Chapter 32
◎Thank You, I Like It Very Much◎
The rainfall had not been abundant in previous years, barely enough for the crops to grow. This year, the rainfall was much more plentiful than in the past two years. After a rain, the cucumbers in the vegetable patch grew rapidly as if they had absorbed enough water. By the end of May, the cucumbers had grown very green and plump.
It happened to be Su Juexiao’s holiday. Yu Juanfang used scissors to cut a basket of fresh and tender cucumbers from the vegetable patch. She washed them with well water, smashed them with a kitchen knife, added minced garlic, fragrant vinegar, and soy sauce, and then sprinkled chopped cilantro on top. This smashed cucumber salad was crisp and refreshing to eat.
There was still some leftover rice from yesterday on the table. After stirring it loose, she first beat an egg in the pot, added the diced cucumbers and stir-fried them a few times, and finally added the loosened rice to the pot to stir-fry together. When the rice grains were golden brown, it was ready to be served. The golden rice was dotted with green cucumbers, looking very tempting.
In the morning, Yu Juanfang had gone to the pork stall at the village entrance to buy two liang of lean pork. She had originally planned to use it to cook meat congee for the children, but now it was just right for stir-frying with cucumbers. She cut the lean pork into shreds and marinated them, and cut the cucumbers into thin slices. After heating the pot, she slid in a small piece of lard. The pork shreds sizzled in the pot. After stir-frying the pork shreds until they were separated, she added the cucumbers and stir-fried them together, then sprinkled a little salt and chopped scallions for seasoning. A simple yet fragrant dish of stir-fried pork with cucumbers was ready.
The cucumbers had absorbed the flavor of the meat, adding a rich, meaty aroma, and glistened with a layer of oil.
Finally, there was cucumber and egg soup. Yu Juanfang took an egg from the cupboard, tapped it lightly on the rim of the pot, and the egg liquid scattered in the boiling water. She then added the sliced cucumbers. Yu Juanfang tasted it, added half a spoonful of salt, and ladled the full pot of cucumber and egg soup into a large bowl.
Cucumber fried rice, cucumber and egg soup, smashed cucumber salad, and stir-fried pork with cucumbers—the entire dining hall was filled with the aroma of cucumbers.
The sky had completely darkened, and dragonflies were flying around everywhere. It looked like a heavy rain was inevitable. Tangtang set the bowls and chopsticks, and the family of five sat around the table, ready to eat.
Sure enough, while they were eating, a heavy rain began to fall with a whoosh.
Su Huimin remembered something. “Last month, I heard from Juesheng that their school’s cultural propaganda team was going to the countryside for a performance this month. I wonder if they will come to our commune.”
Su Juesheng didn’t have any special talents, but his appearance was passable, so he was chosen to play the male lead in the school’s cultural propaganda team.
“Why do I hear someone knocking on the door?” Yu Juanfang asked.
“I think so.”
Just as Tangtang was about to get up and open the door, Su Juexiao got up first and opened it.
Tangtang’s seat was closest to the door. “Brother Juesheng, Brother Shunian? Why are you back?”
Hearing Tangtang’s words, Su Huimin and Yu Juanfang quickly got up from their stools. “Come in, come in. Why are you two back at this time? Is something wrong? Why are you all wet?”
“Brothers, wait for me. I’ll go get two more sets of bowls and chopsticks.”
“Tangtang, don’t worry about it for now. We were performing in the neighboring commune and got caught in a heavy downpour. We were completely soaked, so we thought we’d come back to change our clothes,” Su Juesheng briefly explained his intention.
“Then you two should take a hot bath and change your clothes. Eat before you go. After being in the rain, you should eat something hot to warm up, so you don’t catch a cold.”
“There’s no time. We have to leave after changing.”
“Alright then. I’ll pack some food for you in a lunchbox. You can take it with you and eat it on your way back.” Hearing this, Yu Juanfang took out two clean lunchboxes and packed two portions of food. She also packed some of the dried buns she had baked a few days ago and a few apricots into a bundle.
Tangtang and Su Juesheng also got busy, fetching cotton towels and clothes.
“Brother Shunian, this is a set of my big brother’s clothes. They’re clean. The socks are new. You should change into them quickly.” Tangtang handed him a set of dry clothes.
“Wait for me.”
Zhou Shunian remembered something. He went back to the courtyard, and when he returned, he had a bouquet of pink flowers in his hand.
Green leaves surrounded the pink flowers. The pink petals were layered. Some of the flowers in the bouquet had already bloomed, revealing tender yellow stamens, while others were still plump buds. The color and shape were very pink and beautiful, with a very fresh and elegant fragrance.
“This is?” Tangtang was a little stunned.
“This is a crabapple blossom. Didn’t you say you’ve never seen a crabapple blossom before? Now you have.” As he spoke, he stuffed the flowers into her hand and also picked up a sapling with its roots wrapped in plastic. “This is a crabapple sapling. You can plant it in the courtyard or at the entrance, so you can see crabapple blossoms every year.”
Tangtang’s eyes widened. She had only said it casually at that time. She didn’t expect Zhou Shunian to not only remember but also find crabapple blossoms and a sapling. It was impossible to say she wasn’t moved. She lowered her head and gently sniffed the fragrance of the flowers. “So this is a crabapple blossom. It’s so fragrant and beautiful.”
She looked up at Zhou Shunian, her eyes sparkling. “Thank you, Brother Shunian. I like it very much.”
…
Rainwater hit the eaves and dripped into small puddles on the ground. Tangtang sat by the window, looking at the picture book Su Juexiao had brought back for her, but her mind was no longer on the book. After a long wait, the rain finally stopped, and the sun, which had been hiding in the clouds, poked its head out. Tangtang eagerly put on her shoes, took a hoe and the sapling that had been placed in the main hall, and went to the courtyard.
The sapling Zhou Shunian had chosen was very good. The root system and the crown were both intact, the trunk was straight, and there were no signs of pests.
Tangtang chose a spot next to the chicken coop to plant the tree. That way, when the tree grew up, it could provide shade for the chicken coop, and the chicken manure could also be used as fertilizer for the tree.
She dug a pit about half a meter deep, planted the sapling in it, and then filled it back with the soil she had dug out, carefully tamping it down to make sure the sapling could stand firmly.
After doing all this, she washed the mud from her hands with well water. Looking at the newly planted sapling, a smile couldn’t help but appear on her face.
“Little tree, little tree, you must grow up quickly.”
And so, Tangtang watched the sapling grow day by day. When the branches and leaves of the crabapple tree began to grow lushly, the layered leaves glistening in the sun, and even the shadow of the tree was a circle larger than last year, it also meant that another year had passed.
…
In December 1969, at Hongqi Commune Middle School, a fine, misty rain mixed with snowflakes was falling continuously. When Tangtang walked into the classroom with her floral cloth schoolbag, the first thing she saw was the empty seat in front of her.
Another student had dropped out. This time, it was the girl who sat in front of Tangtang, named Tian Wenwen. When Tangtang and the others were in the first grade, there were about twenty students in the class. Every year, students would drop out one after another. Now, there were only six students left in the classroom.
The six students were: Tangtang, Su Juesheng, Sun Xiangrong, Su Zitian, Chen Manjin, and Wang Dayun.
There was no future in studying in those days.
A diploma was just a thin piece of paper now. Job recruitment and further education were not open to ordinary people. Even Tangtang’s big brother, Su Juesheng, would have to return home to farm after graduating from high school in three years.
Teacher Zhang walked in with an enamel mug. He looked at the empty classroom and sighed helplessly. “Turn to page thirty-five of your textbooks. Let’s start the class.”
“These are the graded homework from last time. One of them belongs to Tian Wenwen. Whoever lives close to her, please help take it to her.”
Perhaps because the classroom was too empty, even the echo of his voice was heavier than usual.
In the afternoon, the sixth-grade class teacher, Teacher Yao, came in and rearranged the seats. She separated Tangtang and Su Juesheng, making Tangtang and Sun Xiangrong deskmates, and Su Juesheng and Su Zitian deskmates.
Sun Xiangrong’s eyes were red. “Tangtang, will you go with me to find Tian Wenwen after school? I can’t bear to part with her. She’s dropped out. In the future, there will be no one to go home with me, jump rubber bands with me, or go to the toilet with me.”
Sun Xiangrong and Tian Wenwen had always been deskmates, and they had a very good relationship. Tian Wenwen had dropped out just like that. She had secretly wiped her tears several times.
“Alright, don’t cry. I’ll go with you to find her after school.”
After school, Tangtang let Su Juesheng go home first. She and Sun Xiangrong went to the Tian family to find Tian Wenwen.
The layout of the Tian family’s house was similar to that of most of the families in the village. It had a collapsed wall and a dilapidated yard. The few cabbages planted in the vegetable patch at the base of the wall were buried in snow. A large yellow dog was barking from behind the door. Tangtang stood at the base of the broken courtyard wall and peeked inside, but she didn’t see Tian Wenwen.
“Who are you looking for?” a middle-aged woman holding a handful of corn asked them suspiciously.
“Auntie, we’re looking for Tian Wenwen.”
“Oh.” The middle-aged woman nodded, turned around, and went into the house to call Tian Wenwen out.
Tian Wenwen immediately guessed their intention. “You don’t have to persuade me. I won’t go back to school.”
“Why not?”
“My head doesn’t work well, and my grades have never been good. It’s useless even if I study for a few more years. My mom said that instead of wasting time at school, I might as well stay at home and help with the housework, learn needlework from her, and find a decent young man in our village or a neighboring village to marry in a few years. That kind of life is pretty good.”
Hearing her words, Sun Xiangrong was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes. “But, but the factories in the city all want to recruit female workers with an education. If you drop out now, it will be difficult for you to go out in the future.”
“The radio is all about city people’s business. Look at our village, how many girls continue to study after finishing primary school? Even if they manage to finish junior high, don’t they still come back to our village to get married and have children? Which one of them has gone out?” A bitter smile appeared on Tian Wenwen’s lips. “Besides, my younger brother is starting school next year. The family has so little food. I can’t let him go hungry, right?”
Tangtang handed her the homework that Teacher Zhang had distributed. “But you did very well on this homework. You got over eighty points. You should at least finish primary school. It’s only half a year. It won’t delay anything.”
Tian Wenwen shook her head. “Even if I get a primary school diploma, it’s just a piece of waste paper. It’s not worth spending another half a year for a piece of paper.”