A medal, glinting with a cold light, was placed into her palm. The engraving on it was deep, and it felt heavy in her hand.
“This medal isn’t worth much in money, but if anything happens, you can take it to the military to find me. Whatever I can help with, I won’t refuse.”
Shen Nian’s heart skipped a beat.
This was a military honor—a medal earned with one’s life!
She hurriedly tried to put it back. “This is far too valuable, I can’t accept it!”
“Take it if I say take it. Obey.”
Gu Xiao’s tone carried a rare gentle coaxing. Then he turned and got into the car. The off-road vehicle kicked up dust and drove away, leaving only a trail of exhaust.
Shen Nian opened the envelope. Inside was a stack of brand-new “Great Unity” notes.
She counted them—four hundred in total!
Her eyes went wide in shock. This was more than half a year’s wages for an ordinary worker.
Clutching the envelope, she ran a few steps, but the car had already turned the corner and disappeared from sight.
Four hundred yuan—enough to do a lot of things.
Inside the envelope were also some ration coupons: grain, oil, and sugar.
This guy was incredibly generous. So much money and so many coupons—just casually given to her?
Shen Nian suppressed the thought of returning the money. Right now, she needed it. She would keep it for the moment, and when she earned money later, she could return some.
She carefully put the medal away and headed straight for the admissions office.
On the bulletin board at the entrance, the rules were clearly written in black on a red background:
“No one without high school enrollment is allowed to register.”
But a small line underneath caught her eye: it was possible to obtain equivalent academic credentials through night school and register with that proof.
The next second, she felt like a deflated balloon. Even if she registered via night school, she still needed a household registration.
No matter how she tried, it all came back to her household registration.
Shen Nian clutched the registration guide and went to the supply cooperative to buy some staples and other items, slowly heading back.
The sunset stretched her shadow long along the path. Walking, she suddenly stopped.
Since she couldn’t get her household registration for now, she might as well figure out a way to earn money. With money, she could travel anywhere; without it, she couldn’t move an inch. To truly escape the Shen family, she had to stand strong on her own—money was her backbone.
Thinking this, her eyes brightened, and her steps lightened considerably.
On the way back, the fields along the road were full of young grayish vegetables. They could be used for cold dishes, and dried for winter.
She picked some, filling her basket to the brim. Passing under a locust tree, she saw the flowers in full bloom, sweetly fragrant, and added some to her basket as well.
Back at her thatched hut, the door was ajar. She put down her things and remembered the fish basket she had set out last night—she wanted to check it.
When she returned from the county earlier, she had also bought a lock and secured the wooden door. She grabbed her basket and went to the spot where she had left the fish basket.
When she lifted it, she was delighted to find six or seven plump carp inside, each estimated to weigh three to four jin.
She tossed the fish into her basket, then used a cleaver to scale them right there, cleaning them thoroughly before returning to the hut.
She salted and spiced three of the fish, planning to hang them under the eaves to air-dry. When she craved them in a few days, she could eat them.
The remaining four she descaled, sprinkled with salt and Sichuan pepper, and made a small fire. She placed a washed stone slab on the fire, drizzled a little oil, and pan-fried the fish until golden on both sides.
She couldn’t eat all four by herself, so she ate one and brought the remaining three to Li Hong.
The two children hadn’t had meat in a long time. Their eyes lit up at the sight of the fish, almost lunging to grab it.
Seeing it was fish, Li Hong smiled. “Nian Nian, you’re amazing—you even managed to catch fish!”
“When you’re starving, you just have to figure it out. Li Jie, the fish in the river are getting fatter and fatter—why aren’t you eating any?”
“You must’ve forgotten. A few years ago, our village ate fish. But somehow, the prepared fish always came out smelly and awful. Some people were so disgusted they vomited. Once Zhang Yulian’s family cooked fish, and their six-year-old son accidentally swallowed a bone. The next day he vomited blood a few times and died. Since then, no one in the village has eaten fish.”
Li Hong carefully picked the bones out for the two children, reminding them, “You too—be careful eating. Don’t think the bones are small; they can really hurt you.”
“Got it, Li Jie. Thank you. By the way, how did you usually catch fish before?”
“With nets.”
Fishing nets?
Such a thing even existed? Shen Nian had no memory of it at all.
“Do you have one at home?”
Li Hong’s smile from earlier slowly faded, a trace of sadness in her eyes, and they reddened.
“I had one before I was driven out, but now… I don’t.”
The hope that had just ignited in Shen Nian’s eyes instantly turned to disappointment.
“Well, then there’s nothing to be done. If only there were a fishing net.”
Li Hong asked curiously, “What do you need it for?”
“To catch fish. The river’s full of them. I’ll catch fish and sell them in town… um…”
Before she could finish, Li Hong covered her mouth.
She whispered nervously, “Keep your voice down. Don’t let anyone hear. This is illegal profiteering—you could be caught and punished.”
Shen Nian couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. Li Hong probably hadn’t been to town in a long time.
Now, during the early reform era, in the big cities, people were allowed to set up stalls as long as they didn’t obstruct traffic.
“Li Jie, don’t worry. How about this—you help me borrow a fishing net and a handcart. I catch fish and sell them in town. When we return, we split the profits four-six: you get four, I get six.”
Li Hong looked worried. “It’s not about the money. What if you get caught?”
“Li Jie, don’t worry. You just help me borrow the net and cart. I won’t get caught. Can you do that?”
Li Hong hesitated, biting her lip. “Okay… I’ll go borrow them.”
She was completely desperate now. The Chen family had kicked them out. Even the little relief grain the commune gave the children’s father was taken by the old Chen matriarch. If not for that one person helping, the three of them would have starved long ago.
Li Hong hadn’t eaten any of the three fish herself, carefully feeding the two children.
Li Hong had a son and a daughter. The eldest, Chen Xiaoqiang, was six and just in first grade. The younger, Chen Xiaomai, was four and not yet in school. Both children were in a growth stage, usually eating only potatoes and wild vegetables, looking thin and malnourished.
Xiaomai licked the chili off his lips, cleaning the fish bones completely. The little girl, plump and soft, asked cautiously, “Sister, this fish is so delicious. Will we ever get to eat such tasty fish again?”
In her previous life, Shen Nian never had the chance to fall in love, let alone have children. Seeing the children’s hopeful eyes, she couldn’t help but feel a pang.
“Yes, of course you will. Stick with me, and I promise you’ll eat well and enjoy everything.”
The two little ones were overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear. Xiaoqiang even cleaned his fish bones completely.
As the sky darkened, Shen Nian prepared to leave. Li Hong thought of some important matter that night and didn’t try to stop her.
Shortly after Shen Nian left, Li Hong had the children wash up and go to bed early. She sat alone on the kang, waiting for an unknown figure that might appear that night.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, a muffled sound of footsteps came from the corner of the courtyard wall.
She suddenly lifted her head, and the light of the oil lamp just caught the window paper, casting a tall, dark shadow.