Bai Fumei in the 70’s

City N, Hezi village.

He Songbai carried a hoe to work on the mountain. The paddy field on Heshan Mountain had been opened, and green manures have also blackened the land. Taking advantage of planting winter wheat season in October, rice can be inoculated seamlessly after the harvest in April next year.

After he finished his work, he panted heavily and squatted down to eat wild vegetables.

Soon a man came to him and greeted him, "Teacher Gu has lived in your home for a while, thanks to your help."

He Songbai raised his head. It was a gentle-looking man talking to him, with a fair complexion and a very easy-going tone.

The man was wearing coarse clothes, his palms were covered with stains, and he looked like he had just finished rough work. But He Songbai recognized him, he was Wu Yong from Heshan.

He Songbai continued to chew the vegetables, which is hard and rough and scratched his throat to comfort the dryness. He drank half a jug of water and moistened his mouth.

Wu Yong went on to say, "The project in Qinghe County has to be rushed, otherwise it will be difficult to do in the winter. I want Teacher Gu to pick up this project..."

He Songbai's movement of drinking water stopped for a moment.

He dumbly throated and coughed, "I'm so uneducated, it's useless to tell me, hey--"

He spoke out in slang and spoke to Wu Yong with a strong local accent.

He Songbai usually doesn't work much to talk to people, and he is silent and withdrawn in the impression of others. At this moment, he talks as he usually talks, and no one would be surprised if he deliberately pretends to be vulgar. He didn't want to talk more with Teacher Gu's students. The hard work on the pig farm has consumed a lot of his energy. He also wanted to take a rest undisturbed while eating under the tree.

Wu Yong continued gently, "You can help me communicate with Teacher Gu and persuade him to come back."

"Teacher Gu probably still angry with me, if it is someone around him, he would listen."

He Songbai responded indifferently.

Wu Yong continued, "I heard that your grandma has stayed in foreign countries before?"

He sat beside He Songbai as if he is chatting with friends.

He Songbai's sleepiness disappeared. He narrowed his dark eyes dangerously and flashed a light across his silent and gloomy eyes, looking like he was angry, withdrawn, and indifferent.

Wu Yong seemed to have heard that He Songbai's reputation in the village. He paused for a moment and asked sincerely, "Did I offend you?"3

"Actually I am not malicious."

"I am also from a family of intellectuals. My father has the overseas experience, and he has been transferred to the Northwest Forest Farm to work today..."

He Songbai's chewing of wild vegetables stopped, "I don't understand what you're saying, I'm full and it's time to work."

After swallowing the dry food in his hand, he brushed past Wu Yong and went to work in the field with his hoe.

In the evening, He Songbai returned home carrying a hoe, stopped when passing the bullpen, and casually said a sentence to Teacher Gu.

"Your student asked you to go back to oversee the project."

Teacher Gu groaned and lay back to the straw pile uncomfortably.

Hu Xianzhi said, "Brother Wu has done his best for Teacher, and he is working hard to restore your reputation."1

"If Teacher can take back the project, you don't have to do this kind of dirty and tiring work. Maybe you can... make merits to redeem the sin."

Teacher Gu's original good mood was wiped out by the sentence "make merits to redeem the sin".

He snorted coldly, "If one is clean, the reputation will clear itself."

Hu Xianzhi also said, "Is Teacher Gu still doubting Brother Wu now? Don't be fooled by what Sun Xiang deliberately said. He deliberately said it so we can't get along."

Teacher Gu didn't speak, he closed his eyes and rested his mind, shook his fingers and counted when Zhao Lanxiang would return.1

...

Zhao Lanxiang rode in the car for a day and a night, carrying a heavy box and heading back to N City.

Originally, when she went home, she brought a half-full box. When she came back, the box was filled by Feng Lian, and it was almost impossible to carry.

He Songbai finished the whole day's work in one breath and happily stepped on his bicycle to pick up the person at the train station. He pedaled the Phoenix bike with both feet, pedaled a full dozen miles of mountain roads, and then took a car. He took the last car. When he arrived at the train station, the night was thick and the street was sparsely populated.

He saw the girlfriend about to fall asleep with her luggage in the waiting room, and his heart trembled.

"You're back."

He stared down at the jet-black hair and muttered.

Zhao Lanxiang was so sleepy that her chin was about to hit the wooden box, but she suddenly awake.

She looked up happily and saw the man in the same dusty condition as her. His wheaten face is dusty and dirty, except for the dark eyes which are still full of energy as if overflowing with light.

He Songbai carried her suitcase on his back.

He said, "Are you hungry?"

Zhao Lanxiang nodded and touched her belly.

He Songbai took out the hot corn on the cob from his pocket, which he had paid for five cents from a family when he got out of the car.

Zhao Lanxiang took the food from the man's hand and nibbled up the sweet corn.

He Songbai carried the wooden box in both hands and followed the girl in silence. He stared at the girlfriend's slim figure with pitch-black eyes, startled in a daze.

He didn't say a word until he walked out of the train station, "I didn't ride my bike..."

Cycling from the country through the long mountain road to the city is almost impossible. He would ride until midnight. Moreover, she was squeaky and could not bear the bumps for so long.

But now... the last car has left.2

Zhao Lanxiang pursed her lips, stared at the man's embarrassed and awkward face, and silently took out a letter of introduction from her pocket.

"Go to the hotel and stay for one night. I didn't think about going back in the middle of the night."

He Songbai nodded, carrying her luggage and following her through the bustling streets of the city to the state-run hotel.

Zhao Lanxiang took out the letter of introduction and paid for the. The hotel receptionist suspiciously looked at the man and woman in front of him. Zhao Lanxiang explained, "He is my brother."

The relationship between men and women at this time is still relatively strict, but these guests are so natural and straightforward, it is difficult for the front desk if he wants to distort anything. Probably good-looking people look a bit similar, the front desk acquiesced in the sibling relationship between the two.

He Songbai silently moved her luggage and put it in the room. Sweating profusely, he walked under the faucet, washed his face, walked out of the room wet, sitting on a chair, and wiping away the water stains on his face.

He coughed and said, "I'll go out and hang around for one night and come to pick you up tomorrow morning."

Zhao Lanxiang wore a pair of black leather shoes and stepped on the old concrete floor to make a loud noise. She walked toward He Songbai step by step, her pink lips squeezed, her lips slightly raised upwards, with a slightly smiling arc.

She was obviously not satisfied with He Songbai's statement.

"Go outside and hang around, how to hang around. Sleep on the floor?"

"There are ready-made beds for you to sleep in, why do you have to go out and hang around?"

Zhao Lanxiang propped up her hands and leaned on the sides of the wooden chair she was sitting on, looking at his shy face and strong and sturdy body...