My Nine Aunts Prose

Aunt Ninth and Uncle Ninth are here.

I haven’t seen Uncle Ninth for more than ten years. To be exact, I haven't had a good chat with Jiu Gu for more than ten years.

When I was a child, Aunt Jiu left her hometown to work in a place far away. Now, Jiu Gu came back because of some trivial matters related to her household registration.

I took leave in the afternoon and stayed at home to chat with Jiu Gu. Aunt Jiu called my parents to come too. So, my task was to prepare a sumptuous dinner to welcome Aunt Jiu and Uncle Jiu.

The afternoon sun shines warmly on the small courtyard. My favorite songs are playing in the house. My parents and my nine aunts and uncles sat peacefully in the warm winter sun, chatting about home affairs. Because of the presence of these four elderly people, my small courtyard feels more like home.

I am in a good mood. I walked between the living room and the kitchen in my apron. Aunt Jiu saw me coming and going like a hard-working bee, so she changed the topic to me.

So the mother talked to Jiu Gu about the incident that they never tire of mentioning.

Needless to say, I also know that they talked about how I didn’t trade for a boy with someone else when I was born, how they asked me to drop out of school when I was in school, and how Ninth Aunt tried her best to persuade my parents to support my study. When I grow up, how do I honor my parents, how do I make my parents-in-law like me, etc. I have heard conversations like this from my mother and others more than once. In a mother's eyes, her little daughter is her pride. Although, in my opinion, it is so unworthy of mention. However, I understand my mother.

The content of the conversation slowly extended and expanded from me. So, talking about cousins, cousins, cousins. Depending on the objects involved, Jiu Gu's feelings will be different. Sometimes she was very sorry, sometimes very happy, sometimes very sad.

My father has sixteen cousins. Ten aunts and five uncles. Five uncles and nine aunts lived in the same village with my father. Therefore, among all the aunts, I have the most contact with Ninth Aunt and I like Ninth Aunt the most.

Aunt Jiu graduated from high school and is the strongest among all my aunts. Aunt Jiu likes scholars. She has always had this idea in her mind: "Everything is inferior, only reading is superior." Therefore, among our younger generation, she especially likes those who study hard. She was particularly worried about those who dropped out of school due to family reasons, and tried every means to ensure that we all could receive a good education. Based on this, Jiu Gu likes me and worries a lot about me.

I remember that in the summer of 1994, my cousin and I both dropped out of school and stayed home. Every night, we would invite each other to our aunt Jiu’s house and listen to her talk to us about her helplessness in life and her persistence in studies. . At that time, my cousin Junwu, my two children, and my cousin Furong were all of the same age. We often like to gather around her and chatter about our ideals or some interesting things from the past. We cousins ??had many similar topics. Although my cousin, Junwu, and I didn’t have the chance to go to campus again, we were all very happy during the summer vacation that year.

Aunt Jiu told us that the opportunity to study is earned by oneself. Everyone has to experience many setbacks in their life. In the face of difficulties, what attitude to use and how to overcome them vary from person to person. However, attitude often determines a person's life.

Aunt Jiu was sad that the three of us could not receive a higher level of education, so she took the trouble to find her, my father, my fourth uncle, and my second aunt, and cited various examples to enlighten them. Jiu Gu said that whether a child has potential depends first on whether the parents can provide the child with opportunities to realize his potential. Although children's learning mainly depends on themselves, parents should also have a general direction. The future era is the era of knowledge, and children who graduate from junior high school can only be regarded as having just escaped from illiteracy at best. A person's intellectual accomplishment affects to a great extent his outlook on life and world view, as well as his ability to do things and live in life.

At that time, my father and my second uncle probably thought that it was useless for girls to study. The concept in feudal society that "a woman's lack of talent is a virtue" still holds a heavy weight in the hearts of my parents. The fourth uncle always wanted to hold his grandson as soon as possible, and he was not willing to let Junwu study.

No matter how high she flies, her heart is always connected with home. When the storm comes, this silver line will bring her back to the warm harbor. When the sun shines, she can fly safely in the blue sky that belongs only to her.

Perhaps Jiu Gu found the shadow of her youth in me, and some parts are so similar to her. However, Jiu Gu! The index of happiness does not lie in how to live a life vigorously, but in how to maintain long-term happiness and peace in one's heart.