Zhao Huai’an interpreted this phenomenon as the masters having already fixed the major issues earlier, leaving only a small problem behind—and by coincidence, he had only learned how to handle these minor faults, so he was able to fix it.
Everyone present, however, understood that he was being modest. When Director Cui heard that the vehicle had been repaired, he came over to take a look and patted Zhao Huai’an on the shoulder.
“Not bad, kid,” he said. “Since we’re sending supplies down to the town the day after tomorrow, you’ll go along and run the vehicle. Get some experience.”
In truth, Director Cui wasn’t entirely comfortable letting Zhao Huai’an go out so early. He was worried the young man hadn’t truly mastered much yet and might become arrogant instead. But now it seemed his ability was solid and his attitude was humble, so he could be cultivated. If he turned out well, Director Cui could even gain favor from his superiors during the New Year by claiming he had an eye for talent.
Hearing that he could go out on a trip, Zhao Huai’an felt a surge of joy. Going to other places meant expanding his “map,” and he wondered what better rewards he might be able to obtain through sign-ins.
He really wanted to tell He Qiutang about this, but it was already late and inconvenient to go over. He originally planned to visit the He family at noon the next day, but just as he stepped out of the depot, he saw a young girl standing in the distance.
“What are you doing here?” Zhao Huai’an’s eyes lit up the moment he saw the girl he loved. He suddenly remembered that on the first day she had come to pick him up from work after they started dating, she had also waited quietly outside without telling him. That kind of joy and sweetness, whenever he thought of it, still felt warm in his heart.
“What, I can’t come?” she replied.
He Xiutang even said the exact same words as before. Same words, same person, just a different time and place—it gave Zhao Huai’an a strange, tingling feeling in his heart.
It was a pity that in this era, he couldn’t simply pull her into his arms and kiss her properly.
“I think I did pretty well on yesterday’s exam, but my sister won’t let me talk about it. I was bored staying at home alone, so instead of waiting for you to come find me, I came to pick you up from work.”
“Good timing,” he said. “I also have good news for you—I’m going to start going out on delivery runs tomorrow. It should be a round trip in a day. Come on, let’s go to the state-run restaurant today and have a good meal.” Yesterday he had even obtained food ration coupons through sign-ins, enough for several meals there.
When He Qiutang saw the ration coupons, she also noticed that Zhao Huai’an might not have much money on him.
“Speaking of money, there’s something I need to tell you,” Zhao Huai’an said. “It’s about my family situation. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was worried it would distract you from your exam. Let’s walk and talk.”
After his last conversation with his parents, Zhao Huai’an’s father decided to split the family. Since Zhao Huai’an had found a job, it gave him confidence to make this decision. His father had invested a lot of effort in the eldest son and had high expectations for him, but now that he discovered his other sons were also capable, he felt somewhat relieved.
Since the young couple had their own plans, he decided he would no longer interfere.
After discussing it with his wife for half the night, they came up with a division plan.
“My eldest brother’s job was actually bought with family money. Over the years, his salary has basically been repaid, but my parents still feel uncomfortable about it. So even after the split, they require him to give the family 7 yuan per month as filial support. On top of that, since he and my sister-in-law are taking quite a lot of household items with them, that offsets the separation share. My sister-in-law is of course unwilling, but my parents insisted that if she didn’t agree, they wouldn’t split the family. She thought it was just my parents pressuring them, so she had no choice but to agree.”
“I also moved out smoothly. I plan to stay in the dormitory at the depot. I only need to take bedding and daily necessities from home, and I’ll send 5 yuan a month back to the family—or ration tickets and supplies instead. Since they know drivers sometimes earn extra income, the arrangement isn’t very strict.”
“Especially since my second brother believes going down to the countryside is extremely hard, my parents probably won’t let the fourth and fifth sons go. If I hadn’t secured a job, my mother might have given me her own position, otherwise I would’ve already been sent down to the countryside.”
The biggest conflict in the Zhao family was about going to the countryside and job assignments. For some reason, Zhao Huai’an’s sister-in-law, Zhou Cuicui, had already treated his mother’s job as her own. No matter which son the job might go to, she would never agree.
She had even threatened that if his mother gave the job to another son, she would report the Zhao family to the neighborhood office for violating the countryside assignment regulations.
“What kind of sister-in-law is she…” He Qiutang didn’t know how to describe her for a moment.
“Birds of a feather flock together,” Zhao Huai’an said. “I think that couple already treats everything in the Zhao family as their own. If the Zhao family only had one child, maybe there wouldn’t be so much trouble. Unfortunately, the Zhao family is known for having many sons.” From a modern perspective, Zhou Cuicui’s behavior could be seen as a classic case of resource competition, but in this environment, Zhao Huai’an had no way to peacefully coexist with her. And the couple also knew that the parents were firm in their stance and would not give in, so they were already planning to move out.
“Well, that might actually be better—distance makes the heart grow fonder,” He Qiutang said. While they were talking, they arrived at the state-run restaurant.
“Where are you going to sign in today?” she asked.
“Let’s try the state-run restaurant,” Zhao Huai’an said. As he spoke, he completed his sign-in—but the reward they received made both of them feel a little bitter.
Three thousand jin of cabbage?