Chapter 1

It was a cold April, but today was quite warm in the Pioneer Production Team located in the southwest.

A fiery red sun hung in the sky, its warmth spreading across the earth. Members of the team, busy picking spring bamboo shoots in the Pioneer Bamboo Forest, felt the warmth of spring.

A breeze rustled through the bamboo forest, and the leaves swayed in the wind.

Yang Qiujin reached down and snapped off a tender bamboo shoot as thick as a child’s arm. When the root of the bamboo shoot cracked, the tender flesh at the bottom was exposed, releasing a faint, slightly bitter fragrance unique to bamboo shoots.

After a quick sniff, Yang Qiujin smiled with satisfaction and tossed the bamboo shoots into her large basket.

Now was the season for various spring bamboo shoots to emerge in Zhushan. During this time, most brigade members woke up early to pick bamboo shoots, carrying them in backpacks down the mountain to sell at the non-staple food purchasing station for extra income.

The area was crowded with people picking bamboo shoots. Each person carried a bamboo basket twice as big as their body, hoping to fill it up. The more they harvested, the more work points they earned, which could later be exchanged for food at the end of the year.

Because so many people were picking bamboo shoots, the brigade had set rules, as in previous years: too tender or small bamboo shoots couldn’t be harvested, and bamboo shoots over a certain height had to be left for future growth. To fill a full backpack, one had to climb up the entire bamboo mountain to find them.

Yang Qiujin was exhausted and had filled most of the basket, but she had not yet reached the top of the mountain. Nearby, a group of women clung to the cliff at the mountain’s peak, desperately searching for bamboo shoots. Yang Qiujin admired their determination.

Following the leader’s encouragement that women “hold up half the sky,” many women had awakened to their potential, working hard, striving to become strong contributors to society.

This environment led many female members of the Pioneer Brigade to become more aware of their capabilities, working relentlessly every day. They were determined, not giving in to others, and would work themselves to exhaustion. Despite working extremely hard, they could only harvest about two tons of bamboo shoots per week, a fraction of the ten tons they had once gathered in a month.

Yang Qiujin wiped the sweat from her forehead. Realizing she wouldn’t fill the basket today, she began searching for her mischievous son, who had followed her up the mountain. As she waited for him to return with some bamboo shoots to add to the basket, she overheard several women talking nearby.

“Why is that shrew from the Chen family up here picking bamboo shoots again?”

“Who knows? They say her husband is a soldier and sends money and letters regularly. She’s also an accountant in the brigade, so why does she need to come up the mountain and take bamboo shoots from us to earn work points? What a capable woman!”

“Her husband said he was joining the army, but he’s been gone for seven years and hasn’t returned. Though she gets money and letters every month, who knows if they’re from a real person? Maybe she’s sending them to herself to save face.”

“That could actually be true.”

“Yeah. Even if her husband isn’t dead, he hasn’t come back in all these years. He must not care about her anymore. Everyone knows the person who was originally engaged to her was someone else, and she replaced them. Chen Shengqing was in love with that person, not her…”

Yang Qiujin quietly listened without reacting. She had always been strong and confrontational, quick to return any insult or gossip with double the force. Over time, she earned a reputation as the most feared “shrew” in the Vanguard Brigade, with people gossiping behind her back but never daring to provoke her directly.

Today, however, she wasn’t in the mood to argue. She turned a blind eye to the gossip, waited for her son to return with the bamboo shoots, and then quietly held his hand as they went down the mountain together.

Qingshui Village, where the Pioneer Brigade was located, was surrounded by mountains on three sides and faced a river. The village sat on a small plain at the foot of the mountain, with canals diverted from the river surrounding it. The canal water was clear, and the fine sand at the bottom was visible. Tiny fish swam about.

Yang Qiujin took her six-year-old son, Chen Tianyou, to a low ditch at the edge of the village to wash off the morning dew and mud from their climb up the mountain.

Her cleaning movements were rough and quick, not gentle.

“Mom, it hurts.” Tianyou winced as his delicate skin was rubbed, making him grimace and protest.

“You deserve it!” Yang Qiujin scolded, taking a handkerchief from her azure spring coat to wipe his hands and face. “I told you to stay home and help with the chickens and ducks, but you insisted on coming up the mountain to pick bamboo shoots. Look at how many times you’ve fallen! You tore the clothes, pants, and shoes I just sewed for you, and now your back is cut so badly you can see your bottom. Aren’t you ashamed?”

Six years ago, she gave birth to Tianyou. She was happy because he was fair and good-looking, unlike other babies who were red and ugly like monkeys when born.

Her child had perfectly inherited her and her husband’s good looks, and she expected him to grow into a good, obedient student praised by everyone, just like his father.

But since birth, Tianyou’s behavior was not as she imagined. He cried from morning to night, loudly enough to annoy the neighbors, who often yelled at her to calm him down.

The stubborn boy would only drink her milk, causing her nipples to crack and bleed, refusing to take milk powder. He tortured her with his refusal.

Later, he only recognized her, refusing to let anyone else hold him. She had to carry him all day, and her back and waist hurt from the constant strain.

As he grew, he became a troublemaker, bullying animals and causing chaos in the family and village. His behavior was like a little devil.

She spent her days apologizing to people or scolding him, often crying out of frustration.

He clearly has a junior high school education and is one of the few educated people in the village. She talks to him daily about the principles of being a good person, manners, and etiquette, but he doesn’t listen and continues to do as he pleases.

As time passed, Yang Qiujin lost patience, and she resorted to stricter methods: shouting, using “force,” and rewarding him when he behaved well. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked for a mischievous child like Tianyou.

In the past two years, Tianyou had become more obedient, though still mischievous. At least he no longer bullied animals or fought with others.

Tianyou listened to his mother’s complaints but took no offense. He smiled, “Mom, I helped feed the ducks, so I came to help you. This way, you can relax and come down the mountain sooner to play with me.”

Yang Qiujin paused, looking into her son’s bright eyes. A pang of pain struck her heart.

Her husband had joined the army just a month after their marriage, leaving her for seven years without coming back or writing about his situation. She had no idea where he was or what he was doing.

Rumors about him circulated in the village, and no one knew how she had managed all these years.

Fortunately, her mother-in-law had treated her well. Although Tianyou was naughty, he was a good-hearted boy who helped others. Her husband’s monthly check arrived on time, so life wasn’t too hard.

Yang Qiujin wiped Tianyou’s face gently. Her voice softened, “Thank you, Tianyou. I know you’re a warm-hearted child. You helped me pick so many bamboo shoots without damaging them. They’re big, and when we get to the brigade headquarters, the leader will praise you for your ability! You’re amazing! With you around, I feel much more at ease.”

Everyone loves praise, and children, especially, love to hear it.

“Really? Then let’s go, Mom!” Tianyou stood tall, his face proud, and followed Yang Qiujin to the brigade headquarters.

It wasn’t the busy farming season, so the team leader allowed the members to pick bamboo shoots early before working in the fields. He stayed at the headquarters, waiting for the members to bring their bamboo shoots for weighing.

After weighing, the bamboo shoots were stored in prepared bamboo baskets. The tractor drivers would transport them to the commune’s non-staple food purchasing station for sale.

Yang Qiujin picked most of the bamboo shoots in the basket that day. After weighing them, she asked the brigade leader if she could take them home to eat.

Bamboo shoots were abundant in the southwest and were harvested every year at this time. They could be sold for 2-5 cents per pound depending on the species.

For example, grocery stores bought bamboo shoots at 1.5 cents per pound, but the price in the market could be 2 cents per pound.

Locals could buy fresh bamboo shoots from the brigade at a discount, equal to the grocery store price. At the end of the year, the proceeds were split among the members, so it wasn’t seen as exploiting socialism.

As the accountant for the production brigade, Yang Qiujin recorded 100 kilograms of bamboo shoots in the shell under her name in the accounting book.

The money for the bamboo shoots would be deducted from her work points at the end of the year, a practice common for everyone in the team.

After finishing the accounts, she locked the book, hunched over, and took Tianyou’s hand, heading home with the bamboo basket.

Their house was a four-room earthen brick house with a yard. A middle-aged woman in her forties was chopping chicken food on the left side of the yard.

The woman had delicate features, some wrinkles, dark skin, and a white linen headpiece that resembled a mourning hat.

When she saw them, she quickly stood up to help put down the basket. “Qiu Jin, you brought back so many bamboo shoots again. Are you going to dry them and mail them to the third child?”

This middle-aged woman was Yang Qiujin’s mother-in-law, Li Xiu’e.

Yang Qiujin hummed, put the basket in the corner of the yard, and without even drinking water, turned to find a kitchen knife to peel the bamboo shoots.

The sky has been clear these days, with great weather, perfect for drying bamboo shoots. Yang Qiujin has to dry them early while the sun is shining. Otherwise, the weather may change, and the rain will prevent them from drying, causing them to develop a musty smell, which wastes good bamboo shoots.

Every year, Yang Qiujin dries bamboo shoots, vegetables, mushrooms, and other things to send to one of the few mailing addresses of Chen Shengqing, and this year was no different.

Li Xiu’e looked at Yang Qiujin skillfully peeling bamboo shoots. Yang Qiujin had an oval face, big round eyes, a high nose, bright red lips, shiny black hair, a slender yet healthy figure, and golden skin from years of working in the fields. She was the epitome of a hardworking beauty of that time, radiating energy.

However, her hair was wet from morning dew, her clothes covered in yellow mud, and her hands were rough with calluses from years of labor. She looked darker and more worn than when she first married.

Li Xiu’e couldn’t help but sigh as she walked over to help peel the bamboo shoots. “Qiu Jin, the third brother hasn’t sent a letter in two years. People in the brigade said he’s dead. His comrades may have contributed the postage money. If he doesn’t send a letter or return by the end of this year, why don’t you apply for a divorce? Mom will help you, and you can find a good man to marry.”