WBSGVS Chapter 121

Qing Li paid no attention to Tang Tiantian. Once they left the Tang family, Tang Tiantian was like a small snake without fangs—completely harmless.

After finishing her tasks, Qing Li took her rewards from the brigade and happily rode the captain’s borrowed bike home. She earned ten eggs today—what a great day!

Life went on like this day by day until 1966 arrived. The winds of change were stirring, but for the rural people, life didn’t seem much different.

They were simple and honest, with limited exposure to the outside world. Their concerns revolved around whether it would rain and if the crops needed water.

The atmosphere in the village remained calm.

Qing Li felt the changes more profoundly at school but didn’t bring it up at home. Li Lanhua, seeing that her daughter was about to graduate high school and take the college entrance exam, focused on nourishing her. She constantly came up with ways to ensure Qing Li ate well and didn’t overexert herself.

When Qing Li graduated high school, the sudden suspension of classes created a wave of shock.

People said the Li family must have bad luck.

They had worked so hard to raise such a bright daughter. She was about to attend college and soar above the life of a peasant. But now, with classes suspended, college seemed out of reach.

Afterward, many people came to the Li family, some openly and others discreetly, to witness their misfortune.

Of course, Qing Li was already 16. Having finished high school but unable to attend college, many started suggesting marriage prospects:
“She can’t go to school anymore, so why not get married? If she keeps relying on the Li family, they’ll get fed up.”
“She’s a fine young lady. I happen to know a city boy who’d be a good match for her. Want to take a look? He didn’t go to school either, but now that no one’s studying, it doesn’t matter.”

Li Lanhua wasn’t one to take such comments lightly. If anyone belittled her daughter, she would erupt like a tiger, chasing them away with her fierce words.

Over the past two years, Qing Li’s contributions to the brigade had secured a strong foothold for their family. Anyone looking to take advantage of them had to think twice about how others in the brigade would react.

While some came to mock, others brought gifts, worried that Qing Li might be upset, encouraging her to eat more and stay strong.

Qing Li couldn’t help but laugh at the mixed reactions. She accepted their kindness and used the gifts to make dumplings, which she then returned to each household as a gesture of gratitude.

Meanwhile, the news of Qing Li’s situation spread to Tang Village, where Tang Tiantian overheard it.

Tang Tiantian had been resting in a quiet corner to conserve her energy, avoiding hunger as much as possible. She overheard a few people chatting nearby.

“Did you hear about this?”

It was the familiar start of gossip. Tang Tiantian yawned, disinterested, and was about to leave.

She was annoyed by the noise and couldn’t sleep, but didn’t dare chase them away, so she chose to leave.

Another person added, “Yeah, it’s about Er Song’s daughter and her college plans. Poor girl…”

Tang Tiantian paused, her eyes lighting up. She crept closer, careful to eavesdrop.

The others continued, “What a shame! Why did colleges suddenly stop admitting students? All those high school graduates can’t even attend college now.”

Tang Tiantian’s eyes widened, and an involuntary smile crept onto her lips.

Really?

She had heard about the suspension of classes recently but didn’t know the specifics since no one shared much with her. She never thought of it this way.

So she couldn’t go to college either?

Tang Tiantian barely contained her excitement, almost laughing out loud.

Serves her right! All that effort for nothing!

The two gossipers continued, “I don’t think it’ll last forever. Colleges won’t just sit there empty. Building them cost a lot of money back then.”
“Who knows? My son doesn’t like studying anyway, so it doesn’t matter to us.”
“Exactly, hahaha…”

Hearing no more about Qing Li, Tang Tiantian felt a bit disappointed but was still in a good mood.

Her life wasn’t great, but seeing someone who used to be below her now excelling, only to face setbacks, made her feel better!

Humming to herself, she sneaked away and left, skipping and jumping in her joy.

Ah, Qing Li was so unlucky. How wonderful!

But when she returned to her elder brother’s house, she quickly masked her happiness. Looking at the gloomy home, she sighed, knowing she couldn’t escape it.

She was about to head to her room when she noticed that her freshly washed clothes from the night before had been blown down by the wind. She rushed to pick them up and shake off the dirt.

Seeing the clothes covered in dust, Tang Tiantian’s face darkened. She wanted to throw them away but didn’t dare. If she did, she’d go without food, not just tonight but tomorrow morning as well.

Sighing, she fetched water to rewash and hang them.

While doing so, she noticed her sister-in-law returning with an older woman, both chatting and laughing.

Tang Tiantian pursed her lips and continued her chores, but the older woman’s gaze lingered on her, scrutinizing her in a way that made her uncomfortable, as if she were being seen through.

Her movements quickened, and she hurried to finish and return to her room, not daring to linger.

Behind her closed door, Tang Tiantian didn’t rest. Instead, she crouched by the door, peeking through the crack.

What was her sister-in-law up to now?

It couldn’t be anything good. That woman’s gaze reminded her of the time six years ago when people came to appraise Qing Li before she was almost sold off.

Even though no one dared to force a woman into marriage after what had happened back then, the memory still haunted Tang Tiantian.

She also recalled an incident two years ago.

At 14, when her first period arrived, she turned to her sister-in-law for help. The woman reluctantly gave her some supplies but soon declared she would marry Tang Tiantian off.

Naturally, Tang Tiantian refused. Her sister-in-law was adamant, but Tang Tiantian wasn’t stupid—she escalated the matter to the brigade leader.

Given the Tang family’s past reputation, even though forced marriages weren’t as common anymore, the sister-in-law was harshly reprimanded.

Since then, the pressure to marry had subsided, but Tang Tiantian’s workload doubled.

She wasn’t just doing housework anymore; she had to work in the fields, too.

Tang Tiantian often slacked off, earning countless scoldings from the brigade overseer. But she never changed her ways, and no one could do much about it.

Now, two years later, she found herself in a similar predicament.

Tang Tiantian panicked. Unlike before, when she was 14 and could still refuse, now, at 16, she had no such luxury. Many girls her age were already married, some even with children.

Out in the yard, her sister-in-law and another woman chatted briefly at the door before heading inside. Tang Tiantian couldn’t see anything from her position. She returned to her bed, her face dark with worry. The good mood she had earlier was now completely gone.

Her sister-in-law was undoubtedly plotting something.

But what could she do if she refused to cooperate? Tang Tiantian racked her brain but couldn’t come up with an answer. By the afternoon, her door was knocked on, and when she stepped out, she learned that her brother’s family had already made up their minds, regardless of whether she resisted or not.

“Here are all the work points you’ve earned this year,” her sister-in-law said sternly, pointing to a sack of corn and sweet potatoes. “After deducting the food you’ve eaten these past six months, this is all that’s left. You’re 16 now; a girl this age is either married or has a job to support herself. No family is going to keep subsidizing a grown daughter.”

Her sister-in-law’s expression turned colder as she continued, “Take these things. I’ve found a family willing to take you. If you agree to marry them, I won’t ask for any dowry. But I won’t support you anymore, either. After this, we’ll split everything—this house, our food. You’re on your own.”

Split the household? Go their separate ways?

Tang Tiantian had considered all kinds of tactics her sister-in-law might use, but she hadn’t expected such a direct ultimatum.

Her sister-in-law’s words struck her like a bolt from the blue. She froze in place, stunned. But Tang Tiantian was still Tang Tiantian. She quickly pointed to the sack of food and yelled, “What do you mean by this? You’re kicking me out after taking over the house my parents left behind? What am I supposed to do?”

Her brother, Tang Dasong, remained silent. As her blood relative, he knew his words would carry a heavier weight, so he left it to his wife to handle.

Her sister-in-law, however, had been prepared for this. Smirking, she retorted sarcastically, “What family keeps supporting a 16-year-old girl who refuses to marry? I’m not your parents. I can’t afford to keep feeding you, Miss High-and-Mighty!”

Tang Tiantian’s face turned red with anger. She clenched her teeth, trembling with frustration, but years of being scolded and beaten had instilled a deep fear in her. Though furious, she didn’t dare attack her sister-in-law. Seeing the resolute expression on her sister-in-law’s face, she shouted, “And what am I supposed to do with this measly amount? It’s barely enough for the rest of the year!”

Her sister-in-law rolled her eyes. “Oh, you want more? Think about how much work you’ve done this year. Should we get the village head involved to calculate how many work points you earned and how much food that entitles you to? Honestly, I’m already giving you more than you deserve. If we went strictly by the rules, your share would’ve been gone months ago!”

Tang Tiantian’s face turned pale. Despite her defiance, she was sweating nervously. She knew her sister-in-law was telling the truth. Her work points weren’t enough to cover her food, let alone leave her with extra.

Her sister-in-law, sensing her guilt, pressed on. “Tang Tiantian, let me give you one last piece of advice as your sister-in-law: Marry while you can. The family I found for you isn’t bad. You hate hard work, right? If you marry and have a son, at least you won’t have to work as hard. But if you reject this family, don’t expect me to find you another one.”

She added, “Given your reputation, it wasn’t easy to find someone willing to marry you. You’d better thank me for convincing them!”

Tang Tiantian’s face turned as white as a sheet. She knew she couldn’t win this argument. Her legs gave out, and she knelt before her sister-in-law, sobbing, “Sister-in-law, I was wrong! I’ll work harder! Please don’t make me marry!”

Her sister-in-law shook off her hands without hesitation. “Whether you work hard or not doesn’t matter to me anymore. If you think you can survive without marrying, fine. You can stay in this house, but we’ll be splitting everything. You won’t touch our food or anything else.”

No one in the family would pity Tang Tiantian anymore.

Tang Dasong stepped forward to comfort her gently, “You’re old enough to marry now. It’s the right thing to do. Everyone in the village would say the same. And the family your sister-in-law found isn’t far away. If anything happens, you can still come back here.”

Seeing her brother’s unyielding attitude, Tang Tiantian realized there was no room for negotiation. She nodded reluctantly, her voice trembling. “Fine… I’ll marry.”

With those words, her spirit was crushed.

She had always dreamed of marrying into wealth, escaping the harsh realities of her life. But now, with no prospects and her family refusing to support her, she had no choice but to accept her fate.

Her sister-in-law, satisfied with her submission, began discussing the wedding arrangements. If there was no wedding banquet, Tang Tiantian could keep the dowry herself.

Naturally, Tang Tiantian chose to skip the banquet. Why give them the money when she could keep it for herself?

When the day of the wedding arrived, the event was modest but lively. Many villagers came to watch, drawn by the gossip surrounding Tang Tiantian.

Despite her resentment toward her older husband, Tang Tiantian couldn’t help but smile faintly as the village children gathered around, their innocent laughter lifting her spirits.

The groom arrived, his bicycle adorned with a bright red flower, scattering candies for the children to collect. Amid the commotion, Tang Tiantian overheard a voice nearby.

“Such a pity. The Dashun family used to be so well-off. Now they can’t even afford a proper wedding.”

“Well, they’re broke,” another replied with a chuckle. “If only their third daughter were still around. I heard she got recommended for a position at the machinery factory recently—ten yuan a month, can you believe it?”

Tang Tiantian’s smile froze. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stormed over, her voice shrill. “What did you say? Say it again!”

It couldn’t be true. She must have misheard. There was no way that she—that unremarkable Third Sister—could be so successful!

Startled by her outburst, the person stammered, “I heard Third Sister was recommended to a machinery factory. It’s a prestigious job—official employment. They say she’s already earning ten yuan a month.”

Tang Tiantian shoved the speaker aside, screaming, “That’s impossible! You’re lying!”