In the fiery red era of the heavens, refrigerators are refreshed daily.

Chapter 2.2. A Promise to Family
"Eat up," said Yang Yongkang, the father, as he picked up some pickled cucumber. His voice was deep and concise.

Mother Zhang Xiuying didn't touch her chopsticks. Looking at Yang Guangming, her brows were furrowed, making the wrinkles around her eyes appear even deeper.

She instinctively reached out to give the slightly fuller grains of rice in her bowl to her son, but stopped halfway through, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Mingming."

She spoke, her voice filled with barely concealed anxiety and exhaustion:

“Last night, Officer Wang from the neighborhood committee came again, he was extremely anxious!”
The quota is fixed; if you want to fill in, hurry up and don't delay any longer!

She spoke very quickly, “Look, your second brother and second sister passed away last year… How many times has your mother told you this?”
Stop overthinking and talking about finding a job! Is it that easy to find a job? Your father and brother, didn't they all work their butts off in factories?

How many people are queuing up outside waiting for a job? Listen to your mother, make a decision quickly, and go to the factory next week to take over my job!

"If this drags on any longer, Mom will be extremely anxious!"

She finished speaking in one breath, her chest heaving, her eyes fixed on her son, yearning for a definite answer.

The father didn't speak, but took a big bite of the steamed bun and chewed it. His gaze fell on his youngest son, filled with expectation, worry, and a hint of weariness.

The older brother lowered his head and used the tip of his chopsticks to dip some rice into the porridge to feed his son, as if he hadn't heard.

The eldest sister-in-law brought over the rice porridge and put it down. She silently sat down next to the eldest brother, picked up a steamed bun and nibbled on it, her eyelids drooping.

At the dinner table, only Zhuangzhuang's babbling and the adults' chewing sounds filled the air, as if the air itself had frozen.

Taking over the business meant his mother would retire early, receive less income, and face even greater financial strain on the family. Even after taking over, Yang Guangming would only receive a meager apprentice's wage, which would belong solely to him.

My brother and sister-in-law had their own thoughts, but they couldn't say them outright because of our parents' decision.

The bright sunlight took in everything.

His former life as a secretary allowed him to instantly grasp the subtle atmosphere at the dinner table.

He picked up the bowl of thin porridge, so thin it reflected his image, and took a large gulp. The warm, bland liquid, with its stale rice flavor, slid down his throat.

He put down his bowl, met his mother's anxious eyes with a calm gaze, and spoke in a clear and calm voice, with a composure beyond his years: "Mom, don't worry. I'll listen to you. I definitely won't go to the registration that we talked about today."

As soon as he said that, several eyes immediately focused on his face.

Zhang Xiuying seemed not to have heard clearly: "What did you say?"

“I said, I’ll listen to you, I definitely won’t sign up!” Yang Guangming repeated firmly. “As for your job, Mom…”

He paused, noticing his elder brother's fingers tighten slightly as he pinched the steamed bun, and his sister-in-law's lowered eyelids lifted a little.

"As I said, I want to look for it myself first. If I really can't find it, I promise I'll go to the factory and take over my mother's job within a week at most!"

I will absolutely not cause you any more trouble, Mom, nor will I let the neighborhood find any reason to say that our family isn't proactive.

These words were clear and logical, with a firm attitude and a specific timeframe, making him completely different from his predecessor.

Zhang Xiuying was stunned. Yang Yongkang stopped chewing and gave his youngest son a deep look. Yang Guanghui and his sister-in-law exchanged a surprised glance.

"You...you're serious?" Zhang Xiuying's voice trembled, filled with immense uncertainty and a sliver of hope. "You really aren't going to sign up? And it's not just to make Mom happy?"

"Mom, when have I ever lied to you?" Yang Guangming gave a reassuring smile. "If I say I'm not going, I mean it. I know what I'm doing with work. Don't worry."

Her son's unprecedented determination acted as a reassurance, temporarily suppressing the anxiety and panic churning in Zhang Xiuying's heart.

She let out a long, silent sigh, feeling the heavy weight that had been pressing on her heart all night loosen a little. "Okay...okay, as long as you know what you're doing..." she murmured, picking up her bowl to eat, her hands still trembling slightly.

Yang Yongkang looked away and continued eating his steamed bun, his taut jawline relaxing slightly.

Yang Guanghui looked at his younger brother with a complicated expression, and finally lowered his head to continue feeding his son.

The invisible pressure at the dinner table quietly dissipated.

Yang Guang knew perfectly well that this was only temporary. A week was hanging in the balance. He had to find a way out of this predicament within those few days. The crammed refrigerator was his only bargaining chip.

Yang Guangming gulped down the last bit of porridge in his bowl, finally feeling a bit more substantial in his stomach.

He stood up and said, "Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister-in-law, I'm going out for a bit."

"Where are you going?" Zhang Xiuying asked nervously.

“Let’s go to the school and check.” Yang Guangming picked up his slightly worn white short-sleeved shirt from the back of the chair. “Ask the classmates if they have any news. Don’t worry, Mom, I remember it. One week.”

Hearing that she was going to the school to inquire, Zhang Xiuying relaxed a little, but still urged, "Come back early! Don't wander around aimlessly!"

"Understood," Yang Guangming replied, putting on his coat and hurrying out the door. He had to avoid Shen Meiyu, who arrived at the alley entrance right on time.

The stairs in the Shikumen were narrow and steep, and he ran down them in twos and threes at a time, the wooden planks creaking.

As they passed through the first-floor living room, the door opened a crack, and Chen Weihong, Grandma Chen's granddaughter who had just graduated and was also facing being sent to the countryside, was carrying a basin of water and walking out. The two almost bumped into each other.

"Oh my, Mingming, why are you running so fast? Are you going to rob someone?" Chen Weihong exclaimed, startled.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm in a hurry!" Yang Guangming quickly stepped aside to apologize, without stopping.

"Watch out!" The voice was already behind them.

He nimbly slipped out of the dimly lit stairwell and into the courtyard. Mrs. Feng was still washing things, while Granny Chen's coal stove was burning brightly, with a steaming aluminum kettle sitting on it.

He nodded to his busy neighbors in the courtyard, then plunged out through the heavy, black-lacquered stone gate with its iron plating.

The alleyway was much brighter than the houses. The morning light slanted onto the gray brick walls, and people were busy lighting coal stoves and emptying chamber pots at their doorsteps... The mingled smells of smoke were even stronger.

As Yang Guangming stepped out of the gate, before he had even descended two steps, a figure wearing a patched blue floral shirt seemed to emerge from the shadows of the corner and leaped in front of him.

"Mingming!" Her voice was sweet and coquettish, with a deliberate hint of grievance and reproach. "Why did you take so long to come out? I was so anxious waiting for you, my legs were about to give way!"

The person who arrived was Shen Meiyu.

She was slender, with two glossy braids hanging down her chest. She had an oval face, and her large eyes blinked brightly, trying to appear watery. Her thin lips were slightly pouting as she deliberately turned to the side, showing off her most beautiful side of her face, her fingers twisting the ends of her braids.

Yang Guangming stopped in his tracks, his gaze calmly settling on her face.

Looking at it again after incorporating the memories of its predecessor, the feeling is completely different.

The pure love that his predecessor cherished was now only seen in his eyes as shrewd calculation and in his soft words as a wicked desire to drag someone down with him.

Shen Meiyu's family is poor and has many members. She is eager to grab onto this "foolish boy" who has a "way out" as her lifeline!
"Oh, Meiyu," Yang Guangming said calmly. "Wait until I have something to do?"

Shen Meiyu was speechless at Yang Guangming's blandness.

According to the script, he should have approached her with a face full of apology to coax her, then they should have eaten breakfast together affectionately, and then go to register hand in hand.

(End of this chapter)