After resigning
After working diligently for a semester, the winter break has finally arrived, which is when Xu Tangmian feels that her identity as a teacher is most worthwhile.
New Year means new clothes. With her own salary in hand, Xu Tangmian called Li Yutao and the two of them went to town together.
Girls always love to buy clothes and jewelry. After each buying a bottle of the same face cream, the two of them strolled over to the men's section. Xu Tangmian remembered that she had never bought anything for Yu Chunsheng since their marriage. Now that she was planning to live a good life with him, she should treat him better.
Especially last night, a loose thread came off one of Yu Chunsheng's old sweaters. She had threaded her needle and was about to sew it back on for him, but after struggling for a long time, she almost sewed up a sandbag.
Since the seams were sewn together, I decided to take them apart and pretend I had never touched them. However, when I was removing the seams, I accidentally pulled the thread end along with the needle and thread. What was originally just a slightly loose garment is now completely ruined.
Although she meant well, she ended up doing something wrong. Even though Yu Chunsheng didn't hold it against her, she should still compensate the other person with a new piece of clothing.
While Xu Tangmian was strolling around the department store, Yu Chunsheng was also busy at the supply and marketing cooperative not far away.
In the office, in front of several thick stacks of ledgers, the leader's spittle flew through the air. Yu Chunsheng frowned, glanced at the speck of spittle that had landed on the table, and silently gripped his pen, moving a little further away.
"Xiao Yu, I've always been good to you, haven't I? Why are you being so disrespectful to me?"
A hint of weariness flashed in Yu Chunsheng's eyes as he said with some helplessness, "Director, I really can't do that."
The director was puzzled. "I didn't tell you to kill people or set fires! I just wanted you to be more flexible. It's almost Chinese New Year, and giving out New Year's gifts to the members is a common thing. Don't make a fuss. Everyone's happily preparing for the New Year, don't spoil the mood!"
“Giving out New Year’s gifts is very common.” Yu Chunsheng remained unmoved, casually fiddling with the abacus with his fingers. “I don’t intend to spoil everyone’s fun. I just want to keep accounts honestly and according to the facts.”
"That's not very interesting," the director said with a forced smile as he sat down opposite him. "I really don't understand. I haven't deducted any of your wages. Wouldn't it be better to give you some benefits? You'd get something too."
Yu Chunsheng finally raised his head, his face serious, and said, "This is national resource, and every penny of it has a real purpose. If you take a little and I take a little, is that fair to those who can't get any?"
"I didn't realize you were so altruistic," the director said with a sneer. "If you're so eager to give, then you can separate your share and not feel bad about letting the people down. If I remember correctly, you've only been married for less than six months, haven't you?"
"More than four months," Yu Chunsheng answered honestly to his superior, not understanding what his marriage had to do with falsifying accounts.
"Still so young," the director remarked, then asked, "Any signs of pregnancy?"
Yu Chunsheng frowned, unwilling to answer such a rude question.
The director, however, thought this was a worry for him and patted him on the shoulder to comfort him, saying, "It's only been four months. You're young and have a long life ahead of you. You'll get pregnant sooner or later."
Yu Chunsheng didn't want to answer the question at all, but the director continued, "You'll understand when you become a father. Every little thing like firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea costs money. Your wife will also be urging you to be more ambitious and earn more money every few days."
Yu Chunsheng nodded, thinking to himself that he knew this even without becoming a father; Xu Tangmian was urging him every day.
"Right?" The director chuckled twice more, and said earnestly as if he were one of his own, "You look a bit like me when I was young. I really like you."
Yu Chunsheng glanced silently at the director's droopy triangular eyes and upturned nose, but in his mind he remembered Xu Tangmian's previous complaint to him about not having a full-length mirror at home.
Before you leave work, take a look and buy a mirror to take home.
His thoughts had already drifted far away, imagining Xu Tangmian perhaps reading a book at home or taking a nap; she certainly wasn't sweeping the yard. This man was the type who would rather lie down than move.
Thinking of his wife, even the boring work didn't seem so annoying anymore, and Yu Chunsheng couldn't help but smile.
Seeing him smile, the director beamed, "You've come to your senses? Oh, all my painstaking efforts to persuade you haven't been in vain; you do know your limits."
Yu Chunsheng looked completely bewildered. "Huh?"
"It's settled then. We'll keep the books according to the prices I mentioned. I take back what I just said. Your New Year's goods will be shipped as usual, and I'll give you an extra 20 jin of rice."
"No, Director!" Yu Chunsheng quickly refused, "If you can't do it, you can't do it. I won't remember that!"
"Yu Chunsheng!" The director gritted his teeth, exasperated, "Are you completely unreasonable? Let me tell you! This accounting isn't something only you can do. If you can do it, do it; if you can't, get out!"
The office temperature suddenly rose, and although there were only the two of them in the room, it felt as if a major battle was about to break out.
All of this came to an end with Yu Chunsheng's steady and powerful "Good".
The director turned his head hastily, unable to believe what he had just heard. He was waiting for Yu Chunsheng to back down, waiting for him to join their group for the sake of his family, but what did he say? Okay?
"Have you thought it through?" The director, not wanting to lose such a hardworking and capable assistant, took another step forward, clapped his hands in disbelief, and said, "This is a secure job, something many people would kill for. Aren't you going to reconsider?"
Yu Chunsheng calmly picked up the pen on the table, capped it, and respectfully placed it on the left side of the notebook cover. He stood up and pointed to the ledger, saying, "All the accounts I have are now accounted for and placed here: the notebook, the pen, and this."
He took off his supply and marketing cooperative uniform, folded it neatly, and placed it on the table. He calmly said, "Everything the cooperative gave me is here. Anything I wasn't here with should be in my cabinet. The cabinet key is in the first drawer." He then opened the drawer, took out a key, and placed it on the table.
"I'm resigning."
The moment he finished the formalities, Yu Chunsheng finally regained the freedom he had enjoyed for the month his arm was injured. Thinking of the full-length mirror Xu Tangmian wanted, he went back to the counter to look around and bought some other things she might need.
But when they got home, the gate to the courtyard was locked.
Now that winter vacation has started, Xu Tangmian had nothing else to do, so Yu Chunsheng guessed that she had gone out to play with her girlfriends. With a slight smile, he pushed the stroller into the yard.
The area under the bike shed was empty; they had indeed gone out to play.
Ever since Li Yutao got a new bike, she gave her old one to Xu Tangmian for practice, claiming it was too difficult to ride. Li Yutao's bikes were all Phoenix brand, and they lacked a crossbar in the middle, making them more convenient for women to practice on.
Xu Tangmian knew that Li Yutao had intended to give her the bicycle, and feeling embarrassed not to pay a penny, she bought her some things before accepting it with a clear conscience.
With this smaller car, her driving skills improved rapidly, and she was finally able to ride around and play with Li Yutao.
There's not much to do in the countryside. In the past, every weekend when she and Li Yutao went out to play, they would stay until night before going home.
Yu Chunsheng then dutifully cooked, cleaned the yard, and busied himself with housework until Xu Tangmian returned around 5 p.m.
"Did the director give you another day off?" Since Yu Chunsheng had gone home early before, Xu Tangmian didn't think much of it and just assumed it was the same as usual. She took the things she had bought and went into the house without stopping.
Yu Chunsheng hesitated, but couldn't bear to spoil her good mood, so he followed her.
Xu Tangmian took out the items one by one, and lastly, she showed off the dark red sweater she had bought for Yu Chunsheng. She unfolded the sweater in front of her chest and twirled it a couple of times, her eyes sparkling.
"New clothes? Nice, they suit you well." Yu Chunsheng stepped forward and touched the fabric, showing his appreciation.
Xu Tangmian was displeased and grumbled, "What?! People bought it especially for you, what kind of eyes do you have!"
"Me?" Yu Chunsheng took the clothes with a look of surprise, stroking them carefully as if they were a precious treasure, and repeated, "You really bought this for me?"
"Didn't I ruin that one before?" Xu Tangmian smiled a little embarrassedly, then got up to unbutton his shirt. "Try it on to see if it fits."
Yu Chunsheng mechanically turned his body and let her do as she pleased, but his eyes were fixed on her without any attempt to hide them, his gaze full of tenderness.
"How much?" he asked.
"This one is around twenty yuan, not too expensive." Xu Tangmian hung his military overcoat on his arm and then picked up his jacket, gesturing for him to put it on.
"Twenty-something?!" Yu Chunsheng suddenly raised his voice, refusing to exchange it no matter what. "It's too expensive, take it back and return it."
"Why would I return it?" Xu Tangmian said unhappily. "I rarely buy you clothes. If you return it, I will never buy you anything again."
“I don’t really need something this expensive.” Yu Chunsheng took the military coat from her and put it on neatly. He then patiently coaxed her, “I’ll return it and buy you a better one. I have enough old clothes to wear.”
“I will definitely buy my own clothes, so don’t worry about me.” Xu Tangmian looked up at him and said somewhat embarrassedly, “You earn so much money but you’ve never bought anything for yourself. You’ve never made me worry about housework or social engagements. I… want to be nicer to you too.”
Yu Chunsheng felt an overwhelming urge to give her his heart with those simple words. Moved by her sincerity, he immediately reached out and embraced Xu Tangmian for a long time without saying a word. After a while, he finally whispered, "How can you be so good to me?"
How can he then say that he has resigned?
Although Xu Tangmian felt his reaction was a bit excessive, she still gently patted his back and replied with a smile, "We're husband and wife, who else would I be good to if not you?"
That very night, Yu Chunsheng showed her what a man who is moved by love can do.
In the darkness, the moment I took my arm out of the blanket, it sent chills down my spine, but when I put it back in the blanket, it would melt from the scalding heat.
Yu Chunsheng's silent and unusually gentle interaction almost made her scalp tingle, causing her to scratch several cuts on his back.
Her head was buried deep in the pillow, trying uncontrollably to break free from the hand that was covering her head, and her toes were curled up, gripping the sheets tightly.
After a long while, the interaction ended, and the two snuggled together for a while longer.
Xu Tangmian nestled in the man's arms, her left hand reaching under his armpit to hug him, idly stroking his back.
Seeing that the atmosphere was quite suitable, she was also satisfied. Yu Chunsheng finally pulled away, gave her a light kiss on the forehead, and then distanced himself from her, standing up and saying, "I have something to tell you, I hope you won't be angry after hearing it."
Xu Tangmian was in a good mood, so she leaned over and lay on his chest, giving him a squeeze, and said affectionately, "What's up?"
"I resigned."
The person in his arms suddenly struggled to sit up, asking him with a mixture of confusion and bewilderment, "Why?"
Yu Chunsheng took a deep breath and hesitated before saying, "I... I'm not happy doing this."
Her face was obscured in the darkness, but Xu Tangmian, who was usually sharp-tongued, fell silent. Yu Chunsheng's heart pounded with anxiety, and he silently took another step back, his right hand reaching towards the bedside table.
She sighed and lay back down on the bed. "If I'm unhappy, there's nothing I can do. I might as well quit."
Yu Chunsheng was surprised that such words would come out of Xu Tangmian's mouth. It seemed that he had underestimated his wife and did not understand her well enough.
He thought Xu Tangmian would scold him as usual, and then ask him why he was so useless and crying and making a fuss about going back to Beiping.
She only said that one sentence, without getting angry at him at all. Was she concerned about him? She even bought herself a sweater. Does that mean she loves him a little too?
She had done so many unexpected things for him today. Yu Chunsheng's heart stirred, and he deftly took off his condom, tore off a newly acquired one, and quickly put it on.
"It's the same as when you were injured." Xu Tangmian didn't even look at him, staring at the ceiling as she spoke to herself, "Let's get through the New Year first, then we'll see what kind of job we can find. We can't just stay at home forever, I..."
Before she could finish speaking, the man pressed down on her again.
Xu Tangmian placed her hands on his shoulders and said somewhat displeasedly, "I didn't scold you, why do you want to shut me up? I'm talking to you about serious matters in a calm and peaceful manner."
"We'll talk about serious matters later," Yu Chunsheng said eagerly. "I bought a few more boxes today, let's use up the ones we had left over first?"
"What did you buy?" The abrupt question left Xu Tangmian completely bewildered. The next moment, a familiar sensation smoothly melted into her body, and she was rendered speechless.
They didn't get a chance to discuss anything serious until dawn.
When they woke up, it was already past ten in the morning. After washing up and having a quick bite, the two of them met eyes and rolled back into bed.
Xu Tangmian didn't know when she had become infatuated with this feeling. It seemed that from the moment Li Yutao offered to give her a letter of introduction but she refused, she had become somewhat inseparable from Yu Chunsheng. Even now that he was unemployed at home, she could tolerate it.
Beiping doesn't seem to be a must-visit destination.
She took the pocket watch out of the drawer again. If she wasn't sure before whether it belonged to the original owner or to her, the moment she removed the photo from the pocket watch and discovered the words on the back, she knew for sure that it belonged to Xu Tongtong. It was a pocket watch from the modern era!
"To my brother Zhilian: May our revolutionary friendship last forever. Your younger brother, Lin Liuba, spring."
Zhilian, her grandfather's name was Xu Zhilian, and this is her grandfather's pocket watch.
Xu Tangmian didn't know if this was a mission given to her by God, that she should take this pocket watch to Beiping to find her grandfather and ask him about it, especially about this "brother Lin".
Her initial reason for going to Beiping was to find out about the old woman at the funeral and whether her grandfather had harmed her classmate back then. She didn't believe her grandfather would do such a thing, so this reason was irrelevant to her. She could now comfortably give up the idea of going to Beiping for the time being.
She insisted on going to Beiping initially for two reasons: first, she wanted to find out more about the funeral, and second, she felt unsafe there and wanted to stay with familiar people. Now that she felt safe, and because she was still angry about what happened at the funeral and was determined to get to the bottom of things, she was less conflicted now that she had calmed down. Therefore, she was able to decisively refuse Li Yutao at that time.
But after the happiness, she felt a vague fear, as if she had overlooked something, and that this overlooked thing might bring her retribution in the future.
After washing up, the man came over again and sat down in the chair in front of the desk, gesturing for her to sit down as well. Xu Tangmian stood beside him, somewhat helplessly, clutching her pocket watch and sitting sideways as before.
Yu Chunsheng, however, adjusted her position, straddled her, and asked with a smile, "Want to try this position tonight?"
"Aren't you tired...?" Xu Tangmian remembered that Yu Chunsheng looked a lot like the photo in the pocket watch, so she waved the pocket watch in front of him and asked, "You two look so alike, tell me, what kind of relationship might this person named 'Lin' have with the owner of this pocket watch?"
Yu Chunsheng's expression changed. He took the pocket watch and stroked it carefully. Suppressing the gloom in his eyes, he murmured and asked her, "Where did this pocket watch come from?"
"I found it at a street stall," Xu Tangmian said without hesitation. "How about that, pretty lucky, right?"
"It's not bad." Yu Chunsheng forced a smile to amuse her. "A brand new Casio watch would cost several hundred yuan."
"Really?" Xu Tangmian never expected that an ordinary old pocket watch could be worth more than half a year's salary for her.
"I'm not lying to you, really." Yu Chunsheng held the pocket watch, but his thoughts drifted back to twenty years ago.
As the sun set, it painted half the lakeshore and half the sky a golden-red hue. On the other half of the lake, beside the pale green water, slender willows swayed in the breeze. Beneath the trees sat or leaned against the rocks, some students dressed in faded Lenin suits.
Standing in the middle is Kong Lin, holding an accordion. The group has just finished their last class and is holding a unique farewell ceremony by the lake to celebrate their finally having the opportunity to go to the countryside for training.
As the music began, more and more people joined in, singing the Internationale aloud with them. Among those seated in the crowd was Xu Zhilian, a good friend of Kong Lin.
Xu Zhilian looked up at the son of his father's leader, feeling both envy and admiration.
When the music ended, Kong Lin casually took out a pocket watch from his pocket and checked the time, which attracted Xu Zhilian to peek over and exclaim, "Brother Lin, this pocket watch is really beautiful!"
Kong Lin didn't take it seriously and casually tossed the pocket watch to Xu Zhilian: "Take it and play with it if you like."
Xu Zhilian rushed over and grabbed the pocket watch with both hands, as if he were looking at some rare treasure.
Not far away, someone else came running, barely out of breath, and shouted, "Fellow students! The list of those going to the countryside and their destinations has been announced!"
The lively atmosphere suddenly fell silent, tinged with the sadness of parting. Close friends patted each other on the shoulder, and some even embraced, bursting into tears.
Kong Lin was taken aback, put down his accordion, and put his arm around Xu Zhilian's shoulder. "Brother Xu, come on! Come with me somewhere."
He dragged Xu Zhilian across most of the campus to an old man's simply furnished home, where he often took photos of the teachers and students of Peking University.
Kong Lin straightened his clothes, smiled confidently in front of the gate of Peking University, and left behind the photograph in his pocket watch. His gaze was gentle as he looked directly at the camera, and his smile was hearty. Everyone who sees the photo can feel his high spirits at that moment.
The photo was quickly developed, black and white, and small. He casually wrote a short sentence on the back of the photo, then borrowed a pair of tweezers and carefully inserted the photo into his pocket watch.
Xu Zhilian watched him silently the whole time, seemingly lost in thought.
After the photo was inserted, Kong Lin solemnly turned to Xu Zhilian with both hands, holding the pocket watch, and said, "Brother Xu, this is for you."
Xu Zhilian then realized what he was doing and quickly declined, saying, "No, no, no, this is too valuable, I can't accept it!"
"Take it!" Kong Lin stuffed the pocket watch into his hand, then forcefully closed his palm, laughing heartily, "After today's parting, who knows when we'll meet again. Holding this watch will remind you of the time we spent studying together at Peking University."
"I hope you will not forget what we said at Kyoto University: wherever you go, your ideals will live on."
Xu Zhilian clenched his hands and nodded solemnly: "I definitely will!"
The two then walked arm in arm to the place where the list was posted. It turned out that they had both been assigned to the same place called Huaifeng Town, and the old classmates were reunited.
As for the pocket watch, once it's given away, there's no reason to take it back; let it stay with Xu Zhilian forever.
His thoughts returned to the present moment. Looking at the pocket watch, Yu Chunsheng couldn't help but think: After his rebirth, he deliberately avoided this period of history and these people. He wondered how his old classmates were doing. What was Xu Zhilian doing now? How did he end up selling this designer watch on a street stall?
The two of them went to the countryside together, and they were so close that they were like one person, and they were inseparable in their daily lives.
Xu Zhilian liked a beautiful local woman, but she seemed to have feelings for him. Kong Lin, being such a smart man, surely understood what the blush on the girl's face meant.
Brothers should not take what others like. He usually avoids doing things with that woman, but that winter, the woman was in so much pain that she almost fainted, and Xu Zhilian was not around.
The other young people who had been sent to the countryside were not there either. Kong Lin was caught between a rock and a hard place, so he gritted his teeth and helped the woman home.
He stood guard outside the door until the woman's condition improved before leaving. When the woman saw the many work clothes jackets in the basket on his back, she bit her lip and asked him if he could wash one more, as her clothes were also dirty.
Kong Lin usually washed the clothes that his male roommates had changed out of, but he had never washed the clothes of his female roommates before, so he frowned and refused.
But the woman was not satisfied and said that it was just a coat, and that men's and women's coats were the same so that no one could tell the difference. She also covered her stomach and said that she couldn't touch cold water right now.
Kong Lin hesitated for a while before agreeing when he saw her face turn pale. However, for some reason, when he returned from finding the soapberry, Xu Zhilian and the educated youth had already returned, and there was a woman's undergarment mixed in with the clothes in the basin!
Caught red-handed in broad daylight and unable to refute his accusations, he was sent to a special department, and a barrage of reports against him began to surface. Yet, the woman who had spoken up for him never uttered a word. From his personal conduct to his past experiences, even his time in Moscow was brought up again.
In short, he was a woman of questionable character, corrupted by capitalism, and indulging in lust.
Based on the principle of leniency, he must undergo reform every day.
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