country bumpkin

Chapter 62 Going to the City to Find a Job

In Xingfu Village, Aunt Du sat at the dining table, holding a bowl of hot, sticky rice porridge in her hands, slurping it down.

Song Ke's bowl contained only watery rice porridge and the water used to rinse the pot. Zhang Qingjiao held a cornbread bun in her hand, and on the table in front of her was a plate of pickled radish.

While eating, Aunt Du sighed and said, "Qingjiao, I'm so sorry to have wronged you. I'm not in good health and have to take medicine all year round. We're also heavily in debt. You've suffered because of us."

The family saved all the cornmeal they had for Zhang Qingjiao, which made her feel very grateful and ashamed.

Song Ke saved her life, and she ate her fill at every meal, while the others only ate half full.

They treated me so well, yet I couldn't offer any help. I felt a little ashamed.

Song Ke looked at his mother and said, "Mom, don't worry. I'll go out and find a job in a few days. I'll definitely be able to support our family."

Zhang Qingjiao heard the word "home," and it felt both familiar and strange. She stared blankly at the food in her hand, thinking that she seemed to have no home anymore.

When she was little, her home was with her mother, father, brothers, and sisters. After she grew up and got married, that was her husband's family home, not her own.

Now that she has no husband's family, where is her home? Aunt Du and Song Ke have been good to her, so perhaps their home can be her new home in the future.

She said, "Aunt Du, please recognize me as your goddaughter. I want to stay and take care of you to repay your kindness."

Looking at the beautiful and gentle girl, Aunt Du nodded, "Great! I'm so lucky to have a son and a daughter, which makes a perfect family."

Song Ke quickly stopped him, blushing as he said, "Qingjiao, can we stop being siblings and start as a family?"

Aunt Du and Zhang Qingjiao didn't understand what it meant, but once they recognized her as their goddaughter, they were family.

Aunt Du looked at him with suspicion, but Song Ke ran out of the house embarrassedly.

The remaining two exchanged a glance, their faces full of confusion. Zhang Qingjiao paused for a moment, then her face flushed slightly.

Aunt Du seemed to understand something, and slapped her thigh with a smile, "Oh dear, silly child, Ke'er likes you." Zhang Qingjiao's heart suddenly raced, and she lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes.

After taking a few deep breaths outside, Song Ke went back inside.

He mustered his courage and looked at Zhang Qingjiao, "Qingjiao, I don't want to be just your brother. I want to marry you and make you the true mistress of this house."

Zhang Qingjiao's heart skipped a beat. She looked up into Song Ke's sincere eyes, unsure how to respond.

Aunt Du laughed even more heartily, "Qingjiao, Ke'er is a good boy. Although our family is poor, he is kind-hearted and hardworking, and he will definitely not treat you badly."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Zhang Qingjiao gently shook her head. "Brother Ke, I'm sorry... I... I'm already married, and I'm not divorced yet."

Song Ke's eyes reddened with emotion as he tightly grasped Zhang Qingjiao's hand. "I don't care, as long as you don't mind that I'm poor."

Aunt Du looked at the two of them with satisfaction, hoping they could get together.

Zhang Qingjiao cried with gratitude and emotion, saying, "Brother Ke, actually I already have someone I like. But because my family didn't have the money to marry my brother, they arranged for me to marry a cripple. I work hard at my in-laws' house from dawn till dusk, and he still beats me, so I ran away."

After she finished telling everything, tears streamed down her face, as if she had used up all her strength.

Song Ke didn't blame her. He looked at her with heartache and said, "It's okay. Just pretend I didn't say anything today. You're still my good sister."

Song Ke lowered his head and said in a low voice, "However, if one day you let go of that person, I hope you can look at me."

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Looking at her dejected son, Aunt Du felt a pang of sadness. Although she also wanted Qingjiao to be her daughter-in-law, she couldn't force this poor girl.

Zhang Qingjiao hugged Aunt Du and wept bitterly. Aunt Du gently patted her back and comforted her, saying, "Child, these hard times will eventually pass, and everything will be alright."

A few days later, Zhang Qingjiao decided to go back and confront her marriage. Ultimately, the problem needed to be resolved. So she said goodbye to Aunt Du and Song Ke and returned to her husband's family home.

She didn't want to keep running away, and she had a plan in mind. She went back to her husband's house alone to get a divorce, but as soon as she got home, her husband continued to beat and verbally abuse her.

This time, however, she didn't silently endure it; instead, she produced a divorce agreement. It turned out she had learned while working at the cannery that women could file for divorce.

Her husband, Zhu Zhiqiang, was shocked and firmly disagreed. Zhang Qingjiao, however, was no longer the submissive woman she once was. She recounted all the grievances she had suffered and stated that if he still disagreed, she would seek help from the police station. Ultimately, she successfully obtained a divorce.

When she returned to the village where Aunt Du lived, she was completely transformed.

She found Song Ke and told him that she had completely said goodbye to the past. Song Ke looked at her with surprise and joy, his eyes filled with love.

Seeing this, Aunt Du's face was filled with a happy smile. She thought that perhaps soon the two of them would fall in love.

Zhang Qingjiao still treated Song Ke with the affection of a brother. Song Ke, however, considered her his beloved.

He was waiting, waiting for Qingjiao to let go of the past and let go of the person in her heart.

After staying for two days, Zhang Qingjiao decided to go to the city to find a job. She wanted to earn money, be independent, and repay Aunt Du.

When Aunt Du heard that she was going to the city, she was worried about letting her go alone, so she said, "Why don't you let Ke'er go with you to look for a job? That way I'll feel at ease, and Ke'er can also find a job. You two can look after each other."

Song Ke nodded, but was also worried that if Aunt Du was alone at home, something might happen to her without anyone by her side.

Seeing his worry, Aunt Du said, "Don't worry, the old village chief often visits our house. If anything happens, I'll pass on a message to you. Besides, we're both kind-hearted neighbors, there won't be any problems."

Song Ke nodded. This was all he could do now. He had always wanted to go out and earn money, but he was worried about his mother. Now he had no choice. His family had too much debt, and he needed to earn money quickly to pay it off.

He said, "Okay, Mom, I'll listen to you. If you feel unwell in any way, be sure to go to the village chief or Uncle Li."

Aunt Du readily agreed, "Okay, okay, okay. Be sure to be safe while you're out there and take good care of Qingjiao."

Zhang Qingjiao hugged Aunt Du, her eyes red from crying, "Mother, you must take good care of yourself at home. We'll wait for Brother Ke and me to come back and take care of you."

The next morning, after breakfast, the two went to the station together and boarded a bus heading into the city.

Aunt Du did not see them off. She was in poor health and couldn't bear to watch them leave, so she decided not to go.

The two sat next to each other on the bus, and Qingjiao dozed off.

Song Ke kept looking out the window at the rows of trees reflected in the water, his heart filled with hope for the future.

I arrived in the city with a smooth journey and got off the bus. Across from the bus station, a stereo shop was playing classic pop songs.

"I want a home, a place that doesn't need to be fancy, a place I can think of when I'm tired. I want a home, a place that doesn't need to be big, a place where I won't be afraid when I'm scared..."

Qingjiao rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked at the bustling traffic and towering buildings in front of her, feeling both curious and a little scared.

Hearing the music coming from the audio equipment store across the street, she was moved to tears.

After comforting her, Song Ke carried the luggage and took Qingjiao to a cheap hotel to stay in.

The next day, the two began looking for work.

With his strength, Song Ke quickly found a temporary job at a construction site.

Qingjiao, however, encountered setbacks everywhere, either due to a lack of experience or limitations imposed by her gender.

Just when Qingjiao was feeling discouraged, she passed by a small restaurant with a notice posted at the door recruiting waitresses.

Qingjiao mustered up her courage and went in to ask. The boss saw that she looked well-behaved and agreed to hire her.

That evening, the two dragged their tired bodies back to the hotel.

Looking at Qingjiao's reddened eyes, Song Ke comforted her, "Today is just the beginning. Things will definitely get better and better in the future."

Qingjiao fought back her tears and nodded vigorously. They knew this was the beginning of a new life. Although it would be tough, as long as they worked hard, they would definitely be able to realize their dreams and repay Aunt Du.