A small alley in Jiangnan.
The textile factory renovated a small alley and planned to allocate housing to its workers and staff.
The housing allocation list wasn't even out yet, but the factory was already in an uproar due to a rumor—that in the middle of the night, the beauty queen of Workshop No. 2 brought her son to knock on the Party Secretary's door. Neighbors, awakened by the commotion, vaguely heard a sentence: "...We can't live in our house anymore. If you don't give me a place to live, I'll leave this son of mine at your house."
One person told ten, ten told a hundred, and the rumor happily ran wild in all directions.
Then something unexpected happened: the rumor, originally somewhat scandalous, now turned into a melodramatic family drama.
After the Party Secretary got off work, he saw the beauty queen and her son calmly sitting on chairs in his house, waiting for dinner. Seething with rage, he kicked the chair.
The chair toppled, and the little boy fell to the ground, crying loudly, "You kicked me... You told my dad to make a refrigerator for the factory, but you won't give my mom a house, and you even dared to kick me!"
The boy wailed so heartbreakingly, his voice carrying for miles. Several surrounding houses heard it and immediately, with lightning speed, cleared the Party Secretary's name.
While the neighbors were praising the Party Secretary for truly being devoted to everyone, they heard the boy wail again, "Last night, your wife asked why you didn't make a refrigerator for your own house, and you said you didn't dare let your birth mother know you had private money, fearing she would take it. Hey, Uncle, my dad really can't make any more refrigerators!"
That night, the Party Secretary's house was truly in chaos. Amidst the little boy's shocking cries, the Party Secretary's mother and his wife started fighting.
Both sides were equally matched in strength and fought to an irreconcilable deadlock.
The next day, the Party Secretary's mother went to the factory hospital to ask for high blood pressure medication.
She had a rural household registration and no medical benefits, so the Party Secretary had to take out his hard-earned savings to pay for her medicine.
His wife vehemently accused her mother-in-law of faking illness and, in a furious huff, packed her bags and went back to her parents' home.
—
All the workers and staff in the factory used every trick in the book, pulled strings, resorted to all sorts of underhanded tactics, and even used force. Finally, by the end of October, the factory leadership finalized the housing allocation plan.
The plan was posted on the notice board in front of the workshop.
Huang Ling stood before the notice board, feeling both happy and worried. Happy because she was allocated two bedrooms, but worried that her family and the workshop beauty queen's family would be living together, with two households sharing one kitchen.
At this time, their family of four only had one room. The children were already asleep, and the lights were out, but Huang Ling and her husband, Zhuang Chaoying, still found it hard to suppress their excitement.
The two fumbled their way to sit by the small table and discussed in hushed tones.
This dormitory building had poor sound insulation. The sound of footsteps in the hallway and the snoring of the neighbors were all clearly audible.
The couple sat in the dim moonlight and could still see the suppressed smiles on each other's faces.
Zhuang Chaoying instructed his wife, "Our family is the only one on this floor to be allocated housing, so for the next few days, we must be modest and absolutely not show off."
Huang Ling was afraid of waking the children, so she didn't dare to laugh, but the corners of her mouth still curved upwards. "Do I need you to remind me? I've already told the children not to be too talkative at school either."
Zhuang Chaoying said, "We can't hide it even if we try. Just don't show off too much and make people resent us."
Huang Ling whispered, "I really didn't expect..."
Hoàng Linh didn't elaborate, but Trang Sieu Anh completely understood what his wife meant. "You're a veteran employee, you get commended every year. In terms of years of service and position, allocating housing to you at the factory sets a good example."
Hoàng Linh nodded.
Trang Sieu Anh said, "That's right, one house divided into two units. So who will our neighbors be?"
Hoàng Linh wanted to speak but hesitated. After a moment's thought, she replied, "It's Song Ying. She and I aren't in the same workshop, so we don't know each other."
Trang Sieu Anh immediately caught the hidden meaning in his wife's words. "Is that bad?"
Hoàng Linh said, "When she was young, she was the famous beauty queen of the factory. She was truly beautiful and fashionable. I heard she's also very sharp-tongued. Her son is in the same class as Trang Xiao Ting. Our daughter says that boy is very stubborn and often gets criticized by teachers."
On the large bed, Trang Xiao Ting turned over as if waking up, causing the couple to immediately hold their breath.
Trang Xiao Ting turned over again and fell into a deep sleep.
Hoàng Linh lowered her voice even more than before. "She's the one who abandoned her son at the Party Secretary's house..."
No one in the factory was unaware of the story of the factory beauty queen abandoning her son at the Party Secretary's house, and everyone understood, so Trang Sieu Anh immediately let out an "Ah" of understanding.
Their home was on the second floor, so they could faintly hear the chirping of insects in the bushes downstairs.
For a moment, Trang Sieu Anh was lost in thought. "Do you think our family being allocated housing might, perhaps... be related to the nation's resumption of the college entrance examination?"
Hoàng Linh shook her head blankly.
Trang Sieu Anh said, "Before, high school students just went through the motions, teachers weren't motivated, and students didn't want to try hard. But ever since the newspapers announced that the college entrance examination would be held at the end of December, the education department leaders seem to be taking high school more seriously."
Hoàng Linh replied, "That's right. Even now, in the evening, people still come to you for help with homework. It's so noisy that our two children don't even have a place to do their own assignments."
—
The nation hadn't held a college entrance examination for 10 years, so there were no reference books on the market. As a result, most people didn't know how to register or fill out their preferences.
Trang Sieu Anh was a high school math teacher at the textile factory's affiliated school, so he immediately became the center of attention and was consulted by everyone.
For two months, people constantly flocked to him with questions, and most of the others came to copy his lesson plans.
Their entire family only had one room, so their lives were severely affected.
Hoàng Linh had her reservations, but as it concerned everyone's lifelong future, and these were also the children of her colleagues, she could only try to convince herself, "Just bear with it a little longer. It's for the college entrance examination, and it's only two months anyway."
By the end of December, 5.7 million candidates aged 14 to 32 across the country entered the examination halls.
Trang Sieu Anh had worked tirelessly at home and school for two months. By the time of the exam, he breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he could finally rest a bit.
But he had barely relaxed for long when he received a letter from the education committee, informing him that he had been selected to participate in the local examination grading work.
This was because he had been a high school teacher for many years, came from a good family background, and was a Party member.
And those participating in the grading would be centrally quarantined.
—
When Trang Sieu Anh received the notice, he couldn't believe it; his head swam and his eyes blurred.
He hadn't expected that he would also qualify to be a college entrance examination grader.
He only had a vocational high school diploma and had never taken the university entrance exam himself, so he always harbored an instinctive awe for the words "university entrance exam."
Before the principal handed him the letter from the education bureau, he hadn't known he still had a direct connection to the university entrance exam.
The principal said, "It's been ten years since the university entrance exam, so the work is a bit disorganized.
No one is very clear on the exact grading procedures.
Grading requires centralized isolation, and we don't know how many papers need to be graded or for how long.
Discuss it with your family and let me know. If there are family difficulties, you don't have to go."
Trang Chao Ying gripped the official document tightly, his palms sweating, then he said firmly, "Yes, I'll go."
Trang Chao Ying rushed home to tell Huang Ling about it and began to pack.
Both husband and wife were stunned. Huang Ling frantically pulled blankets and bedding from the cupboard and tied them with nylon rope, asking, "Besides blankets and clothes, do we need to bring anything else?"
Trang Chao Ying was also very confused. "They only said blankets, bedding, clothes, and personal items are needed."
Huang Ling picked up the enamel mug on the table and said, "Mugs and face towels are definitely needed. You go get the toothpaste and toothbrush; I'll find the towels."
Trang Chao Ying went to get the toothpaste and toothbrush, while Huang Ling opened the five-drawer cabinet to get new face towels.
Accidentally, she saw several small bottles of medicine inside and remembered her husband's stomach wasn't good. So she quickly found stomach medicine and various cold remedies, wrapped them in a face towel, and stuffed them into the enamel mug.
After a while of bustling, the blankets and bedding were bundled, and clothes and personal items were put into a leather bag.
The washbasin and thermos were put into a mesh bag.
At this moment, Trang Chao Ying was ready to leave.
Huang Ling hesitated and asked, "Should we tell Tu Nan and Xiao Ting?"
Trang Chao Ying thought for a moment. "I don't know if it's allowed to be talked about outside. To be safe, don't tell anyone. The children are quick to blurt things out, so just tell them I'm going on a business trip."
Huang Ling trembled slightly. Trang Chao Ying knew his wife was worried and scared, so he comforted her, "It's just grading exams. I'll be back once I finish correcting the papers."
Trang Chao Ying took the carrying pole from under the bed, then put the items into the two ends of the pole and went downstairs.
Huang Ling silently followed behind.
In the open space of the residential area, children were playing.
Their eldest son, Trang Tu Nan, and youngest daughter, Trang Xiao Ting, were also among them.
Trang Chao Ying chuckled and told his two children that he had to go on a business trip for a few days.
Trang Xiao Ting curiously asked, "Where are you going for your business trip, Papa?"
Trang Chao Ying was startled for a moment before vaguely replying, "Not too far."
Trang Tu Nan was a bit older, so he felt something was off and asked, annoyed, "Why do you have to bring blankets for a business trip? Are you going to a rural school?"
Huang Ling stopped her son from asking further, then took the two children to see her husband off at the bus stop.
Trang Chao Ying, carrying the pole, hurried onto the bus. On the way, he had to transfer to another vehicle and then walk for ten minutes to reach the isolated grading location, which was a facility belonging to the city's railway bureau.
Inside, there was a guesthouse and an office building.
The guesthouse was not open for business to outsiders at this time. Beyond the gate, security was extremely strict, with multiple layers of guards.
Trang Chao Ying was led by a guard into the guesthouse to rest and get settled, then he was taken into the office building.
All the desks in the office had been pushed together to form a large table. In the middle was a stack of exam papers, and beside it, several teachers, pens in hand, were bent over, writing something.
When they saw Trang Chao-ying, they enthusiastically stopped writing, stood up, and introduced themselves.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, an old teacher, in few but meaningful words, explained the situation: "This year's college entrance exam is too rushed. From the announcement to the actual exam, there were only two months, so even the provincial education authority doesn't have a definitive answer. We have discussed and agreed that you teachers will take the exam once, then we will look for several high-scoring papers to reference the students' problem-solving methods. Finally, everyone will summarize and find a standard answer for grading."
Another teacher bluntly stated, "Our foundational knowledge isn't exactly... top-notch. After all, we've been out of it for many years, so the students' problem-solving methods might help broaden our perspectives. This way, grading efficiency will also improve."
The old teacher casually pulled out an exam paper and handed it to Trang Chao-ying. Trang Chao-ying lowered his head and saw that the answer on this paper was completely irrelevant to the question. On a math exam, the student had actually written out the first half of the poem "Qinyuanchun – Snow," and even made two lines of spelling mistakes. The old teacher explained, "Most students have extremely poor foundations. If they can't answer, they'll just write nonsense. Papers with standard answers are very rare. If you find a paper with high accuracy, please share it with the other teachers."
Trang Chao-ying began his isolated life of grading exam papers. During this period, teachers were not allowed to have contact with the outside world, nor were they permitted to leave the premises before the grading was finished. Over a hundred teachers were staying in dozens of rooms in the two-story guesthouse complex. Every morning, they ate breakfast in the guesthouse dining hall, then went to the staff quarters to grade papers. In the evening, they returned to their rooms together. Conditions at the guesthouse were harsh; there was no stove. Trang Chao-ying felt lucky that Huang Ling had insisted on giving him the thickest blanket and mattress from their home, so he wouldn't wake up cold in the middle of the night. Hot water here was also limited; each room only received one thermos of hot water per day, so Trang Chao-ying and his roommate had to use it sparingly. Daily necessities were even scarcer here. They couldn't go out to shop, so everyone had to share toothpaste, cold medicine, and other miscellaneous items.
Huang Ling didn't know if Trang Chao-ying's participation in the college entrance exam grading needed to be confidential, but out of discipline, she chose to keep it strictly secret. Colleagues and neighbors gradually noticed Trang Chao-ying's absence. He was a local, and his parents were in Suzhou, so Huang Ling couldn't lie and say there was something going on with his family. She could only vaguely reply, "Work requirements." Their two children could only pretend to be calm with their mother's vague explanation.
Before Trang Chao-ying returned home, the property management department officially distributed the keys, and the workers and cadres who had been allocated housing could now move in. Trang Tu-nan was a fifth-grader, a lanky teenager who was considered the main laborer. He helped his mother dismantle the iron stove, move furniture, and load coal briquettes onto the tricycle. Trang Xiao-ting had just started first grade, so she was still weak, but she helped pack clothes and did whatever she could. The family of three worked busily for half a day before making their first trip with the tricycle. Huang Ling held Trang Xiao-ting's hand and walked, while Trang Tu-nan drove the tricycle. The three of them walked side-by-side into the alley, following the house number on the key to find their new home. The alley was very deep. The further Huang Ling walked, the more her spirits sank.
The public tap and toilet were both at the end of the alley; the further away one's house was, the more inconvenient daily life became.
And wouldn't you know it, their assigned house was precisely the last one in the alley, an absolutely terrible location.
In the courtyard was their new neighbor, who had also just moved in.
—
Song Ying was truly fashionable; even while moving, she wore an exceptionally stylish outfit: a navy blue jacket and a turmeric-yellow turtleneck sweater. At first glance, she looked incredibly neat and sharp.
In stark contrast were her rustically dressed husband and their scruffy little boy playing with coal.
Song Ying quickly and brightly greeted them, "You must be Sister Ling, right? Lin Wufeng, this is Sister Ling; she'll be our neighbor from now on. Dong Zhe, say hello to Auntie."
Lin Wufeng hastily put down the water bottle in his hand and extended his hand to Huang Ling, "Sister Ling, it's a pleasure to meet you."
The little boy looked up when his mother spoke and smiled brightly at Huang Ling.
He looked very much like Song Ying, with delicate features and lovely eyes, extremely adorable.
Lin Dongzhe was about to open his mouth to greet her when he suddenly heard the voices of Zhuang Tunan and Zhuang Xiaoting outside the door. He immediately ran to the door and poked his head out.
The moment Lin Dongzhe turned and ran off, Huang Ling couldn't help but notice the boy's pants. There was a large hole in the seat, revealing his underwear. On the underwear, she could vaguely make out the characters 'urea'; it was likely that a urea fertilizer bag had been repurposed into underwear.
A good mother and capable wife like Huang Ling immediately felt annoyed with Song Ying.
She herself was dressed so splendidly, yet her husband and child were left looking so scruffy.
She suppressed the revulsion in her heart and exchanged a few pleasantries with Song Ying.
—
This small house had the common three-room layout: the middle room was the main living area, with two side rooms flanking it.
The textile factory had built a wall in the main room, dividing it into two smaller rooms.
Now, the three rooms had become four bedrooms, distributed between the two families.
Huang Ling was assigned the two rooms on the east side, so she and Zhuang Tunan carried furniture and belongings into the side room there.
Lin Wufeng proactively came to help, quietly carrying several heavy items inside.
With his help, that cartload of furniture was quickly moved in.
Huang Ling decided to rush back to their old house to move one more load.
But just as the family stepped out into the courtyard, they heard Song Ying's exasperated roar coming from the kitchen, "Dong Zhe, all the coal briquettes are ruined! Can't you be a little less destructive?"
Huang Ling rarely scolded or hit her children, so she silently criticized Song Ying a little in her heart.
Zhuang Tunan sat in the driver's seat, while Huang Ling and her child sat in the back of the cart. Then the entire vehicle drove out of the alley.
Zhuang Tunan drove very fast, the cold wind sweeping across their faces. Huang Ling surveyed the small alley on all sides and worried about how she would have to live with Song Ying in the future.
In the distance, sporadic firecrackers could be heard. Zhuang Tunan shouted loudly to overcome the wind, "Mom, the day after tomorrow is New Year's Day! Are we going to celebrate the New Year in our new house?"
Huang Ling snapped back to reality and replied with a smile, "That's right."
Zhuang Tunan continued to shout, "Just now, the neighbor uncle gave me a 1978 calendar. I'm going to stick it on the wall later."
Huang Ling asked in surprise, "When did that happen? How come I didn't know?"
Another tricycle sped past them. Zhuang Tunan, still a teenager and competitive, pressed the accelerator to chase after it.
The two tricycles chased each other, one in front, one behind, speeding out of the small alley.
Suddenly, the view ahead opened up, and a paved road stretched straight ahead.
Just then, Trang Đồ Nam slowed down, honking his horn to warn passersby to make way.
The dazzling sunlight, the cool air, the distant sound of the horn – Trang Đồ Nam felt a surge of freedom, joy, and ease in his heart, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Hearing her son's joyful laughter, Hoàng Linh couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle herself.
——oOo——