Ch 21: The Unfilial Children Trembles in Fear (QT)

News of Dong Zhijie’s divorce quickly overshadowed the news of Yun Xi’s large apartment.

In this era, there might still be a few divorced people in the city, but in the countryside, there was not a single divorced person at all.

Everyone felt that unless something truly earth-shattering had happened, why would anyone divorce?

The couple usually had not caused much commotion, so why had they suddenly divorced? And in such an ugly way too.

The Village Chief immediately brought people to Dong Zhijie’s house to ask.

“Dong Zhijie, why did your wife’s family beat you like this? They even emptied the house. Did they bully you? Our village will never allow outsiders to bully our own people. If something happened, say it. I’ll stand up for you.”

“That’s right. They even took the child away. What is this? Why did you two divorce?”

Dong Zhijie cared most about face.

Being despised by his wife and daughter was already humiliating enough. Now that so many people were watching, he said in a muffled voice,

“It’s nothing. I can’t earn money. Wang Xuefen and the child didn’t want to suffer with me. They said they could eat meat more often at the Wang family. It’s fine. I wasn’t bullied. The divorce is already done. That’s it.”

Everyone looked at one another.

“Just because of that? We’re all farmers. Each person has six mu of land. Just farming is enough to live on. What is she dissatisfied with? Doesn’t she also have nothing? Is the Wang family some rich household?”

Reform and opening had only just begun. No one had yet thought that Wang Xuefen had set her eyes on the colorful world outside, that her heart had flown away and she wanted to seek a better life elsewhere.

So no one could understand.

If the family had no money, shouldn’t they find ways to earn it? Why divorce instead?

But Dong Zhijie refused to say more and did not want to pursue anything, so everyone could not keep asking.

Privately, they muttered that Wang Xuefen must have seen how well Yun Xi was living. Such great wealth was right there, yet she could not touch any of it. The gap was too big, so she could no longer endure a hard life and divorced Dong Zhijie.

Some even suspected that the couple had staged a fake divorce to sell misery to Yun Xi and make her soften her heart.

Very soon, someone told Yun Xi about it.

Yun Xi was not surprised at all.

Both of them were selfish and valued comfort, which was why they had secretly cooked extra meals before.

Back then, both of them had jobs and were better off than most people around them. When difficulties came, there was also the mother above them to bear the burden. Their lives had been full of hope, so of course they had been loving.

Now, the better Yun Xi lived, the more miserable they felt.

They would wonder whether, if they had not secretly eaten extra food and angered her, they might now be following her, living in a big apartment and riding in cars.

During this period, poverty and wealth were separated by a chasm. They had no idea how to struggle their way into a good life.

On top of that, they had lost their jobs, did not know how to run stalls or sell goods, and could only exhaust themselves farming. They had also lost their house after all that trouble. Their lives only grew worse, so naturally they began blaming each other.

Once Wang Xuefen heard Yun Xi say that opportunities were everywhere on the streets, she no longer wanted to stay trapped in the countryside.

Wang Xuefen was still young and fairly good-looking. If she went out to work and developed well, that would be good. If not, she could still find someone with better conditions and remarry. That was also a way out.

No matter how one looked at it, it was better than staying with Dong Zhijie.

Wasn’t divorce only natural?

Among the four Dong siblings, the second brother and his wife had once been the most loving, yet now they had divorced, and the child had been taken away.

Although the third and fourth siblings had not received divorce certificates, their spouses had both disappeared and could no longer be found.

One had become lame and struggled to run a stall.

One was overwhelmed caring for an infant.

Their lives were all bitter and miserable.

This was not only financial torment. It was also mental torment. They felt their lives were a complete mess.

Only the eldest son’s family remained intact, but the number of arguments at home increased day by day.

In the past, the eldest son had loved saying that the original owner had “long hair and short vision.” Now his wife’s favorite retort was that he had “short hair and even shorter vision.”

Wang Huijuan straightened her back and shouted at him,

“If you dare provoke me again, I’ll divorce you and take our son with me. Then you can be like Second Brother and Third Brother, lonely and single, with no one to see you off in death when you’re old.”

Dong Zhihong snapped, “You dare!”

Wang Huijuan sneered.

“What wouldn’t I dare? Women hold up half the sky. What right do you have to look down on women?

“I handle everything inside and outside this house. You have no ability, yet you still want to act like the head of the family. Keep dreaming.

“If you want to live properly, then shut up and behave. Don’t spend all day running that rotten mouth.”

Dong Zhihong looked at their son, who had grown taller.

“You tell me. Isn’t your mother being unreasonable? She acts like a shrew. Who could tolerate her? She even wants to divorce me. With that dark face of hers, does she think she can find someone else to marry?

“Can you let her divorce me? When the time comes, your classmates will laugh you to death.”

Their son impatiently moved to another spot and continued playing marbles.

“You two can do whatever you want. Aren’t people laughing at me already?

“You were the one whose rotten mouth angered the old lady. Otherwise, I’d be her only grandson, and all her money would be mine. Would I still be wearing patched clothes?

“And you still have the nerve to get angry. Shut up.”

Dong Zhihong shouted, “Your grandmother was clearly angered by you…”

“Didn’t I learn that from you?”

The whole family argued endlessly. There was never a peaceful day.

Even the neighbors grew sick of it. They thought the couple might as well divorce. With all this daily fighting at home, who knew whether living like this was better than divorce?

But for Dong Zhihong to end up like this, one could only say that wicked people were tormented by their own kind. He deserved it.

Dong Zhijie took what little money he had and tried reselling electronic watches. Not only did he fail to earn money, but when he took the train to purchase goods, a thief stole his money.

He tried selling tea eggs. The unsold tea eggs were not stored properly and began to smell a little rotten. He still tried to mix them in with fresh ones and sell them, but he was caught and scolded so badly he could not continue.

He then tried selling popsicles. After struggling for many days, he still failed to make money.

Then he discovered that several work units in the city were recruiting. Overjoyed, he hurried to sign up for the exams. He even deliberately kept it hidden from everyone in the village, afraid someone might compete with him.

Who knew that after taking exams for two different units, he failed both.

He even wanted to argue with them, but was mercilessly driven out.

They said,

“If you’re looking for work, you should have some self-awareness. Look for jobs based on what you actually know how to do. If you know nothing, why are you taking these exams?”

After thinking it over, he could only join a construction crew.

That job did not select people too carefully, and the wages were not bad. But it involved carrying bricks and mixing cement. It was unbearably exhausting. After only two days, he could not endure it and gave up.

After tossing back and forth for several months, Dong Zhijie earned no money at all. Dusty and defeated, he returned home to farm.

When he saw that the fields were full of weeds and insects, he had no choice but to bitterly work from dawn to dusk cleaning them up.

The other villagers knew he had gone out trying to earn money. Seeing that he had ultimately returned, his back seemed much more bent, his head was always lowered, and he no longer liked speaking to others.

Behind his back, they all said he was no good, not the kind of person who could make his way outside. He could only obediently guard his few mu of land and live out his days.

The rest of the Dong family had been watching.

They thought that if he kept trying so stubbornly and really discovered a way to make money, they could copy him.

Who knew Dong Zhijie would fail again and again?

Their original bit of courage vanished too.

They only felt that the outside world was far too difficult to survive in. There were even thieves who could steal without anyone noticing.

It was still the small patch of land in the village that felt solid and safe.

This made the Dong family retreat even more.

Especially since Dong Zhiyong had previously made a little money running a stall, but once everyone else began setting up stalls and doing business, he could no longer compete.

That only proved money was hard to earn.

Opportunities might be everywhere, but it still depended on whether you were suited for them and whether you had the ability to seize them.

And so the Dong family finally quieted down.

Yun Xi no longer heard news about them and continued developing the school.

The school added several new courses, including cutting-edge technical fields like electrical appliance repair. Neither students nor parents had expected this. Once they heard the prospects were excellent, enrollment filled up quickly.

By now, they had developed an almost blind trust in Yun Xi.

Fortunately, Yun Xi did not disappoint them. She continued to hold to her original intentions and devoted herself to cultivating talent.

Another year passed.

Once again, Yun Xi provided the city with a large number of technical workers, filling technical vacancies in various work units and making a major contribution to the city’s development.

Her marketplace was also extremely convenient for the public. It became a vegetable market that everyone visited and shopped at. It even became one of the city’s landmark buildings.

As the first self-employed individual, she had relied on her own development to inspire many others to start businesses. Over the years, she greatly promoted the city’s economic development.

The Mayor had accumulated impressive achievements and was about to be promoted.

Yun Xi was also named a National March 8th Red-Banner Holder, the highest honor specifically recognizing outstanding women.

The Mayor also helped Yun Xi become a Party member. At this time, there were not many Party members in the entire city, so this was an immense honor.

The Mayor was promoted and moved to the provincial capital.

At this time, Xiao Zhang graduated.

He called Yun Xi and said that a large company had offered him a position, while the school recommended him for a specialized research project. He felt a little lost and did not know which path to choose.

Yun Xi did not fully understand the technical terms he used, but combining them with the original owner’s memories of the future, she understood.

Those research topics were related to future computers and mobile phones, weren’t they?

Then of course he had to go.

Yun Xi said firmly,

“Go into research.

The stronger your knowledge is, the easier it will be to find work. But the opportunity to participate in important projects is too rare. So don’t hesitate.

If you don’t have enough money normally, just tell me.”

Hearing her steady voice, Xiao Zhang’s hesitation also turned firm.

“I have enough money. Mom, don’t worry.

All right. I also think research is better. I’ll reply to the school.”

“Do your best. In a while, I’ll also move to Beijing. We’ll see each other then.”

Xiao Zhang immediately became excited.

“Really? Mom, are you moving here for good this time?”

Yun Xi smiled.

“Yes. I won’t be leaving anytime soon. When I decide to retire in the future, I’ll find a place with beautiful mountains and clear water.

You can help me look at houses first. Once it’s settled, I’ll mail my things over.”

“Good. Leave it to me.”

Xiao Zhang had been outstanding even when he worked at the city government. He handled matters very efficiently.

One week later, he called to say that he had found a suitable house according to Yun Xi’s requirements.

Yun Xi also thought it sounded good, so she told him to rent it first. Then she packed her luggage and mailed it over.

Those ungrateful children had already been dealt enough blows.

Yun Xi’s career in the city had also reached its peak and was no longer suitable for further development.

So she simply moved to the capital.

Over the past few years, many people from Yangliu Village had worked with her and had already gained solid experience.

Yun Xi selected the two most capable among them and had them manage the school and marketplace.

Then, after selling her car, she went first to the provincial capital and took a plane from there to Beijing.

It was her first time flying.

Yun Xi was extremely curious. She circled the outside of the airplane once and stared at it in fascination for a long while before boarding.

Throughout the journey, she kept looking out the window.

Technology truly was miraculous.

In the past, they had needed magic to fly. Yet here, fuel alone could carry so many people into the air.

After landing, a photography studio employee came over and said passengers could take commemorative photos. The price was twice as expensive as outside.

Of course Yun Xi immediately took the offer.

She even took several photos.

The background was the airplane and the passengers, making the pictures quite distinctive.

After arriving in Beijing, Yun Xi took the recommendation letter written by the Mayor and went to the relevant departments to apply to open a technical school.

The approval process was strict, difficult, and complicated. It took a very long time.

Fortunately, her original school back home had been recognized by the government and had indeed provided society with a great deal of talent. In the end, her application was approved.

Yun Xi knew that this was only possible in this particular period.

Ten years later, it would be impossible.

She had taken advantage of the era.

So she did everything within her ability and opened a large school.

After all, expanding in the future would not be possible, so she might as well do it properly in one step.

Yun Xi busied herself with school matters, while Xiao Zhang began his research work.

Since both of them were in Beijing, they had more opportunities to meet.

Xiao Zhang had even worried that because they had not spent much time together over the past few years, Yun Xi might have forgiven her biological children. If so, their relationship would no longer feel so natural.

Unexpectedly, the moment the Dong family was mentioned, Yun Xi’s expression became indescribable, and she told him many of the things the Dong family had done.

Xiao Zhang was dumbstruck.

He found it difficult to imagine that some people could make such a complete mess of their lives. Just when it seemed they had already hit bottom, they could still make things even worse.

Yun Xi laughed at his expression.

“You won’t understand them.

“And they don’t understand how you could work and study at the same time and still get into Qing University.

“It’s like someone who scores full marks in mathematics and someone who fails. Neither side can understand how the other thinks.

“In any case, they wore away their own spirit through all their reckless struggling. They probably won’t come looking for me again.

“I’m so far away from them now. Even if they wanted to find me, it wouldn’t be easy.”

Xiao Zhang nodded.

“Mom, don’t let them upset you. You still have me.”

“All right. I have so many things to do. I don’t have time to think about them.”

Yun Xi was telling the truth.

As an outsider, it was extremely difficult for her to establish herself in Beijing.

Moreover, the moment she arrived, she opened a school and affected many people’s interests. Naturally, some people tried to create obstacles for her.

Yun Xi treated it all like a game, countering whatever moves came her way.

This world did not allow cultivation anyway. Since she had to complete her mission, she might as well use the opportunity to enter the secular world and experience it as a kind of training.

She felt that she had integrated quite well.

Her words, behavior, and mannerisms all resembled someone from this era, almost as if the original owner had transformed and been reborn. There was not much of her original self showing.

That way, no one would find her strange, and she also got to experience another kind of life.

It was quite interesting.

It took Yun Xi a full two years to establish herself in Beijing.

The employment period for her students happened to overlap with the graduation of university students.

University graduates were directly assigned jobs.

Her students, however, had to attend interviews and practical assessments on their own.

After they had been working for a while, their leaders and colleagues discovered that Yun Xi’s students were extremely practical, excellent at solving problems, highly ideologically aware, and very forward-thinking.

They were the kind of people who could be used as talent immediately upon starting work.

At last, Yun Xi’s school became famous.

Not only did the number of students double, but the quality of teachers applying for jobs also improved greatly.

Yun Xi’s interviews were strict, but the pay and benefits were excellent.

Those working at the school did not have an iron rice bowl, but they felt very secure.

There were no messy internal politics. They only had to focus on doing their own jobs well.

They earned more too.

The more they worked, the more motivated they became, and their overall spirit was excellent.

A newspaper came to interview Yun Xi, asking about the development of her career.

When the reporter heard that Yun Xi had only left the countryside at forty-five and had once been illiterate, he was stunned.

He asked a long series of questions.

The more he listened, the more shocked he became.

Yun Xi’s life story felt like a legend.

Very soon, that newspaper was distributed nationwide.

Although many ordinary city residents did not like buying newspapers, every work unit subscribed to them. Employees would read them and then spread interesting stories by word of mouth.

Recently, the story spreading most widely was about Principal Li of the technical school.

From the age of forty-five to fifty-one, an illiterate farm woman had taken only six years to enrich herself and become Principal Li, known in every household.

She had learned to drive and repair vehicles, placed first in a provincial examination, become the country’s first self-employed individual, single-handedly driven the development of a city’s economy, revitalized Yangliu Village, and opened a vocational school to provide society with practical talent.

She was incredible.

How could one person become this extraordinary in just a few short years?

People could only say that she was a genius.

For the previous forty-plus years, she had been limited by the era and by the village. She had never had the chance to study or develop.

Back then, even wanting to read and learn could have brought criticism, not to mention that she had raised four children alone and had no time for herself at all.

More than forty years of hardship had not worn away her ambition. Instead, it had forged her resilient character.

The moment she had an opportunity, she soared into the sky.

When people learned that her four children and grandchildren had all been unfilial, they sighed deeply.

Some elderly people said perhaps those were debts she had owed in a past life. Once the debts were repaid, she could finally live for herself, and a good life came to her.

Even those who criticized her for not acknowledging her children fell silent after learning that she had sponsored many orphans.

She had a loving heart and was willing to spend money.

While doing good deeds, she gave those children hope and did her best to cultivate them into capable people.

No one could have done better.

In the hearts of those children, she was the best “Mother Li.”

So whatever had happened in her family must have been the fault of those ungrateful children.

The newspaper’s reach was enormous.

Yun Xi’s story rapidly spread across the land.

The vice principal brought a copy of the newspaper for Yun Xi to read.

After reading it, Yun Xi laughed.

Those ungrateful children were probably going to be furious.

Now they had lost face nationwide.

The Dong family really did jump in anger.

The moment they heard Yun Xi had been featured in the newspaper, they had a bad feeling.

The newspaper reported many things clearly. Would it mention that they had been unfilial?

After finding a way to see the newspaper, they discovered that it really did.

The article said they had been trials that tempered Yun Xi, and that Yun Xi’s life with them had been suffering.

Their vision went black.

How could they face people in the future?

Even before this, they had been afraid that when they went into the city, someone might recognize them and curse them as ingrates.

Now the entire country knew.

Did that mean no matter where they went, someone might recognize and curse them?

What was this?

At the same time, they felt deep jealousy.

Yun Xi had reached a new height again. She had gone to the capital to open a technical school and had become a figure praised by the whole nation.

That was their mother.

How could the gap between them be so enormous?

Why had she not passed even a bit of that ability down to them?

Sourly, they said that Yun Xi was simply lucky. She had saved the Mayor’s family, and with the Mayor protecting and escorting her all the way, of course success came easily.

The Village Chief happened to hear this and fired back,

“If you encountered a human trafficker throwing a child, would you be able to save the child?

You still call it luck? That was Principal Li’s ability.

Only she could walk this path step by step. Anyone else would have failed.”

The Dong family did not dare say another word.

They only dared to grumble quietly in private. Openly, they did not dare curse Yun Xi at all.

Just as the entire village was happy for Yun Xi, Yun Xi called the Village Chief.

“My school in Beijing still has quite a few positions. People from our village will be given priority. Village Chief, first screen a batch of capable people willing to come to the capital to develop. I won’t accept anyone without ability.”

The Village Chief froze, then became ecstatic.

Jobs in the capital.

A chance to develop in Beijing.

That was the capital!

He immediately agreed.

Then he hurriedly convened a village-wide meeting and began selecting talent.

The entire village soared with excitement.

Only the Dong family felt increasingly bitter.

The villagers had already gone to the city to work for Yun Xi. Now they were going to the capital too.

Such wonderful treatment was given by Yun Xi to villagers without hesitation.

Yet the Dong siblings could not touch any of it.

It made their hearts itch and ache terribly.

They wished time could turn back, wished they could have been filial to their mother from the beginning.

Yun Xi’s move struck with precision.

It hit the Dong family with both regret and pain.

With the entire village grateful to Yun Xi, the Dong family could not say a single bad word about her.

They were nearly suffocated by their frustration.

They finally understood how good their earlier lives had been.

In that era of food and clothing shortages, they had all grown up healthy.

That had all been Yun Xi’s achievement.

Unfortunately, by the time they understood, everything was already too late.

Yun Xi was far, far away from them now.

It was as if she had already gone to another world.

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