You Xiu was startled by her words and linked her arm through Xiangzhi’s, sitting at the edge of the bed: “You cannot speak such words carelessly.”
Having been in the village for two days and seen the circumstances of the peasant women, Xiangzhi said with feeling: “Yanxia Village is indeed beautiful, they say rhododendrons will bloom covering the mountains. I thought only flowers needed nourishment, but I never expected that the soil here also devours the blood and bones of women to bloom flowers.”
You Xiu hastily covered Xiangzhi’s mouth and glanced toward the door, fortunately, no one was there.
You Xiu swallowed and said: “Do you know some inside information?”
Xiangzhi smiled: “You will know when the time comes, in the meantime, do me a favor.”
The little spirit had no other faults, only that she was uneducated. Otherwise, she would have handled the matter herself without anyone knowing.
“‘Under the pine tree at the north corner of South Mountain?'” You Xiu wrote these characters in Xiangzhi’s palm, puzzled: “What does it mean?”
Xiangzhi memorized the strokes carefully, like a child ready to cause mischief: “You will find out later.”
If someone was going to bully her, she was not easy to provoke. Hm… except for that man with the heavy blood scent.
Having learned these characters, Xiangzhi began to make the bed. She did not have to go to class that night, Squad Leader Wu had given her leave.
You Xiu, seeing her preparing to rest, trod lightly and went out, telling the aunt who cooked the communal meal to save Xiangzhi a bowl of mixed-grain rice. The mixed-grain rice was simply millet and brown rice.
By midnight, the Milky Way spilled forth, and the mountains and fields slept.
The weather grew cool, and after the peeping incident, the female sent-down youth locked their doors and windows tight.
Xiangzhi waited until everyone was asleep, then crept outside. Passing the cow shed, Squad Leader Wu’s snoring shook the heavens.
She went to South Mountain and dug up something to bring back, then took advantage of the moonlight to come to the brigade office. Here, in preparation for welcoming inspection by the municipal sent-down youth bureau leaders, everything had been whitewashed three days prior.
Xu Guozheng in particular had been earnest in his instructions to the sent-down youth below, seeming very nervous about the municipal bureau people coming, it was said that there was a young cadre among them who was not easy to deal with.
Xiangzhi walked around the brigade office, washed her hands clean, and returned to the sent-down youth dormitory to continue sleeping.
In the morning, according to plan, there would be leaders from the municipal sent-down youth bureau coming to console them, but by noon the leaders and cadres still had not arrived.
Squad Leader Wu had someone pass word for them to go cut pig grass, Xiangzhi, You Xiu, and others went slowly toward the foot of the mountain.
“Still no sign, could they have closed the door and baked sesame cakes?” You Xiu muttered.
Except for You Xiu, the more sensitive sent-down youth could feel the unusual atmosphere in the village, on the way to do work, many villagers gathered together discussing. Nervousness tinged with a hint of panic.
“Murder…” “Time to dig up corpses…” “A Liberation carry-bag with account books hung on the brigade office flagpole”…
At the same time, the brigade office, including Xu Guozheng, along with several sent-down youth squad leaders, were carrying hoes and shovels heading toward South Mountain.
“Hey, did you hear? The brigade office is haunted.”
A familiar male sent-down youth had gotten the details from villagers and bounced over to tell Xiangzhi and the others: “Someone scratched ‘Under the pine tree at the north corner of South Mountain’ on the brigade office wall. At first, no one knew what it meant, until someone discovered the liberation carry-bag on the flagpole. When Squad Leader Wu and the others opened it, it was the account books from over a decade ago!”
“The accountant managing the accounts was Xu Guozheng’s wife, it was long said she had run off with another man. But her things suddenly appeared, with quite the sense that a great injustice needed to be righted. Xu Guozheng’s legs gave out on the spot and he knelt before the liberation carry-bag! Something is fishy, absolutely fishy!”
You Xiu listened from beginning to end clearly, she gripped Xiangzhi’s hand hard, felt Xiangzhi pat the back of her hand, and she was nearly scared to tears: “You did this?”
Xiangzhi said in a soft voice: “How could that be? Was I not sleeping the whole time?”
You Xiu knew Xiangzhi would not admit it, she looked nervously at the team heading up the mountain to search, both anticipating and afraid.
By noon, they had finished cutting pig grass and were heading back, when they saw police had arrived. They were putting handcuffs on Xu Guozheng and shoving him into a vehicle.
“Good grief, everyone had said his wife stole collective money and ran off over a decade ago, everyone cursed his wife, but who knew it was he who killed her!”
“The skull they dug up even had half his pinky in its mouth. Besides him, who else in the village is missing half a pinky?”
“They also found the money, he had not spent a single fen, just had it under the kang mat, saying he was saving it for his son’s wedding. Five hundred yuan exactly!”
…
Also getting in the car with him were Jiang Lei and Song Daqing, they were arrested by the police on charges of lascivious conduct. The leaders of the municipal sent-down youth bureau had revoked their sent-down youth status, and they hoped the police would apply maximum penalties during this crackdown period.
There were also quite a few villagers lining up behind to lodge complaints with the police. Xu Guozheng had plagued the village for years, they had finally waited for someone to deal with him.
You Xiu came to find Xiangzhi to attend a meeting, unable to help saying: “He even sold two female sent-down youth! If he had not sought leniency, which the police extracted through deception, those two female sent-down youth’s affairs would never be known.”
Xiangzhi of course knew of this, his wife had been arguing with him on the mountain about finding the trafficked female sent-down youth, and therefore had been silenced.
This matter shocked the village, bad news travels a thousand li, and Yanxia Village suddenly gained a bad reputation.
Having dealt with Xu Guozheng, who had wanted to abduct her, and with Jiang Lei and Song Daqing, who had committed lascivious acts, now arrested, Xiangzhi these past two days at the sent-down youth station still felt something was amiss.
Always as if there was a gaze fixed on her, making everything she did feel uncomfortable.
Today the leaders from the municipal sent-down youth bureau came down once more to console them, to make up for the impact of the previous days’ events, they brought a piece of cured meat and ten eggs for the sent-down youth to have some meat. Additionally, knowing that Xu Guozheng had intended to make a move on one of the female sent-down youth, they had come specifically to visit and console Comrade “Cao Xiangqin.” Seeing she was safe and sound, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiangzhi sat in the classroom, gazing blankly at Cadre Lu, a fine figure of a man, standing on the platform. His remarks were brilliant, he spoke fluently on stage, drawing countless rounds of applause.
Xiangzhi nearly dozed off, transforming into human form must have given her the physical needs of a human, and she had not slept well last night, forcing her eyes open to stare at Cadre Lu. Before long, her eyes were reddened and she could not hold on.
Fortunately, Cadre Lu finished his remarks quickly, and his eyes swept across “Cao Xiangqin’s” side, revealing at a glance her girlish posture, beautiful enough to shock the heart.
Cadre Lu inconspicuously left the stage and sat down to the right of “Cao Xiangqin,” close to the aisle. He had the sent-down youth materials he had brought from the city folded back, on which was a photograph of “Cao Xiangqin” herself.
Interesting.
He had originally intended to catch someone secretly cavorting with the enemy, but unexpectedly gained a delightful surprise.
Several days ago, the people helping him catch others said Cao Xiangqin had changed, so he had had them follow more closely. If not for the Xu Guozheng matter, he would not have run into this delightful creature.
Cao Xiangqin and Lu’s parents knew each other, their families had arranged a marriage when they were children. Lu Jianping had little feeling for Cao Xiangqin, she was plain-looking, and being together with her was numb and taciturn, he imagined married life would be tediously boring.
This bold female comrade who had dared to take someone else’s place—naturally the matter of fulfilling the marriage contract fell to her, good things could not be had by her alone. Her skin was delicate as fine jade, her neck curved beautifully with a lustrous glow… far more flavorful than Cao Xiangqin herself.
Mountain people could not recognize quality, Xu Guozheng even wanted to sell her and make money. Heh, rare treasures placed before him should naturally be slowly savored and enjoyed.
Lu Jianping on the surface remained neutral, but in his mind constantly calculated how to obtain “Cao Xiangqin.” First, he had to go back and replace Cao Xiangqin’s photograph, lest outsiders discover it.
“Comrade Lu, pardon the interruption.”
A female sent-down youth, holding a shiny new notebook, said shyly: “Could you sign this passage in my notebook: ‘Sent-down youth life too can radiate heroic fire, walking with firm steps into magnificent and glorious dedication.’ I want to use it to remember your encouragement and shine brightly in my years down in the countryside…”
“Of course,” said Lu Jianping, interrupted from his thoughts, facing the female sent-down youth’s approach, he did not show his inner annoyance.
He picked up his pen and wrote, his brushstrokes full of flair, making people like him even more.
“I also want that line about ‘May you continue learning in sent-down youth life, so that you may better dedicate your youth to the great and magnificent communist cause.'”
“I want that line too, sorry to trouble you, Comrade Lu.”
Lu Jianping smiled gently and said: “No problem, one by one.”
He was young and accomplished, wore his glasses in a cultured manner, and was a man of culture. Rising from a small place all the way to the municipal bureau was a much-spoken-of tale among young people.
Xiangzhi propped up her chin with her palm covering her nose, showed no interest in the man writing beside her, and instead became interested in the cured meat.
The collective canteen had cut the cured meat finely, when eating, Xiangzhi discovered this Cadre Lu Jianping was sitting across from her.
He held a small pot of rice specially for leaders and cadres—cured meat and vegetable heart fried with white rice, making many people salivate.
Xiangzhi’s bowl held millet porridge, and on the table was purslane fried with cured meat dices. The aunt’s knife work was good, cutting the cured meat pieces smaller than little mung beans, she had just learned to use chopsticks and had not the skill to grab the cured meat pieces.
You Xiu helped Xiangzhi grab a piece of cured meat and toss it in her bowl, saying quietly: “Cadre Lu is peeking at you.”
Pretty flowers were meant to be admired, Xiangzhi did not think much of it, her problem being how to swallow down the millet porridge. She did not know why humans liked eating such tasteless things.
After eating, the afternoon arranged two hours of labor, followed by ideological study.
Lu Jianping appeared near Xiangzhi, neither close nor far, observing her carefully.
Not very skilled at labor, speaking in a delicate tone unlike locals. There was a hint of childishness in her expression, sexy yet unaware. If trained properly, she would certainly be a femme fatale to bewilder all.
He went around a few circles, from the side confirming Xiangzhi was much like Cao Xiangqin, likely a runaway from home. She must have been deceived by Cao Xiangqin and taken over her identity.
Lu Jianping gazed at “Cao Xiangqin” studying, his eyes full of covetous desire for “Comrade Cao Xiangqin.”
Lu Jianping turned and nearly collided with a male sent-down youth beside him—the one who had reported Jiang Lei’s lascivious conduct to the police.
Chen Jinbin had planned to bring “Cao Xiangqin” some soda, but suddenly saw the ravenous look in Cadre Lu’s eyes, wanting to dismember her piece by piece and devour her flesh, scaring him to a halt, not daring to make a sound.
Chen Jinbin was also a local, last year he had led a red armband squad to confront the sent-down youth bureau and been severely beaten by Lu Jianping. He dared confront Jiang Lei, but absolutely did not dare confront Lu Jianping. Especially with that look just now—he could eat people.
“Are you worthy?” Lu Jianping said flatly: “She is not your woman, stop having designs on her.”
“Y-yes, I understand,” said Chen Jinbin, head lowered.
Lu Jianping, having said his piece, was confident in obtaining “Cao Xiangqin,” already treating her as his woman in his tone.
People after all need power. Lu Jianping felt he was born for power.
He strode off toward the basketball court, where there were female sent-down youth wanting to say goodbye to him, he smiled at them in a cultured and courteous manner.
“Scoundrel, absolutely a scoundrel,” muttered Chen Jinbin in his heart.
***
Xiangzhi finally made it through today’s ideological report.
Leaving the classroom, she heard the sound of suona horns, apparently they were holding a funeral for Xu Guozheng’s wife.
Knowing the evidence was solid, Xu Guozheng confessed the murder of his wife clearly and completely once he reached the police station.
Fifteen years it had been, she finally had her great injustice redressed.
The female’s family, who had never been able to hold their heads up, wept loudly. There were also many old friends who had come specially, all shedding tears for her.
Heaven has eyes.
Xiangzhi, You Xiu, and the others were assigned to help after class, at a funeral, Xiangzhi could not do much, just walking guests in and out of rooms and completing the task.
You Xiu gave Xiangzhi sunflower seeds from the family, Xiangzhi did not want to eat them. To her, human food was not tasty.
Once enough guests had arrived, Xiangzhi could leave first, You Xiu still had to help pass plates.
So Xiangzhi walked back to the sent-down youth station by herself, and halfway there, saw a middle-aged woman whose shoulders grew more hunched with each step, and when she got close to Xiangzhi, the woman suddenly toppled over on the field ridge.
Xiangzhi rushed over and pinched her philtrum, seeing the white armband on the other’s sleeve, she should have come to the funeral.
This middle-aged woman looked like she had lived a pampered life, wearing a complete set of cadre clothes, precious black leather shoes on her feet. And there was a familiar scent—oddly similar to that man in green clothes. The only difference… Xiangzhi swallowed, the meat quality seemed a bit tough.
Xiangzhi originally did not want to get involved, but the middle-aged woman was radiating an aura of virtue, she must have done many good deeds in her life and received blessings from heaven. Yet her pulse was weak, and her heart seemed to have a stone pressing on it, unable to move.
Xiangzhi murmured the saying that saving one life surpasses building seven pagodas [1]saving one life surpasses building seven pagodas (jiu ren yi ming, sheng zao qi ji futu, 救人一命勝造七級浮屠) Idiom, Buddhist-derived saying that saving a life earns more merit than any … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3398834_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3398834_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, perhaps through her she could find that man.
Xiangzhi fed the little bit of flower dew she had condensed these past days to the middle-aged woman’s mouth, then helped her to the sent-down youth dormitory to rest.
About forty-some minutes later, as Xiangzhi lowered her head playing with her fingers, she heard someone speaking beside her.
“Young lady… did I, did I faint?”
Qin Zhixin felt as if a stone was pressing on her, unable to breathe, unable to call for help.
Before losing consciousness, she saw a beam of light before her eyes, then sweet spring water welled up in her mouth, shocking her soul. Her four limbs and body felt as if the governing and conception vessels had been opened [2]as if the governing and conception vessels had been opened (da tong ren du er mai, 打通任督二脈) Metaphor, wuxia/cultivation term for having one’s blocked energy channels cleared, leaving … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3398834_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3398834_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, her whole body refreshed and comfortable.
Qin Zhixin saw Xiangzhi bring over a cup of water, thinking it was the water in the cup that gave her such a miraculous sensation in her despair, and said gratefully: “Thank you for helping Auntie, if you had not rescued me in time, Auntie would surely not have made it.”
Xiangzhi gently chided her: “Do not talk nonsense, your fortune lies ahead.”
Qin Zhixin had virtue in her aura, so even if Xiangzhi had not rescued her, she would have turned danger to safety.
Seeing this young lady not taking credit, Qin Zhixin liked her even more. Moreover, looking carefully at the young lady, she should be a newly arrived sent-down youth, and her appearance was even more beautiful and refined than the girls in the military’s propaganda team back in Beijing.
She had heard that the bones of her old friend of many years had been found and had come specially to the funeral. She had not brought gifts in hand, only drew from her bag a package of shrimp crackers to give to Xiangzhi, saying: “Auntie will thank you properly next time, keep this package of candy to eat slowly.”
Xiangzhi thought to herself: I absorb the essence of heaven and earth, what is there about human food to enjoy?
She opened a shrimp cracker in front of Qin Zhixin, placed it in her mouth, and gently bit down, the silver shell shattered into countless crispy granules bursting in her mouth, then the filling inside was soft and sweet, carrying a peanut aftertaste, biting down leaving the whole mouth fragrant, sweet without being cloying.
… Really, really, damn good.
Xiangzhi chewed hastily, finally since transforming into human form, she had found something tasty. She excitedly gripped Qin Zhixin’s hand and said: “I did not take on human form for nothing.”
Alas, what a life this girl had been living.
“Eat slowly,” said Qin Zhixin, her heart wrenching, patting the little girl’s hand and saying: “Good child, Auntie will bring you delicious things again next week.”
Xiangzhi chewed and asked: “Auntie, where did you buy this?”
Qin Zhixin smiled and said: “It is hard to buy here, my son’s military unit can buy it, if you like, next time I will have him bring you several more packages.”
“The military? Does your son wear green clothes?” Xiangzhi’s eyes suddenly brightened. No wonder there was a familiar scent, it turns out they are from the same nest.
“That’s right,” said Qin Zhixin, unaware the little spirit wanted to eat her son, and said with a beaming smile: “Auntie will make sure you have plenty!”
Plenty to eat—how could she be so embarrassed?
Hehe.
Xiangzhi said with delight: “Thank you so much, Auntie!”
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