Chapter 01
It was the summer of 1973, and the heat was enough to make people restless.
The sun had been down for quite a while, yet the warmth rising from the ground still hadn’t faded.
At the entrance of the village, stacks of hay stood piled high, each one round and plump like chubby little children squatting there.
Behind the innermost haystack, there was movement.
“Mmm… Lu Shiyan, be gentler…”
The woman’s voice was soft and sweet, tinged with breathless gasps.
No one answered her. Only the rustling of hay could be heard.
Su Wanqing lay on the hay, two buttons of her floral blouse undone, revealing a stretch of fair skin beneath her collarbone. She pushed lightly at the man above her and frowned.
“Did you hear what I said?”
Only then did Lu Shiyan raise his eyes to look at her.
He braced himself over her, the sleeves of his undershirt rolled up to his shoulders, exposing strong, muscular arms. Sweat beaded at his temples, running down his face before dripping onto her neck.
“Speak,” he said hoarsely.
Under his gaze, Su Wanqing’s face grew warm. She turned her head away and muttered, “I’ve been working in the fields every day. The skin on my hands has been rubbed raw. Look…”
She held both hands up in front of him.
Her fair, delicate palms bore several faint red marks and two newly formed blisters.
Lu Shiyan lowered his eyes and looked at them for a while without saying anything.
He thought to himself, She’s really such a delicate little thing. Marks this tiny are enough to make her pout for half the day.
He remembered when he had first been sent to the countryside. The blisters on his own hands had been twice as large. They burst, oozed with pus, scabbed over, then split open again, yet no one had ever spared them a glance.
Still, her hands really were softālike tofu.
And that was exactly what he liked about her.
When she acted spoiled, her brows knitted together, her lips pouted, and her watery eyes gazed at him. She looked even prettier than usual.
Like a lazy little kitten that refused to lift a paw, insisting on being coaxed and pampered.
Su Wanqing pouted.
“You only know how to bully me. You don’t care about me at all.”
Amused, Lu Shiyan curled his lips into a faint smile. He reached into his trouser pocket, pulled out a piece of paper, and slapped it into her palm.
Su Wanqing froze for a moment before looking down.
It was an official appointment notice naming her the brigade’s new work-point recorder, complete with a bright red official seal and her name.
Her eyes lit up instantly. She sat upright and grabbed the paper.
“Is this real? When did you manage to get this?”
Leaning back against the haystack, Lu Shiyan took out a cigarette and held it between his lips without lighting it, looking at her indulgently.
“Just report there tomorrow.”
Su Wanqing looked at the paper over and over, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled.
She turned to look at Lu Shiyan. He lounged lazily against the haystack, his undershirt hanging open at the collar, exposing his collarbone and part of his chest.
She leaned over and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.
Lu Shiyan was briefly stunned before wrapping an arm around her neck and kissing her for quite a while before finally letting her go.
Su Wanqing shot him a coquettish glare, carefully folded the appointment notice, tucked it into her shirt pocket, and patted it.
“Not bad, Lu Shiyan. You’ve actually got some skills.”
Lu Shiyan looked away, taking the cigarette from his lips and holding it in his hand.
“Get yourself together. It’s time to head back.”
Su Wanqing looked down at herself. She really was a mess. She buttoned up her blouse, smoothed her hair, stood up, and brushed the bits of hay off her clothes.
Lu Shiyan stood as well and brushed the hay from her back.
“That’s enough, that’s enough,” Su Wanqing said, dodging away. “Someone might see.”
But inwardly she thought, For such a big man, he’s surprisingly good at taking care of people.
Too bad he sleeps in the cowshed. Otherwise, keeping him around to order about wouldn’t be so bad.
She had never really intended to be serious with him. He was just a convenient fool she could make use of. Now that she’d secured the work-point recorder position, she could slowly distance herself from him.
Lu Shiyan’s hand paused for a moment before he withdrew it and slipped it into his pocket.
After straightening herself up, Su Wanqing turned back to him.
He stood there, his expression unreadable in the dusk. Only his eyes shone brightly as they remained fixed on her.
“I’m going now,” she said, waving.
“Mm.”
Su Wanqing turned and walked away. After taking a few steps, she looked back and saw him still standing there.
“What are you staring at? Go back and get some sleep.”
Lu Shiyan said nothing, only curled his lips into a faint smile.
Too lazy to bother with him, Su Wanqing swayed her hips and walked away.
Only after she had gone far into the distance did Lu Shiyan take out a match and light his cigarette.
He took a drag, letting the smoke drift into the air.
Squinting at her retreating figure, which was growing smaller and smaller, he chuckled softly after a long while.
“You really do throw me away once you’ve gotten what you wanted, you heartless little thing.”
Su Wanqing walked around the haystacks. The sky had already grown dim.
She was in such a good mood that she practically skipped along, one hand constantly touching the appointment notice in her pocket, grinning to herself.
A work-point recorder.
No more working in the fields. All she’d have to do was carry a notebook and record everyone’s work points. Every young woman in the brigade envied that position.
Let’s see those educated youths laugh at her now.
Just then, someone approached from the opposite direction.
Su Wanqing looked up, and her eyes lit up even more.
Lin Wenxuan.
She instantly tossed Lu Shiyan to the back of her mind.
What good was someone who slept in the cowshed? No matter how attentive he was, could he take her back to the city? Could he give her a good life?
Lin Wenxuan was different. He was an educated youth from the city, a high school graduate, and handsome besides. Their parents had arranged their engagement years ago. Although both families had since fallen on hard times, what if they managed to recover one day?
Even if they never did, he was still the most respectable man she knew.
Someone like Lu Shiyan was useful enough to order around in private, but she certainly didn’t want anyone to know she had anything to do with him.
Su Wanqing adjusted her hair, put on a bright smile, and hurried over.
Lin Wenxuan wore a spotless white shirt with the sleeves neatly rolled up. A book rested in his hand as he walked from the village chief’s house.
The fading evening light bathed him, making his refined features appear even more scholarly.
“Brother Wenxuan!”
Su Wanqing ran over and grabbed his arm.
Lin Wenxuan frowned and immediately pulled his arm away.
“What are you doing?”
Ignoring his reaction, Su Wanqing moved closer again, pitifully holding up her hands.
“Brother Wenxuan, I worked in the fields again today. My hands are rubbed raw. Look. Blow on them for me, please~”
Lin Wenxuan didn’t even glance at her hands. A trace of impatience flashed through his eyes.
“Blow on what? In broad daylight, have you no sense of propriety at all? If you don’t care about your reputation, I care about mine!”
Su Wanqing froze, her hand hanging awkwardly in midair.
“I’m your fiancĆ©e. Can you really bear to see me suffer?” she said pitifully.
“Don’t talk nonsense. What fiancĆ©e? That was in the past.” Lin Wenxuan’s expression changed. Lowering his voice, he glanced around before saying, “I’m warning you. Stop clinging to me all day long. There’s nothing between us. Don’t go around telling people otherwise.”
“What do you mean ‘in the past’? You’re refusing to honor the engagement?” Su Wanqing cried anxiously. “Our families arranged our marriage!”
“An engagement?” Lin Wenxuan sneered. “Your parents have both been sent away. And you still dare bring up the engagement? Don’t you know what your political status is now? If I get too close to you, I’ll be implicated too. Have some self-awareness. The way you are now, you’re not worthy of me.”
Su Wanqing was stunned by his words. Her eyes reddened immediately.
“Lin Wenxuan, you…!”
But Lin Wenxuan ignored her completely. After speaking, he turned and walked away.
Panicking, Su Wanqing hurried after him and grabbed his arm again.
“Lin Wenxuan, stop! Explain yourself!”
