Chapter 33: Her Family Was So Poor They’d Fight Over Six Baskets of Bricks…

On his way back, Fu Mingze ran into Zheng Jiamin. After hearing what had happened earlier, Zheng Jiamin said angrily, “Shi Wei’s been shouting all over the educated youth spot, saying Yang Qingqing is missing. I told him, Yang Qingqing is such a big person, how far could she go in broad daylight? I knew something was off about him today. So it turns out the two of them teamed up to try and trap you?”

He thought for a moment, then chuckled. “No, I’ve got to go have a look.”

Earlier, when Shi Wei was calling people over to check the creek, Zheng Jiamin wasn’t interested. Lately, Yang Qingqing had been eyeing Fu Mingze all the time, and by association, Zheng Jiamin found her annoying too. Plus, it really didn’t seem like anything serious could happen in the middle of the day.

So while Shi Wei and the others rushed off, Zheng Jiamin had dawdled behind. But now that there was drama to see, he took off running.

Fu Mingze didn’t bother with him and headed straight back to the educated youth spot. After fetching some water to wash up briefly, he leaned against the head of his bed to rest.

The back of his hand stung with a burning pain. He glanced at it and saw two spots where the skin had been scraped off.

Probably injuries from beating up Wang Jinbao earlier.

Tsk.

Fu Mingze’s bunk was at the innermost side, next to the wall, without a window, and thus the darkest. The dorm door was open, and the noon sunlight spilled across the threshold, making the interior seem even dimmer. In the shadows, Fu Mingze closed his eyes slightly, idly rubbing the wounds on the back of his hand.

Why had he hit Wang Jinbao?

Because he’d wanted to beat him up ever since that day two weeks ago.

It was unclear how much time had passed when footsteps suddenly sounded outside. Zheng Jiamin burst in, holding his stomach and laughing as he spoke, “Yang Qingqing really did get a leg cramp. She probably choked on a bunch of water and got confused. She clung to Shi Wei like her life depended on it. Shi Wei kept shouting that he couldn’t swim and asked others to go down and save them. He kept begging the female comrades. In the end, Zhang Zhiqiang couldn’t take it anymore and went down himself to drag him out. And guess what—once Shi Wei stood up, the water didn’t even reach his chest! Hahaha! He had been bending his knees the whole time to make it look deeper and trick someone into jumping in!”

“You don’t even know—Shi Wei tried to push Yang Qingqing off onto Zhang Zhiqiang too. But Zhang Zhiqiang’s no fool. Yang Qingqing had been flailing in the water for ages, was soaked to the bone, and clearly not in her right mind. Any physical contact would’ve been hard to explain later.”

Plus, the commotion was so loud that not only the educated youth showed up—countless villagers had gathered to watch as well.

Zheng Jiamin noticed that Fu Mingze didn’t react, keeping his expression cool and detached as if it had nothing to do with him. He snickered and, wiggling his eyebrows, said, “You weren’t there, but Yang Qingqing was practically glued to Shi Wei. My god, she wrapped around him like an octopus! But get this—she might’ve really been confused. The whole time she was shouting…”

He paused, his expression turning strange. “She kept calling your name, Fu Zhiqing. Saying things like ‘Fu Zhiqing, please save me! Fu Zhiqing, you’re a good person! Fu Zhiqing, don’t leave me behind…’”

Zheng Jiamin imitated Yang Qingqing’s melodramatic tone, successfully making Fu Mingze break his composure and show a look of utter disgust.

Zheng Jiamin burst into laughter. “She was definitely trying to trap you! You should’ve seen everyone’s faces on the spot—so colorful!”

Fu Mingze frowned. “There were a lot of villagers?”

Zheng Jiamin replied, “Grannies, uncles, aunties, and tons of kids—pretty much anyone who didn’t need to cook lunch came out to watch. Even Comrade Shen Mo’er…”

Fu Mingze glanced up at him. Zheng Jiamin, oblivious, said breathlessly, “Even Comrade Shen Mo’er was so close by and didn’t come out to watch the show.”

Fu Mingze unexpectedly let out a breath of relief. “She’s probably cooking.”

At the mention of Shen Mo’er, Zheng Jiamin suddenly remembered, “Right! She came by earlier looking for you. Seems like she’s self-studying high school subjects and wants your help with tutoring.”

Upon hearing that, Fu Mingze stood up immediately. “I’ll go check on her.”

He grabbed the bamboo basket he’d taken to the commune earlier, slung it over his back, and headed to the doorway of the educated youth dorm just as the crowd was returning. At the front, Shi Wei walked with a dark expression, his clothes soaked through. Behind him, Yang Qingqing—also completely drenched—was being supported by two female educated youth. The rest trailed behind them.

When he saw Fu Mingze, Shi Wei stormed over, face full of fury. “Fu Mingze! How could you just watch and do nothing?! You’re so heartless! We’re all educated youth sent down to the countryside—we’re supposed to help and support each other! Even if she’s not from your dorm, even if she’s just a villager, or a total stranger—when someone’s clearly drowning, shouldn’t you lend a hand?!”

He was putting on a righteous act, taking the moral high ground.

Fu Mingze replied calmly, “I can’t swim.”

Shi Wei choked, then shouted angrily, “So what if you can’t swim? The creek’s not even deep! You just needed to go in and give a pull!”

Fu Mingze shot back, “Didn’t you go in?”

Expressionless, he stared directly at Shi Wei. The latter suddenly felt a chill in his heart, uncertain whether Fu Mingze had noticed when he tried to push him earlier.

Truthfully, Shi Wei suspected that Fu Mingze had kicked him into the water—but then again, he had tried to push first and ended up lunging forward from the momentum. When he fell in, it felt like Fu Mingze had tried to stop him a little, almost as if to prevent a dangerous fall. So Shi Wei was now unsure—maybe Fu Mingze had bumped into him accidentally.

Either way, Shi Wei didn’t dare bring it up. After all, he had tried to push Fu Mingze first, and Wang Qiutong had been there too. If she spoke up for Fu Mingze, he’d be in big trouble.

The more a person overthinks, the more hesitant and timid they become. Their words and actions lose confidence and decisiveness.

That was exactly Shi Wei’s situation. His thoughts tangled up, the fury that had been fueling his courage instantly deflated, and his voice dropped several notches. “Still… you didn’t have to walk away after I fell in.”

Fu Mingze replied, “You said it yourself. The water’s not deep.”

With that, he couldn’t be bothered to deal with Shi Wei any longer and walked straight through the crowd and away.

If it weren’t for the worry that Shi Wei might get entangled with him later and cause other trouble, based on Fu Mingze’s usual personality, he wouldn’t even bother saying a single word to Shi Wei.

As for Yang Qingqing, he didn’t even spare her a glance.

Fu Mingze knew that Yang Qingqing wanted to extort him. Although he never figured out exactly how she had set her sights on him, he thought that with the kind of brains Yang Qingqing and Shi Wei had, if he still managed to be swindled by them, then he would deserve it.

Fu Mingze walked away without looking to the side, so naturally, he didn’t see Yang Qingqing glaring at him with eyes full of terrifying resentment and hatred.

Of course, even if he had seen it, Fu Mingze wouldn’t have cared.

After leaving the educated youth compound, Fu Mingze walked toward the village entrance. On the way, he ran into Aunt Cai and her little grandson. Aunt Cai greeted him with a cheerful smile: “Comrade Fu, have you had lunch yet? Oh right, there was a commotion at your compound. You probably haven’t had time to cook, huh?”

Fu Mingze nodded in response.

It was obvious that Aunt Cai had just come back from watching the excitement at the village entrance. As soon as she caught someone, she couldn’t help but chatter a bit: “You city kids really don’t have much experience. That stream by the village entrance—aside from young children who haven’t grown yet—how could anyone drown there? From what I saw, that Comrade Yang just scared herself silly, didn’t dare move in the water, and ended up with a leg cramp. If she’d just stood firm and taken a couple of steps, she could’ve climbed out by herself.”

As she spoke, she asked curiously, “That Comrade Yang and Comrade Shi seem to get along quite well, huh? The way they were all over each other—are they getting married?”

Fu Mingze replied, “…I’m not really sure about that.”

Aunt Cai nodded: “You weren’t there just now, so you didn’t see it. Oh my, it was so indecent, I wouldn’t even let my little Bao watch…”

She went on and on, talking nonstop until her grandson tugged on her clothes and said he was hungry. Only then did she reluctantly leave, muttering as she went, “Comrade Fu is really a good young man—educated and easy to talk to.”

Fu Mingze, who hadn’t gone far: “…”

In truth, he had only said two sentences, not more than ten words in total.

—

Shen Shaoyuan had gone to work, so Shen Mo’er usually ate lunch alone. But she was used to a life of luxury. Even in this new world, where life was tight, she had no intention of making do with a haphazard meal just because she was alone—let alone eating coarse grains and plain dishes to get by.

Aunt Chen’s family had grown some mung beans this year, and Shen Mo’er had recently traded with her for some. At noon, she first cooked a big enamel pot of mung bean soup. Then she washed the pan, mixed the flour, and made an egg pancake.

The pancake was thin and crispy. She drizzled beaten egg over it, added shredded cucumber, greens, scallions, and a little minced meat, rolled it up and took a bite—it was crisp, fragrant, and delicious.

Paired with the sweet mung bean soup, it was simply perfect.

Just as she had taken the egg pancake off the stove, Shen Mo’er heard a knock at the courtyard gate. She plated the pancake, wiped her hands, and went to open the door.

When she opened the gate and saw Fu Mingze standing outside under the midday sun like a tall, straight poplar tree, Shen Mo’er couldn’t help but smile. “Comrade Fu, you’re back from the commune?”

Fu Mingze gave a soft “Mm” and immediately caught the mouthwatering scent of egg pancake.

He had felt vaguely like he was forgetting something when he left the compound. It wasn’t until now, smelling the aroma of food, that he suddenly realized—it was lunchtime. Coming by at this hour wasn’t very appropriate.

But the moment he heard Shen Mo’er had been looking for him, he hadn’t thought about anything else.

Shen Mo’er stepped aside slightly, “Come in, Comrade Fu.”

Fu Mingze hesitated for a moment but followed her into the courtyard.

Shen Mo’er said, “You haven’t eaten lunch yet, have you? I just made some egg pancakes—let’s eat together.”

The flour she had mixed could make three pancakes. Shen Mo’er had originally planned to bring two to Fu Mingze when she went to find him. Now that he had come over on his own, it was even better—he could eat them fresh and hot.

Since she was going to ask him to tutor her, it wasn’t exactly a formal payment, but giving him something to eat and drink seemed only right.

Although their new house was finished, Shen Mo’er and Shen Shaoyuan hadn’t moved in yet. The newly built house still held moisture, and Shen Shaoyuan didn’t want his daughter to stay there and risk getting damp-related illnesses. So they were still living in the old house, and they still ate in the old kitchen.

Shen Mo’er had planned to let Fu Mingze sit under the eaves where it was breezy, but he put down his bamboo basket and followed her straight into the kitchen.

Although the “End of Heat” solar term had passed and “White Dew” was approaching, the weather was still stiflingly hot—especially in the kitchen.

Shen Mo’er stirred the batter and carefully spread the egg pancake in the pan. Occasionally, she glanced up to see Fu Mingze sitting behind the stove, his pale, handsome face faintly lit by the firelight, sweat beading at his temples and glistening.

It really only took one piece of firewood to make two pancakes, but since no one mentioned it, neither of them thought to bring it up.

After the pancakes were ready, Shen Mo’er scooped out two large bowls of mung bean soup. There was still a little left in the enamel pot, so she put it into the water vat to keep cool, planning to save it for Shen Shaoyuan to drink when he returned in the evening.

The kitchen was too hot, so once the food was ready, Shen Mo’er opened the door and set up a small table near the entrance. She brought out two little stools and called Fu Mingze over with a smile to eat.

The table and stools had been made by Zhao Zhengyang and his brother from leftover wood scraps when building the house.

In the mountains, it was hard to buy anything, so most household items were made by the residents themselves.

“I’ve been self-studying the high school curriculum. Chinese, politics, history, and geography are all right, but I really struggle with math, physics, and chemistry. You must be well-educated, Comrade Fu. Would it be too much trouble for you to spare some time to tutor me?”

Shen Mo’er placed the egg pancake and mung bean soup in front of Fu Mingze and said straightforwardly, “This is a little advance bribe for the teacher—don’t hold back, Comrade Fu. Please eat.”

Fu Mingze raised his eyebrows slightly. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony.”

He picked up his chopsticks and began eating slowly and methodically.

After rushing around all morning, he was actually already quite hungry. Especially when he stood at the entrance of the courtyard and smelled the fragrant aroma of egg pancakes—his stomach immediately started growling.

The egg pancakes were crispy and savory, while the mung bean soup, which had cooled slightly, was sweet and refreshing. Paired together, they were just right.

Both of them had good table manners. They didn’t speak while eating, and barely made any noise. Fu Mingze had two pancakes on his plate. By the time he had finished both and drank the mung bean soup, Shen Mo’er still had a third of her pancake left.

After she finished her pancake and soup, Fu Mingze took the initiative to gather the dishes and said, “You cooked, so I’ll wash the dishes.”

Shen Mo’er took the dishes from his hands again. “Next time. Didn’t you injure your hand? It’s just a few dishes; I’ll be done in no time.”

Fu Mingze glanced at the two small wounds on the back of his hand—ones he had nearly forgotten—and his lips curved into an unconscious smile. Still, he didn’t just stand around. He grabbed a broom and started sweeping the floor.

As they worked, they discussed and finalized their “teaching schedule.” Since both of them were busy during the day, they agreed to meet only at noon and in the evening. To avoid gossip, Shen Mo’er also planned to invite Aunt Chen’s two grandsons, who were in elementary school, to do homework with her.

Once everything was settled, Fu Mingze got up to leave. Shen Mo’er stopped him, turned back into the house, and came out holding something. “This is a burn ointment. It can be used for other wounds too. It’s quite effective. Comrade Fu, give it a try.”

Fu Mingze looked down and saw a small, round clamshell in her soft, fair hand. He looked surprised. “This is burn ointment?”

Shen Mo’er explained, “The clam oil inside was used up long ago. I cleaned and dried the shell and filled it with burn ointment.”

Though she called it burn ointment, it was actually a medicinal balm made by an imperial physician in the palace of the Great Liang dynasty. It could treat all sorts of injuries—sprains, bruises, burns, scalds—you name it.

However, the jar originally containing this balm was far too exquisite. It didn’t suit a household that had just spent all its savings building a new house and couldn’t even afford a new cotton quilt. Fortunately, the original owner had left behind several old clam oil shells, which Shen Mo’er had cleaned and filled with a small portion of the balm for future use.

Fu Mingze hadn’t thought of applying anything to the small wounds on his hand. He assumed they’d heal on their own in a day or two and hadn’t given it much thought.

But when he saw the round clamshell, he couldn’t help accepting it.

Opening the clamshell, he found a pale yellow ointment inside. At first glance, it really did resemble clam oil. It also had a faint fragrance. He dabbed a little onto the back of his hand—it felt cool and quite pleasant.

“I’ll give this to you. If it’s not better by tomorrow, apply a bit more,” Shen Mo’er said.

Fu Mingze nodded without arguing and put it away. Then, he reached into the bamboo basket he had brought and pulled out a paper bag, handing it to her. “A token of appreciation. Here’s something in return.”

Shen Mo’er hadn’t expected that giving him just a fingernail-sized amount of ointment would prompt him to immediately offer a return gift. The paper bag was plump—there was clearly a lot inside.

But she quickly realized this “return gift” was likely just an excuse. The items were probably prepared ahead of time. No wonder he hadn’t declined when she invited him to stay for lunch.

She said, “I haven’t even paid tuition to my teacher yet. It’s not really proper for me to accept a gift from the teacher, is it?”

Fu Mingze looked at her, a smile in his eyes. “Didn’t you say I’m just helping with a few things you don’t understand? That hardly makes me a teacher.”

Shen Mo’er replied boldly, “You may find there are more things I don’t understand than you expected.”

Fu Mingze simply opened the paper bag himself and took out a neatly folded piece of light blue cotton fabric. “Didn’t you and Uncle Shen say you were saving fabric coupons to buy cloth for a new quilt? This should be enough for one.”

Shen Mo’er was well aware how rare cloth was in this world. Just the other day, Liu Yunshuang had gotten into a huge argument with a supply store clerk over some flawed cloth that didn’t require coupons.

She had plenty of silks and satins in her treasure vault, but lacked the most basic cotton or linen.

Shen Shaoyuan had asked Xu Weiguo for help exchanging for fabric coupons, but after all that effort, they had only managed to get a few feet of cloth—still far from enough for a quilt.

If Fu Mingze had offered anything else, Shen Mo’er would never have accepted it. But he had brought cloth—just enough for a quilt—and she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

“This is too generous, Comrade Fu. I really can’t accept it as a gift, but we do need it. How about I trade you for it? You tell me how much it’s worth, in cash or coupons.”

Shen Mo’er thought hard. She really couldn’t let the chance to get this quilt fabric pass her by. Although she called it a trade, what she meant was: give her a fair price, and she would pay.

Fu Mingze was just about to say “no need” when she quickly added, “You mentioned last time that you’re a bit tight financially. If I don’t pay, I absolutely can’t accept this.”

He was momentarily speechless, then said, “This was sent by a friend of mine who’s better off financially. I already have a perfectly good quilt, so I don’t need it. I’m just passing it along.”

Shen Mo’er remembered him saying before that he had a close friend with better financial means. She figured that friend must have sent the fabric after realizing how strapped Fu Mingze was.

Which made her all the more unwilling to take it for free.

She knew her own situation. Her family might look poor on the surface, but her treasure vault was full of things that could be exchanged for money. Besides, both she and her father now had jobs, bringing in a combined thirty yuan per month—a high income for the village.

In fact, father and daughter were now more worried about how to keep up the appearance of being poor.

Since they weren’t truly impoverished, how could they accept something from someone who genuinely was?

The thought alone made her feel guilty.

She firmly refused. “Comrade Fu, if you took this fabric and traded it with others in the village, you’d get a lot for it. You could even use it to make yourself new clothes. You’re willing to exchange it with me, and I’m already grateful. But how can I shamelessly accept it for free? I can’t give you warmth in your time of need, but I won’t make things harder for you either.”

Fu Mingze: “…”

He wasn’t sure if he should feel flattered that his image as a struggling poor man had been so successfully established.

Unable to persuade her otherwise, Fu Mingze compromised by quoting a price that was one-third lower than the actual market value. “You mentioned last time that your family’s finances were tight, that building the new house cost a lot and didn’t leave much. You’ll still need money to furnish and equip it. I’m not wealthy either, but since I live and eat at the educated youth center, I don’t have many expenses. In a way, my situation’s a little better than yours. So, Comrade Shen, don’t be too polite with me.”

Shen Mo’er: “…”

Yes, they were the kind of “poor” that would fight tooth and nail over six baskets of bricks.

One wanted to give more money to help the other with financial difficulties; the other wanted to take less to avoid putting pressure on an already struggling household. Both tried hard to persuade the other.

In the end, Shen Mo’er bought the fabric for less than a quarter of its market value.

Once the exchange was complete, both of them secretly sighed.

What could they do? They both had to pretend to be poor.

That evening, after work, Shen Shaoyuan learned that Comrade Fu had gifted them a piece of fabric large enough to make a quilt. He was full of praise for how Fu Mingze, despite his cold demeanor, clearly had a warm heart. “Even in such poverty, he wouldn’t accept a single extra penny from us. Truly a man of noble character.”

Because of the help with building their new house, Shen Shaoyuan already had a good impression of Fu Mingze. Privately, he even thought the young man had decent learning, a good temperament, and was unusually good-looking—among the best of the bunch. Compared with others in Yangliu Brigade, or even among those he’d met from the Liuqiao Commune, Fu Mingze was a strong contender for a son-in-law.

However, like Shen Mo’er, he believed that with Fu Mingze’s proud nature, he definitely wouldn’t agree to be a live-in son-in-law. So although both father and daughter thought well of Fu Mingze, neither seriously considered him as a candidate for that role.

“Xu Weiguo introduced someone. He’s a technical worker at the textile factory. His conditions sound decent. Would you be free this weekend to meet him?” Shen Shaoyuan brought up the matchmaking matter over dinner.

“Sure.”

Shen Mo’er responded.

She had already planned to go to the commune over the weekend to buy some household items, so meeting someone while she was there wouldn’t interfere with anything.

She planned to meet more people. After all, the more she saw, the better her chances of finding someone as handsome as Comrade Fu.