When Zhao Shuhe told her parents, the whole household erupted into chaos again.
Zhao Shoutian was a man of action. He put down his bowl and headed outside. “I’m going to the brigade to find the Party secretary. I’ll have the letter of introduction issued tonight.”
The first person Ding Feng worried about was not Zhao Shuhe, but Zhao Manzhu. “You’re taking Little Sister to the provincial capital by yourself? Do you even know the way? You’ve barely been to the county town a few times!”
Zhao Manzhu thumped his chest. “If I don’t know the way, can’t I ask? I’m a grown man, after all. Could I really lose Little Sister?”
Ding Feng rolled her eyes at him. “The last time you went to the commune market, you took a wrong turn all by yourself and came back two hours later than everyone else.”
Zhao Manzhu’s face reddened. “That was because they were doing construction at the intersection. What did that have to do with me?”
Li Qiongxian had no time to listen to them bicker. She was already rummaging through the cupboards and packing things. They needed to bring dry food and a change of clothes… As she stuffed things into the bags, she muttered, “Are there many people in the provincial capital? Are there many vehicles? The two of you mustn’t let child snatchers trick you. Don’t talk to strangers, and don’t go wandering around like a couple of clueless fools…”
Zhao Manzhu covered his ears and tried to escape outside. “Mom! You’ve said that eight hundred times tonight!”
“I could say it eight hundred times and you still wouldn’t remember!” Li Qiongxian scolded him before continuing to pack.
Zhao Shoutian got things done quickly. That very evening, he returned from the brigade with a fifteen-day letter of introduction. When the Party secretary heard that they were going to the provincial capital for a technical secondary school entrance examination, he stamped it without a second thought. He even patted Zhao Shoutian on the shoulder and said, “Old Zhao, your youngest daughter has a bright future!”
Zhao Shoutian accepted the praise with a smile. When he returned home, he handed the letter of introduction to Zhao Shuhe. “Keep it safe. Once you leave the commune, you won’t be able to take a single step without it.”
Zhao Shuhe folded the letter and put it into the inner pocket of her clothing, then checked all the things they needed to take once more.
That night, she tossed and turned and barely slept. In her seventeen years of life, the farthest she had ever gone was the county town, and even then she had gone with her mother. This time she was going to the provincial capital, taking several different vehicles, and the journey would take two days. She had no idea what to expect.
While it was still dark, Li Qiongxian woke the siblings.
Zhao Manzhu carried a large cloth bundle stuffed with the dry food and spare clothing Li Qiongxian had prepared. Zhao Shuhe carried her own small bundle, which held not only clothes but also two old textbooks.
Li Qiongxian stood at the courtyard gate and gave them another round of instructions… Zhao Manzhu had already walked more than a dozen steps away, but Li Qiongxian was still calling after him, “Call the commune and let us know when you arrive! Don’t forget!”
Without turning around, Zhao Manzhu waved a hand.
Two people who were going to the commune on business were already sitting in the back of the brigade’s tractor. The siblings climbed aboard, and the tractor jolted its way out of the village.
When they reached the commune, they got off the tractor and waited more than half an hour before finally catching the bus to the county town. The bus was packed, with people pressed chest to back. Zhao Manzhu shielded Zhao Shuhe as they stood the entire way, and by the time they reached the county town, his legs were numb.
“Little Sister, is there still a bus to the provincial capital today?” Zhao Manzhu asked, rubbing his legs.
Zhao Shuhe went to the ticket window to ask. “The last one, at two o’clock, has already left. There’s another one at six tomorrow morning.”
Zhao Manzhu let out a sigh. “Then we’ll have to spend the night in the county town.”
The two of them found the same inn where Li Qiongxian had stayed before, the kind with hard plank beds that cost one yuan and twenty cents a night. Zhao Manzhu lay down on the bed and immediately no longer wanted to move.
“Little Sister, traveling far from home really takes it out of you. I feel like all my bones have come loose.”
Zhao Shuhe was tired too, but she could not sleep. Her mind kept turning to the examination the day after tomorrow. She closed her eyes and silently went over the English grammar and vocabulary. She remembered the material from her classes well, but she had never actually sat in an examination hall and taken a proper test. She still felt uneasy.
The next day, before dawn, the siblings got up. The six-o’clock bus departed on time, and the trip from the county town to the provincial capital would take most of the day.
Zhao Shuhe leaned against the window and looked outside. The farther they went, the wider the roads became, and the more houses and vehicles she saw. Eventually, she saw four- and five-story buildings, asphalt roads, and streams of people riding bicycles.
She had seen taller, larger, and more numerous versions of all these things in the memories inside her mind, but those were scenes from several decades in the future. What she was seeing now was the genuine prosperity of this era.
Zhao Manzhu’s reaction was far more intense than hers. From the moment they entered the provincial capital, he never closed his mouth. He kept staring out the window, pointing first at one thing and then at another.
“Little Sister! Look at that building! How tall do you think it is?”
“Little Sister! What kind of vehicle is that on the road? It’s even faster than a tractor!”
“Little Sister! Why are there so many people at that intersection?”
Zhao Shuhe tugged at him several times. “Third Brother, keep your voice down. Everyone’s looking at us.”
Only then did Zhao Manzhu notice that several passengers nearby were watching him with amused smiles. He sheepishly shrank back into his seat.
By the time they reached the provincial capital, the large clock in the station pointed to a quarter past five.
Zhao Shuhe got off the bus, her legs slightly weak. They had spent two days traveling and changed vehicles several times; she felt as if the bones throughout her body no longer belonged to her.
Zhao Manzhu stood in the square outside the provincial capital’s station and froze. He had never seen such a large place. In the midst of the bustling crowds and prosperity, he stood there holding his large cloth bag, his eyes darting helplessly from one direction to another…
Was this really in the same world as Little Stone Bridge?
Zhao Shuhe was nervous too, but she remembered what Lu Jingfeng had told her. She took Zhao Manzhu by the arm and led him outside.
“Third Brother, let’s find the bus stop first.”
“What’s a bus?” Zhao Manzhu asked.
“It’s a big vehicle that runs through the city. It stops at one station, lets a group of people on, then stops at the next station and lets another group on.”
Zhao Manzhu followed her out in a daze. Outside the station, they saw a sign standing by the roadside. It read “Route 2.” Zhao Shuhe let out a breath of relief. This was the one.
They did not have to wait long before a large bus pulled up. Zhao Shuhe took Zhao Manzhu aboard, bought their tickets, and found them seats.
Five stops was not a long ride. Zhao Shuhe counted the names of the stops, and when they reached People’s Road, she hurriedly pulled Zhao Manzhu off the bus.
After getting off, Zhao Shuhe looked around in every direction. Lu Jingfeng had said that his home was at No. 85 People’s Road…
Then she heard someone calling, “Shuhe! Over here!”
Zhao Shuhe saw Wang Xiulan and felt relieved. “Auntie Wang, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Wang Xiulan answered with a smile. “Come on, come on. Let’s go home first! You two have been traveling for two days. You must be starving.”
The three of them walked into the alley and entered the courtyard at No. 85 People’s Road. As soon as Zhao Shuhe stepped inside, she saw the two-story courtyard house. Zhao Manzhu followed behind her, staring at the spacious courtyard and the brand-new brick house. He swallowed and did not dare make a sound.
Zhao Shuhe looked around but did not see Lu Jingfeng. “Jingfeng, he…”
Wang Xiulan explained, “Jingfeng is on duty today. Something came up at the factory, so he couldn’t get away. He asked me to apologize to you. He’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning.”
Zhao Shuhe nodded. “It’s all right, Auntie. His work is more important.”
Lu Changxiong came out from the inner room. When he saw the siblings, he hurried over to greet them. “Come into the main room and eat. I’ve already put the dishes out. You must be exhausted after the journey.”
Wang Xiulan led them to the table and seated them. “Don’t stand on ceremony. Hurry up and eat! I finished cooking this afternoon and have been waiting for you to arrive.”
There were four dishes on the table, including meat, eggs, and vegetables, along with a large pot of white rice. Zhao Manzhu stared at the spread and swallowed, too embarrassed to pick up his chopsticks.
Wang Xiulan pushed his bowl toward him. “Eat! Don’t be polite with me here. How can you not eat your fill after traveling for two days?”
Only then did Zhao Manzhu pick up his chopsticks. He shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, and his eyes immediately reddened. At home, even during the New Year, they were not necessarily able to eat white rice and meat in the same meal.
Zhao Shuhe was desperately hungry too, but she ate more demurely, taking one small mouthful at a time.
Wang Xiulan sat across from them and watched them eat, thoroughly pleased. The girl ate in an unhurried, well-mannered way. Although her brother seemed somewhat clumsy and unsophisticated, he looked like an honest, straightforward man.
After the meal, Zhao Shuhe helped collect the bowls, but Wang Xiulan stopped her. “Don’t bother. It’s your first time here, so you’re a guest. I’ll wash them.”
Zhao Shuhe still carried the bowls into the kitchen. “Auntie, I’m not doing anything else anyway.”
Wang Xiulan could not stop her, so she let her be. Secretly, she nodded in approval. This girl was diligent and capable, not the kind who would simply sit around waiting for others to serve her.
Lu Changxiong told the siblings to sit and rest for a while, then poured them each a cup of sugar water.
“Shuhe, the examination is the morning after tomorrow. It’ll be held in the teaching building of the Provincial Normal Secondary School. When Jingfeng comes back tomorrow, he’ll take you there to familiarize yourself with the route.”
Zhao Shuhe accepted the cup. “All right, Uncle. Thank you.”
Wang Xiulan came out after tidying up and said, “You two have been traveling for two days, so you must be worn out. Tomorrow, Old Man and I will take you to the public bathhouse on the street. You can soak and relax, then go to the examination bright and refreshed the day after tomorrow.”
At the mention of bathing, Zhao Manzhu perked up. “What are the bathhouses in the provincial capital like? They’re different from heating a pot of water at home to wash, aren’t they?”
Wang Xiulan laughed at him. “Of course they’re different. There are big pools you can soak in, and plenty of hot water. Afterward, you’ll feel refreshed all over.”
Zhao Manzhu rubbed his hands together. “Then I’ll have to soak properly. After sitting on buses for two days, even my waist feels like it belongs to someone else.”
Seeing her brother’s expression, Zhao Shuhe laughed along with him. But after the laughter faded, an indescribable feeling rose in her heart.
She had come out of the mountains. After two days on the road, she was finally standing on the soil of the provincial capital. The examination was the day after tomorrow. If she passed, she would be able to stay and continue her studies. If she failed, she would have to return to those mountains.
That night, Zhao Shuhe lay in the bed in the West Room. The bedding had just been changed; it was clean and carried the scent of soap. She closed her eyes and went over her English lessons once more in her mind—vocabulary, grammar, sentence patterns, reading comprehension—one item after another.
This was the first time she had ever been so far from home.