◎ Second update ◎ 

When Liang Baojun returned home after a busy day, he saw Liang Baozhen lost in thought in the courtyard. 

“Why did you come back so suddenly?” Normally, when his third sister came home, she would send word through someone. 

When that happens Liang Baojun would think of ways to get some good food because he didn’t want his sister to come back to their family and only drink corn porridge. 

After a closer look, he had to say that it’s better for Baozhen not to dig for food in the fields. After living in the city for more than half a year, she has become a lot whiter and her skin is better. She looks more energetic. 

“I missed you all, so I came back.” Liang Baozhen didn’t say that she had come back to show sudden affection to Baoling. But right now, it was more important to care about her elder sister first. “Brother, do you know where my elder sister and brother-in-law went?” 

“I don’t know. I was busy patching up walls at the educated youth house today.” Helping to repair the houses at the educated youth can also earn work points, and the team leader specially approved seven work points for him. Although he went to the black market from time to time to trade and his wallet was getting fatter and fatter, he still had to participate in labor; members who did not actively work would be criticized. 

“I’ll go tell Mother and Father first!” Liang Baoling tossed her two braids and rushed out of the yard and went straight to her third aunt’s house. 

Her third aunt gave birth to a child, and Liang Zhigao and Song Chunhua came to visit. When they heard that Baozhen had returned, they immediately went home. After all, she usually had to go back in the afternoon. 

It had been almost two months since they last saw her. Song Chunhua feels that her daughter is becoming more and more beautiful. After listening to her plans for her daughter’s studies, as a mother, she also thinks it makes sense. 

“Baoling needs to study hard in the future so she can have an opportunity to enter that place. What’s it called again? 

Liang Baozhen corrected her, “Youth palace.” 

“Oh, right, we can’t go to the youth palace, but you can still read books. You were born in a good time. In the past, I couldn’t even read if I wanted to, watching others read textbooks, I was very envious.” 

Liang Baoling pouted and muttered softly, “What’s there to envy?” 

Although her voice was small, Song Chunhua had sharp ears, “What are you talking about?” 

“Nothing!” Liang Baoling raised her head and chest and coaxed her mother, “I will definitely study hard and work hard.” 

“You are aware of this. Just listen to your sister. Read more books, go fishing less, and practice your poor handwriting.” Song Chunhua went to the kitchen again, opened the lid, and heated up the steamed bread from lunch. “When you come back later, bring some food from the road.” 

“Baozhen now looks really like an elder sister.” Liang Baojun looked at his mother and sister getting busy in the kitchen and said to Liang Zhigao, “Father, look at Baozhen. Isn’t she exactly like Mother when she was young?” 

Liang Zhigao held a pack of cigarettes in his hand, which was a gift from his daughter. It tasted much better than dry tobacco, but of course it was also much more expensive. He only had two hobbies, smoking and drinking, but Baozhen said that he couldn’t smoke one cigarette after another; he had to pay attention to the amount. 

“She’s even more worrying than your mother,” Liang Zhigao said with a smile, his face wrinkling up. 

The family was talking in the house when Liang Baojun went to the village to look for someone. Today, his eldest sister and brother-in-law went out without saying where they were going. 

When he finally returned home after looking around, Liang Baojun discovered that his elder sister and brother-in-law had already returned. 

However, everyone in the main room looked serious. Liang Zhigao was sitting on a bench, holding a cigarette in his left hand but not smoking. Song Chunhua was holding her chest as if she was in pain, and Baozhen and Baoling were helping her to calm down. 

His eldest sister and brother-in-law stood in front of them with their mouths tightly closed, heads bowed as if they were being punished. 

“What’s wrong?” 

No one answered him. 

Only Liang Baoling quietly moved to the second brother’s side, tugged at his clothes, and whispered, “Eldest sister and brother-in-law are getting a divorce.” 

Not only Liang Baojun, but everyone in the Liang family was shocked by the news. Divorce? 

Liang Zhigao looked at Song Jianguo with a downcast expression, “Jianguo, you should know how Baoying has treated you since she married you. As for how our Liang family has treated you, I have a clear conscience. Now you want to trick my daughter into a divorce!” 

Liang Zhigao almost shouted the word ‘divorce’! 

No one in Damei Village ever got divorced. There’s only widows whose husbands have died and have a hard life and they were often talked about by the villagers. 

“Song Jianguo, how can you be so unscrupulous! Divorce, you actually want to divorce Baoying!” Song Chunhua was so angry that her head hurt, and her heart ached.  

“Is this even human?” She pointed at her eldest son-in-law and shouted at the top of her lungs! 

Liang Baoying looked at her angry parents with tears in her eyes. She supported her mother and cried, “Mother, Jianguo and I are not really getting divorced. I just want him to go back to the city first and come back to pick me and Mengmeng up when he settles down.” 

“You are confused! Baoying!” Song Chunhua grabbed her daughter’s shoulders, trying to wake her up. “Do you know what life is like for a divorced woman? Just because he says so, you’ll get divorced? He can leave, but what about you and Mengmeng in the future? What will you do?” 

“Mother…” Liang Bao Ying gripped her hands tightly, looking at her agitated mother with a pained heart, “It’ll be fine. We’ll get through it.” 

Song Jianguo’s face was pale, and he felt distressed, knowing he had wronged the Liang family. He knelt on the ground, “Father, Mother, this was my idea with Baoying. Don’t worry, I’ll settle things quickly after returning to the city and bring her and Mengmeng right away!” 

Liang Baozhen listened to her parents scolding and her elder sister and brother-in-law, feeling confused and distressed. How did things end up like this? 

“Brother-in-law, didn’t I tell you? You can still take the college entrance examination! It will be resumed soon, so why do you still want a divorce?” Liang Baozhen couldn’t understand why he kept changing his mind. 

“College entrance exam? Going to university?” Song Jianguo looked at Liang Baozhen and thought she was too optimistic. “I don’t want to rely on something uncertain. The opportunity is right in front of us. If we don’t seize it now, who knows how things will change later!” 

Last time, his parents had told him that it was difficult to find a job, and no one was willing to sell a job easily. If you missed this opportunity, it might not come again. 

If I don’t go back to the city with the help of a job now and if the college entrance exam didn’t get restored or if he failed the exam after it was restored, that would mean there was no hope forever. 

He felt a chill down his spine just thinking about having to stay in Damei Village for the rest of his life. 

“Rubbish! You son of a bitch! You get to enjoy yourself in the city, but have you thought about how much scorn my sister and Mengmeng will face in the village?” Liang Baojun grabbed Song Jianguo’s collar and threw a punch. 

Song Jianguo did not dodge or evade but prepared to take the punch with a tragic look on his face, but Liang Baoying suddenly rushed out and stopped her brother. 

“Baojun, don’t do anything!” Liang Baoying knew that her family members were all doing this for her own good. 

She felt more uncomfortable about this than anyone else, but she had to do it. 

“Father, Mother, I know you’re worried about me, but Jianguo is from the city, and it’s been hard for him to work in the countryside these years. If he can’t go back, he’d rather live a peaceful life. But if there’s a chance to go back, how can we give up on it?” 

Liang Baoying spoke for a while, as if she had made up her mind. “Jianguo is right. Are we going to let Mengmeng dig for food in the fields like us? If she can go to the city, she can attend a good elementary school and see more things. I don’t want her to be like us.” 

The room was quiet and still. Liang Baoying’s tears fell in a continuous stream. She spoke slowly, her voice somewhat hoarse. After finishing her words, she looked at her mother, Song Chunhua, and took her hand. “Mother, I’m sorry for causing you so much worry, but I’m a mother now too. I can distinguish right from wrong and make decisions.” 

Song Chunhua had tears in her eyes. She was speechless for a moment as she looked at her daughter, who had grown up and had her own ideas. 

“You’ll regret this later! Don’t come crying to me!” 

Song Chunhua pushed her children away and hurried out of the main room and went to her own room. 

Song Jianguo and Liang Baoying did have a few arguments, mostly with Song Jianguo begging and persuading his wife to agree to a divorce. Liang Baoying couldn’t make up her mind, but last night Song Jianguo knelt down in front of her and cried about all the hardships he had suffered over the years, and she finally couldn’t bear it. 

The two of them went out early this morning to get a letter of certification from the team leader. The team leader naturally did not expect that the eldest daughter of the Liang family and her husband wanted to divorce. In fact, there would occasionally be couples in the village who would make a scene and shout that they could not get along, but they would be fine after a few days. At most, the team leader would ask the team headquarters or the commune to do some ideological work. 

But today was different. The team leader knew about Song Jianguo’s situation. An educated youth wanting a divorce at this time meant abandoning his wife and daughter to return to the city alone. 

It’s no wonder that he was alert, this kind of situation had already happened in the neighboring brigade. A woman had married an educated youth, and when he secured a job, he just ran away. The two of them never got a marriage certificate when they got married! 

For many years in the village, holding a wedding banquet was considered a formality to announce everyone’s marriage, but people were not conscious of getting a marriage certificate, which gave some people an opportunity to take advantage of it. 

The educated youth ran away overnight, took a train going south, and went home, leaving behind only a farewell letter in which he said he was sorry to his wife but there was nothing he could do. 

Yesterday, the female comrade was so heartbroken that she jumped into the well. Fortunately, her family found her in time and saved her life. 

But Liang Baoying’s situation seems to be different. She is actually willing?! 

Team leader Wang Dali went to their house in person, ready to persuade them again that divorce was not a good thing and that they should live a good life. 

“Uncle Liang, what’s going on in your family? Baoying and Jianguo came to me today and said they wanted a certificate to get a divorce. How can I handle this?” 

As soon as Wang Dali stepped into the house, he sensed the heavy atmosphere weighing down on the Liang family. Song Chunhua and several of the Liang family’s women were nowhere to be seen, and Liang Zhigao lit a cigarette and took a puff; his dark face was full of sorrow. 

“Ah, Dali, I’m sorry you had to see this. We’ll sort things out in our family; you should head back first.” Liang Zhigao sighed, feeling helpless. How could he explain to an outsider that their family’s divorce was only a pretense? It just sounded foolish! 

Liang Baozhen and her younger sister coaxed Song Chunhua back into the house. This made their old mother very angry. She was furious and anxious, her tears fell continuously, and she was so angry that she didn’t even eat dinner and refused to speak to Baoying. 

“Mother, even if you’re angry with me, you should still eat. Don’t starve yourself.” Liang Baozhing knew she had really upset her mother this time. She tried to hand the food to Song Chunhua, but she was stopped by her mother. 

Song Chunhua stiffened her neck and spoke coldly. She had a quick temper, but she was always protective of her family and rarely lost her temper like this. “You are grown up now and have your own ideas. You want to get a divorce without even saying anything. Do you still see me as your mother? Go on, do whatever you want. I won’t interfere anymore!” 

“Mother…” Liang Baoying bit her lip and looked at Song Chunhua with tearful eyes, feeling her heart ache. 

“Sister, let mother rest for a while, let’s go out and talk outside.” 

Liang Baozhen helped Liang Baoying outside. Song Chunhua was so angry that her head hurt. She felt better after taking a packet of headache powder. Liang Baoling tried to cheer her up and managed to get her to eat a few bites of food. 

The sisters busied themselves, they asked Song Chunhua to rest and sleep first and closed the door. Liang Baozhen asked Baoling to take Mengmeng away. The younger sister felt that she was a little adult and always wanted to participate in family affairs, but her elder sister did not give her a chance. 

After leaving while looking back three times, Liang Baozhen and Liang Baoying sat on a small bench at the kitchen door. 

“Sister, have you really thought about the divorce?”