The weather grew colder day by day. Mountain temperatures were far lower than those in the city, and the biting mountain wind made people’s faces sting.
With winter fast approaching, a fire had to be lit on the kang every single night, or it was simply too cold to sleep. There was nothing left to forage on the mountain, so whenever the youth had free time, gathering firewood was all they could do.
Carrying their bundles of firewood back to the dormitory, Cheng Rong and Li Fang heard the sound of things being smashed inside. Exchanging glances, they dropped their firewood and hurried over to the female youth dormitory, only to find Feng Yingying lying face down on her quilt, sobbing bitterly with red, swollen eyes.
Tian Zhaodi, acting as Feng Yingying’s devoted shadow, stood frozen inside the room, not daring to make a sound. Moments later, Wang Lili and the others arrived, and taking in the situation, they gently called Tian Zhaodi outside.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“I… I don’t know.”
In truth, Tian Zhaodi did know: something had happened back at Feng Yingying’s home. Yesterday, they had gone to the commune post office to pick up a package, but this time, no package had arrived—only a telegram.
Feng Yingying’s family background issues had been exposed. Her parents were currently under investigation and could no longer send her money or ration coupons. Without the support of the Feng family, they would henceforth have to rely entirely on Gu Xiaohu’s money and coupons to supplement their daily lives.
Before long, Cheng Rong noticed that Feng Yingying and her group had also started joining the trips to the mountain to chop firewood, and their meals were no longer nearly as lavish as they used to be.
The Military Compound in Yancheng
Back in the Yancheng military family quarters, Yefan pushed open the courtyard gate with a blank expression. Hearing the movement, the people inside quickly pushed the door open and stepped out to greet him, though their smiles froze the moment they saw it was only Yefan.
Yan Qiuping was wearing a dark-red bolashik dress with a pair of black leather shoes, looking thoroughly refined and elegant. Seeing her stepson look her way, she quickly put on a warm smile and spoke in a gentle tone.
“You’re back, Yefan. You must be exhausted from this mission. Come inside and rest, and we’ll have dinner as soon as your father gets back.”
With cold politeness, Yefan gave a brief nod. Once inside, he saw his twin younger siblings sitting on the sofa watching television. He wasn’t close with his brother and sister—or to put it accurately, he wasn’t close with anyone in this household.
Upstairs in his second-floor bedroom, Yefan finished his shower and lay down on his bed, staring blankly at a photograph hanging on the wall. In the picture, his mother looked gentle and serene, his father was dignified and upright, and the happiness in his own eyes seemed ready to spill over. Ever since his mother passed away, his father had immediately remarried and brought home the twins, making him feel that this home had become utterly suffocating.
“Yefan, your father is back. You can come out for dinner now.”
Step-mother Yan Qiuping’s voice was gentle, yet it only filled Yefan with irritation.
At the dining table in the living room, Yefan saw his father, Ye Weimin, who had just arrived home. At that moment, his father was holding a child in one arm, a warm smile gracing his face. The instant Ye Weimin saw Yefan take his seat, his smile vanished, replaced by sternness.
“You’re back.”
“Mmm.”
The father-son conversation ended right there.
As Yefan picked up his bowl and chopsticks to eat, he heard his stepmother, Yan Qiuping, bring up the topic of his marriage prospects.
“Yefan, you’re eighteen years old now; it’s time to start looking for a partner. Commander Zhang’s daughter from our military compound is your Auntie Yan’s niece. She’s gorgeous—would you like to go meet her?”
“No need.”
Seeing Yefan refuse so bluntly, Yan Qiuping smiled awkwardly and shot a meaningful look at Ye Weimin.
“Yefan, Commander Zhang’s daughter is exceptionally accomplished. Willing to meet you is doing your Auntie Yan a favor; don’t be ungrateful.”
Yefan swallowed the last mouthful of food, stood up without looking back, and headed out the door for evening training. He had zero interest in going on a blind date with Zhang Yinyi; aside from being Yan Qiuping’s niece, that young socialite’s airs were entirely not to his taste. If he ever married, he was determined to find a spirited, straightforward young woman.
Yet the moment that thought crossed his mind, why on earth did the image of Cheng Rong executing a flying kick against Wang Daniu flash into his head?
Startled by his own imagination, Yefan quickened his pace into a run as he reported back to the unit.
Winter Arrives & Killing the New Year Pig
As soon as the Lesser Snow solar term arrived, the village began to see snowfall, and villagers stayed indoors, hunkering down to brave the winter cold.
Sitting cross-legged on the warm kang, the female educated youth chatted idly. Wang Lili shared the news that the production brigade would soon be slaughtering the New Year pigs, and they would be getting a share of the pork too.
At the mention of pork, everyone present couldn’t help swallowing hard—it had been ages since they last tasted real meat. The conversation naturally drifted toward winter break and returning home to visit family.
Feng Yingying’s family troubles were still unresolved, leaving her unable to go home at a time like this. Tian Zhaodi couldn’t bear the cost of train tickets and opted to stay behind for the New Year as well. Fang Yuan’s home was far away, requiring a full day and night on the train, so she decided against traveling back too. The rest of the female youth intended to make the trip, so they began drafting their home-leave applications to hand over to the brigade leader, waiting for their travel permits to be approved.
Right around the Minor New Year, the brigade finally ushered in the day of pig slaughter. Having worked hard for an entire year, everyone was banking entirely on this pig-slaughtering day to finally score some rich, oily meat. Both villagers and educated youth were starving for meat, staring at the snow-white pork with the fierce hunger of wild wolves.
Cheng Rong didn’t particularly crave the meat itself, but she wanted an excuse to take her share back home so she and her family could enjoy a hearty, delicious feast for the New Year.
The village had raised three black pigs weighing over two hundred catties each. One was turned in for the state quota, and the remaining two were distributed among the villagers based on work points.
Everyone lined up patiently in an orderly queue, with the educated youth predictably taking their places at the very tail end. When it was Cheng Rong’s turn, she negotiated with the village accountant, declining the regular pork in favor of a set of pig intestines. At a time like this, everyone wanted fat meat—especially pork belly—while offal was considered too gamey, difficult to clean, and therefore deeply unpopular.
Hearing that Cheng Rong wanted the pig intestines, the accountant generously handed over the entire set along with a pig stomach. This thrilled Cheng Rong to no end; with her culinary skills, these organ meats could be turned into something extraordinarily delicious.
Back at the dormitory, the others took one look at the offal she brought back and wrinkled their noses in disgust. The stuff smelled far too strong; nobody else cared for it.
Without arguing, Cheng Rong loaded the offal into her enamel basin and headed down to the riverbank. With the weather being cold, hardly anyone was down by the water doing laundry or washing vegetables. Making sure the coast was clear, Cheng Rong pulled flour and vinegar out of her modern kitchen and cleaned the offal right there by the river. Once thoroughly scrubbed, she left it outside in the snow to freeze solid before carrying it back to the dormitory.
Though everyone else had received their shares of meat, they were all reluctant to eat it right away, choosing instead to freeze it in the snow so they could pack it home to share with their families.
Returning Home to Yancheng
Early in the morning on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, the educated youth packed their luggage and traveled together to the commune to catch a transport vehicle to Qingshui County. From Qingshui County, they transferred to the Yangyang City railway station, where Cheng Rong purchased her ticket, bid her farewells, and boarded the train bound straight for Yancheng.
Over in the Yancheng courtyard, Li Springxia was running around in a flurry of activity. She had meticulously cleaned her daughter’s room from top to bottom, washing and sunning all the bedding. Just as she was finishing up, Cheng Dazhi walked in carrying a two-catty slab of pork belly and two jars of canned fruit—the New Year welfare distribution issued by the rolling mill, which was starting its holiday break today.
“Dear, seeing as it’s already the twenty-seventh, when do you think our girl is getting back?”
“Should be in a day or two.”
Meanwhile, the very daughter her parents were missing so dearly was huffing and puffing as she stepped off the train station platform, overwhelmed by a truly staggering crowd of people. After catching her breath, Cheng Rong caught a public bus and hurried straight home.
Under the grand banyan tree in the courtyard, Wang翠红 (Wang Cuihong) and Auntie Zhang were cracking melon seeds and gossiping when they spotted their sister-in-law pushing into the compound carrying a large cloth duffel bag.
Though half a year had passed, the younger sister-in-law hadn’t grown darker or rougher from her time in the country; if anything, she looked even fairer and more radiant, carrying an extra spark of vigor.
Naturally, Cheng Rong noticed her eldest sister-in-law, Wang Cuihong, but she had zero desire to entertain the woman and walked right past her as if she were invisible.
“Sis! Sis!”
“Auntie!”
Cheng Jianhua was leading his two young nephews in a game of tag in the courtyard when he caught sight of his sister returning and sprinted toward her.
“Let me look at you—our Jianhua has grown taller.”
“Dabao and Huzi have grown up too, and they’re looking nice and plump.”
Spotting her younger brother and nephews, Cheng Rong reached into her cross-body bag and pulled out a handful of White Rabbit milk candies for her brother.
“Jianhua, split these candies with your nephews. I’m heading inside first.”
Eagerly accepting the White Rabbit candies, Cheng Jianhua’s eyes shone brightly as he thought to himself that his older sister was truly the best. This was White Rabbit candy—the second time his sister had given him some.
The young nephews also adored this long-absent aunt; anyone who handed out White Rabbit candies upon meeting was bound to be a favorite.
Watching the scene unfold from beneath the tree, the women clicked their tongues in marvel. Cheng Rong really knew how to spend—handing out a whole handful of White Rabbit candies right off the bat.
Wang Cuihong felt a prickle of irritation. Exactly how much money had her parents-in-law handed over to this sister-in-law of hers? Look at that wasteful spending.
Having received his candy, Cheng Jianhua scampered right behind his sister as she made her way home. Dabao and Huzi, convinced their auntie must have brought other delicious treats inside, trotted along behind on their short little legs.
“Dad, Mom! My sister is back!”
Hearing that their daughter had returned, Cheng Dazhi and Li Springxia bolted out of the house in an instant.
Laying eyes on her daughter standing right there in the courtyard, Li Springxia rushed forward, pulled her tightly into her arms, and let her tears spill over.
“My dear girl, your mother missed you half to death.”
“And your dad—Dad missed you too.”
The two elderly parents stood there with red-rimmed eyes and choked-up voices, making Cheng Rong’s heart ache with warmth.
“Mom, Dad, I missed you both too. I’m back now, and I’m going to stay right by your side and keep you company.”
“Good, good, good.”
Taking the cloth duffel bag from her daughter’s hands, Li Springxia pulled her indoors.
Sitting on the family kang, Cheng Rong took a large gulp of hot tea before instructing her mother to open up the duffel bag.
“Mom, there’s a catty of pork belly in here, along with a set of pig stomach and intestines—all distributed by the production brigade. And these are two air-dried wild rabbits I managed to bag up on the mountain.”
Staring at the bounty overflowing the bag, Cheng Dazhi and his wife were completely stunned. Seated right beside his older sister, Cheng Jianhua stared wide-eyed as well.
“Our girl really is too capable. Our factory only distributed two catties of pork total.”
“Dad, didn’t I tell you? Your daughter is doing just fine out in the country; you didn’t need to worry about me.”
Teasing her father with a grin, Cheng Rong reached into her bag and pulled out two pairs of gloves.
“I made my dad a pair of rabbit-fur gloves last time, so this time I made a pair for Mom and my little brother too.”
Accepting the gloves, Li Springxia and Cheng Jianhua fondled them affectionately, completely unable to put them down.
“There’s nobody quite like my daughter. Mom really didn’t spoil you in vain.”
Giving her mother a hug, Cheng Rong coaxed playfully, “I’m Mom and Dad’s own flesh and blood, of course I have to treat you well. Oh, right, Mom—let’s invite Grandma, Uncle, and Auntie over for dinner tonight. I’m going to show off a bit of my cooking.”
Hearing that, Li Springxia and Cheng Dazhi were left momentarily speechless.
“My girl knows how to cook?”
“Of course! Just wait and see, Mom—your daughter is going to make you proud tonight.”
Though Li Springxia worried her daughter might simply waste good ingredients, she couldn’t bear to dampen her spirits and ultimately nodded in agreement. Just as she was about to step out the door to visit her maternal family, she spotted her two grandsons standing by the doorway, staring longingly at the meat piled on the kang.
“Dabao, Huzi, want to come eat meat at grandma’s place tonight?”
Even if their father had turned out unfilial, these were still her own flesh-and-blood grandchildren, and her soft spot as a grandmother won out in the end.
“Yay! Grandma is the best!”
“Grandma is the best!”
Chuckling at the sight, Cheng Rong ushered the two little fellows onto the kang to play.
A Feast to Remember
Once her mother returned from Grandma’s house, Cheng Rong bustled straight into the kitchen to get to work. When Li Springxia and Cheng Dazhi offered to help, their daughter promptly shooed them both outside.
First, Cheng Rong set some dough to rise and steamed a large batch of mantou buns before starting on the dishes.
Her opening dish was stir-fried spicy pig intestines. The moment the rich, savory aroma of the offal drifted out, it had adults and children alike standing outside swallowing hard.
What on earth is she cooking? The smell is so overbearing—so incredibly fragrant!
Catching the scent themselves, Li Springxia and Cheng Dazhi exchanged glances; their prior doubts about their daughter’s cooking suddenly transformed into the hopeful thought that maybe her culinary skills were genuinely top-notch.
Her second dish was an air-dried rabbit meat casserole, stewing the wild game with winter radishes stored from home.
By the time Grandma, Uncle Li Shunsheng, and his wife stepped through the front door, they were instantly stopped dead in their tracks by the rich aroma.
“So good—Big Sis, what delicious thing are you cooking up?”
Uncle Li Shunsheng sniffed the air openly, his stomach rumbling loudly.
Hearing her uncle’s voice, Cheng Rong popped her head out of the kitchen to invite them inside, announcing that dinner was just about ready.
“Grandma, Uncle, Auntie, please sit down. The food will be ready in a second.”
Grandma Li asked her daughter why she let Rongrong do the cooking when she must be exhausted from the long journey home.
“She insisted on doing it herself and wouldn’t let me lift a finger.”
Though Li Springxia had originally worried her daughter might ruin the food, she was now simply burning with impatience to taste her cooking.
Once Grandma and the rest were comfortably seated indoors, Cheng Rong signaled her father to start bringing out the dishes. Stepping into the kitchen, Cheng Dazhi took one look at the spread on the stovetop and had to swallow hard against a fresh wave of saliva. How on earth had his daughter’s cooking skills improved to this level?
Within moments, two steaming meat dishes and a large bamboo steamer full of fluffy mantou buns were laid out across the table.
There was no polite posturing among family members; the moment the food hit the table, everyone rushed to grab their chopsticks.
“So good! Sis, the food you make tastes even better than Mom’s!”
Cheng Jianhua looked at his older sister with unadulterated worship.
“You ungrateful little brat, don’t expect me to cook for you ever again!” Li Springxia tapped her son on the head, scolding him with a fond laugh.
The two little nephews were eating with absolute gusto, holding a mantou bun in one hand and chunks of meat in the other. Grandma repeatedly praised Cheng Rong’s culinary talent, predicting she’d easily marry into a wonderful family someday.
While the family dined in high spirits, it was a completely miserable ordeal for the eldest and second son’s households living right next door. What on earth were they cooking in there to make it smell so agonizingly good? Their parents had invited Grandma over for dinner without even bothering to spare a thought for them.
By the end of the meal, every single dish and mantou bun had been completely devoured down to the last crumb. Grandma and the rest headed back home, and Cheng Jianhua escorted his two nephews back to their courtyard next door.
The moment Dabao blabbed about all the wonderful items Auntie Cheng Rong had brought home and the meat they had eaten for dinner, Wang Cuihong turned green with envy. How on earth was it possible for Cheng Rong to live a better life down in the countryside than they did right here in the city?