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

"How has Yao Xing been these past six months?" Yao Hongbing asked.

"Well, after Yao Xing was caught cheating on the exam, he was really scared and depressed. He didn't dare to go back. It's understandable, really. He came out to university in high spirits, and then he was expelled. His family definitely couldn't accept it."

Later, Yang Qiao helped him find a temporary job. The work was hard, but he earned thirty-five yuan a month, and finally, he had some stability. Later still, he learned to drive and joined the hospital's motor pool, where he did quite well.

Gu Tong'an was unaware that Yao Xing had taken over the disinfection plant.

"He can drive a car now?" Yao Hongbing was quite surprised.

"Yes, he drives very well. He has a license; Yang Qiao's mother-in-law helped him take the test. Yao Xing has really met a benefactor."

"He's always been very smart. He didn't want to take the exam for someone else, but the Party Secretary forced him to agree. I took money from his family, and he got fired. I feel terrible about it."

"It's not entirely your fault, Yao Xing's dad. He thought he could get away with it, but they're cracking down on cheating on exams very hard. I heard that this year, anyone who cheated on an exam, whether they were the test taker or someone else, will have their college entrance exam eligibility revoked and will never be allowed to take the exam again. You're lucky, otherwise you would have gotten yourself into trouble too."

"I also bear responsibility; I shouldn't have made the same mistakes as them."

Yao Hongbing knew that taking exams for others was wrong, but his mother and father were begging him to do it, so what choice did he have?

As they were talking, Yao Xing called out from the courtyard, "Gu Tong'an, why are you back even though it's not Saturday?"

Pushing open the door, Yao Xing was startled to see Yao Hongbing sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), and her nose tingled with emotion: "Brother Hongbing."

"Yao Xing, I know everything now. You... you actually kept it from your family for more than half a year. Your parents miss you and brought you a lot of things."

Yao Hongbing took out a travel bag containing local specialties from his hometown, as well as his parents' concern and love.

"Brother Hongbing, I have no face to see my parents, I dare not face the ridicule of my neighbors, I..." Yao Xing cried and snotted.

After more than half a year of fortitude, he could no longer hold back when he saw people from his hometown.

"I understand your pressure, but this isn't a long-term solution. You still need to talk to your parents."

Yao Hongbing comforted Yao Xing like an older brother.

"What am I supposed to say? My dad will come all the way to the city and beat me to death!" Yao Xing sobbed.

"This isn't your fault, it's your father's fault. What right did he have to hit you? You didn't want to in the first place."

"But my dad is so concerned about his reputation. If others find out I fired him, how will he live?"

Yao Xing wiped his snot, realizing that it wasn't his fault.

"Write a letter back to explain first, let the secretary digest it slowly, and then go home for the New Year. He should be able to accept it calmly then. You've been keeping it a secret all along, are you not going to go home for the New Year either?" Yao Hongbing offered his advice.

"Yes, Brother Hongbing is right. We need to give them time to process this. I'll write the letter tonight."

Yao Xing suddenly felt confident. "Dad, you arranged for me to take the exam for you. I can't bear the consequences alone. The whole family has to share the burden."

"Gu Tong'an said you went in your car, that's good, maybe your dad won't mind."

"Don't you know my dad? No matter how well he does, it's still not as good as going to university. In his heart, the honor of studying is above everything else." Yao Xing said, hanging his head.

"Now that the country is reforming and opening up, there are many roads to Rome. Maybe you'll be much better than us scholars in the future," Yao Hongbing encouraged.

Yao Xing really wanted to tell Yao Hongbing about taking over the disinfection plant, but he held back.

He owes 60,000 in debt. If his father finds out, he'll probably walk all the way to Huailin tonight to stop him.

This is the most crucial step in his life, and he cannot let external factors influence him.

Dinner was very ordinary, just a few simple dishes from home.

After leaving the sludge treatment room, Yao Xing never ate pig's head meat again.

The dishes were ordinary, but alcohol was essential. Gu Tong'an went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought two mao (0.2 yuan) of liquor, and the three of them each had a cup.

"Come on, it's fate that we met, have a drink."

Gu Tong'an liked Yao Hongbing very much, firstly because he was Yao Xing's fellow townsman, and secondly because he was a top student.

One sip, and the liquor was so strong that the three young men, who couldn't drink, choked and their eyes welled up with tears.

"Yao Hongbing, today was too rushed. Come back with me on Saturday. I'll go buy groceries and pork belly," Gu Tong'an said apologetically.

"That's great. In the countryside, people can't even afford rice." Yao Hongbing ate heartily.

"Didn't the Huailin region distribute land to individual households? Why are we still not getting enough to eat?" Gu Tong'an asked, puzzled.

"No, only Tonggang County has distributed land to individual households; they are a demonstration site. Some bolder brigades are also secretly doing it, but our brigade leader doesn't want to stand out, so we still rely on the 'iron rice bowl' system."

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Yao Xing, because the brigade secretary was his father.

"My dad likes to act like an official. If the land had been distributed to individual households, the brigade secretary would have been removed, and he would have just been an ordinary farmer." Yao Xing shook his head and smiled.

"But that's the national trend. Even if he's unwilling, the land will inevitably be distributed to individual households. Tonggang County is doing a great job. In addition to grain, they're also raising chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs," Gu Tong'an said while eating.

"The province is already allocating wheat seeds. Whether they like it or not, all production brigades will distribute land to individual households next year," Yao Hongbing said.

"It's long overdue for reform. Farmers work hard all year round, but they can't even get enough to eat. What's the difference between them and the old man in the charcoal seller story? History always repeats itself in surprising ways," Gu Tong'an sighed.

"The country is also exploring and moving forward. I, Yao Hongbing, never thought that I would be able to go to university one day. It's too magical."

"You're a natural scholar; you can easily pass both arts and science exams. This is the first time I've ever seen someone like you."

"Hongbing is a child prodigy in our village. It's just that his mother is sick and life is hard. Otherwise, he would have been able to get into Tsinghua or Peking University last year."

"Wasn't it your dad who made him take the exam for you last year?" Gu Tong'an joked.

"It was my father who held Hongbing back."

"You can't say that. The hundred yuan the Party Secretary gave my family saved my mother's life. Life is about gains and losses. Come on, forget the past, let's move forward into the beautiful sunrise, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

In a dark and cramped rented room, three immature young men were learning to drink.

They smiled, full of spirit despite their poverty.

After dinner, Yao Hongbing took out his flute and played a tune called "Azalea".

In the dead of night, we long for dawn; in the depths of winter, we yearn for the spring breeze; if we wish for the Red Army to arrive, then the azaleas will bloom all over the ridge…

The flute's melody was long and melancholic. Yao Xing listened quietly. He missed home, missed his loving sister, missed his mother who worked hard for the family, missed his father who only scolded and beat him, missed the mountains and rivers of his hometown...

Gu Tong listened quietly, tears streaming down his face. He longed for the love of his family. It had been almost a year since his mother had written him a single letter, as if she had forgotten about her son.

And then there's Dad. I met him once at the editorial office. He only wanted to publish their unit's promotional articles and didn't ask where he lived or how he was eating.