Chapter 19: Eldest Sister Buys a House

Zhang Meihao hummed a little tune as she walked home, smiling from ear to ear. There was a handcart parked in the yard, and it just so happened that her parents-in-law had also just returned. In the living room, there was still some grain that hadn’t been put away in the kitchen. The elderly couple were busy: one tidying up, the other sitting down with tea and a newspaper.

Seeing her daughter-in-law so cheerful, her mother-in-law joked, “Oh my, you’re in such a good mood this morning! Did our little daughter-in-law pick up some money? Tell us so your dad and I can hear the good news too.”

“Hehe, Mom, Guoqing just came by to say his wife gave birth to a big, healthy boy last night. They’re inviting the whole family to the three-day celebration. My mom is probably over the moon.” Zhang Meihao gathered the bowls and chopsticks from the table and took them to the kitchen.

“That’s wonderful news! No wonder you’re so happy. Your mom must be thrilled—she’s always wanted this. She’s not the type to favor boys over girls, but last time she was here, she said if they had a boy, the young couple should wait a few years before having another. Your sister-in-law is still so young, and after splitting off from the family, she might not be able to handle another child so soon. If the first was a girl and they waited a few years to have another, people in the village would gossip.” Her mother-in-law also carried a cloth bag into the kitchen.

Zhang Meihao agreed with her mother’s thinking—she also felt the young couple were still kids themselves. “Exactly, Mom, I worry too. I’ve watched those two grow up right under my nose, and they still seem like kids to me. Kids having kids, playing house—it’s kind of funny. But today, seeing Xiao Wu with a son, he actually seemed more mature and steady, even the way he talked was different.”

“I don’t know about that. Your dad is always praising Xiao Wu, saying he’s loyal, steady, and has a good head on his shoulders. If only he could get a job in the city, it’d be great. It’s a shame for him to stay in the countryside. Last time, your dad even asked your Uncle Zuo if the public security bureau was hiring. Look at the boy next door—same age as Xiao Wu, eighteen, but he just loafs around all day, doesn’t work. Who knows what his parents are thinking, just letting him do whatever he wants. Their two daughters started working early to support the family. Someone tried to set one of them up with a match, and guess what? They wanted an 800-yuan bride price, the ‘three rounds and one sound’ [bicycle, watch, sewing machine, and radio], and half her monthly salary sent back to her family. Who would dare marry into that? Their daughter isn’t made of gold! Now the neighbors are all gossiping behind their backs, saying she’s no golden child. But your family really does have a golden child.”

“Old lady, don’t talk nonsense. It’s fine to say things at home, but these days we’re supposed to break with feudal superstitions and overthrow landlord thinking. Our family should be staunch proletarian fighters, good children of the Chairman. But, haha, your in-laws really do have a golden child, so Xiao Wu is a good match. I’d originally thought to introduce Uncle Zuo’s granddaughter to him in a few years, but who knew he’d marry so early?” Her father-in-law put down his newspaper and called out to his wife as she came in.

The two women burst out laughing. The old man had some nerve—Uncle Zuo’s granddaughter had only just started school! He was just jealous his old friend had a granddaughter, but who told him to keep showing off his own grandson?

“Honey, we’re not jealous. We have a grandson now, and who says we won’t have a granddaughter? With our Meihao’s looks, any daughter she has will be a real beauty. When the time comes, you can show her off to Uncle Zuo. But for now, Xiao Wu’s family is having the three-day celebration for their son, so as elders, we should buy something for the new mother. We’ll all go together that day, you and I and the kids.”

“Yes, we should prepare a nice gift. Over the years, that boy has never stopped bringing us wild game—my grandson’s meat all comes from his uncle’s hunting. If not for that, the little meat we get each month wouldn’t even fill the gaps in our teeth! Whenever there’s heavy work to be done, it’s always the brothers helping out. Everyone envies us. Meihao, you get things ready. If it’s not enough, we can ask someone to lend us more and pay them back next month.”

“Alright, Mom, Dad, you don’t have to be so polite. I haven’t even thanked you for helping Xiao Wu talk to Uncle Zuo. Besides, siblings are supposed to help each other. We don’t need to ask anyone else for things. I’ll see what Big Sis is preparing—should be about the same as before, so the two sisters-in-law don’t feel left out. I’ll take the baby to daycare first, then go discuss with my sister what to bring.”

“Okay, take your time and be careful. Your dad and I will take the baby over later and let him sleep a bit longer. There’s still plenty of time, no rush. We’ll wait for Xiaobin to come back and then go to work together.”

“Hehe, then I’m off. Don’t bother tidying up the house, I’ll do it when I get back from work.”

Zhang Meihao headed to her eldest sister Zhang Meili’s home, greeting neighbors along the way. They all worked at the same factory and knew each other well. Upstairs, she found her sister and brother-in-law at home; the boys had already gone to school. She slipped into the room and quietly closed the door, startling the couple, who thought something was wrong.

Seeing she’d scared them, Zhang Meihao smiled apologetically. Her sister shot her a look, but since they were in a hurry, Meihao quickly explained about Zhang Guoqing’s visit and then brought up the house—mainly that they didn’t need to worry about money anymore, as she’d found a way. They needed to act fast to meet the seller and finalize things, since houses in that area were hard to come by and the seller was in a rush to move to the provincial capital.

Wages were high these days, but everyone had rural relatives to support, and those with siblings in the countryside had it even tougher—one person supporting both their own family and their parents’ household. According to custom and public opinion, it was only right. If you didn’t help, people would drown you in spit, saying you’d forgotten your roots. If you were the younger brother, you’d be reminded that your parents raised you, and without your older siblings, would you have turned out so well? If you were the eldest, congratulations—you’d never be allowed to split the family, and might even have to support your nephews and nieces. That’s why city people were reluctant to marry into rural families—they didn’t want the trouble. Some rural families were open-minded, but if the other kids at home were starving, how could they not turn to their city relatives? In the end, only money could give you a backbone.

Her brother-in-law’s parents were open-minded: when he got married, they split off a household for him. His father was the village accountant, and his brothers were all capable, so they didn’t need to borrow money from each other. Their parents had spent all their savings raising five kids and then lived with the eldest. The siblings’ children were all grown and married, so even if they wanted to lend money, they couldn’t. Besides, you already had a place to live in the city—wanting to borrow money just to buy a bigger house was asking too much. For all these reasons, they hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.

“Big Sis, Brother-in-law, that’s the situation. If you’re sure, let’s go pay the deposit before work. Xiao Wu already checked out the house and said it’s good. He also said if 300 yuan isn’t enough, he can scrape together 500. Don’t worry about the money—if you need it tonight, just go get it. He said you can take a year or two to pay it back, no rush. And you still have me! I’ve got over 200 yuan myself, so between us, we can manage.”

Zhang Chunming thought for a moment before replying, “Little Sis, don’t rush. Can Xiao Wu really make decisions for Jiao Jiao? This isn’t a small sum. If she’s not happy about it, we as her siblings can’t take advantage of her. We do want to buy the house, but we only have 480 yuan on hand—450 for the house, and 30 as backup. Your 200 plus Xiao Wu’s 300 is enough. I was going to ask colleagues for help, but no one has that much to spare. We can pay it back—between renting out a room for 15 yuan a month and our salaries, we can pay it off in a year.”

Zhang Meihao checked her watch and said, “Don’t worry about Jiao Jiao—I guarantee it’s fine. And if it’s not, I’ll borrow from my mother-in-law. As long as we’re sure about the house, let’s go now and pay the deposit. We’ll still make it to work on time. Once we’ve paid, we can sign the contract the night after tomorrow.”

The three of them hurried to the east side of town, where the seller was already packing up. They sat down, negotiated the price down to 920 yuan, and agreed that the furniture would stay except for clothes and grain. They paid a 100-yuan deposit, with the remaining 820 yuan to be paid on Wednesday when the deed was transferred. Everyone was efficient—once the agreement was signed and the money handed over, they all rushed off to work.

Zhang Meihao and her family were delighted: the price had come down, and the house would soon be theirs. All that was left was to move in that weekend."