Just as Jiang Xiaowei was about to speak, Lin Yuchuan interrupted her.
“Weiwei, you don’t want our future to be ruined, right? They just want money, don’t they?If we give it to them, no one will bother us again.Don’t you want to live a good life with me?” Lin Yuchuan said, then began groping her.
Jiang Xiaowei couldn’t resist. Her voice turned sweet and coquettish.“Brother Yuchuan, since you asked, if I don’t do something, wouldn’t that be letting your feelings go to waste?But I can only give you fifty yuan—this is already the limit.You’d better treat me better from now on.Do you hear me? Don’t disappoint me.”
“Mm, Weiwei, don’t worry. You’re my treasure. I’ll treat you well.”“Come give Brother Yuchuan a kiss. I’ve missed you. Have you missed me?What if tonight we—”
“Brother, no, no,” she said, refusing verbally, but her body told a different story.Her hands appeared to resist him, but the two of them were practically inseparable.
Lin Yuchuan not only got the fifty yuan, but also satisfied his craving—both verbally and physically.He left with a smile, thinking, See? I’m such a great guy; what woman could refuse me?A city girl like her obeys my every word.“Lu Wanqing, just you wait. I won’t let you get away with this.”
Lin Yuchuan returned to the field, and Xu Xiuying immediately rushed over, speaking like a thief, whispering.
“Son, did you get the money?How much did the educated youth give you?That girl likes you so much—she must’ve given you a lot.”
“Mother, she only gave me fifty yuan—just enough for the grain.Mother, we finally got fifty yuan. Do we really have to give it to the Lu family?I feel so unwilling.”
“Son, don’t worry. This is only temporary.We’re just putting it with them for safekeeping.Later, we’ll ask for it back with interest.That Lu girl is too strange today—like she’s become a different person.I don’t know what got into her. Before, she followed you everywhere.”
“She fed you, cared for you, worried you’d suffer any injustice.And today she won’t even listen to you.Maybe she went down to the river and got her brain washed away?”
“Ah! Mother, don’t worry about it.We’ve already broken the engagement.From now on, I can marry whoever I want—that’s my freedom.Mother, do you want to hold your first grandson?If you do, then hurry up and get things ready.I’ll talk with Weiwei and decide when to hold the wedding banquet.If she really gets pregnant, we must hold the banquet immediately.”
In the countryside, many people didn’t register their marriages.Holding a wedding banquet meant they were officially a family.In those days, life was simple and unadorned.Even if a man beat his wife, divorce wasn’t considered.Divorce meant a woman was “impure,” and it would be difficult for her to remarry.
This was the oppressive legacy of feudal thought, and women suffered greatly.They worked endlessly, cared for elders and children,were beaten by their husbands, looked down on by their mothers-in-law, and excluded by sisters-in-law.Once married, a woman had no home.Even returning to her own family made her feel like a guest.
And if she stayed too long, the sister-in-law would roll her eyes or talk in a mocking tone.“She’s eating for free,” they’d say, or “She’s just in the way.”It was a cruel reality:Women were guests in their own families and strangers in their husbands’ homes.No matter where they went, they were never truly accepted.So many women used their frail bodies to hold up an entire household.
Xu Xiuying was immediately excited by the idea of a grandson.Women in the countryside wanted a son above all else—because a son meant grandchildren.Without a son, the family line would end, as if a throne had no heir.In their minds, a daughter was like losing the family line, since she would always marry out.Only a son could support them in old age.Without a son, no one respected them in the village.
“You’re still the best, my son.You’re the most outstanding high school graduate.One day, our family will go live in the city and have a good life.You did the most.Mother will take good care of your son.I’ll talk with your father at noon and pick a good date.We’ll hold the banquet.But we don’t have grain—what should we do?”
“Mother, what can we do?We don’t have ration coupons or meat coupons.Even if we had them, we can’t give all our grain away.Let’s go up the mountain and see if we can find wild game.That would add some dishes.”
“Even if we only have radish, potatoes, and cabbage, other people’s weddings are the same.If we can get a few meat dishes, people will talk.They’ll be jealous.If we catch some game, we’ll have face.”
“Think about it: the other women in the village will envy us.Our banquet will be great, and we’ll have a city girl as a wife.We’ll be the first family in the village to have that.And Weiwei’s family might even have officials or rich relatives.If so, they’ll promote me too.Then we can all live well.”
“We’ll live in a building in the city, not in this cramped, dark mud house.Even simple tasks are inconvenient here.”
“Ah, you’re shameless.If you tell people the house isn’t soundproof, you should keep it quiet.You still have a sister to marry off.If she marries someone good, wouldn’t that be even better?”
“Then our family will truly become rich.We’ll be city people.Those mud-foot villagers won’t even be worthy of holding our shoes.”
“Mm. Mother, let’s get back to work.We already have the money.At noon, we’ll give it to them.So they won’t keep thinking about it.We’re poor, but we’re city people now—we won’t stoop to their level.”
“Son, you’re right.If you say give, we give.If you say don’t, we don’t.Humph. That Lu girl broke the engagement—who would want her now?And her family is too arrogant and hard to get along with.Her daughter will only marry some old widower in the village.”
“Or a man in his fifties or sixties.They treated my son like this, so if they get what they deserve, good.”
“Mother, don’t worry.Once Lu Wanqing leaves me, her family’s life will only get worse.”
“She deserves it.”