Chunheng District, Beijing City, this is the former capital of Chunhengfang, next to the city wall. It is a remote corner of the entire Beijing city. The people who used to live here were poor families who could not afford domestic servants.
Now most of them have become the city of Beijing, and their days seem to have changed, yet they seem to remain the same.
"Zhao Gen's family, hurry up and collect your clothes. I don't think it's a good day. Maybe it will rain soon." The aunt stood in the yard and was willing to shout to the next door.
A new daughter-in-law walked out of the next room. She had a round face and small eyes, but she was born healthy. Health is beautiful at this time. She replied, "Auntie, are your salted duck eggs marinated? My family wants to eat them. , I'll exchange it for you with corn."
The aunt smiled and said, "That's easy to say."
The child ran out of the house with a cloth bag on his waist and biting bun in his mouth: "Mother, I'm going to school."
The aunt patted his head. She had four sons before this child. During the war, they were all forced to be soldiers. The old man had a broken leg and escaped, and he had this little brat.
Originally thought that the child would not survive, there was nothing to eat during the war, and their family had no land, but the little brat survived by relying on chaff, bark and grass roots, and has survived until now, with good luck and has not grown up yet The world is at peace.
Now that there are schools in the district, you can go without any training, you only need to pay for books.
However, only the younger ones have such privileges.
After finishing primary school, if you want to go to middle school, you will have to teach shuxiu.
But if the grades are good, there will be scholarships, maybe you don’t have to spend money to study, and you can still make money.
Studying is a good thing. In the past, I was reluctant to send my children to pay tribute to Mr. because I had no money. Not only did I have to spend money, but I also had one less labor force at home.
Children of ordinary families can start working as soon as they can walk, and when they are seven or eight years old, they can be regarded as labor.
Now the money is easier to earn than before. Children can’t spend a lot of money on reading. Besides, they can recognize Braille, and after reading, they can find a good job. As long as they can make plans, how can they be an accountant? Some, go to the store to learn for a period of time, and you can be the shopkeeper.
Now watching the little brat jumping towards the school, a smile appeared on the aunt's weathered face.
Even the pleats are filled with the taste of joy.
The new daughter-in-law touched her belly, and there was a little cub inside. She didn't know whether it was a man or a woman, whether it was a man or a woman. Now the world has changed, and girls can survive and earn money.
"The daughter-in-law of the old Li family wants to reconcile with her man." The aunt said while collecting the clothes, "It was said that her man took all the family's money for whoring, and she and her son were hungry all day long, and they had to I was beaten and scolded by Lao Li."
The new daughter-in-law was taken aback: "Does her man agree?"
Aunt: "Of course I don't agree. She sued his man. When the officials checked and asked, they sentenced them to be reconciled, and the child belongs to Lao Li's daughter-in-law."
"His family is poor." The aunt sighed, "The only thing that can be divided is the house."
The new daughter-in-law has lingering fears: "How will Aunt Zhao live in the future?"
The aunt smiled and said: "She is better, she rented a house outside with her son, let her son go to school, and went to work in a big family by herself. It is better than following her man. After all, she has a full stomach and is not afraid of creditors. "
"What about the house?" the new daughter-in-law asked again.
Aunt: "Because the house is an ancestral home, the government didn't let them sell it and redistribute it, and only asked Lao Li to give his daughter-in-law money every month, as well as child support."
New daughter-in-law: "Old Li can still get this money?"
The aunt smiled and said: "I can't think of any way? If it is delayed for the first half of the year, the house will be owned by the government. The government will pay for it, and then share the house price with the husband and wife."
The new daughter-in-law touched her belly: "It's still a good day, and the eldest man above is thinking of us."
The aunt also said: "That's right, the current His Majesty is the former King Nan, and the King Nan is a living Bodhisattva. Thinking about us little people, now men can find work, and if they don't want to work, they can join the army. The disabled also have a life, as long as they are willing to do things, they can live a good life.”
"I heard that there is a disturbance in the city outside." The aunt raised her brows, "After two days of good times, I don't want to let it go."
The new daughter-in-law whispered, "Then who knows?"
The aunt smiled at her: "You still don't show your belly, but be careful."
The new daughter-in-law lowered her head and looked at her belly tenderly, a little life was bred in it.
"If you are born well, the child will certainly be born well." The aunt said, "This child came at the right time. Now that it is born, it is for happiness."
The new daughter-in-law said shyly: "Who said no, my family said that they are going to buy me fish soup to make up my body, and when I have a baby, I will drink fish soup every day. Although I can't afford chicken soup, I can go before I look at the daughter-in-law next door, let alone fish soup, I can't even eat an egg, and I have to work with a big belly."
"Hua Niang! I'm back! The fish I caught for you!" The man was wearing a bunt, with sweat on his forehead, but a smile on his face. He also held a bunch of fish in his hand, which were strung together by wicker sticks. There were three of them and the other. He only held a bamboo basket with a few taro and yellow noodle buns in it.
The new daughter-in-law said angrily: "What's the hurry? Don't stumble, be careful."
The man smirked and wiped his sweat: "I'm afraid you will miss me."
The new daughter-in-law blushed and whispered, "You are slick."
The aunt smiled while saying, "That's because your man hurts you, the young couple come in quickly."
The man entered the house and said to his daughter-in-law: "When I was buying fish, I heard that the fishing team was going to recruit people. The basic salary was fifty cents a month, and the more fish sold that month, the more money I could earn. I heard the big brother inside say, He can have five hundred yuan a month."
The daughter-in-law opened her mouth wide: "So much?"
Man: "Is there a shortage of laundry? The smell of fish is too strong, and the laundry room in the city is unwilling to pick it up, so they hired someone themselves, saying that they can get 80 cents a month for laundry, but there is no commission, and they will be washed again. Most of them are 80 wen, if you are not pregnant, this is a good job."
The daughter-in-law also thought it was a good job. She felt a little sad when she touched her stomach.
Commission is a new word these days, but it is the case in many industries, where people went from being a novelty at the beginning to becoming a habit now.
The businessmen hired people and found that they worked harder after the commission, and they were happy to do so all the time.
Seeing his daughter-in-law's mood, the man quickly comforted him: "Don't be sad, when you give birth to the child and finish the confinement period, you can still find work. In Beijing, women can do more work, so just say that The garment factory, I heard that it has been recruiting people."
Garment workshops generally make clothes for soldiers.
Soldiers wear two sets of clothes a year, with new ones every year.
This work is done on a piece-by-piece basis, and if it is finished, the garment workshop will be closed.
But this belongs to the imperial court. The merchants themselves set up garment workshops outside the city. They make cheap clothes, which are worn by the poor. The style is simple. Fixed monthly salary.
This kind of fixed remuneration is less expensive, but it is stable, and it is necessary to sign a deed. It cannot be said that if you don’t want people, you don’t want it.
Only then did the daughter-in-law regain her spirits. She smiled and said, "Then let's make more money, and give the children more money in the future."
The man also touched his daughter-in-law's belly, which was flat and could not find anything, but he had a smirk on his face, as if the child was already in front of him.
Seeing the man's happy appearance, the daughter-in-law asked in a low voice, "This is still a girl..."
"I like the girl, too." The man smiled, "Even if there is only one girl, we can recruit children. You think, if the boy married a daughter-in-law, if his daughter-in-law was not honest, who would raise the child, the girl would be fine. It must be the seed of our old Sun family!"
The daughter-in-law patted him again and again: "Speak nonsense, the child has not yet been born, so you point to the child to give birth to the child."
The man touched his nose and said, "If there are many children, the family will rise and fall. If we have a daughter, we will not marry out, but will recruit children. The more people in the old Sun's family, the better."
The daughter-in-law looked at him with distress: "It's strange that you always work a few jobs recently."
Man: "I'm a man, and I'm stronger than you. I'll make more money while I'm young, and we'll be happy when we're old."
The daughter-in-law nodded: "I'll cook for you."
Man: "Honey, don't go to the stove. I'm always afraid that you will fall. Let's eat outside. It's not expensive. I'll come back in the evening to cook fish soup for you."
Now there is a free market in each district, where farmers sell vegetables and meat, as well as food stalls, with a few tables and chairs, which do not occupy much space. The food stalls have to pay the government monthly, which is not much, but this It’s the money for renting the shop, and I have to pay personal income tax at the end of the month. This guy doesn’t know much, but seeing that the food stall is doing well, and the stall owner is busy but happy, he knows that the payment must not be much, otherwise it will not be funny. Come.
The man and his wife found a hot jelly stall and sat down.
One person asked for a bowl of hot jelly, which is made of sweet potatoes. After boiling, add some sauces. It is delicious and convenient. Just turn around and serve it when you order a bowl of hot jelly.
After eating the hot jelly, the man and his wife went to buy a barbecue. He bought a bunch of meat skewers and two vegetarian ones for his wife, but he didn't eat them.
Others also sell spring rolls, noodles, whatever you want, and the price is still cheap.
One bowl of hot jelly, if the barbecue is meat, it is two cents, and the vegetarian one is two skewers.
After they finished their meal, they had five cents in total, and their stomachs were full.
On the way back, the new daughter-in-law couldn't hold back her face and cried.
The man was startled: "Why are you crying? Don't cry, it broke my heart."
The new daughter-in-law touched her tears: "If only I could live like this forever."
The man was taken aback and said, "I think so too."
"Don't worry, listen to my friend, a distant relative who is a small official said that the policy in the future will only get better and better, all for the sake of the common people."
"Let's live with peace of mind, have children with confidence, and earn a family business for our children!"
The new daughter-in-law nodded with tears in her eyes, with a smile on her face, crying and laughing.
The man wiped her tears in distress: "Let's live a good life, and we have to laugh when we live a good life."