Su Ci pedaled with all her might, her spirits soaring from having acquired the purple clay brush holder. She even hummed an unfamiliar little tune under her breath.
Unfortunately, the dirt roads of the 1970s were anything but accommodating.
Not long after leaving the city, they reached a long uphill stretch.
The slope was not only steep but riddled with potholes. On top of that, the cargo tricycle itself was heavy, and in the back sat a man well over six feet tall, along with a pile of “junk.”
Su Ci’s face turned bright red as she strained against the pedals. Her legs felt as heavy as lead, and the tricycle slowed visibly before finally coming to a complete stop halfway up the hill, stuck in an awkward position.
“Huff… huff…”
She panted heavily, sweat streaming down her cheeks.
“This blasted road is going to kill me!”
Lu Si sat quietly in the back, watching the slender figure ahead of him bent nearly double as she desperately forced the pedals around. A sharp ache stabbed at his heart.
Instinctively, he reached out to push against the wheel, hoping to lighten her burden.
But that overwhelming sense of helplessness washed over him again like a rising tide, threatening to drown him.
“Su Ci, stop.”
His voice was low, tinged with suppressed anger.
“I’ll get down. I’ll push my own wheelchair.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
Su Ci gritted her teeth and pushed harder.
“It’s only a little hill! Back in the day, I…” She stopped herself and laughed. “Forget it. No point bragging about old glories. Just stay put and stop making things harder!”
The two were locked in a standoff when the clear ringing of a bicycle bell sounded behind them.
Ring, ring—
A young man wearing a white dress shirt and gold-rimmed glasses rode up beside them and stopped.
“Comrades, do you need some help?”
His voice was warm and gentle, his smile pleasant and refined. He looked every bit the scholarly gentleman.
Su Ci looked up, her eyes lighting instantly.
Wasn’t this the legendary “timely benefactor”?
“Oh, absolutely!”
She wiped the sweat from her forehead without the slightest hesitation.
“Comrade, could you lend us a hand? This hill’s too steep—I really can’t pedal anymore.”
“No problem.”
The young man parked his bicycle by the roadside, rolled up his sleeves, and moved behind the tricycle. Bracing both hands against the cargo bed, he said,
“Let’s push together. On three. One… two… three… go!”
With his help, the heavy tricycle finally lurched forward, slowly climbing to the top of the hill.
Once they reached level ground, Su Ci stopped the tricycle and let out a long sigh of relief.
“Thank you so much, Comrade! If you hadn’t shown up, I’d have collapsed right there.”
“It was nothing.”
He adjusted his glasses, his gaze lingering briefly on Su Ci’s face as a flicker of admiration crossed his eyes.
“I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Song Wenbin. I was recently transferred back to the city after my time as a sent-down youth, and I now work at the Municipal Cultural Center.”
“I’m Su Ci.”
She introduced herself generously.
“This is my husband, Lu Si.”
Song Wenbin looked toward Lu Si in the cargo bed and nodded politely.
“Hello, Comrade Lu.”
Lu Si sat among the blankets with a cap pulled low over his head, revealing only a pair of deep, jet-black eyes.
Those eyes were now fixed firmly on Song Wenbin, as cold as ice in the dead of winter.
Who is this pretty boy?
Why does he keep staring at my wife?
And what’s with that disgusting smile?
“Hello.”
Lu Si squeezed the two words out through clenched teeth, his voice cold enough to freeze water.
Song Wenbin froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard by the frosty reception. Being a well-mannered man, however, he merely smiled awkwardly before turning back to Su Ci.
“Comrade Su, judging by all your luggage, are you heading into the city as well?”
“That’s right.”
Su Ci nodded with a smile, though her mind had already begun calculating.
A job at the Cultural Center?
Wouldn’t that mean he knows antiques?
She had been wondering where to find someone who could properly appraise that purple clay brush holder.
Wasn’t an expert practically falling into her lap?
“Comrade Song, since we’re both heading into town, why don’t we travel together?” she suggested warmly. “I’m not very familiar with the city, so I’d love to ask you a few questions.”
Song Wenbin was more than happy to agree.
“Of course. We’re going the same way anyway.”
And so, what had been a world for two became a group of three.
Walking beside the tricycle while pushing his bicycle, Song Wenbin chatted animatedly with Su Ci.
“So Comrade Su likes antiques too? Not many young people appreciate old things these days.”
“I only know a little,” Su Ci replied modestly while skillfully steering the conversation. “I just think the things our ancestors left behind have a certain charm. By the way, Comrade Song, I heard the Renjitang Pharmacy in the city used to be a famous traditional medicine shop. Is its shopkeeper really that knowledgeable?”
“You’re talking about Shopkeeper Zhao? He’s an old expert. His eye for antiques is incredibly sharp.”
The conversation drifted from antiques to literature, from classical poetry to philosophy.
Although Su Ci was mostly humoring him while fishing for information, to Lu Si, it looked like blatant flirting.
He sat silently in the cargo bed, clutching the filthy brush holder to his chest, feeling like nothing more than an unnecessary piece of luggage.
Watching Su Ci smile so brightly at that pretty boy…
Watching the pretty boy sneak glances at her every now and then…
The vinegar jar in Lu Si’s heart finally overturned.
Sour.
So incredibly sour.
Sourer than Shanxi aged vinegar.
Especially when Song Wenbin mentioned, “I’m a collector too.”
Su Ci’s eyes lit up, and she almost pulled the brush holder out to show him.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
Lu Si coughed loudly—so loudly it sounded like thunder.
Su Ci turned around.
“Old Lu, what’s wrong? Is your throat bothering you?”
“The wind’s giving me a headache.”
His voice was cold as he shot Song Wenbin a look sharp enough to cut.
“How much farther? I’m hungry.”
The moment she heard he was hungry, Su Ci immediately abandoned the conversation.
“We’re almost there. Just up ahead.”
She turned apologetically toward Song Wenbin.
“Sorry, Comrade Song. My husband’s health isn’t very good. He can’t stay out in the wind for long. Let’s chat another time if we get the chance.”
Song Wenbin was perceptive enough to recognize Lu Si’s hostility. Smiling politely, he nodded.
“Of course. I won’t keep you. Comrade Su, until we meet again.”
With that, he mounted his bicycle and quickly disappeared into the distance.
Once he was gone, Su Ci turned around and found herself staring at Lu Si’s face, dark enough to drip with gloom.
“Well now, Commander Lu,” she teased knowingly, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips, “what’s the matter? Who upset you?”
“You two seemed to be having quite a good time.”
Lu Si let out a cold laugh, his voice dripping with jealousy.
“Educated people really are different. They know so much… and they’re such smooth talkers.”
Su Ci burst into laughter.
Stopping the tricycle, she climbed into the back, crouched in front of him, and smiled.
“Old Lu, you’re so jealous the smell of vinegar’s overpowering all these medicinal herbs.”
Lu Si turned his face away, the tips of his ears turning red.
“Who’s jealous? I just… thought he talked too much.”
“Oh? Too noisy?”
She reached out and gently pinched his chin, forcing him to look at her.
“Then why were you glaring at him? Your eyes practically popped out.”
Lu Si pressed his lips together without answering.
He simply gazed at her with those deep eyes, where beneath the surface lay a trace of grievance… and insecurity.
He was disabled now.
There was nothing he could do.
Meanwhile, Song Wenbin was young, healthy, educated, and even able to help push the tricycle.
Compared to him…
Lu Si felt like nothing but a burden.
Seeing his awkward expression, Su Ci’s heart softened instantly.
“You silly man.”
Her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze.
“He pushed the tricycle to save me some effort. The reason I need that energy is so I can get you to the pharmacy and buy medicine for your legs.”
She took the brush holder from his arms and waved it in front of him.
“And I chatted with him because I wanted information. I’m trying to sell this brush holder for the best possible price.”
She smiled brightly.
“See? This is our ticket in. Once we get to the pharmacy, we’ll be counting on it to trade for ginseng.”
Looking into her sparkling eyes, the bitterness in Lu Si’s heart instantly faded by more than half.
“Really?”
His voice was slightly hoarse.
“More genuine than solid gold.”
She raised three fingers as though taking an oath.
“In my heart, ten Song Wenbins couldn’t compare to a single finger of yours. You’re a hero—a true giant among men. At best, he’s just… some random passerby.”
Lu Si finally couldn’t hold it back anymore.
The corners of his lips curled into the faintest smile.
He knew she was simply coaxing him.
But he loved hearing every word of it.
“Enough.”
He tugged his cap lower to hide the smile in his eyes.
“Let’s get moving. If we’re any later, someone else will buy all the ginseng.”
“You got it!”
Su Ci hopped back onto the driver’s seat and started pedaling again.
“Hang on tight, Commander Lu! Time for another treasure hunt!”
The tricycle bell rang once more, bright and cheerful.
Lu Si sat quietly in the back, still holding the brush holder in his arms.
But this time, the grimy old thing didn’t seem nearly as disgusting.
Because it was their shared secret weapon…
Their hope for the future.
As for Song Wenbin…
Hmph.
Just a pretty boy.
Nothing to worry about.