◎ Second update ◎ 

Damei Village 

The news of her daughter Baozhen’s pregnancy reached Song Chunhua the next day. Liang Baozhen went to the post office to make a phone call. On the phone, her mother’s voice changed with excitement. She kept telling her to be careful and take care of herself. If it weren’t for the expensive phone bill, she would have kept talking to her daughter for half an hour. 

Among her four children, only Baoying gave birth and that was several years ago. Now there is another baby in the family. How could she not be happy? 

After hanging up the phone, Song Chunhua, who had been in a depressed mood for some time, swept away the gloom of the past and ran home in small steps. 

“Old Liang, Old Liang! Baojun! Baoying!” She started shouting at the gate. She had a smile on her face, and she was excited thinking that she was going to be a grandmother again. “Baozhen… Ah, Jianguo is back?” 

Song Jianguo was holding Mengmeng in the yard and went up to greet his mother-in-law as she came home, “Mother.” 

Song Jianguo, who worked at the soda factory, had come back to the village for the first time. When the villagers were all going to work, he sneaked into the Liang family yard with a few bottles of soda and gave Liang Baoying ten yuan. 

He now earns twenty yuan a month, half of which he gives to Liang Baoying, and the rest to his mother. His mother originally wanted him to pay two-thirds; after all, the one thousand yuan they spent on the job had taken up all the family savings. But Song Jianguo had no choice; he couldn’t just not support his wife and children, right? 

It took a lot of persuasion to lower it. 

This time when he came back, he also brought a few bottles of fruit-flavored soda for his daughter Mengmeng. These were the soda factory’s best-selling flavors, which were simply not available in the village. 

“Father, I missed you so much.” Mengmeng had two pigtails and hugged her father tightly with both hands. She was so happy to finally see her father that her little tiger teeth showed when she smiled. 

“Here, come and try this soda. It tastes really good and is very sweet.” The soda in the factory is packaged in glass bottles and sells for fifteen cents each. After drinking it, you can take the glass bottle back and get a five-cent refund. 

Mengmeng held the soda bottle in both hands and drank the orange-flavored soda in small sips. She felt the sweetness in her mouth. After taking two sips, she handed it to Liang Baoying, “Mother, drink.” 

Liang Baoying has been quite silent recently, and she doesn’t smile much. Seeing her daughter thinking about her, she rubbed her little head, “Mother doesn’t want any; Mengmeng can drink it.” 

“No~ I want Mother to drink.” Mengmeng raised her hands high and insisted that her mother drink too. 

Liang Baoying had no choice but to take it and take a sip. The soda sold in the city tasted really good, much better than the one she had bought at the commune supply and marketing cooperative before, and very sweet. 

“Father drinks too.” 

Mengmeng took the bottle and handed it to her father. After both parents had their share, Mengmeng happily drank the rest of the soda. 

Song Jianguo looked at Liang Baoying’s sad face, and his heart tightened. He immediately reported the good news to her, “Baoying, I’m about to be promoted to a regular employee. Our workshop director said that I performed well. If there is a regular employee vacancy next month or the month after next, it will be given to me.” 

“Really?” Liang Baoying had prepared herself mentally for the divorce, but no matter how well she thought about it, she could not avoid being affected by the rumors. Sometimes when she was walking in the village, she seemed to hear people talking about her, saying that a divorced woman with a child would have a hard life in the future. 

A few days ago, a man and his son from a neighboring village came to see her. The man was a widower with three children; his wife had died a few years ago. When he heard that the eldest daughter of the Liang family was divorced and that she was good-looking, he came excitedly. 

The man had a lecherous look in his eyes. As soon as he entered the room, he looked at Liang Baoying up and down and stared at her with lustful eyes. Song Chunhua was a tough person and rejected them both directly. In the end, the man and his son were still swearing at the door, saying that no one wanted a divorced woman and that it was good enough that their family was willing to marry her. 

Song Jianguo didn’t know about these things that Liang Baoying was having a hard time with and kept them all to herself. 

“Really! Baoying, don’t worry. As soon as I get a permanent job and my work becomes stable, I’ll bring you back as soon as possible. I’ll also find you a job at the soda factory, and we’ll get your household registration moved to the city. Then we can live happily together as a family!”

“Okay!” Liang Baoying’s heart was filled with sweetness from Song Jianguo’s words, even sweeter than the soda she had just drunk. 

In just a few months since returning to the city, Song Jianguo looked much better. He was wearing blue work clothes and a liberation cap. Most importantly, there was a light in his eyes, just like when he first went to the countryside as an educated youth. Liang Baoying smiled lightly, pleased that her husband seemed to have regained his youthful vigor and enthusiasm, just like in the early days when he first made her heart flutter. 

After talking for a while, Song Chunhua came back. She still had some grievances against her eldest son-in-law and didn’t greet him warmly. She asked about his work situation and pressed him to bring the family over before turning to share the good news about the third daughter. 

 *** 

“Baozhen is pregnant?” Liang Baoying smiled immediately after hearing the news. This was the happiest she had smiled in recent months. Finally, something good happened today. “How long has she been pregnant? How is she doing?” 

“More than a month. She just went to the hospital for a check-up yesterday to confirm it.” Song Chunhua took a look at the three chickens she raised at home. They were all old hens, very fat, and they had laid dozens of eggs. Ever since Liang Baojun said he had found a job in the town, the family had saved the eggs for their own consumption or sent some to their daughter in the city from time to time. They had not used them to exchange for anything. 

“In a few days, let’s send Baojun to the city and have him bring back a chicken and twenty eggs for his sister.” 

Liang Baoying finally had something to look forward to. She stopped thinking about trivial things all day and prepared to make some small clothes for her sister’s baby. At the same time, she hoped that Song Jianguo’s work would stabilize soon so that the family could be reunited. 

Song Jianguo quietly left the Liang family through a small path. He didn’t dare to come back often for fear that their fake divorce would be exposed. He usually sent money to Liang Baoying through the post office. This time, he hadn’t seen his wife and daughter for several months and missed them very much, so he went there very cautiously. 

Upon returning home, he found his mother resting after dinner, while everyone else was out. 

The Song family lived in a cramped tube building, and it wasn’t very spacious. After visiting his wife and daughter in the countryside, Song Jianguo was even more eager to bring them to the city. 

“Mother, I’m thinking that after a few months, when I get a permanent job and my work is more stable, I’ll bring Baoying and Mengmeng to the city.” 

His mother, Qin Yuxiu, sighed and said to her son, “Jianguo, we went through a lot to get you back to the city. We used our connections and spent a thousand yuan to buy a job. Think about it yourself. Have you considered whether your family’s savings have been drained? Look at how many people live in our house now. If you bring your wife and child back, how will everyone live?” 

“But Mother, Baoying and Mengmeng are having a hard time in the village…” 

Qin Yuxiu smiled and held her son’s hand. “Mother knows you’re thinking about them, but now is not the right time. The conditions are poor even after the family found you a job. If we add two more people, won’t we have to starve to death every day? Liang Baoying is registered in the countryside, and Mengmeng is also registered with her mother. Neither of them has a grain certificate, and our family has to buy grain at a high price. How can we afford it?” 

If you really want to take them, you should first secure a stable job and wait until life gets better. Otherwise, won’t we all suffer if you bring her in now?” 

“Okay, Mother, I will definitely work hard!” 

After Song Jianguo left the room, Qin Yuxiu turned and headed downstairs. She knocked on the door of their neighbor on the second floor. “Juan’er, have you found a suitable match for our Jianguo?” 

 *** 

In October, a groundbreaking piece of news swept across the country along with the autumn wind. 

An article was published on the front page of the People’s Daily, announcing that the college entrance examination, which had been suspended for ten years, would soon be resumed and would take place in one month. 

This news was like a stone falling into the water and it caused a thousand ripples everywhere. 

Whether it was in a state-owned factory, a supply and marketing cooperative, or a cinema, whether it was a commune or a production team, everyone was talking about it. 

Among them, the ones who reacted most strongly were naturally the educated youth who had been working in the countryside for many years. 

Except for a small number of educated youths who relied on family connections to find jobs and return to the city smoothly, the vast majority of educated youth were still working in the fields. Now that the college entrance examination had resumed, it provided them with a way to overcome all the difficulties and return to the city. 

When the news reached the courtyard, the Xu family was having dinner. An old hen that Liang Baojun had brought was already stewed on the table. They killed the chicken and used half of it to make chicken soup with a few slices of ginger. No other ingredients were added, but the soup was still very delicious. 

Liang Baozhen has been pregnant for over two months, but her belly isn’t showing yet. She is wearing a thin autumn outfit, and you can’t tell that she is pregnant. The family is currently thinking about naming the unborn child. “What should we name it?” 

“We don’t know yet whether it’s a boy or a girl?” Xu Shengya was very serious. Boys and girls have different names. 

“Then let’s come up with one for each. We’ll know when the baby is born.” 

Zhou Yun stood up and looked through the Xu genealogy book. This was something left behind by her in-laws. It was hidden so deep that it was not confiscated when people were searching for things during the ‘Four Olds’ movement. However, the book had turned yellow, and the edges were curled, showing the marks of time. 

None of Zhou Yun’s grandchildren had been born yet, and she couldn’t remember what the next generational naming tradition should be for Xu Shengjie’s descendants. 

Flipping through the pages, Zhou Yun found that the next character after “Ming” and “Sheng” should be “Gao” for Xu Shengjie’s child. “It should be ‘Gao.'” 

“Gao?” 

Several people at the table spoke at the same time. 

“Gaoxing (Happy)?” 

“Zhanggao (Tall)?” Xu Shengwei shook his head. “No, ‘Gao’ shouldn’t be the second character.” 

Xu Shengya thought of many words and always felt that this word was not a good name for a girl, but she didn’t dare to say it because it was written in the family book. She could only quietly move closer to her sister-in-law and complain in a low voice. 

Liang Baozhen smiled. She also found it hard to come up with a good name for a girl. For a boy, it wasn’t bad, but for a girl, it just didn’t sound right. 

“It’s still a while before the baby is born, so we have time to think about it.” Xu Shengjie looked at his wife, who had a troubled expression on her face. She stopped eating and held the chopsticks absentmindedly. He picked up a piece of chicken for her, “Eat first. If it’s really a girl, we don’t have to use the character Gao.” 

“I’m not that particular,” Xu Shengjie added. 

“The college entrance examination has been resumed! The college entrance examination has been resumed!” 

Suddenly someone ran into the courtyard, shouted this sentence loudly, and soon disappeared like the wind. 

Uncle Wei came in with a newspaper and announced loudly, “Comrades, the college entrance examination has been resumed. The examination will begin next month. Anyone in our courtyard who wants to take the exam can sign up!” 

Everyone who was eating in the room became interested. Although they didn’t necessarily participate, they were always curious, especially those who had children at home. They would definitely participate in the future. 

Liang Baozhen looked at the calendar on the wall. It was already October, and the college entrance examination was really announced to be resumed today as the book said. 

“I’ve thought of it!” While everyone else was talking about the college entrance examination, only Xu Shengwei was still thinking about the names of his future nephew or niece. 

“What is it?” Xu Shengya played along with her second brother. 

“Xu Gaokao (College Entrance Exam)!” 

Everyone in the Xu family: “…”? (Except for Xu Shengwei) 

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Your little cutie is loading, current progress: 2/10: Little uncle, do you think this is reasonable? 😖