“Honey, say something, honey!”
Chen Donglai suddenly opened his eyes and saw a fair-skinned woman in a light yellow short-sleeved top holding his arm, her eyes filled with excitement. “We’re already in Yuquan!”
“How can we be in Yuquan? I’m supposed to be at the opening ceremony for the Party School!”
Chen Donglai knew that Yuquan City was a county-level city under the Shiliang Region of Jiang'an Province, and it was also the seat of the Shiliang Region.
However, this administrative division had long since been split into three municipal districts following the notice to abolish the Shiliang Region and establish a city in 1995. The name Yuquan had completely vanished into the long river of history. “Where did Yuquan come from?”
“Are you confused from sleeping? What Party School?” The woman in yellow raised her delicate eyebrows, blinked her watery eyes, and waved her hand in front of Chen Donglai’s face. “We had to pass through Yuquan when taking the boat from Huichuan to Yong'an!”
Chen Donglai rubbed his hazy eyes and finally saw the woman’s appearance clearly. “Ming Yuezhao!”
“I think you really are confused from sleeping. It’s all because you kept reading the Newspaper; you must be seasick now, right?” Ming Yuezhao said with a smile. “Do you want some water?”
“Where is the Newspaper?” Chen Donglai asked. His wife looked excessively young, and her mannerisms were also abnormal. This gave him a sense of unreality.
Her attitude also seemed overly kind. Chen Donglai remembered that after his Father-in-law fell from grace, she never spoke to him kindly again.
Chen Donglai turned the Newspaper in his hand to the front page. The headline read, “A Glorious Mission: Hosting the Asian Games, the People of the Capital City are United as One.”
Looking at the date again, it was August 22, 1990.
Chen Donglai put down the Newspaper, his eyes vacant.
He dared not believe the Newspaper in his hand, nor dare he believe his eyes, much less his own consciousness. A sharp River wind blew across his face, messing up his hair.
Suddenly, he felt a warm touch on his hand.
“What’s wrong with you today?” Ming Yuezhao placed Chen Donglai’s hand on her thigh, then pinched the web between his thumb and forefinger hard. “It’s not a big deal that you’re being assigned back to your hometown! It’s not that far, I’ll come visit you by boat then.”
Assignment!
Chen Donglai would never forget that the job assignment after graduating from university was the turning point in his life.
The path before that had been too smooth. He had always had good grades, progressing from Yuquan No. 1 Middle School all the way into Beijing Normal University.
However, after graduating from university, because his parents held little influence, he couldn't get the organization to assign him to work in the Provincial Capital, Huichuan City, and could only return to his hometown, Yong'an County. Because he offended a rich Hooligan with connections, he was ultimately assigned to a remote Township, which was tantamount to exile.
His girlfriend, Ming Yuezhao, however, successfully got a job at the Huichuan Motorcycle Factory through her family’s connections, becoming an employee of the Factory Office. This forced the two to live apart for seven years. Only with the help of his Old Leader, Wang Zangfeng, was he finally transferred to the Provincial Capital to reunite with his girlfriend.
Tears streamed from the corner of Chen Donglai’s eyes. This startled the woman beside him; she quickly released the grip on his hand and used her slender index finger to wipe away the falling tears. “A man doesn't shed tears easily!”
Chen Donglai didn't know why he was crying. Perhaps he was sad for his past life, or perhaps he was relieved to have received a chance to start over.
He looked up and saw the afterglow of the setting sun spilling over the wide surface of the Xi River, the reflected rosy clouds illuminating the distant Yuquan City in red. The surging Xi River Water slapped against the river embankment, splashing up wave after wave.
“The water flowing past my door still flows west!” Chen Donglai murmured to himself. This time, he didn't want to leave any regrets in his life. Kinship, love, career, and friendship—he didn't want to lose any of them. With this thought, he pulled the girlfriend beside him closer. “Three years, I promise to return to Yuquan in three years.”
……
It took a total of thirteen hours to travel by boat from Huichuan City to Yong'an County. The two boarded the ship at nine in the morning, and it was past six in the evening when they reached Yuquan. The ship docked at Yuquan Port, and passengers carrying large bags and small packages were boarding one after another.
After nearly ten hours on the boat, even the young Ming Yuezhao felt tired. She rested her head on Chen Donglai’s shoulder. The two closed their eyes to rest.
After only a moment, the ship retracted its gangway, sounded its whistle, and prepared to depart. The previously boarded passengers gradually entered the cabin to find seats. A tall, thin young man with thick, long hair and a cigarette dangling from his mouth was cursing as he shoved aside an Old lady carrying a snakeskin sack.
His greasy gaze swept across the passengers, and he suddenly spotted the woman in the yellow top and shorts, revealing a pair of delicate legs. He whistled excitedly, then plopped down into the seat directly opposite the couple.
He sat down heavily, and the seat let out a sound as if it were Overburdened. The noise startled the couple awake.
“Beauty,” the long-haired man saw the beauty’s gaze fall upon him and revealed a slick smile. “Let’s get acquainted.”
Ming Yuezhao glanced at him dismissively, then closed her eyes again, leaning against Chen Donglai beside her to pretend to sleep.
Chen Donglai felt that the scene before him was familiar. Thirty years ago, on this very boat, he had beaten up a Hooligan who had been harassing his girlfriend.
Unexpectedly, this Hooligan’s family happened to hold an official post in Yong'an County, and through connections, they managed to have him transferred to the most remote Hualang Township in Yong'an County.
Could this be him?
Seeing that the beauty showed no reaction, the tall, thin young man’s lust grew stronger, and he became impatient. He crossed his legs and said flirtatiously, “Beauty, you won’t even give me this much face? Brother does big business here in Yong'an, tens of thousands!”
He suddenly reacted, glanced at Chen Donglai sitting beside him, saw his simple shirt and shorts, and let out a “Hmph” from his nose.
What Country bumpkin dared to steal his woman!
He was full of confidence. He had done this sort of thing several times in Yong'an; every few days, some girl would fall for it, willingly becoming his “temporary companion.”
As for the man accompanying the girl? A quick word to an acquaintance, drag him to the River bank for a beating, and he would immediately behave.
After witnessing their boyfriends kneeling and begging for mercy after being beaten, the women would naturally understand that they should willingly follow those with power.
A few sweet words at that point would quickly make the women devoted to him.
The long-haired young man glanced at Ming Yuezhao’s pretty face again, then rummaged through his pocket, found a business card smeared with grease, and handed it to Ming Yuezhao. “Where are you getting off? Brother will treat you to Hot Pot.”
Chen Donglai recalled the Past Events, his thoughts racing. He reached out and took the business card the man offered. “Luo Yaozu,” he paused, “Employee of the Yong'an County Supply and Marketing Cooperative in Jiang'an Province. I’m sorry, I’m her boyfriend, and she’s not interested in you.” With that, he wrapped his arm around Ming Yuezhao’s slender waist.
Luo Yaozu was enraged by Chen Donglai’s words. “So what if she’s your girlfriend?” He bent over and reached out toward Ming Yuezhao’s body. “So what if you have a boyfriend? I’m going to do it right in front of you!”
The noisy, bustling cabin fell silent at that moment, and everyone who had been talking turned to look at them. In a flash, Luo Yaozu’s fingertips touched Ming Yuezhao’s delicate skin.
In his Previous life, he had beaten up Luo Yaozu once and was subsequently exiled to the desolate Hualang Township for five full years; if he could swallow his humiliation this time, perhaps…
“I’ll beat your mother!” Chen Donglai couldn't tolerate it at all. He leaned back against the chair for leverage, bent his leg, and then kicked forcefully into Luo Yaozu’s chest. Luo Yaozu shot backward like a cannonball, smashing heavily onto his own seat.
The old plastic seat could not withstand the powerful blow and broke in half instantly; shattered plastic fragments and Luo Yaozu’s body continued to fly backward until they crashed into and collapsed the row of seats behind him before finally stopping.
“Aaaah!” A violent commotion erupted in the cabin.
“Someone’s fighting!” shouted a middle-aged man. He was completely an innocent bystander, as Luo Yaozu’s flying body had knocked him to the ground as well.
“Fighting!” the Old lady sitting nearby shouted excitedly. Luo Yaozu had roughly shoved her aside when boarding, nearly causing her to lose her snakeskin sack. Seeing Luo Yaozu get his comeuppance, she felt immense satisfaction. “Good hit.”
“Fighting!” the little kid in the cabin shouted excitedly. He thought Chen Donglai’s leg technique was incredibly cool, comparable to the protagonists in martial arts dramas. “Another kick!”
……