Everyone says that holidays are easy to get through, but daily life is tough.
Before we knew it, the New Year had passed, and 71 years had begun silently.
Yu Yin and her family's lives haven't changed much. The children are healthy and lively, though a bit mischievous, especially An'an, who seems to be the opposite of Pingping. Pingping is exactly like Lu Shurui in both appearance and personality—quiet, not very active, and unlike her sister, she doesn't crawl away without a second thought.
What has changed is the relationship between Yu Yin and Lu Shurui; they seem to have become a little closer than before.
Although they haven't yet reached the level of a normal couple, frequently engaging in deep conversations and doing things beneficial to their physical and mental well-being, Yu Yin no longer curls up alone to sleep at night. Ever since Lu Shurui noticed Yu Yin's behavior after falling asleep, he always waits until she's asleep, then pulls her into his arms and lets her rest her head on his arm.
At first, it didn't work; she would curl up to one side after sleeping for a while, so Lu Shurui patiently pulled her back.
Habit is a terrible thing. Before she knew it, Yu Yin had gotten used to Lu Shurui's embrace and would automatically fall asleep in his arms every day.
Wang Wenye and his friends would still come over every now and then to improve their meals, or to have some pickled vegetables, fermented bean curd, or other side dishes. The milk powder for Ping An An was all bought by them, so Yu Yin no longer had to worry about where to buy it.
At the beginning of that year, an incident occurred that terrified Yu Yin.
The incident began when a woman from the staff quarters reported a female educated youth for possessing banned books. Young men from the Revolutionary Committee stormed into the woman's dormitory and indeed found a foreign romance novel. The woman was taken away by these young men, and her dormitory was ransacked. The others could only silently tidy up, not daring to utter a sound.
As the head of the farm in the Production and Construction Corps, Yu's father was aware of the situation, but there was nothing he could do. The forbidden book had indeed been found, so he could only try to make the punishment lighter.
Before the final punishment was even handed down, another report surfaced that the female educated youth had accused the employee's family member of misconduct, claiming that the family member had deliberately framed her to avoid being reported.
She gave a detailed account of the time and place, how she accidentally stumbled upon the employee's family member and her husband's colleague having an affair in the bushes at the foot of the mountain. They threatened her, saying they wouldn't let her go if she told anyone. They even mentioned their hidden birthmarks, which caused an uproar. If they hadn't actually seen it, who besides their spouses would know about birthmarks in such a secret place?
The young men got excited again, and eagerly turned the two people involved around, wanting to examine them in person, but were stopped. In the end, the two were examined separately, and the results were the same as what the female educated youth had said. The two had nothing more to say.
Finally, they confessed that the reason they slandered the female educated youth was because she threatened them that if they didn't give her 500 yuan, she would report them to the Revolutionary Committee. Having no other choice, they decided to strike first. While everyone was at work, they broke into the house, put a banned book inside, and then went to report her.
It was a complete mess, and Yu's father and the factory leaders were so angry that they didn't want to deal with them anymore.
After much wrangling and bureaucracy, the two individuals found guilty of misconduct were sentenced to three days of public humiliation and a year of labor reform on a farm. The female educated youth, however, claimed she hadn't asked them for money, but lacking sufficient evidence, she only received a reprimand and was ordered to write a self-criticism. How others would view her afterward remains to be seen.
Two people, a man and a woman, were involved in a scandal. The woman got divorced, while the man is still unmarried but has lost his job.
On the day of the parade, both men had their heads shaved in a half-shaved style, and wore a string of tattered shoes around their necks. They were driven around by the young guerrillas on the main streets of the county, and were also constantly being pelted with vegetable leaves by passersby. They were in a very sorry state.
At that moment, Yu Yin's heart trembled.
I've heard many stories about public denunciation, but witnessing it up close is a completely different experience. It instilled fear in Yu Yin, who grew up in peacetime under the rule of laws and regulations. This wasn't the era she was familiar with; there were rules she didn't quite understand. She had let her guard down a bit, and a cold sweat broke out on her back.
I used to think that finding opportunities to make a little money was nothing, but if someone really reports me, I might not have a chance to defend myself, and no one will listen to what I have to say. This is an era where the rule of law is not yet fully developed.
Back in the office, Sister Wang told them their story.
The man and woman being criticized had previously been in a relationship, but were forced to separate because the woman's family demanded an exorbitant dowry. Subsequently, the woman's parents married her off to a widowed minor official with two children, solely because he could afford the exorbitant dowry and could secure a job for his son.
The woman forced into marriage didn't have a good life. Her two stepsons disrespected her, constantly beating and scolding her. They were just kids, and she couldn't do anything about it. Her own family wouldn't stand up for her either. When she was sad and upset, she would think of her first love, and before she knew it, they had reconnected. Eventually, things spiraled out of control, and they were caught in the act.
Yu Yin didn't really sympathize with those two people. Instead of finding solutions, they resorted to extremes, and it was only a matter of time before they were discovered. Fortunately, they didn't have children; otherwise, how could she stand on her own two feet, how could she face the pointing fingers and whispers of others?
We're all adults; we chose this path, and we have to see it through, even if we have to crawl on our knees. Nobody will pay for it.
After get off work, Yu Yin picked up the two little ones; Lu Shurui was already home. The two worked together and quickly prepared dinner, made baby food for the two children, and put them to sleep. It was already quite late.
In the middle of the night, Yu Yin dreamt that she was arrested and criticized for speculation and profiteering. Many people around her were throwing rotten vegetable leaves at her. Ping An was crying loudly on the side, but Lu Shurui was nowhere to be seen. She cried out in panic, afraid that the child would be hurt.
"No, stop."
"Wake up, Yu Yin, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
When Yu Yin opened her eyes, she saw herself lying in bed in the dim light. Instead of a crying child, she saw Lu Shurui looking at her anxiously beside her.
"I had a nightmare that someone was trying to hurt the child."
"Did the public denunciation session scare you today?"
There is no other reason besides this.
Yu Yin may look weak, but she is actually very strong inside. She rarely shows any signs of vulnerability, and even when she does, it is fleeting.
"Yeah, that's terrifying. It's the first time I've ever seen anything like it. My brother used to never let me see it, and I've been careful to avoid it ever since."
"It's okay, it's all in the past. We'll just be more careful in the future. Don't be afraid."
Lu Shurui held Yu Yin in his arms and gently patted her back. This was the first time that, while awake, Yu Yin lay obediently in his arms, like a helpless child.
Lu Shurui didn't know when he would be able to give her a real sense of security by his side. However, he was confident that as long as he worked hard, that day would come. He wasn't in a hurry; when it came to patience, most people were no match for him.
The little woman in his arms may have truly entered his heart, not because of responsibility, but because he had never understood love. It was as if he had suddenly unlocked his inner potential and understood his own feelings.
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