Chapter 16: Leaving the Production Team

Two people immediately crouched down, one man and one woman judging by their build. Picking and choosing, the man selected two wild rabbits and a pheasant, while the woman chose a rabbit.

"Two rabbits, twelve jin altogether—if anything, a little more. The pheasant weighs two jin," Zhong Yuxiu weighed each in turn, first addressing the man, then the woman, "Your rabbit is just over five jin; I’ll count it as five for you."

The two stayed silent, paying promptly; the man handed over sixteen yuan and forty cents, the woman six yuan. The debts were settled, and the pair slipped out of the crowd.

With such a good start, everything went smoothly from there. Whoever wanted something simply chose, weighed, and paid. The trades went off without a hitch, and soon all the wild rabbits and pheasants were sold, earning a total of forty-five yuan and sixty cents—enough to cover the cost of the tickets and still have a profit.

The ragged cloth still covered the basket as she shouldered it and left. She had no mind to linger in the black market; the storage ring held more than enough grain. Each time she bartered for food, she kept some back, enough to last her alone for two months.

She left the black market and tossed the headscarf into her basket, heading straight for the outskirts of the county town—only to run into Yan Rushan unexpectedly.

"Brother Yan," she greeted.

At the sound, Yan Rushan looked over, his indifferent gaze sweeping the surroundings. He snatched the basket from her back, slung it over his shoulder, and took her arm as they left the town. Only when they were on the main road back to the production team, with no one else around, did he ask,

"What are you doing in town?"

Zhong Yuxiu pursed her lips. "You went to town, so I had nothing to do and wandered up the mountain. I caught some game and brought it to sell."

"How did you sell it?" The basket was empty, so it was all gone.

"How else? The black market. There are plenty of people wanting meat—what I had wasn’t nearly enough."

A faint furrow appeared on Yan Rushan’s brow, and he set his hands on his hips, a wave of frustrated anxiety swelling in his chest. "Do you know there’s a crackdown on black markets right now? You dared to go? What if you’d been caught?"

"But I wasn’t," she retorted, seeing that Yan Rushan was angrier than usual. Knowing his concern, Zhong Yuxiu sensibly changed her tone. "I scouted the area first—I didn’t just go in blindly. Don’t be mad, really, it was just this once. We’re leaving the day after tomorrow, I need to save up some money! How will we get by in the capital without any? Don’t you agree, Comrade Yan?"

The anxiety in Yan Rushan’s chest dissipated at once. He knew her situation better than anyone—sent down with no money or ration coupons, just two sets of clothes and a few books. Without her resourcefulness, she might never have survived. Now, with the prospect of going to the capital, she was uneasy—he knew this wasn’t good, but the anger simply wouldn’t come.

His attitude softened.

Zhong Yuxiu smiled gently. "Brother Yan, let’s hurry back to the production team. When I left, Sister Jiang Mei and the others hadn’t returned yet. I don’t know if they’re back now. I left three wild rabbits in the kitchen—we can have a good meal tonight to celebrate."

Yan Rushan kept a stern face, showing her no warmth as he strode ahead. Zhong Yuxiu quickly followed, her steps light, a smile at her lips, looking entirely at ease.

So, in the end, he was the only one sulking; the little ingrate didn’t even bother to soothe him with a few more words.

They entered the production brigade and stepped through the gate of the youth dormitory. Yan Rushan paused. "We leave early the day after tomorrow. Head to the provincial city for tickets." With that, he went straight inside.

Zhong Yuxiu was left bewildered. He’d seemed unhappy the whole way back, and now he was still sulking—why was he so stubborn? She entered her own room to find it empty. She’d been up the mountain and into town and back, yet no one had returned.

She turned and knocked at the men’s dormitory. "Brother Yan, have Brother Luo and the others come back?"

The door creaked open. Yan Rushan appeared. "The women haven’t returned either?"

"No," she shook her head.

"I’ll go to the brigade office. You stay here and look after the place."

"I’m coming too," Zhong Yuxiu said firmly. "We’ll lock the dormitory."

Yan Rushan nodded, neither agreeing nor refusing, took the key and the lock, and together they left. Yan Rushan closed the gate behind them.

"Let’s go."

One behind the other, they hadn’t yet reached the brigade office when, in the distance, they saw Sun Ruhong and the others approaching. Luo Jianmin, Wang Yishan, and Feng Jianjun looked despondent, while Sun Ruhong and Jiang Mei watched them, concern etched on their faces.

"Sister Ruhong, Sister Jiang Mei, did you get your certificates?" Yuxiu called as she hurried over.

Jiang Mei smiled and nodded. "The brigade gave us the certificates, but we still have to go to the commune."

"So why do Brother Wang and the others look so down?"

"They start school in late February," Sun Ruhong explained, "and the brigade leader wouldn’t issue their certificates. He’s afraid that if he does, they’ll just go back early. Our school starts soon, so we were allowed."

"We pleaded with him for ages," Feng Jianjun sighed, "but he wouldn’t agree."

It was common for production team leaders to be wary of the educated youth—even if they behaved, the leadership never fully trusted them. If they ran off with certificates, the leaders would be held responsible.

The young men were silent; so were the young women. No one spoke.

Who could they blame? They did want to leave early; after years of drifting, of course home was the safe harbor. Now that the chance had come, their hearts couldn’t settle.

The group returned to the dormitory, opened the door, and gathered in the main room. No one spoke. Zhong Yuxiu glanced at one, then another.

"Sister Ruhong, Sister Jiang Mei, when are you planning to leave?"

"You’re leaving?" Jiang Mei looked up.

Zhong Yuxiu nodded softly. "Brother Yan and I are in a hurry; we’re leaving the day after tomorrow. The train will take several days, and we’ll need time to settle in the capital—we have to leave early."

"You’re right," Jiang Mei replied. "Once you’re settled in the capital, you’ll have time to look around. Ruhong and I got our acceptance letters late—it’ll take two or three days to sort out our household registration and ration coupons. We can't go with you."

"You haven’t bought tickets yet, have you?"

"We’ll try in the provincial city; we’ll get to the capital one way or another," Yan Rushan spoke up before Zhong Yuxiu could reply, earning her several glances.

Dawn broke faintly.

After breakfast, Jiang Mei and Sun Ruhong went together to the commune for paperwork. Once they’d left, Zhong Yuxiu called Yan Rushan to the mountain, where they caught two small animals. That night, they cooked two meat dishes as a farewell feast.

The night stretched long; they gathered, talking about anything and everything. The atmosphere was relaxed—by now, even the young men’s disappointment over the certificates had faded. They would get home eventually; a few days’ delay was nothing.

The next morning before dawn, the youth dormitory was silent and dark. The youths all rose to see them off.

Zhong Yuxiu and Yan Rushan, luggage packed, stood outside the gate. Looking back, their eyes filled with tears—not just Yan Rushan, even Zhong Yuxiu felt a lump in her throat.

When she had first arrived, she was a stranger, penniless and short on rations. It was these people who had helped her adapt to the dormitory’s life and work, helping each other in the fields, gathering around the table to eat and laugh, sharing all the sorrows and joys of life.

"Ruhong, Jiang Mei, Brother Luo, Brother Wang, Brother Feng—who knows when we’ll meet again. Take care, all of you."

Tears streamed down Sun Ruhong and Jiang Mei’s faces. The three girls had gotten along well, accepting each other’s flaws; they had shared everything, and such friendship could not be captured in a few words.

"Yuxiu, you take care too."

"Take care," Jiang Mei said through tears, waving. "Go on now, or you’ll be late even getting to the provincial city."

Zhong Yuxiu, eyes red, smiled through her tears. "We’re off—until we meet again."

"Goodbye." Yan Rushan waved as well, hefted Yuxiu’s luggage, and strode off. Zhong Yuxiu hurried after him; their figures disappeared from sight, and only then did Sun Ruhong and the others sniffle, murmuring, "In a little while, we’ll all be heading our separate ways too."

Partings are always bittersweet.

People are always a bundle of contradictions—reluctant to leave, yet eager to go.