Three or Two Things about Rebirth

"Eat, eat! The food is getting cold." said He Manshu.

The family of three ate their meal slowly, and Qiu Luming asked again, "Dad, what units are demobilized soldiers usually assigned to now?"

"I really don't know about that. What's wrong?"

"Third brother's classmate Xie Zhi was assigned to the lumber mill, but he doesn't want to go and is staying at home."

"A timber factory? That's not a good idea." Qiu Jiye also put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth. "In recent years, there has been no timber left. The timber factory's efficiency has long been poor. I heard your third brother say that Xie Zhi had won a third-class individual merit. Logically, the Armed Forces Department should have given him some preference and assigned him to a good unit. Why would he be assigned to a timber factory?"

"I don't know, maybe I offended someone, or maybe it has nothing to do with me. Dad, is it really that difficult to find a good job now?"

"What do you think!" Qiu Jiye said, "The county is so small, and there are so many positions and jobs. No one wants to work hard on the land. Batches of students graduate and soldiers are demobilized, all wanting to find a good unit to earn a living, but where can the government arrange for them? It's already overcrowded. Think about your library, how many people are working there?"

Qiu Luming thought that the busiest people in the library were all workers, or non-staff like Xiao Ma, and also thought of the idle people in the cultural center during the chorus rehearsal, and nodded in agreement, "So you don't have to have more children?"

When Qiu Luming first learned about this national policy, he was very surprised. In ancient times, women were forced to marry and have children early. Some dynasties even encouraged widows to remarry in order to allow them to have more children and increase the population. Why are they not allowed to have children now?

"This is a very complicated issue, and it can't be explained in a few simple sentences." Qiu Jiye sighed, "I personally think that no matter from the perspective of future retirement or emotional needs, a family should have at least two children. Well, let's not talk about this anymore, go help your mother wash the dishes!"

"Hey!" Qiu Luming responded and went to the kitchen to take over the work from He Manshu.

After a while, she heard her parents whispering in the bedroom:

"What do you think of this child? Is she treacherous or stupid? You can't say she's wrong, but what can we do about her outspokenness?"

"It's not a big problem. I think Yoyo is capable. Just pay more attention to her and teach her more when you retire."

"Oh, sure. By the way, I ran into Mrs. Guan at the market today, my old neighbor. I had already walked over, but she chased me and asked me if our second son had found a wife from out of town, and when we could have the wedding candy! I was so pissed!"

"Don't be angry, don't be angry. If you get angry with her, then you are as ignorant as them. You can talk as much as you want. I think the second one is quite stable and nothing will be affected..."

***

By mid-May, all the ice on the river had disappeared and the weather was getting warmer day by day.

That day, Qiu Luming passed by Han Meifen's house after get off work. He saw that her door was ajar and he could hear Han Meifen talking from inside.

After not contacting Han Meifen for a while, she stopped the car, half-opened the door, stood at the door and shouted, "Meifen!"

Han Meifen hurried to the door, and her mother turned around and blocked something, looking as if she was facing a great enemy and mysterious.

"Ah, I'm fine. I just heard your voice, so I came down to say hello. I'm going home and you can go ahead with your work!" Qiu Luming got on the bicycle.

"Luming, I'll go to your house later and tell you in detail!" Han Meifen shouted loudly behind her.

"Okay!" Qiu Luming raised her left hand and shook it. She didn't look back.

——She didn't dare to look back, because if she did she would definitely turn into the gutter.

After dinner, Han Meifen really came. She smiled apologetically at Qiu Luming, "Today is the 18th day of the fourth lunar month. My mother is making soybean paste. She learned from my grandmother that soybean paste can only be made on the 8th, 18th, and 28th day of the fourth lunar month every year. During the process of making soybean paste, no outsiders can see it!"

"Well, why don't you lock the door from the inside?"

"Don't be angry, my second brother turned it on after get off work and forgot to plug it in. You said my mother believes this, and I have no way to deal with it."

"I'm not mad, I'm just giving you a suggestion."

"You're really not angry?"

"I'm really not angry. What's there to be angry about?"

"That's good. You don't know that the soybean paste my mother makes is delicious, but there are many things to pay attention to. First of all, when making the soybean paste, you can't let outsiders see it, especially the little girl. I don't know why, but my grandma told her so. Also, the soybean paste jar can't be moved, it must be exposed to enough sunlight every day, the soybean paste must be scooped out, the foam must be skimmed off, and it can't be scooped out and served to others within a month."

“So many details?”

"That's right! In the next month, I will have to endure the hardship again. I have to use the soy sauce rake at least 200 times every morning and evening. The soy sauce rake is as high as the soy sauce jar, and my hands can only hold a small part of it. After 200 times, my wrists and neck will hurt!"

"I've never tried soybean paste before. My mother doesn't know how to make soybean paste, and my family doesn't like to eat soybean paste."

"You are so lucky that you don't have to use the sauce jar." Han Meifen wrinkled her nose and said, "When I was ten years old, I forgot to cover the glass after using the sauce jar. It rained and the rain fell into the sauce jar, where maggots grew. My mother used a feather duster to beat my calves twice."

"Ah? It hurts just thinking about it!" Qiu Luming rubbed Han Meifen's calves twice.

Han Meifen smiled bitterly, "Another year, my cat somehow fell into a jar of soy sauce, and the jar of soy sauce was ruined. My mother beat me twice more!"

"Ah? The cat you released?"

"No, she just took it out on me."

Qiu Luming rubbed her legs again, "Poor Meifen."

Han Meifen's eyes turned red as she was distressed. "Luming, I'm telling you alone that I really want to grow up quickly. When I reach the legal age, I will get married and leave this home. I can even leave this county town!"

"Ah?" Qiu Luming opened his mouth wide.

"Ah what? Have you never thought about getting married?"

"I have thought about it. But don't girls get married at 23 or 24 nowadays?" People in Jiayang generally believe that one's birth year is in conflict with Tai Sui, so they don't get married in that year. After the birth year, the girl will be 26 years old in terms of age, which is a bit too old for girls. Besides, it will be difficult to have children at an older age, so most young people get married before their birth year.

"It could have been earlier. Besides, I'm 20 this year, so two or three years won't pass very quickly!"

"Isn't it good to be comfortable in your own home? You have to start all over again when you go to someone else's home. Meifen, I think I was wrong. Please return those romance novels to me. We won't read these books anymore. After all, reality is not a novel."

"I've finished reading it anyway, and I'll return it to you tomorrow," Han Meifen said. "It's not that I can't tell the difference between reality and fiction, I just feel that when I read those beautiful plots, I feel as if I have experienced the same happiness myself."

Qiu Luming touched her hair and said, "Meifen, you are so good. There will definitely be someone who will cherish and love you in the future."