Everyone worked hard until it was time to knock off. The production brigade provided the midday meal, but it had to be eaten in the open space in front of the office.
Gu Yu and Shen Jianan carried their farm tools and followed the crowd at a steady, unhurried pace. As soon as they arrived, Bai Qiulian, the wife of Zhao Gang, was standing to one side, holding her young daughter's hand and waving at them with her head held high.
The little girl wore her hair in two small braids, adorned with the hair ties Shen Jianan had given her; they looked quite pretty. The two men exchanged a smile and hurried over. "Auntie Qiulian."
"Oh!" Bai Qiulian responded with a smile, and the little girl chimed in sweetly, "Brother Jianan, Brother Gu."
"Hello, little one." The two men beamed at her and waved. The little girl giggled twice before running off in shyness.
"That child," Bai Qiulian said with feigned annoyance, "don't run too far!"
She then handed them the two aluminum lunch boxes she had been holding. Lowering her voice, she said, "I made this for you at home. My little girl really loves those hair ties, but please don't spend so much next time. They look quite expensive."
See how tactful she was? Shen Jianan had given the hair ties, but she phrased it as "for you both." Dealing with smart people was always so effortless.
"They weren't expensive at all, and it's not like I give them every day," Shen Jianan said with a dismissive wave. "As long as the little one likes them, that's what matters."
Hearing this, Bai Qiulian’s smile deepened. She shoved the lunch boxes into their hands. "Hurry up and eat. You can return the boxes whenever."
With that, she went off to help distribute food to the other commune members, leaving the two men no room to refuse. Shen Jianan had no choice but to have Gu Yu fetch their rations and take them elsewhere to eat. After all, they were effectively having a "private meal," and it wouldn't look good in front of everyone. If they ran into any sloppy or thick-skinned individuals who kept dipping their chopsticks into their bowls, would they even be able to finish their food?
He didn't mean to be petty, but some people were truly unhygienic—dipping chopsticks covered in vegetable scraps and chili skins into someone else's bowl was disgusting. The original owner of his body had argued with other educated youths and locals over this very issue, and they had turned around and called him arrogant. He, too, disliked such behavior.
The pair skipped the large tree where everyone liked to gather and sat at the edge of the open space, distancing themselves from the crowd. It was sunny and hot there, so the villagers avoided it—which made it perfect for them.
Shen Jianan pulled up a handful of grass to wipe the dust off a roadside stone before sitting down contentedly. He opened his lunch box and was instantly stunned. Inside, half was coarse grain rice, and the other half was entirely vegetables, packed tight. That alone wasn't remarkable, but the vegetables were eggs and chives stir-fried in lard, along with a few slices of cured meat. Even in town, let alone the countryside, most families wouldn't dare eat like that.
With grain not yet distributed, everyone was on short rations, mostly surviving on porridge and greens. Precious items like eggs were usually saved as a form of currency for emergencies. Yet, Bai Qiulian had prepared two portions for them. Beyond being moved, Shen Jianan felt a pang of heartache at her "wastefulness."
It wasn't that he was being overly sentimental; it was that the grain hadn't been divided yet. Even though this was a major grain-producing province that harvested twice a year, after the government levies, what remained was barely enough to survive. Families with many mouths to feed and few work points had to tighten their belts to avoid starvation. Although Zhao Gang was the brigade leader, and his elderly parents and three children could earn points, excluding him and Bai Qiulian, only their eldest son, Zhao Ming, could earn full points. The two elderly parents and the remaining three children could only earn six or seven points, sometimes even less.
There were four children: Zhao Ming was seventeen, the second, Zhao Tian, was fifteen, the third, Zhao Qin, was thirteen, and the fourth, Zhao Jingjing—the little girl—was only seven. Except for her, the boys were growing teenagers who could "eat their father into poverty." If they ate their fill on a daily basis, they could devour every bit of rice in the house. That was why he felt this way upon seeing the contents of the lunch box.
Gu Yu saw his hesitation and said, "Eat it. Although I haven't had much contact with them, I’ve learned a thing or two about them over the years. Captain Zhao and Auntie Bai are different from the others. They don't bully people, they don't suck up to others, and they don't take advantage of anyone. If you don't accept these two meals, they might return the hair ties, and the connection we’ve just established will be broken. Besides, it's too late to return them now; they wouldn't take them, and they might even think you look down on them."
Hearing this, Shen Jianan agreed. He laughed and scooped half of the vegetables from one box into his own bowl and the other half into Gu Yu’s, leaving the rest of the food untouched. He closed the lunch box tightly and set it aside. "After we finish, run quickly and take this to the cattle shed."
Gu Yu paused for a moment before nodding with a smile. "Alright."
He finished his bowl of watery coarse grain porridge in a few gulps, wiped his mouth, and ran off with the lunch box. Shen Jianan smiled and quickened his own pace, finishing his meal shortly after. He tidied up their bowls and chopsticks, then set out for the fields. Before long, Gu Yu caught up.
Seeing his lighthearted stride, Shen Jianan teased, "Well? Did the old folks cry again?"
"Yes," Gu Yu said with a wry smile. "They kept crying and thanking you, saying that if they ever have the chance to return to the city, they will definitely find a way to repay you."
Shen Jianan didn't say much to that. No one could predict the future. He only cared about the present benefits. Helping them was partly because he genuinely felt they were pitiable and suppressed, but also because he wanted to learn from them. He firmly believed that knowledge could change destiny. No matter what kind of knowledge, as long as it was beneficial to him and Gu Yu, he wouldn't miss an opportunity to learn. Before these elders had been sent down, they were leaders in their respective fields. Studying with any one of them for a period would be a lifelong asset. Once his family found study materials for him, his academic journey would truly begin.
"Whistle! Whistle! Whistle—"
The sharp, grating sound of the work whistle pulled him back. He and Gu Yu returned to the fields.
But not long after, a fierce wind picked up. The sky suddenly turned pitch black, and thick, dark clouds gradually swallowed the heavens. Everyone felt a growing chill.
Standing on the edge of the field, Zhao Hongjun shouted in alarm, "Quick, everyone head home!"
His voice cracked with urgency. The villagers scrambled to shoulder their tools and run toward the village. Gu Yu grabbed both their hoes and dragged Shen Jianan as they sprinted.
Just as they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw two small children, each with a basket on their back, struggling to walk against the wind. Looking closely, it was Zhao Hongjun's youngest son, Zhao Xiaofeng, and his twin sister, Zhao Xiaomin. Gu Yu immediately tossed the hoes into a pile of rocks, and he and Shen Jianan each grabbed a child and started running up the mountain.
Suddenly, a violent rumbling sound approached from afar. Lightning streaked through the thick, black clouds, casting pulses of dark red light.
A torrential downpour followed. The two men, gasping for air, burst into the courtyard and scrambled into the thatched hut, not even stopping to retrieve the shoes they had lost in the dash.
Once inside, Gu Yu pushed the three of them into a corner. He moved with swift, practiced efficiency, gathering the fabrics from the table and tossing them onto the *kang*, then covered them with blankets and reed mats, weighing them down with a wooden board. This hut was old and neglected, always drafty, and with such a heavy downpour, he worried the roof wouldn't hold. If it leaked, the fabric would be ruined.
*Boom—Boom—*
The wind suddenly died down, replaced by more rumbling. Then, hail the size of eggs began to pour down, hammering the roof with a deafening rattle, threatening to bring it crashing down.
Gu Yu’s expression hardened. He hurried over to shield them. Moments later, the roof collapsed under the immense impact, and the two children shrieked in terror. Fortunately, they were in a corner braced by a pillar, and a heavy beam had blocked some of the debris, sparing them from injury.
Gu Yu held all three of them tightly in his arms. Glancing up at the gaping hole in the roof and the hail pouring in, he grabbed a broken basin and rushed to the window, pulling a table over to shield them.
The hail, though lessening, drummed relentlessly against the tabletop. The two children, terrified and shivering, began to sob. "Wuwu! Mom, Dad..."
Shen Jianan, still shaken, gasped for breath. He reached into his pocket, pulled out two candies, and fed one to each of them. "Don't cry, don't cry! Once the hail stops, we'll take you to find them."
"Wuwu! Okay—"
With the candy, they went quiet, though they remained frightened. Thankfully, the hail stopped shortly after.
Shen Jianan watched the hail covering the ground, already beginning to melt, and his heart sank. The rice harvest was less than a month away, followed by the corn, but now...
He looked at Gu Yu, who also wore a worried expression, and tugged on his sleeve. "Brother Gu."
"Yeah," Gu Yu responded, holding the children and crawling out from under the table. "Let's go. We should get them home first."
"Right."
Shen Jianan crawled out and stood up. Each of them carried a child on their back, carefully navigating through the hail toward the bottom of the mountain. Before they reached the foot, they heard cries of despair.
"Dad, wake up, Dad!"
"Jianguo, go ask for help and get Grandfather to the clinic in town!"
"Got it..."
"Someone help! Please, my mother is hurt!"
"Oh my! Auntie Juhua, what happened?"
The two men exchanged a look and hurried their pace. As they turned the corner, they saw many houses destroyed. The fields were a sea of white; the crops were shredded to bits.
It was truly over. Their eyes turned red. Grain was the lifeblood of these people! Now, who knew how many would starve.
"Xiaofeng! Xiaomin— where are you? Answer Dad/Mom!"
"Xiaofeng, Xiaomin! Wuwu... can you hear Grandma and Grandpa calling?"
"It’s Mom, Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa!" The two children on their backs struggled and cried out, "Mom, Dad, we're here! Mom, Dad, wuwu..."
"Don't move, you'll fall," Gu Yu whispered. "Brother is taking you over."
They kept walking, shouting, "Recorder Zhao! Xiaofeng and the others are here!"
The children also joined in, "Mom, Dad, we're here!"
Hearing them, the Zhao family rushed over. Seeing the two children safe and sound on the men's backs, they let out sighs of relief. They rushed over, weeping, thanking the men while pulling the children into their arms, alternating between sobbing and scolding them.
Seeing their father's head covered in blood, the children wailed. "Dad, what happened? Does it hurt?"
Zhao Hongjun didn't answer. He just held his daughter, his eyes red as he roared at his son, "You little brat! Why are you running around? If something happened to you, what would your parents and grandparents do?"
"Wuwu! My sister and I weren't running around, we went to cut pig grass." Zhao Xiaofeng buried his face in his grandmother's arms, feeling wronged. Zhao Hongjun, furious, handed his precious daughter to his wife, Li Shuqin, and slapped his son on the behind. "You’re still arguing! Didn't I tell you to stay at home today?"
He landed another blow. The child was small and the hits were painful, so he began to cry. His grandparents, who had originally wanted their grandson to learn a lesson, were now heartbroken at seeing him hit. They scolded their son, "You’re going to kill him! Why hit so hard?"
Grandpa Zhao started crying too. "It’s good they’re safe. Teach them properly when you get home, don't beat them to death."
"I know," Zhao Hongjun nodded, choking back a sob. He wasn't normally a violent father, but he had been truly terrified. The children were sensible and helped out by cutting grass, but today, with the sun so intense, he had warned them to stay in. They hadn't listened. By the time he had gone to pick up his wife, his eldest son, and his parents, the hail had already started. They had returned home in a panic to find the children missing. He had run out in the rain wearing a straw hat that was immediately blown away, and before he could find cover, he had been gashed in the head by the hail. He knew that if he hadn't spent those few minutes at home, he might have been killed before finding them. Thinking about how a grown man like him had been so badly injured, he shuddered to think what would have happened to the children if they hadn't met Gu Yu and Shen Jianan.
Zhao Hongjun regained his composure and stood up, looking at them with gratitude. "Thank you. If it weren't for you, the children wouldn't have survived."
He wasn't exaggerating. On his way over, he had heard that Zhao Qiancheng’s father had been knocked unconscious by the hail while trying to get the chickens inside. And Auntie Juhua had fallen while running back and was bleeding profusely. By now, they were likely being taken to the town clinic.
"Don't say that, Recorder," Shen Jianan said softly. "Anyone would have helped." He added, "The children have had quite a shock; keep an eye on them tonight, in case they get a fever."
"Yes, yes, I will." Zhao Hongjun nodded repeatedly. "The hail was severe. Is your house alright?"
The two men gave bitter smiles. "The roof is gone. It's uninhabitable for now."
"Then come stay at my place," Li Shuqin said, standing up and smiling at them. "The rooms are small, so you'll have to squeeze into Xiaofeng and Xiaomin's room."
They had a full house, and the children's room was a converted storage space, narrow and cramped, with only two small beds and a desk. But Li Shuqin was sincere. Zhao Hongjun had told her about the hair ties at noon, and she had intended to send them a return gift that evening. Now, they were her children's saviors; she couldn't just let their home be destroyed and do nothing.
After some thought, they agreed. With the Half-Mountain Courtyard destroyed, they had nowhere else to go besides the cattle shed or the educated youth point. The cattle shed was already overcrowded, and the youth point was full of gossip, especially with Jiang Hongmei there. Moving back would be asking for trouble.
Zhao Hongjun’s home was the best choice, though they didn't intend to stay long. Shen Jianan planned to hire some help to repair their hut as quickly as possible. Staying at someone else's house for too long wouldn't be convenient for what he and Gu Yu needed to do.
"Then we shall impose upon you. We'll head back to pack our things first."
They bid farewell and returned to the foot of the mountain to retrieve their tools and gather their belongings. Zhao Hongjun sent his parents and family home, while he simply pressed some mugwort leaves against his wounds to stop the bleeding and headed to the brigade office for an emergency meeting. With the crops destroyed, they needed a plan, or everyone would be facing a long, hungry winter.