Chapter 28: Director Zhao needs to reduce internal heat

With Zhao Xinshan’s authority in the Zhao Village Production Team, when he said “divide the family,” it wasn’t just a suggestion, it was something that had to be taken seriously.

But the first and quickest to voice opposition wasn’t Aunt Dong and her husband, but rather the second daughter-in-law, Zhou Xiuli.

“No way!”

Zhou Xiuli’s face was still pale. Unable to withstand the gazes of everyone, she looked to her family for support.

Mother Zhou and Father Zhou immediately voiced their dissatisfaction: “Why should my daughter and Da Er Xi^[1]Er Xi -daughter in law have to take care of the Wang family’s children all these years, and now when they get married, they want to split the family and go enjoy a peaceful life alone?”

The Zhou family, joined by the eldest daughter-in-law, Zhao Huahua, and her father, Zhao Xinwei, agreed, “Changhe and his wife have worked hard to raise the four sons. Now that they’re getting married, they want to split the family—do they even have a conscience?”

Mother Zhao, supporting Zhao Huahua, added from the side, “Uncles Lao San and Lao Si, don’t you think you should help out your brothers and sisters-in-law more? Are you really just going to watch as your nephews can’t even get a meal?”

Aunt Dong also didn’t like the idea of dividing the family, “How can we split the family? If we do, won’t this house fall apart?”

On the side of the Pan family and Uncle Sun and Aunt Sun, of course, they saw splitting the family as more beneficial for their daughters.

After all, the burden was heavy for the two older houses of the Wang family. If they continued living together, the young couples would put all their earnings into supporting their brothers, sisters-in-law, and nephews, while they themselves would suffer.

Thus, Father Pan and Mother Pan made their stance clear, saying firmly: “Split the family, it must be done.”

Uncle Sun and Aunt Sun, having previously said they wouldn’t interfere with Dong Ni’er’s matters and still holding onto some lingering anger, kept silent.

As for the four brothers of the Wang family, Lao Da and Lao Er remained silent, while theLao San, Wang Xiangquan, tightened his grip on Pan Xiulian’s hand and stood even closer to the Pan family, and Lao Si, Wang Xiangping, appeared quite conflicted.

Back and forth they went, one saying, “We didn’t get much of the daughter-in-law’s benefits,” and another saying, “Why should the two younger brothers be treated like beasts of burden?”

The arguments dragged on, with tempers growing hotter.

The arguments became so irritating that Zhao Ke, unable to take it anymore, picked up the mallet and quickly struck the gong, “Why are you all arguing? It’s a mess in here.”

The sound of the gong was sharp and insistent, and the temper of the one who struck it seemed to seep into everyone’s ears, forcing them to stop their quarrel.

They couldn’t keep arguing even if they wanted to, shouting and arguing couldn’t compete with the sharp clamor of the broken gong.

Zhao Ke threw the mallet onto the table, suppressing her anger, and asked Zhou Xiuli, “Your face doesn’t look good, where are you feeling unwell?”

Her question was abrupt, and Zhou Xiuli was momentarily stunned. “My… my stomach hurts.”

“Is it serious?”

“Huh? Just a little…”

Zhao Ke nodded, then turned to the eldest and second brothers of the Wang family, “Did Lao San and Lao Si do anything to wrong you two? Did they take advantage of you?”

No, they hadn’t.

The eldest and second brothers of the Wang family had no rebuttal.

Zhao Ke asked again, “So, these years, hasn’t Lao San and Lao Si helped you support the family? How old were they when they started working? Fourteen? Fifteen?”

No one responded. Lao San, Wang Xiangquan, looked up and said, “I started working in the fields when I was thirteen. Over the years, the family has been repairing the house, and Lao Da and Lao Er got married and raised children. Which part didn’t have my blood and sweat? To this day, I don’t have a single penny in my hands. I can’t even afford to buy cloth for a wedding for Xiulian. I don’t owe anything to the family.”

At this point, he spoke up because he wanted to split the family.

The eldest and second brothers of the Wang family showed expressions of guilt and hesitation.

But if they agreed to split the family, raising so many children in both households would certainly be difficult.

Zhou Xiuli hurriedly spoke up, “Lao San, your nephews…”

“If you’re not feeling well, stop talking,” Zhao Ke interrupted her, “Those are nephews, not sons. If you can give birth but can’t raise them, what’s there to be so self-righteous about?”

Her words were harsh, and the eldest and second brothers of the Wang family immediately turned red-faced with embarrassment.

Zhao Xinshan frowned and coughed loudly to remind them.

Zhou Xiuli’s face grew even paler, her body swaying as she clung to her husband’s arm, crying miserably.

Mother Zhou, Father Zhou, and the three Zhou brothers felt distressed, but unable to refute Zhao Ke’s questions, they could only turn their anger towards the Wang family couple and Wang Lao Er, forcing them to take a stance.

“My sister married into your family and hasn’t enjoyed a single moment of happiness. How much hardship has she endured?”

“She gave birth to your Wang family’s grandchildren, if she didn’t have the ability, who can blame her?”

“Wang Lao Er, don’t think you can act like the good guy!”

“……”

Wang Lao Er had a headache, and Wang Lao Da, with even more children, felt even worse.

Both the palm and the back of his hand were flesh, Wang Changhe sighed and looked troubled, while Aunt Dong could only feel anxious.

Zhao Huahua’s father, Zhao Xinwei, cleared his throat and said to Zhao Ke, “Er Yatou, a family doesn’t work like this. Everyone should support each other…”

Zhao Ke remained silent and just stared at him.

Zhao Xinwei felt uneasy under her gaze, his voice growing lower and lower.

Zhao Cheng, who somehow understood, leaned in and reminded, “Father, Director Zhao.”

Zhao Xinwei was taken aback and, unhappy, retorted, “You’re putting on airs with elders too? Have you forgotten who stood up for you when it came to Zhao Mian’s matter?”

“That’s not a horse of the same colour^[2]That’s a different matter; One thing at a time. I’m not the Women’s Director of the Zhao family, I’m the Women’s Director of the Production Team. I’ll do what’s right, not what’s familial.”

Zhao Ke didn’t want to argue too much with him, and turned to Zhao Si Ye, “Si Ye, you are the most impartial elder in our production team. Please give a fair judgment—do the two families have the right to oppose the splitting of the family?”

The “most impartial” elder, Zhao Si Ye, sat on the long bench, his hands resting on his cane, with a stern expression on his face.

Zhao Ke had placed him in the position of being “impartial and fair.” If he sided with his granddaughter, Zhao Huahua, he would lose his credibility and influence in the production team in the future.

What a difficult girl.

Zhao Si Ye maintained his stern expression for a long while, then finally said to Zhao Xinshan, “Huahua’s parents are just worried about their daughter. As for the family split, I’ll make the decision. Our family has no objections.”

“Father!”

Zhao Xinwei and his wife urgently voiced their disagreement.

Zhao Si Ye closed his eyes and stopped responding.

Zhou Xiuli, the second daughter-in-law, and her side of the family saw Zhao Huahua’s maternal family take a stance and were instantly left fighting alone. Their morale dropped, but they were still unwilling to back down.

The issues with the Wang family had been discussed all morning, and there was still no resolution.

Zhao Ke, feeling quite impatient, stood up, “Dong Ni’er, come with me.”

Everyone looked towards Zhao Ke and Dong Ni’er, curious about what they were going to discuss outside.

Dong Ni’er glanced at Wang Xiangping, nervously replied, and raised her foot to follow Zhao Ke out.

Wang Xiangping looked uneasy, glancing outside from time to time.

Aunt Sun and Uncle Sun exchanged looks of mild expectation.

Zhao Si Ye, however, opened his eyes and looked at Zhao Xinshan, disapprovingly saying, “Xinshan, Zhao Ke is just a young girl, so hot-headed. How could she treat the villagers like this, without any respect? Is she going to keep offending people like this in the future?”

Zhao Xinshan remained neutral, “When doing the work of the production team, you must be fair to everyone. However, her attitude is indeed problematic. I’ll remind her.”

Zhao Ke was aware that she had to emphasize her position, not allowing personal connections to interfere with her work. Zhao Xinshan, as the Team Leader, had always disliked anyone’s prestige threatening his own. Why would he want elders to undermine his authority?

But while Zhao Ke could rely on her youthful recklessness to bulldoze through, Zhao Xinshan no longer could.

In the courtyard, Zhao Ke and Dong Ni’er stood face to face.

Zhao Ke said to Dong Ni’er, “Even brothers who share the same blood can end up in conflict when it comes to splitting a family. It’s not all smooth sailing. Given the situation with the Wang family, if you marry into it, you’ll definitely face trouble.”

Dong Ni’er didn’t have many worries, “Zhao… Director Zhao, I know, I’m not afraid.”

“Do you really know?” Zhao Ke asked her, “Aunt Dong and your mother don’t get along. If the two of them have conflicts in the future, who will you help? After the family split, if everyone still lives together, you’ll have to work a lot, and be asked for grain or money. You won’t mind once or twice, but what about after countless times? Not to mention the friction between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, or between sisters-in-law.”

Dong Ni’er bit her lip so hard that it turned white.

Zhao Ke asked her, “This is just part of it. Are you sure? Have you thought it through?”

“But isn’t that how every family lives?” Dong Ni’er stubbornly refused to back down. “Si Ge treats me well, and that’s enough. I feel at ease when I’m with him.”

Zhao Ke couldn’t understand why her sense of security came from relying on a man.

But Zhao Ke also couldn’t force others to follow her opinion. If she spoke too much, they might think she was interfering too much.

Zhao Ke confirmed one last time, “Are you really decided to marry him?”

Dong Ni’er nodded.

“Alright.”

Since that’s the case, Zhao Ke only needed to consider how to minimize the future problems in her work.

“Si Ge, you come out too.”

In the office, Wang Changhe sat silently, still unable to make a decision.

When Wang Xiangping heard Zhao Ke’s call, he dared not look at his parents or brothers, and went outside.

“Director Zhao.”

Wang Xiangping stood in front of Zhao Ke, his voice tight.

Zhao Ke’s tone was calm, “Let’s take a walk and chat.”

Her attitude softened, and Wang Xiangping was taken aback. “Okay.”

Zhao Ke led the two of them toward the primary school.

In just a short distance, they encountered three groups of people.

The first group of villagers asked what they were up to.

Zhao Ke smiled and casually replied, “Just walking around the school.”

The second group had seen Zhao Ke strike someone in the yard earlier in the morning and quickly turned away from a distance.

The third group consisted of several scruffy children, the older ones around eight or nine, and the younger ones around four or five, peeing and playing in the mud by the side of the road.

In the Wang family, aside from the eldest grandson going to school, the other boys stayed at home like this, and Wang Xiangping was used to it, not even giving them a second glance.

The three of them arrived at the primary school. Since it wasn’t yet class time, about ten students were playing on the playground.

The boys were chasing and roughhousing, while the girls were playing hopscotch…

The most noticeable was a 13- or 14-year-old beautiful girl, wearing a faded outfit with patches on her elbows and knees, sitting outside the fifth-grade classroom, singing.

Zhao Ke remembered her. Her name was He Bailing, the adopted daughter of the janitor He Dongsheng. He Dongsheng had poor legs but still insisted on sending his adopted daughter to school.

Teacher Wu had said that Xiao Bailing had a particular talent, and she picked up singing and dancing quickly.

Her voice was indeed very ethereal and pleasant to hear.

Zhao Ke smiled and looked at the girl, saying, “After you get married, you’ll have your own home, and in the future, you’ll have children of your own. What your children look like will mostly depend on you.”

Even though the children on the playground weren’t all neat and tidy, they were definitely different from those playing in the mud by the roadside.

This “difference” must exist in their hearts.

When Wang Xiangping was ten years old and working in the fields, didn’t he ever envy other children who could go to school?

When Dong Ni’er passed the school on her way to work, didn’t she ever envy Teacher Wu and Zhao Mian?

Zhao Ke didn’t believe that they didn’t feel anything.

Sure enough, Dong Ni’er looked at the students on the playground, her face full of longing as she said, “Si Ge, look at those kids, they’re so clean and handsome. Children who go to school really look different. When we have a son, let’s send him to school too.”

Wang Xiangping also shared the same hope, smiling as he promised, “Don’t worry, I will work hard to earn work points.”

Dong Ni’er looked at him with a face full of happiness, “I’ll work hard with you.”

Zhao Ke’s smile faded, her gaze still fixed on Xiao Bailing.

Anyway, the goal had been achieved, right…

Zhao Ke said coldly, “When it’s time to make a decision, be decisive. If you keep dragging it out, your son will probably end up playing in the mud.”

After saying that, she turned and started walking back.

On the way back to the main yard, Zhao Ke walked ahead while Dong Ni’er and Wang Xiangping walked behind her.

Dong Ni’er looked at Wang Xiangping with concern, “Si Ge…”

Wang Xiangping furrowed his brow. Once they returned to the team committee office, he finally stood by the side of his third brother, Wang Xiangquan, and brought up the topic of wanting to split the family.

Aunt Dong and her husband were incredulous, “Lao Si?!”

Wang Xiangping spoke with guilt, “Dad, Mom, Da Ge, Er Ge, let’s split the family. San Ge is right, we’ve done enough for the family.”

Zhao Xinshan said, “Since it’s come to this, if Lao San and Lao Si want to split, as parents, if you still disagree, the rift between brothers will only grow deeper.”

Wang Changhe suddenly seemed to age several years. He looked at his four sons one by one, then weakly lowered his head and sighed, “Then… let’s split.”

With the family split confirmed, the next issue was how to divide things as fairly as possible, and to discuss the marriages of Wang Lao San and Wang Lao Si. This part would be followed up by Team Leader Zhao Xinshan.

Lao San’s marriage couldn’t be delayed any longer, and there was no need to delay the family split either. They needed to move on to the task of sorting out the Wang family’s belongings.

Before Zhao Xinshan left, he gave Zhao Ke a verbal reprimand in front of Zhao Si Ye and the others, saying, “You must pay attention to your attitude in your work in the future.”

“Okay.”

Once everyone left, the once noisy office instantly became quiet.

Zhao Ke sat alone, propping her chin with her hand, her fingers tapping on the desk like a drumstick, tapping the table in a steady rhythm.

Her eyes were unfocused, lost in thought…

Logically speaking, this matter was solved smoothly at this point.

But Zhao Ke didn’t feel the relief she expected. Instead, it felt like there was a lump of frustration stuck in her chest, unable to be released.

This didn’t feel right.

Zhao Ke locked the team committee office door and sneaked to the health station diagonally across.

“You came?”

Zhao Ke leaned against the door frame and asked, “Dad, did you prepare the cooling tea for Mom?”

“Yes,” Zhao Jianguo took a large paper package from the medicine rack behind him. “Just dried it. I was going to take it home later.”

“Give it to me.”

Zhao Ke took it, stuffed it into her pocket, and returned to the team committee office.

The office had a thermos, but it was chipped and didn’t retain heat well. Team Leader Zhao Xinshan’s home was nearby, so every day he would take the thermos home, fill it with hot water, and bring it back.

Zhao Ke grabbed a pinch of dark, black cooling tea from the paper package and placed it into a white teacup, pouring hot water over it.

The cooling tea opened up in the hot water, and the leaves seemed to have jagged edges.

Zhao Ke took a sip, her face contorting.

Ah—

It was incredibly bitter.

And with something this bitter in her mouth, what else couldn’t she get through?

Since Zhao Ke was the only one in the office, she continued to sip, grimacing and gnashing her teeth.

“Knock, knock, knock.” There was a knock on the door.

Who would knock so lightly at the production team?

Zhao Ke immediately composed herself, sat up straight, and looked up. “Come in.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the door opened, and educated youth Fu Hang walked in.

Zhao Ke was surprised. “Fu Zhiqing?”

Fu Hang recalled the scene he had just seen through the window. He wanted to laugh but thought it inappropriate, so in the end, he addressed her seriously, “Director Zhao.”

Zhao Ke naturally covered the teacup and asked, “What brings you here, Fu Zhiqing?”

“I wanted to borrow a bicycle to go to the commune.”

Oh, it was just to borrow a bicycle.

“Sure, when do you need it?”

Fu Hang said, “Tomorrow.”

Tomorrow… The Wang family’s wedding would definitely not be arranged so quickly.

Zhao Ke agreed, “You can pick it up at my place at 7:30 tomorrow. Someone will be home then.”

Fu Hang nodded, still standing in place.

Zhao Ke looked up in confusion. “Is there something else, Fu Zhiqing?”

Fu Hang wasn’t sure what else to say but didn’t want to leave. After a nervous pause, he found an excuse. “I have some vouchers that I don’t need at the moment. If any of the team members urgently need them, they can come to me to exchange.”

“Is that so ah…”

Zhao Ke recalled the novel.

Was the male lead really this eager to help?

She remembered him as rather indifferent, even his relationship with the fellow educated youth was fairly average.

But that wasn’t too important.

Zhao Ke smiled and nodded, “Alright, I’ll thank Fu Zhiqing on behalf of the production team members.”

This time, Fu Hang had no reason to linger. He bade her farewell and left.

With his back to the closed door, Fu Hang felt a bit flustered.

He wasn’t a clumsy talker, so why was it that he suddenly didn’t know what to say?

As Fu Hang left, Zhao Ke couldn’t shake the feeling that she had forgotten something. She picked up her teacup and took a sip of the cooling tea, and the bitterness immediately made her forget all other thoughts.

It definitely wasn’t something very important. If it were, she wouldn’t have forgotten.

At noon, as it neared the time for the elementary school to dismiss, Zhao Ke locked the door in advance and waited outside for her parents to come home.

On the way back, the three of them casually chatted a bit, but didn’t talk about the Wang family.

Once home, with Yu Xiulan cooking, Zhao Ke sat by the stove, tending the fire. It wasn’t until then that mother and daughter began discussing the events of the morning.

Yu Xiulan wasn’t surprised at all. “What’s so surprising? You’ve just seen too little of this. It’s not worth getting angry about.”

“Is it that common?”

“Don’t need to look far. Our neighbor Wang Yinghui, she tried to kill herself just to marry that Song Zhiqing. I bet she regrets it now, right?”

Yu Xiulan continued working, her voice never stopping, “That Song Zhiqing had some connections, his family found him a job in the city and got him a letter to go back. Before he left, he said he would come back to bring Wang Yinghui and her mother.”

At the time, the family had their own problems, so Zhao Ke didn’t pay much attention, only vaguely remembering it.

“How clever is the Team Leader? Could he trust him?” Yu Xiulan chopped vegetables, her knife hitting the cutting board, “But Wang Yinghui believed him. She pestered the Team Leader several times, and he eventually gave her the letter, letting him leave.”

The result was obvious—she trusted the wrong person.

“He left, and for one or two months, there wasn’t even a letter. The production team said Song Zhiqing probably wouldn’t come back. If it wasn’t for Xiao Rui’s grandparents falling ill from the shock and all getting sick, Wang Yinghui would have taken Xiao Rui to the city to look for him.”

Yu Xiulan straightened up and sighed, “At that time, Xiao Rui had just started walking.”

Zhao Ke asked, “What happened after?”

“Later, Xiao Rui’s grandparents passed away, and she really did take the child to find him. She didn’t come back for over a month. When she got home, she collapsed from exhaustion. No one knows whether she found him, but people just said she must have been lost when she got to the city, and it’s likely she didn’t find him at all.”

Whether she found him or not, it didn’t change the fact that she was abandoned.

Zhao Ke used the fire poker to push a pile of firewood into the stove.

Yu Xiulan chided her, “Don’t shove in too much, you don’t need to pick up firewood like that.”

Zhao Ke had no choice but to dig out some more firewood and slowly push it in. Suddenly, she remembered something, “Didn’t they get a marriage certificate?”

“What?” The sound of the food going into the pot was too loud, and Yu Xiulan didn’t hear her clearly.

Zhao Ke asked again, “Did Yinghui and that Song Zhiqing not get a marriage certificate?”

Yu Xiulan replied, “It’s such a hassle, you have to wait in line. In the countryside, you don’t even need to buy furniture, so many people don’t bother with the certificate when they get married.”

Zhao Ke furrowed her brows, “So, the people in our village who are marrying educated youth didn’t get one either?”

“Basically, no.”

Yu Xiulan didn’t pay it much mind and continued talking about the Wang family, “You’re young, and when you first hear about the Wang family, it’s hard to accept, but Lu Dongmei isn’t all bad. If you throw a rake out in the fields, you’ll find a few in every village. Plus, the Wang family is just poor, but the brothers’ character isn’t that bad. How is that worse than those petty criminals and good-for-nothings?”

Zhao Ke’s frown deepened, “Isn’t that asking too little?”

Yu Xiulan covered the pot and turned around, “Just look at our production team. Half of the men here have beaten their wives, but the Wang family’s Lao Da and Lao Er never laid a hand on theirs.”

Zhao Ke was silent for a moment, then asked, “Has my father ever hit you?”

Yu Xiulan snorted, “If he dared to lay a finger on me, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night!”

As Zhao Jianguo walked by the kitchen, he exchanged a glance with his daughter and silently disappeared.

Zhao Ke couldn’t help but laugh.