married, he had already sworn up and down that he would be the one to take care of the children.
Yun Su didn’t think he would break his word. That man looked cool and handsome, but his heart was very soft.
The day quickly gave way to evening. As soon as her eldest brother returned home, he pulled her little brother along and tidied up the yard again. Then he ran off to borrow tables, chairs, benches, pots, bowls, and ladles from other households.
Seeing this, Yun Su felt that her brother was even more nervous than she was. She didn’t know why, but she herself felt no anxiety—as if everything would naturally fall into place.
Then, right before bed, each family member came to Yun Su’s room one by one.
Yun’s father slipped her ten yuan. Needless to say, it was money he had been saving as his private stash for many years.
Yun’s mother gave her a gold ring. It was a very thin gold ring, but it was real gold. She said it had been given to her by her own grandmother when she got married.
Yun’s elder brother gave her thirty yuan, startling Yun Su into thinking he had done something shady. But he quickly explained that it was an advance on his salary.
Yun’s little brother came last. Yun Su was curious what he would give her. The boy pulled out one yuan, saying it was the allowance he had saved up for a long time.
Yun Su was deeply moved.
After all the excitement, everyone returned to their rooms to sleep.
Tomorrow was the day of Yun Su and Ji Xiangtian’s engagement. Everything was ready.
< Previous chapter | TOC | More chapters later
Leave a Reply