Chapter 31

Xie Jinyan was a year older than Jiang Jiang and was in the second grade at the county primary school.

He wore a loose military-green jacket, and the calm sunshine of March filtered through his brows and eyes.

“Brother Jinyan.”

Although Jiang Jiang had only met him once, seeing him at school still felt like she met someone she knew.

“Did Teacher Tian make you stand here?” he asked.

“Yeah, I made a mistake,” Jiang Jiang replied, her head lowered.

Xie Jinyan stood beside her. “Shall we go back together after school?”

Jiang Jiang hesitated for a moment, then responded, “Sure.”

For the past couple of days, Jiang Jiang had returned home alone after school.

The county committee courtyard was not far from the county primary school; she could get home in a few minutes.

“Then I’ll wait for you at the school gate after class,” he said.

They agreed to walk home together after school.

From inside the office, Teacher Tian’s voice called out, “Time’s up, Jiang Jiang. You can go back now.”

“Thank you, Teacher Tian,” Jiang Jiang said.

“Brother Jinyan, I’ll head back to the classroom now,” she added, feeling the hunger still gnawing at her.

“Okay,” he replied.

When Jiang Jiang returned to the classroom, she saw Sun Zhaodi in the back row, her head buried in her arms, with faint sounds of sobbing escaping. A few classmates stood nearby, watching the scene. Jiang Jiang pursed her lips and approached to ask, “Sun Zhaodi, are you okay?”

Sun Zhaodi kept her head down, pretending she hadn’t heard.

Not wanting to push further, Jiang Jiang went back to her seat. Thankfully, she hadn’t opened her meal earlier, so the food was still warm. He Guijuan had prepared pumpkin millet rice for her today and some pickled vegetable strips.

She picked up the metal spoon beside her and started eating.

The millet rice, mixed with golden pumpkin, soaked up the sweet aroma of the pumpkin with every bite.

As Jiang Jiang enjoyed her meal, Chen Qianan couldn’t help but stand up and bang her fist on the table while listening to the sobbing behind her.

“Sun Zhaodi, that’s enough! Lin Jiang Jiang got punished because of you—did she say anything? You’re here feeling wronged? If you hadn’t been crying about not finishing your homework, she wouldn’t have stepped in to help you!”

“You didn’t do your homework yesterday; it was your own fault. Now you’re blaming her?”

Sun Zhaodi raised her tear-streaked face, looking somewhat bewildered.

Chen Qianan’s outburst caught everyone’s attention, and the classroom fell silent immediately after she spoke.

Several classmates who had been watching Sun Zhaodi with interest now looked at her with disdain.

With Chen Qianan’s loud interruption, Sun Zhaodi stopped crying. She wiped her tears and pouted, saying, “I didn’t ask her to help me with it.”

—o—o—o—

After school, Jiang Jiang waited at the school gate according to her agreement with Xie Jinyan. Two male classmates walked out with him, but Xie Jinyan told them to go ahead. After exchanging “See you tomorrow,” the two boys left.

Jiang Jiang and Xie Jinyan walked home at a leisurely pace. After a while, they passed a small cart selling malt candy. Xie Jinyan asked Jiang Jiang to wait for him as he pulled two bills out of his pocket and approached the vendor.

“Here you go,” he said, handing her the malt candy.

Jiang Jiang accepted the candy in surprise. “Thank you, Brother Jinyan.”

The malt candy was sweet and slightly sour, with a strong stickiness. After chewing on it for a few moments, it stuck to her teeth, and a rich malt fragrance filled her mouth, blending with a taste of sweetness and happiness.

“I did something wrong today,” Jiang Jiang said.

“What happened?” Xie Jinyan asked.

Jiang Jiang then recounted the events at school. “I helped that classmate with her homework. The teacher was displeased with my actions and blamed her.”

After pondering for a moment, Xie Jinyan asked, “Since you know this behavior is incorrect, why did you still do it?”

Jiang Jiang fell silent.

Back in Dongxi Village, when the Yinhua siblings bullied her, the other children in the village gathered around to watch and laugh.

During those moments, Jiang Jiang desperately wished for someone to stand up for her.

Seeing Sun Zhaodi today, Jiang Jiang suddenly thought of her past self.

Even knowing that helping Sun Zhaodi with her homework was wrong, Jiang Jiang still chose to step in.

“Just eat,” Xie Jinyan said, choosing not to press her further. Instead, he reminded her to enjoy the malt candy in her hand.

When Jiang Jiang and Xie Jinyan returned to the courtyard, they found that someone had already started cooking. The chimneys of the huts were puffing out smoke, and the air was filled with the fragrant aroma of millet rice.

Jiang Jiang bid farewell to Xie Jinyan at the entrance of the courtyard. When she got home, both Lin Youqing and He Guijuan had not yet returned from work. Jiang Jiang took out her key and opened the door.

Once inside, she washed the lunch box with water and left it on the table to dry before heading to her room to do the math homework assigned by the teacher that day.

After a while, Guijuan returned home from work. She glanced into Jiang Jiang’s room to confirm she was home before tidying up.

She put on an apron and sleeves, preparing to make dinner.

Jiang Jiang decided to pause her homework and go to the kitchen to help.

With spring arriving, there were more varieties of edible vegetables available. He Guijuan had bought the ingredients from the market after work.

While they weren’t as fresh as the ones from the morning, they had to make do since they were a dual-income family without any elderly help at home.

Tonight, they were having oil-braised carrots and stir-fried celery with dried tofu, and the staple was sweet white steamed buns. After finishing the last dish, He Guijuan boiled a bit of water in the pot, chopped a handful of green onions, and cracked an egg to make a large bowl of scallion and egg soup.

The tender green onions floated on the surface of the soup, and the yellow-white scrambled egg added a silky texture. Although simple, it was delicious.

Lin Youqing would not be coming home for dinner that night. After He Guijuan finished cooking, she sat down with her daughter to eat.

“How was school today?” she asked.

“It was pretty good. We had math and music classes today. Teacher Lu taught math, and Teacher Mo taught music. Teacher Mo taught us to sing ‘The Red Star Lights My Path to Battle,’ and Teacher Lu taught us addition and subtraction. He also assigned us math homework. I even ran into Brother Jinyan at school,” Jiang Jiang replied.

“Mom… actually, there’s something else I want to tell you,” Jiang Jiang said, gathering her emotions, unsure of how to begin.

He Guijuan gently responded, “What is it?”

“I helped a classmate with her homework, and Teacher Tian found out,” Jiang Jiang admitted, lowering her head.

She was unsure how to face He Guijuan.

Would her mother feel angry, upset, or disappointed upon hearing this?

“Getting caught is no big deal,” He Guijuan said nonchalantly, picking up a piece of celery with her chopsticks. “Did Teacher Tian punish you?”

“I had to stand at the door of the office for half an hour,” Jiang Jiang replied.

“Mom, you’re not angry? I was deceiving the teacher by helping my classmate with her homework.”

“I’m not angry. I’m actually pleased that Jiang Jiang is a helpful child. I just hope you consider things more thoroughly when helping others. You see, by helping your classmate with her homework, you didn’t truly help her, and you ended up getting punished by Teacher Tian. It’s not worth it,” He Guijuan explained.

Upon hearing her mother’s words, Jiang Jiang was unexpectedly touched. After a moment of silence, she said, “Mom, thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. No matter what you want to do, just remember that your dad and I will always be your strong support,” He Guijuan replied.

She affectionately patted her daughter’s braid and added some carrots to Jiang Jiang’s bowl. “Alright, if we keep talking, we won’t finish this meal. Let’s eat.”

“Okay.” Jiang Jiang took a bite of the steamed bun, and although she didn’t continue the topic, she genuinely felt touched and happy inside.

“By the way, your birthday is at the end of the month. I checked the calendar, and it’s a Saturday. I’ll prepare a big meal at home. Do you want to invite your good friends over to celebrate with you?”

Jiang Jiang realized that she hadn’t celebrated her birthday in two or three years.

In the past, every year on her birthday, even though the family was not well-off, her dad would make her a bowl of longevity noodles, saying that eating them would ensure she lived a long life. After her dad passed away, Jiang Jiang did not celebrate her birthday again.

Hearing He Guijuan mention the word “birthday” suddenly left Jiang Jiang dazed for a while, and her eyes felt a bit moist. After a moment, she asked, “Mom, can we have noodles on my birthday?”

“Of course! Birthdays must have longevity noodles; eating them ensures you live to live a hundred years.”

“Mom, can we invite Brother Zhong Xing and Sister Fengzhen over to the house that day?”

Zhong Xing and Fengzhen were both important people to Jiang Jiang.

Sister Fengzhen was her first friend. In that unfamiliar home, she was the first person to accept Jiang Jiang after her parents.

Brother Zhong Xing was a ray of warmth during her despairing winter. In the dark, cold winter, he had carried her through the dim path nearly choked with weeds and snow to find her dad.

“Zhong Xing?” He Guijuan thought of the young man. The last time there was an avalanche, Zhong Xing had saved her husband. They had talked about paying a visit to thank him, but they hadn’t found the right opportunity since Zhong Xing had been in Dongxi Village for a long time and hadn’t returned to the city.

“That’s great! Write your Brother Zhong Xing a letter and ask if he has time then. I’ll send it to you. If they are both available, Zhong Xing can bring Sister Fengzhen along,” He Guijuan said.

“Okay!” Jiang Jiang replied excitedly.

He Guijuan patted her daughter’s head affectionately.

After dinner, Jiang Jiang continued to work on the homework she hadn’t finished that afternoon.

To save on lamp oil, she usually went to Lin Youqing and He Guijuan’s room to do her homework at night, as their table was larger, allowing her to write without bumping elbows with Lin Youqing, who would be writing beside her.

Once Jiang Jiang finished her homework, she began to write a letter on a piece of homework paper.

Although she recognized quite a few characters, completing a letter on her own was still somewhat challenging.

FShehad to use pinyin as a substitute. for the characters she didn’t know Jiang Jiang wrote earnestly, silently praying that Brother Zhong Xing would understand her message.

Meanwhile, He Guijuan boiled a pot of water, poured it into a basin, and added some cold water. After testing the temperature to ensure it was just right, she called Jiang Jiang over for a bath.

At nearly six years old, Jiang Jiang had been bathing by herself since they had brought her back to the Lin family, except for the first time when He Guijuan had helped her. However, she still needed He Guijuan’s assistance with washing her hair each time.

After taking a bath, Jiang Jiang sat in the courtyard, looking up at the stars in the sky.

She wore a pair of soft plastic slippers, and her braided hair had come undone, cascading over her shoulders. Her delicate ankles were exposed, illuminated by the soft glow of the night.

The night of March was incredibly beautiful, with a vibrant garden, magnificent mountains, and a vast sea. After gazing at the stars for a long while, she spoke to one of them: “Dad, I’m doing really well now. Mom and Dad are treating me very nicely.”