All the educated youth had left before the new year, and those who remained were living very cautiously in the village.
Hua Zhian also came with a mission this time, and followed several other former educated youths to the riverbank behind the mountain.
"You're doing alright back in the city, aren't you?" Wu Zhongpeng's voice was full of bitterness. Of the group of comrades, only the three of them are still struggling here.
They are not only children; their siblings have taken their jobs, so going back home isn't so easy.
Hua Zhian understood their feelings and tried to make life sound more difficult. "It's the same at the factory. When you first start, you have to do everything, including all the hard and tiring work."
“It’s better than us staying here,” Chen Xiaojun patted his shoulder. “I just didn’t expect you to come back. You really are deeply in love with Xie Lanqiao.”
"Now that you're the captain's son-in-law, shouldn't we be able to settle all those things from before?" Jiang Yan asked in a low voice after making sure no one was around.
Even Chen Xiaojun and the others perked up their ears, because this was closely related to them. They knew that the things they had hidden were giving them nightmares.
When they found the item, everyone was very happy. But later they realized that if only one person had found it, they could have done it without anyone noticing. But with so many people involved, if even a little bit of word got out, everyone would be in trouble.
But they can't bear to lose their things, so they're always on edge.
Hua Zhian and his family are doing alright. Their families have transferred them back home, so if there's any trouble, they can use their connections to smooth things over, or at least have some time to think of a solution.
However, their families basically don't care about them. If something really happens, they might be the first to sever ties with them.
They just couldn't understand why Hua Zhiping, who had already escaped the trap, would return to the village.
Shouldn't he be looking for a city girl after returning to the city? How come he's dating the brigade leader's daughter again?
Before Hua Zhian left, the two elders repeatedly gave him instructions. This time, they came to personally remind them that some things were not clear enough in the letter. "It's best to forget about the past. As long as everyone acts as if this never happened and doesn't bring it up again, nothing will happen."
Looking at the crystal-clear water, this little stream had been thoroughly searched by them and washed away by several rains, leaving no trace of its past.
As for what was rushing down the mountain, they treated it as a first-time discovery.
Jiang Yan: "You all seem to have it easy, hiding in the city, while we here live in constant fear..."
Hua Zhian gave him a deep look. "We agreed not to mention this anymore..." There are differences between people. If he doesn't adjust his mindset, who else can take care of his fragile heart?
"Alright, now you're city folks again," Jiang Yan said sourly. "You're having a wedding this time, so treat us guys to a nice meal. It's all so bland and tasteless here, life's getting harder and harder."
Before, with Hua Zhian and his family around, the family would receive some subsidies, and they could occasionally get a bite of meat.
But ever since those with better conditions were transferred back, the few of them who were all alone and helpless, even if they huddled together for warmth, their lives became increasingly difficult.
This year, some new educated youth came down to the countryside, but they ended up splitting into two factions. The young people huddled together for warmth, trying to prevent the newcomers from taking advantage of them.
"Of course, I came here today to invite you all to my wedding. I won't be inviting the new educated youth." Hua Zhian brought some meat coupons and smoked fish with him, but that only allowed for a small-scale invitation. If he wanted to hold a big celebration, that would be a bit difficult.
Anyway, this is the situation in the country. Some places don't even hold a banquet, so there's no need for them to make a scene. After all, Xie Daping is the captain, and it's not appropriate for things to be too lively.
"That's great!" Chen Xiaojun and the others smiled as soon as they heard there would be a big meal.
Generally, wedding banquets will include a meat dish, but not much meat. Unless the relationship is very close, they won't host a banquet.
The factory couldn't let him take too long a leave of absence, so after Hua Zhian finished the banquet here, he took Xie Lanqiao and carried the local specialties prepared by his parents-in-law, and boarded the car for the return trip.
Newlywed Zhou Xiaolan from Heping County was completely stunned when she heard that Hua Zhian had gone to her family home to hold a wedding celebration.
She felt that things shouldn't be like this, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what went wrong.
Feeling somewhat disappointed, coupled with Bai Ailian's veiled insults these past few days, made her feel particularly uncomfortable staying in this house.
But she really didn't have the courage to go back to the place where she was sent to work in the countryside.
Originally, they wanted to take this opportunity to find a way to stay in the city, but unexpectedly, Hua Zhian found a girlfriend, and Liu Qingshan also married a country girl.
Zhou Xiaolan began to doubt herself. Hua Zhian and Liu Qingshan had both found girls from the countryside. Was there something wrong with her?
"Look at you, so picky! All the good partners have been taken by others." Bai Ailian tidied up the table, but instead of running back to her room to lie down and rest as usual, she pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Zhou Xiaolan.
"You've been back for so many days now, don't you have any plan in mind?"
If you get sick again while you're in the countryside, given how weak you are, you might not be able to make it through.
"Stop being picky. Just settle the marriage if it's suitable. Even if we can't get our household registration back and don't receive our rations, it's better than losing our lives out there."
These are not the words of a mother. Zhou Xiaolan lowered her eyes, guessing that if she were to die outside, no one in her family would care.
If her family had given her more money and coupons this time, and hadn't let her go to the countryside empty-handed, she wouldn't have ended up in this situation.
When she first fell ill, some people advised her to go to the hospital, but she was short of money and had nowhere to turn for help, which is why her minor illness turned into a serious one.
The sun was high in the sky outside, but she still felt weak and cold. Now, hearing Bai Ailian say this, even her heart turned cold.
Seeing Zhou Xiaolan like this, Bai Ailian was also annoyed. With such a sickly body, who would want her?
She had heard these past few days that Hua Zhian had gone to great lengths to marry that country girl. She heard that the dowry was comparable to that of Hua Zhiping. Although it didn't include the traditional three turns and one sound (referring to a car, watch, and radio), there was a brand-new bicycle and several hundred yuan in dowry. Not to mention the large bags and packages that accompanied the girl to the countryside, it was clear that all the proper etiquette had been observed.
It's a pity that several good sons-in-law haven't been chosen by our family. Even though we were picky about Liu Qingshan before, it's even harder to find someone better than him now...
If all else fails, I'll have a serious talk with the child's father and try to lower the demands a bit more, hoping to get some dowry if possible.
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