Raising Babies in the 70s

June 1971, Bincheng, Liao Province, in an auditorium.

It was originally a warehouse, and the place was very empty. Later, it was converted into an auditorium, and a large stage was built. On weekdays, military and civilian meetings, movies, and cultural performances were held there.

A man was adjusting his hat with a red star, and an old cadre over there looked down at his broken watch, which was tied to his wrist with a rope. With the help of the staff, people would squeeze in and sit neatly.

Members of cultural and art troupes from several districts in Bincheng were busy behind the stage. That day’s cultural performance was not easy. It was to be assessed to be selected and awarded. It was likely to affect the advanced evaluation at the end of the year.

“Qin Rou, you really don’t want to change this solo show?”

Qin Rou didn’t answer, so another person winked at her and responded, “How can this be changed, it’s already reported.”

“If our group lost, who would be criticized by the leaders? Who is the one who will have to write the review letter? After all, it wasn’t us, she was arguing for it.”

“She didn’t become a successful stepmother, so she must sing this song.”

A girl with a short haircut walked by the three of them, and reminded them, “You have to be careful when you talk, be careful that people can tear your mouth if you talk nonsense.”

“She is from Chuanxiang, and she is very famous.”

“If you know she is famous, how dare you provoke her?!”

After speaking, the three looked at each other and sneered.

After laughing, Zhou Meilan, who was the first to speak and ask, looked at the young girl sitting on a pony who was sorting the green satchel and her eyes flashed with jealousy.

The girl didn’t wear a hat and had two black braids. Her hair was the most beautiful among the girls in the group. It was dark and thick, which made her skin white and delicate.

Her appearance was gorgeous and flamboyant, with a small melon face. The most attractive thing on her face was her charming fox eyes. These eyes were beautiful and special. Every time one saw her, they couldn’t help staring at her eyes.

Qin Rou, the beautiful girl from Chuanxiang in their cultural troupe, was pretty and had a beautiful voice like an oriole. But she had a bad temper and an annoying personality.

Relying on her beauty, Qin Rou wanted to take the lead in everything. She still wanted to climb high branches, but she was not clever at all. With her fox-like face, she could indeed seduce men, but she had a big mouth which spoke her mind, with a strong southern accent.

Some time ago, she climbed up with a regimental leader named Yang. The regimental leader was thirty-two years old, thirteen years older than her. His wife in the countryside died early, leaving behind three children. Qin Rou agreed to marry Yang Tuan to be the kids’ stepmother.

Unexpectedly, within two days, Leader Yang and his old mother from the countryside came to the art troupe to make trouble for Qin Rou, calling her a coquettish fox, a fox spirit, and one who had learned tricks at a young age.

 It turned out that his old mother in the countryside had already chosen a native wife for Leader Yang. So how could she want her son to be seduced by the fox spirit?

 Mrs. Yang’s coming to the art troupe had completely ruined Qin Rou’s reputation. She became a joke in their military region. It was not nice to be called a fox those days.

Qin Rou’s temper was not tolerable either. She scolded Mrs. Yang who had to be hospitalized. But she had a fever, and the people of the art troupe sent her to the hospital.

 After an illness, the people in the art troupe found that Qin Rou’s character was much more honest.

“Qin Rou, you stole Xue Tingting’s show. If you can’t sing well, everyone will be embarrassed with you.”

 “It’s almost time to start, you still haven’t asked Zhang Min to do your makeup.” 

The person in charge of makeup in the art troupe was the short-haired girl who mocked Qin Rou before, and she never dealt with her.

In the past, Qin Rou always disliked the most ugly stage makeup that Zhang Min did on her. At first, Zhang Min was really jealous of Qin Rou’s charming and good-looking appearance, and deliberately made her ugly.

 Now that Qin Rou was in a bad condition, she hurriedly followed suit.

Qin Rou, who was sitting on the pony, put down the green satchel, got up and said, “I’ll do it by myself.”

Her voice was as crisp as a silver bell, and it was like the melodious sound of a lute plucked from the strings of a pipa, with a different kind of rhythm, very nice.

 Zhou Meilan on the side was stunned for a moment. She found that Qin Rou spoke Mandarin more standardly, and her voice was softer and more pleasant than before.

 Zhang Min rolled her eyes. She pulled up her sleeves, crossed her arms and sneered, “Then you can slowly transform yourself, it’s none of my business if you make yourself a ghost. Girls come over, I’ll do your makeup beautifully.”