The young man's expression changed drastically when he saw them order such a large meal and pay the bill so readily.
The girl with him was already a little unhappy, and now that she saw him still staring at the other woman, she immediately realized that Yang Wanyun was absolutely right. A man who always wanted others to be inferior to him was really pretentious. She really needed to think carefully before dating. She got up, took half a bowl of rice and gave it to the young man, leaving with the words, "I have something to do, I'm leaving now," before striding away.
The young man was taken aback and grabbed his rice bowl. He got up to call her, anxious to chase after her, but then he saw that there was still more than half a bowl of braised pork left. He quickly wrapped up the braised pork and took it with him before rushing out, but the girl had already disappeared from sight.
Yang Wanyun watched them disappear in surprise and whispered, "They really broke up? That girl has a good personality; she'll definitely find someone better in the future."
Xu Zifan smiled and said, "That's all thanks to you for helping her."
Yang Wanyun glanced at him twice, hesitated, and asked, "Do you think I'm very shrewish? Actually, I don't often lose my temper, it's just... it's just that the person just now was so infuriating."
Xu Zifan nodded, suppressing a laugh, and said, "Yeah, you don't often lose your temper. But when you do, you're like a little chili pepper, making people feel really choked up. I've experienced that firsthand."
Yang Wanyun blushed. "What? I can't let myself be wronged."
"You're right. From now on, if anyone makes you unhappy, just talk back."
"And what about you? You didn't seem angry just now. Don't you think he went too far?"
Xu Zifan thought about it for a moment. He hadn't really paid much attention to it because there were many people like that, especially since people's perceptions were somewhat skewed in this era. There were a lot of people who looked down on others, even the sales clerks at the supply and marketing cooperative acted like they were royalty. So he just regarded it as a trace of the times and never took it to heart.
Long ago, when he was still a poor, hungry boy in the slums, many people looked down on him. He fought back desperately then, but when he achieved success, he happened to run into those same people again. They were now bowing and scraping before him, yet they still looked down on those poorer than themselves. Some people are just like that; it's a waste of time to care about them.
Xu Zifan looked at Yang Wanyun and said with a smile, "Isn't it because I have you? With you helping me vent my anger, I'm not angry at all anymore."
Yang Wanyun's eyes did not dodge this time, but her face still turned red.
That night, when they went to sleep, Xu Zifan held her in his arms for the first time, and she rested her head on Xu Zifan's arm and leaned against his chest for the first time, drifting off to sleep amidst her racing heartbeat.
Xu Zifan and Yang Wanyun became much closer, which made Yang's parents very happy. They treated Xu Zifan like their own son and had no more objections to him.
To persuade Director Liu to agree to his new plan, Xu Zifan made frequent trips to the county. After half a month, Director Liu succumbed to his persuasive skills, agreeing that his arguments made perfect sense. This plan didn't violate national regulations, could solve the breakfast problem for some units, and as long as it was voluntary, it was excellent. After all, the government had said it wanted everyone to live a good life, hadn't it? Food production in a food factory was also a product of collective labor, so there was nothing wrong with it.
With President Liu's words, Xu Zifan could legitimately begin to make connections with various units in the county. Schools, factories, government agencies... he contacted any collective organization. He not only secured several stable breakfast supplies but also received several orders for goods, some for New Year's Day bonuses and others for the Spring Festival.
As a result, Xu Zifan's factory became even busier. He hired another batch of people. This time, apart from the elderly, the infirm, the disabled, and those preparing for the college entrance examination, only the Su family members were not hired. Everyone else became temporary workers at the factory. The whole village cheered, but the Su family members were both shocked and angry. However, Xu Zifan said that they were not suitable, and there was nothing they could do. They could only watch others earn work points while they got nothing.
The Su family hated Su Qing to death. When it came to personal gain, even Su's mother stopped speaking up for Su Qing. They would glare at Su Qing whenever they met on the street, which made Su Qing dislike them even more. The two sides were completely on the verge of never speaking to each other again.
Su Qing goes to the county every morning. She can't borrow a bicycle, so she has to walk. She gets tired, tanned, and thin, and doesn't look as good as before. Occasionally, she will see Xu Zifan riding by, but Xu Zifan never looks at her. This gives her the illusion that Xu Zifan doesn't want her, rather than that she has worked hard to dump Xu Zifan.
These days she makes pastries, pretty hair accessories, and clothes, and sells them on the black market to exchange for tickets. She works hard, but in the end she doesn't earn much, which makes her feel the pain of rebirth.
When she left the village in her previous life, society had become more open. Although she worked odd jobs everywhere, she didn't have to sneak around and could ride bicycles and tricycles. Now, reborn into the prime of her life, she's exhausted every day. If it weren't for Wu Zhigang's future role as a regimental commander supporting her, she would have wanted to apologize to Xu Zifan. After all, being a factory worker was much easier and paid better.
Just as Su Qing was encouraging herself to overcome the hardships every day, she unexpectedly saw Xu Zifan return to the village and happily tell Yang Wanyun that Yang Wanyun had submitted two articles that were accepted and earned her royalties!
Su Qing stared in disbelief at Yang Wanyun's excited excitement, at Yang Yongqing's proud smile, at Feng Yuying's joyful tears, and at the group of villagers surrounding Yang Wanyun and praising her as a great talent. She felt this world was too surreal. How could Yang Wanyun be considered a talented woman? Wasn't Yang Wanyun's academic performance terrible? How could she earn money just by writing?
She works so hard every day, she's exhausted and haggard, and yet she doesn't earn enough money.
Why does Yang Wanyun write so much? She has to earn money secretly, always on edge, afraid of being discovered. How come she earns money so openly and honestly and is praised by the whole village? Why is that?
Su Qing returned home in a daze, rummaged through her paper and pen, and racked her brains trying to write an article. But after several hours, she had only managed a hundred words, and there were many words she couldn't remember how to write, so she could only write pinyin. Looking at her scribbled-on draft, she suddenly angrily tore it to shreds! If her father hadn't refused to support her education, how could she have only graduated from elementary school? How could she be inferior to Yang Wanyun?
She was determined to marry Wu Zhigang and become the regimental commander's wife!
When Su Qing was first reborn, she had many beautiful expectations and was happy every day. She had no obsession with being the commander's wife; she simply felt that it was her rightful place and she would cherish it. But now, seeing Xu Zifan's life getting better and better, and Yang Wanyun earning money easily, while she had suffered so much and still couldn't change her life, she had completely lost her joy. She only wanted to be superior to others, only wanted to one day crush Xu Zifan and Yang Wanyun. Being the commander's wife had become her obsession, and the desire for happiness she had when she was reborn was completely gone.
Su Qing was an isolated person in the village; no one paid attention to her, nor did anyone notice her changes. Everyone worked enthusiastically every day. The factory provided money, cloth, coal, thermos flasks, and other supplies, which was more attractive than farming and distributing grain. Everyone worked with great enthusiasm, waiting for Xu Zifan to select permanent employees.
Another group of people were studying hard. It was impossible for the people at the educated youth settlement not to envy Xu Zifan for running such a large factory, but they still had their own beliefs. They firmly believed that returning to the city was the best way out. Some even felt sorry for Xu Zifan and tried to persuade him twice, but Xu Zifan said he wouldn't take the college entrance exam and didn't touch anything related to it, focusing solely on developing the factory.
That winter, the college entrance examination finally arrived. Everyone taking the exam was both excited and nervous. Almost everyone felt unprepared, but they all excitedly walked into the examination room.
Before the college entrance examination, a fierce argument erupted in the Xu family in Beijing. Xu Xiaofen chose a day when the family was in a good mood and confessed that she had registered for the exam, and also mentioned that Xu Zifan did not intend to take it. Xu's father immediately flew into a rage, furious at Xu Xiaofen's self-determination, at Xu Zifan's lack of ambition, and even more furious that the two of them had made decisions on their own without consulting him, the head of the family!
Xu's mother was extremely dissatisfied and wanted to find Xu Xiaofen's exam admission ticket and tear it up. She scolded her for being ungrateful, saying that she was already a permanent employee and was still making a fuss. She said that if she didn't get married at this age, she would be an old maid, so what was the point of going to university? Her younger brother, Xu Zilong, was only ten years old and couldn't take over Xu Xiaofen's job. Xu's mother was a housewife, illiterate, and couldn't learn the factory work, so she couldn't take over either. This job could only be transferred to someone else for some benefit, which would be a huge loss.
Xu's mother absolutely refused, but Xu Xiaofen was adamant this time. Unable to reason with her, she simply packed her bags and went to stay at her classmate's house. Her classmate was an only child, so living together wasn't inconvenient. Although it was a burden, she had a salary, and after paying some money, her classmate's parents were quite welcoming, so she took the college entrance exam with her classmate.
Xu's mother was furious. Unable to find Xu Xiaofen and knowing she couldn't stop it, she quickly asked Xu Zilong to write a letter to Xu Zifan, telling him to pack his things and prepare to return to Beijing, and to transfer Xu Xiaofen's job to him. This way, Xu Zifan could be brought back to the city and could also earn money to help support the family.
When Xu Zifan received the letter, the college entrance examination was already over. He immediately sent a telegram home, refusing his family's arrangements and stating that he wanted to settle in the village.
Having exhausted all other options, Xu's mother sold the job opportunity, obtaining some grain and a bicycle in return. She kept all of these things for herself, giving nothing to Xu Xiaofen. Now, whenever she sees Xu Xiaofen, she scolds her, and Xu Xiaofen rarely argues back, simply staying home doing chores while waiting for her job acceptance letter. As for the blind dates her mother arranged for Xu Xiaofen, she didn't refuse, but after several meetings, none of them felt right, and she ruined them all.
Only then did Xu's mother realize that her children had grown up, and she was completely helpless with them. She had always favored her younger son, and now she found Xu Xiaofen and Xu Zifan even more annoying, constantly giving Xu Xiaofen the cold shoulder.
Finally, the college entrance exam scores came out, and the admission notice arrived. Xu Xiaofen had lived up to expectations and was admitted to the third-ranked university in the country, located in Beijing. She moved into the school dormitory, received a government stipend, and no longer had to endure her mother's cold scolding. For a moment, she felt a sense of peace and relaxation. She couldn't help but think of what Xu Zifan had told her: life is your own, and you must pursue your dreams to find peace of mind.