Struggle Life in the 1970s

Under Chu Ye's careful teaching, the third-grade students have shown great interest in learning English. In addition, Chu Ye would talk about the importance of learning English during teaching, which made the students realize the many benefits of English.

There are even some students who, when their parents come to pick them up after school on Sundays, will say in a very arrogant manner, "I'm fine, thank you, and you?" when asked about their school days. This surprises their family members, who then burst into laughter and praise them, saying that they have learned foreign things.

Chu Ye's efforts were noticed by everyone. The dean of studies even organized teachers from grades four and five to come and observe her classes several times. Facing the praise from these senior teachers, she remained humble and replied with a smile that her teaching was just a way to please others and she still had a lot to learn.

The National Day holiday is just a few days away. Chen An and her friends have already started packing their luggage, so they will take the bus home as soon as the holiday starts.

"I haven't been home for three months. My parents must miss me." In the dormitory, Chen An complained to Chu Ye, "I like the pickled cabbage and pork dumplings my mother makes the most. I'm going to eat as much as I can when I get back. And Xiaoye, are you going to go home or go out with your date?"

"Like you, I'm going home too." Chu Ye replied. Although she received a letter from Mu Jiajun yesterday, asking if she wanted to go to Beijing with him to see Tiananmen Square during the National Day, Chu Ye thought about it and decided to refuse.

"Okay, then I'll bring you some dumplings when I get back from home. They're delicious, you must try them." Chen An recommended enthusiastically, and Chu Ye accepted with a smile.

But she didn't expect that the next day, the security guard brought her a letter. After Chu Ye opened it, she broke out in a cold sweat.

The letter was sent from home, and judging from the handwriting, it should be written by Chu's father. The letter said that her mother was in poor health and was seriously ill in bed, and asked her to come back quickly to see her.

In an instant, Chu Ye didn't care about anything else. She quickly assigned the classes in her hands to the teachers of different subjects, and ran to the dean to ask for leave. After returning to the dormitory, she got a change of clothes, and then put all the money she had saved since school into a cloth bag. Then she hurriedly took a bus and went through several changes. When the night fell and the bright moon was hanging high in the treetops, she finally arrived at the village entrance.

"Thank you so much. This is your travel expenses. You must accept it." Chu Ye got off the back seat of the bicycle and returned the small wooden box in his arms.

"Hey, it's okay. I'll pass by your village on my way home anyway, so just consider it as a good deed." The bearded uncle took the box and replied without even raising his head.

The uncle was selling his own wooden toys in the town. When it was getting dark, he was about to close his stall and go home when he saw the little girl looking around anxiously. There were not many people on the street at that time and many shops were closed. The little girl walked up to him, asked him where he was going on his bike, and asked if he could give her a ride.

He couldn't carry anyone. He just had a bicycle with him sitting on the front seat and a wooden box on the back seat. He couldn't carry anyone at all.

But this pitiful little girl begged eagerly, saying that she had been working in another city, but received a letter from home this morning saying that her mother was seriously ill and asked her to return home quickly. She did not dare to delay the journey, so she wanted to take his car to go home early.

The little girl was almost crying, and he felt very uncomfortable listening to her. Finally, he simply removed the wooden box tied to the back seat and let the little girl sit on it and hold the box. Then he rode all the way back.

As the uncle spoke, he packed the boxes back in the moonlight.

"Save this money for your mother's medical treatment. Go back quickly, little girl. It's not easy to be alone. I'm leaving now." After the uncle packed up, he rode away on his bike, said goodbye, and Chu Ye didn't give the money to him in the end.

After watching the uncle leave, she hurried home under the moonlight. It seemed that it had rained near her home a few days ago. Soon, the soles of her shoes were covered with yellow mud. On both sides of the road were corn stalks taller than people. When she walked in the middle, her arms were occasionally scratched by the sharp edges of the leaves.

However, she didn't care about all these. She was worried, thinking about her previous life. Because she married to Zhaojia Village and didn't come back often, she didn't know that Chu's mother was seriously ill. Or was it that Chu's mother was also sick at that time, but she just didn't tell her?

In her new life, she knew that her parents still favored boys over girls, and this idea was deeply rooted, so she did not want to change them. All she did was to escape from home through her own efforts and become the master of her own destiny. Although she was sometimes dissatisfied with her parents, she never thought that they would be seriously ill and bedridden one day.

Thinking of this, countless sorrows and sadness crept into her heart. She ran home quickly. Soon, the familiar door appeared in front of her, and she saw a faint light coming from the window of her parents' room.

Thinking of the scene she might see in a moment, she couldn't help but redden her eyes and slammed the door with trembling hands.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

"Here you come!" The door to the main hall opened, and someone gathered his coat and walked over slowly. When he got closer, he said, "Hey, I was wondering who was knocking on the door so late. It turns out to be Si Ya. Come in quickly."

Chu's mother was also surprised to see her come back, then she opened the door with a smile and pulled her into the main hall.

"Boss, come out quickly and see who's back." The two entered the main hall, and Chu's mother hurriedly shouted into the house, but she didn't notice Chu Ye who had been in a daze since he saw her.

When she was knocking on the door just now, a thousand possibilities flashed through her mind. The letter from home only said that Chu's mother was seriously ill, but it didn't say what the illness was. She came back from school and felt dazed all day. She thought that she would take all the change she had saved with her. She would take her mother to the county for treatment. If the county couldn't cure her, she would go to the city! To a big city! If the money was not enough, she would borrow money from every household to get treatment!

My mother was in good health in her previous life, so why did she suddenly become seriously ill in this life?

She even thought that after Chu's father opened the door, she would go into the room and see Chu's mother lying in bed, looking haggard. When she thought of this, her heart ached. However, she didn't expect that it was Chu's mother who came out to open the door for her.

At this time, Chu's father also came out wearing his coat. He was very surprised to see Chu Ye, "Hey, Si Ya is back so soon. I thought I would have to wait a few days!" After that, Chu's father sat down at the dining table and took a bowl to pour himself some water.

Chu Ye's gaze fell on Chu's father, and then slowly shifted to Chu's mother. Both of them were in good health and looked more energetic than her, a young person who had come back from a bumpy journey. They just had a few more white hairs on their heads, which was a natural law of aging.

But other than that, they both looked fine. "Didn't the letter say that my mother was seriously ill?"

The huge rock of uneasiness in her heart fell away, and she was immediately filled with confusion. Or was it that there was a tumor inside her body but it couldn't be seen from the outside?
"Oh, I accidentally twisted my waist while working in the fields a few days ago. The pain was so severe that I couldn't get out of bed. Fortunately, your father asked the village doctor to come and give me a good massage. Now I feel much better." Mother Chu said calmly, and she sat down and poured two bowls of water, motioning for Chu Ye to drink.

She shook her head subconsciously, her brain still hadn't reacted yet. Her mother said she had sprained her waist, so what did that have to do with her father writing to her saying he was seriously ill? She had traveled thousands of miles back home at night, just to see her mother's waist healed after being massaged?
She realized belatedly that both her arms were in sharp pain. She lowered her head and found that it was because she had walked too fast just now and the corn leaves had left many tiny white scratches on her. She had not been aware of it in her hurry and now it started to hurt.

Further down were her muddy shoes, the toes of which had long been covered with yellow mud. These were the white flat shoes she had just bought, and she loved them very much and took good care of them, so much so that she would not even wear them on a rainy day.

She suddenly felt wronged and wanted to cry, "So you are not that sick? Then why did you write that kind of letter to me! Do you know how worried I was when you received the letter? I have been taking the bus all day today! I just begged an uncle to ride his bicycle to take me back!" She held back her tears and looked at the two of them.

"How can you talk to an adult like that?" Chu's father said dissatisfiedly, "You've really become wild after studying abroad for a few years. Look at your attitude towards your own parents!"

Father Chu slammed the water cup on the table and said, "Tell her the rest. I'm going to bed first." After saying that, he turned around and went back to the house.

After hearing Chu Ye's questioning, Mother Chu's face showed some embarrassment and helplessness. She must have thought that Father Chu had also told her the contents of the letter. Seeing Father Chu leave, she hesitated for a moment, softened her voice, and pulled Chu Ye into her room.

The scene in the room was no different from before. Chu's mother saw Chu Ye's stubbornness and helped him sit down on the bed.

"We miss you too. You went out to teach, and your school assigned you so far away that we can't see you even if we want to." Chu's mother patted her on the back to help her relieve her anger.

"National Day is only two days away, and I will go home then. Why did you write this kind of letter to lie to me?" Chu Ye would not be coaxed by her mother's words, so she asked to express her confusion.

"Well, if you hadn't told us in advance, we wouldn't have known. Besides, your father and I didn't expect that you would rush home so quickly after receiving the letter." Chu's mother said as a matter of course.

After hearing this, Chu Ye felt even more sad. What if I received the news that my family was seriously ill, and then I went on a tour for ten days or half a month before returning home?

"So you're not that seriously ill, right?"

"I just sprained my waist. I haven't been working in the fields these days. I've been busy making insoles for Guangyao at home." After saying this, Chu's mother glanced at Chu Ye's reaction and found that her face was still terribly gloomy. She also guessed that she was still angry about this.

She felt a little guilty, and the air was suffocating. Neither of them spoke. After a moment, Chu's mother changed the subject and said, "You don't know how happy I am to see you come home. You have been the most obedient and sensible since you were a child, and you rarely make me worry. Come back and stay for a few more days this time, and I will make you something delicious."

Seeing that Chu Ye still didn't speak, Chu's mother paused, and then casually started talking again, "You're already working now, and you have to settle your lifelong affairs early. I thought that while you're back, I'd also like to meet a matchmaker. It would be best if I could find one from our area, who will be close to home and can help you if you have any problems."

It turned out that this was the real purpose. She realized belatedly what Chu's father had just said. It turned out that he was not seriously ill, nor did he miss her, but that he thought she had a successful career and could be "sold" for a good price.

She felt that it was not worth it for her to travel so hard, and she sneered at what Chu's mother said.

Can I help if I am close to home? Then who was it that told me to just bear it when I was beaten to the point of wanting to die in my previous life?

She felt her limbs were unbearably heavy, as if a handful of ice cubes had been placed in her heart for no reason, and the cold air flowed through her blood and penetrated into her bones. She was enveloped in countless exhaustion, and countless tentacles spread out in the darkness, pulling at her limbs, trying to drag her into a dark and damp corner.

"I'll think about it. Mom, you go to sleep first." She spoke calmly, her tone as light as a feather falling to the ground. After Chu's mother left, she pulled the thin quilt beside her and covered herself with it.

Before she fell asleep, she made up her mind to leave here early tomorrow morning.

(End of this chapter)