Chapter 73: Returning Home

When they got home, Wei Dai had already heated up the fried dumplings and asked Wen Jiajia if she wanted some.

Wen Jiajia measured her wrist with her fingers and shook her head, “No.” It’s too easy to gain weight if you eat after ten o’clock.

Wei Dai also knew her habit, so he stopped persuading her and finished the fried dumplings in no time.

As for the marinated duck and smoked fish in the package, Wen Jiajia took them out and put them in the room.

When she bought it, she asked the waiter at the restaurant, and the waiter said it would be no problem to leave it until tomorrow.

As for other things, Wen Jiajia really didn’t have the energy to sort them out. She carried the wooden bucket to the kitchen to fill it with water, took a quick shower, and lay down on the bed.

Wei Dai also took a shower after eating and came into the house with a body full of moisture.

In the darkness, the two of them snuggled together.

Wei Dai saw Jia Jia’s eyes wide open, and she seemed to have no sleepiness at all, so he asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Wen Jiajia suddenly laughed out loud, “Nothing, just thinking about the future.”

“What’s next?”

“In the future…Hey Wei Dai, if you have the chance, would you like to live in Hai City?” Wen Jiajia turned and asked him.

Wei Dai tapped her forehead gently, “Isn’t this nonsense? Who wouldn’t want to live in a big city?”

Wen Jiajia covered her head and muttered, “I thought you couldn’t get used to living in the city and wanted to go back to your hometown to live a pastoral life^[1]refers to a way of living centered around the raising of livestock and agriculture, often characterized by a close relationship with nature and a focus on rural, agrarian activities. where you work from sunrise to sunset.”

Wei Dai laughed, “You think I’m your father. It’s true that he is not used to living in the city. But I’ve been away from home for so long, how can I not be used to living here?”

“Working from sunrise to sunset sounds good in theory, but we all come from the countryside. Is it really that great?”

What nonsense.

When Wen Jiajia was in Fuyang, she often heard footsteps at the door around four or five in the morning.

Whose footsteps? The villagers’.

What were they doing? Going up the mountain to chop wood and dig bamboo shoots, cleaning the economic forest, weeding the fields, and so on.

Some mountains take an hour or two to climb. If you wait until sunrise to start heading out, you won’t have much time before the sun sets, and it’s time to go home.

So “working at sunrise” means that by the time the sun is up, you’re already in the field, ready to start working—not waiting for the sun to appear before leaving.

“Resting at sunset?” That’s somewhat true.

In the countryside, there aren’t many entertainment options. Dinner is usually around four or five o’clock, and after dinner, you can clean up and rest. The most common form of entertainment is probably making children.

Some villages have card tables, but in Captain Fuyang’s jurisdiction, card playing is strictly regulated, and gambling is strictly prohibited.

But sometimes, you can’t rest because there’s always work to do when you’re farming.

The river water might be cut off at night, strong winds and heavy rain might knock down the crops, or someone might steal the nearly mature corn and sweet potatoes… In any case, there’s rarely a peaceful moment throughout the year.

Wen Jiajia said, “I’m a city girl at heart. I love the big city! The idea of picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely gazing at the southern mountains sounds nice to think about, but forget about living it myself.”

Unless it’s the new countryside decades later.

To be fair, some places have really improved. One of her college roommates is from the countryside, and she thought it would be a typical rural area, but there’s actually a subway in the village, next-day delivery, wide roads, and the houses are villas with front and back yards. It’s surrounded by mountains and rivers, and you can reach the city square in half an hour to watch movies, shop, and eat.

Anyone who has lived in a rural area like that knows how comfortable it is!

Wei Dai hugged her. The wind blowing in from the window was cold, but Wen Jiajia didn’t push him away.

He said, “I used to think about returning to my hometown after leaving the army. But now, I don’t think about it at all. I have to stay in the city for a long time. The bigger and more prosperous the city, the better.”

“If possible, I want my big brother to come out too. With his leg… it’s hard to live a good life in the countryside without the help of our parents.”

Not only does his elder brother have a leg problem, but his overall health is much weaker than the average person’s.

He can’t even lift as much as his wife.

Because of his poor health, they only have one son despite years of marriage. Although she got pregnant again a few times, she miscarried each time. Just the day before yesterday, he received a letter from home saying that his sister-in-law was pregnant again, and this time the baby was in better condition than before. They consulted the barefoot doctor in the commune, who said the baby could be carried to term if nothing unexpected happened. They also asked Dr. Fang in Jinbu Commune, and he said that with some supplements, the pregnancy should go smoothly.

If this baby is born safely, the burden on his elder brother will definitely increase.

When Wen Jiajia heard this, she suddenly laughed and leaned over to Wei Dai’s ear, saying, “I can also help people get into the factory.” Then, she told Wei Dai what Director Gao had mentioned some time ago.

She added proudly, “You wouldn’t believe it, but last year I was looking for work myself, and now I’m considered a leader.”

Wei Dai pinched her cheek. “Great!”

“Right. From what Director Gao said, it’s not a big deal. It seems that many factories do this when new ones are established and internal recommendations are needed,” Wen Jiajia frowned. “But someone like your brother, who can’t move easily, probably wouldn’t get in.”

If someone has good writing skills, exceptions can be made. But Brother Wei only has a primary school education and can only recognize some common characters, not much else.

Wei Dai shook his head. “Big brother won’t come at a time like this.”

“What do you mean?”

“My sister-in-law is pregnant.”

“Pregnant…what? Pregnant!” Wen Jiajia almost jumped. “Didn’t you say she always miscarried?”

Wei Dai said, “This time they say it can be saved. If she gets enough nutrition and avoids manual labor, she should be fine in eight months.”

Wen Jiajia frowned again.

How should I put it? It’s early in the family planning phase, and eugenics^[2]is a set of beliefs and practices aimed at improving the genetic quality of the human population through selective breeding or other forms of genetic manipulation. hasn’t been fully implemented yet. For Wei’s family, she feels that having one child is already quite good. Afterward, there were three miscarriages. I can’t say it’s 100% due to his sperm, but it’s probably 70% to 80% his fault.

But she couldn’t say anything about such a big issue as having a child. Didn’t she see the man beside her, who was actually quite happy for his elder brother?

Wen Jiajia sighed, “Actually, I wanted to ask my sister-in-law to come work. She’s physically strong and can do a lot more than I can. She also cooks really well, so if nothing else, she could be a kitchen helper in the logistics canteen.”

Master Wang in the logistics department is very skilled, and he’s Master He’s senior brother. There’s no need for Mrs. Wei to become his apprentice, but she could learn a few tricks from him. Even if she quits her job in the future, it would be more than enough for her to open a small restaurant.

Wei Dai said, “After my sister-in-law gives birth, she’ll still need to raise the baby. That will take at least one to two years. By then, it won’t be that easy for your factory to send someone in. You should consider recommending someone else.”

That’s true.

However, Wen Jiajia thought about the upcoming college entrance exams and wasn’t sure if she could give this job to someone else.

Probably someone who was on leave without pay and couldn’t give the opportunity to anyone else.

“Then who should it be for?” Wen Jiajia asked Wei Dai.

Wei Dai shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Wen Jiajia said, “I don’t know either. I don’t have any close relatives, and I’m not familiar with your relatives.”

“There aren’t many people on my mother’s side, and there are no close uncles or brothers on my father’s side. If I give it to one family, the others will make a fuss, so I might as well not give it to anyone.”

Wen Jiajia had never thought about offering the opportunity to Wei’s relatives since she wasn’t familiar with them. To be honest, she wasn’t even that familiar with Brother Wei and Sister-in-law Wei.

There were only a few months when Wei Dai didn’t take her to the army, and during that time, Brother Wei and Sister-in-law Wei helped her a few times.

Later, they also helped take care of the elderly and often sent things to them, which is how we developed some affection for each other.

Oh! I never thought I would one day be troubled by this matter. It must be a sweet trouble.

Wen Jiajia thought about her sister-in-law’s pregnancy again. She counted on her fingers and realized she should be ready to get pregnant next year.

Next year will be 1975, the baby would be born in 1976, and could take the college entrance exam in 1977. The timing is just perfect.

_

The next day.

The first thing Wen Chun and Wen Xuan did after waking up was run to the next room to see their aunt. They were worried that what happened last night was just a dream.

Wen Jiajia had just woken up and was sitting on the bed in a daze, her mind still not fully awake.

She yawned and asked the two, “What are you doing?”

Wen Chun lay on her bed with a smile. “I’m not dreaming, my aunt is really back.”

Wen Jiajia pinched her cheeks with both hands. “Silly girl, my luggage is still in the living room.”

Wen Chun’s eyes lit up. “Aunt, did you bring back some pretty clothes? The waist-hugging^[3]describes a style of clothing that fits closely around the waist, emphasizing or accentuating the waistline. ones I wanted?”

Wen Jiajia sighed. “You don’t think about the delicious food, you only think about clothes. It seems that clothes are more important than food.”

Wen Xuan quickly chimed in, “I’m thinking about the food.”

She raised her hands high. “I just smelled something; there’s meat in the cupboard.”

“You really do have a dog’s nose! No, even a dog’s nose isn’t as sharp as yours.”

Wen Jiajia got up from under the quilt, went to the living room, and slowly unpacked her things. Director Gao had told her on the train yesterday that she could go to work at nine o’clock today.

She first took out the clothes and fabrics she had bought for the Xie family, Bao Jie’s family, and the Xu family next door, preparing to deliver them later.

Then she set aside the clothes and fabrics she bought for Lan Lan, Sha Yue, Dong Qi, and others, wrapping them in cloth to take with her when she went to work.

What remained was for her own family.

Among those, two sets needed to be sent home.

In her hometown, after getting married, it was customary to give a set of clothes to the elderly every two years. Of course, most people in the commune would give shoes or underwear instead, and if they were really struggling, they might just give a pair of socks, or nothing at all.

But in her family, they had to give something. If they took a salary but didn’t respect their elders, they would be criticized by the villagers, and their conscience wouldn’t allow it.

Wen Jiajia also gave her family a few feet of Dacron fabric, putting it in the room to send home along with the other items.

The same went for shoes. A large bag of shoes was displayed, looking like a shoe stall.