"What are you doing here?" Tang Wenya wiped away her tears and continued washing clothes. "What does my life or death have to do with you?"
She overestimated her feelings for him.
She thought he would come to her immediately.
"I'm sorry, Wenya, I didn't take good care of you." Xiao Tingshen took the wrong bus when he arrived and spent five or six hours traveling before finally finding this village. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Tang Wenya was alright. "I came here with a letter of introduction from my work unit. I'm here to take you back."
In the yard, several chickens were pawing at the ground, raising clouds of dust.
As she sat on a small stool, washing clothes covered in mud, his heart was suddenly pierced with pain.
"No need." Tang Wenya ignored him, still sulking. "I'm perfectly fine here. What would I do going back? Go back to face your family's attitude?"
She's been sent to the countryside.
He was only getting anxious because it seems he hadn't taken her seriously before.
“Wenya, you’ve misunderstood me. I was going to come find you that very night, but my dad said that if we wanted to take you back, we had to go through the proper procedures and get a letter of introduction from your workplace.” Xiao Tingshen was too embarrassed to tell her about being locked in the room by his mother. He put down his backpack, squatted down beside her, and patiently explained, “We’ll get our marriage certificate tomorrow, and then register at the educated youth office. Then you can go back.”
"Xiao Tingshen, why did your family drag this out until now?" Tang Wenya became increasingly angry as she listened. "We're not in a long-distance relationship; we're together every day. You kept putting off getting our marriage certificate, and now you're finally proposing to do it. What did I do wrong? Why are you humiliating me like this?"
“Wenya, we didn’t humiliate you!” Xiao Tingshen didn’t understand why she thought that way. “We didn’t know you were sent to the countryside. Why didn’t you come to me then?”
"Hmph, even if I come to you, what problem can you solve for me?" Tang Wenya sneered. "I've figured it out now. Your family is afraid of being implicated in my affairs, so they don't dare to step forward, nor do they want you to step forward, is that it?"
"Of course not." Xiao Tingshen held her hand and looked at her affectionately. "Wenya, you have to believe me. I was just looking for a way to resolve this matter that would benefit both sides. I didn't know you had suddenly gone to the countryside."
“I agreed to go to the countryside because I see through each and every one of you. You are all weighing the pros and cons for your own benefit, including you.” Tang Wenya’s gaze towards Xiao Tingshen was devoid of its former warmth. “Xiao Tingshen, this is my own choice, it has nothing to do with you. You can leave. I don’t want to see you again.”
"No, that's not what you really mean." Xiao Tingshen hugged her without thinking. "Wenya, forgive me, forgive me this time. Let's get our marriage certificate first, then go home and prepare for the wedding. I won't let you suffer anymore."
"Xiao Tingshen, why did you only come now?" Tang Wenya finally broke down, raising her fist and pounding his back, sobbing, "Do you know how scared and helpless I was? You heartless bastard..."
She had to marry him for the sake of the child!
Otherwise, what will happen to her and her child?
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Xiao Tingshen let her hit him. "If you leave, I'll leave; if you stay, I'll stay. I'll stay with you, I'll always stay with you."
When Chen Meili returned carrying firewood and saw the scene before her, her eyes inexplicably welled up with tears: "Wenya, he's finally here. You didn't misjudge him, and you didn't wait in vain."
Hearing Chen Meili's voice, Tang Wenya calmed down. She wiped away her tears and said to Xiao Tingshen in a coquettish tone, "I'll punish you by making you wash the clothes and then cook for us."
"Okay, I'll wash them." Xiao Tingshen readily agreed and started washing her clothes.
Chen Meili looked on with envy.
Wow, this man is not only handsome, but also hardworking and considerate. He is very obedient to Tang Wenya, doing her laundry and cooking for her.
Tang Wenya really found a good partner.
By dinner time, news of Xiao Tingshen's visit to Tang Wenya had spread throughout Phoenix Village.
The women flocked to the village chief's courtyard to see Xiao Tingshen, filling the entire yard.
This city man is not only handsome but also refined. Even the way he eats his cornbread is pleasing to the eye, taking small bites, unlike the rough and uncouth men in the village who seem to want to devour it in one gulp.
Of course, it wasn't that they had never seen city people before, but rather that they had never seen a city person so handsome.
Xiao Tingshen felt embarrassed by their stares, but Tang Wenya remained completely at ease, even inviting them into the house: "Aunties, sisters, come in and sit down!"
"No, no, we'll just stand here for a while." The women were too embarrassed to come in, and after watching for a while, they tactfully dispersed.
Even the most handsome man can't fill your stomach.
They still have to go back to eat their cornbread!
Tang Wenya and Chen Meili stayed in the village chief's courtyard. Their food rations were distributed to the production team, so they had no shortage of food and drink. However, when it came to cooking, sometimes they cooked for themselves, and sometimes the village chief's wife would help them.
Hearing that Tang Wenya's boyfriend had arrived, the village chief's wife specially cooked an extra dish: stir-fried purslane. The staple food was still cornbread, made with cornmeal and greens.
On ordinary days, almost every household in Fenghuang Village eats this.
Even if Xiao Tingshen found it hard to swallow, he had to force himself to eat it. If Tang Wenya could eat it, so could he.
After finishing the meal, Xiao Tingshen's face turned green.
His parents were both leaders in their work units, and their food and clothing were among the best in the entire compound. This was the first time he had ever eaten such terrible food.
Just after they finished eating, Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan arrived. They knew that Xiao Tingshen and Zhao Jingyu were classmates.
When Zhao Jingyu held his wedding banquet, Xiao Tingshen went to the banquet, and the two had a good relationship.
Tang Wenya greeted the two women warmly: "Sisters-in-law, come on up to the kang (heated brick bed) and let's talk."
She learned from Chen Meili that Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan had a lot of opinions about Xu Qingning.
They said that Xu Qingning called her mother-in-law to the city to serve her as soon as she got married, and that she became a hero for being pregnant out of wedlock. They said she was shameless.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend!
Xiao Tingshen also called her "sister-in-law".
Whether he and Zhao Jingyu have a good relationship or not is none of their business. This is the countryside; having more people means having more options.
Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan climbed onto the kang one after the other. The two of them looked Xiao Tingshen up and down. The young man was really good-looking and very polite. He even poured water for them. He was a hundred times better than their third son.
When Zhao Jingyu saw them, he would ignore them and rarely called them "sister-in-law".
After chatting for a while, Xiao Tingshen learned that Wu Xiufang was also an educated youth who had been sent to the countryside. Because she had no hope of returning to the city, she married Zhao Jingwen, who was also an educated youth.
He then told them about the job openings in the city: "Many companies are expanding their recruitment recently, and there are more and more openings available. I believe you will be able to go back soon."
"Really?" Wu Xiufang's eyes lit up immediately.
“Of course it’s true,” Xiao Tingshen said with certainty. “It’s just that our small county town received the news late. Many other places have already stopped sending educated youth to the countryside. The return of educated youth to the city is a major trend right now.”
"Sisters-in-law, you don't need to worry about these things. Zhao Jingyu is in the city, and he will definitely help you make arrangements." Tang Wenya deliberately tried to sow discord among them. "Once you return to the city, your whole family will be reunited. That's wonderful."
"Hmph, can he control us?" Wu Xiufang and Zhou Chunyan both curled their lips in unison, thinking that relying on Zhao Jingyu was like trying to find a wall.
Zhao Jingyu is just a selfish and self-serving scoundrel.
Why would they care whether they live or die?
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