In her previous life, Zhao Tingting had gone with her mother back to her maternal grandparents' home, and this same scene had played out.
Back then, she had naively thought that this trip to her grandmother's house would be just like any other visit—that she would be welcomed by everyone. But the moment she stepped through the door, she saw her aunt's sour expression, and her grandmother's words were laced with hints that Chen Xiang should remarry and take her along.
Zhao Tingting had thrown a tantrum on the spot. She ran outside, shouting that her grandmother didn't want her and her mother anymore, that she wanted to go home, to go back and find her father.
The Chen family hadn't expected Zhao Tingting to suddenly run off. By the time they reacted and went looking for her, not only had the news of Chen Xiang's divorce and return to her parents' home spread throughout the entire village, but Zhao Tingting had also vanished without a trace.
The Chens feared Zhao Tingting might meet with an accident, so the whole family scattered to search for her. In the end, they had to mobilize the entire village before finally finding Zhao Tingting in a dilapidated house several li away.
That outburst of Zhao Tingting's made the Chen family a laughingstock for the whole village and offended everyone in her grandmother's household.
Zhao Wansheng, however, could understand her grandmother's reasoning.
In this era, a married daughter staying at her parents' home with no house and no land—remarriage was inevitable.
But this time, she didn't want her mother to follow her grandparents' arrangement and marry into the Shen family.
The Shen family was well-off, but they had many members and even more rules. If Chen Xiang married in carrying a "drag-along" child, she would never be able to hold her head up or stand tall.
After more than a decade of hard labor, she had died alone in a cowshed because of being implicated.
The Shen family was not a good place to go. In this life, Zhao Wansheng absolutely would not let her mother walk that old path again.
Zhao Wansheng sat quietly to the side, pondering the future path for mother and daughter.
In her previous life, after Chen Xiang left with Zhao Tingting, she had buried herself in work day after day for over a decade, without freedom, unaware of what was happening in the outside world.
It wasn't until this era ended and she looked back that she realized many factories in the cities had been hiring workers during this time. Quite a few bold and quick-witted farmers had managed to find work in the cities.
After this period passed, by the sixties and seventies, jobs would become increasingly hard to find.
Zhao Wansheng decided that when they went to sleep, she would urge her mother to go to the city.
Whether it was finding work or finding a partner, the city was better than staying in the village.
Chen Xiang forced a smile through dinner.
After cleaning up the kitchen, Chen Xiang returned to the room she'd had before her marriage and saw her youngest daughter still awake. She squeezed a smile onto her face. "Wansheng, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Zhao Wansheng's current body was only six years old, and she had walked such a long way. At this hour, she would normally have long since gone to meet the Sandman.
But tonight, for the sake of their future happiness, Zhao Wansheng had been forcing herself to stay awake, waiting for Chen Xiang to come back.
"Mother, does Aunt don't want us to stay at Grandmother's house?" Zhao Wansheng asked cautiously in a childlike tone.
A shadow of gloom flickered across Chen Xiang's weary face. "Wanwan, don't overthink it. Your aunt has always had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Hasn't she always been good to you every time you came to Grandmother's house before?"
Zhao Wansheng hadn't said this to get comfort from her mother.
"Mother, can we not stay at Grandmother's house?" Zhao Wansheng pouted, looking displeased.
A hint of difficulty crossed Chen Xiang's face. "Wanwan, your father and I are already divorced. Grandmother's house is our home now. If we don't stay here, where else can we go?"
Zhao Wansheng quickly put on a thoughtful expression, then her eyes suddenly lit up. "Mother, I heard Gouzi's uncle tell Gouzi's grandpa that the city is recruiting workers now. If you have a job, you get a place to live and money too. Why don't you go to the city and find a job too?"
There was a child named Gouzi who lived next door to the Zhao family. His uncle often went out gallivanting, so it was plausible for Zhao Wansheng to claim she'd heard it from him.
Chen Xiang hugged her daughter. "Silly child, do you think those jobs are so easy to find? Haven't you seen that Gouzi's uncle is still farming at home? If it were true, why wouldn't he go?"
"Hmm…" Zhao Wansheng pretended to think. "Maybe it's because Gouzi's uncle isn't as capable as you, Mother. You can support me and my brothers and sisters all by yourself. Gouzi's grandpa always scolds Gouzi's uncle for not even being able to support himself…"
Zhao Wansheng genuinely believed this. A young woman being able to raise four children on her own in this era was an extraordinary feat. But Chen Xiang didn't think much of it. She patted her daughter's head. "Silly child."
Zhao Wansheng suddenly slapped her forehead. "Oh! I remember now. Gouzi's uncle said he never went to school and can't read, so the factory wouldn't take him. But you can read, Mother. If you go, you'll definitely find a job!"
Chen Xiang was taken aback. "Really? Just knowing how to read is enough?"
Zhao Wansheng nodded. Before she could say anything more, Chen Xiang said with a look of uncertainty, "I only followed your uncles to a private school for two years when I was little. I barely know a few characters. It's not like I'm a proper educated person. Besides, I'm divorced…"
Hearing this, Zhao Wansheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Her mother had also taught them, her siblings, to read and write over the years. She was completely fine with reading and writing. Just on that basis alone, she was already better off than many people in this era.
However, over the years, her mother's spirit had been worn down by the hardships of life in the Zhao family. Having just been abandoned by her husband and children, and being a woman who had never had much of her own opinion to begin with, after all these trials, she had become so self-deprecating that she lacked even the slightest courage to step outside.
Zhao Wansheng could understand this, but she didn't support it.
In one's life, opportunities to change one's fate are fleeting. If you miss them, they become a lifelong regret—the kind you carry to your grave with unclosed eyes.
Having barely gotten a second chance at life, Zhao Wansheng only wanted her and her mother's days ahead to be peaceful and smooth.
"Mother, it's not like you're the only one getting a divorce these days. Besides, if you can't find a job, you could always find me a new father in the city. Isn't that better than staying at grandmother's house and holding back cousin's marriage prospects?"
Zhao Wansheng used her eldest cousin's marriage to persuade Chen Xiang to leave.
If Chen Xiang was destined to remarry anyway, she might as well take the initiative and find her a good family. It would be best if she could marry a worker—with their poor peasant background, for the next ten-plus years, she wouldn't have to live in constant fear.
Hearing this, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in Chen Xiang's eyes.
But still, she felt it was a bit embarrassing to talk about remarrying in front of her daughter. She awkwardly touched her temple: "But I'm just a country woman who knows nothing… this… will it work…"
Zhao Wansheng nodded vigorously. "Of course it will! Mother, you're the most capable person in my heart. Once we get to the city, you can find a job, and then you can find me a new father in the city. After that, you'll never have to work hard in the fields again!"
The bewildered Chen Xiang, persuaded by her daughter's words, felt there was some sense to it, though she still lacked confidence.
Seeing Chen Xiang's conflicted expression, Zhao Wansheng took her arm and gently swayed it. "Mother, I want to study. None of the villages around here have schools, but I've heard that cities all have schools! If we go to the city, I can go to school!"
In her previous life, Liu Zilan had only sent Zhao Wansheng, already twelve years old, to school because he was pressured by others' opinions and his reputation. But even then, Liu Zilan only let her finish elementary school before making her drop out.
After Zhao Wansheng gained the ability to make her own decisions, she often regretted having read so few books back then.