The trip to the county would have to wait for another opportunity. The crops were ripe, and the whole village was busy harvesting. Xu Zifan and Yang Wanyun also went to the fields, and inevitably, they ran into Su Qing.
Originally, the areas they were responsible for were not close, so they should have been able to coexist peacefully. However, every time Su Qing saw them, her eyes were filled with malice, which was annoying.
Yang Wanyun nudged Xu Zifan with her elbow and whispered, "Look what trouble you've caused. Why is she staring at us like that? Is she plotting something?"
Xu Zifan whispered back, "Who cares? We'll deal with whatever comes our way. We're not afraid of her."
"Oh, you really put it down."
"There's nothing wrong with it anyway. I'm a married man now." Xu Zifan looked down at her and smiled.
Yang Wanyun immediately bent down to work, quieting down and inwardly despising herself. So what if he's a little handsome? Why am I so pathetic? I can't even look at him when he smiles! Suddenly, she thought of something, glanced around, and sure enough, quite a few young women and married women were looking in Xu Zifan's direction.
It's one thing to have such a handsome face, but he's also changed; he's becoming more and more attractive. It's really... what's the point of a grown man being so good-looking? I don't know what the Xu family was thinking, sending him to the village. If she had a son like him, she would never bear to send him to the village to suffer.
Yang Wanyun, remembering that Xu Zifan never mentioned his family, only that he had parents, an older sister, and a younger brother, suddenly became curious. She turned to Xu Zifan and asked, "Have you told your family about our marriage?"
Xu Zifan recalled for a moment and nodded, "I sent a letter. If they reply, it should arrive soon. But I guess only my eldest sister will write to me; others wouldn't want to waste the stamp money. Don't worry about them; I'm only close to my eldest sister. My dad is a chauvinist and doesn't pay much attention to his children, while my mom only cares about my younger brother."
Yang Wanyun was a little puzzled. Having spent more time with Xu Zifan these past few days, she thought he had a good personality and was intelligent; why wasn't he favored by his family? However, it seemed rare these days for parents to dote on her like her parents did. Everyone was busy and didn't have time to care for their children, but many families favored their younger sons. Fortunately, Xu Zifan had a close older sister, so she asked, "Is your older sister married?"
Xu Zifan shook his head, then suddenly frowned. "When I was assigned to work in the countryside, my older sister had already started working in a factory, and she was 20 years old, about time to find a boyfriend. My mom said she wanted to keep her here so she could choose a good husband, but my mom only cares about money, and she'll definitely be looking for a dowry when choosing someone, she won't care about my older sister's wishes. I'll write another letter to my older sister when I get back. She has excellent grades, and I think she should take the college entrance exam; she can't miss this opportunity."
Will Mom and Dad agree?
"She definitely won't agree, so I have to try to persuade her."
The Xu family wasn't mentioned much in the original story, so Xu Zifan hadn't thought much about them before. Now that they were brought up, he remembered that Su Qing hadn't gotten along well with her in-laws before her rebirth, partly because they were poor. This meant his older sister hadn't married well or had a good job. The original owner had a good relationship with his older sister; she was always taught to take care of her younger brothers, but since their younger brother was raised by their mother, his older sister mostly cared for him.
The whole family was good-looking, and the eldest sister, Xu Xiaofen, being a girl, had an even more obvious advantage in appearance. This was precisely why Xu's mother had kept Xu Xiaofen unmarried—she wanted to use her looks to find a wealthy man and secure a large dowry. Xu Zifan didn't know what would happen next, but he felt that the best option for Xu Xiaofen right now was to go to university. Being with passionate young people would make it easier for her to change her mind and rebel against her mother.
After finishing work, Xu Zifan didn't waste any time and quickly wrote a letter to Xu Xiaofen, analyzing the future situation in detail. Xu Xiaofen was a gentle and kind girl, very capable at both home and work, and experienced in taking care of children. She would definitely be a virtuous wife and loving mother, and he couldn't let Xu's mother ruin her.
In his letter, Xu Zifan said that he wasn't doing well in his studies and had no hope of returning to the city, so he would have to rely on his eldest sister. He added that relying on others was unreliable; his sister had to become successful herself to be dependable. He also told her not to regret her factory job, as she would gain more knowledge at university and become a capable person, which would surely lead to better jobs in the future.
Xu Xiaofen wasn't stupid; she was just a permanent employee now, with better pay than other girls her age, and she didn't see anything wrong with it. Xu Zifan had painted a bright future for him in his letter, like pointing out a path to a better life. If he could take that path, of course he would strive to walk it.
Xu Zifan asked someone who was on business in the county to mail it. When that person returned, he brought back a letter and a package. It turned out that he had just run into the package that Xu Xiaofen had sent to Xu Zifan at the post office and brought it back with him.
In her letter, Xu Xiaofen congratulated him on his marriage and asked many questions about the bride and her family. She also inquired about his life in the village, asking if he had encountered any difficulties. Her words were full of concern. The package contained a set of college entrance examination review materials, which Xu Xiaofen had obtained with great difficulty without her mother's knowledge, urging him to seize the opportunity to return to the city.
There was also a set of navy blue cotton-padded jacket and trousers for him, two scarves, one for him and one for Yang Wanyun, and some paper and pens. He lives in the north, where winters are particularly cold, and Xu Xiaofen specially got these for him to keep him warm. All the Xu family's tickets were in Xu's mother's hands, so Xu Xiaofen must have gone to great lengths to get these things for him.
Yang Wanyun was genuinely impressed by the siblings' close relationship. She put on the red scarf, looked in the mirror, and said shyly, "This scarf is really pretty. Shall we send something to our eldest sister too?"
Xu Zifan thought about the things at home and shook his head, saying, "She definitely won't get to eat the food I send; it'll all end up in my brother's stomach. She won't be able to explain the other things either."
"I won't send it back yet; we'll talk about it later. But I need to send this set of materials back to her so she can study properly."
Yang Wanyun touched the materials and said enviously, "These materials are hard to come by. You're really not taking the exam?"
Xu Zifan looked up at her. "Wanyun, have you thought about taking the college entrance exam? I heard from Mom and Dad that you graduated from high school?"
Yang Wanyun hurriedly waved her hand, "I can't do it. I'm too unbalanced in my subjects. I'm only good at Chinese and history. I've tried very hard to learn math, but I just can't understand it. I can't pass the test."
"You're only good at Chinese?" Xu Zifan thought for a moment. "How are you at writing essays?"
Yang Wanyun laughed, "I write essays very well, but most of the essays ask me to write about progress and development, which I don't really like. I prefer to write stories."
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "Then write a story when you have free time, and we can submit it to a publishing house to try our luck. Maybe it will be published, or even in a newspaper. Then you'll be a literary youth."
Yang Wanyun was startled and asked incredulously, "Write a story for publication? Where do I send it?"
"Let's go to the post office to find the publisher's address and send a few more. Before you start writing, take a look at what stories are printed in the most prominent place in the newspaper, and write in that style. It'll probably work. Why don't you write it down and let me see it first? If it doesn't work, we won't submit it."
Yang Wanyun took a deep breath, feeling both that this was a fantasy and a strange sense of anticipation. She had loved listening to and telling stories since childhood, but during the Cultural Revolution, no one dared to speak carelessly for fear of being caught doing something wrong, which made her feel quite resentful. After learning to write compositions in school, she learned to write stories, but she could only write on the themes required by the school; she dared not touch anything else.
Now, Xu Zifan says she can try writing stories and submitting them to publishers, which seems to have suddenly opened a new door for her. She realizes that writing stories can be submitted and that she can have the opportunity to share them with others. If she succeeds, she'll be overjoyed!
Yang Wanyun's eyes were bright. That evening, after work, she lay down on the table and started writing. She wrote a page and wanted to continue, but Xu Zifan snatched the pen from her.
"You're not allowed to write so late. If you hurt your eyes, you won't be able to see clearly anymore. If you like, you can get up a little earlier every morning or write at noon."
"I'll write for a little longer. There's a light, so it's not dark."
"No, the light will hurt your eyes. Go to sleep." Xu Zifan pulled her wrist and dragged her onto the kang (a heated brick bed), quickly turned off the light, and lay down.
Yang Wanyun had no choice but to obediently go to sleep, muttering under her breath, "How can you be so domineering? You get to decide everything."
"It's a habit." Xu Zifan closed his eyes and heard her turn over. He said, "If you can't sleep, tell me a story. Tell me the story you want to write. Once you've told it all, write it down tomorrow morning."
"Okay, then listen carefully." Yang Wanyun loved telling stories, so she lay down on her side and began to tell them in a low voice.
In the quiet night, her beautiful voice was like a lullaby, and Xu Zifan fell asleep as he listened. Yang Wanyun saw this, smiled, gazed at his face in the moonlight for a while, and then silently closed her eyes to sleep. She felt that Xu Zifan was truly different from others; everything he said became incredibly simple, and even if she couldn't do it now, it didn't matter—she could try, and one day she would be able to.
Encouraged by Xu Zifan, she felt a surge of energy. Why not give it a try? Taking the first step is the beginning of success. Even if it doesn't work out now, she will continue to work hard. One day, she will be able to share her story with many people.
Xu Xiaofen, far away in Beijing, was surprised to receive a letter from her younger brother. She hadn't expected him to encourage her to take the college entrance exam. Not only was it a waste to lose her job, but her mother would never agree to her taking the exam. However, reading the analysis in her brother's letter, she wavered greatly. She worked in a factory, but the college entrance exam had been reinstated, and there would be more and more talented people in the future. Factory positions were limited; who would be pushed out? It would definitely be ordinary workers like them.
Only by getting into university and becoming a valuable asset can she avoid being left behind in the future. Besides, university students receive subsidies; although they don't earn as much as factory workers, they won't cost their families money. Going to university won't affect her marriage prospects. If she tries hard to talk to Xu's mother, her mother should agree, right? After all, according to Xu's mother, if she becomes more outstanding, wouldn't she be able to marry someone better?
Xu Xiaofen read the letter several times and considered it for several days before finally making up her mind. She was going to take the college entrance exam; she wanted to become a successful person, to improve her own life, and to help her younger brother return to the city in the future. This was the best choice; she would definitely regret it if she didn't take the exam!
After receiving the review materials, Xu Xiaofen hid them in her room to study, deciding to postpone the confrontation until later.