Chen Jingyi bit into the crisp, soft, sweet lotus flower cake, but the taste left her with mixed feelings. Her younger brother had exchanged his labor with He He for this. She knew He He wasn’t that bad of a person, but she still couldn’t accept her younger brother being bullied by He He.
A long time ago, she had asked Xiaobai about it. Xiaobai had said it was nothing. Exchanging labor for food was perfectly reasonable, and he didn’t think He He was bullying him.
Chen Jingyi didn’t know how much of what her brother said was true, but other than comforting him, there was nothing she could do. She could only choose to believe him.
“Other than her sharp tongue, Xiao He is actually pretty good.”
After saying that, Chen Jingyi lowered her head and took another bite of the lotus flower cake.
Then she remembered that He He and Cheng Sulin liked each other. He He had helped them before, and Cheng Sulin had also helped her many times. It would be good if the two of them ended up together. They were very well matched.
Although she also liked Cheng Sulin a little, that wasn’t worth mentioning.
Compared to love, what she needed to do most right now was lead her family out of their current predicament. She simply didn’t know how long it would take before they could escape it, or when the day of light would finally arrive.
Chen Jingyi forced herself to smile. “Xiaobai, from now on, if He He asks you to help with her work and you’re tired, tell me. I eat the cakes He He gives you too, so it’s only right that I help.”
Chen Jingyi had told Chen Jingbai this a long, long time ago.
But Chen Jingbai had never once said he was tired.
Chen Jingbai shook his head. “No need. I can handle it. The few work points He He wants aren’t difficult to earn.”
Chen Jingyi said, “All right. I believe you. If I didn’t have you, I don’t even know how I would’ve kept going. If you hadn’t protected me back then, your ears wouldn’t have—”
Chen Jingbai interrupted her.
“Sis! What happened back then is already over. What matters is living our lives well now.”
When they were eighteen, their home had once again been turned upside down by people wearing red armbands.
At the time, Father Chen had happened to accidentally injure his waist and urgently needed a large sum of money. But over the years, most of the family’s money had been taken away during those searches, so they hadn’t been able to save much at all.
Once again, the people wearing red armbands found the family’s money and stuffed it into their own pockets.
Chen Jingbai had originally wanted to rush forward. He had secretly earned that money by carrying cargo at the docks without his family knowing. He couldn’t let them take it away. If they did, his father wouldn’t even have money to see a doctor.
Chen Jingbai wanted to go forward and plead with them, but Chen Jingyi noticed what he intended to do and held him back.
After calming down, Chen Jingbai abandoned the idea as well.
He wouldn’t be able to get the money back.
But then one of the hooligans among the group reached toward Chen Jingyi’s face.
Rage instantly surged through Chen Jingbai.
He clenched his fist, rushed forward, and punched the man.
But that group wasn’t easy to deal with. The moment they saw one of their companions being hit, they immediately rushed forward to help.
They had the advantage in numbers. At first, Chen Jingbai could barely hold his own, but eventually, they pinned him to the ground and rained heavy punches down on him.
More than a dozen fists struck his face.
Even when Chen Jingyi came over, speaking nicely to them and trying to pull Chen Jingbai back to her side, she was struck several times too.
It was the only time Chen Jingbai had acted impulsively since misfortune befell the Chen family.
As he lay on the ground, blood flowed from his ears, and all the chaotic sounds around him disappeared.
Only when the group saw Chen Jingbai lying there half-dead did they finally stop. Then they swaggered out of the Chen family’s home.
By the time Chen Jingyi tearfully called for someone to take him to the hospital, Chen Jingbai had already lost consciousness from his severe injuries.
That single impulsive act forced his family to humble themselves and borrow money from their neighbors to save him. They also borrowed a large sum from the neighborhood office. For his sake, his father couldn’t bear to spend money treating his own injured waist, and the injury eventually became a chronic condition.
The doctor diagnosed Chen Jingbai with hearing damage.
From then on, his ears could no longer hear sounds clearly.
After he recovered from his injuries, the neighborhood office happened to be urgently looking for people to support the countryside.
It was 1972.
Educated youths who had been sent down in earlier batches and secretly returned all said that life in the countryside was unbearably hard and that they simply couldn’t endure it.
So by 1972, families with young people of suitable age who didn’t have jobs were unwilling to send them to the countryside. Even though the authorities said each family could only keep one child in the city, young people from families with multiple children would rather hide here and there in the city than go to the countryside and live an even harder life.
The neighborhood office promoted going to the countryside as a contribution to the country and even offered rewards to anyone willing to go.
Even then, no one wanted to leave.
For a time, the neighborhood office workers were extremely anxious.
Father Chen and Mother Chen wanted the siblings to avoid further trouble. They also wanted to repay the neighborhood office for being willing to lend them money for Chen Jingbai’s medical treatment.
After discussing it as a family, they abandoned their original plan of choosing only one between Chen Jingbai and Chen Jingyi to go to the countryside.
Instead, they sent both of them.
And so, Chen Jingbai and Chen Jingyi each took the ten yuan given to them by the neighborhood office, along with their thin luggage, and came to Qianjin Brigade.
Thinking about the past made Chen Jingyi’s eyes turn red.
“Xiaobai.”
Chen Jingbai said, “It’s okay, Sis. Everything will get better.”
Chen Jingyi nodded. “Mm. It will.”
The siblings encouraged each other.
Stars dotted the pitch-black sky. The moon had risen and hung high overhead, illuminating the dark earth below.
Back in the dining area of the educated youth station, He He’s mind started turning when she saw Chen Jingbai and Chen Jingyi leave.
She remembered that in the Book of the World, she didn’t have a good relationship with the female lead, Chen Jingyi.
He He glared at Cheng Sulin, then grabbed him and dragged him outside without caring that the other educated youths were still there.
After pulling him out of the house, He He spotted Chen Jingbai and Chen Jingyi beneath the tree, so she dragged Cheng Sulin even farther away until the siblings were out of sight.
Once He He stopped, she crossed her arms and adopted the air of an elder.
“Cheng Sulin, you like Chen Jingyi, don’t you?”
It wasn’t a question.
It was a statement.
Cheng Sulin’s legs had followed along, but his mind was completely bewildered.
He He was really strong. If his legs hadn’t hurried to keep up, she would have dragged him straight to the ground.
And now, He He’s thunderbolt of a statement stunned him even more.
It was true that he liked Chen Jingyi, but he hadn’t shown it. How did He He know?
Cheng Sulin coughed. “Why would you say that?”
He He had no intention of beating around the bush with him.
“You’re the one who likes her, and you’re asking me why? I’m telling you, if you like Chen Jingyi, then confess to her as soon as possible. Chen Jingyi is so outstanding. Plenty of people like her. Stop dragging your feet.”
He He truly couldn’t bear to watch Cheng Sulin’s tortuous love life.
If there was going to be a misunderstanding, don’t drag her into it!
“I’m telling you, if you like Chen Jingyi, then tell her right away what kind of relationship you and I have. Otherwise, she might misunderstand something. If she misunderstands because of this, I’ll make you regret it.”
He He’s little mouth rattled on before she viciously threatened him, never giving Cheng Sulin a chance to speak.
Cheng Sulin stood there dumbfounded.
What was wrong with He He?
Hadn’t they always had an unspoken agreement not to reveal their relationship?
Why was she suddenly forcing him to tell Chen Jingyi about it?
What could Chen Jingyi possibly misunderstand?
And even if she did misunderstand, why was He He so angry about it?
Besides, He He was the same age as him, yet she was his little aunt. If he told Chen Jingyi that, would he have any dignity left in front of her?
“Little Aunt, did you take the wrong medicine or something?”
Cheng Sulin, who rarely called He He “Little Aunt,” reached out to feel her forehead.
He He immediately dodged backward and slapped his hand away.
“Talk if you want to talk. Why are you reaching out your hand? You’re the one who took the wrong medicine.”
Seeing that Cheng Sulin still didn’t understand, He He raised her brows and could only patiently educate him.
“You don’t understand this, do you? If the girl you liked spent all day fooling around with some boy who looked like he had nothing to do with her, and she was always showing concern for that boy, what would you think?”
He He cursed again, “You’re seriously stupid. How did I end up with such a stupid nephew?”
Cheng Sulin finally understood what He He meant and was quite good at putting himself in someone else’s shoes.
If Chen Jingyi showed concern for another man right in front of him, he really would misunderstand.
Cheng Sulin slapped his forehead.
Wasn’t that exactly what he was doing now?!
In other people’s eyes, he and He He had no particular relationship, yet he was always showing concern for her.
Wouldn’t that look suspicious?!
Oh no.
Chen Jingyi couldn’t have already misunderstood something, could she?!
Cheng Sulin immediately became nervous and sincerely asked, “Chen Jingyi hasn’t already misunderstood something, has she?”
After all, he and He He were quite close at the educated youth station.
He He’s round eyes rolled upward, and the corners of her mouth turned down in disdain.
“So now you’re admitting you like Chen Jingyi? Just now you were still stubbornly denying it, like a dead pig that isn’t afraid of boiling water.”
Cheng Sulin was already so used to He He’s scolding that he had developed the ability to automatically filter out whatever insults she threw at him.
“Little Aunt, then what do you think I can do to fix it?” Cheng Sulin asked very seriously.
He He said, “Are you really stupid? Didn’t I already give you an idea earlier? Go tell her I’m your little aunt! I’m your little aunt! How can you be this dumb? How have you not died from stupidity yet? Great-Uncle would’ve been better off having a piece of char siu than a grandson like you.”
Cheng Sulin looked pitiful. “Little Aunt, can you stop scolding me? You keep scolding me so much that even if I wasn’t stupid before, you’re going to make me stupid. Besides, I was born to your older male cousin.”
He He sighed.
Cheng Sulin was beyond saving.
He was even stupider than she was.
The thought that such a stupid nephew could still rely on Chen Jingyi to reach the pinnacle of his life made her furious.
He He kicked Cheng Sulin.
“Then hurry up and go.”
Cheng Sulin stared at her. “Now?”
“What else? Do you need me to teach you?”
Cheng Sulin turned around and saw Chen Jingyi and Chen Jingbai approaching.
“They’re coming over, Little Aunt! What do I do?!”