Chapter 436 The Return Journey
Wei Yang's words made Wei Shao's sisters feel that Song Lubai had suffered a loss by marrying Wei Yang, so before leaving, they gave Song Lubai and her two daughters some more things.
Inside the sleeper car of the train, Song Lubai and her family of four were eating instant noodles that Wei Shao had prepared for them.
At that time, instant noodles were a rare commodity. Not only did you need food coupons to buy them, but each bag also cost 15 cents.
Wei Shao prepared twelve bags for their family.
It was the first time for all of them to eat this rare food. After soaking it in boiling water to soften it, they added the seasoning packet and ate it. The whole family of four found it amazing.
After finishing their instant noodles, Song Lubai took out the sesame cakes from the box and distributed them to everyone. She casually said to Wei Yang, "I really benefit from your help."
When Wei Yang revealed that he had a health problem, his sisters felt that she was being taken advantage of, and Song Lubai had the misconception that her sisters gave her these things because they were afraid she would run away.
Although their pressure to have children made her uncomfortable, the thought that she and Wei Yang had only seen each other once in so many years and that it was always just her and Wei Yang living together, with no one else interfering in their lives, made her feel at ease.
The sesame cakes were sweet but not greasy, with a rich sesame aroma. Wei Yang finished almost half a box in no time.
Song Lubai recalled that back in Shicheng, he had shared most of the sweets his family had sent him with her, explaining that he didn't like sweets.
Thinking of this, she chuckled.
A child sat between the two of them. Song Lubai leaned against the wall and reached out to grab his hand.
Wei Yang turned his hand around and enveloped her hand in his palm.
His warm hands made her feel at ease.
The train stopped in Shicheng. Since it was midday and the family had eaten their fill on the train, they hired a donkey cart to go to Yancheng Station.
The tobacco station was collecting tobacco during this season, and when Song Lubai's family arrived, Zhang Cui was busy outside the tobacco station's courtyard.
"Oh, what brings you all here?"
Zhang Cui was surprised by their sudden arrival, so she quickly called Zhang Jianshe and his brother over and asked them to take Song Lubai and the others into the courtyard to rest.
“Zhang Cui, you should go too. It’s rare for your daughter and son-in-law to come all this way. Make sure they’re settled before you come back to work.”
Zhang Cui exchanged a few polite words with the people, dusted herself off, and led her daughter and her family into the courtyard.
It was still those two large rooms, quite empty inside, with little furniture, and cloth and calendars hanging on the walls, giving it a poor appearance.
Zhang Cui exchanged a few words with Song Lubai, then took out two yuan and asked Zhang Jianshe to go to the village to buy a chicken.
Song Lubai and Wei Yang didn't stop her; they would leave some money behind when they left anyway.
Zhang Cui drank a whole mug of water and said, "I'm not going to stay here and talk to you. I'm busy wrapping things up these days. I'll have Heping take you two for a walk around the village. I'll stew chicken for you two tonight after I'm done with my work."
Everyone at the tobacco station was busy, and many villagers were waiting to have their tobacco weighed. Zhang Cui really couldn't rest, so she hurriedly left after giving instructions.
Zhang Heping and Wei Yang stood side by side and compared their heights. Then, Zhang Heping touched his head and said, "I'm considered tall among the young people in the village, but I'm still about ten centimeters shorter than my brother-in-law."
Wei Yang said, "You're fifteen this year, right? You're not short now, and you can still grow a few more years and reach 1.8 meters."
I'm fifteen now, almost old enough to go to the countryside.
Song Lubai asked, "How's your studies?"
Zhang Heping said, "It's alright. I got into high school, and so did Jianshe. We just got back from school today."
Song Lubai finally felt a little relieved.
At sixteen, they reached the age stipulated in the documents to go to the countryside. Both brothers were in high school. Although one of them still had to go to the countryside after graduating from high school, his education level was slightly higher, and it would be easier for him to prepare for the college entrance examination later.
"You have to study hard in high school too, you can't be playful."
Although Zhang Heping nodded honestly, he still said, "Sister, you need a recommendation to go to university after graduating from high school. What will we do if we can't go to university?"
Song Lubai asked, "What did Mom say?"
Zhang Heping honestly said, "Mom said that one of us, Heping and I, has to go to the tobacco station and become employees there. Neither Jianshe nor I want to stay here. If one of us has to go to the countryside, either of us is fine."
Song Lubai nodded and said, "No matter who goes to the countryside in the future, they all have to continue their studies."
The two brothers finished high school in 1975, and there are only two years left before the college entrance examination is reinstated. They will have to continue studying after going to the countryside. If they still fail the exam, it will prove that they are not cut out for studying. It will not be too late for her and Wei Yang to help them then.
Not long after, Zhang Jianshe returned carrying a hen.
There's a limit to the number of chickens each household can raise. There are few roosters and many hens in the village. Zhang Jianshe couldn't find a rooster, so he had to buy an old hen that lays eggs from someone else's house.
With one stab, bright red chicken blood flowed out. Zhang Jianshe held the chicken by the head and collected a bowl of blood. After the chicken died, he deftly scalded its feathers with boiling water and plucked them...
This kid is ruthless when he kills chickens. Song Lubai thought he should go to a meat processing plant to be a pig slaughterer.
Song Lubai had a lot of food in her luggage, and she took some out and put it on the rickety table.
Wei Yang came back from a stroll outside and said, "After they graduate from high school, I'll put in a good word for them and arrange for one of them to go to our area so they won't suffer too much."
Every year, people from the city would be sent to the company. There were quite a few young people sent from the north to the south. The good units had long been occupied by the old educated youth, and the newcomers all had to work in the fields. One of these two brothers would definitely not be able to escape it.
Song Lubai shook her head and said, "Have you forgotten what my brother-in-law said? The future certainly won't always be like this. The college entrance examination will be reinstated sooner or later. I estimate it will be within the next few years. We won't get involved in the rural assignments. If they want to leave the countryside, they should rely on their own abilities. If they don't pass the exam, it's not too late for us to help them."
Although Wei Yang felt she was too certain, he also felt that dawn would break sooner or later. Despite what she said, he still decided to wait until the two brothers graduated from high school and help the boy who was going to the countryside.
He couldn't prevent either of his brothers from going to the countryside, but he could get them to come and take care of them.
It was already dark when Zhang Cui finished her work, and Song Lubai had already stewed the chicken on the stove by the door.
Just like a few years ago, a small bowl was ladled out and distributed to the other people at the tobacco station.
Zhang Cui cleaned herself up before going inside to eat.
"You're surprisingly quick."
After Zhang Cui sat down, she talked with the Wei sisters for a while. Before she even ate, she got up and went out to bury a few sweet potatoes in the stove.
"The sweet potatoes are especially sweet this year. With the recent rains, there are also many mushrooms in the woods. I'll have Jianshe take you mushroom picking in the woods tomorrow..."
We meet every year during the Spring Festival, but even though we haven't seen each other for more than half a year, we still have so much to talk about.
Wei Yang privately mentioned the matter of going to the countryside to Zhang Cui. Zhang Cui thought this son-in-law was really good. Seeing that he was aware of the situation, she didn't specifically mention it to Song Lubai.
The family of four stayed at the tobacco station for four days before leaving.
The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the family returned to Baishui City again.
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