"Director!"
As soon as Qin Hongmei finished speaking, Director Wang entered holding a kraft paper envelope. Leng Rui's gaze fell upon Sutan. She was huddled up, her shoulders dusted with white wall plaster, and a few strands of white debris were caught in her hair.
"Director, thank you for your hard work!"
Sutan's dark eyes were as cold and freezing as a lake in late autumn. Director Wang placed the envelope on the desk and pushed it toward her. "This is five hundred yuan. Count it."
Sutan counted the money thoroughly right in front of him. Director Wang had only intended that as a polite formality, but seeing her actually count the cash before his eyes made his face turn livid. Sutan seemed not to notice.
"Director, not a penny missing!"
Sutan stuffed the envelope directly into her sleeve and tucked both hands into the cuffs. "Director, I have no work to hand over. From now on, I have nothing to do with this Textile Mill. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
Before Director Wang could say a word, Sutan had already left the office. A brisk autumn wind blew, shaking withered yellow leaves from the trees, which fluttered down to land on her head.
"Sutan!"
Hearing someone call her name, Sutan slowed her pace. She turned to see several women in navy blue work uniforms and dark blue arm sleeves running toward her.
"Sutan, since you've been released, does that mean you didn't embezzle public funds?"
"Sutan, are you here for work today?"
"Sutan, why did we hear that your job has been taken by another woman?"
The women fired questions at her one after another. Sutan’s petite, pretty mouth curled into a bitter smile. "So you've all heard," she said, her voice raspy as if she had suffered inhumane abuse. She coughed hard a few times, clearing her throat to make her voice crisper. "The new accountant is my husband's childhood sweetheart. Although her education isn't as high as mine, her character should be fine."
"You should know that my husband is the deputy director of the Meat Processing Plant. Comrade Qin Hongmei is his childhood friend, so she must have the ability to do the job."
"Comrade Qin Hongmei just lost her husband and was kicked out by her in-laws; it hasn't been easy for her to raise her child alone. I hope everyone will be more understanding of her at work!"
"If she falls short in her duties, you can go to the Director, or you can go to the Meat Processing Plant and find my husband. They will certainly be able to resolve any issues for everyone!"
In just a few sentences, Sutan made it clear that her job had been usurped by Qin Hongmei and also revealed the relationship between Qin Hongmei and Zhou Jianfeng. In these times, there was never a shortage of gossip where women gathered. Since Qin Hongmei had dared to conspire with Zhou Jianfeng to send the original owner to prison, she had better be prepared to be drowned by everyone's spiteful tongues.
She, Sutan, was no saint.
Hearing Sutan's words, the women were so shocked their jaws could have dropped to the floor. Hearing that the new accountant was her husband's childhood sweetheart seemed like a massive revelation to them. Those who were quick-witted grabbed Sutan to press further: "Sutan, you and your husband haven't even been married for twenty days, right?"
"You had a perfectly good job before you got married, and then right after, your position is taken by someone else. Don't you think there's something fishy going on here?"
Sutan blinked, feigning innocence. "My Jianfeng couldn't possibly have sent me to prison just for Qin Hongmei. What good would it do him?"
Just as she finished, a crisp bell rang out. Sutan hurried them along: "It’s time for the shift change, you all better get to work. We can chat again when you have time!"
The Textile Mill operated on two shifts, and currently, the factory was performing well, meaning more work equaled more pay. Hearing the bell, they stopped asking questions and rushed off toward the workshop.
Sutan tucked her hands back into her sleeves, hunched her shoulders, and quickened her pace. One autumn rain brings another chill; after yesterday's downpour, the temperature had dropped by seven or eight degrees. Sutan lifted her right foot; the soles of her shoes were so thin it felt like she was walking barefoot.
*The cold rises from the feet.*
The thought crossed her mind. Thinking about how the original owner didn't even have a pair of long johns in such freezing weather made her feel sick. She could understand the preference for boys over girls in the eighties, but the original owner's parents were biased beyond reason. And Zhou Jianfeng was no prize either. Earning forty or fifty yuan a month, he couldn't even bring himself to buy his own wife a pair of warm leggings.
As her cold hand accidentally brushed against the thick clothing, she thought of the five hundred yuan she had extorted from Zhou Jianfeng hidden inside. Sutan headed to the nearest state-run store. It was 1985, and in many places, coupons were no longer required for purchases.
Sutan spent a staggering fifty yuan to buy two full sets of clothes from head to toe. Seeing yarn for sale, she bought several pounds of bright red wool and a set of knitting needles. Afterward, she went to the bank and deposited the remaining three hundred yuan into a one-year fixed account. The annual interest rate was six percent, meaning that for every hundred yuan, she would earn seven yuan and twenty cents in interest—twenty-one yuan in total for three hundred. To Sutan, it might not be much, but every little bit counted.
Leaving the bank, Sutan went to the vegetable market. While the original owner was locked away, Zhou Jianfeng likely hadn't eaten at home; there wasn't a grain of rice or flour, let alone vegetables. With her basket filled to the brim and bags hanging from both handlebars, she headed back.
*With food in the larder, there is no fear in the heart.*
Sutan pedaled faster than she had that morning. As she rode, she shifted between sitting and standing. Along the way, she noticed red propaganda slogans everywhere, the most prominent being: "It is an honor to join the army."
Three or four young women passed her, and Sutan heard them talking about the Art Troupe recruiting. Sutan was tempted; she was just worrying about finding a job, and here it was.
Wang Xiaojun had spotted her from a distance, and curiosity got the better of him, making him press the accelerator. As the car drove past, Wang Xiaojun caught a clear look at the girl's face. "Hey, Captain, that's the girl we ran into this morning!"
"Captain, do you think this girl was raised on pig feed? Even the pigs my mother raises aren't as lively as her!"
Hechengming raised his thick, prominent brows. *Raised on pig feed?* His deep, endless dark eyes looked into the rearview mirror. Sutan had slowed down, likely because a stray hair had gotten into her mouth, and she was using her left hand to fish it out.
The eleven o'clock sun wasn't yet searing, but as it shone on Sutan's face, her gaunt frame seemed to be coated in a layer of golden light. Her dark skin looked much healthier, and her almond-shaped eyes were clean and burning, much like the sun in the sky.
Hechengming tapped the car window twice with his distinct, bony fingers.
"Drop me off at the entrance of the Meat Processing Plant family quarters."