Back to the Summer I Was Twelve [80]

At forty, Li Qingtai had achieved nothing. Sitting in her rented room and watching an old TV show, she heard the lyrics on the screen: "Dad has a home, Mom has a home, and I'm left all alone, like I don't belong." She froze.

In the late 1970s, large numbers of educated youths sent to the countryside returned to the cities. Her father chose to abandon her mother and her, when she was just two years old.

Ten years later, she went to a big city to find her father. He had started a new family and had a son named Jindou. She was packed off to live with relatives, where she slept on the sofa, got up early to cook, and watched everyone's moods.

Her new stepmother brought her home and said with a smile, "From now on, this is your home." Then, bit by bit, she raised Li Qingtai into a useless person with no education and no skills.

*

The next day, Li Qingtai woke to find herself standing outside a little shop in an alley, clutching an orange-red landline receiver. Her mother's voice, though her mother had long since passed away, came through the phone: "Taitai, are you doing all right over there?"

Twelve-year-old Li Qingtai froze, then suddenly burst into tears. "No, Mom. I'm not doing all right."

*

Summer, 1988. The cicadas chirred loudly, the sun had made the asphalt scorchingly hot, and the little shop behind her sold orange soda and sweet watermelon. Her mother was still alive. There was still time to change everything.

[This was the best of times, her golden age.]

* Romance included, with a childhood sweetheart, but their love story won't begin until they're both adults.

* Farming and business management, with a slow pace and everyday family life.

Saved on 2026.6.25.

Theme: Live life with determination