A few aunties sat at the gate chatting about household trivia.
Tips
history
Appears in Ming-dynasty 《西游记》 chapter 75: 再问我家长里短的事 - Sun Wukong worries that small talk about household matters will expose him. The form has stayed fixed since.
usage
长 here reads cháng (not zhǎng) - it's the same 长/短 pairing as 说长道短 (talking good and bad). Slightly deprecatory tone in urban/educated speech; neutral or affectionate in rural or older-generation contexts.
