Chapter 1: Go to Xinjiang, get married, or go out to work...?
In the 1990s, the Northwest region was still economically underdeveloped, and young people who wanted to earn money had to go out to earn it...
In July, the wheat drying ground in Chenjia Village was covered with golden wheat grains, and every now and then a few greedy sparrows would land down to eat them.
A young woman's voice on the radio was passionately proclaiming, "The nation is calling on young comrades to support the development of the border regions..."
Not far away, a girl enjoying the shade under a tree clicked her tongue and said, "Xinjiang is so far away, I don't know which idiot would go there to build it!"
The girl who spoke was Chen Mian, the eldest daughter of the Chen family. After failing the college entrance examination last year, she had been staying at home doing nothing, and could only be seen when there was a real shortage of manpower.
"Kapok, why are you still here? People from your family have come to propose marriage, but they can't find you."
Chen Mian was shocked: "Propose marriage? Propose marriage to whom?"
"Who else could it be? Of course it's for you! Go back and check!"
Chen Mian thanked him, hurriedly got up to pack her things, slung her water bottle over her shoulder, and ran back home.
At the entrance of the Chen family courtyard, a brightly dressed middle-aged woman was muttering to herself, "The Chen family is really well-off. Just trust your Aunt Li. As long as you can win her over, you're guaranteed to live a life of luxury..."
“But I don’t want to be a live-in son-in-law, it’s so embarrassing.” Aunt Li’s nephew muttered indignantly. He was a grown man, a pillar of society, how could he possibly be a live-in son-in-law?
Aunt Li chuckled dismissively, "Then why don't you hand over the bride price? Do you even have one? You don't even have a proper job. What girl would want you?"
The man was offended and became angry. He turned around and kicked a pebble, complaining about why no one from the Chen family had returned yet. His eyes darted around restlessly, and suddenly he saw a beautiful woman running towards him.
As soon as Chen Mian arrived at her doorstep, she noticed a man with shifty eyes staring at her. She glared at him and said angrily, "What are you looking at? What do you want to do standing at my door?"
Only after speaking did she notice Aunt Li standing behind the other person. Aunt Li was her good friend's mother, and she reluctantly gave her a greeting.
Aunt Li was a well-known matchmaker in the surrounding villages. She had such a silver tongue that she could "make black into white." Her classic success stories were countless. Once, she introduced a man to someone. When they went to meet him, the man was lying in bed saying he was sick. But after the marriage, they found out that the man was actually a cripple!
Chen Mian didn't want to talk to Aunt Li any longer, so she walked around the two of them and prepared to open the door to go in, but Aunt Li stopped her. "Mian, I heard that you've been studying lately. Look at your sister, she's already a college student. Even if you get into college next year, you'll still be a head shorter than her."
As she spoke, she nodded, looking like she was really looking out for Chen Mian. "If you ask me, you should just give up on the exam and stay home quietly to prepare for marriage. I'll introduce you to a man. What's the point of a girl studying so much? In the end, everyone has to get married."
Like her daughter, she was not allowed to continue her studies after graduating from junior high school. She stayed at home and worked for several years. Now she is looking for a husband and is waiting for the man to come and propose marriage so that she can ask for more dowry to save for her son's future marriage.
Only the Chen family would dote on their daughter like that, not letting her do any work. All she has to do is cook a meal at home every day, and they even claim to others that she is preparing for an exam. Who knows if that's true or not?
Aunt Li pulled her stunned nephew over and introduced him with a smile: "This is my distant nephew. Look how handsome he is. He doesn't mind that your family is looking for a son-in-law to live with you..." After saying that, she gestured for the man to say a few nice words to show off.
Aunt Li's nephew finally came to his senses. His aunt had never said that Chen Mian was so good-looking. So what if he was a live-in son-in-law? He was too good. "Hello, hello, I'm willing to be a live-in son-in-law. As long as the children we have in the future take my surname, we won't care about the bride price. We'll just live a good life together."
Hearing this, Chen Mian finally couldn't help but roll her eyes and retorted, "What are you two doing standing at our doorstep acting crazy? If you're sick, go to the hospital. Whether I go to university or get married is none of your business."
“Even if I don’t go to university, I have other things to do. If you love money so much, why don’t you get married a few more times?” After saying that, she walked past her to go home, but was grabbed by the arm again.
Aunt Li: "Hey, don't go! I'm telling you the truth. You're not going to go to university, and you're not going to get married. What kind of good job can a girl like you find?"
Chen Mian was being pulled along, and she was extremely impatient. The voice from the village loudspeaker flashed through her mind, and in her desperation, she blurted out, "Who said I can't find a job? I'm thinking about whether to answer the country's call and go to build up the border of our motherland!"
After saying that, she took advantage of Aunt Li's dazed look and darted inside to close the courtyard gate. Her parents had gone to the county on business today, and as a result, they were targeted by Aunt Li. What bad luck!
Even if she never gets married and stays at home with her parents for the rest of her life, she would never marry a thug like him. He has a pointed face and looks like a scoundrel.
He even dared to shamelessly say that he wouldn't mind if our family had a son-in-law who moved in, but then he wanted the children to take his surname. There's no such thing as a son-in-law who moves in; I'm already being lenient by not letting you change your surname.
Aunt Li outside the door stopped making a fuss and just murmured, "I never expected that this little girl, Mu Mian, would have such great ambitions..."
The Chen family really knows how to have children. They have one son and two daughters. The eldest son is an officer in Xinjiang, the third son is studying at a university in the provincial capital, and the second son is now going to answer the call to support the frontier.
Aunt Li: Why is it that my child is like a starving ghost reincarnated every day, with no ambition at all!
The next morning, Chen Mian was sitting in the courtyard drinking millet porridge when she looked up and saw Aunt Li's daughter push open the gate and walk in. "Mian, I heard you're going to marry a man from Xinjiang. What do people from Xinjiang look like?"
"Pfft..." Chen Mian spat out a mouthful of porridge before she could swallow it, and coughed incessantly.
Seeing this, Li Cuiping quickly patted her on the back and added with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Are you really getting married? You didn't even tell me. I heard it from other people. It's all over our brigade!"
After saying that, she casually picked up the chive and egg pancake on the table and stuffed it into her mouth. She had gone to work in the fields before dawn and hadn't eaten anything since.
Chen Mian took another sip of porridge, and after pausing for a moment, she said to Cuiping, "How could I suddenly be getting married? It must have been spread by your mother!"
“Yesterday afternoon she kept grabbing me and talking about getting married, and she even wanted to introduce me to someone.”
"In my haste, I just casually mentioned wanting to go and develop the border regions of our motherland," Chen Mian mian said, pursing her lips speechlessly. "It's outrageous that it's been spread like this..."
"Oh right, that person did mention something about developing the frontier, but I didn't pay much attention." Li Cuiping added vaguely while eating a pancake, "Sigh, you know my mom, she's a matchmaker, and she's such a gossip, she can turn a small thing into a big one."
Chen Mian: Don't ask, the answer is she's dead, she's dead.
Li Cuiping complained, "Are you still going to Xinjiang? I really want to go out and work. Staying at home and suffering every day is so frustrating. And last night I overheard that my mother is also preparing to arrange a marriage for me. She doesn't care if I live or die. As long as the bride price is high enough, she's willing to marry me even if it's a second marriage."
Seeing her wolfing down her food, Chen Mian got up, went inside, and brought her another bowl of millet porridge. Cuiping was truly pitiful; she was an average student, failed the high school entrance exam, and had been staying home to work for the past few years.
She had endless chores to do every day: washing clothes, cooking, fetching water, chopping firewood, and working in the fields. Even so, her mother was still not satisfied and often wouldn't give her food.
Going out to work might actually be a good thing for her. Not only could she have enough to eat and earn money, but she could also escape her mean-spirited mother and Yaozu's younger brother.
Cuiping couldn't even be bothered to talk about the mess her family was in. Aunt Li just wandered around outside all day, doing absolutely nothing, leaving all the housework to Cuiping alone. And she still had the nerve to go around saying how hard it was for a widow to raise two children. Ha, she's even pretending to be a loving mother.
And then there's Cuiping's younger brother, Li Yaozu, who's over ten years old but can't read a single word. He runs around in the mountains like an idiot every day, not even afraid of being carried off by a bear.
But what about me? My brother has been serving in the army in Xinjiang for several years and is already an officer, and my sister is studying at a university in the provincial capital. I'm the only one who stays at home all day with nothing to do.
Xianyu's life at home is indeed comfortable. Her brother earns a high salary, and her parents dote on her because she's a girl, so they don't let her do farm work. All she needs to do each day is prepare two meals on time, and she only needs to go out to the fields to deliver meals and help out a little during the busy farming season.
But even a salted fish has its pride; it doesn't want others to think it's useless. I just wonder if Xinjiang is very tough? When my brother came home for Chinese New Year last year, he was so much darker and had so many scars.
Chen Mian: The salted fish is caught in a dilemma: should it choose to stay at home and endure the gossip, or should it choose to go out and accept the harsh realities of working?
Xinjiang is so far from home, but I've already said what I wanted to say, and the whole brigade knows...
The crowd of onlookers: We only heard that you're going to marry someone from Xinjiang. As for whether it's for the sake of building up the border regions of our motherland, maybe so. Anyway, it's a great thing!
For the sake of her own pride, and also so that Cuiping could escape her misery, she endured it! Chen Mian gritted her teeth and said, "Actually, going to Xinjiang isn't a bad idea. I heard that anyone who goes there can make a lot of money."
Chen Mian: My damned stubbornness, I'm suffering for being so proud...
“Yes, yes… I’ve heard that too.” Li Cuiping nodded and said, “It would be best if someone from our hometown could take us with us, otherwise we’d be completely clueless and easily get scammed.”
Li Cuiping: "I heard that someone recently came back from Xinjiang to recruit workers in the village, and they were dressed up so beautifully!"
Meeting Chen Mian's slightly curious gaze, Li Cuiping began to introduce the information she had collected.
The person seemed to be a relative of the village chief, around thirty years old. When she returned to the village, she had a perm, wore a red dress, and high heels; she looked quite glamorous.
Judging from her appearance, she must have made a lot of money in Xinjiang, but I heard that she only wants young girls and doesn't want older people or men.
The reasons are that girls learn things quickly, and Xinjiang is so far away that if they meet a suitable young man, they can stay there.
I wonder what kind of work I'll be doing in Xinjiang. Will I be a saleswoman standing behind a glass counter, or will I be making clothes in a factory?
In the distance, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves. Chen Mianmian thought about how she had overheard her parents trying to pull strings to get her a job. They probably wanted her to be successful too.
All of this forced her to consider the possibility of going out to work. She knew better than anyone how barren this land was. Facing the loess soil and turning their backs to the sky was the true picture of their parents' generation. They could barely make ends meet even after a year of hard work.
Although Xinjiang is far from home, it's currently a key area supported by national policies, and I've heard the salaries are high. There might be great opportunities there. Once I've made some money, I'll bring my parents over to enjoy a comfortable life.
Li Cuiping wanted to escape her mother's control. She had no idea what her mother was capable of doing for money, and she couldn't wait any longer...
The two girls exchanged a glance, confirming they had reached a consensus, and decided to go to the village chief's house together to check things out. Best friends should make money together!
In a nearby village home, the scene was as lively as a market, with a group of people chattering and asking the woman in the middle all sorts of questions.
Chen Mian looked at Chen Zhelan, who was dressed smartly in the crowd. She had completely lost her former rustic and poor appearance and was no different from those fashionable city people.
I finally made up my mind to go out and explore, to a new place where nobody knows me...
Li Cuiping: If you're only making up your mind now, what were you doing just now? It's all fake sisterhood, and you're heartbroken.
Five days later, the Fengxi City bus station was bustling with people. About ten young girls from Chenjia Village were preparing to go to Xinjiang to work with Chen Zhelan, and they were all saying goodbye to their families.
They first had to take a four-hour bus ride to Liangping City, and then transfer to a train for more than twenty hours to reach Wumu City.
"Mianmian, take good care of yourself after you go to Xinjiang," Chen's mother said worriedly. "Discuss anything with Cuiping."
"Here are a few more pancakes for you to eat on the road..."
Chen's mother: "We'll earn money if we can, and if we can't, we'll eat and drink well, as long as we don't get scammed."
Mr. Chen nodded silently. His child had been staying at home for a year, and it was already good that he was willing to go out now. He could just take some money and treat it as a trip.
Chen's mother was still immersed in the sadness of parting. She originally thought that her eldest daughter could stay at home and accompany them for a few more years, but she never expected that all three of her children would have to leave home in the blink of an eye.
The bird has grown up and is ready to fly out into the world.
Chen Mian hugged her parents one last time and said reluctantly, "Mom and Dad, please take care of yourselves while you're working at home. I'll bring you over when I've earned enough money."
"Those going from Fengxi to Liangping, hurry up and get on the bus! Put your large luggage downstairs..." The bus driver had already started urging them on.
Upon hearing this, Chen Mian picked up her luggage and got into the car. After sitting down, she looked around but couldn't see Cuiping anywhere. Where was she?
Thinking of Aunt Li, could it be...?
She quickly dropped what she was holding, got out of the car, and anxiously told her parents, "Cuiping hasn't arrived yet. Could Aunt Li be locking her up at home? We need to go back and rescue her!"
After saying that, she was about to run towards the village, but her father quickly grabbed her, saying, "Don't worry, I'll go back and check for you. You get in the car first."
Chen's mother: "Yes, you get in the car first, your father and I will go look for her. Maybe Cuiping just went to the restroom and will be back soon."
Chen Mian was in no mood to go back to the car. Aunt Li was always mean-spirited and treated Cuiping like her own possession.
She knew her parents couldn't possibly get back to the village in such a short time, but she had no better option at the moment and could only silently pray that Cuiping would be safe and sound...
A note from the author:
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Welcome, lovely ladies, to Peach Tea Shop for a cup of tea!
Let me recommend some of Peach Milk's other doujinshi to you all.
1. "Whose Good Kid Brings Their Parents to Work?" is a story of two men chasing after their ex-boyfriend's wife, a manipulative and scheming ex-boyfriend, and a cheerful and outgoing childhood friend. It also contains a lot of folk culture elements.
2. "A Cat Runs a Kindergarten in a Military Compound," featuring a proud and picky cat with a heart...
The story of Chen Kapok, the gentle cat god and the tender pine tree who loves to tease cats;
3. "After the Female Lead of the Customized Novel is Bound to the Check-in System", by Chen Mian
It's a lighthearted, lighthearted story set in a fictional world, but with a crossover element.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
