1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 176: Buying Out Seniority, Aunt Forced to Retire Early

Grandma Hu patted her hand affectionately, her eyes filled with gratitude: "If it weren't for your promotion in the documentary about the people of Quanshui, so many people wouldn't care about us old craftsmen, and paper-cutting wouldn't have received such unprecedented attention."

"This is all thanks to Director Du and his team."

Lin Xiyu smiled modestly: "I'm just playing a minor role."

"Since you've come all this way, don't just talk the talk, walk the walk."

Gu Bin chuckled and joked, "Hurry up and learn more skills from your master. When Grandma Hu's story is written into a book and made into a TV series, you can also benefit from it and go out and brag that you are Grandma Hu's eldest disciple and the inheritor of paper-cutting."

"Hey, hey."

Lin Xiyu said with embarrassment, "I am just a nominal disciple. I dare not go out and brag and embarrass Grandma Hu."

"Would you like to learn this trick?"

Grandma Hu perked up instantly when paper cutting was mentioned.

"think."

Lin Xiyu showed her great support.

"Grandma will teach you."

Grandma Hu smiled with satisfaction, picked up the scissors and red paper, and began to teach the craft.

Lin Xiyu calmed down and imitated Grandma Hu's movements, cutting the fabric step by step.

Her movements were a little clumsy, but her attitude was sincere, and her focused and serious demeanor was captivating.

A glint of light flashed in Gu Bin's eyes. He reached out and tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye, and Lin Xiyu did not disappoint Grandma Hu's expectations, producing a reasonably satisfactory piece of work.

Grandma Hu was very satisfied with her skillful hands and couldn't stop smiling.

-

After leaving Grandma Hu's house, Gu Bin kept his promise and took Xu Yi to Qianfoshan Temple Fair.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, people flocked to the mountain to worship Buddha, and the temple fair was packed with people and extremely lively.

Ever since Xu Yi entered the mountain gate, his little mouth has never been idle. Starting from the first stall selling candied hawthorns, he ate at every stall.

Lin Xiyu knew that her grandmother liked to eat Zhoucun pancakes, so she specially bought two jin for her.

Gu Bin bought some Huang family roasted meat to take back to his grandfather as a snack with his drinks.

The three of them happily strolled around the temple fair, and it was almost noon when they came down the mountain.

Gu Bin took the siblings home, intending to have lunch at his maternal grandmother's house. However, upon entering the house, he found the atmosphere strange. His aunt was also there, her eyes red, and she was telling his grandmother about her grievances.

The rapid rise of the Dongmen Small Commodities Market had a significant impact on the supply and marketing cooperatives.

My aunt heard from a colleague that the supply and marketing cooperative would be transformed into Wanzixiang Shopping Mall after the New Year, and employees aged 45 and above would be laid off, their years of service would be bought out, and they would be allowed to retire early.

My aunt worked at the supply and marketing cooperative for over twenty years, working diligently and never making a mistake. There were even rumors before the Lunar New Year that she would be promoted and receive a raise, but unexpectedly, the policy changed before the New Year was even over.

The difference between a promotion and a raise and early retirement is enormous.

My aunt couldn't accept it, so she ran back to her parents' home to cry and complain, wiping away her tears all by herself.

-

"What kind of mess is this?"

Grandma felt sorry for her daughter, and her face darkened: "Your colleague is something else, she had to bring this up during the New Year's greetings, she can't even let people have a peaceful holiday."

"You can't blame her, she was just anxious."

My aunt choked back tears and cried: "My retirement pension has been cut in half. It was only a few hundred yuan to begin with, and now there's hardly anything left. What hope is there for me to live on with that little bit of retirement money?"
"The supply and marketing cooperative is not doing well and can't pay out money, so keeping it around doesn't necessarily bring any benefits."

Grandma saw it clearly and tried to comfort her: "Don't cry, think more positively. Spend more money when you have more, spend less when you have less. These are not the famine years anymore. Life is much better than before. No matter what, we can get by if we save money."

"I just can't get over it."

The aunt was still extremely aggrieved: "We old employees have worked just as hard as the young people, and we've never made any mistakes. Why are we the first to be let go when the policy changes? Buying out seniority sounds nice, but it's practically the same as being laid off."

"Ugh."

Grandma gave a helpless, bitter smile: "Have we had enough troubles? The Cultural Revolution, the famine, the 'sent-down youth' movement, we've all been through it all. If you can't figure something out, you have to find a way to comfort yourself. Do you want to drive yourself crazy? Have you forgotten your second great-aunt's daughter? She was sent to the countryside, couldn't adapt, and tortured herself into a mental illness. She was such a good first daughter, and her life was ruined like that."

"Ugh."

Lin Xiyu entered the room just in time to hear her grandmother's words, and felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

Are supply and marketing cooperatives going to lay off employees?

Gu Bin also looked surprised.

"Yes."

Grandma nodded helplessly: "If this had happened in the past, being able to work at the supply and marketing cooperative would have been a blessing that many people would have dreamed of. Who would have thought that things would change so suddenly?"

"Do your aunt's husband and cousin know about this?"

Lin Xiyu was a little puzzled. For such a big event, her aunt came to her maternal grandmother's house alone, without seeing her uncle and cousin.

As for my cousin, she stayed alone during the Chinese New Year because of her little dog. I guess she hasn't heard the news yet, otherwise she would have rushed over in a panic long ago.

"Your aunt's husband went to the countryside to perform for the New Year."

Grandma answered for Aunt: "Liu Jian is also on duty at work and hasn't come home."

"Oh oh."

Lin Xiyu suddenly realized why her aunt had no one to comfort her and could only run back to her parents' home to cry.

"Go call Sister Lei and ask her to come over."

Gu Bin gestured to her with his eyes, indicating that no amount of persuasion would work at this point; it had to be his own daughter.

"Uh-huh."

Lin Xiyu and he were of the same mind. Lin Xiyu handed the Zhoucun pancakes she bought from the temple fair to her grandmother and went to the small house in the backyard.

-

My cousin arrived quickly. Just as Lin Xiyu had predicted, upon hearing that my aunt had bought out her years of service, she rushed over in a panic.

She probably slept very late yesterday and left in a hurry after hearing the news. She didn't comb her hair and just let it hang loose. When the cool breeze of the coldest time of winter blew, it looked as messy as Mei Chaofeng. When she came in, she really startled her grandmother.

"This kid will be 21 after the New Year, and he's still so impulsive and not mature at all."

What's going on with the supply and marketing cooperative?

My cousin didn't care about my grandmother's scolding at all. She immediately launched into a long rant: "Why the one-size-fits-all approach? Buying out seniority! Those bastards, they're so inhuman, they'll get hit by a car sooner or later."

"What are you talking about during the New Year?"

Grandma couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted sharply: "I called you here to comfort your mother, not to add fuel to the fire."

"I'm just so angry!"

My cousin spoke up for my aunt: "Before the New Year, those people benefited from my mother's kindness and bought so many affordable wool sweaters. Back then, they all called her 'Sister Chen,' 'Sister Chen,' so affectionately, just like their own sisters. But after they benefited from her kindness, they turned their backs on her and tried to cut my mother's pay and force her to buy out her years of service. What kind of people are they? Heartless and ungrateful?"

"The decisions made by the leaders have nothing to do with the people below them."

Grandma patiently advised, "Say less. It would have been better if you hadn't come. Your mother had almost stopped crying, but now that you're making a fuss, she's starting to cry again."

"It's good to let my mom cry."

My cousin felt sorry for my aunt: "She's really been wronged. She worked hard in a state-owned enterprise her whole life, and now she's old and hasn't gotten anything good out of it." "She's different from me. I don't care. What does it matter if it's a state-owned enterprise? As long as it makes money, I can work anywhere. But my mom's generation doesn't think like that. They just want stability, a fixed salary every month, and a guaranteed income."

"Besides, the buyout policy for seniority at 45 is infuriating. I only have five more years until I can officially retire, why do they have to force me to leave?"

“We’ve been doing this for decades, what’s another five years? If someone gets sick or disabled, we’ll accept it. My mother is in good health, 45 years old and in her prime. They just don’t want to promote my mother, so they’re using this as an excuse to get rid of her.”

-

"woooooo"

Hearing this, the aunt became even more heartbroken, covered her face, and burst into tears.

"Sigh, just cry if you want to. It'll help you vent."

Grandma smiled wryly and said, "I'm too old to persuade you anymore. You can discuss what you want to do from now on."

"Grandma."

Lin Xiyu, obedient and sensible, said, "You rest, I'll cook."

"You're busy, I'm going back."

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Gu Bin lost his desire to freeload a meal.

Don't bring any alcohol tomorrow.

Lin Xiyu saw him to the door: "Your uncle, cousin, and maternal uncle are all out; you're the only man here."

"Isn't Xiao Yi here too?"

Gu Bin smiled and reminded him, "You've forgotten about him?"

He doesn't count.

Lin Xiyu laughed awkwardly: "He's too young, my mom won't let him drink."

"Grandma, won't you drink it?"

Gu Bin had his own plans: "It's Chinese New Year, I'll have a few drinks with my grandma. If grandma is happy, the whole family will be happy."

"You've put your heart into it."

Lin Xiyu didn't stop her anymore: "Don't come too early tomorrow. Grandma needs to rest at noon. You can come after 3 pm."

"it is good."

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, Gu Bin quickly lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead.

Be careful while riding your bike.

Lin Xiyu blushed and pushed the person away.

"It's cold outside, let's go back inside."

Gu Bin pushed the person back into the house, went out into the corridor, and was about to get on his car when the pager hanging on his waist went off.

He took it off and glanced at it, then went to the small house in the backyard of his grandmother's house, picked up the public phone, and dialed a familiar number.

"Gu Bin, I'm back."

Li Liang's familiar voice came through the receiver: "Let's get together at noon on the third day of the Lunar New Year. Wang Fan said he'd treat us."

"Row."

Gu Bin smiled slightly and readily agreed before hanging up the phone.

-

My aunt had a good cry, which released all her grievances and frustrations, and she felt a little better afterward.

My cousin was worried that my mother would overthink things and become ill from worrying alone at home. After much deliberation, she still couldn't rest easy. Finally, she made the difficult decision to let my younger cousin take care of the puppy temporarily, while she herself would go home to stay with my mother for a while, so that she wouldn't be too sad and hurt herself.

After serving the family lunch and seeing that her grandmother had fallen asleep, Lin Xiyu took the puppy that Xu Yi and her cousin had just brought back up to the fourth floor and returned to her own home.

Xu Yi got a puppy and went crazy playing with it. The two of them ran around the house, jumping and running around, and the living room was a mess in no time.

Lin Xiyu ignored him, closed the door, and hid in her room to do the accounting. The wool sweaters were sold out, and it was time to share the profits with her cousin.

She meticulously accounted for each item in the ledger, deducting the commission given to Wu Meng and the 5000 yuan that Chen Xiulan had generously sponsored and advanced, and then splitting the remaining money equally with her cousin.

After a rough calculation, she was quite satisfied with the share, and her secret stash of money increased by more than two thousand yuan.

Adding the previous 800 and the 3,000 she earned during the summer vacation, she now has a surplus of over 6,000.

If she works for another semester, she can earn 10,000 yuan and become a "ten-thousand-yuan household".

She happily thought to herself, hid the money in her closet, took the five thousand yuan her mother had advanced, and went to the next room.

-

The second day of the new year.

My uncle accompanied my aunt back to her parents' home. Without the baby crawling around the house and making babbling noises, the house felt quite deserted.

"I didn't realize it when Nana was home, but now that she's gone, I really miss her. I keep thinking about her, and I can't even sleep peacefully at noon."

Nana is the baby's name. The maternal grandmother has been raising the baby for more than half a year and has developed a strong bond with her.

Just like her siblings when they were little, the baby loved to stick to her grandma. Wherever grandma went, she would stick there, like a little piece of chewing gum, clinging to her body and impossible to pull off.

"Nana, it's chilly at night."

Lin Xiyu helped her grandmother make dumplings and also acted as her source of joy, trying to cheer her up: "Auntie won't stay at her parents' house too late, she'll definitely come back early."

"hope so."

Grandma had other concerns: "I wonder if her cousin will come over for the New Year. What if she sees how well her daughter is being raised and wants to go back home?"

"Isn't it?"

Lin Xiyu disagreed: "If she liked her own daughter, she wouldn't have given her away in the first place. She's a heartless person. Even if she knew her child was being abused at her adoptive mother's house, she could still be ruthless and ignore it."

"No matter what, she's still my biological mother."

Grandma knew perfectly well: "Nana looks exactly like her mother, like they were made from the same mold. When she grows up, she'll recognize her without anyone telling her. The bond between a biological mother and child is something no outsider can compare to."

Has your aunt stopped taking her medicine recently?

Lin Xiyu paused in her dumpling-making, then deliberately changed the subject: "I haven't smelled any medicine at all."

"Didn't drink."

Grandma smiled bitterly, “Raising a child is too expensive. She doesn’t have enough milk, so we have to buy formula. A can of imported formula costs tens of yuan, and she drinks four or five cans a month. The little money your aunt earns by working at the public phone booth isn’t enough to cover it all.”

"Is it necessary to drink imported milk powder?"

Lin Xiyu was a little puzzled: "Aren't domestically produced ones acceptable?"

"It's undeniable that domestically produced products are not as good as imported ones."

Grandma told the truth: "Your aunt initially bought the domestic brand, and Nana's hair was dry and yellow with no luster. But when she switched to the imported brand, it turned black in less than two months."

"what?"

Lin Xiyu looked surprised: "The difference is so big?"

"The milk powder is of substandard quality."

Grandma thought for a moment, then lowered her voice and whispered, "If a baby drinks this, they might turn into a big-headed baby. You have to be careful in the future too. You must take good care of your baby after you have one, and you can't skimp on the baby's health."