Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

While Xu Bei was drifting off to sleep, not only was Zhao Fengying in the east room across the street suffering from insomnia, but Xu Dashan was too.

He wasn't just suffering from the divorce; he was also in real pain in his body and legs.

However, neither his mother nor his sister possessed the same meticulous care and tenderness as Zhao Fengying. Hearing him grit his teeth and insist that he was fine, they both went to rest.

Xu Dashan had no choice but to grit his teeth and swallow the pain, taking some painkillers that cost only a few cents a bottle to tide him over.

Later, unable to bear it any longer, I took some sleeping pills and finally fell asleep.

The old lady who said she was going to rest and Xu Dahong actually didn't sleep; the mother and son were hiding under the covers, excitedly plotting something.

"Mom, this is great! My second brother really divorced that jinx, so we can figure out a way to stay here!"

"Yes, this house is so big, it feels so empty for your second brother to live alone. And in winter, the fire gets so cold. If no one's home when he comes home from get off work, the house is ice cold and he can't even get a sip of hot water. If we, as his family, don't keep him company now, when will we?"

"That's right, this is when my second brother needs comfort and care the most. We can't rely on anyone else, only on us family members."

Xu Dahong listened to the snoring sound coming from the post office before continuing confidently, "I think I should sneak into the post office tomorrow and send a telegram to my older brother and the others, telling them to hurry up and send the tickets over so we can have a family reunion here!"

After a moment's thought, the old lady said, "Sending a telegram is good. We thought they wouldn't be able to get divorced the first year, so we didn't tell them. Who would have thought your second brother would really go all out this time and actually get a letter of introduction to get the divorce done!"

"Da Hong, don't worry about the cost of sending a telegram. Just send a few more words to make it clear that your eldest brother's fifth and sixth children must come along."

Xu Dahong laughed heartily, "Don't worry, Mom, even if it's only three cents a word, we can't be stingy this time. When Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu arrive, they'll have people to run errands for us and back us up..."

……

Xu Bei woke up after a good night's sleep, feeling much more comfortable from the warmth of the heated kang bed.

Zhao Fengying, who was preparing food in the kitchen, and Xu Juan, who was washing her face, soon noticed the bruises on his face.

"What's wrong with you, kid? I didn't even have a chance to take a good look at you yesterday."

"Yesterday I felt something was off about my brother's face; it was too pale."

Faced with the mother and daughter's worry and concern, Xu Bei smiled nonchalantly, "I put on powder so you wouldn't notice, and the disguise was pretty successful. Actually, the guy who deals in wooden products got into a fight, and I just happened to be there to help him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lent me his newly bought camera."

Seeing that Xu Bei's words were reasonable and well-founded, and even the connection between them and the camera made sense, Zhao Fengying and Xu Juan believed him.

"No wonder they were so willing to lend you their camera!"

"Yeah, bro, I was wondering before. I heard this camera is expensive and looks so new. You have to be really close to borrow it. Now it all makes sense."

Xu Bei watched the two of them analyze the situation back and forth, smiled without saying a word, and hurried off to the toilet and wash up.

After breakfast, he deliberately left the camera at home before taking his mother to the shop.

The reason I did this was that I thought I could come back later and meet the girl I liked. It would be even more perfect if I could take some photos of her.

As soon as the mother and son turned into the alley next to the store, they saw two familiar bicycles parked outside their shop.

Xu Li and Zhu Wenliang arrived earlier than them.

And judging from the smoke coming out of the chimney, you can guess that the stove must be on fire.

As soon as Xu Bei's bicycle appeared outside the store, Zhu Wenliang pushed open the door.

"Brother, you're here. Mom, are you alright after drinking so much yesterday?"

Zhao Fengying nimbly jumped off her bicycle. "It's alright, I'll be fine after a good night's sleep. But you guys, you don't need to come so early. Xiaoli is pregnant, so get some more sleep."

Zhu Wenliang chuckled and said, "That's what I advised too, but your eldest daughter wouldn't listen."

Xu Li appeared right behind him, pinching his ear while calling out to Xu Bei and the others.

"Brother, Mom, come inside quickly, it's so cold outside. I can't fall asleep no matter how hard I try, so it's better to come over sooner."

Xu Bei and Zhao Fengying looked at each other and smiled.

The two soon entered the shop, which still smelled of burning stoves.

Xu Li glanced at her mother discreetly and noticed that her eyes weren't red or swollen, only slightly bluish under them. She was somewhat relieved and then they started talking about changing her household registration.

"Wenliang and I were talking about it when we got home last night. If my brother's boss can't help, we'll move to Old Zhu's house first."

Zhu Wenliang quickly chimed in with a cheerful laugh, "Yes, Mom, brother, these past few days have been too rushed, and the New Year is just around the corner. Why don't you move to our house first? My parents would definitely be happy to do so."

Xu Bei paused in taking off his hat and gloves, then smiled and said, "No need. Our boss promised to help last night."

Zhao Fengying quickly added, "Yes, we appreciate your kindness, but it's alright. We've already borrowed money from your brother's boss, so we don't mind troubling him further. We'll repay you slowly in the future."

Upon hearing this, Xu Li and Zhu Wenliang did not insist any further.

Once Xu Bei and the others had warmed up, seeing that it was almost time, they dressed again, took the delivery notice and household registration booklet, and rode their bicycles to the post office.

Although the door had only been open for a short time when I arrived, quite a few people had already gathered inside.

After all, in this day and age, sending letters, sending telegrams, picking up parcels, making remittances, subscribing to newspapers and magazines, and so on all had to be done here.

Especially as the Spring Festival approaches, the number of New Year's goods packages sent from other places and the money remitted home for the New Year surges, and the post office is often crowded with people queuing up.

Xu Bei patiently waited in line for more than half an hour before it was finally his turn.

Holding the pickup notice, he spoke to the staff member inside through the glass window, "Comrade, I need to pick up a package. It's from the provincial capital."

The staff member was a man in his thirties, who repeatedly checked the serial number and official seal on the document.

After confirming that everything was correct, he turned around and went to the warehouse at the back, where he finally dragged out a heavy sack after quite some time.

The man, his face flushed slightly, said to Xu Bei, who was standing outside, "It's quite heavy. Bring the stamp, let's stamp it!"

After Xu Bei agreed, he took out the hand stamp that he had prepared in advance from his pocket.

Press the ink into the inkpad box placed outside the counter, then stamp your name on the receipt.

Then, as Xu Bei was dragging the sack out with all his might, he unexpectedly came face to face with Xu Dahong, who was shivering from the cold as she lifted the cotton curtain.

The aunt and niece were already close in age, and with both old and new grudges added to the mix, they were extremely hostile when they met, and neither of them gave the other a friendly look.

Xu Dahong snorted coldly, "Your parents are divorced! From now on, I'll pretend I never had a beastly nephew like you!"

Xu Bei retorted without any hesitation, "Who do you think you are? Get out of my way! Even if we're not divorced, I won't acknowledge you!"