Chapter 3
Ye Qingzhi sat for a while before preparing to start the fire and heat up their meal. Although Wei Anmin was a sensible child, her conscience wouldn’t let her order a seven-year-old to cook.
Maybe when he’s a bit older, she thought. Once he’s ten, I can ask him to do chores with a clear conscience.
“Mama, you’re not feeling well. Go lie down. I’ll start the fire.” Wei Anmin returned with a basket of vegetables. Seeing Ye Qingzhi trying to light the stove, he quickly ran over.
Wei Anjie followed close behind, tugging on Ye Qingzhi’s arm. “Mama, go rest. Brother and I will do it.”
Ye Qingzhi looked awkwardly at the match and kindling in her hand. She had the original owner’s memories, so her mind knew what to do, but her hands didn’t. She had already wasted three matches without success.
“Mama, don’t be sad. My brother and I get four work-points every day for cutting pig feed, and we can dig for wild vegetables too. When we’re a little older, we’ll be able to earn even more. So even without a papa, we can still survive.” Wei Anmin thought his mother was so distraught over Wei Jiancheng’s death that she couldn’t even light a fire.
Beside him, Wei Anjie nodded vigorously. He took the matches from his mother’s hand. Wasting three in a row like that was truly heartbreaking.
Watching six-year-old Wei Anjie skillfully light the fire, Ye Qingzhi sheepishly made way for him.
Just a moment ago, she was telling herself she couldn’t order a seven-year-old around. She hadn’t expected to be proven wrong so quickly.
“Don’t worry. Mama still has you two. I won’t do anything rash.” Ye Qingzhi stroked Wei Anjie’s head. Noticing a flash of envy in Wei Anmin’s eyes, she stroked his head as well. “You’re only seven. You’re still a child. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself.”
Wei Anmin lowered his head. He and his brother had seen Wei Youliang and the others come to cause trouble.
Wei Anjie had been about to run out, but he had held him back. They were still too small; going out would only add to their mother’s troubles.
The two brothers exchanged a look. They would endure it for now. When they grew up, they wouldn’t let a single person who had bullied their mother get away with it.
It didn’t take long to heat up the meal. The two boys also boiled an egg for Ye Qingzhi, adding the last of the family’s white sugar, saying it was to help her regain her strength.
“For me?” Ye Qingzhi looked at the poached egg, then at the two children. Wei Anmin was managing better, but Wei Anjie was constantly swallowing his saliva. His little expression tugged at Ye Qingzhi’s heart.
In her time, children were practically sick of eating eggs. But here, eggs were a farmer’s most important source of income. For a family like theirs, the eggs laid by their two hens were what they relied on to trade for basic necessities like salt and matches.
“Let’s eat together.” Ye Qingzhi pulled them closer and divided the egg into three portions. “Hurry up and eat,” she said in a tone that brooked no refusal.
After eating and washing the dishes, the two boys said they wanted to go out and play, but Ye Qingzhi refused.
They had no feelings for Wei Jiancheng, but he was still their father. For his sons to run out and play right after he died would surely lead outsiders to say they lacked filial piety.
For the sake of her children’s reputations, they had to at least pretend to be grieving.
“Mama, we’re not really going to play. We want to catch fish for you to help you get better,” Wei Anjie explained hurriedly, worried his mother had misunderstood.
Ye Qingzhi stroked Wei Anjie’s head. “Mama knows. But outsiders don’t. You and your brother are both good, sensible boys, and I don’t want people gossiping about you.”
The two boys couldn’t sit still. If they couldn’t catch fish, they would wash vegetables. Surely no one could fault them for doing chores?
Seeing they really couldn’t stay put, Ye Qingzhi had no choice but to nod. “Go on, then. Just stay by the creek. Don’t go in the water, and definitely don’t go anywhere deep.”
Ye Qingzhi closed the door and took out the second page of the letter and the money order from her chest. She would put these away for now and cash the order in a few days. There was no chance she could do it tomorrow.
She found the money box the original owner had hidden. Inside was the family’s entire savings—one yuan.
In her previous life, if a one-yuan coin fell on the ground, few people would even bother to pick it up.
Looking at the money order, Ye Qingzhi clicked her tongue. Wei Jiancheng was truly ruthless. He had been working away from home for so many years and had only sent a total of fifty yuan back.
He claimed to be saving money to buy a house, but in reality, he had secured a permanent position long ago, earning over thirty yuan a month. By a rough estimate, he should have had at least eight hundred yuan in savings. Yet, he only sent one hundred back to his wife and children. And for that, he expected the original owner to remain a widow for him for the rest of her life.
After hiding the money box, Ye Qingzhi felt sticky and uncomfortable. The water in the copper kettle was still warm, so she poured some into a basin, gave herself a quick wipe-down, and changed into a fresh set of clothes before lying down on the bed.
She had been inexplicably thrown into a book, had a genuine, heartfelt cry, and then put on a show for Fang Xiaomei. Ye Qingzhi was now physically and mentally exhausted. The moment she closed her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke up, the sky was already dark. Ye Qingzhi rubbed her temples and sat up. Hearing a slight noise outside, it took her a moment to remember that she had transmigrated to the 1960s and had become an instant mother to two sensible, adorable children.
“Mama, you’re awake! Dinner’s almost ready. You can sit for a bit,” Wei Anjie said with a bright smile when he saw her come out.
Ye Qingzhi gently pinched his little cheek. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Wei Anjie glanced at Wei Anmin. His brother had said their mother wasn’t well and needed to rest, so they shouldn’t wake her.
Ye Qingzhi followed his gaze. These two children were truly too sensible, so much so that it made one’s heart ache.
There was no entertainment in this era. The only way to pass the time was to gather at the grain-sunning ground to chat. Given her current situation, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to wander around, and the children couldn’t go out either. So, after washing up, the three of them went to bed early.
She had thought that after sleeping all afternoon, she would surely be unable to sleep at night. To her surprise, she fell asleep again quickly. Ye Qingzhi guessed it had something to do with her transmigration. Suddenly having two sets of memories was too much for this body to handle, so it needed sleep to recharge.
The next morning, if not for the two children calling her, Ye Qingzhi really wouldn’t have woken up.
Though she suspected it had more to do with her original biological clock. What kind of decent person wakes up at four-thirty in the morning? The sky outside was still dark.
“Why are you up so early? Go back to sleep for a while. Children need a lot of sleep to grow tall,” Ye Qingzhi said, pinching their little cheeks.
“We’ve had enough sleep. Mama, are you going to the commune with Grandpa today?” Wei Anjie asked with some worry as he started the fire to boil water. “Will Grandpa bully you?”
“He won’t. The commune leaders will be there. Your grandpa wouldn’t dare,” Ye Qingzhi said, shaking her head.
After breakfast, the two children slung baskets over their backs and went up the mountain to cut pig feed. Ye Qingzhi took the letter and prepared to head to the commune, taking the opportunity to familiarize herself with the surroundings.
Just as she stepped out the gate, she ran into Auntie Ye and Auntie Lin. Second Great-Aunt was there too. Seeing Ye Qingzhi, she immediately came over, took her hand, and comforted her, “I’ve heard about what happened to Jiancheng. Try to look on the bright side. If you run into any difficulties in the future, just come find me.”
Ye Qingzhi nodded, choking back a sob. Thinking of her own family and the days ahead, tears streamed down her face.
“At the beginning of the year, Jiancheng said he was coming back for the New Year. I never imagined he would just be gone like this. They say it was an illness… He was all alone in the Northwest, with no one to take care of him. I don’t even know if he had a full meal before he passed. The children and I didn’t even get to see him one last time. My heart… it feels like it’s been stabbed with a knife,” Ye Qingzhi said, her face a mask of grief and heartache.
Seeing her so devastated, no one doubted her. Before Wei Jiancheng left, he and the original owner had been a loving couple, and the whole village had seen it.
Moreover, Wei Jiancheng had been gone for six years, and the original owner had remained faithful to him for all six years, which further proved her deep love and devotion.
“Qingzhi, stop crying. The dead can’t be brought back. You have to try and look on the bright side,” Auntie Li comforted her.
“I’m fine.” Ye Qingzhi wiped away her tears. “I still have my two boys. Even if it’s just for them, I have to carry on, no matter how hard life gets.”
Everyone felt deep sympathy for Ye Qingzhi. Her own family was far away, her mother-in-law had died early, and having a father-in-law was worse than having none. Her husband had been gone for six years and was now suddenly dead. The days ahead would not be easy.
The others had to go to work, and Ye Qingzhi had to get to the commune, so they parted ways after a few more words.
“Jiancheng’s wife, have you eaten? If not, you can have something at my place,” Fang Xiaomei asked politely when she saw Ye Qingzhi.
“No, thank you. I’ve already eaten.” Ye Qingzhi looked at Wei Youliang behind her. “Dad, let’s go. The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back.”
Their village, Houxi Village, wasn’t particularly remote, but it was still a two-hour walk to the commune. It was a good thing she had the original owner’s physical constitution. If it had been her own body, her feet would have been covered in blisters by now.
When they arrived, the commune office was just opening. As luck would have it, Ye Qingzhi saw the man who had delivered the letter the day before and quickly went to stop him.
“Hello, Comrade. I’m Ye Qingzhi from Houxi Village. You delivered a letter to me yesterday, do you remember?”
Lin Fei was taken aback for a moment. He remembered all too well. “Hello, Comrade Ye. May I ask what I can help you with?”
“Yesterday, you said my husband passed away from an illness, but you didn’t specify what illness, when he passed, or what should be done with his body. So we came to ask,” Ye Qingzhi asked in a clear and organized manner.
Beside her, Wei Youliang interjected anxiously, “And my son’s belongings! He worked there for six years. Where are the things he left behind? We haven’t seen a single thing.”
Ye Qingzhi shot him a sideways glance and continued to look at Lin Fei, hoping he could provide an answer.
“I’m not sure about that either. How about this, I’ll go ask my superior and see if we can make a phone call to the Northwest to inquire,” Lin Fei said, thinking their request was reasonable.
The two of them followed Lin Fei to the door of his superior’s office. After a while, Lin Fei came out and said they could make a call, but it couldn’t be long—five minutes at most.
Ye Qingzhi nodded quickly. Pretending not to know how to use a telephone, she asked Lin Fei to help her dial the number for Wei Jiancheng’s work unit.
After two rings, someone on the other end picked up. When they learned it was Wei Jiancheng’s family calling, they surprisingly said that Wei Jiancheng had resigned several years ago and the factory knew nothing of his recent situation.
“Do you have any other numbers?” Lin Fei asked sympathetically, seeing the color drain from Ye Qingzhi’s face.
Ye Qingzhi shook her head. Wei Jiancheng had only ever contacted the original owner one-way. She hadn’t even known the number for his work unit until today.
“That’s not right. Wasn’t it his work unit that notified us of his death?” Wei Youliang thought he had found a loophole.
“No, it was a friend of Comrade Wei Jiancheng who notified us. I don’t know the specific details. It’s too far away, and we don’t have a direct number. If you want to know the truth, you’ll have to make a trip to the Northwest,” Lin Fei said, shaking his head.
“Then what about my son’s belongings?” This was all Wei Youliang cared about.
“How would I know?” Lin Fei said, exasperated.
His dream of inheriting a fortune shattered, Wei Youliang didn’t even spare a glance for the “devastated” Ye Qingzhi. He turned and hurried back to the countryside, afraid of having his work-points docked.
Ye Qingzhi lowered her eyes, a cold smile playing on her lips. Resigned long ago? Wei Jiancheng really is a meticulous planner.
It didn’t matter. A man who didn’t come home or send money for six years was better off dead than alive.
But since Wei Jiancheng dared to fake his death and scheme against the original owner, he couldn’t blame her for starting some rumors.
“Comrade Lin, could I make one more call? I want to ask Jiancheng’s friend… how he died. What day did he die? Did he have any last wishes?” Ye Qingzhi pulled a handkerchief from her pocket. She had rubbed it with ginger juice earlier. Dabbing it near the corner of her eye, tears immediately began to fall.
“When Jiancheng left, my eldest son was only a little over a year old, and my youngest was just a month old. Neither of them has any memory of their father. They should at least know the date of his death. If he had any last wishes, they should be told to the children so they can help fulfill them. And his body… I need to know where he’s buried. When we have the chance in the future, he should be brought home to rest.”
Ye Qingzhi wasn’t making a scene, and her request was reasonable. Besides, the five minutes the superior had approved hadn’t been used up. So, Lin Fei helped her find the number and dialed it.
After a few rings, someone answered. It turned out to be a hospital’s number.
She suspected that the person who had called that day was Wei Jiancheng himself. He had probably paid off a hospital worker to use their phone, making him even harder to trace.
Ye Qingzhi pressed her lips together and gripped the receiver, her eyes red. “So that’s how it is? I understand. Thank you for telling me. I… I’m fine. I know. Okay, I understand. Mm-hmm. Still, thank you. Okay, goodbye.”
The operator at the hospital in the Northwest was completely bewildered. She hadn’t said anything yet, so how did it become “like this” and “like that”? And the woman kept thanking her. Was she mentally ill?
Seeing Ye Qingzhi’s devastated expression, Lin Fei asked softly, “Comrade Ye, did something happen?”
Ye Qingzhi was crying and laughing at the same time. “I was wondering why he hadn’t come home or sent any money all these years. It turns out he had another woman on the side all along! And here I was, heartbroken that he had no one to care for him before he died. Meanwhile, he had a wife and kids and a warm bed, living the good life! Sob, sob… How could he do this? What does he take me for?”
The people around them looked like they had just stumbled upon some major gossip. They began to whisper amongst themselves, and soon, they had pieced together the entire story.
Six years ago, Wei Jiancheng from Houxi Village went to the Third Front to be a temporary worker. He sent money home for a few months, then suddenly disappeared. Three years ago, he sent a letter home but still no money, claiming he was saving up to buy a house to bring his wife and children over for a reunion. Then, another three years passed, and a death notice arrived. His wife, not wanting him to die under mysterious circumstances, made some inquiries, and—lo and behold—he had another woman on the side. All his wages over the years had gone to support his other woman, leaving nothing for his wife and children back home.
“Oh my god, she’s so pitiful,” a young, unmarried woman said, looking at Ye Qingzhi with sympathy.
An older woman beside her nodded in agreement. “Men are all scum. Sigh, it’s the wife and children at home who suffer.”
Ye Qingzhi covered her mouth, sobbing, but in reality, she was trying to hide the smile she could no longer suppress.
Go on, talk, she thought. Spread it through all the surrounding villages. Once Wei Jiancheng is branded a heartless scoundrel, everything I do from now on will be perfectly justifiable.