Ordinary World: Starting with a divorce from Tian Runye

The county revolutionary committee's family compound was located at the northern end of the former western county town, separated from the transportation department's family compound by half a county town.

When Runye rode her bike into the courtyard, the sun had just passed its zenith.

She propped up her Phoenix brand bicycle under the shed in the yard, took out an enamel pot wrapped in blue checkered cloth from the bamboo basket on the handlebars, and carefully held it in her arms.

Runye arrived at her second uncle's house and stood at the door for a while.

The door was ajar, and there was no sound from inside.

She gently pushed open the door; the living room was empty. On the coffee table sat an enamel mug, the tea leaves inside having been steeped for who knows how long, their color a deep, almost black. Beside it lay an open copy of the Huangyuan Daily, turned to the middle page, where several lines were drawn with a pen.

Runye carried the chicken soup to the study door and knocked.

A voice came from inside: "Come in."

It was my second father's voice.

Runye pushed open the door.

Tian Fujun sat in the armchair in front of his desk, one hand deeply buried in his hair. Some hair, both black and white, was scattered on the desk.

He was wearing a slightly worn white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His face was noticeably thinner than when we last met, and he looked extremely haggard, clearly not feeling well.

Tian Fujun looked at Runye. Since his niece married Li Dengyun's son, she rarely came to his house. Tian Fujun was too busy with work to take care of his niece.

He figured Runye was already married and had someone to care for and take care of her, so he naturally didn't need to worry about her anymore. It was normal that Runye didn't come back to his house often now; after all, she had her own family.

Zhang Youzhi came to see him this morning and briefly explained what happened yesterday. Tian Fujun didn't take it to heart; he still felt it was unnecessary to hold such an awards ceremony. There had been enough awards ceremonies over the years, but the commune members' food supplies hadn't actually increased. Zhang Youzhi also mentioned Li Dengyun, which surprised him. Was Li Dengyun speaking up for him? Because of this familial relationship?

He was not a worldly person, nor did he have the feudal idea of ​​marrying someone of equal social standing; he only cared that the two children truly loved each other.

Tian Fujun was completely unaware of the circumstances surrounding the marriage. He only regretted that he was studying in the provincial capital and couldn't attend his niece's wedding. After Runye got married, he was overwhelmed with work in the county, leaving him no time to spare.

He didn't have time to care about Runye anymore. Now that his niece had come to his house to see him, Tian Fujun was very happy, but also a little guilty.

"Runye!"

Tian Fujun raised his head, a smile appearing on his face.

"It should be your second uncle who goes to see you."

"It's the same for me to come see my second uncle."

Runye walked into the study and placed the enamel pot on the empty space on the desk.

"Come, sit down."

Tian Fujun asked Runye to sit in the chair opposite the desk, then got up and rummaged through the cabinet to find an enamel mug. He scooped in two spoonfuls of white sugar, made a cup of sugar water, and handed it to her.

"After you got married, your second uncle was too busy to visit you. Are you living in the transportation department's dormitory?"

Runye took the sugar water and nodded.

"Yes."

Tian Fujun sat back down in the round-back chair, his gaze falling on the blue checkered cloth wrapping on the table.

A sweet, salty, and savory aroma wafted out from the seams of the cloth.

Tian Fujun sniffed.

Seeing this, Runye explained, "This is chicken soup. I heard from Xiangqian that Second Uncle wasn't feeling well and was resting at home, so I came to check on him."

Tian Fujun sighed.

"Second Uncle is in good health. It's not like it's a holiday or anything..."

"This is how we make it, not the way we originally did it. Second Uncle, you should try it."

As Runye spoke, she untied the blue checkered cloth. When the lid of the enamel pot was lifted, the chicken soup became even more flavorful, with a few red dates and goji berries floating on the golden broth.

Tian Fujun looked at the pot of soup and smiled.

"Xiangqian is quite thoughtful. How are you getting used to it?"

Runye lowered her head, stirring the sugar water with her fingers.

This marriage was mostly for the sake of her second father.

It was Grandpa Xu Guoqiang who personally approached her and explained her second uncle's situation in the county. Li Dengyun was the deputy director of the county revolutionary committee, and given their kinship, he could at least lend a hand in crucial moments. After listening, Runye thought about it all night and agreed the next day.

But the second uncle in front of him didn't know any of this.

All he knew was that his niece had married Li Dengyun's son, and that she shouldn't suffer any mistreatment.

Runye quietly suppressed the bitterness in her heart, raised her head, and smiled gently.

"It's...it's alright."

Tian Fujun looked at her.

Having spent so many years in the government office, he'd seen all sorts of expressions. The smile on his niece's face was as thin as a sheet of paper.

"Runye, you're not a girl who lies. Did Xiangqian bully you?"

Runye smoothed the hair behind her ear.

"No, not at all. It's really fine. I'm too busy teasing him to care."

She paused for a moment.

"He works at the cultural center now."

"Cultural center?"

Tian Fujun was slightly taken aback.

"I seem to remember that Xiangqian was driving for the Department of Transportation."

"Yes, that was true before. I had just been transferred to the cultural center not long ago."

Tian Fujun nodded without asking any further questions.

Runye took a spoon and handed it over.

"Second Uncle, have a taste. He's driven to many places over the years, I don't know where he learned this skill from."

Tian Fujun took the spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in his mouth.

The chicken soup was sweet and savory. Upon tasting it, the delicate sweetness of red dates and goji berries, combined with the aroma of chicken, melted directly in the mouth. Tian Fujun was taken aback, and then his eyes reddened slightly.

Upon seeing this, Runye quickly asked.

"Second Uncle, does it taste wrong?"

Tian Fujun shook his head.

"Xiangqian's skills are pretty good. Sigh..."

Tian Fujun sighed.

"Two days ago, my second uncle went to Houzitou Commune. There was a production team leader's family with six children, but they couldn't even afford a decent set of clothes. For lunch, they served me two yellow steamed buns, which were saved up by the family. I looked into the pot and saw that besides those two buns, the rest was just chaff. My second uncle felt that the faces of those six children kept flashing before his eyes."

Tian Fujun placed the spoon on the rim of the bowl, then inserted one hand into his hair, pulling out many black and white strands.

Runye knew that her second father was feeling sorry for her; she admired him so much.

"Now everyone says I'm following a bad trend, that I'm against learning from Dazhai in agriculture. I just want the commune members to have more and better food in their bowls. Only by facing the problem squarely can we solve it."

After he finished speaking, he realized he had lost his composure and waved his hand.

"Runye, your second father shouldn't be complaining to you like this."

"Second Uncle, please don't say that."

Runye held the enamel mug, thought for a moment, and then suddenly spoke.

"No matter what kind of road it is, it should at least ensure that the people have enough to eat."

After listening, Tian Fujun looked at Runye in surprise.

He knew his niece well; she was sensible, but she only taught at Chengguan Elementary School and rarely paid attention to such things.

Upon seeing this, Runye quickly offered an explanation.

"What does this mean...?"

"That's what Xiangqian said."

Runye lowered her eyes.

"Sometimes he talks nonsense. Last time he told Runsheng that the land would soon be distributed to individual households and that they would be farming on their own."

Tian Fujun stroked his chin.

Land was distributed to individual households.

He had heard rumors. In Sichuan, some people were secretly implementing a contract responsibility system, with each production team handing over a certain amount of grain to the commune, and the remainder going to the team members. This had been going on secretly for a year, and it was said that grain production had increased significantly.

This system of contracted responsibilities was indeed more effective at motivating commune members than the egalitarian system of sharing resources. However, it was still a long way from distributing land to individual households. He didn't even dare to dream of distributing land to individual households.

Tian Fujun chuckled.

"That kid Li Dengyun is much bolder than his father."

Runye also felt that Li Xiangqian was speaking without thinking and strongly agreed with Tian Fujun's comments.

After chatting for a while, Runye said goodbye to Tian Fujun.

……