Bai Fumei in the 70’s

Soon, He Songye had cleaned out the room. She was the kind of person with a habit of being clean. Once she was idle, she couldn't sit still, and no dust will be left behind in any corner of the house. Although the He family's house was old and dilapidated, she managed to keep it neat and orderly, and you would not see any decline.

He Songbai heard the heavy footsteps near him, he raised his eyes and saw a slim figure. The woman walked towards the He family's old house with her heavy luggage. After she put the luggage on the ground, she lifted her sleeves and wiped her forehead. The crystal beads of sweat ran down against her skin. Her dark hair stuck smoothly to her cheeks, and her apricot eyes revealed her fatigue.

He Songye shook a bell around her waist and waved to her brother in the field.1

He Songbai put down the manure in his hands, went to the well to wash his hands in silence, and walked in front of the uninvited guest.

The sister-in-law gestured at him and 'said', "Help, take the luggage."

He Songbai frowned, his dark and fierce eyes slightly sinking.

He Songye saw the thick vigilance in his brother's eyes and 'said', "I let her live here."

"No, she has to live somewhere else."

He Songbai's fingertips pressed against the woman's shoulder, pushed her back slightly, and his tall body blocked the door fence, and said lazily, "What do you want to do?"

He pushed He Songye into the house with one hand when he said this.

Zhao Lanxiang watched as her old man threw the door shut, and locked He Songye in the room. He was indifferent to He Songye's constant knocking.

His bushy eyebrows revealed undisguised indifference and caution, and his cold voice revealed a hostile meaning, "Do you know who I am?"

After the man said that, he indiscriminately gaze at the woman's breasts until his face turned red, and he just looked away.3

Zhao Lanxiang did not expect that her humble and decent husband had such a frivolous side.

Her heart actually quietly jumped a few times.

This "poor and sad" old man, lazy and sloppy. He had an image of the gangster brother who would be popular in the 1990s. The sharp and deep eyebrows and the unruly face seem to be so fierce that he could jump up and beat people at any time.

It's a pity... he lived two decades ahead. If it was around that time, he would be sought after by thousands of people, but now he is a second-rate person who was scolded and pointed at by everyone.

The man was wearing a white-washed ripped shirt today, with a casual look in his eyes. Zhao Lanxiang, who had been sleeping with him for 20 years, knew that this man was a wolf. His tone was casual, but he was uncertain and wondered if she had tricked his honest older sister.

Zhao Lanxiang took out three yuan in front of his lazy and indifferent look, with an expression that was unafraid. "This is rent, I am not staying for free."

"The collective dormitory for the educated youths has collapsed, and I have no place to settle down. Your family has a small population and a big place, I would love to live here. I will move out after the new educated youths' dormitory is built at the end of the year."

No matter how green and immature he was compared with decades later, she was convinced that he was a smart man. Right now the family was too poor. If a room that was empty for many years can be exchanged for meager rent, it was unreasonable to refuse. What's more...she didn't look like a bad person.

At this time, He Songye knocked hard on the door again, shouting anxiously, and even kicked the door angrily for being locked inside the house.

For the sake of his elder sister, for the sake of this weak and harmless woman, He Songbai temporarily gave in.

He took the wad of bills from the woman's hand, looked at it, and casually stuffed it in his pockets. He warned her, "...I'll say the ugly words in advance, so you shouldn't stir up trouble. If you make problems for me, you can pack up and move."

Zhao Lanxiang nodded, kicking the luggage with her foot. "You have worked hard, comrade."

Zhao Lanxiang would not be polite to him for the time being. She was just a stranger who had paid rent. He Songbai was accustomed to the cold eyes from the entire brigade since he was young, and when he suddenly encountered a stranger who was enthusiastic, he either suspected that she was a fool, or that she had a bad motive.3

Zhao Lanxiang learned this from their last cold encounter in the cornfield.

He Songbai did not like to owe a favor, he helped her the last time probably because of the few candies she gave to his sister. He thought that if he paid off this debt, he could simply leave. Eating a few more of her steamed buns, this should be counted separately.

This careful thought remained in He Songbai decades later when he was rich. Those who had helped him, he would return it without leaving any lines. If he had money, he would contribute. If he owed one point, he would give three points, so he was the "God of Wealth" of many people. People around him were happy to make friends with him. Favors from all directions were constantly rolling in and his career was flourishing.

He Songbai put away his airy look and stooped silently to pick up the luggage on the ground and carried it into the house.

He Songye was released. She raised her hand into a fist and knocked his head twice. Her face was full of indignation. She is very dissatisfied with his behavior just now so now she was defending her status as the head of the family. He Songbai did not resist and bowed his head.

He Songye guiltily pointed at Zhao Lanxiang, gesturing, "He... he has a bad temper, not good."

"But he is not a bad person, rest assured."

"You sit, he cleans up."

Zhao Lanxiang found a small bench and sat down, holding her hand under her chin as she watched her old man with interest. He made a simple bed with a few planks, and the joints are connected with mortise and tenon grooves. There was no need for a single nail. His movements were skillful, the sawdust fluttered where the chisel hits. Finally, he blew a few times, and the sawdust from the bed was blown away. His thick thumb touched the bed everywhere and pulled out the protruding splinters.

His sharp and deep eyebrows were upright and often showed fierceness when his face was expressionless, but carpenters, when working were serious and meticulous. Zhao Lanxiang was fascinated, and her eyes inadvertently showing a gentle color. 

How much she wanted to hug the thin man at this moment and remove all the dust from his head. But... she knew that she could not do this, as her old man was a man of great vigilance. 

When He Songbai raised his head, Zhao Lanxiang's eyes had already changed into their normal emotions. She touched the bed with her thumb and asked slightly.

 "Can I sleep here?" 

 He Songye gestured with a smile and explained, "He did carpentry. Craftsmanship, okay." 

 "Bed, get down and sleep." 

Zhao Lanxiang handed the last meat bun from her pocket to the sweaty He Songbai. He Songbai did not take it. He wiped his sweat with a broken towel and ran outside to the well to wash his face. Zhao Lanxiang pushed the bun into He Songye's hands, "Give him the last one, I'm full." 

She touched her belly. She just ate nine buns with Sister He at the irrigation ridge. Both of them can't even hold their stomachs now. 

It was He Songye who really couldn't hold it. On her way back, her stomach was uncomfortable, her stomach hadn't seen oil for a long time and had become weak. She vomited after a few steps. He Songye was both distressed and sad. She squatted on the grass and stared at the filth for a long time. She was not willing to left it behind, and shoveled it back with a dustpan to feed the chicken. 13

In the end, the bun that He Songbai didn't even a glance at was put lovingly in the pot by He Songye and left behind for their sister. 

The brother and sister worked together for a while before they cleaned the room spotless for their new city guest. Zhao Lanxiang touched the new quilt on the bed and took out the silk quilt that her parents ordered for her from her luggage. She takes He Songye's new quilt and handed it back to He Songye.1

He Songye glanced at the girl's 'city quilt', and touched it softly. It would be warm in winter and cool in summer. Her new quilt was not really necessary, so He Songye put her quilt back in the box. He Songbai also saw this action, but in his eyes, it had another meaning.1

He chewed some bitter cabbage in his mouth and spit out the residue, his eyes darkened.

He Songye shook her bell a few times, and He Songbai turned into the kitchen and put a few pieces of sweet potatoes and some brown rice, and boiled a pot of water.

He Songye saw that her brother cooked sweet potato porridge, so she scooped it down with a spoon, and saw that the soup was so clear that she waved. She shook her head babblingly and grabbed a few handfuls of rice.

He Songbai raised his eyelids and crouched down indifferently.

He Songye tapped his head with the bell and glared at him.

He Songbai said lightly, "It's almost enough, if we put so much rice, what will we eat next month?"

Although he said so, when he scooped the porridge, he filled his grandmother's bowl with pure rice and gave the city's girl a mixture of half rice and half sweet potato. Finally, the remaining sweet potatoes were divided for the three siblings.