Ye Qingyan sat at the table, a sheet of letter paper spread out before her. Holding a pen in her right hand, she did not start writing right away.
After hesitating for a while, she finally began.
Comrade Pei Ze,
I hope this letter finds you well.
Yes, you guessed correctly — I plan to take the national college entrance examination next year, and have been studying very hard lately.
The canned beef and milk candies you sent were delicious. I liked them very much — thank you.
I have nothing worthy to send in return, so I’ve prepared some cured meat and pickled vegetables I made myself. I hope you will accept them and not find them unsatisfactory.
Both the cured meat and pickled vegetables are fully cooked; you may eat them directly upon opening.
The weather is turning cold. Please take good care of yourself.
— Ye Qingyan
They were not yet close enough to be familiar, so she truly did not know what else to write, and could only keep her message brief.
Once the ink dried, she folded the letter neatly and slipped it into an envelope.
“Mom, I’m going to the commune for a while,” she said, picking up her parcel and tying it securely to her bicycle seat.
Ji Qiuyun asked casually, “Where are you off to?”
“I’m sending a package to Pei Ze. He sent us things before, and we haven’t properly returned the favor yet.”
“Ah, I see. Go on then,” Ji Qiuyun told her. “Be careful on the road, and come back early for dinner.”
“I will, don’t worry!” Ye Qingyan waved goodbye and rode off.
After mailing the package at the post office, she stopped by the supply and marketing cooperative to buy pork and eggs before heading home.
The weather had turned bitterly cold lately, and wild animals had all retreated into the mountains for winter — so she had not gone up to gather anything. Fresh meat now had to be bought either with ration coupons at the cooperative, or for higher prices on the black market.
She had considered raising chickens at home, but after thinking it through, decided against it. It took at least two or three months for chickens to mature — and by then, she might well have moved to the city with her mother. She did not intend to stay here forever; the world outside was vast, full of promise.
Riding against the cold wind all the way, she parked at the gate — just as the door swung open from inside. A familiar, handsome face peeked out.
“Brother!” she cried out joyfully. “What brings you here?”
Ye Qinghui glared at her playfully. “Not happy to see me?”
“Of course I am! I’ve been looking forward to your visit every day. It’s just been so cold lately — hardly anyone goes out.” She beamed at him.
And indeed she had — an extra pair of hands meant extra help, especially with the vegetable plots.
Ye Qinghui wheeled her bicycle inside and leaned it against the wall. “Even if it were raining knives, I’d still come see you two.”
“I know, I know…” She nodded repeatedly. “You’re the best brother in the whole world.”
He chuckled. “Well, look at you — starting a business has certainly made you more eloquent.”
“You already know?”
“Mother just told me.” He looked at her curiously. “That greenhouse method you use to grow vegetables — which book did you read it from? I’d love to take a look at it too.”
Ye Qingyan rubbed her chin, feigning deep thought. “Which book was it… I can’t quite seem to recall right now.”
There was no such book at all.
“What a shame,” he said, sounding a little disappointed. “I was really hoping to read it.”
“Dinner’s ready! Come inside, both of you!” Ji Qiuyun’s voice interrupted their conversation, and they headed into the house.
After lunch, Ye Qingyan took her brother out to the vegetable plots to help.
By evening, exhausted from a long day’s work, they sat studying by lamplight. Each prepared more than a dozen questions for the other to solve, then marked each other’s work.
Ye Qinghui looked over her answers. “Qingyan, excellent work — you’ve improved so much.”
“You’ve improved greatly too,” she replied with a soft smile. “Clearly you haven’t slacked off lately.”
In truth, she could have answered every single question correctly — but she deliberately got a few wrong, creating the appearance of gradual progress. Ah, what a chore it was to deliberately hold oneself back…
“That’s enough for tonight. Get some rest.”
She closed her books. They each went to their rooms.
Ye Qinghui stayed three days in Xiangyang Village before leaving, reluctant to go.
…
Ye Qingyan rested at home for several days, tending her vegetables, then resumed her early departures — riding to the black market to sell her produce.
December arrived, bringing a sharp drop in temperature to the north. Snow had begun to fall. She bundled up completely — gloves, hat, scarf — yet still shivered uncontrollably.
Fewer people came to buy things now. Standing in the biting wind, it took her twice as long as usual to sell everything. In the end, Jiang Yuan bought up her remaining few pounds of vegetables.
Jiang Yuan was also a black market trader, dealing in a wide variety of goods — sometimes meat, sometimes eggs, sometimes daily necessities — always things in short supply. Ye Qingyan suspected he had extensive connections, which explained how he sourced so much.
Jiang Yuan looked at her wind-chapped, red face and asked, “Why not supply your vegetables directly to the factories? Sell straight to their canteens.”
She shrugged and gave a helpless smile. “Brother Jiang, you think I haven’t thought of that? I’m just a village girl — what connections could I possibly have with state-owned factories?”
“Actually…” He paused. “I might be able to put you in touch…”
Her interest sparked instantly. “Brother Jiang, it’s nearly mealtime — would you join me at the state-run restaurant? I’d like to treat you, to thank you for all your help lately.”
Jiang Yuan nodded. “Very well. I’ll fetch my bicycle.”
Once seated at the restaurant, the host approached them. “What would you like to order?”
Ye Qingyan turned to him. “Please, order whatever you like — don’t hold back on my account.”
Jiang Yuan ordered two pounds of braised fish and two stir-fried dishes. As they ate and chatted, both kept their voices low — not the place to discuss business. She was in no hurry; better to treat him well first, then speak of matters properly.
“Hurry up… I’m starving…” A clear, youthful voice drifted in.
Two tall men entered the restaurant.
“No one asked you to come,” replied a voice — cool, calm, and indifferent.
Ye Qingyan froze. That voice sounded strangely familiar.
The next moment, she saw Pei Ze walk in. He took the seat diagonally across from her, accompanied by his companion.
“Have you no heart?” The other man — Xie Chen — complained. “I traveled all this way by train just to see you, and this is how you treat me…” He proceeded to order several expensive meat dishes.
“Xie Chen, save the act,” Pei Ze said flatly. “Don’t think I don’t know — you’re hiding here to avoid the blind date your family arranged.”
As he spoke, Pei Ze found his gaze drifting involuntarily toward Ye Qingyan.
Who was the man sitting across from her?
Could he be her intended?
A strange, unnameable feeling — soft, dense, and unrelenting — crept steadily into his heart.