Chapter 135 Parting Ways, Different Paths
“This isn’t Xiaohu’s fault. He’s just entered society and would never have imagined something like this would happen,” Song Fenglan said. “After this incident, he’ll know that relationships between men and women aren’t that simple.”
"Yes, it's not that simple," the plump woman sighed. "I never expected it to be like this. Back in our day, dating was dating, and breakups were rare. Some couples got married after just a few days of blind dates. Nobody dated for so long."
“The past is the past, and the present is the present,” Song Fenglan said. “People from different eras are different.”
"Sigh," said the plump woman, "I'll have to trouble you to look after Xiao Hu again. I heard he made a mistake at work, and I don't know if he can keep his job."
"He told you everything?" Song Fenglan asked.
"I did tell him," the plump woman said. "This time it was his own problem. He lacked mental fortitude, which affected his work. I told him, if you can't stand it here, come back. This isn't about losing face; it's about whether you can make a living."
“Growth is always full of stumbles and falls,” Song Fenglan said. “Xiaohu is still willing to tell you so many things.”
"Isn't Zihang going to tell you?" the plump woman asked.
“It’s not that he doesn’t want to talk, it’s just that he doesn’t have that much to say,” Song Fenglan said. Qin Zihang was doing very well at the research institute, and many people treated him very well. Ultimately, Song Fenglan was capable, and with her around, people would treat Qin Zihang better, without Song Fenglan having to go out of her way to ask them for help.
Zhang Xiaohu is different. He's from out of town, and he has to rely on himself; no one can help him. Zhang Xiaohu needs to work even harder and make people feel that he genuinely wants to work hard and wants to stay in the capital.
"That's true, your Zihang is so outstanding." The chubby woman sighed. When Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu were still young, she hadn't noticed such a big difference between the two children. To be precise, when they were still in school, she thought the only difference was in their grades. But now, the gap between them is huge.
“Xiao Hu is not bad,” Song Fenglan said. “Don’t worry too much. Xiao Hu has just entered society and he will grow up eventually.”
"Yes, I understand, it's just that I feel uneasy," said the plump woman. "We're not in the capital, and Xiao Hu is always troubling you..."
"Alright, go back and get a good night's sleep. Don't worry about these things," Song Fenglan said. "But you still need to drink less alcohol, or you'll die from it."
“Yes, I’ll talk to him about it another day,” said the plump woman.
After hanging up the phone, Song Fenglan sat in her room and did not go downstairs.
Qin Yizhou returned
When he arrived, he happened to see Song Fenglan sitting there.
"I heard you were taking a phone call upstairs?" Qin Yizhou asked.
"Yes, it was Fatty Sister calling. She's concerned about Xiaohu," Song Fenglan said. "Also, Xiaohu has a girlfriend who dragged Zihang into it, and Fatty Sister felt bad about it. Xiaohu told Fatty Sister all about it, which is good, to avoid any misunderstandings."
“If my son Zihang wants a girlfriend, he can just wave his hand and she’ll have one,” Qin Yizhou said.
"It's fine to talk about it at home, but don't go out and talk about it," Song Fenglan said.
“Even if we don’t say it, that’s what others are saying,” Qin Yizhou said. “Zihang looks more like me, but his mind is more like yours. He’s very popular now, and everyone likes him. He’s in graduate school now, and people are asking him if he wants to find a girlfriend, and asking what kind of daughter-in-law our family wants.”
"Oh?" Song Fenglan turned to look at Qin Yizhou. "They asked you the same questions?"
"I asked a few questions," Qin Yizhou said. "I told him it's up to Zihang himself; why should I care so much?"
Qin Yizhou and Song Fenglan shared the same idea: let Qin Zihang decide for himself.
Zhang Xiaohu went for a run with Qin Zihang, and then they had a barbecue in the yard. Qin Zihang looked at Zhang Xiaohu and was relieved to see that Zhang Xiaohu's mood was relatively stable.
That evening, Zhang Xiaohu didn't drink any more alcohol, and Qin Zihang didn't prepare any for him either. Instead, he prepared multigrain porridge, a kind of powdered, paste-like drink. Zhang Xiaohu knew Qin Zihang was concerned about him, but he felt he was causing Qin Zihang trouble. He also wondered if his ex-girlfriend would go to Qin Zihang.
However, anyone with a modicum of self-respect wouldn't go to their ex-boyfriend's friends. A very small minority might find these friends attractive, and they might be looking for their ex-boyfriend's friends, perhaps because they find it exciting.
Zhang Xiaohu felt incredibly unlucky to have encountered such a person. If his ex-girlfriend were to appear in front of him again, he would never reconcile with her; her actions were simply too awful and unbearable.
"Aren't your uncle and aunt eating?" Zhang Xiaohu asked.
"I'll take some over to them," Qin Zihang said. "You keep eating, eat more, there's so much."
"Eating, I'm eating," Zhang Xiaohu said, eating as he grilled.
Having a good friend is quite nice; you can talk to them and feel much better.
After serving the food to his parents, Qin Zihang quickly went downstairs to the yard. Zhang Xiaohu skillfully grilled several skewers.
"Come and eat," Zhang Xiaohu said.
"This leg of lamb looks good, doesn't it?" Qin Zihang said. "My dad brought it back especially for me."
"Uncle, you still bring these?" Zhang Xiaohu asked.
"Hmm." Qin Zihang nodded. "How does it taste?"
“Very good,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “This must have cost a lot of money.”
"It's alright," Qin Zihang said. "My mom doesn't need my dad to hand over his salary. He can spend his little bit of money however he wants."
"That little bit of money?" Zhang Xiaohu said. "Just that little bit of money?"
“That’s right.” Qin Zihang nodded. “Compared to my mom, my dad’s earnings are nothing. In this family, my mom is the best at making money. All the things in the family are basically made with my mom’s money. Back then, it was a special era. My mom married my dad, and my grandma and the others looked down on her.”
"Someone like my aunt is still looked down upon?" Zhang Xiaohu said.
“They just look down on my mom and treat her badly,” Qin Zihang said. “My dad said that if it weren’t for the times back then, my mom would never have married him.”
"Really?" Zhang Xiaohu was incredulous. "Aren't your uncle and aunt very close?"
“It’s actually quite good,” Qin Zihang said. “That’s all because my mom is capable and can manage. If she weren’t, life would probably be terrible. You’ve seen it yourself, my mom doesn’t like doing housework; someone has to do it. When we were in Nancheng, she did the laundry and cleaned the house a bit. But after we came to the capital, we could hire people, so she just hired them and didn’t have to do those things herself. In the end, it all comes down to being able to earn money. With my dad’s meager salary, it would be really hard to hire someone.”
Qin Zihang said these things to make Zhang Xiaohu understand that forcing people from different worlds to be together is pointless and will only lead to various problems later on. It's better to separate sooner rather than later and cut your losses.
Many people need time to adjust to each other when they get together, and that adjustment period can be quite long.
“My parents have been through a lot together,” Qin Zihang said. “My mom didn’t hold it against my dad too much, and my dad didn’t dare to force my mom to go to his parents’ house. I also rarely go there myself.”
"Mm." Zhang Xiaohu nodded.
"As for you, cheer yourself up. If you want to find a girlfriend, do it later," Qin Zihang said. "Don't worry about those things; they'll all be resolved sooner or later."
“That makes sense.” Zhang Xiaohu picked up a skewer of grilled meat and took a bite.
When Fatty Sister returned home, she told Zhang Chenghai about Zhang Xiaohu. She couldn't help but sigh, sighing again and again.
“Little Tiger, sigh,” said the fat woman. “He stayed in the capital, but there’s still a big gap between him and others. His girlfriend… she looked down on him and broke up with him.”
“If we break up, we break up. He can find someone else,” Zhang Chenghai said. “Xiao Hu doesn’t necessarily need this girlfriend.”
"That's true," said the plump woman, "but it still makes me feel uneasy. Xiao Hu liked his girlfriend so much, and he was even thinking about marriage, and then what happened?"
“He’s so old now, it’s good for him to experience more things,” Zhang Chenghai said. “Back when Xiaohu was dating, when he told us, I knew their relationship wouldn’t last long. I told you not to tell anyone, but you couldn’t help it.”
"It's all because people asked me if Xiaohu had a girlfriend and wanted to introduce him to someone, so I told them," said the fat woman. "Now that things have turned out this way, it's not entirely my fault. Yes, I have a big mouth, I shouldn't have said it, I won't say anything more, I won't say anything more."
The fat woman was already very regretful, extremely regretful, but once the words were spoken, they were like water spilled, and there was no way to take them back.
"It's just a few laughs from others, it's nothing," said the plump woman. "I just don't know if Xiaohu can handle it."
“If he’s a grown man and can’t even handle something this small, then he shouldn’t be alive. I’ll pretend I don’t have this son,” Zhang Chenghai said. “He’s made such a fuss over such a small thing.”
"He had no choice, he..."
"Don't try to explain for him," Zhang Chenghai said. "It's really wrong of him to let his relationship turn out like that and drag others into it."
Zhang Chenghai really couldn't understand how Zhang Xiaohu's relationship had turned out like this; it was too exaggerated.
"There was nothing we could do about it. Who knew it would turn out like this?" the fat woman said. "I apologized to Fenglan. Xiaohu really is... Next time, we'll have to wait until things are more stable. That woman was after Zihang because of his family's money. Zihang's family is rich, so his clothes and his way of speaking are naturally different."
"So what do you mean by telling Xiaohu not to bring his girlfriend to meet Zihang anymore?" Zhang Chenghai said. "Do Xiaohu and Zihang still want to be friends? If they don't meet at all, what will people think? It's fine for Zihang, but your son's girlfriend will be unhappy. She'll feel that he doesn't introduce her to his good friend. Zihang will become a legend in other people's mouths, and people will be even more curious."
Zhang Chenghai believed this matter had nothing to do with Qin Zihang; it was simply that the woman wanted a local, not Zhang Xiaohu. The woman had gone too far, actually inquiring about Qin Zihang.
“For Zihang, it was an undeserved disaster. What was supposed to be a happy occasion for his friend turned into a mess for him,” Zhang Chenghai said.
“That’s not what I meant,” said the plump woman. “I just think that all that fuss is really bad, and it makes everyone feel awkward.”
“It’s good that you broke up. If you hadn’t, and that woman had gone back to Zihang, we would have really lost face,” Zhang Chenghai said. “They’re all in the capital; you can’t hide this kind of thing.”
"Yes," said the plump woman. "I know, I know. Sigh, I just didn't expect something like this to happen. It's really not a good look to see it like this."
“No matter how ugly it is, it’s already happened,” Zhang Chenghai said. “You should be glad it was Zihang. We all know Zihang would never do something like seducing a friend’s girlfriend. If it were someone else, and that woman later told Xiaohu that someone else seduced her and forced her, would Xiaohu have chosen to believe her?”
"Huh?" The plump woman's eyes widened in disbelief. "How could this be?"
“It’s really possible,” Zhang Chenghai said. “It’s not that it’s impossible. Do you think Xiaohu wouldn’t be deceived? Zihang is great. Xiaohu knows that Zihang would never do such a thing. Zihang’s family is so rich, and so many people like him. Zihang doesn’t need to steal his friend’s girlfriend at all. He can have a better girlfriend. They’re on a different level. Right now, there’s already a big difference between Zihang and Xiaohu. In the future, the gap will be even bigger.”
Even if Zhang Xiaohu works very hard to earn money, he will probably still find it difficult to compare with Qin Zihang, given that they are from different social classes.
“Xiaohu is doing well, don’t have too high expectations,” Zhang Chenghai said. “It’s not that it’s impossible for him to date someone without a Beijing hukou. It doesn’t have to be a Beijing hukou. Xiaohu isn’t originally from Beijing; he came from another place. Our hometown is actually in the countryside; it’s just that Xiaohu grew up in the south of the city.”
One must recognize oneself. No matter how capable a friend is, they are still a friend, not oneself.
"I know," said the plump woman. "I wonder how Xiaohu is doing. He's still at Fenglan's house. Fenglan is really good, and Zihang and the others are taking good care of Xiaohu."
“They’ve been good enough to Xiaohu,” Zhang Chenghai said. “Our family owes them something.”
Some big mouths are spreading rumors that Zhang Xiaohu tried to marry a local woman from the capital but failed and got dumped.
The news spread quickly throughout the residential compound, and more and more people found out about it. Some even went to ask Fatty's wife about it.
"Yes, Xiaohu got dumped. He's not from the capital, he's not good enough, that's why he got dumped." Fatty wasn't afraid of Xiaohu; what could she do now that it had already happened?
Fatty couldn't keep insisting that her youngest son hadn't broken up with his girlfriend; if he did, one lie would have to be covered up with countless others.
"Isn't Song Fenglan over there? You two are close, why don't you ask her to introduce a girlfriend to your son?" someone suggested.
"No," said the plump woman. "Young people nowadays prefer free love; they don't follow our old ways."
"It's a blind date, not an arranged one," the man continued. "Or is it that Song Fenglan is unwilling?"
“It’s not that she’s unwilling, it’s just unnecessary,” said the plump woman. “The child has grown up and has his own path to walk. Even I, as his own mother, can’t control everything, let alone Fenglan. You should stop saying these things; it’ll only make people laugh.”
The plump woman was speechless; these people always said things like that. Song Fenglan was Song Fenglan; she wasn't Zhang Xiaohu's biological mother, and the plump woman understood this perfectly well. If they were relatives, she could get more help from them, but they were former neighbors, and Zhang Xiaohu had frequented Song Fenglan's place many times; he had already benefited greatly.
"Be shameless this once, and life will be easier from now on," the man said.
"You're going to shamelessly ask for help? I've shamelessly asked for help countless times already, and I still want to ask for more."
"Busy? What do you take people for?" the fat woman said. "Just because someone is nice to me, does that mean I have to keep bothering them? A person should have a conscience; you can't always be troubling others. I think you just want to see my family make a fool of themselves. Laugh, laugh, you can laugh now, laugh more."
Fatty went to Fan Yani's place to bring over some grass jelly she had made. Fan Yani had overheard the rumors outside and knew that Zhang Xiaohu had broken up with his girlfriend from the capital.
“Xiao Hu is still young. It’s okay to break up. He can find other girlfriends later. It’s not like he can’t find a girlfriend after breaking up,” Fan Yani said.
“That makes sense,” said the plump woman. “It’s also my fault for speaking out; things weren’t even settled yet, and I already said it.”
"What's the big deal? Just say what you want to say," Fan Yani said. "You're just telling the truth, it's nothing."
"Xiao Hu broke up with his girlfriend and is still staying at Feng Lan's house. He'll go back to the company dormitory tomorrow," said the fat woman. "Luckily, Feng Lan is there. That kid actually went out drinking and got completely drunk. It's all thanks to Zi Hang for taking him back."
"Zihang is quite good," Fan Yani said. The Song Fenglan family were righteous and decisive. Fan Yani greatly respected Song Fenglan; she thought Song Fenglan was like a heroine in a novel. But then she thought no, because someone like Song Fenglan could easily become a so-called "white moonlight"—well, a short-lived one at that. Even if not a short-lived white moonlight, she was still a flawed one.
When someone is too outstanding, they are easily envied, which can easily lead to trouble.
Fortunately, Song Fenglan is safe and sound, and nothing serious happened.
Fan Yani sometimes thought that Qin Yizhou and Song Fenglan were a perfect match. In that special era, Qin Yizhou's status at least allowed him to protect Song Fenglan to some extent. If it were any other time, Qin Yizhou really wouldn't be a good match for Song Fenglan.
There are many people like Qin Yizhou, but very few like Song Fenglan.
“It’s really great,” said the plump woman. “We’re not in the capital, so it’s all thanks to Fenglan’s family who have been helping us.”
“You should thank them,” Fan Yani said. “Xiao Hu has had a lot of help from others in the capital. It’s only because Sister Fenglan and the others have been so supportive that they’ve helped you so much. If it were anyone else, they would have gotten impatient long ago. Does Zihang lack friends? He doesn’t!”
Fan Yani thought that Qin Zihang must have many friends, but Zhang Xiaohu had been Qin Zihang's friend since he was very young, so Qin Zihang valued Zhang Xiaohu more.
“We don’t lack it,” said the plump woman.
“Don’t worry, there’s plenty of time,” Fan Yani said. “You’ll be happy when Xiaohu finds a girlfriend and gets married. No, you should be happy now. He has a job in the capital, isn’t that great? Once he gets a permanent position, he’ll be settled.”
“It’s a private company,” said the plump woman. “It’s privately owned, and we don’t know how long it will last.”
"We'll do it for as long as we can," Fan Yani said. "The longer we do it, the more we'll benefit."
“That’s true.” The fat woman nodded. “The wages there are quite high, higher than here. I never dared to imagine how much they earn in a month. He earns more than his father. He just graduated, while his father has been working for many years.”
“There’s no way to say that,” Fan Yani said. “Many people are like this. Those who start working earlier don’t necessarily earn more than those who start later. Even if the people who started earlier are more capable, sometimes that’s just how it is. Their salaries don’t go up, so they’re more willing to pay higher salaries to those who start later. The people who started earlier basically have to switch jobs to get higher salaries, but switching jobs isn’t something just anyone can do. A few years ago, didn’t some people jump from state-owned factories to private companies? They thought they were highly skilled, but it turned out they were only half-baked, and the companies didn’t need them anymore.”
If you're capable, switching jobs can increase your salary and help you stay longer. The problem is with those old hands who always took advantage of others' work in their previous companies. They think they can still rely on their seniority in private companies, but nobody cares.
There was such a person in their residential compound. He was laid off from a private factory. His family protested, but it was useless; he wasn't afraid at all. He acted legally and compliantly, and hadn't done anything illegal. If he were capable, he wouldn't have been laid off. Even if he hadn't been laid off, he could have found another job with lower wages, which his family didn't want. In the end, he still left the private factory.
Those people always think that this time is similar to a special period, and that they can gain benefits by making a fuss, and that others will be afraid.
No, private companies aren't necessarily afraid of these things. They have connections and know that if they compromise once, it will happen countless times. They are unlikely to compromise.
“Xiao Hu is young, so his salary is high now. When he becomes a manager, his salary will be even higher,” Fan Yani said.
"I don't know about that," said the plump woman. "I told him that if things aren't going well in the capital, he can stay for a few years and then come back. He can then take the exam for a job in the judicial system, which would be quite good."
“That’s definitely possible,” Fan Yani said. “He has an advantage in taking these exams in Nancheng.”
Besides, the internet wasn't as developed back then. Even now, with computers, it's not widely available, so many things can still be done behind the scenes. Zhang Chenghai knows quite a few people in Nancheng; he should be able to think of a way.
Zhang Chenghai's family has prospered generation after generation, starting with Zhang Chenghai. Moving from the countryside to the city is not easy, and settling down in the city is even more difficult.
It was relatively easier for Zhang Chenghai's generation to stay in the city. Later, although the household registration system seemed to be more open, allowing more people from other places to stay in the city, it became very difficult for them to truly settle down. This was especially true for people from rural areas, who had to work much harder to have any chance of owning a house in the city.
"Xiao Hu thinks it's better for him to be in the capital since his brother is in the south," said the plump woman.
His thoughts
"That's right," Fan Yani said. "He got into a university in the capital, and after graduation, he can stay in the capital—that would be the best outcome. Sister-in-law, don't take offense at my harsh words, but the capital isn't a place just anyone can stay in. As for Xiaohu, he has opportunities. If he really falls on hard times and has no other options, Qin Zihang will always lend him a hand. The South City area is also a backup plan for him. If he doesn't work hard now, when will he?"
“That’s right.” The plump woman nodded. “We can only let him try his best. There’s nothing else we can do. Sometimes, I feel like Xiao Hu is practically Feng Lan’s son. Feng Lan has helped Xiao Hu so much. I told Xiao Hu that he should respect Feng Lan more in the future and not be an ingrate.”
"Mm." Fan Yani nodded.
"By the way, how are your daughter Furong's grades?" the plump woman asked.
“Her grades aren’t very good,” Fan Yani said. “I told her that if she doesn’t get into high school, she can go to a vocational school. It’s unrealistic for us to spend a lot of money to send her to high school. If she goes to high school, her grades won’t keep up, and then she’ll have to go to a private junior college, which will cost a lot of money. Our family’s money doesn’t grow on trees, so we have to be careful.”
Fan Yani has a son. She needs him to buy a house, and when he grows up, she needs to buy him a car and many other things. Fan Yani has already been very kind to Guo Furong, wanting her to work hard on her own. Perhaps due to poor genes, Guo Furong's grades aren't good.
“It would be great if I could go to teachers’ college and become a kindergarten or primary school teacher,” Fan Yani said. “Just like you parents. It’s just that the requirements for primary school teachers are more stringent now, not as easy to get in as before.”
“It’s definitely harder to get in now,” said the plump woman. “Many people love being teachers, and quite a few people go to teacher’s college. Before, people thought they could go to factories or learn other things. But now, more people are going to teacher’s college because they think it’s a safe bet. When Xiaowen went to teacher’s college, people laughed at our family, but they don’t laugh anymore. They’re sending their own children to teacher’s college.”
“Yes,” Fan Yani said. “We were just thinking that if Furong could become a kindergarten teacher and have a stable job, we wouldn’t have to worry about her too much. In her situation, we’re just trying to help her. If she doesn’t want to follow the path we’ve arranged, she can do something else.”
Fan Yani couldn't possibly hand over the family's milk tea shop to Guo Furong; Guo Furong couldn't succeed without putting in her own effort. Fan Yani had talked to Guo Furong about this, but unfortunately, Guo Furong's grades just wouldn't improve.
Gao Xiuxiu's youngest daughter dropped out of school; she didn't even attend a vocational school.
Gao Xiuxiu meant that her youngest daughter's grades were too poor, and that the daughter herself didn't want to study. Whether it was Erniu's own unwillingness to study, or Gao Xiuxiu's insistence, only Gao Xiuxiu herself knew.
“A few days ago, Gao Xiuxiu suggested that Erniu work at my milk tea shop to sell milk tea, but I said no, she’s too young,” Fan Yani said. “She’s not even an adult yet, it won’t work.”
Fan Yani refused to let Erniu work in her shop, which displeased Gao Xiuxiu, but Fan Yani did not agree.
When Zhang Xiaohu returned to work, he worked diligently and didn't make such a big mistake. Small problems are normal; many people make minor errors. Zhang Xiaohu tried his best to avoid small mistakes and do things properly.
Perhaps because Zhang Xiaohu had a job and was busy with work, he and Qin Zihang didn't contact each other as frequently as before.
Zhang Xiaohu didn't always look for Qin Zihang, and Qin Zihang was busy with experiments and didn't have time to look for Zhang Xiaohu either.
When the year-end came, Zhang Xiaohu was spending the Spring Festival in the capital. Qin Zihang thought of him and asked Zhang Xiaohu if he wanted to come to his home for the New Year, but Zhang Xiaohu refused.
In the adult world, we still need to maintain some distance; things can't be the same as before.
After Zhang Xiaohu started working, he came to understand this point more and more. When Zhang Xiaohu was a tutor at school, he didn't feel it very clearly, but after starting work, he realized that some people will eventually drift away, not because they are bad, but because they are too good.
Zhang Xiaohu shouldn't always think that Qin Zihang is so kind and that he should ask Qin Zihang for help whenever he encounters problems. Zhang Xiaohu is older than Qin Zihang and has experienced some things, which has helped him mature.
Qin Zihang told Song Fenglan that Zhang Xiaohu did not come to their home for the New Year, even though he had invited him, but Zhang Xiaohu declined.
“He said he has to work overtime during the Chinese New Year,” Qin Zihang said. “So he won’t be coming over. Does he really have to work overtime? It feels like we’ve seen each other much less often since he started working.”
"Isn't this normal? Is being a corporate slave really that easy?" Song Fenglan said. "Even if you're not corporate slaves, just because you're close doesn't mean they have to come over for the New Year."
"Mom, do you think... it might be because of his ex-girlfriend?" Qin Zihang asked.
“He has to work, and you have to do experiments. Even without his ex-girlfriend, you two couldn’t possibly be together all the time,” Song Fenglan said. “Do you think you’re still in elementary school?”
Not only did Zhang Xiaohu contact Qin Zihang less often, but Fatty Sister also stopped calling Song Fenglan as frequently.
In the past, a phone call once a month was the minimum. But now, Fatty Sister hasn't called Song Fenglan for two or three months.
Song Fenglan didn't think about whether her sister-in-law was unhappy. She figured maybe her sister-in-law realized the gap between them was too big. Also, Zhang Xiaohu had already graduated from university and was working, so her sister-in-law didn't need to ask about him anymore, which was why she hadn't been calling him so often.
"Is Little Tiger's mother also...?"
“Why do you care if they call you often?” Song Fenglan said. “You have so many friends and colleagues around you. If you have a good relationship, there’s no need for them to contact you frequently.”
In the past, it was usually Fatty's wife who called Song Fenglan, and Song Fenglan would occasionally call back. Now, Fatty's wife calls less often, and Song Fenglan doesn't think about calling back either, so naturally, their contact has decreased.
It's not about valuing them or not, but rather that the children are grown up, and parents no longer need to worry about them as much; they need to let the children move forward on their own.
“Mom.” Qin Zihang stared at his mother.
"What's wrong?" Song Fenglan glanced at Qin Zihang when she noticed him staring at her.
"It's nothing, I was just thinking about you... Are you unhappy?" Qin Zihang asked.
“Nothing like that,” Song Fenglan said. “I think you’re just feeling uneasy.”
"A little bit," Qin Zihang said. "I really didn't know Xiaohu's ex-girlfriend would do that."
“Everyone feels awkward,” Song Fenglan said. “Xiaohu has grown up, and he doesn’t want others to think he’s relying on you. It’s not a big deal that he doesn’t keep in touch with you much. Once you start working, things are different. Look at me, I rarely keep in touch with my old friends.”
Two days before Lunar New Year's Eve, Xing Baozhu, Song Fenglan's former junior high school classmate, came to visit.
Xing Baozhu's family spent the Spring Festival in the capital. Their son's household registration had been moved to the capital years ago. He lived with his uncle while attending high school and taking the college entrance examination. He didn't pass the exam and went straight to work. At least he could earn some money. Plus, when their house was demolished, his household registration was still there, so his uncle gave him a small resettlement apartment. It was a one-bedroom apartment. Xing Baozhu and her husband set up a bed in the living room and settled in.
"I should pay you back the money I borrowed from you earlier." Xing Baozhu was a little embarrassed; she had waited until now to repay Song Fenglan.
The main problem was that Xing Baozhu genuinely didn't have any money. To keep their child in the capital for high school, the couple had borrowed a considerable amount. They paid off other debts before settling on Song Fenglan's. Xing Baozhu owed money to others, who, while not having much money themselves, sometimes urged the couple to repay.
Xing Baozhu looked haggard and old, appearing to be ten or twenty years older than Song Fenglan. Xing Baozhu was working hard in the fields in the countryside.
"And interest..."
"No need for interest." Song Fenglan took the principal without asking for interest. "How are you all doing now?"
“We plan to stay here. We’ll go out and find some work so we can at least have something to eat,” Xing Baozhu said. “My brother’s house was demolished, and my son’s household registration is there. My brother and his family allocated him a one-bedroom apartment. We can live there without paying rent, which is more convenient.”
"Okay, sure." Song Fenglan nodded.
“My child didn’t do well in school and failed the college entrance exam, so he had to go out to work,” Xing Baozhu said. “We asked him to repeat a year, but he refused.”
“The pressure of repeating a grade is immense, and there’s no guarantee of passing,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s normal for the child to be unwilling.”
“He said he could make money even without going to university,” Xing Baozhu sighed. “Going to university is always different. He doesn’t want to, and nothing we say will change that. Besides, his grades are so bad.”
"I really can't pass the exam."
"..." What could Song Fenglan say? Schools in the capital were already relatively easy to get into. You know, there were many schools here, and they were very friendly to people with local household registration.
“Let him work, he can earn a living,” Xing Baozhu said. “At least we have a place to stay, we don’t have to live at my brother’s house anymore.”
Xing Baozhu couldn't always sleep on the floor at her brother's house; her sister-in-law would be unhappy. This time, when the demolition compensation housing was being distributed, her sister-in-law was reluctant, so Xing Baozhu fought for it, and that's how she got it. Because of this, Xing Baozhu and her sister-in-law had a rather unpleasant falling out.
Xing Baozhu said that if the distribution was based on the size of the house, she wouldn't argue, but since it was also based on household registration, she would fight for her son's rights. Xing Baozhu's sister-in-law felt that they were already being generous by letting Xing Baozhu's son stay, and that Xing Baozhu was being unreasonable by arguing about the distribution of other things. She felt that it was beneath her to be a nephew to fight for those things.
Therefore, after the housing allocation, Xing Baozhu's relationship with her sister-in-law plummeted, and her sister-in-law frequently brought up this issue. Xing Baozhu could only pretend not to hear what her sister-in-law said. If Xing Baozhu had a house in the capital, or if she had the money to buy one, she wouldn't have fought for it. The key was that she didn't have the money to buy a house, so she had no choice but to fight for it.
"Okay, sure," Song Fenglan said. "Would you like to stay for lunch?"
"No, no." Xing Baozhu was too embarrassed to have lunch at Song Fenglan's house. She had borrowed money from Song Fenglan for so long before finally paying it back, and she wondered if Song Fenglan would think she wasn't going to pay it back. But she really had no choice. The couple earned little money, and their son's expenses were high, so she could only borrow money while working to pay it back.
Xing Baozhu got up, and Song Fenglan escorted her to the living room entrance, not to the front door. Song Fenglan placed the things Xing Baozhu had brought there, and told Xing Baozhu to take her other things back, so it wouldn't be considered that Song Fenglan had taken Xing Baozhu's things for nothing.
Reaching the front door, Xing Baozhu glanced back at Song Fenglan's large house. Her family had worked so hard to get a one-bedroom apartment, which they only managed to obtain after a major argument with her sister-in-law. Meanwhile, Song Fenglan didn't need to make a fuss; she could easily move into such a large house.
"Let's go back," Xing Baozhu thought, realizing they still needed to pack their things. They ate at a small table, which wasn't very big, and the food was limited. The living room already had a bed, so there wasn't much room for anything else. The kitchen was also tiny.
When Xing Baozhu returned home, she saw the simple house. The living room was messy, with clothes lying around without being folded. There was also an unpleasant smell in the living room, but there was nothing she could do about it; the living room was also used as a dining room, which had many drawbacks.
Xing Baozhu could only bend down and tidy up her things. Although there were no guests coming, if she didn't tidy up, people would think their house was messy if guests came. She still had to clean up the house a bit. The living room was too small to fit a wardrobe.
"Have you paid back the money?" Xing Baozhu's husband asked. He knew last night that his wife was going to pay back the money this morning, and he was a little worried. After all, they had borrowed the money for many years, and now that they were paying it back, the money was not as valuable as it used to be, so they could only pay more interest.
“I paid it back, and she didn’t want interest,” Xing Baozhu said. “She even gave me some gifts; she was too kind.”
Xing Baozhu understood that Song Fenglan was deliberately waiving interest, and that giving her things was also to avoid taking her things for free. Song Fenglan and Xing Baozhu were very clear about their differences, so Xing Baozhu didn't say much more. Xing Baozhu didn't know if Song Fenglan had heard about her fight for the house. Some of her former junior high school classmates knew about Xing Baozhu's fight for the house, and some even joked that Xing Baozhu was just lying down and getting a free ride.
People felt that Xing Baozhu, as a married woman, had no right to share those things, and neither did her son. They said Xing Baozhu was shameless.
Xing Baozhu wasn't afraid of what people said about her; what she feared was having nowhere to stay and not being able to return to the capital. Being able to return to the capital was more important than anything else.
"It's good that she paid back the money," Xing Baozhu said. "We might not see her again in the future; she's always so busy..."
Xing Baozhu felt a pang of sadness. She wished she could be like Song Fenglan. Her son was such a disappointment; he failed the college entrance exam and had to work. If her son could go to university and be as capable as Qin Zihang, their family would definitely be better off.
Meanwhile, Cao Fang's relatives approached her and asked, "You only have one daughter, do you want a son?"
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