The evening sunset bathed the millet fields in a golden glow. The ripe millet, unable to withstand the scorching sun, burst open and quietly leapt, burying itself in the soil.
At the village entrance, the postman's bicycle sped by, stopping at Chen Degong's doorway. At first glance, one could see a man and a woman sitting in the courtyard, with a boy standing beside them, looking as if they were in mourning. Another man stood holding a gleaming sickle in one hand and a dry tobacco pipe in the other, his eyes as red as if he were about to commit murder.
The scene was somewhat frightening.
"Is Chen Meilan here? I have a registered letter for you," the postman called out softly, swallowing hard.
Zhaodi had already run out. "Uncle, who's the letter for?"
"It's from Xiping City. The postmark says it's from the Public Security Bureau, Jindong Road Branch."
The postman wanted to see some drama, but Chen Degong motioned for Jinbao to close the courtyard gate.
He guessed it was from Yan Zhao. Watching Chen Meilan open the registered letter, he tapped his pipe on his foot and asked anxiously, "What does he say?"
In the registered letter, Yan Zhao said that they would meet early in the morning three days later at the Jinyang County bus station. He asked Chen Meilan to prepare her ID card, introduction letter, household registration certificate, and the "Homestead Transfer Certificate."
Hearing this, Chen Degong felt slightly relieved and finally blew out a smoke ring.
At least the house could be transferred to his sister's name, so she wouldn't be left with nothing.
The Second Brother thought his older brother was no longer angry and tried to stand up, putting on a smile. "Isn't this great? Yan Zhao is no worse than Yan Xishan. Our Meilan can return to the city again, can't she?"
As a result, Chen Degong's arm whipped out, and his tobacco pipe flew towards his Second Brother.
With a smack, the pipe hit the Second Brother's head. With another smack, blood splattered from his balding forehead.
The Second Sister-in-Law let out a cry of shock, hugging Yinbao and bursting into loud sobs.
Chen Jianjun covered his forehead and said in a muffled voice, "Big Brother, what are you doing? I made a mistake, but isn't Meilan remarrying well? Meilan helped you build a house, but she didn't help me build one. At the time, I thought even if Yan Xishan gave the money to Meilan, she would definitely give it to me to build a house, so I just took it myself. I didn't do anything wrong."
Look at him, not only did he not feel the slightest bit of remorse, but he acted as if it was perfectly justified.
Chen Degong was so angry he almost jumped up again, the sickle about to fly out of his hand, but Chen Meilan held him back.
In fact, the Second Brother wasn't wrong; the person who was wrong was herself.
When you're too good to people, it becomes a habit, and they don't appreciate you. Instead, they think it's natural for you to help them.
So, one has to be a bit selfish in life.
Chen Meilan also made up her mind that in this life, she would help her older brother and sister-in-law as much as she could within her means, but for people like her Second Brother, she would let him rot in the countryside. She would never help him again, not even once.
Without a word, she gathered all the money, bankbooks, and her and Zhaodi's clothes from her Second Brother's house.
Chen Degong was also helping his sister check her clothes. He sighed and said, "Meilan, we've let you down. Keep this money for yourself. It's not easy for remarried couples to live together. If Yan Zhao turns out to be no good, tell your brother immediately. This time, I won't let you suffer anymore."
Chen Meilan took a stack of money and picked out the bankbook, then looked down and asked her Second Sister-in-Law, "What's the password for the bankbook?"
"What password? I don't understand. I don't know," the Second Sister-in-Law still tried to play dumb.
Chen Meilan said, "It's a four-digit password. If you don't know, I'll take your ID card to report the bankbook as lost, and I can still withdraw the money."
Withdrawing money with a password had only started this year, and initially, the password was only four digits. The bankbook was nothing; the Second Sister-in-Law had been pretending to be meek and weak all along, her eyes darting around. She was definitely planning to use the ID card to report the bankbook as lost and secretly apply for a new one.
The money would still be hers in the future.
Chen Degong's newly sharpened sickle gleamed coldly, about to press against her neck.
"4328, is that good enough?" the Second Sister-in-Law shrieked, tucking her neck between her legs.
If she hadn't spoken, her head would have been cut off by Chen Degong.
After all this commotion, did all the money end up belonging to Meilan?
The Second Sister-in-Law wailed heartbrokenly, her voice so loud that it drew all the villagers to quietly peek through their door cracks to watch the drama.
The Second Brother buried his head even lower, stuffing it between his legs. Even now, he couldn't understand why Meilan couldn't just take the money directly since she had used it to build a house for her anyway.
It was Meilan who had changed, and his older brother who had changed. This wasn't his fault.
...
It was too late that day, so early the next morning, Chen Meilan took Zhaodi to Jinyang County. Using the password, she withdrew 9,700 yuan from the bankbook, added it to the 9,300 yuan in cash, making a total of 18,000 yuan, and deposited it in the bank.
She kept the remaining 1,000 yuan in her bag for immediate use.
In the small county town of the late 1980s, businesses were springing up like bamboo shoots after rain, with a wide variety of goods. The popular snacks of today like spicy leather, spicy strips, dried squid, and small octopus pieces weren't packaged yet but sold in bulk, and they were made with good oil and seasonings.
Displayed in glass cases were bright red-oiled spicy leather and beef tendon, adorned with sesame seeds and fennel, with a parsley leaf on top. The red and green complemented each other, making one's mouth water. They were also good value for money, with five mao buying several pieces.
People coming to town would buy spicy strips here and steamed buns there. They would open the hot, snow-white, fluffy buns and stuff the bright red spicy strips inside. One bite, and the soft, chewy, delicious flavors would explode in their mouths.
They first bought two steamed buns, stuffed them with spicy strips like everyone else to satisfy their cravings, and then the mother and daughter set off to explore the town.
The sound of a Hong Kong martial arts film echoed from the video hall, surrounded by a crowd of people who couldn't afford to go in. They all stood with their mouths agape, imagining the exciting scenes based on the sounds alone.
The barbershop's sign read "Haircuts, Shaves, and Corn Removal," with a single razor used for shaving heads and removing corns. Outside, a tape recorder was playing the theme song from "Shaolin Temple": "The sun rises over Songshan Valley, the morning bell startles the birds..."
Zhaodi, holding her mother's hand, passed by the barbershop and couldn't help but start singing: "In the morning, the stream gurgles, green grass on the slopes, wild fruits fragrant and mountain flowers pretty, dogs jumping and sheep running."
Someone who heard her said with a smile, "Oh, this little girl sings quite well. What a sweet voice."
Zhaodi bashfully covered her mouth and looked up at Chen Meilan. "Mama, did I sing well?"
This girl had had a nightingale's voice since she was little and had once wanted to learn singing. But Lu Jingyu always said Zhaodi's singing wasn't as good as his own Erniu's, and whenever Zhaodi sang, Lu Jingyu would frown and look displeased.
Zhaodi understood better than Chen Meilan whose approval she needed to survive, so she stopped singing after that.
Later, Erniu became a singer, and Zhaodi became a successful businesswoman. Whenever Erniu performed on stage, a look of indescribable envy and longing would appear on Zhaodi's face.
It was then that Chen Meilan realized if she had encouraged her daughter a little and put some effort into nurturing her talent, she might have become a singer too.
"Our Zhaodi sings so well. After we move to the city, Mama will enroll you in a music class. We'll study music seriously, okay?" She said, gently shaking Zhaodi's little wrist.
"Really? Mama, you seem different, better than before," Zhaodi said, looking up.
Chen Meilan said softly, "Mama will try harder to be even better to Zhaodi in the future."
She was about to have two more children, but she was no longer the woman from her previous life who would pour her heart out to her stepchildren and be completely devoted to her husband.
In this life, while it would continue, she would give all her love to Zhaodi alone.
As long as Zhaodi was willing to work hard, she would definitely nurture her into a singer.
With a total of 800 yuan in cash, walking through the streets of the value-for-money 1990s, Chen Meilan felt like a millionaire.
Further ahead was a braised chicken stall.
The chickens were all free-range, large and plump, rolling in a big iron pot, filling the air with a delicious aroma. But while many people looked, few bought.
After all, in an era where the average monthly salary was only 400 to 500 yuan, people who wanted to improve their diet tended to buy pork rather than chicken. Pork had more fat, could be used for stir-frying, and could be eaten on its own. For the same amount of money, pork could last for three meals, while chicken would be gone in one.
Zhaodi hesitated in front of the braised chicken stall, and Chen Meilan's mouth also filled with saliva.
"Boss, how much for a chicken?" she asked.
"Are you talking to me? What's this 'boss' thing? That's new. Eight yuan for one chicken," the vendor said with a laugh.
In those days, it was still fashionable to call people "comrade" rather than "boss."
"Give me two," Chen Meilan said decisively.
Two large roasted chickens?
This was quite a big order. The roasted chicken vendor's hands were shaking as he poked and prodded, selecting the two fattest and largest chickens. He carefully wiped them clean, wrapped them in oiled paper, and gently placed them in Chen Meilan's small bamboo basket.
Chen Meilan still needed to buy herself two new outfits.
After returning to her parents' home, she had brought plenty of clothes, but her Second Sister-in-Law had secretly stolen them all, wearing them out and tearing them up.
In her previous life, when she remarried, she could barely afford clothes to cover herself. For many years at Lu Jingyu's house, she couldn't hold her head high. This time, for her new marriage, she wanted to dress beautifully.
In her memory, there weren't many good clothes in the '80s and '90s, but that wasn't actually the case.
In those years, there was a wide variety of fabrics, and the market hadn't been flooded yet. The old state-owned factories produced high-quality fabrics that filled the entire market, and they were both good and cheap.
Like mushrooms after rain, many small ready-to-wear clothing shops popped up in the county town. They all made clothes modeled after what Hong Kong and Taiwan celebrities wore, and some tailors' skills were no worse than future big brands.
Chen Meilan visited several shops and chose a pale blue shirt from one store, along with a pair of Dacron knee-length shorts. Paired together with a belt at the waist, it was the casual style that would come back into fashion in 2020, after a 30-year cycle.
"Mom looks so beautiful. Can we buy this whole set?" Zhaodi worried, afraid her mother might not make the purchase.
To her surprise, her mother waved her hand grandly: "Ring it all up. How much for this set?"
The tailor, a middle-aged woman, looked Chen Meilan up and down for a long time. Suddenly, she went out and came back with a camera. She gestured for Chen Meilan not to move and snapped several photos before saying, "I want to use your photos as a model. You don't mind, do you? No one has ever made my clothes look this beautiful. I want to hang these on my wall for people to see."
"I can try on more outfits for you to take more photos. Would you give me this set of clothes for free in return?" Chen Meilan understood – the shop owner wanted to use her as a model.
She might as well negotiate a little benefit for herself.
This was the first time Chen Meilan, a lifelong housewife, had earned money on her own, and she was particularly excited.
"Of course, why not?" In the early days of reform and opening up, people were especially honest and straightforward.
The owner simply closed the tailor shop door and had Chen Meilan change into one outfit after another, taking photos.
They wouldn't know how the photos turned out until they were developed.
But the shop owner was thrilled, constantly praising Chen Meilan as a perfect clothes hanger, looking good in everything.
When it was time to leave, she insisted on giving Chen Meilan a creamy white dress, along with a pair of plastic sandals, and even added a small glass brooch to Zhaodi's little floral dress.
Looking in the large mirror, although her skin was a bit pale and reddened from sun exposure, the woman in the reflection was both fashionable and beautiful, nothing like the lonely, pale, rich but desolate old lady she had been in her previous life.
For the first time since her rebirth, Chen Meilan realized that she was beautiful too.
Looking at Zhaodi's sweet face in her pretty bubble princess dress, a term suddenly came to Chen Meilan's mind: hot mama.
She had transformed from a miserable divorced woman into a fashionable hot mama.
The village was still the same as always – cicadas chirping, frogs croaking, children's noisy voices, and the farmers in the fields, working silently and sweating profusely.
Today, Chen Degong had thrown all of his second brother's foxtail millet back into his field and gathered his own millet in the courtyard.
The yard was full of millet, and he was leading Jinbao, Zhenzhu, and Baozhu in threshing it with flails.
Rural children had to work from a young age. Jinbao, the oldest at fourteen, might be lazy usually, but he was skilled at farm work.
Seeing Chen Meilan, Jinbao called out "Aunt" and came to help her with her bags and pour her some hot water.
Zhenzhu and Baozhu were captivated by their aunt's beautiful clothes, gazing at her greedily and following her closely.
"Jinbao, go call your mother. Let's all eat chicken together," Chen Meilan said with a smile.
"Eat... eat what?" Jinbao repeated, thinking he had misheard.
Zhaodi took out a large roasted chicken from the basket: "Yinbao's family eats their chicken in secret, but we'll eat ours together." And there wasn't just one, but two!
Now it was Yinbao's family's turn to smell the aroma from across the wall and drool.
Smelling the fragrance of the roasted chicken, Chen Degong couldn't help feeling emotional: "Meilan, your brother has let you down. You'll have to walk your own path from now on. I can't help you anymore. What do you plan to do?"
What to do?
Of course, it was time to hurry back to the city and settle down.
Having unexpectedly become a model and earned several beautiful outfits, Chen Meilan felt unprecedentedly confident.
