The wind and snow howled outside the courtyard, and urgent knocking sounded at the door.
Su Jianguo grabbed the military overcoat hanging behind the door, threw it on, and pulled open the gate. Militia Company Commander Wang Weidong stood there covered in snow, panting heavily: “Brigade Leader, the roof of the male dormitory at the educated youth point collapsed under the snow! No one was killed, but the place is uninhabitable—the wind is blowing right through!”
“Let’s go!” Su Jianguo called back over his shoulder, “Xiulan, stoke the fire basin at home and get it ready.”
Su Jianguo trudged through snowdrifts that reached past his calves, following Wang Weidong into the dark night.
Half an hour later, at the brigade headquarters.
A dozen or so educated youths huddled around a fire basin where a few pieces of wood burned, wrapped in tattered quilts, their lips purple from the cold, shivering uncontrollably. Half of the male dormitory had completely collapsed, and while the female dormitory hadn’t caved in, cracks had appeared in the walls, making it unsafe.
Su Jianguo brushed the snow off his hat, scanned the group, and spoke in a low, steady voice: “We can’t fix the houses tonight. You’re all comrades here to support our construction efforts, and we can’t let you freeze. The village committee has decided to arrange for everyone to stay with local families. Once the snow melts, the brigade will provide bricks and tiles to build you new houses.”
The educated youths breathed a sigh of relief.
Staying with families meant having to put up with their moods, and everyone wanted to go to households with better conditions. Several well-off families in the village with spacious homes became the most sought-after.
Just as Su Jianguo began reading the assignment list, the sound of crunching snow came from the entrance of the brigade headquarters.
Su Nianqiu walked in wearing a thick white cotton-padded jacket, carrying a bamboo basket filled with steaming sweet potatoes. She placed the basket on the table: “Dad, Mom asked me to bring something warm for everyone.”
Having gone hungry for most of the night, the educated youths’ eyes lit up at the sight of the steaming sweet potatoes.
Chen Xiaoman was squeezed among the female educated youths. She stared at Su Nianqiu’s brand-new, patch-free cotton-padded jacket, then looked down at her own frozen, stiff fingers, jealousy churning inside her. The Su family was doing the best these days. If only she could stay with them…
Chen Xiaoman immediately put on a pitiful expression and stepped forward: “Sister Nianqiu, you’re so kind. The walls in our female dormitory are cracked too, and the wind gives me a headache. Sister, could I stay at your house for a few days? I don’t eat much, and I can help you with chores.”
Several other female educated youths also looked over with hopeful eyes.
Su Nianqiu stood by the fire basin, the flames illuminating her fair face. She didn’t look at Chen Xiaoman but instead handed out sweet potatoes to a few nearby educated youths who were shivering from the cold.
“There’s an empty storage room next to the east wing of my house. If we clean it up, it can fit three people.” Su Nianqiu raised her head, her gaze passing over Chen Xiaoman and landing on three other female educated youths. “Zhang Hong, Li Xue, Wang Fang, would you three be willing to squeeze in at my place?”
The three named were stunned. They were usually the quietest at the educated youth point, keeping their heads down and working hard, rarely speaking.
“Y-yes!” Zhang Hong reacted first, nodding repeatedly.
The smile on Chen Xiaoman’s face froze. She bit her lip, a shadow of resentment flashing in her eyes: “Sister Nianqiu, what about me?”
“You?” Su Nianqiu’s tone was flat. “Just now, I heard Company Commander Wang say that Widow Liu’s house in the east end of the village happens to need company. Her kang is always heated, so it would be most suitable for you.”
Widow Liu’s house! That woman was the meanest, usually too stingy to even boil hot water, and she kept three pigs at home that stank to high heaven!
Chen Xiaoman panicked: “Brigade Leader, I…”
“Then it’s settled.” Su Jianguo made the final decision. He had long disliked Chen Xiaoman, and his daughter’s arrangement suited him perfectly.
Late at night. In the side room of the Su household.
Su Jianguo and Li Xiulan swiftly cleared out the clutter, laying down thick straw mats and clean old bedding. The heated brick bed was scorching hot, making the room warm and cozy.
Zhang Hong and the other two held the hot ginger tea brought by Li Xiulan, their eyes growing moist. They had thought they would endure hardship for the rest of their lives in the countryside, never expecting to live in such a warm room.
Su Nianqiu pushed the door open, carrying a square bundle wrapped in newspaper.
“Nianqiu, thank you so much for today.” Zhang Hong stood up, nervously rubbing her hands.
“No need to be polite. We’ll all be living in the same courtyard from now on, so we should look out for each other.” Su Nianqiu placed the newspaper bundle on the heated brick bed table and untied the string.
A blue-and-white cover was revealed. Twelve volumes of the “Self-Study Series for Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry” were neatly stacked on the table.
The room fell silent.
Li Xue, who had left school in her second year of high school, had the strongest foundation. She glanced at the titles and her breath hitched. She reached out to touch the thick paper, her fingers trembling.
“This… this is the Self-Study Series for Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry? The complete set?” Li Xue’s voice quivered. This set of books was already out of print even in the city. During her years in the countryside, she had dreamed of finding a few textbooks to study.
“A few volumes are missing, but it’s enough to get by.” Su Nianqiu sat on the edge of the heated brick bed, looking at the three of them. “You’ve been in the countryside for years. Are you really willing to spend the rest of your lives toiling in the fields?”
The three lowered their heads. Wang Fang’s eyes reddened. “What else can we do even if we’re unwilling? There’s only one quota to return to the city each year, and it never reaches us.”
“What if there’s another way?” Su Nianqiu dangled the bait.
Zhang Hong looked up. “What way?”
“The college entrance exam.” Su Nianqiu uttered the two words.
The three were startled. The college entrance exam had been suspended for ten years—this was a sensitive topic.
Su Nianqiu remained calm. “Policies are changing. My father heard rumors at the commune meeting. The country needs talent to develop. The college entrance exam might be reinstated as early as next year.”
These words stirred a tidal wave in the hearts of the three girls.
“I had someone dig these books out from the scrap station. I could study them alone, but the three of you have a good foundation.” Su Nianqiu pushed the books toward them. “I want to form a study group. We’ll work during the day and review in this room at night. If we encounter something we don’t understand, we can explain it to each other.”
Zhang Hong and the other two exchanged glances, their eyes reigniting with a spark of hope.
“Nianqiu, you’re letting us read such precious books…” Zhang Hong’s tears fell. “From now on, if you point east, I’ll never go west!”
Su Nianqiu smiled. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. These three—Zhang Hong was steady, Li Xue was clever, and Wang Fang had a good memory. By winning them over, she had her first group of absolutely loyal followers.
The study group was officially formed.
Every night, the light in the side room stayed on until late. Su Nianqiu, relying on her foundation from her previous life and the enhanced memory from the Spirit Spring Water, became the de facto “teacher.” She broke down the key points of the syllabus and explained them in detail, and the three made rapid progress.
The Su family’s meals were hearty. Su Nianqiu often asked Li Xiulan to make extra cornbread and hot porridge for the three of them. In less than half a month, the three female educated youths’ complexions grew rosy, and they seemed to have endless energy for work. During the day, they eagerly helped the Su family with tasks assigned by the village, even sweeping the snow in the courtyard clean.
All of this fell into the eyes of another person.
Chen Xiaoman’s days at Widow Liu’s house were worse than death. Every day before dawn, she had to get up to feed the pigs. Her meals were nothing but watery sweet potato porridge mixed with sand, and even the water she used to wash her face was cold.
Frostbite had broken out on the back of her hands, red and swollen.
That afternoon, she passed by the Su family’s courtyard wall. At the base of the wall, Zhang Hong was chopping firewood, while Li Xue was washing clothes by the well. The two were chatting and laughing.
Chen Xiaoman hid behind a tree, her teeth grinding audibly. Seizing the moment when no one was paying attention, she slipped around to the back window of the side room. The window paper had a small hole torn in it. Squinting, she peered inside.
On the kang table lay several thick books spread open, densely covered with formulas and handwritten notes.
Chen Xiaoman recognized them as high school textbooks.
She took two steps back and let out a cold laugh. Su Nianqiu, you shameless woman with a swollen belly—how dare you cozy up to the educated youth, secretly dabble in capitalist ways, and even sneak a look at these banned books!
Since you won’t let me live in peace, don’t expect to live in peace yourself.
Chen Xiaoman turned and, braving the wind and snow, trudged step by step toward the direction of the commune.