Making a long-distance call from Weiyang City to Hu Shi incurred an eleventh-tier rate—one yuan per minute. Zhan Lin’s call lasted 4 minutes and 11 seconds, which rounded up to 5 minutes, costing 5 yuan.
So expensive! But the money was well spent.
Leaving the post office, she didn’t head east toward the city center but rode south instead, toward her grandmother’s house. Her grandmother lived in the old Yuexiu district, and she arrived just in time to run into her cousin, who was returning home after walking the dog, Little Five.
“Sis, why are you here at this hour?” Usually, she came in the morning or around noon. Zhan Wenkai approached cautiously, lowering his voice. “Did the Hongxiaobing come to your house?”
Last night, his Eldest Aunt’s Husband and his father had smoked half the night in the yard, and he’d overheard some of their conversation. His uncle was in charge of accounting and logistics at the power plant, both areas involving large sums of money.
Seeing her cousin’s anxious expression, Zhan Lin smiled. “Can’t I just come over for dinner?” She handed her bicycle to her cousin and took the dog leash. Little Five sniffed eagerly at her legs, wagging his tail happily.
Relieved, Zhan Wenkai called out foolishly toward the yard, “Grandma, my sister’s here.”
Zhan Ke, wearing her railway bureau uniform, stepped out of the main room, holding chopsticks. “Where?”
“Here.” Zhan Lin followed her cousin, leading Little Five. “Ke Ke, you look sharp in that uniform!”
“Looks good, right?” Zhan Ke had naturally curly hair, thick and black. Her face was small and fair, and her long hair looked stylish whether tied up or loose. The railway bureau uniform was loose and oversized, but it suited her perfectly.
“It really does,” Zhan Lin said honestly.
Zhan Guoli took out three yuan and handed it to his daughter. “Go to the state-run restaurant and get two dishes, plus a few bottles of soda. Keep the change.”
“Got it.” Zhan Ke took the money, went back to the main room to put down her chopsticks, grabbed a lunchbox, and ran to her sister’s bicycle. “Sis, what do you want to eat? Braised pork, sliced pork stir-fry, and if they have stir-fried shrimp, how about adding that too?”
“Stop asking ‘how about’ already,” Ma Yanling said, stepping out of the kitchen with an apron tied around her waist. “Hurry up, or there’ll be nothing left.”
“Get whatever you like. I’ll eat anything.” Zhan Lin reached out to smooth down her cousin’s unruly bangs, but it was no use—as soon as she let go, the little curls sprang back up defiantly.
“Alright then.” Zhan Ke turned the bicycle around. “Wait for me, I’ll be back soon.”
Watching her daughter leave the yard, swinging her leg over the bicycle seat in one smooth motion, Ma Yanling turned to warn Zhan Guoli. “Don’t buy her an Erliu. It has to be an Erba.”
“My daughter is pretty and just a bit lively. Why doesn’t she deserve an Erliu? She likes the Erliu herself, and I’ve already told Hongjun to arrange one.” Zhan Guoli went back to the main room to move a table into the yard.
Grandma Su stood at the kitchen door. “If the child likes the Erliu, buy her the Erliu. You said it yourselves before—since Ke Ke got into the railway bureau, she could choose either a bicycle or a watch.”
“Fine, fine, we’ll buy the Erliu then.” Ma Yanling took her niece’s hand and tossed Little Five’s leash to the dog’s owner, Comrade Zhan Guoli. “Come on, let’s go to the kitchen and have some cracklings.”
Zhan Wenkai was already standing by the stove eating. "Sis, you really came at the right time today. My dad—your Second Uncle—brought back four jin of fatty pork this afternoon, and Grandma rendered it all in one pot." As he spoke, he brought a plate of cracklings over to his sister, urging her to eat.
Zhan Lin took a piece, biting into it with a crisp crunch.
"Did you tell your mom you were coming here?" Grandma Su asked.
"No," Zhan Lin replied, taking the chopsticks handed to her by her aunt. "I’ll head back after dinner."
Ma Yanling knew why her niece had come. After flipping the pancake in the pan, she began recounting her visit to Dao Bamen that morning.
"At first, Jiang Daxia didn’t recognize me. She shared some sunflower seeds with me and chatted idly. Later, when I asked her directly, she finally realized who I was. Goodness, she slapped her thigh and called me ‘sister,’ saying she’d told your mom everything that happened yesterday morning, down to the last detail."
Zhan Lin asked, "Was Shi Xiangying at home yesterday morning?"
"Yes, of course he was," Ma Yanling replied, taking a bite of a pancake and speaking with her mouth full. "Your dad went to Qin Xiaoqin’s place a little after eight, and not long after, Shi Xiangying left home. Jiang Daxia even asked him where he was going. He said he was heading to the grain station because there was no food left at home."
"He’s definitely suspicious," Zhan Guoli chimed in, tossing a small piece of pork skin into the dog’s bowl. "I asked Dayangzi from my transport team at noon. Before his family moved into the tube-shaped apartment building, they used to live in Nancaishikou."
"That Old Lady Feng you mentioned has her roots in the capital. When she was eleven or twelve, her parents sold her into one of those alleyways. At twenty-two, she sweet-talked a man into running away with her."
"But that man wasn’t the type to settle down either. After putting down roots with her in Weiyang City for a few years, he hooked up with a young married woman and ran off back to the capital with her. After the man left, Old Lady Feng managed to get by—she knew embroidery and could support herself. But from then on, if any man so much as glanced at her, her home would get trashed."
"She was tough, though. In front of a crowd, she slashed her own face with a blade. After that, no one dared to cause trouble at her place again. Around ’48 or ’47, she bought the two rooms she lives in now at Dao Bamen. Not long after, she went to Balian Mountain to gather herbs and, passing by a mass grave, found a baby girl."
"The child was perfectly healthy, so Old Lady Feng took her in and raised her. After the founding of the nation, she even sent the girl to school. The child was ambitious and exceptionally studious. In ’64, she got into Weiyang Medical University."
"Old Lady Feng was overjoyed. She treated the neighbors to two days of feasting and drinks. But her happiness didn’t last long—the day before the child was supposed to start university, she disappeared. It was devastating. Old Lady Feng searched everywhere, even selling off the job assigned to her by the neighborhood committee."
"She searched for two years but never found her. After that, she gave up. Without hope, she grew despondent. The garment factory asked her to come back to work, but she refused. She spent her days muttering to herself, lost in thought, and started selling medicine."
"She only sells three types of medicine: calming pills, contraceptives, and Huanqingxiang. She prepares all the herbs herself, grinding and shaping them into pills. The Geweihui, the police station, and the public security bureau have all arrested her. Criticisms and detentions didn’t work. Even the Hongxiaobing in that area don’t bother with her."
Ma Yanling added, "Your Second Uncle has already arranged with Dayangzi to visit her tonight with good food and drinks. I’m going along too, just in case."
"I’m so grateful to you, Second Uncle and Aunt, for going to all this trouble for my dad’s sake. I really don’t know how to thank you enough," Zhan Lin said, her voice filled with emotion.
Zhan Guoli glared with wide eyes: "Niece, what did you call me?"
"Second Uncle." Zhan Lin smiled, tears welling up in her eyes.
"As long as you still remember I'm your Second Uncle, that's enough." Zhan Guoli snatched the chopsticks from his son's hand. "Let me have a few bites too."
Grandma Su pulled her granddaughter into her arms. Zhan Lin rested her head against her grandmother's shoulder. "Has anyone bothered you these past couple of days?"
Ma Yanling sneered coldly. "In this entire alley, all thirty-three courtyards big and small are neighbors. Some are easy to get along with, others not so much. Our family has always lived comfortably, and there are plenty who envy us. Now that your father's in trouble, many are laughing behind our backs, but so far, no one has dared to stir up trouble right in front of us."
Grandma Su was quite philosophical about it. "Let them laugh behind our backs if they want. I'll just bolt my gate and carry on with life as usual."
More than once, she felt grateful for her clear-headedness back then, for not falling for Zhang Yufeng's schemes. She had accepted Zhan Zhibo's compensation, and now she had her own independent courtyard.
Zhan Zhibo owed her that compensation. Just for taking care of his parents until their old age and arranging their funerals, Zhan Zhibo could never repay what he owed her. No matter how much compensation he gave, Su Yueyuan could hold her head high and accept it all.
Why shouldn't she take it? She had three children, and they had their own descendants.
Zhang Yufeng talked about a woman's pride to flatter her—was she foolish or stupid? Su Yueyuan had fled with her three children over a thousand miles; no one understood the taste of hardship better than she did.
After dinner, dusk had settled. Zhan Lin took the cucumbers and green beans her grandmother had picked from the small vegetable garden and headed home. Zhan Wenkai rode the Erba Dalang bicycle with Zhan Ke, escorting her to Qigu Xiang.
"Where have you been? Why are you only getting home now?" Zhan Wenbin, carrying a cloth bag, walked down the stairs from the annex.
Zhan Lin was locking her bike in the shed. "I went to Grandma's."
"Don't lock it up. I have something to ask you." Zhan Wenbin slung the cloth bag over his shoulder. "You can come with me to deliver Dad's change of clothes."
"You saw Dad?" Zhan Lin was surprised; she hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
Zhan Wenbin: "I did."
"Wait for me a moment. Let me take the vegetables Grandma gave us home first." Zhan Lin placed the lock on the bike's rear rack, picked up the basket, and walked out of the shed. She didn't even enter the house, just left the vegetable basket by the front door and knocked for her mother to bring it inside.
Hong Huiying opened the door and stepped out. Seeing both siblings at the courtyard gate, she called out, "Come back early."
"Got it," Zhan Wenbin replied.
After leaving the courtyard and walking a few steps, Zhan Lin turned back to glance around the yard. Something felt off. "Why is it so quiet tonight? Where is everyone? Why isn't anyone watching our family's drama?"
"The factory director Chang's wife is back from her parents' home. Everyone's gone to Director Chang's house to watch TV." Zhan Wenbin's tone was listless. "They'll probably gossip about our family while they're at it."
"Probably"? Zhan Lin scoffed. "How did you manage to see Dad?"
Zhan Wenbin: "My father-in-law took me to Deputy Director Huang Baishan's office. While they were catching up, Huang's assistant led me to wait in the hallway. I slipped him two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes, and he left me there, taking the guard watching Dad to the restroom with him."
Zhan Lin: "Did Dad say anything?"
Zhan Wenbin stopped walking and gestured for his sister to come closer. "Did you take the paper-wrapped bundle hidden under the newspapers on top of the bookcase?"
"Yes," Zhan Lin nodded.
That's good it's her. Zhan Wenbin continued pushing his bike forward: "Dad asked me to withdraw the money and take it to Grandma. He said even though he's received a lot in subsidies over the years, household expenses have been high too, so he only managed to save 1,600 yuan, all for Grandma's retirement. The money in the family passbook is left for Mom. If Mom doesn't want it, then we'll split it between us. Both you and I need to work hard and live well."
Zhan Lin: "Why does it sound to me like he's giving final instructions?"
Isn't that exactly what he's doing? Zhan Wenbin: "I told him not to say such ominous things, but he said he's afraid he might end up like Comrade Ning Zezhao, dying in the Shi Ge Hui."
Could we not mention Comrade Ning Zezhao? Bringing him up makes Zhan Lin feel like giving up, like there's no point trying anymore.
"Didn't you ask him about what happened yesterday morning?"
Zhan Wenbin: "I did. Dad himself isn't too clear about what happened. He said he argued with Mom the night before last and couldn't sleep all night. Feeling terribly stifled, he just wanted to talk to someone."
"Qin Xiaoqin was off duty yesterday. He sat at her place for a few minutes before he started feeling dazed. He only remembers that Qin Xiaoqin's door was open, but he doesn't know when it was closed or who closed it."
Zhan Lin got on her bicycle: "I'll go in with you later to see him."
Zhan Wenbin followed: "Did you hear any noise from their argument the night before last?"
"You know how they are—both care about face. They never make a scene when they argue."
Zhan Wenbin sighed: "I don't even know what they were arguing about. I asked Dad, but he wouldn't say. Just now, I asked Mom, and she just sat on the sofa with her head down, not saying a word either."
Twenty minutes later, the two arrived at the Shi Ge Hui. After locking their bikes and registering at the guard post, they were allowed to enter. But just as they stepped over the threshold, Huang Baishan's assistant came running to say the situation had changed and they should go back.
Zhan Lin had a feeling this would happen. Her urgency to see her father had been a test all along.
Now, the result of that test had arrived.
Author's note: