Struggle Life in the 1970s

At night, Chu Ye lay on the bed, holding his junior high school textbook, and started studying again.

She ignored the content that she could understand after reading it once, and folded the corners of the book when she encountered something she couldn't understand. Just as she read, she felt a myriad of emotions rising in her heart.

She is different now. In her previous life, she wasted eight years and was deeply trapped in family difficulties. She found it difficult to read what she could read at a glance before. If she wanted to pick up books again, she still had a long way to go.

But if you don’t study, you will have to get married. The only way to escape this fate is to escape from the mountains.

According to the memory of the previous life, the country will announce the resumption of the college entrance examination in October next year. At that time, many people will take the exam and eventually enter university campuses.

But it is still too slow for her. Even if she is admitted to high school this summer and goes to college three years later, it will take her a long time before she can start working.

But there is another way, that is to go to a technical secondary school. She will graduate from junior high school in the summer, and then she can take the exam. If she passes, it will be a preparatory camp for a stable job.

Moreover, the school will give her scholarships while she is studying. If she spends frugally, she can also send money home. In this way, her parents won't urge her to go on blind dates.

Once she graduates and gets a job, she can stand up straight and completely break free of the fate arranged by her family.

She remembered that a distant cousin of Zhao Xuesong was like this. Her name was Zhao Chunlan. It was said that she was an excellent student in the past and could have been admitted to high school, but she insisted on going to a technical secondary school to study nursing. She worked hard when she was studying, and was hired by the county hospital as soon as she graduated. Within a few years, she became the head nurse and lived a very comfortable life.

However, she does not plan to apply to a nursing school. She wants to be a teacher, facing the flowers of the motherland every day, imparting knowledge to them, allowing them to understand reason and distinguish right from wrong, allowing them to establish their ideals in life and create a better future with their own hands. She wants to be such a teacher.

But now, she needs to learn the book knowledge thoroughly, and it is not easy to pass the technical secondary school entrance examination.

Having made up his mind, Chu Ye concentrated on the book, letting the bright moon hang high outside the window.

-

The next morning, after dinner, the family went to the fields to earn work points. While Chu Guangyao was there, Chu Ye asked him to carry a hoe and go to a distant place to hoe the fields, while she dug holes in the plowed land, digging a shallow hole every three steps. After the land was ready, they could go to the brigade to get potato sprouts and sow them in the fields.

The weather was getting warmer, and the thick coat Chu Ye was wearing looked bulky. She simply stopped what she was doing, walked to the edge of the field, took off her coat and hung it on a branch next to her. When she was about to continue working in the field, she heard a surprised shout from a distance.

"The Chu family--" The man came closer and closer. Looking carefully, he turned out to be the matchmaker who came to propose marriage.

The matchmaker came over quickly, smiling, and walked to the side of Chu's father and mother. He led them to the shade and said, "Hey, dear relatives, stop busying yourself. You two look exhausted. Let's sit here and take a rest."

As he spoke, his eyes turned to Chu Ye, and he couldn't help but look her up and down with satisfaction, "Is this the girl from your family? She is so pretty, no wonder the boy from the Zhao family likes her. If my boy was not yet grown up, I would also like to propose marriage."

Chu Ye lowered her eyes, walked to Chu's mother, and said nothing. In the eyes of the matchmaker, this was just the shyness of a young girl.

So the more she looked at her, the more she liked her. Before, Zhao Xuesong asked her to be a matchmaker, and he only said that he had seen the girl once in the fields and thought she was pretty and he liked her.

She had never seen it before, but after seeing it today, she thought it was true. The girl had a pale face, sweat on her forehead, and black braids hanging down in front of her chest. She was wearing a blue sweater, but the sweater was a little too big, making her look even smaller.

Maybe she had just finished work, her little face was flushed, she looked like a red apple, very cute. No wonder Zhao Xuesong liked her at first sight, if she was her daughter, she would protect her like a treasure.

She quickly stood up, walked to Chu Ye, took her hand, and said to Chu's mother with a smile, "Do you remember what I mentioned to you last time? This child is lucky. The Zhao family is a wealthy family. When the child marries, you two old people can enjoy the happiness."

Chu Guangyao was working in the fields here. Seeing his family suddenly gathered together to talk, he came over curiously. As soon as he approached, he heard the matchmaker's words.

He frowned, finally sat down and said nothing.

In his opinion, Chu Ye is a sister who is one year older than him. Although it is a bit early to talk about marriage, his other three sisters also got married early.

His parents taught him since he was young that his sisters would all get married, so he had to study hard because he would be the one to support them in the future.

The matchmaker kept talking, and Chu Guangyao listened quietly, but he didn't notice the strange expressions of Chu's father and mother. They glanced at Chu Ye and didn't rush to answer the matchmaker.

If Chu's father had heard this a few days ago, he would have arranged a meeting between the two young people without hesitation. Regardless of whether it succeeded or not, he would not lose anything.

But now, he had to consider Chu Ye's words. In addition to the flood, she also said that the Zhao family had recently lost a child. Moreover, she mentioned that even if he really married into the Zhao family, that family would not treat them well.

He chose the Zhao family undoubtedly because they were rich and it would be prestigious for his daughter to marry into the family.

But now he knows that even if Chu Ye marries him, he won't help his family, so what's the point of marrying him?

Besides, Chu Ye had already said this in advance. She knew that her life would not be good after she got married. If she forced her, and what this girl said came true, she would definitely hate her, and there would be no benefit in doing so.

We'll have to wait and see about this deal.

After figuring it out, he knocked his pipe on the ground, and "bang", a hole the size of a fingernail appeared in the ground in front of him.

Chu's father said, "We don't know whether this child has a good fate or not. The country now advocates free love, and we, as old people, can't do everything for our child."

"We can't control so much. She has to make her own decision about the child. Don't you think so?"

Chu's mother also knew the reason for the incident, so she naturally did not interrupt.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was thinking, including Chu Guangyao.

His family responded to the country's call and advocated free love? How could he not know this? His eyes flickered between Chu's father and mother, and finally looked at his sister Chu Ye.

What's going on? Is his father possessed by a ghost? This is too weird. The matchmaker was also choked by this and didn't know what to say for a while.

You can refute him. He has made the national call. If you dare to say anything against him, millions of people will spit on her immediately.

You agree with him. Which girl would say in front of her parents and matchmaker that she is willing to meet a man?

If you dare say this to anyone, everyone in the village will come to watch and see which girl wants a man so much. What a slut!

Clearly, when she went to Chu's father and said this a few days ago, he also agreed with it. But today he actually said such words. Isn't this a slap in her face?
The matchmaker had a look of dissatisfaction on his face, but he didn't say anything unpleasant. He just told them to think about it carefully and that there were not many opportunities left, and then he hurried back to report.

Although Chu Ye looked calm, she was already overjoyed in her heart. However, she knew that her father's decision was only temporary.

After Chu Guangyao started working with a hoe on his back, she pretended to be suspicious and asked Chu's father, "Dad, have you gone to Zhaojia Village to ask? I wonder if what the Bodhisattva told me is true."

Father Chu smoked his pipe deeply. "Not yet. I'll find out when I have time. Don't scare yourself."

"Yeah." Chu Ye felt relieved when he heard that Chu's father remembered this matter.

-

The next afternoon, Chu Guangyao went to school with a boy from the same village.

Chu's mother prepared sweet potato noodles for him and gave him some pocket money to take to school.

When he went to school for a week, he would carry food to school and hand it over to the cafeteria, and then eat at mealtime.

Chu Ye noticed that there were a few chocolates in his schoolbag, which he should take to school to eat.

After seeing Chu Guangyao off, Chu's father came back with a gloomy face, as if something terrible had happened.

He called Chu Ye and Chu's mother back home, locked the door, sat at the dining table, took out his pipe and lit it. The smoke instantly filled the room. Chu's father took a deep breath and said, "Fourth girl, what you said is true."

As soon as the voice fell, Chu's mother widened her eyes, looking incredulous.

Chu Ye was not surprised by this result. After all, in his previous life, Zhao Xuesong said this himself when he was drunk.

"I went to Zhaojia Village and asked several people, and they all said that the Zhao family did lose a little son, who just turned four this year. He was lost during the days when the fourth girl had a fever."

"At first, the Zhao family searched the entire village and even suspected that he was taken away by human traffickers. But he has been quiet in recent days. I don't know if he has given up."

After he finished speaking, a chill ran down their spines.

Chu's mother seemed unable to stand and sat down, holding onto the corner of the table.

If they still had some hope in their hearts when the riverbank burst, thinking that Chu Ye had come to the point by accident, now they truly believed what she said.

How else to explain that Chu Ye woke up after having a fever for three days and was able to tell what happened during his coma?

I guess Chu Ye had a fever because the Bodhisattva did this on purpose to remind her.

"It seems that the Zhao family is indeed not suitable for marriage." Father Chu knocked his pipe on the table, "What else did the Bodhisattva say? Tell me everything."

Chu's father began to treat him formally, and this was exactly what Chu Ye wanted.

Next, it was time for her to make up lies.

"The Bodhisattva said that no one except our family can tell this kind of thing. Once it is told, our family will be punished." Chu Ye told the first lie.

After saying this, she looked nervous, as if she was really afraid of being punished by the Bodhisattva.

"We naturally don't believe you when you say such things, so we didn't dare to tell anyone." Father Chu turned his head and said, "Mother, you are so careless with your words, you won't tell anyone, right?"

"If I tell it to others, someone has to believe it. This matter is too mysterious, and I dare not tell anyone about it." After saying this, Chu's mother held her chest with her hand, looking worried.

"You, child, should have told us earlier, otherwise the Bodhisattva will blame us." Chu's mother reproached in a low voice, but was afraid that the Bodhisattva would hear her, so she quickly covered her mouth.

Chu Ye nodded without refutation, and continued, "The Bodhisattva also said that I am a child with wisdom, so let me continue to study. I will be able to find a good job in the future and let you two live a good life."

After saying this, the two fell into deep thought and felt that what the Bodhisattva said was right. Chu Ye had indeed been a good student since childhood, and was usually sensible and obedient, not causing them to worry too much.

Now the Zhao family’s plan is definitely over. Chu Ye will graduate from junior high school in a few months, and it will take several more years for him to continue studying.

Seeing the two of them thinking, Chu Ye stepped up his firepower, "The Bodhisattva said that if I go to school directly, it will add burden to my family, which goes against the original intention of letting me go down to earth to experience, so I have to go down to earth to learn and grasp both, and I can't fall in love and enjoy happiness."

The more Chu Ye spoke, the more righteous he became, and in the end even he believed it himself.

(End of this chapter)