Endure hardships

Author: Xu Huazhong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: Liu Fang and Wei Dongming were classmates from middle school to university. They established a romantic relationship in college, but before graduation, Liu Fang's father, Liu Mingyuan, was labeled a rightist. Wei Dongming's father, Wei Lizhuang, to distance himself and solidify his stance, broke up their relationship and prevented their marriage. After graduation, Liu Fang was assigned to teach at a middle school in the capital. As her major should have qualified her for the physics teaching group, she was instead assigned to the chemistry teaching group by Zhang Changli, the head of the chemistry teaching group, to resolve his marital issues through his connection with the school principal, Liu Maosheng.
To quickly familiarize herself with teaching and improve her skills, Liu Fang often listened to lessons from veteran teachers Liu Baixing and Sun Weimin and sought their advice on teaching matters. She ignored Zhang Changli, whose teaching abilities were mediocre, and despised his romantic overtures. After Zhang's hopes were dashed, he accused Liu Fang of having unclear ideological boundaries and resisting the anti-rightist campaign, labeling her a bourgeois white flag and removing her from the teaching position.
After being removed from the teaching position, Liu Fang took up the role of a bell ringer. She regarded ringing the bell as sacred as teaching and felt immense joy hearing the clear and melodious sound of the bell as teachers and students entered and left the classroom. She forgot her frustrations of being labeled a bourgeois white flag and being removed from her post. However, she soon realized that her bell ringing was either three minutes early or five minutes late. With Liu Baixing's help, she mastered the old bell's rhythm and managed to ring the class bell on time. At that moment, Zhang Changli posted a large-character poster titled "Class Struggle on the Bell Rope" and launched a revolutionary critique against her. He then posted another large-character poster titled "Expel the Number One Capitalist Roadster from Key Departments," which removed her from the bell-ringing position and labeled her the "biggest capitalist roadster" of Jingcheng Middle School.
After being removed from the bell-ringing position, Liu Fang took on the work of purchasing and distributing office supplies and joined the cleaning crew. Wang Jihong, the head of the cleaning crew at Jingcheng Middle School and a double activist in the anti-rightist and Four Clean-Up campaigns, sought to profit from the school's office supply distribution. She requested the principal, Liu Maosheng, to hand over the office supply room to the cleaning crew and to have Liu Fang supervised and reformed by the working class. However, Liu Fang was not swayed by Wang's sweet words. She not only refused to let Wang interfere in the office supply work but also, upon learning that Wang had taken office supplies home, refused to issue any more to her.
When Wang's request for office supplies was denied, she immediately turned her sweet talk into harsh criticism, accusing Liu Fang of being a capitalist roadster and demanding she remain quiet and obedient, labeling her a self-plunderer and expelling her from the office supply room. To cover up her own exploitation of the school and the fact that she had taken office supplies home, Wang launched relentless criticism against Liu Fang, exaggerating her faults to make the school leadership and the public believe Liu Fang was a self-plunderer, to prevent her from speaking the truth, and to ensure that even if she did speak the truth, no one would believe it. Wang's tactics of suppression and exaggeration brought great suffering to Liu Fang but added a halo of (loving public property) to her image as an anti-rightist and Four Clean-Up activist.
During the difficult period of cleaning the streets while wearing the label of a capitalist roadster and the of a self-plunderer, Liu Fang adopted Liu Xiaonan, an orphan. For this, she was labeled a with an illegitimate child and faced public humiliation and criticism.
One day on her way home from school, Liu Xiaonan saw a ragged woman with worn-out shoes. As she approached, she recognized her childhood friend Huang Qiusheng's mother. Moved by her mother's plight, Liu Xiaonan decided to travel south to Guangdong to find Huang Qiusheng and care for her mother. During her search, she fell ill with acute nephritis, which worsened into uremia. To save Liu Xiaonan's life, Liu Fang selflessly donated one of her kidneys.
In the depths of her suffering, Liu Fang nurtured Liu Xiaonan into a university graduate. After the reform and opening up, Liu Fang and her daughter met Zhao Ada, a farmer entrepreneur. Although the Zhao family was wealthy but lacked education, they deeply desired to learn, making the education of their son, Zhao Xiaomao, their top priority. Liu Fang and her daughter believed the Zhao family lacked what they possessed, so they took upon themselves the responsibility of educating Zhao Xiaomao, and the two families became close friends.
When Zhao Ada and his wife fell into a white (mire) and died, Liu Fang and her daughter adopted Zhao Xiaomao, becoming an unmarried grandmother and mother, forming a unique three-generation household. While raising Zhao Xiaomao, Liu Fang and her daughter also managed the Zhao family's business and assets according to an agreement they had made with Zhao Ada. After years of hard work, they increased the family's assets by three to four times and raised Zhao Xiaomao.
After Zhao Xiaomao graduated from university, they fulfilled their agreement by handing over all assets and businesses to Zhao Xiaomao for management. Under Liu Fang and her daughter's encouragement, Zhao Xiaomao formed the China Industrial and Commercial Co., Ltd. with Hong Kong businessman Wei Beifang and Huang Dalu. Impressed by Zhao Xiaomao's business acumen, Wei Beifang and Huang Dalu developed great respect for his parents and repeatedly expressed their desire to visit their home, though various obstacles prevented it.
Zhao Xiaomao and Wang Fang had been classmates from middle school to university and established a romantic relationship in college. Upon graduation, they got engaged and decided to invite Liu Fang and Liu Xiaonan to officiate at their wedding and Wei Beifang and Huang Dalu to serve as witnesses.
Wei Lizhuang, who had previously prevented Wei Dongming and Liu Fang from marrying, forced Wei Dongming to marry Li Xiaoli and have a daughter, Wei Yanman. Li Xiaoli, the only daughter of the director of Jingcheng Industrial Machine Factory, Li Zibing, was spoiled and often threw tantrums. With Liu Fang still in his heart, Li Xiaoli's arrogance only deepened his longing for her. Upon discovering his secret from his dreams, Li Xiaoli posted a large-character poster exposing him as someone who "eats from his bowl while thinking of the pot," making him a target of criticism. She then posted another exposing him for listening to "Voice of America," elevating his case to an enemy-class contradiction and labeling him a spy collaborating with foreign powers.
Huang Qiusheng, a student of Wei Dongming, was assigned to guard him by the Red Guards after Wei Dongming was labeled a spy collaborating with foreign powers. When they learned that the police were arresting Wei Dongming, they decided to let him escape. Huang Qiusheng, disillusioned with the Red Guards, followed Wei Dongming to Hong Kong.
In Hong Kong, Wei Dongming and Huang Qiusheng changed their names to Wei Beifang and Huang Dalu and joined their university classmate, Su Tongchun. Su Tongchun, the only son of a wealthy Hong Kong family, was dedicated to educating his son, Zhao Xiaomao. However, in a car accident, Su Tongchun and his parents were killed, leaving his wife, Xie Yucui, and daughter, Su Xiaocui, as sole inheritors of the family's vast business. With no experience in business, they (entrusted) the company to the general manager's assistant, Wei Beifang, and the financial director, Huang Dalu.
Several years later, the Su family's business not only thrived but also expanded under Wei Beifang and Huang Dalu's management. The Su mother and daughter realized that their students were not only of good character but also highly skilled in business, leading them to develop a deep sense of trust and even love for them. They launched repeated romantic overtures.
Wei Beifang, impressed by Su Xiaocui, encouraged Huang Dalu to accept her love. Huang Dalu, believing Xie Yucui and Wei Beifang were a perfect match, persuaded Wei Beifang to marry her. In this way, the two students confessed their love for their lovers in mainland China.
When Wei Beifang and Huang Dalu learned that their lovers in mainland China were still single, they decided to expand their business and search for them. They traveled from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, then to Guangdong and Beijing, balancing business ventures with their search for Liu Fang and Wei Yanman. Despite their efforts, they could not succeed.
Meanwhile, Liu Fang and Liu Xiaonan were also searching for Wei Dongming and Huang Qiusheng. After four decades of longing and waiting, they finally met as the officiants and witnesses at Zhao Xiaomao and Wang Fang's wedding. It turned out that Liu Fang and Liu Xiaonan were Wei Beifang and Huang Dalu's lost lovers from the anti-rightist and Cultural Revolution era, and Wei Beifang and Huang Dalu were Liu Fang and Liu Xiaonan's long-lost lovers, Wei Dongming and Huang Qiusheng. Liu Xiaonan was Wei Beifang's daughter, Wei Yanman, and Wei Beifang was Liu Xiaonan's father, Wei Dongming.
After their reunion and family reunion, with media sponsorship and public support, Liu's three-generation family held a group wedding, fulfilling the dreams of the lovers. At the same time, "Fengxin Daily" published a series of long articles on Liu Fang and Liu Xiaonan's 40 years of suffering and perseverance for love, their high moral character of valuing integrity over wealth, and the loyal love of Wei Dongming and Huang Qiusheng, creating a strong social impact.