Miao Xingye and Miao Jiang were both gathered around Lin Xia, trying to talk her out of it. Miao Hong wiped her tears, looking wronged and resentful.
“Mom, you only care about Little Sister—why don’t you ever care about me?
I’m your daughter too. How could you give your job to her just to bring her back?
What can she even do? I still don’t have a job yet.
My classmate’s mom gave her job to her just to keep her from being sent to the countryside, but you—”
“Shut up!”
Miao Xingye cut Miao Hong off harshly, glaring at her.
“You nearly drove your mother to the hospital with anger, and she’s barely recovered, yet here you are complaining again.
If you and your brother hadn’t acted on your own, would our family have ended up in this mess?
She’s your little sister—don’t you care about her safety at all?”
Miao Hong wanted to argue further, but Miao Jiang yanked her sleeve hard, and she reluctantly fell silent.
Miao Jiang softened his tone and tried to persuade Lin Xia.
“Mom, you’ve just recovered and your blood pressure is still high. There’s no way you can handle the bumpy journey.
It’s all my fault—every bit of it. I wronged Little Sister.
How about this: I’ll ask for an extended leave from the factory and go to the northwest myself to find a way to bring her back.
I’ve heard that you can apply for a medical leave or something—maybe that could work.”
“Brother!”
Miao Hong was alarmed. How could they bring that fool back?
Miao Jiang shot her a look, signaling her to keep quiet.
He had already contacted the commune where she was sent. The little fool had gotten lucky—she’d actually made it there safely.
Mom felt guilty about Little Sister and couldn’t stop worrying about her. So he’d go there himself and have the little fool tell Mom in her own words that she didn’t want to come back. That would put an end to Mom’s hopes once and for all.
Miao Xingye chimed in as well.
“Dajiang is right. Your body can’t handle the strain. Let him go.
Don’t worry—he’ll definitely bring Qingqing back to you this time.”
But Lin Xia no longer trusted her husband or her son. If they hadn’t stopped her that night, she would have gone straight to the educated youth office—maybe she could have had Qingqing sent back.
Her Qingqing… with nothing at all, just put on that train like that.
So far away, in a strange place where she knew no one—how could a little girl who could barely even speak properly manage on her own?
“Don’t say any more. I’m going to find Qingqing. I’m going to bring her back myself.
If the educated youth office won’t let her return, then I’ll give her my job. I just want my daughter back safe!”
Lin Xia was adamant and wouldn’t listen to anyone.
Miao Xingye and Miao Jiang exchanged a glance and stopped trying to persuade her. They told Miao Hong to help Lin Xia back to her room to rest, then the two of them slipped into the kitchen and whispered together.
Since they couldn’t talk her out of it, they’d find a way to keep the towel factory from approving her leave request.
In any case, no matter what, they couldn’t let her bring that fool back. The family had finally gotten rid of that burden—they couldn’t be dragged down again.
Miao Qing was woken up by the noise. Opening her eyes, she stared at the gray cave dwelling ceiling and thought of the big chicken leg she’d been about to eat in her dream. She was furious.
Ever since she’d transmigrated here, she hadn’t had a single bite of meat.
She’d finally managed to dream about it, and she was woken up before she could even take a bite.
Who on earth was so annoying?
It was Chang Rufan, carried in on Zhang Jingshan’s back, crying and shouting,
“What kind of godforsaken place is this? I’m not staying here another day—I want to go back to the city!
Jingshan, take me to the commune tomorrow. I need to call my mom. I want to go home, boohoo, boohoo…”
Like a screeching noise drilling into her ears, utterly unbearable.
Miao Qing slowly sat up, balled her dirty socks into a wad, and hurled it at Chang Rufan’s head.
“Ah!”
Chang Rufan picked up the ball with two fingers, pinching it in disbelief, trembling.
“What is this? Don’t tell me these are your worn socks!”
Miao Qing crossed her arms, her face cold and merciless.
“That’s exactly what they are!”
Chang Rufan was livid. She shrieked and lunged at Miao Qing.
She had never been treated like this in her entire life. Those filthy, stinking socks—they’d actually landed on her head.
Now her hair smelled like feet—aaaaah!
Zhang Jingshan quickly pulled Chang Rufan back and looked at Miao Qing with a helpless yet amused expression.
“Did we wake you up?”
Miao Qing shot him a big eye-roll. If you know, why ask?
Her sizzling, juicy chicken leg—she’d been so close, just one bite away.
Zhang Jingshan held Chang Rufan back with all his strength and quickly explained,
“I’m really sorry. Xiaofan had a rough day today. She almost got her foot chopped off by a sickle right at the start.
Then she got bitten by bugs, scared by a grasshopper and fell over, and on the way down the slope she actually tumbled into a ditch and sprained her ankle.
She’s in a bad mood, which is why she’s acting like this. I’m truly sorry—please try to understand.”
Chang Rufan was as uncontainable as a pig about to be slaughtered, thrashing and yelling,
“Who needs her understanding? Who does she think she is!
She’s just relying on having a brigade leader for a relative so she can slack off—like anyone’s impressed.
She has to apologize to me today, or this isn’t over…”
Miao Qing put on her shoes, got off the kang, and gave Chang Rufan a cold snort and a dismissive eye-roll before walking out.
Chang Rufan was furious and frantic, pounding the kang and screaming at the top of her lungs,
“Little fool, stinky Miao Qing, stop right there! Stop!
Don’t you dare leave—come back, come back—”
Miao Qing pretended to walk away, but as soon as she stepped out the door, she turned right and sat down on the stone block by the entrance.
Only an idiot would go back. Eavesdropping was way more exciting.
Chang Rufan ranted and raved about her for a while, then pestered Zhang Jingshan again about going back to the city.
Though Zhang Jingshan was disappointed with life in the countryside, he wasn’t willing to give up so easily.
His father always said their generation of young people had never known hardship and lacked tempering. Zhang Jingshan used to disagree, but now he felt there was some truth to it.
Since he was here, he would stick it out. Even if he became a farmer, he’d be a qualified one—he couldn’t let his father down.
But Chang Rufan didn’t want to hear any of it. She couldn’t understand why Zhang Jingshan insisted on making things hard for himself.
So what if he couldn’t go to university? If she wanted to, she could get a job at a newspaper office right away.
Comfortable, respectable—what was wrong with that?
Why stay in this godforsaken place, suffering and toiling, only to put up with all this humiliation?
Zhang Jingshan couldn’t talk Chang Rufan around, and Chang Rufan couldn’t change Zhang Jingshan’s mind. The more they argued, the tenser it got. Chang Rufan finally blurted out,
“If I’d known you’d be like this, I never would have come to the countryside with you.”
Zhang Jingshan was fed up too.
“I never asked you to come with me. I was planning to come alone in the first place—you’re the one who insisted on following.”
Chang Rufan was deeply hurt.
“Fine! So you’ve finally said what you really think. So that’s how you see me.
I’ve seen your true colors now. I’m never speaking to you again. I’m leaving tomorrow—boohoo…”
Zhang Jingshan felt wronged too. What had he even done wrong?
He’d only stated a simple fact.
But Chang Rufan was crying so pitifully, and as a man, he couldn’t just ignore her. He had no choice but to patiently coax her.
Miao Qing listened with great amusement, wishing she had some sunflower seeds to snack on.
Their presence was a perfect substitute for the TV shows she could no longer binge-watch.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wei Ran hurrying in from outside. Miao Qing quickly lowered her head, picked up a twig, and poked at the ants on the ground, pretending to be busy.