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

At the entrance of the Chengdong Agricultural Machinery Station, under a big tree, Grandpa Niu has hitched up his oxcart and is waiting for people to return to the village.

From afar, we could see Bao Ya and her fiancé pushing their bicycles towards us, with large and small bags hanging on them.

"Hey, hey, look, isn't that Bao Ya?"

When Aunt Chunhua heard Aunt Da'e's exclamation, she quickly looked back.

"Oh, it's Bao Ya and her boyfriend."

"Grandpa Niu, Aunt Chunhua, Aunt Da'e, Aunt Rong, you're back so early. Have you finished everything?"

Bao Ya greeted the village aunties as soon as she saw them.

"Bao Ya, are you buying things for your wedding with your boyfriend?"

Aunt Chunhua quickly greeted Baoya when she saw her.

"Well, that should be enough for today."

Bao Ya and Jiang Yuan arrived. Jiang Yuan greeted the aunties, put the things he bought for her in the car, and took the other things, such as washbasins and thermos flasks, home to save them the trouble of going back and forth.

Finally, I wanted to give the remaining three buns to Bao Ya, but she pushed them back.

"You can heat this up and eat it tonight. I won't bring it; it's hard to divide among so many people in my family."

Then they put the steamed buns into a mesh bag for him.

Granny Rong, who was behind them, pursed her lips and muttered under her breath:

"She's not even married yet, and she's already siding with outsiders. The Su family has wasted their time raising her."

Wang Chunhua and Lü Da'e rolled their eyes at her. This old hag, with such a gossipy mouth, hasn't Bao Ya taught her enough lessons yet.

Bao Ya dismissed Jiang Yuan, turned around and climbed into the car, extending her watch-wearing hand and calling up.

"My auntie helped me out."

"Wow, this watch is really nice, I just bought it."

Wang Chunhua reached out to pull her along, praising her as she stared at the watch on her wrist.

"Wow, let me see, this watch is really nice. We've never seen one like it before. It must have cost a fortune."

Lü Da'e also joined in the praise, praising Bao Ya's watch repeatedly.

The old woman sitting next to her felt incredibly jealous. "That brat, how can she be so lucky? With such a bad reputation in the village, she still managed to find such a good husband. God is truly blind."

He cursed under his breath, but his eyes couldn't help glancing at Bao Ya's wrist.

"Look, Aunt Rong, just look openly, why are you being so secretive? I'm not that petty."

As Bao Ya spoke, she held out her hand to Granny Rong.

"You brat, you're about to get married, and you still have such a sharp tongue."

"Look at you, why are you so petty? I don't even hold it against you."

"What are you fussing about? I'm the one tied to the tree."

Granny Rong was furious when she thought about what happened that day. Not only did she tie her to a tree, but she also had her in-laws beat her. And now she was talking to her shamelessly. How could she be so capable?

"Grandma Jiu, are you coming back to the village?"

"Yeah, I'll go back and stay there for a while. Life in the city is like being in prison. It's nothing like the freedom of the village."

The old lady was helped into the car by her daughter. As soon as Bao Ya saw the old lady arrive, she immediately jumped off the car and helped the old lady up. Then she jumped back into the car by herself. She was so quick and efficient that she didn't need anyone to help her at all.

The old lady would stay at her daughter's house in the city for a while every year. Her daughter's house was a tenement building, not as comfortable as the big courtyard in the village.

"Grandpa Niu, ladies, Baoya, please take my mother back."

"Auntie, don't worry, we'll definitely deliver it."

"That's right, you go ahead with your work, we can take care of the old lady."

Most people in the village are related by blood or marriage; they're all relatives even if they're just passing by. No one would refuse to lend a hand if someone wanted to.

There weren't many people in the city today; it was almost time before the five of them arrived.

As Grandpa Niu was in a hurry to leave, a soldier carrying luggage walked over, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

"Grandpa Niu, Auntie, Ninth Grandma, Baoya."

Uh... who is this? Bao Ya doesn't think she's seen him before. This soldier is in a military uniform, with a straight posture, narrow eyes, and a high nose bridge. He looks like a male protagonist from a novel.

"This is... the fourth son of the Qi family, right? What's his name again?"

Aunt Chunhua spoke first, asking a question as she recognized the young man.

"Yes, I am Qi Jianjun."

Qi Jianjun chatted with several people with a big smile on his face, his eyes glancing at Bao Ya from time to time.

This little girl is growing more and more beautiful. Her eyes are bright and sparkling. She looks him up and down confidently, unlike the girls in the village who are shy and blush easily.

"Hey, Jianjun! It's been so many years! Are you back to visit family?"

"The last time I came back to visit my family was four years ago, Ninth Grandma. You're still in good health."

"My old bones are still hale and hearty, haha."

"Jianjun, I heard from your mother that you've become a high-ranking officer in the army. How high-ranking? Higher than our battalion commander, right?"

Granny Rong couldn't help but speak up, glancing at Bao Ya as she spoke. This made Bao Ya roll her eyes. Even if she was older than the brigade leader, she had no right to control him. Who was she trying to disgust?

Qi Jianjun saw Bao Ya's expression and found it amusing. This girl had never been one to suffer a loss since she was little, so it seemed that Aunt Rong and she didn't get along.

"He's a leader in the army, he doesn't concern himself with the brigade's affairs. If you let him handle it, you'd probably be shot for your disregard for human life."

Bao Ya wouldn't tolerate her; she'd expose her completely.

"You brat, what do you mean by human life? My daughter-in-law is perfectly fine."

Granny Rong was displeased when she heard this. The village had all forgotten about it recently, but Bao Ya brought it up again. If those gossipy people on the bus went back and spread the word, she would be the subject of gossip again.

"Your daughter-in-law didn't die because my uncle took her to the hospital, and of course, because I tied you to a tree, not because you stopped the car and pulled down my uncle's pants."

Oh, and watch yourself, if you dare to molest my uncle, my aunt hasn't even had a chance to give you a good beating yet.

Bao Ya shook her head dismissively, which infuriated Granny Rong. This brat was more concerned with things than the brigade leader, and now she was publicly exposing her shortcomings.

"Hey Comrade Qi, you guys who came from the army, aren't you good at ideological work? Go back and give Aunt Rong a lesson, don't let this kind of backward-thinking woman hold everyone back."

"you……"

Granny Rong was furious. At her age, she was being publicly ridiculed by a little girl. She was so ashamed that she wanted to disappear into the ground.

Qi Jianjun grew up in the village, so he had a general idea of ​​what kind of people these aunties and older women were like.

When Bao Ya said that about Aunt Rong, none of the other women present spoke up, especially Ninth Grandma, who didn't stop her. It must mean Aunt Rong had done something truly outrageous. So he smiled and said, "..."

"Okay, Aunt Rong, when are you free? I'll let you know."

"snort!"

Aunt Rong snorted angrily and turned her head away, ignoring them.

Qi Jianjun touched his nose; this was a bit embarrassing.

After watching Aunt Rong's lively discussion, Aunt Chunhua noticed the awkward silence and started another topic.

"Bao Ya, what did you buy in the city? I heard you went out this morning."

"I bought quite a lot. Jiang Yuan took the rest home. I only brought back what I bought for my aunt and uncle."

Lin Baoya spoke frankly to Aunt Chunhua, even taking out the face cream from her bag to show them.