Time flew by amid busy days, and in the blink of an eye, the 1978 New Year’s Day was nearly upon them.
Ye Qingyan sat by the window, learning to knit a scarf from Ji Qiuyun. She’d chosen gray wool, intending it for Ye Qinghui.
“Auntie, Qingyan, I’m back!” Ji Qiming’s voice rang out from outside the door, breaking the quiet stillness of the room.
“You’ve worked hard, Qiming! Let me make you a cup of brown sugar water to warm you up.” Ye Qingyan set the wool basket aside, rose to fetch the thermos, poured hot water, and scooped in two spoonfuls of brown sugar.
“Only your brother Qiming gets a drink? Not me?” Ye Qinghui walked in with a smile, winking playfully at Ye Qingyan.
“Fine, I’ll make you one too.” Ye Qingyan handed enamel mugs to both men, then asked cheerfully, “Brother, you just went home a few days ago—why are you back so soon? Is something the matter?”
Ye Qinghui looked somewhat helpless and gave a wry smile. “They… sent me to come.”
Ji Qiuyun and Ye Qingyan both frowned. They? Did he mean the Ye family?
Ji Qiming took a sip of the sweetened water and asked in confusion, “‘They’? Who on earth are you talking about? Stop speaking in riddles—just tell us what’s going on!”
Ye Qinghui glanced at Ye Qingyan before continuing. “Ye Yao and Huo Wenzhou passed the university entrance exams. They’ve already received their admission letters. Tomorrow, they’re throwing a few tables of feast to celebrate, and they’ve asked you both to come.”
“Hmph, I thought it was something important!” Ji Qiming rolled his eyes. “Do they really expect Auntie and Qingyan to come over for a meal? If you ask me, they just want you to deliver the news on purpose—purely to get a rise out of you!”
Ye Qingyan had initially planned to refuse, but after a moment’s thought, she nodded calmly. “Very well. Since they’ve invited me, I certainly wouldn’t want to turn down their ‘kindness.’”
Meeting three pairs of confused gazes, Ye Qingyan simply smiled and said nothing.
Ji Qiuyun sighed softly. “Qingyan, then I shall go with you.”
Though she held no affection for the Ye family, Ji Qiuyun understood that Ye Qingyan shared their blood; if she wished to return just this once, it was understandable—and she would stand by her side.
Ye Qingyan shook her head. “There’s no need. I can go alone. There’ll surely be a crowd there—they won’t dare mistreat me, and besides, I’ll have my brother with me. I’ll just stay for the meal and come right back.”
“Very well then.” Ji Qiuyun turned to her son and said firmly, “You must look after your cousin. If anyone dares to give her trouble, you’ll answer to me!”
Ye Qinghui promised at once. “Mother, have no fear. I’ll keep her safe, and I’ll walk her home as soon as the celebration ends.”
A faint smirk tugged at Ye Qingyan’s lips. She was already looking forward to tomorrow.
If that scoundrel and his shameless woman wanted to upset her… she’d see who ended up embarrassed!
Ye Qinghui stayed the night. The next morning, he rode his bicycle, carrying Ye Qingyan toward Danan Village.
“Qingyan, be honest with me—what are you planning? This isn’t like you at all; I’d have thought you’d refuse to come.”
To his curious questioning, Ye Qingyan offered no answer. Instead, she said mysteriously, “You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Honestly, there’s no talking sense into you anymore—keeping secrets even from me!”
“Doesn’t it make things more fun, having a little suspense?”
Ye Qinghui shook his head in amusement. “I really can’t argue with you these days.”
Ye Qingyan twirled a blade of foxtail grass between her fingers, a bright, joyful smile playing on her face.
The Ye family was in high spirits today. Bustling activity filled the home from early dawn, with many villagers coming of their own accord to help.
Only three people in all of Danan Village had earned university admission this year. Two of them were Ye Yao—and her fiancé, Huo Wenzhou.
Everyone hoped to share in the Ye family’s good fortune, praying their own children might one day achieve such success.
When Ye Qinghui walked in with Ye Qingyan, murmurs of surprise rippled through the crowd. What was Ye Qingyan doing here, of all occasions?
Ye Qingyan walked in with poise, as though oblivious to the curious, peculiar stares. She chose a seat at random and sat down.
The Ye family members were busy greeting guests, and no one at her table spoke to her. She and Ye Qinghui simply chatted quietly among themselves.
Dishes were quickly served. The main course was pork and pickled cabbage stewed with glass noodles, accompanied by steamed buns made from mixed-grain flour. In those days, any feast that included meat was already considered quite generous.
Spotting Ye Qingyan, Ye Yao hurried over with Huo Wenzhou at her side. “Qingyan! It’s been ages. You look as though you’re doing quite well.”
“I manage,” Ye Qingyan replied coolly, glancing sideways at Huo Wenzhou. “Better than in the past, at any rate.”
It was the first time Ye Qingyan had seen Huo Wenzhou in person. Just as described in the story, he wore black-rimmed glasses, had a lean build, and was dressed in a neat white shirt—appearing refined and scholarly enough.
“That’s wonderful to hear.” Ye Yao smiled with seemingly genuine warmth. “I’ve been so worried about you all this time.”
“Is that so?” Ye Qingyan’s lips curled with sarcasm. “If you truly cared so much, why never once came to Xiangyang Village to visit?”
Ye Yao froze, left momentarily speechless with embarrassment.
Huo Wenzhou, already guilt-ridden over his betrayal, could not bring himself to meet Ye Qingyan’s gaze—let alone speak a word to her.
After a strained silence, Ye Yao forced a smile and offered an excuse. “I… I was simply so busy preparing for the university entrance exams!”
Several women standing nearby took offense at Ye Qingyan’s sharp tone and began speaking up in Ye Yao’s defense.
“Qingyan, how dare you speak to your cousin that way? For shame!”
“Word has it you set your cap for Educated Youth Huo and even tried to lure him away! Now you pick a fight with Ye Yao?”
“Educated Youth Huo certainly has good taste. You may be pretty to look at—but in what way do you compare to Ye Yao?”
“A person ought to know their place! Don’t covet what belongs to another…”
“Indeed. She has no sense of decency at all.”
Ye Qingyan listened in silence. When their voices finally ran dry, she spoke in a cold, clear tone: “Have you all finished? Good. Now it is my turn.”
“You all accuse me of chasing Huo Wenzhou. But the truth is far different.” Ye Qingyan reached into her satchel and pulled out several letters, handing them to the literate young people nearby. “Here—read these. They are letters Huo Wenzhou wrote to me. We were never formally engaged, yet again and again he confessed his feelings to me.”
She gestured toward Ye Yao and Huo Wenzhou. “Not long afterward, these two began seeing each other behind my back. Who knows how many times they snuck off together? Once, I caught them myself. Furious, I went straight to the Educated Youth settlement to demand answers. What was wrong with that? If he’d fallen for someone else, he ought to have told me! Not hidden it away like a secret!”
Her accusations struck Huo Wenzhou like blows. He burned bright red with shame, unable to lift his head.
It was true—he had been weak. Ye Qingyan had never so much as let him touch her hand, whereas Ye Yao had been soft and yielding, giving him whatever he wished.
Then the young people began reading the letters aloud.
Word by word, the words were earnest and passionate—Huo Wenzhou had truly loved Ye Qingyan. At least, once he had.
Ye Yao’s face turned livid, her hands trembling. This was supposed to be her and Huo Wenzhou’s finest, most glorious day! Instead, it had turned into utter humiliation.
“There,” Ye Qingyan said, standing up and smiling brightly. “Now everyone knows the truth. I shall return these letters to their rightful owner.” She nodded calmly. “Congratulations to you both on your university admission. I shall take my leave now.”
Ye Qingyan walked out with her head held high. The celebration, however, had turned thoroughly awkward. The joy was gone; the guests ate quickly and departed.
Admission to university was indeed a great honor—but now people saw Ye Yao’s true character. Unmarried, and yet so shameless with a man…
And Huo Wenzhou was no better. He had loved Ye Qingyan first, then secretly turned to Ye Yao. Even had he wished to change his heart, he ought to have ended things clearly—instead, he had acted without integrity.
It was plain to all now: they had misjudged Ye Qingyan all along. She had never tried to steal her cousin’s fiancé. She was the innocent one in all this.