Zhao Tianxiang gazed into the distance, his voice seeming to come from a faraway place, "Facing life and death, how could one forget?"
Sister-in-law Zhao did not respond to this.
The disparity between Laosan’s family and theirs grew larger over time.
Laosan’s family now boasted two college students.
With Laosan’s wife, Da Bao, and Xiao Bao, their academic performance couldn’t be too far behind.
It seemed he had heard that Da Bao had scored double hundreds on the final exam.
"Xiao Mao’s father, shall we go find Dad?"
The father-in-law was a just man.
"Dad won’t help us persuade Laosan,"
His father, in his work, did not mix personal matters; otherwise, he and Laoer would not merely be members—others would have become squad leaders or scorekeepers.
"Being able to eat our fill nowadays is already quite good," remarked Zhao Tianxiang, his voice still carrying a hollow sound."
Yet the family still owed money for building their house, and the school fees for the children were substantial every year.
Daya would attend junior high in the town next year.
By then, the school fees would be even more expensive.
"We could raise chickens, we could raise pigs,"
Sister-in-law Zhao was somewhat discontented.
If Laosan extended a hand to help them, what difference would it make?
Yun Xiaoxiao had made a round outside, and many aunts and older women greeted her.
"Educated Youth Yun, can you tell us what the Capital City is like?"
As soon as this question was asked, the other aunts and older women all stared at Yun Xiaoxiao.
Although they had learned some from Da Bao, the descriptions of children were not as good as those from adults.
"The Capital City is vast. There are streetlights illuminating the night, and the streets are paved with concrete. Many green trees are planted along the highways.
There are skyscrapers. The Cooperative is at least three times larger than the town’s Cooperative, and there’s also a department store, a three-story department store, with groceries and small items on the first floor, clothes, watches, radios, tape recorders, sewing machines, and such on the second floor, and even more expensive items on the third floor, like televisions, bicycles, electric fans, washing machines, and many other appliances."
The aunts and older women were shocked—the Cooperative was three times larger than the one in town, and there was a department store?
They had heard of the department store.
But they truly did not know it had three floors or sold so many items.
They were familiar with ’three turns and a sound.’
Bicycles, sewing machines, watches, radios.
But they really did not know about the other items?
Televisions, perhaps only a scattered two or three in the entire town?
At least they had not heard of any family owning a television.
As for electric fans, they had heard of them but had never seen one.
Washing machines, they had never even heard of that.
"Our nation’s capital square is especially large. Every morning before six o’clock, the soldiers of the National Flag Guard begin raising the flag,"
"How big is that square?"
Yun Xiaoxiao thought for a moment, "It can accommodate a million people."
This number instantly shocked the aunts and older women again.
Their Zhao Family Village Team, though not very large, had only a few hundred people.
That square could accommodate so many people?
One can imagine how large that square must be.
"Is it really that big?"
"It’s true. When the aunts have a chance, they can go to the Capital City to see for themselves."
They feared they might never have that chance in their lifetime.
Now, they just wanted to learn more about the Capital City from the mouth of Educated Youth Yun.
"You should also know, the place where the Emperor used to live, that’s in the Capital City."
Many of the aunts nodded.
Nowadays, talking about it won’t lead to being caught and punished.
"Is the place where the Emperor lived very large?"