The slogans of the river canal diggers were still buzzing in the ears of Father Yuan and Mother Yuan as they dragged their leaden legs back home. The dirt road was pitted and uneven, and the evening wind kicked up dust that pelted their faces, yet it failed to blow away the profound exhaustion enveloping their bodies. Father Yuan’s shoulders bore two purplish-red welts from the pressure of the carrying pole, while Mother Yuan’s cloth shoes were worn through at the toes, making every step painfully tight.
The moment they pushed the door open, both of them paused. In the dim, amber glow of the kerosene lamp, steaming white rice sat on the table alongside a glistening bowl of bacon stewed with dried string beans. The rich fat clung to the rim of the bowl, accompanied by a basin of green vegetable soup speckled with chopped green onions. Mother Yuan reached out to touch the rim of the bowl, the warm sensation traveling from her fingertips straight to her heart. She turned to look at Father Yuan, her voice laced with the lingering relief of a survivor: “Thank goodness we listened to our fifth child back then. Otherwise, given these conditions, how could we possibly be eating solid rice?” Father Yuan remained silent. He picked up his chopsticks, sampled a piece of dried string bean, and his eyes welled with tears as he chewed. Last year, they had merely acted on the mindset that it was better to believe it might be true than to dismiss it entirely. Who could have foreseen that a real food shortage would strike? Now, every other household in the village was subsisting on porridge so thin you could see your own reflection.
The early spring breeze still carried a chill, and just as the sky began to brighten, the dirt roads of the village were already teeming with children carrying baskets. Bundled up in her patched clothes, Li Xia followed behind her eldest sister and second sister as they walked up the slope. “Walk faster! If we get there late, all the shepherd’s purse on the slope will be dug up,” Eldest Sister urged without breaking her stride. Li Xia nodded, her short little legs moving as fast as they could. She knew that everyone was out foraging for wild vegetables nowadays; after all, chopping them up and throwing them into the porridge could help fill the family’s bellies just a little bit more.
By the time the Li Xia solar term arrived, the sun grew increasingly fierce. Every day before dawn, she would follow her sisters to the riverbank to pick pigweed. This year, the family only kept one black pig and a few Plymouth Rock chickens. They had to pick the tenderest pigweed, as the pig refused to eat the tough ones. The sisters scattered along the riverbank, their sickles flying as they harvested, paying no mind to the dew soaking the hems of their pants. By the time their two large bamboo baskets were packed full, the sun had climbed high into the sky. Eldest Sister had to rush home early to light the fire and make breakfast, while Li Xia walked back with Third Sister. Once home, she hastily gulped down a few mouthfuls of corn porridge, and then the five siblings hoisted their patched schoolbags onto their backs and dashed off to school.
She had initially thought that going to school would allow her to escape farmwork, but to her dismay, she ended up being “busy on both fronts.” After finishing her morning chores, she went to class, and the moment she dropped her schoolbag after school in the afternoon, she had to feed the pig and chop pigweed without a single moment to catch her breath. When Li Xia sprawled in front of the kerosene lamp to do her homework, her arms would tremble, and she would pray over and over in her heart: Grow up quickly. Once I grow up, I’ll go find a job in the city and never do this farmwork ever again. She had seen the village women working as river canal diggers, hauling tracking ropes barefoot in the mud with their backs bent like bows and sweat pouring down their faces. That kind of hardship was something she didn’t even dare to imagine.
As soon as the spring plowing arrived, the school granted a holiday for the busy farming season. Eight-year-old Li Xia was also dragged down into the fields by Mother Yuan, who said, “In the countryside, an eight-year-old is already a small laborer. You can’t keep slacking off.” Father Yuan and Second Brother were in the seedling nursery, using shovels to lift the rice seedlings along with the soil, placing them into bamboo baskets, and carrying them toward the paddy fields with steady, robust steps. Meanwhile, Mother Yuan led Li Xia, her sisters, and Fourth Brother into the muddy paddy to plant the seedlings. The moment Li Xia stepped in, the muddy water submerged her ankles, making it an effort just to take a single step.
Imitating Mother Yuan, she bent her waist to push the seedlings into the mud. After planting for a mere half an hour, she felt as though her waist were being violently snapped in two, causing her to grimace in pain. She looked up only to see that Mother Yuan and Eldest Sister had already finished planting one section of the field and were moving on to the second, whereas the patch she had planted was crooked and not even half-finished. “Hurry up, don’t slack off!” Third Sister’s voice drifted over, and Li Xia bit her lip, continuing to plant.
“Fifth Sister, look at how shallow you’re planting these seedlings! They’re completely crooked; the wind will blow them right over later!” Third Sister’s voice suddenly rang out. Li Xia looked back to find Third Sister frowning and pointing at her seedlings. She hurriedly pulled up the crooked ones to replant them, intentionally pushing them a bit deeper this time while thinking to herself: There shouldn’t be any problem this time, right?
To her surprise, Third Sister shouted again, “Fifth Sister, you can’t plant them that deep! When it rains later and the water rises, it will submerge the seedlings, and they’ll just drown to death!”
Li Xia looked up at the sky in despair: Good heavens, how could you be so cruel as to send me to this place? In my past life, aside from eating, drinking, and having fun, I didn’t do anything wicked! Even when it came to male models, I only ever dared to touch their eight-pack abs…