Starting a new chapter in life

"Jingyan, Jingyan, are you still sleeping? Get up, you'll be late for work!"

A woman's voice came from afar, accompanied by the sound of running footsteps.

Before anyone arrives, the sound comes first.

The person on the kang (heated brick bed) opened their hazy eyes and saw the earthen and wooden beams of the house. This was completely different from the environment in the last moment of their memory, yet it had a strange sense of familiarity.

Zhang Jingyan looked around. This was a kang (heated brick bed).

She was still pondering when the little girl who had been shouting all the way had run in. Seeing her still lying on the kang (heated brick bed), she spoke with displeasure:

"Why are you still sleeping? It's almost time to start work. Chef Lin said this morning that the canteen needs a batch of duck eggs this afternoon, and he told us to go early to wash them and make salted duck eggs. We can't be late."

As he spoke, his hands were busy too. Leaning against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), he pushed Zhang Jingyan up and said, "Quickly put on your shoes. Let's run there. We shouldn't be late. Don't just stand there like an idiot. Are you still half asleep?"

Zhang Jingyan's mind was a mess, but she still obediently slipped on her cloth shoes, hopped up and lifted the heels, and followed the little girl quickly outside, using a hair tie to loosely gather her long hair as she walked.

"Little sister, remember to buy a few steamed buns when you get off work. The canteen makes big ones. I'll just cook two dishes tonight and won't cook dinner, okay?" A female voice came from behind and instructed.

As Zhang Jingyan walked, she glanced back and was startled: Fourth Sister!

Before she could respond, the little girl grabbed her and started running: "Hurry up! You're always the one waiting for me. What's wrong with you today? You seem so dazed, like you're half asleep?"

The two of them arrived at their work site, panting heavily. "This is... the mess hall of the troops stationed back home?" Zhang Jingyan was completely dumbfounded.

The little girl pulled her to the cashier and smiled at the older woman standing inside, saying, "Sister Liu, Jingyan and I are here. We're not late, are we?"

Sister Liu was in her early thirties, with her hair tied up in a bun. She looked very capable and replied in a gentle voice, "We're not late. Everyone is here. It's just that the duck eggs haven't arrived yet. Go to the kitchen and wait for a while. Once the duck eggs arrive, we can assign tasks."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Liu." The young girl replied and took Zhang Jingyan's hand to enter the kitchen. There were already several people chatting, some standing and some sitting, looking very relaxed.

The two found a spot by the window to wait. Zhang Jingyan searched her memory and realized that the chubby little round face seemed to be Peng Chunlai.

Her childhood friend later married someone from Heilongjiang, while Chunlai married a young man from the village. Over time, they lost contact, and the memory of their former friend faded. Now, she has finally remembered her.

She tugged at the little girl's sleeve, "Chunlai, what year is it this year?"

The little girl named Chunlai had a look on her face that said, "Are you stupid?", but she still replied, "1973, August 12th. Do you want to know what time?"

Zhang Jingyan shook her head, "No need for that, thanks."

Chunlai looked at her very seriously: "Are you feeling unwell? You've been acting strange since earlier. If you're not feeling well, ask Chef Lin for a leave of absence. Your health is the most important thing."

Jing Yan shook her head and replied slowly, "It feels like I had a very, very long dream, a dream that lasts a lifetime. I haven't recovered from it yet."

Chunlai tilted his head and looked at her carefully: "You seem to be a little swollen from sleeping. Oh dear, it's good that you're healthy. Quickly cheer up, we need to get ready—wash the duck eggs. Chef Lin's pickled duck eggs are especially delicious. The yolks are sandy and oily, and the eggs aren't too salty. Just thinking about them makes my mouth water."

It looks like it only takes a few steps, so why can't I make it? Let's be more diligent, and once it's pickled, we'll buy more to take home. Without connections, with such a limited daily supply, we definitely won't be able to get our hands on any of this!"

Zhang Jingyan smiled at her: "Okay, let's work harder so that Chef Lin can see our efforts. Then we can talk to Chef Lin and see if he can pickle some duck eggs for us on his own. Wouldn't it be better if we bought him a few packs of cigarettes as a thank you?"

Chunlai's eyes suddenly lit up. "Jingyan, you're so smart! This is a great idea. Once I've discussed it with Chef Lin, I'm definitely going to buy a hundred or two hundred duck eggs. That'll be enough for our family to eat for a year or two. Just thinking about it makes me happy."

As they were chatting, a tall, strong man in his forties, dressed in a chef's uniform, stood at the door and smirked: "The duck eggs have arrived and are being unloaded. Chunlai and Jingyan will be in charge of washing the duck eggs. Granny Gao, you are in charge of laying the washed duck eggs on the counter under the window to dry. Be careful not to bump them, or they will spoil if they crack."

"Aunt Xing, go wash the jars for pickling the eggs clean, turn them upside down to air dry. Xiao Zhou and I, prepare the vegetables for tonight. Once the vegetables are ready, the duck eggs should be almost dry. Let's try to pickle them before we finish work. Okay, let's get started!"

After Chef Lin finished giving the instructions, he clapped his hands, and everyone started working.

Zhang Jingyan and Peng Chunlai sat on small stools, brushes in hand, tending to a large steel basin filled with duck eggs. They were carefully brushing the eggs, their minds also racing, sorting through their thoughts. Everything in the dream seemed both real and unreal; they didn't know if it was a real dream or a past reality. But either way, it was quite unbelievable. Oh well, there was no point in thinking about it too much. It was better to just live the present life well.

The seemingly faded memories are slowly coming back to life. In 73, her parents had already passed away, and she and her fourth sister depended on each other for survival. Her eldest, second, and third brothers had all started their own families. Her eldest and second sisters had married into neighboring villages, and her third sister had married into a family in Heilongjiang.

She had a fairly good relationship with her eldest and second eldest brothers, but her third brother…

My eldest brother works in an administrative position in the municipal government and lives in the city. He can only come back to see them every few days. My second brother lives not far from them, but he is not in the village either. My second sister-in-law just gave birth, and he is struggling to make ends meet, so he can't take care of his sisters.

As for the third brother, although they lived in the same village, he didn't do well in school and had to drop out of junior high to work on the farm. He was a very good worker and earned full work points. But he changed after marrying his sister-in-law and starting his own family.

She started arguing with her siblings about who earned more and who ate more. At that time, she was still in school and was the only one in the family who lived off others. However, because she was the youngest and her father had passed away, her mother spoiled her. Her third brother wanted her to work to earn work points, but her mother beat him up and then decided to separate the family.

Mom was worried about her and her fourth sister, so she said she wanted to live with her youngest daughter. The third brother was even more dissatisfied. After all, the family was doing well at that time, and Mom could earn work points. She didn't want to live with her eldest brother or him, her son. She was focused on supporting her youngest daughter. Because of this, the third brother's relationship with her became even more distant.

Now, her mother is gone, and her third brother doesn't even ask about her and her sisters anymore. After graduating from junior high school, she also went to work in the fields to earn work points, eight work points a day, and she was considered a well-known hard worker in the village.

Last year, some troops were stationed near my home. They said they had urban construction tasks and would stay for about three to five years. The army canteen was looking for workers. When the job posting was put up, many young girls in the company wanted to work there. Although it was a temporary job, they would get ten yuan a month and two meals a day. Everyone was scrambling to get such good treatment.

Zhang Jingyan and Peng Chunlai stood out because they both had junior high school education and were physically strong, capable of carrying heavy loads just as well as the average man. They won the job by virtue of their strength and education.

They've been working here for over a year, and what they love most is Chef Lin's skill in pickling duck eggs. Unfortunately, even though Chef Lin didn't hold back and practically taught them step by step, their own pickled duck eggs either easily turn rotten or don't produce enough oil; in short, they're far inferior to the chef's.

In those days, there were no private transactions. If you wanted duck eggs, you either had to raise them yourself or trade with other people. It was quite a hassle to do it once. If you failed once, not only would your family not want to try again, but you yourself wouldn't want to either. You could only wait for the chef to make them and then use your coupons to buy some to satisfy your craving.

After a busy day, everyone ate dinner in the cafeteria and cleaned up inside and out before leaving. Zhang Jingyan took a lunchbox containing stew and four steamed buns home.

Fourth Sister also came home from work and was washing clothes in the yard. When she saw Jingyan come in, she called out, "Jingyan is back. Do you have any clothes to wash? Bring them over and I'll wash them by hand."

Jingyan shook her head: "No, Fourth Sister, I got the food and steamed buns from the cafeteria, so you don't need to cook anything tonight." She waved the lunchbox in her hand.

Zhang Jinghuan wrung out the clothes in his hands, got up and went to the clothesline to shake them out, saying, "Why buy vegetables? There are plenty of vegetables in our garden. We can just stir-fry them a couple of times and that's it. Why waste money on this?"

"Today's stew was very oily, and we just happened to have a little bit left after we sold out. Since it was the last dish, it cost the price of one serving, but it was almost a serving and a half. There was also a lot of meat, so it was a good deal."

Zhang Jinghuan finished hanging the clothes, shook the water droplets off his hands, casually wiped the sides of the clothes, took the lunchbox from Jingyan's hand, and said, "Then you should eat some more, I can't finish all of this by myself."

Jingyan shook her head: "No, I've already eaten my fill in the canteen. It's okay if I can't finish it all. I'll hang it in a basket in the well to keep it cold, and you can have another meal tomorrow at noon. The work in the fields is not easy, so we can't skimp on some oil and fat."

Jinghuan nodded upon hearing this: "Alright, I'll go to the fields early tomorrow morning. I'm going to steam sweet potatoes. Remember to get them from the pot yourself tomorrow morning. You don't look too well. Get ready and go to bed early."

Jingyan nodded: "Alright, Fourth Sister, I'll go back to my room first." After saying that, she went into the kitchen, fetched a basin of water to wash up, and then went back to her room.

I took out the mattress from the cabinet by the kang (heated brick bed), spread it on the kang, arranged the pillows, took out the quilt, and finally lay down, finally able to think quietly in a peaceful environment.

"I clearly died of a heart attack, so how did I end up back at 18? Such a realistic life, was it all just a dream? In the dream, my third sister was doing quite well in Heilongjiang; at least in those times of scarcity, Heilongjiang didn't lack food or drink."

But what happened afterward? I married into that place because of its wealth, but I've suffered my whole life. Now I have another chance to choose. How should I choose?

After the 1990s, my third sister, with the help of her children, also left Heilongjiang. "If I could, I wouldn't want to follow the same path again. Perhaps, relying on myself, I can give it my all and live a good life for myself!"

As she pondered, she slowly drifted into sleep. In her dream, she saw her only daughter from her previous life, and her daughter's words echoed in her ears once more: "Mom, Dad is useless. He's lazy, ambitious, and has no ambition. What else does he have besides his good looks?"

You have the ambition to get rich quick but lack the ability to make a lot of money, and you're unwilling to work hard. You're struggling so much, supporting the whole family alone, why can't you get a divorce?

You'll definitely be better off without my dad. You should live for yourself, not waste your life on others, even if that person is me.

Look at you, you've made yourself sick from exhaustion. Besides the lukewarm reputation of being a "good woman," what do you have left? You suffer all the pain by yourself; who can help you bear it?

Can't you love yourself a little more? Can't you be a little more selfish? Mom, my heart aches for you, I really do. If there ever comes a day when you're free, I hope you won't be burdened by your family and can live a more relaxed life.

When Jingyan woke up again, she was momentarily confused, but then she remembered, "Oh right, it's 73. It's not the time to start a business yet. I haven't set up a barbecue stall to support my family, and I haven't married that person yet." Thinking of this, she perked up.

He muttered to himself, "Since I'm starting a new life, I'll listen to Xiaoyue and live for myself this time. I just don't know whose family my child will be born into..."

After getting up, putting on my coat, washing up, and putting the quilt away in the cabinet next to the kang (heated brick bed), I tied my hair up and took out the four sweet potatoes and a bowl of porridge that my fourth sister had left for me from the pot. I ate breakfast quickly with some pickled vegetables. I washed the dishes with the water from the bottom of the pot, and seeing that the stove pit had turned to ashes, I scooped out the water from the bottom of the pot, dried the bottom of the pot, and made sure that everything in the house was tidied up before locking the front door with the lock.

On the way to the canteen, I took a slight detour and arrived at Peng Chunlai's house. Standing outside the gate, I shouted at the top of my lungs, "Chunlai, time to get to work!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chunlai's voice came out: "Right away, Jingyan, wait for me."

As the clattering sound came, Peng Chunlai, with her braided hair, skipped out and looked at Jing Yan with a smile, saying, "You seem to have slept well last night. Look, you're much more energetic now. Let's go." With that, she automatically took Jing Yan's right arm.

Zhang Jingyan felt a little uncomfortable seeing her holding her hand, but she didn't pull away, and the two went to the cafeteria together.

The morning passed slowly as everyone picked, washed, and chopped vegetables. As Chef Lin started cooking, the aroma gradually wafted out. Just as noon arrived, the four dishes and soup were ready. Everyone moved their food and soup to their respective windows, ready to get their food.

Just as the group was getting ready, a soldier entered the mess hall with his lunchbox. Looking at the menu on the blackboard, he pondered what he wanted to eat before heading to the window. Lunchtime had arrived!