Siheyuan: Being a fisherman in 1962

"Shazhu, didn't you go out of town? Why did you come back suddenly?" An old man looked at him with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"Yes, uncle, I came back to take a look. Actually, I found a job in another city, but I felt that home was the best place, so I came back."

The old man nodded, seeming satisfied with his answer.

But Sha Zhu knew that his lies could not cover up the truth.

The reason why he concealed the true nature of his job was because he didn't want others to see his desolation and failure.

As I continued walking, the conflict in my heart grew heavier and heavier like a stone rolling up a mountain.

He cannot live in lies and escape forever, but the courage to face reality seems to be getting farther and farther away from him.

Sha Zhu walked alone on the path in the factory. The contrast between his past glory and his present desolation was like an invisible scar, constantly reminding him of his past failure.

Suddenly, an old man appeared in front of them, with a complicated expression on his face.

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth and walked forward, wanting to say hello.

"Uncle, where are you going?" Sha Zhu tried his best to make his voice sound relaxed.

The old man stopped and looked Sha Zhu up and down, with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

"Shazhu, when I heard that you were back, I thought you found a good job. I didn't expect that you would go to raise pigs." The old man said with a bit of disdain in his tone.

Sha Zhu's heart sank suddenly, knowing that his lie had been exposed.

I opened my mouth and wanted to explain, but felt like I didn't know where to start.

"Master, I..."

"Oh, forget it. I don't want to say anything to you. You can take care of yourself." The old man shook his head and turned away.

Sha Zhu stood there, watching the old man's back gradually walking away, and the feeling of loss in his heart surged like a tide.

The pride and dignity that I once had are gone at this moment.

After returning home, Sha Zhu told Qin Huairu the news that he had found a job.

After hearing this, Qin Huairu's face did not show much joy.

"Raising pigs? How much can you get paid?" Qin Huairu said with a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone.

Sha Zhu was silent for a while, then whispered, "Although the salary is not high, at least I have a stable job. I will work hard and strive for a promotion and salary increase as soon as possible."

In the afterglow of the setting sun, Sha Zhu sat alone on a shabby wooden chair at home, his mind wandering.

He used to be a prominent figure in the factory and a chef respected by everyone, but now he has become a pig farmer. This gap is hard for him to accept.

Qin Huairu was busy at the side, with a hint of worry on her face.

She understood Shazhu's pride and his current predicament, but she was more worried about their future.

"You really don't want to work with me?" Sha Zhu suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

Qin Huairu stopped what she was doing, turned around, looked at Sha Zhu's expectant eyes, and shook her head slightly.

"You don't want me to suffer with you, but I have my own ideas. I hope you can settle down first, and when we have enough savings, we can live a good life together."

Sha Zhu was silent for a moment. He understood Qin Huairu's worries and expectations, but he also knew that this road was not easy.

His former glory has become a thing of the past, and now he is just an ordinary pig farmer.

At this moment, there was a rush of footsteps outside the door.

Sha Zhu looked up and saw Chen Fei, Ma Hua and Liu Lan walking in with happy faces.

"I heard that you are back? How is it? Is the world outside exciting?" Ma Hua joked with a smile.

Sha Zhu smiled bitterly and did not answer.

He noticed that Chen Fei and Ma Hua were both wearing brand new work clothes, and Liu Lan was also dressed up beautifully. It was obvious that they were living a good life.

"I heard that you are raising pigs now? This is not your style." Liu Lan teased.

The bitterness in Sha Zhu's heart grew even stronger, but he didn't want to show his vulnerability at this time.

"Yes, raising pigs is a technical job. I need to learn it well." He smiled casually.

Chen Fei looked at Sha Zhu and thought that what Sha Zhu needed now was encouragement and support, not ridicule and sarcasm.

"Don't lose heart. Everyone makes mistakes, but the important thing is to learn from them and stand up again." Fade Chen patted Sha Zhu's shoulder.

The next day, Sha Zhu stood in front of the simple pigpen.

The smell in the pigsty made it almost impossible for him to breathe, but he could only grit his teeth and persevere, waving the shovel in his hand to clean up the pig manure on the ground.

Once upon a time, he was a well-known figure in the factory, and his excellent cooking skills won everyone's praise.

Now, it has fallen to such a state that even the most basic dignity seems difficult to preserve.

Whenever he thought of this, an indescribable bitterness welled up in Sha Zhu's heart.

Master Zhu, an old pig farmer with rich experience in the factory, looked at Sha Zhu's busy figure and a trace of sympathy flashed in his eyes.

"Shazhu, if you work in our field, you have to be able to put down your pride and tolerate dirt and stench. You have to know that there is no inferior job in this world. The key is how you look at it." He walked over, patted Shazhu on the shoulder, and spoke earnestly.

Sha Zhu raised his head and looked at Master Zhu's weather-beaten face. He felt that Master Zhu was encouraging him in his own way, telling him not to give up.

Just then, there was a loud noise.

Sha Zhu looked up and saw a group of people walking towards him.

His heart tightened, fearing that he would be recognized and lose face.

But when he saw the face of the person clearly, he was stunned.

It turned out to be Chen Fei, Ma Hua and Liu Lan.

They were dressed brightly and obviously living well.

When they saw Shazhu cleaning up pig manure, they showed looks of surprise and confusion on their faces.

"Why are you doing this here?" Ma Hua couldn't help but ask.

Sha Zhu didn't say anything, but just continued with the work in his hands silently.

Master Zhu looked at Sha Zhu with understanding in his eyes. He sat aside, took out two steamed buns from his pocket, and ate them with big mouthfuls of cold water beside him. Looking at this scene, Sha Zhu never thought that one day he would stand in such a place and look at such a scene.

After finishing his meal, Master Zhu stood up and patted Sha Zhu on the shoulder. "Sha Zhu, your task is to clean and maintain these pig pens. Although the work is hard, you must remember that every job has its value."

Sha Zhu nodded silently. Although he felt bitter in his heart, he understood Master Zhu's intention.

He took the shovel handed to him by Master Zhu and began to clean the pigpen carefully.

As the days passed, Sha Zhu gradually adapted to his new life.

He no longer complained or evaded, but worked hard to do his job well.