Title: How to Thrive in the Sixties
Translator: Fuyu
Chapter 75 - Maturity (1)
Mrs. Lin followed Su Yu into the communal bathroom with a laundry bin and quietly inquired, "Why are you taking apart the brick stove? Your parents made that."
The people that lived here were all assigned homes here. Every family was poor and couldn't afford a charcoal stove, so they built brick stoves and burned whatever wood they could find. Later on, when they could afford charcoal briquettes, they burned those instead. But even now, there were few families that had charcoal stoves in the compound. Industrial tickets were very precious. Even buying a big iron pot took a lot of effort.
Su Yu sighed. "We don't need it anymore. We have a charcoal stove. That'll free up space and our family can live better. It doesn't matter how they view me. I just want my family to live a better life. I'm looking forward to the day when our family can be of one mind."
"Oh you, you're always thinking about them. By the way, what's going on with your partner? When will you get married? You can't delay your marriage."
Mrs. Lin was saying this in the nicest way possible. The women of Su Yu's age in the compound already had children old enough to go to the store on their own.
"I'm not in a rush. Only Dazhi is married, I would worry about Xiaozhi and Little Lin if I leave." The actual issue was that she hadn't found the right one. If she met someone that she liked, she would immediately get married.
"Oh you, I thought you had come to terms with things. Why are you still wholeheartedly devoted to your family? You have to think of yourself," Mrs. Lin was disappointed that Su Yu had backtracked.
"Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll work on getting my younger siblings' affairs settled so I can get married sooner rather than later. I know you mean well."
Mrs. Lin felt comforted by these words.
Outside the communal bathroom, Su Lin, who was eager to present Su Yu the pork she had purchased, pursed her lips. Enduring the discomfort of her heart, she silently went home. It was because of them that their sister wasn't married yet.
When Su Yu went back after she was done chatting, the entrance of the home was already tidied up.
Su Dazhi and Su Xiaozhi were discussing how to dismantle the wall and expand out. Fortunately, they only had to dismantle part of the wall. It wasn't a big project.
Su Lin had already finished cooking congee. When she saw Su Yu coming out, she immediately said, "Sis, it's time to eat. I boiled an egg for you."
Su Yu smiled and nodded. "Okay, let's eat."
She had seen a shadow by the bathroom door earlier. It was probably Su Lin's shadow. Only members of the Su family would eavesdrop on a chat about the Su family's daily life.
While peeling the egg, Su Yu said, "I've been feeling better recently. Eating better food really has been useful for my health. Once I'm fully recovered, you guys can eat good food too."
"Sis, eat more," Su Lin said. It really wasn't easy for Sis.
Su Dazhi and Su Xiaozhi nodded.
"Yeah, Sis, eat more."
Sis wasn't in good health, and she was still working hard for the family. Sis should eat more. When Sis had recovered, their family's life would get better.
Even Liu Mei didn't voice a dissenting opinion. Her sister-in-law arranged everything for them. She even protected her from her siblings. What else could she say? It was also her maiden's family causing trouble that led to her sister-in-law's collapse. She didn't have the face to say anything.
Su Yu smiled with gratification and stuffed the egg into her mouth. She felt like her face wasn't as gaunt anymore. Her skin was also improving. This era wasn't subject to various pollutants. As long as her nutrition kept up, her skin would get better. As a future officer, who would often have to show her face, she needed a presentable appearance.
She had to eat more dumplings at noon!
—
When the two brothers went back to working on the house, Su Yu stayed at home to read.
Seeing that her sister didn't have plans on going out, Su Lin couldn't resist asking, "Sis, are you not going out? Doesn't Older Brother Guozhi have today off too?"
Su Yu raised her eyebrows. Yo, this little sister was starting to care about her future.
She smiled and answered, "Don't worry about it."
Then, she lowered her head and went back to reading.
Even so, Su Lin couldn't help worrying about her. If Sis didn't spend much time with Older Brother Guo, when will she be able to get married?
Translator Ramblings: I feel Su Lin has matured. If she was still her immature selfish self, she would want her sister to stay unmarried for longer. There's no guarantee her older brothers wouldn't have her drop out of school to work without Su Yu around.