Chapter 29: Repaying the Heavens for Their Grace

"Third Sister, there is actually a way to stop Father from being the way he used to be."

As Jiang Yao spoke, not only did Third Sister fix her gaze on her, but the Eldest, Second, Fourth, and Fifth sisters also looked at her, their eyes filled with urgency. They all loved the current version of their father, but the more they loved him, the heavier their inner anxieties grew.

"Think about it: why did Father dislike his daughters and favor only his sons? Because a son can carry on the family line, while a daughter is eventually married off; a son can provide for his parents in their old age and perform the rites at their graves, while a daughter who wishes to do so must consider the feelings of her husband and his family; a son can stay by his father's side for years, while a daughter can only return for occasional visits. In the countryside, a son brings face to the family, while a daughter is seen as a source of shame..."

Jiang Yao spoke slowly. "There are many other reasons, but none of them are the root cause."

"The root cause is that for thousands of years, we have lived in a world where men are superior and women are inferior! In other words, a world where men call the shots!"

"However, times have changed. As the great leader once said, 'Women hold up half the sky!'"

"Therefore, if we want Father to remain a better man, we must first improve ourselves and become even better than the sons! Whatever they can do, we can do—and we can do it even better!"

"Secondly, we must be filial to our parents so they know that giving birth to and raising us is their greatest blessing!"

That night, Jiang Yao spoke at length to Tang Jiancheng’s daughters. Liu Fangfang listened with rapt attention as well. Their perspectives shifted unconsciously, though Tang Jiancheng remained unaware of this, as he was busy rushing around the village with Chen Yuan.

Beyond relocating those living on subsistence allowances or in extreme poverty, they had to visit other villagers’ homes. Even those not classified as "poor households" lived in houses that were old, dilapidated, and crumbling; many were dangerous structures built haphazardly. For instance, some families had their outhouses crushed, while others had their pigsties collapsed.

By the time they finished assessing the situation, dawn had broken. Chen Yuan could not rest yet; he had to organize a crew to clear the debris from the collapsed homes and contact the township disaster relief team to arrange for supplies to be sent to Daping Village. Furthermore, he had to continue emphasizing the importance of disaster assessment with the cadres of other villages. He was run off his feet.

Tang Jiancheng could not share the burden of these administrative duties, and having stayed up all night, his eyes were struggling to stay open. Still, he forced himself to stay alert, helping the others clear the debris. Simultaneously, he worked to reinforce the ice house to eliminate potential hazards.

"Jiancheng, why are you working so hard? What’s in it for you?"

During a break, Yuan Yuezhu approached Tang Jiancheng and asked in a low voice, "With all this wood, straw, meat broth, and firewood you’re providing, are you trying to become the village party secretary?"

Tang Jiancheng shook his head. "I don’t want that. I just feel that since we’re all in the same village, I should help where I can."

In truth, he was repaying a debt of gratitude. He firmly believed that being able to return to 1982 and having the chance to rectify the regrets of his past life was a blessing from the heavens. Lacking any other way to repay it, he could only perform more good deeds and acts of kindness. Moreover, seeing the gratitude reflected in the villagers' eyes gave him a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. A philosopher once said that being needed is the greatest satisfaction for a human being.

Yuan Yuezhu looked at Tang Jiancheng in surprise, feeling that her son had truly changed. The old Tang Jiancheng might have done good deeds, but he would never have worked this hard, been this generous—offering meat broth freely—or stayed up all night without seeking anything in return just to help.

Thinking about the changes in how he treated his daughters, Yuan Yuezhu suddenly realized that Tang Jiancheng seemed like a completely different person—almost like a stranger.

"Mom, you don’t have to look at me with such astonishment. People have to grow up eventually," Tang Jiancheng said. "For example, I used to be annoyed by, beat, scold, and despise my daughters, but I don’t think that way anymore."

"Since it is the arrangement of fate that I should only have daughters in this life, why should I resist? Why should I fight against the heavens?"

"It is better to go with the flow, raise them well, and in the future, they may not turn out any worse than sons!"

After saying this, Tang Jiancheng went back to work. Yuan Yuezhu sat there stunned for a long time before brushing the snow off her pants and sighing, "Easier said than done! In the countryside, if you don’t have a son, you can never hold your head up high!"

For five consecutive days, Daping Village remained focused on disaster relief. Tang Jiancheng worked tirelessly, losing a noticeable amount of weight. While all the villagers saw his efforts, few were truly grateful; instead, there were many sour comments.

"Jiancheng working this hard is ninety-nine percent likely for the position of village secretary!"

"That dog Jiancheng is too cunning. He never cared about village affairs before, but now that the township head is here, he’s acting like he has four legs! He’s so damn good at putting on a show!"

"That useless coward Jiancheng must be trying to get a job as a village cadre to take revenge on those who mocked him for not being able to father a son!"

"How could a petty man like him become a village official? If I have a vote, I’m definitely not picking him!"

Sure enough, five days later, Daping Village held an election for a new party secretary. Tang Deyi had been removed for dereliction of duty; his negligence had caused a major accident, and while there were no fatalities, property damage was severe. Combined with his past crimes of embezzling public assets, he was sentenced to ten years in prison. His brother-in-law, the deputy director of the Animal Husbandry Bureau, was also dismissed.

At the election site in Daping Village, Chen Yuan expected that based on Tang Jiancheng’s performance over the past few days, he would surely be elected. However, the result shocked him: Tang Jiancheng received only seven votes. Five of those came from his own brothers' families, and the remaining two were from Tang Xingde and Tang Xingcai. Everyone else had withheld their votes, including his neighbors.

Yuan Yuezhu was furious, cursing the villagers for their ingratitude. Tang Jiancheng, however, was much calmer; he hadn't wanted the position anyway, so he found the result acceptable. He knew clearly that the villagers hadn't rejected him due to a lack of ability or past mistakes, but simply because he could not produce a son. In the minds of the villagers, letting a man without a son lead the village would bring shame upon them all.

When Chen Yuan learned of the reason, he was incensed but felt powerless. Deep-rooted traditional beliefs are the hardest to break.

"Sigh, it doesn't matter if you aren't a village official. It’s better that way—you can live a life of ease," Chen Yuan comforted him. "Come, let’s go to the state-run restaurant in Tianyue; I’ll buy you a drink!"

"Alright."

Once the election concluded and Chen Yuan announced the results, he gave a symbolic handshake to the new party secretary of Daping Village, spoke a few formal platitudes, and then dragged Tang Jiancheng away to the township for a drink. The entire village remained silent and indifferent.