Rebirth in 1980: The Farm Wife Makes a Comeback
Chapter 341: Fate

Chapter 341: Chapter 341: Fate

In the evening, she closed the door, first took off her clothes and put on a cotton nightgown she had made herself, without wearing any underwear, not even a chest binder, and suddenly felt that her whole being was breathing more freely.

Binding her chest was indeed too uncomfortable. If she could endure it, she would—the winter months would arrive in a few months and she could wear looser clothing. At home during the summer it didn’t matter, but once at school, she would suffer.

Not afraid of causing any problems, she stretched comfortably, walked in front of the mirror and looked at the wound on her head.

Her hair had grown longer, now below her ears, reminiscent of a student’s haircut from the Republic’s era, with straight bangs that looked rather silly. However, most people had this kind of hairstyle nowadays, and she would get used to it. What pleased her most was that the hair on top of her head had grown significantly, and the scars were almost invisible now. Jian Zhiqing said that they were barely noticeable. Although she was not a perfectionist, the thought of having an extra scar on her head was indeed somewhat obsessive-compulsive.

She opened the drawer and took out the scar removal medicine, poured some on her head and started to apply it, not knowing how much ended up in her hair and how much on her scalp, but as long as her scalp was covered, it was fine.

After applying it, she crawled under the covers, the soft mattress sinking down. The scent of sunshine and laundry detergent on the quilt was very comforting. Sleeping in such a bed, she was bound to sleep well throughout the night.

However, she was startled awake by a nightmare in the middle of the night.

She touched her forehead and found it covered in sweat, her whole body drenched as well.

"Oh, life..." She breathed out a turbid breath and thought of the scene in her dream. Though it was a dream, she knew it wasn’t just that because it would happen, and soon.

The dream was about that alley.

In the alley, there was a mix of noise, many people now appeared around the alley, but none of them belonged to the alley. Originally, their families had lived there for generations, and though the place was not great and the environment was poor, it was still their home, a legacy left by their ancestors.

The houses were old, but the land they occupied was spacious, enough for several family members spanning generations to live in from before the liberation to after. No one knew how many people had died or how many had been born there over the years, all within this alley.

Life being born, life proliferating, bearing witness to the generations of people within this alley.

People aged, and so did the alley. Even when the people were gone, the alley remained.

People have a considerable attachment to their homes.

They say that even a golden or silver nest is not as good as one’s own dog den.

Originally, the family lived there peacefully. Even cramped in one room, they were willing; even though there were heartaches between sisters-in-law, they were united at heart. But now, with this demolition, everything changed.

It was fine for a family with only one son, it would all be his anyway. But with several sons, conflicts would arise. The divided properties could not possibly be as large as the original. Those commercial buildings might be nice, but they couldn’t house everyone—not a large family with several sons and daughters-in-law living together. That was simply impossible.

Who isn’t selfish at such times? Everyone started to focus on themselves.

The house was initially under the name of the parents, but if it were demolished, who would the house belong to afterward? Give it to the Eldest Brother, the Second Brother wouldn’t agree; give it to the Second Brother, the Eldest Brother wouldn’t agree; give it to Third, both Eldest and Second Brothers wouldn’t agree. But if it was given to none, all would be dissatisfied.

Thus, what had been a harmonious family began to argue. Some fought violently over the house, while others sought to gain more, resulting in several holdouts who refused to sign. Among them were Qin Xiangnuan and Jian Zhiqing. The authorities had visited several times but never found anyone, so they had to settle the original residents first, but these original residents were incredibly difficult and increasingly demanding. The visits became more frequent, and the arguments grew louder.

That night, as everyone was asleep and the alley was unusually quiet, the cats and dogs sprawled out everywhere. Occasionally, a gust of wind would pass through, rustling the old locust trees planted in each household.

Suddenly, in the tranquil night, there came a loud bang.

"Bark bark..."

The dogs barked frenziedly.

The dog’s owner cursed at the noise, but the dogs kept barking, and the lights in the houses began to turn on, one by one.

Not long after, a shrill scream echoed from somewhere.

A white-haired elderly lady lay on the ground, her limbs rigid, a dark red pool of blood spread around her. The old lady had jumped from the building, taking her own life.

The incident had a terrible impact. Not only did the whole Capital City learn of it, but the whole nation did too. It was such a significant influence that the government issued a notice, insisting on better handling the relocation work for road repairs. The relocation compensation was increased by nearly half, and those who had signed earlier deeply regretted their haste. Now, those who hadn’t signed reaped a huge advantage.

These people, using an old lady’s life, secured almost half more in relocation compensation.

Teacher Wang and Xie Yonghong were also lamenting. How could such a thing happen? Of course, they were among the early signers and felt a bit of a loss, but the deed was done, and they had obtained a big house, so they didn’t dwell on it much.

Everyone has their own fate, and they didn’t covet more. With such a big house, they could now establish themselves in Capital City.

"Have you read the newspaper?" Jian Zhiqing placed a newspaper in front of Qin Xiangnuan.

Qin Xiangnuan took the paper, which featured a large piece about the old lady’s suicide in the alley. Qin Xiangnuan had seen the old lady a few times; she had two sons, and although the family’s life was neither rich nor poor, the sons were likely the cause of the trouble. The old lady couldn’t cope and eventually jumped to her death. It was uncertain if the two sons grieved their mother’s untimely death or were happy to gain an extra house.

In the end, the old lady had fulfilled her two sons’ wishes with her life.

But how could they live peaceably in that house now?

"Do you still want to be a holdout?" Jian Zhiqing asked Qin Xiangnuan, "You don’t plan to hold out till the end, do you?"

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