Tomorrow?
Xiangzhi had not expected such good news.
She was so excited she wanted to shake her leaves, but from outside it just looked like she gave a small shiver.
Qin Zhixin smiled and said: “Do not be afraid, although he is cold with female comrades, you saved me, and he offered to come thank you himself, so he will surely be courteous.”
Not courteous at all.
As Xiangzhi left Qin Zhixin’s ancestral home walking toward Yanxia Village, she recalled the various things they had experienced in dreams—where did it look like Gu Wenshan was cold?
Gu Wenshan.
No wonder she had picked such a fine prey, his name sounded wonderful.
You Xiu walked beside her, noticing her small expressions changing constantly. She pondered in her heart that “Cao Xiangqin” kept her eyes high and never asked about male comrades. Today she was acting strangely.
Recalling that “Cao Xiangqin” had been looking for a four-pocketed military officer, You Xiu had a sudden flash of insight—she understood! So “Cao Xiangqin” had long since set her heart, and had taken a liking to Regiment Commander Gu!
“Will you go with me to buy sesame oil?” Xiangzhi, unaware of You Xiu’s thoughts, linked her arm through hers and said: “I have three dollars, how much sesame oil can I buy?”
“Why the rush to buy sesame oil?” You Xiu patted her bulging belly and said: “Unless there is meat to eat?”
Xiangzhi licked her lips and smiled brightly, under You Xiu’s relentless questioning, she half-truthfully said: “I just want to save up, you said sesame oil is scarce, so I am being prepared for emergencies.”
“A literate person acting like a literate person would never say that!” You Xiu was very clear about “Cao Xiangqin” after their time together—just a pretty shell, a complete illiterate.
“Of course I would,” said Xiangzhi, who often chatted with Yeshanyinying and understood quite a bit.
“Last month sesame oil was four jiao a catty,” said You Xiu, counting on her fingers: “Meat with bones is six jiao a catty, a big rooster cigarette only one jiao two fen. With year’s end coming, probably five or six jiao a catty. If you don’t have an oil ration ticket, buying from someone else costs two and a half jiao extra. These are still good prices, sesame oil is precious—the supply and marketing cooperative usually does not even have it, and we can only hope we get lucky.”
Xiangzhi made up her mind to eat Gu Wenshan dipped in sesame oil and dragged You Xiu to the supply store to spend money.
The shopkeeper’s older sister told them: “It sold out long ago, every time new stock arrives everyone rushes to buy it. Next time it comes will be before year-end. I am sorry, but if you do not have a ration ticket, I cannot sell to you.”
Xiangzhi went in full of enthusiasm and came out with drooping shoulders.
They returned to the dormitory and sat on the communal barracks while other female sent-down youth talked around them.
You Xiu finished tidying up and came over with a porcelain basin, whispering to Xiangzhi: “Aunt Li asked if you want to buy sesame oil, she has a little left, about two ounces, and will sell it for two jiao.”
Xiangzhi sat up with a whoosh, her hair tousled, slipped on her shoes barefoot and said: “Buy it, I will pay two dollars even.”
Gu Wenshan was coming tomorrow, having something was better than nothing.
You Xiu brought her a small measure of sesame oil, out of embarrassment at having gossiped about Xiangzhi before, Aunt Li specially gave her the empty clay pot, one that could hold three catties.
Xiangzhi held the pot that could hold three catties of sesame oil, looking through the small opening at the bottom of the pot, it was barely covered with a thin layer.
She felt like she had been swindled.
That night, she treasured holding the pot as she fell asleep, anticipating tomorrow’s meat feast!
You Xiu, seeing her asleep, sneakily reached under her pillow. By moonlight she saw a photo of a man in military uniform, she quickly stuffed the photo back.
My goodness, when did she steal that photo?
The next day, just past noon.
Qin Zhixin and the brigade secretary Zou Ao came to find Xiangzhi.
Xiangzhi was half-done with labor and could rest at the field ridge. She fanned the fine sweat from her cheeks and greeted them warmly. At her feet were soda pop sent by male sent-down youth and sweet potato cakes from Aunt Li.
Zou Ao, seeing such a striking female sent-down youth so familiar with Qin Zhixin, turned her gaze.
She nodded casually to Xiangzhi and said to Qin Zhixin: “Comrade Professor, I heard Regiment Commander Gu earned another citation, when will you show us the medal so everyone can admire it?”
Qin Zhixin found this routine: “A second-class merit from the organization, he has received many such citations. No need to bring them out every time, people might think he likes to show off.”
“Speaking of young men in the region, your son is definitely first-rate. After all, raised in Beijing, he has the bearing of his grandfather and Commander Gu. If I remember correctly, he is turning twenty-seven after year-end, yes?”
“Yes, a true headache,” Qin Zhixin laughed and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Xiangzhi’s brow, then gave her the handkerchief.
Xiangzhi sniffed the soap scent on the handkerchief, she quite liked it and casually tucked it into her pocket to save.
Zou Ao watched and said: “Someone like him suits finding a female soldier—together they form a dual military family, mutually understanding, advancing hand in hand. Replace him with a delicate girl, she would not do housework, expecting others to spoil her, when trouble comes, crying and carrying on, that would not only delay work but ruin morale.”
Xiangzhi felt nothing, her attention drawn to a shadow at the foot of the mountain. She had felt watched these past days, and if she was not mistaken, it should be that person.
But just because she felt nothing did not mean You Xiu felt nothing. Especially since You Xiu believed “Cao Xiangqin” had a secret crush on Regiment Commander Gu, still unspoken, and now some outsider was trying to discourage her?
She tossed her sickle on the ground, nearly hitting Zou Ao’s foot.
Zou Ao, after all, was a small local official, she let out an “ouch,” her back hit the camphor tree, and she almost fell.
You Xiu slowly said: “Oops, Comrade Secretary Zou, sorry about that, we have been working in the fields so long we are rough—did not know you scared of sickles.”
The meaning was clear: as peasants, even a sickle scares you.
You are the delicate one.
Xiangzhi picked up the sickle and swung it at the tree trunk, the sickle stuck, and she said proudly: “This way is better, will not hurt anyone.”
Qin Zhixin, having raised Gu Wenshan—clever as a monkey—naturally understood Zou Ao’s meaning.
She was kind to Xiangzhi because Xiangzhi had saved her, the girl had no such thoughts, so Zou Ao was overstepping.
“It should be arriving soon,” Qin Zhixin, not minding Zou Ao’s expression, said to Xiangzhi: “Child, go wash your hands, he came by car to pick us up and take us to the city for a meal.”
Xiangzhi first looked back toward the mountain, then carried the clay pot toward the well.
You Xiu followed her curious gaze and saw nothing unusual.
On the mountainside, Liu Sai holding binoculars watching had just made eye contact with Xiangzhi when cold sweat broke out.
How could she possibly see him?
Impossible…
***
At Zhuyuan Mountain, adjacent to South Mountain, the mountainside could overlook all of Yanxia Village.
Gu Wenshan, realizing yesterday that Lu Jianping was not being honest, arranged for soldiers to search both mountains overnight, but unfortunately found nothing.
He had planned to go to Yanxia Village today, he drove along the winding national highway from South Mountain to Zhuyuan Mountain.
Stone Zhibing in the passenger seat was still teasing him: “Your mother did not switch tactics to arrange another meeting with the girl, did she?”
Gu Wenshan said: “My mother would not lie to me about this.”
Stone Zhibing shook his head: “My mother fainted seven times in one month to get me to go on dates.”
Gu Wenshan could not help but laugh. At that moment, his peripheral vision caught an unusual shadow moving. He suddenly suppressed his smile and jerked the steering wheel toward the cliff!
Stone Zhibing quickly said: “Careful careful! When facing matchmaking pressure, stay rational!”
Long brake marks were left on the cement ground, Gu Wenshan, nimble as a black panther, leaped out the window and quickly disappeared down the mountainside.
Stone Zhibing, though quick to react, fell behind about ten meters.
He saw Gu Wenshan and a man in disguised clothing struggling, within seconds, the man lost the ability to resist, pinned against the mountainside by Gu Wenshan.
“Who are you?! Let me go!”
“Why should I let go when I caught you fairly?” Stone Zhibing walked over, saw a backpack at his feet, opened it and found a telescope, dagger, gun, and rope inside.
“Good heavens—what are these for? Who were you planning to kidnap?!”
Stone Zhibing tied up the man and examined his face carefully.
Gu Wenshan did not need to look, he said directly: “Fuzhou accent. I remember there was a Fuzhou man named Liu Sai on last year’s cross-province arrest list, with a fake ear on the left.”
“That’s it—a fake ear, that’s definitely him,” said Stone Zhibing, giving a thumbs up: “Old Gu is impressive.”
Gu Wenshan asked quietly: “You came all this way for what? Tell me—who are your accomplices?”
Liu Sai refused to speak.
Lu Jianping had promised him that if the girl did not leave tomorrow, they would bind her and take her. After success, Lu would give him a new identity! Besides, Lu Jianping was his distant relative, he would never betray him.
Seeing he would not talk, Gu Wenshan expressionlessly picked up the binoculars and looked into the distance.
In the telescope’s view, there was a slender female figure. The person seemed unaware of the surveillance and was talking with a woman beside her…
Why was Mother here again?
Gu Wenshan reconsidered—his mother had asked him to thank the female comrade “Cao Xiangqin.” Why would she be under surveillance?
He could not see the woman’s face from behind, but a familiar feeling made him narrow his eyes.
“Old Gu, what do we do with this guy?” Stone Zhibing called from the car: “Should I take him to the municipal bureau?”
“I will,” said Gu Wenshan. He was cooperating with local military-police joint operations, he could use this chance to brief the municipal bureau and have them pay special attention to Yanxia Village.
The bones of a female victim had been dug up half a month ago, today he had caught a drifting criminal surveillance. The municipal bureau had to focus on that area.
After getting in the car, he could not help but regret not seeing “Cao Xiangqin’s” face. Based on the silhouette, he was sixty or seventy percent sure she looked like the woman in his dreams.
Only the dream woman was more innocent and strange than the real “Cao Xiangqin”…and wore much less, with a certain unnamed seductiveness.
He had to call Qin Zhixin to explain his absence, lest she lose face before the girl.
But…it was better to not let “Cao Xiangqin” know, what if the girl was scared?
Gu Wenshan drove the jeep back the way he came, Stone Zhibing sitting in the back seat staring at Liu Sai.
“Ah ah ah—there’s a ghost!” Liu Sai suddenly shouted toward the rear of the car, pointing at a towering pine tree over thirty meters high: “There’s someone at the tree top!”
Stone Zhibing leaned his head out and looked back, he saw the top of the tall tree, but no person—yet it seemed… perhaps… a white, seductive flower had bloomed there?
A flower bloomed at the top of a tree thirty meters high?
He rubbed his eyes and looked again, the seductive flower was gone.
“Stop yelling,” said Stone Zhibing, thinking he had seen wrong, and elbowed Liu Sai in the belly fiercely: “You are up to no good, wait until you get to the municipal bureau to see what happens!”
Meanwhile, in Yongsh County.
At Cao Xiangqin’s house.
Lu Jianping, as Cao Xiangqin’s betrothed from childhood marriage arrangement, had only frequented here as a child with his parents, but now that he had made something of himself, this was his first time coming with gifts.
He was no longer his former self, silver-rimmed glasses, cadre uniform, black leather shoes and a genuine leather briefcase—politely carrying two bottles of Baiyun Mountain liquor and two packs of Yunyan cigarettes forward to Cao Xiangqin’s father.
“I will not hold against you her elopement with another man.”
Lu Jianping crossed his legs and said: “But there is something I need you to help me with, and there will be no shortage of benefits for you.”…
***
Around noon, the sun shone warmly on people.
In the sent-down youth canteen at Yanxia Village, small groups of sent-down youth who had finished lunch were either reading, resting, or—
Xiangzhi, disappointed at missing the meal, was not angry but instead excited, hugging her sesame oil jar as she picked at the corn porridge.
Seeing him alive!
It really was him!
You Xiu watched her silly smile, still harboring resentment at Zou Ao’s expression. Learning that Gu Wenshan could not eat with “Cao Xiangqin,” Zou Ao acted like a wicked stepmother, barely holding back from applauding.
What for? Really, could she not stand seeing a pretty girl marry well? The future mother-in-law had said nothing, so what was she so pleased about?
You Xiu lost her appetite in anger, remembering a young man she had once liked who was also coldly mocked by outsiders.
You Xiu rarely had no appetite, she was so angry she could not eat.
Xiangzhi noticed and slyly pulled out Gu Wenshan’s photo, placing it before her rice bowl: “Want to look at it while eating?”
You Xiu stopped her chopsticks and said wordlessly: “No thanks.”
Xiangzhi unconsciously said: “Does he not smell fragrant?”
You Xiu closed her eyes:…
This damned thing made it even harder for her to eat.