After returning, Zhan Chunyun didn't tell anyone. Her household registration and grain ration were directly transferred from the brigade to Jiangcheng University. Xu Lixia and Zhan Zhiqiang only found out about this because of Yang Yonghua's parents.
When the two of them heard the good news, they went around bragging to everyone about their promising son. So what if he went to the countryside? He still made a name for himself again. Now he's been recommended to the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University. When he comes out, he'll be a cadre, and he'll have earned it through his own abilities. No one will be able to say behind his back that he got in through connections or that he's incompetent anymore.
Moreover, he also found himself an excellent daughter-in-law, Zhan Chunyun, who went to university with him. The young couple will both become cadres!
Enraged, Zhan Zhiqiang cursed at home: "Ungrateful wretches! They're all ungrateful wretches! One of them secretly ran off to Haicheng without even discussing it with his family; the other went to university without telling his family either. What, are they afraid their families will cling to them now that they've made something of themselves?"
Xu Lixia was also very angry and chimed in, "These two girls are heartless. They only have one younger brother at home now, and they can't even help him out. If they're so capable, they won't have to rely on us in the future."
Zhan Hongyu is 14 years old this year and just started high school. He didn't remember much when he was little; but after he started to understand things, his second and third older sisters had already begun to rebel against the family.
First it was my second sister. Even though she wasn't going to school anymore, she was busy working outside every day for her own future, no longer caring about things like cooking and cleaning at home.
Behind him was his third sister, who was five years older than him, but at one point she was not as tall as him. She was like the old ox described in the textbook, eating little and doing much. But later she changed, and she became brave enough to fight back against things she felt were unfair.
So, when it comes to his two older sisters, he actually feels alright. He doesn't have many intense emotions; on the contrary, he thinks his sisters are both quite remarkable. Although they only graduated from elementary school, they all found permanent jobs; his second sister, despite being sent to the countryside, not only returned through her own efforts but also went to university; his third sister is even more impressive, not only finding an office job but also transferring to Haicheng through her own hard work.
It seems like he's the only good-for-nothing in his family. He doesn't even know if he can find a job after graduation. If he can't, he'll have to go to the countryside. Once he's in the countryside, he won't have the ability to start a "cured meat workshop" or get himself a spot at a worker-peasant-soldier university.
He lamented countless times that he seemed only suited to a life of leisure and idleness, but his family hadn't provided him with such opportunities.
Zhan Hongyu glanced at the couple who were still cursing and shook his head helplessly: "Sigh~ If only one of these two was as capable as the older sister!"
Time waits for no one, and in the blink of an eye, it's 1975.
In May, Haicheng was bathed in the warm spring breeze. Zhan Chunlan was taking a walk in the park with Zhan Xiaoman.
Zhan Xiaoman is three years old now and much more mature than before. At least, it no longer drags Zhan Chunlan forward desperately. It obediently walks at Zhan Chunlan's feet, sniffing here and looking there, until it reaches the lakeside.
There was a row of chairs by the lake. Zhan Chunlan pulled Zhan Xiaoman over to sit down, wanting to rest for a while.
Zhan Chunlan sat on a bench, looking at the calm lake surface. The sunlight poured down, making the entire lake surface sparkle and shimmer.
A soft halo of light fell upon her head, bathing her slender figure in a golden glow. She looked lonely, beautiful, and passionate, making one want to stare intently and etch this scene deeply into one's mind.
Wang Wenfeng looked at the scene before him as if he were admiring an oil painting.
When he came to his senses, he found that the girl had already walked away. He tried to take a closer look at her features, but he couldn't see them clearly. He just saw a girl bathed in light leading a dog, slowly walking away in the light. He forgot to go up and talk to her.
As soon as I got home, Ms. Fang Li said, "Your Aunt Wang said she wants to introduce you to someone. When do you have time to go on a date?"
Wang Wenfeng said helplessly, "Mom, I've only been back for a short time, and I'm only in my twenties. It's not like I'm unwanted. Is it really necessary to be in such a hurry?"
Fang Li sat on the sofa flipping through the newspaper, not even glancing at him: "I'm not in a hurry. Anyway, I already have a grandson. I just don't know if some people are in a hurry."
Wang Wenfeng was somewhat puzzled: "Are you talking about me? Why should I be in a hurry? What's there to be in a hurry about?"
Fang Li put down the newspaper, somewhat exasperated: "What's the rush? Chunlan is turning 20 this year. A few years ago, she could excuse herself by saying she was still young, but now many people are starting to introduce her to potential partners. Are you still worried?"
Wang Wenfeng remained calm and said slowly, "Why should I be in such a hurry? Mom, you know how I am with her. I've always treated her like a younger sister. If she gets married, just let me know and I'll go and give her a gift."
Fang Li looked at her son's blockheadedness and felt helpless. She didn't want to care anymore: "Fine, it's like the emperor isn't worried but the eunuch is. If you don't like Chunlan, do you want to go and meet the person your Aunt Wang introduced?"
Wang Wenfeng went straight back to his room, not wanting to discuss these things with Ms. Fang Li anymore: "I'm not going, I don't have time!"
The moment the door closed, Wang Wenfeng could still hear Ms. Fang Li shouting outside, "You still say you don't care?"
"Hilarious! Does my dislike for Zhan Chunlan conflict with my reluctance to go on blind dates? Can't I just not choose either?" Wang Wenfeng lay on the bed, pondering quietly. "Can't I just have free choice in love? What era are we living in?"
At this point, he recalled the scene he had just witnessed in the park and calmly reflected: In fact, it was the perfect combination of a gentle breeze and sunshine that created such a beautiful scene. The scene was like a painting, best appreciated from afar.
Yes! That's right!
Suddenly, he remembered the first time he met Zhan Chunlan. Although it wasn't in a park, the sunlight was shining on her just like that. But the girl was too young then, and she just seemed very cute, making him want to treat her like a younger sister.
On the other side, after sending Zhan Xiaoman back, Zhan Chunlan sat down at the state-run restaurant.
A boy was sitting across from me. He looked well-behaved, with a straight back, neat hair, and pure eyes. My first impression was pretty good, 60 points.
"My mom said the food here is pretty good, the best dishes are rice cake with pork ribs and stir-fried bok choy. What do you think?" The boy asked Zhan Chunlan in a gentle tone.
Zhan Chunlan smiled and nodded: "I'm fine with anything."
The boy nodded and went to order from the waiter.
Zhan Chunlan is on a blind date. You read that right, she's on a blind date.
There was no way around it. When she was a teenager, she said she was still young, and everyone agreed. But once she turned 20, Zhan Chunlan felt like she was meat in a supermarket at 6 p.m., and she had to start selling it off at a discount, otherwise she would be stuck with it.
Everyone who sees her older than her becomes interested in her personal life. Once they discover she's still single, it's as if she's committed some heinous crime. They take turns trying to persuade her, and even mobilize their friends and family to introduce her to potential partners. If one isn't satisfactory, they move on to the next, as if she has a marriage KPI that everyone else's KPI is inadequate if she doesn't get married.
She was living a good life on her own and didn't necessarily need to get married.
However, she was not brave enough to fight against the prevailing circumstances. She was cowardly, incompetent, and went with the flow. She didn't want to face so many inquiries and everyone's concerned gaze every day.
She just wanted to be an ordinary, ordinary person.
It seems that she used up all her courage to walk from Jiangcheng to Haicheng.
All she wants to do now is drift along with the current.
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