Struggle Life in the 1970s

The sunlight shone in from outside and hit Mu Zhiqing. The fluff on his sweater was visible in the light. His gray-blue eyes were half-closed, as if he felt the light was dazzling.

Chu Ye was filled with indescribable emotion, for this fate that could be changed, and for the sincere and kind hearts of these people.

There was no reason for her to refuse, so she nodded and said, "Okay."

There was still some time before noon, so the three of them stayed and carefully asked Chu Ye about her learning progress, and then gave her detailed guidance based on her questions.

All three of them graduated from high school and were top students in school. They shared their learning experiences in various subjects with me.

Chu Ye was like a sponge, absorbing knowledge like crazy. She was smart, but she hadn't touched anything for too long, so she was not very good at it. Now that she had met a good teacher, she naturally grew rapidly.

Such a learning progress also made the three of them secretly shocked. They originally thought that teaching Chu Ye would take some effort, and they were all prepared to impart the knowledge in detail, but they didn't expect that most of the time Chu Ye would be able to grasp it with just their pointers.

What she said just now was not very good, and it became a humble remark.

The four of them gradually became familiar with each other in the teaching room. Before they knew it, the temperature outside had risen. I don't know whose stomach started to rumble first, and it seemed particularly loud in this room.

The four of them looked at each other and finally couldn't help laughing.

Chu Ye laughed happily, "Time flies so fast, do you want to have dinner at my house? I'll cook for you."

However, how could the other three really agree? In this era, no one had much food. If they really ate here, Chu Ye would probably be criticized by his family as soon as they left.

So the three of them found excuses to leave, and Mu Zhiqing walked last. He and Chu Ye agreed on a time for tutoring.

Because they had to work during the day, the two agreed that Chu Ye would go to the educated youth compound after work every day where there were many people and it would be less likely for gossip to spread.

Besides, everyone in the Youth League Compound can explain things to her and won’t disturb her studies.

Chu Ye naturally nodded in agreement.

After seeing the three people off, Chu Ye cleaned the table and prepared to cook.

She lit the stove, boiled the water, added the washed corn paste, and after twenty minutes, the meal was ready.

Chu Ye scooped out the porridge, cleaned the iron pot briefly, then put water in to boil, and sprinkled in the wild vegetables that Chu's mother brought back yesterday.

It is March now, everything is growing, and many wild vegetables are quietly emerging from the soil in the fields. Yesterday, the old couple of the Chu family dug a lot along the edge of the field while hoeing the ground.

This wild vegetable can be cooked simply by blanching it in a pan, then adding a little lard and salt and stirring it. After it cools down, it tastes refreshing and crispy and is very delicious.

When everything was done, Chu's father and mother arrived home. After the old couple finished their meal, Chu Ye took out the food that Mu Zhiqing had sent in the morning and explained the reason.

As soon as Chu Ye finished speaking, Mother Chu reached out and took the things on the table into her arms, "We have to put these in our room and leave them for your brother to eat when he comes back."

After that, she hesitated, lowered her head to search, and finally picked out two candies and placed them in front of Chu Ye. "These cereals and dried meat are good things. You have to let your brother eat them. He is still growing and needs to supplement his nutrition. You are a girl, so just eat the candies."

After saying that, he took his things and went into the house.

Chu Ye lowered her head and looked at the candies on the table. The shadow cast by the sunlight fell on her, while also covering the loneliness in her eyes.

Her mother is always like this. Even though she is nice to her normally, once her younger brother is involved, all the girls have to take the back seat.

This was the case in her previous life. She didn’t live a good life after she got married, and her mother felt sorry for her. But once her brother needed her, her mother would change her attitude and quickly forget about her.

When she first woke up in this life, Chu's mother had been guarding her bedside, which gave her hope. But now it seems that she is still no match for her brother.

But she was not stupid. She only took out two pieces of jerky. She still had more. She also kept some cereal and candy.

She suppressed the bitterness in her heart, pretended to be used to it, and told Chu's father about her plan to study in the Youth League Compound in the future.

She didn't go into detail, only saying that the educated youth there were very knowledgeable, and that she could go there and ask for more advice, which wouldn't interfere with her daytime work.

Chu's father had just experienced what happened to Zhao Xuesong, so he naturally knew that at this critical time, no one would come to propose marriage to his family.

Anyway, Chu Ye won’t be delayed in going to work, so she can go if she wants to. If she really passes the exam, wouldn’t that be a good thing?
Father Chu nodded in agreement.

Before going to work in the afternoon, Aunt Wang came to the house. She witnessed Chu Ye's grievance yesterday, and now seeing her swollen cheeks, she naturally pulled him aside to comfort him, and scolded Zhao Xuesong in the meantime. At the end, she explained the purpose of her visit.

Her daughter-in-law, Sister Nianci, suffered from morning sickness in the fields this morning. Aunt Wang felt sorry for her and asked Brother Jianwen to help her go home to rest.

Seeing that the sun was still hot that afternoon, Nianci was not allowed to go to the fields, so she stayed at home to rest.

Aunt Wang said that she was worried that Sister Nianci would be bored at home, and Chu Ye happened to be at home, so she wanted to ask her to go and keep Nianci company and relieve her boredom.

This is not difficult, Chu Ye agreed. Aunt Wang happily pulled Chu's mother to the field, and said with a boastful tone, "Let me tell you, didn't Jianwen go to the city some time ago? When he came back, he went to the department store to buy me a pair of pants."

"Look, this is what I'm wearing. This kid has really grown up after marrying a wife. He even knows how to care for his mother."

The sound became farther and farther away and gradually disappeared. Chu Ye smiled knowingly and walked towards Aunt Wang's house.

There is a chicken coop in Aunt Wang's yard, which is now full of yellow fluffy chicks. Looking closer, they seem to be bigger than before.

Seeing Chu Ye approaching, they all ran over chattering, looking at the lively atmosphere.

Chu Ye walked into the room. Sister Nian Ci had probably taken a nap at noon. When she went over, she was still in bed. Her face looked rosy, and she looked much better than a few days ago.

Whether in the past or present life, Chu Ye had never had too much contact with Nian Ci. Most of the time they would just say hello and smile when they met.

But obviously, Chu Ye underestimated her importance in Nian Ci's heart. As soon as she entered the room, the red marks on her face were glaring. Nian Ci took Chu Ye's hand with heartache and asked her to sit on the bench.

Then he frowned and cursed the damn Zhao Xuesong.

Seeing that Sister Nianci was becoming more and more agitated, Chu Ye was afraid that she might upset her fetus, so he quickly spoke out to comfort her.

It took her a while to calm down. Her emotions came and went quickly. Sister Nianci soon talked about another matter, "Sister Xiaoye, your brother Jianwen came back and told me that day that it was you who suggested that he buy something for your mother-in-law as well."

"You don't know, my mother-in-law was so happy that day, and she also praised me. How did you come up with these ideas? It's amazing."

Chu Ye felt embarrassed by Nianci's sincerity in praising her. She thought silently in her heart that it was nothing, it was all because of the hardship she suffered at the hands of her parents-in-law in her previous life.

But she just thought about it in her mind. She scratched her head, thought about it, and decided what to say. "These are what I learned from watching other families get along with each other."

Chu Ye said it casually, but Nian Ci seemed to have suddenly been enlightened. Her eyebrows curved and she decided to learn more about how other families get along with each other in the future.

I saw Chu Ye sitting on a small stool again, with her hands and feet placed very straight, and I thought that she might be a little restrained.

So Nianci got up, walked to the stove, lifted the lid of the pot, took out two eggs from the pot, and handed them to Chu Ye.

Chu Ye was startled and waved his hands quickly.

This was obviously reserved for Sister Nianci to supplement her nutrition during pregnancy. How could she have the nerve to take it?

But Nianci didn't care about these. She chuckled, took Chu Ye's hand, and put the egg in her hand, "You eat it, it's okay. I know my family is doing this for my own good, but I just vomited this morning and I really don't want to eat these. If my mother-in-law comes home in the evening and sees the remaining eggs in the pot, she will scold me again."

"Well, consider it as a reward for coming to accompany me in the afternoon. Just consider it as sharing my worries. Let me tell you, I also have a younger sister at home, who is two years younger than you, but she is plump and fair, and eats a lot of delicious food." Sister Nianci took the initiative to chat about family matters.

"You are too thin. Your face is as small as a palm." At this point, she remembered what Aunt Wang had told her. The Chu family's parents favored boys over girls, and any delicious food at home was saved for their son.

There was a look of pity in her eyes when she looked at Chu Ye. Afraid that Chu Ye would not eat the egg and take it home, she took the egg from Chu Ye, peeled it, and handed it back to her.

"You have to eat it now and you can't take it home." Nian Ci pretended to be fierce and ordered.

The egg in my hand is as white as porcelain, and you can vaguely see the color of the yolk inside.

Chu Ye looked at Nian Ci, then at the egg in her hand. Seeing that Nian Ci had an expression that indicated that she had to eat it, she lowered her head, took a light bite, and felt the chewy egg white burst in her mouth.

She smiled at Nianci, which made Nianci's heart soften. "Girls should eat more and grow up plump and white. In my family, plump and white girls are blessed."

"My sister is different from you. Every time she eats, she's like a little mouse. She fills her mouth with food, squints her eyes, and chews. She looks so cute." Nianci said cheerfully, with longing in her eyes.

"Sister Nianci, where is your hometown?" Before, Chu Ye only knew that she was an educated youth who came from a very far place, but he was not quite sure where it was.

"My home is in the south, very close to the sea. When I was in school, I would drag my sister to the beach every week." Her eyes were full of nostalgia.

"Live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the sea, eat by the sea. When I signed up for the rural movement, I never thought I would end up in such a far place. When I first arrived, I cried in my bed every night and often wrote to my family, saying that I couldn't get used to the food here. But now I feel much better."

"I just miss home occasionally, but there's nothing I can do. Now that I'm married, it's hard to go back." Sister Nianci's tone became lighter, and she looked very lonely.

Chu Ye comforted her, and then she asked, "Sister Nianci, do you regret marrying Brother Jianwen?"

Sister Nianci smiled and shook her head, "The reason I married him is because he is a sincere person and treats me well with all his heart, so I don't regret it."

Thinking that girls in the village get married early and Chu Ye had just experienced something bad, she advised, "Mother-in-law often praises you for being smart, so you should study hard since you are young. If you have the chance in the future, you should go out and see the world. Don't just stay in this small mountain village. When you go out, you will find that the world is big and there are many things you can do."

(End of this chapter)