“Yan Xun, your package.”
In the commune farm in Gansu province, a group of 40 or 50-year-old men were carrying a shovel to clean the feces in the pigsty. On a big cold day, the exhaled air seemed to form ice dregs. The exposed hands were frozen in red, the mouth was cracked, the pustules and crusted flesh were visible.
The farm gatekeeper was a lonely old man in nearby village. His only son became a martyr. To compensate him, he was given such a relaxed job. As long as he managed the bad elements on the farm, he would eat and live every month, there were 18 coins to take.
The old man Li was unconcerned, it was useless to spend more money. Naturally, he wouldn’t deliberately made things difficult for those who run into misfortune. Usually, the relatives of these labor reformers sent packages. He simply took a look at it, as long as it weren’t dangerous items, the things will be left intact for the owner.
There was nothing good in other places. Usually, there were some packages and letters that were sent. All good stuffs already got exploited for more than half in advance. How much it might possibly be left in the end, it was all over your life[1]. As for the letters, the most people unlikely to opened it, but you also had to get blessing from the farm you were staying in. In that farm hadn’t those people who like to stir up wind and rain[2]. Otherwise, you would given a deduction literary inquisition and aggravating the crime, there was nothing to be done too.
“Package? Mine?”
A man with a crooked back, who looked a little old, raised his hand in the crowd, his looked somewhat surprised.
The man seemed like forty or fifty years old. His face had already been covered with traces of wind and frost[3]. The forehead had a few deep wrinkles, his hair was half-white and was blown up by the wind in a complete mess.
He was Yan Chu’s father in this world, but also his target which he going to save. At this time, if there were people who knew Yan Xun in the past standing in front of him, he also reckoned that they couldn’t recognize this person now, the very man who stunning the whole Yanjing University back then.
Counting the days, he had been on the farm for almost ten years. He had never received a letter or a package. It wasn’t only him, all the people they had been put in here, the number of letters they had received from home could be counted on one’s fingers[4].
This was the norm of this era, everyone wishing they could talked to settle and clear up their relationships, furthermore which people would take the initiative to provoke them?
Yan Xun unexpectedly couldn’t think of anyone who would send him a package. His wife divorced him as soon as he had an accident, took away his son who was barely seven years old at that time, and published in the newspapers that she had separated in the relationship between them. During that time those student hadn’t to throw stones at him who fell down a well[5] was already very good! His parents had untimely death, so there were no brothers and sisters. Yan Xun couldn’t recovered for a short while, yet he was managed to not misheard it.
“Old man Li called you. We haven’t received anything from the outside for half a year, have we?”
The man beside Yan Xun pushed him forward, which when he was recovered, and followed the old man Li to outside. When he came back, everyone saw his red rimmed eyes, yet carrying a not small package and a letter, didn’t know who had sent it.
“My son sent me a letter. I haven’t seen him for almost ten years. The originally white healthy plump little child, I don’t know if he grow taller or stronger right now.”
Yan Xun came in from the outside. When he walking, it was like stepping on the cotton, floating around in distracted manner, it felt like a dream.
When his ex-wife took his son to leave him, he didn’t complain at all. Who let him in that situation in the first place? She took her son away, at least he wasn’t being implicated by him.
He might thought so, staying on this closed farm, Yan Xun still missed his only son all the time. He knew in his heart, his ex-wife would be remarried sooner or later. His son was so young anyway, maybe after a few years, he might no longer remembered himself as a father after a few years.
Yan Xun sometimes afraid, afraid that his son would complained about the existence of this tainted biological father, afraid that he wouldn’t see his son in this life.
“Why are you crying? Your son wrote a letter to you and sent you something, you should be happy, ah!” The man beside Yan Xun said to him with a smile. In his heart, he was happy for him, simultaneously he also felt a bit lonely, where were all his children at the moment?
Yan Xun nodded, didn’t open the letter package on the spot. The farm officers will often come patroling to supervise, if they catched them goofing off and not working, they would deduct their grains.
After the morning work finished, everyone took their lunch box to eat. Today’s lunch was a mixed grain chaff steamed bun and a rare bowl of porridge. This kind of meal is not filling at all but looking at everyone, apparently already used to it.
“Look, what did your son send to you?”
Everyone had been together for so long, also had basic understanding of everyone’s origins. They all knew that when Yan Xun was sent, he had a seven-years-old son who was taken away by his ex-wife. They didn’t expect this son still remembered him as a father, deliberately made some inquiries until the other side was sent to the farm, even more sent letters and things over.
The thing they called porridge had already completely been cold and there was simply nothing could be done in the big cold weather. Fortunately, the caretaker on this farm wasn’t bad. He gave them a stove that wasn’t used on the farm. For the firewood that used to make a fire, they had to picked up by themselves on the nearby mountains. With this stove and the crock that the gatekeeper old man Li sent, they could drink hot porridge and water in the big winter.
In a house where seven old men would be divided all porridge and steamed bun that put in the crock that slowly boiled, on the kàng[6] sitting a plate and in the same place with the package that waiting for Yan Xun to open it.
Yan Xun handed the very big package to the people on his side, and let them slowly opened it. He couldn’t wait to open the letter from his son.
“Dad, these days, I’ve been dreaming of you, remembering my life as a child.”
……
“My mother isn’t my own mother now, she used my name instead of step-brother. Now, I am a educated youth who goes to the countryside to support the farmers. Every day, I have to work on the fields, sore shoulders and back, every time like this. I couldn’t help but wondered if you are more tired and harder than me.”
……
“It’s just a year in a blink of an eye. I miss the taste of the bunch of tanghulu[7] that you bought when I was a child. I miss the big winter days that you took me to throw the ice for amusement. Dad, I miss you.”
……
Yan Xun was so upset that he couldn’t breathe. He covering his face and not letting tears drip onto the letter. He thought that his ex-wife, even if she took her son and left, was at least still the biological mother of the child. Overall, it was unlikely to go so far as to treat the child unfairly. But now reading the words in the letter, that child might not seldom to feel wronged.
This made Yan Xun distressed at the same time also complained about his ex-wife, his son was still small during that time. Perhaps unknowingly, when he first had an accident, his ex-wife filed for divorce taking away the child and separated herself from relationship with him. Then he gave his wife a small box of gold bars left by his parents as a token of his inability to fulfill his father’s responsibilities in the future.
Those small box of gold, enough to support a child of first-year university students in the courtyard. In the end, that woman treated his son in that way, let him become an educated youth instead of her step-son.
Yan Xun’s heart was pulled into a regiment. Wishing he could rushed to his son’s side now, telling him that his father was still there, and father would protect him properly in the future.
“Xiao[8] Xun, ah! You don’t be too sad.”
The old man beside Yan Xun patted his shoulder, he was considered to be the oldest man in the group.
“Look at how much your son cares about you. This glove and knee pad are needed at the moment. He has prepared these things for you and he is considerate too. Just a moment ago when I was making porridge, I listened to the Executive Secretary Lin as they chatted. They said that we weren’t far away from the Hongbing[9] Farm. There are two labor reformers who violated political rehabilitation, now they have gone back. The Gang of Four[10] has fallen from power, on top of those very concerned about the fake and false charges in those years, probably we have to go back too one day.”
He cheered on Yan Xun: “Think about your son, he is only seventeen, right? Don’t you want to see him take a wife and have children? A stepfather is always inferior to a father.”
The old man’s words instilled in Yan Xun with an unprecedented determination. He clutched the letter in his hand. Yes, he going to live well.
*****
“Ding——The completion of the side mission is 80%. My dear, please keep up the good work!”
At this time, Yan Chu who in the county’s supply and marketing agency, was surprised by the sudden pop-up message.
“What happened?” Lin Qingshan looked at Yan Chu’s eyes straight looking into the midair. Looking past his line of sight, he didn’t see anything.
“It’s nothing.” Yan Chu shook his head and realized that his letter was estimated to play a role.
He wanted to give it a try. The bet was his degree of care for this son, the original body. When he expressed his thoughts in the letter simultaneously he also concealed his own situation at this time. If he had a good life, it would only let Yan Xun put down his heart to come, completely out of concern. Only if he had a bad life, Yan Xun wouldn’t be relieved and summoning his will to fight and stood up.
Now it seemed that he won, but the system automatically prompts how to mài méng[11].
“We have to speed up, Dingnan gē[12] is still waiting outside the county. I think they are almost finished with the New Year goods, it is time to go back.”
Lin Qingshan spoke to Yan Chu, not surprisingly this was the last time they went to the town. In addition to some life’s necessities, the educated youth also needed to buy some the New Year’s things, he and Yan Chu considered to be representatives.
The necessary things had been bought according to the list and now the two men wandered around, buying private supplies.
Yan Chu nodded, when he passed the counter selling grease, his footsteps paused.
Although he didn’t had a girlfriend, he certainly also heard the cure all diseases. Any girls should like bags, lipstick, cosmetics and the likes of that, right?
Yan Chu wasn’t sure he can’t buy those things this time. Looking at a few boxes of beautifully packaged cream on the counter, he eventually picked up one of the small boxes, and paid the bill.
[1] it was all depended on it
[2] make a disturbance, to stir up trouble
[3] hardships
[4] very few
[5] to hit a person who is down
[6] a heatable brick bed
[7] candied fruits on bamboo skewers dipped in sugar syrup, a common Chinese snack
[8] small, tiny, few, young
[9] Red Soldier
[10] Gang of Four (sì rén bāng): Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, Wang Hongwen, who served as scapegoats for the excesses of the cultural revolution
[11] to sell cuteness
[12] elder brother
“Yan Xun, your package.”
In the commune farm in Gansu province, a group of 40 or 50-year-old men were carrying a shovel to clean the feces in the pigsty. On a big cold day, the exhaled air seemed to form ice dregs. The exposed hands were frozen in red, the mouth was cracked, the pustules and crusted flesh were visible.
The farm gatekeeper was a lonely old man in nearby village. His only son became a martyr. To compensate him, he was given such a relaxed job. As long as he managed the bad elements on the farm, he would eat and live every month, there were 18 coins to take.
The old man Li was unconcerned, it was useless to spend more money. Naturally, he wouldn’t deliberately made things difficult for those who run into misfortune. Usually, the relatives of these labor reformers sent packages. He simply took a look at it, as long as it weren’t dangerous items, the things will be left intact for the owner.
There was nothing good in other places. Usually, there were some packages and letters that were sent. All good stuffs already got exploited for more than half in advance. How much it might possibly be left in the end, it was all over your life[1]. As for the letters, the most people unlikely to opened it, but you also had to get blessing from the farm you were staying in. In that farm hadn’t those people who like to stir up wind and rain[2]. Otherwise, you would given a deduction literary inquisition and aggravating the crime, there was nothing to be done too.
“Package? Mine?”
A man with a crooked back, who looked a little old, raised his hand in the crowd, his looked somewhat surprised.
The man seemed like forty or fifty years old. His face had already been covered with traces of wind and frost[3]. The forehead had a few deep wrinkles, his hair was half-white and was blown up by the wind in a complete mess.
He was Yan Chu’s father in this world, but also his target which he going to save. At this time, if there were people who knew Yan Xun in the past standing in front of him, he also reckoned that they couldn’t recognize this person now, the very man who stunning the whole Yanjing University back then.
Counting the days, he had been on the farm for almost ten years. He had never received a letter or a package. It wasn’t only him, all the people they had been put in here, the number of letters they had received from home could be counted on one’s fingers[4].
This was the norm of this era, everyone wishing they could talked to settle and clear up their relationships, furthermore which people would take the initiative to provoke them?
Yan Xun unexpectedly couldn’t think of anyone who would send him a package. His wife divorced him as soon as he had an accident, took away his son who was barely seven years old at that time, and published in the newspapers that she had separated in the relationship between them. During that time those student hadn’t to throw stones at him who fell down a well[5] was already very good! His parents had untimely death, so there were no brothers and sisters. Yan Xun couldn’t recovered for a short while, yet he was managed to not misheard it.
“Old man Li called you. We haven’t received anything from the outside for half a year, have we?”
The man beside Yan Xun pushed him forward, which when he was recovered, and followed the old man Li to outside. When he came back, everyone saw his red rimmed eyes, yet carrying a not small package and a letter, didn’t know who had sent it.
“My son sent me a letter. I haven’t seen him for almost ten years. The originally white healthy plump little child, I don’t know if he grow taller or stronger right now.”
Yan Xun came in from the outside. When he walking, it was like stepping on the cotton, floating around in distracted manner, it felt like a dream.
When his ex-wife took his son to leave him, he didn’t complain at all. Who let him in that situation in the first place? She took her son away, at least he wasn’t being implicated by him.
He might thought so, staying on this closed farm, Yan Xun still missed his only son all the time. He knew in his heart, his ex-wife would be remarried sooner or later. His son was so young anyway, maybe after a few years, he might no longer remembered himself as a father after a few years.
Yan Xun sometimes afraid, afraid that his son would complained about the existence of this tainted biological father, afraid that he wouldn’t see his son in this life.
“Why are you crying? Your son wrote a letter to you and sent you something, you should be happy, ah!” The man beside Yan Xun said to him with a smile. In his heart, he was happy for him, simultaneously he also felt a bit lonely, where were all his children at the moment?
Yan Xun nodded, didn’t open the letter package on the spot. The farm officers will often come patroling to supervise, if they catched them goofing off and not working, they would deduct their grains.
After the morning work finished, everyone took their lunch box to eat. Today’s lunch was a mixed grain chaff steamed bun and a rare bowl of porridge. This kind of meal is not filling at all but looking at everyone, apparently already used to it.
“Look, what did your son send to you?”
Everyone had been together for so long, also had basic understanding of everyone’s origins. They all knew that when Yan Xun was sent, he had a seven-years-old son who was taken away by his ex-wife. They didn’t expect this son still remembered him as a father, deliberately made some inquiries until the other side was sent to the farm, even more sent letters and things over.
The thing they called porridge had already completely been cold and there was simply nothing could be done in the big cold weather. Fortunately, the caretaker on this farm wasn’t bad. He gave them a stove that wasn’t used on the farm. For the firewood that used to make a fire, they had to picked up by themselves on the nearby mountains. With this stove and the crock that the gatekeeper old man Li sent, they could drink hot porridge and water in the big winter.
In a house where seven old men would be divided all porridge and steamed bun that put in the crock that slowly boiled, on the kàng[6] sitting a plate and in the same place with the package that waiting for Yan Xun to open it.
Yan Xun handed the very big package to the people on his side, and let them slowly opened it. He couldn’t wait to open the letter from his son.
“Dad, these days, I’ve been dreaming of you, remembering my life as a child.”
……
“My mother isn’t my own mother now, she used my name instead of step-brother. Now, I am a educated youth who goes to the countryside to support the farmers. Every day, I have to work on the fields, sore shoulders and back, every time like this. I couldn’t help but wondered if you are more tired and harder than me.”
……
“It’s just a year in a blink of an eye. I miss the taste of the bunch of tanghulu[7] that you bought when I was a child. I miss the big winter days that you took me to throw the ice for amusement. Dad, I miss you.”
……
Yan Xun was so upset that he couldn’t breathe. He covering his face and not letting tears drip onto the letter. He thought that his ex-wife, even if she took her son and left, was at least still the biological mother of the child. Overall, it was unlikely to go so far as to treat the child unfairly. But now reading the words in the letter, that child might not seldom to feel wronged.
This made Yan Xun distressed at the same time also complained about his ex-wife, his son was still small during that time. Perhaps unknowingly, when he first had an accident, his ex-wife filed for divorce taking away the child and separated herself from relationship with him. Then he gave his wife a small box of gold bars left by his parents as a token of his inability to fulfill his father’s responsibilities in the future.
Those small box of gold, enough to support a child of first-year university students in the courtyard. In the end, that woman treated his son in that way, let him become an educated youth instead of her step-son.
Yan Xun’s heart was pulled into a regiment. Wishing he could rushed to his son’s side now, telling him that his father was still there, and father would protect him properly in the future.
“Xiao[8] Xun, ah! You don’t be too sad.”
The old man beside Yan Xun patted his shoulder, he was considered to be the oldest man in the group.
“Look at how much your son cares about you. This glove and knee pad are needed at the moment. He has prepared these things for you and he is considerate too. Just a moment ago when I was making porridge, I listened to the Executive Secretary Lin as they chatted. They said that we weren’t far away from the Hongbing[9] Farm. There are two labor reformers who violated political rehabilitation, now they have gone back. The Gang of Four[10] has fallen from power, on top of those very concerned about the fake and false charges in those years, probably we have to go back too one day.”
He cheered on Yan Xun: “Think about your son, he is only seventeen, right? Don’t you want to see him take a wife and have children? A stepfather is always inferior to a father.”
The old man’s words instilled in Yan Xun with an unprecedented determination. He clutched the letter in his hand. Yes, he going to live well.
*****
“Ding——The completion of the side mission is 80%. My dear, please keep up the good work!”
At this time, Yan Chu who in the county’s supply and marketing agency, was surprised by the sudden pop-up message.
“What happened?” Lin Qingshan looked at Yan Chu’s eyes straight looking into the midair. Looking past his line of sight, he didn’t see anything.
“It’s nothing.” Yan Chu shook his head and realized that his letter was estimated to play a role.
He wanted to give it a try. The bet was his degree of care for this son, the original body. When he expressed his thoughts in the letter simultaneously he also concealed his own situation at this time. If he had a good life, it would only let Yan Xun put down his heart to come, completely out of concern. Only if he had a bad life, Yan Xun wouldn’t be relieved and summoning his will to fight and stood up.
Now it seemed that he won, but the system automatically prompts how to mài méng[11].
“We have to speed up, Dingnan gē[12] is still waiting outside the county. I think they are almost finished with the New Year goods, it is time to go back.”
Lin Qingshan spoke to Yan Chu, not surprisingly this was the last time they went to the town. In addition to some life’s necessities, the educated youth also needed to buy some the New Year’s things, he and Yan Chu considered to be representatives.
The necessary things had been bought according to the list and now the two men wandered around, buying private supplies.
Yan Chu nodded, when he passed the counter selling grease, his footsteps paused.
Although he didn’t had a girlfriend, he certainly also heard the cure all diseases. Any girls should like bags, lipstick, cosmetics and the likes of that, right?
Yan Chu wasn’t sure he can’t buy those things this time. Looking at a few boxes of beautifully packaged cream on the counter, he eventually picked up one of the small boxes, and paid the bill.
[1] it was all depended on it
[2] make a disturbance, to stir up trouble
[3] hardships
[4] very few
[5] to hit a person who is down
[6] a heatable brick bed
[7] candied fruits on bamboo skewers dipped in sugar syrup, a common Chinese snack
[8] small, tiny, few, young
[9] Red Soldier
[10] Gang of Four (sì rén bāng): Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, Wang Hongwen, who served as scapegoats for the excesses of the cultural revolution
[11] to sell cuteness
[12] elder brother
