Chapter 179 New Year Greetings
The Spring Festival of 1982 was prosperous and happy.
Yu Haonan shipped two imported color televisions from Shenzhen and placed one northward at the union activity center of the Yuanhou Village Cigarette Factory. He assigned a special person to manage it and it was open from 7 to 10 p.m. every day. As soon as the time came, people from the whole village rushed to the activity center to grab seats to watch the color TV. It was very lively.
Another color TV was placed in the main room. It was the first time that Liang Yinzhen and Xiang Yongfu saw color images moving on the screen. They were very excited. After finishing their housework in the evening, they turned on the TV and watched it with their children. The light from the screen shone on everyone's faces, flickering, revealing excitement and happiness.
Liang Yinzhen smiled so much that her eyes narrowed into slits. She held Tao Nanfeng's hand and kept saying, "Our family lives a really good life now, it's so lively. Your father and I used to farm on Nanbei Slope, Xiangbei was a soldier, and our home was so lonely. I dreamed that if Xiangbei could get married and have children, our home would be a little lively. I didn't expect that you gave birth to three in one breath. So many good grandchildren, all of them are good-looking, smart and obedient. I want to thank you, thank you..."
Tao Nanfeng felt embarrassed by her mother-in-law's thanks: "Mom, I have to thank you too. Before I went to the farm, the New Year at home was a mess. Although there were many people, I always felt like an outsider. Later, my father got divorced, and there were only two people left at home. My father and I couldn't cook, so we just made do with what we had. Now I have so many relatives around me, and I have everything I need. How happy I am."
When Tao Shouxin heard the girl say "My father and I can't cook", he thought of the first Spring Festival he spent with the girl after his divorce. He got some food from the canteen, heated it up in a pot, and just stir-fried some vegetables and was praised by the girl. He felt a little embarrassed and shook his head, "Nanfeng married the right person, and good things will come after bad times."
Xiangbei was very happy to be affirmed by his father-in-law. He poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to Tao Shouxin: "Dad, I have to thank you for raising Nanfeng so well. Nanfeng is the most important person in our family."
Although Tao Nanfeng can't cook or grow vegetables and rarely does housework, she is gentle, generous, determined and the soul of the family. The children were attached to her, Xiangbei admired her, Liang Yinzhen cared for her, and Tao Shouxin loved her to the core.
Xiangbei clearly remembers what he said when he confessed his love to Nanfeng: Tao Nanfeng, I like you very much. I admire and love you from the bottom of my heart. I know you are capable and you have ideals. I will not be a burden to you. I am willing to protect you and take care of all the trivial matters for you, including... taking care of the children in the future, washing diapers, and everything.
What made Xiangbei happy was that he did not miss his own happiness. Tao Nanfeng married him and gave birth to three children. The two families became one family, living in harmony and warmth.
On the third day of the New Year, colleagues and friends came to my house in an endless stream to wish me a happy new year.
Liang Yinzhen really enjoyed this kind of busyness. There was a fruit plate on the Eight Immortals Table in the main hall, with all kinds of fruits such as melon seeds, peanuts, winter melon candy, plum candy... Whenever someone came, Liang Yinzhen would entertain them warmly, serving tea and water, and was very happy.
On the sixth day of the New Year, Fan Zhicheng came to the door with gifts.
He had just sat down when someone outside the door shouted, "To the north, to the north..."
When Xiangbei heard the voice, he pulled Tao Nanfeng and ran out. The couple looked at the four people standing at the gate of the courtyard excitedly and shouted happily: "Zhou Linhu, Xiaomao, Hu Huanxin, and Teacher Li Minli!"
I was extremely happy to see my old friend again.
Fan Zhicheng did not leave. He sat aside, eating melon seeds and quietly watching Xiang Bei, Tao Nanfeng and the people from Xiufengshan Farm chatting and laughing. He was very curious as to why, as a fellow educated youth, Tao Nanfeng was unwilling to think about the past and was so secretive about everything at Quanshan Farm, while Tao Nanfeng was able to get along well with everyone at Xiufengshan Farm and maintained close contact with them even after leaving.
Zhou Linhu is the current farm manager. This time Mao Peng drove the car and brought a large box of tea oil, mushrooms, fungus, rice, eggs and a bunch of other local specialties. When Liang Yinzhen saw these familiar specialties and thought of the past, her eyes became red and she thanked him repeatedly.
Zhou Linhu took out a topographic map and placed it in front of Tao Nanfeng, smiling and saying, "We came here today because we really have something to trouble you with. Now that you have opened a company, we will give you your first design project this year, with a design fee of 10,000 yuan. Let's get off to a good start!"
Tao Nanfeng did not hesitate to take the map with a smile and said, "Thank you, Director Zhou, for taking care of our business."
Mao Peng laughed out loud: "Tao Nanfeng, you used to be the head of the infrastructure department of our farm. We have to find you when we build a house on the farm."
Hu Huanxin returned to the farm after graduating from college and is now the head of the infrastructure department. He added: "Tao Nanfeng, our farm is getting richer and richer, and the employees' requirements are getting higher and higher. After building several employee dormitories, the current union chairman said that the farm is good in other aspects except for the lack of entertainment activities, so this time, during the New Year's meeting, the proposal to build the Xiufengshan Farm Activity Center was approved."
Li Minli reminded: "Library, don't forget to build a library."
Hu Huanxin has become much more mature now. He nodded and said, "Tao Nanfeng, we have many functional requirements for this activity center. We need a library, a stadium, a movie theater, and we also hope to have a union activity room."
Tao Nanfeng smiled and said, "I see. It means that all the employees and their families on our farm can find something to do in this activity center."
Hearing her say this, Zhou Linhu breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, yes, it turns out that Tao Nanfeng can understand us. Everyone on the farm was poor before, so how could we have time to think about entertainment and study? Now it's different. A group of educated youths have passed the exam to study in universities outside, and Xiangbei has led everyone to build a tea oil factory and a tobacco factory. Our horizons have been broadened and we know that knowledge is useful.
The children in the farm primary school and farm middle school study very hard and are working hard to get into college. The newly established technical school also invited a group of intellectuals to teach agronomy, electrical engineering, mechanics... The school's library was not enough, and everyone said that a library should be built. ”
Mao Peng rubbed his hands and looked at Li Minli happily: "Also, many young people on the farm are dating and getting married, and there is no place to watch movies or eat. The children have a holiday and they have no place to play ball, skate or have fun with their friends."
Tao Nanfeng watched Mao Peng and Li Minli flirting with each other, and asked with a smile: "Teacher Li, are you... together?"
Li Minli was a little shy, her face turned red, and she glanced at Mao Peng.
Mao Peng had been pursuing Principal Li for so many years, and finally got her. He wanted the whole world to know about it, so he immediately took over the conversation: "We got the marriage certificate before the New Year, and we're already married."
oh? Li Minli actually remarried! Tao Nanfeng looked at the newlyweds with surprise. Back then, Li Minli was bullied by her mother-in-law and husband. This educated youth was suppressed by this mother and son until she had no energy or spirit at all. Now her eyes are full of tenderness and tenderness, and her every move seems relaxed and at ease. You can tell at a glance that her life is very sweet.
Mao Peng and Tao Nanfeng used to be colleagues in a road construction team. After being demobilized from the army, he came to the farm. His parents had passed away, and one person's food provided for the whole family. Mao Peng is thin and plain-looking, and his family is poor, which makes him feel inferior when facing the educated and good-looking Li Minli.
Ever since the year when Ailian was seriously ill and sent Li Minli and her daughter down the mountain, and his arm was pinched purple by Li Minli, Mao Peng's heart could no longer accommodate any other woman. Li Minli's helplessness and her nervousness about her daughter made him feel distressed. After pursuing her for several years, Li Minli gradually accepted Mao Peng because of his persistence and enthusiasm.
Facing Tao Nanfeng's caring eyes, Li Minli smiled with satisfaction: "Tao Nanfeng, thank you." If it weren't for Tao Nanfeng and Xiao Aiyun's help, she would probably still be struggling in that painful marriage, how could she find her own love. Mao Peng respects and loves her, treats Ailian as his own daughter, and gives Li Minli, who has been hurt before, a full sense of security.
Xiangbei stood up with a smile and gave Mao Peng a red envelope: "Congratulations, congratulations, a wedding gift."
Mao Peng grinned, accepted it without hesitation, and punched Xiang Bei: "Thank you!" If Xiang Bei had not spoken out in person, he would not have the courage to pursue Li Minli. After all, she was an educated youth and was pretty, much better than a mere driver like him.
Tao Nanfeng held up the topographic map and asked Zhou Linhu: "Director, where is the site for the activity center?"
Zhou Linhu pointed to an open space near the staff dormitory and said, "Here, we plan to build the activity center. What do you think?"
When talking about the profession, Tao Nanfeng's expression became serious, and he said, "Very good, I will draw a floor plan for you now, and first determine the general functional layout, so that we can start drawing the design drawings when we go to work in the company tomorrow."
Several people gathered together to look at the blueprint and discussed it for a long time. Finally, Tao Nanfeng handed the pencil-drawn drawing to Fan Zhicheng: "Keep it, and draw the floor plan according to this."
Only then did everyone notice Fan Zhicheng sitting quietly in the corner.
It didn't matter that Mao Peng took a look. He was stunned for a moment: This boy is so handsome!
Tao Nanfeng introduced: "This is my graduate school classmate Fan Zhicheng, the company's architectural designer."
Fan Zhicheng took the blueprint, asked a few questions, then put it away and smiled at everyone: "Hello! I was also an educated youth assigned to the farm before. I feel very close to you when you talk about the old days of the farm."
Tao Nanfeng curled his lips secretly after hearing this: This guy is so fake, he clearly never mentioned his old days at Quanshan Farm, but now he says he feels familiar with it.
Fan Zhicheng's words successfully brought him closer to Zhou Linhu and others. After discussing business, they slowly started chatting about family matters.
Li Minli told Tao Nanfeng: "Do you still remember Hu Yiqin? She and Du Chenzhe were punished for cheating when they applied for primary school teachers, and later they got married."
Of course Tao Nanfeng remembered Hu Yiqun.
At that time, Du Chenzhe was still in a relationship with Ye Qin, but it turned out that this guy was two-timing and had an unclear relationship with Hu Yiqin. If Du Chenzhe had not helped Hu Yiqin during the exam, this matter would not have been exposed. If she had not publicly revealed that she had had a relationship with Du Chenzhe, given Du Chenzhe's ambition, he would never have married Hu Yiqun, who had no family background and could not help his career in any way.
Tao Nanfeng asked: "What happened to her?"
Li Minli sighed: "She and Du Chenzhe are divorced."
divorce? Hu Yiqin went through so much trouble to finally marry Du Chenzhe, so how could she be willing to divorce him? Especially since Du Chenzhe was admitted to university in 1978 and is about to graduate in July this year, he will have a better future. If Hu Yiqin divorces him now, wouldn't all her previous persistence be in vain?
As the first female educated youth on the farm who bravely filed for divorce, Li Minli felt very sympathetic towards Hu Yiqun. After all, we are all women, and we know too well that marriage means everything to many women.
However, Li Minli also knows that a forced melon is not sweet. Hu Yiqin gambled her own reputation and used public pressure to force Du Chenzhe to get married. In this marriage, she has always been at a disadvantage and was the one who tried hard to please and cater to him.
Fan Zhicheng asked: "What's going on?"
Li Minli had a good impression of this handsome man, and seeing that he was interested, she told him the whole story in detail.
It turns out that Du Chenzhe has been depressed since he married Hu Yiqin. He feels that his talent is not appreciated and he ignores Hu Yiqin. However, Hu Yiqun likes Du Chenzhe and takes care of his daily life without complaint.
After failing the college entrance examination in 1977, Du Chenzhe continued to work hard and was admitted to a famous university in southwest China to study Chinese language and literature in 1978. He never looked back since then. Hu Yiqin went to his school several times, but each time they ended in a bad mood. Hu Yiqun was burdened with empty reputation and lived alone on the farm.
A few years ago, Du Chenzhe finally returned to the farm. Hu Yiqin was originally happy thinking that he had changed his mind, but she didn't expect that what she got was Du Chenzhe kneeling down for a long time. She gave Hu Yiqin a personal collection of poems she had published and gave all the publishing fees of 210 yuan, begging her to have mercy on him, divorce him and set him free.
At this point in the story, Li Minli sighed, "In love between men and women, it's not true that whoever gives more will definitely get something in return. Hu Yiqin has always been the one who took the initiative between her and Du Chenzhe, and the marriage was also semi-forced. Du Chenzhe has always been lukewarm towards her. I heard that they had only had a few sexual lives together and had no children. This time, when Hu Yiqin saw him kneeling and saw all the poems he wrote in the collection, she thought of his unruly heart that wanted to fly, and her heart softened again."
Hu Yiqin originally did not want to divorce, but when she read the first poem "Freedom" in Du Chenzhe's personal poetry collection, she burst into tears when she read the first paragraph and finally let go.
"The Cage
Can't restrain my wings
I long to fly"
It is really sad that this marriage that Hu Yiqin forced upon herself finally came to an end after a long period of cold violence.
Hu Huanxin and Hu Yiqin have the same last name, so he paid more attention to this matter: "I think it's right for her to get a divorce. A short pain is worse than a long one. Rather than staying with a man who doesn't love her and won't come home, it's better to get rid of him as soon as possible. There are more men than women on our farm, and Hu Yiqin is an educated youth. Is she afraid that she won't be able to find a man who loves and cares for her?"
Zhou Linhu said: "I agree with Hu Huanxin. Although Du Chenzhe's actions were not decent, he was only immoral and not illegal. Rather than fighting him to the death, it is better to cut off one's arm. Hu Yiqin is less than 35 years old and has so many years to live. Why should she stay with a shameless villain like Du Chenzhe?"
After listening to everyone's words, Tao Nanfeng sighed: "But what about Hu Yiqin's youth over the years? Has it all gone to zero just like that?"
Fan Zhicheng glanced at Tao Nanfeng and fell silent.
At this moment, he felt his face burning.
In the past, he never felt that he was sorry for Li Shunmei. It was Li Shunmei who insisted on being with him, it was Li Shunmei who forced him to marry her, and it was Li Shunmei who took the initiative to run to Jiangcheng to find him, and she couldn't be driven away.
Fan Zhicheng knew from a young age that he was different from other boys and he didn't like girls.
But he couldn't tell anyone else about this uniqueness, he could only keep it to himself. He had no plans to get married, but life on the farm was too hard. Li Shunmei took the initiative to care for him, washed his clothes, sewed pants for him, and gave him steamed buns, corn, and sweet potatoes, helping him through the most difficult days.
He originally thought that fulfilling Li Shunmei's wishes was the greatest kindness he could do. But today, after listening to Tao Nanfeng and Li Minli talking about the story of Hu Yiqun and the farm poet Du Chenzhe, Fan Zhicheng knew that he was wrong.
If he really cared about Li Shunmei, he should have refused outright and not let her have any unnecessary thoughts.
In this way...even if Li Shunmei would feel painful at first, at least her youth would not be wasted. She may be sad for a while, but after a while she will naturally fall in love with another man, get married, have children, and live a worry-free life.
Xiangbei knew why Tao Nanfeng sighed, so he said to Zhou Linhu, "Didn't the farm criticize and educate Du Chenzhe?"
Zhou Linhu: "The farm was going to send an official letter to Du Chenzhe's school, but Hu Yiqin disagreed. She said Du Chenzhe was talented and had ideals, and she didn't want to hinder his future. In the end, she was moved by Du Chenzhe's poems and decided to open the cage and let him fly freely."
There will always be injustice in this world. Some people choose to hold grudges and seek revenge, but others choose to be kind and forgive. Hu Yiqin's choice may help her forget the past.
Li Minli smiled and said to Tao Nanfeng, "Don't worry. Hu Yiqin is helping herself by letting Du Chenzhe go this time. Is she going to be like the original wife of a certain literati in the Republic of China, living a widowed life and watching her husband have children with someone else? Is she going to sacrifice her future life because of the past?"
Fan Zhicheng suddenly stood up and looked at Tao Nanfeng steadily: "I know what I should do!" After saying this, he said goodbye to his elders and left in a hurry.
Tao Nanfeng was confused and looked at Xiangbei: "What's wrong with him?"
Xiangbei reminded: "Li Shunmei..."
Tao Nanfeng then came to his senses. It turned out that after listening to the farm gossip stories, Fan Zhicheng felt condemned by his conscience and decided to take his relationship with Li Shunmei seriously.
The next day, Nanfeng Design Company opened after the holiday.
Fan Zhicheng came to the company early in the morning, sat in Tao Nanfeng's office, and reported carefully.
After Li Shunmei came to Jiangcheng, she had been taking care of the children at Fan Zhicheng's sister's house, and she was always reluctant to go back to Quanshan Town. This time, after returning home, Fan Zhicheng took Li Shunmei out for shopping and dinner, and Li Shunmei was so moved that she burst into tears.
Fan Zhicheng sincerely apologized to her, told her that he liked men and had wasted her youth for so many years, and hoped to make up for the mistakes he had made.
Perhaps it was because she was too tired from waiting for so many years, or perhaps it was because Fan Zhicheng's apology came from the heart, Li Shunmei finally gave in and decided not to bother him anymore. The two of them did not get a marriage certificate, so there was no need to go through divorce procedures. They could just formally break up after discussing it.
However, Li Shunmei was unwilling to return to her hometown and wanted to stay in Jiangcheng. Fan Zhicheng asked her what her plans were, and she said she didn't have any big dreams, she just wanted to open a small store and make some money.
Fan Zhicheng agreed to help her run the store and promised to treat her as a family member and that they could visit each other as a relative in the future. From then on, the huge stone that was pressing on Fan Zhicheng's heart finally fell.
Tao Nanfeng's eyes flashed with the scene where Li Shunmei made trouble in the family quarters of Jiangbei Art Publishing House. She was crying and making a fuss. She seemed fierce, but was actually very tender. She said: I didn't want to ruin his future, I just wanted to be with him. He reads and I cook; he paints and I do the laundry. I would be willing to be a couple in name only for the rest of my life.
This stubborn woman is both pitiful and a headache.
Fan Zhicheng lowered his eyes and looked at the instep of his feet. His voice was very low, almost a whisper.
"Tao Nanfeng, yesterday I saw you talking to the people on the farm. I felt that you were honest and trusting of each other, and I suddenly envied you. I am a selfish and introverted person. I don't know how to think about others, I don't treat people sincerely, and I have done many wrong things. When you scolded Du Chenzhe, I felt like you were scolding me..."
Tao Nanfeng finally let go of his prejudice against Fan Zhicheng: "Okay, the New Year is over, let's get to work."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
