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

"Lin Baoya, what do you mean? You only feel happy when you cause chaos in the family!" Lin Xiaoquan glared at Baoya and said through gritted teeth, wishing he could rush up and give her a good beating.

"Everyone understands what I mean, so why pretend not to understand? Even if you glare your eyes out, it won't change the fact that you're selfish. You won't even help your own brothers, so you can't count on us outsiders."

As she spoke, Bao Ya turned to Lin Lao San and said, "Dad, do you understand now? Expecting your nephew to help you out is just nonsense!"

Lin Laosan looked at Lin Xiaoquan with complicated emotions. He knew his elder brother's family was selfish, but seeing it in person made him feel sad.

"Lin Baoya, you poor wretch, what right do you have to boss me around when I'm working? Take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror!" Xiang Chunhua was furious. She had been humiliated by these country folk she usually looked down on.

Just as Lin Laosan was about to retort, Bao Ya stopped him.

"If you look down on country people so much, why don't you marry a city person? Is it because you don't like them?"

Bao Ya, her eyes full of mockery, continued, "Is it because nobody wants you? What's the reason the city people don't want you? Come on, tell everyone. It can't be...?"

She deliberately dragged out the last syllable, looking her up and down, leaving much to the imagination. "What are you doing here, a piece of trash rejected by city folks? You have no looks, no family background, only a fool like Lin Xiaoquan would treat you like a treasure."

Xiang Chunhua was so angry that she was panting heavily, her whole body trembling, and she couldn't say a word.

Seeing this, Lin Xiaoquan wanted to step forward and argue with them.

Bao Ya spoke first: "Lin Xiaoquan, let me teach you a lesson today. When looking for a wife, she should either be beautiful and pleasing to the eye, so you'll be happy to see her and accept any losses. Or she should be gentle and virtuous, able to take care of you and your family comfortably, so you'll have face when you go out."

Another benefit is that it can help one's career; even if it doesn't lead to great success, it won't result in a terrible situation.

"Look at yourself! What kind of scum you've chosen? Living with her is a predictable, dreary life. You've worked so hard to get into the city, just for this ugly woman. Aren't you miserable?"

Lin Xiaoquan is good-looking, tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, which fits the current aesthetic. There are girls in the village who have their eyes on him. If he meets a naive girl in the city who cares about looks, he might actually get a good marriage.

The wife I married now has nothing but a city residency permit, and she's got a mischievous streak.

Marriage is a complicated matter; it depends entirely on the feelings of two people. Bao Ya said this on purpose, pointing out that from Old Man Lin to Lin Xiaoquan, they were all the kind of people who wanted more than they had. Telling them what they might get, in their hearts, is a loss if they feel they might get it but don't, and over time, resentment will inevitably grow in their hearts.

She disliked the fact that the elderly couple in the Lin family and the eldest son's family were too greedy.

By this time, Lin Lao Er and Lin Lao San, who had been silently eating, had also finished their meal.

Seeing that her father had finished eating, Bao Ya continued, "Now that everyone's finished eating, sister-in-law, you can clean up. You wash dishes at work anyway, these few bowls shouldn't be too much work for you."

Xiang Chunhua was furious. She looked at the rest of the Lin family. Old Man Lin didn't want to look at them because of their behavior earlier. He knocked on his pipe and went back to his room for a nap.

Lin Laoda and Li Jinxiang were also unhappy. In their hearts, their son was more important than their daughter-in-law. It was enough for him to wash dishes at the factory. Why was he being so pretentious at home? Anyone could see through his clumsy tricks.

Everyone else went back to their rooms to rest, leaving only Lin Xiaoquan and Xiang Chunhua. Xiang Chunhua looked at Lin Xiaoquan with a wronged expression. This expression would indeed be pitiful if made by a beautiful woman, but Xiang Chunhua's face was really not beautiful.

"Alright, it's no big deal if you take a shower once. What kind of wife stays at home and doesn't do any housework? You don't see this in the city either." Lin Xiaoquan didn't even lift his eyelids, turned his head and went into the house to rest.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Xiang Chunhua was so angry that tears streamed down her face. There wasn't a single good person in this family.

What I was thinking didn't matter anymore. I obediently cleared the dishes from the table and went to the kitchen to wash them.

After most of the people had left, Old Mrs. Lin was still there. Just as she was about to speak, Bao Ya interrupted, "Dad, how much money did you make today?"

"One yuan," Lin Laosan answered without hesitation.

"Give me a dollar!"

"What?"

"I need a dollar, why are you so reluctant to give it to me? If you can't even give me a dollar, how can you be my father?" Bao Ya said, pretending to be angry.

"Here, Dad didn't say no." He took the money out of his clothes and handed it over.

Lin Laosan now obeys Bao Ya's every word. When they were little, Bao Ya was very close to him, but as she grew older and more sensible, she became less willing to get close to him, and her gaze towards him grew colder and colder.

Ever since his daughter fell into the water, her attitude towards him has improved considerably. She's more willing to talk to him and even acts coquettishly towards him. He always gives in to his daughter's every whim. No matter how much he tries to warm his mother's heart, he can't, so he doesn't care whether he offends her or not.

"Third brother, are you crazy? Why are you giving her money!" Old Mrs. Lin was furious. She was waiting for money if she didn't leave.

Bao Ya ignored her, snatched the money from Lin Laosan's hand, and ran out.

Old Mrs. Lin was so angry that she started yelling and cursing from behind, creating another noisy scene.

Lin Laosan scratched the back of his head and went back to his room under his mother's reproachful gaze.

Lin Lao Er was stunned by Bao Ya's actions and didn't know how to react. Seeing the look his mother was giving him, he obediently handed over the money.

Bao Ya grabbed a dollar and ran toward the Su family's old house, ignoring the cursing and swearing of Granny Lin behind her.

She made up her mind not to eat at the Lin family's house for the next couple of days. The Lin family was going to cause trouble.

Back at the Su family's old house, Bao Ya greeted Grandma Su and then went to her room.

On the kang cabinet were two camphor wood chests, which were part of Grandma Su's dowry for Bao Ya. The camphor wood chests were quite old, but well-preserved; they were Grandma Su's dowry from when she got married.

Bao Ya opened one of the boxes, took out a handkerchief from a pair of new cotton shoes, unfolded the handkerchief, and inside were five ten-yuan bills and some change.

The change was saved by the original owner of the body; there was 85 cents. The 50 yuan was compensation from the Lin family, so now there's a total of 51.85 yuan. Bao Ya pouted, "They're really poor."

She hasn't been to the city since she came here. It's not that she doesn't want to go, but mainly because she doesn't have the money or tickets. Now she has the money, but still no tickets. She doesn't want to go to the city, wander around, and come back hungry, just to have nothing to do.

She thought for a moment, then took out her sewing basket, found some scraps of cotton cloth, and sewed a pocket onto her undergarment. Yes, you read that right, an undergarment. She was wearing an undergarment now, not a bra.

She looked for it the day she returned from the Lin family. The original owner only had two bellybands as underwear.

Looking at the bulge in her clothes, she could only make do with the undergarment. There wasn't even a decent piece of fine cotton fabric at home; they did have two bolts of coarse cloth they'd woven themselves, but coarse cloth wasn't breathable and couldn't be used to make a bra. Oh well, she'd have to make do.