Old Tang's face darkened, and he lowered his voice: "Xiao Nan, she only got the marriage certificate with you to help you. Are you planning to become a Chen Shimei (a notorious figure in Chinese folklore known for abandoning his wife)?"
Do they think they can turn their backs on people now that they've made a comeback?
Rong Zhaonan remained silent, lost in thought.
Old Tang's expression immediately turned sour: "Young Nan, I never expected you to be such a person who flatters the powerful and belittles the weak!"
Is it because her husband has returned to work and is about to rise to prominence again, so he no longer looks down on country girls?
Old Tang couldn't help but whisper, "Xiao Yuan isn't even a country girl. She's a sent-down youth, a girl from the provincial capital. She's no less than you, a child from a high-ranking family in Beijing!"
Ning Yuan got her marriage certificate with him, but then divorced him. Even if Ning Yuan goes back to the provincial capital, what good family would want a divorced woman?
Rong Zhaonan lowered his eyelashes: "The capital is not a suitable place for her."
Old Master Tang was truly enraged. He sneered twice: "Fine, if you don't want to take her to the capital, then don't. You two get a divorce, fine. With me and my wife here, my disciple won't be any worse than you!"
Unable to bear it any longer, he got up and went into the house.
Inside the house, Granny Xia was showing off her skills to Ning Yuan: "Hmph, now you know, right? A landlady isn't just good at imitating a rooster's crow in the middle of the night to wake the farmhands up and get them to work!"
She proudly puffed out her withered chest: "Little girl, you don't know, do you? My specialty isn't even traditional Chinese medicine!"
Ning Yuan gave a thumbs up: "Yes, yes, yes... You're a genius like a weasel... I wonder what else you're good at?"
Under Old Mrs. Xia's sinister gaze, she abruptly changed the subject.
Grandma Xia proudly straightened her hunched back: "I'm good at many things. Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll mercifully tell you that I'm also good at appraising cultural relics!"
As she spoke, she suddenly pulled a dusty old bowl from behind her waist and placed it in front of Ning Yuan: "Look, this is a large enamel bowl with floral and bird patterns from the Yongzheng period!"
Ning Yuan looked at the bowl in front of her, which had a small chip in it: "...This, I remember it was the pig-feeding bowl that you stole from Old Six's pigsty, right?"
This is clearly the bowl that the old lady stole to fill with grass seeds to feed the two chicks she kept in the room.
Grandma Xia rolled her eyes: "Why do you remember so clearly? Anyway, it's a genuine antique, you know, an antique!"
Ning Yuan muttered to herself as she wrote in her notebook, "Hmm, aren't you afraid of being reported? You can keep it then."
Regardless of whether it's true or not, I don't know what's gotten into this old lady today, suddenly bringing up these things.
Grandma Xia grew anxious: "Oh dear, why are you so stubborn, girl..."
Old Tang sighed and handed the bowl from Old Lady Xia's hand to Ning Yuan: "Xiao Yuan, what your grandma means is, this bowl is for you, see if you have any connections to help exchange it for some money?"
If you let his old lady keep going on like this, she won't get to the point.
Ning Yuan was stunned: "What? You want me to sell antiques?"
A few months ago, I didn't dare to stay at the village's local temple, and now you're letting me sell antiques?
Rong Zhaonan's prey only included pig hearts and gallbladders; he didn't give these two old people bear hearts or leopard gallbladders.
Old Tang handed the People's Daily newspaper to Ning Yuan again: "This is a daily newspaper that I found in the production team office when I was collecting manure."
Ning Yuan glanced at it and saw it was a copy of the People's Daily from a week ago, with a huge headline: "The Thirteenth Meeting Successfully Convened."
A sudden realization struck her: it's already the end of December!
This meeting was held in late December 1978, and from then on, the spring breeze swept across the land, awakening the vibrant vitality of China!
I've been so busy working, selling wild game, and studying that I've completely forgotten this important event has already happened!
She looked at Grandpa Tang with a complicated expression: "Grandpa, did you and Grandma see this news, which is why you want me to sell this thing?"
From then on, there would be no more talk of "cutting off the capitalist tail" or "destroying the four olds," and the private economy was opened up!
Seeing how serious Mr. Tang was, could this dirty bowl really be a genuine antique?
Old Tang nodded: "I've been studying this news report word by word these past few days, and I've read all the news in the newspapers many times."
He paused, his expression serious: "This is an unprecedented transformation. If this transformation can be sustained, perhaps the entire nation of China will rapidly prosper!"
Ning Yuan stared blankly at Old Tang, at the light reflected from his clear lens, which looked wise and bright.
She suddenly felt a surge of emotion; this was the level of knowledge, breadth of vision, and insight that Fudan University professors possessed in this era.
With just a copy of the People's Daily newspaper, Mr. Tang could see great changes and a prosperous future.
This is a level she could never reach, even if she were reborn.
No wonder that despite their difficult circumstances and background, Old Tang and Grandma Xia persevered and made it to the time when the spring breeze blew across the land.
She said softly, "This change will benefit everyone, and I believe our country will surely prosper and flourish."
Looking at Ning Yuan's confident expression, Old Tang felt that he had a good eye for students and smiled with satisfaction.
His students are definitely no worse than that kid Rong Zhaonan!
“The policy has been relaxed, so now there are people coming to buy these things, which means we can sell them ourselves!” Grandma Xia interjected.
Ning Yuan was taken aback: "What? Someone's come to collect the things?"
Grandma Xia nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "That's right, I saw that Granny Liu's relatives from the next village secretly came to her house and took a lot of things. I heard it all from under the pigpen wall!"
Ning Yuan nodded: "...and by the way, we also stole back the bowls they used to feed the pigs."
In those days, rural households still had some good things left over from the destruction of the Four Olds. In the 1980s and 1990s, there were antique dealers everywhere in the countryside.
Unexpectedly, even after the news of the opening was released, antique dealers were already secretly wandering around the countryside to collect antiques.
But it's not surprising when you think about it. After the Great Movement ended, the policies became more and more relaxed, and in 1978, it was just a formal announcement of opening up.
The old lady's eyes bulged: "How dare you talk like that? Old Liu's things were all stolen from my ancestral home by her husband when my house was ransacked!"
What's wrong with her bringing back a bowl?
Ning Yuan: "...Okay."
To be honest, this whole village actually belongs to Old Lady Xia's family, so she couldn't really talk about past grievances; they were all historical issues.
Ning Yuan thought for a moment: "There's a secondhand market in the county town that might buy these things. I'll go take a look."
In her past life, she worked diligently as an ordinary employee until old age. It was only when she started doing small business in this life that she discovered she actually had a talent.
Having frequented the black market many times, I've come to realize that while the county's secondhand market appears to be a secondhand market, it's actually a black market where various receipts and items are bought and sold.
Ning Yuan hesitated for a moment: "But teachers, why did you decide to sell antiques? If you need money, I'll pay your tuition..."
“Even if you are my student, we can’t always accept your and Nan’s help. You have to stand up for yourself.” Old Tang interrupted her.
As he spoke, he gave Rong Zhaonan, who had just entered, a cold look: "Women can't rely on men alone, especially not some opportunistic men who fawn over the powerful and bully the weak."
Rong Zhaonan: "..."
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