Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Meeting an acquaintance at Changsheng Commune
Wenxi Township, Changshengpo Commune.
A light rain last night seemed to have shrouded the entire Changsheng Slope in a gray curtain. Wang Nian struggled to pull out a foot that was stuck in the yellow mud and couldn't help but sigh.
Changsheng Commune, which is considered the most prosperous place in the area, is actually so dilapidated that not a single three-story building can be found.
There were wooden houses on both sides. The low and cramped houses were so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of you. An old man sat under the eaves at the door, smoking a pipe and selling the vegetables he grew from time to time.
The sky was gray and people were dressed in gray as well. Occasionally, one could see someone pushing a bicycle passing by, but as for cars, Wang Nian had never seen one.
The street was originally paved with blue bricks, but as more people walked on it, a thick layer of yellow mud formed on the ground, making it wet and slippery.
Fortunately, the weather was hot, so most people rolled up their trousers and walked barefoot, and the clattering sound of their footsteps was particularly loud.
Today is the market day at Changshengpo Commune. Many people will take the opportunity to go to the commune to buy daily necessities and bring some of their own things to exchange for other things.
They gathered in groups of three or five, chatting and laughing. Although they were poor, their spirits and appearance were very good.
Especially at the supply and marketing cooperative at the end of the street, people buying things have already crowded to the door, and outsiders can't see the scene inside at all.
"You just stand by the door and watch over the things, don't let the good cloth be bought by others in a moment."
The middle-aged woman who was speaking was wearing a gray Lenin suit, with short hair and two black hairpins behind each ear. She patted Wang Nian's shoulder vigorously.
Having said this, he put the backpack at the door of a nearby family's house, took a deep breath, and then turned around to join the crowd of people who were pushing and shoving each other.
Wang Nian nodded towards the air and moved to the side dragging the backpack strap.
He looked around and saw no one, so he simply sat down on someone's doorstep, propped up his chin with one hand and stared at the street in a daze.
After four years, I now have a clearer understanding of the environment I am in.
This era is similar to the 1970s described in history books of the previous life. The country's economy and society were in a difficult period, and people needed coupons for food, clothing, housing and transportation.
That’s not it… Even if you have a ticket, you may not be able to buy the hot item.
My original name was also Wang Nian. I just turned twenty this year. My parents died one after another when I was six years old. I grew up with my grandfather and aunt.
Although she had no parents, she was lucky enough to be the envy of many girls compared to the children in the first few dozen brigades in Vinci's countryside.
The eldest uncle Wang Heping was a cadre of the commune, and the eldest aunt Wu Ying was an accountant of the commune. Both of them were cadres who ate public rations.
There was only one cousin, Wang Yong, in the family. The whole family spoiled Wang Nian and never let her work in the fields to make a living.
While other girls went to the fields to earn work points early, she was studying at school. After graduating from technical secondary school, she only did housework at home and occasionally helped feed the brigade's pigs to earn a few work points that were not enough to make a living.
Because of this, Wang Nian grew up with fair skin and a delicate body, very different from the capable girls in the village.
Wang Nian in his previous life was completely the opposite. He worked his way up from the countryside to the big city, and had experienced all kinds of hardships in the past ten years. He had more experience than most men.
When Wang Nian thought about not being able to spend the money he had saved with great effort, he couldn't help but sigh again.
"That's good now. Those relatives will definitely benefit from it again."
In his previous life, Wang Nian also had no parents or brothers. After his grandfather passed away, the house in his hometown was immediately occupied by his uncle. He had no choice but to go to the city to work right after graduating from junior high school.
To be honest, although the original body was born in a difficult era, he was much luckier than Wang Nian.
Although the two have the same name, their personalities are completely opposite.
The original body had been secretly in love with an educated youth named Xie Hua in the brigade for a long time, and had been very attentive to him in front of others. Four years ago, he accidentally discovered that the other person already had a partner in private, and in a trance, he fell into a pond and died.
Wang Nian came over and lay drowsy on the hard wooden bed for a whole day. As his mind gradually became clear, the memories of the two people merged together.
From then on, that Wang Nian became this Wang Nian.
It was not until Wang Nianman turned 20 that Wu Ying and Wang Heping began to plan for her marriage.
There were not many unmarried girls in the village who were 20 years old. Wang Nian was well-educated and good-looking, so as soon as the news got out, many people came to find matchmakers to bring her together.
If it were her original self, she would probably try to stop it by crying, making a fuss, or even threatening to commit suicide. It was unclear what her life goal was, but she was 100% sure that she would never marry a farmer.
But now she is Wang Nian. After weighing the matter in her mind, she quickly agreed to the blind date, but... she had to nod and agree herself.
Today, the old lady brought Wang Nian to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy new cloth to make clothes for the blind date that might take place in a few days.
"never mind!"
I thought about it a lot, but it was useless. I had to take one step at a time to realize what the future would be like.
As for now...
Wang Nian looked around and finally stood up again.
Just when she found the broken tiles and yellow mud on the soles of her shoes, Wu Yinggang bought a piece of blue Dacron, which was very rare nowadays.
He handed the cloth coupon in one hand and the cloth in the other, not even bothering to measure whether it was enough. He hurriedly held the cloth tightly in his arms amid the envious gazes of the people around him.
Hearing that the female comrades in the city all wore Dacron shirts, Wu Ying had already imagined how beautiful Wang Nian would look in the new shirt.
Suddenly, someone pulled my arm and my body tilted to the side uncontrollably.
"Accountant Wu."
Wu Ying turned around and thought for two seconds before quickly remembering that this person was Huang Qiuhong, the women's director of the Changshenggou 431 Factory. She had met her several times a few years ago when the factory came to the commune to borrow a tractor.
Speaking of Factory 431, Wu Ying's eyes lit up.
Four years ago, the commune suddenly received an order from the higher authorities that Changshenggou was selected as the construction site for a third-line factory. It would become the new factory area of the Anhuai State-owned Automobile Parts Factory.
Soon after, several thousand people came in large numbers and built a large factory complex in the mountain valleys that could accommodate tens of thousands of people.
Unmarried factory employees are highly sought after by matchmakers, and marrying one into the factory is like getting a golden rice bowl.
"Director Huang, why are you here to buy something?"
There is not only a supply and marketing cooperative in the 431 factory, but also a factory store, which is much larger than the small supply and marketing cooperative in Changshengpo.
On weekdays, everyone goes to the living area of Factory 431, but the factory workers rarely go out.
"The supply and marketing cooperative in the factory is out of stock." Huang Qiuhong smiled helplessly and gestured to Wu Ying to look at the same blue Dacron in her arms: "It's all for the children at home."
After finally squeezing out of the supply and marketing cooperative, Wu Ying was finally able to smile back.
"Are you buying Dacron for your daughter-in-law?" Huang Qiuhong remembered that Wu Ying only had one son, who should have been married according to his age. Such a light color must have been bought for a young girl, so she asked casually.
"My niece." Wu Ying smiled and pointed at Wang Nian who was talking to someone with a smile on her face. "I'm thinking that she might go on a blind date in a few days, so I have to make a couple of sets of clothes for her."
Huang Qiuhong looked over and raised her brows subtly.
A pretty oval face with a rosy complexion and slightly upturned lips, as if she was born with a faint smile.
The girl is quite tall, and she has to lower her head slightly when talking to the person opposite her, but this also allows you to see her long eyelashes fluttering more clearly.
This lesbian doesn't look like a village girl...
"My niece is pretty and she graduated from a technical secondary school, so there are many matchmakers for her..."
Wu Yingyu kept his eyes on Huang Qiuhong's expression. Although he didn't say anything explicitly, he praised Wang Nianhao implicitly.
Huang Qiuhong nodded slightly, and then her expression finally changed when she heard that he was good at both home and outside.
"My daughter Wang Nian is fair-skinned, but not very good at farm work. However, she is good at housework. Our brigade canteen even wants her to be the chef..."
Most of these compliments were true, especially the statement that the commune canteen intended to let Wang Nian cook was 100% true.
Speaking of this, Wu Ying was really puzzled. The big pot of food prepared by Wang Nian always tasted better than that prepared by others, even if just a little salt was added to the food.
"Very capable!" Huang Qiuhong smiled, retracted her gaze and coughed lightly: "If Comrade Wang hasn't married yet, I have a suitable candidate for me to advise."
"What are you talking about, Director Huang? The guy you introduced can't be bad." Wu Ying quickly replied.
But Wu Ying really couldn't say with a clear conscience that she was satisfied with the candidate Huang Qiuhong introduced next. The smile on her face faded as she listened.
Wu Ying couldn't bear to let Wang Nian marry him and become his stepmother, as he was a divorced man with two children.
"My Wang Nian Ke is still unmarried. Director Huang, you...ah!"
"Don't worry, auntie! Listen to me carefully. Although Comrade Shi Xiangming is divorced, he is not responsible for this matter at all..."
Huang Qiuhong's husband is somewhat related to Shi Xiangming, so he knows his situation quite well and can naturally speak in great detail.
Shi Xiangming's marriage was actually a secret arranged by his grandfather, who wanted to have a grandson as soon as possible, without telling his children and grandchildren.
Later, Shi Xiangming had no choice but to accept the marriage and took his wife to live in the city.
However, within a few years, Shi Xiangming reported to the organization that he wanted a divorce, and the woman even came to the unit and cried and threatened to die several times.
People who don’t know the truth think that Shi Xiangming is heartless and unfeeling. Only the leaders of the unit knew the truth when they applied for divorce.
My wife Jiang Feng...has someone else outside.
Although the marriage ended in divorce, the incident still caused a lot of uproar in the workplace and had a very bad impact.
After a meeting, the leadership team of the Municipal Engineering Academy decided that Shi Xiangming could only be temporarily transferred to the third-line factory for support.
"Comrade Shi is not only good-looking, but also a technical backbone of our 431 Factory. Moreover..." Huang Qiuhong looked around carefully and lowered her voice, "She will definitely return to the city in the future. Your niece will be a city dweller in the future."
Privately, Huang Qiuhong even felt that Shi Xiangming's conditions were much better than Wang Nian's.
Shi Xiangming is considered a leader in the factory. He has knowledge and skills, so there is no need to worry about his future.
Moreover, his household registration is still in the city, and the document states that he is on secondment and will have to return to the Municipal Engineering Academy in the future.
Unlike other employees in their factory, their registered residence has long been moved to Wenxi Township, and they will not have many opportunities to return to the city in the future.
For this reason alone, many employees in the factory asked her to help them find marriage partners for their children.
However, Huang Qiuhong has high standards and will naturally not introduce anyone to Shi Xiangming if she doesn't like them.
Until I met Wang Nian today...