Once Xiangzhi confirmed Gu Wenshan was that man, the whole flower felt lighter.
These past two days the autumn air was crisp and clear, and the sent-down youth had little work, every day in their spare time they played basketball, studied, and improved their ideological understanding.
Xiangzhi even studied characters in secret with You Xiu in an empty classroom, her empty head making You Xiu sigh—many times she suspected there was no brain inside at all.
And Xiangzhi, working hard to progress from illiterate to semi-literate, actively participated in the work the brigade assigned, transforming into a steadfast materialist fighter, helping villagers eliminate feudal superstition and strike down demons and ghosts with great effort.
The reason was simple: by month’s end, they would select activists. Good performance earned an extra dollar bonus, with the money, she happily exchanged it for two and a half more ounces of sesame oil.
Qin Zhixin came twice, bringing shrimp crackers for her to eat, and gave her winter cotton clothes.
Today she was on the basketball court with other sent-down youth, passing cabbage down to the cellar, when Zou Ao shouted through the loudspeaker: “Cao Xiangqin, Cao Xiangqin, please come to the brigade office immediately, your family is here waiting for you.”
You Xiu let out a “wow,” genuinely happy for Xiangzhi: “As year-end approaches, your parents must miss you and came to see you specially! You are so lucky.”
Not only her, but the other sent-down youth also looked over with envy.
This era required an introduction letter for traveling, without proper reason, work units or the street office would not give one. Like the sent-down youth, three to five years between family visits back home was normal, it was rare for parents to come see you so soon after arrival. That showed how much they treasured the child.
But Xiangzhi understood she was using someone else’s identity, seeing the real parents would expose everything! Her sesame oil was still barely accumulated!
Besides, Xiangzhi did not know Cao Xiangqin’s family situation, she could not tell who was father and who was mother.
Lucky she had been striking demons left and right—people had been gossiping about her behind her back [1]gossiping about her behind her back (chuo ta jiliang gu, 戳她脊梁骨) Idiom, to criticize or gossip about someone behind their back jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3398838_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3398838_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, and finally she got cosmic payback!
You Xiu thought she was too excited, she linked her arm and told Squad Leader Wu: “I will go with her.”
Squad Leader Wu nodded and said: “Go ahead, watch out on the way not to talk to strangers. These past few days things have not been peaceful here, we just caught a drifting criminal.”
Xiangzhi knew who he meant, fortunately Gu Wenshan had discovered it in time that day. She definitely did not want to use her hard-saved sesame oil on that person—he did not deserve it.
Because You Xiu linked her arm, Xiangzhi had no chance to escape, gritting her teeth, she walked to the brigade office entrance.
“You…I am really happy to know you, thank you for looking after me,” said Xiangzhi, shaking You Xiu’s chubby hand: “You are my good friend.”
You Xiu laughed and cried: “All right, do not be jealous of my parents coming to see you, go spend time with them, I will head back.”
“Okay,” said Xiangzhi, desperate for You Xiu to leave quickly lest You Xiu discover she was using a fake identity and feel hurt.
Just then, Zou Ao opened the brigade office door and a middle-aged couple came out. You Xiu’s footsteps faltered.
They saw Xiangzhi and were momentarily stunned, then rushed at her weeping: “My eldest daughter! You have suffered, let mom see if you have lost weight!”
Guo Chunli said this, while Cao Yong also wiped his eyes beside her, saying: “We said you, as our only child, could skip the sent-down quota, but you insisted on coming.”
Xiangzhi stood there dumbfounded. These two were clearly Cao Xiangqin’s parents—so why were they treating her like Cao Xiangqin?
Had she been replaced by a soul?
Guo Chunli forcefully pulled Xiangzhi’s arm, dragging her toward the office, saying as they went: “We have already arranged with Comrade Secretary Zou, she will help us petition the upper leadership to let you go home. We do not need to be sent-down youth anymore.”
Ah, Xiangzhi suddenly understood.
They were using her fake identity to push the boat along and take her back home.
She had just learned the idiom “going with the flow” yesterday, they were doing exactly that with her fake identity as Cao Xiangqin to take her back home.
You Xiu, beside them, choked up as she said: “If you can go home, do not suffer here, you eat poorly and work so much, you do not understand many things… though we have been together briefly, I will not forget you, all good things must come to an end.”
“My feast has not been served yet! I will not leave, I am staying here,” declared Xiangzhi.
Guo Chunli and Cao Yong had anticipated her resistance. They had already discussed it with Zou Ao, saying their daughter was stubborn and only wanted to contribute, not thinking of the two elderly parents.
Zou Ao understood young people’s desire to shed blood for their country’s construction, however, Cadre Lu had tipped her off that “Cao Xiangqin” was actually Lu’s fiancée, which made Zou Ao view her with new respect. She also wanted to perform well before Cadre Lu.
She pretended to persuade Guo Chunli while actually persuading “Cao Xiangqin”: “Conditions here are too harsh, why not marry the cadre in the city instead of refusing. Many girls in the countryside are eager to marry into the city, and your fiancé married you since childhood—you should grab the opportunity. Do you know how to seize chances?”
“You are so envious,” said Xiangzhi, brushing the hand off her shoulder and saying: “Want the opportunity? It is yours if you want it.”
Zou Ao had not expected her to dare retort, she said angrily: “We older people are giving you advice, how can you not listen?”
Xiangzhi told Zou Ao: “Give me an introduction letter, I am leaving.”
Cao Yong scolded: “Where do you think you are going?! Do you think you can run?”
Guo Chunli gave him a look and squeezed out a smile, saying: “Your father is worried for you. Look—what is wrong with Jianping? He can help you settle everything. Otherwise, wherever you go, you cannot stay.”
They guessed Xiangzhi was a black household, so their words hinted at and threatened her.
Zou Ao also said: “Without proper reason, I cannot give you an introduction letter.”
Xiangzhi smiled and said: “That is why.”
Zou Ao asked: “Why what?”
Xiangzhi said nothing and turned to leave.
Guo Chunli ran to the front and blocked her: “What are you doing?!”
Xiangzhi said affectedly: “Mom, you have to let me collect my things, right? I am dying to serve you two elders.”
Guo Chunli saw her face-changing speed and did not know what to say.
Xiangzhi also gave Cao Yong a sweet smile: “Dad, come to my dormitory and inspect it, will you?”
Cao Yong had no “inspecting” skills, he was barely literate. Standing before a crowd, he could hardly speak.
He quickly said: “Good daughter, let us just leave now, there is nothing valuable anyway.”
Xiangzhi straightened her clothes and stood up very straight: “That is not what you said. We should carry forward the spirit of hard work and thrift, even Chairman Mao practiced frugality. Your awareness is too low. Besides, I still have a new cotton coat at the dormitory.”
You Xiu linked Xiangzhi’s arm and said: “The new coat is from Comrade Professor Qin, it is brand new cotton, cannot be left behind.”
Guo Chunli, seeing no way back, figured Xiangzhi had accepted fate. Moreover, a new cotton coat was precious—hers was thin, three years new, three years worn, three years patched.
Zou Ao spoke up: “The sky is getting dark, no need to rush to leave. Find an old neighbor to stay with tonight, you can leave early tomorrow and arrive in time.”
Guo Chunli looked at the sky and thought with the mountains surrounding them, if Xiangzhi took the chance to run into the mountains, she would be hard to find. So she said: “All right, thank you, Comrade Secretary Zou, we will sleep here tonight.”
Guo Chunli kept a sharp eye, walking behind Xiangzhi at three paces, watching her deadly.
You Xiu kept talking to Xiangzhi the whole way without knowing why.
After Xiangzhi reached the sent-down youth dormitory, Squad Leader Wu welcomed Guo Chunli and Cao Yong warmly. He even took out his own wallet to have Aunt Li add two dishes.
He insisted they sleep at his house for the night, he would squeeze in with the male sent-down youth.
But Guo Chunli and Cao Yong did not dare agree. If the fake daughter ran into the mountains, how would they repay Lu Jianping?!
Know that Lu Jianping had them covered for their gambling debts! A full five hundred yuan!
Before coming, they had puzzled over what kind of woman could make Lu Jianping go to such lengths, seeing the fake daughter at first glance, they knew Lu had a razor-sharp eye for quality [2]Lu had a razor-sharp eye for quality (yanguang tai du, 眼光太毒) Idiom, having remarkably sharp, discerning judgment (not literally “poisonous” jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3398838_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3398838_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });). Their own daughter had learned just last month she would be sold to a debt creditor and fled overnight—that was only two hundred yuan. Truly, you get what you pay for.
Cao Yong and Guo Chunli hid behind the firewood pile, watching female sent-down youth constantly coming out to wash up.
Guo Chunli clutched a packet of medicine powder and steeled herself: “Tomorrow morning, we will cover her up and leave.”
While they suffered outside in the cold wind and dew, Xiangzhi was learning poker in the communal barracks.
After everyone went to sleep, she snuggled in her quilt hugging her sesame oil jar, determined to make one last big attempt!
Xiangzhi entered Gu Wenshan’s dream once more, gathering all the spiritual power accumulated these days, hoping to eat him in the dream.
She was tired of the human world, good people were truly good, bad people truly bad. She loved the freshness of the human realm, but tired of scheming.
Once she ate Gu Wenshan, she would quickly return to the mountain and root herself in the soil, continuing to be a carefree, useless, delicate flower—was that not nice?
The spirit body arrived, thin fingers forming an incantation, flicking toward the sleeping man.
She was so pleased she did not notice the military hat at his bedside, its national emblem glowing with righteous light, protecting him and trapping her within.
The little flower spirit knew nothing of this, tiptoeing to the sleeping man, she lowered her head to look at his furrowed brow as he slept.
She playfully reached out to smooth his brow: “Relax, relax, relaxed meat is the most delicious.”
She opened the sesame oil jar, dipped some in her palm, hesitating on how to begin. After all, she had never eaten before.
Xiangzhi gently lifted Gu Wenshan’s undershirt, under the clear moonlight, she could see distinct muscle definition, and the strength made her grind her teeth and dig in….
Gu Wenshan began thinking he was having a nightmare, but then it seemed like a pleasant dream, then later a rather unreliable spring dream, the other party squirmed randomly with no sense of strategy.
The culprit, making him restless and unable to sleep, raised her head when she saw his eyes open and looking down, and she cried out in alarm: “Ah—why are you awake!”
She quickly left the bed’s side, standing there glaring at him angrily. Annoyed—the meat was too hard to bite into!
Gu Wenshan “…” He wiped his belly, very good—a hand full of sesame oil.
This route was incomprehensible to him.
Seeing him about to get up, the little flower spirit panicked and stood up, turning to run.
Gu Wenshan discovered lamb-white jade flower petals falling on the bed’s edge, he casually picked one up, pinched it, and brought it to his nose to gently smell. At this moment, the little flower spirit actually ran back.
“Lecher! Do not smell my petals!”
Xiangzhi, deeply ashamed, rushed back to grab her precious petals, scolding: “You wait—I will come eat you right away!”
“Eat me?” Gu Wenshan caressed the tender feel at his fingertips, confused: “Why?”
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