Chapter 1
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In the summer of 1974, fifteen-year-old Bei Bitang carried a thermos of bright red peony flowers.
In the summer of 1974, fifteen-year-old Bei Bitang carried a bright red peony thermos, walked through the long alley, and came to the Tiger Stove on the street to get hot water for one cent a bottle.
The fifteen-year-old girl was wearing a clean white floral dress. She was tall and slender with charming eyes and eyebrows. In the small alley, the sunlight shone through the high eaves and fell on her. She was energetic and upright, and indescribably graceful and timeless.
Passing by the door of the street youth educated office, Bei Bitang hesitated for a moment.
"The countryside is a vast world where you can achieve great things."
"It is very necessary for educated youth to go to the countryside and receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants."
"Educated youth, go to the countryside."
Looking at these red slogans, Bei Bitang's eyes stung slightly.
She turned around, swung her two shiny black braids, and didn't even look back.
Bei Bitang lifted the curtain and walked in. She placed the thermos on the square table, picked up the dark blue apron hanging on the wall, and prepared to go into the kitchen to cook dinner.
The area of more than ten square meters was divided into various living areas: kitchen, bathroom/shower, living room, bedroom, study, and two large beds at one end and the other.
A dark red solid wood chest of drawers, a large square table, several chairs and stools of different sizes, camphorwood boxes stacked on the floor, a single-door wardrobe...this small space is filled to the brim with just enough room to step.
This is where Bei Bitang has lived for more than ten years, a typical Shikumen girl’s home.
There were two small stools by the window, with two people sitting on them. They were busy with pieces of cardboard in their hands. With their fingers flying, the pieces of cardboard instantly became three-dimensional small square boxes. They spread glue on them, pressed them lightly, and put them in a small cardboard box. When the quantity increased, they would take them out to exchange for money to supplement the family income.
The two people were a thin woman with a round bun and a round-faced girl dressed similarly to Bei Bitang. They were Bei Bitang's mother and second sister.
In the early days of the People's Republic of China, Shanghai was rapidly establishing factories and recruiting large numbers of workers. Miao Xiuxiu applied and was fortunate to be selected, securing a job at a small textile mill. Later, as a widow, she raised her three daughters through her work at the mill.
But the good times didn't last. Her three daughters graduated one after another, just as job vacancies in the city were tight. Three years ago, as her eldest daughter, Lin Bilan, was about to get married, she went to the factory to handle the paperwork and asked her eldest daughter to take over her job.
One after another, the second daughter, Wei Bili, also graduated. After waiting for a year, she couldn't find a job, so she joined her daughter in the neighborhood factory, pasting paper boxes. They only earned one cent for three. Miao Xiuxiu and Wei Bili worked on and off, using this odd job to supplement the family income.
This year, my third daughter Bei Bitang graduated from junior high school and lost her job pasting paper boxes. She could only wait for news at home.
The wooden stairs creaked as people walked on them. A young woman in dark blue textile factory work clothes and short hair rushed in with a gust of wind.
Bei Bitang was nearly hit. When she came to her senses, she found that the person who came in was her eldest sister.
Lin Bilan walked up to Miao Xiuxiu with a happy look on her face and her round little face was red.
She deliberately raised her voice so that everyone downstairs could hear, and said, "Mom, good news! I'm pregnant!"
Lin Bilan had been feeling unwell for the past few days, and Miao Xiuxiu and the others had urged her to go to the hospital and get some medicine. But she felt it was unnecessary, believing she was simply tired from work and that she would feel better once the deadline was over and she could relax.
But this afternoon she felt increasingly uncomfortable in the workshop. Seeing that she looked unwell, her coworker immediately asked for leave and took her to the factory hospital. A check-up revealed that she was pregnant.
"Really!" Miao Xiuxiu, who always spoke softly, broke into a voice and stood up from the stool.
Bei Bitang also hurried over, and for a moment Lin Bilan was surrounded by three women. They smiled and looked at her belly hidden under her clothes with joy.
Lin Bilan's eyes were frighteningly bright.
She nodded heavily, "Yeah!"
"That's great. Come, sit down quickly." Miao Xiuxiu gently grabbed her eldest daughter's arm and pulled her to sit on the big chair.
Wei Bilan quickly picked up the kettle and poured her elder sister a glass of boiled water to quench her thirst.
Even the usually quiet and reserved younger sister Bei Bitang was unusually lively and lively. Her eyes sparkled and she smiled brightly, "Big sister, what do you want to eat? Just tell me and I'll make it for you."
It's no wonder the family was so happy. Lin Bilan had been married for over three years, without taking any contraceptive measures, when she finally became pregnant. During that time, she experienced several pregnancy-like reactions, and each time she happily went to the hospital, only to find out she wasn't pregnant at all.
After so many false claims, no one believed them anymore. This time, Lin Bilan was not feeling well, and even Miao Xiuxiu, who had given birth to three children, did not suspect she was pregnant.
Miao Xiuxiu kept nagging her eldest daughter, "That's great now. You're pregnant. You and your eldest brother-in-law will definitely be able to move forward steadily. Everything will be settled once you have a child! When your eldest brother-in-law comes back and finds out he's going to be a father, I wonder how happy he'll be."
Lin Bilan ignored her mother who was talking to herself, and turned to look at her younger sister Bei Bitang, whose face was filled with genuine happiness for her. Her brows furrowed slightly, and the brightness on her face suddenly disappeared.
She stared into Bei Bitang's eyes and asked softly, "Little sister, have you heard any good news from school? Can you give me a definite date on when you'll be assigned a job?"
The words ended with a direct question.
Bei Bitang tightened her grip on the apron, lowered her eyes, and remained silent.
Wei Bili, standing by, spoke up for her younger sister, "Big sister, why are you so anxious? It's going to take a while. What's important for you right now is to stay in a good mood and give birth to a healthy little one. Your brother-in-law has wanted to be a father for a long time, and Mom has been waiting for over three years. My younger sister and I have always wanted to be an aunt."
Nothing in the world could compare to the baby in her belly. Lin Bilan didn't care. This time, she wouldn't let Bei Bitang get away with it. She said with intense anger and sarcasm, "A little while? You haven't waited a year! This is more serious than before. Two years? Or three years? Are we just going to keep waiting like this?!"
"Back then, the Youth League Office came to our house every day, and Mommy cried silently in front of them. But because Mommy had lived a miserable life, and the only man in the family had no job, they let you stay in the city to accompany Mommy, who was reluctant to let you go to the countryside. What should we do now?"
What should be done? Lin Bilan's words implied that Bei Bitang should take the initiative to go to the countryside as an educated youth, and not let her be the villain.
The joyful atmosphere in the room disappeared and became stagnant.
New life brings new hope, but also new problems.
Lin Bilan was marrying into the family, but her house didn't become more spacious after she got married, and instead had another person living in it.
Lin Bilan and Huang Dashan shared the outer bed, while Miao Xiuxiu, Wei Bili, and Bei Bitang slept in the inner bed. Wei Bili and Bei Bitang, feeling sorry for their mother, who had worked so hard for so many years, took turns sleeping on the floor to give her a good night's sleep.
Huang Dashan is not tall, but his body is as big as two women, and the living space at home seems increasingly crowded. Fortunately, they have lived in peace for so many years.
Since the second half of last year, Huang Dashan found a job at the Huangpu River wharf. He no longer has to stare awkwardly at his mother-in-law and sister-in-law at home, and the family's situation has improved.
Now, a few months later, a little one has arrived. Not only do we need to make a bed and other living space for him, but we also need to make material preparations for him.
This made Bei Bitang look like an eyesore. Although Miao Xiuxiu and Wei Bili were busy pasting matchboxes, they were actually quite free, and Bei Bitang couldn't help even if she wanted to.
She didn't have to share the kitchen chores; Miao Xiuxiu could also come back. Even if the baby was born, Lin Bilan and her husband would have to go to work and need someone to take care of the child. With Miao Xiuxiu, the kitchen and matchbox chores would be left to Wei Bili, who would also be busy coming over alone. Besides, did Bei Bitang, a fifteen-year-old girl, know how to take care of a child?
Miao Xiuxiu, who had been silently listening to the witty conversations between her eldest and second daughters, finally spoke up. She turned to her eldest daughter, "Bilan, you've got this hard-earned child. This child is precious. Let Bili go to the factory to take over for you for a while. You can rest well and take care of the pregnancy. You won't be able to leave your mother after the baby is born. Bitang, you and I will stay at home to take care of the child and do the housework. You can go back to work when the child is older. Do you think this is feasible?"
Of course not! Lin Bilan's face changed. There was only one job, but the mother was the mother of three people. If she took over the job, she would be taking advantage of the eldest. What if she gave it up and didn't want it back? The child would be at least three or four years old. By then, Wei Bili should be married. How could she not have her own little thoughts? Besides, if Wei Bili took over her job, how would the salary be divided?
She now earns a little over 30 yuan a month, and gives her mother 30 yuan every month, so she doesn't have to worry about the couple's food and drink. From time to time, she can also hide her bonuses and use them as her own private money.
Her husband Huang Dashan works as a cargo handler at the dock and doesn't earn much, so she has to plan for her children's future.
Wei Bili looked at her elder sister with anticipation, and in her mind she had already imagined the scene of herself wearing stylish work clothes and entering the grand gate of the textile factory.
Lin Bilan met Wei Bili's eyes. Her mind was still spinning as she saw her husband's coat on the hanger. An idea suddenly struck her, and she said, "Mom, this is a big deal. I need to discuss this with Dashan."
She didn't dare to confront her mother, but her husband did. In this family, her mother valued her husband the most.
This was hopeless. How could she still understand her brother-in-law's attitude towards them over the years? Wei Bili felt instantly lost.
Miao Xiuxiu sighed inwardly. In her opinion, this was the best solution. All three daughters had a place to stay and were given the most appropriate arrangements. Couldn't the eldest son-in-law support a family of three? She was a woman of modest means, with no one to rely on in her own family, yet she still had to raise three daughters.
The eldest daughter's job is a hot commodity outside, and everyone is vying for it. At home, too, how can the eldest son-in-law give up the interests of the small family? If it weren't for her, the mother-in-law, who was pressuring him all these years, he would have dared to ask the eldest daughter to go home and be a housewife while he went to work.
Bei Bitang, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly raised her head, stared intently at the smug Lin Bilan, and said in a clear voice, "I just passed by the Youth League Office and signed up to go to the countryside."
For a moment everyone in the room looked at her.
Wei Bili moved her lips as if to say something, but in the end she kept silent. Miao Xiuxiu turned her head away, unable to discern her expression, and said, "Going to the countryside is good too."
Lin Bilan, who had gotten what she wanted, didn't bother to hide the joy on her face. She looked relieved and said, "Little sister, why didn't you tell me your plan earlier? It's hard for me to worry about you every night."
Everyone selectively forgot to ask for their household registration book when registering, and Bei Bitang only took the thermos before leaving. The household registration book at home was kept in a locked camphorwood box.
Bei Bitang lowered her head again, staring at the burrs on the black cloth shoe surface, and remembered the handsome young man in a white shirt and black pants running up to her from the alley and saying, Bei Bitang, I'm leaving tomorrow and going to the northwest. Can I write to you in the future?
The boy was her junior high school classmate, three years older than her. He started school late due to family circumstances. Because his parents were teachers, he didn't even get a diploma, and as an only child, he had to go to the countryside.
The girl blushed, not daring to look at him. After a while, she said softly, "Hmm."
I thought of a letter I received from the northwest more than half a month ago, which described the northwest scenery: "The sky is vast, the wilderness is boundless, the wind blows the grass low and you can see cattle and sheep."
Bei Bitang loosened her clenched hands and decided to go to the northwest.
Bei Bitang was fifteen years old that year. With a longing for the Northwest and some inexplicable feelings for her male classmates, she boarded the train to the Northwest with her second sister's farewell gaze.
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