I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

Yao Xing fell silent; he had no way out, and no one could help him.

"Yao Xing, although it will be difficult to face the gossip of your neighbors when you go back, you must face it bravely. The countryside is also undergoing reforms, and as long as you are hardworking and down-to-earth, there is a way out."

Seeing that Yao Xing was very frustrated, Yao Kaiping tried to comfort him.

"Thank you, Uncle Yao. I'm sorry to bother you. I'll head back now."

Yao Xing got up to leave, but Yao Kaiping quickly said, "Wait a moment."

After saying that, he went into the inner room and came out with fifty yuan.

"You'll need money for the trip back. Uncle Yao's salary isn't high, so take this money. Go back and tell your father that there are countless paths in life, and one of them will suit you. University isn't the only way out."

"I... I have money, I don't want it," Yao Xing refused.

"Take it; it's a token of my appreciation. Yao Xing, you're a young person in the new society; you mustn't be discouraged. If you feel wronged, you can write to Uncle Yao."

Yao Kaiping said earnestly.

"Okay, thank you, Uncle Yao. You're welcome to come home for a visit now that you have time."

"Okay, let's go back to the dorm."

On the path back to the dormitory, Yao Xing was in great pain, with worry, slander, and ridicule all surging into his heart.

My father is such a proud man. If word gets out that he's been fired, how will he live?

He was so full of confidence when he got into university, but now he's going home with his tail between his legs. He can't do it, he just can't.

But what can he do? Staying in the city, without a job or income, how will he survive?

Yao Xing is sick; he got sick from fright.

The next day in class, Qiaoqiao didn't see Yao Xing and learned that he was sick. She and Wang Min followed Gu Tong'an to the boys' dormitory to visit him.

"Yao Xing, your forehead is burning hot. Did you take your medicine?"

Yao Xing was the only one in the dormitory, and he was burning up with fever.

"I won't take the medicine, I don't want to be expelled..."

Qiaoqiao looked at Wang Min and wondered if Yao Xing had damaged his brain.

"I'm going to buy medicine."

Qiaoqiao turned and left. Yao Xing seemed to suddenly wake up, and said in a trembling voice, "I'm not sick, I'm scared. I'm about to be fired."

Gu Tong'an asked, puzzled, "What nonsense are you talking about? You didn't do anything wrong, why are you being expelled?"

"It's true, I'm about to be fired."

Yao Xing burst into tears. He didn't want to go back; he wanted to go to school.

"What exactly happened?" Qiaoqiao asked.

Wang Min stammered, "I heard from my roommates that this time, the math exam was used to find students who got in by proxy. Yao Xing, you weren't someone else who took the exam for you, were you?"

Yao Xing burst into tears.

Qiaoqiao and Gu Tongan fell silent. No wonder Yao Xing would go buy food and drinks every time they discussed studying; it turned out he really didn't understand.

"So what are your plans?" Qiaoqiao asked worriedly.

"I don't know, I just can't go back. My father is so strong-willed, he won't be able to survive."

"If only you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have done it in the first place," Wang Min said, frowning.

"It wasn't Yao Xing's idea; it was his father's. How can a son disobey?" Gu Tong'an retorted, dissatisfied.

"Since he did it, he has to bear the consequences. He took up a university spot, and a truly hardworking student failed to get in. Is that fair to others?" Wang Min said bluntly.

Yao Xing buried her head in the blanket and kept saying, "I was wrong, I know I was wrong."

Qiaoqiao was a little sad. Yao Xing was indeed wrong. After all, they had spent more than a month together and the four of them had become friends. Seeing him in so much pain, she shouldn't have added insult to injury.

Especially Wang Min, when Yao Xing invited you to dinner, you always ordered a big box of rice and chose expensive dishes.

He's down on his luck, and you're mocking him again.

"Yao Xing, since you don't want to go back, why don't you find a temporary job in the city?" Qiao Qiao suggested.

Wang Min rolled her eyes at Qiaoqiao: "Do you think temporary workers are so easy to find? So many educated youths want to return to the city, and we can't even arrange jobs for them. To put it bluntly, there's no one left to pick up trash on the streets. If they don't go back, they'll just starve to death."

"Wang Min, don't be so sure of yourself. Yao Xing, how about this, I'll ask my husband... ask my brother when I get home tonight, and see if there's anything I can do."

Upon hearing this, Yao Xing's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Really? Is that possible?"

"I don't know either, but I'll try to find out. I'll do my best. If it doesn't work out, you'll still have to go back."

Qiaoqiao knew that jobs were hard to find, so family members of workers were vying for positions like canteen workers and street sweepers.

Ask around; Qiaoqiao knows the gossip in the countryside can drive people crazy.

"Yang Qiao, whether it works out or not, I thank you."

"Okay, I'll ask when I get back. You lie down first, I'll go to the school clinic to buy you some medicine."

"Then you should rest. We'll be going now."

Wang Min also said goodbye and went to buy medicine with Qiaoqiao.

Qiaoqiao rushed to the clinic, and Wang Min chased after her, saying, "Yang Qiao, wait for me!"

"Class is about to start, you should go to class. I've bought the medicine and am going back."

One person is enough to buy the medicine.

"I'll go with you. Yang Qiao, what does your brother do?" Wang Min asked.

"He's just an ordinary worker."

My father-in-law said that family matters should not be made public casually. My brother used to be a worker in a machine factory, so let Zhou Wenhui take his place.

"Can an ordinary worker help Yao Xing find a job?"

"I'm just asking, there's no guarantee I'll get a job." Qiaoqiao frowned.

"If you ask me, he deserves to go back. He's too bold to cheat on the college entrance exam. Does he think the university is his family's property?" Wang Min said indignantly.

"Yao Xing was indeed wrong, but we're already friends, so I'll help him if I can. Even if there's work, it'll definitely be dirty and tiring. You're from the countryside too, and all that gossip can drive a person crazy."

When Qiaoqiao married Zhou Wenhui, she was almost driven mad by those women.

"What could drive a grown man crazy? Qiaoqiao, if your brother really has a job, why not give it to me?" Wang Min said bluntly.

"Give it to you? Aren't you still in school? After graduation, you'll be a government employee, what kind of job do you need?" Qiaoqiao asked, puzzled.

"He's my husband. If he had a job, and I had some subsidies, we could bring the children to live in the city. I miss my two children terribly," Wang Min pleaded, looking at Qiaoqiao.

How could Wang Min have such thoughts?

"Wang Min, putting aside whether he has a job or not, even if he did, I could only give it to Yao Xing. He's always been so good to you, buying you braised pork and soda. How could you say something like that?"

Qiaoqiao was a little angry. When Wang Min was in danger, Qiaoqiao stood up for her and fought for her. But when Yao Xing was in trouble, she only thought about herself.

Wang Min pouted: "I was just saying it casually, and you're getting angry. Throughout history, human nature has always been like this; who doesn't want to benefit themselves? If you don't want it, then just pretend I didn't say anything. You're not even married yet, so you don't know a mother's heart."

"Okay, okay, I'm going to buy the medicine. You should go to class now."

Qiaoqiao ran a few steps, bought the medicine, and had to rush back to class.

Wang Min watched Qiaoqiao's retreating figure helplessly. She really shouldn't have said those things; it made her seem petty. But she couldn't express the bitterness in her heart.

The two children stayed at home with the man, often going hungry. She saved every penny she could and sent a few dollars back home. If the man came to the city, even if he only earned twenty dollars a month, combined with her seventeen dollars, they could have enough to eat.