The Zhao family's home could be described as bare. Aunt Zhao's room contained only a simple table and chairs, a bed, and a conspicuous large trunk. Although the house was large, it was empty and pitifully desolate.
"Hongjun, tell Mom the truth, do you like Huang Zhiqing?" Wuyou spoke very directly, making Zhao Hongjun's face instantly turn red. In this era, people were still very innocent.
"Hmm..." After a while, a soft, mosquito-like sound came from Zhao Hongjun's throat, and his shy appearance was quite rare.
"You little rascal, are you saying that because Huang Zhiqing is pretty?" Wuyou put her hands on her hips and grabbed her son's ear, pulling him out of his shy and innocent state.
Given Huang Siwen's temperament, most people wouldn't be able to handle her, especially this mother and son. The son likes Huang Siwen and is always accommodating, but he's also a quiet, reserved person. The original owner doted on her son and tolerated everything for his sake.
In their eyes, given their family's poor circumstances, being able to marry a wife, especially someone like Huang Siwen—a cultured, beautiful, and urban educated youth—was incredibly fortunate. However, it was precisely this mindset that fueled Huang Siwen's arrogance and led to the later tragedy.
"Hiss..." Zhao Hongjun's ears turned a little red. After grimacing, he still honestly said, "Huang Zhiqing is beautiful. All the men in the village like her. I don't deserve that."
As he spoke, Zhao Hongjun became somewhat disheartened, realizing that with his family's circumstances, it would be difficult for him to even find a wife.
“You child…don’t you know what kind of person Huang Siwen is in the village? She’s always accepting gifts from other men; she’s never been a decent person. Can’t you learn from your mother’s judgment?” Wuyou poked Zhao Hongjun’s head, exasperated.
"Really...really?" Zhao Hongjun stammered. He was so focused on his work that he never paid attention to anything else and didn't know anything about this.
"Only someone as stupid as you wouldn't know. I've seen her in the grove several times. She's so beautiful, it's normal for men to be interested in her, but the fact that she accepts all comers is her own problem." Wuyou put her hands on her hips. Of course, the original owner hadn't seen her, but it was a fact, and she wasn't afraid of being investigated.
"You're such a fool," Wuyou said resentfully, sitting down in a chair. Zhao Hongjun quickly stepped forward to massage Wuyou's shoulders, showing at least some awareness.
Wuyou relaxed and closed her eyes slightly. She had no choice but to marry Huang Siwen, given what had happened between them. Even though he was putting on a brave face now, she would gradually realize that the gossip in the village could be deadly in time.
In this life, however, she can no longer let women ride roughshod over them. She needs to properly discipline her son and let him know that a good husband doesn't just give in all the time.
"Mom, then I don't like her anymore." Zhao Hongjun said cautiously. In fact, his feelings for Huang Siwen were only because of her pretty face and fair skin that was different from the others in the village. He didn't have much affection for her. Compared to that, his own mother was more important.
"You silly child, after what you two have done, how can you not marry her?" Wuyou shook her head. It really is a long and arduous journey!
Wuyou suddenly opened her eyes. "There's just one thing: you're not allowed to see her or talk to her before I speak, and you're not allowed to agree to anything she says."
"Okay." Zhao Hongjun quickly replied, then continued to massage his mother's shoulders, working diligently and not daring to slack off.
Wuyou glanced at the other person's honest and simple face. This kid was really honest; he didn't even ask any questions.
As noon approached, the hottest time of the day, Wuyou went into the kitchen and made some simple brown rice porridge, which became her first meal of the 1970s.
Wuyou couldn't help but smack her lips, take a sip of water to moisten her throat. In the 1970s, it was difficult to even maintain basic food and clothing. The brown rice she ate on weekdays was so coarse that it could hurt her throat, and it had no oil at all.
"Come on, let's go to the back mountain." There are wild animals in the back mountain. Sometimes everyone gathers together to dig for wild vegetables at the foot of the mountain, but most of the time they dare not go deeper.
Behind the Zhao family's house lies the back mountain, undoubtedly guarding a treasure trove. In this day and age, many things remain unexplored, but filling one's stomach is not a problem.
Who knows, this might be their first pot of gold.
After packing up, the mother and son headed to the back of the mountain. Under Wuyou's guidance, Zhao Hongjun set up many traps, picked a lot of wild vegetables and mushrooms, and even caught two fish, making it a great harvest.
The mother and son were completely unaffected by what had happened before, and happily began their work of making a living. Meanwhile, another drama was unfolding at the educated youth compound.
The other educated youth who had finished work returned to the educated youth compound looking exhausted. They had no interest in Huang Siwen and just sat in the courtyard, chatting occasionally while waiting for their meal.
This year, only two female educated youths, Huang Siwen and Yu Xiaohong, came to the countryside. They were young and beautiful and received care from the others. In previous years, there were three men and one woman. Li Gang was the first educated youth to arrive; he was calm, experienced, and the elder brother to everyone. The other two were Li Wen and Wang Guoan, and the other female educated youth was named Chen Guihua.
The educated youth compound operates on a shift system. Everyone's food rations are kept in one place, and one person is responsible for cooking each day. Today, it just so happens that Huang Siwen is in charge.
"What's going on today? Why hasn't anything happened all day?" Chen Guihua was still irritated. As a woman, she was naturally immune to other women, and she especially disliked Huang Siwen for using her pretty looks to seduce men everywhere.
最重要是今天这事发生之后，村里人看着他们这些知青的眼神都很不对。来了几年渐渐也知道知青回城有多不容易，已经开始考虑着在村里找个男人嫁了，总好比在这一年一年的熬。
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