Cao Amei is indeed foolish, but what does that have to do with them?
They clearly had the opportunity to leave, but ran back because of the apparent famine and unbearable suffering. Who can they blame for that?
However, this is also related to her family background.
She wanted to go back to her parents' home, but she couldn't rely on them. She couldn't find her daughter either, and Tang Youtian had remarried. Who could she rely on?
Since she doesn't rely on herself and wants to depend on others, she deserves to go back and suffer.
However, in this way, the nine sisters' path to rebirth is no longer hindered by these extreme individuals.
With the old man and woman of the Tang family gone, the troublemakers of the eldest branch are either dead, crippled, or insane. The other two branches live their own lives behind closed doors. At most, their reputations are affected, but in other aspects, they are clearly living better than when the old woman was alive.
Regardless of one's family background, this can be considered a case of evil being punished.
“Your mother and I will be back after get off work on New Year’s Eve. Your mother and your third sister will have at least three months of rest after the New Year.”
Although there is no salary for these months, I can go to the production team to work and earn work points, every little bit counts.
Not long after Tao Changyi left, his older sister and the others came over with a basin of dough that had been risen, after they had finished breakfast, and they also brought some news.
"This morning, someone went for a walk on the riverbank and found a dead baby girl. She was badly injured by crows. The village chief and secretary are heading to the riverbank now. I don't know who is so heartless. You've already come to the riverbank, at least make some arrangements for the child."
Xiao Jiu pursed her lips: "Sister, they probably wanted the child to be taken away, but they didn't expect him to freeze to death."
"How many has this been discovered this year? Why are all the girls being abandoned? Is raising daughters really a money-losing proposition?"
Tang Cuihua threw down the rag in her hand, feeling somewhat aggrieved. "If I have a daughter in the future, I'm going to spoil her rotten."
"How many have been thrown away this year?" Tang Cuihua nodded. "I think this is the sixth one. They've all been thrown onto the riverbank. I don't know if they want her to live or die. In the villages downstream, they've even found floating corpses in the river. They were all children, mostly just born. It's so pitiful. If they were the opposite sex, they might have survived."
After hearing this, Xiao Jiu felt a little sad. Compared to them, these people seemed to be lucky.
No, you should say she was lucky.
Because the fourth, seventh, and eighth sisters did not receive good fortune, and even the sixth sister suffered internal injuries. She used to be a cook, but now she can't lift the pots and can only do some jobs that don't require lifting pots.
These are all girls who have been deeply hurt by the idea of valuing sons over daughters!
A sigh cannot express the unspeakable bitterness and hardship they endured.
On the 27th and 28th, the sisters steamed buns, dumplings, bean paste fillings, and flower rolls at home. They worked for two whole days with two pots to make enough for both families. Only two batches of white flour were steamed; the rest were made from coarse grain flour. They would harden and become difficult to chew after cooling, but in this kind of weather, they could be stored for a month without spoiling.
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Tang Cuixiang returned from K City. As soon as she got back, she took over Xiaojiu's job and worked with her sisters to prepare dumpling filling.
The 29th and 30th of the lunar calendar are the time for making dumplings and putting up Spring Festival couplets. This year, they prepared two kinds of fillings: mackerel and chives, and pork lard and radish filling.
Because the steamed buns use a variety of fillings with different flavors, such as cabbage, tofu, and vermicelli, pure tofu, and pure pumpkin, the dumpling fillings are relatively simple.
On the evening of the 29th, two guests came to the Tao family; they were the parents of the female doctor who had been rescued.
“My daughter’s condition has stabilized. If it weren’t for you two wonderful grandchildren, we, the white-haired people, would have been the ones to bury our black-haired daughter.”
My wife and I are both doctors at the township health center. After discussing it with our daughter and son-in-law, we decided to give you a permanent nursing position at the health center as a way of thanking you for saving our lives. We believe that a family capable of teaching first aid skills is certainly capable of securing this job.
The Chen family elders were really direct; they dropped such a bombshell on them right away.
Grandpa certainly wouldn't refuse such a benefit offered to him. Everyone understood that the reason they were willing to do this was because they didn't want to owe anyone a favor.
After all, it involves a human life, and who knows if they might use this as leverage in the future?
Therefore, the safest approach is to grant them a permanent position and process the application as soon as possible, while they still have influence in the hospital.
If they retire later and their voices no longer carry weight, then even if we wanted to get one for them, we wouldn't be able to.
"Thank you so much! But I wonder if there are any conditions or restrictions?"
"In principle, a certain level of skill is required, and an exam is also necessary. But I guess you don't meet the requirements. So if the other party doesn't mind, you can come to our health center for a year or two of free training. Once you're familiar with the job, you can take an on-the-job exam. As long as you pass the exam, you can be directly promoted to a permanent position. It's best if you're no older than thirty."
Upon hearing this request, Grandpa got excited and quickly nudged Tao An, who was standing next to him.
"What are you standing there for? Call your sister Cuihua over and let the doctor take a look, okay?"
Xiao Jiu immediately thought of Tang Cuihua.
Although this job doesn't sound as glamorous as the one in the city, being a nurse at a rural health center is still better than toiling in the fields, right?
Most importantly, there are no restrictions on urban household registration here, because it is a rural area, so formal employment with rural household registration is allowed.
They won't give you commercial grain rations then; you'll just get basic grain rations from the rural production brigade. They'll only pay you a salary here.
The monthly salary for a regular employee at the township health center is 25 yuan, which will increase with seniority.
Unlike in county towns and cities, there are no standard wages to refer to.
In the township, even the dean and director probably only receive a maximum salary of thirty to fifty yuan, and those are the most senior.
This new guy is probably lucky to get twenty-five.
That temporary worker only gets twelve yuan and fifty cents, which is a full five yuan less than the seventeen yuan and fifty cents in the city.
When Tang Cuihua was called over by Tao An, the couple stood up and looked her over carefully.
The more I look at her, the more satisfied I become. She has both good looks and a great figure, and most importantly, she can read and write, with a junior high school education.
As long as a person isn't stupid, they're bound to be able to learn it.
Moreover, this was recommended by the Tao family themselves, which can be considered as an acceptance of their cooperation.
So he told Cuihua, "After the New Year, on the seventh day of the first lunar month, go to the health center office and find Accountant Dong. You can register there for training. There will be no salary, just three meals a day. When you pass the entry exam, you will be officially hired. How about that?"
Tang Cuihua never expected such a windfall, and was extremely grateful to the Chen couple.
"You don't need to thank us. It's all thanks to you, my god-sister. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have met."
He and his wife stood up as he spoke, saying, "Happy New Year in advance, see you after the New Year."
The elderly couple, being doctors, spoke crisply and concisely, without any hesitation.
After seeing off the elderly couple from the Chen family, Tang Cuihua happily picked up Xiao Jiu.
"Little Lucky Star, you're really something! You even managed to get me a spot at the health center. You're amazing!"
"Sister, saving lives is instinct. I had no idea they would give me this spot. I can only say that the old couple are very considerate people."
Of course, once we're hired, we don't need to emphasize the rescue; we can just pretend we don't know each other.
Cuihua affectionately pinched the tip of her nose.
"Now that we know they're cunning, their intention is to distance themselves from us, right?"
Xiao Jiu nodded with a grin, "Sister, you should study hard at the health center from now on, and don't worry about things at home. It's a process of practice makes perfect. You can ask me anytime if you don't understand anything. Uh, Fifth Sister, she's studying medicine, so she must know more."
As he spoke, he winked at Tang Cuihua, who was delighted and exclaimed in admiration.
"I knew it was a good thing the engagement was called off! Luckily it was called off, otherwise the Huang family would have been trying to take advantage of me!"
Xiao Jiu smiled and said, "That's right, sister. You don't have to compromise yourself in the future. If you meet the right person, just get married. Don't talk about whether he lives with you or not. I don't think it's necessary. You don't necessarily have to marry someone who lives with you to establish a household. As long as you discuss it with the man and agree that the children will take your surname, isn't that enough?"
Grandpa chimed in at the opportune moment: "Your sister is right. Don't come up here and tell people you're looking for a son-in-law. That'll scare away so many good prospects!"
Tang Cuihua verbally agreed, but in her heart she didn't really think so.
Having heard so many rumors and gossip over the years, I've long since given up on men.
Actually, I just want to find someone to marry. Whether I like them or not doesn't matter. As long as they have good physical attributes and are smart, I'll find a suitable opportunity to have a child with them and then we'll call it a day.
She never expected to get a permanent position; it was something she never imagined.
Having a job means that you'll have to be more selective about your future husband, and the higher the standards, the harder it will be to find someone willing to come to your home.
She understands this principle, and that's what they mean, which is why they advised her in this way.
But Cuihua discovered that the stronger she became, the more she looked down on men who were inferior to her, and her demands also increased.
Gradually...marriage?
No, why get married? Isn't it good enough for me to live alone?
Once you develop this mindset and become immune to all the gossip around you, you'll find that being yourself is much more important than caring about what others think.
Once you stop caring about what others think, you'll become more and more self-centered.
So when Tao Zui and Tao Ran arrived home on the morning of New Year's Eve, they found that the atmosphere at home was exceptionally good.
Only after asking did they learn that Cuihua had gotten such a good job because of this, and everyone congratulated her, saying that this was the best gift of the year.
Zhou Yue didn't return this year as usual; he went to Zhou Xing's unit to reunite with his brother.
Tang Cuiju sent a telegram saying she wouldn't get home until the evening of the third day of the Lunar New Year, and that she would have to leave again on the seventh day after a three-day holiday.
Tang Cuilian was also a worker in the winery workshop. Like Zhao Lingli, she had a three-month vacation and took the bus home in the afternoon.
When Zhao Lingli and her husband returned home in the evening, they saw the two families sitting together with plenty of New Year's goods and kept thanking the Tang sisters.
"Cuihua, on behalf of my family, I thank you and your sisters. If it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't even be able to put together a decent New Year's Eve dinner. Congratulations on your new job! This is truly a double blessing for both our families. Let's raise a glass and wish you a happy New Year in 1961 and a joyous family reunion!"
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