Chapter 8

Riding a bicycle back to her parents’ house was such a glamorous thing—Xu Lihong really didn’t want to miss out.

In the surrounding villages, you could count on one hand the number of families who owned a bicycle.

If she could sit on the back seat and return to her maiden home like that, the people in her home brigade would surely look at her with envy.

The bicycle in their home had been bought before she even married in. Her husband had helped his younger sister, who got into high school, secure a bicycle ticket through his unit. Their father-in-law then paid for it, and it was gifted to Jiang Yao.

Xu Lihong had always had her eye on the bicycle. She had hoped to borrow it to return home, but unfortunately, she had never learned how to ride it.

“It counts, it counts, Big Sister-in-law. You just wait at home,” Jiang Yao replied with a laugh.

She found her sister-in-law rather endearing. After a big argument with the neighbors, the first thing on her mind was still riding a bike back home.

“Alright, Yao Yao, you go have your breakfast. No rush,” Xu Lihong beamed, her eyes crinkling as she smiled. She untied the cloth straps, set down the stone she was carrying on her back, held it in her arms, and followed Jiang Yao and the others back into the main room to wait.

After taking Xu Lihong back to her maiden home, Jiang Yao followed the main road into Yanjun County. She stood at a busy intersection, watching the hurried crowds go by, momentarily unsure of where to begin.

In this era, jobs mostly flowed within family networks. When elders retired, it was common for younger relatives to take over.

When factories recruited, the staff usually learned about it in advance and informed their families or relatives. By the time outsiders heard the news, the spots were already filled.

Jiang Yao hadn’t come to the county today expecting to immediately land a job. Her plan was to look around and see if she could find a factory that was still hiring.

She visited several factories, but they were either fully staffed or had residency (hukou) requirements for applicants.

Before she knew it, Jiang Yao had wandered near a state-owned restaurant. It was lunchtime, and the scent of food wafted out, rich and enticing.

Her stomach growled embarrassingly at the smell, but though her body could certainly handle some good food now, her wallet—and her ration tickets—could not.

Immersed in the aroma, Jiang Yao noticed a recruitment poster pasted outside the restaurant.

It was rare—this one didn’t require a specific household registration. Delighted, she walked in and spoke with the restaurant manager, only to learn that all the server positions had already been filled. Disheartened, she left.

As she exited the restaurant, a male server inside frowned while watching her retreating figure.

Why was she here?

It seemed Meng Second Sister-in-law hadn’t tipped off her family yet. Otherwise, why would the Jiangs let her out alone? She should be waiting back at the brigade for their blind date to take place.

Just as Jiang Yao stepped out of the restaurant, a little boy suddenly grabbed onto her leg. She froze, startled, and realized the child clinging to her was trembling all over, as if terrified.

She crouched down and tried to gently pry him off, but the child held on tightly, refusing to let go.

“Miss, I’m so sorry, that’s my son. I’m really sorry—he’s just being naughty. I’ll take him away right now,” said a thin, frail-looking man who emerged from an alley beside the restaurant.

He glanced around cautiously, then walked up to Jiang Yao and apologized.

“It’s Daddy’s fault. I shouldn’t have ignored you. Let me make it up to you—I’ll buy you your favorite pork buns, alright?”

The man bent low, speaking gently to the child. But when the boy didn’t respond, he moved closer to Jiang Yao, reaching out to forcibly peel him away.

Jiang Yao instinctively stepped back—she wasn’t comfortable with strangers getting too close.

And the child, still gripping her tightly, followed her backward step, holding onto her leg for dear life.

Now Jiang Yao realized something was wrong. The child was wearing clean, stylish clothes for the time—a new white shirt and blue cotton trousers—making a stark contrast to the supposed “father,” who was dressed in ragged, patched clothing stained with what looked like soup or oil.

During the planned economy period, daily necessities had to be purchased with ration tickets. Someone willing and able to buy such nice clothes for a child wouldn’t likely be so sloppily dressed themselves.

“I don’t even like pork buns! I don’t know you! You’re not my dad!” the child suddenly shouted, becoming hysterical at the man’s touch. He clung even harder to Jiang Yao’s leg and began crying.

“Sis, please help me! Waaah! I don’t want to be kidnapped and made someone else’s child!”

He sobbed uncontrollably, blaming himself for sneaking out alone to visit a classmate and getting caught by this awful man just a few steps from home.

Thankfully, he’d kicked the man in the stomach and bitten his wrist to escape.

He had instinctively grabbed onto this beautiful older sister, believing she wasn’t a bad person.

Jiang Yao eyed the man warily and picked up the child in her arms. Backing toward the state-owned restaurant, she shouted, “Help! Kidnapper trying to take a child!”

As she moved, her back suddenly bumped into something solid. She turned and saw that she had run into a person—a man.

A man in military uniform, whose thick muscles were apparent even under the sturdy fabric.

“You alright?” the man asked calmly.

Xu Shaojun looked down at the young woman who’d just bumped into his chest. His body, hardened by years of training, wasn’t exactly soft—he hoped she hadn’t hurt herself.

The man’s steady voice reassured Jiang Yao. She glanced at his uniform and immediately stepped behind him for safety.

In this era, the People’s Liberation Army comrades were the most reliable of all.

She was just a helpless young woman with a child clinging to her—of course she would turn to a dependable soldier for help.

“Comrade soldier, I suspect that man is a kidnapper. He tried to take this child away.”

The thin man who had followed closely behind cursed under his breath—just his luck to run into a soldier.

Still, he forced a smile and stepped forward.

“Comrade, it’s all a misunderstanding. I really am the child’s father. He’s just being difficult—he’s been staying with relatives in the county for a while and got a bit wild. He doesn’t want to come back to the brigade and live like a poor farmer.”

“Please understand. I’ll just take my son and leave. Sorry to have disturbed your lunch.”

The scrawny man struggled to keep his voice calm and his hands from shaking as he finished speaking, eyes full of hope as he looked at Xu Shaojun.