Chapter 42
Zhou Shunian squatted by the bed, carefully bringing the warm water to Wang Chunlan’s lips. “I’m really fine. Didn’t the doctor also repeatedly check and say it’s fine? I was just probably tired from rushing to make the cloth shoes these past few days and fainted from carelessness.”
Her gaunt cheeks, sallow complexion, and the smell of hair oil mixed with the scent of disinfectant wafted into Zhou Shunian’s nose, making his eyes sting.
Zhou Shunian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He remembered the way his heart had pounded in his chest as he carried his mother to the hospital just now, afraid that the person on his back would suddenly stop moving.
In the stuffy hospital room, the medicine in the IV tube dripped rhythmically into the glass bottle. “I heard from the nurse that you were the one who carried me here just now. What a good boy. I don’t know when you became taller than Mom.”
“Son, let’s go home after this IV drip is finished.” Wang Chunlan patted his broad shoulder. “You have to leave for Wanqiu early tomorrow morning. I can’t delay you.”
“Mom, I…” The words got stuck in his throat. Zhou Shunian turned his head away, and a hot tear fell onto the back of Wang Chunlan’s hand.
The incandescent light in the hospital room was cold and stark. The moonlight shone through the window into the room, a room of cold white.
…
From a distance, Tangtang and Su Juesheng saw the figure in front of the county revolutionary committee compound. They quickened their pace and ran towards them. “Hurry up, we can still make it.”
“Brother Shunian, Auntie.” The brother and sister stopped, their hands on their knees, panting heavily. Sweat from their foreheads rolled down their chins and into their collars.
“Juesheng, Tangtang, why are you here?”
Zhou Shunian was carrying a satchel, and next to him on the ground were two bundles of packed luggage and bedding.
“We knew you were leaving for Wanqiu today. We asked the teacher for leave to come and see you off.”
“Brother Shunian, thank you for the blue schoolbag you gave me!” Su Juesheng stood up straight, grinning with a mouthful of white teeth. Then, he took out a thick brown leather notebook from his pocket. “Brother Shunian, this is for you. I bought it with my pocket money that I saved for two months. I wish you all the best in Wanqiu!”
“Brother Shunian, this is a peace knot I made myself. I wish you a safe journey.” Tangtang also gave her gift. She had made this peace knot overnight, using red thick cotton thread bought from the market. Each thread was strong and even. The peace knot was very delicately made. The auspicious knot in the center had clear lines and flowed naturally. The surrounding threads extended evenly, intertwined, tight and neat, without a single messy thread.
Zhou Shunian accepted their gifts. He patted the two children’s heads, a gentle smile on his face. “I’ll accept the gifts. Remember, you must study hard and strive to become a meaningful person in the future.”
Tangtang and Su Juesheng nodded. “Brother Shunian, we’ll remember.”
Wang Chunlan turned her head away and wiped her tears with her rough sleeve. Seeing that it was almost time, she reminded him, “It’s time to get on the bus.”
The moment the bus started to move, Tangtang’s gaze couldn’t help but fall on Wang Chunlan. Her eyes were red, as if they had been smoked by the stove fire all night. Her voice was as hoarse as a dull sickle. Her whole person seemed to have been drained of its soul, leaving only a thin, stooped shell standing in place.
Tangtang suddenly chased after the bus for two steps. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted at the departing car, “Brother Shunian, take care!”
…
Yu Laowu had been working at the county breeding farm for more than half a year. The breeding farm had allocated him a dormitory. He usually stayed in the dormitory and only returned to Wangxiang Village when he had a holiday. Although working at the breeding farm was not an easy job, he was already very satisfied. The work was stable, the salary was guaranteed, and there were also some subsidies. He didn’t have to toil in the fields all year round, living a life with no end in sight.
The Yu family had not yet been divided. He sent ten yuan of his thirty-five-yuan monthly salary home to subsidize the family. He had originally planned to send twenty, but his parents were unwilling to take so much money from him. They knew that it was not easy for him to just start working, so they only took ten, and let him save the rest for his future marriage. Yu Laowu was already twenty-six years old this year. Most of his peers had gotten married early. If it weren’t for the poor situation of his family, it would not have been delayed for so long.
Yu Laowu didn’t have many major expenses. He estimated that in another year or two, when he had saved a little more money, he would find a way to get a bicycle coupon. That way, he could buy a bicycle, and it would be much more convenient to go home.
The breeding farm had two shifts. After finishing his night shift, the first thing he did when he returned to the dormitory was to take his clothes to the bathhouse to take a bath. Besides the sour-smelling work clothes, the most unpleasant smell was that of pig manure. He lathered his whole body with soap and took a refreshing hot bath. Yu Laowu changed into a dark blue polyester shirt, which he had bought at the county department store for eight yuan after getting his salary last month.
He had just gotten his salary. Coming out of the bathhouse, Yu Laowu thought about getting something to eat first, then going to the store. He planned to go to his big sister’s house in Yuhuai Village in two days when he had a holiday, to bring some gifts for his big sister’s children, and finally go back to the dormitory to catch up on sleep.
The store was bustling with people. He browsed the shelves for a long time and finally chose a box of watercolor pens that were said to be from the provincial capital. He remembered that two years ago, that girl Tangtang had loved to draw. He didn’t know if she was still drawing now.
He chose a navy blue polyester shirt for Juesheng and a light gray polyester shirt for Juexiao. This material was crisp and stain-resistant, and the texture was completely different from the coarse cloth clothes woven in the countryside. It didn’t look wrinkled, and it was comfortable and presentable to wear.
Coming out of the store, half a month’s salary was gone, but Yu Laowu not only didn’t feel the pinch, but also felt a sense of satisfaction from spending money.
If it weren’t for his big sister’s family, he would still be farming in the village now. How could he have been hired by the breeding farm? The most important thing in life was to be grateful.
Coming out of the store, after walking a few steps, he saw an old man clutching his chest and sitting down by a flower bed. Yu Laowu quickly strode forward and tried to help the old man up. “Old man, what’s wrong with you?!”
The old man’s lips were as dry as cracked earth. He clutched his chest and pointed to his pocket with a pained expression. “Medicine, medicine…”
Hearing this, Yu Laowu quickly reached into the old man’s pocket and soon found a small medicine bottle. “How many pills should I take?”
“Three… three pills…”
He unscrewed the bottle cap, poured out three pills, poured some water from his own water bottle, and carefully fed the medicine to the old man. The old man couldn’t get up. Yu Laowu didn’t mind the dirty ground and simply sat down by the flower bed, letting him lean against him.
“Uncle, are you feeling better? If not, we should go to the hospital.” Yu Laowu asked.
The old man shook his head slightly, his voice weak. “It’s an old problem. I’ll be fine after taking some medicine. There’s no need to go to the hospital. Young man, you’re really a kind-hearted young man.”
“Then where do you live? I might as well take you home.” Yu Laowu had other things to do, but he really couldn’t just leave an old man in a bad situation on the side of the road.
The old man lived in the family quarters of the county tractor factory. He looked like a retired worker. The courtyard was piled with all sorts of things. A young girl who looked like the old man’s daughter came out of the courtyard.
“Dad, what’s wrong with you? Is your heart disease acting up again?!”
“When the weather gets hot, my blood vessels are like a knotted hemp rope. I can’t catch my breath after walking a few steps. It’s thanks to this young man who appeared in time and carried me back.”
“I’ve told you so many times not to go out in the middle of the day, but you just won’t listen!” The young girl helped the old man into the house.
Seeing the old man go back, Yu Laowu also breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up the satchel with the gifts and was about to leave the county tractor factory.
The young girl ran out of the house again. “Hey, big brother, thank you for helping my dad. Come in and have a glass of water before you go!”
As she ran out, her starry eyes met his dark ones. The wind blew through the sweat-soaked bangs on her forehead, and the corner of her blue cloth shirt was lifted by the wind. Her two braids were thick and long.
He suddenly thought of the spiderwort that often bloomed on the hillside, blue and radiant.
Yu Laowu’s gaze rested on her for a long while before he realized that this was very impolite. “Sorry, I have something else to do, so I won’t have any water. I’ll be leaving now.”
The old man leaned against the threshold and waved his trembling hand. “Young man, come in and have a cup of tea before you go…”
“Don’t be so formal with us. My name is Li Suqin. I’m a nurse at the county hospital.” Before Yu Laowu could refuse again, the young girl in front of him had already quickly walked up to him and reached out to take the satchel on his shoulder.
“My name is Yu Zhenqi. I work at the breeding farm.” He scratched his head in embarrassment. Of course, Yu Laowu’s name was not Yu Laowu. It was just that compared to his formal name, the villagers and his family were more used to calling him Laowu. Over time, he had also gotten used to the name Yu Laowu.
And so, Yu Laowu was invited in for a cup of tea. During the conversation, he also learned about this family’s situation. The old man’s wife had passed away many years ago. The young girl in front of him was the youngest daughter in the family, twenty-three years old. After graduating from the district health school, she was assigned to be a nurse at the county hospital. Her older brothers were all married and had moved out. Only she was not yet married.
After drinking the tea, Yu Laowu left. He thought of those bright eyes, and a ripple of emotion stirred in his heart. But he quickly shook his head and cast aside those romantic thoughts.
How could a dirty breeding farm worker like him dare to have designs on a glamorous nurse from the county hospital? And if it weren’t for his big sister’s family’s help, he would still be a mud-legged farmer scraping a living from the soil.
A few days passed like this, and Yu Laowu had long forgotten about that matter. On this day, the old gatekeeper of the breeding farm suddenly found him and said that someone was looking for him outside.
Seeing the graceful figure in the blue cloth shirt standing in front of him, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Li Suqin, with her two thick braids, stood outside the gate and smiled at him. “I just got off work. I haven’t properly thanked you for last time. I’ll treat you to a meal!”
The afterglow of the setting sun slanted on her shoulders, and the blue cloth shirt was covered with a warm orange color. Even the smile in Li Suqin’s eyes seemed to be coated with a layer of honey.
After this meal, the two of them slowly became familiar with each other. Li Suqin was beautiful, and her personality was bright and generous. Yu Laowu was upright, enthusiastic, down-to-earth, and hardworking.
Li Suqin not only didn’t mind that he worked at the breeding farm, but she also didn’t mind his family’s situation. And so, the two of them naturally started dating.
“You’ve been to my house several times. When are you going to take me to your house to have a look?” Li Suqin asked, leaning on his shoulder.
On his previous days off, Yu Laowu had gone with Li Suqin to the tractor factory’s family quarters. Without a word, he had climbed up a ladder to repair the leaking roof and had also cleaned her courtyard, neatly stacking the coal briquettes and filling several water vats.
At first, her older brothers were not happy about her finding a rural youth from a breeding farm as a boyfriend. But later, when they mentioned Yu Laowu, they were full of praise.
The young man was ambitious, hardworking, and honest, and he seemed to be sincere towards their sister.
“I think, instead of my house, I’d rather take you to a place first.” Yu Laowu crumpled the bamboo flute that could no longer be played.
“Where are we going?” Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.
In front of them was a sparkling stream. Yu Laowu simply threw the bamboo leaves into the stream and let them float away with the water. “My big sister’s house.”
“Your big sister’s house?”
“Mhm, they are all very good people. They will definitely like you very much.”