CHAPTER 11: Fu Mobai

Baiyun Village rarely got educated youths. All the village girls put together couldn’t compare to Su Yuan’s beauty.

The old man uncrossed his legs, delight flashing in his eyes.

He had three sons and four nephews, all still unmarried. With a bit of tact and help with her work, there was always the chance one of them could marry an educated youth.

With that thought in mind, he narrowed his eyes and took the papers, smiling warmly.
“You’re from Beijing City? That’s a fine place.”

Su Yuan gave a modest smile. “Your village is wonderful too. I like it here very much.”

Used to arrogant city folk, the old man looked at her in a new light, his smile now more genuine.
“There’s no designated educated youth dorm here. The last three who came all stayed with villagers. You’ll be the same—I’ll arrange a household for you now.”

He was just about to suggest his own home when Jiang Song cut in. “Uncle Li, let her stay at my house. She’s a relative of my aunt’s.”

Only then did the old man notice the young man standing nearby.

“Oh, you’re still here? And what’s this girl’s relation to your aunt?”

The Jiang family were all dark-skinned and plain-looking. He’d met Ye Jie before and she wasn’t exactly fair—how could she have such a beautiful relative?

Before Jiang Song could answer, he turned to Su Yuan. “Is what he said true?”

“Yes, it’s true,” Su Yuan replied with a smile.

“And you’re fine with staying at the Jiang house?”

In this unfamiliar place, compared to a stranger’s home, the Jiang family was the safest choice.

She nodded without hesitation.

Once the registration was done, Jiang Song had her climb back onto the cart. He drove her home, the old man tagging along.

It was summertime. On both sides of the dirt road stretched a sea of green.

As the sun climbed higher, the heat intensified. Su Yuan lifted her shoulder bag over her head to block the sunlight. Jiang Song noticed and tossed her a palm fan.

“There’s a straw hat at home. You’ll need to wear it when working the fields.”

“Mhm. Thank you.”

Su Yuan took the fan to shade herself, gaze drifting once more to the distance.

Thinking of the seven bachelors in his household, the old man grew restless. Out of the blue, he asked, “Did you come to the countryside because your family has too many kids? Why didn’t you just find a husband in the city?”

Su Yuan pulled her thoughts back and met his gaze. “My family does have a lot of children, and life isn’t easy.”

“And what about a fiancé? Do you have one?”

He was eager for an answer. Su Yuan caught on and decided to be cautious. “I do. He’s a soldier.”

In this era, soldiers were held in the highest regard. Away from home, she needed to protect herself. This little white lie was the perfect shield for some peace and quiet in the days to come.

When he heard she already had a fiancé—an official military engagement at that—the old man deflated like a punctured ball, deeply disappointed.

“You’ve got a fiancé and still chose to come to the countryside? He doesn’t object?”

“He doesn’t. He’s broad-minded, willing to sacrifice his little family for the sake of the greater good. His moral character is on a whole other level.”

Since it was all made-up anyway, Su Yuan said whatever pleased her.

This time, the old man completely gave up. His enthusiasm gone, he handed her over to the Jiang family in one piece and took his leave.

The Jiang family was a middle-tier household in the village—not the richest, but far from poor.

They had four large tile-roofed rooms and set aside one for Su Yuan. The other three were occupied by Father Jiang and Mother Jiang, Jiang Song, and his younger sister.

Each room was fairly spacious.

Mother Jiang, named Ye Qin, bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Ye Jie, though their temperaments differed—one short-haired and spirited, the other long-haired and gentle.

When she saw Su Yuan, her eyes lit up with genuine fondness. “I’ve long heard you were beautiful, but I didn’t expect you to be even more striking in person.”

Because Ye Qin resembled Ye Jie, Su Yuan felt an instant closeness. In addition to polite greetings, she took out gifts she’d prepared in advance for everyone.

They were bars of soap—rare commodities here.

Understanding she must be tired from the long journey, Ye Qin helped her settle in and then left her to rest.

In rural Northeast China, people slept on heated brick beds called kang. It felt hard to the touch. Su Yuan took a quilt from her luggage, spread it over the kang as padding, then added a woven grass mat before sitting down to test it.

The firmness was just right.

Beside the kang sat a small kang table, used for meals or studying.

Once her belongings were more or less in order, she pulled letter paper and a fountain pen from her satchel to write to Li Chaoyang in Beijing.

The money from selling the fan belonged to Fu Mobai’s share; she hadn’t taken it with her but left it with Wen Yan.

Since she might never see him again, she wanted Li Chaoyang to help pass the money along to Fu Mobai.

Just as she finished the letter and looked up, Ye Qin entered, knocking lightly and carrying a few slices of watermelon.

Spotting the letter on the kang, Ye Qin teased, “What’s this? Writing to your sweetheart?”

“?”

Su Yuan froze for a moment, then remembered the lie she’d told in the carriage. She silently cursed Jiang Song for his big mouth.

“Not a sweetheart—just a friend,” she explained.

She folded the letter, tucked it into her satchel, and cleared space for the watermelon.

As Ye Qin set down the plate, she accidentally knocked the fountain pen off the table. It hit the floor, startling her. “Oh dear! That’s my fault—quick, check if it’s broken!”

Su Yuan reacted swiftly, bending down to pick it up. The nib had split; it was no longer usable. Her heart tightened painfully, though she kept her expression calm.

Ye Qin saw the damage and looked stricken. “Yuan Yuan, I’m so sorry! How much was the pen? I’ll pay you back.”

“No need. I’ll take it to get fixed another day—it’ll be fine.”

She capped the pen and put it away with great care, but her mood remained heavy. It had been a gift from Grandpa Fu years ago, and now that he was gone, it was her only keepsake of him.

Meanwhile, in a distant southern military district—

Fu Mobai stood in a green military uniform, broad-shouldered and long-legged, like a pine tree rooted high on a snow-covered mountain, radiating an aura that warned strangers away.

His thin lips pressed tightly together, his sharp eyes fixed straight ahead. For once, he had the patience to listen to Sun Xiaohu’s endless chatter.

On the other end of the phone: “Brother Mobai, did you hear me? How can Sister Yuan’s delicate frame survive the hardships of the Northeast? You should find a way to get her transferred back!”

“I respect her decision.”

Sun Xiaohu choked, not expecting him to simply dismiss it. Remembering Su Yuan’s wholehearted devotion, he hung up in frustration.

An hour later, Fu Mobai appeared in the commander’s office to submit his application report.

The officer took the document, read it three times, and finally spoke in disbelief. “You want to transfer to Longjiang Province? Why?”

By the original plan, Fu Mobai was to be reassigned to the Southwest Military District for career advancement after his recent commendation—then return to Beijing in a few years to rise further in rank.

Now that plan was upended. The officer slammed the table. “Think of your grandfather’s dying wishes! Don’t act on impulse. Take this back—I won’t approve it!”

Fu Mobai remained calm in the face of the reprimand. Picking up the application, he handed it back across the desk, eyes unwavering. “This isn’t an impulse—it’s the result of careful consideration. Please approve it.”

“You absolutely have to go?”

“Yes. I absolutely have to go.”

“You… you’ll regret this someday!”

The officer was both angry and helpless. In the end, he signed.

….

For farmers, summer was the busiest season. Baiyun Village mainly grew corn, and everyone—young and old, male and female—had to work in the fields to earn work points.

Under the blazing sun, Su Yuan was assigned to pull weeds, one of the lighter tasks.

Alongside her was a newly arrived educated youth named Shen Qing, crouched a short distance away.

Compared to the skilled veteran youths, the two of them were like young sparrows just learning to forage—clumsy and unsure.

Su Yuan wiped the sweat from her brow and kept working. Shen Qing edged closer and whispered, “Comrade Su, aren’t you tired? These weeds… no matter how much I pull, they never end. My hands are rubbed raw.”

She raised her palms to blow on them—tender skin now dirty and red.

Su Yuan paused, turning to see a round face flushed pink like a ripe peach.

Thinking that they were both new here and should help each other, Su Yuan took out a fresh handkerchief and handed it over. “Here—wipe your hands. Rest a bit before you start again.”

Shen Qing happily accepted, though a bit embarrassed, promising to return a new handkerchief later.

“It’s fine. Keep it—I have more.”

Near noon, Su Yuan sat down on the spot, drinking water as they chatted.

Shen Qing was from Harbin, nineteen years old. Both her parents were factory workers, and because she had many siblings, there had been no choice but for her to go to the countryside.

If she had the chance, she still wanted to return to the city.

“And you? What are your plans for the future? I heard your boyfriend’s a soldier—is that true?”

“??”

Su Yuan froze in surprise. She hadn’t expected the rumor to spread so quickly. It had only been a single day, and by now the entire village probably knew she supposedly had a boyfriend.

“Yes, it’s true.”

After telling enough lies, it became easy to say them without a flicker of guilt. She didn’t even hesitate.

Shen Qing took her at her word. “Having a boyfriend is so nice! I want to find a soldier too—not only can they defend the country, they can protect me. How about… asking your boyfriend to introduce me to one? Even if he’s from another province, that’s fine.”

“…”

Su Yuan blinked slowly, unsure how to spin this lie any further. She didn’t have a boyfriend, and the soldier friends she’d known in the past had long lost contact. There was simply no one she could introduce.

She could only claim that she and her “boyfriend” were in the middle of a cold war, and wait until they’d “made up” before arranging anything.

Girls were naturally curious about romance. Shen Qing wanted to know what her boyfriend looked like, how they’d fallen in love, and what they’d fought over.

One question after another left Su Yuan flustered. She’d been single for all of her eighteen years—how could she possibly answer so much?

Just as she was about to change the subject, a voice came from beside her. “Comrade Su, my mom says you should come home for dinner. Also, my aunt is here—she’s waiting for you.”

Hearing Ye Jie’s name, Su Yuan quickly packed up her tools, bid Shen Qing goodbye, and headed to the Jiang house.

Her fatigue melted away instantly. The seven or eight minutes it usually took to walk there somehow shrank to five.

Ye Jie had come to Baiyun Village today because yesterday, as Su Aimin was leaving, he’d let slip some information—about Su Yuan’s aunt, Su Yanning.

Her aunt’s younger brother also lived in Qingshan City, which meant she might not need to make a trip to Harbin to find out the truth about her aunt’s situation.