Chapter 220: Things happen one after another
The two sisters-in-law chatted about all sorts of things, and Zhang Hongying asked her, "Are you really not going to have a banquet for Dongfu? It would be nice to invite relatives and friends, after all, he's the first one from our team to pass the exam."
Lu Chun'e and Lu Dongfu took the exam in July this year. Both of them performed well. Lu Dongfu was particularly strong. He ranked second in the grade of Ganling Commune and was directly admitted to the municipal technical secondary school. Lu Chun'e did a little worse and just met the high school score line.
The notice was received at the end of July, when Lu Dongping and Wen Wan were already on the platform.
It had been two or three days, and Zhang Hongying's excited heart had gradually calmed down. Only now did she start to talk about the two of them.
In Lujiazui, let alone high school and technical secondary schools, even after the movement of a few years ago, only a handful of people could even make it to junior high school. Otherwise, why would there be such a shortage of teachers in elementary schools? Now, with a high school student and a technical secondary school student emerging, and both from the Lu family, everyone on the team was envious. They all said that the brothers Lu Minghai and Lu Mingjiang had truly risen to prominence. Even their own family members were proud of them, feeling that the Lu family's ancestral tombs were filled with smoke. Then, he thought, he felt indignant. He didn't know what his ancestors were thinking. Why did the smoke only flow to one side? Why didn't it emanate from their own roof?
"What should I do? You know how things have been at home this year. It's been the hardest. Dongfu's leaving for the city in September, and he might not be back for the entire semester. My family won't be able to help us anymore, and it's just the two of us. We're really frustrated." She wanted to do it. Getting into a technical secondary school would truly bring honor to the family, but the situation didn't allow it. It was only August, and the family was already running low on food. They were about to have to borrow money before the autumn harvest, and if they held a banquet, they'd be starving.
"If you want, Chun'e can also do it. She's the first high school student on our team in these years."
Zhang Hongying shook her head. "If Dongfu doesn't do it, why should she? She herself said she wouldn't do it. She'll wait for Dongping and his wife to come back and ask. If they say they won't do it either, then there's no need to bother. It's a hot day, and it's not a big deal."
Gao Xiulan laughed. "Isn't this a big deal? After graduating from high school, you can get a job in a factory in the county town, get a salary, and eat commercial grain. The people on the team must be envious and jealous right now."
After a scorching day, the mountain breeze finally brought a bit of coolness at night. It was the time when mosquitoes were at their most rampant at night, and it was so cool and refreshing outside that I almost didn't want to go inside.
Lu Donglin and Lu Dongfu ran to Xihe after dinner. They came back dressed in wet clothes and took Chuyi home as soon as they got home.
Lu Dongfu asked Gao Xiulan: "Mom, can't I take a bath on the first day of the new year?"
Gao Xiulan said, "Of course it can be washed. I washed it in the sun at noon."
Lu Dongfu and Lu Donglin took turns holding Chuyi and throwing her high up in circles. The little girl giggled happily.
When Lu Chun'e and Hu Qingqing had free time, they went to the stone mill to catch fireflies. Hu Qingqing was two years older than Lu Chun'e and was married now, but she still had a childish mind. She found everything fun and wanted to try everything.
After the rain, the sun was scorching for several days in a row. The weather in early August made people feel breathless.
After the two children of the Lu family passed the entrance exam, another big event happened in the team. That is, the quota for this year's Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University actually fell on Zhu Feng. It was said that Zhou Mingqing personally arranged it for him.
As soon as the news broke, the entire educated youth camp was in an uproar. What was going on? Liu Changqing had been working in the countryside for so many years, working hard even if he hadn't made any contributions, yet he couldn't even get a spot. Meanwhile, Zhu Feng, who hadn't been there for long, was already going back to the city? Would he still be a university student? He had a promising future after graduation?
If we don't count by the number of years since he came to the countryside, then Zhu Feng only came a few months earlier than Zhou Guoping and others. If he can do it, why can't others? Is it because he has a local father-in-law?
Not only the educated youth station, but also the members of the team were shocked and talked about it. Although no one had a suitable person at home, it did not prevent them from expressing their opinions on this matter when they had nothing to do.
The quota for admission to the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University requires a vote by the team members.
No one expected that Zhou Mingqing could convince Lu Mingqing. The two of them joined forces to do ideological work with the members of the team. When the vote came, most of the people in Lujiazui agreed, and the minority obeyed the majority, which made the educated youth at the educated youth point completely unable to react.
"What on earth is Zhou Mingqing thinking? The family was in turmoil for the first half of the year. He was said to favor his daughter and son-in-law, but he actually separated Lanhua and Zhu Feng. The couple had just settled down with their little child, and Lanhua was pregnant. And now he's supporting Zhu Feng going to college. What's going on in his mind?"
Not to mention Zhang Hongying, no one on the team could figure it out.
Gao Xiulan sighed, "What a pity for Lanhua. How could she have such a father? If you didn't know, you would think Zhu Feng was his biological son. I don't know what kind of magic potion he was fed. He's going back to the city when he goes to school. With the food supply gone, there's no way he'll come back to us."
Zhou Mingqing's family was filled with gloom, a dark mood unseen. Zhou Lanhua, her eyes swollen from crying over her slightly swollen belly, was sadly alone except for her little girl, who had barely learned to walk and wasn't quite there yet. Zhu Feng and Zhou Mingqing had kept the matter of her schooling a secret from the family, and she didn't learn about it until the meeting.
Since she was unwilling to go through the divorce procedures, Zhu Feng was not very friendly to her.
In the first half of the year, their family of three was separated and lived in one room with a thatched shed next to it as a kitchen. Zhu Feng had not shown up in the past two days except for eating and sleeping. As soon as he showed up, he asked her if she had thought it through.
Think clearly? She will never figure it out.
Even if Zhu Feng's relationship with her was a deliberate approach and an exploitation, then what about her father Zhou Mingqing?
She felt like a joke, a joke laughed at by the whole team.
Zhu Feng reeked of alcohol when he entered. He hadn't had to work during the busy farming season, so he had no idea where he'd gotten his fix of drinking. Upon entering, he saw a woman with a sallow face and red, swollen eyes, sitting against the wall like an idiot. He frowned and called out, "Lanhua."
Zhou Lanhua looked at him without saying anything. She knew what the man wanted to say, but she didn't want to listen at all at the moment.
"Lanhua!" Zhu Feng called out again, coming closer. "A day of marriage is a hundred days of grace. I'm leaving eventually, so why are you making such a scene with me?"
"Zhu Feng, that's not what you said when you got the marriage certificate from me."
At that time, wasn't it for the purpose of getting the marriage certificate, wasn't it for the purpose of living more comfortably in this hellhole?
"If you don't like me, if you always want to go back, why did you lie to me? You tricked me into marrying you, giving birth to your children, and then you had another one after another. Zhu Feng, do you have any humanity left? You only think about yourself. Have you ever thought about what will happen to me in the future? What will happen to the children?"
Zhu Feng had grown tired of hearing these words. Zhou Lanhua, now pregnant with another child, was no longer as pretty as she had been as a young girl. After being together for so long, Zhu Feng no longer had the same feelings for her that he once had. His patience had worn thin, and his temper had risen.
Originally, he was so humble that he didn't dare to do anything to Zhou Lanhua, but now, he was not afraid at all.
Because he knew that Zhou Mingqing could not do anything to him, nor did he dare to do anything to him.
"What should I do? You ask me what to do? Why don't you ask your father? Zhou Lanhua, you have to get a divorce whether you want to or not." He reached out and grabbed her, "Come with me to the commune now. If you don't, you'll suffer in the future. If you do, I might even show you a way out for the sake of our marriage."
Zhou Lanhua fiercely shook off his hand; "No, I won't divorce you. Unless I die, you can't even think about it. I tell you, Zhu Feng, even if Zhou Mingqing gets you a quota, what can it do? I don't want to divorce you, so your grain relationship can't be transferred back. If any commune cadre dares to sign for you, I will go and kill myself at his doorstep. Just try it, if you make me angry, I can do it!"
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Wen Wan and her companions arrived at the county seat, but they encountered no tractors heading toward the commune, forcing them to walk under the scorching sun. Even with her hat and long-sleeved Dacron shirt on, she felt the sun scorching her. The sweat was so intense that even the ever-refined woman had to bow to reality and quench her thirst with a glass of fresh water from a roadside mountain stream.
Wen Wan went back and forth in the car, and continued to go back and forth after getting off. If she wasn't worried about Old Wen, she felt that she probably wouldn't want to run so far again in her life.
Before they reached the commune, they saw a tractor coming towards them from a distance. It looked like it was going to the county town. It was really unlucky for them. If they had gotten off the bus a little later, they might have been able to catch another bus and wouldn't have to walk back in such a hot sun.
When I got closer, I saw Liu Dacai, who was wearing an old gray autumn coat with his sleeves rolled up high. His arms were tanned and matched his face very well.
Sitting in the back were Zhou Mingqing and his wife and Zhu Feng.
Lu Dongcai greeted Liu Dacai, and then called Zhou Mingqing: "Uncle, are you going into the city?"
Zhou Mingqing's face looked a little unhappy, and he hummed with a serious face.
Lu Dongping didn't care. He wrinkled his nose and looked at the tractor passing by in confusion: "What's going on? Why do I smell blood?"
Wen Wan looked at him in confusion: "No, you can smell the smell of blood even in the open air dam. How much blood must have been collected? At least a pig must have been killed, right?"
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