Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Little Stone gazed hopefully at the Militia Captain, who smiled and said, "Looks like it's from T Province. I didn't check which brigade it was from. Wanna take a look for yourselves?"

Father Gao took the heavy package. Little Stone held onto his hand, standing on his tiptoes to read the characters. He didn't recognize some of the words at the front, but he had already learned the four characters for "Xiaodun Brigade." When he found them, he jumped up and down with excitement. "It's from Xiaodun Brigade! It's from Grandma Wang, Sister Yue, and the others!"

The Militia Captain asked Father Gao, surprised, "Is that the family that looked after the kid for a few months?"

Father Gao nodded. "Yes, that's the one, along with the other children."

The Militia Captain sighed. "That's really something. To send things all that way."

"You can say that again."

After a bit more small talk, the Militia Captain left. Father and son closed the door, brought the package in, and Little Stone was practically bouncing with impatience. "Dad, open it quickly! Xiao Jie and the others must have written me a letter."

Father Gao wanted to say they should eat first before the food got cold, but seeing how happy his son was, he finally went and got the scissors to open the package. The package was wrapped in thick brown paper, which could be reused once opened, so Father Gao cut it open carefully.

Mother Gao also peeked over curiously, whispering, "It's truly a blessing from the Bodhisattva. How could we be so lucky? Not only did we get our child back, but we also met such a kind family."

When they opened the package, it revealed several items neatly arranged inside: a can of malted milk, a box of calcium milk biscuits, a bag of brown sugar, a skein of wool yarn, and a length of fabric with some flaws in the dye along the edges.

The couple looked at each other, both were speechless for a moment.

"Preparing so many things must have cost a lot of money!" Mother Gao couldn't help but say. "How can we accept so much from them? We... we don't have anything to give in return..."

Father Gao nodded and was quiet for a good while.

What his wife said echoed his own thoughts. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder: Would his wife's health improve if she ate these expensive items like malted milk, biscuits, and brown sugar? Even if he still had some money left, he couldn't buy these things without the necessary ration coupons.

Little Stone looked at his parents and suddenly said, "Sister Yue said that everyone encounters difficulties and needs help sometimes. When that happens, don't try to tough it out or feel ashamed. Wait until you're no longer in difficulty, then find a way to repay them."

He pursed his lips and said firmly, "We need help right now. There's no need to be ashamed. It's okay if we don't have anything to give in return. When I grow up, I will repay them."

Father Gao looked up at his son, stunned. After a long moment, his eyes grew red, and he nodded. "Alright. We'll find a way to repay them in the future."

Mother Gao turned her head and wiped the corner of her eye with her palm.

Little Stone smiled, taking the items out one by one. "The letter? Where's the letter?" As he spoke, as he shook the fabric open, a stack of letter paper fell out with a *thud*. Little Stone exclaimed joyfully, "Here it is!"

But as he picked up the letter paper, Little Stone also saw several ten-yuan bills tucked inside. The little boy was clearly taken aback for a moment. He pursed his lips, took out the ten-yuan bills, and counted them. When he looked up, he was smiling. "Look! They sent us money too! There are five here. Five ten-yuan bills add up to fifty yuan! That can buy a lot, a lot of meat and eggs!"

Father Gao and Mother Gao exchanged glances, both didn't know what to do.

"Why are they sending money too?" Father Gao murmured. "We really can't accept this. We can't take this money."

Little Stone didn't say anything. He unfolded the letter paper and looked at it for a while, then suddenly said, "This is money Sister Yue lent us. She said I can pay her back when I grow up."

He pointed to a stick figure drawing on one of the letter pages. First, a small stick figure handed five pieces of paper to a stick figure labeled "Little Stone." Then, later, a large stick figure labeled "Little Stone" handed the papers to a large stick figure with pigtails.

Father Gao and Mother Gao had only learned a few characters during the literacy campaign in the brigade. They recognized even fewer characters than Little Stone. However, the meaning of this stick figure drawing was clear; one could understand it even without knowing the characters.

Little Stone handed the money to Father Gao. "When I grow up, I will definitely pay Sister Yue back."

Father Gao hesitated, not taking it. Suddenly, Little Stone burst into tears with a loud "Waaah!" "I miss Sister Yue! I miss Grandma Wang! I miss Xiao Jie! I miss them!"

Father Gao hugged his son, patting his back. "In the future... in the future, we'll go see them. There will definitely be a chance."

Life would surely get better.

—

Xiaodun Brigade.

After dinner, Shen Guoqing took several children to set off firecrackers at the entrance of the courtyard. Xiao Jie had more enthusiasm than courage. Despite being terrified, he insisted on following closely behind Shen Guoqing. When a firecracker exploded, he would jump back in fright, only to follow again a few seconds later, then jump back again, all while screaming "Ah! Ah! Ah!" nonstop.

Xiao Dizi, watching from the doorway, said, "Brother Xiao Jie is like a monkey. He's so noisy!"

Shen Banyue wasn't very interested in setting off firecrackers. She leaned lazily against the wall and said, "Kids are like that. Noisy and boisterous."

Lin Mian rarely disagreed with her, but this time he said, "Not all children like being noisy and boisterous."

Shen Banyue glanced at him. The little boy had been exercising diligently every day and had grown quite a bit taller, giving him an increasingly "precocious" feel. She deliberately wanted to tease him and asked, "Oh, really? Well, what if I said, under the cover of darkness and wind, let's go up the mountain to catch fish. Would you go?"

Lin Mian's eyes lit up. "Really? You'd take me?"

For the recent trips up the mountain to catch fish, it had always been the trio of Shen Banyue, Shen Wenyi, and Nie Yuanbai. After all, it was about catching fish to exchange for supplies—serious business. Shen Banyue definitely wouldn't take a child along. Xiao Jie had grumbled about it once. Although Lin Mian hadn't said anything, he had actually felt quite disappointed inside.

Shen Banyue smiled. "Why would I lie to you?"

Lin Mian thought for a moment, frowned, and said, "Grandma Wang definitely wouldn't agree."

Shen Banyue nudged him with her elbow, looking as if to say, "Why are you so honest?" and said, "We'll go secretly! Later, after the adults are asleep, we'll go."

Before she finished speaking, someone gently tapped her on the head. Wang Guizhi deliberately put on a stern face and scolded, "You little rascal! Not only planning mischief yourself but also trying to rope Xiao Mian into it."

Shen Banyue immediately changed her tune. "Don't wrong me! I was just teasing Xiao Mian." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lin Mian's head droop, so she quickly added, "Of course, I wasn't *just* teasing him. Look, we're just idle anyway. The firecrackers will be gone in a flash. Wouldn't it be more fun to go up the mountain, catch fish, and roast them? With Uncle Guoqiang and Uncle Guoqing there, wouldn't it be great if we all went to play for a while?"

Shen Guoqiang happened to walk out just then. "Go where to play? What's so great?"

Wang Guizhi said irritably, "Up the mountain! On such a cold day, at night, going up the mountain to the water's edge to roast fish. Who thinks of such things? What if someone catches a cold? Spending the first month of the new year getting IV drips?"

Unexpectedly, Shen Guoqiang said, "Just wear thick clothes. Kids have strong vitality; they're not that afraid of the cold."

Lin Xiaohui also came out and asked in a hushed voice, "Are the fish in the mountain really that big?" There were three fish kept in a broken water vat at home, said to have been caught last time and specially raised for the New Year's meal. Those fish were truly big. Lin Xiaohui had never seen freshwater fish that large at the vegetable market in Jiangcheng.

"Of course! The two in the water vat aren't the biggest. The biggest ones have already been, you know..." Xiao Jie, who had immediately run back upon hearing "mountain" and "fish," made a few exaggerated faces at Lin Xiaohui and then started boasting about how delicious and fragrant the fish Shen Banyue roasted were.

And so, Shen Guoqiang and Lin Xiaohui were persuaded. Then Shen Guoqing joined in. Finally, Wang Guizhi couldn't be bothered to manage them anymore. After all, she and her husband were old and wouldn't go through such trouble.

In the end, Shen Guoqiang and his wife, Shen Guoqing, and the four children set off. On the way, they called for Shen Wenyi. Shen Zhenhua, joining in the fun, brought Shen Wendong along too. A large group of them marched up the mountain in a grand procession.

When they encountered a commune member who asked what they were doing, Shen Zhenhua immediately replied that they were finding a good spot to roast sweet potatoes with the kids. The commune member was dumbfounded and finally sighed, saying that becoming workers had really changed them; their antics were something farmers couldn't understand.

Shen Banyue also called for Nie Yuanbai along the way.

Once the group reached the mountain, they built a fire on the shallow bank, caught a net of fish, roasted and ate most of them, and each family took a fish or two home.

Despite the cold weather, setting aside life's pressures and troubles, not talking about the future or identities, and just roasting fish and chatting, they truly felt a sense of carefree joy. Even the usually cautious Nie Yuanbai relaxed and, under Shen Wenyi's persistent questioning, shared many stories about Beijing.

When it was late and quiet, they descended the mountain by flashlight. Except for Shen Banyue, all the other children were wrapped in the adults' cotton-padded jackets. Xiao Dizi was already fast asleep, snoring.

The new year arrived just like that.

On the morning of the first day of the new year, the children received their New Year's money.

Shen Guoqiang and his wife each gave one yuan. Shen Guoqing, Wang Guizhi, and Shen Dechang each gave five mao. Each child received a "huge sum" of three yuan and five mao. Later, following Shen Wendong and Zhao Xuehai, they ran around the village, paying New Year's visits everywhere, and collected more New Year's money and candy.

In the end, when they tallied it up, Shen Banyue received the most New Year's money because Little Potato and Little Pumpkin's parents gave her a full one yuan.

All in all, the kids' pockets bulged after the New Year, while the adults' wallets were noticeably thinner.

Of course, some adults' pockets swelled too—for instance, Zhao Xuehai's mother, Jin Qiaohe, confiscated most of her son's red envelope money and all of her daughter's, coming out ahead in the red envelope exchange.

The result was that Zhao Xuehai, furious, threw a fit and "ran away from home" during the New Year, camping out at the Shen family and even spending the night with Lin Mian and Xiao Jie.

The Spring Festival holiday was short then, and they had to go back to work on the fourth day of the new year. Within a few days, Shen Guoqiang, Shen Guoqing, and the others were gone again. By the tail end of the Spring Festival, after eating glutinous rice balls, the children started a new semester.

Once March rolled around, Wang Guizhi became exceptionally busy.

The Zhou family, understanding their financial constraints, didn't demand the "three rounds and a sound" as betrothal gifts. However, Wang Guizhi felt that marriage was a once-in-a-lifetime event and couldn't look too cheap, even if money was tight. In the end, she gritted her teeth and asked Shen Guoqiang to get a bicycle ticket to buy a bicycle.

Radios and sewing machines were rarely used, and Zhou Yaoyao already had a watch of her own. Buying a bicycle would make it easier for her to get around.

Besides this, bedding, clothes, and furniture—every single thing took both thought and money.

March 28th, a Sunday and the second day of the third lunar month, was a lucky day for a wedding.

The weather had already warmed up, but it was the season when you never know what to wear. The children wore new cotton-padded jackets over lighter clothes underneath, standing in a row along the village road outside the courtyard.

"Why hasn't the bride arrived yet?" Xiao Jie, probably tired from standing, plopped down into a squat, resting his hands on his legs and cupping his red cheeks—he'd secretly smeared on the dye from red eggs.

Learning good habits is hard, but picking up bad ones is easy. Xiao Dizi immediately squatted beside him, cradling her little face and chiming in with a baby voice, "Why hasn't the bride arrived yet? No candy, no red envelopes."

Shen Banyue: "..."

She's even learning to apply it to new situations.

The neighbor ladies watching were amused by them. Auntie Qin teased Xiao Dizi with a smile, "So you're not waiting for the bride but for candy and red envelopes?"

Xiao Dizi shook her head, announcing matter-of-factly, "Adults have to choose, but children want both!"

The adults couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, what a smooth talker!"

After waiting a while longer, even Lin Mian couldn't resist squatting next to Xiao Jie. Only then did Shen Banyue hear distant firecracker sounds and reminded the three children, "They should be here soon. Don't squat on the road, or you'll get stepped on."

Auntie Qin wondered, "Xiao Yue, how do you know they're almost here? I didn't hear any firecrackers."

Shen Banyue smiled. "I think I heard them. Auntie, didn't you hear? Listen carefully, and you might hear them too."

Auntie Qin listened skeptically. After two or three minutes, she finally heard faint firecracker sounds and looked at Shen Banyue with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "You little rascal, there weren't any before, but now there really are. Honestly, pulling an old woman's leg on purpose. Lin Mian, Xiao Jie, quickly help your sister up. Let's stand to the side and make way for the newlyweds."

The firecrackers grew louder and closer, accompanied by the cheers of neighbors and children following along. Finally, bicycles with big red flowers tied to their handlebars turned into the village road, heading toward the Shen family home.

Shen Guoqing wore his County Machinery Factory uniform today. The blue work clothes made him look tall and spirited. As he approached home, he grinned from ear to ear.

Zhou Yaoyao, sitting on the back of his bicycle, wore a gray-blue "Liberation suit," with a bright red silk flower pinned in her coiled hair, also beaming with joy.

Auntie Qin suddenly said, "Wait a minute. Weren't there three bicycles when they left this morning? Why are there more than three now? Did the bride's family bring people? But that's too many—looks like seven or eight?"

Shen Banyue had heard about this from Wang Guizhi. The family had one new bicycle, Shen Guoqiang borrowed one from Dai Xianghua, and the production team leader lent another, making three bicycles for fetching the bride. The bride's side also had three bicycles, making a total of six for "double prosperity."

Now, looking at it, it wasn't seven or eight—there were nine bicycles in total.

This spectacle really impressed everyone watching along the way.

"Having both brothers as workers really makes a difference. Oh, right, the bride's family are workers too. Look, bicycles are such precious things. Ordinary families are lucky to borrow two, but their family actually has nine at once!"

"Wow, this has to be a first for miles around, lined up like a parade. And hey, the dowry is no small matter either. Thank goodness for all those bikes, or it would've been tough to bring back."

"Where there's a will, there's a way! If you don't have bikes, use a cart. Isn't that what every family does? Tsk, tsk, showing off like this—aren't they afraid of being criticized at a public meeting?"

"Oh, just admit you're jealous. What kind of talk is that about criticism meetings on a day like this? You have no tact. If you have the guts, stand here while I call Wang Guizhi over and let her hear your nonsense."

"Don't spread rumors. I didn't say anything. I'm going to go grab some candy. Can't I just wish them a happy union and many children?"

...

Over the racket, Shen Banyue watched the bicycles pass by one after another. She narrowed her eyes, looking at the strangers at the end of the line—no, she recognized one of them. It was Zhang Xiaowei's father, and sitting on the crossbar of Zhang's bicycle was... Zhang Xiaowei!

"Xiao Jie, Xiao Dizi, Lin Mian, Sister Yue—" Zhang Xiaowei spotted them too and shouted excitedly, "Dad, Dad, slow down, let me off!"

At the same time, the bicycle behind Zhang's father squealed to a stop. A woman in a woolen coat jumped off the back seat, looked around frantically, and stumbled toward where Shen Banyue and the others stood. "Xiao Jie, my son! Mom finally found you!"

Xiao Jie, who had been grinning and waving excitedly at Zhang Xiaowei, suddenly froze at the woman's call. He stared at her for a long time, murmuring uncertainly, "Mom?"

It had been over half a year since he was kidnapped. Seeing his mother again so suddenly, the child felt too unfamiliar to recognize her immediately.

Mrs. Zhao's eyes immediately filled with tears as she rushed over and hugged Xiao Jie tightly. "Xiao Jie, do you still remember Mom? You haven't forgotten me, have you? You can't forget me!"

By then, Mr. Zhao had also parked his bicycle and walked over. He wore a grayish-blue Liberation suit, with faint frown lines between his eyebrows, giving him a somewhat stern appearance.

However, his eyes were also red. After looking Xiao Jie over for a good long while, he quietly exhaled. Finally, noticing the two red patches on Xiao Jie's cheeks, he couldn't help but say, "Zhao Jie, what's that on your face?"

Mrs. Zhao immediately turned and glared at him. "We finally found our son, and the first thing you do is scold him!"

Mr. Zhao looked helpless. "When did I scold him?"

Xiao Jie, who had been dazed, seemed to finally react and burst into tears. "Mom, Mom, Dad is being mean to me!"

Mr. Zhao: "..."

Watching from the side, Shen Banyue finally understood why Xiao Jie, with such a stern father, had developed such a lively personality.

This family of three was quite interesting.

By then, the newlyweds had entered the courtyard, and waves of laughter and chatter came from inside. Wang Guizhi hurried out to greet these unexpected guests. "What a coincidence today! Please come inside quickly, into Xiao Jie's room to sit."

Mrs. Zhao wiped her tears and grasped Wang Guizhi's hand. "Elder sister, you must be Sister Wang, right? Thank you so much. I really don't know how to thank you. If I weren't afraid people would say I'm engaging in feudal practices, I'd kneel and kowtow to you three times! Our Xiao Jie owes everything to you. Look at him—fair and plump, even better cared for than at home. You've clearly put in so much effort. I... sob... I really don't know how to thank you all!"

Shen Banyue understood again—Xiao Jie's talkative nature seemed inherited from his mother.

Wang Guizhi replied with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Xiao Jie's mom, there's no need to be so polite. I was just entrusted by the commune. If you want to thank anyone, thank the government."

Mrs. Zhao shook her head. "The government's entrustment is one thing, but even at work, some people slack off. You're clearly a kind-hearted person, treating our child as your own. These days, people like you are rare."

Mrs. Zhao's sincerity was so overwhelming that even Wang Guizhi struggled to respond. She quickly pulled them inside. "It's chilly outside; let's talk inside. It's quite a coincidence—today is our youngest's wedding. But don't worry, we have enough space. Xiao Wei, Brother Zhang, come in, come in. Xianghua, we invited you to the wedding banquet too. Stay, and you can spend the night at the production team leader's house."

This time, without county officials around, Dai Xianghua readily agreed.

Xiao Wei and Lin Mian whispered together for a long time. Xiao Dizi, who hadn't seen Xiao Wei in ages, tilted her head and stared for a while before finally remembering. She immediately let go of Shen Banyue's hand and went over to hold Xiao Wei's hand instead.

After eavesdropping for a bit, Shen Banyue finally understood why Xiao Wei and the others had come with the Zhao couple.

Once inside, Mr. Zhao also explained the situation to Wang Guizhi.

Like the Zhang family, the Zhao family was from the neighboring S Province. However, the Zhang family lived closer to T Province, near Xiaodun Brigade, while Xiao Jie had gone missing at his maternal grandmother's house, which was closer to Y Province—essentially east and west in opposite directions.

After the child went missing, the Zhao family searched frantically. But for two whole months, neither the police nor relatives and friends had any leads.

Zhao's mother was constantly in tears, her emotions worsening and her health deteriorating. It was then that Zhao's father received a top-secret assignment, so he took Zhao's mother with him to X Province.

At that time, they had almost given up hope of ever finding their child.

They were out of touch in X Province for several months and only returned in March. By chance, they saw in the newspaper the news about the Zhang family finding their child. The couple was overjoyed and, after asking around everywhere, finally got the Zhang family's contact information.

Later, the couple brought a photo of Xiao Jie to the Zhang family. When Xiao Wei pointed at the photo and recognized Xiao Jie, the couple was practically over the moon with joy.

Logically, they should have contacted the T Province authorities through the public security department first, but the couple couldn't wait. Putting aside all embarrassment, they begged Zhang's father to help guide the way, bought train tickets, and came directly.

Zhang's father was familiar with the way. Without contacting Shanxi County, they took the bus all the way to Yunling Commune, went straight to find Dai Xianghua, and came over. They encountered the wedding party halfway and, without time for detailed explanations, joined the group.

Zhao's father said sincerely, "We came so suddenly, we're really sorry." They hadn't expected such a coincidence, arriving right during the family's wedding celebration.

Wang Guizhi waved her hand, "What's sudden about it? Everyone has a heart of flesh. What parent, hearing news of their child, could sit still? Besides, your coming today is perfect—a double celebration. It even makes Guoqing look good. Whose wedding is as grand as his? Nine bicycles, symbolizing long-lasting happiness, how wonderful."

Zhao's mother held Wang Guizhi's hand, "Sister, you're right. We're closer than kin. When relatives have a joyous event, we'd travel thousands of miles to attend the feast!"

Shen Banyue looked at the two of them. When these sharp, socially adept women get together, they really outdo each other in eloquence.

Xiao Jie, being incredibly oblivious, clung to his mother for a while, acting spoiled, but soon grew restless. He winked at Xiao Wei, "Let's go ask the bride for candy?"

The two children hit it off immediately and soon bounced off to the bridal chamber. Shen Banyue, considering herself a child too, felt she should follow the children's pace, so she pulled Lin Mian and Xiao Dizi along and ran after them.

"Ah, look at this child. The adults were worried sick, but he's fine, acting like nothing happened," Zhao's mother wiped her tears, "But this puts my mind at ease."

Wang Guizhi smiled, "Exactly. Xiao Jie is a child who doesn't take things to heart. That's good—unaffected. He'll go back home just as happy as ever."

While happy for them, Wang Guizhi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Another child was about to leave.