Ande Shi, Wucheng Xian, Santang Gongshe, Erdaogou Shenchandui.
The autumn day was crisp and clear. The sky was a deep blue, and the clouds were thin and pale.
A faint chill lingered in the air.
Zhao Fengxia had always risen early—much earlier than the gong summoning the production team to work.
She had to get up and make breakfast so that her husband and daughter could eat before leaving for work.
Rural people generally did not eat breakfast. They would wake at the sound of the gong, tuck a cornmeal cake or steamed sweet potato made the night before into their pockets, and head out. After working until around nine or nearly ten, they would stop for a breather, take the opportunity to eat their cake, and then continue working until they returned home for lunch.
But the situation in Zhao Fengxia’s household was different from that of ordinary rural families. Her husband, Jiang Xuegong, was a worker at the county coal mine, while her daughter, Jiang Ning’an, also worked at the commune. The father and daughter were both respectable working people. They could hardly go to work carrying a cornmeal cake in their pockets like the villagers, could they? Wouldn’t they be laughed to death?
Thus, the Jiang family had developed the habit of eating three meals a day.
When Zhao Fengxia made breakfast, she prepared a little extra and made her own lunch at the same time. Her husband and daughter ate lunch at their workplaces, leaving only her at home. It wasn’t worth lighting the stove just for herself at noon. After finishing her work, she could eat something simple and then enjoy a good nap, making up for the sleep she had missed in the morning.
After she had been busy for a short while, her husband, Jiang Xuegong, got up as well.
While his wife cooked, he swept the courtyard and fed the chickens and pig. The family kept six chickens—five hens and one rooster—in separate enclosures, so the rooster wouldn’t think of anything but mounting the hens while the hens thought of nothing but brooding.
There were not many restrictions on sideline production in their area. Every household raised chickens and pigs; some even raised sheep and rabbits. But since Zhao Fengxia was the only one in their family with a rural household registration, they did not dare keep too many animals. They had only six chickens and one pig.
Although there were no explicit restrictions, most families did not raise many animals because there was not enough grain. A pig could not live on pigweed alone; some grain still had to be added.
Their pig usually ate old vegetable leaves, vegetable roots, dishwater, bran, and sweet-potato trimmings. The soybean dregs left over from pressing soybean oil were fed to it as well. Whenever the family had time, they cut some pigweed, which was enough to keep it full.
The husband and wife worked while whispering to each other.
In the west room of the main house, the lovely young girl was still sleeping soundly.
“An’an, time to get up. Wash up, and you can eat right away.”
The Xitong-pai Alarm Clock rang in her mind.
Ning An opened her eyes. Her peach-blossom eyes were hazy with sleep, making her look soft, adorable, and innocent.
She had arrived the previous night. The first thing she had done after coming here was receive the original host’s memories.
Although she had already seen the plot, that had only been a cursory overview. She would have to arrive in the Small Worlds to learn the specific circumstances. Once she finished receiving the memories, her soul and body also completed their fusion. Only then could she empathize better with the original host and take on her personality, living as Jiang Ning’an for the next several decades.
“Juzi, wake me a little earlier next time. The original host usually gets up early to help Dad and Mom with the chores.”
“Got it. I was worried about An’an. It was already quite late after you finished receiving the memories last night. How could you manage without enough sleep? You still have to go to work today.”
Ning An smiled. “I know Juzi was only worried about me.”
The orange cat was delighted. An’an had received its concern!
Ning An got dressed and went outside.
“Dad, Mom.”
“An’an, you’re up.”
“Mm. I overslept.”
Jiang Xuegong smiled. “The weather’s turned cool, so you don’t feel like getting up. If you’re sleepy, sleep a little longer. When it’s time to get up, your mother and I will call you. We guarantee you won’t be late.”
Zhao Fengxia added, “Exactly. Sleeping a little longer won’t hurt. You don’t need to get up early to help. Your father and I can finish these little chores ourselves.”
Ning An walked to the washstand. Cool water had already been placed in the basin. Just as she turned to fetch the thermos and add some hot water, Zhao Fengxia came over carrying a kettle. She poured hot water into the basin, reached in to test the temperature, and said, “That’s just right. Wash up.”
While Ning An washed her face, Zhao Fengxia filled a cup with warm water for brushing her teeth and brought it over.
Face-washing and tooth-brushing followed seamlessly.
After washing her face, Ning An applied a little Snow Flower Cream and combed her hair into two small braids. She did not tie them too tightly, leaving them loose and giving even the braids a lazy, casual air. Paired with her face, she looked not the least bit rustic.
The family of three sat at the dining table. There were steamed white-flour buns, boiled eggs, and corn porridge, along with homemade side dishes of soybeans boiled in salt water and stewed eggplant.
For the countryside at this time, such a breakfast could practically be considered luxurious.
Ning An had not finished one bun when she left two bites, which she gave to her father. Jiang Xuegong took them and stuffed them straight into his mouth.
As usual, Zhao Fengxia nagged her. “Only break off as much as you can eat. If you think you can’t finish a whole bun, break off a small piece first and set it aside. That way, no one else has to eat your leftovers. Look at that bite you left—it looks so awful.”
Ning An drank her porridge with smiling eyes and said nothing.
Jiang Xuegong smiled too. “It’s fine. I don’t mind eating my daughter’s leftovers.”
“Fine, fine, you’re the good guy. Keep spoiling her. When she gets married, we’ll see whether her in-laws will indulge her like this.”
Ning An put down her bowl. “Mom, I’m not getting married. I’m going to stay home and accompany you and Dad forever.”
As for marriage, she would delay it as long as possible. If she really could not delay it any longer, she would choose the best-looking, most obedient, sweetest-talking man from the family with the fewest household troubles. At the very least, he would be pleasing to look at and provide emotional value. Ning An needed nothing else.
Zhao Fengxia said to Jiang Xuegong, “Did you hear what your daughter said?”
Jiang Xuegong replied, “If she doesn’t want to marry, then she doesn’t have to. It’s fine for her to stay home. We won’t have to worry about her.”
“You’re both saying nonsense. Can the two of us accompany her for the rest of her life? Still, there’s no need to hurry. An’an is only eighteen. Waiting another two years won’t matter.”
After breakfast, they cleared away the dishes. The production team’s gong sounded, and Zhao Fengxia headed out unhurriedly. Unlike the others, she was not under particularly intense pressure to earn work points. Seven or eight points a day was enough.
In earlier years, no matter how much women worked—even if they worked more than the male laborers—they could receive at most eight work points. Later, supposedly some women somewhere had raised a fuss, demanding that their work points be calculated the same way as men’s. After making a commotion for a long time, they had finally won women the equal right. Now, women could earn as many as ten work points as well.
The two people who worked outside were in no hurry either. They lingered at home for a while before leaving. Their workday began much later than the time the commune members reported for labor, and even accounting for the time needed to travel, they did not need to leave so early.
Once they had dawdled enough, Jiang Xuegong wheeled out his bicycle and took his daughter with him.
Although the coal mine where he worked was said to be in the county, it was actually located between the commune and the county seat. He happened to pass through the commune by bicycle, so he could drop his daughter off first and then continue to work. On the way home, he would pick her up again.
Ning An sat sideways on the rear rack. Fortunately, her mother cared about her and had put an old cushion on the seat. Otherwise, her bottom would truly have been jolted apart!
“Dad, when we get home tonight, have Mom tie another cushion onto the bike. This one isn’t thick enough—it’s still really bumpy.”
“Tell your mother yourself.”
“I know. Just remember to remind me. I’m afraid I’ll forget.”
“You’ll be jolting all the way home tonight. How could you forget?”
“That’s not necessarily true. I was jolted for so long before, and I still didn’t remember!”
“All right, all right. I’ll remember for you.”
The original host had simply grown accustomed to the jolting. Ning An had not. Rural dirt roads were uneven, full of bumps and potholes. No matter how hard Jiang Xuegong tried to avoid them, there were always some he could not get around. Whenever they hit a larger pothole, it could launch her right off the rear seat.
She had always been kind to herself and refused to suffer unnecessary hardships.
Besides, her family was not short of cotton cushions.
It took only twenty minutes to cycle from home to the commune. After another twenty minutes or so, her father would reach the coal mine.
Jiang Xuegong dropped her off at the supply and marketing cooperative and reminded her, “Work hard. I’ll come pick you up this evening.”
“Got it, Dad.”
“Then I’m off.”
“Goodbye.”
Ning An waved as she ran into the large courtyard behind the cooperative.
The supply and marketing cooperative where she worked had a storefront consisting of seven spacious, open-plan rooms with large tiled roofs and no partitions. Compared with the surrounding buildings, it looked exceptionally grand and imposing—the second most impressive building after the commune government compound. It sold an extremely complete range of goods, covering food, clothing, housing, and transportation, with every kind of needle, thread, and sundry item available.
But Ning An was not a sales clerk. She was an accountant. Her workplace was in the courtyard behind the storefront, where she had an office of her own. Her daily work consisted of reconciling accounts and organizing records of incoming and outgoing goods.
The commune supply and marketing cooperative might sound insignificant, but in reality, it handled nearly all the material supplies for the entire commune. There were many intricacies involved.
In those days, every position at a supply and marketing cooperative was highly coveted!
A commune secretary once encouraged a middle-school teacher by telling him, “Work hard. If you do well, I’ll promote you to a sales clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative.”
This showed how much more sought-after sales clerks were than middle-school teachers. Of course, twenty years later, their status and standing would be reversed.
Every day, many goods were transported from higher-level supply and marketing cooperatives to the commune, then distributed from the commune to the sales points in each production team. As a result, Ning An had plenty to do each day, and her only calculating tool was an old-fashioned abacus.
When Ning An arrived at the office, she cleaned first, then took the thermos to the cafeteria to fill it with water. The supply and marketing cooperative had a cafeteria, and it even provided lunch, which was quite good.