Jiang Min and Jiang Lin look somewhat similar, but Jiang Lin is more delicate, while Jiang Min is more generous, with a hint of heroic spirit between her brows.
She used a handkerchief to wipe the tears of her sister and brother, and said with a smile: "I didn't expect you to come. It must be cold. Look at you two, you are wrapped up thicker than that blind bear."
She pulled Jiang Lin and Jiang Xinglei into the house to talk. It was cold here, minus 30 degrees during the day and minus 40 degrees at night. Most people couldn't stand it when they first arrived. There was a big stove in the house, and the glass windows were double-layered, with thick sawdust stuffed at the bottom and a foot of light at the top.
It gets dark here after 3:30 in the afternoon, so you almost have to turn on the lights in the house.
The three of them sat down by the stove.
Jiang Xinglei couldn't help but ask her about the college entrance examination. Jiang Min had written home before and said that she hadn't studied for many years and was already very rusty, so she didn't want to take the exam. In the end, she not only took the exam, but also passed without registering.
Jiang Min's talk of not being able to leave home to take care of the children was completely unconvincing. Even Jiang Xinglei didn't believe it, let alone Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin asked worriedly, "Sister, is there anyone who forbids you to go?"
Jiang Min hurriedly explained: "Don't worry, I'm really fine. No one withheld my admission letter, and no one wants to do anything to me. It was really an accident. I just wanted to apply for my hometown as my third choice, and no one thought it would be given priority."
"Sister, if you don't go, you won't have a chance anymore." Jiang Lin looked at her and said seriously. Only in 1977 and 1978 were the age limits relaxed, and next year the age limit must not exceed 25.
Of course, she would not persuade someone who didn't like studying and didn't want to take the exam, but Jiang Min took the exam for two consecutive years. She probably didn't pass the first year because she didn't review well. But she passed the second year, which shows that she is eager to go to college.
To be honest, the third year students were more eager to go to college than other years, because they were deprived of the right to go to college without any psychological preparation. Therefore, college became a huge thorn in their hearts, and if they did not pull it out, it would become a psychological barrier that they could not cross in their lifetime.
She didn't want Jiang Min to be like this.
Hearing her words, Jiang Min's expression was moved. Just as she was about to say something, she saw Liang Tiefeng and a stern-looking young man walking in from outside. The young man was too tall, and when he looked at people, he half-closed his eyes, with a sense of oppression that made people subconsciously want to retreat.
She immediately stopped talking and stood up to introduce them to each other.
Liang Tiefeng's face was as gloomy as water, and he greeted them in a lukewarm tone, showing his vigilance and resistance.
Jiang Lin introduced Cheng Rushan to them.
Jiang Min praised: "What a handsome boy! I have never seen anyone as handsome as him in my life."
Liang Tiefeng's face turned gloomy.
Jiang Min said to Liang Tiefeng, "Lao Liang, the sisters must not have eaten yet. Go to the cafeteria and get some vegetables, meat and fish. We will cook a pot and grill the fish."
Although Liang Tiefeng was hostile to Cheng Rushan, he listened to her and turned to walk out.
Cheng Rushan offered to help and followed Liang Tiefeng out. Liang Tiefeng glanced at him and said, "The Special Office?"
Cheng Rushan: "It's really a special office."
Liang Tiefeng: "What is your main job?"
Cheng Rushan: "I haven't changed my job anyway."
Liang Tiefeng: "..." Strictly speaking, Liang Tiefeng and his construction corps were retired soldiers who were engaged in agricultural reclamation and farming. Although he was a platoon leader and received an allowance, it was not comparable to those in active service. Liang Tiefeng wanted to find out about Cheng Rushan and see how to deal with him, but how could Cheng Rushan let him do what he wanted?
Liang Tiefeng remained silent, and Cheng Rushan didn't care. He wasn't here to be his brother anyway.
Liang Tiefeng went to the canteen, found the quartermaster, with whom he had a good relationship, and bought noodles, cabbage, potatoes, vermicelli, a roe deer leg, and a few large fish. He then asked the kitchen for an old-fashioned hot pot and an iron grate, and took them back with Cheng Rushan.
"When you eat at home, you have to follow the ration, right? Three taels of rice per meal?" Liang Tiefeng asked Cheng Rushan.
Cheng Rushan could naturally hear the sense of superiority in his words, and said with a smile: "The military region has always been a place where people can eat as they please."
It is said that one person only needs three taels of rice for a meal, but how can three taels of rice be enough for a soldier? They always have plenty of big steamed buns and dumplings. It’s not that good, but they won’t go hungry.
Liang Tiefeng: "We are in the Corps farm, everyone can eat enough and no one is hungry." If Jiang Min goes back to her parents' home, she will definitely not live better than here.
Cheng Rushan smiled and asked him when he joined the army, when he retired, and what they usually did on the farm. He tried to find out Liang Tiefeng's background, and soon found a topic for Liang Tiefeng to talk about, and they went back to the office while chatting.
Jiang Lin and Jiang Min were talking about their parents, brother and sister-in-law.
Jiang Min made her a cup of ginger and jujube tea. She poured boiling water directly into the old ginger, tore up the fried red dates and threw them in. After simmering for two minutes, she could drink it. It was hot and thirst-quenching. She also took out some melon seeds for Jiang Lin to crack.
Jiang Xinglei: "What big watermelon seeds." Jiang Min laughed and said: "This is to hit the melon, just eat the seeds, the melon is not delicious."
Seeing Cheng Rushan and Liang Tiefeng coming back, Jiang Min immediately took the kettle off the stove and put the grate on it. "Let's grill some fish for Linlin first. Linlin likes fish."
At that time, our family was in financial difficulty. We finally had a piece of fish, but no one in the family could eat it well.
Jiang Min grilled fish for Jiang Lin, while Cheng Rushan helped Liang Tiefeng wash vegetables and slice meat. The frozen hard roe deer meat could be sliced very thinly after it softened a little. It could be eaten directly in hot pot, stewed with meat, or made into dumplings. It was delicious no matter how you eat it.
Jiang Lin was really hungry, and now she was relieved to see her sister was happy to see that she was fine. She grilled the fish while talking to Jiang Min, sprinkling some salt and chili powder. The grilled fish had no fishy smell, but instead exuded a burnt aroma, which made her appetite better.
She invited her brother-in-law and Cheng Rushan to come over to eat grilled fish, "Try my cooking!"
She handed one to Cheng Rushan, but Cheng Rushan picked out the most tender meat and fed it to her. When Jiang Lin stopped eating, he chewed and ate the rest, even the bones. Jiang Lin was full after eating the grilled fish, but Cheng Rushan and Jiang Xinglei were naturally not full, so they grilled some roe deer meat and baked some steamed buns.
Jiang Min smiled and said, "Let's eat something to fill our stomachs first, and then we'll have hotpot tonight. Now put the pot on to boil the bone soup, and slowly stew the meat. When it's ready, it'll be just right to eat with vegetables." She turned to Liang Tiefeng and said, "Lao Liang, my sister and the others can stay at the regiment headquarters tonight."
Jiang Xinglei: "Sister, aren't we going to stay at your house? We are here, so we have to go home and take a look."
Xu Aimei had told him to visit his eldest sister's home to see how she was doing and to help out if she was having a hard time. But he saw that his brother-in-law had brought so many delicious foods, so it must be good.
Jiang Min smiled and said, "Our ordinary people's homes are very small and we can't entertain people at all. It's more comfortable to live here at the regiment headquarters."
Cheng Rushan carried his bedding and luggage and followed Liang Tiefeng to settle down.
…
As soon as they left, Jiang Lin asked Jiang Min: "Sister, is my brother-in-law good to you?"
Jiang Min smiled and said, "It's fine. Look, he takes care of everything inside and outside, and never complains."
"Then why didn't he let you go to college?" Jiang Xinglei was sure it was Liang Tiefeng's fault.
"Your brother-in-law didn't stop me from going. It was me, really me alone..." Jiang Min lowered her head to fiddle with the bones in the soup pot. The hot steam enveloped her pretty eyebrows.
Jiang Xinglei wanted to ask more. He was so anxious and didn’t understand why his eldest sister just wouldn’t say anything. His second sister kept winking at him, telling him not to ask. Didn’t they come here for this matter?
Jiang Lin asked about her sister's in-laws, in fact, to understand the situation, to judge from Jiang Min's words the personalities of the two children, the temper of Mrs. Liang, and the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. She felt that Jiang Min was kind and not so fussy, and she didn't care if her mother-in-law sounded a little problematic. Jiang Min's mind was mostly on the two children, especially her daughter Xiao Meng.
Jiang Lin went to get her notebook and took out the photos inside to show Jiang Min.
There are her family photos and the Jiang family’s family photos. One of the photos was taken when she and her family returned to her parents’ home for the first time that year, and the other was taken when they went to the lake to see the lotus flowers in the summer.
"Sister, when will you bring your family back to your parents' home? We'll take a bigger family photo." Jiang Lin tempted her.
There was light in Jiang Min's eyes. She was really looking forward to it, but it disappeared immediately, as if she knew it was impossible.
Jiang Lin stopped trying to persuade her and just told her some interesting stories about the family, especially about Dabao, Xiaobao, Wensheng and several nephews and nieces.
"Our sister-in-law is seven months pregnant again. Her belly is so big that I suspect she's having twins."
Jiang Min cares about her eldest brother very much. After all, she and her eldest brother are of similar age and they went to school together. Her eldest brother explained the questions to her, and their relationship is better than that with her younger brothers and sisters.
"Brother, are you okay now?" It had been almost ten years since she last went back. When she went back that time, her brother had completely changed, not only physically, but also spiritually.
Unfortunately, everyone was very depressed at that time, and everyone was full of anger, and no one was willing to talk and communicate properly. Everyone was suffering, so naturally they didn't have the energy to comfort others.
She also had complaints back then, but she didn't say them out loud. She left home and returned to the Great Northern Wilderness out of spite. But later, her longing for her family made her forget all the unhappiness and she just wanted them all to be well.
Jiang Lin: "My eldest brother is now an engineer, earning over 100 yuan. The factory allocated him a house, and he exchanged houses with others and now lives in the same yard with my parents. It's a very comfortable life."
Jiang Min was very happy to hear this, her face full of longing, "It's good to live together, there will be someone to help take care of it, and my sister-in-law doesn't have to take care of the child herself."
Jiang Lin told her about her second brother, "He's in better health now, and he's dating someone. Mom said she'd retire early and let my second brother take over. We can have a wedding for them after the New Year."
Jiang Min's eyes lit up as she listened. She asked Jiang Lin to tell her more. She said that even three days and three nights would not be enough for her to hear about family matters, and she wanted to tell everyone she knew about them.
Jiang Lin told her that they had opened a consignment store together. She said to Jiang Min, "Sister, if you go to school, you can join us. Making money is secondary. It's great to be happy together."
Because they have experienced greater setbacks and blows than the shortage of firewood, rice, oil and salt, they have maintained a kind of innocence unique to this era in silence. For these young people, feelings are more important than money and tickets. They think that doing what they like happily is more important than anything else.
Seeing her smile so happily, and even showing a shy look like a girl when she talked about Cheng Rushan, Jiang Min felt that her sister was really different. Maybe going to the countryside to hone one's character and life can really change people's character and life, making them stronger, more sensible, and more considerate of others.
She was happy for Jiang Lin, happy for her elder brother, and sincerely happy for each of them.
She looked at Jiang Xinglei who was still eating grilled fish and said, "Xiao Lei, do you have a partner?"
Jiang Xinglei: "Me? I haven't had enough fun yet, why do I need a partner? Don't you know how comfortable it is to be alone?"
Jiang Lin rolled her eyes at him and said, "Don't listen to his nonsense. When we attend the social gathering, his two eyes are not enough."
The three siblings laughed and chatted for a long time. The previous estrangement and unfamiliarity disappeared because of the interesting things in the past and the bond of blood.
Jiang Min also went to her drawer and took out a few photos of Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun. The two children were very beautiful. Xiao Meng took after her mother, and at the age of eight, she had the outline of a little beauty. Xiao Jun took after his father, and had a chubby face.
As they were talking and laughing, Liang Tiefeng came back from outside. He said to Jiang Min, "It's arranged. You'll live in the two rooms with the easiest fire walls."
Jiang Lin took Jiang Min's hand and said to Liang Tiefeng, "Brother-in-law, I haven't seen my sister for many years. Let her accompany me tonight."
Liang Tiefeng refused without even thinking: "No!" His tone of resistance was stiff and full of obvious hostility.
Jiang Min said quickly, "Your brother-in-law said that he didn't want to go back so suddenly, because the child missed him. You must be very tired when you first arrived. Have a good rest tonight. I will bring Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun to accompany you tomorrow." She glared at Liang Tiefeng in dissatisfaction. Liang Tiefeng also knew that he had overreacted, and went to pack his things awkwardly.
Jiang Lin walked to the door and looked, "Where's Cheng Rushan?"
Liang Tiefeng said, "He went to the regiment headquarters to talk to the regiment commander." Then he added, "He is a capable person. He will be promoted quickly."
Jiang Lin: "Not bad. In order for me to go to college, he found a way to move from the village to the military headquarters, and now he is also a regular employee."
She saw that Liang Tiefeng looked unhappy. She did it on purpose. Who made him reject her so bluntly just now? This was not disrespecting her, but disrespecting her sister.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Jiang Xinglei wanted to smooth things over but didn't know what to say. Just then, Jiang Min's colleagues and educated youth came over to say hello. "Hey, Jiang Min, there are guests. Where are you from?"
When they heard that it was from Province X, they were surprised and said, "Oh, it's not that close. It must have taken two or three days by train."
After a few pleasantries, they all went back enthusiastically to get snacks and fruits for Jiang Lin and her friends, including hawthorn, hawthorn, frozen pear, etc. The colleagues kept praising Jiang Min and Jiang Lin, saying, "They are really sisters, equally beautiful."
"Platoon Leader Liang is so lucky. I don't know how many people were staring at the beautiful Jiang Zhiqing at that time. Haha."
Liang Tiefeng's face didn't look very good. He was not very good at dealing with other people's jokes, so he didn't say anything.
A few educated youths called out to them: "It's so cold and you have nothing to do. Come on, come play mahjong with us."
During the winter, apart from reading, I just play mahjong. However, most people don’t like reading, so they basically just play mahjong for fun.
Jiang Min smiled and said, "You guys go ahead. My brother and sister just arrived and are very tired." Then those people left first.
Jiang Min asked Jiang Lin and Jiang Xinglei to read some books and newspapers while she went to get some sauerkraut to stew with roe deer meat in the evening.
She called Liang Tiefeng, "Old Liang, let's go."
Liang Tiefeng stood there without moving, and only went reluctantly after Jiang Min winked at him.
The two walked a little further away, to a deserted place sheltered from the wind, and Jiang Min said to Liang Tiefeng, "How could you talk to my sister like that?"
Liang Tiefeng stiffened his neck and said, "I just said no, and I didn't say anything else."
"Your voice is so loud that it's deafening, what else do you want? It's fine if you're not welcoming guests, but who would feel comfortable if you're so rude? If your brother-in-law treated me like this, would you be happy? My sister came all the way to see me and wanted to talk to me, why can't you stand it?"
"Haven't you been talking about this?" He believed that Jiang Lin came here to take her away, so he was naturally hostile. Seeing that she was unhappy, he pulled her hand and said, "Let's go."
Jiang Min shook off his hand and said, "I'll get it myself."
Liang Tiefeng: "Why don't you stay with her tomorrow night? I agree." He chased after her.
Jiang Min ignored him and went straight to the room where the sauerkraut jars were kept. There were more than a dozen large jars densely packed inside, arranged according to numbers.
Liang Tiefeng talked to her, but she didn't say anything. Liang Tiefeng got anxious and asked, "Are you ignoring me again?"
Jiang Min was a little helpless: "...No, I'm looking for pickles, to see which number belongs to our group."
Liang Tiefeng was afraid that she would be angry and refuse to talk to him. She just wanted to avoid him and looked like she didn't want to look at him. He pulled her into his arms and asked her, "Do you want to go back to your parents' home to go to college?"
Jiang Min: "No, I'm not going to college. I'm over the age limit and won't be able to take the exam in the future. You really don't have to worry about anything."
Liang Tiefeng was so annoyed by her passive resistance that he cursed: "Why the hell did he give priority to admission? Otherwise, we could go to the university near our home."
Jiang Min: "Don't scold me, I really won't do it. After graduating from university, I will return to my original unit to be a cadre. Compared with now, the salary will just be a little higher. It's nothing great. I don't care about it."
Liang Tiefeng looked at her expression. How could she not care about it? It was obvious that she was saying, "I care about it, but I am deliberately not caring about it for your peace of mind."
"You're unhappy." Liang Tiefeng held her shoulders, "Did you choose that school on purpose?"
He asked someone to check Jiang Min's grades. Last year, she didn't have time to review and failed the exam. This year, he gave her time to review and she did very well. People who knew her said that she might not be able to get into the top universities, but undergraduate studies would not be a problem. At that time, he discussed with her and asked her to apply to all the universities near her home. One of the three choices would definitely be accepted. But she applied to the top one, then a junior college in her province, and the third one was the Finance and Economics College of Province X.
It turned out that the School of Finance and Economics was better and could give her priority admission, so she was chosen. Either go to that school or don't go to college.
She is so smart, she must have planned this.
Jiang Min: "Without experience, I applied blindly. Some of my classmates applied to the two best universities in the capital, but they couldn't get in."
Liang Tiefeng didn't believe her explanation at all.
When he first received the admission letter, he was furious, but he suppressed it. She was also surprised. She probably didn't expect that her third choice would be admitted before her second choice. She knew he was unhappy, so she took the initiative to say she would not go. She didn't report, and he thought that was it. Who knew that her family called, he was there that day, and he got angry when he heard her sister asking about college.
He hung up the phone for her. Although she was angry, she didn't do anything. She said she would write a letter to explain, but she wrote and tore up the letter again and again. She didn't finish writing for several days.
He knew that she actually wanted to go, and she blamed him. He was also very angry.
She had almost recovered this morning and was chatting and laughing with him as before, but she didn't expect her sister to come.
What was she doing here? He was not a fool, could he not guess? She was just here to show off her family's wealth, and now they could take her back, so that she could go to college. Or, to get her to leave this remote frontier and return to the bustling provincial capital. How many educated youth who went to the countryside found connections and abandoned their husbands and children, or even their wives, and returned to the city. Many of those who were admitted in 1977 and went to college at the beginning of this year have already sent back divorce notices.
Does she want this too?
She didn't want to marry him in the first place, but had to do so due to special circumstances. She must be regretting it every day. She has been living a mediocre life for so long that she finally can't bear it anymore.
"You want to go find him." His face became more painful.
Jiang Min didn't care about what he said before, but now her face changed. She struggled for a while and suppressed her voice: "Liang Tiefeng, we have been married for so many years, and our children are so old, and you still mention others. You are embarrassed, but I am embarrassed. You are slandering someone's reputation, do you know that?"
"You are thinking about him in your heart, how can it be slandering his reputation? He said that he would wait for you forever without getting married, how could he not be ashamed?" He tried to lower his voice, gritting his teeth.
"Lao Liang, Lao Liang... calm down, let's... let's not talk about those old things. Okay? My sister, brother-in-law, and brother are all here, you, I beg you... don't mention those things anymore. Can't you see how I've been doing since we got married?"
"What's the use of me seeing it? I can't feel it." He covered her chest with his big hands, "I can't feel it. You are not that..." to me.
He has a low level of education and suddenly got stuck and didn't know how to express himself.
Back then, she smiled sweetly and beautifully to that man. They sang and wrote poems together. She was like a lark, lively, cheerful, happy and bright, with eager eyes.
But after she got married, she didn't treat herself that way anymore. When she looked at him, it was no different from looking at others, without that same eagerness or that brightness.
She always gave him the cold shoulder, always saying no, she never took the initiative to kiss him, and would rather be with a group of people than be alone with him.
Jiang Min smiled, tears streaming down her face, "Lao Liang, we are not children anymore. We are old enough, please don't talk about this, it's so corny. In the past, we were young and hypocritical, and liked to make up new words to express our sorrows, but it's useless. Life is still about the daily necessities of life."
"I'm not afraid of being corny, but you're being corny to me?" Liang Tiefeng argued with her, "You said you want to go to college, I support you. But we agreed to go to a university near home, that's what we agreed on. What about you? You actually just want to run away, you're tired of us, you hate me, you..."
"You should calm down." Jiang Min pushed him. "I don't blame your mother for hiding my admission letter. I didn't want to go either. You don't have to feel guilty about this. You are right. I overestimated myself when I signed up. I thought I would definitely get into the best university. I really didn't want to go back to my parents' home to go to college. I just signed up. Besides, it's just a junior college. I don't think much of it."
Her voice was very rational and soft, not angry at all, and she seemed to be comforting him.
The more she did this, the more uncomfortable and angry he became. He would rather she lost her temper with him. But she never lost her temper with him. She treated him just like the old women in the village said: men and women are just living together, what else do they want to do?
Although she married him, she always had that man in her heart, and he knew it! She hated him, but never blamed him, which made him feel even worse.
Jiang Min took the sauerkraut and was about to leave, but she heard a "bang". She was so scared that she turned around quickly and saw Liang Tiefeng banging his head against the wall.
"Liang Tiefeng, stop it!" Jiang Min rushed over and raised her hand to hook his neck, "Are you crazy?"
"If you leave, I'll go crazy!"
"I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving, I really am not leaving. I've said it before, if I marry you, I'll marry you for life. We have children and a family, and I will never leave in this life. Why don't you believe me?"
Liang Tiefeng's eyes were red. He hit too hard and his forehead was bruised. "You really don't want to go back with them?"
Jiang Min nodded, "No, no." She hugged his strong body, "No, I really won't go back. Be nice to my sister, they will leave after staying for a few days."
You walk your own path in life and make your own choices. Since you married him in the first place, no matter what the reason is, there is no way to regret it, and you cannot abandon him.
People are always responsible for their actions and choices.
Liang Tiefeng held her tightly, afraid of losing her.
After a few minutes, Jiang Min said, "Go back quickly, your sister and the others will laugh at you."
She broke free, wiped her eyes quickly, picked a few more peppers, and asked Liang Tiefeng to take the sauerkraut back.
Cheng Rushan had already returned. Jiang Lin was leaning against his chest and eating hawthorns. They were picked and stored in late autumn. They were the size of small hawthorns, red and yellow, and tasted sour with a bit of astringency. Jiang Lin thought they were delicious, so she asked Cheng Rushan to remove the core for her. She took a bite and said, "Ah, so sour, so delicious!" She stuffed the remaining half into Cheng Rushan's mouth and asked, "Is it delicious?"
Cheng Rushan licked her fingertips, lowered his eyes and looked at her with a smile, "It's delicious."
Jiang Min and Liang Tiefeng just came in. Seeing them being so affectionate, Liang Tiefeng felt that it was very annoying and wanted to drive them away. Jiang Xinglei was driven out by Cheng Rushan to walk around and get familiar with the environment, and told him that a grown man should not stay in the house.
Jiang Lin saw them coming back and sat up straight, "This is delicious. Better than hawthorn."
Jiang Min smiled and said, "There are more. When you leave, I'll buy some for you to take with you."
Jiang Lin: "What's wrong with your eyes?" She saw that Jiang Min's eyes were swollen. Because of her fair skin, she could see a circle of pink. Was she crying? She stood up.
Jiang Min said quickly, "The peppers are spicy. The room was dark because of the storage of pickled vegetables. The windows were sealed and there was no light. Your brother-in-law hit his head and I showed him. I was in a hurry and forgot that I had just torn the peppers. I accidentally touched my eyes and it was very spicy."
Jiang Lin turned her head to look at Liang Tiefeng, but he turned away and didn't show her, and she couldn't see anything because he was wearing a hat.
Jiang Lin didn't believe it, but she wouldn't insist on exposing them. After all, they were all adults and she couldn't make things too embarrassing.
…
When they were having hotpot in the evening, Jiang Min's colleagues didn't come, but Liang Tiefeng brought a few people. Some of them brought wine, some brought cigarettes, and some brought other food.
Everyone in the room was shouting and eating and drinking.
It was winter, and the doors and windows were kept as tightly closed as possible. They also smoked, which made her feel uncomfortable breathing.
"Sister, I'm going out for a walk. Can you accompany me?" Jiang Lin wasn't very hungry after eating the grilled fish. She was full after eating some sauerkraut and a few pieces of tender meat.
It was already dark outside and very cold. Jiang Min didn't really want to take her out for a walk, so she took her to the house where they would be staying that night to make some arrangements.
Cheng Rushan asked Jiang Xinglei to have dinner here, and he accompanied Jiang Lin and Jiang Min there.
Liang Tiefeng saw it and shouted, "Wife, where are you going? So many friends are here to help entertain the guests."
He drank quite a bit of wine and spoke freely and loudly.
Jiang Min: "I'll take my sister over to rest. Two days on the train is very tiring." She took two steps and couldn't help but said, "Keep your voice down and smoke less. You're choking to death."
Someone laughed and said, "Okay, okay, I won't smoke. Don't choke the college students."
The night sky outside was deep, full of stars, and as clear as if you were immersed in water. But the weather was maddeningly cold, and the air you breathed into your lungs felt like a knife.
When I entered the house, the stove, fire wall and kang were all lit.
Jiang Min smiled and said, "Don't be fooled by your brother-in-law's rough appearance. He's actually quite caring. He's cooked everything. Linlin, take off your shoes and go up to warm up. Stay away from the wall. It's a little hot."
Cheng Rushan went over and opened the bedding he brought. Since his family had the means, Jiang Lin never slept on other people's bedding when he went out.
Jiang Lin: "Sister, it's so cold, how long did it take you to get used to it?"
Jiang Min: "I'm not born and raised here, so I'll never get used to it. But it's OK. I usually don't go out at night like this, it's too cold."
Cheng Rushan went to fill the kettle with water and put it on the stove. Jiang Lin couldn't stand sitting on the train for two days and would definitely have to clean it at night.
Jiang Lin took Jiang Min to the inner room to talk quietly. She asked Jiang Min: "Sister, did my brother-in-law beat you?"
"That's not all, Linlin, don't get me wrong. Although your brother-in-law looks fierce, he is very nice to people and has never touched me." Jiang Min quickly explained to avoid her worrying.
"So you really won't accompany me tonight? Is your place very small? How about I go to your house. I'll go see Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun."
Jiang Min: "I will bring Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun here tomorrow and we will stay here together tonight. Why are you so anxious?" She pinched Jiang Lin's nose, "You are also a mother of two children, and you are as impatient as the little girl."
At around nine o'clock, the crowd finally dispersed. Jiang Xinglei came over to rest, and Liang Tiefeng took Jiang Min home.
Jiang Min gave Jiang Lin a meal ticket. She could go directly to the cafeteria to get food the next morning. She could take as much as she wanted and there was no need to save.
Jiang Min and Liang Tiefeng went back to the room to clean up. When they were almost done, Liang Tiefeng said, "You can stay and accompany your sister."
Jiang Min: "It's agreed. I'll bring Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun here tomorrow."
Liang Tiefeng: "You should stay here, or you will say that I am overbearing and controlling you."
"Let's go! I think you've had too much to drink." It was always like this. Whatever she asked him to do, he would immediately object, but would give her another plan for fear that she would be unhappy. Once she agreed, he would agree to her previous request, saying that he didn't want to make her unhappy.
Liang Tiefeng saw that she really wanted to go home, so he didn't say anything else. When they got home, it was already ten o'clock, and the whole Kaoshan Village fell into silence, with only a few houses still turning on the lights.
Kaoshan Village is not big, with only about thirty or forty households scattered around. Every household has a large yard of half an acre to one acre of land and a wooden fence.
Jiang Min turned on the flashlight, pushed open the fence gate and let him push the three-wheeled motorcycle in.
At this time, the lights in the room came on, and Mrs. Liang's voice came, "You are back?"
Jiang Min responded, "Why isn't mom asleep yet?"
"Oh, how can I sleep if you don't come back. If you don't come back for one night, I won't be able to sleep all night. If you don't come back for a year, I won't be able to sleep for a year." Old Lady Liang said while coughing.
Jiang Min went into the house and lit the oil lamp, then went to the inner room to check on the two children and ask what they had for dinner.
Mrs. Liang: "It's delicious. Our family doesn't discriminate between boys and girls. Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun eat the same food. I stewed pickled cabbage, pork slices and vermicelli for them."
Jiang Min touched Xiao Meng, who was so skinny that she didn't even have a bit of meat on her body. "Mom, Lao Liang and I both make money, which is enough for us to eat. Don't save money."
"No, no, we don't favor boys over girls in our family. I wonder why you're still calling him Old Liang. I've told you a hundred times to call him Little Liang." Old Lady Liang smiled and said, "Tiefeng is only 30 years old. Calling you Old Liang sounds old."
Liang Tiefeng is 35 years old this year. Everyone in the field calls him Lao Liang, and only teenagers are called Xiao Liang.
Jiang Min didn't try to reason with her. Whatever she said was what she did. The old woman was old and would nag her all night long if she didn't get her way.
Jiang Min agreed and looked at Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun's homework.
Xiaomeng is eight years old and Xiaojun is six years old. They both go to primary school in the company next to each other. Xiaomeng studies hard, but Xiaojun is very naughty. His homework is like a ghost painting, and he even painted a lot of Xiaomeng's homework.
Jiang Min: "Mom, please keep an eye on Xiaojun. He doesn't study and he's causing trouble for his sister."
Mrs. Liang: "What does it matter? It's just a homework. What's the point of studying or not? We still have to make a living. I think Xiao Meng is old enough. She doesn't have to go to school. She can just cook at home..."
"Mom, everything else can be discussed, but this matter is not negotiable." Jiang Min said in a firm tone.
Mrs. Liang curled her lips, "I just said that, not because I'm worried that the burden on you two is too heavy. You're a woman and you have to go to work every day, aren't you tired? Look at the women in the village, they play mahjong, smoke big pipes, and eat melon seeds at home in the middle of winter, how nice is that? Xiao Meng can take care of the children when she grows up, so you can have another child so she can take care of it."
Jiang Min didn't want to hear it, but she didn't talk back to her. It wasn't because she was afraid of her, but because she was afraid of her nagging. If Mrs. Liang was not happy with what she said, she would find a way to make it clear.
She saw that Xiao Meng's cotton jacket had splits under the armpits, so she took out needle and thread to sew it up.
Liang Tiefeng came in from outside and filled some hot water for her to soak her feet.
Mrs. Liang smiled and said, "Look, there is no other man as good as our Xiao Liang. He loves his wife so much."
Liang Tiefeng: "Mom, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Mrs. Liang chuckled and said, "Let's go to sleep. I can't sleep if you don't come back. I can sleep peacefully as soon as you come back."
Their main house was a large room, divided into three small rooms, with the kitchen outside and the bedroom inside. Jiang Min and Liang Tiefeng slept in the outer room, while Mrs. Liang and her two children slept in the inner room, with a straw curtain hanging in the middle.
While sewing, Jiang Min soaked her feet, then washed herself. When it was cold, the family always had a heated kang and a fire wall, a sealed stove, and a kettle on top, so there was always hot water.
She went into bed to change her underwear but was held down by Liang Tiefeng. She struggled and refused silently, but he was tougher than ever before.
She had no choice but to let him do it.
In the darkness, Liang Tiefeng whispered, "Let's have another child."
Jiang Min didn't want to talk, but still said, "It's family planning. Don't violate the policy, or you'll be fired."
"We're not that strict here, it's just talk. It will take until next year to enforce it. Besides, if you're really expelled from the party and fired, you can go home and farm." Liang Tiefeng insisted.
…
The next morning, Liang Tiefeng got up to cook, Jiang Min tidied up, and took the children to accompany Jiang Lin in the evening.
Mrs. Liang was horrified. "What are you doing? Why are you still packing clothes and bedding?"
Jiang Min said: "Mom, my sister and brother are here. I asked Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun to go and see them. They will stay at the site for the night."
Mrs. Liang frowned, "It's a good thing for relatives to come, why don't you invite my family?"
Jiang Min: "It's not available."
"Where can we not sleep? Every family has two kangs. When someone comes, the man can sleep on one kang, and the woman can sleep on the other. How can we not sleep on one kang?"
Jiang Min didn't respond.
Mrs. Liang asked again, "What are they doing here?"
Jiang Min turned his head and looked at her, "Just came to take a look.
Mrs. Liang was a little frightened. She suspected that Jiang Min was blaming her for hiding the notice. Could it be that they were here to ask their daughter-in-law to go back to her parents' home to go to school? That was impossible. The mountains were high and the roads were long. It seemed that it would take several days to take the train. If she went there, could she come back? Besides, Jiang Min had a lover before. He said several times that he would wait for her and would never get married if he couldn't wait for her. If she went back to the city and they met, could they still have a good time?
She looked at her son.
Liang Tiefeng said: "I just came to see you. I haven't seen you for many years."
Mrs. Liang was relieved to hear her son say this, but she was a little worried when she saw that her son did not look very happy.
To be honest, if her son hadn't taken a liking to Jiang Min, she wouldn't have insisted on marrying her son. Her son was tall and strong, and he was also a platoon leader. He could have picked any girl in the regiment, but her son didn't like her. Ever since Jiang Min came over in 1967, he had been thinking about her and refused to marry another girl. This delayed him for several years. If Jiang Min hadn't broken her leg that year and returned to her parents' home, giving him a chance, it would have been difficult.
Mrs. Liang smiled and said, "We should also invite relatives to our house for dinner. If they don't stay, we still need to eat."
Jiang Min agreed.
Old Lady Liang immediately woke up her granddaughter and grandson and began to give them instructions in a whisper.
Jiang Min heard her say, "Tell your aunt and uncle about your parents. At that time, your mother went to the mountains to pull wood. Her legs hurt and she walked slowly, so she fell behind. No one knew that she was frozen in the snow. Fortunately, your father rescued her, and that's how you are born."
Xiaojun: "Grandma, I knew it long ago. You've told me many times."
Jiang Min knew that the old woman was saying this to her, to remind her to be grateful and not be ungrateful.
But who says that one has to repay a life-saving favor with one's own body? If it weren't for the old woman's cheating... Jiang Min felt a surge of anger in his heart, but he took a deep breath to suppress it. He had already compromised with himself and agreed not to care about it anymore, to let it go, and to live a good life in the future.
But she didn't expect that her younger sister and brother would come, which brought back many past memories and gave her many aspirations, causing waves in her heart again.
When the family of four arrived at the regiment headquarters, Jiang Lin, Cheng Rushan and Jiang Xinglei had already gotten up. They took a walk and went to the cafeteria to buy vegetable and meat buns and boiled eggs.
Because the air here was cold, Jiang Lin's appetite became very good. She ate two big buns and a boiled egg, which was twice her usual amount.
"Aunt, uncle!" Xiao Meng led Xiao Jun to run over. Xiao Meng took out the dried sour dates that the children had saved from her pocket and gave them to Jiang Lin to eat.
It tasted sour and sweet, Jiang Lin liked it very much, "Delicious." She touched Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun. Xiao Meng was the same age as Da Bao and Xiao Bao, but she was thin and small, while Xiao Jun was strong and plump. She said, "He's so handsome."
Xiaojun pointed at Xiaomeng and laughed, "She is so ugly, with a flat nose. She will never be able to find a husband in the future."
Jiang Min was startled and said angrily: "You naughty kid, who taught you that?"
Xiaojun: "My grandma said that." Xiaomeng pulled him to stop talking, but it was too late.
Jiang Min glared at Liang Tiefeng angrily, and Liang Tiefeng was also a little embarrassed, "Mom was just joking, she loves Xiao Meng the most, right, girl."
Xiao Meng said obediently: "Dad, yes, grandma loves me very much."
Xiaojun pinched her and laughed, "Come here, I'll love you."
Jiang Lin held their hands and said, "Don't bully your sister, and don't make a fuss. Your uncle never dares to bully your sister."
Xiaojun: “Why?”
Jiang Lin: "I'll beat him to death!"
Xiaojun stuck out his tongue, "Aunt, you are a tigress."
Jiang Lin: "I am more powerful than a tigress."
Jiang Lin led them into the house to get some candies and snacks, which were not available here, and the two children were very curious about them.
Xiaojun pinched a small snack for Xiaomeng and put the rest in front of him, "These are all mine."
Xiao Meng is very well behaved and doesn't fight for it. He thinks it's his right.
Jiang Lin snatched half from Xiaojun and gave it to Xiaomeng, "Divide it this way."
Xiaojun started to cry, "Bad aunt, bad aunt! My grandma said you are here to kidnap my mom. You are a bad aunt. Please leave now. I don't like you. Don't come to my house."
Jiang Min felt angry and embarrassed, "Xiaojun, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Xiaojun said confidently, "My grandma said so! What my grandma said is right! My grandma said, if you ever..."
"Xiaojun!" Jiang Min slapped him, "You are becoming more and more unruly."
Xiaojun started to cry, "I want to go home, I want to go home, I don't want to play with you guys."
Xiao Meng quickly coaxed him.
Jiang Min was somewhat helpless, "Grandma spoiled him."
She was about to take him aside to stand as punishment, but Liang Tiefeng heard it and walked in, picked up Xiaojun and said, "You little rascal, you deserve a beating!" He bluffed a few times and told Xiaojun to go play with his sister, as there were other children in the regiment.
Jiang Min didn't want to say he was wrong in public, so she took Jiang Lin's hand and said, "We stay here in the winter, and basically do nothing but play mahjong, eat melon seeds and chat. Do you want to play? I'll take you."
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "I didn't come here to play mahjong. Let's go inside and talk. We're supposed to visit Auntie today."
Jiang Min: "Same thing tomorrow. You guys stay longer."
Jiang Lin: "Sister, the final exam is in a month."
Jiang Min was silent for a moment, "Then you should go back and review as soon as possible, don't delay it."
Liang Tiefeng said to Cheng Rushan and Jiang Xinglei, "I have nothing to do these two days, so I'll take you hunting. I know someone at the Forestry Bureau, let's drive to the northwest ridge."
Cheng Rushan: "Are you allowed to fight now?"
"It's okay. I know someone from the Forestry Bureau. We're just going there for fun. We won't be able to catch much. At most we'll catch a roe deer, a hare, or a pheasant."
Men can either drink together or hunt together to cultivate feelings. Cheng Rushan thought it would be better to get in touch with Liang Tiefeng and talk to him more, so he said, "I'll ask them if they want to go." He went to find Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin and Jiang Min were whispering in the room.
"Brother-in-law said he was going hunting, do you want to go, daughter-in-law?"
Jiang Min: "Linlin, let's not go. It's scary. Rushan, you take Xiaolei with you. Be careful."
Jiang Lin winked at Cheng Rushan, signaling him to have a good talk with his brother-in-law and persuade him. Cheng Rushan understood and smiled, "Then let's go."
Jiang Lin waved at him, "Take your coat with you and keep an eye on Jiang Xinglei. Don't let him get into trouble."
"I know." Cheng Rushan said and left.
Jiang Min looked at his back and smiled, "Brother-in-law is so good to you."
Jiang Lin: "Sister, give me a definite answer. No matter how you applied to the school before, you only have this one chance now. You won't be able to go next year. Think about our original wishes. If you pass the exam but don't go now, won't you regret it?"
Jiang Min slowly lowered her head, "Linlin, to be honest, I want to, but I... can't go. This is how my life is. Sometimes people make one wrong step and then another. There's no turning back."
If she hadn't been angry, coerced, or refused to marry, she might not have had to struggle like this. But now that it's like this, there's no point in regretting it, and it's not fair to Liang Tiefeng or the child.
"Sister, you and brother-in-law have a good relationship, why can't you communicate properly about school? You go to study for two years and go home for the New Year, will it delay anything?" She couldn't understand.
Jiang Min was unwilling to say too much, it was really hard to say. Could she say that Mrs. Liang knew that she had received the admission letter from the School of Finance and Economics and was afraid that she would go there, so she actually hanged herself? Could she say that Liang Tiefeng was stubborn and refused to let her leave the house? She couldn't say it.
Every time they had a conflict, she was angry and upset and wanted to just let it go, but he did some childish things. She was angry with him, but also felt sorry for him. They had saved her, so she had to compromise.
"Linlin, just think of it as me failing the exam. I'll accept my fate for the rest of my life."
She avoided the topic and Jiang Lin had no choice but to let it go. The two of them remained silent for a while.
Jiang Min went to get some snacks for Jiang Lin.
After a while, the sound of a girl crying, as well as the voices of Xiaojun and Mengmeng were heard outside.
Jiang Lin and Jiang Min went out to see, and saw Xiaojun pulling a beautiful girl over. Xiaomeng asked him not to pull him but he didn't listen. He dragged the four-year-old girl over and pushed her into the door next to him, and said proudly: "Lock you up, you are my wife."
Jiang Lin: "Xiaojun, what are you doing?"
Xiaojun smiled at them and said, "Catch a wife."
Jiang Min quickly went over to let the crying girl out, comforted her, gave her some snacks, and let her play with Xiao Meng. She took Xiao Jun into the room and scolded him, "Where did you learn this habit? You talk nonsense. Do you want to be beaten?"
Xiaojun stiffened his neck and said, "My grandma said that when a man is looking for a wife, he should take action immediately if he sees one he likes. If he is late, she will be snatched away by other stinky men!"
Jiang Lin: “!!!”
Jiang Min was angry and embarrassed, and raised her hand to hit him.
Xiaojun: "Why did you hit me? My grandma said so! My grandma said if my dad hadn't taken you away, would I be here?"
Jiang Min's face changed, "What nonsense are you talking about?" She slapped his butt hard.
Xiaojun was wearing thick cotton pants, so the beating didn’t hurt at all. But he had never been beaten before, so he started to cry: “My grandma said so, my grandma said so, my dad locked you up for a month, so you are my mom, wuwuwuwu…you hit me, I will tell my grandma…”
…
Jiang Lin felt pain in her chest, "Sister, let's go find your leader and talk it out!"
Seeing her expression change, Jiang Min said to Xiao Meng, "Take your brother over there to eat melon seeds."
She stopped Jiang Lin who was about to go find the team leader and said, "Don't be angry. It's not what you think."
"So what? Did he not lock you up or force you?" Jiang Lin clenched her fists. If Liang Tiefeng was a rapist, she would not let him go!
Jiang Min was helpless. If possible, she didn't want to talk about this matter in her life. But if she didn't say it, Jiang Lin might misunderstand her and cause trouble.
When she came back to work, her legs were not fully healed. Liang Tiefeng knew about this and gave her some herbs so that she could rest more. That’s how they came into contact more often. But she was just grateful to him and didn’t have any other thoughts.
At that time, she had a lover who proposed to her and she agreed, but for some reason the farm refused to approve it, saying that the policy for educated youth did not allow it.
He wanted to go back to the provincial capital with her, but she happened to be on sick leave due to a leg injury. If her family conditions allowed, she could have stayed in the city on the grounds that her health condition was not adapted to the frontier environment. Unfortunately, her family conditions were difficult, and there was no place for her to live, and no food for her, and his family conditions were not good either.
The huge provincial capital simply cannot accommodate a newlywed couple.
She saw no hope and decisively broke up with him when she returned to the farm, asking him to find a better way out, but he refused to give up and said he would rather not get married except for her. He applied to go to the Soviet border, where it was hard and dangerous, but he could make more money.
She stayed on the farm to work, and she was very negative during that time. Her leg injury was not good. In the winter of 1970, she went to pull wood with the team again, but her leg hurt and she fell behind. It was cloudy and snowy, and her teammates didn't notice her, so she froze in the snow. She thought she would die there, and even gave up on herself and thought that there was nothing wrong with dying there. She heard people say that when people are about to freeze to death, they will take off their clothes because of the heat. She didn't want to make a fool of herself after death, so she wanted to die directly instead of freezing to death slowly.
Liang Tiefeng found her before she was frozen stiff. In the heavy snow, he took off his military coat, wrapped her up, and carried her home.
She remembered the look of joy on his face when he found her, and how his dark eyes seemed to be burning in an instant. This scene made her grateful and compromise with them again and again.
When she woke up again, she was already on the kang in his house. She was naked and unable to move, lying in the quilt, with only him in front of her.
She was so embarrassed that her face turned red, thinking that he was taking the opportunity to act like a hooligan, but he was even more shy than her and said that it was his mother who helped, not him.
Jiang Lin: "He saved you, so you married him. Is that a way of repaying him?"
Jiang Min: “I guess so.”
"What happened to being locked up for a month?" Jiang Lin asked.
Jiang Min: "Don't listen to the kid's nonsense. I was lying in bed at his house for three days. You know, if an unmarried woman lies in bed at a man's house for three days, it's fine... people will think something is wrong."
"Didn't your fellow educated youth classmates come back to look for you?"
Jiang Min: "When they found out I was missing, they went back to look for me. Later, they learned that I was rescued by Liang Tiefeng, so they went to Kaoshantun to look for me. At that time, I was rescued, so they were relieved."
"Don't worry?" Jiang Lin didn't believe it. "If my female classmate was rescued by a man, we would always leave classmates to take care of her when we come to look for her. How could we leave you there? I want to ask your classmates."
Jiang Min didn't expect her sister to be so perceptive that she couldn't hide it no matter how hard she tried. She could only say, "It was his mother who locked the door. She locked us in a room. I couldn't move. I had frostbite on my body and needed to apply medicine. And..."
If she hadn't been so disheartened and self-destructive at that time, she wouldn't have been forced to marry him, let alone the old lady Liang who locked her up with Liang Tiefeng. It was clear that she had given up struggling and compromised with fate. She chose to marry him to fulfill his love, so that her first love would give up and stop struggling and waiting for her.
She and her first love had a crush on each other since high school, and until they finally broke up, they had never even held hands. He shouldn't have wasted his youth on her.
She lowered her head to wipe away her tears, and held Jiang Lin's hand. "Linlin, I'm not wronged, don't be angry for me. If he hadn't saved me, I would have died long ago. I didn't feel wronged to marry him, he treated me very well, he just always minded this matter..."
"He minds?" Jiang Lin looked at him in disbelief. "His mother locked you in the house and ruined your innocence. Why does he mind? He minds that you don't really love him, don't really want to marry him, and that you might still like your first love, right?"
Jiang Min whispered: "Not really. He thinks his mother is wrong, feels very guilty, but is not good at expressing it."
Jiang Lin: "Since you don't blame him, why did you apply to a school that belongs to our family? Why that school?"
Jiang Min burst into tears suddenly. After a long while, she said in a hoarse voice: "I just want to apply. It doesn't matter if I pass the exam or not, and it doesn't matter if I go or not. I just want to... to accomplish something. Once I've done it, I'll let it go and never think about it again."
When they were traveling, they had their eyes on several universities, including a provincial university for undergraduate studies and a finance and economics college for junior college studies.
Now, all the promises have been fulfilled, and the dreams from my youth have also been let go.
But how could she tell this to others? She didn't want to tell anyone, so she just reported it. As for why she reported it, she didn't explain.
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