Although she spoke humbly, Wu Chunmei was indescribably pleased in her heart.
Everyone had laughed at her for giving birth to "seven fairies" back then, but now she was the envy of the entire village.
However, she was not one to flaunt her good fortune, and mostly kept these thoughts to herself.
"Your third child must be eighteen this year, right? Have you found a match for her? Let me tell you, on my mother's side..."
As the woman spoke, Wu Chunmei listened silently, not interjecting.
"Li Shu's Mom, what do you think?"
"Zhu Zi's Mom, I've taken note of everything you've said. I'll discuss it with Li Fei when I get back. However, the children are grown now, and the important matter of marriage is for them to decide. Zhu Zi's Mom, you're busy, I'll be going now." After saying goodbye to the woman, Wu Chunmei slung her basket over her shoulder and headed towards the back mountain.
July was a time when crops grew vigorously.
Besides wheat, the field ridges also held corn and soybeans. Further in, near the river, was a vast expanse of rice paddies. The rice had already formed grains, its weight bending the stalks.
It was foreseeable that this year would be another bountiful harvest.
For convenience, the Chen family had planted all twenty mu of their land with corn this year. As the younger ones grew, they could help, and the harvest would be finished before long.
Wu Chunmei continued up the mountain, seeing busy figures everywhere.
In the fruit orchard, people were busy picking the last batch of apricots. This season had abundant rainfall, and if they waited any longer, the fruit might rot on the ground.
Chen Man Dun and Chen Li Yuan were in the melon patch, where they had planted twenty mu of cantaloupes and thirty mu of watermelons this year.
The first harvest of melons was just opening, and many people had started queuing since early morning.
With insufficient help, they couldn't even take a break at noon. Everyone wore straw hats and worked under the sun.
"Come and rest for a bit. Have something to eat to keep your strength up." Wu Chunmei put down her basket and was about to help when Chen Li Fei stopped her.
Chen Li Fei took off her hat and fanned herself with it. "Mom, you're not well. Each of these watermelons weighs at least ten jin. If you overexert yourself, you'll need injections and medicine, and it will be a hassle for me."
Hearing her words, Wu Chunmei reluctantly gave up the idea of helping.
"I made pancakes and shredded potatoes. Sit here and rest, and have some water."
Chen Li Fei scooped half a ladle of water from a nearby bucket, quickly washed her hands and face, and then sat down to eat.
"Mom, the road is so far, and the weather is so hot. Don't bother next time. Dad and I will eat with everyone on the mountain."
"Xiao Wan and the others are on vacation at home, so I don't have much to do." Wu Chunmei poured her daughter a glass of water. "Your eldest sister called a couple of days ago. She said the garment factory just opened, and she's swamped with work, so she won't bring the children back. The two youngest will be a year old in about a month."
Chen Li Shu was the eldest in the family. She had children years after getting married, and as the saying goes, affection for grandchildren is often greater. Wu Chunmei missed her dearly, having not seen them for nearly half a year.
"Mom, if you miss the children, why don't you go to the provincial capital to see them? We're not busy at home, and my fourth sister and the others are here. It's also a good opportunity to see second sister. Bring some of the abundant food here, and consider it a outing."
Wu Chunmei was indeed tempted.
She pondered for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening, when she mentioned it to Chen Man Dun and the other children, they all agreed she should go and see them.
"Mom, I want to go to the city with you too." Chen Li Zi's eyes were full of longing.
In her life, she had never been to the city, let alone the county town, more than a few times.
"I promise to listen to you and not run around. I can also help you look after my little nephew."
Wu Chunmei hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Mom..." The other siblings, seeing their mother agree to take Li Zi, all became eager.
Chen Li Fei: "Little sister is the youngest and can't do much work at home. Why do you all want to go? Dad and I are so busy, who will do the laundry and cooking?"
With their third sister speaking, the others fell silent.
The next day, as Chen Li Shu was preparing to go to the factory, she received a call from Wu Chunmei.
Gu Xing Dong: "Is that Mom calling?"
Chen Li Shu nodded. "I called a few days ago saying I wouldn't be coming back for the holiday. She said she wants to bring our youngest sister to see the children."
Li Xiu Lan was quite happy. "Mother-in-law is coming? When?"
Chen Li Shu: "She said they're taking the train tomorrow and will arrive the day after tomorrow at noon."
As it was getting close to the time, Chen Li Shu and Gu Xing Dong went out together.
...
"You didn't agree yesterday when I wanted to come out, but today this sun is so strong, it's going to melt people." Gu Xing Ping stood in a patch of shade, looking at the sunlit area ahead, refusing to take another step forward.
She raised her hand and fanned herself desperately, but the heat was too much. It only made her feel more agitated and didn't help at all.
"You've just moved into the employee dormitory, and you need a lot of things. I thought since I have free time today, I'd prepare everything for you."
Ding Chen pushed his bicycle. He gave the shade to Gu Xing Ping, exposing himself entirely to the sun. Sweat streamed down his forehead. Ding Chen wiped it away with his hand and then pushed his glasses up.
Seeing his state, Gu Xing Ping swallowed her complaints.
"Never mind, where are we going now? Let's buy the essentials quickly and then find a cool place to stay."
Ding Chen: "How about we buy the most important things first, and you list the rest for me? I'll buy them later and deliver them to you."
"My school water bottle and luggage are fine. How about we buy a mosquito net? Not only are there mosquitoes in the dormitory, but they are also particularly large. Look, my arm alone already has four or five bites."
Ding Chen looked at her fair arm, which was indeed covered with four or five large red welts.
"Xing Ping, housing is tight at my unit. I don't know when we'll be assigned a place. I've saved some money now, and I'll borrow a bit more from my parents. Let's buy a house first, so you don't have to suffer in the dormitory."
Gu Xing Ping looked up. "Am I marrying you just to avoid living in a dormitory?"
"That's not what I meant. I just feel sorry for you." The weather was already hot, and Ding Chen's anxiety made him sweat even more.
"Pfft." Seeing his flustered expression, Gu Xing Ping couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, I know what you mean. But it's you and I who will be living together in the future. Uncle Ding and Auntie's money is theirs; we can't use it. I've also started receiving my salary this month, over fifty yuan a month. In just two or three years, we'll be able to buy a house."
She had been assigned to the power company last month and found the salary and benefits quite good. However, there were six people crammed into the dormitory, which she found unsatisfactory, lacking any privacy.
Hearing her words, Ding Chen excitedly took her hand. "Xing Ping, you're so good."
Gu Xing Ping quickly withdrew her hand as if she had been burned, and at the same time, she glared at him. "We're still on the street."
Ding Chen chuckled sheepishly. "Then let's go buy the mosquito net?"
Gu Xing Ping nodded. As they were about to head to the department store, they suddenly saw a familiar figure emerge from the entrance.
Gu Xing Ping took a closer look. It was her third brother, Gu Xing Dong.