Reborn in 1966

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Divorced Man

Mr. Shen said, “Don’t be silly. You’re only a few years old. Stay home and help with chores and take care of your younger siblings.”

Peihua said, "Dad, I've thought about it for a long time and I think it's more appropriate for me to go instead. Our family is old and young, so if anything happens to you at home, someone will be there to help. Although I'm not very old, I can handle the work of a divorce without any problem. Dad, I've heard that the place for the divorce is very far away, and I guess I won't be back until before the New Year. It's too cold now, and your back is not good. If you go and injure yourself like this, who knows what will happen to you in the future? Please let me go."

Shen's father said, "Peihua, you're not fully grown yet. What will you do if you get hurt? Listen to me, just stay home and help with the chores."

Peihua said, "Father, I'm fine. This time I'm determined to marry in your place. Please don't try to persuade me otherwise."

When Shen's mother heard about her eldest son's decision, she felt extremely sad.

She knew her child's father's health best; he couldn't withstand any more exertion. But what about her seventeen-year-old son? A mother worries when her son travels far, let alone this sensible and obedient child. Shen's mother was truly tormented.

In the end, no one in the family could persuade Peihua. Over the weekend, Shen's mother tearfully made a thick pair of cotton trousers for the child. Grandma took apart two mattresses, washed them, and combined them into one to wrap up her eldest grandson. Then, on a chilly morning, the family saw Peihua off at the village entrance, along with several other women from the village who had also been married off.

This time, the commune is gathering people to dig a canal hundreds of miles away. It is said that the food will be very good this time. After all, this construction project is organized by the state, and each commune brings its own food. If the commune brings its own food, the food probably won't be very good.

With her elder brother Peihua gone, her mother's heart went with him.

Every time Pei Yin saw her mother doing something, she would stop halfway through, and gradually the pauses would become longer and longer, with her eyes unfocused and staring at a certain spot.

Pei Yin knew this wasn't good; she should try to distract her mother, but she couldn't bear to interrupt a mother's longing for her child who had gone far away.

Grandma once said to Second Grandma, "Peihua's mother is truly suffering. If we let Peihua's father go, I'm worried his health won't be able to handle it. If we let Peihua go, he's only seventeen years old; who knows what kind of suffering he'll endure. Sigh..."

A long sigh cannot fully express the bitterness of parting, nor the deep longing a mother has for her child.

Half a month after Peihua left, the letter he sent finally arrived home.

The letter was sent directly to the school. That day, after school, Shen's mother ran home and went into her grandmother's room. She picked up Pei Yin, who was playing on the kang (a heated brick bed), and kissed her. Pei Yin knew from her mother's excited expression that something good must have happened.

Seeing her daughter-in-law's happy expression, Grandma smiled and asked, "Peihua's mother, what made you so happy?"

Peihua's mother said excitedly, "Mom, Peihua sent a letter back. He said they'll be staying there for a month this time, and that the food there is very good. He ate three big steamed buns in one meal."

Grandma said, "Oh my, Peihua has finally sent a letter! Let me see it quickly."

Grandma read the thin letter over and over again. Finally, she wiped away the tears in her eyes and said with a smile, "Not bad, not bad. Peihua said that the team didn't give him any heavy work because he's young. That's good, that's good."

During dinner that evening, everyone in the family knew about Peihua's letter home. Peijun looked at the date Peihua wrote the letter, counted on his fingers, and said, "My brother will be back in a few days. That's great."

Grandma said, "That's right. The letter takes a long time to travel, and judging by the time, Peihua will be back soon."

Mr. Shen had mixed feelings. He should have gone himself, but his child went in his place. The labor intensity of the labor of a servant was very high. Although Pei Hua made it sound easy in his letter, he, who often went with the servants, knew very well the actual situation.

With mixed feelings, Mr. Shen went to the courtyard. It was already the end of the tenth lunar month. The starry sky made his eyes a little blurry. He breathed in the cool air, which gave him a refreshing and stimulating feeling. After slowly exhaling the stale air from his chest, his troubled mood gradually calmed down.

The door behind him opened with a bang, and when Shen's father turned around, he saw his elderly father.

Grandpa Shen, holding his pipe, walked over to his eldest son, who was standing under the sycamore tree in the yard, and said, “Shengsi, Peihua was right to go for you this time. There are five elders in our family, and you have several younger children. If anything happens to you, the family will collapse. You must remember this: as long as you are here, the backbone of this family will be there.”

Father Shen said, "Dad, I know all this, but Peihua is too young. I'm so sorry for him."

Grandpa said, "Peihua is a sensible child, sigh..."

The next day was a weekend, and Shen's second uncle took Shen's second aunt, Tian Lingling, home on his bicycle for the weekend.

The bicycle passed through the village, carrying two young people, a handsome man and a beautiful woman. Everyone who saw them said that they were a perfect match, and those who were envious and jealous gritted their teeth in hatred.

The young couple lived in the factory dormitory. When they weren't busy, they would cook for themselves, and when they were busy, they would go to the canteen to get food. They didn't have any family burdens and lived a very comfortable life.

Before even entering the house, Grandma followed the commotion to the front door. Looking at her increasingly composed youngest son, and then at the unspoken understanding between the young couple, Grandma couldn't stop smiling.

When Tian Lingling saw her grandmother coming to the door, she rushed forward and called out "Mom!" and then helped her grandmother into the yard.

Grandma said, "I thought you two would be able to come back this weekend, so your second aunt said we'll stew some wild game with cabbage for lunch today."

Tian Lingling smiled and said, "Thank you so much, Second Aunt. My brother Shengqin and I bought some pastries for the family. Mom, let's share them. It's not much, just a little something for our family to try."

Once inside, my second uncle brought in a faux leather bag hanging from the handlebars of his bicycle. Inside were several packets of peach shortbread. My grandmother chuckled and said, "You two don't earn much money. You should save it properly and live frugally. Why spend this money?"

Tian Lingling said, "Mom, aren't there still my second uncle, second aunt, third aunt, and my eldest brother's children at home? As their nephews and second uncles and aunts, we should at least bring them some gifts, shouldn't we?"

Grandma was very satisfied with her cheerful and easy-going daughter-in-law, who was both young and old. Although she felt that her family was not quite as good as the Party Secretary's family, Tian Lingling's performance after marriage was evident. Not only did others say she was good, but she herself also thought she was a good daughter-in-law.

Pei Yin really liked her cheerful second aunt. Whenever she saw her, she would follow Tian Lingling around. Tian Lingling smiled and said to her second uncle, "Brother Shengqin, look at Pei Yin following me like a little tail. Pei Yin, come on, call me 'Second Aunt'!"

Pei Yin readily called out "Second Aunt," which made Tian Lingling's big eyes squint into slits with joy.

Grandma was making cotton clothes on the kang (a heated brick bed). She watched her youngest daughter-in-law interacting with her granddaughter with a smile. Uncle Shen said, "Look at you, you're just like a child."

Tian Lingling said with a smile, "I like Pei Yin. Look how pretty she is, and how well-behaved she is. Who wouldn't like her?"

Since Tian Lingling was back, she had to go back to her parents' home. Seeing that Pei Yin liked to follow her, she simply took her along.

With the weather getting colder, there's less work for the production team. They haven't been working for the past two days either. Secretary Tian knows his daughter is coming home today, so he's waiting for her.

As Tian Lingling carried Peiyin into the room, Tian's wife smiled and said, "Oh, Peiyin's here too! Come on, warm up on the kang (heated brick bed)." As she spoke, she started looking for peanuts and other snacks, placing them on the kang table. She then said to Peiyin, who was sitting beside the table, "Peiyin, Grandma will peel some peanuts for you."

When Tian Aiguo heard his sister enter the room, he came out of his room and greeted Uncle Shen with great respect, showing no disrespect.

Pei Yin had always worried that the Tian family would look down on the Shen family. After all, the Tian family was a leader in the village, while the Shen family had a rightist in their family, which was a bad class background. In this era with very clear class distinctions, it was not allowed to have any sympathy for the opposing class. However, judging from the Tian family’s appearance, there was no intention of looking down on the Shen family.

It was only a little past nine in the morning. When they weren't working, they ate breakfast very late, and lunch was also late, so they could save on dinner. Judging from the way the village secretary's family looked, they probably had just finished breakfast not long ago.

The family sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) talking, while Pei Yin ate shelled peanuts beside them.

Secretary Tian inquired in detail about the young couple's work, life, and relationships with colleagues. Sometimes he would offer suggestions or comments on the things they handled.

Pei Yin, who was listening nearby, felt from Tian's few words that Tian was a very wise person. He took the people and things that Shen Shengqin told Tian Lingling as an example, and Tian gave advice from the details. He also told the two of them some stories from his own past experiences, so that they could handle similar situations in the future.

Tian Aiguo sat quietly to the side, listening, sometimes nodding thoughtfully. Tian's wife saw Peiyin listening with her big eyes wide open, and smiled as she stroked Peiyin's hair, saying, "Peiyin, can you understand it? Look how serious you are."

Party Secretary Tian smiled and looked at Pei Yin, saying, "Your eldest brother's little girl is quite an obedient child."

Tian Aiguo said, "By the way, sister, Dad said he wants me to join the army."

Tian Lingling said, "I haven't asked you yet, why didn't you go to school after your school reopened?"

Tian Aiguo said, "I went to school for a few days. Now the school is half labor and half class. The teachers have all been sent to do labor. If I don't know something, I can't find a teacher to explain it to me. So I brought my things back. Anyway, I have textbooks. I can study at home. If I don't know something, I will ask Brother Shen or some of the teachers at the school for help. I can learn more at home than at school."