Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Xu Juan covered her forehead, snorted, and said, "I know I should cherish this rare opportunity, even without you telling me, brother."

Besides, I've put in a lot of good words for you in front of Sister Xiaowan, saying many nice things about you.

Xu Bei asked with some curiosity, "Really? What kind of nice things did you say? Tell me about them."

Xu Juan didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "I said you're a good person with a good personality, mature and steady, and you're also very capable. You take care of everything at home and outside, otherwise Mom's shop wouldn't have been able to open so quickly."

There are quite a few girls who have liked you since childhood, but you haven't won over any of them...

Xu Bei thought the beginning was alright, but then he couldn't help but want to facepalm. "You little brat, it's fine to praise me for anything else, but why are you acting like a saint when you tell people I'm popular with girls?"

Xu Juan, despite being a high school student in her early teens, acted like a wise old woman. "Isn't this to prove you're charming and that you'd rather have nothing than something bad? Bro, how can you not understand my good intentions?"

Xu Bei was even more amused and exasperated. "Okay, okay, I got it. I'll buy you some good food after I order the goods in the city tomorrow. What do you want to eat?"

Xu Juan immediately smiled happily, "I want to eat canned yellow peaches, but they're a bit expensive. Hawthorn berries will do too."

These days, canned food is definitely a hard currency. You can eat it yourself, and it's also a very presentable gift. In fact, it can even be given away and changed hands many times.

Yellow peaches are more expensive than canned hawthorns, making them a top choice for visiting patients or as gifts.

"No problem, we'll have yellow peaches. Your brother's got plenty of money now."

……

The next day was the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

When Xu Bei woke up early in the morning, he saw that the sky outside was overcast and it looked like it was going to snow.

Today, he was going to the city to deliver goods to Old Scar, as previously agreed.

Therefore, after dropping her mother off at the shop, she helped light the stove, and left after only exchanging a few words with her older sister, Xu Li.

What Xu Bei didn't know was that while he was still on the forest railway train heading to the city, Zhao Fengying had already set off alone to a timber processing plant that was some distance from the town.

Although the Chinese New Year is approaching, there is no festive atmosphere in the factory. Due to the heavy production tasks, it is still running at full speed.

Especially the sawing of houses, which is almost non-stop 24 hours a day, with workers working in two shifts.

Zhao Fengying lifted the heavy cotton curtain, and a wave of heat mixed with the strong smell of pine resin and sawdust rushed out, followed by a deafening roar that made one's chest feel stuffy.

Inside the workshop, all kinds of saws were running, and a few beams of sunlight shone through the windows covered with frost flowers, illuminating the sawdust flying in the air.

Some areas were covered with a half-foot-thick layer of sawdust, which felt soft and didn't make much noise when stepped on.

Zhao Fengying, with her sharp eyes, quickly spotted Xu Dashan standing next to the sports car (a type of trolley with rails) among the people wearing thick coats and hats, waving a flag to direct the movement.

Almost simultaneously, Xu Dashan, with his stubble, also saw Zhao Fengying, and he subconsciously glanced at the other people in the workshop.

Then he noticed that many people were looking at him, because everyone in the workplace knew that the couple was getting a divorce, and his colleagues were obviously watching the spectacle.

Xu Dashan's face immediately turned even uglier. He yelled at Zhao Fengying to go outside and wait, but his voice was instantly swallowed up by the roar of the machine.

He had no choice but to wave his hand again, making a gesture to shoo people away.

Zhao Fengying then understood what it meant, immediately pointed outside, and turned to leave.

Looking at his wife's back—so different from his own haggard and disheveled appearance, and so different from the exhaustion he felt from being pressured by his mother and sister, and how she had become much younger and prettier since moving away and opening her own shop—Xu Dashan felt a mix of emotions, and his anger surged.

After finishing his work, Xu Dashan said goodbye to his colleagues and went outside the workshop.

Zhao Fengying waited, stamping her feet as she went, not far from the workshop entrance.

Upon seeing the person emerge, he didn't hesitate at all, moving forward while getting straight to the point.

"I came here today to ask you, when exactly will the divorce referral letter be issued? If it drags on any longer, the Chinese New Year holiday will be approaching!"

Xu Dashan was furious when he heard this, and shouted angrily, "How should I know! Do you think I don't want to get it out quickly so I can get the paperwork done? The factory leaders just won't sign it, and then they even brought in the union for mediation. What can I do!"

The old lady and Da Hong are pressuring me every day, and now you're pressuring me too! It's driving me crazy!

Zhao Fengying originally wanted to speak calmly and rationally when she arrived, but Xu Dashan's attitude severely provoked her, and she raised her voice without any politeness.

"What are you yelling at me for? You were the one who was jumping up and down saying you wanted a divorce, and now you're stuck on a letter of introduction from your workplace. Instead of coming up with a solution, what's the point of yelling at me like this? If you're so capable, go talk to your boss!"

Xu Dashan was speechless for a moment, and could only lower his voice and say, "Well, wasn't I forced into this situation by you guys? Otherwise, what can't we do? My children are all grown up, and it's not like I don't support my family!"

Go out and ask around, where else can you find a son beating his father, a daughter-in-law beating her mother-in-law, or a niece beating her aunt?

Since Zhao Fengying had made up her mind, she couldn't be bothered to listen to any of this.

Furthermore, some things, once they happen, are like spilled water—irreversible. If someone in the workplace hears about them and it gets out, it will affect the reputation of my son and youngest daughter.

"Stop spouting nonsense! We've been through thick and thin together all these years, and you never lift a finger to help us when things go wrong, and you always try to avoid trouble, leaving me, an old woman, to be the one to fight on the front lines!"

"Tell me right now which leader is in charge of this. I'm going to go with you face to face and have a serious talk with them. Are you trying to force me to die in front of them before they'll agree to give me a letter of introduction!"

Xu Dashan knew Zhao Fengying's fiery temper and was worried that if she made a scene in front of the leaders, she would lose even more face at work. So he quickly softened his tone and comforted her, "Fengying, let's talk this out. You can't do this! If you want a divorce, then go ahead and get a divorce. You can't act like you're going to die!"

Go back first and wait for my news. I promise I'll get the letter of introduction ready within three days, okay?

Zhao Fengying looked at Xu Dashan with suspicion. "Stop trying to fool me! If you had a plan earlier, wouldn't you have already come up with it? Why wait until now?"

Xu Dashan glanced around furtively, then leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "I'm not kidding you. I've actually been thinking of this trick for days, but I haven't been able to bring myself to do it... Anyway, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. Just go back and wait for my news. If I can't come up with it, I'll change my surname to yours, okay?"

Zhao Fengying was still skeptical and wanted to ask what the trick was, but Xu Dashan wouldn't say anything, his mouth was as tight as a saw.

Moreover, the workshop was waiting for them to start working and unloading materials, so they had no choice but to send them back first...