Back in his dormitory at the military base, Pei Ze immediately rummaged through his drawer, pulling out all the ration coupons he owed to Ye Qingyan.
With their line of work, sudden transfers were common — he could be dispatched on a mission at any moment. Pei Ze wanted to send the coupons to Ye Qingyan as soon as possible; delay too long, and she might mistakenly think he was deliberately avoiding repayment.
After sorting out dozens of coupons and tucking them into an envelope, Pei Ze sat upright at his desk and wrote a short letter to her.
Folding the letter neatly, his gaze drifted to the corner of the table — there sat three cans of beef and a bag of White Rabbit Creamy Candy.
She’d probably like the candy, wouldn’t she?
The thought crossed his mind. He picked up the cans and the candy, and sent them along with the letter.
As he walked past the base basketball court, several soldiers playing basketball looked over and greeted him with grins.
“Captain, where are you off to?”
“Sending something.” Pei Ze kept walking, his figure quickly disappearing from sight.
One of them watched him go, eyes wide with curiosity. “Did you see how happy the Captain looked? You don’t think… he’s sending things to his sweetheart, do you?”
“I’ve never heard him mention anyone.”
“I thought I was seeing things just now — the Captain always wears such a stern face normally.”
They chatted for a moment longer, then dropped the subject and returned to their game.
…
The next day, in Xiangyang Village.
Mother and daughter had just finished breakfast. Ye Qingyan was wiping down the table with a rag when a knock came at the gate.
Ji Qiuyun murmured quietly, “Strange. Who could be knocking?”
The whole village knew this house was said to be unlucky — no one ever came to visit. Since moving here, they’d enjoyed quiet days, free from prying eyes.
“Probably Uncle. I’ll go see.” Ye Qingyan went to open the door.
Standing outside was Ye Qinghui. At the sight of him, Ye Qingyan’s face lit up with delight. “Brother! You’ve finally come! Mother and I have missed you so much!”
Ye Qinghui looked at his little sister and smiled affectionately. “I’ve missed you both too.”
“Come in, quick!” Ye Qingyan turned and trotted back inside, calling out cheerfully, “Mother, look who’s here!”
Ji Qiuyun looked up and saw Ye Qinghui. She froze, hardly daring to believe her eyes. “Qinghui…”
“Mother, it’s me.” Ye Qinghui stepped forward. “I’ve come to see you.”
Ji Qiuyun reached out and held his hand tightly. “You’ve finally come. I’ve been so worried — wondering if you were eating well, living properly.”
“I’m perfectly fine, Mother. Don’t worry about me.” Ye Qinghui paused and glanced around. “But what about you two? Why are you living here? I went to Uncle’s place first — he told me you’d moved.”
Ye Qingyan poured warm water from the kettle and handed him an enamel mug.
“Let me explain…”
She told him everything that had happened since they’d moved, from beginning to end.
Ye Qinghui had started out worried, but hearing that they’d settled in safely and were even doing well, he began to relax. About the rumors surrounding the house, he felt much the same as Ye Qingyan — if you’ve done nothing wrong, there’s nothing to fear.
There were no secrets between them. Ye Qingyan also told him about finding the ginseng root, and selling it.
Ye Qinghui looked at his sister in amazement. Her luck had turned — it was almost unbelievable.
“Recently, the brick factory in town was short-staffed, so I worked there temporarily.” Ye Qinghui pulled five yuan from his pocket. “This is my wages. Here — take it.”
Ye Qingyan shook her head. “Brother, keep it for yourself.”
“That’s right, Qinghui.” Ji Qiuyun agreed. “With the eight hundred yuan from selling the ginseng, we’re not short of money at all. Keep it — save it, for when you marry.”
Ye Qinghui placed the money on the table. “You know what things are like back at home. If I keep it there, it won’t be mine for long — someone else will spend it. If you won’t take it, it’ll just go to them.”
“Then I’ll keep it safe for you,” Ye Qingyan said. “Think of it as a deposit. Whenever you need it, just say the word.”
Ji Qiuyun nodded approvingly — she thought that was a sensible idea.
“Very well. I’ll leave it in your care.” Ye Qinghui smiled.
Ye Qingyan took the money into her room and put it away, then came out carrying a stack of books. She set them down before him.
“These are for you. Don’t forget to take them with you when you leave.”
“High school textbooks?” Ye Qinghui looked at her in surprise. “You want me to take the university entrance examination?”
Ye Qingyan nodded firmly. “Yes. Next year, we’ll take it — together.”
“I…” Ye Qinghui hesitated. “Do you think I could actually pass?” He’d studied two years longer than her, but his grades had always been average.
“Study hard, and you will,” Ye Qingyan said confidently. “Brother, have faith in yourself! Next spring, we’ll enroll in the final year of high school. With teachers guiding us, we’ll prepare properly.”
Ye Qingyan herself had no need for schooling — in her past life, she’d been a top student, winning awards in academic competitions at home and abroad. But the original Ye Qingyan had only finished junior high, and knew nothing of senior high subjects. To avoid raising suspicion, she’d decided to enroll — a reasonable cover, so she could reveal her abilities little by little.
Ye Qinghui was wavering. Ye Qingyan went on, speaking earnestly — about meeting challenges head-on, about striving toward the Four Modernizations, and so on. Persuaded by her enthusiasm, Ye Qinghui finally agreed: he would join her at school, and take the entrance exam together.
Watching her children talking, Ji Qiuyun wore a smile of quiet pride. She was so proud of them both.
By noon, Ji Qiuyun had prepared a special meal — cabbage and egg soup, and steamed white flour buns. With spare rooms here, Ye Qinghui decided to stay a few days, to spend time with his mother and sister. The Ye family home felt cold and cheerless; nowhere near as warm as being here with them.
While he was visiting, Ye Qingyan made good use of his help. She gave him grain coupons and sent him to the supply and marketing cooperative to carry back sacks of grain. She also bought several slabs of pork belly — since he’d come all this way, he deserved a proper meal.
Toward evening, Ye Qinghui slung his basket over his shoulder and walked with Ye Qingyan to their uncle’s home. She took a slab of pork from the basket and set it down. Uncle Ji Dehua and Aunt Zhao Mei stared in shock.
“Where on earth did you get meat coupons?”
“Uncle, Aunt.” Ye Qingyan smiled. “I dug up a fifty-year-old ginseng root. Sold it for several hundred yuan — and received some coupons in exchange.”
When they heard the full story, the couple stood stunned. Some coupons? This was far more than that! Grain coupons, meat coupons — and even a bicycle coupon! In these times, bicycle coupons were incredibly hard to come by.