Ridiculed

So Chen Guihua went to the neighboring town to find a job. While she worked, she read books and saved up money. At first, people did not know who she was, only that she was cultured. They were polite to her and did not disturb her.

However, with the arrival of Shi Qiang, they found out about Chen Guihua and began persuading her to give up. Why was a girl working so hard? A girl’s greatest happiness was to find a good man to marry and have a few sons. To them, that was a life worth living…

Chen Guihua knew she could not get through to these people. Their thoughts were still stuck in the past. She wanted to prove that a girl’s life could be exciting and not revolve around a man! She knew where her dreams lay. After studying for many years, she understood that people did not come to the world for nothing and should have ideals to strive for.

While dreams were beautiful, reality was cruel. A large amount of work squeezed out her study time. Chen Guihua did a few test papers, but her results were not ideal. She recalled the mockery from the village, her parents’ resignation, and the confusion of the people around her. She did not want to add to their jokes, so she quit her job and used the money she had saved to prepare for the exam the next year.

Chen Guihua’s parents heaved a sigh of relief when they found out she did not take the college entrance examination this time. They thought she had finally given up, only to find out she would repeat another year and would not be working this year.

Chen Guihua’s father was so angry that he smashed the bowl. “Do you know what the villagers say about your mother and I? Do you know what to say about you? You don’t agree to get married, and you don’t want to go out to work. You only know how to take exams. Have you been studying so much that you’ve become stupid? Have you ever considered this family? What about our pride?!”

Chen Guihua’s mother also cried. “Forget it. Our family doesn’t have this fate. We are destined to be farmers for the rest of our lives. Even if you work hard, you won’t be able to pass the exam. If you don’t want to marry, we won’t force you. Just go and earn money by working obediently. It’s better than them laughing at you.”

Chen Guihua looked at her irritable father and crying mother. She felt unfamiliar and confused. It was as if her soul had left her body. She could not feel her parents’ restless and diverse emotions. She could only look at them in a daze, unable to speak.

The neighbors smiled at their wives. “Look, what did I say? I told you she would take the exam again. She just doesn’t know when to give up. If she wasn’t the only child in her family, her parents probably wouldn’t care about her anymore. If she was my daughter, she might as well be beaten to death.”

When the people around them heard this, they also sighed, followed was mockery. It was as if stepping on her could make him look high and mighty. When they saw Chen Guihua’s parents walking toward them, they asked, “Chen Guihua is still studying? How many years has it been? Four years? If she had gotten in then, she would have finished university by now. Haha. Speaking of which, you guys really dote on the child, watching her mess around. However, I can’t blame you for spoiling her. Who asked you to only have one child? Why don’t you give birth to another one while you’re still healthy? Maybe you can even birth a son…”

Everyone laughed and looked at Chen Guihua’s parents with ill intentions. After all, Chen Guihua’s parents had been criticized behind their backs all these years because they only had one daughter. They had always said that their family line was going to go extinct.

After laughing, someone quickly corrected him. “She’s been taking the exam for four years and studied for six years. If she continues, she’ll be an old lady. What will happen in the future? You guys really are magnanimous…”

Chen Guihua’s parents were embarrassed by their words and started to argue with them. The other party threw away the melon seed shell in his hand and said in a strange tone, “Why are you angry at us? Did we say something wrong? You didn’t have a son all these years. What does that have to do with us? If your Chen Guihua can’t get into university, it has nothing to do with us, either. If you’re incapable, don’t be afraid of others saying it.”

Chen Guihua’s parents were so angry that they started fighting with the villagers. After the fight, they felt sad for Chen Guihua’s insensibility. They found the school and tried to persuade Chen Guihua to give up, but Chen Guihua still insisted and refused to let it go.