Chapter 46 Going to the Countryside
Gu Yihan and Mao Mao strolled leisurely toward the machinery factory.
She came across a group of people writing something on a wall, and curiously walked over, only to find that they were writing a slogan: encouraging educated youth to go to the countryside to build up rural areas.
On the other side it says that receiving education from poor and lower-middle peasants is the most glorious thing.
Gu Yihan then remembered that this year was 1968, the peak period of the "Down to the Countryside Movement." It seemed that all high school students in this batch who did not have jobs were forced to go to the countryside.
The accounting office was noisy, and Gu Yihan pushed open the door with a puzzled look.
Watching Zhou Na and Sister Li talking to Wang Xiang.
"What's wrong?" Gu Yihan asked curiously.
Zhou Na turned around and sat down at her desk, only then did she see it.
Wang Xiang's eyes were terribly red and swollen; just by looking at them, you could tell she had been crying for quite some time.
Sister Li sighed and said, "It's all because of Wang Xiang's younger brother. Her parents couldn't bear to let her brother go to the countryside, so they asked her to give up her job."
Zhou Na also spoke up for Wang Xiang, saying, "They really favor boys over girls. Don't they realize that everyone in our accounting department needs to take exams? They think they can just give people jobs like that? They're dreaming."
Sister Zhuang is a shrewd person; she didn't offer any opinion.
Wang Xiang's family has urban household registration. One of her two children is employed, while the other is unemployed. It is certain that one of them will need to go to the countryside.
Gu Yihan also felt it was best not to get involved in this matter, lest she end up pleasing neither side.
Sister Li, who was on good terms with Wang Xiang, looked at her with concern and asked, "What are you planning to do? Give up your job?"
Wang Xiang looked at the other person with bewildered eyes: "Sister Li, I really didn't expect that my parents would want me to go to the countryside."
Zhou Na wanted to smash Wang Xiang's head open: "You have a job, why go to the countryside? As long as you don't lose your job, who can force you?"
Sister Zhang, who had always been relatively unknown, said, "What if your parents took your household registration to the educated youth office and registered your name there?"
Gu Yihan gave Sister Zhang a thumbs up in her heart; her words hit the nail on the head.
Wang Xiang asked in a panic, as if struck by lightning, "Then what should I do?"
Zhou Na slammed her hand on the table: "Wang Xiang, I remember you were talking to a man at the gate that day, wasn't that your boyfriend?"
Wang Xiang then remembered and said with a slightly flushed face, "Yes, he is a first-class fitter in our factory."
Zhou Na looked at her and said, "Then that's settled. Talk to your boyfriend and see if you can get the marriage certificate first."
Sister Li looked at Wang Xiang in surprise: "When did you start dating? You've kept it a secret for a long time."
Sister Zhang said thoughtfully, "A level one fitter, huh? He earns 31 yuan a month, which is a bit low. How's your family situation?"
Wang Xiang said carelessly, "His mother doesn't work, his father works as a boiler operator, he's the eldest son, and he has four younger siblings who are still in school."
"We lived in a large courtyard with only two rooms, where the whole family squeezed together."
Sister Zhang looked at her meaningfully and said, "After you marry him, the pressure on the family will be less, and all three of you will have jobs."
Hearing what Sister Zhang said, Wang Xiang nodded and said, "Yes, that way he won't have to work so hard."
Gu Yihan felt a chill run down her spine. This wasn't a wedding; it was a poverty alleviation mission. Wang Xiang even echoed Sister Zhang's words. Didn't she realize there was a hidden meaning in their conversation?
Zhou Na and Wang Xiang weren't particularly close. Hearing the terms, she looked at Wang Xiang and said with a smile, "Then you decide for yourself."
Sister Li couldn't help but worry about Wang Xiang: "Won't the pressure be a bit too much? She has to support so many people, and the pressure will be even greater if she has children after getting married."
Wang Xiang, still lost in her thoughts, said, "He said he would move out of his family home after the wedding."
"The two of us have 62 yuan a month to rent a place, so we can have our own space."
Zhou Na is most annoyed by this kind of stupidity, just like her sister who abandoned her husband and children for love.
Zhou Na interrupted Wang Xiang before she could continue speaking.
She gently touched her newly styled hair, then turned around the office to show off her newly bought beige pastoral-style dress.
"I'm not bad looking, and my salary isn't low either. It's not unreasonable for me to want to find someone with good conditions and good looks."
Wang Xiang and Sister Li both looked at Zhou Na and said, "You went on another blind date?"
Zhou Na stood up, raised her chin, looked at Wang Xiang and the others, and said, "None of them meet my requirements."
Wang Xiang looked at Zhou Na with a puzzled expression: "What other conditions do you need when looking for a partner? As long as they are good to you and have a job, that's enough."
Zhou Na looked at her meaningfully and said, "My condition is that the money I earn can only be spent on myself."
"He has to spend the money he earns on me. My salary is mine, and his salary is still mine."
Then, counting on her fingers, she said, "Clothes, lipsticks, I have to buy them every year. Even if I don't buy Pechoin skincare products, I have to make sure I have enough snow cream."
"I was beautiful before I got married, and I want to be beautiful after I get married."
Zhou Na applied some face cream to her hands and held them out to Wang Xiang.
He proudly showed it off, saying, "I've taken a lot of effort to maintain this, do you think I can lower my standards?"
Sister Zhuang chuckled. Being older, she considered the issue from her mother-in-law's perspective.
"I doubt many families would dare to marry someone like you. Mothers-in-law generally prefer the virtuous and motherly type."
"yes."
Wang Xiang chimed in, then added, "This isn't about marrying a wife, it's about finding a vixen. A pretty face alone can feed you."
Zhou Na's face immediately turned cold, and she looked at them coldly, saying, "You deserve to be virtuous wives and loving mothers for the rest of your lives."
Gu Yihan couldn't help but smile, but her stomach was churning from holding it in. Why did she feel like the term "virtuous wife and loving mother" was an insult?
Gu Yihan noticed that Sister Zhuang's face had also darkened, so she composed herself and pretended to look at the documents.
The atmosphere in the office suddenly became quiet.
On the weekend, Gu Yihan stretched in bed, turned over and said, "It feels so good. I wish I could sleep until I naturally wake up every day."
After getting up, I went to the kitchen and cooked some millet porridge. I took out some steamed buns from my spatial storage, drank a bowl of millet porridge, and after I was full, I called out, "Mao Mao, time to eat."
Gu Yihan saw Mao Mao holding its food bowl in front of her, nudging it with its head and barking twice.
Clearly anxious, Gu Yihan patted the dog's head and said, "I finally get a rest, so please be understanding."
She poured the remaining porridge into Mao Mao's bowl and added a few steamed buns.
Gu Yi went to the backyard to feed the chickens first, and then collected the eggs and put them in her spatial storage.
I started watering the vegetable garden and was very happy to see the lush and green vegetables growing.
She herself hadn't expected that the space upgrade would result in that extra little puddle.
After dilution, the effect of watering the soil and feeding the chickens is surprisingly good.
Despite having never farmed before, her vegetables grew very well, and her chickens laid eggs every day, even in winter.
Five hens lay five eggs a day, and the eggs are very delicate and delicious.
After Gu Yihan finished tidying up, she stood in the yard and called out, "Mao Mao, do you want to go for a walk in the park?"
After hearing his owner's words, Mao Mao finished his meal in big mouthfuls and ran to Gu Yihan, clearly wanting to follow her.
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