Money is a person's backbone.
He wilted.
The first few days had been exhilarating with all the novelty before his eyes.
The endless stream of cars, the lights that never dimmed, the foreign vegetables eaten raw, the women with crimson lips, even the pet dogs strutting down the street in clothes.
Everything was right there in front of him, leaving him marveling in amazement. He was utterly satisfied with the city—it seemed worthy of his journey.
But after a few days, the city's prosperity only highlighted his inadequacies.
His limited worldview, his lack of sophistication, his clothing, his speech, his social graces—even his accent was off, becoming a source of ridicule.
The few extra books he had read were enough to make him strut around the village, but the city had no shortage of such things.
Middle school graduates, high school graduates, even college graduates—they were everywhere.
A decent job was nowhere to be found. Teaching was out of the question now; even kindergartens wouldn’t hire a man who had dropped out of middle school.
After half a month of searching, he still hadn’t found a proper job, and the money he’d brought with him was dwindling fast. His confidence crumbled, his backbone gone.
Tian Baozhen, on the other hand, was faring better than him.
Pretty, sweet-tongued, and eloquent, she was also willing to endure hardship. Before long, she had become a small supervisor in a garment factory workshop. In her spare time, she even enrolled in some cram school, determined to earn a diploma.
She also had more friends than him and quickly settled in, imitating the city girls—letting her hair down, powdering her face, wearing high heels, dabbing on perfume, and sporting an endless variety of short earrings. She was indistinguishable from the urban women.
In the end, it was Tian Baozhen who pulled strings to get him a job.
He worked as a compound mixer in a rubber factory, living in the dormitory with meals provided. Aside from the exhaustion, hardship, and monotony, he was satisfied—at least the pay was better than back home.
He thought of his ancestors, who had made a living by planting rubber trees, while he now scraped by processing rubber. In the end, he had followed in his father’s footsteps, never escaping that cycle.
But at least it was a step up—more technical, more skilled. He often consoled himself with that thought.
Endure. As long as he endured long enough, his day would come.
Besides, endurance was his strength. He knew better than anyone how to endure.
He smiled amiably, covered shifts for others, never argued, and was always the first to pay at group meals. Over time, people began praising him for his honesty and loyalty, and his circle of friends grew.
In two years at most, he could probably become a team leader. That’s what he told himself.
But Baozhen was becoming harder and harder to meet.
She always claimed to be busy when he called, her voice listless. He assumed she was just tired from studying and didn’t think much of it.
On his days off, he went drinking, surfing the internet, and gaming with his coworkers. Of course, he had visited massage parlors a few times—not that he wanted to, but his coworkers were insistent, and he gave in half-heartedly.
Later, he heard that Baozhen had gotten into adult college as she had hoped. He was overjoyed.
It was time to marry. He was going to wed a college graduate—the first woman from their village to earn a degree. It would bring honor to his family, proving his capability. All these years of endurance would finally pay off.
As for Baozhen, in all these years, the two of them had never crossed any lines. In front of others, they only referred to each other as fellow villagers looking out for one another, never acknowledging any other relationship.
He knew she was just shy.
Now he had saved enough money to return home, build a new house, marry her, and raise a brood of children.After returning to his hometown, he would once again become that respected teacher. Not only that, but he had also personally witnessed the dazzling world beyond the mountains, which was more than enough to add extra prestige to his status.
Thinking of this, he was overjoyed. He bought a steamer of meat buns, hopped onto his electric bike, and headed straight for Baozhen’s dormitory.
Baozhen had heard he was coming and had been waiting downstairs early, wearing a strappy sundress that left her arms bare—smooth as jade—with her curls cascading over her shoulders. The joy in her heart made her eyes even more alluring, brimming with warmth.
He suddenly grew timid, fidgeting awkwardly, unsure how to begin. It was Tian Baozhen who spoke first.
"I actually have something to tell you too, Brother," she said sweetly. "I’ve found the one I love. We’re getting engaged soon."
This was a fresh move—he hadn’t expected Baozhen to be so playful, teasing him like this.
"You not only know him, Brother, but you’re quite familiar with him."
His heart surged with excitement, but he suppressed it, wanting to continue this little game of love. He deliberately played along.
"Oh? Who is it?"
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled innocently.
"Bao Desheng."
He froze.
He knew Bao Desheng—they had shared meals a few times before.
He disliked the man intensely. He was fond of drinking and bragging, though, admittedly, he had the capital to brag.
His family owned an entire sugarcane plantation, and he had an uncle who ran a factory in Dingcheng. The whole family was arrogant and domineering, barely literate but rolling in money.
"He’s vulgar," he blurted, pacing anxiously, though he refused to show weakness. "You like him?"
"Does it matter?"
Baozhen tilted her head, her round eyes fixed on him. Her simplicity left him speechless.
"How could it not matter? How could you marry someone you don’t even—"
"Feelings can always grow," she sniffed. "Isn’t that what people always say when urging women to marry? Now you’re backtracking?"
His mouth opened, but no words came out—like a fish gasping on a chopping board.
"Brother, you understand better than I do. Marriage is like going into business together. You agree on the price, the rules, the boundaries, and then each does their part. That’s how the business keeps running. Love alone?"
Her smile faded, revealing an expression he had never seen before.
"Look at those who marry for love—how many of them end up happy?"
"Tian Baozhen, how can you think like this? Vulgar, materialistic—is this what you learned from your education? You’ve fallen right into the trap of money!"
"Then let me ask you—if the factory owner’s daughter and I both pursued you, who would you choose?"
"Of course—"
"Don’t lie, or may lightning strike you!"
He deflated. Unsure whether divine justice truly existed, he didn’t dare swear falsely. Defeated, he hunched over, muttering incoherently.
"You can think that way, but when it comes to me, it’s suddenly wrong? I bet if it were you, you’d have a whole new set of principles and try to convince me otherwise."
She tucked her stray hair behind her ear, revealing her sharp chin.
"Brother, women who marry only for love are the real gamblers. Love is far more precious and extravagant than gold or silver. Even if you have it today, it might be gone tomorrow. Who can guarantee it for a lifetime?"
"If I married for love and my husband changed his heart later, who would I cry to?"
"I can promise you—I swear, I’ll treat you well forever—"
He reached for her eagerly, but Tian Baozhen took a step back and looked at him."You can't even tell if it'll rain tomorrow, how dare you promise a lifetime here?" She smiled. "Besides, I can't guarantee I'll love you forever either."
"What kind of nonsense is this—"
"Love is a matter between two people. Women have the right to change their minds too."
"Baozhen, oh Baozhen," he shook his head, "you've really been corrupted by bad company."
"What's good, what's bad?"
She laughed in exasperation.
"Is it bad that I plan for myself? Must I give selflessly without expecting anything in return to be good? If the world were full of such self-sacrificing 'good women,' you'd surely be overjoyed—after all, the benefits would all be yours."
She raised her voice slightly, heedless of the onlookers.
"People are animals at heart. Loving one today, fancying another tomorrow—everyone has their whims, and weighing pros and cons is instinct. You don't need to explain. Even if you choose the factory director's daughter, I understand. I understand completely—"
She raised a hand to cut off his protest.
"I'm not disparaging you. Everyone has selfish desires; no one's morals are innate. But let me be frank—it's not just you. It's me too. Men and women alike, we all have our selfish desires."
A trace of resignation crossed her face.
"Surely there are couples whose love is stronger than gold, but neither of us is that kind. Admit it. Really. Either you're devoted to me alone—which you can't do—so don't demand it of me. Fair's fair."
"These twisted notions of yours are hardly becoming of a good woman. You're practically—"
He swallowed the rest, thinking he'd spared her dignity, hoping she'd take the hint.
"Practically what? Go on."
She smiled, her dimples showing faintly.
"A good woman? Let me tell you, many women spend their whole lives trapped by that word 'good.'
"Working harder than anyone, giving more than anyone, slaving for the whole family, unable to resent or hate, just gritting their teeth and enduring—enduring, barely surviving, until death.
"Then others praise them as virtuous, chaste, obedient, as if that's some grand mercy, absolution, reward—as if it makes up for a lifetime of misery.
"Not me. I won't let three hollow words—'good woman'—rob me of a lifetime of living."
"Tian Baozhen, I was blind to have fallen for you!" His eyes reddened. "Just wait—you'll be the talk of the town! Carrying on like this, aren't you afraid of gossip? Of being scorned by posterity?"
"If they've got the guts, let them say it to my face. I stand by my reasons," she retorted, lifting her chin defiantly. "And once I'm dead, what's carved on my tombstone won't matter—I won't see it anyway."
Seeing he couldn't win the argument, he fell back on his usual tactic—endurance. Suppressing his anger, he feigned reconciliation, reaching for her hand.
But Tian Baozhen wasn't having it. She shook him off.
"All these years, I've never wronged you. I've helped where I could, given all I could.
"As for what you've muttered, schemed, or done behind my back—shall we air that now?"
"What have I done? Speak clearly—no false accusations!"
He bluffed, betting she didn't know.
"Ha. You didn't even need the factory director's daughter to tempt you. A masseuse was enough to reel you in."
He was utterly defeated.Her eyes reddened as she lowered her head, no longer arguing.
Tian Baozhen also quieted down. Seeing the steamed bun in his hand, the sweat dripping from his forehead, and his damp T-shirt, her heart softened.
"Brother, let me ask you something. If I don’t plan to be a good woman who revolves around you, would you still marry me?"
He drooped his eyes miserably and stayed silent.
"If you can’t, then don’t say anything. Let’s not see each other again."
Tian Baozhen turned away and walked back toward the dormitory.
Suddenly, someone called out to her from behind, his voice tinged with tears.
"Baozhen, then what about me?" He clenched the bun in his hand. "What am I supposed to do with my life from now on?"
She stopped in her tracks and looked him over again, from head to toe.
She had once been fond of him, but what she hated most was his lack of ambition, his unwillingness to better himself, his mind always fixated on the basest of desires—she knew about his affairs outside.
He might be a weak but kind man, but she wasn’t, nor did she want to be. She had always been strong-willed, knowing exactly what she wanted.
What Tian Baozhen wanted in this lifetime, he couldn’t give her. Bao Desheng might not be able to give her everything either. They were all stepping stones, rungs on a ladder, paths to climb higher.
She’d rather shed the label of a "good woman" and live freely, fulfilling only herself.
Yes, they had never been the same kind of people. Walking together for a stretch had been fate. Now, they were drifting further apart, and the road ahead would take them in different directions. She didn’t want to hold him back any longer—she couldn’t force him to stay.
So Tian Baozhen hardened her heart, curled her lips, and flashed him the most dazzling smile.
"Why ask me about your happiness?"
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