Chapter 34: Going Back to the Countryside

Xu Ruyan felt her father’s gaze on her and instinctively shrank back, a bad premonition rising in her chest.

Old Xu flicked the nearly burnt-out cigarette butt onto the ground. His dust-covered cloth shoes crushed it underfoot, and the faint ember instantly went out.

His tone softened a bit. “Xiaoyan, isn’t your boyfriend’s father a manager at the machinery factory? See if he can help get your brother a job there.”

“I heard the machinery factory treats its workers well, and those who do well can even live in the company dormitory buildings!” Xu’s mother looked at her daughter with hopeful eyes.

Xu Ruyan lowered her head, but a trace of disdain flashed in her eyes. Xu Baofeng was good for nothing but messing things up. Even if he got a job, he’d have to prove he could keep it.

Besides, her own happiness wasn’t settled yet!

Since the unpleasant incident at the Li family last time, Li Haoxuan hadn’t contacted her once. She still wanted to keep him dangling, but now it seemed impossible—she needed to change tactics.

She didn’t want to stay in this family one more moment.

A look of grievance showed on Xu Ruyan’s face, and her voice was as soft as a whisper: “I want to help Baofeng find a good job too, but… but a few days ago when I went to their house, his mother looked down on our family’s conditions and picked on me in all sorts of ways. She even said I’m not worthy to enter their door.”

After saying this, her eyes filled with tears, and big tears rolled down, making her look pitiful.

“That’s a load of nonsense! My daughter is so pretty—what’s unworthy about her? They just have some money; big deal!” Xu’s mother’s face turned dark with anger, her eyes blazing.

Old Xu saw she wasn’t pretending and knew this road was blocked. He looked at her with a bit of disdain.

“Mom, it’s okay. Although his mother doesn’t like me, we’ve already reported our relationship. He promised he would marry me into the family.”

Wiping her tears, Xu Ruyan stole a glance at her father and sighed dramatically, “His sister-in-law’s conditions aren’t even as good as mine. At worst, I’ll bring more dowry when I get married. That way, his mother will definitely look at me differently. Once I have a foothold, I’ll find a way to help Baofeng.”

“I heard his father is preparing to be promoted to deputy factory director. When that happens, getting someone a job at the factory won’t be a big deal.”

At the mention of ‘deputy factory director,’ old Xu’s murky eyes suddenly brightened. “Xiaoyan, you’re not getting any younger. You need to hurry with marriage. As for the dowry, rest assured your mother and I have already prepared it. That old woman…”

He caught himself using the term ‘old woman’ and quickly corrected, “I mean, your future mother-in-law won’t be able to say a word against it. Just remember, once you marry, don’t forget your roots.”

A gleam appeared in Xu Ruyan’s eyes as she smiled, “Look at what Dad said. My surname is Xu. Even after marriage, I’ll still rely on my brother Baofeng as my backing. Only if he’s doing well can I do well.”

Old Xu nodded approvingly, feeling a bit better, though he was worried about his son possibly going back to the countryside. After all, Baofeng was the only child of the Xu family.

“Third child, you’re not young either. I had your mother find a matchmaker to arrange a good marriage for you. You should stay at home and be ready to marry.” Old Xu looked at Xu Ruyan in the corner and said seriously, “The job at the garment factory was originally for you, but tomorrow you’ll go to the factory and handle the paperwork to transfer it to your brother.”

Xu Ruyan was startled by her father’s sudden call. She shivered slightly and looked down at her fingers, sticky with glue from a matchbox, saying nothing.

Her silence was a quiet act of rebellion.

Old Xu, feeling his authority challenged and repeatedly frustrated, darkened instantly and glared fiercely. “Are you mute? I’m talking to you!”

“I’m a cutter. The little brother can’t do that,” Xu Ruyan said softly, almost like a whisper from the dust.

“You don’t know how? I’ll have you train him for a few days, and he’ll know.” Old Xu’s tone was an order that brooked no refusal. “It’s decided then. Tomorrow you go to the factory and talk to the leaders.”

The Xu family’s farce ended hastily. Everyone got what they wanted.

Only the frail Xu Ruyan quietly wiped her tears in an unnoticed corner.

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Actually, she didn’t want to get married at all, nor did she want to give the job to her brother, but no one cared about her thoughts.

The next day, Xu Baofeng was supposed to go with Xu Ruyan to the garment factory to discuss the job handover, but he was too tired and didn’t want to get out of bed. So he sent Xu Ruyan ahead and said they would handle the job matters tomorrow.

Xu Ruyan, being kicked out of the room, was actually quite happy. This meant she could work one more day.

That morning, the big courtyard was busy with activity — washing clothes, washing vegetables — everyone gathered around the water basin.

Yesterday, the Xu family had caused such a big commotion that many people had heard about it. A nosy aunt asked Xu’s mother curiously, “What happened at your house last night? It sounded like an argument!”

Family troubles were best kept inside. Even though everyone lived in the same big courtyard, not every household was on good terms.

“My Baofeng is young and hot-headed. He got scolded by his father a few times, but it’s nothing serious,” Xu’s mother dodged the question.

Seeing that she didn’t want to answer, the aunt didn’t press further but exchanged a knowing glance with another woman nearby.

Everyone tacitly understood what kind of character the Xu family’s son was.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” The knocking on the door echoed through the small courtyard.

The aunt who lived closest to the door wiped her hands on her clothes, stood up from her small stool, and went to open it.

When she opened the door, she saw a staff member dressed in a “sent-down youth office” uniform standing there.

These days, everyone was afraid to see people from the sent-down youth office — their appearance meant that the family’s children were being sent to the countryside.

The aunt looked a little nervous. Her daughter was just at the age for being sent down. She had finally found a boyfriend but hadn’t registered their marriage yet.

She licked her dry lips and asked, “May I ask what your business is?”

“Is Xu Baofeng living here?” The middle-aged man with a serious expression asked.

The aunt silently breathed a sigh of relief and nodded quickly. “Yes, that’s their house.”

She fully opened the door, turned, and pointed towards the Xu family’s house, putting on a friendly smile. “I’ll show you the way.”

Xu’s mother saw the visitor being led into her home and, without caring about the soap bubbles on her hands, hurried after them. “Comrade, is there some matter?”

“Please deliver this notice to Xu Baofeng. Have him prepare to report to the sent-down youth office tomorrow for arrangements to go to the countryside.” The middle-aged man handed the notice to Xu’s mother in a businesslike manner. Although polite, his tone was firm and authoritative.

The moment Xu’s mother heard “going to the countryside,” a flash of panic showed in her eyes. She stammered, “Comrade, there must be some mistake. My son has a job. How can he be sent down?”

“This is written clearly in black and white, with an official stamp on it. How could there be a mistake?” The man’s face darkened as he raised his voice.

Xu Baofeng was sleeping like the dead and hadn’t heard the argument at the door. It was Xu Ruyan who heard the noise and came out.

She was clearly startled to see the sent-down youth office official but quickly recovered and smiled, stepping forward. “Comrade, sorry, my mother is illiterate and doesn’t understand these things. May I see this notice?”

Seeing Xu Ruyan dressed in a military uniform, the man’s expression softened a bit and handed the notice to her.

Xu Ruyan took the notice and quickly scanned it. Her heart tightened. Her brother had been fired yesterday, and now the sent-down youth office people had come knocking. He was to be sent to the countryside tomorrow, to the poor and barren northwest.

If she were to say there was no one behind the scenes pushing this, she wouldn’t believe it to her dying day.