After Lin Dingding left, Yan Chu drank his medicine that she brewed. He was lying down on the kàng[1] and closed his eyes to rest, incidentally thinking about the way to finish his two mission.
The protagonist of the main mission stayed by his side, he didn’t think about it for the time being. The one gave him a headache was the side mission, which to save the life of Yan Xun, the original body’s birth father. In the original body’s memory, there weren’t many memories about the father. In addition to the almost forgotten images before seven years old, there was just a few[2] ink pictures left after the death of the other side.
What kind of the other person’s temperament, conduct, and emotion for his young son who followed his birth mother and severed his relationship with him? That was what he didn’t know at this moment.
Yan Chu forgot to figured out the time in his heart. Currently, Father Yan had been transferred to work in the countryside for nearly ten years. Five months later, he was going to get the obituary of his death. Yan Xun’s farm was in the northwest and he was in a small village in the south, all over the country. As an educated youth, he couldn’t arbitrarily left the production team, let alone to save a dying man!
Fortunately, there was no penalty for failed side mission, otherwise Yan Chu would had a quite headache!
He opened his eyes and looked at the roof, which leaking on a rainy day, was dyed with a little tawny stain. With a sigh, he got up from the kàng and drape over his cotton-padded jacket on his shoulders. He picked up the pen and paper the original body used to put in his cabinet, and immersed himself in writing a letter.
In the case of his inability to go out at will, if he wanted to save the life of the original body’s father, this might be the only way.
The literati scholar who died in this parallel space wasn’t less than his age of the world in which he lived. A large part of the reason for this was he couldn’t stand the large disparity of status and the difficult circumstances of life. Another part was because he couldn’t find hope for the future. He sentenced himself to death. When a person’s heart dies, it wasn’t far for one’s health to decline at once.
Yan Chu didn’t understand, what kind of situation his this world father was in the end? At the present, he could only became a blind cat found a dead mouse[3], to give it a try!
*****
“Yan Chu, how are you, still have a fever?”
The educated youth who lived in the same room with Yan Chu returned. The leader, Lin Qingshan, wiped the mud off on his shoes at the door, and asked Yan Chu as he went into the house to wash his hands.
They were the third production team of Hongqi[4] Commune. The whole team had a total eleven educated youths, four women and seven men. Some of them were old, either internal digested or married to locals, they all moved out. Now, there were four young men living in the educated youth courtyard, and two young girls in the rear side.
Lin Qingshan was the oldest educated youth who lives in the educated youth courtyard. His temper was also steady and enthusiastic. He was very prestigious in the educated youth team and was a big brother character in general. He also treated other educated youths as younger brothers and sisters, he had many concern for them.
As a matter of fact, Yan Chu was still sick, he couldn’t help but to ask a few more sentences.
“It’s all right. The fever has gone. I’ll be able to go to work with you this afternoon.” Yan Chu had already gotten up from the kàng before they came back, and changed with the proper clothes.
“I just finished cooking the meal, let’s eat together, OK?” He was a city person to the core. He had never seen a large earthen kitchen stove in the countryside. Fortunately, the original body had been lived on a rural community in the countryside for a long time. He still could did the basic of boiling water to prepare a meal.
His simple two sentences could attracted the attention of the other educated youths, they needed to know that the original body’s illness was three or five times different. In addition that his body bone really didn’t adapt to the living environment here, there was also a part of the reason because he couldn’t suffer in hardship, deliberately feigned illness to shy away from work.
These educated youths were basically accustomed to matter of Yan Chu would fall sick for two or three days. They never thought that this time he was actually completely changed from the normal state[5], took the initiative to work on field.
“The sun rise in the west indeed.” The young man who came in the last had a look askance at Yan Chu and whispered a little.
Listening to his tone, there was a faint disdain and ridicule.
Yan Chu wasn’t angry, who let the original body failed to conduct himself. They all was educated youth too. The others was worked themselves to death and he by himself feigned illness in the room to shy away from work. Any normal people wouldn’t be happy in their hearts. Beside, according to Yan Chu’s memory, he came and saw[6] to understand that all the rations of the educated youths were put together, and also every meal was eaten together.
At this time, the grains allocation was depended on the work points[7]. The original body’s working time on the field was short, the earned points was naturally less. The grains that was given to him, he was young man, certainly wasn’t enough to eat it. Even that those educated youths weren’t thin-skinned and didn’t felt any shame to speak to him, let him took up that many small advantages.
To make they changed their opinions was only to speak in his peculiar muttering, in the same way as pointing his nose and scolding at his face, Yan Chu couldn’t be angry.
“Chen Jun, you say a few words too.”
Lin Qingshan as a big brother naturally would to stand up and adjusted the contradictions. He patted the shoulder of the educated youth who just spoke and yet deeply concerned said to Yan Chu: “You have to pay attention when you work in the afternoon. If you’re not feeling well, hurry up and talk to us.”
He was six years older than Yan Chu, in his opinion, Yan Chu merely still couldn’t adapt to the rural life. After a long time, he would naturally changed. Today Yan Chu took the initiative to go to work on the field, it also proved Lin Qingshan’s view of him. This made him a worrywart big brother, don’t mention how happy he was.
Yan Chu helped a few people to take the chopsticks, hanging his head, the original body had been always to blame the gods and accused others[8]. In fact, it wasn’t his fault that he wrapped himself too tightly, all those goodwill were resisted by the armor outside.
The lunch at noon was relatively simple, with sweet potato porridge and simmered cabbage. Apart from this, there was only one plate salted vegetables to pickle from the Chinese New Year last year. Yan Chu didn’t feel that he wasn’t used eating it. He was very clear, this was the food he had been eating for a long time.
As for the other educated youth who had been working for a long time on the field to live, they were unable to change their embarrassing table manner at all, they talked loudly, pouring porridge and stuffing dishes into their mouth.
After dinner, he laid down on the kàng for a while. When the broadcast of the big headquarter was ringing, he had to go to work again.
Lin Guangguo always felt that there seemed to be something wrong, but he couldn’t tell what was wrong.
“Dad, are you thirsty? I’ll pour you some tea.”
Listening to the familiar voice, Lin Guangguo finally came to understand what was wrong. This afternoon, his baby daughter came to give him more than a dozen waters. He said, why did he keep running to the bathroom today? He was drinking too much water after all.
As soon as the winter came, this man’s hands and feet were liable to cold. Home conditions were good with enamel cups were all used to let the children who are not working take the hot kettle to pour hot water. If you drink it, you could warm your hands and feet.
Lin Dingding was Lin family’s most idle child. The hot water of Dad and some of her brothers was added by her every few days[9]. Normally, three or four trips in the afternoon would be enough, but the number of times Lin Dingding came to the field today obviously a bit excessive, ah!
“You, little girl, treating your father as a water buffalo.”
Lin Guangguo didn’t have the heart to refuse his daughter’s good intentions. He drank the remaining water in the cup, waiting for his daughter to pour herself water. As soon this one raised his head, found that the daughter carrying kettle, his eyes didn’t know where to look.
He looked in the direction of Lin Dingding’s line of sight, and saw the young man who stood out from the crowd, even if he was doing his work with a hoe in the field.
That was enough! He got it!
The girl outward, the daughter was using her own father as an excuse to see her lover.
He grunted resentfully, it just good looks, okay? When he was young, he was also the grass[10] in the third team, didn’t know how many young girls liked him.
But Yan Chu, that child today seemed a little different from the past, ah! After such a long time, he didn’t see him went halfway to the embankment to rest for a while. Although hoeing action wasn’t skilled, but each one of them was hard, not lazy at all.
“All right, go back. Your father and brothers are full and you didn’t need to send water on the field later.” Lin Guangguo hummed to his daughter.
Lin Dingding didn’t expect that her performance was so obvious, she shyly helped her dad and some of her brothers to fill the hot water and ran away.
“In fact, I think Yan Chu also very good. A high school graduate, there wasn’t a high school graduates in our village.” Lin Dingding’s eldest brother, Lin Ding, was a simple-minded son. He also loved his younger sister dearly, already thinking about helping her beat the old man’s drum[11].
“You are foolish, what do you know about this matter?”
Lin Guangguo didn’t had patience toward his son unlike with his daughter. He yelled at him: “Hurry to work for lǎo zi[12], or lǎo zi deducts your work points.”
Ok, that’s enough. This definitely wasn’t well matched, ah!
Lin Guangguo looked at the back of his daughter and sighed, his heart somewhat had no way out[13].
******
“Team leader.”
When the broadcast of the work was ringing, Yan Chu’s body and bones were falling apart. However he still remembered that something hadn’t been done and after Lin Qingshan reported it, he quickly followed up with Lin Guangguo.
“Yan Chu, ah, is there something I can help you?”
Lin Guangguo didn’t know why the other party would called himself. He handed the hoe over to his son, and asking Yan Chu after sent them away towards the rear.
“I have a letter, asking the team leader to send it for me.”
There was a post office in the county. Nowadays was period the busy farming season, Yan Chu couldn’t ask for a leave to the county. So he could only handed the letter over to the team leader Lin Guangguo. Every two days, the postman of the county post office would came to the commune to pick up the mail packages to be sent, each production team was registered these things by the team leader.
“This is a letter sent to the farm in Gansu province, I remember you were from the capital, right?”
Lin Guangguo opened the door of the simple office belonging to the team leader in the big headquarter, looked at the address on the envelope handed by Yan Chu and asked doubtfully.
This year is different from the past. Any suspicious letter, as the big team leader, Lin Guangguo had the right to read them. He saw Yan Chu handing over more than a letter, also a small package, he didn’t know what was inside.
“My father was transferred to reformed on the field in Gansu province. Nowadays the weather is cold, and I don’t know how he was there. In that case, I took down a dress and sent him a pair of knee pads and gloves.” The knee pads were made in the morning by Yan Chu, the gloves were bought from the county town and worn by the original body.
Lin Guangguo’s actions were paused. He remembered that when Yan Chu came, it written on the file that his parents were cadres.
Looking at the other party’s low mood, Lin Guangguo roughly guessed the facts. He was afraid that the father’s column written on the file is not the biological father, but the stepfather.
This knowledge made Lin Guangguo’s impression of Yan Chu became a bit better. This child could had a stain in his father’s identity. Under his transfer circumstance, he still remember to make a letter to keep contact him at all times, instead of trying to keep a distance from him. This filial piety alone was extremely valuable.
Lin Guangguo was an uneducated man. He knew that the outside world had been fierce in these years. A father which not the father, a son which not the son. He only knew that if a person couldn’t even recognize his own father and mother, this person was no different from the beast.
This behavior of Yan Chu had brushed favorable impression in Lin Guangguo’s heart firmly. Even made Lin Guangguo thought that his previous understanding of Yan Chu, this child was still extremely one-sided a little, which was obviously a good boy who was filial piety and sensible, ah! From this moment on, he decided to re-observe him.
He said, 「His daughter was all he has, and the unreasonable boy was a bad partner for her.」
Lin Guangguo’s heart was full of joy, looking at Yan Chu with meaningful glance and more lenient.
[1] a heatable brick bed
[2] tiny number, not many at all, you count them on your fingers.
[3] blind luck
[4] 红旗; red flag
[5] quite uncharacteristic, entirely outside the norm, out of character
[6] see a topic from a certain point of view
[7] measure of work completed in a rural commune in the PRC during the planned economy era
[8] complaining about everything
[9] every three and five times
[10] the most handsome boy
[11] to speak enthusiastically about a belief or idea in order to persuade other people to support it too
[12] I, your father (in anger, or out of contempt); I (used arrogantly or jocularly)
[13] helpless, without choice, for lack of better option
After Lin Dingding left, Yan Chu drank his medicine that she brewed. He was lying down on the kàng[1] and closed his eyes to rest, incidentally thinking about the way to finish his two mission.
The protagonist of the main mission stayed by his side, he didn’t think about it for the time being. The one gave him a headache was the side mission, which to save the life of Yan Xun, the original body’s birth father. In the original body’s memory, there weren’t many memories about the father. In addition to the almost forgotten images before seven years old, there was just a few[2] ink pictures left after the death of the other side.
What kind of the other person’s temperament, conduct, and emotion for his young son who followed his birth mother and severed his relationship with him? That was what he didn’t know at this moment.
Yan Chu forgot to figured out the time in his heart. Currently, Father Yan had been transferred to work in the countryside for nearly ten years. Five months later, he was going to get the obituary of his death. Yan Xun’s farm was in the northwest and he was in a small village in the south, all over the country. As an educated youth, he couldn’t arbitrarily left the production team, let alone to save a dying man!
Fortunately, there was no penalty for failed side mission, otherwise Yan Chu would had a quite headache!
He opened his eyes and looked at the roof, which leaking on a rainy day, was dyed with a little tawny stain. With a sigh, he got up from the kàng and drape over his cotton-padded jacket on his shoulders. He picked up the pen and paper the original body used to put in his cabinet, and immersed himself in writing a letter.
In the case of his inability to go out at will, if he wanted to save the life of the original body’s father, this might be the only way.
The literati scholar who died in this parallel space wasn’t less than his age of the world in which he lived. A large part of the reason for this was he couldn’t stand the large disparity of status and the difficult circumstances of life. Another part was because he couldn’t find hope for the future. He sentenced himself to death. When a person’s heart dies, it wasn’t far for one’s health to decline at once.
Yan Chu didn’t understand, what kind of situation his this world father was in the end? At the present, he could only became a blind cat found a dead mouse[3], to give it a try!
*****
“Yan Chu, how are you, still have a fever?”
The educated youth who lived in the same room with Yan Chu returned. The leader, Lin Qingshan, wiped the mud off on his shoes at the door, and asked Yan Chu as he went into the house to wash his hands.
They were the third production team of Hongqi[4] Commune. The whole team had a total eleven educated youths, four women and seven men. Some of them were old, either internal digested or married to locals, they all moved out. Now, there were four young men living in the educated youth courtyard, and two young girls in the rear side.
Lin Qingshan was the oldest educated youth who lives in the educated youth courtyard. His temper was also steady and enthusiastic. He was very prestigious in the educated youth team and was a big brother character in general. He also treated other educated youths as younger brothers and sisters, he had many concern for them.
As a matter of fact, Yan Chu was still sick, he couldn’t help but to ask a few more sentences.
“It’s all right. The fever has gone. I’ll be able to go to work with you this afternoon.” Yan Chu had already gotten up from the kàng before they came back, and changed with the proper clothes.
“I just finished cooking the meal, let’s eat together, OK?” He was a city person to the core. He had never seen a large earthen kitchen stove in the countryside. Fortunately, the original body had been lived on a rural community in the countryside for a long time. He still could did the basic of boiling water to prepare a meal.
His simple two sentences could attracted the attention of the other educated youths, they needed to know that the original body’s illness was three or five times different. In addition that his body bone really didn’t adapt to the living environment here, there was also a part of the reason because he couldn’t suffer in hardship, deliberately feigned illness to shy away from work.
These educated youths were basically accustomed to matter of Yan Chu would fall sick for two or three days. They never thought that this time he was actually completely changed from the normal state[5], took the initiative to work on field.
“The sun rise in the west indeed.” The young man who came in the last had a look askance at Yan Chu and whispered a little.
Listening to his tone, there was a faint disdain and ridicule.
Yan Chu wasn’t angry, who let the original body failed to conduct himself. They all was educated youth too. The others was worked themselves to death and he by himself feigned illness in the room to shy away from work. Any normal people wouldn’t be happy in their hearts. Beside, according to Yan Chu’s memory, he came and saw[6] to understand that all the rations of the educated youths were put together, and also every meal was eaten together.
At this time, the grains allocation was depended on the work points[7]. The original body’s working time on the field was short, the earned points was naturally less. The grains that was given to him, he was young man, certainly wasn’t enough to eat it. Even that those educated youths weren’t thin-skinned and didn’t felt any shame to speak to him, let him took up that many small advantages.
To make they changed their opinions was only to speak in his peculiar muttering, in the same way as pointing his nose and scolding at his face, Yan Chu couldn’t be angry.
“Chen Jun, you say a few words too.”
Lin Qingshan as a big brother naturally would to stand up and adjusted the contradictions. He patted the shoulder of the educated youth who just spoke and yet deeply concerned said to Yan Chu: “You have to pay attention when you work in the afternoon. If you’re not feeling well, hurry up and talk to us.”
He was six years older than Yan Chu, in his opinion, Yan Chu merely still couldn’t adapt to the rural life. After a long time, he would naturally changed. Today Yan Chu took the initiative to go to work on the field, it also proved Lin Qingshan’s view of him. This made him a worrywart big brother, don’t mention how happy he was.
Yan Chu helped a few people to take the chopsticks, hanging his head, the original body had been always to blame the gods and accused others[8]. In fact, it wasn’t his fault that he wrapped himself too tightly, all those goodwill were resisted by the armor outside.
The lunch at noon was relatively simple, with sweet potato porridge and simmered cabbage. Apart from this, there was only one plate salted vegetables to pickle from the Chinese New Year last year. Yan Chu didn’t feel that he wasn’t used eating it. He was very clear, this was the food he had been eating for a long time.
As for the other educated youth who had been working for a long time on the field to live, they were unable to change their embarrassing table manner at all, they talked loudly, pouring porridge and stuffing dishes into their mouth.
After dinner, he laid down on the kàng for a while. When the broadcast of the big headquarter was ringing, he had to go to work again.
Lin Guangguo always felt that there seemed to be something wrong, but he couldn’t tell what was wrong.
“Dad, are you thirsty? I’ll pour you some tea.”
Listening to the familiar voice, Lin Guangguo finally came to understand what was wrong. This afternoon, his baby daughter came to give him more than a dozen waters. He said, why did he keep running to the bathroom today? He was drinking too much water after all.
As soon as the winter came, this man’s hands and feet were liable to cold. Home conditions were good with enamel cups were all used to let the children who are not working take the hot kettle to pour hot water. If you drink it, you could warm your hands and feet.
Lin Dingding was Lin family’s most idle child. The hot water of Dad and some of her brothers was added by her every few days[9]. Normally, three or four trips in the afternoon would be enough, but the number of times Lin Dingding came to the field today obviously a bit excessive, ah!
“You, little girl, treating your father as a water buffalo.”
Lin Guangguo didn’t have the heart to refuse his daughter’s good intentions. He drank the remaining water in the cup, waiting for his daughter to pour herself water. As soon this one raised his head, found that the daughter carrying kettle, his eyes didn’t know where to look.
He looked in the direction of Lin Dingding’s line of sight, and saw the young man who stood out from the crowd, even if he was doing his work with a hoe in the field.
That was enough! He got it!
The girl outward, the daughter was using her own father as an excuse to see her lover.
He grunted resentfully, it just good looks, okay? When he was young, he was also the grass[10] in the third team, didn’t know how many young girls liked him.
But Yan Chu, that child today seemed a little different from the past, ah! After such a long time, he didn’t see him went halfway to the embankment to rest for a while. Although hoeing action wasn’t skilled, but each one of them was hard, not lazy at all.
“All right, go back. Your father and brothers are full and you didn’t need to send water on the field later.” Lin Guangguo hummed to his daughter.
Lin Dingding didn’t expect that her performance was so obvious, she shyly helped her dad and some of her brothers to fill the hot water and ran away.
“In fact, I think Yan Chu also very good. A high school graduate, there wasn’t a high school graduates in our village.” Lin Dingding’s eldest brother, Lin Ding, was a simple-minded son. He also loved his younger sister dearly, already thinking about helping her beat the old man’s drum[11].
“You are foolish, what do you know about this matter?”
Lin Guangguo didn’t had patience toward his son unlike with his daughter. He yelled at him: “Hurry to work for lǎo zi[12], or lǎo zi deducts your work points.”
Ok, that’s enough. This definitely wasn’t well matched, ah!
Lin Guangguo looked at the back of his daughter and sighed, his heart somewhat had no way out[13].
******
“Team leader.”
When the broadcast of the work was ringing, Yan Chu’s body and bones were falling apart. However he still remembered that something hadn’t been done and after Lin Qingshan reported it, he quickly followed up with Lin Guangguo.
“Yan Chu, ah, is there something I can help you?”
Lin Guangguo didn’t know why the other party would called himself. He handed the hoe over to his son, and asking Yan Chu after sent them away towards the rear.
“I have a letter, asking the team leader to send it for me.”
There was a post office in the county. Nowadays was period the busy farming season, Yan Chu couldn’t ask for a leave to the county. So he could only handed the letter over to the team leader Lin Guangguo. Every two days, the postman of the county post office would came to the commune to pick up the mail packages to be sent, each production team was registered these things by the team leader.
“This is a letter sent to the farm in Gansu province, I remember you were from the capital, right?”
Lin Guangguo opened the door of the simple office belonging to the team leader in the big headquarter, looked at the address on the envelope handed by Yan Chu and asked doubtfully.
This year is different from the past. Any suspicious letter, as the big team leader, Lin Guangguo had the right to read them. He saw Yan Chu handing over more than a letter, also a small package, he didn’t know what was inside.
“My father was transferred to reformed on the field in Gansu province. Nowadays the weather is cold, and I don’t know how he was there. In that case, I took down a dress and sent him a pair of knee pads and gloves.” The knee pads were made in the morning by Yan Chu, the gloves were bought from the county town and worn by the original body.
Lin Guangguo’s actions were paused. He remembered that when Yan Chu came, it written on the file that his parents were cadres.
Looking at the other party’s low mood, Lin Guangguo roughly guessed the facts. He was afraid that the father’s column written on the file is not the biological father, but the stepfather.
This knowledge made Lin Guangguo’s impression of Yan Chu became a bit better. This child could had a stain in his father’s identity. Under his transfer circumstance, he still remember to make a letter to keep contact him at all times, instead of trying to keep a distance from him. This filial piety alone was extremely valuable.
Lin Guangguo was an uneducated man. He knew that the outside world had been fierce in these years. A father which not the father, a son which not the son. He only knew that if a person couldn’t even recognize his own father and mother, this person was no different from the beast.
This behavior of Yan Chu had brushed favorable impression in Lin Guangguo’s heart firmly. Even made Lin Guangguo thought that his previous understanding of Yan Chu, this child was still extremely one-sided a little, which was obviously a good boy who was filial piety and sensible, ah! From this moment on, he decided to re-observe him.
He said, 「His daughter was all he has, and the unreasonable boy was a bad partner for her.」
Lin Guangguo’s heart was full of joy, looking at Yan Chu with meaningful glance and more lenient.
[1] a heatable brick bed
[2] tiny number, not many at all, you count them on your fingers.
[3] blind luck
[4] 红旗; red flag
[5] quite uncharacteristic, entirely outside the norm, out of character
[6] see a topic from a certain point of view
[7] measure of work completed in a rural commune in the PRC during the planned economy era
[8] complaining about everything
[9] every three and five times
[10] the most handsome boy
[11] to speak enthusiastically about a belief or idea in order to persuade other people to support it too
[12] I, your father (in anger, or out of contempt); I (used arrogantly or jocularly)
[13] helpless, without choice, for lack of better option
