A century of poverty

Chapter 87 Empty Promises

Zhiqiang came to my house to discuss what we needed for our wedding. He said, "He'll provide the furniture and sofa for the house, and we'll buy a 14-inch black and white television."

I said, "We should also have a sewing machine for work, a bicycle for easy transportation, and a bus, as there are too few buses."

Zhiqiang: "That's possible. I have a sewing machine at home that no one else uses, and I can also buy a bicycle."

I continued, "The coat for the wedding needs to be decent, this one—."

Before I could finish speaking, Zhiqiang continued, "My family has two pieces of blue wool fabric. My dad said he'd make a set of clothes for each of us."

"That's also acceptable."

I told my dad about it, and he said, "I don't care, if you say it's okay, then it's okay."

I was wearing a blue wool suit, a red acrylic shirt underneath, and cotton leather shoes, standing against the trunk I used. I looked at the two red bundles I had prepared and a "treasure bowl" wrapped in a red cloth on the kang (a heated brick bed).

The two sets of cotton-padded clothes in the bundle, the comb, mirror, and face cream in the "treasure bowl," and even the red acrylic shirt I was wearing, were all bought by my father for seventy yuan. The cotton-padded leather shoes were bought by myself at the beginning of winter.

My heart is filled with unease. I step out today, not knowing what kind of life awaits me.

For over twenty years, I've come and gone from home without giving it much thought. This time is different. Although my family is poor, I love this home and have never looked down on it.

I'm going to marry into his family in the suburbs. I don't know what the future holds, but I'll remember my father's family motto: "Speak less, work more, and be honest and kind."

Suddenly, my third sister said, "They're here."

I looked towards the county road and saw a green jeep with a big red flower on top coming off the bridge. In the blink of an eye, it stopped in front of my house. The groom, Su Zhiqiang, got out of the car. He was wearing a sheepskin hat with the ear flaps rolled up and the ribbon tied in a neat knot; he was also wearing leather boots and a blue woolen Zhongshan suit. He looked exceptionally smart.

The rear double doors of the car opened, and two young women got out.

A tall, slender man with fair skin, wearing metal-framed glasses, a pink brocade stand-up collar shirt, blue trousers, and shoulder-length curly hair.

The other one was slightly shorter, with a darker complexion, wearing a light purple corduroy top with a turn-down collar, gray trousers, and both of them were wearing stylish black mid-heeled leather shoes.

The eldest brother, sister-in-law, and third sister went out to welcome the guests in, and after exchanging pleasantries...

A tall girl came forward and said in a clear voice, "Fourth Sister-in-law, let's put on the red flowers and get in the car!" As she spoke, she put a silk flower in the shape of a "bride" on my chest.

The slightly shorter girl with a darker complexion stepped forward and touched her collar a couple of times: "Fourth Sister-in-law, you're so beautiful!"

The two women kept calling each other "Fourth Sister-in-law" on their left and right, which made the locals feel quite embarrassed.

The two of them flanked me as I boarded the bus through the back door, one on each side of me as I sat down.

The eldest brother, third sister, and youngest brother got on and sat on the long seat opposite. Zhiqiang remained in the passenger seat.

The car traveled west for about ten kilometers before turning north onto the newly built Liaohe Bridge. It then passed through the city and arrived at Qiaotou Village, a suburban commune. The car stopped at the entrance of the Su family's house by the roadside.

The house was made of earth, with earthen walls reaching knee-high, enclosing a fairly large courtyard.

The seven earthen houses consist of four rooms on the east side with one entrance, and three rooms on the west side with one entrance. To the south of the passageway is a vegetable greenhouse with seven rooms, and to the west is another passageway as wide as one room. At the west end of the seven houses, there is an open space with planks nailed together, where some things that are not susceptible to wind erosion are stored. At the east end is a recessed side room.

South of the greenhouse, which is more than ten meters long, there is a garden about twenty meters long.

The main gate facing east consists of two steel-reinforced doors. One door serves as the frame, while the other door blocks the entrance. The horizontal door is less than leg height, so even when closed, an adult can step through it.

At this moment, at the gate, Zhiqiang's brother-in-law, Su Lei, who is about 1.6 meters tall, was using a long wooden pole to hang a string of "Earth Red" flowers, which were being laid out with a crackling sound.

After the firecrackers went off, we got out of the car, and the two bridesmaids went their separate ways.

Clutching my "treasure bowl," I crossed the slab bridge over the ditch beside the road and walked into the courtyard. When I reached the window, my great-aunt greeted me, put a five-yuan note in the bowl, and casually remarked, "Why are there only a few people here?" before turning away.

I don't understand, why would they complain about not having enough people? As long as there are people to escort the bride, what does "how many people" even mean?

Approaching the "new house" in the east wing, the eldest aunt told us, "The new bride won't go out or do any work today. Whoever comes, just leave. No one will be seen off."

The outer and west rooms were filled with tables for the wedding banquet. The Su family was well-prepared; the third sister and the youngest brother were led to sit at the table in the west room.

The eldest brother was seated in the outer room as the host, and was accompanied by his uncle Su Jichang, who was wearing a gray Dacron Zhongshan suit.

The man was in his fifties, with droopy eye bags and a haggard face covered in wrinkles. "Come on, nephew, I'm Uncle Zhiqiang. The Su family arranged for me to accompany them for drinks, so I must do a good job. Let me fill your bowl." Su Jichang held up a green bottle with a red label of "Jinhai Bai" and poured the wine into his elder brother's bowl. The elder brother hurriedly tried to stop him, saying, "Uncle, I don't drink."

Su Jichang grabbed his elder brother's hand, who was blocking him from drinking, and said, "Hey! Young man, how can you not drink? You come on." He poured the wine into his elder brother's bowl, poured some for himself, and picked it up, saying, "Cheers!" while looking at his elder brother.

The older brother said, "Uncle, I really can't drink. None of my family members drink; they're allergic to alcohol."

Su Jichang: "It's your sister's wedding, a joyous occasion, how can we not drink? I won't be happy if you don't drink."

The elder brother said, "You are the elder, so please pour the wine." He picked up the bowl, looked at Su Jichang and the people at the table, and continued, "I'll just take a sip to indicate that I'll eat soon. Please drink, I'm really sorry." He took a sip, put down the bowl, turned his head and coughed a few times, then turned back to pick up some food to calm himself down.

Su Jichang reached for the wine bottle again, intending to pour some for his elder brother, but his brother protected the bowl, saying, "Uncle, don't pour it. Look, my face and neck are already red after just one sip, and my heart is racing. If I drink any more, I won't be able to move."

Su: "If you can't move, then don't leave. There's a place to stay."

The older brother said, "I know I have a place to stay, but as for alcohol! I absolutely cannot drink anymore. If it weren't for this occasion, I wouldn't touch a drop."

Su Jichang, holding the wine bottle, said, "This is so boring. What's the point of drinking here?"

The older brother said awkwardly, "You guys drink, don't look at me."

Su Jichang poured himself a drink, looking displeased: "My role today is to accompany the guests. What's the point of us drinking if the guests aren't drinking?" He seemed resentful that he hadn't had enough fun and hadn't been able to perform to his full potential.

Soon, the eldest brother finished eating, and the third sister and youngest brother also finished. The three looked at each other, understanding each other perfectly, and went together. The eldest brother said, "Let's go, they have other places to visit! We can't keep our guests at the table for too long; there are many others waiting for seats."

At this moment, Zhiqiang's sister-in-law, Hei Xingan, and his second sister-in-law, Zhang Guozhi, came over. The eldest sister-in-law said, "Sit down for a while. What are you busy with? It's still early!"

The third sister said politely, "We won't sit down. You're all very busy. If we leave, you can entertain other guests. I'll leave my little sister in your care. Let her do whatever chores she needs, and if she doesn't know how, you can teach her."

Hei Xingan straightened her slender waist, rolled her big, white eyes, and put on a stiff smile on her round face, saying in a strange tone, "Even when you're busy, you still have to serve your guests well, right? These days, young people can do everything, do you need anyone to tell you?" The chubby Zhang Guozhi also repeated, "Do you need anyone to tell you?"

The third sister turned and said, "Let's go!"

Several people went out the front door, passed under the east window, and headed south onto the road. They were going to the station, leaving me behind.

I watched them go, and my heart ached.

Inside the new house, under the south-facing window upon entering, there was a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove), covered with a dark brown cotton quilt that I had made myself. Along the edge of the kang, facing the entrance, were a pair of winnowing basket-shaped leather sofas, with a small resin-board coffee table in the middle. To the north, at the east end, was a music cabinet, and at the west end, a tall, narrow table with a 14-inch Sanyuan brand black-and-white television on it. Behind the door, next to the tall, narrow table, was a round table that Su Lei had made for him as a carpenter. The room wasn't large, and it was basically filled with furniture.

The sewing machine had been kept in the old man's room and hadn't been brought over.

Inside the new house, people kept coming in to see what was new and exciting.

As evening approached, even more people came to join in the fun and tease the newlyweds. The local notorious troublemaker, Xiao Ertou, was one of the first two to prepare for some mischief. They sat down on the sofa and launched into a verbal assault. Xiao Ertou said, "Come on, Fourth Sister-in-law, sit here and chat with us brothers."

Qinglian: "Go ahead and chat, what are you talking about? I can hear you clearly standing here, it won't stop you from chatting."

Er Tou: "Look, it's so embarrassing for us to sit while you're standing."

Qinglian: "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's only natural for guests to sit in my home."

Two Heads: "Standing in front of High-High Heels, how are you going to compare yourself to them?"

Just then, the eldest sister-in-law and the second sister-in-law each carried in a large, upside-down bowl. The eldest sister-in-law placed her bowl on the coffee table, and the second sister-in-law leaned over to place hers as well. Her plump, short frame made it a little difficult for her to put the bowl in, and she said to the two women sitting on the sofa, "Get up and move aside. Don't you have any sense of propriety? You're sitting in the main seats; can't you see what's going to happen next?"

Er Tou immediately stood up, his small eyes narrowing into slits as he laughed, and loudly announced, "I announce, next item! Open—! Let's see which bowl the bride opens first." His voice trailed off at the end of the sentence.

Upon hearing the sound, several nieces—Su Lihua and Su Lirong from my eldest brother's family, and Su Libo from my third brother's family—filed in one after another and lined up along the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), waiting to see what the first bowl would contain. Outside the window, there were also relatives and friends peering in through the window.

The first three shouted, "Lift it up! Lift it up! Let's see which bowl to lift first!"

Second Head: "One, two, reveal!"

Lihua, standing nearby, shouted, "Uncover—Fourth Aunt, uncover!"

I deliberately didn't rush, and pretended to lift the inner bowl, but instead touched the rim without lifting it. Then I went around to the outside and lifted the outer bowl—it ​​contained dumplings.

"Oh—it's dumplings! Lift the dumplings—it means you'll have a son!" People joked and laughed.

Second sister-in-law declared firmly, "Now we have a nephew!"

Lihua, who was only a teenager, ran out early to inform her grandmother on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the west room, and her younger sisters also ran out with her.

————.

After everyone had left, Zhiqiang picked up a large red flower made of red cloth folded from the table. I helped him unfold it, and he clipped two corners shut. He then hung it on the window, making it a perfect curtain. I couldn't help but exclaim, "This is a great idea! Two uses for one piece of cloth, just right!"

Sitting down, I asked Zhiqiang, "Did your father give you ninety-nine?"

Zhiqiang: "What, give me ninety-nine?"

Me: "They didn't give me 99 yuan for visiting, saying they'd give it to me later. Didn't they mean today? Why didn't they give it to me then?"

Zhiqiang: "I don't know, they didn't tell me."

I'm so upset. They clearly said they'd give it to me, so why haven't they? And why don't they even mention it? I don't have a single penny on me. What am I going to do if I have to spend it all? I was really hoping my father-in-law would give it to me later, and he meant today.