◎ Third update ◎ 

“Divorce?” Liang Baoying was stunned. 

Half a year ago, Song Jianguo had proposed a fake divorce with the idea of returning to the city, but he later calmed down, thinking that if the college entrance exams were resumed, he might be able to go back. 

Song Jianguo sat on the edge of the bed, holding his wife’s hand, with a furrowed brow and a serious expression. He was a good-looking man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, but after working in the fields for years, his skin had darkened, and he had become quite rough. He pressed his dry lips together and said seriously. 

“Baoying, it’s not a real divorce. We’ll get a divorce first, and once I settle down in the city, I’ll bring you and Mengmeng over.” 

“Why do we need a fake divorce?” Liang Baoying didn’t understand. Wasn’t Song Jianguo already studying seriously? 

Song Jianguo smiled bitterly and shook his head. “College entrance exam, going to university? There might be a little chance of that happening. Baoying, I believed what your sister said before, but thinking about it, if the college entrance exam could be resumed, that would be great. But who knows if it will be resumed this year? Even if it is resumed, can I pass it?” 

It was fine when no one could return, and no one had other thoughts. But once one educated youth returned to the city, others couldn’t sit still. The desire to return grew from various places and it tormented everyone’s nerves. 

“Of course you can!” Liang Baoying had not received much education, but she knew that her husband was educated and had once been one of the best students in his class. “You will definitely pass the exam.” 

“That was so many years ago that I almost forgot everything.” Song Jianguo had no confidence that the college entrance examination would resume, nor did he have confidence in himself. 

When he entered the city today, he was deeply hurt again. He was originally a city dweller. After graduating from high school, he either planned to attend a technical secondary school or worked in a state-owned factory to become a glorious working-class citizen. He should be able to receive a ration of grain, oil, rice, and flour every month, and a modest salary, life should be decent. 

But now, he has to work hard every day while facing the fields. Instead of believing in the college entrance examination that he doesn’t know when will come, and gambling on whether he can pass it or not, it’s better to divorce and rely on work to return to the city. 

His parents have already found out that they can buy him a job. As long as he gets divorced, he can be picked up by his work unit and successfully return to the city! 

Song Jianguo grabbed Liang Baoying’s hand and begged bitterly. He talked about the hardships and fatigue he had experienced in the countryside over the years, and how she had seen all the suffering he had endured, and tears flowed down his face. 

“Baoying, you know that I used to be a good student in school, but suddenly I became an educated youth, carrying a hoe to work every day. I used to hold a pen with this hand, but now I have so many blisters. The skin is broken, and it hurts so much, but there is nothing I can do at the educated youth center. Everyone sleeps on a big bunk bed, and there is no room of their own. What do we eat all day? We can’t even have a steamed bun…” 

I want to go back to the city, not just for myself—I want our family to live in the city. Didn’t you see Baozhen today? Look at her, she has changed in just half a year after marrying in the city. She wears clothes made of all kinds of materials and has a formal job. In the future, her children will also be city dwellers, and they can go to the best elementary schools and eat good food. Look at Mengmeng. She can only live with us! Don’t you want Mengmeng to have a good life too? Do you want her to dig in the fields like us?” 

“We work hard every year, but we can’t even have enough meat to eat, and there’s hardly any money left at the end of the year! If I return to the city, I’ll have a job and a monthly salary. Think about it, won’t our family be able to live well then?” 

In his excitement, Song Jianguo knelt on the ground, swearing to the sky, “Baoying, please believe me! After I return to the city and settle down, I will definitely come to pick you and Mengmeng up as soon as possible! Please believe me.” 

Liang Baoying listened to every word from her husband and understood his suffering over the years, especially his desire for Mengmeng to have a better life. Would she rather her daughter goes to school in the city or continue digging in the fields like herself? 

Looking out the window, Mengmeng was running in the yard, picking up stones and drawing on the ground. She looked adorable but Liang Baoying’s heart was in turmoil… 

*** 

Song Chunhua didn’t know about Baoying and her husband’s situation. She was preparing to go out to visit relatives. When she came back, the Xu family had prepared rich New Year gifts for her, including a bag of white sugar, a bag of brown sugar, a pair of enamel cups, two pounds of egg cake, and a can of fruit. The bag was full. When she arrived at the village entrance, many villagers saw her and praised her for finding a son-in-law from the city. 

At this moment, she was just taking a bag of white sugar to offer New Year’s greetings. 

Aunt Hu couldn’t help but say something sarcastic to her, “Oh, Chunhua, you’re back from the city? I heard you brought a lot of things. What are they?” 

As she spoke, she wanted to get closer. 

Song Chunhua avoided her and protected her things. She knew that Hu Guifen was a person who loved to take advantage of others. “Just these things.” 

“Hmph.” Hu Guifen rolled her eyes and pointed at the Dong family next door to the Liang family. “Dong Jiayan brought back a lot of stuff, and she married the director of the factory, while your Baozhen married an ordinary worker. You can’t compare~” 

“There’s no need for comparison. Our son-in-law is a good man. He has prepared everything for us and I’m very satisfied.” Song Chunhua was not willing to be outdone. She protected her own family. 

Dong Jiayan heard some voices outside and knew that the Liang family had returned, so she opened the door and went out. She returned to the village on the morning of the third day of the New Year, wandered around the village with a bunch of things she bought, and then went home. She originally wanted to go to the door of the Liang family, but after standing there for a while, she heard that the Liang family had actually gone to the city! 

So their whole family goes to the city to celebrate the New Year? 

Now that they had finally come back, she had to go out and show off. After all, half a year had passed, and everyone had almost forgotten about the commotion, or no one cared about it anymore. She came back and gave everyone some candy, and everyone praised her for marrying well. 

“Aunt Chunhua, are you back from the city?”

Song Chunhua looked at Dong Jiayan and ignored her. This person was so shameless to do such a shameful thing. If it weren’t for the fact that her parents had been neighbors with her family for more than ten years, she would have wanted to rush up and slap her twice. 

Ever since the last time the head of the Dong family came to apologize, the two families never mentioned the matter again, but they also cut off contact and acted as if they didn’t know each other when they met each other on the road. 

Song Chunhua felt like she was dirtying her mouth when talking to Dong Jiayan. She rolled her eyes at her, snorted, and went to talk to Aunt Fulai at the other end. 

Dong Jiayan was ignored by Song Chunhua, feeling a little frustrated. She took a piece of egg cake from the house and gave it to Hu Guifen, “Auntie Hu, you should try this. This is all bought from the city. My husband cares about my family and spends a lot of money on it.” 

The money was indeed paid by Chen Siming, but he didn’t care about it at all and just wanted to use some money to get rid of Dong Jiayan. Dong Jiayan wanted to compare herself with Liang Baozhen, so when she came back to her parents home on the third day of the New Year, she bought a lot of food from the city supply and marketing cooperative and hoped that she could outdo her. As a result, she bought the food, but Liang Baozhen didn’t come back! 

“Jiayan, you’re married to the right person. Your husband really cares about you that he even bought so many things for your family! Look, other family’s things are different. They look so shabby.” 

Song Chunhua listened and laughed inside. Dong Jiayan was really foolish, trying to buy Hu Guifen with egg cake? What a waste, she’d rather keep good things for herself than curry favor with that person. 

“Indeed, if people don’t come back, they should at least bring something.” Chen Siming has never set foot in Damei Village after getting married with Dong Jiayan. He didn’t come for her wedding, nor did he come for the New Year. Every time, Dong Jiayan came back alone. 

Song Chunhua’s words hurt Dong Jiayan. Aunt Fulai also couldn’t stand Dong Jiayan and added, “That’s right. We can’t really compare. A son-in-law who is just an ordinary worker brings his mother-in-law’s family to the city for a reunion dinner with lots of fish and meat, but the director doesn’t even show up once.” 

Aunt Li, who was eating pumpkin seeds nearby, also thought it made sense. She was just watching the fun and felt that Dong Jiayan’s husband really was something. “Jiayan, let me give you some advice. You need to open your eyes. It’s clear whether someone cares about you or not. You’ve been married for so long, and your husband hasn’t even visited the village once!” 

Dong Jiayan felt aggrieved when she saw the old ladies in the village watching the show. She also wanted Chen Siming to come, but he refused to come because he thought it was too tiring to take the bus. However, in front of others, she had to maintain her composure. “Our Siming is a director and is very busy! He is not as idle as others who have so much free time.” 

After saying that, she turned and went back to the house, slamming the door shut. 

*** 

The short Spring Festival holiday ended with the long-awaited sounds of firecrackers. 

The sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinners in every household in the city were eaten up, the delicious fish and meat disappeared from the table, and cornmeal steamed buns, and sweet potatoes became the staple foods once again. 

The meat, grain, and sugar tickets saved for a year are used up during the Spring Festival. The new year meant living slowly and saving up money and tickets again, hoping that next year the family’s dining table would have a few more big dishes. 

Liang Baozhen sat on the back seat of Xu Shengjie’s bicycle and went to work at the factory again. 

During the holidays, the workers would definitely slack off a little, so a banner with white letters on a red background was hung at the entrance of the State Cotton Factory. It read, “Grasp the Revolution, Focus on Production, and Actively Engage in Production and Construction.” 

The banner was meant to motivate workers and encourage active participation in production and construction. 

At the factory gate, groups of people in blue work clothes were walking in, accompanied by the sound of bicycle bells and it created a bustling scene. 

However, as they walked in, everyone realized something was wrong. The road ahead was blocked, and they couldn’t move forward. 

Liang Baozhen got off the bicycle and looked ahead. It seemed a crowd had gathered, and there was noise everywhere. 

“What’s wrong?” 

Xu Shengjie waited until Liang Baozhen steadied herself after getting off the bicycle and asked her to hold it and strode forward to check the situation. 

He pushed through the crowd and squeezed inside, only to see that factory director Chen Yong was being stopped on the road by three workers, who were talking angrily and spitting as they talked. 

Liang Baozhen pushed the bicycle forward with difficulty. She heard the workers beside her discussing what had happened. When Xu Shengjie turned around, she asked hurriedly, “What’s wrong? What happened?” 

Xu Shengjie briefly explained, “Chen Siming has been reported.”