Translator: Fuyu
Chapter 11 - Wahh, Big Sis doesn't love me anymore (3)
Su Dazhi also worked in a textile factory. Su Yu and him had taken over their parents' jobs at the factory after their parents' deaths. In order to take care of him, she let him take over the easier position, a job in the warehouse. All these years, his job had been very leisurely.
He had just finished checking on the warehouse, and he sat down and thought about how to persuade his older sister. He knew that this family must be separated. After all, Liu Mei was right. In the future, he'll have his own little family and children of his own.
It was impossible to live with his siblings forever. In the future, the relationship between siblings will become more and more distant. He must plan for his children earlier.
Right after he had made up his mind, Sun Xiaogang, his coworker, came rushing over to him. "Dazhi, hurry to the hospital, your older sister fainted."
Su Dazhi shuddered with fear. He stood up and said, "Who fainted?"
"Who else can it be? It's your older sister! Su Yu! Driver Zhang from the transportation department just sent her over to the hospital. A person for the trade union has also gone to the hospital. You should also hurry there to take a look."
Su Dazhi was stunned. Big Sis fainted? How could his older sister faint? In all these years, his sister has never fallen down. When she had a fever last time, she didn't even go to the hospital. Didn't she still get better anyways?
Sun Xiaogang pushed the muddle-headed Su Dazhi out of the warehouse, and Su Dazhi finally headed to hospital.
Su Yu was lying in the hospital at this moment.
Even if she hadn't fainted, plenty of problems could be found on this body of hers after a check up in the hospital: malnutrition and exhaustion from overworking which caused overall weakness and anemia.
After the examination, there was no easy way for the doctor to treat her. He could only give the union officer from the textile factory a doctor's prescription to get 250 grams of soybeans and 150 grams of brown sugar from the logistic department. An extra egg was also given. When Su Yu woke up, she would be able to eat an egg cooked in brown sugar water.
The union officer sent by the trade union was a young woman named Yan Xiaofang. She gulped when she heard the doctor's order, then she went to boil an egg in brown sugar water.
When Yan Xiaofang came back with the boiled egg, Su Yu also woke up. Although she had pretended to be faint, she had ended up falling asleep until now.
The original owner's physical foundation was too poor. Once she had been carried to the van, the bouncing of the van had made her sleepy, so she simply went to sleep. When she woke up, she smelled food. It should be lunchtime right now.
Yan Xiaofang saw that she had woken up and said happily, "Comrade Su Yu, you're awake. Are you feeling better?"
Su Yu answered in a dazed manner, "What's wrong with me?"
"You fainted!" Yan Xiaofang answered, agitated. It was the union's negligence if workers faint on top of their posts. And in her eyes, the ones who fainted at work, were glorious activists.
"Quickly get up and eat something. The doctor said you're severely malnourished and gave you nutritional supplements. Quickly, eat some food."
Yan Xiaofang put the enameled bowl on the table, and then came over to help Su Yu sit up.
Su Yu quickly sat up by herself. To be honest, she felt guilty about lying to such an honest young woman. And so, she said, "You haven't eaten either, right? How about we share the food?"
Yan Xiaofang quickly shook her head. "I can't do that. This food is for your nourishment. Comrade Su Yu, your health is too poor. Only by recovering your health will you be able to work better. How can a member of the union eat the nutritional supplements of our workers? No way!"
The doctor said that Su Yu's health had been hollowed out. Su Yu needed to rest and eat well in order to recover, but she had also heard about Su Yu's family and knew that Su Yu's family condition was poor. So when she heard that Su Yu wanted to share something with her, she was touched even if she didn't accept it. Su Yu was such a nice person.
Su Yu looked at Yan Xiaofang, touched by her sincerity. She took the enamel bowl and started eating. Right now, an egg boiled in brown sugar water should be a rare delicacy for her.
However, Su Yu really couldn't taste the deliciousness in this food. She missed the exquisite and varied food she had eaten in the past. After she had taken two bites, Su Yu's eyes turned red.
Yan Xiaofang panicked. "Why are you crying?"
"The factory treats me so well. I'm so sorry for my previous work attitude. I feel so guilty." As Su Yu said this, she began to wipe her tears.
Translator: Fuyu
Chapter 12 - It made a black-hearted person like herself a bit embarrassed (1)
Yan Xiaofang saw that she was crying so hard and became anxious. Stirred up, she comforted, "Comrade Su Yu, there's no reason for you to feel guilty. You fainted at your work post. That means you strived to work as long as possible at your work post. You're an activist of our working class. You're a role model. Don't feel guilty!"
"Officer Yan, don't comfort me, I know my own shortcomings."
Su Yu took her hand and shed tears while recounting, "My parents died early. Back then, the factory gave me a job so that I can feed my younger siblings. I should have tirelessly worked for the factory to repay the organization for its care. But all these years… My family situation has been too difficult. I wish I could split myself into two people so I can be a good employee and a good sister. I've been thinking about this all these years. Whenever I think that I haven't dedicated myself to the factory, to the organization, I feel guilty.
"Officer Yan, I've decided that I'm going to get closer to the organization. I'm going to work wholeheartedly for our factory by weaving more cloth to help the factory increase its output, so that people all over the country can wear good clothes."
Yan Xiaofang looked at Su Yu with tears in her eyes.
Comrade Su Yu's life was too difficult. She had raised a family all these years and also contributed to the factory. Her life was so difficult, but she still managed to keep such a positive outlook. Even when she was lying in a hospital bed, she was still thinking about the issue of her working. She was such a good worker.
This was an activist in their workforce. She was a person worth helping.
"Comrade Su Yu, the union will help you. If you encounter any difficulties at work in the future, just look for our union, and we will definitely help you solve things."
Looking as if she was moved by these words, Su Yu said, "Really?"
Yan Xiaofang felt that Comrade Su Yu's eyes were like seeing a lifeline. An inexplicable sense of responsibility sprang up in her heart. As an officer of the union, it was her duty to solve difficulties for the workers in the factory.
"Of course it's true!" She said firmly, "If you have any difficulties in the future, come to the union and look for me."
Su Yu was thrilled. "The union is truly the support of the working class. Officer Yan, I will work hard to get closer to the union and learn more knowledge, be a capable person, and repay the union for helping me."
"I'll help you improve," Officer Yan said excitedly. To be able to hear a worker trusting and relying on the union so much, Officer Yan felt honored and a sense of mission was born.
"Big Sis."
As the two female comrades were appreciating each other, Su Dazhi came into the room.
When she saw Su Dazhi, the smile disappeared from Su Yu's face.
Yan Xiaofang, as an officer of the union, also knew the recent contradictions in the Su's. Seeing that Su Dazhi had come here at this time, she was displeased. "Comrade Su Dazhi, you came here way too late."
Su Dazhi looked embarrassed. He had come from the factory, but he didn't even have a dime on him and couldn't afford to take the bus. He was too embarrassed to say this kind of thing directly.
His late arrival made Yan Xiaofang feel that this man was too much; he didn't even care about his relative. His relative had been hospitalized, but he came even later than a union officer.
But seeing that Su Yu was lying in bed and knowing that it wouldn't be good to directly criticize someone else's brother, she simply got up and said, "Comrade Su Yu, I'm going to eat first. I'll come see you later."
Su Yu pursed her lips into a faint smile and nodded. "Officer Yan, I don't need anyone to take care of me. I'll be fine by myself. You can go back to work. You can't delay the organization's work for me."
"It's fine, the union assigned me to take care of you." Yan Xiaofang smiled and left. On her way out, she even looked at Su Dazhi condemningly.
Su Yu looked at Yan Xiaofang's back figure. She hadn't thought that people of this era were even more simple and honest than how they were described by in later generations. It made a black-hearted person like herself a bit embarrassed. Still, this was a person she could treat sincerely and become friends with.
Translator Ramblings: A reader reviewed on NU that they're disappointed by the propaganda. I wonder if it's because of lines like "And in her eyes, the ones who fainted at work, were glorious activists."
That type of thought by the characters of this era is just the author showing the environment created by an authoritative government's indoctrination. We'll see in this chapter part and later ones that Yan Xiaofang is portrayed as a naive and kind character, who comes from a relatively well-off family. People with more work experience like Su Yu obviously don't think fainting from overworking is admirable. That's my interpretation of the author's portrayal of this era anyways. What do you guys think?
I'm not sure if Su Yu views simple and honest as a positive attribute. Su Dazhi is also simple (lacking in critical thinking ability, making him easily manipulated by others) and honest (doesn't deceive anyone).
And although we'll see Su Yu spouting off communism quotes and ideals better than anyone else in future chapters, she doesn't believe in it. If Su Yu was transmigrated into a world ruled by benign cat overlords, she would have no problem declaring there's nothing more glorious than cleaning cat litter while scheming her way to the top of the social hierarchy.
Title: Su Yu's Promotion Record in the '60s
Translator: Fuyu
Chapter 13 - It made a black-hearted person like herself a bit embarrassed (2)
"Big Sis." Su Dazhi saw that Yan Xiaofang had left and finally dared to say something.
Su Yu took a glance at him, then she sat up and went back to eating the egg cooked in brown sugar water.
Su Dazhi had just arrived at the hospital and hadn't eaten yet, so he swallowed his saliva when he saw her eating.
Su Yu ignored him. She finished drinking the brown sugar water in large gulps, and then she put the empty bowl on the table next to her.
"Dazhi ah, that egg was so delicious."
Su Dazhi: "..." He almost couldn't hold back drooling.
"Tell me, how many years has it been since I've eaten an egg?"
The saliva that Su Dazhi hadn't swallowed got stuck in his throat. How many years has it been… Five years? Seven years?
Su Yu sighed. "It started on the day our parents died."
Su Dazhi was immediately speechless.
"Dazhi, back then our family was so miserable. We had just started working and an egg had to be made into a steamed egg for the whole family to eat. Watching the three of you happily eating, I couldn't bear to eat a bite."
"Sis, from now on, I… I'll buy you eggs to eat." He didn't have much confidence when he said these words. He didn't have any money. Everything was given to Liu Mei.
Su Yu knew his character just from looking at how he was behaving right now. She frowned and said, "What kind of person do you think I am? Do you think I'm greedy for a bite of egg?" She was a person that wanted to eat meat!
Su Dazhi quickly shook his head. "No, not all."
Su Yu said seriously, "I'd rather not eat a bite and leave it all for you to eat. But I never thought you would think I would harm you. You even quarreled with me to separate the family. "
Su Dazhi was currently feeling a bit guilty. Hearing Su Yu's rebuke, he didn't know how to answer. "I… I…"
"I know, it was Liu Mei who said that, right? She said you have to think about your future family, save money for that family of yours, and get a home for it. Am I right?"
Su Dazhi lowered his head in acquiescence.
Su Yu immediately wiped her eyes. "Dazhi, check your conscience. Have I ever treated you badly in the past years? Have I ever asked you for any money? I pay for your food and clothing. Big Sis wholeheartedly does everything for you. Think about it. After you got married, what kind of life did you have? You came from the factory, right?"
Su Dazhi's face looked as if she had guessed right. Su Yu brokenheartedly said, "How can Liu Mei treat you like this? Dazhi, you're being used like a cow. No, you're worse than a cow. At least a cow can trade its labor for grass to eat. You don't even need her to feed you. You're willing to let her abuse you for nothing. If she really cares for you, why would she not give you money? How could she let you walk so far from the factory? Let me guess. You haven't eaten yet?"
As Su Dazhi listened to these words, he felt so wronged and quickly nodded.
"Look at yourself, you don't even have food stamps. Your monthly salary is quite a lot. You and your wife are both workers, so why are you living like this? You haven't even had a baby yet, and you're already acting so stupid and cowardly? I won't even compare you to other workers, you're worse off than male farmers. At the very least, a male farmer can be the head of the family and have food to eat. When Big Sis was raising you, you were chubby and white. If it wasn't for raising you, would I be lying in bed now, malnourished?"
Su Dazhi was hungry, plus he was tired of walking. Hearing Su Yu's words, he felt as if he had been horribly mistreated.
At any rate, he was a worker, who earned food stamps. So how did his life become like this?
"Big Sis…" Su Dazhi looked at Su Yu, full of self-pity.
Su Yu didn't want to see that disgusting look. She turned to look at the door of the hospital room. "Do you know why I don't separate my family? At my age, I'll have a home after I get married, so why would I care about having that room? Big Sis is staying because I'm worried about you! Liu Mei can be mean to you when I'm still home. Once I leave, she'll drive you to ruin. Dazhi, you're my brother. How can I see you being bullied? Big Sis's heart hurts-"
When she said those last words, it sounded as if her heart was breaking. Su Dazhi's morale was immediately boosted. As it turned out, Big Sis did not separate the family for his sake. It was because she couldn't stand him being bullied by Liu Mei.
The people in the nearby hospital bed heard their conversation and understood what was going on.
This sister had worked hard to raise her younger brother, and when the younger brother was pressured by his wicked wife to bully her, the sister didn't blame her younger brother. She was even concerned that her younger brother was being bullied.
This sister was truly dedicated and hardworking.
Translator Ramblings: I think the original owner just wanted her family to stay together, but Su Yu's spin on it is so convincing that I can see why Su Dazhi falls for it. I think Liu Mei and Su Yu are similar. They use the same method to gain control over Su Dazhi, i.e. appealing to his self-interests. Liu Mei uses the draw of future benefits (a better life for their future children) to get Su Dazhi to do her bidding and turn his back on his siblings, and Su Yu is using half-truths and immediate benefits to win him over and sow discord between him and his wife.
Chapter 14 - It made a black-hearted person like herself a bit embarrassed (3)
There was an old woman with her grandson in the neighboring bed. She looked at Su Dazhi and said, "Young fellow, you're really useless. As a man, how can you not stand up to your wife? If your parents hadn't died, would they also be under your wife's control? Are you still a man?"
Another person said, "Exactly, look at how well you've been raised and then look at your older sister's current condition. Open your eyes. The two of you are siblings. Even if you're separated, family ties can't be broken."
Su Yu sighed and said, "I don't expect him to repay me. I'm just worried that he'll be bullied by others. He was still so young when our parents died. We relied upon each other when we grew up… He's my baby brother."
Su Dazhi's face had turned red, and he finally couldn't hold it any longer. He rushed to her bed and cried, "Big Sis, Big Sis…"
Su Yu reached out her hand and repeatedly patted his head. "Be good, don't cry, don't cry."
As the saying goes, a crying child has milk to drink. The original owner unconditionally supported her younger siblings without break. She never told them about her difficulties, and she raised her siblings into selfish people. They didn't keep in mind that their good lives all originated from the original owner's selfless dedication.
Su Dazhi cried for a while before easing up. "Big Sis, I… I won't split up the family."
Su Yu shook her head and sighed. "How can we stay together? Aren't you scared of Liu Mei? All your money is under her control. Ai, tell me, why are you living such a lousy life? What kind of man doesn't manage money?"
"Isn't that so? My son is the one in charge in my family," the old lady said.
Su Dazhi said, "Big Sis, I… I won't give her any money anymore. I'll take care of it myself."
"What will you do if she refuses?"
"..."
"If only our mother was still here, she could still help you manage your money. After all, you still see me, your sister, as an outsider in your heart."
"Who said that? Big Sis, I don't treat you as an outsider."
Su Yu didn't bother acknowledging his empty words. "Do you know why Xiaozhi doesn't want to study? It's because he sees that our family's life is too difficult, so he's planning on going out to work. He said that he'll give me his future salary to save for him. He said that when he gets married, he won't let me pay the bridal price and wedding expenses. He'll use the money he earned himself. Xiaozhi said that he definitely won't follow in your footsteps."
Su Dazhi suddenly remembered that he had spent his family's money when he got married and said with a guilty conscience, "Big Sis, I'll give you my salary. You can help manage my money too."
Su Yu looked at him. "Dazhi ah, don't even mention that money. Right now, Big Sis can't even believe that you can buy me a meat bun."
Su Dazhi: "..."
When Yan Xiaofang came back, Su Dazhi was driven back to work by Su Yu.
For Su Dazhi's character, Su Yu concluded that the original owner took care of him too well. He hadn't experienced any trials and hardship. He hadn't had to assume responsibility for himself and also had a soft temperament. A person like him, who hadn't experienced suffering, was easily influenced and instigated by others. Even her cowardly father was better than him. Although she didn't like people like him, he was still a permanent worker that would be paid every month and had various benefits from his employment. He was a ready-made meal ticket, so she had to keep him.
Su Dazhi, who had been treated as a meal ticket, was eager to eat.
After leaving the hospital, he felt increasingly hungry. To be honest, although he had often not eaten enough over the years, he always had some food to eat. So, missing one meal was enough to make him uncomfortable. On the way back, smelling the fragrance coming from the government-run restaurants, he gulped down the saliva in discomfort.
It was a pity that when he reached into his pocket, he couldn't find a single dime, much less a food stamp.
When he thought of the words that his older sister had said to him in the hospital, he felt even worse. How could he live such a lousy life? He was a salaried worker who couldn't even afford to buy a bite to eat!
In the afternoon, Su Dazhi hurriedly returned home to eat. He planned on asking Liu Mei for money and food stamps while they were home. He would go to a government-run restaurant to buy a meat bun for his older sister and bring it to her.
However, when he returned home, he only saw Su Lin, his younger sister, squatting at the door with her hands clutching her belly. Her eyes practically glowed green when she saw him return.
Su Dazhi asked, "Where is your sister-in-law?"
Big Sis was in the hospital, and he was used to Xiaozhi running wild. Why hadn't Liu Mei come back?
Su Lin pulled his arm and said, "I'm the only one home. Older brother, quickly, take me to eat something. I'm starving." She hadn't eaten anything all day and night and only drank water. All she accomplished was tormenting herself.
This was embarrassing. Su Dazhi touched his empty pocket. "We can't go out to eat. We'll cook food ourselves."
Then, he hastily went to the cabinet containing food and saw that it had been locked… Why was there a lock here?
Translator Ramblings: I think Su Yu's assessment of Su Dazhi's character is fair. He fails in basic problem-solving. An adult would know to borrow money from a coworker or a manager for bus fare and return the money the next day, especially when there's an emergency. It's an easily solved problem, but this doesn't even occur to Su Dazhi.
I wonder if it'll ever occur to him that the reason he doesn't have money to buy lunch is because the rest of the family is used to Su Yu cooking lunch every day, and not because his wife is deliberately mistreating him. I think Su Yu would actually like him more if he didn't fall for her manipulation.
In her concluding thought about Su Dazhi, she thinks that her father, a person that tried to sell her off into a marriage alliance, is better than him. Based on that, I think we can infer that Su Yu is a person that values competency over morality and her personal feelings about someone. If she had to work with a friendly, but incompetent coworker or a competent coworker she dislikes, I think Su Yu would pick the latter option.
Anyways, I like that Su Dazhi isn't depicted as a selfish person and that he has room to turn around =).
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Fuyu Neko's Translations
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SU YU'S PROMOTION RECORD - CH 015
December 11, 2020
Title: Su Yu's Promotion Record in the '60s
Translator: Fuyu
Chapter 15 - A wife wasn't as reliable as Big Sis (1)
It was almost dark when Liu Mei came home. There was still a smile on her face.
During these past few days, she had been worried over the issue of separating the family. Seeing that there were difficulties on the Su's side, she simply went to her maiden's family to discuss.
Her maiden family's idea was that they would come over to discuss the issue with her older sister-in-law. Anyway, Dazhi and her were of one mind on this issue, so this matter would be easy to handle. When the time came, they would just scare her older sister-in-law a little by saying that if the family didn't separate, she'd go back to her maiden family and let Dazhi live alone. With how much her older sister-in-law cared for Dazhi, she would definitely crumble to their demand.
As for where the other members of the family would go after the separation, that wasn't a problem. Her older sister-in-law could go live in the factory's dorms for single people and her younger-in-laws can go to live in the school dorms. In the future, her older sister-in-law would get married and have a place to live. When her younger in-laws graduated school and joined the workforce, they could move into the factory's dorms.
Liu Mei didn't feel that she was cruel. She was fed up with having a large family living together and crowded in a single room. She had finally married someone, and there was no father-in-law or mother-in-law to control and suppress her. It was only natural that she would think of ways to improve her life and provide a good living environment for her future children.
How could she let her children live a hard life after they were born?
Right after returning home, she saw Su Dazhi and Su Lin sitting on the chairs with their eyes closed. The light wasn't on, and the room seemed cold and cheerless.
"Why didn't you turn on the light? Where's Big Sis?"
"Big Sis is sick." Su Dazhi said in a muffled voice.
Liu Mei was surprised. "How could she be sick? Wasn't she fine before?"
"Exhaustion, malnutrition." Su Dazhi remembered how Su Yu looked on the hospital bed and felt even worse. "Liu Mei, why did it take until now for you to come back?"
"I went to my maiden home," Liu Mei put the newspaper down and turned on the light. The family's electricity bill was paid by her sister-in-law, so she wasn't reluctant about using the electricity.
Hearing Liu Mei's words, Su Dazhi felt as if his heart was stuffy. He touched his hungry stomach and asked, "Have you eaten? Little Lin and I haven't eaten yet."
"Why not?" Liu Mei asked in surprise. "I ate when I was over at my parents' home. I thought you guys had eaten too."
Su Dazhi's eyes were sore at once. He was still hungry, but Liu Mei ate her fill by herself before coming back. Even if he got money and food stamps now, the restaurants were already closed.
"Older brother, I'm so hungry." Su Lin was weak with hunger. She felt so regretful. She would never torment herself like this again. She'll never go on a hunger strike just to show she was angry. This method was just making herself suffer.
Su Dazhi got up and walked out.
"Hey, where are you going?" Liu Mei looked at her man inexplicably. She felt there was something wrong with the situation at home. Her older sister-in-law had suddenly gotten sick, and her man was also acting strange.
"Going get the key from Big Sis." Su Dazhi answered without looking back. He was sullen from having to hold back his grievances.
He had talked big in front of his older sister in the daytime, but now, he had to go back to her to ask for food.
His tears overflowed and dripped down as he walked.
Big Sis was right. He really was useless.
--
At this time inside the hospital, Su Yu and Su Xiaozhi had just finished eating.
Su Yu felt that since she was lying inside the hospital, she needed someone to take care of her. She hadn't yet trained the younger sister, so she had no hopes for her at the time being. The big one was still muddle-headed, and she really couldn't stand seeing his cowardly and incompetent appearance. Of the remaining options, she could reluctantly make do with Su Xiaozhi as the one to take care of her. So, in the afternoon, she had asked Yan Xiaofang to help her by informing Su Xiaozhi that his older sister was in the hospital.
If it was before, Su Xiaozhi wouldn't be so proactive about taking care of her. However, after Su Yu's words in the morning and the two of them eating breakfast without their siblings, Su Xiaozhi felt that he and Su Yu were on the same side. In addition, Su Yu promised to find a job for him, so he immediately came running over after hearing the news.
After he had arrived at the hospital and Su Yu had acted out a bitter performance, he obediently took out his money to buy meat buns at a state-run restaurant and congee in the hospital cafeteria. They had a pleasant meal together.