The original Jiang Nan was born in a small mountain village under Jiaoyuan Commune. Her name “Jiang Nan” was not chosen for the misty beauty of the southern water towns, but because the Jiang family hoped for a son—“Jiang Nan” was meant to be “Jiang Man.”
Unfortunately, she was a girl. The entire Jiang family was bitterly disappointed. In the following years, no matter how hard her parents tried, they never had another child. The original Jiangnan grew up like a weed in the Jiang household until the age of seven.
In the village, some children went to school, but most did not or could not. The original Jiang Nan had no desire to study—until one day, when she brought dried dandelions and a medicinal herb to the medicine seller’s house to exchange for candy, she saw him scolding two children who had skipped school.
A stick as thick as a thumb struck their buttocks again and again. “If you don’t go to school, do you want to stay in this mountain hollow for the rest of your lives?!”
The original Jiang Nan didn’t know what the world outside the mountains was like, nor did she understand the meaning of schooling. But she knew one thing clearly: the medicine seller was the smartest, most accomplished person in the village. He couldn’t be wrong!
So, for the first time, she had the thought of going to school. She asked the village children who attended school how she could enroll. When she learned that tuition cost two yuan a year—not including books—she didn’t flinch. She knew her family would never pay for her, so from that day on, when she dug up dandelions and herbs, she no longer traded them for candy—she wanted money.
The medicine seller collected herbs in the village under the pretense of delivering them to the purchasing station. He always dealt in cash, but since children couldn’t spend money, he had stocked candy and toys to trade with them.
The original Jiang Nan saved little by little, until at age nine she had three yuan—barely enough for one year’s tuition. She begged her parents to take her to register.
Her parents were both surprised that such a young child had managed to save so much, and at the same time tried to force her to hand over the money for household use.
This was the first time the original Jiang Nan resisted her parents. She held a knife to the tender flesh of her one-year-old brother, threatening that if they didn’t let her go to school, she would cut him. That way, he would be the same as her.
“She” didn’t go to school, only worked every day. Her parents and grandparents had to work in the fields and couldn’t watch the baby constantly. She had plenty of chances to act.
The Jiang family was terrified by her ruthlessness and agreed immediately. Later, she was beaten viciously by her parents, left bruised and swollen. But since they couldn’t find where she had hidden her savings, the original Jiang Nan finally won the chance to go to school.
Jiang Nan polished the account of the original host’s ignorant childhood, wrote it down, flexed her wrist, and continued: the original self went to school, gradually discovering the meaning and joy of learning; at the same time, she saved tuition, facing difficulties and amusing incidents, and met kind people along her path of study.
With plain yet lively language, Jiang Nan described how the original host secretly learned from the medicine seller, discovering that snake sloughs and centipedes earned more money; her nervousness the first time she caught a centipede, the sensation of being bitten, and how the kindly one-eyed old woman, pitying her, helped detoxify her and taught her how to catch centipedes and snakes, how to prepare centipede powder and snake gall; how the good-hearted Aunt Jiang took her out of the mountain village, preventing her parents—who favored sons—from using her to exchange for her brother’s bride price…
Finally, Jiang Nan omitted the original host’s marriage experience, focusing instead on how she self-studied high school knowledge, obtained a high school diploma, took the college entrance exam, and looked forward to a bright future.
The article also included small emergency tips for centipede and snake bites; the one-eyed old woman’s tales of snake spirits and ghosts; and content in line with the era’s literary trends: the tragic fate of the one-eyed old woman, known far and wide as a witch, and the medicine seller who engaged in reselling.
Altogether, Jiang Nan wrote over twenty thousand words. She spent several days revising, then carefully copied it out, planning to submit it to a magazine she favored.
Looking at the manuscript in her hands, Jiang Nan felt nervous. She wasn’t a liberal arts student; her writing ability was limited, and she didn’t know if it would be accepted. To be safe, she copied it again—if the magazine rejected it, she would send it to another newspaper.
Ready, she asked Li Xu to borrow a bicycle so she could go to the post office to mail it, and also visit Cheng Hao in the city.
But Li Xu said, “What a coincidence! Sis, pack your things and wait at the village entrance. The brigade leader and the educated youth station head are going to the city too. They’re taking the donkey cart—you can ride along, save yourself the trouble of cycling. Just give me an approximate time to pick you up when you return!”
Jiang Nan was already prepared and could leave anytime, but she didn’t understand why Li Xu seemed so excited. So she asked him.
Li Xu leaned in mysteriously and whispered, “Cen Jingqiu’s been arrested. The public security bureau called the brigade, asking the brigade leader and the educated youth office to bail her out. The brigade leader felt embarrassed, so he asked Brother Rui. But Brother Rui said they were already divorced, Cen Jingqiu wasn’t his concern, and he wouldn’t go. So the brigade leader had to go himself, dragging along the educated youth station head.”
Li Xu spoke with glee, clearly enjoying her misfortune.
Jiang Nan thought to herself how close he and Zhao Rui must be—Cen Jingqiu’s downfall made him happy for Zhao Rui. Watching dramas before, she had never noticed that the “big boss” had someone like Li Xu at his side. But musings aside, she couldn’t delay her own business.
The two hurried out. Li Xu grinned, waving goodbye to the dark-faced brigade leader, the educated youth, and the embarrassed Jiang Nan.
On the way, Jiang Nan could sense the brigade leader was on the verge of exploding, ready to blow up at the slightest spark. She kept silent the whole way, only relaxing once she boarded the bus that passed by the post office.
After mailing her manuscript at the post office, Jiang Nan bought a children’s literature magazine for Cheng Hao to read, then headed toward the agricultural machinery factory. As soon as she entered the family housing area, she was surrounded by gossiping neighbors and forced to take a bite of the latest “melon”: Cheng Yixin had also been arrested!
Apparently, once summer vacation began, Cheng Yixin brought a friend home. The two carried some fabric, saying classmates liked their clothing styles and had asked them to make clothes. But the two couldn’t finish the work alone, so they thought of bringing it back and asking the neighborhood aunties to help cut and sew—like piecing matchboxes for odd jobs—paying them a small fee.
Soon after, someone reported them, accusing them of speculation and exploitation of labor. Since neither of them belonged to the machinery factory, the security office didn’t intervene and instead handed them directly to the public security bureau.
Fortunately, the two insisted they were only making clothes for classmates and themselves, not for sale. The bureau saw the quantity was indeed small, and with Cheng Denglin running around to plead their case, they weren’t formally charged. After a stern lecture, they were released to their families.
Cheng Yixin had been brought home yesterday by Cheng Denglin.
Jiang Nan thought about the brigade leader who had gone to bail someone out earlier that day—could it really be such a coincidence?
So she asked one of the gossipers, “Which friend was with Cheng Yixin?”
Unfortunately, none of the educated youths present knew who the other person was.
After hearing enough gossip, Jiang Nan went to the Cheng family courtyard. She asked a child to fetch Cheng Hao for her, so she wouldn’t draw the family’s attention. If they vented their anger on her, it would be trouble she didn’t want.
At that moment, the Cheng household was heavy with gloom. Mother Cheng was still complaining endlessly about Cheng Yixin’s “friend”: “It’s all her fault for leading Yixin astray. Otherwise, our Yixin has status and money—how could she do such a thing! The last time she came, I already thought she looked suspicious. Turns out she’s just a drifter…”
Cheng Denglin, resting at home, listened in silence. His sister had brought a single woman home. He hadn’t asked what they were doing, not wanting to intrude. Who knew such a big mess would erupt?
And his mother—did she really not understand the nature of the matter? Before, when nothing went wrong and money was being made, she kept quiet. Now that trouble had come, she pushed all the blame onto others. Was Yixin truly innocent? If she hadn’t wanted to do it, could anyone have forced her to spend money and effort?
Under her brother’s cold, reproachful gaze, Cheng Yixin couldn’t stop crying. For the umpteenth time she explained, “Brother, I really wasn’t the one leading this. It was Cen Jingqiu who came to me. She said my clothes looked nice, asked how I made them, wanted to buy my patterns, and then asked if I’d join her in making clothes. That’s why I did it…”
At first, they only made one outfit for Cheng Yixin to wear around campus, to attract attention from female classmates, then helped those interested make clothes, earning a bit of money for the labor.
But that was too tiring. Knock-offs appeared quickly and were cheaper. So Cen Jingqiu suggested they take advantage of the summer break to make a big batch of new styles, earn a lump sum at once. Even if others copied later, they would already have pocketed their profits.
Because making clothes required extra hands, Cheng Yixin thought of the many aunties in the family housing area who could sew, and brought them in to help. Who could have guessed someone would report her!
Cheng Denglin didn’t comment, only said: “The matter is settled now, so there’s no need to dwell on it. Don’t contact that female educated youth again. Also, one of Lu Lin’s comrades helped out—make sure you find time to thank him.”
Cheng Yixin nodded through her tears.
The child Jiang Nan had sent to call Cheng Hao waited until all this talk was over, then knocked on the Cheng family’s door: “Cheng Hao, your mom’s here!”
Inside, Cheng Hao was playing with toys. Hearing the voice, he completely ignored the sadness and gloom in the house, and dashed out happily without looking back.
Lu Xiaoxiao and Lu Mingsheng also came out of their room, watching his back with envy. They carefully asked Cheng Yixin, “Mom, can we go out and play too?”
Like Cheng Hao—go to the movies, see the tigers, go boating…
When Cheng Hao bragged about these outings, they pretended to be indifferent, but inside they were jealous, always thinking that once their mother returned from school, she would take them too.
Cheng Yixin wiped her tears and hugged the two children. She didn’t want to go out at all, but she soothed them: “In a few days, in a few days we’ll go.”
Looking up, she saw her brother gazing longingly toward the door, though he didn’t move. Cheng Yixin lowered her eyes, hiding the resentment burning within. When had her life started going wrong? It was Jiang Nan!
From the day she stepped into Jiang Nan’s room, the image she had worked so hard to maintain, the secrets she had tried to hide, began to collapse and be exposed. Her harmonious family relationships were torn apart by this divorced sister-in-law, and her life had gone downhill ever since.
Cheng Yixin’s heart was full of hatred and unwillingness. She couldn’t just let it go—she would find a chance to take revenge!
Meanwhile, Jiang Nan was taking Cheng Hao to a bookstore. Cheng Hao was only interested in comic books, unable to move once he picked one up, wasting her effort to cultivate his literary taste.
So Jiang Nan simply bought him a few volumes of *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, telling him to read them at home—at least he’d learn some historical figures.
Thus the day ended quickly. Jiang Nan dropped him off with his books and magazines, then took the bus home herself. When she arrived back at Hongshan commune, it was still early. She didn’t wait for Li Xu to pick her up, but walked home slowly. Entering the village, she found it bustling—everyone was talking about Cen Jingqiu. So it was true: she was Cheng Yixin’s “friend.”
Jiang Nan listened from outside all the way, hearing about the brigade leader’s miserable situation.
Cen Jingqiu was a village educated youth, but she had long been absent, drifting into the city to engage in speculative trading. The brigade leader had neither managed nor known about it, and at the public security bureau he was severely reprimanded.
This wasn’t the end of it. Because of this incident, their brigade became infamous in the commune, and the brigade leader was required to attend regular study sessions and receive criticism.
The brigade leader felt wronged. After all, Cen Jingqiu had once married Zhao Rui, which meant she was rooted in the countryside and counted as a local. Naturally, he had been lenient.
Cen Jingqiu came and went without asking the brigade for an introduction letter or informing anyone. He assumed Zhao Rui had handled it, so he didn’t bother. Who knew she wouldn’t even return to her hometown, instead drifting around the city, nearly being branded a speculator. If not for the other girl’s family connections, both of them would have been sent to labor reform!
Cen Jingqiu, thick-skinned, returned to the village and holed up in the educated youth dormitory, ignoring everything and leaving the brigade leader to clean up the mess. He was furious!
Cen Jingqiu herself hadn’t expected this. She only wanted to grab the first bite of the cake, but how had it turned into such a disaster?
Now, back in disgrace, the brigade leader looked at her as if she were a criminal. Her “career” had come to an abrupt end. She took out her passbook and checked—she had still earned some money over the past few months. Compared to working in the fields, this was much easier. Cen Jingqiu smiled with satisfaction.
When Jiang Nan reached Aunt Jiang’s house, she saw Mother Zhao holding back Zhao Chuanze, who was running outside, persuading him: “We’re about to eat. Wait until tomorrow to go!”
Clearly, the little boy wanted to find his mother.
Seeing Jiang Nan return, Mother Zhao greeted her with a smile: “Xiao Nan, you’re back.”
Jiang Nan smiled and replied, “Yes.”
Then Zhao Chuanze threw something at her, glaring angrily: “Bad woman! My mom’s back—you can’t be my stepmother anymore!”