Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s
Chapter 174 - 167 Going Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside

Chapter 174: 167 Going Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside

As lunchtime approached, both Hu Weichao and Hu Weiwen returned home. It happened to be the year Hu Weiwen graduated from high school. At the moment, his face carried a hint of excitement mixed with some reluctance, making his expression quite rich.

"Brother Wei Wen, Brother Weichao, where did you guys go to have fun?"

Tian Xinhua greeted his cousins; he had a very good relationship with his cousins from his third aunt’s family and kept in touch by writing letters. Tian Sisi also happily greeted them. Hu Weichao was somewhat lively by nature. He had the best relationship with Tian Xinhua, and of course, he also got along well with Tian Sisi.

"We went to school. Big brother went to ask the homeroom teacher about being sent down to the countryside."

Before Hu Weichao could finish speaking, Zhou Yali couldn’t bother to chat with He Xuewen anymore. She quickly asked, "Wei Wen, have you figured it out? Is it really necessary to go to the countryside? Isn’t there a way to be exempted?"

"It’s not possible," Hu Weiwen explained to his grandmother. "Teacher Wang said that if I were an only child, I could be exempted, but we have two younger brothers in our family."

Tian Sisi’s interest was instantly piqued. This was a very characteristic term of the sixties and seventies in China, and there were even many experts abroad who specialized in studying it.

Yet what had become of Tian Manxing’s eldest son? Tian Sisi slowly reminisced. In her previous life, Zhong Juying had mentioned it once, during the time when the popular drama "Sinful Debt" was airing.

The TV series was about the story of left-behind children going to Shanghai to search for their family. When it aired, it caused a tremendous response.

Zhong Juying said that Hu Weiwen was also sent to Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, where he married a local Dai girl and had twin daughters. However, in the early eighties, he still returned to Shanghai, leaving his wife and children in Xishuangbanna.

After returning, he met a local Shanghai girl through the introduction of family elders and started a new family. They had a lovely son and lived quite happily.

However, some issues arose later on. Not long after "Sinful Debt" aired, Hu Weiwen’s twin daughters and their uncle from Yunnan showed up. Because Hu Weiwen’s ex-wife had gotten cancer and the family had no money for her treatment, they were also inspired by the TV drama. They sought help from a local journalist to find Hu Weiwen.

At that time, the incident blew up. Zhong Juying said that even the TV stations came to interview, and many people criticized Hu Weiwen as a heartbreaker. It caused his later wife to almost file for divorce, and Hu Weiwen himself became the subject of gossip at his workplace.

Because of this, Tian Manxing went back to stay at her maiden home for a while, visibly aging from the stress. She was thoroughly annoyed by the neighbors’ gossip in the lane. Just buying groceries would invite discussions; Tian Manxing, who had always been a strong woman, of course, couldn’t stand it and had to escape to her maiden home.

Later on, it was heard that the Hu Family gave some money for the ex-wife’s treatment, and the two daughters stayed with the Hu Family. However, those daughters were no easy deal. They continually opposed Hu Weiwen’s wife, making the house noisy and chaotic every day.

Thinking of this, Tian Sisi looked sympathetically at Hu Weiwen. Although she disapproved of Hu Weiwen’s actions of abandoning his wife and children, strictly speaking, it was not just one person’s mistake; it should be seen as a tragedy of that era.

Sigh, for the sake of family ties, she should still help her cousin out.

Zhou Yali was anxious. She pulled on Hu Yaohan’s sleeve and wiped away tears, "Yaohan, tell me what we should do. Wei Wen is about to go to those remote and treacherous places. I’ve heard there’s no water or electricity there, mosquitos as big as bees, no meat to eat all year round, not even water for bathing, and the beds are infested with fleas."

"Aiya, my poor grandson, how can he endure such hardship?"

The old lady wept softly, leaving Tian Sisi dumbfounded—how could the tears come so suddenly? In her mind, the mother-in-law who nearly tormented Tian Manxing into having a miscarriage should be the type like Mrs. Rong, but now the atmosphere seemed all wrong.

"Yali, don’t be sad, I’ll go see if I can pull some strings after dinner and try to get an exemption quota. Ah, don’t cry, the little one is here!"

Hu Yaohan cooed at his wife soothingly while wiping the old lady’s tears, the epitome of tenderness. Zhou Yali also remembered that there were guests at home and gradually stopped crying, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Then you need to be really careful, I can’t bear to see my grandson go to the countryside. My older sister’s granddaughter went to that godforsaken place, Xinjiang, and hasn’t come home for four years now. My sister’s eyes are about to cry blind!"

"Grandpa, Grandma, there’s no need to pull any strings. I’ve already signed up, and I’m set to leave in November." Hu Weiwen said quietly.

"What? You little rascal, where did you get such a big idea? Oh, my head’s spinning, I can’t catch my breath!"

Zhou Yali leaned breathlessly against the back of the sofa, muttering under her breath. He Xuewen and Tian Mantong both felt a bit awkward; they hadn’t expected their casual visit to result in such drama.

Hu Weiwen smartly fetched some cooling oil from the cupboard and applied it expertly to Zhou Yali’s temples and the philtrum. It seemed like a routine action.

"I could kill you, you disobedient thing, you’re driving me to my death. Yaohan, go find those connections quickly, see if you can erase Weiwen’s name."

After applying the cooling oil, Zhou Yali seemed to regain her energy. Her hand lingered over Hu Weiwen’s head for a long time but she couldn’t bring herself to hit him, instead turning back to Hu Yaohan to look for solutions.

At this moment, Tian Manxing and Hu Dingbei, who were in the kitchen, heard the noise and came out. After hearing the situation from Zhou Yali, Tian Manxing instantly lost her temper.

"Have your wings hardened, is that it? Do you have any idea how hard it is to work the fields in the countryside? At home, you can’t even be bothered to wash your own clothes, how could you handle farming and harvesting rice?"

Hu Weiwen spoke with confidence, for he truly wanted to go to the countryside, to a strange and distant place, to meet a group of unfamiliar friends—it was an exhilarating prospect for him.

A true man aspires to travel and achieve greatness; Hu Weiwen didn’t want to live forever under the wings of his parents, he wanted to break out from Shanghai and forge his own path.

At this moment, Hu Weiwen had no idea what kind of hardships life in the countryside would entail.

"I’ll beat you to death, you little beast!"

Tian Manxing was so blocked by her son’s retort that she couldn’t say a word, yet she was strongly opposed to it in her heart.

Having come from the countryside herself, she knew that these pampered young people from Shanghai would not be able to endure the hardship of being battered by the wind and scorched by the sun in the rural areas.

Unable to refute, Tian Manxing grabbed a feather duster and lashed out at Hu Weiwen. Zhou Yali was torn between anguish and anger. She turned her face away and simply stopped watching. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)

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