Author Archives: Thingyan

Dong Zhijie instinctively retorted,

“I wasn’t bragging…”

“If you weren’t bragging, why would the principal and brigade leader dismiss you? There aren’t many educated people in our brigade. Otherwise, with you not even finishing high school, how could you have become a teacher? Now that they’ve dismissed you, they’ll have to find someone else. How troublesome. What would they gain from that?”

Yun Xi looked him up and down.

“Don’t tell me they felt your character was bad and you weren’t worthy of teaching and educating people, so they dismissed you?”

For an instant, Dong Zhijie looked stunned.

Yun Xi had not returned to the brigade, so how did she know that was what the brigade leader had said?

Everyone saw his reaction and was even more stunned than he was.

Someone whispered,

“So he was dismissed because of poor character? Then why is he blaming Sister Li?”

Yun Xi did not give him a chance to speak and continued,

“How interesting. I hid all the way out here, yet this matter can still be blamed on me?

Ask everyone here, what bad things did I say about you?

I said that our personalities don’t match and that it’s better for everyone to live their own lives.

If other people feel the problem lies with you, shouldn’t you reflect on what you’ve done?

The way you lot keep running over every few days to cause trouble for me, why doesn’t everyone think I’m the problem?

Why doesn’t the unit dismiss me?

Is it true that you and your wife hid private savings?

Is it true that you secretly ate extra meals outside?

Have I said a single lie?

If I really were cold-blooded, I would tell everyone each and every thing you did from childhood to adulthood. Let’s see whether you’d still have the face to live as people!”

Dong Zhijie’s face shifted between blue and white.

He was a little smarter than his brothers and sister. Although Yun Xi did not say anything specific, her words were harsher than if she had. She left far too much room for people to imagine how despicable they were and how many excessive things they had done.

Without a specific incident, he had no way to refute it.

Other people’s impression of him would only worsen.

When had his mother become this clever?

And when had she become this cold?

She truly was leaving him no path to survival!

Yun Xi indeed did not give him even the slightest opportunity.

“I gave you a house. I arranged your marriage. I turned a blind eye when you hid private savings.

After the family was divided, you and your wife both had jobs and earned more. Among the brothers, you should have been the one living best, yet you borrowed money to build a new house.

Now you can’t repay the money. Isn’t that your own fault?

If you didn’t have the ability, why did you borrow so much money? Who were you expecting to repay it?

Don’t tell me you’re eyeing my little salary.

Also, weren’t you always saying how good your wife’s maiden family was? Didn’t you say they treated you so warmly, as though they regretted not meeting sooner?

It’s only been a few days since you failed to repay the money, and they’re already coming to collect debts at your door?

Your popularity is really poor.

Or is it that they never believed you had the ability to earn money in the first place?

I’m different.

As your mother, I absolutely trusted you.

Before, you were always saying that you were born in the wrong time, that your talent was unrecognized, and that you were different from the villagers.

I believe you.

You’d definitely find a better job and soar to the sky.

Even an old woman like me can do it. There’s no reason you can’t, right?

I believe in you.

Anything else?

If not, go back and work hard.

Strive properly.

You’re only in your twenties. Your life is still long. There must be countless opportunities ahead.”

The people around them burst out laughing.

Dong Zhijie heard many voices.

“He’s already in his twenties, and when something happens, he still comes looking for his mother. Has he not been weaned?”

“One look and you can tell he has no sense of his own limits. He doesn’t have the ability to earn money, but he has the heart to spend it. If someone like this becomes a teacher, what good can he teach? Don’t let the children grow up thinking borrowed money doesn’t need to be repaid.”

“It’s not that he doesn’t want to repay it. He wants his mom to repay it for him. Before, he was eyeing Sister Li’s coffin money. Now he’s eyeing her salary. He came here making trouble probably because he thought Sister Li was thin-skinned and would give him her job.”

“He doesn’t look like much, but he dreams big! Luckily, everyone can see clearly and knows what he’s planning at a glance. Their brigade leader was right to dismiss him. His character is bad. How could he be a teacher? Their village school chooses teachers way too casually.”

“There’s nothing they can do about that kind of village school. Everyone lacks education. They had no choice but to pick the tallest among the short ones.”

“A real man should figure things out for himself. Before, when he had good food, he never thought to give Sister Li a single mouthful. Now that he can’t eat, he comes running to Sister Li to demand help. What kind of thing is that? And he calls himself an unrecognized talent? That’s an insult to the word talent.”

Dong Zhijie had deliberately chosen to make trouble when there were many people around. He wanted everyone to accuse Yun Xi of neglecting her children and lacking dignity as an elder. He wanted to put Yun Xi in a difficult position and force her to solve his problem.

Whether she helped repay his debts or helped him find a job, he would profit.

But he had never expected Yun Xi to say such things and for everyone to overwhelmingly support her.

He badly wanted to turn around and leave, but he really had fallen into difficulty and did not know what to do.

He could only endure the enormous humiliation, clench his fists, lower his head, and say,

“Mom, I was wrong. Now that your life is so good, I’m happy for you too.

Please help me this once.

Lend me some money so I can go back and repay my debts. I’ll definitely work hard and earn money to pay you back.”

Yun Xi said,

“I’ve spent all my money.”

Dong Zhijie abruptly raised his head.

“You spent it all? How is that possible?”

Yun Xi said matter-of-factly,

“In the city, even a vegetable leaf costs money. Of course expenses are high.

There are also relationships to maintain and daily necessities to buy.

For the past forty-five years, I never lived a good life. Now that I don’t know how many years I have left, shouldn’t I treat myself better?

You can’t bring money with you when you’re born, and you can’t take it with you when you die. Why keep it?”

Keep it for me!

Dong Zhijie screamed this sentence in his heart, but he could not say it aloud.

Yun Xi’s coworkers from the city government testified for her. During her trip to the provincial capital for training, she had spent all her money. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Later, every month after receiving her salary, she bought new clothes, bedsheets, or books. Her expenses truly were large.

Seeing that he would not gain any benefits, Dong Zhijie gritted his teeth and asked,

“Mom, have you made up your mind not to associate with us anymore? Just because back then Big Brother wanted you to buy him a job?”

Yun Xi was surprised.

“Why would you think that?

I don’t associate with any of you, of course because I don’t get along with any of you.

I don’t like you. There’s no need for me to associate with you, is there?

The law says parents must raise their children to adulthood. I did that properly.

In the future, I won’t need any of you to support me in old age either.

Doesn’t that mean there’s no need for much interaction?

I’m letting you live your own lives more easily.

Ask them how tiring it is to have elderly parents above and young children below.

I’m reducing your burden. Isn’t that good?”

The people nearby nodded one after another.

Almost all of them were workers in their twenties or thirties, precisely at the age where they had elderly parents above and young children below.

Most of their elders also did not have stable work. Their families relied on them to hold everything up. It truly was difficult and exhausting.

If their elders did not need them to provide for them, and they only had to take care of themselves and their children, life would be much easier.

Thinking about it this way, Yun Xi was truly very good to her children!

Some of them were still squeezed into one room with a whole large family, arguing all day over trivial matters until it nearly drove them mad.

Yun Xi had not only given each child a room, she had also divided the family early to reduce conflict. She did not point fingers at their lives, and she did not need them to support her in old age.

Where could one find such a good, sensible elder?

Dong Zhijie was tongue-tied.

He did not understand how things had turned into this.

Wasn’t he the one denouncing Yun Xi?

How had Yun Xi become a beloved elder in everyone’s eyes, while he became the target of everyone’s criticism?

Yun Xi then said strangely,

“If you lost your job, don’t you still have the new house you built?

Sell the house or use it to repay the debt.

Can a living person really be defeated by urine?

Once the debt is repaid, just live steadily and honestly from now on. Why worry so much?”

What could Dong Zhijie say?

That he could not bear to sell the house?

That he wanted Yun Xi’s money?

He could not say anything at all.

He fled in disgrace.

Only now did he finally understand why, after Dong Zhizhi returned from the city last time, she never again dared to come looking for Yun Xi.

Their mother had already changed.

She had become cold, clever, and sharp-tongued. They could no longer gain even the slightest upper hand.

If they did not come looking for Yun Xi, things were still all right.

But as long as they came to find her, their reputation would only grow worse.

He no longer dared say anything more to Yun Xi.

Their mother had also become capable, polished, and high above them.

She was like the proud city people in their memories, but even wealthier and more admired.

Yet they could not reach her at all.

It was like she had already flown into the sky like Chang’e. No matter how beautiful and wonderful she was, they could no longer reach her.

Everyone looked at Yun Xi sympathetically.

“Sister Li, you truly suffered all these years. Just one of them is already like this. I can’t imagine what all four must have been like.”

Yun Xi smiled.

“It’s all in the past. Why think about it?

As long as everyone doesn’t misunderstand me, that’s enough.

I did not abandon my family and children to live a good life by myself.

Back when I divided the family for them, the moment they heard they could make their own decisions, they were quite happy.

Otherwise, would the second son have built a new house?

Would the two younger ones have sold my room so quickly?

Would the eldest son’s boy have said he wanted to lock me in the pigsty and teach me a lesson?

Haha.

So we divided peacefully.

It’s only that once everyone relied on their own abilities, some lives turned out good and some bad. They’re just unwilling to accept it.”

Yun Xi sighed and shook her head.

“But no one can take care of someone else for an entire lifetime.

In the end, one’s life can only be lived well if one works hard and strives forward.

If they don’t want to work hard, then living an ordinary life without complaining is also fine.

It all depends on them.”

Originally, a small portion of the crowd had felt that since Yun Xi was living well, what was the harm in helping her children a little?

Now, after hearing this, what was there to help?

If Yun Xi’s life now had been worse than theirs, those ingrates would not have taken care of Yun Xi.

Perhaps they would even put on airs, waiting for Yun Xi to lower her head and apologize, then lock her into the pigsty to reflect properly.

Since back then they had happily divided the family and left Yun Xi no path of retreat, without worrying whether Yun Xi would be in danger or suffer hardship alone outside, they now had absolutely no qualification to ask Yun Xi for help.

Not the slightest qualification.

Now everyone not only sympathized with her, they also admired her greatly.

If they encountered something like this, perhaps they would cry every day and despair.

Yet Yun Xi seemed to have gained a new life. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. She focused on improving herself, studied diligently, worked hard, and relied on herself to forge a splendid path.

She truly was an excellent example.

No wonder the mayor had asked Yun Xi to give them lectures.

They not only needed to listen to her study methods and theoretical knowledge, they also needed to learn from her personality and mindset.

For a moment, everyone felt that their own little worries were not worth mentioning.

Compared to Yun Xi’s affairs, they were not significant at all and could easily be overcome.

Many people figured things out, felt lighter, and solemnly thanked Yun Xi.

Once this matter spread, even more people wanted to listen to Yun Xi’s lectures.

Some even began calling her “Teacher Li,” raising her reputation to another level.

As for Dong Zhijie, he returned to the village in disgrace and began arranging to sell his house.

Only because it was newly built and the materials were good did someone become willing to buy it at a lowered price.

Dong Zhijie and his wife were furious and stifled, but the debt collectors were pressing them hard, so they could only sell it at a loss.

After repaying their debts, they had no money left at all.

The house they lived in was rented, and it even leaked when it rained.

One day, after they finished working in the fields, they returned home so tired that they did not even want to move.

Their child had no food to eat and cried from hunger.

Unfortunately, heavy rain began to fall.

They did not even have a proper place to rest.

Wang Xuefen held the child and looked at the basin on the kang catching rainwater. Crying, she said,

“If I’d known it would turn out like this, we should have treated Mom better before.

I’m only a daughter-in-law, so forget it, but you’re her biological son. How did you not know to be filial?”

The child cried,

“I’m hungry, I’m hungry! If you don’t give me food, when I grow up, I’ll secretly eat outside too and won’t give any to you!”

Dong Zhijie looked at the child in disbelief.

Suddenly, he thought of the day Yun Xi cursed his eldest brother, telling him to be careful, or one day his son would lock him in the pigsty.

Now his daughter had actually said something like this.

Had she seen them secretly cooking extra meals and not giving the old woman any, then learned it from them?

Teaching by words and example.

If they did not honor the old woman, would their own children also refuse to honor them in the future?

He squatted on the ground, held his head, and began to sob.

How had everything become like this?

╰───♡───╯

Since Yun Xi was so outstanding, of course people took an interest in her. From time to time, coworkers would introduce potential partners to her, saying someone wanted to meet her.

Yun Xi said directly that making friends and getting to know more people was fine, but she would not be finding a husband.

Sister Qin asked curiously,

“Do you still have feelings for your former husband? Or can you not let go of your children, afraid they won’t get along with a stepfather?”

Yun Xi was puzzled.

“Neither. I just think things are pretty good now, and I don’t want to find anyone.

I finally managed to break free from all that family trouble. Isn’t it nice to be free?

If I find someone else, then I’ll have to deal with all that oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, inside-the-home, outside-the-home business. Wouldn’t that just be making trouble for myself out of boredom?”

Sister Qin and the other coworkers looked at one another.

“But… for a woman to live her life, she still needs a man, doesn’t she? If something happens, he can lend a hand, discuss things with you, and so on…”

Yun Xi laughed.

“Who says that? I’ve been a widow for almost twenty years, and I never needed a man to help with anything.

Before, I had to raise four children and marry them off. I got through even that kind of difficulty.

Now I’m alone, I don’t have to worry about anything, and I can earn a salary. I can live as comfortably as I want.

Imagine it for yourselves. Isn’t that kind of life wonderful?”

Living alone forever was a direction none of them had ever considered.

After all, their surroundings were like this. One either lived with a spouse or with the children. No one lived alone all the time.

Someone living alone would be gossiped about. People would say they had a bad personality, or that something was wrong with their body. In any case, there would be no pleasant words.

So they had naturally assumed that once Yun Xi’s life became smooth, she would also find a man who suited her.

Who knew Yun Xi did not think that way at all?

Several of them imagined it according to Yun Xi’s words. Although it was hard to change the old ideas in their hearts, living alone really did seem quite nice.

Before they could think too much, Yun Xi said,

“All right, all right. If I run into difficulties, I’ll ask the unit for help. If I encounter something hard, I’ll discuss it with everyone.

I already treat the city government as my home. If something really happens, would you not help me?

In any case, I don’t have that intention. If anyone asks again, help me turn them down.

If someday I want to find someone, it still won’t be too late then.

It’s not some rare treasure. Am I supposed to be afraid I won’t find a man?”

This wording instantly made everyone laugh.

Thinking about it carefully, wasn’t that true?

Yun Xi was so outstanding at work. Her salary would only rise higher and higher. Was she really afraid she would not find someone in the future?

The men coming to meet her now were not incredibly good anyway. If she refused, then she refused.

The matter of introducing partners passed just like that.

However, Yun Xi’s unconventional way of thinking also spread.

And honestly, a capable person with forward-thinking ideas and a distinctive personality carried a bit of legendary color in the eyes of ordinary people in this era.

At the end of the year, when they were selecting advanced individuals, the unit chose Yun Xi.

The mayor felt that Yun Xi’s experiences and changes along the way could serve as a very good model and become an example for workers to strive forward. He specially arranged several lectures for Yun Xi, sending her to several key units to share her study methods and personal experiences.

Leaving aside other things about this era, there truly were many people who were positive and eager to improve. It was just that sometimes their thinking had not opened up. They only knew how to bury their heads and work hard, so naturally the results were not ideal.

The study methods Yun Xi shared enlightened them greatly.

Only then did they discover that there were many paths to improving oneself, and that after doing so, they could find opportunities to obtain better work.

There was no need to guard only their own little patch of land. If there was an opportunity, the world outside was much broader.

People who were this proactive were usually around twenty or thirty years old. They treated Yun Xi as an elder, enthusiastically calling her “Sister Li” and asking her many questions.

Occasionally, someone would ask why she was willing to leave her own children behind.

Yun Xi could tell that some people truly struggled with this.

Traditional ideas bound them, making them bustle endlessly around one family. They had no time to improve themselves and passed year after year in a daze.

Seeing Yun Xi living so well, they urgently wanted to understand this path.

Yun Xi smiled and said,

“Before, I was reluctant because they were still young. Since I brought them into this world, I had to be responsible for them, so I raised every one of them to adulthood.

The older ones have already married and had children. The two younger ones were also given rooms as compensation.

I ask myself honestly and feel I have already given a great deal. My conscience is clear.

And I have also reached forty-five. More than half my life has already passed. It is time to return my life to myself.

When all of you were eighteen, you had already started doing things, hadn’t you? You already had your own thoughts, didn’t you?

Then why can’t children do the same?

When it is time to let go, let go. Perhaps they can become more independent.

Our environment does not eat people. Even if they stumble and struggle, they can still climb back up properly. What is there to fear?

If they treat me well, then I am willing to give them more help from what I have.

If they treat me badly, then forget it.

People have to get along with one another. If personalities don’t suit, no one can force it. Then there is no need to gather together and torment one another. Perhaps separation is better.

Take me, for example. After leaving them, I had more time. I kept studying and improving myself, giving myself wings so I could fly freely.

I hope that after the family division, they can also take responsibility for their own lives and live properly.

I only handed control back to them.

Everyone, think from the children’s perspective. Do they truly not want to break away from their parents and control their own lives?”

Everyone froze.

Thinking from a different role, when they were parents, they really did find it hard to let go of their children.

But when they were the children, they truly did not want to be controlled by their parents.

Whether their parents were right or wrong, they wanted freedom and wanted to make their own decisions.

Thinking about it like this, after the family was divided, each side developing on its own was the path each person chose. There was nothing bad about it.

If the relationship was good, they could still help one another when difficulties arose.

If the relationship was bad, then forcing themselves to live tied together was torment for everyone. This was truly not wrong.

Yun Xi’s lecture caused many people to think deeply.

Of course, there were harmonious families who liked living as one large household, where more people meant more strength. But there were also families who lived well after dividing. This proved that Yun Xi’s thinking was not wrong.

Some people cursed behind her back, saying that when a woman became too independent, she became restless and caused the household to lose peace.

But those who said such things usually had no reason or evidence. They could only gossip idly.

Far more people admired Yun Xi.

They felt that she was capable and could live well however she chose.

Even the dozen or so years when she had raised children as a widow became proof of her strength.

How hard was it to raise children alone?

Yet she had stubbornly refused to find someone to rely on.

That showed just how strong she was.

As more people discussed it, these rumors gradually made their way back to the village.

Several brigade cadres held a meeting and all felt that the Dong family members had poor personalities and bad character. They were not fit for important use.

So the village primary school removed Dong Zhijie’s teaching qualification.

The position at the village primary school had never been a proper formal appointment anyway. If they let him teach, he taught. Now that they removed him, he had nowhere to argue.

Who could blame the education system at the time for being imperfect, unstandardized, and neglected?

The brigade leader also removed Wang Xuefen from her job as scorekeeper, telling the couple to honestly work in the fields and earn work points.

The two of them were immediately dumbfounded.

Their jobs had always been easy. It had been so many years since they had done real labor. How could they still do fieldwork well?

Wang Xuefen cried and cursed,

“It’s all your mother’s fault for spouting nonsense outside. She’s ruined us. Can’t you control her? What are we supposed to do from now on?”

Dong Zhijie kept smoking, feeling extremely irritated.

He lifted his head and looked at the new house they had only recently moved into.

This house had been built with borrowed money.

Now that their jobs were gone, what would they use to repay the debt?

The few work points they earned from working in the fields would already barely support the three of them. What about the money they owed?

His worries soon proved correct.

Only two days after the news spread, the coworkers, friends, and in-laws who had lent him money came to demand repayment.

His two brothers-in-law were the first to come, afraid that he would repay outsiders first and leave no money for their own family.

If he did not repay them, they refused to leave. They ate and drank at his house.

After all, they were relatives. No one could interfere.

Ever since their marriage, Dong Zhijie and Wang Xuefen had always had a good relationship.

They had hidden private savings together, secretly cooked extra meals together, and schemed together about how to take advantage of situations and gain benefits.

But during this period, they began arguing at every turn.

They could see no path forward, and they were burdened with a pile of debt. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. The pressure suddenly became so great that they could not endure it.

Dong Zhijie also tried asking his eldest brother and younger siblings for help.

After all, they were born from the same mother.

But not only did they refuse to help, they sneered and made sarcastic remarks, saying that he had always looked down on them, that he had not even wanted to live in the same courtyard as them, and that he had smugly built a new house.

Now he could not repay the money.

That was his own fault.

Dong Zhijie had a huge argument with them.

Only then did he realize that in this enormous village, there was not a single person willing to help him.

In the past, their large family had been noisy and lively. Whenever something happened, it seemed to be solved quickly. Even if it could not be solved, the pressure never fell on him. He would even complain a few times.

But now that Yun Xi was gone, the brothers were worse than strangers. Each was more selfish than the last and did not care whether the others lived or died.

He suddenly thought of a saying.

Only when Mother is there is there a home. Once Mother is gone, one can never return to that safe and warm home again.

So that saying was true.

Their family was even worse.

Their mother had not died. She had left.

She refused to acknowledge them and even spoke ill of them outside, ruining their reputations and forcing them to lose their jobs.

Filled with anger, Dong Zhijie ran to the city to find Yun Xi.

He came with complete malice and deliberately went to the place where Yun Xi was giving her lecture to wait for her.

The moment the lecture ended, he saw a crowd of people surrounding Yun Xi as she came out, and he rushed forward, launching into accusations.

“Mom, are you trying to drive us to death?

Even if we did something wrong, you could curse us or beat us. We could change.

Why do you have to be so cold-blooded and go around ruining our reputations?

Now I’ve been dismissed from the school, and Xuefen can’t be scorekeeper anymore either.

My brothers-in-law come to demand repayment every day.

I don’t even dare close my eyes when I sleep.

Are you satisfied now?”

The crowd fell silent.

They looked at Dong Zhijie, who appeared refined but haggard and destitute, then looked at the bright and polished Yun Xi.

It was truly difficult to imagine that they were mother and son.

They also had not expected Yun Xi’s children to lose their jobs because of her words.

This was a very serious matter.

No one knew how Yun Xi would handle it.

Unexpectedly, Yun Xi only looked surprised.

“You’re this useless?

A few bits of gossip were enough to get you dismissed?

Didn’t you say your school valued you highly and was even going to recommend you to come teach in the city?

So you were bragging?”

╰───♡───╯

The gatekeeper saw Xiao Zhang’s truck and opened the gate ahead of time, wanting to let him drive in so he would not get entangled with Dong Zhizhi. Who would have thought that Dong Zhizhi would stand right in the middle of the gate, smiling as she waved at Xiao Zhang? The truck could not drive in at all.

As soon as Xiao Zhang stopped the truck, Dong Zhizhi ran over and called,

“Brother Zhang, I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”

Before Xiao Zhang could answer, Yun Xi had already jumped out of the truck. She strode over and grabbed Dong Zhizhi by the ear.

“Weren’t you looking for me? Your mother is standing right here, a whole living person. Are you blind? Can’t you see me?”

“Mom? Mom, stop grabbing me! You already have a job now, so why are you still so crude?”

Dong Zhizhi was in so much pain that tears sprang to her eyes.

“What’s crude about disciplining an ungrateful ingrate?”

Yun Xi was not polite at all.

“I heard you can’t go back to the village? Come on, tell me how the village bullied you. What huge thing happened? Did the brigade leader stop behaving like a human being and refuse to let you go home?

You’ve spent quite a bit of Xiao Zhang’s money these past few days, haven’t you?

If you lied, then you defrauded him of his money. Today, we’ll have to go see the public security officers. Explain yourself clearly.”

The moment Dong Zhizhi heard “fraud” and “public security,” her face went pale with fright.

She shouted,

“Mom! Are you even my mother? How can you treat me like this?”

Yun Xi shoved her aside and lifted her chin.

“What did I do? If there’s a matter, explain the matter. Whatever needs to be done will be done.

Indulging a child is the same as killing them.

If you defrauded Xiao Zhang of money, can I cover for you?

Have you forgotten those things from a few years back, when people reported their own parents?

If I report you, I can even gain a good reputation for placing righteousness above family.

I can’t possibly cover up your wrongdoing and let you harm the whole family.”

“I didn’t defraud anyone! Don’t wrong me!”

The commotion was not small, and it drew more than a dozen people over to watch.

They all felt that Yun Xi might be a bit too severe. The young girl’s eyes were red from crying. Bringing up public security and all that was too frightening, wasn’t it?

Then they heard Yun Xi say,

“Then tell me what urgent matter you had to find me for. Why did you have nowhere to go? Why didn’t you return to the village? Why did you come looking for Xiao Zhang every day? Speak!”

Dong Zhizhi opened her mouth, but she could not say a single word.

Yun Xi continued,

“Return the money you borrowed from Xiao Zhang. Return it immediately.

Otherwise, I’ll call the brigade leader right now and ask what exactly happened. What matter required you to stay in the city for so many days?

If there was no matter, then you committed fraud and avoided labor.

Even more seriously, you’ve been loitering at the city government gate every day. Who knows what you’re trying to do?

As a city government employee, if I cover for you, that is my mistake.”

With increasingly serious accusations being placed on her head, Dong Zhizhi was truly frightened.

She shouted,

“Enough! Stop talking! I just took a liking to Brother Zhang and wanted to date him, all right? Nothing happened. I lied, but that was only so I could understand Brother Zhang better.

Everything I said is true. Don’t report me to public security. I’ll return the money to him right now.”

Yun Xi had guessed correctly.

With Dong Zhizhi’s personality, she would never leave money at home. She would definitely carry it on her and hide it in her clothes.

After being frightened like this, Dong Zhizhi immediately took out enough money to give to Xiao Zhang.

Yun Xi coldly snatched the money, counted it once, and handed it to Xiao Zhang.

Then she said coldly,

“No matter who you want to date, you can’t lie and deceive people. Otherwise, the only person who will lose face is you.

Remember this. No one knows a daughter better than her mother.

Don’t come in front of me playing tricks.”

With so many people watching, Dong Zhizhi nearly broke down.

“Mom! How did you become like this? You won’t give me any dignity at all. Are you trying to force me to death?”

“From the moment you started blocking people at the city government gate every day, you stopped giving me dignity. So why should I give you any?

Let me guess.

Because the family was divided, every big and small matter has to be handled by yourself now. You have to work hard in the fields to earn work points too. You can’t endure that hardship, so you came here hoping I’d transfer my job to you, right?”

Yun Xi had carefully studied the original owner’s memories and had long since understood the personalities of these children. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Every guess hit the mark.

When everyone saw Dong Zhizhi’s guilty expression, they knew Yun Xi had guessed correctly.

So it turned out she was not only a toad lusting after swan meat, she was also coveting a city government job.

What kind of dream was she having in broad daylight?

No wonder Yun Xi disliked her so much.

Who would cherish a daughter like this?

Yun Xi continued,

“It’s been three or four months. From the time I left home until now, I’ve learned writing, arithmetic, driving, and Russian. Even if I left the city government now, I could find another job.

What about you?

What have you done?

You want a job, but have you improved yourself?

Are you waiting for pies to fall from the sky, or are you waiting for me to arrange everything for you?

Am I supposed to work hard and earn four jobs to pass down to all of you?

Can none of you live on your own?”

“You! Your words are too ugly!”

Dong Zhizhi was both embarrassed and furious.

Yun Xi spread her hands.

“Honest advice is unpleasant to hear. I’m teaching you the principles of being a decent person. If you won’t listen, there’s nothing I can do.

In the past, I spoiled all of you too much. That’s why you became people with high standards but low ability, refusing to work steadily.

From now on, I won’t care about any of you anymore.

If you can find work, then find it.

If you can’t, then honestly go farm.

Don’t come harassing me and my coworkers again.

Otherwise, I’ll go ask what crime it is to constantly spy on the city government!”

In front of Yun Xi, Dong Zhizhi could not say a word in defense.

Her face flushed red with shame, and she wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground.

Crying, she ran away.

Xiao Zhang asked,

“She won’t get into trouble, will she?”

Yun Xi patted Xiao Zhang’s shoulder.

“That’s something she needs to consider for herself. Everyone has to be responsible for their own life.”

Sister Qin clapped her hands.

“Well said! Who can take care of someone else for a lifetime?

When a mother worries too much, the child never grows up.

Back when we were teenagers, we were already independent. If we had done something this unreliable, wouldn’t our parents have beaten us to death?

Old Li is just soft-hearted. If it were me, I would have beaten her with a big stick long ago.”

Everyone thought about it and agreed.

If a child was useless, parents could not support them endlessly, could they?

Besides, some mud simply could not be propped onto a wall.

Also, Sister Li understood things clearly. She did not let this daughter, who was full of lies, enter the work unit and did not cause trouble for everyone. Wasn’t that good?

Yun Xi smiled.

“I’ve only just returned. I’ll go back to the dormitory and wash my face first. Anyone who asked me to bring things back can come to my dormitory to find me.

I also bought quite a few snacks from the provincial capital that we don’t have here. Everyone can try them.”

Everyone answered with smiles, curiously asking her how the provincial capital was, whether the training went smoothly, and whether anything happened there.

Yun Xi chatted with them enthusiastically.

It was as though Dong Zhizhi’s matter had never happened.

Those who had faintly developed some opinions about Yun Xi because of how annoying Dong Zhizhi had been these past few days also threw the matter to the back of their minds.

Xiao Zhang watched from the side and thought that he really needed to learn from Sister Li.

This was how matters should be handled, cleanly and decisively, without leaving room for sentiment, while still giving others no gossip to spread.

The results of the provincial capital training were reported directly to the work unit by the instructors.

So very soon, everyone learned that Yun Xi had placed first and that she had been the only female comrade in the training class. Her performance had stunned everyone, leaving those male drivers dumbfounded and losing so thoroughly that they were fully convinced.

This made everyone incredibly proud!

Xiao Zhang had been excellent before, but even he had not been this excellent.

Yun Xi had truly brought honor to the unit by going out.

Then, within the next two days, several packages arrived for Yun Xi one after another. They were all sent by the drivers who had trained with her, saying they were local specialties sent as apologies.

Now Yun Xi truly became a legendary figure in the city government.

To be able to go out once and make so many people submit in admiration was not something an ordinary person could do.

Most importantly, when everyone had first met her a few months ago, she had not known a single large character, had never touched a vehicle, and had never heard Russian.

Yet in just a few months, she had grown to this point.

She was practically a genius!

Their city had not produced a genius in decades, so Yun Xi’s various deeds had already reached a genius-level standard.

For a while, whenever people went home and chatted over meals, they talked about Yun Xi’s story, causing many, many people to learn about this little old lady who had been delayed by her children.

If her children had not been so useless and dragged her down for so many years, would she have been buried like that?

Fortunately, she had woken up now and walked out on her own.

A genius like this ought to shine in an important position.

Since those children were already adults, they should all live their own lives and stop dragging Yun Xi down!

Yun Xi’s fame spread so widely that the news even reached the countryside.

The people in the same village reacted as though they had heard huge news and shouted it to everyone.

Only then did everyone learn that Dong Zhizhi had disappeared for several days some time ago because she had run to find Yun Xi and had even made such a huge joke of herself.

What shocked everyone most was that Yun Xi was actually someone with great ability.

What was Russian?

They had never even heard of it.

Knowing characters and arithmetic was already difficult enough.

How could she also learn to drive?

And she had placed first in the provincial capital?

Did that mean there was not a single driver in the city better than Yun Xi?

How impressive must that be?

This was a golden phoenix flying out of their village!

Even though Yun Xi had not returned, the villagers still felt proud and happy. They felt especially honored that an impressive figure had come from their village. There was laughter and excitement everywhere.

Some people even deliberately went to visit relatives in neighboring villages, telling them that an important person had emerged from their village. It was extremely lively.

Only the Dong family felt terrible.

Yun Xi’s attitude toward Dong Zhizhi was her attitude toward all of her children. She refused to give even the slightest way out and showed not the least intention of reconciling with them.

They did not understand.

Wasn’t it just the matter of Eldest Brother wanting to buy a job?

How had it turned into something like severing all ties?

And was that truly their mother, the one who was so capable?

Had she been buried all this time because she had previously been trapped in the village farming, with no chance to study?

Then if their mother was so outstanding, why were they such failures?

Even the second son, who had become a teacher and had always been proud of himself, lost his confidence.

His little sense of superiority was utterly fragile before his own mother’s current achievements.

It was nothing at all.

Originally, having such a good mother should have been a wonderful thing.

The higher the status of the family elder, the greater the benefits for the descendants. They could all benefit from her success.

Otherwise, why would people say, “When one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven”?

But Dong Zhizhi had run over and caused trouble, angering Yun Xi so much that she had even brought up words like fraud and spying on the city government. It was clear just how angry she was.

And so, once the Dong family shut the door, they began scolding Dong Zhizhi, blaming her for looking for trouble and acting on her own.

Dong Zhizhi was not someone who would silently swallow grievances either. She cursed the eldest son for coveting Yun Xi’s coffin money and angering her. She blamed him for constantly belittling Yun Xi and provoking her into turning against them.

Dong Zhihong felt that he was the eldest son and that his status was different.

For his youngest sister to dare point at his nose and curse at him, wasn’t she trying to overturn the heavens?

He raised his hand and slapped her, cursing,

“The eldest brother is like a father. When our parents aren’t here, what I say is reason. Whether you want to listen or not, you have to listen!”

Dong Zhizhi screamed and rushed forward, scratching his face open.

“The family has already been divided. Who are you lecturing?

The family became like this because of your branch!

Mom is so outstanding now, and she’s become better-looking too.

If one day Mom gets married, then she really won’t have any connection to the old Dong family anymore.

You’ll be the sinners of the old Dong family!”

Her words reminded everyone.

That was right.

Now Yun Xi no longer worked in the fields or did hard labor. She was also willing to spend money on herself. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Her skin had become much fairer and smoother, her clothes looked good, and she was capable.

How could no one take a fancy to her?

If she married someone in the city, what would happen to them, her countryside children?

What exactly could they do to make Yun Xi forgive them?

╰───♡───╯

On the final day of training, there was a question-and-answer session. After the assessment, everyone could consult the instructors according to their own situation.

This time, Yun Xi took a thick notebook and went to find the instructors.

Originally, the others also had some questions, but after discovering that Yun Xi’s questions hit the key points directly and were even more representative, they all gathered around and listened to the instructors’ explanations with her.

Yun Xi’s notebook did not only record questions. It also contained many of her own understandings, which led to many additional questions. It was basically that whenever she raised one question, it would connect to many other things, all of them extremely practical.

The two instructors talked until dark and praised her highly.

The drivers pushed one another back and forth, and in the end, they shoved forward the best driver among them. He asked awkwardly,

“Sister Li, your notebook… could we… could we… borrow…”

The driver scratched his head, then suddenly bowed to Yun Xi and said apologetically,

“I’m sorry, Sister Li! I was blind and looked down on you. I failed to recognize a great person right in front of me. I assumed from the start that your training spot came through improper means. Seeing that you were a female comrade and not young anymore, I looked down on you. I’m sorry!”

Everyone looked at one another, then stepped forward and apologized to Yun Xi.

“We’re sorry, Sister Li!”

Yun Xi said,

“You want to copy my notes and take them back to study?”

“Yes. We feel that… Sister Li, you could already be our teacher.”

“Teacher is too much. There are still many things I don’t understand, and far too much knowledge I haven’t encountered before.

I’ll lend you the notebook. I hope that after you return, you can share it with the other drivers so everyone can improve together.

I also hope you can give female comrades more opportunities.

The saying that women hold up half the sky is not a joke. There truly are many female comrades with outstanding abilities.”

Everyone agreed one after another, feeling very ashamed.

In their lives, there were female teachers and female factory directors, and they respected them greatly. It was just that in their impression, a little old lady absolutely had nothing to do with driving.

Her three months of driving experience had directly made them think of connections and unfairness. That was why they had held such deep prejudice against Yun Xi.

They had stood out from competition, so they more or less admired strength.

Now that they saw Yun Xi was intelligent and capable, standing a whole level above them, they could not feel the slightest jealousy. Instead, they felt some admiration.

They had never expected that someone who relied on self-study could already be no worse than provincial capital drivers. A talent like this would be honored wherever she went.

After Yun Xi generously lent them her notes without holding their earlier behavior against them, everyone truly respected her from the heart. They called her “Sister Li” with great enthusiasm and even asked for her unit’s address and phone number, saying they should keep in touch often and that if she ever needed anything, she should just come to them.

By the time Yun Xi’s notebook was returned, the last few pages were filled with their contact information. Some people had even written apology letters and tucked them inside, while others bought gifts of apology for her. It could be said they showed full sincerity.

Whether they were sincere or doing it for connections, Yun Xi accepted everything readily, waved goodbye to them, and set off on her return journey.

During Yun Xi’s training period, someone introduced a potential match to Dong Zhizhi. The man’s conditions were very ordinary. Dong Zhizhi angrily said several ugly things, only for the other side to say that the Dong family’s reputation had already been ruined.

They still wanted to find a good match?

Dream on.

Having someone willing to meet her at all was already good enough.

Dong Zhizhi cried for a while. At dawn the next day, she ran to the city government gate to find Yun Xi.

The gatekeeper told her that Yun Xi had gone for further training. Dong Zhizhi did not believe it at all.

An old woman who had only been working for three or four months, what qualifications did she have to go for training?

So she kept squatting at the gate and waiting.

Xiao Zhang drove up and stopped at the main gate, waiting for the gatekeeper to open it.

The gatekeeper cheerfully greeted him.

“Xiao Zhang, you’re back? How’s your leg? If it’s not all right, don’t force yourself. Your own health is important.”

Xiao Zhang leaned out and smiled.

“It’s pretty good. Nothing’s wrong now. Sister Li fed me so much meat that I healed long ago. She’s just too fond of worrying and insisted that I rest for a hundred days before driving. Otherwise, I would have returned to work much earlier.”

When Dong Zhizhi saw his handsome appearance, her eyes immediately lit up. Then she heard him mention “Sister Li” and instantly rushed forward.

“The Sister Li you’re talking about, is it Li Yunxi? She’s my mom. You have a good relationship with her, right? Please take me to see her. I have something urgent to talk to her about.”

Xiao Zhang was startled.

Thinking that Yun Xi had a poor relationship with her children, he tried to put her off.

“We’re just coworkers. We’re not close…”

Dong Zhizhi said loudly,

“I heard everything just now. My mom gives you meat and cares about you. If you’re not close, why would she treat you so well?”

After saying it, Dong Zhizhi herself became puzzled.

Why would her mother treat an outsider so well?

If it were said that she had taken a fancy to him, that was impossible. They were more than twenty years apart.

Could it be that she had chosen him as a match for her?

Dong Zhizhi’s heart began beating faster.

Although Yun Xi had been extremely cold and merciless the last few times, for so many years in the past, Yun Xi had always protected them.

More than once, she had said that they were the most important people to her, more important than her own life. Back then, Yun Xi had nearly died giving birth to Dong Zhizhi.

So deep in her heart, Dong Zhizhi had never believed that Yun Xi would truly cut ties with them. She only thought Yun Xi was throwing a more serious tantrum this time and wanted to subdue them all at once.

Now that she had encountered something illogical, she naturally had her own interpretation.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Yun Xi was so good to Xiao Zhang because she intended to introduce him to her.

Dong Zhizhi grew a little embarrassed. She lowered her head and said somewhat bashfully,

“If I hadn’t run into trouble, I wouldn’t be this anxious. I can’t go home, and I have nowhere else to go. I can only come find my mom.

I know I made her angry. I was immature. I’ll apologize to her. From now on, I’ll definitely be filial to her.”

Xiao Zhang did not feel it was appropriate to comment on another family’s affairs. Seeing her blocking the truck, he said awkwardly,

“But Sister Li isn’t at the unit. She went out of town for training. There’s no use waiting here.”

Dong Zhizhi looked at him, then at the gatekeeper.

Both of them had said the same thing, and they had not coordinated their words just now. So the training matter was real?

How was that possible?

An old woman, and the unit had even sent her for training?

In that instant, jealousy burst from Dong Zhizhi’s heart and rapidly grew into a towering tree.

She could not find any job at all, so why had Yun Xi entered the city government as soon as she came to the city, and even changed to an urban household registration?

She had gone around asking classmates for help, and no one paid attention to her. Why did Yun Xi have so many coworkers helping and protecting her?

She had never once been valued by anyone since childhood, so why could Yun Xi be sent by her unit for further training?

How had every good thing fallen into her mother’s lap?

If these good opportunities were given to her, wouldn’t her entire life be settled?

Dong Zhizhi grew so anxious that her face turned red.

How could her mother not think of her?

How could she not know to call her over to take this job?

If she worked in the city government and then married someone like Xiao Zhang, she would immediately live a good life and never have to worry again!

Why wouldn’t her mother give the job to her?

Xiao Zhang waved his hand in front of her.

“Comrade? Please move aside. I still need to go back and hand over my shift.”

The more Dong Zhizhi thought, the more wronged she felt.

Thinking again of the villagers’ mockery, she squatted on the ground and began to cry.

“What am I supposed to do? I have nowhere to go. I don’t want to live anymore…”

Xiao Zhang quickly got out of the truck.

“Don’t think that way!”

He looked toward the gatekeeper.

“What should we do?”

The gatekeeper did not know either.

Xiao Zhang could only go inside and report the situation.

At the very least, Dong Zhizhi was a worker’s family member. If she had encountered difficulties, they could not simply ignore her.

But Sister Qin from the Logistics Department knew that Yun Xi truly disliked her children.

She made the decision and said,

“Nobody pay attention to her. Sister Li doesn’t want to deal with her.

She already divided half a room and gave it to that girl before. The girl turned around and sold the room, leaving Sister Li without even a place to stay if she returned to the village.

She’s an ingrate.

Sister Li has already done more than enough for her. We can’t cause trouble for Sister Li.”

Everyone agreed.

Xiao Zhang had no choice but to take Dong Zhizhi to a guesthouse himself and settle her there for the time being.

He did not want to get involved either.

But Dong Zhizhi kept crying at the gate, saying things like Yun Xi would not care about her and that she had no mother anymore. It did not reflect well on Yun Xi.

Besides, Dong Zhizhi was Yun Xi’s biological daughter after all. He had heard that she had been born after a difficult labor, a child who survived only after Yun Xi nearly died. There must be feelings there.

If nothing happened normally, that was one thing.

But this time, Yun Xi was absent. If the people at the unit ignored her and something happened to a young woman like Dong Zhizhi, Yun Xi would surely feel hurt.

Yun Xi had helped Xiao Zhang so much. Xiao Zhang felt he could not simply ignore the matter.

So he could only consider himself unlucky, pay for a room for Dong Zhizhi, and give her some meal tickets and spending money.

This was the first time a male comrade had given Dong Zhizhi money and tickets.

And he was a male comrade with such a good job and such good looks.

Dong Zhizhi’s face turned red.

She said shyly,

“Thank you, Brother Zhang. When my mom comes back, I’ll definitely tell her what a good person you are and have her thank you for me.”

Xiao Zhang waved his hand.

“Sister Li has already helped me more than enough. All right, stay here properly.”

The guesthouse environment was much better than the Dong family’s home, and she was far away from the village’s mockery.

Dong Zhizhi had a night full of beautiful dreams and woke up refreshed.

From then on, she ran to the city government every day to find Xiao Zhang.

Today, she wanted to understand how Yun Xi was doing at the unit. Tomorrow, she wanted to ask whether there were any jobs recruiting in the city. The day after that, she encountered some difficulty and asked Xiao Zhang to help.

Xiao Zhang was annoyed beyond words.

But if he did not appear, Dong Zhizhi stubbornly stood at the main gate and refused to leave no matter what.

Once, even the mayor saw her and asked why someone was standing at the gate.

Xiao Zhang was afraid Dong Zhizhi would cause trouble and affect the mayor’s good impression of Yun Xi, so he could only grit his teeth and deal with her.

Fortunately, Yun Xi’s training lasted only seven days.

On this day, Xiao Zhang calculated the time. After finishing a delivery outside, he directly drove to the train station to pick up Yun Xi.

Yun Xi had large bags strapped to her chest and back, and both hands were carrying full bags as well. Only her two eyes were exposed so she could see the road.

The moment she saw Xiao Zhang, she said in delight,

“Xiao Zhang! I’m here! Good thing you came. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even know how to get back.”

Xiao Zhang looked at her in surprise and stepped forward to help her with the bags.

“Sister Li, this is way too much luggage. Did you buy all this in the provincial capital?”

Yun Xi smiled.

“It wasn’t easy getting to go there once. Of course I had to buy more.

And it’s not all mine. Some of it is for everyone else. There are things for you too. I’ll find them for you when we get back.”

Xiao Zhang smiled, showing a mouthful of white teeth.

“There’s something for me too? Then I’ll thank Sister Li first.

Come on, you must be tired from the train. Let’s hurry back.”

Yun Xi got into the truck.

As she watched Xiao Zhang help put her luggage into the truck bed, she thought that it was lucky she had been cautious and had not put the things she bought into her storage space.

In a world like this, there was no cultivation and no storage space. Possessing a treasure would invite disaster.

She absolutely would not expose it. That meant she had to use the space sparingly and carefully.

This was fine too.

It allowed her to properly experience different worlds even more.

Xiao Zhang drove back to the city government.

When they were almost at the main gate, he saw Dong Zhizhi’s figure from far away and immediately felt a headache coming on.

He turned to Yun Xi and said,

“Sister Li, your daughter has been looking for you these past few days. She happened to hear me say you weren’t here, so she started coming to find me every day.

Now that you’re back, handle this matter properly. Otherwise, the mayor and the others at the unit might develop opinions.”

Yun Xi heard something wrong in his tone.

It was one thing to look for her.

But why look for Xiao Zhang?

Her gaze landed on Xiao Zhang’s fairly handsome face.

Could Dong Zhizhi have taken a fancy to Xiao Zhang?

Heh.

A toad lusting after swan meat.

╰───♡───╯

In the days that followed, whenever transportation was needed, Yun Xi drove the truck to haul goods. When there was no need for transport, she stayed in the Logistics Department. Fortunately, there was not much work in Logistics, so she could manage both sides just fine.

Xiao Zhang often came over to teach her how to repair vehicles, telling her small driving tricks, road conditions, and the personalities and habits of the people they handed goods over to at various units. These were all valuable experiences he had accumulated over several years of work.

He even gave Yun Xi the notes he had taken during his outside training trips and taught her very seriously. Yun Xi could tell that this time he was sincerely teaching her, so naturally she absorbed everything, madly soaking up knowledge like a sponge.

Only then did Xiao Zhang realize just how clever Yun Xi was. He could no longer even remember what impression he had had when he first met her. He only felt that she was a senior worthy of admiration.

By the time Xiao Zhang had mostly recovered, there happened to be an opportunity in the city for a driver to go to the provincial capital for a week of further training. Xiao Zhang strongly recommended giving the spot to Yun Xi. Since Yun Xi had never made a single mistake since she started driving, everyone in the unit had seen her ability and had no objections at all. And so, Yun Xi very honorably went on a business trip to the provincial capital.

She squeezed onto a green train. At first, she found it quite novel, but before long, the strange smells in the carriage became unbearable. She quickly opened the window and leaned beside it to breathe.

The train was also terribly slow, stopping at every little station. This made her think of the future in the original owner’s memories, when trains would speed up and there would even be extremely fast high-speed rail. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Taking airplanes would also become very convenient. It was truly something to yearn for.

Unfortunately, roads had to be walked one step at a time, and eras had to develop slowly. There was no rushing it. She could only properly experience the unique characteristics of this era.

After clattering along the entire way, she finally arrived at the provincial capital.

The moment she got off the train, Yun Xi felt refreshed. From the train station alone, she could already see tall buildings and small cars. Sure enough, the more prosperous the city, the better the living conditions. Compared to the small village she had started in, the provincial capital seemed like an entirely different era.

Yun Xi followed the address and found the place.

Because the other drivers attending the training were all men and she was the only woman, they arranged a separate dormitory room for her.

During group registration, more than twenty male drivers were extremely surprised. From time to time, they glanced at Yun Xi, whispering among themselves. They could hardly believe that Yun Xi, like them, was a driver.

Someone asked curiously,

“You’re Sister Li, right? How many years have you been driving? Why haven’t we seen you before?”

Yun Xi replied,

“My driving experience is three months…”

Before she could finish, the group exploded.

“What? Three months? Then what are you doing here? Isn’t this a joke?”

“Everyone here has been driving for several years. If I may say so myself, we’re all outstanding enough to get a training spot. How did someone who just learned to drive sneak in here? Have you even figured out how to drive properly before coming for advanced training?”

“Sister Li, tell us honestly. How were the spots in your unit assigned? Tell us. We guarantee we won’t spread it.”

“Seriously, training isn’t a joke. If you mess this up, you’ll embarrass your whole city. If you can’t do it, hurry back and let someone else come.”

“We’re advising you out of kindness. Don’t dislike how harsh it sounds. This is work for grown men. Besides, Sister Li, at your age, wouldn’t it be nice to look after your grandchildren? Why suffer like this?”

Yun Xi listened to them rattle on, then swept her gaze over them with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

“Whether someone is a mule or a horse, you’ll know once they’re led out for a walk. We’ve only just met, and no one knows anyone yet, but you’re already certain I can’t do it. With that level of quality, you still managed to get training spots? Your ideological awareness needs improvement.”

“Hey, why are your words so sharp? Aren’t we reminding you for your own good? We’ve already said it politely. To put it bluntly, everyone here fought hard to win a spot. You’ve only been driving for three months, yet you can come for advanced training. No matter how you look at it, something isn’t right. You know perfectly well what’s going on behind this.”

“What’s going on?”

Yun Xi’s face cooled.

“The country’s first female tractor driver came from our Hei Province. She was outstanding at nineteen and formed a women’s tractor team at twenty. She also received even more incredible honors. Why don’t you go ask how many years she had been driving before she became famous?

If you aren’t capable yourself, reflect on yourself. Don’t assume everyone is like you, struggling so hard just to get one training spot.”

Yun Xi was more than ten years older than even the oldest among them, and she was not polite to them at all. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. She immediately scolded them straight to their faces.

The two instructors who had just come over to meet them exchanged glances.

One whispered,

“Looks like this group has someone with a fierce temper.”

“I just don’t know how skilled she is. I wonder whether her technique is just as fierce.”

When the two instructors entered the room, all the drivers’ words were blocked back down their throats. Their faces were each more colorful than the last.

They all felt it was utterly ridiculous.

What right did some unknown little old lady have to compare herself to the country’s first female tractor driver?

They wanted to see exactly what ability this Li Yunxi had. If she turned out to be useless at everything and ranked dead last, then she would lose face all the way back to her grandmother’s house.

Among drivers, most were men, and one also needed some physical strength. A thin, small old woman like Yun Xi stood out like a crane among chickens. She was especially conspicuous. Add to that her fiery temper, and from the moment she arrived, everyone remembered her.

No one believed she had real skill in driving. They all thought she had used connections to snatch the spot of a proper driver, so they faintly isolated her.

Yun Xi did not care at all.

She had nothing in common with people this narrow-minded. If she had spare time, wouldn’t it be better to tour the provincial capital?

This time, she had borrowed many coupons from her coworkers. After asking where the shopping mall was, she went on a massive shopping spree.

Some things were for herself, and some were items she was bringing back for coworkers. The goods in the provincial capital really were better than those in her city, and there were more styles too.

Every day, Yun Xi returned to the dormitory carrying big and small bags. She put on new clothes and even bought a watch.

The drivers became even more convinced of their earlier guesses.

The way she acted did not resemble a driver here for training at all. She looked more like someone using this opportunity to shop.

How much money did her family have to withstand this kind of spending?

Who would believe there were no connections behind her?

This time, even the instructors began murmuring a little.

Yun Xi ignored what they thought or said.

During class, she listened carefully and took careful notes. After class, she ran off to visit the famous places in the provincial capital. In five days, she explored the entire provincial capital and even got tanned!

On the sixth day, the instructor walked into the classroom holding exam papers and said seriously,

“After five days of training, today we will assess the results of your training. Driving is not as simple as getting behind the wheel and making the vehicle move. You must understand the vehicle’s parts, models, performance, and many other aspects.

The more knowledge you learn, the more you will discover how vast knowledge truly is.

I hope every one of you treats this seriously. This assessment score will also be truthfully reported to your units, and it will affect your future professional development.

All right. Everyone, take the exam seriously and observe exam discipline.”

The instructor began handing out the papers.

Many people looked at Yun Xi and smiled.

They usually reviewed their notes and exchanged knowledge with one another as soon as class ended. Only Yun Xi never had questions and always ran off to play the moment class ended.

What could she possibly score?

Probably a zero, right?

When the time came, they would definitely throw her words from the first day back in her face.

She had said they were not capable. Let’s see whether she was capable.

Of course Yun Xi was capable.

She had no questions because Xiao Zhang had previously gone to the provincial capital and the capital for training. He had also studied many deeper problems and had taught them all to her.

After learning them, she had gone to the library to borrow books related to vehicles and machinery. She had read quite a few books and studied a lot of knowledge on her own.

So although she had learned new knowledge during this training, she did not find it difficult. Once the instructor explained something in class, she understood it all. Naturally, she had never asked questions.

Yun Xi’s memory was already stronger than ordinary people’s. She memorized things faster and more deeply.

As soon as she got the exam paper, she began answering without even needing to think.

Someone looked up and saw her writing rapidly, then smiled and shook his head.

Did this little old lady think randomly filling the page could get her through?

The instructor this time was said to be very strict.

The classroom was very quiet, filled only with the sound of writing.

The instructor walked slowly with his hands behind his back. When he reached Yun Xi’s side and saw that her handwriting was neat and beautiful, and that she had not only written the correct answers but also added her own insights, he could not help feeling surprised.

He could not resist standing beside her and watching for a long time.

Correct.

All correct.

Not a single question was wrong!

The instructor went from surprise to excitement.

He had trained students more than a dozen times, and not one of them had ever been this outstanding!

When the exam time ended, he personally collected Yun Xi’s paper and walked to the podium with a smile.

Someone asked,

“What is it, Teacher? Did she cheat?”

The crowd burst into laughter.

The instructor’s face hardened, and he knocked on the desk.

“Quiet! Comrade Li Yunxi’s paper received a perfect score, and she included many of her own unique insights. I wanted to bring it up so everyone can use it as a reference.”

“What? A perfect score?”

“How is that possible? Did she use connections to steal the questions?”

Before Yun Xi could speak, the instructor said loudly,

“These questions were strictly confidential. Moreover, two of the questions were changed by us instructors only this morning. She could not have stolen the questions, nor could she have cheated. She is simply extremely outstanding, with an exceptionally solid grasp of the knowledge.

Comrade Li Yunxi, you must have studied related knowledge before, haven’t you?”

Yun Xi nodded.

“Some of it I read in books. I like reading very much.”

The instructor became even happier.

He had not expected that she had not learned it beforehand from someone else, but had studied it by herself through books.

He said “good” several times in a row, then said excitedly,

“Come to my office later. I have a few books here for you. Read them well. If there is anything you don’t understand, ask me anytime.”

The others looked at one another, all dumbfounded.

Since the instructor had said this, then it could not be cheating.

So this little old lady really had ability?

Real knowledge and skill?

Someone stubbornly said,

“What does theoretical knowledge count for? Knowing how to handle a vehicle is what matters. Let’s compete in driving.”

After the written exam in the morning, there would indeed be a practical driving test in the afternoon.

Yun Xi put away her fountain pen and said lightly,

“I came here for training and to absorb new knowledge. I have no interest in competing with you.

As for you all, if you have time, work on improving yourselves.

Remember, there are people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens.”

She slung her schoolbag over her shoulder and left directly.

Some of the drivers felt embarrassed and humiliated, but others felt regret.

Without understanding her at all, they had assumed she was incapable. They had truly looked down on people like dogs looking at others.

During lunch, several drivers came over together to apologize to Yun Xi.

Their attitude was quite sincere.

However, Yun Xi had no interest in shaking hands and making peace with them. She only nodded and said nothing.

They also had no face to insist that Yun Xi forgive them.

After all, they had been the ones with cheap mouths first. Yun Xi had only retaliated when she spoke rudely back then.

After this incident, those drivers deeply remembered the principle that there were people beyond people and heavens beyond heavens. They never again looked down on anyone, especially women.

During the practical exam in the afternoon, Yun Xi won first place with her outstanding driving skills.

The two instructors pinned a large red flower on her and took a graduation photo with her. They gave her many books and also kept her unit’s phone number, reminding her that she could ask them questions anytime.

This time, the drivers were completely honest.

For the written exam, they could say they were bad at studying or had poor memories.

But when their practical driving skills were so much worse than Yun Xi’s, they had no choice but to admit that they were not capable enough.

In just a few days, Yun Xi’s deeds in the provincial capital spread far and wide!

╰───♡───╯

The bridge had collapsed. People trying to travel could not cross the river. Broken pieces had been swept away by the water, and some people were trapped underneath.

When it was first discovered, the person in charge had not taken it too seriously and had only called nearby villagers to help. Who would have known that the wind and rain would grow stronger and stronger? Many people were injured, and someone even fell into the river. Now they had to rescue people too, and the matter had blown up.

The mayor happened to be handling business nearby and had planned to stay the night. The moment he heard something had happened, he immediately went to the scene to direct operations. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Only then did the disaster relief begin in an orderly fashion, and he notified Xiao Zhang to deliver supplies.

The mayor glanced at his watch.

“How long until Xiao Zhang arrives?”

The mayor’s secretary estimated.

“At least another ten minutes. But Mayor, we should make another plan too. The weather is terrible. If the truck breaks down or something else happens, Xiao Zhang won’t be able to arrive in time.”

The mayor nodded.

“Then find the nearest households and discuss temporarily requisitioning their houses. We’ll think of a way to transfer everyone there…”

Suddenly, the sound of a vehicle came from not far away.

The two exchanged a look and quickly walked over.

They saw the familiar truck stop in front of them, and Yun Xi jumped down from the driver’s seat.

???

The mayor and his secretary were both stunned. They looked at her, then at the truck.

“Aunt Li? Why is it you?”

Yun Xi smiled brightly.

“This is what they call training troops for a thousand days to use them for one moment. Xiao Zhang was too anxious and accidentally fell. Driving like that would be dangerous, wouldn’t it? So I snatched the job and covered his shift for a day.

How’s everything here? I didn’t delay anything, did I?”

“No. You arrived even earlier than I expected.”

The mayor’s secretary hurriedly called people over to unload the goods from the truck. Then he saw that Yun Xi’s hands were covered in grime, and even the front of her clothes was black.

“Aunt Li, how did you get like this?”

Yun Xi glanced down and said casually,

“It’s nothing. The truck stalled halfway here, so I fixed it. I was in a hurry, and it was dark, so I got dirty. I’ll wash up after things are handled.”

“You can repair vehicles too?”

The mayor wondered if he was dreaming.

That countryside old woman he had met back then not only knew how to drive a large truck, she could even repair one?

Yun Xi said as though it were perfectly natural,

“Xiao Zhang taught me well. I’ve been watching him for more than a month. How could I still not know?”

She looked around.

“Is there anything else we need to do here? I’m strong. Assign me whatever task you need.”

The mayor’s original plan had been to arrange the injured properly while carrying out disaster relief, then send them to the hospital after dawn. Going in the middle of the night was too risky.

But now, seeing how well Yun Xi drove, he considered it and simply had people carry the injured onto the truck, shelter them from the rain, and let Yun Xi take them to the hospital.

Yun Xi accepted the task and immediately went to help carry the injured.

She was very strong, and when she walked, she was especially steady and did not slip.

With her joining in, everyone moved quickly.

The others did not know her situation. They were only a little surprised that this older woman was the driver. They did not know she was covering someone’s shift, nor that this was her first time driving.

So no one worried.

They all thanked her.

Once the truck was full of people, Yun Xi called out to the mayor and drove away.

The mayor’s secretary hesitated, then asked the mayor,

“…Will this really be all right? If something happens, it’ll be over.”

The mayor thought of how Yun Xi had dealt with the criminal back then and saved his family. Then he thought of how hard Yun Xi had studied during this period, even learning to drive and repair vehicles.

With his hands behind his back, he said,

“I believe her.

There is something about her that makes people feel convinced and reassured.

I always feel that if she cannot do something, she simply won’t agree to it. But once she agrees, she can do it well.”

That was extremely high praise.

At least in all the years the mayor’s secretary had followed the mayor, he had never heard him praise anyone like this.

But when he thought about how Yun Xi often came to ask him about Russian, and how in such a short time she had already learned simple basic conversations, she truly was a capable person.

The mayor’s secretary settled down, though he silently prayed that everything would go smoothly for Yun Xi.

If she could really complete the task this time, then in the future, everyone at the city government would give her a thumbs-up!

Yun Xi did more than complete the task.

She completed it beautifully.

Halfway there, someone in the back of the truck started banging on the vehicle and shouting. She stopped and checked. Someone had gone into shock, and the wound kept bleeding.

They were all countryside people and did not know what to do, so they panicked and asked her for help.

Yun Xi looked over the situation, tore the sleeve off her own clothing, and quickly bandaged the wound to stop the bleeding. Then she took a cup of hot water from Xiao Zhang’s things in the truck and asked someone to help keep the injured person warm.

Seeing how calm she was, everyone else calmed down too and was not as panicked.

Another person spoke up and said his arm was dislocated, asking if Yun Xi could help put it back.

Yun Xi felt it twice, then casually lifted his arm and restored it.

The man moved his arm and immediately thanked her.

This greatly increased everyone’s trust in Yun Xi.

They all listened to her and cared for one another, allowing Yun Xi to focus on driving.

Yun Xi sped up.

The moment they reached the hospital, she picked up the injured person in shock and rushed inside, sending him into the emergency room in time. He was successfully revived.

The doctor said hemorrhagic shock was very serious. Under such harsh conditions, if he had arrived even a little later, his organs might have failed. By then, whether he could be saved would have been uncertain.

After the injured person woke, he kept holding Yun Xi’s hand and said fearfully,

“Thank you, elder sister. You saved my life. Thank you so much…”

Yun Xi waved her hand.

“Thank our mayor. He was the one who arrived in time and saved everyone. I was only following his arrangements. We have a good mayor.”

“Yes, yes, yes. The mayor really is a good person. If not for him today, who knows what would have happened to us? But elder sister, you’re a good person too. A truly good person!”

Yun Xi stayed with the dozen or so people as they received treatment, comforted them, arranged their beds, and, after asking the doctor, bought food for them so they could eat their fill and sleep.

These people had suffered an undeserved disaster. It was the initial person in charge’s mistake that had harmed them, so they were full of resentment.

But after Yun Xi’s efforts to soothe them, their resentment turned into gratitude toward the mayor.

They clearly understood that the incident was entirely the fault of that person in charge and had nothing to do with anyone else. In particular, it had nothing to do with the government. The mayor was very good.

This was very important.

In this era, good news did not travel beyond the gate, but bad news spread a thousand li.

If this matter was handled poorly, it could easily turn into rumors that officials did not treat ordinary people’s lives as lives, that they made careless arrangements without any measures and caused the people to get injured and nearly die.

Once such rumors spread, they would naturally become distorted.

In the end, it would affect the reputations of both the city government and the mayor. That would not be good for the city.

It could be said that Yun Xi had helped the mayor with crisis management.

The term did not exist yet, but the mayor understood such matters perfectly well.

After he went to the hospital the next day to visit the injured and understand the situation, his feelings toward Yun Xi included not only admiration but also gratitude.

The follow-up matters were left to the mayor’s secretary to arrange. Compensation would be paid where it should be paid. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Accountability would be pursued where it should be pursued.

As for the mayor, he rode back to the city government in the truck driven by Yun Xi.

“They’re back! They’re back!”

“Quick, look! Is Sister Li still the one driving?”

“It’s her! Look, isn’t that the mayor in the passenger seat?”

“Aiyo, even the mayor dares sit in the truck Sister Li is driving. Sister Li must drive really well!”

“Sister Li is amazing. I thought she just liked vehicles and enjoyed following Xiao Zhang around to watch the novelty. Who would’ve known she actually learned how? Amazing!”

The rain gradually stopped.

When a group of people heard the commotion, they ran out to look.

Seeing that the mayor was also in the truck, even more people gathered around.

The two got out.

Someone called loudly,

“Sister Li, are you all right? Did you really drive outside the city?”

The mayor smiled and said,

“Sister Li drives very well. She’s no worse than Xiao Zhang.

When the truck stalled and broke down on the road, Sister Li repaired it alone.

Not only did Sister Li deliver the supplies ahead of time, she also transported the injured to the hospital overnight for timely treatment, preventing a tragedy from happening.

She made a tremendous contribution to this collapsed bridge incident.

Sister Li has joined our city government family for less than three months, yet she has already learned so many things and can independently complete tasks outstandingly. This shows how exceptional Sister Li herself is.

Everyone, give her a round of applause!”

Everyone immediately applauded Yun Xi.

The people from the Logistics Department who were closest to Yun Xi clapped especially hard, their faces filled with proud smiles.

The mayor continued,

“From now on, Sister Li will hold two positions. In addition to her role in the Logistics Department, she will also serve as a driver, alternating shifts with Xiao Zhang.”

Yun Xi was not especially concerned about praise, but she was delighted that she had gained another position and could drive freely.

She immediately smiled.

“Thank you, Mayor! I’ll definitely work hard and won’t embarrass our city government!”

Yun Xi’s words often made people feel that the city government was one big family, and she had already completely treated the city government as her home.

The mayor then announced Yun Xi’s reward for this incident.

She would be named an Outstanding Employee and rewarded with a bicycle.

Only then was the matter concluded.

Everyone cheered again.

To everyone, this was encouragement from leadership, proof that leaders could see everyone’s efforts.

As long as they worked earnestly and diligently, they could receive rewards.

Everyone envied Yun Xi.

From now on, she could receive two salaries and had even gotten a bicycle.

But no one was jealous.

Because she had braved such heavy wind and rain to drive so far and transported an injured person who had nearly died.

If that task had been given to them, they would not have dared to do it.

Yun Xi deserved this reward.

So everyone was happy for Yun Xi.

Yun Xi was generous too. She went back to her dormitory, brought out candy, and handed several pieces to each person.

Afterward, she changed clothes and went to Xiao Zhang’s dormitory. She did not forget to bring two cans of meat and canned yellow peaches.

When Xiao Zhang saw her, he smiled.

“Sister Li, it’s good that you’re all right. I heard from the others that the mayor values you a lot. Congratulations.”

Yun Xi smiled and asked how his leg was.

Xiao Zhang touched the cast on his leg.

“It was a little displaced. The doctor corrected it and said that within one month, it’s best for me to stay in bed and not move this leg. After that, if the follow-up check shows it’s healing well, I can move around a little.”

Yun Xi nodded.

After asking after him a bit more, she said,

“Xiao Zhang, I learned to drive from you, but it wasn’t because I wanted to steal your work…”

“Sister Li,” Xiao Zhang interrupted before she could finish, “I understand. We’re so familiar with each other now, so don’t say such distant things.

This time, you helped me tremendously.

If it hadn’t been for you, maybe my leg would have been ruined, or maybe both I and the truck would have gotten into an accident. No matter what, I would have lost my job.

And my leg needs to recover. They say injuries to the muscles and bones take a hundred days. If I can’t drive for so long, by the time I recover, I might have lost my job already.

When I heard that you would also be serving as a driver, I truly breathed a sigh of relief.”

He said seriously,

“Sister Li, you braved the wind and rain to drive in order to help me. I’ll remember that.

When I’m better, I’ll definitely teach you everything I know. I won’t keep anything hidden.

If there’s something I don’t know, I can help ask around for you too.

From now on, we’re on the same side.

I’ll remember this friendship for the rest of my life!”

Yun Xi smiled.

“Good. Then I won’t say any polite nonsense either. From now on, we’ll help each other and live better and better!”

After this incident, Yun Xi gained a new identity at the city government.

The name “Sister Li” also became a sincere term of respect from everyone.

Many people admired her from the bottom of their hearts.

Her popularity became even better, and her days became even more comfortable.

Soon, drivers and workers from other factories also heard about this matter and were all shocked.

What?

A forty-five-year-old countryside old woman had actually learned to drive so easily?

Even veteran drivers like them did not dare guarantee they could deliver goods in the dark through wind and rain without incident.

Who exactly was she?

If they had the chance, they had to meet her!

Unknowingly, the name Li Yunxi had already been remembered by many people.

╰───♡───╯

Dong Zhihong had already felt timid the moment he entered the city. Now, being called a useless coward in front of so many workers, being told he could not accomplish anything, made him wish he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

But unfortunately, he truly had accomplished nothing.

He did not even earn full work points.

There was not a single thing he could use to refute her.

He immediately felt so embarrassed and ashamed that he carried the child and left with his head lowered.

Sister Qin clapped her hands and shouted,

“Well cursed! Old Li, these children and grandchildren of yours really are disgraceful. You were right to curse them. That one who secretly cooks extra meals is your second son? And he’s a teacher? He isn’t even filial to his own mother. Is this how he sets an example for others? Won’t he teach his students badly too?”

The people around them joined in.

“Hurry up and leave. Stop embarrassing yourselves here.”

“Sister Li works here properly and legitimately. If you keep causing trouble, I’ll call the security team.”

“Don’t tell me you’re after Sister Li’s job and salary? You’re unfilial, and now you won’t even let Sister Li earn money for herself? You’re grown adults. Can’t you live on your own?”

“A teacher should have decent conditions, right? And you still want your mother’s coffin money?”

“Sister Li even gave away her house, and you still want to suck her blood. That’s far too heartless.”

With everyone chiming in one after another, Dong Zhijie and the others could not withstand it no matter how thick-skinned they were. They hurriedly ran away.

Everyone then crowded around Yun Xi, sympathizing with and comforting her.

Yun Xi waved her hand and smiled brightly.

“I’m fine. All of you are my brothers and sisters. I’m not lonely at all. On the contrary, I’m living very well.

From now on, the municipal government is my home, and all of you are my family!”

“That’s right! We’re all your family. Sister Li doesn’t need to fear anything!”

Everyone shouted enthusiastically, as though the distance between them and Yun Xi had instantly narrowed.

In contrast, the Dong family had not even had time to reveal their greed before they fled in disgrace like rats crossing the street.

When they returned to the village, many people asked curiously about what had happened.

Dong Zhiyong said angrily,

“My mom is impressive now. She’s a city government employee. She looks down on us now.”

Dong Zhizhi’s eyes were red.

“My mom has made it big and refuses to acknowledge us anymore. No wonder she divided the family and left. She went to the city to enjoy life on her own.”

The villagers were shocked and confused.

The Dong family only talked about how cold and heartless Yun Xi was, never mentioning how Yun Xi had scolded them for being unfilial.

The villagers were all muddled.

Getting a city household registration and working at the city government was an enormous good thing, wasn’t it?

From now on, her children would all surely flatter and support her.

She could simply take the offered way out, and the family could live harmoniously together.

So why was she refusing to acknowledge her children?

Someone quietly guessed,

“Could Li Yunxi have… found herself a new husband?”

“She definitely has. Otherwise, what old woman would dare refuse to acknowledge her children? Isn’t she afraid no one will support her when she’s old?”

“Aiyo, how does that work? She’s already in her forties. If she remarries and follows a new husband to live a good life, then she doesn’t want this family anymore?”

The brigade leader’s wife could not listen any longer.

With a stern face, she said,

“Go, go, go. What nonsense are you all spouting? After all these years, don’t you know what kind of person Sister Li is?

When she was a widow at her most bitter and difficult, she didn’t remarry. Why would she remarry now?

Even if she did remarry, what would there be to say?

Her youngest child is already grown, and the family has been divided. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Everyone can live their own life.

What do you mean, she doesn’t want her family anymore?

Back when Sister Li was at home, I didn’t see her enjoying any blessings.”

The brigade leader’s wife swept a glance over the Dong family members.

Everyone then remembered that Yun Xi had left in the first place because her children were unfilial.

How was this Yun Xi abandoning them?

Clearly, they had forced Yun Xi away.

Wasn’t it a good thing that she had found a decent place to live?

Thinking about it this way, the Dong family really was no good.

They had gone to the city and failed to bring their mother back. Then they returned and spread nonsense about her.

The crowd immediately changed direction.

“You lot should calm down already. You’re all old enough. If you can make your mother so angry that she refuses to acknowledge you, shouldn’t you reflect on your own mistakes instead of having the nerve to blame her?”

“Exactly. Isn’t she just working in the city? How does that mean she’s made it big? How does that mean she’s enjoying life alone?

People say daughters are their mothers’ intimate little cotton-padded jackets. Dong Zhizhi, how can you speak about your mother like that?

Even if she wants to enjoy life, isn’t that only right?

Your mother nearly died giving birth to you. During confinement, she still had to work and take care of you. If we really count it, you owe her a life.

And you’re still unwilling to let your mother enjoy life?”

The Dong family had not expected it to be so difficult to repair their image.

All of them lowered their heads and slipped home to hide.

When Dong Zhijie organized the building of his house, no one was willing to help.

In the end, he had to pay wages before he could hire a few strong laborers to help him build.

Their trip to the city had not changed anything on the surface.

But in their hearts, it felt as if weeds had grown wildly.

Even in their dreams, they thought about Yun Xi’s job and salary, imagining what wonderful lives they could lead if they took over her position.

It could be said that during this meeting, Yun Xi had barely exerted any effort, yet they were already tormented with envy and frustration.

Yun Xi once again became famous in the city government.

Now everyone truly knew that she had fallen out with her children and was living alone.

But this time, no one said she was lonely or heartless toward her children and grandchildren.

After all, who would like a grandson who cursed his grandmother to her face?

Even if she had meat, it could rot or be thrown away, but she would never give it to that grandson!

The people gossiping behind her back suddenly became fewer.

Yun Xi noticed that the strange looks also lessened and immediately felt much more peaceful.

Everyone was also very warm toward her, telling her that if there was anything she did not understand, she could ask, and if she needed help, she should speak up.

Of course Yun Xi did not stand on ceremony.

Every day, whenever she found characters she did not recognize while reading the newspaper, she asked someone. Whoever she caught, she asked.

She even frequently asked the mayor’s secretary about Russian pronunciation.

Gradually, everyone grew used to it.

This Sister Li truly loved studying.

Her thirst for knowledge was stronger than anyone else’s.

At one general meeting, the leader even specifically praised Yun Xi’s spirit of learning.

People always respected someone like that.

Yun Xi’s relationships at the work unit became better and better.

Even the cafeteria auntie gave her a little extra food every time.

Xiao Zhang also became much closer to Yun Xi.

He was someone no one at home cared for. He had relied entirely on his own intelligence and boldness to carve out a path for himself.

Not only could his family not help him, they often dragged him down.

Because of this, he often sighed that Yun Xi was such a good elder, yet her children failed to cherish her properly.

They were truly foolish.

The days passed one by one like this.

Yun Xi lived comfortably and skillfully at the work unit, while also madly absorbing the knowledge of this world and rapidly enriching herself.

One day, heavy rain fell, accompanied by strong winds.

Close to midnight, someone from the warehouse suddenly came running in a panic and knocked on Yun Xi’s door.

“Sister Li, Xiao Zhang hurt his leg in a fall. It looks pretty serious, but he insists on going to deliver goods. No one can persuade him. Please come help talk him out of it.”

As soon as Yun Xi heard this, she immediately followed them to the warehouse.

She saw Xiao Zhang limping toward the driver’s seat while others tried to stop him.

She hurried over.

“Xiao Zhang! How’s your leg? Why do you have to deliver goods right now? Leg pain can be serious or minor. You need to go to the hospital first.”

Xiao Zhang said anxiously,

“I received an emergency notice. A bridge outside the city collapsed, and they told me to go over immediately to transport supplies.

It’s the middle of the night. I can’t reach drivers from other factories.

If this gets delayed, people might die.”

As he spoke, he took another step forward. Suddenly, he bent over from the pain and gripped his lower leg tightly.

Yun Xi frowned.

“You’re sweating from the pain. Could it be fractured? You can’t drive like this at all. Forcing yourself to drive could be dangerous.”

At that moment, someone ran over through the rain, looking anxious.

They said they had made several phone calls, but no one answered. They had already asked the security team to split up and look for other drivers.

But with wind and rain this heavy, finding someone would be difficult.

And they did not know whether the other person would dare accept the job.

After all, this was Xiao Zhang’s work. Whether others accepted or refused, they would not be punished. Not everyone would be willing to take the risk.

Xiao Zhang was sweating not only from the pain but also from anxiety.

He grabbed the vehicle door and tried to climb up.

Yun Xi pulled him back.

“I’ll deliver it! You hurry to the hospital.”

Everyone’s eyes widened.

Xiao Zhang immediately objected.

“You’ve never driven before. How can you deliver it? No! Wouldn’t that be harming you?”

The others also began persuading her.

How had they failed to persuade one person, only for another to come make trouble?

Time was tight.

Yun Xi did not waste words with them.

She shoved Xiao Zhang toward the others. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. While they hurriedly caught him in confusion, she climbed into the vehicle.

Amid their anxious shouts, she drove the truck out, quickly circled around in front of them, and stopped steadily before them.

Yun Xi opened the door and smiled at Xiao Zhang.

“How’s that? Good enough, right?”

Xiao Zhang stared at her with his mouth open in shock.

“Sister Li, how… how do you know how to drive?”

Yun Xi patted the steering wheel.

“Of course it’s because you taught me well.

Everything’s loaded already, right?

I’ll cover your shift for one day. I guarantee I’ll deliver the goods.

Don’t worry about it. Hurry up and have your leg looked at.

You all watch him. I’m leaving.”

The others nodded subconsciously.

Seeing Yun Xi start the vehicle, Xiao Zhang quickly shouted,

“Sister Li, be careful! You have to be careful! You can’t get a single step wrong! Be careful!”

Inside the truck, Yun Xi waved her hand and drove away.

Although the wind and rain were fierce in the dark night and the road ahead was difficult to see, her five senses were stronger than ordinary people’s.

It was easy for her to avoid puddles and mud pits.

The truck drove fast and steadily, soon disappearing from their sight.

Xiao Zhang was supported on his way to the hospital, but he had yet to recover from his shock.

He knew exactly how much he had taught her.

He had always thought Yun Xi was only watching for fun.

He had never truly taught her carefully, nor had he ever let her try driving.

And yet Yun Xi had learned?

She had simply driven away?

And driven so steadily?

Could it be that Yun Xi had already known how to drive before?

But that was impossible.

At the very beginning, when he told Yun Xi about the truck’s structure and functions, she had clearly been completely confused and knew nothing.

The only explanation was that Yun Xi was extremely clever.

At the very least, far cleverer than he was.

That was why, under such limited conditions, she had learned so quickly and so well.

Thinking about it, wasn’t Yun Xi already clever?

She had nearly finished everything taught in the literacy class and could already read books and newspapers smoothly.

Her talent far exceeded that of many people.

Then Xiao Zhang thought about how Yun Xi had seen him get injured and had helped him cover his shift without hesitation.

The first time she drove, she had braved such heavy wind and rain to take the risk of delivering goods.

She was truly righteous.

Compared to his previous behavior of not teaching her sincerely, he felt very guilty.

Especially after the doctor examined his leg and said the fracture had almost become displaced, Yun Xi had essentially saved his leg.

Otherwise, he might have become lame, or even gotten into an accident while driving.

Xiao Zhang felt guilty and grateful.

He swore that when Yun Xi returned, he would teach her everything he knew, holding nothing back!

On Yun Xi’s side, she had finally gotten to drive a vehicle and was thoroughly enjoying the feeling of speeding through the wind.

She hummed a song while driving forward through the dark night.

After experiencing the joy of driving, the smile on her face grew wider and wider.

She had no idea how huge of a sensation her substitute driving shift had caused back at the work unit.

Everyone who heard about it said she had gone mad.

Some were worried. Some were shocked.

No one could sleep.

They gathered together, waiting for news of her.

With wind and rain this heavy, and this being her first time behind the wheel, could she have just driven herself to her death?

╰───♡───╯

Xiao Zhang, the delivery driver, was in his twenties. He was bold but careful. Back when other people saw a vehicle and did not even dare touch it, he already dared to get hands-on with one.

He was indeed clever. Whatever part he took apart, he could install it back exactly as it had been, guaranteeing he would not damage anything.

He had also gone to the capital and the provincial capital several times for further training, so his skills were quite solid.

At least in this city, whenever a factory’s vehicle broke down, they would invite him over to discuss repairs. It was said that he earned quite a bit of extra money on the side.

Xiao Zhang loved eating meat.

The first time Yun Xi met him, she stuffed two cans of meat into his hands.

After Sister Qin introduced them, she went back. Yun Xi looked at the large truck, her eyes shining.

“This truck is really impressive. I can tell at a glance that you take excellent care of it. You must put a lot of effort into it, right?”

Xiao Zhang laughed.

“This is how I make a living, so of course I have to take care of it. Sister Li, why do you want to learn how to drive? You don’t usually get a chance to drive anyway.”

Yun Xi squatted down and studied the truck’s various structures as she replied,

“I just find it fascinating. For the past forty-something years, I was stuck in the countryside and never saw much of the world. Now that I finally have the chance, of course I want to see and learn more.

I even signed up for literacy classes. I’m learning characters, numbers, and even Russian.

Then I heard you’re especially good with vehicles, so I wanted to learn a bit from you too.

You don’t have to teach me seriously. Just let me watch from the side. I’m only curious.”

The skills someone relied on to earn a living would naturally not be taught casually.

So Yun Xi spoke very lightly.

Sure enough, Xiao Zhang did not mind after hearing her.

Plenty of people had watched him drive and repair vehicles before. Hadn’t none of them learned?

Otherwise, he would not receive special treatment from all the factories.

The main issue was that other people were timid. They were afraid of breaking such a large machine. If they were always holding back, how could they possibly learn to repair vehicles?

A woman in her forties was even less likely to learn.

She was simply joining in the excitement.

So when Xiao Zhang inspected the truck, he let Yun Xi watch from the side. They chatted as he worked, and she could even help hand him a wrench or something while he took a few bites of the canned meat.

Sometimes, when they were loading or unloading goods, Yun Xi would lend a hand and carry a few things.

Her great strength shocked the group of grown men, and each of them gave her a thumbs-up.

Occasionally, when the weather was hot, Yun Xi bought Xiao Zhang an ice pop or handed him a bottle of soda. At the very least, she would take out a handful of sunflower seeds.

Little by little, Xiao Zhang became more and more accustomed to Yun Xi watching nearby. When he drove or inspected the truck, he would casually mention a few things to pay attention to.

In truth, Xiao Zhang simply felt she posed no threat. He treated her like his own aunt and spoke casually.

He never imagined Yun Xi could actually remember it.

Drivers from other factories had to take out notebooks when listening to him talk about these things.

But Yun Xi had once been a demonic cultivator.

Although lightning had destroyed her cultivation, her soul was still far stronger than an ordinary person’s.

She did not have perfect photographic memory, but after seeing something three to five times, she would remember it.

Xiao Zhang did not even notice the things he casually said every day.

Yun Xi, however, firmly stored them all in her mind.

Many people in the municipal government soon knew of Yun Xi’s existence.

First, she had saved the mayor’s family, so everyone understood without saying that they should not offend her for no reason.

Second, after starting work, she interacted warmly with people. Whenever she had free time, she ran to the warehouse to watch Xiao Zhang work on vehicles. She was especially interested in trucks. Everyone found it novel and amusing.

It was the first time they had ever seen a little old lady who liked vehicles.

Of course, it was also the first time they had seen someone her age attending literacy classes every day and even learning Russian.

Whenever people brought her up over tea or after meals, they sighed.

“You really have to get along well with your children. Otherwise, you’ll end up like Sister Li, all alone with nothing to do all day, forced to look for things everywhere just to pass the time.”

They thought Yun Xi was too lonely, which was why she filled her schedule so tightly.

In reality, Yun Xi wanted to understand this unfamiliar world as quickly as possible.

The original owner was indeed illiterate. The characters Yun Xi herself knew were traditional characters. Of course she needed to learn the writing system here as soon as possible.

That way, she could understand more of this world’s wonders through books.

Besides, in the future, if she transmigrated to other worlds, it might come in handy.

Some people even teased her.

“Sister Li, how’s your driving study going? When are you going to take it for a spin?”

Yun Xi smiled.

“Whether I get to drive or not, I’ll learn first. Look at how many people have bicycles now. What if one day small cars become affordable too? I can drive then. Even if I never get to drive, it’s not a loss. I’ve broadened my horizons.”

Everyone laughed.

In their hearts, they thought she truly had no family burden. One person fed meant the whole household was fed.

And she still said it was not a loss?

She had given away canned meat and soda. If those things were given to one’s own grandson, he could be raised into a plump little boy.

They had all noticed that Xiao Zhang had gotten fatter recently, and that was because Yun Xi had been feeding him.

They had truly never seen an old lady like Yun Xi, who completely ignored her children and grandchildren.

No one knew exactly how deep the conflict between her and her descendants was.

Once people’s curiosity was stirred, it did not take many days before they saw Yun Xi’s children and grandchildren.

The Dong family waited an entire month and still did not see Yun Xi return.

Unable to stand the strange looks from the entire village any longer, they discussed it and decided that no matter what, they had to bring Yun Xi home.

Whether life was good or bad, they could not keep carrying the reputation of being unfilial.

As long as Yun Xi returned and they shut the door to live their lives, this bad reputation would slowly fade.

Every day, they went to the brigade leader’s house to make trouble.

Only the brigade leader had issued Yun Xi’s household registration transfer certificate, so only he knew which work unit Yun Xi had gone to.

In the end, the brigade leader could not withstand them anymore and told them.

Only then did everyone learn that the work unit accepting Yun Xi’s household registration was actually the city government!

What kind of existence was the city government?

To the villagers, it was like the doorstep of officialdom, something they could not touch in their entire lives.

Being able to go to the city government was incredibly impressive.

If someone had a proper job inside, it would absolutely be the glory of the entire village.

But Yun Xi, that little old lady?

Was that possible?

The Dong family came to the city government half-believing, half-doubting.

Although they threw their weight around at home, once they reached the city, they instinctively felt inferior. They could not even straighten their backs.

When they asked the gatekeeper about someone, their faces were full of ingratiating smiles.

“Uncle, do you know Li Yunxi? She’s my mother. She said she works here.”

The gatekeeper heard this and looked them up and down several times.

Then he said meaningfully,

“Oh… so you’re Sister Li’s children?”

He glanced at the two children behind them.

They were probably Yun Xi’s grandson and granddaughter.

Both looked rather timid and shrinking.

Their temperaments did not resemble Yun Xi’s at all.

Yun Xi was open and confident. She was much more pleasant to look at.

Dong Zhihong’s eyes lit up.

“Uncle, my mom really works here? What kind of job does she do?”

The gatekeeper gave him no pleasant expression.

“You’re her son, and you don’t know what kind of work she does? Wait by the roadside. I’ll have someone call her.”

Dong Zhihong squatted by the road and quietly cursed a few times.

What was that old man acting so proud for?

The old woman had a municipal government job now.

As long as she transferred that job to him, he would be an employee here too.

When the time came, wouldn’t this old gatekeeper have to smile ingratiatingly at him?

Dong Zhijie also began imagining things.

The city government!

Every department had to give this place some face.

If he could give a few gifts and speak to the right person, maybe he could be transferred to an elementary school in the city.

Then he would truly transform his life.

But judging from the gatekeeper’s attitude, could Yun Xi have been spreading stories at the city government about her children being unfilial?

Wouldn’t that ruin his chance of transferring to a city elementary school?

Other people’s mothers sacrificed everything for their children.

Why was his mother so good at dragging them down?

As for Dong Zhiyong and Dong Zhizhi, their hearts burned with excitement.

Both felt that, as the younger children, the job ought to be passed to them.

Under their eager, longing gazes, Yun Xi soon came out.

Beside her was the enthusiastic Sister Qin.

Sister Qin was afraid Yun Xi would be soft-hearted and suffer a loss, so she specially came along to support her.

The moment Dong Zhizhi saw Yun Xi, she rushed forward and linked arms with her.

“Mom! It was just a few arguments at home. How could you really leave? You don’t even know how much I’ve been thinking about you!”

Wang Huijuan hurriedly choked out,

“Mom, if you didn’t want to use the money to buy Zhihong a job, we didn’t say anything. But you left just like that, and everyone in the brigade is cursing us for being unfilial. They’re practically driving us to death.”

Dong Zhijie sighed and advised,

“Mom, now that your anger has cooled, come back with us. This really doesn’t look good. Besides, with you out here alone, we can’t feel at ease.”

Each of them acted as though they cared deeply about Yun Xi.

Yet their words and expressions all accused Yun Xi of being unreasonable, making everyone see how helpless they were.

It happened to be the lunch break.

Some people were going to the cafeteria for food, while others came over to watch the excitement.

Everyone was surprised that Yun Xi had so many children and grandchildren.

Were all of these the ingrates?

Yun Xi pushed Dong Zhizhi away and put her hands on her hips.

“What kind of accusation are you trying to pin on me this time?

Are you going to say I have long hair and short insight again, that I’m uneducated and unreasonable?

Or are you planning to wrong me by saying I’m making trouble and not being a loving mother?

I was a widow who raised the four of you siblings into strong, healthy adults.

Anyone whose brain hasn’t taken in water knows how well I treated you.

Then look at me.

I’m as thin as a stalk.

My blood was almost sucked dry by all of you.”

Everyone looked.

The contrast really was quite obvious.

The Dong family members were not fat, but they were definitely not thin either. One could tell that they had eaten decently and had not gone hungry.

Yun Xi, on the other hand, looked lean and wiry.

It was said that she had been nourishing her body all this time, yet her health was still not as good as her children’s.

Who had sacrificed for whom was obvious.

Those children clearly wanted to ruin her reputation outside.

They really were ingrates.

Yun Xi gave them no chance to argue.

She pointed at Dong Zhizhi and asked,

“I divided my own room and gave it to you. Where is that room now? You and your third brother sold it, didn’t you?

And now you want me to go back?

Where am I supposed to sleep, on the ridge between fields?”

Then she pointed at Wang Huijuan.

“When a tree grows large, its branches divide. All I did was divide the family and come to the city to work. How exactly did that drive you to death?

If you haven’t done anything shameful, you don’t fear ghosts knocking at your door.

What did you do to make people curse you for being unfilial?

Go find whoever cursed you. Stop trying to use me as your banner.”

“And you!”

Yun Xi pointed at Dong Zhijie.

“You and your wife hide outside every day, secretly eating good food, and you won’t even share a mouthful of soup with me. And you’re worried about me?

The sun must be rising from the west.”

Then Yun Xi saw her grandson secretly glaring at her from behind Wang Huijuan.

She reached out, dragged him forward, and slapped him.

“What are you glaring at? Have you rebelled against the heavens? Try glaring at me again!”

Her grandson jumped in fright and burst into loud sobs.

“Old shrew! Old shrew! Let me go! Don’t expect me to be filial to you in the future. I’ll lock you in the storage room and teach you a lesson!”

The crowd erupted in uproar.

Everyone was stunned by the insults that had spilled so naturally from the child’s mouth.

What did a child this young understand?

He must have remembered those words because he heard adults say them.

Yun Xi secretly felt pleased.

She had known that starting with this boy would bring a pleasant surprise.

She tossed her grandson toward Dong Zhihong and sneered.

“You want to teach me a lesson?

What ability do you have to control me?

Your house was given by me.

Your entire family was raised by me.

What have you ever accomplished on your own?

And you still want to teach me a lesson.

I think you have short hair and short insight too.

You’re a useless coward.

Aside from your old mother, who has ever looked up to you?

Now you can’t even teach your son properly.

Be careful when you grow old, or your son might lock you in a pigsty!”

Didn’t the eldest son spend every day insulting her?

Then she would insult him right back.

Let’s see who had a stronger ability to withstand pressure.

╰───♡───╯

Because the incident happened so suddenly, and because Yun Xi had seized the initiative from the start, the entire village overwhelmingly sided with her.

Even if some people felt that Yun Xi had gone too far, that moving to the city was unreliable, and that perhaps she had been tricked, they still all agreed that the Dong children were a pack of ingrates, each more unfilial than the last.

Just look at how far they had pushed the old woman!

And so, amid their wailing and crying, the brigade leader helped Yun Xi divide the family property.

Yun Xi rolled up a few pieces of clothing, stuffed them into a bag, and hurried off to catch the ox cart.

The villagers did not even have a chance to pull her aside and ask more questions. For a moment, everyone looked at one another, only then realizing that they did not even know where Yun Xi was going.

Fortunately, the brigade leader told them that Yun Xi had transferred her household registration and that a real work unit had accepted her. Only then did they believe that Yun Xi had not been deceived.

Thinking about it, that made sense.

She was a forty-five-year-old old woman.

What would anyone trick her for?

The Dong family’s front gate was tightly shut.

Several people sat dejectedly in the courtyard. The men smoked, the women cried, and from time to time they cursed Yun Xi under their breath. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. But none of them dared to be loud.

They only felt as if dark clouds had gathered over the Dong family.

Their reputations were completely ruined.

It was practically as though the words “unfilial” had been carved onto their faces.

Wasn’t it just mentioning buying a job?

If she didn’t want to buy it, then fine.

How had things escalated to this point?

When it came time to cook, they searched the entire house but could not find any grain. Only then did they remember that the family division had been so chaotic, they had forgotten to ask where the grain was.

Where had those several large sacks of rice, flour, and soybeans gone?

They had not seen Yun Xi take them.

If she had not divided any grain to them, what were they supposed to eat for the next few months?

The group wandered around like headless flies for a long time.

In the end, having no other choice, they went to the cellar to get potatoes to eat as their meal.

Dong Zhiyong and Dong Zhizhi looked at Yun Xi’s room.

Earlier, the promise of that room had shut them up, so they had stopped making trouble.

But now that they thought about it, what was there to divide in that broken room?

The roof leaked when it rained.

The earthen walls were worthless.

It had been built more than ten years ago.

Wasn’t it basically junk?

Every person was dissatisfied.

And the more they looked at one another, the more displeased they became.

Dong Zhizhi cried,

“It’s all Eldest Brother’s fault for being selfish! If he hadn’t demanded eight hundred yuan, Mom wouldn’t have divided the family!”

Dong Zhiyong pointed at Dong Zhihong and cursed,

“You talk every day about being the eldest son, but you don’t act like one at all. You’re the one who took the most benefits. You’re nothing but a disaster!”

“I’m your older brother! You dare curse me? I’ll beat you to death!”

Dong Zhihong’s anger surged. He grabbed a shoulder pole and swung it at him.

Dong Zhijie frowned as he looked at them, then pulled his wife and child back into their room.

With disgust, he said,

“The whole family shares one kitchen. If we keep living with them, this kind of fighting might happen every day. We need to find a way to sell this house and build another one elsewhere. Only then can we live our good days in peace.”

Wang Xuefen hesitated.

“But we’re still short a lot of money. If we build a house, we’ll have to borrow money. How long would it take to pay that back?”

Dong Zhijie was quite confident.

“I’m a teacher, and you’re the scorekeeper. We’re much better off than others. Are we really afraid we won’t be able to pay it back?

You go borrow some from your parents’ family. I’ll borrow some from my colleagues at the village school. Let’s gather the money quickly and build the house. Then we can spend New Year’s in our new home and get an auspicious start.

Who knows? Maybe in the future, I’ll find a way to transfer to a school in the city, and we’ll become city people too.”

The two of them looked toward the future and felt that it would surely be wonderful.

Although they had not received any money this time, there were so many people in the family that they would not have gotten much even if money had been divided.

For them, escaping this large family was already a good thing.

As for what happened to the old woman, they did not care in the slightest.

In any case, after the old woman spent some time away and returned, by reason, she should live with the eldest son’s family.

Even if she wanted to live alone, she would have to argue with the third son and the others to get her room back.

That had nothing to do with their second branch.

Dong Zhiyong and Dong Zhizhi also thought of this.

Although they disliked how shabby Yun Xi’s room was, they still went to ask around among the educated youths who wanted to move out of the youth dormitory and young couples who wanted to split from their families, asking who might be willing to buy the room.

Only money in their hands truly belonged to them.

Because of this, even more people secretly cursed them for being unfilial.

Yun Xi had only just left.

Everyone thought that after a few days, once she could not stay outside any longer, she would return. When the time came, her children could lower their heads, and the conflict would pass.

But now they were already trying to sell the room.

Wasn’t that cutting off Yun Xi’s path of retreat?

No one wanted to wade into the muddy waters of the Dong family.

The Dong family’s rooms did not sell.

In the end, after they gritted their teeth and lowered the price considerably, two educated youths finally bought the second branch’s room and Yun Xi’s two rooms.

The eldest branch of the Dong family was petty.

Afraid the others would take advantage of his household, Dong Zhihong immediately put up a fence in the middle of the courtyard.

As a result, the courtyard became narrow.

Every day, going in and out felt stifling and uncomfortable.

All of this had been given to them by Yun Xi.

Their resentment toward Yun Xi grew heavier and heavier.

Every day, they thought that when Yun Xi came back, they would properly teach her a lesson and make her understand that once a person grew old, they had to obediently listen to their sons.

Otherwise, when old age left them with no one to rely on, they would have nowhere to cry.

Would Yun Xi return?

Of course not!

Right now, she was living freely, practically like an immortal. She had long since tossed that pack of ingrates to the back of her mind.

Her luck was good.

The village she had transmigrated into was right next to a fairly large city.

Although it was the 1970s, the city had developed quite well. It had all kinds of factories. The workers laughed and chatted as they went to and from work, looking full of energy.

There were also several universities.

The university students looked refined, their faces filled with pride and hope.

It was just that the college entrance examination had currently been abolished, and admission was based on recommendation. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. According to the original owner’s memories, even when the college entrance exam was restored in a couple of years, there would be age restrictions.

Otherwise, Yun Xi would have wanted to try taking it herself, just to see what all those people yearned to study in university.

In the department store, goods filled the shelves in dazzling variety.

Televisions and bicycles were displayed in the middle.

Inside the counters were exquisite watches.

Beautiful blouses imported from Haishi were even hanging on the wall.

After staying in the city for several days, Yun Xi felt that leaving the village had absolutely been the right decision.

If she had stayed in the village, she would have dealt with dust flying everywhere, chickens crowing, dogs barking, and still had to work in the fields.

Otherwise, she would be accused of avoiding labor.

Even eating something good would draw gossip.

How could that compare to now, where she stayed clean every day and ate delicious food at the cafeteria?

The municipal government cafeteria served very good food, and the portions were generous.

If she did not have enough grain coupons, she could exchange a sufficient amount of grain for food at the service window.

Yun Xi had brought all the Dong family’s grain with her.

An entire family’s grain was now being used by her alone.

It was more than enough.

If there was meat, she exchanged for meat.

If there was no meat, she still exchanged for two tasty vegetarian dishes.

Every meal filled her stomach, and her complexion improved at once.

Sister Qin, a coworker in the Logistics Department, joked,

“Our work unit really does nourish people. Look at Old Li, she’s much more energetic than when she first arrived.”

Yun Xi smiled.

“Of course. I even want to buy some vanishing cream and eat some nutritional supplements. My body was terribly depleted before. I have to nourish it properly, don’t I?”

“Then after work, let’s go to the supply and marketing cooperative together. I happen to have some unused coupons. I’ll exchange them with you. You can get some malted milk powder, red dates, brown sugar, things like that. They’re guaranteed to work.”

Sister Qin became enthusiastic.

She knew that Yun Xi had fallen out with her children and was now earning money for herself and spending it on herself.

Some of the industrial coupons distributed by the unit could not all be used, so Yun Xi was happy to enjoy food and drink.

Sister Qin usually could not bear to indulge herself, and she had quite a few cloth coupons, milk powder coupons, and the like in hand.

It was perfect for the two of them to trade.

Yun Xi did not stand on ceremony either.

After work, the two went shopping together.

She had obtained this job in exchange for saving lives.

The one thousand yuan in her hands had not yet been spent.

Now that she had Sister Qin’s coupons, of course she bought whatever she could.

First, she bought cloth and cotton to make quilts, mattresses, pillows, and curtains.

Then she bought a water bottle, a mirror, vanishing cream, hair ties, clothes, pants, blouses, and even shoes.

She also bought malted milk powder, brown sugar, and other items.

Bag after bag, she used up all of Sister Qin’s coupons.

Sister Qin was stunned beside her and hurriedly stopped her.

“That’s enough, enough! It’s too much. We’re out of coupons, so take it easy. Why did you buy so much?”

Yun Xi smiled.

“I’m short of everything. These are all things I can use for a long time. One purchase will last for several years. This is not the kind of thing I should save on.

Besides, I treated myself badly for the past several decades. At my age, who knows how many days I have left? If I have the means, I should treat myself better. Don’t you think?”

Sister Qin thought about it and realized that made sense.

She also felt somewhat sympathetic toward Yun Xi.

Although her own large family had its share of frustrations, overall they were harmonious.

Someone like Yun Xi, whose children were unfilial, was seen by everyone as a lonely and pitiful person.

So Sister Qin did not think Yun Xi was being wasteful.

Instead, she said,

“If you’re missing anything else, just tell me. I’ll help you find people to exchange with. Our municipal government may not have much else, but we don’t lack coupons.”

That was still a modest way of putting it.

The benefits at the municipal government were quite good.

Compared to other places, they lacked nothing.

Things like towels, toothpaste, washbasins, and enamel mugs did not even need to be bought. They were always distributed during holidays.

Yun Xi’s current monthly salary was twenty yuan.

The benefits were good.

She still had grain and savings in hand.

Her little life was incredibly comfortable.

As for others constantly thinking she was pitiful and sympathizing with her, what of it?

It made speaking and handling matters more convenient for her.

She received a lot of goodwill.

Wasn’t that better than having people think she was an unloving mother and gossip about her?

On their way back, even with Yun Xi’s strength, carrying so many things left her tired.

And that was with Sister Qin helping.

If she had been alone, she would not have been able to carry everything.

She watched the small cars and buses drive past on the road and sighed.

“How convenient would it be to have a vehicle? You put everything inside and don’t even have to walk.”

Sister Qin burst out laughing.

“Old Li, you really dare to dream. Even our mayor doesn’t have his own private car. He uses the municipal government’s car. For ordinary people like us, having a bicycle is already amazing.”

Yun Xi thought to herself that according to the original owner’s memories, in the future, most families would be able to afford small cars. There would be so many cars on the roads that license plate restrictions would have to be imposed.

She had to live to a hundred and properly watch the changes of the era.

When the time came, she would also go online and play with a cell phone.

But returning to the present, she still needed to live well in this era first.

Watching the car drive away, Yun Xi casually said,

“One should still have dreams. I wonder whether learning to drive is hard. It shouldn’t be difficult, right?”

After all, so many people in the future could drive.

“That precious thing isn’t something just anyone can drive.

Look around. If someone knows how to drive, they can become a tractor driver. Delivering goods every day earns quite a bit, and wherever they go, people flatter them and serve them good food and drink.

Driving is a proper technical skill. We don’t understand it.

Speaking of which, in our municipal government, only the mayor’s driver and Little Zhang from warehouse deliveries know how to drive.

Xiao Zhang is capable. I heard he can even repair vehicles.”

Yun Xi’s eyes lit up when she heard that.

“Then I’ll go ask Xiao Zhang to teach me. Even if he won’t let me drive, touching the vehicle is fine too. I just like vehicles.

Sister Qin, help introduce me to him.

Here, these two bottles of canned fruit will count as my thank-you gift.”

Sister Qin jumped in fright.

So that was why Yun Xi had bought canned yellow peaches even though it was not a holiday or special occasion.

It turned out they were for her.

She hurriedly refused.

She was merely exchanging coupons with Yun Xi. How could she accept something from her?

Yun Xi pressed down on her hand.

“I’m unfamiliar with everything in the city. Sister Qin, you’ve helped me plenty. You’re even helping me carry my bags right now. If you keep refusing, you’ll be treating me like an outsider.”

Sister Qin accepted them with embarrassment.

In her heart, she thought that Sister Li was such a good person.

For her to be driven into cutting ties with her children, it must absolutely be those ingrates’ fault.

Sister Li was so pitiful and such a good person.

She had to take better care of her.

Tomorrow, she would introduce Sister Li to Xiao Zhang.

╰───♡───╯

The mayor’s secretary worked very efficiently. The very next day, he took Yun Xi to complete all of her employment paperwork and then led her around several offices to introduce her to everyone.

No one who worked in the municipal government was stupid. Nothing needed to be said explicitly. Everyone was already very friendly toward Yun Xi. After making a few inquiries about her afterward, they became even more cordial.

She was even assigned a private room in the dormitory.

Although it was small, tucked away in a corner, and farther from the restroom and washing facilities than the other rooms, Yun Xi was delighted to have a place to herself. She specifically treated the mayor’s secretary to a meal.

The secretary did not refuse.

Relationships lasted longest when favors flowed both ways. After all, this was the savior of the mayor’s family. Becoming a little closer could only be beneficial.

After staying one more day at the mayor’s house, Yun Xi finally returned to the village.

The first thing she did was go to the brigade leader’s house to return the bicycle. She even brought a strip of pork with her.

“Brigade Leader, sorry for borrowing your bicycle for two days. Take a look, not a scratch on it. I was very careful.”

Just like the original owner, Yun Xi walked in as if she were family, sat down on the heated kang bed, and immediately started chatting.

The brigade leader’s wife was curious about why she had not returned for two days. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. She said that if Yun Xi had not come back soon, they would have had to send people out to look for her.

Yun Xi wiped at her eyes.

“Isn’t it all because of my unfilial children? My son wants my coffin money, my grandson calls me a shrew, and my daughter and daughters-in-law think I’m embarrassing. Tell me, what’s the point of living anymore?”

The brigade leader’s wife jumped in fright.

“You mustn’t think like that! If children misbehave, you scold them or beat them. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have my husband go teach them a lesson. But you absolutely can’t give up on life!”

Yun Xi sighed.

“Sister-in-law, this time I’ve figured things out. At our age, what are we still working for? If children and grandchildren aren’t filial, then we should treat ourselves better.

You know what?

I got lucky in the city and met a wonderful older sister willing to help me. She found a job for me.

I’m about to start working.

Oh, and Brigade Leader, I’ll need you to help me with the paperwork to transfer my household registration. In the future, if you ever need ration coupons, come find me. I can trade for them with the food we have in the countryside.”

The brigade leader and his wife exchanged glances.

Both were a little stunned.

When they tried asking more questions, Yun Xi refused to elaborate.

Then they thought about it.

Finding a job was already difficult enough. Transferring household registration was even harder.

Of course she would keep that kind of thing secret.

And besides, now that Yun Xi was in the city, she was still willing to help them exchange ration coupons. They would have someone in the city they could rely on.

That was a good thing.

The brigade leader immediately issued the necessary documents without another word.

He did not dare try too hard to persuade her.

What if the old woman became upset and jumped into a river?

Then he, as brigade leader, would be in serious trouble.

Yun Xi also asked him to accompany her home and witness the division of the family property.

The moment she returned home, Yun Xi sneered.

Sure enough, putting everything into the Qiankun Mirror’s space had been the right choice.

Her room had clearly been searched.

Even the dust that used to sit in the cracks of the cabinet had been rubbed away.

And judging from the state of things, more than one person had gone through it.

The others hurried out when they heard movement.

“Mom, why did you come back so late?”

“Mom, where did you go?”

“Mom, did you buy the job?”

Yun Xi invited the brigade leader to sit down.

Then she crossed one leg over the other, pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds, and began cracking them leisurely.

“I bought the job.

For myself.

Today we’re dividing the family property.

I’m moving to the city, and from now on I won’t be taking care of any of you anymore.

You can run your own households however you want. That way you won’t have to spend every day complaining about me.

Let’s see whether you can actually live a good life on your own.”

“What?!”

Dong Zhihong’s eyes widened.

“You bought a job for yourself?”

He was both furious and shocked.

“Stop fooling around! You’re an old woman. What kind of job can you possibly do? What do you even know how to do?”

“What business is it of yours?”

Yun Xi looked at him with open disdain.

“I raised all four of you by myself and still managed to build houses and marry you off.

And what about you?

You can’t even support your own wife and child.

Yet you want to empty out my retirement savings.

What gives you the right to look down on me?”

The neighbors had already gathered to watch.

Dong Zhihong’s expression stiffened.

“Look at you, being unreasonable again. When did I ever look down on you? I’m just stating facts. Ask everyone here whether they’ve ever heard of someone your age buying a job. You were obviously scammed!”

“Even if I was scammed, it’s my retirement money. It has nothing to do with you.”

Yun Xi pulled a notebook out of her cloth bag.

It was filled with crooked numbers and misspelled characters. The original owner had used it to keep accounts.

She began reading aloud.

“When you were little, you got sick all the time. Every treatment cost more than ten yuan.

Then there were your school fees.

And despite all that, you still barely finished elementary school.

When you got married, building your house and furniture cost two hundred and thirty yuan.

Eighty-eight yuan was spent on your wife.

Then when your child was born, you kept shouting about being the eldest son and producing the eldest grandson, and you took another hundred yuan…”

If she had not calculated it, she would never have known.

Once she did, she discovered money everywhere.

Raising Dong Zhihong had cost a fortune.

Especially because Yun Xi repeatedly emphasized how many times Dong Zhihong had personally asked for money.

The villagers’ expressions toward him began to change.

Normally, the eldest son in a village family was the backbone of the household.

He did the most work, cared for his younger siblings, and helped his parents make decisions.

From the outside, the Dong family had seemed no different from anyone else.

Now they were learning that whenever anything happened in the family, it was Yun Xi who handled it.

The eldest son fought with his siblings over resources, avoided work, and looked down on his own mother.

What kind of person was that?

Wang Huijuan hurried forward and tugged on Yun Xi’s sleeve.

“Mom, why are you bringing all this up? It’s family business. It doesn’t look good for everyone to hear it.”

Yun Xi slapped her hand away.

“What’s wrong with letting them hear?

Today I’m settling all the accounts once and for all.

Otherwise, you’ll keep throwing mud at me later.

Do you think I don’t know you’ve been telling people I mistreat you?

Bah!

Since the day you married into this family, you’ve eaten an egg every two or three days. During your confinement after childbirth, there was never a day without chicken soup.

And you still say I mistreated you?

You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

Get out of my sight.”

Wang Huijuan immediately burst into tears.

“I never said that…”

The villagers began discussing it loudly.

“She never said it directly, but somehow I always had the impression she was suffering.”

“That’s because every time someone mentioned Aunt Li, Wang Huijuan would act like she wanted to say something but wouldn’t, and she’d always look upset.”

“Exactly! Wasn’t she deliberately misleading us? Turns out she’s been eating better than I do at home!”

Yun Xi then started reading through the money spent on Dong Zhijie.

Books, notebooks, writing supplies.

There had been plenty of expenses.

Because he was a teacher, he owned the most respectable clothing in the family.

He even had a pair of leather shoes.

His house had been built, and he had been married off as well.

Dong Zhijie and Wang Xuefen were both thin-skinned and cared deeply about appearances.

They hurriedly said,

“Mom, please don’t be angry. We know how hard you’ve worked all these years. Now that we’re adults, we’ll definitely be filial to you. We won’t ask you for money anymore.

Big Brother, hurry up and apologize too. Emptying out the family savings to buy a job for yourself was never appropriate.”

The way they said it made them sound very reasonable, as though all the blame belonged to the eldest son.

And sure enough, the villagers looked toward Dong Zhihong.

After all, this entire mess had started because of him.

Dong Zhiyong and Dong Zhizhi hurriedly joined in.

“Mom, we never got married or had houses built for us. You hardly spent anything on us.”

Yun Xi immediately replied,

“You two studied longer than everyone else.

And after finishing school, neither of you worked properly to earn work points.

How many years of labor did the family lose because of that?

All you did was grow bigger mouths to feed.

Wasn’t it just the other day that Third Brother was saying that if Eldest Brother got a job, he deserved one too?

Not one of you ever thought about me.

You’ve grown up without learning any useful skills, yet all you know is how to demand money from me.

Are you trying to suck me dry?

This is how things stand.

Today we divide the family.

From now on, whether your lives turn out good or bad, don’t come blaming me.

As for money?

There isn’t any.

I already spent enough raising all of you over the years.

I’m still wearing clothes from ten years ago.

The little money I had was used to buy myself a job, and that will be my retirement plan.

I won’t need any of you to support me in old age.

Everything left in this house will be divided equally.

The brigade leader and all the villagers can witness it.

From now on, everyone lives their own life.”

Dong Zhihong shouted,

“I refuse!

Everyone, tell me honestly. Has my mother gone crazy?

She spent all the money on some so-called job. Who knows whether she was scammed?

And now she wants to divide the family and move to the city.

How can anyone feel at ease about that?”

A few people had just begun nodding when Yun Xi jumped up and slapped him.

“You just want me to stay here as a workhorse until the day I die!

I spent my entire life sacrificing for all of you, and now that I’m old, you still won’t leave me alone.

What?

Are you trying to drive me to my death?”

“Calm down, Sister-in-law. Calm down!”

The brigade leader hurriedly intervened.

“Zhihong, enough already.

You’re always making your mother angry.

You complain that she’s ignorant and uneducated.

Now she wants to live on her own, so stop trying to stop her.

It’s not like staying with you has brought her any happiness.”

That statement practically nailed Dong Zhihong’s reputation for being unfilial to a pillar of shame.

Both he and Wang Huijuan desperately tried to explain themselves.

But Yun Xi continued speaking to the crowd.

“I work every day and earn full work points.

I pinch pennies and calculate every expense for this family.

And they complain that I’m stingy because I won’t let everyone eat until they’re stuffed.

Tell me, which family in this village can afford to eat as much as they want?

How am I supposed to tolerate that kind of accusation?

From now on, they can manage their own household.

Everyone can watch and see whether they actually manage to eat their fill.”

At that point, who could possibly persuade her not to divide the family?

Who could possibly tell her to keep living with the eldest son?

Wouldn’t that just be forcing her to suffer?

Some people were still confused and wondering whether Old Madam Dong’s life had really been this miserable all along.

But there were far more people who simply enjoyed the spectacle.

Before long, everyone was urging the brigade leader to divide the family immediately.

The second son and his wife were anxious too.

This was humiliating.

But things had already reached this stage.

It was obvious Yun Xi would never hand over the money.

For them, dividing the family was actually beneficial.

They would no longer have to secretly cook extra meals for themselves.

They could openly enjoy a better life.

After all, among the entire family, they had the best jobs and earned the most money.

In their minds, they were the real victims being drained.

So Dong Zhijie was the first to step forward.

“Then let’s divide the family.

Mom, you’re angry right now, so I won’t argue.

But once you calm down, don’t forget that we’ll still be filial to you.”

Seeing the situation unfold like this, Dong Zhiyong became frantic.

“This isn’t fair!

Eldest Brother and Second Brother both got houses and families.

I got nothing.

I’m the one taking the biggest loss!”

Dong Zhizhi was equally anxious.

“Mom, what kind of job is it?

Maybe… maybe let me take it instead?

I’ll give you half my salary every month.”

Ordinarily, that might have sounded reasonable.

But Yun Xi’s face remained completely cold.

Without giving the villagers any chance to mediate, she said directly,

“If you two had ever been filial, I would have given you everything.

But you’re both ungrateful ingrates.

You won’t even pour me a cup of water most days, and now you want to suck my blood too?

Get lost.”

She pointed at the house behind her.

“I’m moving to the city.

I don’t want my room anymore.

The two of you can split it.

I’ve already done everything I possibly could for you.

Back when I was still in confinement after giving birth, I got up to work so I could feed you all.

I damaged my health and shortened my lifespan.

For all these years, I never even allowed myself medicine or treatment.

I’ve done more than enough for you.

From now on, the greatest act of filial piety you can show me is leaving me alone.

Having children like you is the worst luck I’ve suffered in eight lifetimes!”

The siblings were being openly called unfilial in front of everyone.

They immediately burst into tears and started protesting.

The villagers had never seen anything like this.

Even when children truly were unfilial, mothers usually covered for them in public.

Who openly declared before the entire village that their children and grandchildren were unfilial?

From the sound of it, she did not even intend to associate with them anymore.

Everyone discussed it among themselves.

They all agreed that Yun Xi must have been completely heartbroken by her children.

Otherwise, she could never have acted this way.

After all, they still remembered the countless times she had fought with other people to defend her children.

Before long, every villager was pointing fingers and whispering about the Dong family.

It became the most humiliating moment of their lives.

╰───♡───╯