Three or Two Things about Rebirth

"When did this happen? I haven't heard about it!" Ma Mingjun asked.

Lin Haiying took a bite of the popsicle, squeezed it hard with her tongue and palate, then squinted her eyes in satisfaction, "It's so cool! And delicious! Oh, I just heard about it today and forgot to tell you, haha." There was a hint of guilt in Lin Haiying's voice, as if she should always share things with her husband first.

She said to Qiu Luming again in embarrassment, "I always want to sleep now. I can fall asleep while sitting at work. My brain is not working well. I forget the things the director told me to do the next moment. I have no impression at all! I am also very greedy. I want to eat everything. If I don't eat well, I will vomit easily. Last night I really wanted to eat frozen pears. You said, where can I find frozen pears in the summer? I am so greedy that I can't sleep! I..."

"Hey hey!" Ma Mingjun reminded, "Yang Dawei!"

"Oh! Look at my brain!" Lin Haiying slapped his forehead hard.

Ma Mingjun quickly grabbed her hand and said, "Why are you trying so hard? Your brain isn't working well to begin with, and the more you shoot, the dumber you get!"

Lin Haiying pouted unhappily and turned away, "I won't say anything! I'm a fool, I won't say anything!"

Ma Mingjun touched Lin Haiying's head and said, "Tell me, my wife, I was wrong. I just feel sorry for you, idiot!"

Qiu Luming and Zheng Wei looked at each other helplessly: these two have been married for almost a year, and they have become more and more careless. They don't shy away from being shy in front of them, just being affectionate and flirting.

Lin Haiying finally became happy again, and said with relish, "The elder sister-in-law of our savings bank director is a neighbor of Li Lu's mother. She told us today that Li Lu went back to her parents' home before she finished her confinement. Her mother cursed at her at home, saying that Yang Dawei was a bastard and that his wife filed for divorce before the baby was one month old. But her mother only dared to curse at her at home, and she didn't dare to go to Director Yang's house to curse."

Qiu Luming and the other two looked at each other in bewilderment: Asking for divorce while his wife is in confinement after giving birth?

"Our director said that if Li Lu had given birth to a son, this wouldn't have happened." Lin Haiying said this and glanced at Ma Mingjun.

Ma Mingjun was so smart. He immediately said, "What era is this? The skits say that times have changed. Men and women are the same. A family can only have one child. It's impossible for every family to have a son, otherwise everyone will be single! I like girls. Girls are like mothers, gentle and beautiful, the best! Wife, please give me a girl!"

Wow, Qiu Luming expressed his admiration.

Zheng Wei cursed, "Yang Dawei, this bastard, only has this on his mind every day, nothing else!"

Qiu Luming did not have much contact with Li Lu. In her impression, Li Lu was very simple and liked to laugh. She believed everything Yang Dawei said and always stared at the eloquent Yang Dawei with admiration and as if no one was around at the dinner table.

Lin Haiying had already eaten half of the popsicle, smacked his lips, and suddenly handed the popsicle to Ma Mingjun, "I suddenly don't want to eat it anymore, here you go!"

Ma Mingjun laughed, "I just ate a few bites when I saw nothing. They torment me like this every day. One night, I wanted to eat instant noodles, and I had to eat Huafeng. My house has a lot of Master Kong, but no Huafeng. What should I do? I had to eat it, so I went downstairs to knock on the door of the convenience store. It was the middle of the night, and the old lady was so upset. I smiled and bought a box of Huafeng and ten sausages, but the old lady was not happy! Guess what happened when I came back, this ancestor only ate half a pack, just half a pack, and didn't eat any more! Now the box of instant noodles is still on the Geyangtai!"

When Ma Mingjun said this, he looked very proud and had no complaints at all. Qiu Luming could see that the young couple were full of anticipation and happiness for welcoming the new life, and she sincerely wished them well.

Ma Mingjun answered the phone, spoke a few words and then hung up, "No more playing, my mother-in-law called and asked me to go to dinner!" After that, he took a few bites of his popsicle, threw the stick on the beach, and walked away with Lin Haiying, turning around and saying incoherently, "Let's go!"

***

Yang Dawei's parents naturally did not agree with their son's divorce. It was said that his father was furious and beat Yang Dawei with a belt, forcing Yang Dawei to go to Li's house to pick up Li Lu and the child.

Yang Dawei did go, but Li Lu did not come back with him.

It was not until the end of October that Qiu Luming went to Beijing for an exam again. When passing by the bus station, Zheng Wei casually said, "It seems that Li Lu lives nearby."

As if she heard his words, the next second Li Lu rode out of the alley in front of them on a bicycle. The three of them were stunned and passed each other without saying hello.

Li Lu's thin back was like the last withered and yellowed leaf on a branch in early winter, which could be blown to the ground by the cold wind, crushed by people, and covered by snow at any time.

——She has become so thin that she is unrecognizable and has completely lost her former cuteness and innocence.

Another girl who married the wrong man.

Qin Huifang, Han Meifen and Li Lu all had a messy life after marriage.

Qiu Luming used to only see her parents and two brothers living comfortable lives, and thought that most families were similar. She didn't know that there were so many types of bad things in actual marriages. She began to doubt whether she could adapt to marriage.

What exactly is marriage and what is the meaning of getting married?

If marriage is so bad, why do so many young people continue to get married?

***

Time has come to 1997.

The banners celebrating New Year's Day and the festive red lanterns displayed by various units have not yet been removed.

At this time of year, farmers are idle in winter, and most companies have finished their year-end summary and are waiting for the Spring Festival holiday. But the streets are different. There are many more vendors doing small business in the market, and there are even more people selling frozen goods and couplets and blessing characters on both sides of the street. They are all laid-off workers making a living.

Qiu Luming rode by on her bike, and she wondered, with such a large piece of fertile land, with land and resources as large as the area under the jurisdiction of Shanghai, can't seventy or eighty thousand people be supported? She didn't understand these things, she only saw that people with a little ability had already given up their hometowns and rushed to the better places in their minds.

At the end of last year, after completing his training, his second brother was finally transferred to the Technical Department of the Yishi Public Security Bureau. She couldn't tell whether it was because his second brother's ability was appreciated or because of his father-in-law's ability. The mother seemed to have gotten used to her sons flying out of the nest one by one. She just couldn't bear to part with her grandson and cried several times.

Qiu Luming rode his bike slowly, thinking about his own things. This year, the sanitation department shoveled the snow on the asphalt road cleanly, and the snow on the roadside was patted into corners. Each unit specially poured colorful ice lanterns. It looked festive even during the day.

Passing by the Forestry Bureau, I saw from afar a group of people crowded in front of the steps of a five-story office building.

The Forestry Building was newly built not long ago. There is a large open space in front of the building, 50 meters away from the main street. It is larger than the yangko dance venue in the riverside park. On summer evenings, there is really a group of old men and women who always like to play drums and practice yangko dance here.

Qiu Luming slowed down her bike and listened carefully. Although there was a headwind, she could still make out that it was a young woman yelling and crying. After listening to a few more sentences, she got off her bike and stood by the road, listening attentively.

It is indeed about Yang Dawei.

"I am a virgin girl, but Yang Dawei has brought trouble to me. I am pregnant with a child. Can you do anything about it?"

"If no one cares, I'll just jump into the river! What's wrong with rural people? Rural people let you take advantage of them for nothing! I'm risking everything, I have to ask your director for an explanation!"

"Don't touch me, I'll kill you if you do!"

"Yang Dawei, come out here! You coward! You bastard, didn't you say you didn't have a wife? You will die a horrible death, I will curse your ancestors for eight generations!"

Qiu Luming only heard the voice but couldn't see the woman. She was probably sitting on the ground and making a scene.