Chapter 13 - 013 Wangjiazhen
Wangjiazhen is about twenty kilometers away from Yuequan Village. The road is a main highway, but now it's just a dirt road full of potholes. Tian Sisi bounced around so much in the back seat that her buttocks ached. She endured without a word – after all, this was already a luxury. There are still many in the village who walk to town to shop, a round trip of over forty kilometers that takes half a day. Tian Sisi would die before walking that far – a sore butt is better than sore legs.
Tian Manjin cycled both steadily and swiftly, arriving at the town government in just over an hour (Old Yang wasn't sure where one went to change names at that time). He parked the bike, walked to the entrance, offered a Xin'anjiang cigarette to the gatekeeper, and asked where the office for name changing was located.
The influence of Xin'anjiang was significant, and the gatekeeper warmly pointed Tian Manjin in the right direction and even escorted them to the office building. Tian Manjin gratefully offered another Xin'anjiang to the gatekeeper, who carefully tucked it away. It was a prized commodity he was reluctant to smoke, preferring to take it out occasionally to smell and satisfy his craving.
The office clerk was a stern middle-aged woman, over thirty, dressed in a gray Lenin suit with neatly combed ear-length bobbed hair, a thin face without an ounce of excess flesh – clearly not an easy person to deal with. Upon seeing that she wasn't male, Tian Manjin withdrew his hand, which had been reaching for another cigarette, and loudly declared, "Comrade, you must be tired. I've come to change my daughter's name."
"Serving the people is not tiring. What's the name change for?" the middle-aged woman answered meticulously. Tian Sisi almost couldn't help laughing out loud – finally, she got to hear the legendary quotations of Chairman Mao. Her mother used to say that during certain periods, one had to recite Mao's quotations when going out to shop or handle official matters or face dire consequences. If one couldn't recite them, the Rebel Faction could take them away as a counter-example.
Tian Manjin hastily took out Tian Bajin's proof of identification and the family's household registration book and handed them to the woman. She glanced at them briefly, then said sternly, "The name Tian Sisi is not good, it smacks of a capitalist young lady's attitude. Change it."
Tian Sisi was taken aback, what's wrong with this woman, and how did the name Tian Sisi relate to a capitalist young lady? However, she knew she couldn't butt heads with this woman and promptly declared loudly, "The great Chairman Mao teaches us to 'remember the bitterness and think of the sweetness.' The 'Si' in my name comes from this very saying of his."
Upon hearing Chairman Mao's name from Tian Sisi, the woman straightened her posture and her face showed respect. Tian Sisi's justification was irrefutable – to oppose her now would be to oppose Chairman Mao. The woman glared at Tian Sisi for a few seconds, but Tian Sisi did not flinch – hmph, I am now the proud third generation of a red family, not afraid of you!
Actually, the woman was simply jealous of Tian Sisi's fashionable, urban attire. A rural girl dressed more beautifully than her own daughter, who ate the state's grain, stirred an imbalance within her. She thought to exert her official power to suppress Tian Sisi but ended up being outmaneuvered. Reluctantly, she stamped the documents, changing the name on the household registration to Tian Sisi, with Tian Zhaodi becoming the previous name used.