After finishing the work in the fields, the team gave everyone three days off.
When heading back to work in the afternoon, Uncle Jianping stopped by and finished the courtyard gate. Yu Nian’an arrived just in time to see them securing the door frame.
Now both the courtyard walls and the gate were complete. All that remained was to plaster the walls of the toilet and bath, then fix the shed roofs, and it would be done.
The time spent was pretty much as expected.
That evening, after sending Uncle Jianping and the others off, Yu Nian’an latched the courtyard gate from the inside. Thinking of Yu Dingguo’s skill at prying doors, she also grabbed a strip of cloth and wrapped it twice around the hidden latch on the back of the door.
This greatly improved the security of the small courtyard.
She went to the kitchen and took the pork out of the pot, preparing to render the lard using the little light in the room.
The old stove had two openings, front and back. One held the fixed large iron pot, where the cut fatty meat was now sizzling. The other was a free space for cooking utensils. Yu Nian’an fetched a small ceramic pot, rinsed some new rice, and set it on a low fire in the back to cook slowly.
By the time the lard was ready, the rice was also cooked.
After going without meat for so long, her stomach instantly perked up at the aroma, and her appetite was immediately awakened.
The freshly rendered pork cracklings, mixed casually with the salt bought today, were incredibly appetizing.
It was a full moon night, and the courtyard was much brighter than the kitchen. Yu Nian’an served herself some rice, took a small dish of the cracklings, and sat under the eaves. She ate while enjoying the rare moment of peace.
After finishing a bowl of rice, she didn’t rush inside to wash the dishes. Thinking the lard still needed time to cool, she simply sat in the courtyard to enjoy the moon.
It wasn’t until several mosquito bites appeared on her arms that she gave up this little poetic indulgence.
Straightening up from the ground, Yu Nian’an took two empty bowls to the water tank, squatting down to wash them outside.
The sound of water splashing, accompanied by a discordant noise, reached her ears. Since the incident with Yu Dingguo, Yu Nian’an had become extremely sensitive to sounds around her after dark.
She immediately knew the sound wasn’t her own. Though faint, she could tell it came from outside the courtyard.
Could it be that Yu Dingguo had come again?
Yu Nian’an looked up at the courtyard wall, feeling uncertain. She gently set the bowls on the ground, tiptoed toward the wall, and pressed her ear against it, trying to listen for any other sounds outside.
After a while, all she heard were the chirping insects nothing else.
Could she have imagined it?
Yu Nian’an rubbed her chin in thought for a moment, then went back inside to fetch a chair. She stepped on it to get a better view outside.
The courtyard was empty. Only at the far end of the road, a figure was slowly moving away.
Squinting, Yu Nian’an tried to make out who it was it seemed to be Gu Shen.
But this was in the opposite direction of the youth cadre station. So late at night, where could he be going?
Yu Nian’an leaned on the wall, resting her chin in her hands, her gaze following him until she saw Gu Shen disappear down another small path.
She seemed, without realizing it, to have discovered his secret.
Putting the chair back inside, Yu Nian’an washed the bowls while quietly pondering why he would go out at such an hour.
Logically, as a youth just sent to the countryside, he shouldn’t have any acquaintances in the team. Besides, who goes visiting someone so late at night?
Her mind kept returning to the thought. After tidying up the kitchen, Yu Nian’an went back out to sit in the courtyard. But after waiting for a long time, nothing else happened outside. Only when sleepiness finally overcame her did she realize what Gu Shen did at night was none of her business.
She must have been overthinking.
Back inside, she washed up and climbed onto the kang. That night, Yu Nian’an slept much more deeply than usual.
She had a dream.
In the dream, she returned to the straight-flowing river. Yu Dingguo was standing beside her, and the two of them seemed to be arguing.
“Anmeizi, listen to me! There’s a reason I haven’t come to see you these past few days!”
Yu Dingguo still wore that coaxing expression, but Yu Nian’an’s body seemed out of her control. She then heard herself mutter, “I know everything… you’re going to marry Zhang, the educated youth.”
At the mention of this, Yu Dingguo’s face paled. “Who said that! There’s nothing between me and Zhang!”
It was then that Yu Nian’an realized this must be a scene from the original story. Her consciousness broke free, and her perspective shifted from first-person to third-person.
The original owner of the body ignored his words and silently pulled a crumpled IOU from her pocket. “Give me back the money. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other.”
Yu Dingguo’s face turned even paler, and his expression showed a hint of panic. He quickly stepped forward and grasped her hand.
“Anmei, Anmei, it’s all just rumors. Believe me! Tomorrow no, today I’ll go back and tell my mother about us right now. She’ll come to formally propose to you!”
“Really…?” The original girl paused slightly, clearly doubting the truth of his words.
Yu Dingguo quickly reached out and patted his chest to reassure her.
After hesitating for a moment, the girl nodded in agreement.
Yu Dingguo forced a smile as he escorted her back to the small courtyard, instructing her to wait at home for his good news. From Yu Nian’an’s perspective as an observer, she watched the original girl sitting dazedly in her room, though a faint hint of happiness could be seen on her face.
Late at night, someone suddenly knocked on the door. Groggy, the girl got out of bed and asked, “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Anmei. Open the door.”
Yu Dingguo’s voice came from outside, low and restrained. Hearing it was him, the girl hesitated briefly but eventually opened the door, asking with a puzzled expression, “Why are you here at this hour?”
“Ah, never mind talking about it.”
Yu Dingguo sighed and walked straight into the room, sitting by the kang, his face full of worry.
This made the girl even more concerned. “What happened?”
“My mother… she doesn’t agree to our marriage.”
“How could that be?”
The girl’s eyes instantly reddened. Thinking of how kindly Aunt had always treated her, she found it hard to believe.
Yu Dingguo took the opportunity to help her sit beside him, looking somewhat troubled. “I already told her I want to marry you, but she just won’t relent. That’s why… she didn’t even let me into the house tonight.”
In just a few words, he explained why he had appeared here. Yu Nian’an rolled her eyes at the side what a clumsy excuse.
Yet the original girl completely bought it. Hearing that he had been kicked out, she grew anxious. “What are you going to do tonight?”
“No problem. I’ll make do in the haystack for one night. Once my mother calms down, we’ll deal with it. I just came to tell you don’t worry about our marriage for now. I’ll think of another way.”
Saying this, Yu Dingguo stood up, preparing to leave the room. But before stepping out, he coughed weakly a couple of times and theatrically patted his chest.
He looked every bit the sickly young man.
Seeing this, the girl hurried forward to steady him. “Dingguo, you can’t just sleep in a haystack like that!”
The two of them returned to the kang to sit. For a moment, the air was heavy with silence. Yu Nian’an watched from the side, already sensing what was about to happen.
Sure enough, the next moment, the girl hesitated, then spoke up: “Why don’t you stay here tonight? You can quietly leave before dawn.”
Hearing this, Yu Dingguo leapt up immediately, waving his hand and declaring with conviction, “No, absolutely not!”
Seeing him react this way, the girl, who had been wavering, immediately made up her mind and blocked him.
“Brother Dingguo, you’re sick. You sleep on the kang. I’ll take the floor. Tomorrow we’ll think of a way to convince my aunt.”