Chapter 19: The Vicious Female Supporting Character in the 1980s (19)

The night before the college entrance exam, Cheng Wenfeng was still worried that Su Qin wouldn’t sleep well and was afraid she was too nervous.

In fact, she slept soundly. When she woke up, she had a good appetite. She ate the buns and dumplings Cheng Wenfeng bought for her and drank soy milk.

Cheng Wenfeng accompanied Su Qin to the exam site. She took the test inside; he waited outside.

This went on for two days straight.

After the last exam finished, Su Qin came out of the exam room and saw Cheng Wenfeng. A smile unconsciously appeared on her face. She walked lightly to him and said with curved eyebrows, “I did very well. There were almost no questions I couldn’t answer!”

“That means you will definitely get a great score.” Cheng Wenfeng said firmly with praise, “But since you worked so hard, it’s only natural.”

“I have always done well in school.” Su Qin couldn’t help feeling a little proud as she said it.

Since childhood, she had always been top of her class. The teachers and school leaders all knew her, but no family member had ever celebrated for her.

Su Qin realized she had accidentally revealed too much and was about to make amends, but Cheng Wenfeng calmly responded, “I have never been good at studying.”

“A poor student?” Su Qin laughed.

Cheng Wenfeng was a little embarrassed. “You could say that.” Then he changed the subject, “What do you want for lunch? I’ll fry two eggs for you to celebrate your perfect exam in advance.”

“Pfft—” Su Qin laughed out loud, holding her hand to her forehead, “It’s too hot. Let’s go home first.”

“Okay.”

Cheng Wenfeng watched her back, puzzled by what she just said but never taking it seriously. Instead, he smiled because she was happy.

The two chatted and laughed all the way back. When they entered the alley, Cheng Wenfeng saw Zhou Zhiyuan ahead, and his smile suddenly disappeared.

Zhou Zhiyuan saw the two coming back together, his expression complicated.

“What are you doing here?” Su Qin looked at him with dislike.

Zhou Zhiyuan stopped looking at Cheng Wenfeng and turned to Su Qin with an apologetic tone, “Sorry for the trouble I caused you that day.”

“It’s fine. I forgot about it a long time ago.” Su Qin didn’t care.

Zhou Zhiyuan saw Su Qin’s distant expression and felt a heaviness in his chest. He took the initiative and said, “Zhuzhu hid for a few days and didn’t take the exam. She was found only this morning. Fortunately, she’s okay.”

“That’s good.” Su Qin replied indifferently and opened the door.

Zhou Zhiyuan followed behind her, but she did not invite him inside. Instead, she asked, “Are you here just to tell me that?”

“Did you know Uncle Su is sick?” Zhou Zhiyuan asked.

Su Qin answered plainly, “I didn’t know.”

“He hasn’t gone to work these days. He says his heart isn’t well. He’s been lying in bed for a few days with no improvement. If you have time, you should go see him.”

“Isn’t there Su Yue?” Su Qin said expressionlessly, then sneered, “Did he send you here? Or are you acting on your own?”

Her words were full of sarcasm. Zhou Zhiyuan forced himself to say, “No matter what, he’s still your father.”

“If you’re so kind, why don’t you be his son and take care of him?” Su Qin said half-smiling.

Zhou Zhiyuan was speechless.

He certainly would not go be Father Su’s son.

“Aren’t you willing?” Su Qin raised her eyebrows mockingly and said, “If you don’t want to, why meddle? Are you eager to be a saintly white lotus?”

After she spoke, she ignored Zhou Zhiyuan’s expression and went inside, closing the door behind her.

Zhou Zhiyuan was left with a closed door in his face, his eyes dim and disappointed. He looked back at Cheng Wenfeng, who had somehow walked to the opposite door and also gone inside.

Are these two neighbors?

Zhou Zhiyuan could not explain the feeling in his heart at that moment. He was glad they only lived across the street and envied how close they were.

He couldn’t help but reminisce about how their two families used to be like this.

Zhou Zhiyuan felt lost again, accompanied by panic and helplessness. He was afraid to face Su Qin’s cold expression but powerless to escape his current predicament.

He returned home in a daze and saw Su Yue sitting on the sofa with Mother Zhou.

Mother Zhou was happy to see Zhou Zhiyuan return and said to him, “Xiao Yue has been assigned to work at your magazine. From now on, you can work in the same place.”

Su Yue lowered her eyes slightly, a shy smile on her lips.

It was clear she was pleased and looking forward to it.

“Congratulations.” Zhou Zhiyuan forced out a smile and said to Su Yue.

Su Yue’s smile gradually faded. Seeing his polite and indifferent attitude, her heart slowly sank.

She can’t quite say what feels off, but there is a deep sense of disappointment.

The Zhou family’s opinion of the Su family had softened considerably with Su Yue’s stable job. Mother Zhou even wanted to push the engagement forward.

After all, Su Yue was good-looking and had a stable job with a guaranteed position. If they didn’t hurry to finalize things, anything could happen in between.

Most importantly, Su Yue herself said that the Su family had not raised her much, so there was no need to give the Su family a bride price. They would give whatever they had, and she would bring it back herself.

These words completely dispelled Mother Zhou’s worries. They were only waiting for Zhou Zhiyuan’s approval before preparing to visit the Su family.

However, Zhou Zhiyuan delayed moving the relationship forward.

Just as he hesitated, a major policy announcement caught everyone off guard.

The state issued a document clearly stating that the hereditary succession system would be abolished.

For a time, it caused a huge uproar.

Some lazy, irresponsible sons lost their minds. Before, they didn’t have to study or attend university because their parents would retire and they could take over their positions as official workers.

The abolition of the succession system meant no internal job guarantees unless the parents were willing to retire early now.

The workshop was filled with a heavy atmosphere.

Except for a few workers nearing retirement who could leave early to let their children take over, everyone else sighed heavily, caught in a dilemma.

Especially those whose children were unmotivated, truly making their parents worry themselves gray-haired.

Zhou Xiufang was one of them.

Before, the workshop never lacked her loud voice, gossiping about this, excluding that, guessing and slandering another, stirring trouble endlessly.

But from some unknown time, she became silent. Half her hair had turned white, and she looked haggard, as if she had aged ten years overnight.

“Xiufang, are you retiring?” Chen Feng asked Zhou Xiufang.

They still had several years until retirement. If they retired now, their pension would be small.

“Still thinking about it,” Zhou Xiufang replied vaguely.

She had two daughters and one son. The eldest daughter was married, the younger daughter Wang Zhuzhu had skipped her college entrance exam and was pregnant, refusing to have an abortion. The youngest son was still young.

The original plan was for Wang Zhuzhu to get into college and after graduation be assigned an official job. The youngest son, being useless, would take over after Zhou Xiufang retired.

What now?

The only one who could take over was Wang Zhuzhu. But that disgraceful girl insisted on marrying a local troublemaker!

Cheng Lan also came to find Su Qin to talk about the succession. She said, “Zhao Yong is not your father’s biological son. Taking over requires many procedures. But now with the new policy, it can’t be done casually. You are the only one who can take over. Why don’t you talk to him?”

Everyone knew Father Su originally planned for Zhao Yong to take over so he would be cared for in old age. But now Zhao Yong couldn’t, and the household registration issue alone blocked the way.

In this tense time, everyone wanted to secretly work around the rules. Father Su did not have the ability to make Zhao Yong’s succession legitimate.

Only Su Qin could.

“No.” Su Qin shook her head without a second thought.

Cheng Lan looked worried, “Don’t hold a grudge against him. This concerns your future. I’ll be honest. The factory is going to reorganize and will lay off some temporary workers. If you take over, you will be an official worker. No one will lay you off.”

“Team leader Cheng, I have my own plans.”

“You kid is as stubborn as my Wenfeng.” Cheng Lan was anxious like ants on a hot pan, looking at Su Qin calmly but frowning deeply.

Did these kids not understand this was their last chance? The succession system would be gone, and official jobs would become rarer.

Su Qin smiled faintly but remained unmoved.

The matter continued to escalate. Even Wang Zhuzhu began negotiating with Zhou Xiufang. She said she could have an abortion and cut ties with the troublemaker.

But Zhou Xiufang had to guarantee her the succession.

Originally, this was the youngest son’s position. How could she get a share? After marriage, she would probably be hit for a bride price again. But now it was different. She might get an official job, and a lifetime of living off that.

No doubt everyone began scheming for themselves. Families quarreled fiercely over this matter.

Su Qin refused to go to Father Su. Cheng Lan thought the young girl was too proud to swallow her pride and decided to first investigate the Su family’s situation.

If Su Qin didn’t take over now, she would never have the chance again.

If Su Qin took over, what did Zhao Yong have to do with it? Liu Mei would be sidelined.

Not long ago, Mother He said a girl wanted to be introduced to Cheng Wenfeng. Because of the previous matter, Cheng Lan had declined. After some thought, she found time to visit the He family.

Cheng Wenfeng and He Peng got along well, so Cheng Lan was close with He’s family. When she visited, both Father and Mother He were home.

After some brief small talk, Cheng Lan steered the conversation to ask about the Su family.

“Their family? Things are really chaotic recently.” Mother He shook her head repeatedly. “Last night, Zhao Yong beat up Old Su.”

“A fight?” Cheng Lan was shocked.

“That’s right.” Mother He lowered her voice. “Apparently, that girl is pregnant. Without money for the bride price, the man forced an abortion and they broke up. Now with no succession, Zhao Yong lost it. He hit Old Su and wrecked the house. We had to intervene to break it up.”

Father He added, “I think it’s better to leave the succession to Su Qin. He Peng said she’s doing better and better.”

“Old Su is confused. He kicked his own daughter out and raised someone else’s son. He used to praise Liu Mei for being considerate. But now,” Mother He shook her head, “it’s like a stepfamily full of secrets!”

Cheng Lan’s eyes darkened in thought. She gained more confidence. “Did Su Yue get a job assignment?”

“Yes. Su Yue doesn’t care about those things. She is getting married. Zhou’s family said they are going to get engaged.”

“Who is getting engaged?” He Peng asked, curious, as he came in.

“Why do you care who’s engaged? You’re still not engaged at your age. Isn’t it shameful?” Mother He said, and then brought up her classmate’s son, expressing her disapproval, “He already has two children, and look at you!”

He Peng was not embarrassed at all. He looked at Cheng Lan and grinned, “Aunt, why should I be in such a hurry? Wenfeng is one year older than me.”

“He’s going on a blind date. If it works out this time, let’s see if you can still say that!” Mother He snorted coldly.

That girl was originally meant to be introduced to He Peng. which shows how satisfied she was with her. However, He Peng just refused to go and said he didn’t like her without even meeting her.

That made her furious.

“Wenfeng is going on a blind date?” He Peng opened his eyes wide and almost spat out the water he had just drunk. “Who arranged the blind date for him?”

“What’s with that expression?” She was really getting more and more annoyed with him. She said unhappily, “What’s wrong with blind dates? You don’t want to go on blind dates, so why don’t you allow others to go on blind dates?”

Cheng Lan was not as angry as Mother He. She looked at He Peng with a gentle smile and said, “I asked your mother to find someone for Wenfeng. He is not young anymore, and you know his personality. Without blind dates, he has no way to meet girls.”

He Peng spoke too quickly, “What blind date? Doesn’t he like Su Qin?”

The moment he said that, all three of them looked at him at once with the same disbelief.

The atmosphere seemed to freeze.

Seeing the strange mood, He Peng swallowed and quickly retracted his words, “Forget it. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Mother He obviously knew her son well and immediately raised her voice to question, “How do you know Wenfeng likes Su Qin? What nonsense are you talking about?”

“How am I talking nonsense?” He Peng was unwilling to back down, putting down his cup. 

“He always tries to be attentive. He’s either bringing fruit or breakfast to her. Last time Su Qin was hospitalized, he took care of her. He even asked me if I had any tips on how to pursue a girl!”

Cheng Lan was completely shocked.

Cheng Wenfeng likes Su Qin?!

He likes Su Qin?!

After realizing this, Cheng Lan quickly asked, “What about Su Qin? Does she like my Wenfeng?”

He Peng knew he had revealed too much and was afraid Cheng Wenfeng would punish him. He started walking to his room, “I really don’t know. I asked Liu Xiaoyan to find out, but she hasn’t asked yet.”

Mother He sharply picked up the information and asked excitedly, “Who is Liu Xiaoyan?”

“I don’t know.” He Peng’s feet seemed to be greased as he ran faster than a monkey. If he didn’t leave quickly, everyone would see his flushed face.

After leaving the He family house, Cheng Lan smiled foolishly from time to time. Even Zhang Linlin noticed something was wrong, “Mom, what’s making you so happy?”

Cheng Lan thought of Cheng Wenfeng taking away that box of books.

Su Qin also told her a friend gave her a box of books.

Isn’t that a coincidence?

Why didn’t she think of it before?

Cheng Lan said, “Nothing, Mom is just happy in advance.”

Zhang Linlin was confused. What does happy in advance mean?

Not only was she confused, but Su Qin also felt Cheng Lan was acting strangely lately, being unusually kind and tolerant to her, even affectionate.

When Cheng Lan came to the workshop today, she learned Su Qin hadn’t eaten breakfast. Soon after, she brought her a Chinese-style egg pancake and reminded her, “You still need to eat breakfast. Take good care of yourself.”

“Team Leader Cheng, no need.” Su Qin politely refused.

“Why be so formal with me?” Cheng Lan said with a smile that deepened. The more she looked at Su Qin, the more she liked her. How could she be so likable?

It’s true that people from the same family stick together.

They definitely were family.

Su Qin saw her smile getting brighter and felt uneasy for some reason, “Team Leader Cheng, you seem to be in a good mood.”

“I am very happy.” Cheng Lan didn’t want to scare her, so she changed the topic and talked about the Su family’s situation. She said, “This is a very good opportunity for you.”

Father Su couldn’t rely on Zhao Yong. Su Yue also had a formal job now. Only Su Qin’s position was irreplaceable. Father Su had no way to change that fact.

“I’m still young. Maybe there will be better opportunities and chances.” Su Qin smiled gently, speaking calmly.

Her words showed neither eagerness nor concern.

Cheng Lan didn’t know what to say. She bit her teeth and said, “You two are really alike.”

Cheng Wenfeng had said the same.

“What?” Su Qin didn’t hear clearly.

“Nothing, I’ll think of something else.” Cheng Lan rubbed her forehead and didn’t say more. She was afraid of upsetting Su Qin and felt she was meddling too much.

Her worries were not without reason. Now that Cheng Wenfeng had lost his formal job, if Su Qin got fired too, life would be difficult.

Everyone was fighting hard for a formal job. It was said that Wang Zhuzhu from Zhou Xiufang’s family had started a hunger strike threat. Some people, however, didn’t care.

Cheng Lan was about to tell Su Qin to return to the workshop when Father Su appeared not far away.

Thinking about why Father Su came, Cheng Lan’s expression changed several times. She tried to suppress her emotions, “Your father is here to see you. It must be about taking over the position.”

Su Qin had no reaction when she saw Father Su.

“I have something to tell you.” Father Su said with a stern face to Su Qin, “Come here for a moment.”

Cheng Lan softly said to her, “Go quickly and listen to what he has to say first.”

Actually, she could guess. Since Father Su had driven Su Qin out before, now that he came looking for her, it was definitely about taking over the position.

He only trusted Su Qin now.

After Father Su urged her repeatedly with a stern face, Su Qin finally walked to him. Cheng Lan knew it was better not to stay and chose to return to the workshop to wait for news.

Su Qin stood before Father Su and saw the injury near his eye but ignored it.

Father Su had thought she would care about him but she said nothing. He almost lost his temper but clenched his teeth and asked, “You know about the succession, right?”

“Mm, I heard.” Su Qin replied.

“I don’t want to waste words with you. You’re a temporary worker and might get fired anytime. I can retire early and let you take over. But you have to find a husband who will marry into our family, and your children must carry our family name.” Father Su acted as if he was making a concession and showing great mercy, “If you agree, move back home. I’ll go through the retirement process in a few days and let you take over.”

He did this purely because he couldn’t wait any longer. Zhao Yong had already hit him, and he couldn’t fight back. That man couldn’t take over the job, and even made a huge fuss over the bride price. How could someone like that possibly take care of him in his old age?

Father Su had to make plans for his own retirement.

Zhao Yong had threatened him several times, saying he would take Liu Mei away and demanded money from him. Father Su was afraid no one would care for him in the end, so he came up with this idea.

If Su Qin married a man who would marry into the family, he would have half a son. That man could take care of him in his old age, and that was better than that useless Zhao Yong!

Before Su Qin could respond, Father Su emphasized, “Now with the family planning policy, you’re only allowed to have one child. You must have a son. If not, then think of a way.”

What he meant was, if it’s not a boy, then don’t bother giving birth.

Su Qin narrowed her eyes and let out a laugh, her expression full of mockery and ridicule.

“What do you mean by that?” Father Su’s face darkened.

He had taken the initiative to come to Su Qin, which was already a loss of face. Her attitude was undoubtedly slapping him in the face.

“Who cares?” Su Qin said in a disdainful tone.

Her expression wasn’t out of spite, nor did it look like an act. She just purely didn’t want to. She didn’t want to be involved with him in any way.

“Su Qin!” Father Su was enraged and shouted angrily, “You don’t care? What kind of ability do you think you have to not care? Do you think being a temporary worker is going to get you anywhere? You think you can act arrogant in front of me?!”

He was so angry that smoke almost came out of his ears. His rage rushed straight to his head as he roared, “Don’t think just because you can doodle a few pictures that you can turn the world upside down. If one day you stop drawing and the factory lays you off, you won’t even have food to eat! What else can you do?!”

The news that Su Qin was arguing with Father Su instantly spread to the canned pineapple workshop.

Everyone was talking about it:

“It must be about the job transfer, right? Looks like old Su had no choice and could only let Su Qin take the job.”

“Su Qin doesn’t want to take it? I heard they were arguing.”

“Taking over the job must come with conditions, but no matter what, it’s still a permanent position. If it weren’t for my kid being too young to take over, I’d have already retired and passed the job to them.”

……

“Su Qin can draw and write articles. Of course she wouldn’t want to be mistreated like this. It’s normal that she doesn’t want the job,” said Chen Feng.

The more she interacted with her, the more she felt that Su Qin wasn’t like the person Zhou Xiufang described. She clearly had some real talent.

“What a big mouth. Saying she doesn’t want the job every time she opens it. Is it that she doesn’t want it or that she can’t get it?” Zhou Xiufang couldn’t help but say while Su Qin wasn’t around.

She had been swallowing her pride all this time because Su Qin had something on her, and was forced to stay quiet. She’d been holding it in and couldn’t help but let it out now, continuing, “People like her, anyone with a brain would know that taking over the job is the best path. What, does she think she can get into a good university and wait for a job assignment in the future?”

As she spoke, her tone became increasingly sharp and sarcastic.

These words weren’t just aimed at Su Qin, but also at Wang Zhuzhu, who she believed had no brains and even wanted to force her into early retirement. Dream on!

“How do you all know someone got into a good university?” The factory director suddenly walked in, his face full of joy and excitement he could barely contain.

As soon as he appeared, everyone in the room became tense.

As for what he said, no one really paid attention. They were all afraid they’d get caught slacking off.

The factory director looked around and asked, “Where’s Su Qin?”

He still had a strong impression of that girl. Chen Guoliang was a good friend of his and often talked about her talent, saying she was wasted in the canning factory. Chen Guoliang was even thinking of transferring Su Qin over once the magazine agency became more stable.

Before Zhou Xiufang could respond, Chen Feng quickly said, “She went out for something.”

“Oh.” The factory director nodded, then smiled again and asked excitedly, “How did you all find out that our Su Qin from the factory got into a top university?”

“Su Qin got into university?” Cheng Lan had just walked in and joined in with an excited tone to confirm the news.

“That’s not all—” The factory director’s face lit up with a huge smile, his voice rising with pride, “She ranked second in the entire city. A friend of mine from the Education Bureau even called me specifically. He said Yanjing University wants to recruit her!”

Not just Cheng Lan, everyone present felt like they were hearing things.

Su Qin ranked second in the entire city and Yanjing University wants her? These two pieces of news completely shattered their understanding of reality.

Was it really the Yanjing University they were thinking of? That was a school only national top scorers could get into.

“No need to doubt it, it’s the Yanjing University in the capital! Can you believe it? Su Qin is just that amazing! She actually got in!” The factory director clicked his tongue several times as he spoke, clearly still in disbelief like everyone else.

“Isn’t that the runner-up of the national exams?!” Cheng Lan’s mouth stretched into a wide grin. She couldn’t stop smiling and quickly turned around to find Su Qin to tell her this huge, life-changing news, even breaking into a small run.

Halfway there, she gradually slowed down. The smile on her face faded little by little. She raised her hand and slapped her forehead, her expression turning bitter as she cried out, “Wait a minute, what about our Wenfeng—”