Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Xiao Jie meticulously selected a comic book from a pile of tattered ones, the only damage being a torn cover. Lin Mian found a physics volume from the "Self-Study Series for Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry" published in 19XX. Shen Wendong discovered a copy of the "Xinhua Dictionary" with some moth-eaten pages but otherwise intact. Everyone had their own finds and was quite satisfied.

However, when the five of them looked at each other's chosen items, they all felt a bit dismissive of the others' picks.

Xiao Jie chattered excitedly, showing off: "My comic book, after I finish reading it, I can lend it to others. I've already thought it through—I'll charge one piece of candy per loan. That way, I can earn lots and lots of candy! Brother Mian, Brother Wendong, nobody's going to want to borrow your books!"

He then glanced at Shen Banyue and Xiao Dizi's items and burst into laughter: "Sister Yue, your box is so broken! And Xiao Dizi, what is this thing? Pitch black and so tiny, it's not even big enough to pickle radish strips."

The others: "..."

The three older ones couldn't be bothered to argue with him. Xiao Dizi stamped her foot, her lips pouting so much they could have hung an oil bottle. She said angrily, "Brother Jie is bad! Xiao Dizi's jar is pretty! Sister's box is pretty!" She glanced at the books in Lin Mian and Shen Wendong's hands, wrinkled her little brows, and added, "Brother Mian's and Brother Wendong's books are... also good!"

Her expression made it clear just how much "water" was in that "also good"—she was really trying her best to defend her brothers.

Shen Banyue was amused, thinking to herself that it was clear this little one wasn't fond of studying either.

Xiao Jie scratched his head and surrendered helplessly: "Okay, okay, yours is pretty, everyone's is good."

It was no wonder Xiao Jie thought Shen Banyue and Xiao Dizi had picked junk. Mainly, these two items really didn't look like much. When they presented the items to the old man, he also looked disdainful.

After all, people in these times were practical. They wouldn't normally spend money on useless things, and in his eyes, these two items were quite useless. The wooden box couldn't hold much and was broken. The little jar was too small even for drinking water, and besides, it was pitch black and its purpose unknown, so you wouldn't dare use it for drinking anyway.

Spending money on these was worse than buying a few pieces of wood or taking a larger broken jar home for actual use.

"You really want these two?" the old man asked again, glancing back at Wang Guizhi and He Yingyu, probably thinking the parents might stop them.

Wang Guizhi also felt these two things weren't useful. But children, when buying things, don't consider as much as adults do. Naturally, they just buy what they like. She wasn't at the scrap station to find useful things either; the children's happiness was most important. So she smiled and said, "Let them be happy. Anyway, it's their own money."

The old man thought about it and agreed. These kids had just gotten over thirty yuan. He had given out so much for their scrap; getting a little back was better than nothing.

But since they were just a few pieces of junk, he didn't charge much. For all five items, he only asked for fifty cents.

Picking through the items took quite some time. Estimating that the exam at the towel factory should be almost over, they bid farewell to the old man and slowly walked towards the towel factory. As they neared the factory gate, they happened to see people coming out in small groups.

Those walking together were mostly from the same production brigade, predominantly men, with very few women. Their ages ranged from around twenty to forty-something. Some looked happy, probably having performed well, while others looked worried, likely having not done so well.

They waited at the entrance for a while before seeing Shen Zhenhua, Shen Wenyi, and the others come out. The five of them all looked okay—not particularly happy, nor particularly dejected. Probably a normal performance?

Oh, wait, Shen Wenyi was very happy, so happy he was almost moved to tears. As soon as he exited the gate, he ran towards Shen Banyue, shouting, "Xiao Yue! Xiao Yue the Hero! Your Brother Wenyi is finally liberated! Liberated!"

Shen Banyue: "..."

People from other brigades passing by looked at them curiously. Shen Banyue really wanted to pretend she didn't know this oddball, but in the end, she responded expressionlessly, "Oh, congratulations then!"

Considering the dark circles under his eyes were almost panda-like.

Lin Mian was probably a master at touching a sore spot. He asked bluntly, "Brother Wenyi, how did you do on the exam? Can you get a hundred points?"

Shen Wenyi: "..."

Xiao Jie voiced his thoughts for him: "Brother Mian, are you a devil?!"

Lin Mian looked puzzled: "Shouldn't you know how you did, whether you got a hundred points or not, right after the exam? What's wrong with asking that?" He hesitated, glanced at Shen Wenyi again, and said, "Did you not do well? Then I won't ask anymore." He had a bit of emotional intelligence, but not much.

Shen Banyue was almost dying of laughter and deliberately added, "Ah, Brother Wenyi, you didn't do well?"

Xiao Dizi looked at one, then the other. The little person let out a big sigh: "Ai, Brother Wenyi is so pitiful. He didn't even get a hundred points. Xiao Dizi always gets a hundred points!"

Shen Wenyi: "..."

That stings, you leaky little cotton-padded jackets.

Lin Mian probably felt responsible for starting this topic and was a bit embarrassed. He pursed his lips, trying to make amends: "It's okay. If you didn't do well, just work harder next time. 'Where there's a will, there's a way.' Study hard, and you'll do better next time."

Shen Banyue felt this sounded familiar. After thinking, oh, when handing out report cards at the end of the term, Teacher Wang Lihua had said something similar to the students who performed poorly.

Shen Wenyi was going crazy: "Xiao Mian, I beg you, spare me!"

Everyone else burst out laughing, and the atmosphere lightened considerably. Shen Zhenhua laughed and said, "Alright, it's over now. Whether we get in or not is out of our hands. Let's go home."

In the harsh winter of the twelfth lunar month, the old ox diligently carried the group back to Xiaodun Brigade.

The cold wind howled along the way. The children huddled in the middle, shielded by the adults on the outside, so they weren't cold. Xiao Jie couldn't resist showing off his newly bought comic book to the adults again. This time, he remembered the lesson and only boasted about his own, not criticizing the others'.

Shen Wenyi curiously glanced at the things the children had bought. Besides junk, there were books. He tactfully suggested that the fifty cents would have been better spent on candy or meat, and unsurprisingly, he was unanimously scorned by the children.

"You lack a pair of discerning eyes to discover beauty," Shen Banyue said to Shen Wenyi with a smile.

Leaving aside Xiao Dizi's little jar, which, despite its unimpressive appearance, given the little one's lucky "koi" constitution, had a high possibility of being valuable. As for her own little broken box, although she hadn't had a chance to open it yet, whether it was opened or not made little difference to her, possessing a metal-related ability.

Shen Wenyi looked utterly baffled: "I'm not a monkey, how would I have 'fiery golden eyes'? Ah, I'm going home to rest properly today. I'll come find you guys to play tomorrow!"

Shen Banyue gave him a thoughtful look and nodded: "Come on over. We can discuss some things then."

Shen Wenyi didn't ask what they would discuss; he had that tacit understanding. He smiled and nodded in agreement, patting his chest to promise that for anything, her Brother Wenyi would definitely go through fire and water.

The adults on the ox cart were amused by the two of them. The young men exchanged glances, thinking to themselves that no wonder people in the village said Shen Wenyi was regressing, hanging out with a bunch of kids all day.

When they got home, Shen Dechang had already prepared lunch.

Considering the family's tight budget and limited ration coupons, they hadn't planned to eat at the state-run restaurant on this trip to the commune. At home, they had corn porridge cooked with lard and sweet, tender greens, which was also very tasty. Especially since everyone was hungry, they all ate heartily.

After finishing the meal, Shen Banyue carefully took out the jar Xiao Dizi had bought from the sack.

She washed it thoroughly in clean water. The jar's white base color was revealed, and the black patterns became clearer—curling and twisting here and there, looking quite pretty. Shen Banyue couldn't understand much else, but the pattern was delicate and clear, making it look like a nice item.

"Looks quite pretty after washing," Wang Guizhi leaned over to look, her eyes flickering slightly before she smiled. "Looking at it this way, it seems like it could be worth at least a yuan. Take good care of it, Xiao Dizi. Be careful not to break it."

Xiao Dizi nodded obediently, smiling to reveal her little millet-like teeth: "Xiao Dizi's jar is pretty! Brother Jie's is not as pretty as this."

This sweet little thing still held a grudge.

Xiao Jie chuckled: "Didn't expect the jar to look this nice after washing, huh."

Shen Banyue placed the jar on the windowsill outside the kitchen to dry and took out her own wooden box. It was also covered in dust. This kind of wood, from who-knows-what era, naturally couldn't be soaked in water like the jar. Shen Banyue took an old rag cut from worn-out clothes, dampened it, and slowly wiped the box.

Lin Mian and Xiao Jie weren't interested in the broken wooden box. After witnessing the "true form" of the little jar, they ran inside to look at their newly bought books. Shen Dechang was diligent; after eating, he shouldered his hoe and went to the private plot.

By the time Shen Banyue finished cleaning the wooden box, only Wang Guizhi, who was washing an old pottery jar, and Xiao Dizi, who insisted on squatting nearby watching even though she couldn't understand anything, remained in the courtyard.

Shen Banyue thought to herself that this was a good opportunity. She deliberately applied a bit of force and pried open a piece of wood at the bottom of the box. Through a finger-width gap, a golden gleam was visible.

Despite not having acted in a while, Shen Banyue still had some skill in this area. Her acting was natural. She let out a surprised "Huh?", lifted the wooden box to look at it, successfully drawing Wang Guizhi's attention: "What's wrong? Did it break again? This box must be quite old; the wood might be worm-eaten. Here, let me see..."

Wang Guizhi, who had leaned over to look, suddenly choked, staring at the little broken wooden box for a long time without being able to speak.

Shen Banyue timely displayed an expression of surprise, suspicion, and a bit of excitement: "Grandma, there seems to be something inside. It's golden and shiny, looks a lot like Xiao Dizi's little beads."

Xiao Dizi tilted her head curiously and exclaimed, “So pretty!”

Wang Guizhi hastily wiped her hands on her apron, took the wooden box, and examined it carefully. She soon stood up and ushered the two sisters inside. “Come on, let’s go inside to look.”

Shen Banyue smiled, picked up Xiao Dizi in one swift motion, and followed her inside. Once they were in the room, Wang Guizhi immediately slid the bolt shut.

“Xiao Yue, go ahead and break this open completely.”

Since it was already broken, a little more damage wouldn’t hurt. Shen Banyue set Xiao Dizi down, took the box, and gave it a slight twist. The wooden box split in two as if split by a knife, revealing neatly stacked small gold bars inside.

Xiao Dizi let out a “wow”: “So much shiny gold!”

Wang Guizhi was at a loss for words. She gave the two sisters a complicated look, wondering just what kind of luck these children had. For a moment, she even felt she could understand Shen Guoqing a little—that silly boy always said behind their backs that Xiao Dizi was sent by the gods and had exceptionally good luck. To her mind, perhaps both children were heaven-sent.

Thinking this way made many things seem reasonable.

For instance, while others might be lucky to find a few mushrooms in the mountains, these kids always came back with something—whether encountering wild boars, catching pheasants, or even the fish they caught were unusually large. It really was as if the gods had cast a spell, lest these two little girls starve in the mortal world.

Or take the willow grove by the stream. It wasn’t as if no one had dug there before; in the spring, the brigade had even organized tree planting. People only found a few pieces of scrap metal, nothing like these kids who dug up a whole sackful.

Oh, this seemed more like the gods were lest these two little girls had no money to spend in the mortal world, so they sent some scrap metal for them to exchange for cash.

Probably thinking selling scrap wasn’t profitable enough, this time the gods simply sent them antiques and gold directly.

Wang Guizhi’s family had been relatively well-off in her early years. A great-uncle among her relatives was quite accomplished in antiques. As a child, she occasionally visited his house and was taught a thing or two by the old man.

But so many years had passed. Her youth was spent drifting from place to place, and later she became a farmer’s wife who only knew the daily grind. Much of what she learned was forgotten; one could even say that thread of knowledge had completely snapped in her mind.

Otherwise, back at the scrap collection station, she wouldn’t have overlooked things like everyone else.

It was only after the jar was cleaned that she realized it was probably something good. But exactly what era it was from or where its value lay, she couldn’t say.

For a moment, Wang Guizhi’s thoughts and emotions were in turmoil. However, being an old woman who had weathered hardships, she quickly adjusted her mood, brushing aside thoughts of gods and antiques.

“Let’s put these things away separately for now. I’ll ask Carpenter Song to fix the box for you later, and then you can put the stuff back inside.”

Wang Guizhi thought for a moment and then instructed Xiao Dizi, “You mustn’t breathe a word to anyone that you and your sister have shiny gold. If people come to steal it, you’ll lose it.”

Having been trafficked and having seen the dark side of the world, Xiao Dizi, despite her young age, grasped this point immediately. She immediately covered her mouth with her small hands. “Xiao Dizi won’t tell, oh!”

Shen Banyue poured out all the gold bars and counted them—exactly ten, each roughly forty grams.

Feigning ignorance, she asked Wang Guizhi if this gold was very valuable.

Gold was valuable in any era. However, from what Wang Guizhi said, Shen Banyue roughly gauged that gold prices were actually relatively low in this period, about two or three yuan per gram. That meant a single gold bar couldn’t even be exchanged for a hundred yuan.

But this was probably her modern mindset at play. After all, the average worker’s salary in this era was only thirty or forty yuan a month, and even that was considered a high-income group. Two months’ salary for a high-income earner could only buy such a small piece—thinking of it that way, the price didn’t seem low either.

So Shen Banyue asked again, “Then where can we exchange this for money?”

In later times, exchanging gold for money was very convenient; both banks and jewelry stores handled such business. But this era was different; even buying and selling wasn’t allowed, so selling gold probably wasn’t easy either.

Sure enough, upon hearing this question, Wang Guizhi’s first reaction was to frown. However, she didn’t withhold the truth just because Shen Banyue was a child.

“Normally, we definitely can’t exchange it for money. After all, we can’t explain where it came from. If you say you bought it from the scrap station, we only spent a tiny amount of money, which obviously wouldn’t be enough to buy these.”

Seeing Shen Banyue nod, clearly taking it in, Wang Guizhi continued, “But there are people in the black market who buy this. Also, for marriages and weddings in some families, although it’s not fashionable now, well-off families still secretly have rings, earrings, or bracelets made. So, it can be exchanged, but there’s some risk involved.”

Shen Banyue thought for a moment and took out two bars, handing them to Wang Guizhi. “Grandma Wang, could you help me exchange one for money? Later, send half to Xiao Shitou. And use the other one to make a bracelet for Sister Zhou, as a wedding gift for Little Uncle and her?”

Wang Guizhi didn’t expect her to say this. Entering this room, she felt for the second time so complex she didn’t know what to say. This child’s reaction was truly surprising.

After a long pause, she sighed and patted Shen Banyue’s head. “Alright, then Grandma Wang will thank you on behalf of Xiao Shitou and your Little Uncle first.”

This child had her own ideas and handled matters thoughtfully. Taking out one gold bar to exchange half the money for Xiao Shitou was precisely within the Gao family’s acceptable range.

As for the bracelet for Zhou Yaoyao, Wang Guizhi thought that once the child found her biological parents, she could find a way to pool money to repay her.

Wang Guizhi took the two small gold bars, carefully wrapped them in a handkerchief, and cautiously put them in her pocket. Looking up, she saw Shen Banyue gather the remaining bars, clinking them into her “treasure bag.” Wang Guizhi couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth, thinking these heaven-blessed children were different—look at this attitude of treating money like dirt.

After this conversation and the unexpected windfall, once they left the room, Wang Guizhi and Shen Banyue tacitly acted as if nothing had happened.

As for Xiao Dizi, children forget easily. Shen Banyue estimated she’d forget in a day or two.

The next day, Shen Wenyi, who had promised to visit Shen Banyue, didn’t come. It was said the towel factory had revised the exam papers overnight, and notifications would be posted in the morning. So Shen Wenyi, who had wanted to sleep in, was dragged out of bed early by his father and sent off to the commune to await the results.

Of course, the others who took the exam went too.

They returned around noon.

At that time, Shen Banyue was in the room helping Wang Guizhi pick small stones out of soybeans when they heard a commotion outside—wailing and howling. Everyone in the house, old and young, stood up in alarm, thinking something terrible had happened.

But as soon as they stepped out, they saw Shen Wenyi rushing in, crying and shouting, “Xiao Yue, Xiao Yue the Hero! I passed! I’m going to be a worker! I’m going to be a worker!”

Shen Banyue: “…”

This wasn’t much different from Fan Jin passing the imperial exams.

Wang Guizhi was both amused and exasperated. “Isn’t passing the worker exam a good thing? Why are you crying?” He was wailing as if at a funeral, fearing his father would take a stick to him.

After what Dai Xianghua said that day, everyone had a rough idea. They estimated that as long as this kid didn’t mess up too badly, he could most likely pass. It was just that until things were settled, their hearts were still a bit unsettled.

“I’m just so happy! I never even dared to dream I could become a worker too! This is crying from joy! I’m just so overjoyed!”

Shen Wenyi bent down and hugged Shen Banyue. “Xiao Yue, Xiao Yue the Hero, it’s all thanks to you! If you hadn’t charged headlong into the room that day, how would I have dared to climb over the wall after you! And look, with you by my side, I fought with extraordinary vigor! That bad guy looked so strong, but I knocked him down in no time! It must be because you gave me courage being there!”

Shen Banyue barely controlled herself from knocking him down in no time.

She patted his shoulder helplessly. “Alright, I get it. You passing this exam is all thanks to me. Remember to treat me to a meal at the state-run restaurant when you get your salary.” This guy’s nonsense was essentially not far from the truth.

Shen Wenyi agreed readily.

Shen Banyue asked, “What about the others from the brigade? Did Uncle Zhenhua pass? And those three uncles, did they pass?”

Shen Wenyi wiped his tears, first expressing dissatisfaction that Shen Banyue called him ‘brother’ but called the others ‘uncles,’ then said, “My uncle and He Jiangang passed. My uncle did extremely well—he got first place. He Jiangang barely made it, at the bottom. Hehe, I actually did a bit worse than He Jiangang; I was the very last one.”

He wore it as a badge of honor, not shame. “I estimate my score was average, and I was admitted on exceptional grounds based on my merits. Hehe, that’s why I say it’s all thanks to you!”

Well, as long as he got in.

Out of five people who took the exam, three got in—a very high admission rate indeed.

“Xiao Jun and Wang Ping didn’t pass. But their scores should be okay; their names are on a list of apprentice candidates. From what the factory said, it seems if apprentice positions open up later, they’ll be given priority consideration.”

That was at least some opportunity.

Even as apprentices, it was easier and paid more than farming in the village—about twenty-something yuan a month. They could enjoy half the benefits regular workers had, and there was also a chance to become regular workers.

Wang Guizhi laughed. “Oh my, your father must be so happy!”

My brother and I both passed the exam, and one of our commune members made it too. The remaining two were placed on the backup list, so they might have a chance to become workers in the future.

"Exactly! Other brigades didn’t have as many successful candidates as ours. My dad was so happy he nearly passed out." Shen Wenyi glanced around and lowered his voice. "I even heard him muttering 'Praise Buddha' a few times! Tsk, tsk."

Wang Guizhi slapped him on the back. "Nonsense! You must have misheard. Your dad’s revolutionary stance is firm—he’d never say such things." Honestly, this brat really isn’t afraid of getting a beating from his dad!

Shen Wenyi chuckled. "I’m only telling you. I won’t go around blabbing."

"Don’t say it to anyone. As the brigade leader, your dad has to lead by example in every way. You need to use your head. Alright, let’s head inside before the kids freeze."

With a shake of her head, Wang Guizhi called the children back into the house. Even though it hadn’t snowed in the past couple of days, the weather was still bitterly cold, enough to numb one’s hands and feet.

Shen Wenyi tugged at Shen Banyue and gave her a meaningful look, whispering, "You said earlier you wanted to discuss something with me. What is it?"

A mischievously excited look crossed his face. "Did someone dare to mess with you? Do we need to ambush them with a sack and give them a beating? You know, during the criticism sessions those two days, my dad wouldn’t let me go. Think of all the excitement I missed!"

Shen Banyue: "..."

Once again, she couldn’t help but wonder how such a serious man like the brigade leader ended up with a son who thrived on chaos.

"Beat who? I’m just a kid, and I’m all for peace." Shen Banyue said with a straight face. She glanced back and saw that Wang Guizhi had already taken Lin Mian and the others inside. She pulled Shen Wenyi aside, squatting down by a distant corner of the wall. "I want to go up the mountain to catch fish."

Shen Wenyi’s first reaction: "Catching fish in the stream in the middle of winter? Wouldn’t you freeze to death?" Then he realized something was off. "Wait, you said ‘up the mountain to catch fish’—there aren’t any fish on the mountain!"

"The upper part of the mountain stream next to the bamboo grove has huge fish." Shen Banyue smiled. "I've arranged it with someone. We’ll use a bigger net to catch them."