You know, Tanya, to look like that and stride in gold, I get up at 5 am daily, milk the cows, feed the calves, hand out the feed, then head to my real job—so there’s no point in being jealous.

You know, Emma, if I want to look like this and walk around in gold, I get up at five every morning, milk the cows, give the calves their drink, hand out the feed, and only then head off to my real job. Theres nothing to be jealous of here. If you ever saw what life on a farm is like, youd think differently.

Oh, Olivia! Youre a beauty! And youd never guess you live out here. Look at you, all covered in goldchains, rings, even a tiny gold bracelet, Emma chirps nonstop, eyes sparkling at her childhood friend. Well, Olivia, they say country life is hard, but anyone who sees you will pack up in the city just to live here. Imagine living in the countryside, dressing elegantly, glittering with gold!

You know, Emma, to look like this and stroll in gold I wake at five, milk the cows, feed the calves, hand out the ration, and only then go to my main job. No one has a right to be envious. If you understood farm life, youd never think the way you do now.

Olivia, I cant imagine village life! Ive known cows and pigs since I was a girl, but the moment you turned into a countrywoman is still a mystery to me. We all thought youd never return home after school.

Oh, theres no point dwelling on the past. Things happened as they did. In our youth we were idealists, convinced everything would go our way, only to find out life is very different.

Olivia has always had a strong will; if she says something, she does it. From childhood she declared that farms, gardens, potatoes, cows and calves were useless to her beautiful, clever selfshed never need the haystacks or the livestock again.

Mum, Ill never go back to the village. Ill finish school, move to the city, find a rich fiancé, marry him, and stay there. I cant stand the countryside any longer!

All right, Olivia, if thats how you feel, but who can say where life will lead? A village isnt worse than a town; people live there too. If youd help with the cows, dear, my chores would be easier and I could rustle up dinner.

Imagine me chasing cows! The whole village would be laughing at me. Mum, your cows are waiting outsidedont even ask me that again.

Other children tend the herd and help their parents. What makes you think youre any better, love?

Mum, why should I compare myself to anyone else? I have my own mind.

Olivias mother, Margaret, sighs softly and walks toward the pasture to meet the dairy cows while her daughter smears layers of makeup on her face for the village dance.

Olivias friends stare enviously at the local queen who never lifts a finger for housework, never washes a dish, and never even steps into the barn. Olivia seems clueless about which side of the cows to approachshes a late bloomer, unexpected and unplanned. Her older sister is already married with grandchildren, and now Margaret learns shes pregnant too, giving birth only two months after her sister. How can she not pamper the little one?

Years pass; the children grow, the adults age. Olivia finishes school with average gradesmostly Csyet still dreams big.

She decides to train as a nursery teacher, a job thats tidy, respectable, and wellpaid. Margaret and her husband sell a pair of bullocks and cover Olivias tuition for a year.

No one notices at first that Olivia is struggling. In her final college year she keeps returning home, preferring to stay put. She sits before the mirror, primps herself, and peers out the window as if waiting for someone who never arrives, while the local club remains empty.

She becomes more confident, her figure rounds out, and she starts to look after the garden. One weekend her motherinlaw drops by, saying, Weve got stock, weve got a buyer.

The parents cant make sense of the jokes their inlaws are cracking. Olivia, without asking anyones permission, throws herself into a relationship. Four years older, her partner James is from the same village, stayed after college, and they fall in love.

They marry just as Olivia finishes college, already heavily pregnant. Rumours swirl that she passed her exams only because of her situation, not because she was a brilliant student.

They rent a modest flat in the town and start life together. The parents send parcels of provisions so the young couple can feed themselves. Olivia goes on maternity leave, and James works double shifts. Their daughter Lily is borna spittingimage of her mother. With two mouths to feed, Jamess salary barely covers everything; with three, its barely enough. James finally snaps:

Enough is enough. Im sick of paying half a wage to my uncle for a city flat. Well move back to the village until Lily grows up, and thats final.

They pack their belongings and head to the countryside. Jamess parents have already bought a new house, leaving the old one empty. The young couple settles there. James lands a job on the farm as a mechanicqualified, though the pay is lower than in town, it comes with free lodging, so no rent to worry about. Olivia initially resists, wondering why he dragged her back, but soon calms down. With both motherinlaw and grandmother close, they receive help with the baby and groceries, turning life into something out of a storybook.

The fairytale soon hits a snag when the grandmother and Margaret start complaining that Olivia spends hours at the mirror while theyre mucking out the garden. Lets take turns with the granddaughter, they demand, and Olivia, still young, prefers the garden work. She protests, but James eyes her sharply, and she ends up pulling carrots. Summer passes without a single weed, and the next year she decides to plant a proper gardenno more endless labor for a single carrot.

James decides to breed the bullocks, thinking itll be profitable; a farm needs both cows and calves. Olivias parents move to the district centre and gift a cow to the young couple. At first, Olivia finds the early mornings hard, but she eventually adapts.

Four years later a vacancy opens at the local nursery when a senior staff member retires. Olivia steps in, the farm runs smoothly, and life settles.

She never notices how her citylife dreams drift to the background. From dawn till dusk shes always busy, always caring.

Now the grandmother lives in the district centre, Lily attends school, and Olivia remains in the village. Shes become headmistress of the nursery. James raises the question, Maybe its time we get closer to civilization?

What do you mean, James? Whats wrong with what we have? Our own house, our garden, the farmour moneys enough. We still drive to the city often. Im happy here. If I left, who would run the nursery? Lily will finish school soon, then well see, but for now Im staying put.

Twenty years pass like a single day. The old class reunites for the first time since graduation. Olivia spots many former classmatessome still live in the village, others have moved to towns. She hasnt seen her childhood friends Kate and Emma, now fifteen, in years. The evening gathering brings almost everyone together.

They stare in disbelief at how adult life has turned out. No one expected such twists. Half the classmates now live in cities; the rest stayed rural.

Take Kate, for example. She grew up on a farm, both parents working the land. She studied modestly, never planned to go to university, and was set to inherit the family farm. She did a short course in catering, then married a city businessmanlook at her now!

And Emma? She married Michael, a classmate, during their final year, moved to the city, bought an apartment, and drives a sleek car. Her husband runs a business, while Emma doesnt work, even though she never left the village as a child.

The former classmates chat warmly, exchange phone numbers, marvel at each others paths, and part ways. Olivia and James return home, thoughtful and serious, lost in their own thoughts.

Im sorry I drove you back to the village, James. I knew you couldnt stand farm life. Youd be living in the city now, driving a car, Olivia says.

Dont be ridiculous, James! I drive a car already, and we live no worse than anyone else. City life isnt all sugarcoated; everything has its pros and cons. I love the village. Im tired of the city. I didnt help around the house as a child because my parents spoiled me. I thought it was shameful to do chores. If you hadnt taken me back then, wed still be renting or paying a mortgage. Remember how I once feared even washing a plate? Here, at home, with you, Ive learned that work is necessary everywhere. Were not far from the city; we can move anytime. We have work, a roofwhat more do we need for happiness?

Exactly, Olivia. When did you finally fall in love with the village?

Ive always loved it; I just didnt understand it. Never say never. Remember how I shouted Id never live in the countryside? And here I am.

The friends like and comment, sharing their thoughts in the discussion below.

Friends, if you want more stories like this, leave a comment and dont forget to like. Your support keeps us writing!