100.100 Plan Bankruptcy

"Why are you going back at this time?" a woman with gray hair asked.

“My son is about to take the college entrance exam, and I have to go back to be with him, especially when it comes to filling out college applications. I’m afraid my two children are too naive and overestimate their abilities, and then they won’t be able to get into college.” Su Yu told her teacher the reason, and continued, “The work in the lab is finished, so I can take the paper home to write. It definitely won’t delay the progress of the project.”

Qin Shiyun was very confident in Su Yu's learning ability and did not emphasize the importance of study materials. When approving the leave, she asked, "You have two sons? Do they resemble you? There's no need to choose, just apply to our school. Mother and sons are alumni, which will definitely be a beautiful story."

Su Yu said with a smile, "I am an open-minded mother and I respect my child's opinion."

But after returning home and reviewing her two sons' exam papers, she subtly introduced them to universities in the capital, strongly urging them to choose either the capital or another city. "I'm already saving money, and your father has sent me all his earnings. In a few years, after you graduate, I'll buy three apartments in the capital. You two can each live in one after you get married, and your father and I will live in the last one in our retirement." She enthusiastically explained her plan, trying to make the two young men understand that she preferred living in the capital.

Xiao Yuan pinched Ping An from behind to stop him from speaking, while he himself calmly said, "Our teacher also said that we can both get into schools in the capital, and suggested that we fill in schools in the capital so that we are more likely to be assigned to jobs in the capital in the future."

“Yes, you’re studying in the capital, so most of your future colleagues will be classmates or alumni. You’ll have a strong sense of camaraderie, which will make your work much smoother.” Su Yu rubbed her knees, suppressing her excitement as she gently persuaded her. After a year and a half of free university life, without the constraints of family, she felt like a fish swimming in water. She would subconsciously ignore her age. She didn’t want to have the identity of a mother at school, which would remind her that she was already middle-aged.

“Okay, then I’ll fill in the forestry university in the capital. What about Ping An?” Xiao Yuan asked, tilting his head with a gloomy expression.

"Police academy," Ping An said decisively, showing that he had already made up his mind. This put Su Yu's mind at ease. Both boys were very sensible, organized, and had strong self-control and listened to advice.

"You two will definitely have a bright future," she confidently asserted, rolling up her sleeves. "You two study hard and prepare for the college entrance exam. I'll cook for you at home from now on; just tell me what you want to eat..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Yuan interrupted, "I want to eat pork tripe and chicken soup, but not too oily. I want to drink the soup."

"Sure, you'll definitely get a drink when you come back tomorrow night."

The college application was filled out at school, with teachers supervising, so there were no mistakes in the format or the school. Out of trust for her two sons, Su Yu didn't ask to see it. Knowing that the application had been filled out and submitted, she felt relieved. The rest of the time was spent either cooking at home or writing papers. When she was tired, she would go out for a walk and have the doctor at Shumanpo give the trees she planted a comprehensive check-up.

*

"Youngest brother, come here, I have something to tell you." Old Su put his hand on the dog's head, then pushed it away because it was hot. He took the cool mung bean water and drank it all in one go. He put down the bowl, wiped his sweat, and said, "I heard from Qingguo that we are going to distribute land to the people here."

"It's the household responsibility system. What you're describing sounds like 'land reform' or 'land redistribution.' The land still belongs to the public; it's just that it's given to you to cultivate for free."

"It's not free, there's a land payment involved, but it's still better than eating from the same pot. Hard work pays off, the more you work, the more you earn. It's a pity it's not the right time, I'm already too old." Old Su said regretfully, life was getting more and more promising, but this old man couldn't work anymore.

“I said before that once your mother and I are buried in the yellow earth, the house and land will be yours to do with. I’ve inquired about it. Our village has a lot of farmland, which is distributed per person. Adults get three mu of farmland and one mu of land. Your mother and I together have six mu of farmland and two mu of land. I’ve come to discuss with you how to deal with this.”

“I won’t come back to farm in the future, and you and Mom are doing well, so you two can do whatever you want with the land,” Su Yu said, shaking her head.

“I know, that’s why I’m discussing this with you.” Old Man Su pressed his hand down, gesturing for her to listen to him. “After the college entrance exam this year, Xiao Yuan and Ping An will also be going away to study, so there will basically be no one left in your family. My plan is that if the roof leaks or the courtyard wall collapses, your third brother-in-law will be responsible for it. So once the land is allocated, it will be given to your third sister and brother-in-law to cultivate. Every year after the harvest, give me a bag or two, just enough for the two of us old folks to fill our stomachs.”

“Actually, if I rented out the land, I could get a hundred or two in rent every year after paying for the rice and grain. But it’s useless for an old man like me to have too much money; it just attracts envy. Your third sister’s life isn’t easy either. She and her husband are both quiet and don’t have any skills. Consider this the last thing I, as her father, can do for her. Whether she can make a living or not depends on her own efforts.” This was mainly Old Man Su’s selfish thought. Of his four daughters, his third daughter was the one who had the hardest time. He had no income and relied on his youngest daughter for food. Even if he was anxious, he couldn’t help. Now that he had land, his first thought was to let his eldest daughter farm it if his youngest daughter didn’t want to. He wanted to support at least one of them.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Old Man Su assumed she was unhappy and felt uneasy. After thinking for a moment, he clapped his hands and said, "I didn't explain clearly. The land was only lent to the third son's family to farm when your mother and I were alive. After we die, it will be your responsibility."

Su Yu didn't mean that. She was already planning to move. As long as the old couple's land didn't go to their son, she didn't care who it went to. Besides, she wasn't a member of Xinhe Brigade. If the land under the old couple's names was subject to demolition or something after they passed away, the unclear ownership would cause a lot of trouble. If it wasn't subject to demolition and was just rented out, she wouldn't even consider the meager rent.

"No, I have no objection to my third sister getting the seed, but I'm afraid my eldest and second eldest sisters might object. After all, the four of us sisters will be handling your funeral arrangements together, and it wouldn't look good if we had resentment and conflicts." Another reason is that she doesn't have much faith in her third sister's family's ability to bear the risks. The elderly couple had done their best to treat her well before, often staying over to help take care of the children and guard the gate... She dared to make demands because she could bear the risks of the elderly couple getting sick or injured, so she wasn't afraid of her three sisters' objections, because she didn't expect them to share the burden and could completely handle any unexpected events herself.

However, her third sister's eldest daughter is of marriageable age, Xiaoxing is still in school, and the youngest girl has just started elementary school. That family is entirely supported by two adults. If one of them falls ill or if an elderly person needs to be taken care of, it will definitely exacerbate the conflict.

“Why don’t you talk to my eldest, second, and third sisters? My eldest and second sisters are better off, so they can get two mu each, and my third sister can get four mu. Of course, whether they want it or not is up to them to decide. If we talk it out, we won’t hold any grudges. When I’m not home, if you or Mom have any illnesses, my three sisters and their husbands can help. Whoever has time will take you to see a doctor,” Su Yu said.

Old Su was stunned for a moment. He was so senile. He had gotten used to living with his youngest daughter and her husband. Life was going smoothly, so he thought less about things. His youngest daughter and her husband were both decisive and had plenty of money and energy. He could rely on his youngest daughter's family and forgot that his third daughter was different from his youngest daughter.

"You're right, thank goodness I came to find you." Old Su was relieved, looking up at his spirited youngest daughter, who had become a golden phoenix that had flown out of the chicken coop. He said with satisfaction, "You've grown up. Before, your father had to teach you how to do things, but I don't know when it started, I've been relying on you."

“I’m all grown up now, you don’t need to worry about me anymore. Don’t worry, you can rely on me without fear. I can take care of anything that happens to you now.” Su Yu put his arm around the old man’s shoulder and said in a brotherly tone, “Eat and drink well at home. If you have any minor troubles, go to my sister and brother-in-law. If you encounter big troubles, are unwell, miss me, miss your grandson… have Xiao Xing write to me, and I’ll come back to see you…”

"Of course, you can't escape." Old Su rubbed the bridge of his nose, letting the soreness dissipate, slapped her arm away, and scoffed, "No manners whatsoever."

It was already mid-June when the land was allocated. Su Yu had already taken two young men who had just finished their college entrance exams north. The land allocation was decided by the old man through a letter written by Xiao Xing. The eldest sister, Su Min, didn't want any land. Firstly, her family had a salary, and secondly, she and Li Weiguo were getting older, and with a large family, the land allocated by the village would be enough for the whole family to work on for a while. The second sister, Su Tao, took two mu and one mu of land, and the remaining five mu were given to the third sister, Su He, to cultivate. At the end of the letter, Xiao Xing mentioned wanting to raise Xiao Hei and Xiao Hua, but Su Yu refused. She had already found a house near the school and planned to buy it. After buying and renovating it, she would have Ning Jin deliver the two dogs by car.

The son can be sent away, the wife is welcome to come, but the dog must stay.

But in early July, Su Yu had just come out of the experimental forest farm when her teacher handed her two letters. "When I came in, I saw the postman. He asked if there was a letter for me, so I handed it to him. It's funny, one of the letters had the same return address as the other, which was our school."

Su Yu's mind went blank for a moment. She had a bad feeling from the moment she touched the envelope. When she opened the envelope, blood rushed to her head.

"You little rascal, Su Yuan, you've tried to fool me!" she shouted, then tore open another envelope. Ning Ping'an, this brat kept talking about getting into police academy, but what happened? He ended up at the nearby university, majoring in aircraft design, two completely unrelated fields.

"No wonder I received the notice so quickly, damn it, I've been going around in circles!" Su Yu spat angrily, clutching the two notices as she ran towards her rented apartment, ignoring the person calling her from behind.

"Su Yuan, Ning Ping'an, get out here right now!" She shouted before she even got home. She pushed the door twice but couldn't open it. The lock on the door hit her hand, and she realized that her two sons weren't home. She opened the door and went inside. She walked around the house, picked up a bamboo stick, swung it in her hand, and then threw it away. Her shoes were too short. She wandered around the three rooms, and finally pulled a feather duster that was shedding feathers out of a crack in the wall. Holding the broken duster, she sat down in the middle of the main room and stared at the open door.

"Oh, Mom's back already?" Xiao Yuan saw the door open and peeked inside. He waved and said, "Mom, we went to the recycling station. Look what I found! The copper coin you've been wanting to keep."

"Close the door and come in." Su Yu beckoned with her hand, her voice indifferent.

They then realized something was wrong. They exchanged a glance, thinking they hadn't done anything wrong recently. As they walked in, they noticed the paper on the table and began to suspect something.

Which universities did you two apply to?

Sure enough, the two lowered their heads but raised their eyes to look at each other.

"Still arguing over trivial matters!" Su Yu got angry at their relaxed and carefree appearance, picked up a feather duster, jumped up and swung it at them, knocking off a lot of feathers.

"Stop right there, you dare to run away! You still have the nerve to run away? Damn it, you tricked me completely, saying it was the Forestry University in the capital? The Police Academy? Hmm? Which one fits? Oh, the Forestry University one is real." Su Yu chased the two long-legged children around the yard, the feathers on the duster all fell off but she didn't even get a few hits, and she was exhausted and out of breath.

"Mom, don't be angry, we're even." Xiao Yuan dodged the shoe that was thrown at him, put his hands on his hips and said, "You tricked us first. You didn't want us to come to the Northeast, you wanted to get rid of us, we could all see that." He smiled smugly and chuckled, "What kind of mother would want to leave her children behind and go off on her own?"

“Exactly, exactly. As for the police academy, I was just kidding you. I haven’t wanted to be a policeman since the college entrance exam was reinstated. I like drawing and I don’t really like physical training. Besides, with my grades, I could easily choose a major that I’m more interested in and that sounds more prestigious and high-end.” Ping An stood at the door, shaking his head and not even flinching at the shoe that was thrown at him. He let it land on the door and turned to wait with interest for his mother to make another move.

"You two are something else, now our feud is officially on." Su Yu pointed her index finger at them from a distance, unilaterally declaring war.

She was exhausted. The die was cast; even if she beat those two brats to death, it wouldn't change anything. Her dream of freedom was shattered...