After arriving at the hotel and putting everything down, she opened the envelope.
Then, five, ten, and twenty pieces of paper money fell to the floor, and finally, another piece of folded white paper fell scatteredly.
The two of them picked up the money on the ground one by one. Chu Ye counted it, no more than five hundred yuan.
She frowned and opened the white paper. There was Chu Guangyao's handwriting on it.
Sister, I have received the money you sent. I will take it all back home for safekeeping after the holidays.
Sister, I know you want to leave the family. What I said to my parents at that time was not sincere. Don’t blame me.
Sister, I have grown up and work, I can make money on my own, I don’t need you to work hard to help me anymore, I will return this money to you, and my parents will not know.
Sister, as long as you don't dislike me, I will always be your brother.
The letter was very short, and could actually be read completely at a glance. Chu Ye read it twice, and each stroke left traces in his mind.
Then, she took out two hundred and fifty yuan and handed it to Mingzhu.
"What are you doing? I'm not short of this money. You don't have to pay it back." Mingzhu waved it away.
"This is more than two hundred yuan. Do you think you don't want two yuan if you say you don't want it?" Chu Ye disagreed and wanted to give her the money.
"Anyway, I'm not short of money now, but you should have more money with you." Mingzhu struggled to hide, her back pressed against the door handle. Seeing Chu Ye coming up again, she dodged and opened the door. One stepped out and closed the door behind him.
She pulled the door handle tightly and shouted towards the crack of the door, "Remember to eat well and don't starve yourself. The money you owe me will be paid back to me when you become rich. Remember to pay back the interest. I'm going back to school first." I have time to see you.”
After saying that, she let go and ran. Chu Ye only heard the "plop" sound of leather shoes running on the ground. When she opened the door, Mingzhu was no longer in the corridor.
She sighed softly and stared blankly at the empty corridor. A small iron window hung on the wall at the end, with blue-white sunlight shining down from above, leaving traces of time on the long ground.
It's just that this light hit just one step away from Chu Ye's door, and it refused to go forward again.
Chu Ye stood at the door for a long time, then closed the door and entered the house. She lived in a single room with a slightly higher price, but the surrounding environment was not much better. The white walls were a little yellow due to age, and there were gray and black stains on the corners. Stains.
There is a simple bed, a table, and a simple sofa in the room.
Now the table and sofa are piled with her luggage, and these things are actually all her belongings.
Chu Ye lay on his back on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. A yellow light bulb above his head did its duty. The wind blew in from the window, causing the bright yellow light to sway.
Smelling the faint musty smell on the sheets, she thought of Mu Jiajun for no reason. At that time, he was also staying in such a hotel, but he still made herself laugh happily every day. He never said how bad his stay was, even Whenever she asked to come and see the house, he would jokingly say that he could not enter the man's house casually, and she could only check it out after they got married.
Obviously, he is the one who has been pampered since childhood, but he seems to be unable to see how bad his surrounding environment is. He only focuses on her and gives himself everything he thinks is best.
She recalled that when they broke up, Mu Jiajun held her in his arms and begged her not to leave. She also recalled that when they said goodbye at the airport, he wanted to put money into his bag for her to discover.
On the day he left, he was still wearing the sweater he bought for him.
Tears fell from the end of her eyes at some point. Chu Ye turned sideways and curled her legs up to her chest. She opened the quilt on the bed and nestled herself in. Then, a howling sound came from the quilt, like a little animal. A cry of despair.
For two or three days in a row, she lived like a zombie. She would lie motionless on the bed when she had nothing to do. When she was hungry, she would go to a restaurant to eat, and then she would come back and lie down again.
And every evening, Mingzhu would come over to see her and bring her some food.
At this time, any language was extremely barren, and all she could do was accompany him silently.
Another day later, Mingzhu came over and gave Chu Ye some money.
"This is what the director asked me to give you. It is said to be compensation for three months' salary. It is a total of one hundred and thirty-eight yuan. I gave you one hundred and four, you count."
Chu Ye's eyes remained still, "Just take it, I already owe you the money."
"What are you talking about? I already told you that what you owe me is not important." Mingzhu stood up and forcefully put the money into Chu Ye's hands.
"You can't always be like this. I feel very uncomfortable when I see you like this recently. How about I go talk to Huaiyuan and see if he can find you a job at the grain station. You can do it first."
"It's just that he works in our town. I'm afraid you will have to be closer to home when you go back."
Chu Ye's expression remained unchanged and he shook his head gently. "Well, what are you going to do?" Mingzhu seemed to be talking to herself. She asked this question without expecting an answer.
Chu Ye did not say anything. She was also thinking, what should she do?
In her previous life, she was a village woman through and through. Her daily life was nothing more than adding firewood, doing laundry and cooking, but she happened to have a corrupt husband and her husband's family was silently harassing her.
Her life was so short, she was born in the mountains, grew up in the mountains, and got married in the mountains. The farthest road she walked with her feet was just to go to the town, thinking about getting her son back.
She has no job and no income. She guards one-third of an acre of land every day, waiting for the spring sowing and looking forward to the autumn harvest. She survives the hot summer and the cold winter. The only news she has access to from the outside world is the gossip of the neighbors. , which is the big events at home and abroad relayed by the loudspeaker at the door.
The college entrance examination was resumed in 1977.
Reform and opening up in 1978.
China and the United States established diplomatic relations in 1979.
Special economic zones were established in 1980.
……
……
The world outside is changing, and even my aunt who farms together says that the days will be better and better in the future, and maybe one day they will be able to live a good life without farming.
At that time, she thought that for generations, rural people had relied on farming for food and relying on God to provide food. If they really stopped farming, what else could farmers like them do?
Where can I go to live?
The originally vague memories of her past life flooded her, and the pieces that she had deliberately forgotten emerged clearly in her mind.
She recalled that when she was working in the fields, other people would chat and mention whose son or daughter had a promising future. The country would assign jobs to them after they finished high school.
And that bastard from someone's family, who used to be idle all day, then took the train to the south. The blind cat met a dead rat and went to work in a factory. Within a few years, he came back radiant and became a millionaire in the village.
The gossip in their mouths is always bizarre and reliable. Whenever asked whether it is true or not, they will say that they saw it with their own eyes, which is really incredible.
At that time, Chu Ye smiled after hearing this and didn't take it to heart.
She is neither a high school scholar nor a migrant worker who can abandon her family and run away.
Her life has been trapped in Zhaojiacun forever from the moment she married Zhao Xuesong. If nothing happens, she will be buried in Zhaojiacun after she has suffered through this life.
But she was reborn, and everything in her previous life was as real as a dream, so the first thing she did after waking up was to quickly get rid of Zhao Xuesong's pursuit. She was really afraid of continuing to spend her life trapped in the mountains.
She is a rural girl and has no special skills. The only thing that makes her better than others is learning.
So she picked up her textbooks, gritted her teeth and continued to study despite the difficulties. She was admitted to the teachers' college with excellent results, and got a job assigned by the state. She also became the capable scholar that others said.
But no one told her, what should a scholar do if she is fired?
Do you want to continue farming in the village? Then get married and have children? Not to mention that she has severed ties with her family, and there is no question as to whether she can go back. Even if she does, what is the difference from her previous life?
Even worse than the previous life.
In this life, she has had pure and flawless love, and has seen the world. She can no longer continue to bury her head in the fields like an ignorant village woman.
Besides, she also has Mu Jiajun. Although she broke up with her, it was only to allow him to have a better development. So why wasn't she looking forward to the day he came back?
But she can't sit still and wait for a man's sincerity like a stone of hope.
The two had a strong relationship when they left, but no one could guarantee whether he would meet a better woman outside. He ended his relationship with Chu Ye and even stayed abroad.
This is something that cannot be said for sure.
Mu Jiajun is already heading towards a better and better life, and she cannot stay where she is. Even if she loses her job as a teacher, she still has to have her own career and let herself shine until Mu Jiajun comes back. , she can also hold her head high and smile confidently. Even if Mu Jiajun changes her mind, she can have the confidence to turn around and embrace a better future like a queen.
After making up her mind, she stopped lying dead every day. After eating every day, she would go to a crowded place in the town, pretending to be unintentional and listen to their chat and gossip, and then filter out the information that was useful to herself. She also wakes up early every day and listens to the loudspeakers outside to learn about recent major events at home and abroad.
Three days later, on a weekday, when Mingzhu got up early and came to the hotel to look for Chuye, she was stopped by her boss.
"Hey, you don't have to go up. That room has been vacated. This is what the little girl asked me to give you."
The old woman with gray hair on her temples called to Mingzhu who was about to go upstairs and handed her a letter and a piece of paper.
Mingzhu looked suspicious and opened the white paper. There was Chu Ye's handwriting on it.
Mingzhu, I'm sorry that I didn't say goodbye to you in person. I was afraid that I would be reluctant to leave everything here, so I couldn't leave cruelly.
Don't worry, I have found a new direction in life and am on my way there. You are right, people always have to look forward and cannot be stuck in the same place.
The money I owe you can't be paid off for the time being, but as you said, when I get rich, I will even pay back the interest, and maybe you can make a small fortune by then.
Pearl, please forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye.
goodbye.
(End of chapter)