Chapter 32: Chapter 31: The New Year

The educated youths froze for a moment before they reacted.

By the time they pulled the two apart, they saw Gu Yuwei’s face was covered in several scratches, some of which were bleeding. She had marks on her neck too, and her hair was so disheveled she looked like a madwoman.

Li Jie had scratches on her face as well, though they weren’t as severe as Gu Yuwei’s, and her hair was also a mess.

Both of them had tear-streaked faces, especially Gu Yuwei. She had never suffered such an ordeal before and was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

“What is wrong with you two? We’re supposed to be educated youths, for crying out loud! Have you no shame? If you drag your own reputations through the mud, how do you ever expect to return to the city?” The speaker was Zhang Tong, one of the first educated youths to arrive here.

At the mention of returning to the city, everyone fell silent. The earliest among them had been here for over three years, while the latest to arrive had been Gu Yuwei and her group just last winter. Of course, one or two had managed to return home in that time, but everyone was keenly aware of their own situation. Getting back to the city was no easy feat.

Take Gu Yuwei, for example. Her family was well-off, yet wasn’t she also stuck here, unable to return?

Zhang Tong said, “Since we’ve come here and can’t go back for now, it’s best not to cause trouble. The villagers already don’t like us much as it is. If we do something else out of line, don’t blame me for not warning you. The heavens are high and the emperor is far away here. When something happens, no one will be able to save you.”

Although Zhang Tong’s words were meant to be a threat, they were also the truth. Their household registrations had all been transferred here. In a place like this, the villagers were naturally wary of outsiders. This was especially true since the educated youths weren’t good at farm work but still took a share of the village’s grain. If they caused more trouble, forget anything else—just having their food rations cut off would be more than they could handle.

Then, Zhang Tong warned them not to spread a word about what happened today, or else it would bring shame upon all the educated youths. After that, the group dispersed.

As Gu Yuwei was returning, she happened to run into He Ze, who was just leaving.

“Gu Zhiqing, what happened to you?”

Gu Yuwei’s eyes filled with tears. She shook her head at He Ze. “I’m fine, Second Brother He. I’m going back to my room.”

Gu Yuwei ran into the room and slammed the door, startling He Yun, who was inside.

Seeing Gu Yuwei’s state, He Yun was shocked and quickly asked, “Xiao Gu, who bullied you?”

Gu Yuwei didn’t say a word, just threw herself onto the kang and sobbed.

He Yun frowned. She wanted to ask more, but Gu Yuwei was crying too hard to pay her any mind.

“KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.”

“Who is it?”

He Yun opened the door and saw He Ze standing there, holding a bottle of gentian violet.

“Second Brother, what is it?”

He Ze handed the gentian violet to He Yun. “I saw Gu Zhiqing just now. She looked like she was hurt. Is she okay?”

He Yun took it and glanced back into the room. “I don’t know. She just keeps crying.”

He Ze peeked into the room. “Have Gu Zhiqing put some of this on. It’s an antiseptic.”

With that, He Ze left.

It was unclear whether Gu Yuwei ever applied the medicine, but in any case, she didn’t show up for lunch.

He Yun didn’t know the details, but she guessed it was a fight. When Mrs. He heard, she simply told He Yun to bring a meal to Gu Yuwei’s room, since Gu Yuwei had, after all, contributed her own grain rations.

Mrs. He had sent He Ze to the Liu Family’s home, and Liu Jian Country came the following day.

Liu Jian Country rode up on a bicycle with a bag of peach shortcakes and two jars of canned fruit hanging from the handlebars. After lunch, he took Mrs. He and her daughter, He Yun, with him.

By the last ten days of the twelfth lunar month, every household had begun to prepare for the New Year.

Xue Yue and He Lang took an ox-cart into town.

The streets were crowded today, with most people out doing their shopping.

When the two of them got to the supply and marketing co-op, they were surprised to see a long line out front.

After a long wait, they finally managed to squeeze inside.

Half a pound of white sugar, two blocks of tofu, a pound of jujubes, two pounds of glass noodles, five pounds of high-gluten flour, two pounds of rice, some common seasonings, a jar of vanishing cream, a pound of candy, two pounds of melon seeds, a pound of peanuts, and a few sheets of red paper. Xue Yue even managed to snatch up a piece of flawed fabric.

They bought so many things; luckily, He Lang had a woven back basket, or they never would have been able to carry it all.

They weren’t in a hurry to head back, so they went to the state-run restaurant instead.

“Two bowls of duck blood and vermicelli soup and five meat buns, thank you!”

After the server brought their order, Xue Yue took a sip of soup and her eyes crinkled in delight.

He Lang smiled and copied her, taking a sip himself. ’Mmm, it really is good,’ he thought.

They finished the soup, but there were two buns left over, so they had them wrapped up to go.

After they returned, Xue Yue got ready to sprout some beans. They had both soybeans and mung beans at home.

She pulled He Lang down to sit on the kang with her, and they began picking out the bad beans.

’I’ve really gone soft,’ He Lang thought. His trips to the black market had become noticeably less frequent; whenever he had a spare moment, he just holed up at home.

He liked the feeling of being with Xue Yue. It was warm and deeply comforting.

「On the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month」

They began cleaning the house from top to bottom. Xue Yue removed the quilt covers for washing and cleaned all of their outerwear.

On the twenty-fourth, they made meatballs. They were out of eggs, so He Lang went into the village and traded for a few dozen.

「On the twenty-fifth of the twelfth lunar month」

Xue Xingzhou came to visit.

“Big Brother, have you bought your New Year’s goods yet?”

“I have. I went to town a few days ago. I came by to bring you a fish.”

He Lang poured Xue Xingzhou a glass of water. “Did you go fishing again, Big Brother?”

“No, the river’s frozen solid. The brigade leader organized it. We broke open the ice to net the fish. I pitched in, so I got an extra one as my share.” (There was a river in Yangjia Gou with a fairly deep current; most people didn’t dare go in, and it was considered collective property.)

Xue Yue smiled. “Big Brother, your timing is perfect. I just sprouted some beans—both soybean and mung bean sprouts. You should take some home. You can eat them in a cold salad or stir-fry them. I also made meatballs yesterday. Take some of those back to try, too.”

“Alright.”

Xue Xingzhou left without staying for a meal.

That afternoon, He Ze returned home. The factory was closed for the New Year holiday. He was carrying a piece of meat and a bolt of cloth, which he said were bonuses from the factory.

On the twenty-sixth, Xue Yue steamed a pot of brown sugar sponge cakes, dotting the tops with red dates.

He Lang ate three pieces in one sitting.

After finishing, he gave Xue Yue a thumbs-up and said that if she tried to sell them, they’d sell out in no time.

「Finally, New Year’s Eve arrived.」

That morning, He Lang took the red paper they had bought and asked Mr. He to write a few sets of couplets.

He Lang and a few of the children then pasted the couplets on the doors.

When they were finished, He Lang gave each child two pieces of candy.

For lunch, Xue Yue made crispy fried pork, stir-fried soybean sprouts with glass noodles, spicy mapo tofu, and a fish soup.

Since they would be staying up late for the New Year’s vigil, Xue Yue took a nap after lunch. He Lang disappeared somewhere as well.

When He Lang returned, he announced they would be going to the main house that evening to eat with the whole family.

Xue Yue had already expected as much.

“Should we bring anything?”

“The leftover crispy pork from lunch and a cold dish of mung bean sprouts will be fine.”

Xue Yue thought for a moment. ’That doesn’t seem like enough.’ “I’ll make some sweet and sour meatballs, too. It won’t take long.”

“Alright.”

That evening, Xue Yue and He Lang carried their dishes over to the main house.

When they arrived, the families of the first and second brothers weren’t there yet.

“You’re here, He Lang! And Xue Yue,” Mrs. He greeted them. “Oh, did you sprout beans?”

Xue Yue nodded. “Yes, I sprouted some. I’ll bring some over for you later, Mother, so you can have them while they’re fresh.”

Mrs. He smiled and nodded. “That would be lovely.”

Xue Yue had just sat down when the families of the first and second brothers arrived.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep