Shi Da Niang’s words startled even Xia Xiao Lan.
Wei Juan Hong had prevented others from telling Shi Da Niang the truth, and everyone had avoided the topic, assuming Shi Da Niang didn’t know.
Xia Xiao Lan hadn’t expected that while Shi Da Niang’s eyes were blind, her heart wasn’t – she had known the truth all along.
Guan Hui E wasn’t certain, as Shi Da Niang’s words were still ambiguous.
“Sister—”
“Don’t say anything, I know everything! They were protecting the country – this was Shi Kai’s fate!”
Bullets don’t have eyes, and someone had to make sacrifices. It just happened that her son Shi Kai was the unfortunate one.
Though Shi Da Niang’s tone was firm, she couldn’t hold back her tears.
Even if Shi Kai hadn’t taken that job, their family’s situation wouldn’t have improved. Burdened with the simple-minded Shi Ping and a blind mother, even if they hadn’t bullied, the family’s poverty would have been too much – Shi Kai could never have found a wife.
As Shi Da Niang’s tears flowed more heavily, her grip on Guan Hui E’s hand remained strong:
“No one owes the Shi family anything. The country has treated us well, and kind people like you have treated us well too!”
Shi Da Niang wasn’t joking.
Ultimately, Shi Kai died during a mission, and even if it was to save Zhou Cheng, that was Shi Kai’s own choice! As a colleagues, Zhou Cheng must have been good to Shi Kai for him to make such a choice… Beyond the pain of losing her son, Shi Da Niang felt proud – her son wasn’t a coward afraid of death.
Wei Juan Hong roughly wiped her tears with her sleeve, “Mother, how can you talk such nonsense!”
So her mother-in-law had known the truth all along?
Wei Juan Hong’s eyes darted between Guan Hui E and Xia Xiao Lan – they had promised not to tell her mother-in-law but must have secretly done so.
Xia Xiao Lan felt uncomfortable under that gaze: “Sister Wei, we never told her.”
But Wei Juan Hong wouldn’t believe it.
She was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, making anything Xia Xiao Lan said seem like bullying.
“Juan Hong, if you want to stay in Beijing, this old woman will shamelessly stay too. Let’s just live our lives well from now on. We have jobs, and the factory will provide housing – how can you still be unsatisfied?”
Moving from a remote southwestern village to settle in Beijing was something they couldn’t have achieved even if Shi Kai were still alive.
Facing yellow earth with their backs to the sky was the Shi family’s fate. Without Shi Kai’s job, the family had no means to break free from their original living conditions. Perhaps Shi Kai might have eventually risen through the ranks, becoming a high-level cadre at work, naturally lifting the whole family out of rural poverty.
But that would have taken many years!
Shi Da Niang couldn’t even imagine what better days would look like; she just knew people shouldn’t be too greedy.
It wasn’t Zhou Cheng’s fault either – he was also following orders from above.
Zhou Cheng had even knelt before her with the ashes.
Though Shi Da Niang couldn’t see then, thinking back, Zhou Cheng was truly a good child.
The Zhou family were good people too – despite their status, they still accommodated Juan Hong’s wishes.
Wei Juan Hong sobbed, clearly disagreeing with Shi Da Niang:
“I’d rather stay in the village if it meant Shi Kai was still alive!”
But Shi Kai was dead now, and he wouldn’t have died if he hadn’t saved Zhou Cheng – Wei Juan Hong couldn’t get past this. She wasn’t particularly malicious, just an ordinary rural woman who had become fixated on this point. Young as she was, she lacked Shi Da Niang’s simple-minded magnanimity.
Wei Juan Hong was stuck in this mental rut, her stare so intense it was frightening – even Guan Hui E was startled.
Xia Xiao Lan stepped forward, “Sister Wei, just tell us what exactly you’re unsatisfied with. Take this house – it’s over half an hour by bicycle to the cigarette factory, obviously less convenient than factory housing where everything’s in the same compound. Of course, we’re just thinking on your behalf – maybe our thoughts differ from yours, but if you don’t speak up, we won’t know what we could do better.”
Wei Juan Hong sobbed, “I don’t want to move.”
“Then don’t move.”
Never mind the rent – not only did Xia Xiao Lan not need that small amount of money, but the house belonged to Zhou Cheng anyway, so the rent was just moving from one hand to another.
“Are you also unhappy with the work?”
Xia Xiao Lan tried to keep her voice gentle, though she already didn’t like Wei Juan Hong as much as when they first met.
Wei Juan Hong thought about the factory work, glanced at Guan Hui E, and nodded without hesitation:
“I don’t like it.”
“Then what kind of work would you like?”
Faced with Xia Xiao Lan’s counter-question, Wei Juan Hong fell silent.
She wasn’t particularly worldly-wise, only knowing that the cigarette factory work was tiring and not prestigious enough. As for better jobs, she only knew of the kind she’d mentioned – serving tea and delivering newspapers, easy work requiring no skills. Why did such jobs need people with high education?
Xia Xiao Lan was also getting a headache.
Having high aspirations wasn’t scary – what was scary was when abilities couldn’t match those aspirations, becoming what people called “heart higher than heaven but fate thinner than paper.”
“Sister Wei, you were placed at the cigarette factory because it has low technical requirements but good benefits. If you’re not satisfied with workshop work, you can spend your spare time studying and reading books and newspapers. If you perform well at work, you’ll naturally be promoted.”
Xia Xiao Lan spoke very directly – if Wei Juan Hong would make the effort, she wouldn’t always remain a mere worker.
In 1985, being a worker was quite honorable. Though the work was hard, the wages were higher than most office workers. If Wei Juan Hong wanted to become a factory cadre, that was possible too – by working to improve herself, she would have plenty of opportunities in the future.
The Zhou family would certainly help quietly from behind the scenes.
What seemed straightforward to Xia Xiao Lan wasn’t perceived that way by Wei Juan Hong.
Wei Juan Hong’s first thought was that Xia Xiao Lan was pointing out her low education level. While this was true, having Xia Xiao Lan say it outright was hard to accept. Wei Juan Hong’s lips trembled, both embarrassed and angry: “You don’t understand!”
“What don’t I understand? That you want to work in an office, thinking serving tea and water is the easiest job? Sister Wei, what you think is the easiest work isn’t simple – there’s so much knowledge involved in serving tea and water.”
Office politics were far from simple.
Could you win over leaders just by serving tea?
When pouring tea, the thermos spout couldn’t face the guest, and tea leaves couldn’t be placed in cups by hand.
Delivering newspapers required knowing how to arrange them in order of importance from top to bottom, making it convenient for leaders to read.
One had to constantly let leaders know what you’d done without appearing to brag and annoy them.
To advance in an office required not just outstanding workability but also being likable. Those who could manage all this – weren’t they all exceptional people? Xia Xiao Lan wasn’t looking down on Wei Juan Hong; she believed people should understand their capabilities. Being temporarily inadequate wasn’t scary – working hard to improve was what mattered!
How could Wei Juan Hong expect to reach the top in one step?
Even though Zhou Cheng felt guilty and indebted to the Shi family, it was Xia Xiao Lan’s understanding of Zhou Cheng and gratitude to Shi Kai that made her speak so sincerely to Wei Juan Hong.
But Wei Juan Hong didn’t believe her.
It was hard to understand how that simple Sister Wei who first arrived in Beijing had become so difficult to communicate with.
Even Xia Xiao Lan found her troublesome now.
Shi Da Niang still insisted on moving.
But how could they move like this?
Xia Xiao Lan and Guan Hui E left in silence. While driving, Xia Xiao Lan thought about how she and Zhou Cheng needed to communicate properly about what exactly would constitute truly helping the Shi family!