Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Everyone was happy because the shipping was going smoothly.

That evening, the family had a very lavish meal.

In addition to braised cabbage and canned pork, Xu Bei also went to the grocery store and bought roast chicken and some cooked food to make a platter.

Zhao Fengying also made a sweet and sour shredded radish and a cucumber scrambled eggs.

In the depths of winter in Northeast China, stir-fried eggs with dried cucumber slices is an absolute delicacy. The cucumber has a chewy texture and a unique, refreshing aroma.

Since Xu Bei had already had a drink at noon, he didn't continue in the evening and drank orange soda like his older and younger sisters.

Zhu Wenliang, the son-in-law, and Zhao Fengying, the mother-in-law, both drank some baijiu (Chinese liquor).

Those who didn't drink left the table first, and when only the two of them were left sitting at the table, Song Guodong came over to their house.

As the Spring Festival approaches, Song Guodong and his timber yard are getting busier and busier.

Unlike Dahei, who would come over almost every night whether there was stock or not, Song Guodong hadn't been coming as often and hadn't come for several days.

Xu Bei first invited Song Guodong to have some food and drinks, but after being politely refused, he pulled Song Guodong to sit down and chat in the west room, which had been cleaned up a few days earlier.

Song Guodong thanked Xu Juan for making tea and water, and after she left, he glanced at the outer room and whispered, "Da Bei, my sister told me the other day that she happened to run into people from your workplace who came to the store to mediate. How is it going now? Is Auntie still determined to get a divorce?"

Xu Bei also took a sip of jasmine tea and replied softly, "Yes, my mother's attitude hasn't changed. But getting a divorce certificate is too difficult; I don't know if we can get it done in the first year."

Song Guodong's workplace has a large number of employees, and naturally there are some who are getting divorced. "There are only ten days left until the Chinese New Year, so it's probably unlikely. There is a person in our workplace who got divorced, and it seems that there have been various mediations going on for more than half a year."

Regarding his parents' divorce, Xu Bei hoped to expedite the process as soon as possible, but he had no immediate plans to use any tricks or schemes.

"Let nature take its course. Anyway, if they want to leave, it's only a matter of time."

Song Guodong chimed in, "Indeed. Who knows, maybe one day your aunt and uncle will change their minds. After all, they've been together for over twenty years, how could they not have feelings for each other?"

Xu Bei didn't like hearing these things, so he quickly changed the subject and started talking about the wooden stool order.

After Song Guodong said that he had been very busy these past few days and that his mother had also been busy, he hadn't been able to order much, only a dozen or so items. Then he seemed hesitant to say anything more.

Xu Bei noticed the strange expression on the other man's face, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Guodong, do you have something to say? We're brothers, so let's just say what's on our minds."

Song Guodong licked his lips. "Then I'll be frank. My sister got sick after she came home that day, and she won't tell me the truth when I ask her. Did anything happen at your shop?"

Xu Bei was surprised that Song Guomei was sick. No wonder Song Guodong hadn't come for several days, and Song's mother hadn't been in the mood to sell her products. "How is your sister now? Is she feeling any better?"

"She's been on IV drips for two days and she's much better now." Song Guodong said a little embarrassedly, "Da Bei, I was just asking casually. That girl's illness might not necessarily be related to going to the store. Maybe she was just chilling because she wasn't dressed warmly enough in the cold weather."

"It's probably because of a misunderstanding." Xu Bei briefly explained what happened. "...We didn't expect that older sister from the union to cause such a misunderstanding, pointing at your sister and saying she was my boyfriend. Although it was clarified on the spot, I noticed that your sister looked a little upset when she left."

Song Guodong had some suspicions beforehand, but he didn't expect it to turn out like this. He said helplessly, "It's not a big deal. It shouldn't be because of this. Maybe this girl is trying to look pretty and not care about her health, so she caught a cold and got a fever."

Xu Bei couldn't determine what Song Guomei's illness was related to, but intuitively felt that it was somewhat related to the misunderstanding that happened in the store that day.

However, he truly only treated the girl as a friend's younger sister, and it was impossible for him to do anything that would give her false hope or misconceptions.

Therefore, they only asked a few words of concern and showed no intention of visiting him.

After sitting for a while, Song Guodong left with more than ten stools.

When Zhao Fengying and the others saw that Song Guodong, who used to compete with Dahei, was now ordering so much less than him, they were curious and said a few words.

To avoid his mother and the others making wild guesses and taking the blame upon himself, Xu Bei didn't reveal the truth, but instead evaded the question with a few words.

Meanwhile, Song Guodong, who had returned to the Song family, also faced questioning from his mother.

"Did you ask Xu Bei what happened? How come he was perfectly fine before, dressed up beautifully for a folk dance and opera, and then fell ill after coming back?"

Song Guodong paused in his act of pulling up his hat, glanced at the closed door, and then whispered, "Da Bei said that the people at work who were mediating the divorce had a misunderstanding. They thought Xiao Mei was Xu Bei's girlfriend, and of course they said no. Later, when your daughter left, she looked a little upset..."

Song's mother sighed deeply, "I had guessed before that it was probably related to Xu Bei, and it really is."

Your sister is the same; her heart is as fragile as a needle's eye, she can't withstand the slightest setback. This is nothing.

"Look at that girl in the repeat class who she's close to. Her life has been so bumpy, but she hasn't been defeated. She should really learn from her!"

Just as Song Guodong was about to remind his mother not to bring up something she didn't want to talk about, the closed door was suddenly opened.

Song Guomei, who had been eavesdropping behind the door, ran out with disheveled hair and glared angrily at the two of them.

"Are you still my family? Talking about me like that behind my back, and praising others like that! What can I learn from Zhou Qingwan? Learn from her knowing I like Xiao Bei, yet still interacting with him and my aunt without any restraint?"

At first, Song's mother felt a little guilty, but she couldn't stand her daughter's words anymore. "You child, this is a bit unreasonable! You like someone, but you're not dating them or in a relationship. You have no right to demand that others not have any contact with you!"

"Besides, how many times has Mom told you? You and Xu Bei aren't meant to be. Just focus on getting into university; there are plenty of excellent guys there for you to choose from. Why are you so stubborn?!"

Although Song Guodong didn't dare to say anything, his expression said it all.

Song Guomei felt even more frustrated, annoyed, and angry. She shouted, "I'm stubborn! So what! Go ahead and kill me if you dare! Otherwise, nobody's going to bother me!"

Without waiting for the mother and son's reaction, he went back into the house and slammed the door shut.

Xu Bei had no idea that the family drama that erupted in the Song family was because of him.

That night, the snow, which had been held back for a long time, finally fell in a heavy downpour.

The next morning, Xu Bei opened a corner of the curtain and saw an even more snow-covered landscape outside.

After quickly getting dressed, he went to sweep the snow in the yard and outside the gate...