Xiang Bei’s lecture had been sharp, fair, and incisive. His words carved into the six seventeen- and eighteen-year-old educated youth like a sculptor’s chisel.
Though painful, the experience forced them to reflect and grow.
Even after Xiang Bei left, the settlement remained utterly silent. No one dared disturb Wei Min and Chen Zhilu, who sat with their heads bowed.
No one dared approach Xiao Aiyun to comfort her as she wept.
Gurgle, gurgle…
A stomach growled from hunger, breaking the silence. Chen Zhilu suddenly slapped his forehead and sprang to his feet.
“Ah, I almost forgot!”
He bolted out of the room like a gust of wind, braving the snow and wind as he rushed toward the pond to the east.
The cold had frozen the pond, its surface covered by a thin layer of snow. A bamboo fence encircled the water, its leafless branches looking desolate in the winter chill.
As he reached the edge, the biting cold from the ice made Chen Zhilu shiver. He rubbed his hands together, blowing warm breath onto his palms.
Crouching low, he carefully inspected the fence. He fumbled among the withered bamboo roots until he found a length of hemp rope. He began to pull it up, inch by inch.
The rope stretched across the ground, extending over the ice and into the pond. Something was tied to the other end.
Qiao Yadong and Wei Min had no idea what Chen Zhilu was up to. They followed him out and crowded around, curious. “What is it?”
Chen Zhilu grinned mischievously as he carefully hauled up the hemp rope. The ice cracked open, and a dark lump of cured meat emerged from the water.
Wei Min’s eyes lit up, the gloom from their earlier scolding vanishing. “Cured meat! You crazy bastard, you actually stashed some away!”
Qiao Yadong shook his head, torn between laughter and disbelief. “Farm Director Xiang just gave us a lecture, and you dare…”
“It’s just this one little piece,” Chen Zhilu said sheepishly. “I forgot about it. I hope it hasn’t gone bad after soaking in the ice water for so long.”
Wei Min grinned. “We’ll find out tonight!”
They were all at an age where their bodies were growing, and meat was a luxury they couldn’t resist. The farm had just distributed cured meat, but no one ever had enough.
The more meat they had, the better their New Year’s celebration would be. They planned to eat the piece from the pond tonight and save the two pieces they’d just been given for the holiday.
Qiao Yadong punched Chen Zhilu playfully. “You were so rushed, and yet you still remembered to hide this in the pond?”
Chen Zhilu’s eyes darted around. Recalling what Xiang Bei had just said, he blushed. “I—I thought hiding it in the water would keep the dogs from smelling it. I swear, this is the last time! How about we all share it, and we give half to Tao Nanfeng as an apology?”
How about that? It sounded like a plan!
Wei Min carried the cured meat into the kitchen. He held it over the stove’s fire to char the skin, then scraped the charred surface clean with a cleaver.
After that, he boiled it in hot water to draw out the excess salt.
The kitchen filled with steam as a rich, savory aroma wafted from the pot, making everyone’s stomach rumble with anticipation.
“So we’re having cured meat tonight?”
“Let’s stir-fry it with chilies! A local villager gave us some dried white chilies yesterday. They’d be perfect with this.”
“How about steaming it with some fermented black beans and a sprinkle of chili powder? That’d be so fragrant!”
“Don’t let all that fat go to waste. We should slice some of it and stew it with potatoes. That way we can stretch it over several meals.”
After a flurry of activity, dinner was finally ready. Wei Min set six large basins of food on the table in the main room.
In the center sat a dish of steamed cured meat. Sliced paper-thin and topped with fermented black beans and red chilies, the meat was cooked to a tender, glistening, golden-brown perfection. The aroma alone was enough to make their mouths water.
The group cheered and reached for their chopsticks, but Chen Zhilu stopped them.
He placed two generous slices of cured meat into a rice bowl and presented it to Tao Nanfeng with a sincere, beaming smile.
“Tao Nanfeng, I was out of line today. I almost dragged you down with me,” he said, his tone earnest. “Please accept this meat as a token of my deepest apologies. From now on, I’ll respect you, protect you, and make sure you’re never mistreated again!”
“Ooh la la!”
The other educated youth erupted in laughter, their bodies shaking as they teased him. “Chen Zhilu, have you lost your mind? That sounded like a love confession!”
Chen Zhilu shot them a glare.
“I’ve got nothing to hide!” he declared. “Tao Nanfeng is like a sister to me. There’s absolutely nothing more to our relationship than that of family or comrades-in-arms. Don’t you dare say anything else!”
Qiao Yadong let out a long sigh. If only he could be as bold as Chen Zhilu, to openly swear to love, protect, and cherish Tao Nanfeng, ensuring she never suffered the slightest injustice.
But… he didn’t dare. He couldn’t. He had a mission and a goal at this farm, and romance was nowhere on his agenda.
A faint smile touched Tao Nanfeng’s lips as she stood up and took the bowl of rice and cured meat.
Turning to Xiao Aiyun, she offered a gentle smile. “Xiao Aiyun, let’s share this.”
Xiao Aiyun felt a lump in her throat. She didn’t know why. She had been so thoroughly humiliated when Xiang Bei scolded her earlier today—her sobbing fit had been utterly mortifying.
Her tears had long since dried, but seeing that Tao Nanfeng blamed her not in the slightest brought them back all over again.
Fighting back tears, she gave Tao Nanfeng a brilliant smile, her small canine teeth flashing. “Okay, let’s eat together.”
My dear sister, she vowed silently, from now on, I’ll share every good thing with you, and I’ll bear every hardship on your behalf.
Chen Zhilu’s private stash of cured meat had been over a pound, and Wei Min had gone all out preparing it.
There was cured meat steamed with fermented black beans and dried chilies, a savory stew of cured meat with vermicelli and potatoes, and cured meat stir-fried with white peppers. With three side vegetable dishes, the spread was a feast for the gods.
The educated youth all cheered at once, “Snowy weather, time to eat meat!” Chopsticks flew back and forth, and the group returned to their usual lively harmony.
***
January 22, 1974. New Year’s Eve.
A fierce wind drove a mixture of snow and hail against the windowpanes. Outside, the ground was buried under a thick blanket of snow; inside, however, a bright red charcoal fire blazed.
For their first Spring Festival at Xiufeng Mountain Farm, the Jiangcheng youth had prepared a magnificent banquet.
The food they’d stockpiled all winter finally made it to the table.
Xiang Bei’s mother brought over a pot of chicken soup, steaming hot and fragrant. The cured meat was cut into thick slices, steamed until tender and savory, a perfect accompaniment to the rice.
The small fish they’d caught in the fall—just barely enough for a single bowl—had been fried crisp. There were also stored Napa cabbage, potatoes, dried green beans, and white peppers…
The local custom for New Year’s Eve was to “send greetings.” After the reunion dinner, everyone stayed up past midnight. Once the firecrackers ceased, children carried red lanterns and wore cloth bags over their backs, going from house to house, chanting:
“Wishing your family a festive New Year! Give us cookies or money!”
Tao Nanfeng found this custom fascinating. At home, they had always closed their doors and eaten the New Year’s Eve dinner in private, only visiting relatives and friends the next day.
Tao Shouxin and Xu Xiqin were Northerners, but they had gone away to study and were separated from their families by the war. Their relatives had long since lost touch.
Feng Chun’e’s hometown was in Xiaguan Village, near Jiangcheng, but her family acted like leeches, never ceasing their demands for money. Though Tao Shouxin always kept a cold, unapproachable face, the New Year always brought drama.
In the end, they would pay up just to buy peace and quiet.
Tao Nanfeng felt perfectly at ease in this lively atmosphere. She joined the others in preparing cookies, candies, and sunflower seeds, welcoming wave after wave of children.
Kids from Nanpo Village, well aware of the educated youths’ hospitality, flocked to the house. They grabbed handfuls of snacks, offering innocent blessings with every treat.
Children from Beipo Village arrived in groups as well. Ximei, dusted in snow, came not just to wish them a happy New Year, but to deliver local specialties from various families—eggs, candied winter melon, fried flour strips, pumpkin seeds…
“Thank you, older brothers and sisters, for helping us build the road. It’ll be so much easier to get to school now that the tunnel is open!”
“We wish you brothers a huge fortune! And you sisters, to get prettier and prettier!”
“Celebrate the New Year! A festive New Year!”
On New Year’s Day, Tao Nanfeng received an unexpected guest: Liu Lili.
After staying up until three in the morning on New Year’s Eve, the girls had been too exhausted to resist sleep. It was already nine o’clock the next morning, and they were still curled up in their quilts when a woman’s voice called out from outside the window.
“Educated Youth Tao! Educated Youth Tao!”
Xiao Aiyun grumbled a few words as she dragged herself out of bed, yawed, and opened the door. “Who is it?”
The woman before them was immaculately dressed, wearing a floral-patterned cotton jacket and pressed wool trousers. She’d topped the look with the most fashionable army coat of the season.
This was Liu Lili, the clinic nurse, Liu Bin’s sister, and Jiao Liang’s rumored mistress.
Seeing Xiao Aiyun, Liu Lili wrapped her coat tighter and offered a bright smile.
“Educated Youth Xiao! Happy New Year!”
Xiao Aiyun remembered how Liu Lili had cared for her during her recent feverish hospitalization. Despite the nurse’s poor reputation, it was hard to be rude to someone so friendly, especially during the New Year.
She yawned and nodded. “Happy New Year! Happy New Year!”
Tao Nanfeng threw on a cotton jacket, hastily tying her hair back. She stood in the doorway, her expression cool and distant. Ever since she’d pummeled Liu Bin at the clinic, Liu Lili had become oddly attentive, a behavior Nanfeng found both strange and unwelcome.
The snow was still falling. Liu Lili had slogged through the drifts to get here, yet Tao Nanfeng wouldn’t even let her step inside.
The nurse remained on the porch, unwinding her scarf and shaking the snow from her clothes. Her overly lively eyes darted past Nanfeng’s shoulder, trying to peer into the girls’ dormitory.
The dormitory was sparse—just a single platform bed, a table, and a chair—but it was warm and filled with the fresh, clean scent of young women. It felt far more inviting than the clinic’s on-call room.
“I wish I could be like you girls,” Liu Lili sighed. “You have each other to keep things lively. Being on duty at the clinic all alone in the cold… it’s just miserable.”
Tao Nanfeng pressed her lips together, remaining silent. Li Huilan, however, peeked from behind her and struck up a friendly chat.
“The clinic seems great, though,” Li Huilan said. “You just sit there giving shots and handing out medicine. It doesn’t seem too busy, and you don’t have to work outside in the rain or sun. If you get a headache or a fever, you don’t even have to ask for help.”
“You have no idea, Educated Youth Li,” Liu Lili replied. “When we’re busy, we’re run off our feet. During the harvest, we’re flooded with men suffering from cuts, puncture wounds, and bites. Applying ointment and wrapping bandages all day, you don’t even have time to eat.”
Xiao Aiyun frowned at the description, but Li Huilan found the topic oddly comforting. Her father was a pharmacist at the Jiangcheng Pharmaceutical Factory, so talk of hospitals, medicine, and illness never bothered her.
Tao Nanfeng interrupted them. “Nurse Liu, is there a reason you’re here so early?”
Liu Lili smiled warmly and pulled a jar of cold cream from her bag.
“First,” she said, holding it out, “this is an early New Year’s greeting. Second, I just took a liking to you girls. I didn’t have anything fancy to give for the New Year, but I thought you could have this cream. The weather on Mount Xiufeng is cold, and the wind cuts like a knife. If you don’t protect your skin, it’ll crack. You need something to nourish it.”
Tao Nanfeng’s expression darkened.
She took a half-step back, refusing the gift. “I cannot accept this. Thank you.”
Liu Lili’s smile froze.
“Educated Youth Tao, don’t be so formal,” she said, her tone awkward.
“We’re all women—we should get to know each other. If you ever feel unwell, just come see me. And when I’m lonely, maybe I can come talk to you all.”
Before Tao Nanfeng could tell her to leave, Liu Lili started playing the victim.
“I know my reputation isn’t great. People say all sorts of things about me behind my back. This world is so unfair to women, especially the pretty ones. All it takes is a little effort with your appearance or being friendly to people, and you’re suddenly the subject of gossip. It’s not easy for me either…”
Just then, Qiao Yadong emerged from the dormitory next door. “Nurse Liu, you’re here early for New Year’s greetings. Please, join me in the main hall for some tea.”
At Qiao Yadong’s words, Liu Lili pressed her lips into a smile.
Turning to Tao Nanfeng, she said, “Educated Youth Tao is so well-loved. Everyone cares about her so much—they must be worried a woman with my reputation will corrupt her.”
With that, Liu Lili turned her head, her gaze sweeping over the clean-cut young man.
She chuckled softly. “Happy New Year, Educated Youth Qiao. You really are a gentle and thoughtful soul.”
Qiao Yadong flushed deep red at the teasing remark. He coughed into his hand. “Happy New Year. Please, this way—”
Following Tao Nanfeng’s design, the five dorms and the common hall were all connected by doors and porches. The hall opened to the north, facing the kitchen and toilets, and its doors were usually left open.
For the New Year, an eight-immortal table stood in the center of the hall, topped with several plates: peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and candied winter melon. Beside them were a few enamel teacups and a thermos decorated with tin-plate peony blossoms.
Qiao Yadong led Liu Lili to the table and sat down. A charcoal brazier burned beneath it, the coals crackling loudly.
Liu Lili settled in, cracking sunflower seeds and chatting idly. A few other educated youth sat or stood around, playing the role of guests.
“Nurse Liu,” Qiao Yadong began, “you rarely visit our settlement. I’m afraid you wouldn’t come all this way unless there was a reason. What’s on your mind?”
Li Huilan poured a cup of hot water for Liu Lili and glanced at Qiao Yadong, signaling him to soften his tone.
Liu Lili laughed it off. She turned to reach for Tao Nanfeng’s hand, but the younger woman pulled away.
Unfazed, Liu Lili continued with an earnest smile. “It’s like this… You all know my little brother is a bit of a disappointment.”
At the mention of Liu Bin, the mood in the room soured. The man was a known trouble-maker—he had brandished a shotgun during a dispute with the road construction team, laid hands on Tao Nanfeng, and smuggled cured meat down the mountain with Jiao Liang. He was a piece of work.
“Liu Bin?” Qiao Yadong replied coolly. “He’s certainly made a name for himself.”
Liu Lili maintained her smile. “I know. My brother was reckless and has offended you all. As his older sister, I’m here today to apologize.” She stood up and bowed deeply to the group.
Li Huilan’s expression softened slightly. She waved a hand dismissively. “You’re one person, he’s another.”
Liu Lili was stunning, her words gentle and her attitude eager to please. As a woman appealing to their sympathy, she knew exactly how to sway a room full of young women.
Tao Nanfeng was reminded of her stepmother, who had always used the same humble posture and honeyed words.
To judge a person, she thought, you can’t just listen to what they say—you have to see what they do.
Liu Lili smiled bitterly. “Our parents died in ’67. Because of our class background, my brother and I had nowhere to go. We only found work here at the farm after pulling some strings. I graduated from nursing school and was assigned to the health clinic, where I’ve worked for six years.”
“Liu Bin hadn’t even finished high school when he arrived. He started out in the production team, then moved to the security department. He managed to become a section chief, but he was eventually demoted for poor performance.”
The educated youth fell silent as they listened to her story.
Died in 1967… class background…
These were the tragedies of their era. Tao Nanfeng’s gaze softened as she thought of her own past. In the seventies, one’s family background determined their future.
For a middle-school graduate like Liu Bin to become a section chief, Liu Lili must have paid a steep price.
She’s airing her own dirty laundry, Tao Nanfeng realized. She’s gambling on our consciences.
These educated youth from the cities were simple, kind, and deeply sympathetic. The lower Liu Lili humbled herself, the more support she would win.
“My brother and I have only each other,” Liu Lili continued. “Even when Liu Bin was led astray by a bad crowd and his behavior became completely unacceptable, I couldn’t give up on him. I don’t ask for him to be wealthy or powerful—just to walk the right path, do his job conscientiously, and live a quiet, stable life.”
Li Huilan, being the eldest sister herself, could empathize with Liu Lili’s sense of responsibility.
She sighed and offered a word of comfort. “He’s in his twenties. If he’s willing to listen, that’s wonderful. But if he isn’t, don’t let it trouble you too much.”
Liu Lili’s expression softened with genuine emotion as she spoke of her brother. “After our parents died, the relatives we’d always been close to vanished overnight. Now, Liu Bin is the only family I have left. If I don’t cherish him, who will? I only came to disturb you all because my heart was so heavy, and I just needed someone to talk to. You’ve all traveled thousands of miles to this farm, far from your own families and unable to reunite with them for the New Year. I’m sure you can understand how I feel.”
Her gentle words softened even Qiao Yadong, who had been so resistant to her just moments before.
“You’re a guest here,” he said, his tone much warmer. “Our families may be far away, but if we treat each other with sincerity, we can always make new friends. A true friend is a home away from home, no matter where you are.”
Liu Lili laughed, the sound as clear as a silver bell. “Educated Youth Qiao is truly learned, even quoting poetry to suit the occasion. It’s a pleasure dealing with intellectuals like you—I feel more elegant just being in your company.”
Her flattery lifted the spirits of the educated youth, and a wave of smiles spread across the group.
Sensing the mood had shifted, Liu Lili gently steered the conversation toward her true purpose.
“An older sister is like a mother,” she explained, “and I’m just worried about my brother. I was thinking… if I could find a good match for Liu Bin, perhaps a marriage would settle him down and help him live a more stable life.”
A marriage? The women’s internal alarms suddenly went off.
“You all are educated and knowledgeable,” she continued. “Please, give me some advice. Do you know any suitable young women who might be a good match for Liu Bin? I can’t promise much else, but if she becomes my sister-in-law, she could transfer to the farm’s health clinic and learn medical skills from me. She’d have no trouble becoming a certified nurse in the future.”
“If she joins my family,” Liu Lili continued, “the apartment my parents left in the provincial capital, along with all their other belongings, will be hers. I’ll treat her like my own sister—spoil her, pamper her, and make sure she never suffers a single hardship on this farm.”
Li Huilan’s face flushed crimson. She shot to her feet. “Nurse Liu, what is the meaning of this?”
Liu Lili’s smile remained serene. “I mean no harm. The conversation just drifted this way. I’m simply asking you to keep an eye out. If you know anyone suitable—someone strong enough to keep my brother in line—please introduce her. If it works out, I’ll host a celebratory feast for the matchmaker.”
Xiao Aiyun suddenly remembered Liu Lili’s insistence on giving Tao Nanfeng the face cream. Her tension spiked, and she stepped forward, shielding Tao Nanfeng behind her.
“We don’t understand what you’re talking about!” she declared loudly.
“We educated youth came to the countryside to integrate with the workers and peasants, to build the farm and forge our characters. We have no intention of falling in love here, we don’t know anyone who would be a good match for Liu Bin, and we certainly don’t want your celebratory feast!”
What a disgusting surprise, she thought. You crack a seed and find a cockroach inside. What kind of person does this?
The more Tao Nanfeng thought about it, the more disgusted she became. She crossed her arms, her face twisted in revulsion.
Introduce a girl to Liu Bin, that brute with his bushy beard? Using a nurse’s position and a flat in the provincial capital as bait… How nauseating.
Chen Zhilu, who had been listening from the doorway, couldn’t contain his anger any longer. He stormed into the room.
“Nurse Liu, New Year’s greetings are supposed to be auspicious!” he snapped.
“But all you’ve said is depressing nonsense. Don’t assume we’re so naive. You think you can just paint a rosy picture, play the victim, and some young woman will fall for it? You’ve vastly underestimated us educated youth.”
Liu Lili was stunned. She had spoken so softly and gently—why were these youths reacting with such hostility? All she had asked was for a simple introduction. Why the sudden change in mood?
She rose slowly, setting her half-eaten sunflower seeds back into the dish, her expression darkening.
“I’m just one woman, and you’re a whole group of people,” she said, her voice dripping with feigned vulnerability.
“How could I possibly be trying to deceive you? I’m not asking you to sell any girls into marriage. I’m simply sharing my situation, asking for your help to keep an eye out for a suitable young woman who might be willing to join my family. Is that a crime? Why are you all acting like thugs? You’re scaring me…”
Tao Nanfeng couldn’t believe it. Liu Lili’s sudden fawning had been a calculated move—she’d targeted Nanfeng because she believed Nanfeng was strong enough to control Liu Bin.
She actually expected Nanfeng to reform him into a “good man”?
How wildly optimistic.
Liu Bin was a brute—a gambling, idle lout. He knew his sister’s reputation was tarnished, yet he still had the gall to call Jiao Liang “Brother-in-law.”
Wasn’t that just selling out his sister for personal gain? What girl would ever willingly marry a man with such vile character?
Liu Lili couldn’t even keep her own brother in line, yet she’d allowed him to spiral further into delinquency. Now she hoped to lure some naive young woman into the Liu family with a few cheap promises.
A nurse’s position and a flat that might not even exist—what kind of girl would jump into such a fire for those?
What gave her the nerve to even say these things?
Tao Nanfeng stood up, her face hardening. “See our guest out.”
In that moment, she remembered her father. He’d endured his stepmother’s brothers coming to sponge off them, but when they demanded she call them “uncle,” he had flung his sleeves and stood up in the same way.
At Tao Nanfeng’s command, all the educated youth rose. Every pair of eyes fixed on Liu Lili.
With so many eyes glaring at her, all signaling for her to leave, Liu Lili’s face burned.
She could only slink toward the door, muttering under her breath, “So much for ‘a guest from afar is a welcome one.’ Is this any way to treat a visitor? I came here out of the goodness of my heart to wish you a Happy New Year and chat for a bit. Is that really reason enough to kick me out…?”
No one paid her any attention.
As Liu Lili reached the door, she turned back to look at Tao Nanfeng.
Her navy blue cotton jacket reached her knees, its oversized cut unable to hide her tall, well-proportioned figure. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, revealing fair skin like white jade. Her cheeks glowed with a healthy, pearlescent luster.
With her delicate features, gentle contours, bright eyes, and finely shaped nose and lips, she was a true beauty. No wonder her brother still obsessed over her, even after being beaten black and blue.
Her expression was solemn and commanding, the look of a headstrong girl with a mind of her own.
If a girl like that were to marry Liu Bin, Liu Lili thought, it would be his absolute fortune. She could surely put him back on the right path.
With this thought, Liu Lili forced a smile. “Educated Youth Tao, when you and the others have a free moment, come find me for a chat. I have candy, cakes, and plenty of other snacks. We’re all women here—the more friends we have, the better.”
“Happy New Year!”
A voice rang out through the wind and snow, and the educated youth’s eyes lit up. They all hurried outside to greet the newcomer.
“Farm Director Xiang, Happy New Year!”
“Section Chief Yang, Happy New Year! Why didn’t you bring your wife up the mountain with you this year?”
“Section Chief Zhou, Section Chief Zheng, Captain Mao—Happy New Year everyone!”
The atmosphere instantly turned lively, a sharp contrast to the cold shoulder they’d given Liu Lili just moments before.
Liu Lili curled her lip.
What a bunch of chameleons, she thought. Turning on the charm the second a leader shows up.
She bitterly resented her lack of power and status, forcing her to swallow her pride.
Tugging at her army overcoat, she addressed Xiang Bei with an affectedly sweet tone, “Deputy Farm Director Xiang, personally leading a team to wish the Educated Youth a Happy New Year in this wind and snow… You really are a wonderful leader.”
Xiang Bei’s gaze turned icy as he saw her. “Nurse Liu. You’re out early. Not on duty today?”
Liu Lili pushed her way to his side, offering a handshake. “Happy New Year, Deputy Farm Director Xiang. I came to give you my best wishes.”
She lowered her voice to a coo. “You should come by the health clinic and visit us nurses on duty sometime. We’re so lonely there, you know.”
Xiang Bei kept his hands thrust deep in his overcoat pockets, his gaze sharp and electric in the swirling snow. He gave a curt nod and headed straight for the main hall.
Liu Lili’s face paled at the cold snub.
Suddenly, Xiang Bei stopped and turned to Qiao Yadong, who had stepped forward to greet him. “Nurse Liu, what’s she doing here?”
Qiao Yadong, his face a mask of annoyance, replied, “She was spouting some nonsense about finding a ‘formidable’ wife for her brother, Liu Bin, and asked us educated youth to keep an eye out.”
Xiang Bei glanced at Tao Nanfeng, who was lingering at the back of the crowd, her lips pressed thin in a look of brooding discontent.
He quickly connected the dots and turned back to Liu Lili.
“Nurse Liu, if you’re truly serious about disciplining Liu Bin, I might know just the person.”
Liu Lili had her sights set on Tao Nanfeng; she couldn’t bring herself to care about anyone else. But Xiang Bei’s words piqued her interest, and she forced herself to pay attention. “Who?”
“Hunter Zhu’s daughter from Beipo Village.”
Hunter Zhu’s daughter was twenty-eight this year. She had lost her mother as a child and had been hunting in the mountains with her father ever since.
She was strong, fierce, and a crack shot with a rifle—absolutely formidable.
“There is one catch,” Xiang Bei added. “Hunter Zhu has only this one daughter, and he requires any son-in-law to marry into her family.”
Mao Peng gave a thumbs-up. “She’s a real iron lady, that one. They say she can take down two wild boars by herself. She’s legendary all over the county.”
The other educated youth, who had also heard of the woman, began to buzz with gossip.
“She’s perfect. Even if Liu Bin has a hunting rifle, he’d never be able to control her.”
“You’re right. She can flip a hundred-pound boar with one hand. No matter how fierce Liu Bin gets, he’d be no match for her.”
“I think Farm Director Xiang’s suggestion is brilliant. Nurse Liu, if you go to their door and propose the match yourself, it’s a sure thing. Just remember to bring him a pair of shoes afterward.”
Local custom dictated that if a matchmaker successfully arranged a marriage, the newlyweds had to make them a pair of shoes as a gift. The crowd erupted in laughter.
Liu Lili’s face contorted.
“You’re trying to ruin me!” she spat, turning and fleeing the scene.
The laughter behind her grew louder, spurring her to walk faster. In her haste, she tripped and fell, grinding her teeth in fury.
One day… just you wait… But she couldn’t bring herself to finish the thought.