No wonder he's an "official" - his perceptiveness is truly impressive!
Carrying the brown sugar that the village captain's wife had specially packed for her before leaving, An Ning couldn't help but click her tongue in admiration.
Indeed, talking with smart people saves so much trouble.
Not to ntion how Yang Second Brother must have felt a few days later when he was dazedly called onto the stage and publicly praised by Captain Zhang before the entire village for his filial piety. The captain repeatedly emphasized how he chose to stay farming at ho for his elderly mother's sake rather than enjoying city life with his wife and children - this "exemplary behavior" being highlighted to all.
Even Third Sister, usually so careless, imdiately grasped the situation. On their way back, she couldn't stop clutching her stomach and cackling with laughter.
Even Li Xiaocao beside them showed visible relief on her face.
After years of repeated disappointnts, it's proven that most people aren't masochists.
Given the chance for a better life, who would welco unnecessary interference?
Li Xiaocao might be timid, but she wasn't stupid! Now that she had a job, she'd gained at least so confidence...
Captain Zhang truly spared no effort when it ca to securing his son's future.
Not only did he imdiately organize a village-wide praise session, but he also made sure to trot Yang Second Brother out periodically for more comndations, afraid people might forget about him otherwise.
This worked so well that not just Zhang Family Village, but several neighboring villages were soon abuzz with the story. "Hey, have you heard? There's this incredible guy in Zhang Family Village who abandoned his successful city life with wife and kids just to take care of his old mother!"
Of course, everyone publicly praised his filial devotion, but privately they all muttered about what an idiot he was, how he must have water in his brain.
With Yang Second Brother's newfound fa, the truth about Old Lady Yang's paralysis resurfaced too - how Yang Jianguo had pushed his own mother in front of a wild boar - becoming fresh gossip fodder for repeated ridicule.
The Old Yang Family, recently forced into the spotlight so frequently: "......"
Especially with the endless village gossip that left Yang Jianguo's entire family, including Wang Dahua, too embarrassed to show their faces outside, let alone visit the county where their relatives lived.
When Yang San Ya occasionally heard about this from visiting village aunties, she laughed until tears stread down her face: "Hahahaha!"
This village captain was truly too aweso!
An Ning chuckled lightly, leaning over her clean, well-lit desk as she planned her next story.
She clearly wasn't the least bit surprised by these developnts.
Were all the villagers really so stupid that no one saw through this? Not exactly.
But what if they did? If anything, that only made the "filial son" rumors spread even more fiercely. They're all human - who doesn't feel envy? All toiling in the fields, why should a fool like Yang Second Brother get to enjoy city life with his wife and daughters?
Most importantly, since the An Ning siblings were clearly going places, what good would co from making unnecessary enemies?
However, since Captain Zhang had put in so much effort, An Ning naturally wanted to return the favor to minimize future troubles. By July, nearing junior high graduation - peak recruitnt season for factories - thanks to her good connections, An Ning had obtained two brand new application forms.
One was for the previously ntioned machinery factory. Hiring junior high graduates and willing to consider outsiders clearly indicated it wasn't a highly technical position - just a basic workshop laborer, and temporary at that.
The coal mine factory was similar, yet even this was enough to excite Zhang Youcai imnsely.
As graduation approached, knowing further education was unlikely, Zhang Youcai had made attempts but found reality brutally discouraging. In the village he was Captain's precious son, but in the county, among classmates from influential families, a village captain's son ant nothing.
Without exceptional talents, making it here seed impossible.
After all his dry, desperate efforts, not only had he failed to get any application forms, he couldn't even catch wind of recruitnt news.
Holding the two simple sheets of paper gingerly, Zhang Youcai finally understood what his father always ant about staying close to smart people.
"A-Ning, don't worry! I'll study hard for the exam and definitely won't embarrass you!" Zhang Youcai thumped his chest, eyes red as he made his fervent promise.
An Ning: "......"
Really, that wasn't necessary. Even if he scored zero, it wouldn't reflect on her.
These were just two application forms - anyone with minimal connections could get them.
But seeing Zhang Youcai nearly moved to tears, An Ning just smiled reassuringly without dampening his spirits.
That evening, watching Zhang Youcai leave with springy steps, his excitent unconcealed, An Ning fell silent montarily. Truly, village life was hard these days - just the information gap alone blocked so many trying to advance.
Even Captain Zhang, upon hearing the news (though the jobs weren't secured yet), specially visited An Ning's ho with his wife. They killed their old hen to make a rich soup carried in their only thermos, plus brought over a full pound of brown sugar, store-bought pastries, and mountain-gathered red dates and other goods.
Afraid An Ning might refuse, after perfunctory thanks, the captain's wife practically fled after setting things down, moving so fast Li Xiaocao couldn't catch up.
"The captain's family, really... tsk!" Seeing the table laden with delicacies - so hard to obtain even during New Year's - mother and daughter sighed together.
Though July wasn't harvest season yet, this year's poor crop prospects were already apparent. That they could be so generous under these circumstances...
"They're truly willing!" Third Sister couldn't help marveling.
But soon Third Sister had bigger concerns. By September 1959, news of disasters everywhere had arrived. In less than a month, county grain supplies at the cooperative dropped below half normal levels, while black market prices skyrocketed...
As Li Xiaocao looked at their cellar stocked with the sisters' half-year of accumulated goods, finally feeling secure, only An Ning and Third Sister knew:
This was just the beginning. The three-year famine had officially begun.
Reviews
All reviews (0)