Chapter 25 Going to the County Town
Liu Tian's tone was resolute, but Song Lubai didn't think so.
Shen Lingyu's resolute appearance was still in her mind, and she believed that Shen Lingyu would not easily turn back.
Song Lubai walked forward silently, but Zhao Lei was not willing to let her go. He complained, "Song Lubai, why are you so angry? We're here to mediate and keep them from getting a divorce. What's wrong with you?"
Song Lubai bluntly said, "I can't do something so wrong. Not getting a divorce would be harming Shen Lingyu. Just you wait and see. If we don't get a divorce, she'll still be beaten. If the Hu family can change, pigs can fly."
Zhao Lei didn't take it seriously: "Which couple doesn't fight? They all quarrel in bed and make up in bed. They calm down in a couple of days and make up. I'm telling you, you're just too young. Once you get married, you'll be ready to die or get a divorce over every little thing. Wouldn't every family be divorced by then?"
Song Lubai remained silent.
She felt she couldn't communicate with someone like Zhao Lei.
If she were Shen Lingyu, she would have torn down the house and left after being beaten for the first time, rather than suffer the humiliation inflicted by the Hu family.
Marriage is not about getting beaten up, nor is it about seeking suffering for no reason.
The purpose of marriage should be happiness.
Even someone who's never married understands this principle.
Looking at her expression, Liu Tian said in a tone of someone with experience, "You're young and your view of things is too simplistic. Just think about it: if she gets divorced, how will Shen Lingyu live her life? She won't be able to have children anymore, and she won't be able to find a good family. Even if she finds another one, she'll just be a stepmother to a child without a mother. Her life might not be any better than if she didn't get divorced. You think divorce is good for her, but that's not a long-term view."
Song Lubai blurted out, "Why do you have to find someone else after a divorce? Can't you live a peaceful life? After a divorce, you just need to find a job to make a living. You won't have to put up with anyone's temper, you won't get beaten, and you won't have to serve anyone. What a wonderful life!"
After she finished speaking, the two men looked at her as if she were a monster.
Feeling really uncomfortable being stared at, Song Lubai touched her nose and asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Liu Tian: "How can you not get married? What will you do when you get old? How can you be a normal person without a family?"
Zhao Lei shook his head at her: "You're thinking too simply. If you live to old age and die at home, no one will even know. You'll be all alone, while other people have a house full of children and grandchildren and live happily ever after. Doesn't that make you sad? Who doesn't get married!"
Song Lubai felt she couldn't explain it to them.
In that dream, her own life made her anxious.
She became an old maid and married an abusive man, becoming his stepmother. After the man died young, she raised her child alone, eventually becoming ill from exhaustion and passing away early.
She wanted to ask herself in her dream: what was the purpose of my life?
Shouldn't people live for themselves?
In order to get married, she found a mediocre man, had a hateful child, and left all the money she earned through hard work to her niece who was not related to her by blood.
It's unbelievable.
While she remained silent, Liu Tian said again, "Shen Lingyu should be in the hospital. We'll go to the hospital tomorrow to talk to her. Xiao Song, you don't need to come."
Zhao Lei bluntly stated, "Exactly, don't come. You'll only be a hindrance."
Song Lubai smiled: "I'm on vacation tomorrow, so I don't have to go to work anyway."
She was afraid that if she went to listen, she would get really angry.
She's just a nobody, she has no say in anything, and going there would only make her feel stifled.
Let's wait a few days and see how things go with Shen Lingyu before we go see her.
She's already given her home address; if she needs help, she can just come to her.
After dinner at home that evening, Zhang Cui instructed, "You're free tomorrow, so take the rabbit to your teacher Zhao. I also bought some peach shortbread; bring it over tomorrow as well."
The twins, upon hearing that there were peach shortbreads, pestered Zhang Cui to eat them.
Zhang Cui couldn't refuse, so she went inside, unlocked the cabinet, opened a new package, took out two pieces that weren't quite intact, and broke them in half for each of the four people.
The peach shortbread is sweet and delicious. We only buy it once a month at most, and this bag will last us for half a month.
I always end up eating something that doesn't satisfy my taste buds; I've never had a truly enjoyable meal.
After finishing her meal, Song Lubai said, "After seeing Teacher Zhao tomorrow, I want to visit my aunt. Can I ride her bicycle for a bit?"
There is a bicycle at home, which has always been used by Lin Dahai.
Zhang Cui was a worker in a food factory. Her late husband was a martyr. After she joined the factory, she was awarded the title of model worker, and only then was she allocated a spacious two-bedroom apartment.
The tenement building was closest to the food factory, but not close to Lin Dahai's workplace. Lin Dahai usually used the bicycle that his family owned.
Lin Dahai glanced at her and asked, "What are you doing going to your aunt's again? Aren't you tired of running back and forth?"
Lin Dahai felt a little scared when Zhang Lan was mentioned.
That woman was not someone to be trifled with. The time she came to his house and caused a scene, it left him terrified for half a month.
Song Lubai: "I miss my aunt, and I'll also pick some wild vegetables while I'm at it."
Zhang Cui said, "Then go earlier so you can come back earlier, pick more wild vegetables, and save some money on groceries."
Lin Dahai said nothing more.
The next morning, Song Lubai carried her things and rode her bicycle to Teacher Zhao Fang's house. Teacher Zhao Fang and Teacher Wu had already gone to school, leaving Huihui at home to look after her sleeping younger brother.
Song Lubai took out two orange-flavored fruit candies from her pocket and said with a smile, "I'll buy you White Rabbit milk candies when I get paid. Take these things inside and put them away. I have to go to the county today, so I'll be going now."
Huihui reluctantly saw her off on the street before returning home dejectedly.
Song Lubai rode her bicycle, panting and struggling, to the county town, and arrived at her aunt Zhang Lan's house.
My aunt is a staff member of the Women's Federation. She's not taking a break today and has already gone to work.
Those who work at home have all gone to work, leaving only her generation and the next generation of little ones.
"The snow-capped mountains are reflected in the blue sky, oh my! In the twilight mist, the soldiers return with boats full of fish, fish, oh fish, the boats are full of fish, the cattle and sheep are fat and the fruits are fragrant."
My cousin Chang Zhenzhen was washing clothes and singing a song that Song Lubai had never heard before.
"Zhenzhen, where did you learn this song? It's quite nice."
Chang Zhenzhen said enthusiastically, "It's from 'The Song of the Army Reclamation,' what? You haven't seen the movie? I've watched it three times, twice for free. I've even learned all the songs in it, aren't they great?"
"The Song of the Army Reclamation"?
Song Lubai seemed to have seen the promotional slogans written on the street when she was patrolling the streets.
"Full of hope and ideals, we stride confidently to the frontier."
"Our great motherland is vast and boundless; the sons and daughters of China aspire to serve in all corners of the world."
"Where the hardest conditions are, that's where we strive to improve."
"Where the difficulties are greatest, that's where you'll be tempered and refined."
"We shoulder the heavy burden of revolution, and keep Chairman Mao's instructions in mind."
…
As she was talking, Chang Zhenzhen spontaneously sang a song.
After she finished singing, Song Lubai clapped and said, "That was beautiful."
Chang Zhenzhen said with anticipation, "You haven't seen 'The Song of the Army Reclamation' yet, have you? I've watched it several times. Now I'm eager to go to the frontier and contribute to the construction of our motherland."
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