Chapter 1 News
When Lin Qingqing came downstairs, she saw Aunt Wang, Sister Liu, and He Xiaoli talking around the front desk. Just as she was about to walk over, she saw Sister Liu, who was talking, immediately fall silent when she saw her, so she stopped in her tracks.
Seeing Liu hesitate, Aunt Wang turned around and saw that it was Lin Qingqing who pulled her over. She said excitedly, "Your third sister made her mother-in-law so angry yesterday that she was sent to the hospital!"
Lin Qingqing looked surprised. "How could this be..."
“I saw it with my own eyes! The Zhao family had a really big argument yesterday, and the whole compound was talking about it.” Aunt Wang’s husband works at a hardware factory and lives in the same compound as the Zhao family. “I heard that he was seriously injured at the time and could barely speak. He still hasn’t been discharged from the hospital today!”
He Xiaoli asked curiously, "Why are they arguing?"
"What else could it be! It's about Qingqing, the third sister," Aunt Wang said, then realized something was off and changed her tune, "The despicable things Lin Ying has done have spread throughout our entire commune! I've heard about it all. Yesterday, when Zhao Liye's mother went to buy vegetables, the people at the market wouldn't even sell her any! Zhao Liye's mother has always been very concerned about her reputation, and now her daughter-in-law has ruined the whole family's name. How can she stand it?"
Aunt Wang paused for a moment, then continued, "And yesterday, Lin Ying was suspended from her job and then summoned by the police station. She wasn't released until the evening. Who would dare to associate with someone like that? I heard she forced her son to divorce Lin Ying yesterday!"
"Then how did she collapse?" Aunt Liu asked, puzzled.
"Why? Because her son wouldn't agree! You don't know, Zhao Liye's mother disagreed with them from the very beginning. I heard she had her eye on the daughter of the hardware factory secretary. I've met that girl; she's not only beautiful, but she's also a college student. But Zhao Liye was blind and fell for Lin Ying, insisting on marrying her. His mother had no choice but to agree, and she even broke up with Secretary Xu's wife over it."
Aunt Liu clicked her tongue twice, "This Lin Ying is quite capable."
“It’s no use being capable if your mother-in-law doesn’t like you. She’ll cause trouble for you every few days. They’ve had several fights this year. I even heard that Zhao Liye’s mother sent a matchmaker to their house. I wondered what was going on,” Aunt Wang didn’t understand at the time, but now she does. “The Zhao family has had only one son for three generations. Lin Ying can’t have children. How can Zhao Liye’s mother tolerate her?”
He Xiaoli grasped Lin Qingqing's hand, pursed her lips, and said, "She can't just make advances on others; she's got a black heart!"
“Who can argue with that?” Aunt Wang said with emotion. “I heard that Director Zhao said that if Zhao Liye doesn’t agree to a divorce, the couple will move out of the family compound together and have nothing to do with the Zhao family anymore.”
"Isn't he the only son in the Zhao family? Would Director Zhao really be willing to give him up?" Aunt Liu asked in shock.
“You have to be willing to let go, even if you don’t want to. Secretary Zhou said this matter must be severely punished. If Director Zhao doesn’t take a hard line, he might lose his job. Besides, Zhao Liye is young and hasn’t experienced hardship, which is why he’s reluctant to give up Lin Ying. Now that his own mother has fallen ill, can he still insist on not getting a divorce? Even if he doesn’t care about his mother, do you really think he can live like this without the Zhao family?” Aunt Wang didn’t think Zhao Liye and Lin Ying could keep dragging this out indefinitely.
He Xiaoli was still a young girl. Although she thought Lin Ying was a vicious person, she still retained her naivety when it came to marriage: "What if he persists?"
Since Aunt Liu knew Lin Qingqing and Zhao Liye, she asked, "Qingqing, do you think he will get a divorce?"
"How would I know about this?" Lin Qingqing said helplessly.
In the original novel, Zhao Liye and Lin Ying went through many ups and downs before finally living happily ever after. However, this was because the original owner of the body bore all the pain; Lin Ying didn't ruin the Zhao family's reputation, and Zhao Liye's mother didn't suffer a stroke and be hospitalized. With fewer obstacles, their marriage naturally went smoothly.
But what about this life?
Will they stay together for life, or will they abandon each other when disaster strikes?
He Xiaoli, sensing the implication in Lin Qingqing's words, tried to smooth things over by saying, "Qingqing said before that she didn't have much contact with Zhao Liye, so how would she know about these things?"
When Aunt Wang and Sister Liu heard what she said, they understood and nodded, saying, "That's true."
It was getting late, so the group chatted for a while longer before parting ways. After Aunt Wang and Sister Liu left, He Xiaoli took out a book she had brought from the drawer and handed it to Lin Qing, saying, "This is what I used to use. Take a look at it first, and ask me if you don't understand anything."
There were two books in total, one for Chinese and one for math. Both covers were wrapped in book covers, and although the corners were curled, it was clear that He Xiaoli took good care of the books. Lin Qingqing took the books, thanked her, and then asked, "Are you still studying?"
"Hmm?" He Xiaoli was slightly taken aback.
"I think... you really want to continue your studies, right?" Lin Qingqing asked.
He Xiaoli's smile faded. "What's the point of continuing my studies?"
After 1968, the country called for people to go to the countryside, and only one child in urban families with many children had the opportunity to stay in the city to take care of their parents. He Xiaoli had never considered these issues before graduating from junior high school, because although there were three siblings in her family, her parents always treated them equally, and she thought she would not be the one abandoned. Until the year she graduated from junior high school, she accidentally overheard her parents' conversation.
He's mother had suffered greatly in her youth, and her health had been fluctuating. Therefore, after her eldest daughter graduated from junior high school, He's father discussed with his wife the idea that their eldest daughter was getting older and they should persuade her to retire so that their daughter could take over her job. However, He's mother argued that if their eldest daughter took over the job now, would she still be willing to go to the countryside when her son grew up? It would be better to let her finish high school and go to the countryside directly. When their son grew up and took over the job, it would be a natural way for him to stay in the city and not damage the relationship between the siblings.
It was only then that He Xiaoli realized that no matter how good her mother was to her normally, when it came to crucial moments, sons and daughters were treated differently. She made a scene at home and promised to go to the countryside when her younger brother grew up, finally managing to secure a job opportunity from her parents.
Although she agreed at the time, He Xiaoli still wanted to stay in the city, so her goal was to get married before her younger brother grew up. After she got married, whether or not she would have to go to the countryside would no longer be up to her parents.
From the day she left school to take a teaching position, He Xiaoli knew she could never return to school.
After listening to He Xiaoli's words, Lin Qingqing said, "Maybe you can still go to university after you get married."
He Xiaoli thought Lin Qingqing didn't understand, so she explained, "You need someone to recommend you to go to university and get a worker-peasant-soldier quota. Even if you can go to university after getting married, you still can't get in without a quota."
"What if they don't need the quota anymore in the future?" Lin Qingqing said.
"What?" He Xiaoli was slightly taken aback.
Lin Qingqing looked around and, seeing no one, whispered in He Xiaoli's ear, "Maybe one day, when the college entrance examination is reinstated, we can all go to university."
He Xiaoli laughed upon hearing this, saying, "I think you're just daydreaming."
"Whether you believe me or say I'm daydreaming, I only ask you this: if you really had the chance, would you be willing to give up your studies and watch it slip away?"
After getting to know He Xiaoli better, Lin Qingqing felt more and more that this girl, who seemed a bit aloof at first glance, was worth befriending. The other girl had helped her a lot, and she didn't want to see He Xiaoli confined to this small guesthouse. Especially after seeing He Xiaoli's books and sensing her passion for knowledge.
Therefore, after much hesitation, Lin Qingqing still subtly brought up the possibility of the college entrance examination being reinstated.
He Xiaoli remained silent for a long time before lowering her eyes and saying, "I will think about it carefully."
"Mm." Lin Qingqing nodded. She had said what she needed to say, and the choice she would make was up to her.
...
After receiving the textbooks, Lin Qingqing didn't rest. For the next two days, she spent all her free time reading.
Actually, she didn't need to study so hard. After all, she had graduated from university in her previous life, and although the times were different, the first-grade curriculum was very easy for her. But Lin Qingqing's reason for borrowing books from He Xiaoli wasn't just to study; she mainly wanted people to know that she was studying.
Although this approach was somewhat superficial, the results were immediate. When Ms. Sun, the Women's Federation official, came to visit Lin Qingqing again, she overheard these words from the people at the guesthouse.
"This girl is so ambitious! She's always reading books, and she's learned so many words in just two days!" said Aunt Liu.
"Oh my! I've never seen such a smart girl. She memorized most of the Chinese textbook in just one day. Not only can she read it, but she can also write it from memory!" That's what Aunt Wang said.
"Comrade Lin is indeed very capable!" This is what He Xiaoli said.
In less than two days, not only the staff at the guesthouse but also the Women's Federation knew that she had started to recognize characters and was very smart, having finished reading the first-grade Chinese textbook in just two days.
Even Xie Baoshan, who was on business at the commune, heard about this and went back to tell his family, "I heard she has already started studying the second-grade textbook. At this rate, she may be able to learn all the elementary school knowledge points in less than half a month."
Xie Baoshan's wife, Song Yan, is a primary school teacher. She reminded him, "The content in the first and second grades is simple. She is an adult, so it is naturally easy for her to learn. She may not be able to learn at the same speed when she reaches the fourth or fifth grade."
“That’s already pretty good,” Li Xingfang said. She had a good impression of Lin Qingqing. “I’ve met Comrade Lin. She seems like a smart girl. If her parents were still alive, she might be able to study hard and achieve great things.”
Although Song Yan poured cold water on her husband's enthusiasm, she also felt sorry for Lin Qingqing and sighed, saying, "Luckily, she was lucky, otherwise her life would have been ruined."
Upon hearing this, Xie Baoshan glanced at his fourth brother sitting opposite him, who didn't even raise an eyebrow. He thought to himself, "That girl isn't just lucky; she's clearly smart!" He recalled the last time Lin Qingqing went to the brigade headquarters to find his third brother. He was fine before he left, but when he returned, he was furious and rushed off on his bicycle to the commune to find her.
At the time, he thought Lin Qingqing had offended Xie Wei by saying something wrong, but now he realizes it was probably because of this.
Unfortunately, his third brother was tight-lipped. He had been subtly probing him for several days, but he hadn't let slip a single word.
Li Xingfang had no idea what her eldest son was thinking; he was only preoccupied with Lin Qingqing's matter. Remembering something, she asked, "By the way, Lin's adoptive mother has been detained for several days now, hasn't she? How's the interrogation going?"
"Her adoptive mother's case is easy to investigate. Secretary Zhou and the secretary of the Linjiazui Brigade both heard it with their own ears, and the physical evidence is complete. But it's hard to confirm whether Comrade Lin's third sister, Lin Ying, is involved in the case," Xie Baoshan said with a frown.
"What's so hard to confirm?" Li Xingfang found it strange. Didn't everyone say that there was both witness testimony and physical evidence?
"Comrade Lin's adoptive mother said that she did it all by herself and that it had nothing to do with her daughter. Lin Ying also insisted that she did not know anything about it, but Comrade Lin said that Lin Ying and her daughter conspired together. Otherwise, the case is so simple, it would not have dragged on for so long. However, I estimate that it will be resolved in the next day or two, and we will have to reach a conclusion whether it succeeds or not."
At this point, Xie Baoshan paused, glancing sideways at his third brother who was engrossed in eating. "Actually, this matter is easy to resolve. The real issue is where Comrade Lin will register his household registration in the future, which is not so easy to handle."
Xie Wei finally looked up and asked, "Why is it so difficult?"
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