“Aunt Huang, hello.”
Feng Mingshu quickly stood up to greet her, only to have her hand seized by the enthusiastic Aunt Huang.
“Xiao Yu, so this is your Mingshu. She’s truly beautiful, and her hands are so lovely and smooth—I can’t bear to let go.”
After lavishing praise on Feng Mingshu for a while, Aunt Huang shifted the topic to her own daughter: “Speaking of which, my second daughter is only a few years older than Mingshu. She’s not as pretty, but her hands used to be decent. When she was home, I couldn’t bear to let her do any work. But after a year in the countryside, she came back to visit. When she knocked on the door and called me ‘Mom,’ I was stunned. Was that rough-handed, dark-faced, scrawny girl really my second daughter?”
At this point, Aunt Huang’s eyes reddened. Yu Jingqiu handed her a handkerchief, but Aunt Huang wiped the corner of her eye and waved it away. “I’m fine, no need for the handkerchief. I just get upset thinking about my second daughter—I regret how I could have been so muddle-headed and agreed to let her go to the countryside.”
Aunt Huang went on at length, describing how her daughter suffered there: before the ground even thawed, she had to break it with a hoe, resulting in chilblains on her hands, feet, and earlobes that became chronic. Every winter, the itching was unbearable, and no amount of chilblain ointment sent to her helped.
She mentioned that some educated youths who went in their first year hadn’t prepared enough winter supplies and ended up with frostbitten legs that left them disabled—their engagements called off as a result.
She also said the state-owned farm area was far from villages and towns, making it hard to buy anything they lacked. The communal meals had no richness to them, and at night, they’d be so hungry their hearts felt frantic. Some educated youths couldn’t bear it and went out searching for food in the middle of the night, but never returned. Hunting dogs had to be sent out, only to bring back a shoe and a few scraps of fabric…
Feng Mingshu roughly guessed that Aunt Huang had been specially invited by her mother. At first, she listened without much concern, since hardship was unavoidable in the countryside, and she was mentally prepared. But when she heard about the educated youth going missing at night, her expression shifted.
In her previous life, the cadre school farm where she’d been offered no freedom—straying without permission would mean a beating at best, death at worst. As for the situation of educated youths sent to the countryside, she’d only heard the broadcasts’ propaganda and occasional remarks from women in her room about their own children in the countryside. Both sources painted a picture of hopeful lives, arduous but filled with passion.
Though Feng Mingshu didn’t entirely believe it, she hadn’t expected that even the “free” version of settling in the countryside could involve deaths.
Then again, aside from those who experienced it firsthand, who would spread such negative news? And even those who lived through it were likely warned to keep quiet.
Yu Jingqiu remained calm, as if she already knew. She glanced at her daughter before turning to comfort her tearful colleague: “If you can’t bear to see your child suffer, find a way to bring her back.”
Aunt Huang wept, “Her father and I have tried every method we could think of, but her registration is tied to that place—we can’t get her back. If we ignore everything and just bring her to the city, she’ll become a vagrant. Without a household registration, she won’t get rations, and we’d have to hide from the construction corps pursuing responsibility…”
Aunt Huang cried for a long time, leaving only when it was nearly time for afternoon work, her eyes red and swollen.
For the rest of the afternoon, Feng Mingshu didn’t bring up the countryside again, silently helping her mother sort through accounts.
She had realized that her previous plans had been too rough.We still need to plan carefully.
Perhaps she should wait until the news about her family’s donation is published in the newspaper before making arrangements based on the situation.
……
The military snow-clearing task was finally completed at two in the afternoon. Zhai Qingping requested a four-hour leave from the political commissar under the pretext of visiting his roommate who was still recovering from injuries in the hospital.
Just as he was about to dash off, the political commissar called him back. Zhai Qingping’s heart skipped a beat, but then a stack of money and ration tickets were shoved into his hand. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, “Commissar, it’s not even New Year yet—are you giving me lucky money already?”
“What nonsense are you dreaming of?” The political commissar glared at this cheeky trainee. “I’m telling you to use this money to buy some good food for Zhou Jinshan to help him recover. Don’t you dare embezzle it.”
“How would I dare embezzle your money, Commissar?” Zhai Qingping grinned, then immediately snapped to attention and saluted. “Mission assured!”
“Alright, you can go now… Wait, ask Zhou Jinshan if he took a liking to anyone at yesterday’s social dance.”
“Commissar, I was there yesterday too—why aren’t you asking me?”
“What’s there to ask about you? Your standards are so high even a fairy might not catch your eye. I can’t be bothered with you—get out of here.” The political commissar waved him off and turned to get into the passenger seat of the military vehicle.
Zhai Qingping: “…”
He actually had someone in mind this time, but no one cared, leaving him with mixed feelings.
But then he perked up again, thinking about how he’d bring the “fairy” before the commissar one day and shock him out of his wits.
With these pleasant thoughts in mind, Zhai Qingping sprinted down the winter streets after the snowfall, steam rising from his head as he headed straight for the Feng family’s small Western-style house.
That’s right—while clearing snow, he had struck up a conversation with a local classmate from Bincheng and managed to find out the Feng family’s address.
After all, ten years ago, the Feng family was still well-known in Bincheng, and their address was common knowledge among the locals.
Zhai Qingping didn’t take the bus because the stop-and-go buses these days were slower than he could run. An hour later, he arrived outside the Feng family’s courtyard gate, trying hard to catch his breath.
The gate was half-open, and his movements caught the attention of the twins in the yard.
Feng Mingyu, considering himself the man of the house, dropped the snowball he was holding and told his sister to stay in the yard. He then ran over to the gate, looked up, and asked, “Who are you? What are you doing at our house?”
Zhai Qingping looked down and saw the little boy’s round eyes, almost identical to Feng Mingshu’s, and knew he had found the right place. He bent down with a smile and asked, “Little friend, is this Comrade Feng Mingshu’s home, right?”
“Yes, she’s my sister.” Feng Mingyu puffed out his chest as he replied, his eyes darting over Zhai Qingping’s white military uniform with clear admiration, though he stubbornly held back from showing it.
Hearing that the boy was Feng Mingshu’s brother, Zhai Qingping felt even more fondness. Out of habit, he reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair, just as he would with his own nephew. “Is your sister home?”
He didn’t realize that Feng Mingyu hated it when people treated him like a child and ruffled his hair—family members were the only exception. The little boy dodged his hand and said angrily, “My sister isn’t home! You should leave!”
With that, he tried to shut the gate, but Zhai Qingping quickly reached out to stop it. “When will your sister be back?”
“I don’t know!”
“Then I’ll wait outside. Please tell your sister that my surname is Zhai and we met at the social dance yesterday.” After saying this, Zhai Qingping withdrew his hand and stood straight outside the courtyard gate.He suspected that Feng Mingshu might actually be home, but getting past her younger brother was proving difficult. He could only retreat strategically and wait outside.
Unfortunately, the younger brother’s temper was truly unpleasant. With a loud slam, the courtyard gate was shut, and only then did his muttering drift from inside: “They’re all bad people trying to trick my sister away. I won’t let you in.”
Zhai Qingping: “…”
“Brother, who’s outside?”
“A bad man who tricks kids. I’ve locked the gate tight—he can’t get in.”
Zhai Qingping: “…”
Hearing this, Zhai Qingping became convinced that Feng Mingshu really wasn’t home. But he had no idea where to find her either, so he could only stand guard at the courtyard entrance for the time being.
However, this “guard” in his military uniform was rather conspicuous. Passersby couldn’t help but turn back for a second look.
Soon, news that a handsome soldier was standing in front of the Feng residence spread throughout the entire street.
Old Lady Li also caught wind of the news and immediately perked up. Hobbling over on her bound feet, she scrutinized Zhai Qingping with her sharp, triangular eyes and asked bluntly, “Young man, where are you from?”
Zhai Qingping didn’t care for the old woman’s gaze, but assuming she was a neighbor familiar with the Feng family, he suppressed his irritation and replied politely, “I’m from the Maritime Academy, here to see Comrade Feng Mingshu. Do you happen to know where she is now?”
“Ah, you’re here to see the Feng family’s eldest girl? Didn’t you know she went out with her sweetheart today?”