Chapter 65

Chapter 65

The toilet at Yunling Middle School was located in the northwest corner, a short distance from the playground where the film was being screened. A lamp with a tin shade hung at the entrance, clanking softly in the night breeze.

By the time Shen Banyue and the others arrived, they saw a figure dart in from an angle, kicking aside the thug who was trying to cover the victim’s mouth, then reaching out to steady the screaming victim by the arm.

At the same time, the thug flipped over and bolted.

Shen Banyue and the others gave chase immediately. The thug ran fast and clearly knew the terrain well, zigzagging until he reached the wall. Shen Banyue lunged forward and kicked him squarely in the ankle. With a sharp cry of pain, the thug crashed to the ground.

Zhao Xuehai and Lin Mian rushed over and pinned him down. The thug was burly, and upon realizing his captors were just a few half-grown teenagers, he tried to resist. Shen Banyue delivered a swift kick to his other foot. With both ankles injured, the thug collapsed, howling in agony and unable to rise.

“What do we do—take him to the commune?” Zhao Xuehai asked, pressing a knee hard into the thug’s back while glancing up at Shen Banyue.

The thug looked heavy, and Zhao Xuehai figured he couldn’t carry him alone. If they had to haul him all the way to the commune, it would likely fall to Xiao Yue—the “big hero.”

“It looked like Special Commissioner Cao rescued the person at the toilet. He should be arriving any moment. Let’s wait here,” Shen Banyue said.

Though the light was dim and she’d only caught a fleeting glimpse, her eyes were sharp enough to recognize both the rescuer and the screaming victim.

“Huh? It was Special Commissioner Cao? I was too busy chasing to notice,” Zhao Xuehai said.

Hearing that, Zhao Xuehai plopped down and planted his full weight onto the thug’s back. The thug groaned under the added pressure and couldn’t help cursing: “You little bastards—short-lived punks! Just you wait—I’ll come back and kill every last one of you! I only stole two yuan—it’s not like they’ll execute me for that! Just wait till I get out of the labor camp—I’ll make sure you’re all dead!”

The thug was thoroughly arrogant.

Lin Mian casually picked up a rag from the corner—rotten and cottony—crumpled it up, and stuffed it deep into the thug’s mouth. His repetitive chant of “I’ll make sure you’re dead” abruptly ceased, replaced by muffled gagging and choking sounds.

The rag—who knew what it had been used for—was filthy and reeking, making the thug’s eyes roll back in disgust.

Zhao Xuehai let out a low hiss, staring at Lin Mian in awe, suddenly realizing this guy had been holding back out of brotherhood—giving him only verbal grief, never resorting to such “brutality.”

Soon after, Cao Guilin and the victim arrived. Seeing the thug sprawled pitifully on the ground, Cao Guilin visibly startled—then burst out laughing. “You kids really are something!”

Zhao Xuehai jutted his chin out, utterly unrepentant. “Of course! Who do you think we are? We’re the Xiaodun—” Lin Mian cut him off with a sharp elbow to the ribs. Zhao Xuehai glanced at Lin Mian, confused—until Lin Mian nodded pointedly toward the ground. Zhao Xuehai instantly realized—*Oh crap—we’ve given ourselves away!* Would this guy come after them later?

Cao Guilin chuckled. “I know—the ‘Little Heroes’ everyone’s been praising across the county and commune!”

Shen Banyue smiled. “Then we’ll leave him in your hands?”

Cao Guilin nodded. “Absolutely. I blew my whistle just a minute ago—the local militia patrol should arrive any second to take over.”

Zhao Xuehai released his grip and stood up. The thug attempted to get up but failed, so he gave up, spat out the rag, and yelled in defeat: “Officer, I only stole two yuan! I’ll give it back to this lady—okay? And if that’s not enough, I’ll even throw in another yuan!”

The “victim,” who’d been half-hidden behind Cao Guilin, could no longer contain herself and snapped: “I only had two yuan today—that’s why you stole two! If I’d had twenty—or two hundred—you’d have taken those too, wouldn’t you?”

The thug sneered. “As if you’d ever *have* twenty or two hundred.”

The insult stung more than it hurt—especially because it was spot-on. Fuming, the victim blurted out: “And you groped my butt and thigh!”

The thug paused, then muttered, “That was just while I was grabbing the money—no harm done.”

The victim was livid. She darted out from behind Cao Guilin, kicked the thug three times, then quickly dashed back.

But even in that brief moment, Zhao Xuehai recognized her. “Sister-in-law Tingting—it’s you!” The victim was none other than Liu Tingting, Shen Aimin’s wife.

Zhao Xuehai wasn’t a Shen by blood, so he addressed the Shens however felt natural. Strictly speaking, Liu Tingting might even have to call *him* “Uncle.”

Since she’d been identified, Liu Tingting stepped forward, embarrassed, and pleaded: “Xuehai, Xiao Yue, Xiao Mian—please don’t tell anyone about this?”

Zhao Xuehai looked as though he wanted to say more—but Lin Mian reached up, hooked an arm around his neck, and pulled him away. “Aren’t we going to the toilet? Let’s go.”

Shen Banyue smiled at Liu Tingting. “Don’t worry, Sister-in-law—we won’t breathe a word.” She nodded politely to Cao Guilin and followed Lin Mian and the others away.

Watching the children walk off, Cao Guilin casually asked, “Comrade Liu—are you also from Xiaodun Brigade?”

Liu Tingting nodded. “My husband’s family is from Xiaodun Brigade. The woman who adopted Xiao Yue and Xiao Mian is my husband’s step-grandmother.”

The distant streetlight cast hazy shadows, lending a faint, dreamlike beauty to the scene. Liu Tingting looked up at Cao Guilin—especially sharp and upright in his public security uniform—and shyly said, “Thank you so much today, Special Commissioner Cao. If you hadn’t shown up, I don’t know what would have happened…” She murmured softly, “I was so scared.”

The thug on the ground stirred, glancing sideways at the two—but instead of wailing, he fell completely silent.

Cao Guilin smiled reassuringly. “Protecting the people is our duty as public security officers. Don’t worry—there are always patrols nearby. If not me, someone else would have come to your rescue.”

—

Shen Banyue and the others returned from the toilet. As they passed the intersection where they’d tackled the thug, Zhao Xuehai darted over for a quick look—then ran back. “No one’s there.”

“They’ve probably already taken him to the commune to lock him up,” Shen Banyue said.

“Sister-in-law Tingting must have gone to the commune to file a statement too. Too bad she’ll miss the rest of the movie,” Zhao Xuehai said, still preoccupied with getting back to watch it.

As they walked back near the edge of the crowd, they nearly collided with a girl rushing out. Shen Banyue quickly pulled Zhao Xuehai and Lin Mian aside. The girl couldn’t stop in time and stumbled forward—but at the last moment braced herself with her hands and avoided falling.

She hissed in pain, looked up—and saw Shen Banyue and the others. Her face darkened. “What’s wrong with you three kids? You saw I was about to fall and didn’t even help—just dodged three feet away! So selfish! We’re from the same brigade, yet you show zero kindness!”

Shen Banyue recognized her as one of the new educated youths who’d arrived in the first half of the year—likely named Zhang Ying. She was one of the five youths Shen Zhenxing had once wished he could pack up and send straight back where they came from.

Shen Banyue wasn’t angry. She simply smiled and said, “Auntie—can’t you see, or are your legs not working well? Should we find a wooden board to carry you back to the brigade? Don’t be shy—just call us Young Pioneers.”

Zhang Ying: “…”

*Who’s an auntie? Who can’t see? Who has bad legs? Why is this kid so annoying?*

Lin Mian calmly added, “We’re just kids—we can’t handle a blind, deaf old auntie. Better call the militia to help, in case her condition worsens and she blames us.”

Zhao Xuehai—eager only to get back to the movie—pulled them along. “Why waste time with her? She wasn’t watching where she was going. Serves her right if she falls flat on her face.” Without further ado, he dragged them away.

Zhang Ying was fuming—so furious she felt like exploding. Just then, a handkerchief appeared beside her. She turned—and saw a young man wearing a red armband.

He smiled at her. “Those kids are pretty annoying. No need to stoop to their level. Your hands are dirty—wipe them.”

Zhang Ying took it and wiped her hands, embarrassed. “I’ve dirtied your handkerchief. Maybe I can take it home, wash it, and return it to you?”

The young man with the red armband laughed. “The handkerchief’s no big deal—but I’d be happy if you did return it. I’m from the commune revolutionary committee. My name is Qian Tao.”

—

The three kids returned to the tree. Shen Wenyi asked curiously, “What took you so long at the toilet? Did you fall in?”

Zhao Xuehai perked up—forgetting all about the movie—and scrambled up Shen Wenyi’s tree. He vividly recounted everything that had happened. The three brothers stopped watching the film and listened intently.

Despite Zhao Xuehai’s usual carefree nature, he was reliable in certain ways. Liu Tingting had asked them not to tell anyone—clearly worried gossip would damage her reputation. So, even as he animatedly told Shen Wenyi and the others the story, he carefully omitted that the “victim” was Liu Tingting.

Shen Wenyi seemed to recall something from a few years earlier—and sighed. “Sometimes, a lot can happen just from watching a movie.” Back then, they’d stumbled upon Zhu Juncai’s incident during a screening.

But tonight was relatively mild—just catching a thief.

Every time the commune showed a movie, the militia patrol would always nab one or two people trying to steal or rob, but that was nowhere near as shocking as what happened with Zhu Juncai back then.

After the movie, the group waited under the tree like always until the crowd thinned out a bit, and then Wang Guizhi and the others came over.

Zhou Yaoyao's younger siblings, Zhou Siyuan and Zhou Panpan, ran over excitedly when they saw Shen Banyue and the others. Zhou Siyuan was about to finish junior high and would take the high school entrance exam next year, while Zhou Panpan was in fifth grade, about to start middle school.

"We wanted to come hang out with you, but our parents wouldn't let us," Zhou Panpan said, tugging Shen Banyue's sleeve and quietly griping about her parents.

Zhou Siyuan pulled a clear plastic-wrapped orange candy out of his pocket and handed it to Shen Banyue. "Xiao Yue, this is for you." The candy was made of soft segments shaped like orange slices, with fine white sugar stuck on them—a rare and fancy treat in this era.

Shen Banyue wasn't about to take his candy and quickly said, "I don't want it; you and Panpan keep it."

Seeing this, Zhao Xuehai tugged Lin Mian's sleeve and made silly faces at him. Lin Mian frowned, looking annoyed, and yanked his sleeve back.

As they were talking, a group of adults came over. Zhou's mom called out, "Siyuan, Panpan, don't bother Xiao Yue and the others; they still have to get back to the village."

Zhou Siyuan had no choice but to shove the orange candy back in his pocket, looking bummed as he walked over to his parents and helped pick up the stools.

Since the whole Zhou family was there, no one else needed to help carry the stools. The adults chatted for a bit at the fork in the road, and then the two groups went their separate ways.

Zhou Yaoyao took her younger siblings to return the stools, while Zhou's dad and mom waited at the intersection. Zhou's dad sighed and said, "Why do you always stop Siyuan and Panpan from playing with the Shen kids? I think those kids are all good—sensible, capable, and respectful. I've heard they do well in school too."

Zhou's mom shot him a look and said, "Didn't you see your son couldn't even bring himself to eat that fancy candy and wanted to give it to that little girl? That silly boy thought we didn't see!"

Zhou's dad was taken aback. "Oh, come on. The kids are still young. You're overthinking it!"

Zhou's mom shook her head. "Young? Your son's sixteen. In the countryside, at this age, he should already be working and earning his keep. In a year or two, he could start looking for a wife. In the city, it's just three years of high school, and once he graduates, isn't it time to settle down?"

Zhou's dad raised his voice. "But Xiao Yue's only thirteen!"

Zhou's mom insisted, "Thirteen—in three or four years, she'll be old enough to think about marriage. If I don't keep an eye on things, what if your son really falls for her? She's got a rural household registration, and I heard her family sold her off. Who knows if some poor relatives might show up in a few years?

Marriage is the biggest deal. If Shen Guoqing hadn't gotten into the County Machinery Factory, do you think I'd have let Yaoyao marry him? Honestly, I kind of regret it now. If Yaoyao had found someone with a house in the commune, she wouldn't still be living with us after all these years of being married. Siyuan and Panpan are older now, and look how cramped the place is—all because the Shen family has no house in the commune or the county."

Zhou's dad was stunned, clearly not knowing his wife felt that way. He opened his mouth to argue, but just then Zhou Yaoyao and the others came over. He swallowed his words and whispered firmly to his wife, "Don't say a word of this in front of Yaoyao."

Zhou's mom shrugged. "I'm not stupid."

Shen Banyue had no idea the Zhou couple had almost argued over her. If she had, she might have told Zhou's mom not to worry so much—she was still a kid and definitely not thinking about relationships. By the time she needed to think about that stuff, Zhou Siyuan wouldn't even be on her radar.

Maybe because she wasn't really a kid at heart, Shen Banyue played the role of a kid perfectly, often reminding herself of it internally.

In contrast, the real kid, Zhao Xuehai, did the opposite. Taking advantage of being in the back where the adults couldn't hear, he teased Shen Banyue. "That Zhou Siyuan definitely likes you. Otherwise, why would he offer you such a nice candy instead of asking me?"

Shen Banyue sighed. "He's not that close to you, and besides, we're still just kids."

Zhao Xuehai shot back confidently, "Can't kids like kids? And we're not that young anymore. Ning Xiaoxiao in our class likes Shen Wendong and brings him snacks every day, but he never takes them."

Shen Banyue was a bit puzzled. Wasn't this era supposed to be very conservative? Even a hint of closeness between unmarried men and women would get them warned by the "little-foot patrol" aunties about moral issues. Were these junior high students really so bold?

But then she thought, youthful infatuation was only natural. Even in ancient times with strict Confucian codes, there were stories of talented scholars and beautiful women—far more conservative than now.

She brushed the thought aside and said with a smile, "Brother Wendong is quite popular!"

She had to admit, having watched these kids grow up, she felt a bit like a proud parent at that moment.

Shen Wendong blushed, his mouth opening and closing before he blurted out, "Xiao Yue, didn't you say we're still kids?"

Lin Mian, who had been silent, chimed in, "Sister Yue and I are still kids. You two aren't."

Shen Wendong, the junior high student, was left speechless.

Shen Banyue looked up at the moon. The weather had been good lately, with thin clouds and clear, bright moonlight. She smiled. "Our lives are still long. No need to rush to stop; we can keep moving forward and see more scenery." After all, in a few years, the whole country would undergo a huge transformation, and many paths and opportunities would open up before them—vast skies and seas, endless possibilities.

Shen Wenyi turned to call them to hurry up and caught the tail end of her words. "What are you talking about? You seem so happy."

Lin Mian glanced at him and said flatly, "We were saying Brother Wenyi has seen too much scenery."

Shen Wenyi was confused, while Zhao Xuehai and Shen Wendong exchanged looks and burst into laughter.

Shen Banyue laughed too, imagining that if Shen Wenyi ever understood Lin Mian's meaning, he'd probably echo Wang Guizhi's sentiment: this kid was getting more annoying by the day.

Chatting and laughing, they quickened their pace.

Lin Mian looked at Shen Banyue, the old thought resurfacing in his mind: why couldn't kids get married? If they could, he would definitely marry Sister Yue, so no one could take her away.

By the time they got back to the brigade, it was already late.

The elderly were used to early bedtimes. Despite the enjoyable movie, staying up so late had Wang Guizhi and Shen Dechang yawning. The two younger ones let the old couple wash up first, and after they went to bed, Shen Banyue and Lin Mian fetched water to wash their faces and brush their teeth.

Shen Banyue thought Lin Mian seemed off today—especially quiet, barely speaking since they got home. She couldn't help asking, "What's wrong? Are you tired?"

Lin Mian paused in wiping his face, shook his head, and changed the subject. "Is Xiao Dizi coming back next week?"

Shen Banyue wrung out a towel and nodded. "Yeah, next weekend."

Three years ago, after the adoption paperwork was finalized, Lin Xiaohui had stayed in the village for the entire summer, coaxing Xiao Dizi every day. The little one's willpower was weak, and Lin Xiaohui's candy and toys won her over, gradually making her more attached.

When Lin Xiaohui took her to Jiangcheng, Xiao Dizi only realized Shen Banyue and Lin Mian hadn't boarded the bus after it started moving. She reportedly cried so hard she nearly passed out. Lin Xiaohui had to promise a bunch of things, including bringing her back to Xiaodun Brigade every month and for summer and winter breaks, before Xiao Dizi reluctantly stopped crying.

Over the years, Lin Xiaohui and Shen Guoqiang had kept their promise, bringing the little one back to Xiaodun Brigade every last week of the month.

Thinking of Xiao Dizi, Shen Banyue smiled. "We'll go catch rabbits and pheasants in the mountains then."

After washing up, they went to their rooms. Lying in bed, Shen Banyue suddenly realized that the brat Lin Mian had never answered her question.

The next morning, Shen Banyue was woken up by Lin Mian.

Ever since she'd traveled to this world, her old habit of sleeping in had returned, getting worse each year. Lin Mian, on the other hand, seemed to have a built-in alarm clock, waking up on time every day and calling her from the window.

Shen Banyue yawned, got up, ran a comb through her hair a couple of times, and tied it into a ponytail.

Wang Guizhi had already made breakfast: a bowl of corn porridge and an egg each. After eating, the old couple went to work in the fields, and the two younger ones headed to school.

Two years ago, they'd moved up to higher grades. Teacher Tang had run out of things to teach and had ordered them to go to the commune's junior high next year.

After school that evening, they each grabbed a bamboo basket and headed to the bamboo grove at the east end of the village.

Nie Yuanbai was digging for bamboo shoots in the grove, with several holes at his feet but not a single shoot in his basket.

Winter bamboo shoots were buried underground and required careful identification along the bamboo roots to dig up. Already tricky, it was even harder for Nie Yuanbai, whose farming skills were still mediocre after a few years.

"Everyone has their own specialty!" Nie Yuanbai sighed.

Shen Banyue glanced at the ground and casually asked, "Were you humming 'Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy' just now? Did you go see the movie last night too?"

Nie Yuanbai didn't ask how she'd heard him humming so softly—he'd long learned how sharp her hearing was. He chuckled. "I went after everyone had left, hid in a corner for an hour, and came back without running into anyone."

Shen Banyue commented, "You're getting bolder and bolder. Last night, the Public Security Commissioner, the militia, and the Revolutionary Committee were all there." She thought she'd seen that female educated youth, Zhang Ying, walking with someone wearing a red armband.

She kept digging as she spoke. It didn't take long before she cleared away the soil and decaying leaves, revealing a bamboo shoot lying diagonally beside the bamboo rhizome.

"Hey, how did you find one so quickly!"

Nie Yuanbai turned his head as he said, and sure enough, just a few steps away, Lin Mian had already dug up one too.

Knowing he wasn't cut out for this, he gave up struggling and simply let Shen Banyue direct him, pointing out where to dig, and following her instructions, he soon found one too.

"Uncle Nie, don't you think our village should set up some drainage and irrigation stuff?"

Shen Banyue said while digging. "Look, our brigade is right by the stream. If a big flood comes, it could easily get flooded. And during dry spells, we always have to carry water from the stream to irrigate the fields. Why can't the stream water flow into the fields by itself, like tap water in the city?"

Nie Yuanbai had been about to ask how well they had grasped the lessons he'd taught them before, but he paused at her words. "But it seems like we haven't had any floods or droughts around here in recent years."

"Just because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it won't in the future. I only thought of it because I heard someone talking the other day about how scary floods are," Shen Banyue said.

In truth, it wasn't something she'd heard from others. She had recalled it just before falling asleep the previous night.

In the original book, around this time, Shanxi County was supposed to first suffer a massive flood, followed by a drought the next year. Two consecutive years of natural disasters would cut harvests by more than half, leaving many people on the brink of starvation.

Two years ago, she had been too young and barely literate, making it inappropriate to bring this up. Now that she was about to graduate from elementary school and considered somewhat educated by the standards of the era, Shen Banyue felt it was time to put this matter on the table.

Author's Note:

Disclaimer: The main and supporting characters are still kids. The feelings at this point are just childlike affection~