"Xu Tangmian, you heartless bastard!"
The two parted on bad terms after lunch.
Xu Tangmian still hadn't given up on going to Beiping. She remembered Li Yutao's words: to get a letter of introduction, she had to go to the principal.
In the afternoon, when she had no classes, she went to see the principal. However, the principal, having probably heard some gossip from the head of the teaching department, rejected her application on the grounds of "improper work attitude".
Xu Tangmian returned home listlessly.
Yu Chunsheng didn't expect her to come back so early. He hadn't figured out how to get along with her after that failed confession at noon.
After thinking it over, he still greeted her with a smile and a nod: "You're back."
Unexpectedly, Xu Tangmian retorted as if she had been hit by a firecracker: "Are you satisfied now that the principal won't approve my letter of introduction?"
After saying that, she went back to her room in a huff.
Yu Chunsheng looked bewildered, but still followed up to comfort him, saying, "If it's not approved, it's not approved. Things don't always go smoothly."
“Where is my work attitude wrong?” Xu Tangmian couldn’t help but cry to him: “Ever since I was reported by the parents last time, I haven’t used my most advanced teaching methods, but they still criticize me.”
"Maybe... the principal was just saying it casually, don't take it to heart." Yu Chunsheng didn't know how to comfort her, so he just made up a few words: "Maybe the school is short of teachers right now, and he doesn't want you to leave. Don't take all the blame on yourself."
Xu Tangmian wouldn't listen, and angrily sat down on the bed. When she looked up, she saw their clothes hanging on the clothesline outside the window.
She was a little surprised. "You washed my clothes?"
Yu Chunsheng smiled guiltily, feigning composure, and said, "W-what's wrong? Can't I wash it for you?"
"Don't touch my things again," Xu Tangmian said coldly. "Don't take me for a fool. I won't stay here forever."
"Oh." Yu Chunsheng's expression also turned pale. He gave an awkward laugh and seemed at a loss for what to do. In the end, he turned and left in silence.
After taking a few steps, he turned back and said, "Will you still use the dishes I washed? Will you still eat the food I cooked? Will you still spend my money?"
"Are you trying to blackmail me?" Xu Tangmian stood up and retorted sharply, "Do you think that just because I've eaten a few meals with you and spent a little money on you, I'll become your wife? I'll pay you back in the future."
“I didn’t say that.” Yu Chunsheng rarely argued with her. “I just felt that I didn’t deserve to die.”
He stood with his hands on his hips, looking somewhat angry. "We've known each other for almost a week now. Can't you see how I've treated you this past week?"
"I don't expect you to repay me, nor do I expect you to have a good impression of me, but you don't need to take out your anger on me when you're upset at school, do you?"
"Xu Tangmian, you heartless bastard, I don't owe you anything!" he said angrily. "We were both wrong about getting the marriage certificate, and I've tried my best to correct it. If you're still so dissatisfied with me, let's get a divorce tomorrow."
"Fine, let's get a divorce. Do you think I'm afraid of you?" Xu Tangmian said through gritted teeth.
Yu Chunsheng didn't expect her to reply so decisively, but he couldn't take back what he had said in a moment of anger, so he could only bite the bullet and go back to the living room.
There were some leftovers from lunch, some of the less appealing dishes and the broth, so he planned to have some noodles for dinner to tide them over. He had even gone to the village to get some noodles made during the day. But he had just said such harsh things to her, and he figured she was still angry and wouldn't talk to him.
Desiring to ease tensions between the two, Yu Chunsheng shamelessly asked, "What do you want to eat tonight?"
"What I want to eat is none of your business!" Xu Tangmian was still on her period and had a terrible temper, not to mention that she had just been arguing with him about getting a divorce.
She has always admired heroes. Her husband must be a true man, not the kind who spends all his time in the kitchen, with his mind occupied only with housework and farming.
Xu Tangmian got angry when she saw his timid and cowardly appearance, and quickly walked to the table.
Yu Chunsheng thought she had come to her senses and that their relationship could return to normal, so he grinned from the bottom of his heart. But the next second, Xu Tangmian suddenly raised her hand and overturned the table!
"Don't you have anything else on your mind besides cooking all day?!" she yelled. "I would never be with a man as worthless as you!"
Yu Chunsheng had no interest in listening to her. He hurriedly squatted down and grabbed all the food with his hands, even showing signs of wanting to eat it.
Xu Tangmian rolled her eyes, almost laughing in exasperation. Even now, he was still feeling sorry for these things.
There was only some soup and water left on the ground. Yu Chunsheng stood up and gritted his teeth, saying, "Do you know that many people in many places still can't afford to eat? Gangzi, the son of the family next to the shop, is eight years old and goes to your school. He's so thin you can see his bones."
"There's also Zhi Meizi, the daughter of Lao Wang, a big pig farmer. She's ten years old this year and has never been to school. Her family raises pigs, but she's never eaten a single piece of meat."
He was furious and blurted out, "Xu Tangmian, you've gotten so used to the good life that your heart has become as cold-blooded as a capitalist's, hasn't it?"
"You, you!" He looked at the several plates of food that were already dirty and inedible, feeling both heartbroken and distressed. He gritted his teeth and said, "You really need to be careful, or you might get dragged away tonight and have a lamppost hung up!"
Xu Tangmian had never been insulted so harshly before. As the granddaughter of a former secretary of a provincial government agency, she was being verbally abused by this impoverished country bumpkin who wanted to treat her like a capitalist hanging from a street lamp.
She immediately replied, "Don't worry, I sleep soundly at night! You could hang yourself, but I wouldn't!"
Yu Chunsheng was stunned, and his face, which was flushed with anger, turned deathly pale in an instant.
She was right; he did hang himself, and he put the rope on himself.
Yu Chunsheng was somewhat dazed. He took a deep breath and stopped arguing with her. He got up and went outside to wash his hands. Before he could even dry his hands, he returned to the living room to start packing his luggage.
He didn't have much luggage—just a straw mat, a quilt, and a few clothes. After packing, he stood in the living room doorway, carrying these things on his back. A ray of setting sun shone on him, making him look like some kind of aging hero.
"I've given it all to you. Whether you, Miss, like it or not, I don't want it anymore." He walked towards his bicycle without stopping.
Xu Tangmian panicked a little.
She always says hurtful things, but she doesn't actually dislike him that much. As long as he says something nice, she'll take advantage of it. She's not that bad, is she?
But Yu Chunsheng was really leaving. He didn't say anything more, just lowered his head and said, "You can find out the address of the town's supply and marketing cooperative by asking around. Come find me anytime if you want a divorce." With that, he pushed off and rode away on his bicycle.
Xu Tangmian couldn't help but chase after her, "Where are you going? It's getting colder starting today!"
But Yu Chunsheng showed no hesitation and disappeared into the fields without saying a word.
Only after Yu Chunsheng's figure completely disappeared from the road did Xu Tangmian feel a sense of emptiness in her heart.
They had only known each other for less than a week. Yu Chunsheng was not a talkative person, but now that he was no longer in the room, he would occasionally chime in with a few words, and it felt like something was missing.
The entire courtyard wall, the improved carport, the clothesline, the renovated corner of the wall, and the flower seeds spread out to the side; the pots and pans in the kitchen, the hot water still warming on the stove, and the neatly stacked honeycomb briquettes that were just bought in the corner.
A small alarm clock, a first-aid kit, a small stool, and a white porcelain vase that had appeared on the table at some point, containing a bunch of wildflowers in full bloom.
It seems like he's not the one leaving this family.
Xu Tangmian sat quietly for a while, looking thoughtfully at the dishes on the table.
A little while later, she brought over the clean trash can by the kitchen door, poured all the vegetables into it, and then carried the can out the door.
She wanted to wade in the water again, but for some reason, Yu Chunsheng's instructions popped into her mind, so she turned around and went to the ridge of the field, walking for another ten minutes or so.
There weren't many people on the main road; most just glanced at her and walked away. Xu Tangmian walked to the shop's entrance and saw the enthusiastic owner watching others play chess. She called out again:
"Excuse me, ma'am, does anyone in our village raise pigs?"
The boss came over, swaying his hips, glanced down at the swill bucket, and said with a smile, "You're going to feed the pigs with leftovers, right? Old Wang's family loves this the most. Follow Auntie's hand and look over there. This road goes all the way north, and when you see a pigpen, that's their house."
"Okay, thank you, Auntie." Xu Tangmian said, and was about to leave.
"Hey, hey, hey!" The boss stopped her. "Did you deliver what I asked you to say? What did your husband say?"
Xu Tangmian recalled for a moment, then remembered what the boss had said about getting the goods from the supply and marketing cooperative. Thinking of Yu Chunsheng's resistant attitude, she said with a wry smile, "I'm sorry, Auntie, he's timid and doesn't dare to do it."
The shop owner paused for a moment, then grinned, "It's nothing, it's nothing! It's all a small matter! Even if we don't make a deal, we can still be friends. Come visit my shop more often in the future!"
Xu Tangmian responded with a smile, then carried the bucket towards Old Wang's house. The further they went into the village, the stronger the stench became. When they reached a grove of trees, dozens of poplars stood straight and tall, making it easy to imagine the cool, sunless scene in the summer.
But the stench wouldn't go away; even with her nose covered, she could still smell it. Xu Tangmian looked down and saw that grayish-brown excrement was flowing through the gullies and ravines of the woods, with greenbottle flies and small insects swarming around it.
The sewage flowed freely into the woods, following the natural contours of the land, going wherever it ended. The source of the sewage was a ditch just ten meters away, in front of which were two large pigsties.
Xu Tangmian almost had to hold her breath to reach Old Wang's door. There was a little girl there playing hopscotch, about ten years old, probably Zhi Meizi.
Xu Tangmian asked her with a smile, "Are you Sister Zhi?"
She nodded. "I've never seen you before."
Xu Tangmian put the bucket aside, bent down, and extended her hand to her. "I'm Teacher Xu, who recently moved to the village. I teach at Hongxing Elementary School. Where are your parents?"
Zhi called out into the house, "Dad! Someone's here!"
Uncle Wang's voice preceded his arrival: "Someone come and greet me. How have I been teaching you all this time?"
Xu Tangmian greeted the middle-aged man with a smile and introduced herself: "Uncle Wang, I'm a new resident of the village. I teach at Hongxing Elementary School. You can just call me Xiao Xu."
Uncle Wang, still a little dazed, asked, "Oh, Teacher Xu, right? Did my son Shunzi get into trouble at school?"
"No, no." Xu Tangmian pointed to the swill bucket, "I accidentally got some leftover food dirty at home and can't eat it, so I'm giving it to your family to feed the pigs."
"Oh, oh!" Uncle Wang kicked his daughter in the butt: "What are you standing there for? Take her over and feed her to the pigs!"
Zhi Meizi was kicked to the ground, but she got up without saying a word and went to fetch the slop bucket.
Xu Tangmian felt sorry for her and silently stared at her back.
Uncle Wang brought out a few chestnuts from the house and handed them to Xu Tangmian with a smile. "Thank you, Teacher Xu, for thinking of us. We don't have anything good at home, so we picked these ourselves on the mountain. They'll make a wonderful stew with meat."
Xu Tangmian declined repeatedly, but finally couldn't resist his enthusiasm and put the chestnuts into her pocket.
After Zhi finished emptying the bucket, she handed it back to her, and Uncle Wang went back into the house. Xu Tangmian couldn't bear it, so she knelt down again to brush the stray hairs from Zhi's ear and asked her softly, "Zhi, right? What's your full name?"
"Wang Xiazhi," she said timidly.
"Which 'xia'?" Xu Tangmian asked again.
"Xia as in 'rosy dawn,' and Zhi as in 'sesame.'" Zhi's mother poked her head out of the kitchen and said with a smile, "She was born this morning."
"I see." Xu Tangmian nodded and then asked the child, "Can you write it?"
She shook her head.
Her mother said somewhat sadly, "Our family is poor and can only afford to send one child to school. Zhi Meizi has never been to school before."
Just as Yu Chunsheng said.
Xu Tangmian lowered her eyes and thought for a while before saying, "Big sister, I live by the river at the east end of the village. I don't have much to do after work. If you'd like, you can let Zhi come to my place, and I'll teach her to read."
She was a little excited, quickly wiped her hands on her apron and ran out of the kitchen, "Y-you're telling the truth?"
Xu Tangmian smiled and nodded.
"Oh dear!" She hugged her daughter again. "Zhi-mei, do you want to learn to read?"
Wang Xiazhi nodded shyly.
Xu Tangmian reached out and took her hand, "Let's go, teacher will show you the way."
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