Xu Zifan had three reasons: first, he wanted Yang Wanyun to have the opportunity to meet university professors and learn something; second, he wanted her to broaden her horizons; and third, he wanted her to have a mission and hone her adaptability.
Of course, the most important thing is for Yang Wanyun to gain some insights from all this. Some things can't be rushed, and there's no need to rush. As long as they're on the right path, they can always walk side by side. Moving forward is an attitude, not necessarily reaching a certain level. This trip to Beijing will definitely change Yang Wanyun to some extent.
The three of them ate together in the university cafeteria. Xu Xiaofen and Yang Wanyun chatted very congenially, while Xu Zifan could only eat quietly on the side. In the time it took to eat, Yang Wanyun had vividly recounted all the important things Xu Zifan had done in the village, leaving Xu Xiaofen amazed and completely unable to believe that her younger brother had grown up to be so outstanding.
Xu Xiaofen suddenly understood why Xu Zifan hadn't tried harder for the college entrance exam; he already had a better path to take and didn't need to waste a few more years. Xu Xiaofen had initially been worried about her younger brother who was working in the countryside, but after this meeting, she was completely relieved and genuinely happy for them.
After dinner, Xu Xiaofen hesitated for a moment and asked Xu Zifan, "Now that we're back, shouldn't we go home to see our parents? And shouldn't the new bride also visit them to get acquainted with them?"
Yang Wanyun looked at Xu Zifan, who simply shook his head. "I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, and I'm afraid Mom will cause trouble for Wanyun while I'm gone. Let's just forget about it this time, pretend I never came back, and we can talk about it again later." He lowered his head and reassured Yang Wanyun, "It's not that I don't want to introduce you to my family, it's just that you don't need to care about them. We can just be close to my older sister. If you need anything in the future, just come to her."
Xu Xiaofen didn't try to dissuade her. Holding Yang Wanyun's hand, she smiled and said, "Don't worry about your sister-in-law. I guarantee she'll be fine when she gets back."
After seeing his sister, Xu Zifan took Yang Wanyun back to her residence. With time pressing for her studies, Yang Wanyun immediately began taking notes for the villagers. Xu Zifan, on the other hand, delivered the letter. The recipient, a man of some standing in Beijing, immediately arranged for someone to treat the old man's grandson upon reading the letter. Later, during a casual conversation with Xu Zifan, Xu Zifan seemingly unintentionally revealed the purpose of his trip to Beijing: to promote their factory's products.
The products Xu Zifan brought were indeed of high quality; the gift boxes looked comparable to those of some long-established brands in Beijing. After seeing them, the person immediately arranged for someone to take Xu Zifan to visit several factories and organizations in Beijing. Xu Zifan spent the entire day running around and received three orders. The amounts weren't large, but this meant that the products had truly been sold in the capital, which was of great significance to the factories. Moreover, although some people didn't place orders, they all got to know Xu Zifan. If these connections were cultivated properly, they would become invaluable resources. The effects might not be visible now, but in the long run, the gains would be enormous.
Xu Zifan bid farewell to Yang Wanyun with great satisfaction and returned to the Dongfanghong Brigade with the new orders in his pocket. He secured three orders in just one trip to Beijing, earning high praise from Director Liu, who also offered strong support for his work. Once word spread that a unit in Beijing was buying the food factory's products, those in the vicinity who hadn't yet purchased them flocked to Xu Zifan to place orders. Products that even Beijing residents liked were naturally of high quality; this advertising effect was more effective than anything else, a pleasant surprise from Xu Zifan's trip.
After returning home, he told Yang Yongqing about the situation in Beijing. That very night, Yang Yongqing went to the cowshed to see the man and told him that his grandson had passed the critical period and that he could rest assured.
During this extraordinary time, no one dared to have much contact with the people in the cowshed. However, when Xu Zifan returned, he used the excuse of a shortage of manpower in the factory to request that those people from the cowshed be put to work in the factory from now on. Director Liu didn't really care what kind of work they did; they were there for labor reform anyway, so as long as they worked and suffered, that was fine. So Xu Zifan openly moved the people from the cowshed to a few dilapidated rooms and made them do some trivial tasks.
When the Su family saw that even the people in the cowshed were starting to work for the factory, they hurriedly sought help from the older generation in the village to mediate. This time, Xu Zifan didn't make things difficult for them, but the work he assigned them wasn't good; it was quite hard, and their work points were lower than others. Anyway, Xu Zifan said that this was the only work left, and if they didn't want to do it, they wouldn't get any more work, so they had no choice but to accept it, harboring deep resentment towards Su Qing.
Everyone in the village could see the consequences of offending Xu Zifan just by looking at the Su family. Especially since Xu Zifan was usually quite easy to talk to, everyone understood that he was a man who valued rules and upheld his principles. Those who crossed his lines, like the Su family, would never be forgiven, no matter how long it took. This meant that no one in the village took advantage of Xu Zifan's youth; instead, everyone behaved properly and spontaneously carried out the tasks assigned to them.
This was also Xu Zifan's intention to establish his authority through the Su family, and it had succeeded. Now the entire village is united as one, all working hard on the road to wealth. Xu Zifan thinks this is excellent and wants to take advantage of their momentum to develop his business even better.
The factory sold batches of goods, and exchanging them for other items became rare; most transactions were done directly with cash and receipts. Their factory accumulated a large sum of capital, and once the weather cooled down, Xu Zifan immediately hired people from nearby production brigades to build houses. The villagers were all busy processing food to meet orders, so they had to hire others to build the houses.
Factories needed to be built, schools needed to be built, pig farms, chicken farms, fish ponds—all of these needed to be built. The village only had so much space; it wouldn't work if everything were crammed together with the residents. Taking advantage of this, Xu Zifan applied to Village Chief Liu for an expansion of the brigade's boundaries, allocating them with the vacant land surrounding their brigade. Previously, they were always some distance from the production brigades on either side; now they were truly adjacent.
The other production brigades were jealous but helpless; after all, they needed the local area to generate revenue for the commune by opening factories and schools. Meanwhile, the people in their production brigade began to envy Dong...
The people of Fanghong Brigade were all eager to marry their daughters off to Dongfanghong Brigade. They frequently inquired about any work the brigade needed. Almost everyone was genuinely grateful to Xu Zifan for providing them with work and increasing their income. Xu Zifan's reputation had truly spread far and wide in the area.
When the house was almost finished, Yang Wanyun returned with three fellow villagers, looking travel-worn but with a completely different spirit than when they left. They stood tall and proud, exuding confidence, their eyes sparkling. As soon as they entered the village, they were surrounded by villagers, who excitedly asked about their experiences in Beijing, creating a scene as lively as a New Year's celebration.
Yang Wanyun smiled and walked up to Xu Zifan, saying softly, "I'm back."
Xu Zifan smiled at her and said, "Welcome home."
Only Yang Wanyun knew the profound changes in her thinking she had undergone during this time, and the impact they had on her. Now, when she saw Xu Zifan, she no longer felt an urge to catch up with him, but could appreciate him with a calm and accepting heart. This was her husband; they had always walked hand in hand, and they would continue to walk side by side in the future.
Xu Zifan noticed a newfound composure in Yang Wanyun, and knew she had made significant progress. His previous outstanding performance had unconsciously made Yang Wanyun, who was closest to him, anxious, causing her to stumble and fumble forward amidst uncertainty about the future. But this time, Yang Wanyun had cleared the fog and seen clearly what she wanted. Only when one knows what they want and which path they want to take can they truly walk it happily and joyfully.
Others' achievements are always theirs; there's no need to chase after them or compare yourself to them. Just cherish what you have, strive for your goals, and you'll find satisfaction in each step forward. No matter what, overcoming yourself is the most important thing; your life is none of anyone else's business.
The factory was built, and the technicians returned after their training. The pig farm, chicken farm, and fishpond were the first to open. After the food factory was completed, everything from the original factory was transferred there, and all the workers felt a sense of professionalism. They felt that they were not much worse off than the workers in the factories in the county, even though they didn't have household registration or rations while working in the village, their living quarters were much more spacious than those in the county.
Some people have relatives in the county. When they compare themselves to their relatives in the county, they feel that they are living a more comfortable life than their relatives in the county. Their blind envy of the county town has decreased a lot, and they have become satisfied with their current life.
Later, the school was built, enrolling primary and junior high school students from their brigade and nearby brigades. All the educated youth were assigned to teach at the school, and anyone in the village who was good at a particular subject could become a teacher of that subject. Yang Wanyun became a junior high school Chinese teacher.
Su Qing watched helplessly as the village became completely different from what she remembered. She saw jobs spring up everywhere, and Xu Zifan arranged employment for everyone in the village, except for her, who couldn't find her place. She looked down on the ordinary jobs, and couldn't do the better ones; she became the only member of the village stuck in the middle, neither good enough for the high-paying nor the low-paying ones. She felt she earned far more money from the black market than the villagers, yet for some reason, she felt worse off than them. She couldn't understand why they were so happy about receiving small favors from Xu Zifan, not knowing that Xu Zifan was the one making the most money from these transactions.
The Yang family also built a new brick and tile house during this construction period. It was large and spacious, the most impressive house in the village. Xu Zifan and Yang Wanyun became husband and wife on the day they moved into their new home, marking a new beginning. There wasn't much sweet romance between them because the prevailing ideas of the time didn't accept such things, and Yang Wanyun wasn't used to them either.
But their relationship is filled with the shyness and annoyance of young lovers, the shared progress of good comrades, and the care and support of family, making them the most harmonious couple adaptable to this era. Sometimes, no words are needed; a mere glance is enough to convey understanding and support from the other—this is the most precious genuine affection of our time.
When Su Qing saw them in the village, she couldn't help but wonder if everything from her past life was just a dream. Otherwise, how could Xu Zifan have become so successful? How could Yang Wanyun have become a middle school teacher? How could Xu Xiaofen, whose marriage was unhappy, have gotten into such a good university? Was all of this because of her? Was it some kind of butterfly effect?
If so, then did she do something wrong? Otherwise, why is it that everyone else has gotten better, but she alone feels like she's still suffering?