Bai Fumei in the ’70s Chapter 2
Translated by Serena Love
Proofread by Soupysuspicions
Edited by Lavender and Ladyhotcomb
Chapter 2
A week later...
In a celebratory display, all junior and senior high school graduates volunteering for the countryside were adorned with large red flowers while comfortably seated in cars.
In the sea of raven-haired individuals, Zhao Lanxiang’s keen eyes effortlessly located Zhao Yongqing and Feng Lian. She offered them a radiant smile. In response, Zhao Yongqing’s serious expression hardened, while Feng Lian cradled a teary-eyed Little Huzi. As the bus hummed to life, Little Huzi’s dam of restraint broke. His tiny arms flailed, reaching out as they would when his sister would comfort him.
Zhao Lanxiang had intended to depart without showing any signs of sadness, but the heart-rending sobs of Little Huzi had nearly prompted her own tears to fall.
On the road, the cityscape quickly receded from her view and was soon replaced by the verdant allure of rolling hills and lofty mountains.
Once they disembarked, the instructor began a roll call. A dozen names were called out and assigned to the Qingmiao Community in N City. Among them was Jiang Li. Catching sight of Zhao Lanxiang, she visibly stiffened, her face quickly morphing into a mask of distaste.
Zhao Lanxiang could only sigh at the misfortune of crossing paths with the Jiang family once again.
Jiang Li, her previous life’s sister-in-law, was a woman of high birth. With her nose forever turned up, she always looked down on Zhao Lanxiang. Her criticisms were sharp, and her arrogance was unrestrained. Zhao Lanxiang had previously endured this overbearing woman for the sake of family harmony and out of respect for Jiang Jianjun. But now...
Zhao Lanxiang treated her like air, still immersed in the joy of being able to meet He Songbai.
Transitioning from cars to a train and then finally to ox-carts, it wasn’t until dawn painted the horizon that Zhao Lanxiang set foot in Hezi village.
With a careful measure of deliberation, Zhao Lanxiang changed her clothes before getting off the train. After all, she might see her old man when she entered the village.
How could she afford to look anything less than her best at their first meeting?
Donning her new ensemble, her aura transformed entirely - clean, crisp, and orderly. In stark contrast stood the other educated youths, their clothes imprinted with the creases of a day’s travel.
Jiang Li, on the other hand, was tossed around during the long-distance trip. She arrived at Hezi village with the appearance of a soft-footed shrimp and was too exhausted to even scowl at Zhao Lanxiang.
In the end, it was just the two of them from their group who were stationed at Hezi village. Alongside three other educated youths from various locations, there were five of them altogether.
Having navigated the arduous mountain road in an ox-cart, they finally arrived at their destination. Zhao Lanxiang, armed with a pocketful of fruit candy and a smile on her face, followed the instructor into the village with her head held high.
Huddled at the village’s entrance were a handful of olive-skinned little radishes. Their wide-eyed gaze tracking the procession of educated youths.
Zhao Lanxiang cast a cursory glance their way, her eyes lighting up in recognition. Even Jiang Li, weakened and sluggish by her side, was momentarily revitalized by Zhao Lanxiang’s surge of excitement.
Among the group, Zhao Lanxiang spotted He Songbai’s sister, He Songzhi. The little radish head in front of her was the spitting image of a picture she had seen of the seven-year-old girl.
Slipping her hands into her pockets, she approached the gaggle of children, gifting each a sweet candy treat.
He Songzhi didn’t dare get close to the other children and cowered in a corner. Her face bore the grime of days without a wash. With her pair of black eyes, she enviously observed her peers relishing their candies. All the while, her small, scrawny fingers dug into the earth, betraying her longing until she couldn’t stop herself from glancing at Zhao Lanxiang.
Having tended to the group of children, Zhao Lanxiang made her way over to give the sweetest and most expensive chocolate candy to He Songzhi.
“What’s your name?” she asked with a warm smile.
She peeled off the wrapper and put the candy into the mouth of this little radish head.
A symphony of mellow sweetness flooded He Songzhi’s mouth as the chocolate melted on her tongue, triggering a wave of saliva to coat the sugary morsel. She was too smitten by the velvety taste and didn’t dare speak.
He Songzhi had never eaten such good candy, nor had she ever known that candy could even taste like this.
He Songzhi didn't say anything, and Zhao Lanxiang didn't ask anymore. She secretly stuffed the remaining fruit candy into the small child's pocket and said with a smile, “Go home and eat them. Don’t tell anyone about how much candy you have.”
Just as Zhao Lanxiang finished her sentence, the instructor’s voice bellowed through the air. “Get back here, now!”
Jiang Li couldn’t suppress a wicked grin as Zhao Lanxiang quickly complied, swiftly rejoining the group.
Suddenly, a lean figure swooped in, scooping up He Songzhi and whispering to the tiny, radish-topped child. Zhao Lanxiang turned around just in time to witness this tender moment, and a jolt of recognition rippled through her.
This is ... her old man when he was young?
Her heart pounded thunderously, and a flush of warmth tinged her cheeks.
The man had his back to her as he cradled his sister. As Zhao Lanxiang’s patience thinned to the brink of confronting him, he turned around, locking his gaze with hers.
Zhao Lanxiang’s breath hitched. The familiar silhouette undeniably belonged to He Songbai.
She gave him a quick look, he was quite different from her old man.
He hadn’t yet grown into the prudent, elegant demeanor of his mature self. He was still just a youth, radiant with a heroic spirit. He Songbai was clad in coarse, repeatedly mended clothes. His frayed trousers, which barely reached his mid-calves, revealed thin, muscular legs. This ragtag attire did little justice to his handsomeness, presenting an image of poverty and sourness that others might find repulsive.
However, when it reached Zhao Lanxiang's eyes, no matter how poor her man was, he would still look good.
When Zhao Lanxiang met He Songbai in her previous life, they were no longer young. By then, He Songbai carried an air of seasoned wisdom, his demeanor prudent, calm, unhurried—a gentle soul honed by life’s tribulations.
At that time, He Songbai had a better temperament, which was prudent and calm, and never rushing. He was peaceful and gentle after all the years of suffering.
Breaking their eye contact, he hoisted his sister onto his hip with one hand as if she were a lightweight bundle while keeping his other hand on his waist.
He Songbai noticed a suspicious smudge around the young girl’s mouth and playfully knocked her on the head.
"Silly girl, so hungry that you would eat dirt? You can't eat soil. Hurry and spit it out!"
His body exuded a fearsome wildness, yet, when his gaze fell on his sister, the frosty demeanor melted into a pool of water.
He Songzhi flashed a gleeful grin, revealing more of the ‘black soil’. “It’s yummy, so sweet! That sister gave it to me.”
He Songbai, catching sight of the colorful fruit candy nestled in his sister’s pocket, followed her line of sight towards Zhao Lanxiang. Without a word, he held He Songzhi and disappeared into the village.
The instructor severely criticized Zhao Lanxiang.
However, having set eyes on He Songbai, a fervor had ignited in Zhao Lanxiang’s heart, a fiery current pulsating through her. Despite the instructor’s reprimand, she didn’t put it in her heart.
"Yes! I am deeply aware of my mistake, and I will keep in mind the discipline of the organization in the future, strictly improve myself, strive to be an excellent educated youth, and help build a vast new world for the country!"
Her voice echoed loud and clear, and as the instructor swept his gaze over her fair face once more, he decided to give up the rest of his reprimand.
This kind of charming city student was a matter for the production captain to have a headache over.
Having gathered the educated youths, the instructor organized a welcoming assembly for the newcomers and the seniors alike, before returning to the city by car overnight.
...
At night...
In the small dilapidated house of the He family, He Songzhi pulled the fruit candy out from her pocket and arranged them neatly in a line.
With a grin that revealed sticky teeth, she proudly declared, “Grandma, I’ll give you eight pieces of candy!”
The elderly woman, who usually remained bedridden, laboriously sat up. Born in the era of Guangxu in 1924, she had once adorned the luxuries of being a landlord’s wife, adorned in gold and silver. However, as age took its toll, she lost her husband and her son. Any hint of unrest would see her being chastised. Her twilight years were bleak and barren.
At the mention of “candy”, her murky eyes sparked to life and her mouth opened expectantly towards her little granddaughter.
He Songzhi obliged by unwrapping a candy and feeding it to her. The sugary taste swirled in her mouth, sparking a glimmer of delight in her cloudy eyes.
"It's delicious. Brother Bai, eat some too."
He Songbai accepted a piece from his sister, stowing away the remaining candies in a jar that he placed on the grandmother’s bedside table.
"Don't accept other people's things casually in the future, do you hear?"
He Songbai sternly taught his sister.
He Songzhi narrowed her mouth in a grievance, but seeing the fierce and serious expression on her brother's face, she agreed.
...
When Zhao Lanxiang’s group arrived, it happened to be the busiest season for the farmers. The production team captain took the newcomers under his wing for the first few days, demonstrating various tasks and supervising their progress.
Li Dali, the captain of the first team in Hezi village, was a young man with a passion for productivity and strict expectations. None of the female educated youths dared to be lazy under his watchful gaze.
On the first day when she officially went to work, Zhao Lanxiang was suddenly caught off guard.
They arrived at five in the morning, and the group of educated youths were pulled into the field to work. After Li Dali finished working with the male educated youths, he glanced at the two newly arrived female educated youths, his thick brows twisting into a knot.
“You might struggle with fertilizing the crops or irrigating the fields, but surely you can handle weeding? Today, this cornfield is your responsibility. Work swiftly, make the most of daylight, and get the job done,” he instructed, handing out gloves to the women.
Li Dali distributed gloves to these female educated youths. There were only five pairs of gloves, but there were ten people. Li Dali took care of the two newly-arrived female educated youths and thus, let them pick first.
The gloves, however, were so soiled that their original color couldn’t be seen anymore. Jiang Li promptly distanced herself and delved into the cornfield.
When it was Zhao Lanxiang's turn, she took out a pair of cotton gloves from her own pocket with a smile. "Thank you, Captain Li, but I won't put any burden on the team."
Li Dali grinned, "You look at what others are doing and learn to do it together."
Li Dali took the whole brigade to work and finished the work for the morning. After that, he took the villagers to collect farm tools.
Zhao Lanxiang was no fool. Anticipating a day of wedding, she had deliberately dressed in long trousers and sleeves, and hadn’t forgotten her mask and gloves either. She wrapped herself up tightly and got to work.
Meanwhile, Jiang Li fared worse. Reprimanded by Li Dali for trampling several corn plants, she was dismissed early to write a self-reflection of her actions.
Before Jiang Li returned to the dormitory, she smiled proudly at Zhao Lanxiang.
Zhao Lanxiang didn't think there was anything to be proud of. Instead, she silently observed the senior educated youths, mastering the art of weeding.
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