Daily Life in the 70s
Chapter 263: Want to Laugh

Chapter 263: Chapter 263: Want to Laugh

Liu Yilan finally understood, and it was all she could do not to point to her own nose and call herself a fool. Her face flushed red, her brows knitted tightly, she held back her anger and said, "Are you really so fearless?"

Yang PeiMin shook her head, doubting how someone with her intelligence had gotten into university. She looked at Yilan with some pity and said, "Those two kids really are my friend’s. I don’t know how you came to think they were my stepdaughters."

She was indeed curious. Was it written on her face or something?

She couldn’t help but want to laugh again...

Liu Yilan’s face was stern. "If it weren’t for a second marriage, how could a country girl like you have such a good life? Meat for every meal, all nice clothes on your bed? And even smearing on face cream?"

Yang PeiMin sat back down at the dining table, deciding to talk to her. So what if she came from the countryside? Did that step on Yilan’s toes?

"Sit down. I’ll tell you why someone from the countryside can’t have a good life."

Yilan drew in a breath, looking like she had been holding it in for a long time, and sat across from Yang PeiMin, "I want to see how you’re going to argue your way out of this!"

Oh no...

Yang PeiMin let out a breath and managed to keep her smile from her face, saying, "And yet, a country girl like me got into university. What do you say to that?"

Liu Yilan muttered, "It’s not like country people aren’t allowed to go to school."

"That’s true, so what’s with you looking down on country people?"

Liu Yilan pouted, "I’m not looking down on you. I’m just stating facts. Tell me, isn’t the countryside poorer than the city? Relying on labor to earn work points for food, only knowing how to farm, not capable of anything else, barely making a bit of money all year round. Don’t people in your area always want to move to the city to become city dwellers? Country people are also generally illiterate, uneducated, crude in speech, only recognizing money. How could your family be any better? Everyone talks about matching social status. With your country identity, you could only marry another country person. What kind of good family would you marry into? Unless you become someone’s stepmother."

"So I’ve heard your man is an officer, right? If he were a country person, he couldn’t have climbed so high so young without connections. In that case, your man comes from some capable family. But then, how could such a capable family possibly marry a country woman like you? Even if you did go to university, you still couldn’t be brought out as part of that identity. Reputable families care the most about this sort of thing. Unless he was married for the second time, already had kids... there you go, it fits you, doesn’t it? Once you became their stepmother, then you could live well, with fish and meat every day and new clothes every month."

"Dressed well and fed well yourself, but dressing your stepdaughter like a beggar, and claiming they’re your friend’s kids. If they were your friend’s kids, could they afford a five yuan a month daycare but not afford clothes? If they were your friend’s kids, would you and your man take them to the park? Is there such a man who’d come out just to accompany someone else’s kids? Pei Min, you’re really good at lying, aren’t I right?"

Liu Yilan looked at her smugly.

Yang PeiMin shook her head, "No, you’re wrong."

"I am a country person, my whole family is. But my maternal family are all skilled artisans. The caramels I brought for you last time were made by my family. Before the war, our house was one of the prominent wealthy households in our area. During the revolution, my grandfather, fully recognizing the greater good, donated all our family wealth. The leaders praised our high consciousness and gave our family good status. When the brigade canteen needed a chef, my grandfather was there. When the commune lacked soy sauce, my grandmother made it. As I said, our family has all sorts of skills—using these skills, my family supplied the county and town with ordinary pastries, candies, liquors, soy sauces and such. Gradually, we became a well-known food processing workshop in the vicinity... Let me tell you, it’s my family that’s rich, not my in-laws... I spend my money however I want... Yilan, do you have a problem with that?"

Liu Yilan listened, dumbfounded, "Weren’t you all a wealthy household before? How come you have so many skills?"

"Some wealthy households hold onto their own heritage, some are in food or clothing businesses and they have their own people. Even after many leave, some things are left behind... So, Yilan, don’t think too much about it. There are few things so simple that you can see all their mysteries at a glance... All right, the pig’s trotters earlier were really good, I accidentally overate. I have to go lie down now. Don’t overthink... "

Leaving a Liu Yilan who couldn’t calm down behind.

Yang PeiMin left the canteen and ran to the small woods next to the dormitory, where she laughed heartily until she felt satisfied.

When she returned to the dorm, she was once again the usual gentle and polite girl.

"Pei Min, come quick, Zhu Qing’s article made it into the city literary newspaper, look, right here, Pei Min, come over..." Cheng Aihua stretched out her hand from the crowd to drag Yang PeiMin in to see what article.

"Pei Min, look here, Zhu Qing is so talented. She truly is the talented writer of our department..."

Yang PeiMin widened her eyes; the print was a bit small. She looked at the article title on the bottom half of the newspaper: The Rising Sun, My Dream.

The author’s name just listed Zhu Qing’s two characters.

Cheng Aihua explained to Yang PeiMin, "You’re not from our department, so you don’t know Zhu Qing is really talented. It’s not her first time being published. She’s been interviewed by journalists in high school. She is impressive, don’t you think?"

Yang PeiMin nodded, "She is quite impressive. Congratulations, Zhu Qing."

Zhu Qing herself responded indifferently, "Thanks, I was just lucky."

Her demeanor was markedly different from the enthusiasm of Cheng Aihua—as if they were talking about someone else entirely.

Zhu Qing wasn’t just a talented writer; she was also known as the ice beauty in the department. She didn’t interact much with others in the dormitory and always seemed detached, as if nothing captured her attention. Even though she was somewhat of a lone wolf and not particularly social, she could never be overlooked in the dormitory or in a crowd. It was her aura, replete with the elegance of a person well-read and learned, that set her apart as the talented writer she was.

Cheng Aihua, who slept in the bunk above Zhu Qing’s, could actually converse with her—perhaps due to sharing a bunk bed.

Tan Yan also came over to take a look and nonchalantly asked, "Getting published means a fee, right? Zhu Qing, in your position, it must be a decent amount, no? Do you have thirty?"