1987 My Era

Chapter 1, Reborn, Caught on the Spot

"Hey, Grandma Chun has been having a cold for several days. She might not make it through the Lantern Festival. Why didn't Chen Zijin come back with her?"

"Who said it wasn't true? My grandma is leaving, but my eldest granddaughter didn't show up. She must be afraid to come back because she's embarrassed!"

"Oh, what a pity! I watched Zijin grow up. She is as beautiful as Xi Shi. You won't find a girl as pretty as her anywhere else. Now that her family is rich, she was actually abused by that brat Li Heng."

"If you ask me, Li Jianguo is not a good person. He was expelled from school for having an affair with a female teacher. How can he have a good son?"

"Isn't there a rumor that Uncle Li was framed?"

"Who can tell? If I have a clean record, how can I be framed?"

"Hey, did you see the scene that day? I heard that Li Heng and Chen Zijin were caught in bed by Chen Zijin's sister-in-law. They were naked hugging each other, and they were only wearing underwear. Is that true?"

"Hehehe! They are all so genuine, with clear faces and noses, how could they be fake? I think it's probably true!"

"..."

There are five ponds of different sizes lined up in a row at the east end of the village. To the east of the pond is a threshing ground, which is slightly larger than a basketball court.

At this time, there were six or seven rural women in simple clothes on the threshing ground, sewing shoe soles and chatting about the village's daily life.

Today, the target of their gossip was the old Li family at the intersection, with the main focus on the father and son, Li Jianguo and Li Heng.

In fact, not just today, in recent months, the incident of poor boy Li Heng and noble lady Chen Zijin being caught having sex has been a hot topic in several nearby villages and towns.

How popular is it exactly?
The village chief who married a 22-year-old widow for the third time couldn't compare to it; the cheating man named Liang who got into his daughter-in-law's bed couldn't compare to it either.

The gossipy women who could barely read and write had no idea what was going on, they just knew that the Chen family was on the rise, and they were jealous just looking at it.

At this time, in an old earthen house opposite the grain drying ground, a woman who looked to be in her 40s was silently washing clothes.

The woman's skin was rough and there were traces of time at the corners of her eyes, but her good figure and lingering charm showed that she had been a great beauty when she was young.

She is Li Heng’s mother Tian Run’e.

In the past, if someone dared to criticize her husband and beloved son behind their backs, she would have let go of her innate tolerance and act like a shrew, picking up a kitchen knife and arguing with them for a long time.

When her husband was the head of the Education Bureau, Tian Run'e was the most successful person in Shangcun.

But now, her husband was framed and fired, the Chen family across the street was on the rise, and her son was being oppressed by someone, so she didn't have the energy to do that anymore.

Listening to the waves of laughter coming from the threshing ground, Tian Run'e clenched her fists tightly while washing clothes, but finally slowly relaxed them.

"Auntie Pang, please keep your voices down. Aren't you afraid that Sister Run'e will hear you if you speak so loudly?"

As they listened, a new daughter-in-law in the village became a little annoyed and gave a subtle reminder.

"What are you afraid of? Her son dared to act like a hooligan and strip the Chen family's daughter of her clothes. Can't I say a few words?"

"That's it!"

The gossipy women on the threshing ground, with their breasts swaying, once again burst into unbridled laughter.

At this time, a young man with a flat head passing by happened to hear their conversation and immediately pouted his lips in displeasure:
"Hey! I told you that you are all old ladies in your 60s, half of your body is buried in the ground, and you just chatter behind my back all day long, and you are not ashamed. If you have the guts, be honest in front of my brothers!"

This instantly angered Auntie Pang. She jumped up from the stool, pointed at her with her hands on her hips and cursed:
"Zhang Zhiyong, you are such a fool. Who are you being disrespectful to? Believe it or not, I will slap you twice on behalf of your father!"

"Ouch! I'm so scared!"

Zhang Zhiyong arched his butt with a look of disdain, slapped his butt with his right hand, jumped up and retorted:
"I'm not good at talking, I can't beat you, old sister-in-law! If you keep talking about my dad in a sarcastic way, we'll have a fight right now!"

Everyone knows that the Zhang family is one of the best in the village, and they also know that Zhang Zhiyong's nickname "stupid" is not for nothing. If you make him angry, he will dare to do anything.

Just as the old man and the young man were bickering on the threshing ground, Tian Run'e came out from the main room and whispered to Zhang Zhiyong:

"Zhiyong, don't bother with ignorant people. It's cold outside. Come inside and have a cup of hot water."

Seeing Tian Run'e show up, the fat aunt, who was frightened by Zhang Zhiyong's courage, immediately pointed the finger at her:

"Tian Run'e! Who are you calling ignorant?"

Tian Run'e said indifferently, "If you have the time to show off here, you might as well go back and take care of your cheating man. I just saw him sneaking into your daughter-in-law's room on the second floor."

Auntie Pang's husband was a famous adulterer named Liang in the village. After hearing this, she didn't bother to argue with the two men anymore. She was so angry that she threw the unfinished soles of her shoes on the ground and rushed home cursing.

Aunt Fat was the leader of the gossipmongers. When she left, the others suddenly lost their backbone and scattered like birds and beasts.

Seeing Auntie Tian kill Auntie Pang with just one sentence, Zhang Zhiyong clapped his hands and laughed, then turned around and asked:
"Auntie Tian, ​​is Li Heng home?"

Tian Run'e shook her head. "If he was at home, he would have come out to fight a long time ago. He wouldn't have let you show off all by yourself."

Zhang Zhiyong asked hurriedly: "Where did he go?"

Tian Run'e asked: "What do you want to see him about?"

Zhang Zhiyong nodded like a little chicken, "It's urgent!"

Tian Run'e pointed in the direction of the dam and said, "Go to the dam and take a look. He went out with a scoop net this morning."

Hearing this, Zhang Zhiyong turned around and ran towards the dam without saying a word.

...

On the dam.

In the dam where the river water is crystal clear, you can see groups of small fish playing freely in the water.

At this time, Li Heng put his hands behind his head, crossed his legs and leaned on a pile of river sand, staring at the fish in the water. He had never been so confused before.

Reborn!
We have returned to the poor era of 1987.

Thinking of the several earthen houses at home that are about to collapse, and the boring radishes and cabbages I have had for meals for the past half month, I feel so miserable that I have no tears to cry. I don't have the courage to be heroic and start over in life.

In his previous life, he was in good health and had physical examinations every year. Doctors who were familiar with him joked that he was as strong as an 18-year-old boy and could party every night. How come he was struck by lightning while taking a walk after dinner?

He is dead like this, what will happen to his old mother in that world? Won't his family and children be heartbroken?
Would his confidante, who was walking with him, go mad when she saw him lying dead on the ground?

Whenever he thought of this, he felt like a fish struggling in an oxygen-deficient aquaculture pond. He felt so suffocated that he couldn't breathe and wanted to hold his head and cry.

After graduating from university in his previous life, he worked in a government department. Later, he was persuaded by his old classmates to start an overseas training organization. After decades of hard work, he had a lot of wealth. It was the most glorious time of his life, but now his tens of millions of savings have been exchanged for three shabby mud houses. Everything has gone to waste!

It's all a fucking waste!
He looked up at the evil sky. Is this the so-called karma?
But he was cautious throughout his life and didn't make any big mistakes, right?

Really not reconciled!
The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. Frustrated, Li Heng stretched out his right hand, grabbed a piece of dogtail grass and put it in his mouth. While chewing, he consoled himself like this:
His previous life was quite smooth sailing. He went to university, had a good job, and started his business at the right time. Perhaps God knew that he owed too many favors and left him with regrets, so he let him come back to make up for it.

When he thought of regrets, the first person he thought of was his old father, and he couldn't help feeling a little sad.

Mr. Li Jianguo is in poor health and has suffered from spinal disease for a long time. He cannot do any heavy physical work and can only help with cooking and housework.

As for Tian Run'e, her marriage with Comrade Li Jianguo was full of absurdity.

When Li Jianguo was young, he was good-looking, a college student, and had a decent job, so it was very easy for him to find a partner.

But he seemed to be possessed by a ghost. He didn't want this or that, but he was conquered by a beautiful photo in his friend's house.

His friend told him that the heroine in the photo was now in poverty and was working as an educated youth in the countryside in the neighboring province of Jiangxi. The distance was too far and it was not easy to meet her.

But Li Jianguo wouldn't listen and insisted that his friends act as a matchmaker.

My friend was so angry that she fainted. She originally wanted to marry Li Jianguo herself, but she didn't expect to lose because of a photo. Anyone who encounters this would be extremely uncomfortable!
In the end, the friend reluctantly bought two train tickets and accompanied him to the neighboring province of Jiangxi.

The heroine in the photo is Tian Run'e. When she first met Li Jianguo, she only said three sentences:

In the first sentence, Tian Run'e pointed to the stone bench in the courtyard and said, "Come, sit facing the sun, so I can take a good look at what you look like."

Li Jianguo sat obediently facing the sun.

In the second sentence, Tian Run'e asked: "Have you ever been in a relationship? Have you ever been married?"

Li Jianguo shook his head, "None."

In the third sentence, Tian Run'e ordered her to leave: "Go away, I don't like you."

Hearing this, Li Jianguo immediately got angry: "I don't want it! Since I saw your photo, I haven't had a good night's sleep in half a year. I just want to marry you!"

No one could understand why Tian Run'e married Li Jianguo. Later, with the help of her friends, she followed him back to Xiangnan.

She thought that marrying into the Li family would give her a comfortable life with a hot meal. But she never expected that she would become the main labor force of the Li family and take care of everything in the fields.

This is really a joke of fate, it makes me cry just talking about it!

Li Heng has two older sisters. The eldest sister is Li Yan, 21 years old. She was a premature baby, born after more than seven months of pregnancy. Everyone thought she would not survive, but unexpectedly a miracle happened.

However, due to premature birth, she speaks and acts a little slowly, always a step behind others. She married a carpenter last year and is already pregnant.

The second sister, Li Lan, is the opposite of the eldest sister. She is very smart, but a little greedy and aggressive. Li Heng has lived in fear of her since he was a child. Now he is studying in a medical school.

As for himself, Li Heng couldn't help but raise his left hand. There was a faint "C"-shaped mark on his arm, which was cut by him with a pencil sharpener when he was in the first grade of junior high school.

C, not Zhang, not Li, not Zhao, not Wang, but Chen, represents his obvious and vigorous love for Chen Zijin.

The past flashed through my mind frame by frame like a movie, and finally condensed into a delicate and clear face.

I don’t know how Chen Zijin is doing when he went to Beijing with his parents?

Are you used to it?

But thinking about what happened during the summer vacation half a year ago, the reborn Li Heng still felt very guilty and felt very sorry for her.

Although they are in love with each other, due to the limitations of the concepts of the time, this kind of premature love that is so frightening that it is like a tiger is bound to be a disadvantage for girls, and the reputation of girls will be even more unfavorable.

Words like "indecent", "shameless", "no self-respect", and even "coquettish" once became labels for Li Heng and Chen Zijin, and were made into stories by the busybodies in the village. There are no less than 20 versions of the story so far.

Under tremendous mental pressure, Chen Zijin's family was taken away by his grandfather and father who were officials working outside and had just established themselves.

Then all the rumors focused on the impoverished Li family, and the protagonist of the story, Li Heng, naturally became a sitting duck.

such as:

"A flower stuck in cow dung."

"Toad wants to eat."

"Bah, why don't you take a piss and look in the mirror!"

"Oh! A crow cannot climb a high branch, a pheasant cannot climb a phoenix, so how can this Li family kid be worthy?"

All kinds of dirty words really prove the old saying: There are people to accompany you when you are in good times, but no one cares when you are in bad times.

The group of people who once welcomed the Li family with a smile are now often the most vicious ones who take advantage of the situation.

For this reason, Li Jianguo and his wife worried for a long time, fearing that their only child would have such a stain on his life and that no one would be willing to marry him.

Tian Run'e had fantasized about becoming related to the Chen family.

But the result is predictable. She was just about to ask Chen Zijin's mother and was rejected coldly. She didn't care about the friendship between them.

Facts have once again proved that being poor is miserable.

After that, Tian Run'e, who used to love hanging out with neighbors, rarely visited them anymore and was unwilling to talk much with others.

Because of this incident, the young Li Heng once regarded it as a great shame and complained to the Chen family.

Later he realized that there was a reason why the Chen family was unwilling to marry their beautiful eldest daughter to him.

Li Jianguo, the pillar of the Li family, has collapsed and become a useless person, a good-for-nothing who needs his wife to work in the fields to support him.

There are two students at home, and the eldest daughter often comes to her parents' home to ask for money with a big belly. There are no capable relatives to help, so the family can't even afford food and clothing. Who would dare to get involved with such in-laws?
What could the Chen family hope for by marrying their daughter into such a family?
Moreover, he also damaged Chen Zijin's reputation. You have to know that this was an era when people would blush even if they held hands, so it would be strange if the Chen family would treat him well.

What's more, the Chen family is no longer what it used to be. It is now prosperous and glorious. Why should she marry her daughter to him?

Many years later, Li Heng wrote in his essay: My story climaxed at birth, followed by a long period of preparation.

ps: New author, new book, please vote! Please read it! Please collect it! Reading it is very important.

(End of this chapter)