Chapter 003
I ran so fast when I came here that I haven't even caught my breath yet.
Pot Cover turned around and ran a few steps before slowing down.
He walked back slowly, taking a deep breath. When he was halfway there, heavy raindrops suddenly fell on his head.
Guo Gai exclaimed "Oh my god!" and quickly quickened his pace to rush back to the educated youth site.
He quickly ran to the kitchen door, opened the curtain and went in.
After entering the house, he wiped the rain off his head and said, "It's really raining."
After Han Ting left, everyone else also left the kitchen one after another.
Lin Xiaohan took his own food and left. Now only Chaozi and Chuxia were left in the kitchen.
While Guo Gai went to the river to look for Han Ting, Chaozi was not idle either. He continued to persuade Chuxia earnestly not to make such a fuss, saying that it was difficult for a girl to live alone, but it was of no use.
Although they were not as close as Han Ting and Chu Xia who grew up in the same courtyard, they lived in the same alley as Han Ting and Chu Xia and grew up together.
Chaozi and Guogai thought they knew Chuxia very well.
From childhood to adulthood, Chu Xia has always listened to Han Ting in everything. She doesn't talk much, and she always nods obediently whenever Han Ting asks her to do something. She has never made Han Ting angry and is a very good, nice and obedient girl.
I don't know what happened today, but I suddenly got angry.
Seeing Guogai coming back, he stopped trying to persuade him and looked at Guogai and asked, "What did Brother Ting say?"
Guo Gai glanced at Chu Xia and said in a faint voice, "Brother Ting said that if you can't persuade her, give it to her first. She is a girl and her life is not easy. She will regret it in a few days."
Chuxia breathed a sigh of relief and didn't argue.
As long as Han Ting doesn't withhold food and force her to join in, it'll be fine.
Now she has a God's perspective and knows better than anyone whether she can live a good life.
It was impossible to regret it, she could live a better life on her own.
Chaozi remained silent for a moment and then went to weigh food for Chuxia.
The brigade had distributed food according to the number of people, so now it was naturally divided equally among people, giving each person's portion of food to Chu Xia, the same as that given to Lin Xiaohan.
The remaining food was shared among the ten of them.
The situation in the country has improved slightly in the past two years compared to the first few years of the civil unrest, but the people's lives are still poor and miserable, and cannot be described as good.
Even people in the city eat coarse grains, let alone people in the countryside.
The food distributed to them by the brigade was the same as the food eaten by the villagers.
There is very little wheat and rice, only enough for one or two meals during the New Year and other festivals. The rest is mostly coarse grains such as sorghum and corn, and dried sweet potatoes.
There are also some rapeseed, peanuts and soybeans, which are all used for oil extraction.
Chaozi distributed all the food to Chuxia according to the calculated weight.
After Chuxia confirmed that the amount of food she had been allocated was sufficient in weight, she carefully put it away, said thank you to Chaozi and Guogai, and went back to the dormitory.
Seeing Chuxia leave the kitchen, Chaozi and Guogai both looked helpless.
I don’t know what’s wrong with this girl. Han Ting treats her like his own sister, but she suddenly draws a line between them in this way. It’s obvious that she is not giving Han Ting face.
Among the remaining ten people, except Lin Xiaohan, the one who should least do this is Chu Xia.
There is no way.
Chaozi and Guogai sighed at the same time.
As soon as he finished sighing, the door curtain was opened from the outside, and Han Ting and Su Yun ran in.
Han Ting and Su Yun also came back in the rain.
When they entered the room, both of them were wearing thick coats on their heads, which were taken off by Han Ting.
Han Ting put down his coat and asked Su Yun, "Are you not wet?"
Su Yun raised her hand to tidy up her bangs and said with a smile, "Fortunately, my hair is dry."
Han Ting shook his coat twice, then asked Chaozi and Guogai, "Did you give the food to Chuxia?"
Guo Gai sat down on the bench and said, "It was divided. She collected the food and went back to the dormitory."
The weather was still cold, so Han Ting shook off his coat and put it on again.
His tone became more relaxed, "Then let's do it this way for now."
Since Han Ting said so, Chaozi and Guogai naturally didn't say anything else.
After distributing food to Lin Xiaohan and Chu Xia, there was nothing else to do, so the two of them returned to the dormitory.
Han Ting did not go back to the dormitory with Chaozi Guogai.
He had kicked and broken a bench leg when he went out just now, but the bench still had to be used, so he bent down and picked up the bench leg beside the table, thinking about repairing the bench.
Seeing that Han Ting still had something to do, Su Yun decided to stay.
She stayed beside Han Ting, talking to him and helping him.
***
West House Girls' Dormitory.
An oil lamp was lit in the room, and the flame flickered in the wind.
When Chuxia opened the door and entered the house, Li Qiao, Chen Sisi and Gu Yuzhu all turned their heads to look over.
But they didn't say hello, they just glanced and then looked away.
Chuxia was usually ignored and treated as air at the educated youth point. She had long been accustomed to it. Now when they saw her, they pretended not to see her, and she didn't think it was a big deal.
Chuxia didn't say hello to them. She went into the dormitory, closed the door, and went straight to wash up.
The girls were more particular about their lives, so they hung a small circle of curtains made of tattered linen on the corners of the dormitory walls, creating a small space specifically for washing and dressing at night.
Chuxia mixed some hot water and went behind the curtain to wash up, and Li Qiao and the other two started talking again.
Of course, the topics had nothing to do with early summer and were all light-hearted and lively.
Chuxia was not interested in what they said and didn't listen carefully.
After washing up and getting rid of all her fatigue, she stretched her muscles and went to bed to sleep.
There were twelve people living in their educated youth center, the girls lived in the west room and the boys lived in the east room.
Regardless of whether they are boys or girls, they all sleep on the same bunk bed, next to each other.
There were only five girls, so the bunks were naturally divided into five.
Chuxia's sleeping position is just like her presence, at the very edge of the south wall.
To her right was the south wall where dust was falling off, and to her left was Gu Yuzhu's bed.
At this time, Gu Yuzhu was sitting on the bed looking in the mirror. The mirror in her hand was round, with a red plastic edge. Behind the mirror was a photo of the Tiananmen Tower.
Gu Yuzhu looked in the mirror for a while and sighed, "I've only been in the countryside for more than half a month, and my face has become so dark. If I stay here for a few years, I'm afraid it will be unbearable."
Although she was not the prettiest among the five female educated youth, she was the one who loved beauty the most.
Chen Sisi added, "Then don't take pictures. It'll be fine if you can't see them."
Gu Yuzhu sighed again, "Comparing yourself to others makes you angry, but Su Yun hasn't changed at all."
Li Qiao continued, "That's because she's lazy. When it comes to work, she's always in pain. Han Ting takes extra care of her, so she has to do much less work than us."
As soon as Li Qiao finished speaking, the door was pushed open from the outside.
Only Su Yun was still outside and hadn't come back yet. The person who pushed the door in was naturally Su Yun.
Li Qiao's expression changed naturally, as if he hadn't said anything, and he greeted Su Yun with a smile.
Su Yun smiled and replied to them, then hurriedly took a basin and filled it with water to wash up.
Chuxia was still sitting on the bed and hadn't laid down.
Seeing that Gu Yuzhu, Li Qiao, and Chen Sisi were silent, she took the opportunity to point at the mirror in Gu Yuzhu's hand and said, "Can you give the mirror back to me?"
Yes, the mirror in Gu Yuzhu's hand is hers.
She was determined to go to the countryside with Han Ting. Her parents couldn't persuade her and were worried that she would suffer in the countryside, so they prepared a lot of luggage for her and asked her to take it with her to the countryside.
This mirror was also in her luggage.
She never liked looking in the mirror since she was a child, so she rarely used it.
When Gu Yuzhu saw that her mirror was brand new and smooth, she borrowed it and used it for half a month without returning it.
Just now, when I saw Gu Yuzhu looking in the mirror, Chu Xia wanted it.
She hadn’t seen her face clearly in the water in the evening, so she wanted to check in the mirror now.
When Gu Yuzhu heard Chu Xia talking, she was stunned for a moment, as if she didn't realize that Chu Xia was talking to her. Then she realized what was going on, but instead of handing over the mirror, she looked at Chu Xia and asked, "Do you want to look in the mirror?"
Chu Xia nodded at her, "Yeah."
Gu Yuzhu laughed and said, "Don't you dislike looking in the mirror? You don't need to look, you haven't changed."
She hadn't taken enough pictures yet and didn't want to give the mirror to Chuxia.
Chuxia also noticed her attitude.
She has been using the mirror for half a month and now feels it is hers.
Chu Xia was too lazy to argue with her, so she didn't say anything else. She just stretched out her hand and looked at her.
When Gu Yuzhu met Chu Xia's eyes, she felt very strange and the smile on her face froze subconsciously.
Then she stopped being stiff and put the mirror in Chu Xia's hand, saying, "Don't put it anywhere after you take the photo. Just put it on the table. I'll use it when I tie my hair tomorrow morning."
"You can use your own."
Chuxia took the mirror and no longer looked at Yuzhu.
Gu Yuzhu was choked by these words.
Chen Sisi and Li Qiao were also surprised and turned to look at Gu Yuzhu and Chuxia.
Gu Yuzhu's face was full of displeasure. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't utter it for a long time.
The mirror was not hers, so she really couldn't say anything tough.
Then she pulled the quilt and lay down, saying sarcastically: "If you put it in a crowd of people, no one will even look at it, what's the point of taking a photo? Can you take a beautiful photo?"
Chu Xia couldn't help but retort, "It's better than you getting darker and uglier the more you take photos."
These words were heart-wrenching to Gu Yuzhu.
She was so angry that she suddenly sat up and couldn't help raising her voice: "Tang Chuxia, what do you mean? What's wrong with you today? Did you take the wrong medicine?"
Chu Xia picked up the mirror and looked at her face: "Yeah, so you better be polite to me."
Gu Yuzhu, Li Qiao, and Chen Sisi: "..."
I'm afraid I really took the wrong medicine? When have you ever been rude to her?
It's really sick and inexplicable.
Gu Yuzhu cursed again in her heart but said nothing out loud. She pulled the quilt and lay down again.
Chen Sisi and Li Qiao naturally did not get involved.
The two exchanged glances, then silently pulled the quilt over and lay down.
They stopped talking and Chuxia ignored them.
She looked at her face in the mirror, took a deep breath silently, and exhaled silently.
The face she saw in the mirror was the same one she had seen in the water.
It was like there was a thick layer of fog and I couldn't see its true appearance at all.
She looked at herself in the mirror and wondered – was this how she would be all her life?
As a background tool, doesn't she even deserve a face that can be seen clearly and remembered by others?
She didn't care or give a shit when she didn't have a self before.
But now that she has self-awareness, she naturally wants to be the most complete version of herself.
Whether it is appearance or spiritual thoughts, we want them to be clear, lucid and complete.
She thought again.
Now that she has awakened her self-awareness.
Is it possible to find a way to make your face clearer?
I don't know what her face looks like.
Now her appearance is ordinary and unremarkable in the eyes of others. Just like Gu Yuzhu said just now, no one would even look at her twice if she were in a crowd of people. If she could see herself clearly in the mirror in the future, she wondered if the way she appeared in the eyes of others would change at that time.
When Chu Xia was lost in thought, she suddenly heard someone calling her, "Chu Xia."
She came back to her senses and raised her head, only to see Su Yun who had finished washing up.
Seeing Su Yun's face in the backlight, Chu Xia's mind suddenly popped up the content of the novel uncontrollably.
From the perspective of the novel, Su Yun is the heroine who has a second emotional entanglement with Han Ting. Her role accounts for much more than Han Ting’s first love, Tong Rui, and the relationship between her and Han Ting is much deeper than that between Tong Rui.
Tong Rui is the heroine of the first plot of the novel.
She comes from a good family, has a good appearance, is pure and noble, and is the image of a goddess with no shortcomings in any aspect, meeting all men's fantasies about first love.
Han Ting fell in love with Tong Rui at first sight, and was extremely crazy and passionate when pursuing her.
After catching up with Tong Rui, they started a love affair that was envied by all the young men in the city.
Green, beautiful, pure, romantic...
It would not be an exaggeration to describe this relationship with all the beautiful words in the world.
Chuxia is also a witness to this love affair.
Before going to the countryside, she always thought that Han Ting and Tong Rui would be each other's lifelong loves.
Unexpectedly, the two were so passionate and flamboyant when they were together, and so decisive and straightforward when they broke up, as if they were not the ones who had been crazy about love before.
Before awakening, Chu Xia felt sorry for Han Ting.
She felt that Han Ting loved Tong Rui more than herself, and he had to let her go because he was hiding his sadness.
She thought it was Tong Rui who gave up on Han Ting, after all, she had a bright future.
She knew it only after she woke up.
Han Ting quickly let go of his relationship with Tong Rui.
Tong Rui never let it go. She insisted on writing letters to Han Ting, but never received a reply.
Even after she got married and had a family, she never let go of Han Ting.
After Han Ting let go of this relationship, he soon fell in love with Su Yun.
A woman who can make Han Ting fall in love is naturally not an ordinary woman.
Su Yun is pretty and can dance, but she comes from a poor family and has a tragic past.
But it is precisely because of her imperfections that she and Han Ting can resonate spiritually and go deeper into each other's hearts.
During the difficult days of working in the countryside, Han Ting and Su Yun depended on each other for warmth. They reached a resonance from body to soul and gave themselves to each other without reservation.
Tong Rui is more like a beautiful memory of youth and a romance of youth.
Su Yun is the one who truly entered Han Ting's heart and soul, entered his life, and made him truly taste the sweetness of love.
Of course, in this relationship, there is also the figure of Chu Xia, the tool person.
Han Ting has taken good care of Su Yun since he went to the countryside.
From acquaintance to ambiguity to love, his devotion to Su Yun became more and more, and deeper and deeper.
Han Ting himself is a free and easy-going person with a strong rebellious spirit.
He rebelled against this era and was unwilling to be bound by its rules and regulations, so naturally he could not gain any benefits in this era.
Given his behavior in the countryside, it was rare for him not to be pulled onto the stage by the team for criticism and education.
He was the person who caused the most headaches for the brigade cadres and fellow villagers. He was also the person who needed to be properly re-educated by the poor and lower-middle peasants in the eyes of the fellow villagers, and the person who felt that he could not be educated at all.
Not only did he cause trouble all the time, he also led other educated youth to do bad things.
With his condition, any good opportunities in the village would never come to him. He is in the commune's human security group today and reading a self-criticism at a criticism meeting tomorrow. What can he give to Su Yun?
Therefore, his devotion to Su Yun was all at the expense of Chu Xia, the scapegoat female supporting role.
In the novel, Chu Xia is liked by her fellow villagers because she is down-to-earth, capable, simple and easy-going.
Whenever there are any good things or opportunities in the team, the cadres will first think of Lin Xiaohan, who is the best at performing, and the second person they think of is Chu Xia.
Whenever Chu Xia got an opportunity, she would give it to Su Yun.
In the end, it was Chu Xia who gave Su Yun the chance to return to the city.
Su Yun is more realistic than Tong Rui, so Han Ting suffers the pain of love with Su Yun.
Su Yun loves Han Ting and also uses Han Ting. After she got the chance to return to the city, Han Ting was unable to let go of this relationship quickly. For a long time afterwards, they were still entangled from time to time.
After they met again, Han Ting wanted to be with Su Yun forever, but Su Yun felt that a bohemian and carefree person like Han Ting could not give her the life she wanted.
He can give her love, but cannot give her a rich life.
Between love and a rich life, Su Yun chose the latter, but she still loved Han Ting in her heart and was reluctant to give up her love, so she became entangled with Han Ting again.
Later, Han Ting tasted the bitterness of love, completely calmed down, and surrendered to life.
He returned to Beijing and finally saw Chuxia, the sucker who was still waiting for him in the courtyard.
Then he married Chuxia and focused on his career.
After he became successful in his career, Su Yun suddenly appeared and gave him a gift.
She secretly gave birth to a son whose eyebrows, eyes and nose were exactly like his.
And then.
Su Yun died of advanced cancer.
Live forever in Han Ting's heart.
Su Yun, who had lived out her life in the novel, was now standing in front of Chu Xia.
Seeing Chu Xia in a daze, she smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"
Chu Xia came to her senses and instinctively gave her a polite, perfunctory smile.
She did not answer Su Yun's question, but asked back: "What do you want me to do?"
Su Yun sat down on the edge of her bed, looking at her with inquiry in her eyes.
After looking at him for a while, she asked with concern in her tone, "What happened to you today?"
Chu Xia smiled perfunctorily again, "I'm fine, I'm fine."
Su Yun naturally didn't believe it, and said, "You're acting strange today. Han Ting is very worried about you, so he asked me to ask you what's wrong. If you have anything that's inconvenient to tell him, you can tell me."
Chu Xia bent her lips and shook her head: "I'm fine."
Su Yun looked at her for a while, "Then why don't you join us?"
Chu Xia said softly: "Didn't I tell you that it's troublesome to live with so many people."
Su Yun said earnestly, "But you are a girl, and you will encounter many problems that you can't solve if you live on your own. If you work together with everyone, there will be someone to take care of everything, isn't that good?"
Chu Xia shook her head: "Not good."
Su Yun: “…”
Su Yun choked for a while.
Gu Yuzhu, who was lying next to him, spoke again: "Su Yun, don't persuade her. She may not appreciate your kindness in her current state. She chose this path herself, so let her live her life the way she wants. If you have the ability, don't look for Han Ting when you encounter difficulties. If you can't live anymore, don't cry and ask to be a partner with us."
Chu Xia immediately followed up: "Don't worry, I won't cooperate even if you cry and beg me."
Gu Yuzhu suddenly pulled back the quilt, "Tang Chuxia, you!"
After choking for a long time, he continued: "Just wait until you cry!"
"Oh." Chu Xia smiled disdainfully, "Then you wait."
Gu Yuzhu was so angry that she gritted her teeth, but she endured it and didn't continue to argue. She pulled the quilt and lay down again.
Just wait.
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