The next morning, ten educated youth from the road construction team braved the biting wind to head down the mountain.
Wei Min was stationed in the security department, while Li Huilan and Ye Qin worked at the pig farm. Xiao Aiyun was assigned to the hospital, and several others were too busy with repairs at the remaining Zhiqing Settlements, as ordered by the Infrastructure Department.
The group tucked their money securely into their clothes and traveled together. Though the mountain path was treacherous, it couldn’t deter their longing for home.
“Old Li, the mailman, came to the farm last week with two huge bags of letters and parcels,” one of them said. “Who got the most mail?”
“Haha, definitely Qiao Yadong! He’s an only son, so his mom writes him every few days and sends a big package once a month. I’m so jealous!”
“What about Ye Qin? I heard her parents and two older brothers dote on her. Last time, she got six letters and two packages all by herself—full of clothes, candy, and crackers. Right, Tao Nanfeng?”
All eyes turned to Tao Nanfeng, Ye Qin’s roommate.
Tao Nanfeng nodded softly. “Mm-hmm.”
Only then did Qiao Yadong realize something. Tao Nanfeng had been at the farm for so long, yet she hadn’t received a single letter.
That’s not right, he thought.
“Tao Nanfeng, what’s the deal with your family?” Qiao Yadong asked. “Why don’t they write to you? Do they not know where to send the letters?”
Hu Huanxin immediately cut in. “That’s impossible. When we got our assignment notices, they clearly stated the reporting time and location, our party and youth league affiliations, our food and oil rations, and the exact address for our luggage and mail.”
Xu Yanbo, nicknamed “Glasses Xu,” nodded in agreement.
“He’s right,” Xu Yanbo said.
“I remember it perfectly. The header on my notice read: Comrade Xu Yanbo, in response to the Chairman’s great call for educated youth to go to the countryside, you have actively volunteered to go up to the mountains and down to the villages, following the glorious path of integration with the workers and peasants. You have been honorably approved to go to Xiufeng Mountain Farm in De County, Xiang Province. Our destination was written so clearly. How could they not know where to send mail?”
Qiao Yadong frowned, trying to recall. “Tao Nanfeng, I remember asking you on the way here why you’d volunteered. You said your sister broke her leg and couldn’t come, so you took her place.”
“That’s right,” Tao Nanfeng said, her gaze dropping.
Her two braids hung over her chest, and her posture seemed heavy and subdued. “I came to the farm in my sister’s place.”
“Oh…”
The educated youth’s mouths formed O’s as they let out a collective, long-drawn-out sigh.
“Little cabbage, yellow in the field.
Seven or eight years old, mother’s gone.”
With the topic reopened, the group—who now lived, ate, and worked together—had grown close. Tao Nanfeng, having led them in building houses and repairing roads, had earned their respect and affection. Now, they finally voiced the questions that had been simmering in their minds.
“Your sister was the one who signed up, but you took her place,” one said. “By all rights, she should be thanking you and checking in on you. Why hasn’t she written?”
“Is your mother partial to your sister?” another asked. “But a mother’s love is supposed to be even. Surely she’d want to know how you’re doing out here? When my dad writes, he says my mom cries every day, worrying about me suffering all alone in a strange place.”
“I remember your dad is a university professor,” a third chimed in. “It’s been over three months. Why hasn’t he written to you?”
The outpouring of concern felt like a warm current flowing into Tao Nanfeng’s heart. She gently pressed her hand against the military satchel slung across her shoulder.
Inside was a thick stack of letters: her own, and those from the three other girls in her room, all waiting to be mailed. These letters were testaments to their longing for family and their only emotional outlet in this desolate place.
Finally, Tao Nanfeng spoke the family secret she had kept hidden. “My mother passed away. The woman I have now is my stepmother. The one who signed up for the countryside was my stepsister, Tao You. She’s the same age as me, but born earlier in the year. She isn’t my biological sister.”
“Oh…”
The educated youth’s mouths formed O’s as they let out a collective, long-drawn-out sigh.
“Little cabbage, yellow in the field.
Seven or eight years old, mother’s gone.
Stay with father and live through the day,
Lest he marry a stepmother on his way.
She raised a brother stronger than me;
He eats the vegetables, while only soup is for me.”
Who hadn’t sung this nursery rhyme as a child? If a family had a stepmother, the neighborhood children would gather around her house and sing it over and over, until the victim’s eyes welled with tears.
A wave of sympathy washed over the group. Even those who had previously found Tao Nanfeng distant and aloof now felt for her.
She has a wicked stepmother, they thought. How tragic. No wonder she’s so quiet—she must be suffocating in her own grief with no one to tell.
Chen Zhilu thumped his chest. “Don’t worry. From now on, I’m your big brother. If your stepmother dares to bully you, I’ll help you beat her up!”
Hu Huanxin, who had admired Tao Nanfeng ever since she’d led the brick-and-tile house construction, eagerly joined in. “Count me in! I’m your big brother too.”
Qiao Yadong looked at Tao Nanfeng with a gentle smile. “And me.”
The others quickly declared their support. “Tao Nanfeng, if your stepmother won’t care for you, we will! You’re the youngest of the twenty Jiangcheng educated youth. From now on, you’re our little sister.”
Tao Nanfeng walked forward, surrounded by her new friends. Her eyes sparkled like stars, and a slow smile spread across her lips.
Hu Huanxin, who had been raised by his grandparents in the countryside and always felt a distance from his parents, offered his comfort. “My mom’s always been biased, favoring my younger brother. But we’re grown now. We’ve got our own two hands and feet—we can support ourselves. Besides, you’ve got all of us as your brothers and sisters now.”
Qiao Yadong, an only child who had grown up under his parents’ strict discipline, felt a pang of empathy. “He’s right. We’ll all be living independently soon anyway. Sometimes, more love just means more constraints.”
Tao Nanfeng had expected her life away from Jiangcheng to be a miserable struggle. She never imagined that, beyond the mysterious power she’d gained in her dreams, she would also find such genuine friendships. Her gaze swept over the group’s faces.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
Her voice carried a warmth it had lacked before.
…
Her mother had died when she was seven. Three years later, her stepmother, Feng Chun’e, married into the family.
Everyone praised the woman as a rare example of virtue and gentleness.
She would speak softly to Tao Nanfeng in front of the neighbors and her father, Tao Shouxin, but in private, her face would turn cold, and she would throw out biting, passive-aggressive remarks.
“A girl your age, and you still expect me to wash your underwear? You’re a real little princess, aren’t you?”
But Tao Nanfeng was fastidious about cleanliness and never let Feng Chun’e touch her intimate apparel.
“You’re so lucky. You get the new clothes first, while your sister has to make do with your old hand-me-downs.”
In reality, though Tao Nanfeng’s clothes looked new and pretty, they never fit as comfortably as Tao You’s.
“If you need anything, come to me. Don’t bother your father—he’s too busy with work. Isn’t my care enough for you? Be a sensible girl and listen to me, do you understand?”
Gradually, Tao Nanfeng grew more distant from her father.
Whenever she tried to speak up, others would always discourage her.
“Your stepmother is so good to you,” they’d say. “She takes such care of everything you eat, drink, and wear. Even a biological mother might not be this devoted. You should be grateful.”
Bit by bit, Tao Nanfeng learned to keep her mouth shut, never again sharing her troubles with anyone.
As for her stepsister, Tao You…
Tao You was a few months older than Tao Nanfeng, with a lively, warm personality and a silver tongue that could charm any adult.
She constantly called Tao Shouxin “Dad” and knew exactly how to act spoiled and sweet to win his affection.
From her teachers to the neighborhood aunts, everyone praised her as generous and adorable.
That year, Tao Nanfeng and Tao You both graduated from high school in June, immediately facing the pressure of finding employment. Representatives from the Educated Youth Sent-down Office and the Employment Office visited their home with a proposal.
“One of the Tao sisters should answer the call to go to the countryside for tempering,” they suggested, “while the other can remain in Jiangcheng to work at the university library.”
Feng Chun’e wanted Tao You to stay, but to her astonishment, the girl stepped forward of her own accord.
“I’ll volunteer to go to the countryside!” Tao You declared. “The front page of the People’s Daily said we have two hands and shouldn’t just be idling in the city. As educated youth, we must strive to reshape our worldviews and raise our revolutionary consciousness through labor.”
Feng Chun’e seethed with frustration, but Tao You’s words were so magnanimously phrased and beautifully delivered that she dared not object.
Seeing his daughter volunteer, Tao Shouxin felt a mixture of pride and a pang of guilt. Though he had intended for Tao Nanfeng to succeed him at the university, he had never planned to sacrifice Tao You’s future.
Driven by this guilt, he gave Tao You fifty yuan and thirty catties’ worth of food coupons. Then, he turned to Tao Nanfeng.
“Family looks out for one another,” he reminded her. “If Tao You needs help in the future, you must not stand by and do nothing.”
Later, construction of the Jiangcheng Bridge officially began. Tao Shouxin joined the expert team, leaving the university for a period of secluded design work.
Tao Nanfeng had grown used to her father’s sudden disappearances and waited quietly for the school’s job assignment. But an unexpected crisis struck.
Just two days before the educated youth were scheduled to register and depart, Tao You suffered a sudden fall.
She landed hard on her left shoulder, and her collarbone snapped with a sickening crack.
“Nanfeng, please, I beg you, go in your sister’s place,” her stepmother, Feng Chun’e, pleaded, her face streaked with tears.
“Don’t ask her!” Tao You snapped.
Unable to lie flat, she sat propped up in a lounge chair, both shoulders encased in casts and draped in loose-fitting clothes.
Her expression was one of stubborn defiance. “You’ve cooked and washed for her, cared for her for seven years without a single complaint, yet she won’t even call you ‘Mother.’ She has no conscience at all.”
“Tao Nanfeng,” Director Liu from the Employment Office said, his eyes holding an unreadable glint, “your father isn’t home, and we can’t reach him. The educated youth are all gathering to depart tomorrow. In her condition, Tao You can’t go. What do you think?”
Feng Chun’e collapsed to her knees with a thud, clutching Tao Nanfeng’s leg, her sobs racking her body.
“Nanfeng, please, I beg you, go in your sister’s place,” Feng Chun’e pleaded. “I know… when your father was home, Tao You promised she would go to the countryside, letting you stay here in Jiangcheng. It breaks my heart to ask you to take her place now.”
She paused, her voice trembling. “You’ve always been pampered, Nanfeng. You can’t endure hardship like your sister can, and I can’t bear the thought of you suffering. But she’s broken her arm right when she was supposed to leave. What else can we do? Your father always said family must support one another. How about this… you go in Tao You’s place for now. Once she’s healed, she’ll switch back with you. Will you do this for us?”
Director Liu watched the scene unfold. He seemed on the verge of speaking, but ultimately turned his head away, choosing silence.
Tao You struggled to rise, but Feng Chun’e restrained her. “The doctor said you can’t move! What if the bone shifts and you’re crippled for life?”
“Tao Nanfeng, you pampered little princess, you cold-blooded bitch!” Tao You spat, her teeth clenched.
“Who do you think you’re looking down on? My mother is kneeling before you, and you dare just stand there, motionless? Don’t you fear the heavens striking you down?”
Feng Chun’e scrambled to her feet, hastily covering Tao You’s mouth before turning back to Nanfeng.
“Nanfeng, don’t mind your sister,” she pleaded. “She’s always had a foul mouth. She’s just angry at herself. She had her bags packed, ready to excel in the countryside and make a name for herself, and now she’s broken her bone and can’t go. She’s devastated that she’s dragging you into this.”
To Tao Nanfeng, the whole scene felt like a farce.
Tao You had originally been assigned to the Hongqi Brigade in Jing County, near Jiangcheng—a prime location close to home. Yet, in a sudden burst of ambition, she had gone to the Educated Youth Office and requested a transfer to the most difficult assignment available.
Then, just as the notice for Xiufeng Farm arrived, she managed to break her collarbone right before departure. The timing was impeccable.
Her stepmother’s performance—the tears, the kneeling, the desperate pleas—was a masterclass in humility.
The woman had always been willing to throw away her dignity and cause a scene to get what she wanted.
As Nanfeng looked at her stepmother, her stepsister, and Director Liu, who was chiming in to support them, her heart felt as if it had been plunged into ice water, chilled to the bone.
Perhaps it was a trait inherited from her parents, but Tao Nanfeng possessed a certain pride and aloofness. She refused to argue with such people, finding it beneath her to even try. And so, she had taken Tao You’s place at Xiufeng Mountain Farm.
At the thought, Nanfeng looked up. Her clear eyes sparkled with a brilliant light, like sunlight dancing on turquoise waves, scattering a thousand tiny glimmers.
“I’m fine. I’m doing very well.”
Blessings often come disguised as misfortunes, she thought. Coming to Xiufeng Mountain Farm had not only brought her friendship, trust, and a sense of belonging but had also given her a stage to truly shine.
Building roads, constructing houses, and helping everyone live a better life—there was such a profound sense of accomplishment in it all.
***
Descending the mountain, they immediately noticed the shift in temperature. The peaks blocked the biting winds, leaving Quping Town at least five degrees warmer than the highlands.
A winding stream split the town in two. The east bank, with its scenic vistas and bustling atmosphere, pulsed with the rhythms of daily life. The west bank served as the civic center, home to the town government, hospital, school, post office, and supply and marketing cooperative.
Qiao Yadong felt heat rising from the top of his head. He quickly yanked off his cotton cap, clutching it in his hand as he turned to the group.
“Let’s check on Ximei at the hospital first, okay?”
They all headed to the town hospital’s inpatient ward. Seeing Ximei with an IV drip, her consciousness gradually clearing, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The town’s post office was a distinctive building, its green exterior visible from afar. Two large mailboxes stood prominently by the door.
Tao Nanfeng approached one, opened her shoulder bag, and withdrew a letter already bearing its stamp. With a solemn gesture, she slid it through the narrow slot.
Swoosh, shush.
The letter fell, landing softly atop a sea of other envelopes. Nanfeng imagined a thousand messages journeying out from this spot, carried by green postal trucks to every corner of the country, finally arriving in the hands of their recipients.
“Tao Nanfeng! Tao Nanfeng! A letter for you! You’ve got a letter—” Qiao Yadong ran toward her, waving an envelope in the air.
The sudden wave of joy was so immense that Nanfeng momentarily forgot how to breathe, let alone speak. It was only when the brown paper envelope was pressed into her hand that the world snapped back into focus.
Her fingers trembled. She quickly cradled the letter in both hands, her eyes locking onto the sender’s name and address.
—Jiangcheng University of Architecture, Tao Shouxin.
Tao Nanfeng had not cried when her stepmother plotted against her. She had not cried when Tao You berated and falsely accused her.
She hadn’t cried when she boarded the train to Xiang Province alone, lugging her heavy bags, nor when she walked the mountain paths for the first time, the blisters on her soles bursting with every excruciating step.
Even huddled in a mud-scented thatched hut, listening to the howls of wild beasts outside, she had held back her tears.
She had endured every hardship, every injustice, by gritting her teeth and pushing forward. But now, after more than three months of agonizingly slow waiting, the arrival of her father’s letter broke her.
Tears fell uncontrollably, one by one, soaking the envelope and blurring the elegant, upright calligraphy.
It was her father. He had finally written back.
Seeing Tao Nanfeng cry for the first time had unsettled Qiao Yadong. He hurriedly pulled a clean, blue-checked handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her, trying to lighten the mood.
“What a coincidence, right? The mailman for Xiufeng Mountain Farm was just sorting the mail, and I spotted your letter immediately… Your dad’s handwriting is beautiful—a true master calligrapher.”
Nanfeng didn’t take the handkerchief. She merely looked up at him, her long lashes fluttering, still damp with tears. After a few blinks, the tears finally stopped.
Qiao Yadong’s heart skipped a beat. He found himself speechless. The fragility in her beauty, a stark contrast to her usual cool aloofness, sent a sudden surge of affection through him.
“My father studied at a private academy as a child,” Nanfeng said, her voice hoarse. “Calligraphy was a fundamental skill.” Professor Tao Shouxin’s zanhua small script was renowned in his field; even written with a fountain pen, it still revealed its profound depth.
Her voice… it was like peach blossoms drifting from a branch to brush gently against the tip of his nose. Qiao Yadong stood rooted to the spot, handkerchief still extended, afraid to even move.
Chen Zhilu strode out of the post office hall and clapped Qiao Yadong hard on the shoulder, winking at Tao Nanfeng.
“Now you’re happy, right? Go on, read what your dad wrote.”
The blow snapped Qiao Yadong out of his daze. A faint blush crept onto his cheeks as he struggled to find words.
“Oh, right. The Xiufeng Mountain Farm mail is pretty extensive. Old Li said there are over a hundred letters just for the Zhiqing Settlement. I should go back in and check if my own letters or parcels have arrived. I—my letters still need to be sent. I’ll do that now.”
Old Li was the mailman responsible for their area, a diligent and hardworking man in his thirties.
Only now did Chen Zhilu notice his friend’s strange behavior. He shot him a puzzled glance before thumping his chest. “Monitor Qiao, what’s wrong with you? You’re talking nonsense.”
The cold weather meant everyone was bundled up, so the blow did little damage, but it was enough to bring Qiao Yadong back to reality.
He stumbled half a step backward, coughed, and stammered, “I—I’m going back inside.”
With that, he turned and went back into the post office hall with a vacant, dazed expression.
Chen Zhilu watched his back, baffled. But being naturally easygoing, he shook his head to toss the confusion aside.
“It’s windy out here,” he said to Tao Nanfeng. “Why don’t you go inside the hall and read your letter? Come on, I’ll go with you.”
On the way down the mountain, Chen Zhilu had learned about Tao Nanfeng’s early loss of her mother and her father’s remarriage. Having always been cherished by his own parents, he felt a profound sympathy for her.
As the youngest son, Chen Zhilu had always longed to experience being a big brother. Seeing the reserved and solitary Tao Nanfeng burdened by such a tragic past, he resolved to take the role seriously.
Though not very tall, Chen Zhilu was solidly built. He guided her into the post office hall and spotted a wooden bench in the corner, forcing his way between a couple to carve out a seat for her.
“Read your letter here,” he said. “Take your time. We have to help Old Li sort through the mail, parcel slips, and money orders. Guo Niu wants to call home, so we can wait.”
Long-distance calls were an expensive luxury in the 1970s. “Guo Niu” was the nickname for Guo Junzhi, so called because of his delicate features and soft-spoken demeanor. His family was well-off, with a father who held a leadership position at the Bureau of Culture, and their unit even had a telephone.
The town post office had only two phone booths. To make a long-distance call, one had to first obtain a ticket at the counter, wait for their number to be called, and pay by the minute.
Even a brief call could cost several yuan—a sum most people couldn’t afford to spend.
Tao Nanfeng clutched the envelope tightly against her chest, as if only then could she find the strength to calm herself.
When she left Jiangcheng, her father had been tied up with the classified design of the Hangcheng Bridge. He hadn’t even known she was taking Tao You’s place, heading for the countryside as an educated youth.
After all this time at the farm, every letter she’d sent had vanished without a trace, leaving her to wonder about her family’s situation.
Would Father’s heart ache knowing I was here?
Would he suspect anything when he found out Tao You had a broken collarbone?
Would he be angry that I’d been silent for so long?
This single letter held all the answers.
Tao Nanfeng carefully tore open the envelope, slowly drawing out the paper and unfurling it before her eyes.
“My dear Nanfeng, I write this letter as if meeting you in person.“
The opening eight words alone sent another wave of tears rushing to her eyes.
Her childhood had been a happy one. Her parents, both university graduates from an older generation, had been raised with strong moral guidance and possessed gentle temperaments.
Engaged since childhood, Tao Shouxin and Xu Xiqin had pursued their education and careers together, not welcoming Nanfeng into the world until they were twenty-seven or twenty-eight.
Because she had been so difficult to conceive, they cherished her, speaking to her in soft tones and rarely ever criticizing her.
After her mother’s unexpected death when Nanfeng was only seven, her father had refused to remarry. He poured all his love into his young, orphaned daughter, cradling her in his palm for fear she would break, cherishing her so dearly she felt like a precious gem.
But he was clumsy with housework and a bit rough around the edges when it came to childcare; Nanfeng’s fragile health and frequent illnesses had been a constant source of headache for him.
When Tao Nanfeng turned ten, the year was 1966, and the movement had begun.
Their family home was in the countryside, and as middle peasants, Tao Shouxin and his family were fortunate to be spared. However, Nanfeng’s mother, Xu Xiqin, came from a landowning background, making her a target for public denunciation and struggle sessions.
Even after her death, Tao Shouxin remained tied to her past as long as he refused to remarry. His leaders visited repeatedly, urging him to change his family status through marriage.
Only then, introduced by the organization, did he meet Feng Chun’e, a worker from a poor peasant background.
They married without incident.
Though their bond was shallow, Feng Chun’e proved to be an expert homemaker. As Tao Shouxin saw her caring for Nanfeng with such gentleness and attention, he gradually relaxed and refocused his energy on his work.
Due to a series of unforeseen circumstances, the classified design for the Hangcheng Bridge kept me away for three months. Only upon returning home did I learn you had gone to Xiufeng Mountain Farm and that Tao You, having recovered from her injury, was working in the campus library. This was a failure of my duties, and for that, I apologize.
Reading these words, Tao Nanfeng felt a sense of calm wash over her. No wonder they hadn’t been in contact—her father had been sequestered for his work, unable to reach the outside world.
Things have reached this point, and there is no way to change what has happened. Take good care of yourself and strive to integrate into the farm’s work. I will keep an eye on policies for returning to the city. If the opportunity arises, you must come home—whether to continue your studies or wait for employment—it is better than being stranded far away, alone and without support.
I have already obtained the letters you sent from your stepmother. Tao You took it upon herself to have you take her place after her injury, and she concealed the news and hid your letters. Her actions have infuriated me. If your mother were still…
Tao Nanfeng could imagine her father choking back tears, unable to finish the sentence. He and her mother had been childhood sweethearts, studying together and even going abroad together.
Their bond had been profound. Now, separated by death, her father still cherished her memory, even after remarrying.
His anger toward her stepmother and his longing for her mother quickly soothed the bitterness in Tao Nanfeng’s heart.
I was heartened to read that you are leading the educated youth in building houses. Knowledge is power, and your ability to apply your architectural training to construct brick-and-tile homes in the high-altitude mountains is a commendable feat.
However, the form of mountain architecture is dictated by the natural environment it must survive in. Thatch houses are not without their merits. Using lightweight materials like thatch for roofs and wood for the main structure allows for faster construction and lower costs, which has its own advantages.
You must also understand that no single flower defines the spring; only a garden in full bloom makes the season complete. If your youth group hadn’t worked as one, you never could have succeeded on your own. No matter the circumstances, you must stand united with your comrades and cast aside all arrogance and impulsiveness.
A smile slowly spread across Tao Nanfeng’s lips. Her father’s praise and gentle guidance were like a warm spring breeze, filling her with both contentment and clarity.
The road construction team works hard, but knowing you’re getting along well with them—helping and supporting one another—gives me great peace of mind. This is your first time living away from home. You must learn to cook, do laundry, and tidy your own room.
Self-reliance is the key to a comfortable life. I am enclosing thirty catties’ worth of food coupons; I hope you eat plenty, eat your fill, and eat well.
The package sent with this letter contains a set of blueprints for reinforcing thatched houses, along with a copy of the “Manual of Mountainous Construction” compiled by your Uncle Qin Weiqing. Study them well, leverage your professional expertise, and help improve everyone’s living conditions.
Worried that the mountains will be cold, I’ve also packed a cotton-padded jacket, trousers, a sweater, cotton-lined leather shoes, and gloves. I’ve also sent fifty yuan.
You’ve always been frail, so please prioritize your health. Balance your work with rest and get plenty of exercise. Do not let your father worry. Take care, and stay safe!
Tao Nanfeng folded the letter, then tilted the envelope and shook it gently. Several colorful, nationally valid food coupons fluttered out—half-jin, one-jin, three-jin, and five-jin denominations—totaling thirty catties.
Her father earned a decent salary, yet providing fifty yuan and thirty catties of food coupons in one go meant he must have scrimped and saved for a long time.
A sharp breath escaped her as she carefully put the coupons away. She unfolded the letter again, reading it over and over until every word was etched into her mind. Only then did she fold it and tuck it securely into the inner pocket of her cotton-padded jacket.
The package, the money transfer… I wonder if they’ve arrived at the post office too.
As she lost herself in thought, she looked up to see Chen Zhilu walking toward her, his face beaming. In his hands, he held two slips of paper.
“You’ve got a package and a money transfer!” he announced. “Man, you were just moping over not hearing from home, and now you get it all at once.”
Qiao Yadong stood a few paces away, clutching a light-colored cloth bundle sewn with fine, dense stitches.
He watched Chen Zhilu speak with Tao Nanfeng, his lips pressed thin, his gaze distant and lost.
Hu Huanxin stepped up beside him, his round eyes wide with curiosity. “Monitor Qiao, you’re always so eager to follow Tao Nanfeng’s lead. Why are you letting Chen Zhilu take the credit this time?”
Qiao Yadong shook his head with a wry smile. “It’s just a package slip. It doesn’t matter who hands it to her.”
The eighteen-year-old was experiencing the first true stirrings of love, a feeling so intense it left him hesitant and afraid to approach her.
Tao Nanfeng, however, remained completely oblivious to his feelings. She simply took the package and money transfer slips, joined the queue, and collected her belongings.
The large, heavy package was a tangible testament to her father’s love.
With the fifty yuan and thirty catties of food coupons, combined with her own savings, Tao Nanfeng now possessed a small fortune.
She went to the counter and requested a telegram form, carefully filling the grid with twenty-five characters:
Received all. All well. Could not contact during heavy snow. Do not worry.
The clerk glanced up at her. “Each character is fourteen cents. This telegram will cost three yuan and fifty cents. Do you want to delete any words?”
A gasp of shock rippled through the nearby crowd. So expensive!
“No,” Tao Nanfeng replied firmly. “Keep it as is.” She had already trimmed the message to its absolute minimum; not a single character could be spared.
Once everyone had finished their business at the post office, Chen Zhilu and Guo Junzhi exchanged a glance.
“Let’s go to a restaurant!” Chen Zhilu announced with a generous wave of his hand. “A real feast!”
The Jiangcheng educated youth usually lived tucked away in the mountains, with few opportunities to spend any money.
The savings they’d managed to scrape together were more than enough for a single, extravagant treat. And so, carrying and hauling their heavy packages, they all set off together for the town’s only state-run restaurant.
The restaurant was small, with only two tables of regulars dining inside.
The educated youth pushed two square tables together and pointed loudly at the menu on the wall. “Comrade, we’ll start with two orders of braised pork and two of braised fish chunks!”
The waitress glanced at them lazily. “Do you have meat and fish coupons?”
Everyone froze. They had money and grain coupons, but as for these specific ones… they truly didn’t have them.
“We only have national food coupons and cash,” Qiao Yadong asked. “What can we eat?”
The waitress pointed with her chin toward the menu written in black brush strokes on the white wall. “Stir-fried vermicelli, pan-fried green peppers, home-style tofu, Youxian-style dried tofu, stir-fried shredded bamboo shoots with garlic, sautéed potato slices. We also have steamed rice and vegetable buns.”
Chen Zhilu, who had just been ready to feast on meat, sighed in disappointment. “Bring two portions of every hot dish, and two ounces of rice and two buns for each person.”
Though the dishes were all vegetarian, the restaurant didn’t skimp on the oil. The food, stir-fried in a large wok, tasted wonderful—savory, fragrant, and perfect with rice. The group ate with unbridled joy.
Of the ten educated youth present, Tao Nanfeng, Qiao Yadong, Guo Junzhi, and Xu Yanbo ate with refined manners.
The other six, including Hu Huanxin and Chen Zhilu, however, devoured their food ravenously, their chopsticks moving in a blur as if they were fighting for the last scraps.
When a plate of shredded bamboo shoots was brought out, Chen Zhilu’s chopsticks nearly emptied it in a few swift swipes.
Guo Junzhi reached out with his own chopsticks to block him, saying softly, “Take it easy, will you? We’ll have nothing left to eat. You bragged about being Tao Nanfeng’s big brother—what kind of big brother grabs all the food for himself?”
Chen Zhilu glanced at Tao Nanfeng and saw her eyes sparkling with amusement, her whole face seeming to glow.
He withdrew his hand with an embarrassed smile and slowed his pace, not forgetting to restrain the others. “Slow down, everyone! Are you all in a rush to get reincarnated?”
From then on, whenever the waitress brought a new dish, Chen Zhilu took the initiative to serve Tao Nanfeng two helpings. “Here, Little Sister Tao, eat more vegetables,” he said with a grin.
One chopstickful after another, Tao Nanfeng’s bowl soon overflowed with food.
The last dish to arrive was a platter of steamed buns, fluffy and steaming hot. Stuffed with a savory mix of bamboo shoots, dried tofu, and glass noodles, then finished with a drizzle of aromatic sesame oil, they were so delicious that even Tao Nanfeng ate two in one go.
Stuffed to the brim with food, the group packed up a few dozen buns to go and headed to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy sugar cakes, steamed cakes, and Cat’s Ear crackers.
Cat’s Ear crackers were a popular local snack—small, intricately folded spirals of fried dough mixed with brown sugar.
Their crisp, sweet flavor made them a favorite among the girls, and Tao Nanfeng was no exception.
Chen Zhilu and Hu Huanxin picked up two bottles of local corn liquor.
“It’s cold,” Chen remarked. “This’ll warm us right up.”
Meanwhile, Qiao Yadong stocked up on seasonings—salt, soy sauce, vinegar, dried chilies, star anise, and cinnamon—all in preparation for the red-braised pork they’d make.
After a shopping spree, they checked the time and saw it was already past two in the afternoon. They quickly set off for the farm.
Back at the Zhiqing Settlement, Tao Nanfeng was greeted with a flurry of excitement from her roommates. As they pored over the letters she’d brought back and munched on the snacks she’d bought, the room buzzed with a joy as vibrant as a New Year’s celebration.
Xiao Aiyun had already returned from the health clinic, her fever broken.
Though still a bit weak, her spirit was high. She sat on the edge of her bed and beamed. “Tao Nanfeng, you’ve brought back so many things! This is wonderful.”
Tao Nanfeng unwrapped the package from her father. Inside, she found a book, a roll of blueprints sealed in oilcloth, and a heavy brown cotton coat that reached her knees.
There were also oversized black cotton trousers, leather boots lined with wool, and a few smaller items: woolen socks, towels, and handkerchiefs.
“Your dad is so good to you,” Li Huilan said, her voice tinged with envy.
“Sending all this at once… It’s freezing up here on the mountain, and you can’t even buy a coat like that or those boots in town.”
“I just heard what happened,” Ye Qin chimed in, her words tumbling out. “Your stepmother and sister—the one she brought along—are the ones who did this. To let you take her place in the Down to the Countryside Movement… how cruel! They’re just like the wicked stepmother and sister from Snow White!”
Xiao Aiyun, who had been resting in her room and was only now hearing the story, froze for a moment. Then, her expression shifted to one of sympathy and gentle reproach as she walked over and took Tao Nanfeng’s hand.
“Why didn’t you tell me what was happening at home?” she asked softly.
“Aren’t we best friends? I know I can’t do much to help right now, but at least I could have listened to you vent—helped you curse them out, if only to let off some steam.”
“Right! We should stand up to a stepmother and half-sister like that,” Li Huilan declared, her voice rising with indignation. “We’ll help you curse them all to hell!”
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, her resolve to defend Tao Nanfeng hardening.
Li Huilan’s father was a pharmacist at the Hongqi Pharmaceutical Factory in Jiangcheng City. As the eldest daughter, with two younger brothers and a sister, she had always felt a strong sense of responsibility.
When the Educated Youth Office came calling, she had volunteered immediately, choosing to spare her younger siblings and let them continue their studies while staying by her parents’ side.
She had always viewed her own assignment to the farm as a noble sacrifice, but Tao Nanfeng’s situation was even more tragic. It was clear now: how else would the daughter of a university professor end up at this remote mountain farm? Only by being tricked by her stepmother and half-sister.
Thinking back to Tao Nanfeng’s first days—how she had been so quiet, never arguing when others made disparaging remarks—Li Huilan felt a pang of sympathy. She sighed and wrapped an arm around Tao Nanfeng’s shoulders in a comforting hug.
“Don’t you be afraid,” she murmured. “If your stepmother and sister try to bully you again, I’ll be your backer.”
Ye Qin was the youngest daughter, the pampered baby of her family with two older brothers already working.
Her sweet, innocent nature was on full display as she unpacked a recent care package from her mother. Beside the clothes, she had found four neatly wrapped cloth bundles filled with her favorite snacks: sunflower seeds, peanuts, red dates, and longan.
She popped a red date into Tao Nanfeng’s mouth, her gesture affectionate. “Don’t worry about a thing. From now on, my mom’s your mom. I’ll share half of all my good snacks with you!”
Tao Nanfeng, already buoyant from her father’s reply, felt a warm glow from her roommates’ kindness. A rare, genuine smile lit up her face, her eyes curving as she revealed a row of pearly white teeth.
“Okay,” she agreed, her voice brimming with joy.
The three girls were instantly captivated by her radiant smile, their own faces brightening in response.
“You should smile more, Nanfeng! You look so beautiful when you do.”
“You always looked so stern before,” another added. “I was almost afraid to talk to you.”
“We’re like sisters now,” the third declared. “We’ll share our snacks, our secrets, our troubles, and our triumphs!”
Buoyed by this newfound warmth, Tao Nanfeng threw herself into her work with newfound vigor.
Tao Nanfeng handed the Manual of Mountainous Construction and a set of blueprints for reinforcing thatch-roofed houses to Yang Xianyong, the chief of the Infrastructure Department.
Yang Xianyong received the documents as if they were a priceless treasure.
He immediately organized his team to begin work according to the blueprints, determined to reinforce the thatch houses at the other Zhiqing Settlements and install insulation measures before the first heavy snowfall.
By the time Ximei returned from the town hospital, Uncle Fan had recruited the North Slope villagers to help with the tunnel excavation.
Nearly a hundred people now worked under Tao Nanfeng’s command, digging, hauling earth, and installing supports. Though the tunnel bustled with constant activity, the operation remained remarkably orderly.
The road construction team was brimming with morale. This was Tao Nanfeng’s first time leading such a large group, and she was determined not to make a single mistake.
She had already mastered the pattern of white, red, and green dots, lines, and zones appearing before her eyes:
Red: indicated danger points.
White: marked weak points.
Green: designated support points.
By digging along the white lines, avoiding the red zones, and installing supports exactly when the green points appeared, the tunnel excavation progressed with astonishing efficiency.
Because she had to constantly monitor the changing conditions of the tunnel walls, Tao Nanfeng couldn’t join the digging herself—she only put her brute strength to use on occasion.
Nevertheless, her strategic planning and precise organization propelled the project forward at breakneck speed.
By mid-December, a single, decisive swing of a hammer sent a piercing shaft of light erupting into the darkness of the tunnel.
“It’s through! We’ve broken through!”
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
Seeing victory within reach, Tao Nanfeng swung her fifteen-pound sledgehammer, slamming it into the rock wall.
Clang! Clang! CRACK—
Chunk after chunk of rock fell away, crumbling into a cascade of dust and debris. Amidst the swirling cloud, the tunnel grew brighter and brighter.
Everyone rushed in, excitedly using their tools to chisel away the last thin layer of stone.
The tunnel connecting the North and South Slopes was finally complete.
“We did it!”
“The North and South Slopes are connected!”
“No more two-hour treks through the mountains to get to the farm headquarters!”
Cheers, shouts, and applause erupted. The road construction team members embraced and celebrated, while the villagers wept with joy.
They looked up at the gray sky as snowflakes began to fall.
The first snow of the year had arrived at Mount Xiufeng.
***
Author’s Note:
Tao Nanfeng’s stepmother and stepsister are masters of deception. Tao Shouxin and Tao Nanfeng are both gentle souls, which is why they’ve been helpless against them. But don’t worry—once Tao Nanfeng grows braver and more confident, she’ll return home to settle the score with her stepmother and Tao You.