Wear it quickly, it's better to live a miserable life than to die

In the autumn of 1976, in a small mountain village on the western border, early in the morning, before dawn, a middle-aged woman named Wang Cuifen opened the door of her room, took care of her physiological problems, then staggered to the kitchen with her legs crossed to scoop up hot water for washing.

He opened the lid of the pot and saw the warm egg custard inside. He raised his eyebrows, spat into it, and then covered the pot again as if nothing had happened.

"Humph, you are such a grown-up. You don't work every day, but you grab food from children. Aren't you ashamed?"

At the educated youth camp, on the big kang, the well-developed biological clock made the cricket pupae open their eyes reluctantly and determine the time with the help of the light coming through the cracks in the wall.

After a while, they rubbed their arms, waists and legs and struggled to get up.

During the autumn harvest, anyone who can breathe must go to work. Children and the elderly do the light work, and the young and strong, both men and women, if they do not do eight work points a day at this time, they will become the typical example of a lazy person if they are not careful.

When the food was being distributed, the team leader would personally drag them out for a walk, which was humiliating.

Ding Yi resigned himself to his fate and climbed out of bed. He rubbed and tapped his muscles, secretly applying the principles of the Dao to relax his sore muscles.

He quickly washed up and rushed to the small kitchen. There was still a bowl of porridge left in the pot with two pickles. He drank it up in one gulp, washed the bowl, picked up the small wooden cone he had carved, and caught up with the main group.

Ding Yi didn't say a word along the way. When they arrived at a cornfield, the team leader asked everyone to get their tools.

Ding Yi was given a backpack and assigned to pick corn.

Fortunately she was prepared.

There is a groove carved on one end of the small wooden cone, which is tied to the wrist with a string. The other end is sharpened and inserted into the yellowed corn husk. It is lifted up and the husk is separated. After two pulls with the hands, a complete corn cob appears in front of the eyes. The golden corn kernels are large and full, revealing the joy of a good harvest.

He threw his arm back and broke off a corn cob.

This action is repeated thousands of times, and the day is over.

After the scoring was completed, Ding Yi received a full score of ten work points. He left like everyone else.

Back at the educated youth site, Jiang Mei and Wang Lixia, who cooked today, were complaining to each other.

"So tired!"

"Who isn't?"

"I envy those people who don't have to cook and can just wait and eat ready-made food."

"Just for one day. Before, they envied us because we didn't have to cook after work."

There is a water tank next to the stove. When the fire is lit, the water will be heated at the same time. This way, there is no need to boil extra water.

Ding Yi couldn't wait any longer, so she took a basin of cold water and washed her face first, especially her neck. She didn't know how much hair was covered there, and it felt itchy, sticky and uncomfortable.

The other educated youth were the same, and it would be nice to wash their faces first.

After dinner, everyone washed their own dishes, soaked their feet in hot water, and lay on the bed, without any desire to chat.

"This kind of day will only end in a month."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. The labor intensity is high in the first few days, but after a few days, you won't be so tired after you get used to it."

Those present were all educated youth who had been working in the countryside for at least two years. How could they not know this truth?

Ding Yi was lying straight on the bed, a large bunk bed with people on both sides, each of them 80 centimeters away. If he turned over with a large arc, he would kick another person.

The original identity, Sun Qiumei, was an old educated youth who had been sent to the countryside for five years. She was a classmate of the male educated youth Guo Chang. They went to the countryside almost at the same time and were assigned to Pianxi Village.

As they got along, they gradually fell in love with each other. Seeing that returning to the city was boring, they decided to get married.

There is a family in Pianxi Village, who are relatives of the team leader. There are four brothers in the family, and a younger sister, He Huacan. Because she was born in old age, she is quite favored in the family. She has been studying in the town and graduated from high school in June this year.

Now I am living off my parents at home.

When Guo Chang was free, he went up the mountain and met He Huacan, who had fallen in the forest and sprained his ankle.

It is a story of a hero saving a beauty. If there were no subsequent developments, Ding Yi would only feel that the two were not destined to be together.

He Huacan took a fancy to Guo Chang. After living in the countryside for many years, Guo Chang also wanted to get closer to him. Just because he was a relative of the team leader, Guo Chang was unwilling to refuse.

If you become the relative of the team leader, the work assigned to you will be less stressful.

Sun Qiumei knew Guo Chang's plan, and the two of them broke up tacitly. Their relationship had never been made public, and now it was fine, except that there was a little more regret.

He Huacan was favored. Her four brothers spoiled her. They took pity on her for being fatherless at such a young age, and treated her like their own daughter. They also expected their wives and children to spoil her in the same way.

The younger sister fell in love with an educated youth. The four brothers of the He family disagreed at first, but Guo Chang took the initiative to say that he could come to their house, and He Huacan was so moved that he burst into tears.

He Huacan's fourth brother, He Huafu, is now almost 30 years old and still a bachelor. The whole family is worried about his marriage and has almost turned gray with worry.

He Huafu had a fever when he was a child, which caused him to have intellectual disabilities, a bad temper, and be ruthless. He Huacan's second sister-in-law was beaten to death by He Huafu.

After getting married, He Huacan and her husband complained about their fourth brother's problems and sincerely hoped that a woman who could tolerate their fourth brother would marry him and have children with him. This would also fulfill He's mother's wish.

I don’t know what Guo Chang was thinking, he actually set his sights on Sun Qiumei.

After the autumn harvest, Guo Chang asked Sun Qiumei to meet in the forest to return the things she had given him before.

Sun Qiumei went to the appointment, but was knocked unconscious from behind. When she woke up, she and He Huafu were lying naked together, surrounded by people.

Sun Qiumei's reputation was ruined and she had to marry He Huafu.

Life after marriage is a mess.

He Hua was violent and would use his fists to punish anyone who didn't meet his expectations. Sun Qiumei never had intact skin on her body.

All the members of the He family lived in the same courtyard, and all of them stood on the side of He Huafu. Sun Qiumei thought Guo Chang would help her, but she didn't expect that Guo Chang was the one who had the greatest malice towards her. She heard Guo Chang teach He Huafu how to beat his wife so that she would listen to him more and treat him better.

Sun Qiumei couldn't help but rush out to question Guo Chang. During the fight, she was discovered by He Huacan, who thought Sun Qiumei was trying to seduce Guo Chang.

He Huacan rushed over, slapped Sun Qiumei twice, and told the other members of the He family about it.

From that day on, Sun Qiumei's life became even more miserable. Everyone in the He family, from the three-year-old child to He's mother, could step on her.

Not only was she beaten every day, she also didn't have enough to eat. She had to do all the housework, and the He family even said she was lazy and gluttonous.

In the autumn of 1977, the country announced the resumption of the college entrance examination.

Guo Chang and He Huacan naturally went to participate. Sun Qiumei also wanted to go, but was stopped by the He family.

The next year, Guo Chang passed the exam successfully, but He Huacan failed.

Guo Chang coaxed He Huacan and said that he would come to pick her up after he settled down in the city.

But after Guo Chang left, there was no news from him again.