Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Xu Bei knew that this was the job of the people in his unit, so it was understandable that he said these things.

Let alone them, even relatives, friends, or strangers, when faced with someone getting a divorce, the principle is to advise reconciliation rather than separation.

In short, in the 1980s, many people considered divorce to be a particularly dishonorable and shameful thing.

Otherwise, so many rural women wouldn't have resorted to suicide by drinking poison, hanging themselves, or jumping into rivers, preferring to give up their precious lives rather than bravely taking the step of divorce. This speaks volumes.

"I fully support my mother's decision, and you don't need to waste any more time trying to persuade or mediate!"

Older Mr. Zhang was speechless and annoyed. "You, Xiao Xu, how could you say that! You're not even married yet, don't you think about the impact on you if your parents get divorced?"

Xiao Li, who was getting her hair permed, also looked heartbroken. "Yeah, if you don't think about others, you should at least think about yourself. How will you find a partner then? Every girl on a blind date will investigate your parents' situation. Once they hear you're divorced, what will they do?"

Even though Xu Bei and Zhao Fengying had brainwashed her a lot, when it came to matters of marriage, as a mother, she still prioritized her children. Their words, spoken in unison, hit the nail on the head.

Seeing that his mother was somewhat moved and seemed to be wavering, Xu Bei quickly said righteously, "I only care about whether my mother is happy or not. As for my partner, I am not afraid of being investigated by others. At worst, I will find a girl who is willing to accept my parents' divorce."

I believe that any good girl with sound values, beauty, and kindness will only care about me as a person, and nothing else.

At this point, Xu Bei looked at Zhao Fengying again, "Mom, you know how good that person is."

Zhao Fengying knew, of course, who her son was talking about. But when she thought of Zhou Qingwan, such a good girl with such a difficult and pitiful background, she figured she could probably accept and understand the divorce, and her resolve strengthened.

"Yes. I also believe it won't affect you."

"Um... I'm so sorry to have troubled you to come all this way in this freezing weather, but I definitely won't accept any mediation here. It's no use saying anything, it's just a waste of your time. Don't come again!"

Old Zhang and Little Li exchanged a glance, realizing that both sides were unyielding and difficult to deal with, so they had no choice but to leave first.

Xu Bei and Zhao Fengying politely escorted the person to the shop door.

Only after they had both gotten on their bicycles did the mother and son turn around and go back into the shop.

Standing behind the counter, Xu Li patted her chest and said, "Oh my god, they're finally gone. Getting any work done is really tough; I've been dawdling for almost half an hour."

As Xu Bei walked inside, he casually remarked, "Really? You've been here for so long."

"I guess he didn't even go to work this afternoon and came straight here."

As Xu Juan spoke, she kept a close eye on the cardboard box peeking out of the cloth bag Xu Bei had just brought back. "Brother, what did you buy this time?"

Zhao Fengying and Xu Li had noticed it before, but because there were people from their work unit present, they didn't rush to ask.

Xu Bei glanced at the two young girls standing outside the counter picking out hair clips, and decided not to pay them too much attention. He simply smiled and said, "Radio."

The mother and her two daughters all gasped in surprise.

"How much did it cost, and where did you buy it?"

"Little brother, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but you spend money too extravagantly."

"Brother, what kind of radio is it?"

Xu Bei answered with a patient smile, "It cost thirty yuan. I bought it at the department store as a transistor radio. It's small and portable, so you can use it not only at home but also in shops. I've seen many small businesses in the provincial capital playing music in their shops."

As for the fact that he met Zhou Qingwan and they even made some selections together, there were still outsiders in the store, so there was no rush to talk about it for the time being.

Xu Bei's last words immediately shut down the words that Zhao Fengying and the others were about to say, and they all changed their tune.

"Really? The provincial capital is a big place with a lot of experience and knowledge. We should humbly learn from it."

"Indeed, it's good to have some noise from playing music."

"Yes, especially since the goods we sell are more fashionable than those in state-run stores, we have to keep up with the pace of those big cities."

Xu Bei suppressed a laugh and took the transistor radio out of the cardboard box.

Since the salesperson had already installed the dry cell batteries, he simply pressed the switch.

First, a slight buzzing sound came from the radio, like the bees buzzing in the distance, followed by a crackling sound of electricity.

Xu Bei skillfully turned the huge adjustment knob, searching for the strongest signal in the area.

Suddenly, a loud female voice pierced through the noise and resounded clearly throughout the not-so-large shop.

"...generations have worked in this field, dressing her up and grooming her."

Our future lies in the fields of hope, where people live under the bright sunshine…

It is a song that many people are familiar with – "On the Field of Hope".

Xu Li clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Wow, the sound quality is so bright!"

Zhao Fengying couldn't help but lean closer and exclaim, "Yes, there's not a single sound! The new one is just different!"

Xu Juan leaned closer to the speaker grille. "It sounds so good... much clearer than the one we had at home before, which always had a crackling sound."

Xu Bei was also very happy to see that his mother and the others were very satisfied, and felt that the thirty yuan was well spent.

With the new radio, not only did the few people running the shop no longer feel lonely, but it also dispelled some of the negative effects of the mediation efforts brought about by the company's visit.

Around four o'clock, it got dark outside, and the lights in the shop came on.

However, state-run stores don't stay open too late these days, and it's not even a few days before the Lunar New Year, so Xu Bei and his group close around 5 p.m.

Just as the group was packing up and cleaning up, Zhu Wenliang drove into the shop with some frozen fish hanging on his handlebars.

Just as Xu Bei was about to put up the wooden shutter of the outside window, he saw the other person first.

"Brother-in-law, you got off work early today. You must have bought a lot of fish."

Zhu Wenliang said with a smile, "Yes, I left a little earlier. Your sister told me to buy some fish at noon, saying that she wanted Mom to make a fish hot pot with some cabbage, vermicelli, and rice."

I ate the big loaf of rye bread you brought back yesterday. It was delicious, but I just didn't really like the taste.

Upon hearing this, Xu Bei smiled understandingly, "The first time you eat that big loaf of bread, you probably won't like it. My sister, on this cold day, makes fish stewed in a big iron pot, and then the broth mixed with rice tastes amazing."

While chatting with his brother-in-law, Zhu Wenliang also observed his expression. After glancing around the shop, he lowered his voice and asked, "Brother, did anyone from your workplace come by today?"

Xu Bei's smile faded, and he stared intently at the other person. "Brother-in-law, did you come to see you too?"

Zhu Wenliang nodded quickly and said in a low voice, "I'm going. But I'll definitely stand unconditionally on Mom's side."

Just then, the shop door was pushed open, and Xu Li came out. "You two stop chatting and hurry up and pack up to go home."

Xu Bei, when dealing with his sister who was being suppressed by her bloodline, adopted a friendly attitude and immediately said, "Okay."

Besides that, Zhu Wenliang also took the fish net off the handlebars, looking like he wanted praise, "Wife, look, I bought several kinds of fish."

Using the light shining through the shop window, Xu Li tried to get a closer look at the frozen fish, but the fishy smell made her gag.

Zhu Wenliang was terrified. "What's wrong, wife?"

Xu Bei smiled, his gaze sweeping over his sister's stomach. If he wasn't mistaken, she was probably pregnant…