Chapter 74: Every Family Has Its Own Troubles

That day, the winter sun was warm, the sky clear and the air crisp.

Tang Banxia finally remembered that she was a barefoot doctor. Basking in the rare winter sunlight, she strolled leisurely to the clinic.

“Tang, you’re here!” Hu Xiayu waved enthusiastically.

“Where’s Chunhua?” Tang Banxia asked.

Hu Xiayu smiled mysteriously. “She’s gone to be matched.”

Tang Banxia: ???

Hu Xiayu was quite the gossip expert; nothing in the village escaped his notice. He even knew exactly how many mice were born in the warehouse.

“It’s a family from the commune, and the man’s a soldier.” As expected, Hu Xiayu knew everything.

It seemed the brigade leader’s family truly cared about their youngest daughter. In these times, the barrier between countryside and city was not just for show. For a rural person to move to the city was no easier than passing the civil service exam in a past life.

Tang Banxia idled away the day at the clinic.

In the late afternoon, Hu Chunhua returned.

“Tang, there’s a package for you.” Hu Chunhua struggled to carry a parcel, placing it before Tang Banxia.

Seeing it was from Sichuan Province, Tang Banxia knew at once it was from her eldest brother.

She set the parcel at her feet and gazed at Hu Chunhua with bright eyes. “Chunhua, how did the matchmaking go?”

Hu Xiayu scooted over as well. “Did he like you?”

Hu Chunhua blushed instantly, twisting her hands, “It was… alright.”

Tang Banxia grinned, “So he did like you.”

Hu Xiayu added, “That guy must be good-looking.”

“So are we going to attend Chunhua’s wedding banquet soon?” Tang Banxia teased.

Hu Xiayu chimed in, “Probably by the end of the year. I’d better get ready.” He rubbed his hands eagerly.

Hu Chunhua couldn’t take it anymore and retorted, “What’s it got to do with you?”

“How is it not my business?” Hu Xiayu protested, “You should at least call me brother. I have to stand up for you.”

“What if your husband’s family looks down on you for being from the countryside? We’ve got plenty of men in the Hu family; they won’t dare bully you easily.” He flexed his muscles.

Hu Chunhua stammered, “What do you mean, mother-in-law? We haven’t even got the first stroke of the character yet!”

She stamped her foot and ran off.

A few days later.

Aunt Hu and Sister-in-law Hu came to find Tang Banxia.

They got straight to the point: “Xiao Tang, we’d like to exchange some ration coupons with you.”

“Since Chunhua’s big day is coming,” Sister-in-law Hu explained, “we want to prepare a respectable dowry for her so her in-laws won’t look down on her.”

“The matchmaking went well, then?”

Aunt Hu beamed, “Yes, it’s settled.”

Her Chunhua marrying a soldier meant she wouldn’t have to toil in the fields anymore—how could she not be happy?

Tang Banxia was genuinely pleased for them. In these times, soldiers were among the best matches.

“What kind of coupons do you need?” Tang Banxia asked. “Let me see what I have.”

Aunt Hu had already made up her mind: “We want to get some fabric coupons.”

Without hesitation, Tang Banxia took out five feet of fabric coupons. “Is this enough?”

Aunt Hu was overjoyed. “More than enough, thank you!”

Tang Banxia handed them over. Though she was poor, her two brothers sent her subsidies, so she was never short on ration coupons.

“Xiao Tang, how much do you want for them?” Aunt Hu asked happily.

Tang Banxia pondered, “Let’s trade for eggs—fifty eggs.”

“Deal.” Aunt Hu agreed immediately. The procurement station paid four cents per egg, so fifty eggs would only be two yuan. She was still getting the better end of the bargain.

“I’ll send the eggs over as soon as I get home.”

Business settled, they chatted idly for a while.

“With the New Year coming, I wonder if the big market will be allowed this year?” Aunt Hu worried.

Sister-in-law Hu added, “My mother’s side is hoping for it too.”

The big market was the only time people could freely trade without restrictions; all the villagers looked forward to it.

After chatting a bit more, the two women left, satisfied with their coupons.

At home, Aunt Hu selected fifty eggs and sent her youngest daughter to deliver them to Tang Banxia.

Those eggs were originally meant for the procurement station, but giving them to Tang Banxia was just as well. At the station, there’d be some losses; trading with Tang Banxia was a better deal.

Now that the fabric coupons were settled, Aunt Hu began planning the rest.

Chunhua was the only unmarried daughter, marrying into a commune family, so the dowry had to be substantial.

Over the years, she’d saved up bits of cotton, finally gathering enough to make a four-pound quilt. There was a bit of cotton left—enough to sew her daughter a new padded jacket.

There were still two wooden planks at home; she’d have two dowry chests made for her daughter and, if there was enough left, a dressing table.

She also needed to prepare some cash to tuck away in the chest.

Kneading dough, Aunt Hu calculated all this in her mind.

At lunch, she announced the news.

Sister-in-law Hu, the eldest, was not surprised and remained calm.

But the second and third sisters-in-law were unsettled.

The second sister-in-law asked, “Mother, are we not going to live?”

The third sister-in-law said softly, “Mother, I know you love Chunhua, but she’s not your only child.”

Faced with opposition, Aunt Hu’s face darkened as she swept her gaze over the assembled children and grandchildren.

The little ones, oblivious, just focused on their food.

Apart from the eldest brother’s family, the second and third brothers’ families all looked displeased.

“This family stands because your father and I support it. We’ll decide how much to give Chunhua; you have no say in the matter,” Aunt Hu declared firmly.

In the battle between mother-in-law and daughters-in-law, one side had to prevail, and this time, she would not give in.

“You, the second daughter-in-law—have you forgotten how much you received when you married in?”

“And you, the third—did I complain when you came in with nothing?”

“Each of you is greedy. Let me tell you, Chunhua means as much to me as the second and third sons do. Favoring sons over daughters has no place in this house.”

“Put away your petty calculations. Compared to what you got marrying in, Chunhua’s dowry is nothing, and yet you still complain.”

“If you’re unhappy, then leave!”

She slapped the table.

The children jumped in fright and dared not move.

Aunt Hu’s face was stormy. “I still run this household. If you’re not satisfied, keep it to yourselves.”

“Mother, my wife didn’t mean anything by it,” Hu Jiajun tried to smooth things over. “She just wanted to know if there’s anything we could help with.”

He was unhappy too. After marriage, his focus shifted to his own family. Resources were limited; the more his little sister took with her, the less there was for them. Still, years of sibling affection were real.

“I heard the supply cooperative just got a batch of new pillowcases, with double happiness characters—very festive. Should we buy a pair for little sister?”

He tried to make up for the discord.

“Now that’s more like it,” Aunt Hu said, glancing at him.

Third Brother Hu held back and held back, but finally he couldn’t anymore. He shot to his feet. “I disagree!”

“Mother, little sister’s marrying out; everything you give her is just given away.”

“In our family, Big Brother’s household depends on me and Second Brother; now little sister’s wedding means we have to bleed again. Why?”

“Mother, can’t you spare a thought for your sons? I have a wife and children to feed. Look at Goudan—he’s skin and bones. Maybe I’m a useless father, but I want my wife and child to have enough to eat.”

“You always say brothers should support each other, but why is it always us making sacrifices?”

“Big Brother lost his leg, so we support him. Little sister is a girl, but we support her too. Mother, your sons are exhausted.”

Third Brother Hu’s eyes were bloodshot, and years of pent-up resentment poured forth.