The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

"Yes, our Baoya really knows how to take care of people. You should come over for dinner tonight too."

"No, I still have some."

As she spoke, Bao Ya held up the two chickens in her hand and waved them at them.

My second aunt's face stiffened slightly. "Alright, eat up. Too many lice won't itch, too much debt won't worry you. So many chickens, and this is a big one too. We can just chip in with my sister-in-law's family to pay them back."

"I'm leaving."

After saying that, Bao Ya picked up the chicken and walked towards the north of the village.

"Sis~, sis~, wait for me."

Turning around, she saw her little brother, Gou Dan, running towards her. When he got to her side, Bao Ya raised her hand and slapped him on the back of the head.

"What are you shouting for? Are you trying to make sure everyone knows? Why are you alone? Where are Tie Dan and the others?"

Not angry at being hit, Gou Dan grinned and said to her, "I saw you from afar and then we parted ways. Sis, where are you going?"

As he spoke, he stared intently at the two chickens in her hand, swallowing hard.

"Look at how greedy you are. I'm going to Er Laizi's house. You call Simao along and come over with us."

"Okay!" he said, and started to run.

Bao Ya grabbed him and warned him sternly, "Don't make a fuss, be quiet. If you attract other people here, give him your share, understand?"

Er Laizi was also a child in the village, a year younger than Baoya. He was called Laizi not because he was ugly or had any defects, but because he was idle, lazy, and a bit of a rascal. Everyone called him Laizi.

Erlaizi's father was a soldier who died in the line of duty years ago. His mother remarried, and now he and his grandmother are left to depend on each other. The government gives them a subsidy of 10 yuan a month, which is enough to get by.

Going to his house to stew chicken is fine for two reasons: firstly, there are few people around his house, and secondly, even if the Lin family finds out, they won't dare to ask him for it. Lai Zi's surname is Su, and he's a military dependent, so he has people in the village protecting him; he's also a troublemaker, and if you offend him once, he'll keep looking for trouble with you every day, which no decent person can stand.

Is Fifth Grandma home?

At the foot of the mountain to the north, in a small courtyard, Bao Ya swaggered in carrying two chickens.

"I'm here, Baoya, come in quickly."

The old lady beamed with joy the moment she saw Bao Ya. Although a few years younger than Granny Su, her hair was already gray, and her face bore a trace of sorrow. Since her son's death, the old lady had become increasingly reluctant to go out. This place was far from the village center, and she hadn't seen her for a long time.

"Fifth Grandma, you're all alone at home, so I came to check on you."

"Who said that? Can't a grown man like you see that standing here? You have such big eyes, what a waste."

A faint voice came from the base of the wall. You couldn't really see anyone there unless you looked closely. A thin figure walked over from the wall, wearing a faded undershirt and cloth shoes. He had a handsome, fair face.

"Oh, you're home. Perfect, thanks."

He threw the two chickens on the ground. They were quite fat, each weighing about three or four pounds. It was tiring to carry them all the way here.

"Are both of these for me?"

Erlaizi looked at her suspiciously. "The sun must have risen in the west. Baoya is giving him a gift."

"One is mine, the other one is mine. You pluck the feathers. I'll go boil some water."

When Bao Ya fell into the water that day, Er Laizi helped her out from the water, which is why her aunt was able to pull her out so easily. Er Laizi never showed his face or mentioned the incident to anyone, which shows that he is not a bad person.

Grandma Wu didn't interrupt them and happily went to help boil water. Bao Ya and the others often brought food to her house to cook, so they were used to it.

"I told you, you're not that good." Erlaizi said as he carried the chicken to his private plot to prepare it.

"Fifth Grandma, Sister, we're here."

They started shouting before they even arrived. The two chickens made Gou Dan incredibly excited, and he ran faster than a rabbit, followed by Si Mao.

This was the first meat she had ever eaten since she came into this world, and she had never thought chicken could taste so good.

The next day, Bao Ya didn't go out for a stroll. Instead, she went to work with the team leader. Early in the morning, she heard a commotion coming from the Lin family's house. Something must have happened again. Su Daqiang knew how the second son's chickens had gotten their hands on them yesterday, so he didn't let his family members go over to eat. He only sent the old lady.

His life is like this; being a brigade leader is like having neither food nor drink. He turned to look at his niece beside him. Hmm, she's all set again. In a few months, Bao Ya will get married, and the Lin family will probably finally have some peace and quiet.

Upon arriving at the assembly point, before the team leader could even assign tasks, Granny Lin rushed over, yelling, "Bao Ya, you good-for-nothing! Where did you put all my chickens?! You bastard, are you trying to kill me?! My God, how did I end up with such a jinx?! How am I supposed to live now?!"

Before anyone could respond, Granny Lin sat down on the ground and started wailing. Everyone automatically formed a circle around the Lin family and Bao Ya.

"Grandma, you're perfectly fine, why do you keep thinking about dying? My uncle even cuts off your food rations. Tsk tsk tsk, your eldest son is really shameless."

Li Jinxiang was losing her temper and rolled up her sleeves, ready to step forward, but Lin Dahe stopped her. This stupid woman was a real headache. Everyone around them was surnamed Su. If she dared to lay a finger on Bao Ya, believe it or not, the Su family would tear them apart.

"Baoya, those chickens were raised with great care by your grandma, and you stole them all without a word. You should at least have said something, right? You're a grown woman now, you should care about your reputation. Look how upset you are with your grandma."

Besides, your uncle has been educating you for so many years. Even if you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about your uncle.

As he spoke, his eyes glanced at the brigade leader, as if it were his responsibility if the brigade leader didn't give an explanation.

Lin Dahe was still using the same old tactics, constantly boasting about his reputation, as if that reputation could seal her down. Bao Ya didn't care about reputation at all. People from later generations probably know that few people who achieve great things have a good reputation; the few who do are probably just buying their way into trending topics.

Besides, she wasn't alone in this village. Her maternal grandmother, several uncles, and the Su family were all her backers. She had been able to act with impunity in the village all these years because of them, not because of the reputation the Lin family spoke of.

Looking around, she saw people laughing and enjoying the spectacle, with few criticizing her. This drama involving the Lin family had been playing out in the village for eighteen years; everyone knew about it.

"Why can't I eat the chickens my grandma raised? Am I not a member of the Lin family? Can't I eat the Lin family's food? Can't I even touch their things?"

He turned his head and looked at Old Man Lin. Seeing that the old man remained silent, he knew it was the same old trick: having others pave the way so he could play the good guy later.

Bao Ya looked at Old Man Lin with a pitiful expression and said:

"Grandpa, do you think so too? You keep saying I'm a child of the Lin family, but you didn't say a word when they didn't feed me."

When they stole my rations, you pretended not to know. Today I'm asking you this: am I really a member of the Lin family? If not, let's sever all ties in front of everyone. Once this severance agreement is signed, I'll change my surname to Su, and from now on, we'll keep to ourselves and avoid endless trouble with your family.