Chapter 725

Back home, facing the cold and empty house, he sighed, took out the red paper, ink, and his old brush from Shuibu Town’s market, and went back to Jiang Ning’s house.

Jiang Ning’s living room was three times the size of a typical family’s main hall, not counting the dining area. Apart from the long rectangular table the architect had prepared in the dining room, there were several original wooden small dining tables found by Aunt Jiang for guests.”

Father Jiang felt a pang in his heart seeing Jiang Ning didn’t know where anything was in her own house and had to ask Aunt Jiang, as if Aunt Jiang was the real owner of the house. Feeling down, he quickly found the paper cutter and cut the red paper.”

Jiang Ning’s hands didn’t stop, still working with the minced meat and radish juice. Upon hearing this, she got up and went to wash her hands.

Though Father Jiang had successfully called his daughter over to write couplets, he still felt heavy-hearted.

He called his daughter, but Jiang Ning sat still, not even frowning. When Aunt Jiang spoke, she immediately ran over.

Was she his daughter or Aunt Jiang’s daughter?

Setting aside Father Jiang’s internal frustration, when Jiang Ning went to wash her hands, Aunt Jiang warmly asked Father Jiang, “Where’s Ah Lian?”

Father Jiang wouldn’t say Mother Jiang’s temper was difficult and that she preferred to stay home watching TV rather than come over.”

Aunt Jiang said, “Why be so busy? Just come over and spend the New Year here.”

Father Jiang thought about the years of hard work, his eyes misted. He sighed and said quietly, “You know Ah Lian’s temper.”

It was always them who yielded. Mother Jiang had rarely yielded in her life.

These years, probably menopause, her stubbornness grew even worse.

In past years, people in the village gathered at the old store by the village entrance to sunbathe and play cards during the New Year. Since Jiang Ning and Jiang Yanyan’s houses were built, with the fire wall in Jiang Ning’s house, the elders preferred to gather there for chatting and playing cards. Mother Jiang had nowhere to go and had to stay alone watching TV.

Watching for a while, she got angry that Father Jiang was at Jiang Ning’s and not at home. Alone at home, she was both angry and sad.

Actually, before Father Jiang came to Jiang Ning’s, he had called Mother Jiang. She didn’t come, and he couldn’t force her; forcing her would only bring scolding.

Their daughter was so successful now. The youngest son might have a bright future since he was a graduate student. The eldest son might still rely on the younger son and daughter in the future. Mother Jiang didn’t want to reconcile with her daughter or patch things up with her; she even made things worse. Father Jiang really couldn’t understand how Mother Jiang thought. For the sake of their eldest son, for themselves, or for feelings toward their youngest daughter, Father Jiang could never be as cold and unyielding as Mother Jiang.

That’s why Father Jiang stayed at Jiang Ning’s, leaving Mother Jiang alone in the cold, empty house.”

Father Jiang agreed. The two of them cooked too much food and couldn’t finish. Mother Jiang was thrifty and hated to throw away leftovers. Eating leftovers during the New Year was no good.

If they cooked less, it would be like working outside—just two dishes a meal or noodles for convenience. How could that be?

The best choice was to come to the daughter’s place—many people, lots of food, lively atmosphere, and naturally a chance to mend relations. Such a good thing, but Mother Jiang just couldn’t understand and insisted on holding a grudge, not taking the step down.

Father Jiang was truly troubled.

While Father Jiang and Jiang Ning were writing couplets, people kept coming to Jiang Ning’s house. Seeing Jiang Ning writing couplets, many brought red paper over, asking her to write couplets for them.

The second son of the village chief’s family, Jiang Aimin, simply didn’t stay at home either. He also came to Jiang Ning’s house to watch her write the Spring Festival couplets.”

Speaking of Jiang Guotai and Jiang Guoding, Father Jiang felt a pang of regret.”

Back then, in the third branch of the family, he was closest with Jiang Guoding and Jiang Guotai. The three of them grew up together, went to school together, took the college entrance exam together, yet their life situations now were so vastly different.

Jiang Guotai’s career was booming; now in the local area, stomping his foot could shake the ground three times over. Going out and saying he knew Jiang Guotai and was related to him, who wouldn’t show him some respect?

Jiang Guoding was even more impressive—already vice county magistrate. He was only in his forties; there was still room to advance in his official career.

Only he was selling boxed meals at the train station.

A few years ago, he could still feel a bit proud. Even though his job wasn’t prestigious, he earned over 100,000 yuan a year. In the late 1990s, who could earn that much? He bought a cellphone and showed it off on his waist every day, proving he was making it.

Now, thinking back, what was that 100,000 yuan? He woke up early and worked late every day, day after day. Every morning at three or four, he would get up and ride his tricycle to the wholesale market to buy vegetables and meat. By the time he got back, it was six or seven. Then it was washing and cooking. By around nine, he’d rush to the train station to claim a spot and sell boxed meals. If he went late, someone else would have taken his spot. Don’t think business ends at nine—some thrifty people skip breakfast and eat a combined brunch at nine. That’s when business really picks up.

He worked until ten at night, then hauled everything home, showered, and collapsed onto his bed.

He worked like a dog all year round and didn’t dare to switch jobs.

The older he got, the less confident he became. The thought of changing jobs scared him—what if he couldn’t earn money?

And he still had two sons to get married!

Father Jiang suddenly realized that his whole life had just slipped by like this. His heart was full of bitterness, his eyes stinging with tears.

But in front of outsiders, he held it in and smiled, chatting with Jiang Aimin about his youthful days when he and Jiang Guoding and Jiang Guotai worked hard for the college entrance exams.

Like Xianglin Sao, he told the same story over and over, “Back then, we didn’t even have a teacher, it was all self-study. In class, only Fourth Brother, Guotai, and I did well. The three of us took turns being the teacher.”

Jiang Ning had heard his youthful stories many times, and Jiang Aimin had too, but he was never tired of them. Instead, it was as if he returned to his youth, eyes shining bright, full of passion, spitting words excitedly, “If you talk about good grades, who was better than me back then?”

The two middle-aged men reminisced about their glory days, each more enthusiastic than the other.

Then Father Jiang stopped, looking at Jiang Aimin who was still boasting about his youth, “Back then my father was still the village chief. I was a high school student. Who saw me and didn’t say I was a handsome man? Girls who chased after me lined up from one end of the village to the other.” Then he added, “It’s not too late for you now.”

Unlike now—his older brother had a family, their parents were getting old, and when he came home for the New Year, he still lived with their parents in the old house. Fortunately, the village chief’s old house was brick and tile, with a big courtyard. In recent years, with income from tea fields, the old couple had money and had cemented the floors and replaced the roof with bright red glazed tiles, so it still looked like a proper home. When the old chief couple got even older, these two brothers would really have nowhere to call home.

Jiang Aimin put away his smile and fell silent.

He had been picky when he was younger—looking down on one woman and then another, full of self-regard. Now, at the age of their peers, no middle-aged women could please him, and no young educated girls wanted anything to do with him.