Cheng Ning glanced at the three burlap sacks, each marked with huge black brushstrokes spelling “Han Dongyuan.” Then she looked at the small, inconspicuous slip tied to the mouth of the bag and sighed. It was probably written by the transport staff for convenience.
She directed the boys to place the sacks in a corner of the dorm so they wouldn’t block the walkway. Pulling off the slip, she pointed to the tiny characters—like ants compared to the bold black name—and clarified to Zhu Xiankai: “What nonsense are you spouting? This was sent by my family. I packed it myself before coming down here. I was worried I might arrive late, so I mailed the things ahead. That’s why I wrote Brother Dongyuan’s name.”
Zhu Xiankai gave her a look, clicked his tongue, and said: “Comrade Cheng, what’s so good about Han Dongyuan? With that fierce face of his, he looks like a convict. Look at Shengzi—he’s funny, good-natured, decent, and not bad-looking. Why not consider him? Sure, he’s a bit worse than me, but definitely a hundred times better than Han Dongyuan.”
At least his temper wasn’t so terrible.
He had originally wanted to say “look at me,” but even though he was used to joking around, facing Cheng Ning’s radiant beauty—and thinking of the intimidating Han Dongyuan—he swallowed the words.
Liao Sheng rolled his eyes but kept carefully shifting the sacks for Cheng Ning, ignoring Zhu Xiankai.
Cheng Ning wasn’t a petty person. Normally, she didn’t mind jokes. But Zhu Xiankai’s line—“that fierce face, like a convict”—hit a nerve. Her expression immediately turned serious. She said firmly to him: “Comrade Zhu, you can joke about other things, but don’t ever say Brother Dongyuan looks like a criminal. He may look fierce and have a bad temper, but he’s warm-hearted, upright, kind, and even gentle with small animals. He would never do anything bad. You’re his roommates—don’t you know that?”
What was she even saying? Warm-hearted, upright, kind, gentle with animals? Was she really talking about Han Dongyuan? Sorry, but his roommates honestly didn’t know him that way. Yet, faced with Cheng Ning’s stern, utterly serious little face, none of them could bring themselves to say “we don’t know.”
Clearly, in her eyes and heart, Han Dongyuan—this hot-tempered “dog of a man”—was exactly that image. Not to be slandered.
Zhu Xiankai was dumbfounded.
Sun Jian smacked him on the head and said to Cheng Ning: “Comrade Cheng, Xiankai’s mouth has no filter. He’s always babbling nonsense. Don’t take it to heart. When Brother Dongyuan comes back, Xiankai won’t even dare to squeak.”
Cheng Ning realized she’d been too sensitive. Seeing Zhu Xiankai’s sheepish, guilty look, she couldn’t help but laugh. But then she composed herself again and said seriously: “Comrade Zhu, I’m not blaming you. But words spread quickly. You can joke about other things, but don’t ever say he looks like a criminal. Brother Dongyuan isn’t that kind of person.”
Building an image was important. So that no one would ever say he had killed someone—and then everyone truly believed it was him.
She didn’t want Han Dongyuan’s future achievements, no matter how great, to be overshadowed by gossip that painted him as ruthless, scheming, and corrupt. Because in truth, he wasn’t like that at all.
What could Zhu Xiankai say? He could only wish he could raise his hand and swear an oath in agreement.
Cheng Ning smiled again. She glanced at the table, but unfortunately there wasn’t even an extra cup in the room. The boys had helped carry such heavy sacks, yet she couldn’t even offer them a drink of water. She felt embarrassed. So she quickly opened the package. She had packed it herself, so she knew exactly what was inside. She pulled out a bag of braised meat and handed it to them, telling them to make a late-night snack.
Sun Jian and Zhu Xiankai tried to refuse, though their mouths were already watering.
Cheng Ning just smiled and gave it to Liao Sheng, asking him to take it back and share with everyone.
As they left her dorm, Zhu Xiankai sighed: “Heavens, the lover’s filter is really thick. What kind of blessing is this for Brother Dongyuan!”
Then he groaned again: “Shengzi, tell me—Brother Dongyuan has Comrade Cheng, who’s so devoted to him, yet he still acts all aloof, won’t even deliver a package himself. Doesn’t that mean he’s got some kind of brain sickness? And yet, even with that sickness, she still defends him wholeheartedly…”
Liao Sheng: “……” How was he supposed to explain? Cheng Ning wasn’t actually head-over-heels in love with Han Dongyuan. And Han Dongyuan wasn’t “playing hard to get.” Just picturing that made him shudder. His head was pounding.
And Zhu Xiankai kept rambling: “Comrade Cheng said the package was from her family, mailed under Brother Dongyuan’s name in case she arrived late. Her family must really trust him. Shengzi, doesn’t that mean both families already see them as a pair, and it’s only Brother Dongyuan still being stubborn?”
Liao Sheng: “……” Why did the world turn upside down just because they came down to the countryside? The whole family already assumed Dongyuan and Ning Ning were a couple? And only Dongyuan was still being awkward? Was he the one losing his mind? He thought hard about everything the Han family and the compound folks had ever said about Cheng Ning and Han Dongyuan.
No—he wasn’t the crazy one. It was Zhu Xiankai. Pig Xiankai.
Meanwhile, in Han Dongyuan’s dorm, the talk revolved around Cheng Ning’s two giant sacks.
But in the other dorms, the educated youths were discussing the bamboo-and-wood workshop.
By now, word had spread from Xu Jianguo: they just needed to wait. Once the factory was ready to start production, everyone would be assigned roles according to their strengths and work performance.
Everyone was delighted. Only Jiang Shanshan looked indifferent.
Liu Lina noticed her expression, thought of something, and asked: “Shanshan, if the factory is established and we can all work there, and if it does well, maybe there’ll be more opportunities later. About your marriage with Li Sheng—do you still want to reconsider?”
Jiang Shanshan’s face flushed red instantly.
She opened her mouth as if to blurt something out, but in the end, unusually, she closed it. After a long silence she finally said: “I’ve already set the date with Li Sheng. The wedding will be on the third day of the third lunar month. This Sunday, if you’re free, let’s have a meal together.”
Everyone was startled. The third day of the third lunar month—that was less than a month away.
They had only heard Jiang Shanshan mention her marriage to Li Sheng a couple of days ago. This was far too rushed.
“Shanshan, isn’t this too sudden?” Liu Lina asked worriedly. “Have you told your family?”
A layer of bitterness crossed Jiang Shanshan’s face. She sneered: “Tell them what? Oh, I just got a letter from my mother. She said her son is preparing to marry at the end of the year and told me to stay in the mountains this year, gather more mountain goods—one to exchange for money and coupons to help pay for his wedding, and two to use for holiday gifts. If I tell her I’m marrying here, to a local man with decent conditions, she’ll just come to strip me bare.”
Everyone fell silent.
Liu Lina remembered how Shanshan used to live in Beicheng and how she felt sad when she first came down to the countryside. “Shanshan, marriage is a lifelong matter. I’m not saying Li Sheng is bad—he’s a good man, and his conditions are excellent. But if you’re only deciding this out of anger at your family, then I think you should wait. Once the factory is running, our lives might improve. You can decide then—it won’t be too late.”
“Improve? How much better could it get? Will it take us out of these deep mountains? Or bring someone better?”
Jiang Shanshan gave a self-mocking smile, glanced at Shen Qing, and said: “There’s no one here I can bear anymore.”
If she hadn’t once, in a moment of impulse, expressed her feelings to Han Dongyuan—and been rejected—she might have been like the others, looking forward to the factory and to the future. But she was too proud.
The better the factory did, the more stifled she felt.
“Shanshan…” Liu Lina couldn’t bear to see her like this. She would rather Shanshan still be the proud, sharp-tongued, prickly girl she used to be.
Suppressing her emotions, she had wanted to advise her: since she had decided, then she should live well with Li Sheng. His conditions were indeed among the best here.
But Jiang Shanshan didn’t want to say more. Before Liu Lina could speak, she picked up her washbasin and walked out.
Sunday was the educated youths’ rest day. This week, the weather had finally been sunny for several days, and the snow on the mountain paths had mostly melted.
The educated youths planned to go to the commune together to buy supplies. The past few Sundays had been bad weather, their stores had run out, and they had been living entirely on the brigade canteen’s sweet potato porridge and corn cakes—until they felt they themselves were turning into corn cakes.
The newcomers especially wanted to buy daily necessities.
The night before, Zhou Xiaomei came to find Cheng Ning and Min Ran:
“Tomorrow, my second uncle is driving his ox cart to the commune. Do you want to come along? He can take you.” She added: “My second uncle’s cart has a canopy. But I’m not going myself tomorrow.”
Until she had clarified the matter of Zhang Wenshun and the female educated youth, she had no mood to go shopping.
Now the oxen were brigade property, and borrowing them required brigade approval. The brigade had carts too, but none with canopies. Zhou Xiaomei’s second uncle’s family had inherited an old wooden ox cart from their ancestors, used for hauling goods in the mountains. The ox was long gone, but the cart remained.
Min Ran happily agreed. This was much better than squeezing seven or eight people into an ox cart without a canopy.
On the way here, they had sat in such a cart for five or six hours along mountain roads. The cold wind whipping their faces and pouring down their collars was an unforgettable misery.
But Cheng Ning shook her head. She thanked Zhou Xiaomei and smiled:
“Yesterday I received a package from home, so I don’t lack anything for now. In this freezing weather, I’d rather not go out and get blasted by the wind. It’s more comfortable to stay cozy on the kang.”
In truth, she had something she wanted to discuss with Han Dongyuan.
Yesterday, when Liao Sheng and the others delivered her package, she had asked them, and Liao Sheng said Han Dongyuan would also be staying in the dorm today, not going out.
Thinking of Zhou Xiaomei’s lingering worry about her former fiancé, Cheng Ning added: “Don’t worry about Zhang Wenshun. I already spoke to Comrade Han, and he agreed to help investigate. And Tingting said she has a high school classmate in the Zhang brigade. Tomorrow, when she goes to the commune, if she runs into her, she’ll ask too.”
Zhou Xiaomei’s eyes shifted toward Ma Tingting: “Then when you ask, be clever. First, confirm whether that female educated youth is really your classmate.”
Ma Tingting: “……” She had wanted to say it was impossible—her classmate wasn’t that kind of person. But what kind of person was “that kind of person”?
First, the truth of the matter wasn’t clear. Second, after coming down to the countryside, with the harsh environment, heavy labor, and endless hopeless days—who could guarantee how anyone might change?
Seeing Ma Tingting fall silent, Zhou Xiaomei smiled again: “I just mean, keep your eyes open, just in case. Thanks. When you come back, I’ll have my second brother catch a rabbit in the mountains and treat you to roast rabbit.”
She said it as if rabbits in the mountains were like livestock kept in her backyard. Then she added: “Tomorrow, just ride with Min Ran in my second uncle’s ox cart.”
Ma Tingting blushed at the invitation, thanked her, and said: “That’s not necessary. I already made plans with other educated youths.”
Zhou Xiaomei looked at her shy expression and teased with a grin: “Actually, you could ask Comrade Liao to ride along too. In winter, having a canopy makes it much warmer.”
“No, no need.” Ma Tingting’s face turned bright red.
“Alright, I won’t push you,” Zhou Xiaomei said with a sigh. “You city educated youths really do blush easily. With your fair skin, it looks nice when you do. Maybe that’s why that Zhang fellow took a fancy to that female educated youth?”
Everyone: “……”
They wanted to say, *What nonsense are you spouting?* But then, thinking about it, they had to admit—rough words, but not entirely without reason.
“If they won’t ride, then let us,” Wang Xiaojuan quickly changed the subject, grinning: “Ning Ning isn’t going, Tingting won’t ride—can you take me and Sister Dongmei instead?”
The allure of a canopy-covered ox cart was simply too great.
“Alright,” Zhou Xiaomei said cheerfully. “Just the two of you, no problem. Squeezing together will even be warmer. Tonight I’ll tell my second uncle—tomorrow morning you can go straight to his house to get on the cart.”
After setting the time, Zhou Xiaomei stayed to play at Cheng Ning’s place for a while.
Cheng Ning had just received three large burlap sacks of luggage, full of little trinkets. She took out a box of hair ornaments, scrunchies, and clips—things she had made herself before—and let Zhou Xiaomei choose.
Zhou Xiaomei didn’t hold back, happily picking several scrunchies before leaving. But she wasn’t the type to take advantage. Every time Cheng Ning gave her something, she would always bring a return gift another day.
After she left, Ma Tingting sighed: “She really has a big heart. But I quite like her.”
She had come down with the same batch of educated youths as Liao Sheng. After more than half a year, she had rarely interacted with villagers outside of work. Only recently, thanks to Cheng Ning, she had spent more time with Zhou Xiaomei and Aunt Zhou, and discovered the villagers weren’t as narrow-minded, stubborn, or crude as she had once thought. Each had their own charm. And without exception, once they accepted you, they treated you with genuine warmth. She realized she had been too narrow in her view before.
Xu Dongmei smiled: “Yes, we thought ourselves superior, but perhaps our temperament isn’t as good as hers.”
The educated youths were all busy discussing the trip to the commune.
At dinner, Gu Jingwen also mentioned it to Zhao Zhi.
Unlike Cheng Ning, who had traded many things with Zhou Xiaomei and then received several large packages from home, they had only exchanged a few items with Zhou Xiong. Even their quilts weren’t enough.
They needed to buy many things.
Zhao Zhi hesitated, then refused: “These days I’m too tired. I want to rest. And really, when I think about it, there’s nothing I absolutely need to buy.”
Gu Jingwen studied her carefully. They were childhood sweethearts; he had looked after her since they were young. He knew her better than anyone. She wanted to go to the commune. If she said she didn’t, there must be another reason. But thinking of the four to five hours each way, eight to nine hours total, with cold wind blasting the whole time—it really was too hard for her.
His expression softened. Gently, he said: “Then make a list of what you want. I’ll buy it for you.”
Zhao Zhi opened her mouth to refuse, but in the end nodded and said softly: “Mm. Thank you.”
She really did need some things.
That night, in the dorm, they talked again about going to the commune the next day.
Liu Lina asked Zhao Zhi: “Zhao Zhi, tomorrow are you going with us to the commune, or with Comrade Gu?”
“My body isn’t well. I won’t go,” Zhao Zhi said quietly. After speaking, she took out a piece of floral Dacron fabric and gave it to Jiang Shanshan: “Shanshan, since I won’t go to the commune tomorrow, I can’t join you for the meal. Please accept this floral cloth as my engagement gift. I hope you won’t mind.”
Jiang Shanshan blushed and refused: “It’s just a meal, not an engagement. You don’t need to give a gift.”
But Zhao Zhi insisted. Finally Jiang Shanshan said: “Then wait until we’re married, and give it to me then.”
Only then did Zhao Zhi relent.
Liu Lina assumed Zhao Zhi wasn’t going to the commune because her period had come. The next morning, before leaving, she even scooped a spoonful of brown sugar from her drawer for Zhao Zhi, telling her to rest well—then left.
Zhao Zhi lay on the kang. After her roommates had all left, she slowly got up and drank the cup of brown sugar water. When she heard silence outside for a long while, she rose again and packed a bag with dried noodles and a jar of pickled vegetables—the pickles brought from home, the noodles bought from the brigade canteen the night before. She carried the things to the kitchen to make breakfast.
Han Dongyuan’s dorm was the easternmost one, right next to the kitchen.
As she passed each dorm, she glanced inside. The doors and windows were all tightly shut, nothing visible—but she guessed that apart from Han Dongyuan, the others had already gone out.
She stood in the kitchen for quite a while.
At home, she used a coal briquette stove. Looking at the big clay hearth here, she felt a little helpless.
Just as she was worrying, the door of the neighboring dorm opened. She turned and saw Han Dongyuan coming out. Her heart leapt with joy. She quickly said: “Comrade Han, I want to cook breakfast, but I don’t know how to light the fire in this stove. Could you help me start it?”
“Cannot.” Han Dongyuan replied bluntly. Then he turned back into his dorm and slammed the door shut with a “bang.”