Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Xu Bei mainly wants to hear his mother's opinion on whether his parents should get a divorce.

He believed that whether they divorced or not, he could provide her with an incredibly comfortable life.

Xu Juan, being young and inexperienced, felt that divorce was a huge deal.

I didn't want my parents to separate, but with my grandmother and aunt interfering, I didn't want my mother to be inferior to others at this time.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, even if Xu Dashan didn't want to divorce, he couldn't say it aloud. So he shouted, "Fine, let's divorce! I can't live like this anymore!"

Zhao Fengying subconsciously took a half step back.

Xu Bei silently put his arm around his mother's shoulder, offering her support, "Mom, you still have us."

Xu Juan followed suit and stood on the other side, grasping her mother's hand.

Zhao Fengying was made even more determined by her children's actions, realizing that a mother's strength is essential, and that she couldn't show weakness in front of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. She gritted her teeth and held back the tears that were about to fall.

"Fine! Then we won't live together! This house was allocated by your work unit, I don't want it, but the money and ration coupons in the house weren't earned by you alone, we have to split them equally."

Xu Dashan hadn't expected Zhao Fengying to be so strong-willed. Once she mentioned divorce, she immediately started dividing things and money. "No need to split it equally, you can have it all!"

The old lady and Xu Dahong were unwilling to accept this and hurriedly pulled Xu Dashan away.

"Second brother, why should she get everything?!"

"Yes, second brother, you earn quite a bit a month as a worker!"

Xu Dashan couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "Alright, all of you shut up! Before you came, the house wasn't this noisy and chaotic!"

"I earned this money, so I can divide it however I want! Besides, I'll get a salary every month from now on!"

Zhao Fengying originally wanted to leave half for Xu Dashan.

Since he's being so generous now, and he's even managed to make the old lady and Xu Dahong so anxious, then there's no need to be polite anymore.

"Sure, since you can still earn money, I'll take it all. It'll make all these years of weathering storms together worthwhile!"

Xu Dashan suddenly felt extremely sad, and his mouth opened and closed as if he wanted to say something.

Xu Bei didn't want them to get entangled any longer, so he said directly, "Mom, let's start packing now. It's still early, so we can find a place to stay soon, otherwise it will be dark by four o'clock."

Although Zhao Fengying was momentarily at a loss and didn't know where to go, she didn't want to appear timid in front of others. "Okay, let's pack some clothes and things to wear first, and we can get the rest later."

After saying that, he took off his shoes and went up to the kang (a heated brick bed) to rummage through the kang's inner chambers for something.

Xu Bei and Xu Juan also started packing their things in the east and west rooms, first bringing a few changes of clothes they needed.

Xu Dashan and the old lady Xu Dahong looked at each other with their own thoughts.

The two people behind her, in particular, stared intently at Zhao Fengying. When they saw a handkerchief that looked like it contained money and tickets, they tried to speak up, but Xu Dashan forcefully suppressed them.

Soon, they had all packed a bag, changed into their outdoor clothes and shoes, and were wrapped up very tightly.

Xu Bei didn't even take off his coat when he came back from outside, so he just put on his hat, gloves, and scarf, put a few bags in the basket of his bicycle and hung them on the handlebars, and then he carried his mother and sister away.

Only after Xu Bei rode out of the alley and no familiar neighbors greeted him did Zhao Fengying cover her mouth, which was wrapped in a scarf, and begin to cry silently.

Although Xu Bei didn't have eyes in the back of his head, his ears were still very sharp. He gently advised, "Mom, it's so cold, don't cry. Your face will get frozen. If you want to cry, I'll find you a quiet place where no one will bother you, and you can cry your heart out."

Zhao Fengying patted Xu Bei on the back and asked in a tearful voice, "Son, which good place are you talking about?"

Xu Juan, who was sitting on the crossbar of the car and whose eyes were already brimming with tears, asked curiously, "Yes, brother, where is a good place where no one will bother you?"

Xu Bei didn't keep them in suspense and said, half-truthfully, "Well, it's a bit of a coincidence. Our carpenter boss asked me to help him rent a house so it would be convenient to store goods in the future. Yesterday, Guodong and I went to see his cousin's house, and we thought it was okay, so we rented it for five yuan."

Who would have thought that after only half a morning of tidying up, we'd already need to find a place to stay? Well, let's leave it to us for now, we'll find one for our boss later..."

Zhao Fengying immediately forgot about crying. "No wonder Guodong and his sister came to visit yesterday, but you two slipped away so quickly. So you went to look at houses! Son, what do you think of the houses? Are they habitable?"

Xu Juan wiped her tears with her gloves and asked, "Brother, where is that house? Is it far away?"

Seeing that he had successfully diverted his mother's and sister's attention, Xu Bei smiled and replied, "It's near the Second Elementary School, a bit far from here. But it's closer to the town, so it'll be more convenient to buy things in the future. There's always firewood to cook, and the tap water hasn't frozen yet. We can tidy it up and move in."

Zhao Fengying had been wondering where to stay, but she couldn't go because her eldest daughter lived with her husband's family, and she was too embarrassed to ask other people she knew for help. Now that she heard about this situation, she felt much more at ease.

"Let's go now, we can drop off our things and get ready quickly."

"No rush to pack. It's the middle of the day. I think we should go to the state-run restaurant for lunch first, and then go to the store to buy some kang leather, pots and pans, and the like. As for the luggage and bedding, I'll come back to get them later."

Seeing that Xu Bei's arrangements were clear and methodical.

Zhao Fengying and Xu Juan were happy to follow the arrangement.

Moreover, it was already noon. No matter what unpleasant things had happened, Zhao Fengying felt that even if she didn't eat much herself, she couldn't let the children go hungry.

On the way to the state-run restaurant, Xu Bei and Xu Juan tried their best to persuade Zhao Fengying to think more positively and not be sad, saying that it was not worth it for some unworthy people.

Sitting on the back rack of the car, Zhao Fengying sighed and said, "Son, daughter, Mom isn't as fragile or suicidal as you think."

Actually, even before your grandma and aunt came, I guessed that there would definitely be some conflict over selling stools. After all, mentioning one cent is too tempting; who wouldn't be tempted?

But I never imagined it would escalate to the point of divorce. However, we've argued and even physically fought, so I'm not entirely at a disadvantage.

Also, to be honest, getting a divorce isn't that easy. You need a letter of introduction, and people from your workplace and neighborhood committee have to come and persuade you. And in the end, it's not certain whether you'll even be able to get a divorce...

Xu Bei was well aware that getting a divorce in the 1980s was a tough battle against the company's attempts to block public opinion from getting involved.

Whether you are getting a divorce by mutual consent at the Civil Affairs Bureau or by filing for divorce in court, you must have a letter of introduction issued by your employer or the street office/village committee.

Without this piece of paper, the marriage registration office will not even accept a divorce application.

But these letters of introduction aren't easy to obtain; many people who want a divorce get stuck at this step...