Chapter 34

After He Fang finished her work and returned to the dormitory, her eyes fell on the newspaper in Sun Lingyu’s hands.

Although there were quite a few educated youths in the production brigade, not many had the spare money to subscribe to a newspaper—you could count them on one hand. A newspaper subscription cost one yuan per month, and postage alone was another yuan. A commune member would have to work hard for a whole week just to earn two yuan.

He Fang only glanced at it before saying to Sun Lingyu, “Dongmei probably still doesn’t know about Educated Youth Xie getting injured. You should write her a letter and let her know, and while you’re at it, go urge Educated Youth Xie too.”

Sun Lingyu curled her lips. “I don’t even know how she got my address. We were barely acquaintances.”

Sun Lingyu came from a dual-income family; both her parents were minor leaders in a factory. Although they didn’t have much real power, they held respectable positions. Still, compared to Xie Dongmei’s family, hers was a far cry. She had no interest in befriending children of cadres.

After losing so much face this time, Sun Lingyu didn’t even want to show up to work, afraid of the mocking stares from others. She couldn’t handle such cold treatment—let alone go to Ye Qingshui’s house. The last person she wanted to see was Ye Qingshui.

Sun Lingyu refused to go to the Ye household.

He Fang tried to persuade her with kind and harsh words alike, but nothing worked. So she smiled and said, “How about I go for you then?”

What’s more, Sun Lingyu didn’t want to write back either. Disheartened, she tossed the letter aside.

He Fang picked up the letter and urged her to write. Sun Lingyu only jotted down a few brief lines. “He Fang, take this and mail it for me while you’re at it.”

He Fang took her letter and smiled. “I saw you glance at the letter the other day and just toss it aside. She even mentioned your new sister-in-law—want to add a few more lines?”

Sun Lingyu opened up the letter again, lowered her eyes, and held the thick fountain pen in her hand with uncertainty. Her feelings toward Ye Qingshui were now very complicated. She had so many questions she wanted to ask. Anyone would feel this way after having their long-held beliefs overturned in just half an hour.

Reluctantly and slowly, she added one more sentence:

“I don’t really know what your new sister-in-law is like either.”

He Fang read it, her eyes flickering slightly, then tucked the letter next to her own.

“Let me borrow the newspaper for a bit.”

That evening, after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they passed around Sun Lingyu’s newspaper as usual. Someone muttered, “Huh, why is there a page missing?”

Another person chuckled and scolded, “Did one of the male educated youths forget to bring toilet paper to the latrine again and use it up?”

A girl spat, “Ugh, that’s just disgusting. No sense of personal hygiene. Is straw paper really that expensive?”

…

At the Ye household.

When the fresh issue of the weekly newspaper was delivered to Xie Tingyu, he carefully read through it.

He asked Ye Qingshui, “When did this happen?”

Ye Qingshui saw the newspaper in Xie Tingyu’s hands and her face instantly turned beet red. She recalled the interview from a week ago—it had only been a few simple sentences, but the way it was written now made it seem so exaggerated. Had she known, she wouldn’t have agreed to the interview.

Ye Qingshui’s views didn’t quite align with the era’s. She didn’t think appearing in the newspaper was such a big deal. But in these times, making the paper was something worthy of gongs and drums—news that the entire village would hear about.

The photo in the newspaper was blurry, just a side profile of her bent over working. She looked like a plain, rustic country woman.

She glanced at the headline. “Why am I called an ‘educated youth’?”

Educated youth—”zhishi qingnian” or “zhiqing” for short—was a title reserved for students from the city who took part in the “Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside” campaign. Now the label was being slapped on her, and she felt uncomfortable with it.

Xie Tingyu’s dark eyes gleamed with amusement. “Why not? Haven’t you always believed in ‘the capable go first’? Why should that title only be for city kids who go to the countryside?”

Ye Qingshui’s cheeks flushed. Back then, she had used the term just to get the other educated youths—who constantly picked fights with her—to back off. Hearing it from Xie Tingyu now, she felt both ashamed and embarrassed.

She pulled out the money from her pocket and counted it. It was the stipend she got from the journalist after the interview—a total of five hundred yuan, a kind of promotional patent fee. The amount made her dizzy with happiness.

She had answered all the journalist’s questions truthfully.

With this money, she could finally buy a bicycle. It was an unexpected windfall. On the black market, a bicycle without a ration coupon cost at most two hundred yuan. The remaining three hundred, she planned to share with Zhou Cungen. If it weren’t for his help, she never would’ve figured out how to build the device. And… the Zhou family was so poor their house practically leaked air from every direction—they needed the money more. As for herself, she had strong arms and legs and was still young. She could easily earn it back.

Xie Tingyu noticed that Ye Qingshui, holding the money and lost in thought, completely ignored what he’d said.

His expression darkened slightly. He looked at the black-and-white photo in the newspaper—Ye Qingshui was wearing an old, short outfit, and when she bent over, her pants rode up to reveal a good portion of her pale calves.

The image reminded him of the glimpse he’d accidentally caught of her figure that morning.

Was she dressing like that to work too?

Xie Tingyu didn’t dare think further. Even a brief moment of thought made his heart pound.

“Ye Qingshui—”

Ye Qingshui snapped out of her daze and responded, “Huh? What did you say?”

Xie Tingyu said, “I want to go into town. You’ll take me.”

Ye Qingshui looked at him with a look of disbelief.

“You? In your condition, can you even walk?”

In response, Xie Tingyu slowly rose from the stool. As he stood, he looked down at her from above.

Ye Qingshui had grown used to seeing him weakly lying in bed, relying on others for everything, but now he stood tall—taller than her by more than a head—completely casting her in shadow.

Ye Qingshui suddenly fell silent.

She was stunned. She hadn’t expected Xie Tingyu to recover so quickly. But thinking of his physique and surprising strength before he was injured, it didn’t seem so odd after all.

“Can we go now?” Xie Tingyu asked coolly.

Ye Qingshui nodded and tucked the money securely into the cabinet.

“Go if you want to. Tomorrow, okay? I’ll drop by Teacher Zhou’s place too,” Ye Qingshui said, and quickly turned to the courtyard to chop firewood.

The moment the door creaked shut, Xie Tingyu slowly sat down and started rubbing his legs with his hands.

He sighed softly at his own legs.

…

The next day, Ye Qingshui gave Xie Tingyu a ride into the county.

They got up very early. The morning air was slightly cool and felt refreshing as it filled their lungs. Even with a grown man on the back of the bike, Ye Qingshui pedaled without effort. Her two braids swayed now and then, brushing dangerously close to the wild branches growing along the mountain road.

Noticing her awkwardness, Xie Tingyu reached out and grabbed the two shiny braids.

He actually liked her braids quite a bit—smooth, jet-black, and glossy like they’d been soaked in ink. While other rural girls were malnourished with dry, straw-like hair, these two braids had been the most eye-catching part of her when they first met—as if all the nutrients in her body went into growing them.

Xie Tingyu rarely had the chance to touch them. Usually he could only look, but now he finally had them in his hand. They felt just as he imagined—soft, silky, like satin. No wonder Ye Qingshui liked washing her hair so much, brushing it several times a day. Her soft hair was like a pet cat, comfortable to touch.

Though the braids were thick, they felt delicate in the palm of a man’s hand.

Now and then Xie Tingyu lifted his head to glance at the scenery or at Ye Qingshui—her waist was slender, her figure small and petite. He couldn’t understand how such a tiny frame could have the strength to carry him over the bumpy mountain roads with such ease.

They said little along the way. Xie Tingyu took out the harmonica from his coat and quietly began to play.

A beautiful melody rose in the air, clear and lovely, brisk and smooth. The tune softened even the rugged mountain path, and the whole atmosphere felt tinged with romance. This deep and gentle melody was like a spring rain, turning one’s heart into a pool of still water.

When a master plays, the difference is clear. As he played, Xie Tingyu exuded a kind of unimaginable gentleness and charm.

Ye Qingshui treated it like background music and enjoyed it thoroughly. After the song ended, she couldn’t help but ask:

“What’s that song called?”

Xie Tingyu thought, Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand , but after a brief pause, he still answered truthfully, “ ‘Moscow Nights’ .”

Ye Qingshui responded with an “Oh,” and said, “It’s nice. Never heard it before.”

Xie Tingyu pondered for a moment, then resumed playing. His skills far surpassed someone like Ye Qingshui, who was self-taught. His music could truly captivate a listener.

Ye Qingshui was happy listening, and felt that giving him a ride had been worth it—she’d been treated to a concert the entire way, something she didn’t get at home.

They said little more as the harmonica’s deep, gentle melody mingled with the sounds of birds in the empty mountains. He played quietly, again and again, eventually looping back to “Moscow Nights.”

“My sweetheart sits beside me,

Stealing glances in silence.

I want to speak, but don’t know how,

So many words stuck in my heart…”

After finishing, Xie Tingyu tucked the harmonica back into his coat. He quietly played with the braids in his hand, breathing in the strong floral scent of the summer mountain air. He felt as though tiny flower petals had fallen on both him and Ye Qingshui’s hair.

The fragrance was like the passionate emotions he used to see in her eyes—so thick it couldn’t be ignored or brushed aside.

…

As they neared the county seat, Ye Qingshui asked, “Want me to drop you off at the supply and marketing cooperative?”

Xie Tingyu looked confused and asked, “What would I do at the cooperative?”

Ye Qingshui said, “To see Zhang Yuanchao, of course.”

Xie Tingyu’s face darkened a little. “I’m not looking for him. Take me to the department store—I want to buy something.”

Ye Qingshui gave an “Oh,” and began pedaling hard toward the department store.

When they arrived, Xie Tingyu slowly got off the bike. He led Ye Qingshui to the ready-to-wear clothing counter and stared at it for a moment before saying to the shop assistant, “Can you take down that blue outfit?”

It was a light-blue long-sleeved set with a round collar and cinched waist—playful yet modest. It was a trendy style, with glossy off-white plastic buttons, both warm and pretty.

But… it was women’s clothing.

Ye Qingshui was startled.

Seeing Xie Tingyu pull out his wallet, she hurried to stop him. He looked at her, puzzled. Then she remembered he had a younger sister—maybe it was for her—and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Seeing the blush creep up her ears, Xie Tingyu smiled slightly. Then he asked the clerk for a piece of sky-blue fabric—ten Chinese feet of it.

“Shuiya, go over there and buy me some Snow Cream and Pechoin,” he said.

He pulled out his wallet and handed her a large banknote.

Author’s Note:

Ping Shengjun : Yu-ge, you’re so flirty.

Yu-ge : You flatter me.

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