Chapter 1

The "Xiao Bai Lou" of the Machinery Plant.

Tang Qingqing took out the key hanging around her neck, inserted it into the keyhole, and opened the door to her home.

As soon as the door opened, she saw her mother Su Rong, full of smiles and affection, waving at her.

"Baby, come here quickly and greet Aunt Lu."

"Aunt Lu, hello."

Tang Qingqing greeted the unfamiliar Aunt Lu politely, her voice soft and gentle, capable of melting even the hardest heart.

"Good, good."

Lu Aihua looked her up and down, her face filled with admiration and surprise.

Thirteen-year-old Tang Qingqing stood tall and graceful, with rosy lips, white teeth, and skin like congealed fat.

Her face still carried a hint of childishness, yet she was already beautiful as if she glowed, and one could easily imagine how stunning she would be in a few years.

"Sister Su, your daughter is truly beautiful. With such looks, getting into the Art Troupe would be too easy. Even a wooden plank standing on stage could become the main attraction!"

Tang Qingqing was slightly surprised but obediently kept quiet.

After putting down her schoolbag, she proactively refilled their cups with tea, earning more praise from Lu Aihua.

Su Rong felt very pleased hearing this, but she did not show it on her face.

"You're too kind with your compliments. My daughter isn't that great."

"Sister Su, you're being too modest. I've seen many pretty girls, but few have conditions as good as your daughter's."

Su Rong's eyes lit up. "Do you mean there's a chance?"

Lu Aihua patted her chest. "Rest assured! If it doesn't work out, I'll wash your clothes upside down for a year!"

Su Rong couldn't hide the joy in her smile as she instructed Tang Qingqing:

"Baby, I bought fish and meat from the supply store today. You should let Aunt Lu taste your cooking later."

Tang Qingqing had a myriad of thoughts swirling in her mind but said nothing, obediently agreeing to go cook in the kitchen.

Lu Aihua was surprised. "Your daughter can cook too?"

Tang Qingqing looked like a porcelain doll, and one would think she never touched anything.

Su Rong smiled modestly.

"She's loved messing around with food since she was little. Even before she was tall enough to reach the stove, her skills were better than mine. Her three brothers and Old Tang now prefer her cooking over mine."

"Oh my, you're too good at raising children!"

"It's all her own doing; I never taught her. This child has always been clever and obedient."

"Beautiful and virtuous, when she grows up, your doorstep will be trampled by suitors! No wonder everyone says your family dotes on her. I'd spoil her too if I had such a daughter!"

"Speaking of which, it's a bit worrying. I'm fine, but her father and her three brothers just can't bear the thought of her marrying someday..."

Tang Qingqing swiftly prepared three dishes and a soup: sour cabbage fish, green pepper stir-fry, garlic spinach, and tomato egg soup.

While these home-cooked dishes weren't difficult to make, making them delicious required skill.

Lu Aihua praised the meal endlessly, saying that if she had a son around Tang Qingqing's age, she would definitely want Tang Qingqing as her daughter-in-law.

Everyone was happy for Tang Qingqing entering the Art Troupe.

Tang Qingqing hesitated. "What about my studies?"

"Girls don't need to study so hard."

Su Rong held her fair, smooth hand, her touch both gentle and strong.

"Your parents only hope that you can live a carefree and happy life. We'll pave the way for your future, so you don't have to worry about anything..."

"Pound, pound, pound—"

The door was suddenly pounded loudly, jolting Tang Qingqing from her pleasant dream.

Zhao Dahua's shrill voice yelled from outside: "Get up! Get up now! What time is it? Still sleeping in! You think you're some kind of lady, eating without working all day. If you don't get up right now, I'll peel your skin off!"

Tang Qingqing glanced out the window; the sun hadn't risen yet, and it was still pitch black outside.

Thinking about the dream she just had and listening to the curses outside, Tang Qingqing sighed softly.

"Sis..." Tang Qiaoqiao rubbed her eyes and sat up groggily.

"It's still early. Go back to sleep."

Tang Qiaoqiao couldn't keep her eyes open and fell back asleep upon hearing this.

The yelling continued outside, and Tang Qingqing got out of bed.

Opening the door, she saw Zhao Dahua with her hands on her hips, her mouth wide open, spewing curses like a water sprayer.

"How old are you? Do you still need me to wake you up every day? I shouldn't have given birth to you; no one in the village is lazier than you! Always looking like death warmed over, you're a harbinger of misfortune."

Zhao Dahua glared at her fiercely, raising her hand to strike Tang Qingqing.

Tang Qingqing nimbly dodged out of the way. Normally, she would have run off to wash the dirty clothes by the river.

But today, she stared at Zhao Dahua and asked, "Did you give birth to me?"

Zhao Dahua was about to continue her tirade when this sudden question stunned her, but then she erupted in fury.

She looked around and found a stick as thick as a child's wrist, aiming it at Tang Qingqing. "I'll beat you to death today! I never had a daughter like you! I raised you with all my hard work, and it’s all gone to the dogs!"

Tang Qingqing wasn't going to stand still. She darted left and right within the courtyard, evading Zhao Dahua entirely.

Just as she was about to dash out of the courtyard as usual, Grandma Wu emerged from the main house and sternly scolded, "It's not even dawn yet, what's all the commotion? Are you trying to bring more bad luck?"

Zhao Dahua snorted coldly. "This dead girl deserves a beating. She always causes trouble. She eats and drinks what I provide, yet doesn’t appreciate it and only opposes me. If I don’t teach her a lesson today, who knows what she’ll do next."

Grandma Wu's face darkened. This wasn’t just a reprimand for Tang Qingqing; it was clearly an indirect attack.

Ever since Zhao Dahua learned that Grandma Wu had given ten yuan as a wedding gift to her nephew's son, she had been causing trouble every day.

Her words were a clear warning: they still needed to rely on her family for support in their old age, so stop giving money away.

Grandma Wu was a widow. Her youngest child was born shortly before her husband fell to his death while chopping wood on the mountain.

She had given birth to eight children, raising five—three sons and two daughters.

Zhao Dahua's husband, Tang Jianjun, was Grandma Wu's fourth child, with two older brothers and one older sister.

Logically, she shouldn’t be expected to support her mother-in-law.

However, Tang Jianshe, the eldest, had polio and could barely walk, let alone do heavy labor. He married a widow in his thirties and had a daughter at forty, struggling to make ends meet.

Tang Jianguo, the second son, was adopted by a lonely relative after his father's death. He couldn’t be relied upon for support either, leaving only Tang Jianjun.

Although the family hadn’t officially split up, Zhao Dahua already treated everything as her own.

Grandma Wu taking ten yuan to help her natal family was like digging into Zhao Dahua’s heart and cutting her flesh.

Ten yuan!

How much could they save in a year? Ten yuan was enough to marry a well-off wife, yet Grandma Wu used it as a gift, which nearly drove Zhao Dahua mad.

If not for Grandma Wu’s strong personality, occasional financial support from the adopted Tang Jianguo, and powerful relatives, Zhao Dahua wouldn’t have tolerated such behavior.

Zhao Dahua couldn’t swallow this indignity and had been restless ever since.

Grandma Wu said, "Stop making trouble. If you delay Qingqing from tending the sheep, see how you explain it to the brigade."

This suited Zhao Dahua perfectly. "Then she won’t go. Xingwang is ten now; he can take over Qingqing’s job."

Rongshan Brigade had over two hundred people and three flocks of sheep, each tended by a designated person earning four work points.

Compared to fieldwork, tending sheep was relatively easy and earned good points, suitable for children and the elderly.

"But he has school; where will he find time to tend sheep?"

Zhao Dahua sneered. "What use is school in our village? Whether literate or not, everyone does the same work. Better to earn work points early."

Young people from cities who had finished high school were sent down to villages to do farm work, rendering their education useless. Zhao Dahua saw no value in schooling.

As for attending the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University and becoming an official, Zhao Dahua, despite believing her son was the best, didn’t dare to dream that high.

"Fine, if you insist on having Xingwang replace Qingqing, then Qingqing will go to school instead."

Zhao Dahua choked. "A girl, what use is schooling?"

While they argued, Tang Qingqing slipped away to wash the dirty clothes by the river.

Tang Qingqing pounded the dirty clothes with a stick, her mind preoccupied with last night’s dream.

She had dreamed about being the daughter of the adopted uncle several times. The dreams felt real, unfolding like stories, which made her feel strange.

She envied her cousin Tang Zhenzhen, born just ten days apart. They looked similar as children but led vastly different lives.

She had little memory of that family; their last visit to Rongshan Brigade was five years ago.

She remembered them looking different from villagers, especially Tang Zhenzhen, who was still talked about fondly.

Villagers said they looked identical as children, almost indistinguishable in matching clothes.

But as they grew up, one seemed to grow in the mud, the other in the sky, a stark contrast.

Most importantly, Tang Zhenzhen was doted on by her parents and brothers, unlike Tang Qingqing, whose parents treated her like an enemy.

Tang Zhenzhen had lived in the village for a few years until she was nearly four when her parents took her back.

Shortly after Tang Zhenzhen was born, her father, Tang Jianguo, was transferred to a remote area for the Third Front construction due to his exceptional skills.

Mother Su Rong followed later, but she had to care for three children, and Tang Zhenzhen’s poor health made travel difficult.

The new location was underdeveloped, with harsh conditions and dangerous wildlife, so they temporarily placed Tang Zhenzhen in the countryside.

Though Tang Jianguo was adopted, he kept his name and maintained contact with his family.

He was ten when adopted and always remembered his roots. His adoptive father encouraged him to stay connected, remaining unmarried and treating Grandma Wu as his only mother.

If it weren't for Grandma Wu's unwillingness, Tang Jianguo would have been willing to take on the responsibility of caring for her.

After Tang Jianguo was transferred back, he became the factory manager of the Agricultural Machinery Factory and brought Tang Zhenzhen with him.

From then on, the fates of the two sisters, who were roughly the same age and looked very similar, diverged dramatically, evoking sighs from others.

Tang Zhenzhen appeared in the village like a fairy, out of place among everything around her, and the sisters could no longer be as close as they were when they were young.

People also liked to compare the two, and their conclusion was always that comparing Tang Qingqing to Tang Zhenzhen was truly unfair to Tang Zhenzhen.

Not only did Tang Zhenzhen look good and come from a well-off family, but she was also exceptionally intelligent. What took others a year to learn, she could master in a month or even just a few days.

Tang Qingqing, on the other hand, was just an ignorant country girl, sometimes squatting motionless at the village entrance, seeming as if she were in a daze, not knowing what she was pondering.

Tang Qingqing didn't care about the outside world's evaluations; all her attention was focused on the footprints of Tang Zhenzhen and her family.

They wore either leather shoes or Warrior shoes, leaving footprints entirely different from those made by straw shoes or Liberation shoes.

Especially Tang Zhenzhen, whose small leather shoes had a slight heel, changing the point of force compared to other shoes.

Tang Qingqing's memory of them was through these footprints; she had forgotten what they looked like.

But for some reason, this year she often dreamed about their family, and the once blurry faces became particularly clear.

In her dreams, she was their daughter/sister, pampered and cherished, with no harsh words ever spoken to her.

Her reactions and emotions to their behavior were also very real, and she could still remember those feelings after waking up.

For example, last night in her dream, Tang Qingqing felt she wasn't really keen on joining the Art Troupe, which everyone else dreamed of, preferring to go to school instead.

But seeing her 'family' happy about her entering the Art Troupe, she couldn't bring herself to refuse, fearing she might hurt their feelings, and ultimately agreed, feeling regret deep inside.

Even though in the dream she eventually became the mainstay of the Art Troupe and grew to love the stage, there was still a lingering sense of melancholy.

Tang Qingqing didn't pay much attention to this dream and quickly dismissed it.

Others' good lives were theirs; living her own life well was most important. Thinking about those things was useless and only made her feel bad, so it was better to focus on the present.

When Tang Qingqing finished washing the clothes, the sky had just begun to brighten.

She carried the basin full of clothes home, halfway through when she was drawn to a tree.

The tree had a branch growing horizontally, with one section bare like a horizontal bar.

Several images flashed through her mind, making Tang Qingqing eager to try.

Looking around to make sure no one was there, she put down the basin, stretched her legs, and then, like in her dream, placed her leg on the chest-high branch.

Before Tang Qingqing could gasp in pain from the stretch, she heard a tearing sound.

Her face changed drastically, and she awkwardly lowered her leg.

Oh no!

Her patched and already short pants now had a large tear.

A breeze blew, and she suddenly felt a chill on her bottom.

"Pfft—"

A stifled laugh sounded behind her, clearly from a man.

Tang Qingqing nearly stopped breathing from fright, her face alternating between red and green, lacking the courage to turn around.

She hastily grabbed a piece of clothing from the basin and tied it around her waist, then hurriedly ran away with the basin full of clothes.

As long as I run fast enough, none of this happened!