RESLW Chapter 21

Chapter 21 Maternal Fourth Aunt’s Great Affair of Marriage

    After breakfast, Mei Xiaoran and her younger brother went to school. At noon when it was the school’s break time, there was no one at home.

   “Sis, where have our parents gone? How come there’s no one at home and no one cooked?”

   Since they, this pair of older sister and younger brother, went to junior high school, the three meals a day was always on time. This kind of condition never occurred.

   Mei Xiaoran also had no idea of what had happened. She went to the kitchen to cook.

   At that time, most people still used firewood for cooking, but in the county, many families began to use honeycomb briquette. Honeycomb coal is more convenient than firewood. Before cooking, the furnace must be opened for about half an hour in advance and wait for the fire on the coal to rise. It’s already twelve p.m. in the afternoon when Mei Xiaoran and her younger brother went home after the classes were over. It’s almost half past one in the afternoon when she finishes cooking and they are done having the meal……One week after the start of school, the school began to implement the autumn schedule. Instead of having the classes starting at three pm, it is now being changed to two pm. Getting ready at 1:40 pm this evening, this pair of sister and brother arrived at the same time the school bell was ringing. 

   After the school ended in the evening, there was still no one at home.

   This is too suspicious. Really not normal.

   Mei Xiaoran can only eat some steamed bread with her younger brother to fill up their stomach, otherwise they would be too delayed.

   Until they were done with the evening self study at school and went home, Mei Xiaoran and her younger brother finally saw their parents.

   Li Mingyun frowned and sat there sighing.

   Mei Zhonghua who stood beside her advised, “The rain wants to fall, the mother wants to marry*. This kind of thing, as the eldest sister, you have no control over it.”

   (TN : there’s a story behind this saying, but the main point is ‘inevitably, things will happen and it cannot be stopped’. Comments below if you want me to update a footnote about the story. If I received at least 5 comments, I will update the footnote then.)

   “Then I can’t just helplessly watch her jump blindly into the pit of fire!”

   Li Mingyun seemed to have made up her mind, “This matter, let alone my parents who won’t agree to it, I will also not agree to it.”

   “It will depend on Yezi*’ attitude then. If she doesn’t agree, you also can’t do anything to her.”

   (TN : zi – term of endearment for a younger one.)

   Mei Xiaoran understood then. This is about her maternal fourth aunt, Li Mingye. No wonder her parents are so busy that one can’t even see a shadow of them. It turns out something had happened with maternal fourth aunt.

   Li Mingyun has six siblings. Except for the youngest pair of twins that was much younger than the older sister before them (aka fourth aunt)……The other four siblings, who shall start a family, already had started and the one that hasn’t, is already at the age of starting one. Now, the one that hasn’t got married yet is only the Fourth, Li Mingye. Listening to her parents’ talk, it seems to be discussing the marriage of the maternal fourth aunt.

   Mei Xiaoran didn’t have that deep of an impression regarding the memories about maternal fourth aunt in her past life, but something happened in between that was still fresh in her memories.

   Gosh!

   It can’t be this one, right?

   Mei Xiaoran took a quick look at the calendar. September 12th, it was a few days before the Mid Autumn Festival. Seemingly, on that year’s Mid Autumn Festival, maternal fourth aunt drank the pesticide. At that time, that large of a family did not even have a good Mid Autumn Festival because of her……

   “Mom, are you talking about my Maternal Fourth Aunt?”

   Li Mingyun glared at her daughter, “Adult’s business, children shouldn’t inquire about it.”

   “I’m not inquiring. It’s you who talked it out with my dad.” Mei Xiaoran thought for a while and reminded her mother, “Mom, it’s almost Mid Autumn Festival. You should go back and see my Maternal Grandmother.”

   “It certainly is. Anyhow, as a daughter, you have to bring some mooncakes back to your maternal family’s home during the Mid Autumn Festival.”

   If it weren’t because of the two students in their family, the meal must be served on time, then she really wants to go back to her maternal family and stay for two days there……Yezi’s condition doesn’t seem right and her parents are not young anymore. Afraid they can’t calm down this little girl. As an older sister, can she not worry over this?

   “Mingyun, just look around and buy some presents back, bring it to your maternal family’s home and check them out. I’m busy these two days.”

   Mei Zhonghua said so. He was really busy. After the watermelon business couldn’t be continued, he went back to his old business.

   As the Mid Autumn Festival approaches in August, more and more people buy grains. They all want to get the wheat flour to make moon cakes and other food. In this era, mooncakes were also a rare thing and the supply is limited. Not everyone can afford it and also needs a ticket to buy one. Many people make moon cakes by themselves, so they have to get the flour first……Although everyone gets a grain ration, but for the ordinary people who lack grease in their stomachs, that small monthly ration is not enough for them to eat. On New Year’s Day or other festivals, they will want to improve their livelihood. They have to stealthily buy grains in private. Those who have connections will go to the people in the Grain Bureau and go through the back door. For those who have none can only buy the high price grain from the black market.

   “Alright. You just concentrate on your own matter. I will buy something myself to bring back to my maternal family’s house. It’s just……Do you think you can exchange some mooncake tickets for me? It’s hard to get mooncakes without tickets. “

   “I’ll try.” Mei Zhonghua said. This year, it’s not easy to exchange mooncake tickets. The price is not a problem though.

   It seems to be settled like this, but Mei Xiaoran didn’t sleep well that night. She keeps thinking about Maternal Fourth Aunt’s matter. She just forgot in which year it actually happened. However, she had the impression that it was in these two years. But exactly which year, she really can’t remember it clearly.

   In a daze, she sleeps until five o’clock and gets up to go to school.

   After done making the breakfast, Mei Zhonghua drank two bowls of porridge and hurriedly drove the bicycle away while Li Mingyun began to ponder the matter about Yezi’s marriage.

   The target of Yezi’s affection is called Cheng Bin. His family is also in Dongguan, and even an old one there. All the more, he is a man with a striking appearance, but unfortunately he is also a lazy good-for-nothing. Not only having no serious job, he also likes to go out to fight and make trouble. Didn’t know how he had taken an interest in Yezi, and even became a couple with Yezi. After they knew about it, the family naturally objected because no one wanted Yezi to be with such an unreliable person. But Yezi just doesn’t want to listen and she was so desperate for these past two days at home. She even goes on a hunger strike to threaten her parents. Really made others infuriated!

   This won’t do. She has to go home again and have a look.

   After making up her mind, Li Mingyun decided to take the pathway beside the city wall to Huayuan street to go back to her maternal family’s house. This is the shortest way to walk back to her maternal family’s house. When she walked along the city wall and arrived at the tunnel near Zhao’s house, She unexpectedly ran into Cheng bin.

   (TN : Huayuan – garden)   

From the outward appearance, Cheng Bin has a white skin, a thin figure and is dressed up fashionably. That is to say, a western styled city youth, it was no wonder that Yezi likes him.

   “Eldest Sister, where are you going?”

   Li Mingyun angrily found an excuse, “I’m going to the Supply and Marketing Cooperatives to buy things.”

   The Supply and Marketing Cooperatives is in Zhongshan street, which was over the small pathway along the city wall.

   Cheng Bin asked with a smile, “Is Eldest Sister going to buy mooncakes?”

   Li Mingyun just happened to be worried about this matter and did not say anything.

   Cheng Bin took out a few mooncake tickets from his pocket and handed them to her, “Eldest Sister, I have some mooncake tickets here. If you need them, you can use them.”

   This is……Intentionally waiting for her here?

   “No need, no need. I have it.”

   The more Li Mingyun thinks, the more angry she becomes. The matter between Yezi and Cheng Bin, there’s no one in the family that agreed to it. Yesterday she went back to her maternal home, but even after she had painstakingly tried to instill a change of view for Yezi for a whole day, it did not seem to have gone through at all. Now that she met Cheng Bin, she would like to make it clear to him.

   “Cheng Bin, the matter between Yezi and you becoming a couple, our whole family will not agree to it.”

   Cheng Bin was stunned. “Eldest Sister, me and Yezi are sincere.”

   “Cheng Bin, you just listen to me first. My family’s circumstances are different from yours. Your family had more sons, my family had more daughters so our burdens are heavier. Your family is registered as a vegetable team, and my family is registered as a farmer. Neither you nor Yezi have a formal job. It’s really unsuitable for you two to be together. Even if Yezi wants to marry you, what do you feed her with?”

   Cheng Bin seriously replied, “Eldest Sister, if Yezi really marries me, I promise that I will treat her well, and I will certainly earn money to support her.”

   “Marriage is not a child’s play. There’s no use for you to promise me these. You have to take real action. If you can’t solve these problems, don’t look for Yezi any more. I will be responsible today then, you two better break it off. “

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