Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

After that, Xu Bei spent almost two days transferring their household registration and food ration records from their original neighborhood to their newly purchased house.

Of course, this involved spending money to find someone to help; otherwise, given the speed of things in the 1980s, it would never have been this fast.

When Zhao Fengying received her brand-new household registration book and grain ration book, she should have been happy and smiling, but her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"Son, we must repay your boss's immense kindness in the future. Without his help, we wouldn't have been able to accomplish this so easily!"

Xu Bei put his arm around his mother's shoulder and said gently, "I know. Mom, wipe your tears. Now that the household registration has been transferred, we can live our own lives behind closed doors, and things will get better every day. Why are you crying? Besides, today is the Little New Year."

Zhao Fengying hurriedly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Right, right, Mom almost forgot. This is the Little New Year, a good day to worship the Kitchen God. We can't cry, or we'll cry all year round."

Seeing this, Xu Bei quickly took out a neatly folded handkerchief and handed it over, saying, "That's right, especially since you're the head of the household now, truly in charge, you should be laughing even more."

Zhao Fengying paused as she took the handkerchief to wipe her tears. "I can't laugh too loudly, or the customers will think I've gone crazy."

Standing behind the counter, while selling goods and answering customers, she glanced at Xu Li and Xu Juan over here. Actually, both of them had tears in their eyes, and upon hearing this, they immediately laughed along.

Xu Bei watched his loved ones cry and laugh, and his heart was filled with emotion.

However, he is a true man, and he certainly doesn't show his emotions that much.

They asked directly, "The household registration and grain ration book have been transferred. Should we send them over today, or wait until after the Lunar New Year?"

Zhao Fengying thought for a moment, "Let's send it over as soon as possible. That way we won't get impatient and cause trouble at the store, which would delay our sales."

Xu Bei agreed, saying, "Indeed, we wouldn't be afraid of them causing trouble under normal circumstances, but the key is that there are many buyers right now. I'll go to the timber processing plant in a bit. It's the day shift this week, and I've rested for several days, so I should be able to go back to work now."

Zhao Fengying quickly objected, "No, I can't let you go alone. You take me to the place and wait outside. I'll go to the workshop, deliver the things to him, and then come out."

Then she lowered her voice, speaking in a volume only the two of them could hear, "Actually, Mom is worried that if you two get into a fight again, things are different at the factory than at home. What will people think of you then... Will you be able to go back to work after that?"

Xu Bei thought to himself that his mother's worries were completely unnecessary, like casting a net in a fishpond.

He could never go back to work in the workshop, and naturally he didn't care what people in the company thought of him, but there were some things he couldn't say for the time being.

After all, the mainstream thinking that is deeply ingrained in people nowadays is that having a job is the right path.

Without a job, one is an unemployed vagrant, a loafer, or a marginal member of society.

Adhering to the principle of "the less trouble, the better," Xu Bei agreed with his mother, saying, "Alright, let's go together."

So, the shop was handed over to the Xu sisters, Xu Li and Xu Juan, while Xu Bei and Zhao Fengying quickly got dressed and rode a bicycle to the timber processing plant.

Although today is the Little New Year, some factories under the Forestry Bureau are still operating normally, working overtime to produce goods, without taking a break.

In the huge yard of the timber processing plant, the deafening roar of saws still echoes as usual.

Xu Beishang returned and started receiving his salary again, but before he knew it, more than half a month had passed without him setting foot here.

After all, it was the workplace where he had worked and struggled for a long time. Looking at the huge stacks of logs piled up like small mountains on the open ground, and the familiar scene in the board yard, he couldn't help but admire it for a while while his mother went to the workshop to find Xu Dashan.

Before Xu Bei could get his fill of looking around, Zhao Fengying hurriedly came out of the workshop.

"Son, your dad's colleagues in the workshop said that he hasn't come to work since the accident. The company leaders told him to go home and rest... Do you think he was seriously injured, and he didn't tell us the truth?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Bei frowned as well. "He seemed to be limping on the day of the divorce, but it didn't seem too serious. I guess there was a safety accident, and his supervisor took the opportunity to give him leave to reflect on his actions and write a self-criticism."

Zhao Fengying and Xu Dashan were an old married couple who had been together for over twenty years. Even if they didn't have romantic love, they still had familial affection, so she immediately became anxious and worried.

"What if it really is heavy! That old bastard is so stubborn! The other day I came over and said I'd go talk to the boss about when we could get a letter of introduction, but he just stood there, all fussy and said he had a way! If I'd known earlier, I would never have agreed..."

Xu Bei could tell that although his mother was scolding him, she was genuinely worried and anxious.

"Mom, don't worry, let's go home and check on things right now."

"Okay, let's go quickly then."

By this point, Zhao Fengying no longer cared whether she would see the old lady and Xu Dahong and her daughter again.

After Xu Bei carried Zhao Fengying away from the timber processing plant, it didn't take long for them to reach the area of ​​bungalows where they had lived for many years.

Since the day they argued and moved out, neither the mother nor the son has returned.

As I turned into the alley and approached my house, I ran into a few neighbors who were standing and chatting outside the gate. Besides greeting them, they all asked me all sorts of questions.

Even though Zhao Fengying was a little anxious, she couldn't be rude to the concern and care of some familiar faces.

Judging from the expressions and reactions of his neighbors, Xu Bei could roughly guess that Xu Dashan's injury was probably not serious or had not been reported.

The lady of the Wang family was carrying firewood in the yard when she heard the commotion outside the gate and jogged out.

With a hint of excitement, she exclaimed, "Fengying! Xu boy! You and your son are back!"

Zhao Fengying felt closer to the other woman, so she quickly stepped forward and said, "Sister-in-law Wang, what are you doing?"

Aunt Wang patted the sawdust off her clothes and said with a smile, "Yes, let's get some firewood."

Xu Bei also pushed his bicycle and greeted Aunt Wang, who had been to the store before, with a smile.

Aunt Wang winked at the two of them, then took Zhao Fengying's arm and said, "It's been a while since I've seen you. Come on in my house and warm up. I need your help with something."

Zhao Fengying knew that this person had something to say, so she cooperated and said, "Okay, our dishes are all frozen solid."

The other neighbors standing outside the gate wanted to follow them into the yard, but they wisely stopped when they heard that the other party had something to ask for their help.

As soon as Xu Bei and Zhao Fengying entered the Wang family's house, Aunt Wang, disregarding formalities, eagerly exclaimed, "Why are you back so soon? This morning, I saw Xu Dashan and his sister, along with your brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and two boys, looking travel-worn as if they had just gotten off a train... If they had run into each other, they would have been at a disadvantage!"