Father Shen led everyone back to their thatched cottage. As soon as she stepped inside Liu Cuihua broke down in tears.
“Husband we have only a handful of rice left. What will we do tomorrow?”
There was a look of confusion and fear in her eyes as she spoke of the uncertain days ahead.
A look of firmness crossed Father Shen’s weathered face. “We will eat what we have first. If I must I will go out and borrow more.”
“Qingqing your burns are severe. I will take you to see the barefoot doctor right away.”
Shen Qing pulled gently away from his outstretched hand. “Father I do not need to see the doctor. I will rest for a while and be fine.”
Before he could say anything more she went into her room and closed the door.
Once inside she took a deep breath and stepped into her private space. She gathered her courage and walked toward the laboratory. Her legs grew weak the moment she saw the familiar cold instruments.
Images of being brought here and tormented by Li Mengyao flooded her mind one painful memory after another. She bit her lip until she tasted the metallic tang of blood. Only then did she come back to her senses.
She had been reborn. She had not been locked in that terrible laboratory yet. This was her own space and it was here to help her.
Her eyes fell on a jar of burn ointment on the shelf. In her past life those people in white coats had used this very cream to heal her after they had hurt her. Without stopping to think she grabbed the jar and smoothed the cool salve over her blistered skin. The burning pain faded almost at once.
She scanned the rows of shelves and pulled out a small vial of liquid. If she remembered correctly this formula was designed to repair bone marrow and damaged nerves. If her second brother took this he might be able to walk again. She slipped the vial into her pocket and went out to the fields in her space.
She knew her mother was right. They had barely enough food to survive. She harvested the ripened wheat in the fields and tucked the grains into her clothing. When she returned to the cottage she poured the wheat out for everyone to see.
Her elder sister Shen Ru asked “Qingqing where did you get this grain?”
Father Shen her elder brother and Liu Cuihua all looked at her with curiosity waiting for an answer. Her little brother Tiedan picked up a head of wheat rubbed it between his fingers and tasted the grain. A smile spread across his face. “It is sweet!”
Shen Qing smiled back. “I went up to the Nameless Mountain earlier. I found wild wheat growing there so I brought some back.”
Liu Cuihua looked confused. “Wheat growing wild in the mountains?”
Her elder brother Shen Changchun spoke up. “The Nameless Mountain is deep and wild. No one dares go there. It could be true that wheat grows there.” He looked at her with concern. “But it is far too dangerous. Do not go there alone again.”
“I will be careful brother.” It was the only explanation she could give for where the wheat had come from.
Her little brother Tiedan said brightly “Sister take me with you next time. I will catch a big tiger and we will all have meat to eat!” Everyone laughed at his innocent words.
Later that night once her sister was fast asleep Shen Qing slipped back into her space to tend the fields. She planted the few seeds they had left and harvested sweet potato leaves. She did not yet know how fast crops would grow here but there was more wheat ripening in the fields that would soon be ready to harvest. They had left the family home with nothing. Keeping everyone fed was the most important thing.
“Father now that we have separated from the family we should let the production team leader know” Shen Qing said. “Before the grain rations were given to Grandmother’s household. Now we stand on our own. We work hard and earn many work points. We should not let Grandmother and Uncle’s family take what is ours.”
Father Shen finished the water in his chipped bowl. He looked weary but determined. “I will go and speak with him right away.” He turned to her. “But first you must come with me to see the doctor about your burns.”
“Father I am fine.”
“Still you must go.”
He took her hand and led her to the village clinic. The barefoot doctor there was surnamed Wang. He examined her wound and looked at her with suspicion.
“You said this happened yesterday? What have you put on it?”
Father Shen looked confused. “She has not used anything. She said she did not need treatment.”
Shen Qing asked her father to wait outside. She met Doctor Wang’s gaze and said “I used some burn ointment.”
Doctor Wang’s eyes lit up. “What kind of ointment? How has it healed so quickly? It has already formed a scab in just one day.”
She held the jar out then pulled it back slightly. “I will show it to you if you tell my father I have been treated and that there is no charge.”
Doctor Wang was passionate about medicine and would not refuse such a trade. “Agreed.” He studied the jar carefully then looked up. “May I keep this for a few days to study it? I will give you a bag of potatoes in return.”
Shen Qing thought for a moment then said “Doctor I heard the team gave you half a chicken yesterday. Have you eaten it yet?”
Doctor Wang stared at her in surprise. “How did you know?”
“Then do not ask for the chicken” she said holding the jar toward him. “The ointment is yours as a gift.”
Doctor Wang hesitated. Chicken was a rare treat but the ointment was even more precious. He was about to speak when she pretended to walk away.
“Wait do not go” he called out quickly. “I will give you the chicken.”
When Father Shen returned he saw his daughter standing there holding a bag of potatoes in one hand and half a chicken in the other beaming with joy.
“Qingqing what is all this?”
She pointed to each item in turn. “Doctor Wang is such a kind man. He insisted on giving these to me. I told him no but he said he would not be denied. He said he wanted to do a good deed.” She added with a grin “With good people like him helping us we will surely achieve the Four Modernizations soon.”
Doctor Wang stood nearby with a look of helplessness on his face.
Father Shen shook his head. “But this is a chicken. That is something we can hardly afford.”
Shen Qing took his arm and led him home. “He was so insistent. I could not bear to hurt his feelings by refusing.”
He pulled back gently. “But I have not paid him for the consultation.”
Doctor Wang waved his hand quickly. “There is no need. We are all working together to build a better society. It would be wrong to speak of money between us.”
He watched them leave with a look of forced satisfaction as his half of the chicken went with them.
Back at the old house Old Madam Shen called her eldest daughter in law.
“The second son’s family has no food. They must be regretting their decision by now. Let us go and see how they are managing. We would not want them to starve.”
The eldest daughter in law knew exactly what the old woman meant. She had no real concern for them. She only wanted to see them suffer and beg to come back. She wanted to see them humbled and begging for food.
“Yes Mother let us go at once.”