25
Chen Cuizhu’s parents had just opened the front gate when their daughter came bursting out of the house, twirling in front of them with sheer delight.
Father Chen exclaimed in surprise, “Whoa, weren’t you supposed to go buy fabric today? Did you just come back with a whole new outfit? How much did that cost?”
Mother Chen stepped closer and gave her a thorough once-over, nodding approvingly. “This style is so unique—beautiful, beautiful! Which tailor did you go to? Doesn’t look like it’s from the one on the main street, is it?”
Chen Cuizhu’s older brother, Chen Mingdong, followed them in and also spotted his sister showing off her new clothes. He let out a whistle and praised loudly, “The little bandit turned into a fairy!”
Chen Cuizhu stomped her foot and shot him a glare, then turned to her parents to explain. “A friend I met made this for me. She’s really skilled with her hands! That tailor shop on the main street is nothing compared to her.”
“She’s at our place right now—I’ll bring her out to meet you.” With that, Chen Cuizhu turned and ran back inside to fetch Jiang Suisui.
Caught off guard by the crowd, Jiang Suisui felt a little shy. She smiled and greeted them, “Hello, Uncle and Auntie! Hello, Big Brother! I’m Jiang Suisui.”
Mother Chen looked at her in amazement. “Did you make this outfit for Cuicui?”
Jiang Suisui nodded modestly, and Chen Cuizhu chimed in to explain, “Of course she did, she spent the whole afternoon working on it!”
“Oh, you poor thing!” Mother Chen laughed. “You must be exhausted! This girl Cuicui, she’s about to get married and still has no shame, dragging people all over to make new clothes for her.”
“But this outfit is truly gorgeous—the stitching is neat and tight. For such a young girl to have this kind of skill, you’re both clever and talented!” Mother Chen praised.
Jiang Suisui blushed at the compliments, feeling a little awkward since she wasn’t working for free—she was getting paid.
Chen Cuizhu suddenly remembered the payment too. She quickly said, “Mom, I can’t let Suisui work for nothing. Let’s just pay her what the tailor shop would charge. Can you give me five yuan?”
“Right, right,” Mother Chen nodded. “Of course we’ll pay her. Is five yuan enough?”
Jiang Suisui hurriedly said, “No need, I only take three—”
Chen Cuizhu cut her off. “Five yuan—just five yuan!”
She pulled Jiang Suisui aside and whispered, “Why are you being so modest? I’m offering you five yuan, take it!”
Jiang Suisui scratched her cheek sheepishly. “But I said I’d only charge three…”
“I’m not the type to take advantage of people. Your work is even better than the tailor’s, so of course I’ll pay you the proper rate.” Chen Cuizhu pulled another two yuan and fifty cents from her pocket, adding it to the five yuan she’d just gotten, and pressed the whole amount into Jiang Suisui’s hands. “And this is for the eggs too—we already agreed on that.”
Clutching her “fortune” in her hands, Jiang Suisui felt a rush of emotion. This was the first money she’d ever earned in either lifetime…
“Cuizhu, thank you!” She said sincerely, her voice full of gratitude.
Chen Cuizhu was a little embarrassed by her earnest thanks. “Thank me for what? I should be thanking you!”
“Anyway, enough of that—we’re friends now. Don’t be so formal with me!” Chen Cuizhu took her hand and said, “Make sure to come find me when you have time.”
“Hehe, I will,” Jiang Suisui smiled. “Next market day, I’ll come see you.”
“Oh, right!” Jiang Suisui suddenly remembered. “I need to get going! If I don’t leave soon, it’ll get dark.”
“Cuizhu, your friend when is she leaving?”
Chen Cuizhu said, “Don’t worry, I went over and talked to her this afternoon. She’ll come call me when she’s about to leave. Should be just about now.”
Right on cue, the courtyard gate was knocked on—Chen Cuizhu’s friend Honghong had come to pick her up.
“Honghong, thanks for this—please get Suisui home safely.” After a few pleasantries, Chen Cuizhu handed Jiang Suisui over to her. “Suisui, see you next time.”
After saying goodbye to Chen Cuizhu, Jiang Suisui followed Honghong to the vehicle they’d be taking.
“Um…” Jiang Suisui looked at the 28-inch bicycle parked by the roadside, and at the man and child waiting beside it. She hesitated. “Can we all fit on that?”
Honghong said, “No problem, we’ll fit! You sit in the back, my brother and I will sit on the front bar, and my brother will pedal us.”
“Ah… won’t that be overloaded?” Jiang Suisui asked uncertainly.
“What’s ‘overloaded’?” Honghong looked puzzled. “Don’t worry, my brother’s bike has carried our whole family of five before!”
Impressive… Jiang Suisui laughed and nodded, then climbed onto the back of the bicycle.
Truth be told, this was her first time riding on the back of a bike and it was really bumpy!
The country roads were rough and uneven, just as she’d experienced that morning on the oxcart.
But this bumpiness, combined with the hard bicycle seat, was downright uncomfortable. Jiang Suisui had to grip the seat tightly the whole time to keep from being jolted off. After just a short while, her bottom was completely numb.
Thankfully, the bicycle was much faster than the oxcart—it took only about half the morning’s travel time before the bike came to a stop.
The bicycle pulled over at a fork in the mountain path. Honghong turned around from the front bar and said to her, “Suisui, we’ll drop you off here. Follow this slope down, keep going straight, and you’ll see the ridge of your village.”
Jiang Suisui hopped off the back seat and thanked her, “Got it. Thanks so much for today, sorry for the trouble.”
“Don’t be so polite, it was on our way anyway.” Honghong waved her hand. “Alright, we still have to get home. See you next time!”
“See you.” Jiang Suisui said goodbye and watched the bicycle ride off.
She looked up at the sky—it was a dusky gray-blue, gradually darkening. It wouldn’t be long before night fell completely.
Jiang Suisui glanced around. There wasn’t a single person on the road—just the silent mountain path, dense grass, and looming woods.
She hugged her arms and shrank back slightly, a sudden wave of fear washing over her.
The mountain forest at night was eerily quiet…
Jiang Suisui hurried on. She had to get back to the village before it got dark. Otherwise, once she couldn’t see, she wouldn’t even recognize the way.
After walking a while, the sky grew dimmer and dimmer. The only sound on the road was her own footsteps, making the silence feel even more oppressive.
Her heart pounded faster with each step. It was terrifying—so quiet and empty that it felt like she was the only person left in the world.
She quickened her pace, even breaking into a jog, desperate to get home.
But she was going downhill. Running too fast, she suddenly slipped—caught off guard by a rock—and tumbled to the ground. The empty basket she’d been carrying flew out of her hand, clattering and rolling a few feet ahead.
“Oww—” Jiang Suisui’s face scrunched up in pain. She pushed herself up off the ground and immediately checked her stinging palms. “Hiss… they’re bleeding…”
Then she rolled up her pant leg and winced at the sight of her fair knee scraped raw and bloody.
“Ugh, I’m so unlucky…” Jiang Suisui sat on the ground, looking around in confusion—fear and pain mixing together, making her feel like she might cry.
She patted her pocket. The money was still there—that gave her a little comfort. She picked herself up, limping, ready to keep going.
Just then, she heard a sound behind her—the same one she’d been hearing all along, the whir of bicycle wheels on gravel.
The sound was approaching fast. Jiang Suisui couldn’t help but turn her head—and her eyes went wide.
“Song Weizheng…?”
She watched as Song Weizheng sped past her on a bicycle, a gust of wind trailing behind him. She stood frozen for a moment.
But after only a second of shock, she snapped out of it and shouted ahead, “Song Weizheng——!”
Song Weizheng braked at the sound and came to a stop.
Overjoyed, Jiang Suisui hopped a few steps on one foot and bounced over to him. “What a coincidence! Are you heading home too?”
Song Weizheng looked up at her after hearing such an obvious question, then let his gaze drop to her rolled-up pant leg. There was a large red wound on her knee, still seeping blood—looking rather alarming against her fair skin. He couldn’t help but frown.
Seeing his frown, Jiang Suisui worried he wasn’t keen on traveling with her. Her mind raced, and on a whim, she turned around and plopped herself onto the back of his bicycle, gripping the fabric on either side of his waist firmly.
“?” Song Weizheng turned his head to look at her.
Jiang Suisui put on her most pitiful expression and whined, “Brother Song, you’re a good person—please give me a ride! Look, I just fell and can barely walk. It’ll be dark soon, and I won’t be able to see anything. What if there are snakes or wolves out here? I’d be done for.”
She pressed her palms together and blinked at him. “Please, please?” Then she grabbed his shirt again, afraid he’d abandon her.
Song Weizheng didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned sideways, bent down, and picked something up off the ground.
Jiang Suisui focused—it was the basket she’d dropped earlier!
He handed it back to her. “You don’t want this anymore?”
“I do, I do!” Jiang Suisui quickly took it and set it on her lap.
“Hold on tight,” Song Weizheng said flatly. With that, he pushed off on the pedals and they were on their way.
Yes! Jiang Suisui cheered inwardly. No more walking alone on this mountain road!
She looked at the tall, sturdy back in front of her and felt a surge of security.
With her nerves finally relaxed, she couldn’t help but strike up conversation. “Brother Song, why are you coming back so late too?”
His voice drifted back to her, carried by the wind. “I should be asking you that. Didn’t I tell you to wait for the oxcart before noon? Don’t miss the time.”
Jiang Suisui felt a little guilty. “I ran into a friend in town and went to her place to hang out. I lost track of time.”
“I told you mine—so what about you?” She quickly changed the subject, her curiosity piqued. Where did Song Weizheng get a bicycle? Wasn’t his family supposed to be so poor they could barely put food on the table?
Song Weizheng replied calmly, “Had some things to take care of. Got back late.”
That was basically saying nothing at all!
Summoning her courage, Jiang Suisui pressed further. “Brother Song, where did you buy this bicycle?”
**