Chapter 79: If You Like Her, You Must Change Her

It was simply because the family was too poor to continue their studies; if exams were still possible now, Fang was certain her son would have gotten into university. Li Sheng had been too sensible for his own good and insisted on quitting school, while Li Kai and Li Xiyue only attended for a while before refusing to go, and the two younger ones never even considered it. Now, however, Li Jiang and Li Hai were attending school, and Li Kai and Li Xiyue were learning to read with Tang Xin.

They were making a respectable effort at it, mostly because Tang Xin gave them motivation—this learning had a purpose, not just reading for the sake of reading. Each had their own plans, understanding that knowing more characters was a good thing, so they were willing to work hard with Tang Xin.

Still, learning was one thing; at home, Li Xiyue seriously cautioned her sister-in-law, "Don’t tell anyone outside that we’re learning to read." Tang Xin was puzzled. "Why not?" Li Kai laughed, "She’s afraid of being laughed at." Li Xiyue chased after him to hit him, and the group left for work together, laughing and bantering.

Tang Xin was still a bit bewildered—wasn’t learning to read a good thing? Why should they fear ridicule? Fang understood, though, and hurried to explain to her daughter-in-law, "It’s just that she’s no longer a child, and only now starting to learn to read—people are bound to talk behind her back."

Tang Xin didn’t entirely understand, but she grasped the point—after all, who doesn’t have people speaking of them behind their backs?

In the Li family, the couple’s relationship was strong, and the mother and daughter-in-law got along well. With the help of their sister-in-law, the younger siblings were also building their own futures. Everyone was full of hope for life and spent each day cheerfully.

But at the Youth Commune, the atmosphere was not so harmonious. The older educated youths had been there long enough to grow jaded. After spending so much time in the village, they’d come to realize that all the talk about loving labor and supporting national construction was just empty words, said for show. Repeating them did nothing to fill their bellies, so people stopped talking about ideals and focused on tangible benefits instead.

Except for those from well-off families who still received parcels from home every month, the rest were striving to improve their work performance, hoping to earn a little more food. For someone like Lu Liqin, who had only been in the countryside for two years, perhaps there was still some hope left; but for those like Meng Jia, thoughts turned more toward how to get back to the city.

After work, Lu Liqin stood outside the commune’s courtyard, gazing toward the Li family’s home. He felt lost—how had things come to this?

Not so very long ago, he and Tang Xin had been close, each seeing the other as the most important person in their life. But now, she ignored him entirely and had opened her heart to another man. What Lu Liqin couldn’t understand was that he had come to the countryside to protect her, so how had he managed to lose her in such a short time?

He couldn’t even figure out what he had done wrong. Meng Jia was Tang Xin’s friend, a dear sister in her eyes. It was at Meng Jia’s mother’s request, and for Tang Xin’s sake, that Lu Liqin had looked after Meng Jia so much. With Meng Jia, it was just care—helping her, nothing more. But with Tang Xin, it was different. In his heart, she was the one he hoped to spend his life with; naturally, he wanted to help her improve, to correct her flaws.

His intention was only to help her become better, so he was strict with her, often criticizing her. He hadn’t expected that Tang Xin wouldn’t understand his sincerity.

To Lu Liqin, Tang Xin was his person—the girl he was to be with for life. So in front of her, he lowered all his defenses and laid his heart bare. Meng Jia was just an outsider, so he was polite and courteous, only the basic decency of a man. Yet as a man, perhaps out of sheer habit, Lu Liqin made a fundamental and thorough mistake.

First, at her core, Tang Xin had already changed—she was no longer that naive girl, especially after reading that book and knowing how the original story’s characters would develop. How could the Tang Xin of now possibly still feel anything for Lu Liqin?

Second, if you truly care for someone, shouldn’t you accept them as they are? Wanting to change her, to shape her into something better—such thinking was laughable. If Tang Xin really changed and lost her former self, would she still be the girl Lu Liqin liked? Or rather, why would he like her then?

Back in the city, things had been better. Even in their first year in the countryside, though they bickered, Lu Liqin could tell Tang Xin still cared for him—she wouldn’t get so angry otherwise. But at some point, their relationship began to shift, growing more and more distant.

It seemed to have started that one night, though he couldn’t pinpoint where things went wrong; Tang Xin had slipped alone into the Li family’s courtyard. Then, in front of everyone, she declared she wanted to marry that poor country boy. Before that, Lu Liqin hadn’t even known she and Li Sheng were acquainted.

From then on, everything took a turn he never expected.

He remembered how Tang Xin used to value Meng Jia most, how Uncle Tang had always looked after the wife and son of his benefactor. Tang Xin had always been a good and obedient daughter, and Meng Jia had treated her well too. The two were closer than real sisters.

Yet Tang Xin and Meng Jia fell out, and even demanded compensation from her. Lu Liqin was shocked when he learned how much Meng Jia had taken from Tang Xin, but his upbringing wouldn’t allow him to speak ill of a woman.

Everything began to go awry. Tang Xin’s belated rebellious phase hit with such force. Even though Uncle Tang’s opposition was mostly in jest—Lu Liqin knew he’d never truly allow his daughter to marry a country boy—Tang Xin was stubborn and, against all odds, forced the marriage with Li Sheng. She even succeeded.

From the day he learned Tang Xin was married, Lu Liqin felt as though he were in a daze, drifting through his days without purpose.

All this time, Lu Liqin never believed he was wrong. In his mind, it was Tang Xin who was too willful—how could anyone treat marriage as a game? He was both frustrated and thought perhaps it was time for that headstrong girl to suffer a little hardship. After all, there wouldn’t always be someone to clean up her messes. So, he called his family.

Since there was no point in staying here to guard a girl who no longer needed him, he might as well go back. In time, when she realized her mistake, he could return and negotiate with her.

Lu Liqin had considered visiting the Li family to say goodbye to Tang Xin, but then he heard that three female educated youths had already gone over, and that headstrong girl was still at odds with Meng Jia. Lu Liqin decided not to go, not wanting to make a fool of himself.