Qingshui Village remains as peaceful and serene as ever, unchanged in the slightest, but the people's moods have changed considerably. Many households are shrouded in gloom and despair, a sight that saddens the heart.
In a small courtyard, a slightly thin woman sat on a stool with her head down, her expression unreadable. She mechanically peeled corn, looking utterly dejected and devoid of any youthful energy.
"You silly child, didn't I tell you to stay in the house and rest? Why did you run out again? You're such a worry. Go back and rest." A middle-aged woman walked in from outside, and was startled when she saw the other woman's appearance. She quickly ran over, pulled her up, and nagged her while pushing her daughter's shoulder back into the house.
"Mom, I'm fine. It's been so long, I'm all better now, you don't need to worry about me." Zhou Xiaoqian stood still, turned her head and smiled at her mother, but that pale and weak smile only made people more uneasy.
"You silly child... I'm just worried about you. If you dare to shirk your responsibilities again when I ask you to do chores, don't blame me for hitting you. Now rest well, there will be times when I need you." Aunt Zhou sighed and looked at her daughter, hesitant to speak. Then she laughed and scolded her a couple of times before sending her daughter back into the house.
After the door closed, Aunt Zhou's smile gradually faded, leaving behind a look of sorrow. What would become of this child? Could she and her daughter raise the child?
Although she was feeling depressed and sad, she still worked quickly and efficiently. Aunt Zhao tidied up the house, cooked a meal, and delivered it to her daughter. Seeing her daughter's slightly protruding belly made her even sadder.
"Mom, I'm fine. I'll be alright and raise my child well, even without Qin An." Zhou Xiaoqian patted her mother's hand to comfort her, but she didn't even believe her own words.
These days, it's common for educated youth to return to the city and abandon their wives and children. Her husband, Qin An, was also an educated youth. The two had been doing well after getting married, and she thought he had feelings for her. However, after Qin An was admitted to university, he disregarded her and the baby in his womb and left Qingshui Village to study in another city.
There are too many people like this these days, and everyone just has to suffer in silence. From the day she left, she knew that the other person would never come back.
This is the tragedy of this era, and no one can change it.
"Is Sister-in-law Zhou there?" Just then, the doorbell rang, and a woman's loud voice could be faintly heard. Aunt Zhou immediately wiped the water off her hands and went to open the door.
"Oh, it's Red Army Mother! Please come in." Aunt Zhou's face lit up with a big smile, and she stepped aside to let Wuyou in.
They were both from the same village and of similar age, so they naturally had some acquaintance. Now, there was an even more important reason: they shared a common plight, since their children were all pitiful victims abandoned by the educated youth. Comparatively, the Red Army mother was even worse off; her daughter-in-law not only abandoned her husband and children but also maliciously reported her—truly heartless.
Although no one in the village said it, they all knew exactly what was going on.
Wuyou carried a basket on her right arm, covered with a small cloth so the contents couldn't be seen. With a kind smile on her face, she readily sat down opposite Zhou Xiaoqian. Seeing her pale face, she casually started a conversation.
"Xiaoqian, why do you look so pale? Pregnant women need to take good care of themselves. It would be terrible if you developed health problems later. This is brown sugar that Hongjun bought. Take it out and mix it with some water to drink. It's good for your health."
With a look of heartache, Wuyou took a small bag of brown sugar from the basket and stuffed it into Zhou Xiaoqian's hand.
"This... how can we accept something so valuable? We should take it back and give it to Xinghe to drink." The Zhou mother and daughter were stunned. When did the Zhao family become so rich? They couldn't help but wonder.
"This was compensation from Huang, the educated youth. He gave us quite a bit. What's a little help from fellow villagers?" Wuyou waved his hand magnanimously, seemingly not caring much.
"Compensation?" The Zhou mother and daughter exchanged a glance; it was the first time they had ever heard this new term!
“That’s right!” Wuyou nodded generously, then said fiercely, “Do you think the people of Qingshui Village are so easy to bully? You can’t just walk away and leave. There’s no way! If you want to leave, you’ll have to skin them alive.”
"She just took it out willingly?" Zhou Xiaoqian looked at the small bag of brown sugar in her hand, somewhat tempted, and cautiously asked, observing Wuyou's expression.
"Of course we don't want to, but she and Hong Jun have a marriage certificate. If all else fails, we can sue her! Anyway, her heart isn't in our family anymore, so keeping her around is pointless. We might as well make her pay the price. We're not easy to mess with. I guess he sued us before because of this, but she still has to compensate us in the end." Wuyou slammed her hand on the table, her voice filled with righteous indignation, but she couldn't help but feel a little smug as she spoke.
"Marriage certificate..." Zhou Xiaoqian rubbed the bag of brown sugar in her hand, her tone unfocused. When she married Qin An, they only had a simple banquet and didn't have a marriage certificate!
Aunt Zhao is right. Since his heart isn't with her anymore, if they could get him to give them money, raising their children would be much easier. That's his responsibility as a father.
"It doesn't matter if we don't have a marriage certificate. We'll make a scene, sue her, make sure everyone knows, and take her to the government. I'm sure our great leader won't sit idly by. The country established the college entrance examination, not so that they would do such heartless things." Wuyou didn't care. There were far too many people suffering from this these days. If they didn't unite as one, tragedy was inevitable.
Those villagers were too naive; without a marriage certificate and unable to find anyone, they had no choice but to swallow their anger and raise their children alone, some even losing their lives. But what did they do wrong to deserve this? Don't rural lives matter?
In a short period of time, Wuyou gathered dozens of families abandoned by educated youth, their hearts filled with resentment and helplessness. Some of the educated youth were even more ruthless, taking all their money and belongings, leaving them with elderly parents and young children to support, making their lives extremely difficult.
They wholeheartedly agreed with Wuyou's words and eventually rallied a considerable force to take the matter to the government. Since they were doomed anyway, they figured they might as well fight to the death.
As the saying goes, "the law does not punish the masses," meaning that when public resentment accumulates to a certain level, even the government cannot ignore it. The person responsible for receiving the useless people was the same square-faced man from before; looking at this group of people, his head began to ache.
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