1
In front of the high school in the small county of my hometown, there is a small decorative river that runs from south to north and has a history of 2,000 years now.
Song Jiang and I met in the first semester of high school. When we went out from the entrance of the school and crossed the bridge that spanned the small decorative river, we entered a “new world” full of rental bookstores, Internet cafes, audio-visual rooms and snack stores. Song Jiang and I spent our high school years indulging in them. He helped me apply for my first qq, and together we raised money to buy the new popular online newspaper, and picked up the big-headed books with the words “Fantasy Sword Book League” from the book rental stores, reading them with great interest.
The night before our senior year graduation, we got together to drink. I got drunk and vomited directly on his bed, from then on Song Jiang’s mother was very impressed with me. After graduation, I went to his house a few times, Song Jiang’s mother always smilingly advised me to drink less in the future.
After sobering up, Song Jiang went to an obscure university in Binzhou, Shandong Province, to study construction engineering. I enrolled in a general college in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, learning the same profession.
University time seems to pass faster than high school, in I have not yet built any impression of the university, Song Jiang called to say that he was going to drop out.
After two years of college life, Song Jiang saw less and less hope and said he wanted to quit school and start a cross-stitch business. At that time, cross-stitching was very popular in school, and although there were few girls in the architecture engineering class, the few girls I knew basically had a few cross-stitches in their hands.
I didn’t think what Song Jiang said was true. After only one month, Song Jiang came to Zhengzhou by train from Binzhou, rented a small house near my school, and started a cross-stitch business. When I didn’t study at night, I always ate dinner with him. The school cafeteria was cheaper than the outside ones, so I gave him my classmates’ unused meal cards and saved hundreds of dollars a month on living expenses.
When I was a junior, I went to the army. In the two years of military service, I heard that he moved away from school, re-rented a house in Zhengzhou Guancheng District, changed a software engineering sales job, and a Xinxiang girl in love. The girl was a nurse and was said to be very cute and I was happy for him.
2
Two years later I was discharged from the army and came home passing through Zhengzhou, so I got off the train to see Song Jiang.
The first time I saw him, I noticed that he had gray hair and people were completely different from two years ago.
That night, he told me with conviction at the dinner table that his job was very profitable and that he would be able to buy a house he wanted in Zhengzhou and live happily with the girl he liked as long as he struggled in the industry for another 10 years.
I went to the place he was renting at the time. It was a 20-square-meter room on the second floor, surrounded by high-rise, so even in the daytime, the house did not see much sunlight. The room was filled with a smell of old decay, he turned on the lights, the interior decoration is simple, put a bed, a desk, filled with books on software engineering, sales communication and so on, the floor was messy with suitcases. He patted me on the shoulder: “The conditions are simple, don’t mind.”
The next night, we went to meet his girlfriend, and it was really cute. I asked curiously, “If you’re so good looking, how come you chose such an ugly date?”
She covered her mouth and laughed, patted Song Jiang’s shoulder, and said to me, “You really are a good friend of Song Jiang.”
The girl is indeed a good girl, I just came out of the army and ordered a big handful of food. Originally said I treat, the girl gently pressed the menu, said the three of us to eat, can not order so many dishes, just some affordable line, and then gently help us pour the water.
That night the meal was not much, but talked for a long time. I quietly held a glass of water and watched them give each other dishes, occasionally taking into account me, pour me a glass of water. The girl’s face was thin, but her eyes were not small, and when she talked to Song Jiang, her eyes always looked at him softly.
They said the first time they met or summer, Song Jiang was invited to dinner by a friend. That day he wore shorts and T-shirts, slippers on the floor snapped and shuffled, hair was not washed, but still resourceful to get the girl’s cell phone number. Later they contacted more and more frequently, and their feelings grew deeper. At the time I met with them, the two already had the intention of sharing a room.
The first year after my discharge, I went back and forth between Zhengzhou and school.
Although contact with Song Jiang became less frequent, I still knew how he was doing. For example, his sales business is getting better and better, and has reached the point where he earns tens of thousands of dollars a month; his relationship with his girlfriend is getting better and better, and he lives in the girl’s dorm most of the time. On several occasions when we were on the phone, we could still hear the Xinxiang girl talking next to us, so I jokingly greeted my sister-in-law.
At the end of that year, Song Jiang called and said he was going to meet his parents at his girlfriend’s house.
I said, “You’re going to ask for a marriage, you need me to lend you money.”
“No, with buddy this ability, a minute to get mother-in-law.”
Unfortunately, he did not get it.
The girl’s family asked Song Jiang to buy a house in Xinxiang, the girl personally want to be able to buy a set in Zhengzhou, Song Jiang feel that the house is two people struggling together to reach the goal, Song Jiang’s father felt that in the county originally had a house, why spend so much money to buy in the field? Each person has their own ideas, so that the two talks collapsed.
Song Jiang said that until the night before the breakup, he still slept with the girl, the two cried and said sorry to each other. The girl said she was not so brave to leave home and go with him regardless, and Song Jiang said he was not so capable of meeting her and her parents’ demands. The two spoke for a long time, but in any case, they were over.
The girl’s mother said to Song Jiang: “Son, I know you like her. But I, as a parent, also want my child to have a happy future. You go away and get another girl.”
Song Jiang’s father was silent for a long time and also said to him, “No, let’s change one.”
I met with him at the end of that year, Song Jiang still had a smile on his face, but his eyes were always vacant. He was silent for a long time and said, “Let’s just go to an Internet cafe and play games.”
That night we went out for a late night snack, got drunk until dawn, and threw up on the street corner where there were no streetlights.
3
In the two years after the separation from the Xinxiang girl, Song Jiang’s family began to introduce him to blind dates. There are those who work in our small county, those who struggle with him in Zhengzhou, and even those who work far away in Shanghai. At most, he had a blind date with six girls at the same time.
Song Jiang developed an analysis form for the girls on the blind date and was equipped with a unique scoring system that updated the score according to each girl’s performance. For example, the girl can cook, plus 1 point; the girl speaks well, plus 1 point; the girl gets along well, plus 1 point. On the contrary, the girl has shortcomings, minus points.
I think this approach of his is too funny. But he said that he would eventually marry the girl with the highest score.
During this period he went to Shanghai, said to field trip the Shanghai girl. I thought he was just going for a break, but soon I heard that he was living with the Shanghai girl. Two months later Song Jiang came back and told me that the girl was nice, but he just didn’t feel it, and he couldn’t fool himself into marrying someone he didn’t feel.
I asked him, “Is that scoring form still in use?”
“Just keep using it, it’s a waste anyway.”
The small-town teenager forced to start a family
Later, Song Jiang quit his job in Zhengzhou and went back to work at a construction site in his hometown. Although did not get a diploma in construction engineering, but at least a little exposure to this line. In the past two years, the real estate market in the small county is developing well, so under the arrangement of his father, Song Jiang followed a teacher to learn to do construction workers, surveyors, and even cost estimators – what his father let him do anyway, he did.
During that time, there were a lot of trivial things happening around me, so contact was intermittent. Until one day. He called me again and said he had returned to Zhengzhou and brought a girl with him. The girl is local to our county, a blind date to meet.
I don’t know if this is the girl in his scoring form, but still took a half-hour bus ride to eat a meal with them. The county girl and the new township girl is a bit like, face baby fat, but very thin below the neck. When eating, I noticed that the girl seemed a little nervous, she did not say much, her eyes always have to look at Song Jiang at all times.
For Song Jiang around the girl who came and went, I have long had immunity. And all three are from the same town, so we had a good time talking that day. Song Jiang introduced me to the girl’s name and said you should be called sister-in-law.
I laughed at him and did not answer.
4
Song Jiang found a new job in Zhengzhou, still related to software sales.
He and his new girlfriend re-rented a house, and the landlord was very nice, often buying more dishes to put in the kitchen for them to take. I often went to see them for dinner too – life was just too boring for one person in Zhengzhou. Song Jiang’s new girlfriend has nothing else, but her cooking skills are really good. There, I could eat the unique vermicelli soup of my hometown.
After eating more often, people also became familiar with each other. I intermittently learned that the two of them were eloped out to Zhengzhou.
The girl was introduced to the family relatives, Song Jiang at first did not have a good feeling about her, but his parents are very optimistic about this girl, think she knows the books and reasonable, close to, is a suitable object of marriage. It was not until one night, the two went out to dinner and drinks, Song Jiang momentarily obsessed, the two slept together, Song Jiang finally determined that they want to step into marriage.
Song Jiang said, they had sex, the girl is still the first time, and the girl from Xinxiang the same.
I bristled.
However things took a steep turn. When they went for a premarital checkup, the doctor said the girl had a health problem and would likely be infertile in the future. This Song Jiang family exploded, originally very optimistic about the girl’s parents Song Jiang, immediately dragged the matchmaker’s relatives to break off the marriage. But at this time Song Jiang heart instead identified the girl, think they must be responsible for the end.
Privately Song Jiang said to me, he has failed too many girls, can no longer go on like this. Besides, can not have children is just a thing that may happen, the big deal is that the two people now begin to prepare for pregnancy, hurry up and give birth to a out, everything is not solved?
But unfortunately, his parents don’t think so.
From Song Jiang’s mother, to Song Jiang’s grandmother and aunt, they all began to be fed up with the daughter-in-law who might be coming into the house. They even walked around the county near the girl’s house, and the surrounding neighbors said that the two were not suitable, hoping to help persuade and let them know that even if the two were together, they would not admit it. His parents even tempted: If Song Jiang is willing to give up the county girl, then he owes more than 100,000 credit cards parents can help pay off, he just need to find a new girl like marriage and children.
At this point, Song Jiang is determined to marry the girl home, he convinced the girl, hoping to use a year to have a child out.
5
That year, I have a lot of memories about Song Jiang in particular.
Once I was at work when I suddenly received a phone call from Song Jiang’s mother. After showing some concern for me, she started asking about Song Jiang’s recent condition. I replied that everything was fine with Song Jiang, he was still with the girl, and I thought the two were quite suitable.
Speaking of which, Song Jiang’s mother suddenly changed her tone and said fiercely, “Even if the two have children, we will not let this daughter-in-law into the door!”
Previously, Song Jiang’s parents felt that although their son was a little leathery and sometimes disobedient, but overall he was still a good son, a filial son who was willing to communicate with his parents, but how could they not expect that their son would choose to leave home for a woman. They think that the reason why Song Jiang has become what he is now is that the girl seduced him and is really angry.
And the girl thinks that the reason why Song Jiang has become what he is now is because his parents are too lax.
During that year, I received two phone calls from Song Jiang’s mother. In addition to me, other students and friends have also received. Some friends think it doesn’t matter, while others think it’s really Song Jiang’s responsibility, which has no parents for the sake of women?
Song Jiang can not argue with this, only one side to take the girl to the hospital for tests, the other side of the constant exercise, in the hope that God can give them a child soon, so that parents look at the child’s sake, let life back on track.
Six months later, the girl was really pregnant, however, Song Jiang’s road back home is still difficult. Song Jiang’s mother refused to acknowledge the existence of the child, and put out the word: Who knows if the child can be born? And if it is born, is it yours or not?
Song Jiang was furious and laughed at this. He and the girl lived in Zhengzhou for a little more than half a year, the girl alone back home to raise a baby, Song Jiang continued to work in Zhengzhou to earn money.
After another six months, their child was born, a cute little girl.
Song Jiang was very happy, it so happened that I also had something to go home, so I went to the girl’s home to eat and visit the child. During the meal, somehow talking about Song Jiang’s parents, the girl’s expression immediately changed: “Song Jiang’s parents do not care, they want to see the child is not given to see, even if they die!”
I sat awkwardly aside, Song Jiang silently continued to eat, the girl’s parents immediately asked their daughter to shut up.
After eating and going out, Song Jiang said to me that he hoped to get married quickly.
It was already the waxing moon, so Song Jiang asked me to borrow money and swiped cash from his credit card and said to his parents, “Now even if you don’t want to, I have a wife and a child. I’ve got a license with her, and now we’re going to hold a wedding, are you coming?”
On the eighth day of the lunar month, Song Jiang had a wedding. Guests were divided into two groups, one wave in Song Jiang’s home, a wave in the girl’s home. Song Jiang a while to run to his daughter-in-law’s house and guests to raise a glass, a while back to his own home and guests to toast. That night, he was the only one in his new room, he vomited in bed all night.
After the wedding, I do not know the first few days, in Song Jiang’s persuasion, the daughter-in-law finally willing to move into Song Jiang’s home. Song Jiang’s mother, on the other hand, shrugged off her ill health and stayed in her room all day.
6
The next spring, it was agreed with Song Jiang to take a bus back to work in Zhengzhou, the results of Song Jiang left home on the third day of the year, a person went to Zhengzhou, the daughter-in-law went back to her mother’s house to take care of the children.
In Song Jiang’s dormitory, I asked him what was going on, he did not say anything at first, just raised his glass to me frequently, and then cried loudly, saying that he and his daughter-in-law had been kicked out of the house together.
One night during the Spring Festival, his daughter-in-law and his sister sat in the living room watching TV, his daughter-in-law always tuned the channel, and his sister was so angry about it that she ran to her room and closed the door and cried. After a while, Song Jiang’s mother came down and started scolding, saying that her new daughter-in-law didn’t know how to behave, and didn’t know how to be polite to her sister-in-law while watching a TV. His daughter-in-law naturally did not show weakness, the three women argued all night, and finally moved hands.
Song Jiang still has a few handprints on his face, which should be left that night.
“I don’t understand what’s going on with all this. Look at my mother, first said this girl is good, I did not say yes, she insisted that I say yes. Then she said the girl was bad and couldn’t have a baby. Now that the baby is born, what else does she want?
“And my sister, who is in college, why don’t you know how to be polite and modest? The TV can’t be watched, I’ll buy her a new one, why cry there? Why do you still say my daughter-in-law bullied her?
“My daughter-in-law is also, seeing that the atmosphere is not right should go straight upstairs to coax the child, three people quarrel only the more noise the more trouble. I’ve only managed to get everyone into the family, now what’s wrong with peace and harmony? Why do you have to fight with my sister over such a trivial matter? Is it turning out well now?”
He had too many questions for me to answer, and maybe he didn’t need me to answer them.
After a while, his phone rang, and he hurriedly wiped the tears and snot from his face and opened his phone to video up with his daughter-in-law, asking how his daughter was doing and if she was breastfeeding more today.
That night, I stayed at Song Jiang for a long time, and also talked for a long time, it seems that we have not said anything for a long time before, all finished in that night. Song Jiang said that now he has nothing left but the child. He is now in a state where his sister is not loved, his mother is bored, his daughter-in-law dislikes him, his father does not care, and only his children are his future.
I asked him, “What should we do from now on, should we keep going on like this?”
He sulked for a long time: “Let’s try again. Now we live in my daughter-in-law’s house, when the child grows up, my mother will always go to see the child, through the child, perhaps it will be able to ease. I have to try to get through to my father, he can’t really just ignore his granddaughter, right? The granddaughter grows up, there must be a place to live, this is also his responsibility.”
Speaking of children, there seems to be hope in his eyes: “I hope it will be good in the future, and I only hope it will be good in the future.”
Postscript
Six months after that, Song Jiang did his father’s job and the family moved back into their home. But the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were still unhappy with each other, and quarrels and fights were commonplace. He was fed up with this, and had to do both sides to please as a bridge of communication. The good thing is that the child grows up day by day, and now his circle of friends, basically only pictures of his daughter.
One day I asked him, “Do you think you’re happy now?”
He shook his head: “If it were possible, I would never choose anything.”
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