Xu Ning was tidying up her private plot today. There were only a few sparse beans left on the trellis, and she planned to pull them all up to plant some cabbage. She had arranged with Aunt Dashuan earlier to reserve some cabbage seedlings for her from her family.

The next day happened to be Sunday, and the siblings spent the whole morning planting cabbage in their two acres. This year, they decided not to plant radishes, planning instead to buy some in the village later. Recently, Xu Ning had bought dozens of pounds of beans from the village, and in addition to the beans they had grown themselves, they had dried a good amount and even pickled a jar of sour beans.

They had also harvested quite a bit of dried chili peppers. Together with the mushrooms and wild vegetables that Xu Ning and Xu An had gathered, they had enough winter vegetables to last them.

As Xu An stoked the fire, he said, “Sister, do you think our brother will be able to take leave this year? He has been in the army for almost three years; he should have some time off for family visits, right?”

Xu Ning placed the noodles into the pot and covered it with a lid, sighing as she replied, “I’ll write him a letter tonight to ask.”

“Sister, the autumn harvest is coming up soon. How much grain do you think we’ll be able to get this year?”

Xu Ning chuckled, “We haven’t even started the harvest yet, and you’re already thinking about how much grain we’ll get!”

Xu An added, “Sister, I’m almost thirteen now. I want to help in the fields during this harvest. I’ve been eating well these past two years, and I’m much stronger than before. If the two of us work together, we can get more grain.”

Xu Ning looked at his small frame. He had indeed grown a lot over the past two years and had become quite sturdy. She thought about the other children in the village his age, some of whom had also started working in the fields.

“Let’s try it for two days first,” Xu Ning said. “You can’t exceed five work points in a day. Let’s see if you can handle it. If you find it too tiring, it’s fine to wait two more years.”

Xu An replied excitedly, “Sister, I should at least be able to do six work points. I can definitely handle it!”

“You’re still growing. If you overexert yourself, you might not grow taller. Trust me, don’t exceed five work points,” she advised.

Once Xu An heard that it might affect his height, he nodded in agreement, thinking that he would stick to five work points for now and add more later when he was bigger.

During the autumn harvest, Xu Ning sought out the team leader and asked him to assign her and Xu An to the same group. The team leader agreed and sent them to pick corn.

After their first day of work, Xu An had dinner, washed up, and went straight to bed. The next morning, he woke up full of energy. Xu Ning observed him for several days to ensure he wasn’t struggling and felt relieved to let him continue working.

The day after the harvest ended, Xu Ning rode her bike into the city. She hadn’t been there for a month.

She brought some vegetables to Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wang and delivered twenty bed sheets to Su Hongying. From her storage space, she also took out some meat and fine grains, planning to give her family a good treat.

As Xu Ning pedaled out of the county town, just a few minutes later, she spotted a figure in army green ahead. The person was carrying a pack on their back and another in their hand.

She didn’t pay much attention, riding quickly past the figure.

She rode a long way, still thinking about how good that person’s figure looked—tall and upright. She realized she had forgotten to see what their face looked like.

Suddenly, she slammed on the brakes. That back figure looked so familiar—how could it resemble Brother Lu so much?

Xu Ning quickly turned her bike around and rode back, stopping not far from the army-green figure.

As the figure approached her, she noticed how much more composed and steady he looked compared to two years ago, his face now sharper and more defined.

With excitement, Xu Ning called out, “Brother Lu, you’re back!”

Lu Xiaotang stopped in his tracks, gazing at the girl pushing her bicycle toward him. He smiled like a little sun, warming her heart.

He replied, “Xiao Ning, you’ve grown taller! I didn’t even recognize you just now.”

Seeing the sudden smile break through his previously stern expression felt like a burst of fireworks in her mind. Her heart raced, and she could feel the heat rushing to her face. She knew she was blushing.

Fortunately, it had just been the autumn harvest, and her face was a bit tanned, so she reassured herself that he probably wouldn’t notice.

In her mind, she repeated, Stay calm, stay calm. It must just be that Brother Lu is too handsome.

Feeling shy, she said to Lu Xiaotang, “Brother Lu, why didn’t you write to let me know you were coming? I could have come to pick you up.”

Lu Xiaotang replied, “The army decided at the last minute to send me to a military academy in the capital (Beijing) for a year, so I left early to come here and take a look.”

“Really? Brother Lu, congratulations!” Xu Ning exclaimed, delighted for him. Going to a military academy meant he would likely get promoted upon his return.

After saying this, she immediately reached for his luggage, planning to put it on her bicycle.

Lu Xiaotang chuckled, “You should ride back first. I can walk quickly.”

Xu Ning glanced at his two large bags and her own big backpack, noting that there was a bag hanging from the front beam as well. There was no way everything would fit.

Just as she was pondering what to do, Old Chen drove up in a bullock cart. The cart was filled with the young intellectuals from the commune: Gu Wenping, Yang Wenli, Lin Miao, Gu Wenjing, Li Fengjiao, Wei Lanlan, and Chen Xiangdong.

Old Chen, seeing the two smiling, said cheerfully, “Xu Zhqing, your cousin is here to see you again! Hurry up and put your things on the bullock cart. I’ll take you both back later.”

Xu Ning smiled at Old Chen, saying, “Thank you, Grandpa Chen! Without you, I wouldn’t know how to get my cousin back.”

As Lu Xiaotang was about to put his luggage on the cart, Yang Wenli, who was sitting on the cart, suddenly stood up and asked, “Are you Lu Xiaotang from Jing ^[1]Beijing / Capital High School No. 2?”

Lu Xiaotang assessed him for a moment and replied, “I once studied at No. 2. Do we know each other?”

Yang Wenli said, “We attended the same school, but I was a year below you. Did you join the army?”

Lu Xiaotang nodded in acknowledgment but didn’t elaborate. He lifted his two bags along with Xu Ning’s large backpack and placed them on the bullock cart.

Suddenly, Gu Wenjing exclaimed, pointing at Lu Xiaotang, “Aren’t you Fang Qianqian’s cousin? Didn’t something happen to your family? What are you doing here?”

Xu Ning immediately stepped forward and swatted Gu Wenjing’s hand away. “Who are you pointing at? What happened to anyone’s family? Your family is the one in trouble! Can’t you go a day without causing a scene? My cousin is here to visit me, and he doesn’t need your permission to do so. Who do you think you are?”

Lu Xiaotang pressed his lips together to suppress a smile and pulled Xu Ning closer, turning to Gu Wenjing with a serious expression. “I’m not Fang Qianqian’s cousin; our families have severed ties. I kindly ask you not to falsely connect me with others in the future.”

After that, he turned back to Old Chen with a friendly tone. “Grandpa Chen, thank you for your help. Xiao Ning and I will head out first.”

Old Chen waved his hand. “Go ahead; I’ll bring your things to you when I return with the cart.”

Lu Xiaotang pushed Xu Ning’s bicycle toward her, mounted it first, and said, “Xiao Ning, hop on.”

Now standing at 1.64 meters tall, Xu Ning easily jumped onto the bike. Before they left, she rolled her eyes at Gu Wenjing and waved goodbye to Wei Lanlan.

As the two rode off, Old Chen continued driving the bullock cart at a leisurely pace.

Watching them leave, Lin Miao asked Yang Wenli, “Do you know Xu Zhiqing’s cousin?”

Yang Wenli nodded. “We attended the same high school. He was a year ahead of me, but I didn’t hear he joined the army.”

Gu Wenjing chimed in, “He must have gone into the army because something happened at home. I heard from Fang Qianqian that her cousin has always been impressive; he was the ‘king of the compound’ as a kid and was well-liked in school.”

Yang Wenli nodded in agreement.

Lin Miao’s eyes brightened as she asked, “What compound?”

Gu Wenjing, noticing that Lin Miao was talking to her, explained, “It’s the military district compound.”

Since their previous conflict, the two hadn’t spoken much, but Lin Miao’s willingness to initiate conversation made Gu Wenjing relax a bit. She leaned in and whispered, “His dad used to be quite powerful. I heard from Fang Qianqian that he was the head of the military hospital, but now, unfortunately…”

Lin Miao whispered back, “What about his parents now?”

Gu Wenjing shook her head. “I’m not sure about the details after that.”

Gu Wenping watched the two of them whispering together, feeling a sense of relief. He thought to himself that at least they had reconciled. One was his girlfriend, and the other was his cousin; being caught in the middle had been quite awkward for him.