Chapter 60

Chapter 60

"Comrade Wu Hongxia, tomorrow is the Laba Festival. Let's each chip in some ingredients and cook a pot of Laba porridge!" a female comrade with a gentle smile called out to Wu Hongxia, who was making her bed by the window. The village committee house had been empty for too long, so it was bound to be a bit damp. Wu Hongxia pasted some paper on the wall to make sleeping more comfortable.

The one who called her was named Lin Qiao. She didn't like Zhang Wei's attitude, so she paired up with the cheerful Wu Hongxia instead—they clicked well.

Wu Hongxia responded with a smile, "Sure! I still have half a jin of red beans and some jujubes here. Let's pool together—we've got to celebrate the New Year somehow, right?"

Lin Qiao pulled Wu Hongxia over to the male educated youth's side. The seven of them scraped together enough ingredients for a pot of Laba porridge, but unfortunately, rock sugar, the most essential ingredient, was missing. The three female comrades all had some brown sugar, but brown sugar was precious! There was no way they'd use it for porridge. Besides, that brown sugar was saved for their monthly periods—every bit they used was one bit less.

Wu Hongxia looked at her companions' gloomy expressions and suddenly thought of someone. An idea struck her. She asked everyone to chip in a coin, pulled Lin Qiao along, put on their bamboo hats, and headed out.

The snow was falling even harder. Many families were clearing snow from their roofs; if they didn't, the roof might collapse and bury them alive. Lin Qiao and Wu Hongxia trudged through the deep snow toward the Feng family home. From afar, they could see the small courtyard standing alone in the wind and snow. Their cheeks red from the cold, they smiled a little—finally here.

"Comrade Feng Xia, Comrade Feng Xia, are you home? It's Wu Hongxia! I need to ask you something."

They knocked on the courtyard door a few times but got no response. They knocked harder a few more times before a little boy opened the door. He was a dark, chubby little boy, sturdy and bright-eyed. He asked them, "What do you want with Sister Xia?"

Wu Hongxia fished out a candy from her pocket and handed it to Feng Jinbao, smiling warmly. "We're friends with your Sister Feng Xia. We need to see her about something. Little brother, could you let us in?"

Feng Jinbao shoved the candy into his mouth and stepped aside to let them in. Wu Hongxia's lips twitched—this kid sure was trusting—no second thoughts about letting them in.

Entering the main hall, they spotted Feng Xia at once. Feng Jinlian and Feng Jingui were sitting beside her, sewing clothes. The three Feng men were on the roof clearing snow, Li Meihua and Zhang Ling were boiling water in the kitchen, and Feng Chun was holed up in her room. Compared to the noisy farmyards of other families, this one was almost too quiet.

At least the three little ones—Feng Qiu, Feng Chengzong, and Feng Jinbao—were around. Feng Qiu and Feng Chengzong were playing with snow under the eaves, while Feng Jinbao was roasting sweet potatoes in the brazier. They chattered away from time to time, adding a bit of life to the silent Feng courtyard.

When Wu Hongxia saw Feng Xia lounging lazily in her chair, her eyes lit up. Her smile was open and bright, and her voice crisp. "Feng Xia, I've come to ask you a favor. Here's the thing: we educated youth pooled some ingredients to make Laba porridge, but we're short on sugar. The supply cooperative is closed, and we have nowhere to buy it. Do you happen to have any extra at home? Could you spare us a little? I'm shamelessly asking—if you have some to share, great; if not, it's no trouble at all. Sorry to bother you."

Wu Hongxia wore her hair in a ponytail, spoke clearly, word by word with a unique cadence, and her eyes were bright. She carried herself with easy confidence. Feng Jinlian and her sister looked at her, utterly captivated.

Wu Hongxia was completely different from the women they had known before. She wasn't like Zhang Ling's timid caution, nor Li Meihua's fiery temper, nor the village gossips. She was bright, self-assured, never belittling herself because she was a girl. She was confident. Feng Jinlian and Feng Jingui gazed at her with barely suppressed longing and admiration.

Feng Xia noticed her two sisters' looks. Feng Jinlian and Feng Jingui's lives over the past dozen years had been mostly bleak—only slightly better than Feng Xia's because they had a mother who protected them. But that was the fate of rural girls, the fate of families that valued sons over daughters.

Wu Hongxia was a completely different kind of person, and Lin Qiao beside her as well. They were distant, unattainable role models for Feng Jinlian and Feng Jingui. Feng Xia rose lazily, her voice carrying a hint of languor. "I'll get some for you."

She stopped Feng Jinlian and Feng Jingui, who had been about to move, and went to her room. Once Feng Xia left, the two sisters became almost shy and nervous, not daring to look at Wu Hongxia. Wu Hongxia's heart softened at the sight of the two girls with lowered heads. She took the initiative to ask, "Are you two Feng Xia's older sisters? I'm Wu Hongxia, and this is Lin Qiao. What are your names?"

A sincere friendship began quietly that day. Many years later, in Madam Feng Jinlian's memoirs, she wrote: "Sister Hongxia's appearance showed me another kind of life. That was the beginning of my determination to rebel against an unjust fate."

But at that moment, the protagonists were still shyly chatting, their voices barely a whisper, cheeks blushing.

Feng Xia dawdled in her room for a long time before finally emerging with a small packet of rock sugar. Wu Hongxia had been patiently chatting with Feng Jinlian and Feng Jingui, her eyes bright and focused as she looked at them. It was as if a clear spring had poured into the sisters' clouded hearts, washing away years of dust. Both were a little moved, their eyes reddening slightly.

Seeing Feng Xia bring the rock sugar, Wu Hongxia stood up to take it, then picked up a red paper packet and handed it to Feng Xia. "This is some New Year's money for you, in advance. Don't say no." Feng Xia accepted it gladly. Wu Hongxia was straightforward and fair—not one to haggle over small things.

With the rock sugar in hand, it was time for them to leave. But Wu Hongxia gently took Feng Jinlian's and Feng Jingui's hands and looked sincerely into their eyes. "You two, I feel like we've hit it off instantly. I'd like to be friends with you. Would you be willing?"

Feng Jinlian and Feng Jingui nodded shyly, their other hands nervously twisting the hems of their clothes. Wu Hongxia's smile grew even brighter. "Good. Jinlian, Jingui, from now on we're friends. I live at the village committee. If you ever have time, you're welcome to come find me. Let's make progress together and learn together."

She gently squeezed their hands, then took the rock sugar and left with Lin Qiao. Feng Jingui and Feng Jinlian saw them all the way to the door and only turned back to the main hall after the two figures had disappeared from sight.

Feng Jingui looked dazed, as if in a dream. "Xia Girl, Comrade Wu just said she could teach Jinlian and me to read. She said... she said she'd teach us to write our own names. Xia Girl, do you think we can learn? Is reading a bad thing? Should we not learn?"

Her voice trailed off, growing low. Feng Xia pulled them both to sit down, her crisp, soothing voice. "How could learning to read be bad? If you want to join the army and move up, you have to be literate! How can you be a leader if you can't read? Learn well from Sister Hongxia, and your future will only get better. But don't talk about this outside—just study hard privately."

Feng Xia watched the light slowly reignite in her sisters' eyes, and her heart felt warm. Women struggled in this world. She only hoped her two sisters' path would be a little smoother—a lot smoother.