Chapter 12: Offering Clothes and Food

"Brother Yan, I've brought the fabric. It's at the door; please come out and take it. The lengths are already divided." The fabric was placed on the threshold, and Zhong Yuxiu turned back into the house.

Yan Rushan came out but saw no one. He picked up the fabric and brought it inside, dividing it among them. Based on the measurements, the allocation was clear at a glance, and Yan Rushan immediately understood. After distributing the portions, he carried the leftover fabric to the door of the female educated youths.

"Comrade Zhong, please come out for a moment." Sun Ruhong and Jiang Mei exchanged glances and simultaneously turned their gaze to Zhong Yuxiu. Even though she had been tempered by several previous time-travel experiences, the direct and ambiguous look from the two still made her scalp tingle.

Heaven knows, she really had no ambiguous relationship with Yan Rushan, nor were they involved.

"I'll go take a look." She hurried outside and nearly bumped into Yan Rushan at the door. Though she didn't collide with him, a pile of things was stuffed into her arms. Upon inspection, she realized it was the fabric she had delivered. "Brother Yan, you must accept this fabric. It's part of an exchange between you and me."

Yan Rushan's gaze was cold. "I can't make clothes. What's the point of fabric? I always wear ready-made ones."

Zhong Yuxiu was left speechless, watching Yan Rushan close the door behind him. What did he mean? Did he expect her to make the clothes?

"Yuxiu, Comrade Yan has already left. Why are you still standing at the door? Aren't you cold?" Sun Ruhong craned her neck and called out.

"I'm coming." Zhong Yuxiu returned to her room and closed the door, shutting out the cold wind.

Sun Ruhong asked, "Yuxiu, you've taken apart the cotton batting and brought back some old clothes. What are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to make a few outfits." She left it at that, and seeing that Yuxiu was unwilling to elaborate, Sun Ruhong didn't press further. "Do you need our help? We're idle anyway and can assist."

Zhong Yuxiu politely declined. "Thank you, Sister Ruhong. I'm idle too, so it's a good way to pass the time."

"Alright, just call us if you need help."

"Okay."

In three days, she made six thin cotton jackets, nearly exhausting the cotton batting, and improved three thin outer garments. The old clothes were cut and altered, making them quite different from their previous state.

She wandered the mountains for two days under the pretense of gathering firewood before finally seizing an opportunity. When Wan Xuetang came out to collect wood, she handed him the bundle.

"Two cotton jackets each, one thin outer garment each, and keep the fine grain for yourself." With those words, she didn't wait for a reply and strode down the mountain, passing Wan Xuetang.

Wan Xuetang stood dazed for a moment, then turned to watch Zhong Yuxiu walk away, sighing softly after a long while. Forgetting to gather firewood, he hurried back to the cowshed with the bundle. "I'm back."

"Why did you come back so quickly?" an old man asked.

"Old Ding, Old Yu, I met a kind person on the mountain." Wan Xuetang opened the bundle, revealing clothes and a small bag of flour. He divided two cotton jackets and one thin garment each. "She instructed: two cotton jackets each, one thin garment each."

The two old men understood immediately. Holding such things in their hands, it wouldn't do to be seen by others; naturally, they had to return early. They examined the clothes and found that the outside was patched old fabric, but inside was new cotton. Their feelings were mixed.

"Who is so kind?" Old Yu asked.

Wan Xuetang hugged the jackets and thin clothes, his expression complex and hard to describe, regretful for his past coldness.

Old Ding said, "We should at least know who sent these. Don't worry, we promise not to tell anyone."

Wan Xuetang sat on the ground, dejected, glancing at the two old men for a long time before quietly saying, "It's Comrade Zhong from the educated youth station." He could say nothing more. He knew well what his own daughter had done in the past, but feeling guilty towards his biological daughter, and since his foster daughter hadn't suffered real harm, he had allowed it.

"Comrade Zhong?" Old Ding murmured, then mocked himself, "Nowadays, we can barely take care of ourselves, living day to day. What good does it do to know who it was?"

Old Yu remained silent. Wan Xuetang felt a sour pang of guilt for having mistreated Zhong Yuxiu before. He had taught in high school and wasn't supposed to be sent down, but because he had defended his own daughter, he was labeled a 'stinking old ninth,' a capitalist leftist, and sent here. If not for connections, he might have been sent to the northeastern provinces. Life was hard enough here; had he gone north, there would have been no hope at all.

...

After returning to the educated youth station, Zhong Yuxiu no longer concerned herself with the cowshed. During the winter, everyone either chatted in the room or slept; Yuxiu was no exception, but she had another option—reading. High school physics could be learned by understanding, and logical reasoning was her strength. Therefore, she focused on humanities subjects, memorizing what needed to be memorized and studying diligently.

The political textbooks of the seventies leaned heavily towards idolization, making them the most headache-inducing. But for the sake of her future, she had to learn them anyway. Yuxiu grappled with the political books and, in the end, managed to conquer them.

When she grew tired of reading, she took out the fabric Yan Rushan had returned. The fabric she sent out was a gray plaid blend, suitable for making shirts. Zhong Yuxiu designed a simple style, with a short, straight collar instead of a turned-down one.

Though shirts appeared simple, their construction required precision; even a minor detail could ruin the garment.

From eight meters of fabric, she made three shirts and two pairs of straight-legged trousers. Before New Year's Eve, she finished the clothes and sent them to Yan Rushan.

"Brother Yan, since you didn't want the fabric, I've made it into clothes for you. I'm not sure if they'll fit, so please try them on. If they don't, let me know and I'll make adjustments."

Yan Rushan looked at the girl speaking to him, his emotions turbulent. "Thank you."

"If anyone should thank someone, it's me thanking you. I'll head back now—just let me know if they don't fit." Zhong Yuxiu waved and returned to her room.

Inside, Sun Ruhong and Jiang Mei came forward, teasing her, "Look at that! And you still say there's nothing between you. You've given him clothes!"

"Yuxiu, are you really seeing Comrade Yan?" Jiang Mei asked with a smile.

"There's nothing going on," Zhong Yuxiu replied, shaking her head. "Didn't I exchange old clothes with Brother Yan before? He can't sew, so he returned the fabric. Since he can't make clothes and doesn't want the fabric, I can't be inconsiderate."

"Oh..." Sun Ruhong drew out the sound meaningfully. "So Comrade Yan can't make clothes."

Jiang Mei caught on too. "Yuxiu, you really have no feelings for Comrade Yan?"

"No, I'm just focused on working hard to survive." She had plans for many things in the future and no time to indulge in romance.

After seven lifetimes, she had never encountered true love.

Unconsciously, the New Year arrived. In the countryside, the holiday was simple, and so it was at the educated youth station.

Resources were scarce, so Zhong Yuxiu and Yan Rushan discussed and together went up the mountain, bringing back three wild pheasants and five wild rabbits. At least, during the few days after New Year's Eve, there was meat on the table, making it a good year.

After the Lantern Festival, winter ended. The production brigade organized the members to go out and weed and loosen the soil.

Each small team of the production brigade had plenty of fields. To tidy them up, fertilize them, and prepare the land would require over a month. By then, the weather would warm, and corn, sorghum, and sweet potatoes could be planted.

With no worries about food rations, after spring arrived, Zhong Yuxiu and Yan Rushan no longer went up the mountain. They worked in the fields daily, returned to the educated youth courtyard for meals, and simply wanted to rest.