"I'm not going," Shen Yunxiu muttered, turning her back on her mother after hearing her words.
"Yunxiu, try to understand, your sister Yunfeng is really in need right now. She has come to you for help; you must go and assist her," the eldest aunt began earnestly persuading her daughter.
"I won't go, I just won't go," Shen Yunxiu, annoyed beyond measure, vented her frustration. Why did every annoying thing have to find its way to her?
"Hey, you child, are you even listening? This is a good opportunity, why wouldn't you take it? You must go," Mother Shen uttered as she smacked her daughter on the buttocks—her child was becoming more and more obstinate with age.
Shen Yunxiu whipped around, yelling loudly, "What's so good about it, going there to pick through other people's trash? Is our family so poor that I have to do that kind of work?"
"What are you talking about, picking through trash? Your sister Shan Yunxiu is a formal employee at the recycling station," Mother Shen responded irritably.
"So if I go, can I also become a formal employee, eh? If that's possible, I'll go," Shen Yunxiu scoffed, turning her back again and facing the kang bed, offering only her back to her mother.
Mother Shen hesitated, knowing that wouldn't really be possible, but there were other benefits, "Well, it's not about that. Listen to me. What's gotten into you that you can't appreciate what's good? Finally, there's an opportunity for you to stay in the county for a while. At your age, it's time to think about marriage. You're too picky; you won't even consider the local lads, and you turned down that soldier too. If you don't take this chance to have a walk around the county, when will your cousin have the opportunity to introduce you to some prospective suitors? Really..."
In these times, it's highly honorable for a young woman to marry into the county or the city and land a suitor with a city residence permit. So anyone with a hint of vanity and connections would desperately hope for their daughters to marry into the city.
Because the Shen Family daughters were all quite attractive and they already had a cousin who had married into the county, they entertained such hopes too.
"Mom, don't be so naive, okay? Have you even thought it through? If I go and do Yunfeng's job in the city, always surrounded by junk, wearing torn clothes, who in the city would fancy me? If I actually find someone, how awful would that person's situation be for them to accept me? I'd rather stay single forever," Shen Yunxiu thought of possibly marrying a city ragpicker and felt unbearably upset; she was determined not to go.
"And besides, during the New Year's holidays, everyone else is at home enjoying good food and festivities; why should I be the only one stuck in a recycling station eating cold steamed buns?"
Mother Shen pondered her daughter's words, which seemed to make some sense. It's said that birds of a feather flock together; if her daughter were to replace her cousin at the recycling station for a few days, she'd likely look destitute. Moreover, during the New Year, the idea of leaving her daughter alone in that place... it made her quite uneasy.
She became somewhat confused and uncertain, unable to decide if she should really send her daughter to the city. Deciding to put the matter on hold, she resolved to discuss it further with her husband that night.
That evening, as the couple lie in bed, Mother Shen recounted to her husband what her sister-in-law had proposed earlier that day.
She also conveyed their daughter's thoughts on the matter.
"I think Yunxiu has a point. If she does that job, whoever wants to introduce her to prospective suitors would look down on her," she said, clearly anguished on her daughter's behalf.
"It's no use talking about that now. You already promised her sister-in-law that Yunxiu would go help Yunfeng. You can't just back out now," Old Shen wasn't obsessed with marrying his daughter off to the city. His daughter had become rather prickly and willful under her mother's influence. If she married within the village, as long as he was alive, no one would dare treat her poorly. But if she married off to a distant place and something happened, he would be helpless to assist.
"Now wait a moment, I didn't say I wouldn't help Yunfeng. If Yunxiu can't go, why can't Yunfang go in her place? That's just as good," the mother came up with what she and her daughter thought was a perfect solution. Anyway, Yunfang was always alone no matter where she was; she would be the most suitable for the job.
Old Shen's eyes widened when he heard his wife suggest sending their niece.
Seeing her husband about to get angry, Mother Shen quickly said, "I'm just thinking of Yunfang's best interests. Think about it, Yunfeng said she would give five yuan for the help. That money could buy so much grain for Yunfang. She wouldn't have to borrow from others, isn't that great? Where else could you find such a good job? Besides, she's always by herself anyway, whether at home or in the county—it's the same to her. By sending her, we're indirectly helping her out."
Shen Yeqing heard these words and began to ponder them in his heart.
The next day, seeing that the weather was good, Shen Yunfang had thought about going up the mountain again; even a tiny sparrow is meat. Besides, with some luck, a few silly pheasants might walk right into her trap.
However, just as she had finished feeding the chickens and was about to tidy up the west room, Shen Zhiwen came over.
"Brother Zhiwen is here, come in and sit down," Shen Yunfang said upon hearing the knock, wondering if it wasn't Shen Yingxue coming over again.
After winter settled in and the school closed for the holidays, Shen Yingxue had come to her house twice, mainly looking to mend their relationship. Shen Yunfang didn't know the visitor was her, so she let her in.
Now, hearing a knock at the door, her first thought was that Shen Yingxue had come again.
But when she opened the door, she realized she had guessed wrong; the visitor was her second cousin, Shen Zhiwen.
After entering the house and seeing steam still rising from the stove, Shen Zhiwen knew his cousin had just finished eating, "No need to go in, mom asked me to come fetch you for lunch at our house."
Shen Yunfang was taken aback. What was going on? She hadn't gone around asking for food from the families for two months, and now someone was inviting her over for a meal.
"Lunch, eh? Alright then," she thought. If it's free, why not?
"This is what dad told me to bring over. Since you're alone, I figured you probably haven't made any bean-stuffed buns." Shen Zhiwen set a small cloth bag he was carrying on the stove. It was filled with twenty yellow bean buns.
Shen Yunfang swallowed her saliva shamelessly, "Thank you so much, I really haven't made any bean buns."
Her home had some millet given to them, but she didn't know how to leaven the dough and was afraid to waste the millet, so she never made any. Now, seeing the buns, she was extremely tempted.
She happily dumped all the buns from the cloth bag into her own winnowing basket.
After sending Shen Zhiwen on his way, she hurried into the west room to tend the fire and water the plants. Once finished, she changed into clean clothes and headed to Shen Yeqing's house.
"Auntie, I'm here," Shen Yunfang called out as soon as she entered the Shen Family's gate. She saw the door to the main room wide open, with Auntie Shen busy working in the kitchen.
"Oh, Yunfang, you're here. You silly girl, it was Little New Year's Eve yesterday. Why didn't you come over for a meal? We waited quite a while for you, really thought you would show up," Auntie Shen said, seemingly complaining.
"What? It was Little New Year's Eve already? I live each day so cluelessly that I forgot all about the date," Shen Yunfang also said a few perfunctory words. She could tell when people were just being polite. If they were really waiting for her, someone from the village would have come to call her over within ten minutes tops; there was no need to wait.
"You see, you girl, you're just not diligent enough in your daily life. Hurry up and go inside to talk with your uncle. We will be eating soon," Auntie Shen said, pushing her toward the house with a smile.
Shen Yunfang didn't budge. She knew better than to just show up to eat without offering help, especially if she wanted to be invited again, "Auntie, I'll go in a bit later. Is there anything else you need help with?"
"Oh no, not at all, please go inside. There's nothing much left to do, as soon as the food in the pot is ready, we'll start eating," Auntie Shen replied, practically pushing her into the west room. The kitchen was off-limits, and Auntie Shen wouldn't dare let Shen Yunfang see how much grain they had—what if she got covetous thoughts?