Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

"Mom, regardless of whether we can get a divorce in the future, we have to stand firm to the end right now. No amount of coaxing or persuasion will work! Otherwise, those people will be able to bully us even more easily in the future!"

As soon as Xu Bei finished speaking, Xu Juan echoed him indignantly, "Yes, Mom, we absolutely cannot let them look down on us! This time is different from any other time; my dad has gone too far!"

Listening to her children's words, Zhao Fengying knew perfectly well that they were afraid she would change her mind easily, so she quickly said:

"You two fought with them for my sake, how could I be so heartless!"

If Mom does the same thing again this time, she'll be utterly despicable. Not only will she be looked down upon by others, but I myself will despise myself!

Xu Bei and Xu Juan looked at each other, one bowing their heads and the other tilting their heads, and both felt much more at ease.

Zhao Fengying changed the subject and sighed again, "To be honest, I haven't really thought about divorce yet. I'm just wondering what to do with such a good job selling stools in the future."

The carpenter isn't planning on making any more stools, and it's uncertain whether these tables will even sell after they're finished.

As the boss himself, Xu Bei kept pedaling his bike while also reassuring his mother.

"Mom, now that it's easier to talk, I'll be honest with you. Actually, our boss said that even if we only make tables, we'll definitely make chairs in the future too."

"Oh my, really? That's great!" Zhao Fengying couldn't help but pat Xu Bei's back hard again. "You little rascal, you should have told me sooner! You made me so nervous."

Xu Bei didn't feel any pain because she was wearing thick clothes, and just thought it was her mother giving her a massage. "I didn't get a chance to say anything, but it's not too late to say it now."

Hearing this good news dispelled some of the gloom in her heart, so when she arrived at the state-run restaurant, Zhao Fengying, who originally had little appetite, was persuaded by Xu Bei and his sister to eat a bowl of rice and some stir-fried dishes.

After the meal, the mother and her two children went straight to the Beida Building, which sells hardware, daily necessities, tables, benches, pots, pans, and other kitchenware, to make their purchases.

As soon as you enter, a smell of enamel plastic, iron and wood hits you.

Xu Bei saw the saleswoman he had inquired about prices with last time, still sitting behind the counter, knitting with her fingers flying, but this time she seemed to have changed to brown woolen trousers.

"Comrade, do you have any kang leather?"

The saleswoman glanced at Xu Bei, then at Zhao Fengying and her daughter behind him, and said indifferently, "What kind do you want? We have regular leather and extra-thick leather."

Xu Bei continued, "How much are they?"

"Regular leather is 1.5 yuan per meter, and thick leather is 2.5 yuan per meter."

The saleswoman pointed to a roll of kang leather next to her, "These are the only patterns available, choose one yourself."

Xu Bei and the others looked in the direction she pointed and saw several rolls of kang leather standing upright on the ground, with not many patterns.

Some are printed with magpies on plum blossoms, some with phoenixes and peonies, and others have simple geometric patterns in red, yellow, blue, and green.

"Mom, which one do you think looks better?" Xu Bei then looked at Xu Juan, "Xiao Juan, which one do you like?"

Xu Juan immediately leaned forward to take a closer look.

Zhao Fengying reached out and touched the phoenix and peony-patterned kang mat. The surface was smooth and the mat felt thick, unlike ordinary straw mats which were very prickly.

"This ordinary one is fine, and it's festive too."

After saying that, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "It's just... son, isn't more than one yuan per meter too expensive? Maybe we should just buy a kang mat to make do for now."

"Then what's the point of dealing with it? Since we're buying it once, let's just go for it from the start. That way, we'll suffer less while living here. And even if we don't live in that house anymore, we can just move out, right?"

Xu Bei leaned closer to his mother's ear and whispered, "Besides, Mom, your son orders fifty stools every two days, earning five yuan each time. We're still short of money for the kang (heated brick bed)."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fengying no longer felt reluctant to part with it.

Next, besides buying a kang cover for the kang, I also selected some things that I needed but couldn't get from that house before leaving for the newly rented house.

Filled with anticipation and curiosity, Zhao Fengying and Xu Juan, upon seeing that the house was somewhat dilapidated on the outside but decent inside, immediately began to tend the stove and start a fire without taking a break.

Xu Bei helped lay out a kang cover on the kang in the east room so that his mother and sister had a place to sit or lie down and rest before riding his bicycle away again.

However, instead of going straight home to get his luggage and other things, he went to the woodworking factory to find Xu Li first.

I need to talk to my sister about the arguments, fights, and even the possibility of divorce first.

Xu Juan was working in the workshop when she heard that her younger brother had come to find her, and she was initially a little surprised.

After the siblings left the workshop together and found a convenient place to talk, Xu Bei succinctly explained the whole story. Xu Juan was so angry that she almost wanted to go back to her parents' home immediately to start another big fight.

"Are they even human? They know that Grandma and Grandpa and those two boys are Mom's deepest pain, yet they still rub salt into the wound."

It's one thing for Xu Dashan to be completely heartless and ungrateful, but at this crucial moment, he's siding with that old lady and Xu Dahong. Mom is right to divorce him! She should have divorced him a long time ago!

However, you and Xiaojuan really impressed me this time, especially my younger sister. I never dreamed that she would dare to fight with the old lady and Xu Dahong.

Xu Bei agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "Yes, I was also quite surprised by Xiao Juan's change, but it's better this way. Otherwise, like our mother, even if she's a bit shrewish, she still gets bullied in her marriage."

Xu Juan pulled off the arm warmers over her cotton-padded jacket. "No, I can't let you go get the luggage alone. I'm going with you! I want to see what kind of trouble those three can cause!"

Then I can go with you to your new place to get acquainted and comfort Mom.

Xu Bei, being a grown man, was certainly not as thoughtful or good at comforting people as Xu Li, so he naturally didn't object. "Okay, sis, then you tell your boss, then change your clothes and come out. I'll wait for you outside."

Xu Li frowned and nodded vigorously, "Okay, I'll tell your brother-in-law too, otherwise he'll be kept in the dark and won't know what's going on."

The siblings quickly met up outside, and then each rode a bicycle straight towards home.

Along the way, we inevitably talked about more details and plans for the future...

The east room of the Xu family's house was filled with smoke at this moment.

Xu Dashan sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), smoking in a state of extreme frustration, while looking at the photos in the glass frame hanging on the camphor wood chest.

The old lady and Xu Dahong were at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed). One of them lay there groaning, while the other sat beside her, pretending to feel sorry for his mother who had been beaten and wiping away tears. In reality, he would occasionally steal glances at Xu Dashan, who was gloomy and silent.

"Second brother, I'm young, so it's nothing for me to be hit. But Mother is so old, with her frail arms and legs. Do you think she might have been injured?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady immediately joined in with even louder groans, "I feel pain in my ribs even when I breathe, I might have broken them! Those mother and daughter are really awful, they even hit an old lady like me!"

Mother truly regrets it. She shouldn't have been blind to allow such a woman into the family! And now she's given birth to two such heartless and ungrateful children who even beat us!