After a busy stretch, a week’s worth of clothes were all wrung out and hung up, with Jia Dongxu even thoughtfully smoothing and straightening them so the sun-dried laundry would be wrinkle-free.
But when he turned around, he saw Zhang Yuanlin had changed his clothes, locked his door, and was about to ride off on that old bicycle.
“Hey, wait, buddy, where are you going? I’ve finished all your chores. If you agree, let’s hurry up and move! Today’s a public holiday, everyone’s home—more hands make light work!”
While working, Jia Dongxu had already thought it through: since it was a public holiday, all the folks in the compound could be called in to help, making the move much easier.
On ordinary days, everyone would be at work and only free after returning—no matter how light the task, it’d still take a day, and nobody would be keen on doing more physical labor.
Plus, asking for help on a public holiday didn’t cost money—it just meant owing a bit more favor. On regular days, it’d be harder, as his mother Jia Zhangshi had taught him.
But to Jia Dongxu’s surprise, after all his effort, he turned around to see Zhang Yuanlin about to bolt.
“Ahem, brother, just now, I took your lesson to heart and realized it’s not right for a grown man to spend every public holiday doing house chores. So, I’ve figured it out—I’m going to find a wife too!”
Zhang Yuanlin, one foot on the pedal, replied with a straight face.
Jia Dongxu was dumbfounded. He’d worked up a sweat rushing to finish before Zhang Yuanlin could change his mind, and now Zhang Yuanlin said he was going to find a wife?
“But, bro, what about the house…?”
Before Jia Dongxu could finish, Zhang Yuanlin pushed off hard and sped away.
“Watch and learn! As the oldest among the younger generation in the compound, I ought to set an example. Wait till I show you how it’s done!”
His words trailing off, Zhang Yuanlin—energized by his nourishing diet—launched forward with a burst of speed, executed a sharp turn, and disappeared through the corridor into the central courtyard, leaving a fading response for the stunned Jia Dongxu.
Once in the central courtyard, Zhang Yuanlin had to dismount because there were large steps between the central and front courtyards, and the same applied when exiting the compound gate.
Just then, he ran into Aunt Xu, who also lived in the rear courtyard and often borrowed his washbasin. She was carrying a bamboo basket, clearly back from the morning market.
With seven people in her household, their clothes overflowed their own basins, and they were too thrifty to buy another, so borrowing was their only option.
Although Zhang Yuanlin preferred not to get too involved with people in the compound, he didn’t mind helping with such trivial matters.
“Yuanlin, heading out again? I was just about to ask to borrow a basin!”
Aunt Xu greeted him with a smile.
Zhang Yuanlin knew her family was decent—the kind that lived honestly and kept to themselves—so he was willing to lend a hand with small things.
“Aunt Xu, the basins are by my door, both of them. Just help yourself.”
With a reply, Zhang Yuanlin continued pushing his bicycle toward the compound exit.
Hearing this, Aunt Xu headed reassured to the rear courtyard, only to find Jia Dongxu flailing wildly near the clothes drying outside Zhang Yuanlin’s door, as if up to no good.
Feeling obliged since she’d just received a favor, Aunt Xu couldn’t stand by and watch. She rushed over and began scolding him loudly.
Jia Dongxu was all bark and no bite—daring to talk back to his mother at home but a complete coward outside. Immediately, he covered his head and scurried away in disgrace.
As he ran, he muttered gloomily:
“It was Zhang Yuanlin, that bastard, who tricked me into doing the work in the first place! Those were all my sun-dried clothes—why can’t I just pull them back down?”
Aunt Xu, however, didn’t believe him and spat toward Jia Dongxu’s retreating figure.
“What nonsense! Good thing I found out early, or else—I came to borrow a basin, and if I’d returned to find the freshly washed clothes thrown on the ground, how could I face Zhang Yuanlin? He trusted me so much, even prepared the basin for me before heading out!”
Little did she know, Zhang Yuanlin had anticipated Aunt Xu’s request for a basin and arranged things this way precisely to prevent Jia Dongxu from throwing a fit and causing trouble.
Leaning on his bicycle, Zhang Yuanlin greeted some familiar faces in the compound.
After all, they all lived in the same courtyard, seeing each other constantly—basic courtesy was a must.
On the way, he saw Second Uncle and Third Uncle’s children playing and laughing happily.
It was 1952. Zhang Yuanlin was twenty-two years old, the oldest among his peers. Jia Dongxu, the same age, was a few months younger, followed by nineteen-year-old Shazhu, then eighteen-year-old Xu Damao, and finally Liu Guangqi, the eldest son of Liu Haizhong’s family.
These were the adults. Next came the fifteen- or sixteen-year-olds: Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiacheng; then the twelve- or thirteen-year-olds: Liu Guangfu and Yan Jiefang; and finally, the toddlers Yan Jiekang, just learning to walk, and Yan Jiedi, still being carried in arms.
As for children from other families, there were even more—Zhang Yuanlin couldn’t possibly remember them all, since they hardly crossed paths anyway.
Aside from the kids, there weren’t many adults around.
In those days, both adults and children only had one day off each week—Sunday, the public rest day.
So, on public rest days, many adults would go out to the market to shop for the following week’s necessities.
Others went for strolls or visited friends, since on workdays, everyone was busy and couldn’t easily go out.
Of course, aside from essential supplies, even going out for fun usually didn’t involve spending money—conditions were limited.
For this reason alone, Zhang Yuanlin could never blend in with them. For two years, he had always gone out alone.
Just kidding—with my pockets full of endless cash, going out with you all and not buying this or that would drive me crazy!
Once out of the compound gate, Zhang Yuanlin habitually rode toward a few bustling streets in the city.
On the way, he cycled leisurely but couldn’t help worrying.
“Sigh, where can I find a wife who can meet all my requirements?”
At this moment, Zhang Yuanlin couldn’t help but sigh.
“Too bad the Still World has all kinds of live poultry and fresh seafood, even wild animals—but no pretty girls, only inflatable… Ugh, what am I thinking? Right now, I need a living person who’ll listen to me and play along with my act!”
As he rode on, Zhang Yuanlin noticed a bus stopped halfway up the road ahead, surrounded by a crowd, as if watching something.
Bored, Zhang Yuanlin went over to see what was happening and learned that the bus had broken down mid-route.
Thinking that buses were managed by specific units, he decided not to get involved unnecessarily—after all, he was just a mechanic at the Steel Rolling Plant, and he wouldn’t get paid for the work anyway.
But just as he was about to leave, a slender and curvaceous figure firmly caught Zhang Yuanlin’s attention.
It wasn’t that Zhang Yuanlin was lecherous, but that delicate, rosy-cheeked face with its youthful shyness seemed vaguely familiar.
“Hiss, could this be the nineteen-year-old Qin Huairu? To describe her in five words—she’s simply too exquisite!”