Hi there, little angel~ If you're seeing this, it means your purchase ratio is insufficient. It was quite obvious that Ye Feng's parents looked down on her, and they couldn't even be bothered to maintain superficial politeness.
The way Ye Feng's mother looked at Fei Ni suggested she wasn't there to meet the parents, but rather as someone eagerly bringing gifts to curry favor—except the gifts were so meager she couldn't even be bothered to glance at them.
It would take at least eighty to a hundred people clamoring to bring gifts to the Ye family to cultivate the kind of haughty indifference Ye Feng's mother displayed.
Although Ye Feng's mother worked in a hospital, she wasn't in a clinical role. Her arrogance toward Fei Ni wasn't that of a doctor toward a patient, but rather that of a logistics leader in charge of resource allocation toward someone trying to ingratiate themselves. She didn't even need to say a word—a single glance was enough to convey her disdain.
Fei Ni didn't feel she was in any way unworthy of Ye Feng. The only difference between them was a diploma. If she could have taken the college entrance exam, she would certainly have passed. Even without a diploma, she could support herself—the clothes on her back and the food she ate were all earned through her own efforts. But when their conditions were weighed on the scales of marriage prospects, his parents clearly found her lacking.
Ye Feng suddenly suggested to Fei Ni, "Didn't you say last time that you could play 'Shajiabang' on the piano too? There happens to be a piano here—could you treat my ears?" After listening to the "Shajiabang" symphony last time, Fei Ni had mentioned that it could also be played on the piano.
Fei Ni immediately understood Ye Feng's intention. He wanted her to show off in front of his mother, to prove that the girlfriend he had chosen wasn't as unsophisticated as his mother thought. Even though she was just a middle school graduate, an ordinary factory worker, she could play the piano and even sing excerpts from "Shajiabang" while playing.
Fei Ni had learned to play the piano at school, practicing on the instrument donated by Fang Muyang's grandmother. During lunch breaks when others rested, she would sneak in to practice, occasionally playing some less politically progressive pieces as well. Back then, she dreamed that once she started working and had her own place, she would definitely buy a piano for her home. At that time, a piano was an unattainable dream—she only had a few cents of pocket money per day, while even the cheapest piano cost several hundred yuan. Moreover, her home was too small to fit a piano. After she started working and had disposable income, she found she could afford a used piano from a thrift store for just a few dozen yuan, much cheaper than a new bicycle. But she still had no place to put it.
So she could only go to the trust store to play, sticking strictly to politically progressive pieces. The trust store employees were on fixed salaries, unaffected by whether customers made purchases, and since pianos were large items unlikely to be stolen in broad daylight, they didn't monitor browsing customers too closely. Fei Ni took advantage of this, using piano viewing as pretext for practice sessions. Because she played politically appropriate music, even if people found her annoying, they couldn't do anything about it. She had stopped going last month after being recognized.
Fei Ni didn't want to play "Shajiabang," especially not to prove she was worthy of Ye Feng. Should she be taken for granted and neglected just because she couldn't play?
Fei Ni smiled and said, "I don't feel like playing right now."
She saw the flicker of disappointment in Ye Feng's eyes, and because of that disappointment, she felt somewhat disappointed in him too.Ye Feng's mother interpreted Fei Ni's "don't want to play" as "can't play," probably thinking she'd taken a few music classes in school and was flaunting it as an accomplishment.
"Do you often practice at home?"
Fei Ni knew she was deliberately trying to embarrass her by asking when it was clear her family didn't own a piano, but she answered frankly, "We don't have a piano at home."
Her expression and tone showed not a hint of embarrassment.
Ye Feng's mother put down her newspaper and became more talkative. "If you don't play the piano for a week, your skills get rusty. This piano was originally meant as a dowry for Ye Feng's sister, but she said she'd still want to play when she visits, so we had to keep it. Ye Feng helped a lot with his sister's wedding—he took care of all the tickets for the record player, television set, and radio."
At first, Fei Ni found the latter part of Mrs. Ye's remark abrupt, but she quickly grasped the subtext: the Ye family provided a generous dowry for their daughter, including not just the piano but also a record player, television set, and radio, unlike other families who relied on the groom's side to cover the costs.
Aunt Chen came out from the kitchen, and Mrs. Ye said to her, "Hold off on the sweet and sour fish—that's Yingying's specialty. She'll be here soon to show off her skills."
Ye Feng asked, "Why is she coming?"
"I've always treated Yingying like my own daughter. This is her home too—she can come whenever she wants. I even wish she could live with us forever."
Fei Ni finally understood why the Ye family, though unwelcoming to her, had the housekeeper busy in the kitchen early in the morning: it was for another guest. This girl named Yingying was likely their preferred daughter-in-law.
Ye Feng could no longer stand his mother's attitude, but he didn't want to confront her directly. Instead, he said to Fei Ni, "Let's go to my room and see if there are any books you'd like to read."
He knew Fei Ni had been slighted, but her face showed no sign of grievance—it remained gentle. This gentleness was a form of subtle arrogance, and compared to it, his mother's overt pride clearly fell short. It was this gentleness that had initially moved him. He'd even been surprised to learn Fei Ni worked at a hat factory, and visiting her home had been even more startling. Her home was too cramped, smaller than his bedroom, yet for her sake, he had repeatedly endured the narrowness and confinement.
The phone rang, and from Mrs. Ye's tone, it was the girl named Yingying calling.
Over the phone, Mrs. Ye said she had saved some lychees specially for Yingying to enjoy when she arrived.
Fei Ni had been there for a while but hadn't seen any lychees. She remembered the first time she ate lychees—it was Fang Muyang who had given them to her, saying no one in his family liked them and they'd go bad if left any longer. Many classmates had received lychees from Fang Muyang, and she was one of them.
"No, I should be going now," Fei Ni said, seeing she wasn't welcome and having no desire to stay.
"But we agreed you'd have dinner here. After the meal, I'll go wherever you want with you."
"I'll eat at home."
As Ye Feng tried to persuade her to stay, his mother interjected, "Since she has things to do, don't force her."
Mrs. Ye finally showed a slight smile and pointed to the pastries and tea Fei Ni had brought. "You should take these back for your parents to enjoy."
Fei Ni didn't refuse and directly picked up the pastry box and tea canister. As she turned to leave, she suddenly added, "I didn't drink the tea in the cup. You can just pour it out—no need to sterilize it specially."When the housekeeper poured tea earlier, both Ye Feng and his mother were given white porcelain cups, while Fei Ni was deliberately served in a glass.
Fei Ni left without a hint of reluctance, and Ye Feng chased after her. He grabbed her arm, his tone half-pleading, half-imploring, and said, "Come back inside. Do it for my sake."
His parents hadn’t shown her the slightest consideration, but Fei Ni didn’t want to point that out. She still smiled and said, "I’d rather eat at home. If I used your family’s bowls and chopsticks, your mother would have to sterilize them specially. That’s too much trouble."
"The cup was just randomly picked by Auntie Chen. It’s not what you think."
"It’s nothing. There’s nothing wrong with being hygienic—after all, she doesn’t know what kind of germs I might carry. But she didn’t have to make it so obvious, as if she were afraid I wouldn’t notice."
Ye Feng knew perfectly well that his mother had done it on purpose, but he insisted it was a misunderstanding. He didn’t want Fei Ni and his mother to be on bad terms, especially since they would have to live together after marriage. If he insisted on moving out to start a small family after getting married, his work unit would assign him a room. But competing for limited housing when his family had more than enough space would harm his reputation. Besides, the conditions at home were far better than outside.
Fei Ni didn’t want to argue anymore, her voice tinged with unmistakable weariness: "Right, your mother didn’t mean it. You should go back and eat."
"Didn’t we agree to eat together? Let’s go for Western food. My treat."
Without even informing his family, Ye Feng followed Fei Ni downstairs.
Seeing that Ye Feng was serious about leaving with her, Fei Ni softened her tone: "Go back. I don’t feel like eating out today."
"Wherever you’re going, I’ll come with you."
"Ye Feng, I think we both need to reconsider things."
"I have nothing to reconsider. My mother’s attitude doesn’t represent mine. It’s me, not my parents, who’ll marry you. Isn’t it unfair to reject me because of them?"
Ye Feng had the kind of face suited for a husband—handsome in a dependable way. As a section chief at the Radio Industry Bureau, in an era when television sets, record players, and radios were all rationed, many people sought his help. Yet there wasn’t a trace of arrogance in his demeanor. Fei Ni felt he was different from his parents and decided to give him another chance.
In the end, Fei Ni did eat with Ye Feng, at the same restaurant where she and Fang Muyang had first gone together.
It took Fei Ni several seconds to confirm that the young man two tables away was Fang Muyang.
She knew exactly what he looked like; what puzzled her was why he was here again. Sitting across from him was a man in a blue casual suit, the white in his hair suggesting he was at least fifty.
Fang Muyang also noticed Fei Ni. Their eyes met for a few seconds before Fei Ni looked away first.
The man opposite asked Fang Muyang, "See someone you know?"
The middle-aged man, surnamed Fu, was the head of a publishing house and an old classmate of Fang Muyang’s mother. The publishing house was running this training program.
"A friend."
Fang Muyang called over a waiter and ordered an extra Creamy Baked Fish, a Stewed Beef Casserole, and two plates of ice cream for Fei Ni’s table.
He told the waiter, "Put these on my bill."
President Fu asked him, "Shouldn’t you go over and say hello?"
"She might not want to talk to me right now."President Fu couldn't help but feel an extra measure of admiration for this young scion of the Fang family. A decade had passed with everything changed beyond recognition, yet Fang Muyang—despite years of re-education by the poor and lower-middle peasants—still carried himself with the air of a frivolous playboy, spending whatever money came into his hands today without a thought for tomorrow. Even when others showed no interest in him, he would deliberately add dishes to their order just to provoke a reaction.
He very much wanted to talk with Fang Muyang about his mother. Back in their university days, she had once treated him to a Western meal at a restaurant far more authentic than this one. But the past contained too many sensitive topics, many unsuitable for public discussion, so he could only pick and choose his words carefully.
Years of political turbulence had cultivated in President Fu the habit of ensuring private conversations remained inaudible to outsiders. His voice now reached Fang Muyang's ears with perfect clarity, while any third person would struggle to make out his words.
"Your parents originally thought there were too many intellectuals in the family, so they wanted you to become a factory worker after middle school. If you could enter a factory now, it would fulfill their wishes."
What President Fu said was true, but he omitted one crucial point: if Fang Muyang attended the training class now, he would still be registered as an Educated Youth, liable to be sent back to the countryside at any moment. However, if he first became a factory worker and then transferred to the training class to draw sequential pictures, his situation would be entirely different.
"The training class can't provide dormitory accommodation. Perhaps you could ask the Office of Educated Youth to petition the housing bureau on your behalf—see if they can allocate one room from your family's original residence to you."
Had the college entrance examination been restored just one year earlier, Fei Ni would have had other opportunities to change her destiny and wouldn't have married Fang Muyang.
Fei Ni was the third child in her family. Since childhood, she had been in poor health, and both her elder brother and second sister had always doted on her. When the three siblings shared an apple, she alone would eat half of it.
After graduating high school, her brother had answered the call to settle in Inner Mongolia as an Educated Youth. He could have taken over his parents' factory positions, but unwilling to let his sisters endure hardship, he insisted they take the family's two factory slots instead. Fei Ni's second sister replaced their father at Textile Factory No. 2, and two years later, Fei Ni took their mother's place at the hat factory, making hats.
After starting work, Fei Ni would save all her monthly wages and food ration coupons after contributing to the household expenses. Whenever she learned of Educated Youth returning from Inner Mongolia for visits, she would take out her savings to buy plain biscuits sold by weight at the store, packing each jin into separate tin containers. These tins she would wrap in newly sewn clothes, then convert any remaining local food coupons into national ones to send along with the parcels to her brother. Thoughtfully, she always included new towels and soap for his washing needs. In every letter, her brother insisted he had enough to eat and urged her to stop sending biscuits—there were too many hungry people around him, and what she sent was never enough to share. He told her to keep the food coupons for herself since he could manage meals on his own, and asked her not to send clothes either, as he rarely bathed more than a few times a year, making good clothes a pure waste.
During her brother's sixth year as an Educated Youth, Fei Ni's second sister married a colleague from Textile Factory No. 2. Their parents raised no objections, but Fei Ni alone disapproved, fearing her sister would suffer in the marriage. The groom was an only child whose father had died early, leaving him to care for his paralyzed mother in a single room of a tube-shaped apartment.Second Sister said that having feelings was more important than anything, but Fei Ni argued that emotions were a matter of the spirit—she could keep thinking of him without marrying him, yet her body couldn’t endure sharing a room year-round with a paralyzed elderly woman. Fei Ni’s theory of separating the spiritual from the material failed to move her sentimentally-driven Second Sister. Like Columbus discovering the New World, Second Sister uncovered the hidden pragmatism beneath her younger sister’s innocent facade.
In the end, Second Sister married the accountant. Fei Ni used the cloth tickets she had saved to buy a piece of fabric she had long desired but couldn’t bring herself to purchase. Now, steeling her resolve, she bought it and, together with some buttons she had collected earlier, made a dress and a blouse as a wedding gift for Second Sister.
Their family of five had once been crammed into a mere dozen square meters in a tube-shaped apartment, with one room partitioned into two. When Fei Ni started middle school, the family began dividing the space by gender: she, Second Sister, and their mother took the inner room, while their father and eldest brother occupied the outer one. After Eldest Brother went to the countryside as an Educated Youth and Second Sister married, the home finally felt less crowded. Out of pity for their youngest daughter, their parents gave her the inner room to herself, while the old couple moved to the outer space.
The kitchen and toilet were shared with others, and even washing clothes at the water room meant being surrounded by a crowd. Staying silent amid so many people felt like a luxury, and Fei Ni passively learned to make small talk.
What she found most unbearable was the mingled smell of rapeseed oil and lard. Every evening during dinner, the odor would drift in from the hallway and seep into her nostrils.
Only books offered her some solace. The bookstore sold only a limited selection, so she scavenged university textbooks from an old man who collected scrap paper. After wearing them out from reading, she started memorizing dictionaries—English and Russian—even finding amusement in the example sentences. Once, she unexpectedly discovered a Shakespeare volume among a pile of discarded items. Reading was her sole pleasure. Books held no promise of wealth or status; even though she had never ranked below second place in exams since childhood, she was never selected for worker-peasant-soldier university recommendations. At daybreak, she still had to return to the hat factory, making the same style of hats day after day. Sometimes she thought it might be better to join the Educated Youth in the countryside—at least the rural areas were vast and not so cramped.
Propaganda claimed that the vast countryside offered great opportunities.
But it was just a thought. She had heard that villagers weren’t exactly welcoming Educated Youth who came to compete for their food. Her Eldest Brother struggled even to secure enough food and warmth in the countryside. He had been there for seven years, with no hope of returning to the city. She wrote to him, urging him to work hard and strive for a worker-peasant-soldier recommendation to university.
On her days off, aside from reading, Fei Ni spent her time pedaling the sewing machine to make clothes for others. With the money she earned and the cloth tickets she exchanged, she made a Dacron blouse for her mother and Second Sister, bought two pairs of nylon socks for her father, and sewed a dress for Eldest Brother to give to the village party secretary’s daughter, hoping to improve his chances of a university recommendation. She saved the shampoo, snow cream, and soap for Eldest Brother to use as gifts, using ordinary soap to wash her own hair.
The factory leadership once spoke to her, hinting at a potential transfer to the factory office. But nothing came of it. Someone else was transferred—the daughter of the finance section chief, a person who mispronounced "clear" as "track."” Not long after, the chief’s daughter was recommended for university. Fei Ni remained at the hat factory, making hats.
Since the college entrance exams were abolished, universities had admitted many semi-literates with only an elementary school education, Fei Ni thought resentfully. Yet if given the chance to become classmates with these semi-literates, she would gladly accept it.No one gave her this opportunity.
Despite being fluent in two foreign languages—English and Russian, capable of reciting Shakespeare's sonnets, and having self-studied calculus, no one recommended her for university admission. In fact, if others knew she was reading Shakespeare, they would likely label her as a backward element.
She read in the newspaper about a girl who, for two years, had persistently cared for a young worker from the same factory who was disabled in an accident—all in her spare time. The girl was honored as an advanced worker in the factory and received a recommendation for university admission.
Fei Ni was not a particularly noble person, but if it meant going to university, she was willing to devote herself to caring for a stranger at her own expense.
She was tired of making hats every day; that wasn't the life she wanted.
Thinking of Fang Muyang, who had also been recognized as an advanced worker, Fei Ni decided to visit her classmate in the hospital.
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