Rebirth and making money first

My mother looked thoughtful and began to talk about her "contributions" when she was young:

Back then, I was young, fresh out of elementary school. Unwilling to do farm work, I found work as a cashier and recorder in our production team. However, things change. One day, I received a letter from my second uncle. He mentioned that the family had five new siblings and was incredibly busy, and urgently needed someone to lend a hand. So, after careful consideration, your grandparents decided that I should resign from my work in the production team and travel all the way to Guangdong to help.

After arriving there, my days were truly filled with activity and hectic schedules! Not only did I have to manage various household chores, I also had to carefully care for my younger siblings. Furthermore, since my youngest child was crying out for food, I had to tirelessly make two trips back and forth each day, cradling the little one tightly in my arms, all the way to my second aunt's workplace so she could feed him promptly.

How could we even talk about wages? We were family, after all, so how could we ask for money? Although we were provided with food and shelter, we couldn't even afford basic necessities. Your grandparents, your third uncle, and your aunt all stayed back home, working tirelessly day and night. They saved and sold what little food they could, which they then exchanged for food coupons and mailed to us. Even so, the family still lived a tight life, barely scraping by.

As for clothing, I couldn't even hope for anything better. Those days were truly miserable! But the whole family worked together and managed to get through it.

Speaking of this, there's an episode. My second aunt once tried to paint a beautiful picture for me. In order to get me to stay in the south and help her take care of the children for a few more years, she repeatedly promised to introduce me to a handsome pilot as a partner.

However, your grandma had a sharp eye and saw through the trick at a glance. She felt that if I didn't hurry up and start a family, I would become a difficult candidate in the marriage market.

Furthermore, she also suspected that the so-called pilot my second aunt had introduced me to was likely a relatively old, less-than-ideal family member in financial difficulty. So, your grandmother insisted that I return home quickly to find a date and re-plan my life.

Your father and I have been through so many ups and downs over the years, from dating to marriage, and finally having you three. It hasn't been easy. Shortly after we got married, we moved to the remote northeast to make a living, and life there was incredibly hard! We rose from the cracks every day, working strenuous labor, and we were part of a large collective.

After a long day, my back and waist ached, but even so, I didn't dare take a single day off for fear of losing a penny. Despite toiling away like this, I only earned a mere 18.9 yuan a month. Your father, on the other hand, only earned a little over 20 yuan a month. The two of us together only made about 40 yuan.

How could we support a large family on such a small amount of money? So we had to live frugally and budget carefully. To save more money, we even replaced all our fine grains with coarse grains. Although they tasted worse, they at least filled our stomachs.

Then we would exchange the money we saved for food coupons, cloth coupons, and other kinds of bills, and send them to Guangdong, Shandong, and other places on time every month. Your father was also obedient to me at that time, and he would do whatever I said.

As for his family, including his sisters, your grandmother's family, your aunt's family, and even my second uncle's family back in Guangdong, I've never treated any of them unfairly. I'm not bragging or exaggerating; over the years, I've taken excellent care of every one of them. I just hope that one day, when we're in trouble, someone will lend a hand!

However, every time I think of this, my heart is filled with guilt and self-blame. Because I feel that the person I feel most sorry for is my precious son - Xiaobing! When I first gave birth to Xiaobing, your grandmother advised me, "My daughter, please don't have another child. Even if you do, no one can help you take care of it, and it will only make you more tired and exhausted!" In fact, I have only had two sisters since I was a child. Many people in the village laughed at your grandmother for not being able to give birth to a son to carry on the family line.

We had once agreed to adopt your great aunt's cousin as our son, but when the time came, your great aunt suddenly changed her mind. Finally, my second uncle finally agreed to adopt his youngest son and raise him as a family member. But who could have predicted that in the end, my second aunt and uncle couldn't bear to see him suffer, and he was taken back. Sigh...

Because of this, everyone in the village looked down on my family. This made me feel suffocated, and I was determined to have more sons to regain my dignity. Unfortunately, fate did not go as planned, and the first child I gave birth to was a girl like you. Although I finally gave birth to a son, it was far from enough! I also wanted to have more children, but the reality did not allow me to be so willful.

Because there was no one to help me take care of my children! Other families at least had nieces from their mother's side to help, but what about me? Nothing! Even you, it was thanks to your grandma who felt sorry for me and brought you back to her hometown to take care of you.

Over the years, I've known for sure that you've always harbored resentment towards me. But what can I do? Life is so difficult, filled with frustration! I suppose I've been pretty good to you, except for when you weren't around when we were little. All those delicious cookies, sweet candies, and beautiful new clothes I bought for you—anything your sister had, I always sent back home to you.

Anyone who sees your clothes will say that you are not a country girl, but a city girl? If you still can't understand my difficulties, then I really have nothing to say.

Let's talk about your dad, that shameless bastard. He actually had an affair with another woman behind my back and even threatened to divorce me. You all despise me for making a fuss, but if I don't, where will your interests come from? Don't you need to eat, drink, and go to school?

When we divorced, your brother learned about our family situation. He was worried that if all three of you children followed me, the burden would be too heavy on my shoulders, so he chose to go with your father. Poor little soldier, he was taken to the countryside just after entering the first grade of junior high school. Every day, he not only had to prepare meals for the whole family, but also had to wash everyone's clothes.

Oh, my heart breaks when I think about this... They say that if you have a stepmother, your biological father becomes a stepfather too. The soldier didn't even finish middle school before they stopped him. They even sold his household registration! My son is now an illegal resident. Do you know how heartbroken I am?

Seeing my chubby, fair son turn into a dark, thin, and full of anger, sharpening his knife to kill his father, I want to die! Can you understand? A mother is strong, a mother is strong. I can't let my son be destroyed by them!

I persuaded him with all my might and brought him back to Northeast China. I helped him get a household registration and sent him to learn welding. He thought that if he could learn a trade, as long as he wasn't afraid of hardship, he wouldn't starve to death. But you thought you were both educated and wanted to help him. You even paid for his adult college education. Mom saw all this; you cared more than the second child. She came back several times, but she never paid any attention to Xiaobing!

Xiaobing studied diligently, and who wouldn't praise his sensibility? After receiving his diploma, he'd been darting around like a headless chicken for the past few years. From bustling Guangdong to the capital of Beijing, then to the cosmopolitan city of Shanghai, there was hardly a place where he could settle down for long. Even that small shop in Huizhou was something I had to work incredibly hard to get him to open.

Speaking of him, he'd always had poor health, having been spoiled since childhood and unable to endure even the slightest hardship. Later, due to abuse, he wasn't getting enough nutrition, so whenever he ventured out, he'd always return home after a short while. Furthermore, his love life was also incredibly bumpy. He'd been on several blind dates, but either the women despised him for being poor, or he simply looked down on the girls.

Actually, as his mother, even if he didn't say it, I knew it all. He'd always been obsessed with that girl from Sichuan. Unfortunately, she demanded a dowry of 500,000 yuan, and how could our family afford such a large sum? In the end, he had no choice but to marry a woman from Yunnan.

Although the bride didn't ask for a betrothal gift, Xiaobing resorted to some trickery to marry her. Furthermore, after their marriage, they didn't even plan to buy a house. Instead, they relied on their father-in-law's connections to secure a low-rent apartment in the local area. To put it bluntly, it was because they had no money.

Alas, even though everything seems fine on the surface, I know deep down that he's feeling incredibly frustrated! My child, you've always been so filial and capable. I'm hoping you can help your brother, so he can stand up straight and feel proud in front of others.

As long as you're willing to transfer the house to your brother, you don't have to worry about the renovations. We'll figure it out ourselves! Besides, once the house is finished, Mom can move in with us and enjoy a peaceful life. It'll also be a way for you to show your filial piety to Mom.

Your mother has never begged anyone in her life, so she only dares to tell you. Your sister is an ungrateful person, she sides with your father. If you don't help your mother, if Xiaobing's wife divorces him, he won't even have a place to stay!

Zhang Jing recalled a sentence that Guo Degang said in later generations:

Helping your brothers and sisters is also a way to be filial to your parents!