Reborn in 1966

Chapter 453 The Seaside

The group of ten consisted of Liu Yuqian and her two children, Shen Jinhua and her son, Pei Yin and her husband, Pei Kun, Pei Jing, and Pei Shen. They traveled by train, each carrying their own simple change of clothes. Pei Yin carried a camera, while Du Mingjun helped take care of the teenagers. Pei Kun, who had already taken the college entrance examination, received an admission notice from a university in the provincial capital and would be going to study there after the summer vacation. Upon returning home, Pei Yin felt that her younger brother had matured a lot. Shen's mother secretly told Pei Yin that Pei Kun's college entrance examination results were not ideal. His first choice was a university in Beijing. He had always liked to stick close to his older sister and originally planned to follow in her footsteps to Beijing. However, he was admitted to his second choice, a university in the provincial capital. Although this school was also a school with a long history, it was not Pei Kun's ideal school.

Also, Pei-kun's deskmate also got into the same school, although not the same major, but Pei-kun still felt a bit awkward.

It was already past 1 a.m. when she got off the train. Although she had eaten something simple on the train, after getting off the train and smelling the slightly fishy sea breeze, Pei Yin felt that she especially missed freshly cooked seafood. She wished she could find a restaurant right now and have some seafood to enjoy.

After summer vacation started, Qian Xiuju had nothing to do at home, so she waited at the train station exit. When she saw Liu Yuqian and Shen Jinhua coming out of the exit, Qian Xiuju felt her heart pound with excitement. These people's growth had accompanied her through the most arduous journey of her life. During her most difficult times, their families had helped her, making her feel warmth in those dark times. Later, it was because of those days of studying hard at Shen's house that she was able to get into her desired school and be assigned a suitable job. Her family never expected her to turn her life around. Originally, her parents hadn't planned to help her return home. Only after she got into university did she realize that there was no place for her in their home anymore. Over the past few years, her life has been getting better and better, but her relationship with her family remains lukewarm. When she first came back, her brother and sister-in-law wouldn't even let her in the door. Fortunately, Qian Xiuju was a determined person. After a fight with her family, she went back to school. The school provided a living allowance, which was enough for her every month. With the help of some of her former classmates, she rented a place outside the school during the holidays. She worked as a waitress in a restaurant and tutored children from wealthy families. She managed to get through her four years of university. Later, when it came time to assign jobs, she was accepted by a decent university because of her outstanding grades. With a stable job, she started to think about marriage.

Approaching thirty and still single, it was really hard for Qian Xiuju to find a partner. Her mother, at her sister-in-law's urging, introduced her to a widower. It wasn't that he was a bad match, but besides having some money, he was a short-tempered man. Qian Xiuju wasn't the kind of person who would just do whatever her family said. After secretly finding out more about him, she made a scene with her family. Later, one of Qian Xiuju's college classmates came to propose marriage. However, this classmate was three years younger than Qian Xiuju, and the two went through some ups and downs before finally getting together. Now, Qian Xiuju's child is five years old, and she lives a very happy life.

When Pei Yin saw Qian Xiuju again, she compared her to the quick-witted and efficient girl in her memory. She felt that Qian Xiuju's skin had improved a lot. Although she was over thirty, she looked like she was in her twenties. She was wearing a floral chiffon dress and a sun hat with lace trim. In those days, chiffon clothing was not very common, but the city had always been the fashion capital of the province. Many new fabrics and new clothes led the fashion trend in the province.

After a long journey, the group took a taxi to the sea-view room that Qian Xiuju had helped them rent.

These houses by the sea are all original buildings with a foreign style. They are all two or three-story buildings, each with a small courtyard filled with flowers and plants. The courtyard where Pei Yin rented was surrounded by a waist-high wall planted with roses. The rose vines were probably quite old, as they had climbed all over the wall. However, it was clear that the flowers and plants in the courtyard were carefully tended, and the rose vines were trimmed very neatly.

By the time everyone had put their luggage away, it was already past two o'clock. Qian Xiuju ordered some side dishes from a nearby restaurant and said, "Let's make do for now. Zhou Qian is going to treat us to a big meal tonight."

Liu Yuqian had a good relationship with both of them. Back then, they were all studying together, participating in sports, and taking the college entrance examination for the first time. They were all on the list of successful candidates, so their relationship was naturally different from others.

Liu Yuqian laughed and said, "What, has Zhou Qian struck it rich?"

Qian Xiuju said, "Zhou Qian's husband went into business and I heard he made a lot of money. Zhou Qian works at the Investment Promotion Bureau and I heard she did a great job in this investment promotion task and received a lot of bonuses. Tell me, if we don't take advantage of her, who should we take advantage of?"

Liu Yuqian said with a smile, "Oh my, I never thought that our little Yuqian from back then would become such a strong woman."

Qian Xiuju, Liu Yuqian, Shen Jinhua, and Pei Yin sat under the rose trellis in the yard, watching the children playing and laughing under Du Mingjun's guidance. Qian Xiuju said, "Our situations are similar. If we don't become strong ourselves, who can we rely on? In my family, my older brother and sister-in-law are in charge, and my mother doesn't have much of a say. My brother and sister-in-law would love to sell me by weight. In Zhou Qian's family, her mother favors the older children and neglects the younger ones; the middle child was adopted. When Zhou Qian first came back to school, her mother coaxed her to use the little money she had saved to support the other two children. Later, Zhou Qian was hospitalized with appendicitis..." Her mother couldn't afford a single penny; it was me and a few classmates who pooled our money to pay for the surgery. Because of this, Zhou Qian never went home again. Her mother would cry to her, and she would just listen. Later, her mother asked her for retirement money, and Zhou Qian gave her some every month; any more and she'd have nothing left. Yu Qian, Jin Hua, Pei Yin, our families aren't like yours; they don't always think about the children. They always think of themselves first, and the children they love first. I keep thinking that maybe it's because we were away in the countryside for so long that they've forgotten we even exist as their daughters.

Seeing Qian Xiuju's distressed expression, Liu Yuqian took her hand and said, "Look at you, why are you so sad? Everyone in our village knows that Qian Xiuju, who was sent to work in the countryside back then, is now a university teacher in the city."

Qian Xiuju said, "Things are better now, but we had a really tough time back then."

Liu Yuqian said, "Let's not dwell on the past. Let's look to the future. Good days are ahead."

Qian Xiuju ordered several kinds of pickled vegetables marinated in shrimp oil, as well as several plates of fresh seafood. A medium-sized rice cooker was filled with seafood dumpling soup. Since they had missed the mealtime, the group ate a little something and then strolled slowly along the beach.

Qian Xiuju's child was taken by her mother-in-law and had reportedly returned to her hometown in a lower-level district. Now, it was just Qian Xiuju and her husband at home. After graduating, Qian Xiuju's husband was assigned to the maritime department, where he was quite busy, unlike Qian Xiuju who had summer and winter vacations. Several married women talked about their husbands and children, occasionally teasing Pei Yin, who was married but childless. Even though Pei Yin considered herself to be thick-skinned, she couldn't quite handle it.

In the evening, Qian Xiuju led everyone to a relatively upscale restaurant near their rented sea-view apartment. Upon arrival, they went directly to a large private room on the second floor, where Zhou Qian was already waiting. Seeing Liu Yuqian and the others arrive, Zhou Qian even teared up. Zhou Qian exuded the air of a modern white-collar worker, wearing a navy blue skirt, a short-sleeved white shirt, and her hair simply tied up. Perhaps due to improved living conditions, the somewhat thin little girl from their memories had grown into a tall woman with willow-leaf eyebrows and phoenix eyes. Zhou Qian's charm lay not only in her good looks but also in the confidence she displayed. Pei Yin followed behind her sisters-in-law, watching them hold hands and talk with red eyes. It was Zhou Qian who came to her senses, wiped her eyes, looked at the group of people following behind her sisters-in-law, and said, "Oh my, the children in the family have all grown up so much. Back then, we all envied you for having twins, a boy and a girl. These must be Duoduo and Guoguo."

After exchanging greetings, everyone sat down as host and guest. The meal was very satisfying, and even Coco held her mother's hand and said, "Mom, let's come here for dinner again tomorrow."

The weather at the beach in summer wasn't too hot, and many people who had come from afar were playing on the beach. After dinner, Pei Yin and Du Mingjun strolled along the beach. The heat from the sun during the day had dissipated, and the sea breeze was blowing, carrying a hint of coolness.

The two held hands. There were still people camping out in tents on the beach. They found a clean spot to sit down. Pei Yin rested her head on Du Mingjun's shoulder. Du Mingjun said, "Pei Yin, what are you going to write about your trip to the beach?"

Pei-Yin said, "Write about seafood! How can we not write about such delicious seafood?"

Du Mingjun said, "That's right. The climate and food here are both good. When we get old, let's buy a house here. We can come here to escape the summer heat and go back to Shenjia Village in the winter to sleep on a kang (heated brick bed) and steam jujubes."

Pei-Yin said, "Okay, as long as you're with me, I'm fine with going anywhere."

The next day, Qian Xiuju came to find Du Mingjun and asked him to call his unit in Beijing. Qian Xiuju had received a call from Peihua early that morning. Du Mingjun's supervisor then called Du Kunpeng, who in turn called Shenjiacun, and finally Peihua called Qian Xiuju. Peiyin, upon hearing this, thought how convenient it would be if everyone had a mobile phone. After Du Mingjun returned the call, he learned that his unit wanted him to return immediately so that Peijun and the others could give them a lesson after their summer training camp ended.