Chapter 38 – You just have to see this movie, huh…

Early in the morning, Shen Mo’er got up, washed up, and went into the kitchen to make porridge and pancakes. Just as breakfast was nearly done, Shen Shaoyuan got up too. After the father and daughter had a quick breakfast, they headed to the courtyard of the brigade office next door to catch a donkey cart.

Today wasn’t a market day at the commune, but because Shen Mo’er needed to go into the county town, the brigade leader had specially approved for Uncle Liu Er to take her to the commune. Uncle Liu Er would wait there until the afternoon to bring her back. This was considered quite a high-level “official errand” treatment within the brigade.

Shen Shaoyuan also benefited from this arrangement and didn’t have to walk to work at the commune office today.

Since it wasn’t a market day, there weren’t many people taking the cart to the commune. So when Shen Mo’er arrived, she immediately saw Zheng Jiamin leaning against the donkey cart, yawning like crazy, and beside him, Fu Mingze sat with his hands on his knees and his face buried in the crook of his arm, only the top of his head visible.

Zheng Jiamin greeted her while yawning, “Comrade Shen Mo’er, over here!”

The head with thick black hair beside him immediately lifted, revealing a somewhat weary, drowsy face. But when his eyes saw who was walking toward them, they gradually cleared—and then, for some unknown reason, his expression suddenly darkened.

Fu Mingze greeted Shen Shaoyuan politely, “Uncle Shen.”

Then, without any expression, he gave Shen Mo’er a brief nod and quickly buried his head back into his elbow.

Shen Mo’er was a bit puzzled. She felt like this person had been in a bad mood this entire year. But when she looked at Zheng Jiamin beside him, who hadn’t stopped yawning even for a second—looking just like those opium addicts the old folks in the village used to talk about—she figured they must have just slept poorly.

She sat down beside Zheng Jiamin. Once the donkey cart started moving and Fu Mingze on the other side stayed completely motionless, as if he had passed out, Shen Mo’er couldn’t help but ask Zheng Jiamin, “Did something happen at the educated youth outpost last night?”

Zheng Jiamin shook his head, then nodded. “We found a nest of rats. They kept everyone up in the middle of the night, so we had to get up and wipe them out.”

So that’s what happened.

Then why are you going to the commune so early this morning? Couldn’t you have picked another day?

Shen Mo’er found it odd but figured they probably had something urgent to take care of and didn’t dwell on it.

After a bumpy ride, they arrived at the commune. Everyone got off the cart. A few commune members headed toward the procurement station and the supply and marketing co-op, shouldering baskets and carrying woven bags. Shen Shaoyuan, needing to get to work, gave a few instructions to his daughter before hurrying off, leaving Shen Mo’er with Fu Mingze and Zheng Jiamin.

She greeted the two and headed toward the bus stop.

Liujiao Commune only had one bus that went to the county town. It departed in the morning from the commune and returned in the afternoon, running only three times a week—on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

The bus was said to be a hand-me-down from the county passenger station, but even so, it was highly coveted. Multiple communes had fought over it. Eventually, the county made a final decision: Liujiao Commune and two neighboring communes would share it. Since Liujiao had done well in its economic development, it got the better deal—three operating days. The other two communes only got two days each.

The commune wasn’t about to build an entire bus station just for a bus that ran three times a week, so they simply erected a sign on a small patch of empty land not far from the textile factory to serve as the stop.

The original host had never been to the county town, but she had attended middle school at the commune and was fairly familiar with the area. Following her memories, Shen Mo’er walked toward the stop, but after a short distance, something felt off. She turned around and sure enough, saw Fu Mingze and Zheng Jiamin dawdling behind her—one still yawning nonstop, the other expressionless, with a gloomy gaze.

Shen Mo’er: “?”

She stopped and waited for them to catch up. “Are you guys going to the textile factory?”

The procurement station and co-op were already behind them. The market was in the opposite direction. And since today wasn’t a market day, the only likely destination was the textile factory.

Oh—Qiao-jie’s family lived in the dormitory area near the textile factory.

Just as she was thinking that, Zheng Jiamin spoke up: “We’re going to the county town.”

Shen Mo’er was a bit surprised, but then it made sense. No wonder they dragged themselves out of bed so early despite being exhausted—if they missed today’s bus, they’d have to wait until next Wednesday.

She smiled, “I’m going to the county town too. Let’s go together.”

Zheng Jiamin said, “I heard you’re going to buy crayons and drawing paper for the kids?”

Shen Mo’er nodded. “They’re practicing with fire sticks or pencils right now. They haven’t tried coloring yet. I heard the students at Dongfanghong Primary School use crayons, and the competition allows crayons too. I want them to try it before the contest.”

Zheng Jiamin gave her a thumbs-up. “Good luck!”

Suddenly, Fu Mingze—who hadn’t said a word this whole time—cut in, “You’re just going to buy crayons and paper?”

Shen Mo’er looked at him. His expression still seemed a little dark, but she figured it was just from lack of sleep and didn’t take it seriously. “Yes, mainly those two. The commune doesn’t sell them. I heard the supply co-op near Dongfanghong Primary School does. And since I’ve never been to the county town, I might as well take a look around too. What about you, Comrade Fu, Comrade Zheng?”

Fu Mingze’s face seemed to lighten a little.

Zheng Jiamin, on the other hand, looked absolutely defeated. “We’re going to watch a movie.”

Shen Mo’er: “?”

She couldn’t help but ask, “Is there some must-see movie playing lately?”

One that’s so good you’d wake up early after a sleepless night and ride half a day just to go see it?

Zheng Jiamin looked even more helpless. “There is a newly released film in August—Shajiabang. My family mentioned it in a letter. But it probably hasn’t been released here yet. We’re going to see an old film, to re-immerse ourselves in the revolutionary spirit.”

Oh. What Fu Mingze originally said was: The countryside is indeed a vast land, but it is also culturally barren. As educated youth, we must undergo reeducation by the poor and lower-middle peasants and temper ourselves through labor. But at the same time, we must not forget to regularly immerse ourselves in revolutionary culture. Otherwise, we can’t maintain a strong revolutionary zeal and make the greatest possible contribution to socialist construction.

As for why it had to be today, when they were both so exhausted, Fu Mingze said: If even this little hardship defeats you, how will you contribute to building socialism?

Zheng Jiamin, who had known Fu Mingze for a long time, realized for the first time just how high his ideological consciousness was. He felt deeply ashamed and spent ten minutes in self-reflection. Then, filled with the determination to make his greatest contribution to socialist construction, he resolutely got on the brigade’s donkey cart with Fu Mingze.

But at this moment, faced with Shen Mo’er’s utterly baffled expression, Zheng Jiamin couldn’t help but hesitate and start to question himself. My ideological consciousness… is still pretty high… right?

Shen Mo’er didn’t quite understand, but she quickly accepted Zheng Jiamin’s explanation.

She was aware that the people in this world had incredibly noble moral values, along with a strong sense of belief and honor. For the sake of what they called ideals and convictions, they were capable of great sacrifice and dedication.

This was different from the people of Daliang. The people of Daliang held a kind of reverence and fear toward the imperial court, whereas the people here genuinely loved their country.

She still couldn’t quite empathize with this kind of emotion, but she thought it was rather nice.

Of course, if it could be just a bit less exaggerated, that would probably be even better.

The car was already waiting at the stop. This was Shen Mo’er’s first time seeing a car up close with her own eyes, so she didn’t rush to get in. She stood outside and stared at it for a long while.

Zheng Jiamin, upon seeing the car, was already yawning as he climbed in. Fu Mingze glanced at Shen Mo’er, then followed and got in as well. After the two of them sat down, Fu Mingze used Zheng Jiamin’s shoulder bag to reserve a window seat in the front row for Shen Mo’er. Then he tilted his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.

Shen Mo’er walked halfway around the car, clicking her tongue in amazement.

In truth, as a commandery princess, what kind of luxurious, gold-inlaid, and jade-decorated carriages hadn’t she seen?

This thing in front of her, when it came down to it, was just a bunch of iron shells and a few pieces of glass. As rare as glass might be, it could be replaced with colored glaze, and the iron shell was even less valuable… But the people in this world had a kind of magical ability to turn the mundane into the extraordinary. These worthless iron shells could somehow become a vehicle that moved without horses or oxen. If this existed in Great Liang, it would be a priceless treasure.

After staring at it curiously for a while, Shen Mo’er was just about to get in when she heard someone call her from behind.

“Comrade Shen Mo’er.”

She turned around and saw a somewhat unexpected person. “Comrade Zhang Junliang.”

Zhang Junliang’s expression was a bit complicated as he asked, “Are you going to the county?”

Shen Mo’er nodded. “Yes, just going to buy a few things.”

To her, Zhang Junliang was just a man she’d gone on one blind date with, and they had already agreed not to continue. Just a simple greeting would suffice. She was about to leave when Zhang Junliang called out to her again. “Comrade Shen Mo’er, can we talk for a moment?”

At that moment, others were trying to board the vehicle as well, so Shen Mo’er had no choice but to step aside and move to one side. “Is something the matter, Comrade Zhang?”

Zhang Junliang asked directly, “Is there something about me you’re not satisfied with?”

Regarding the blind date, Zhang Junliang had been quite confident. Shen Mo’er was attractive and had decent conditions, though she was registered as a rural resident—that was still a fact. Moreover, her family insisted that she not live with her in-laws and instead live with her father. From any perspective, Zhang Junliang believed that he should have been one of the more ideal matches available.

Especially since after their blind date, Shen Mo’er had agreed to consider going to the movies with him. Zhang Junliang had assumed that after watching a film or two and sharing a few meals, the match would be settled.

But the very next day, Section Chief Xu relayed that the woman didn’t feel they were a good match and had turned him down.

Zhang Junliang was completely baffled. He’d initially thought of going to Xu himself to get clarity. But once his mother found out, she got emotional and firmly forbade him from contacting Shen Mo’er again. He had been trying to talk his mother down these past few days.

Today, upon suddenly seeing her, Zhang Junliang couldn’t help himself and directly asked.

It was unexpected, but also within reason.

After all, apart from the blind date, she had no other connection to Comrade Zhang. Shen Mo’er simply hadn’t expected him to be so fixated on getting an explanation for something that most people would leave unspoken.

After thinking for a moment, she replied tactfully, “It’s not that I’m dissatisfied with you. It’s just that our families and personalities aren’t very compatible.”

Zhang Junliang frowned. “We already discussed our family situations in advance.”

He hesitated, then asked, “Is it because of my mother? Are you worried that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship will be hard to manage?”

It was just a blind date—Shen Mo’er wasn’t about to comment on what kind of person his mother was. She gave a vague response, “Anyway, it’s just not quite the right fit.”

Zhang Junliang nodded dejectedly. “I understand.”

Shen Mo’er breathed a sigh of relief and turned toward the car door. Just as she was almost there, she looked up and met Fu Mingze’s gaze through the window. Instinctively, she smiled, but Fu Mingze turned away expressionlessly as if he hadn’t seen her.

So grumpy just because he didn’t sleep well last night?

Shen Mo’er got into the car. Comrade Zheng Jiamin, who also hadn’t slept well the night before, cheerfully invited her to sit in the seat he’d saved for her in the front row. He even handed her a few fruit candies, saying that if she got carsick, sucking on one would help.

Passengers boarded one after another. Soon, it was time to depart. Just as the door was about to close, someone rushed in at the last moment.

Shen Mo’er was leaning against the backrest with her eyes closed, trying to rest, when she heard someone next to her talking to the woman beside her. She opened her eyes and saw Zhang Junliang persuading the older woman with two green tangerines to take a seat in the back row instead.

Expressionless, she watched Zhang Junliang sit down in the seat next to her. He looked slightly embarrassed and then gave a pale explanation, “My aunt lives in the county. I’m going to her house for something.”

As he spoke, the driver suddenly honked the horn loudly, and the person standing in the middle of the road quickly darted away.

Shen Mo’er heard Zhang Junliang’s explanation through the blare of the horn, but she said nothing. She turned her head and looked out the window.

She couldn’t exactly be so unreasonable as to stop someone from visiting a relative, could she?

In the back row, as soon as Zhang Junliang boarded, Zheng Jiamin elbowed Fu Mingze and whispered, “That’s Comrade Shen’s blind date. Do you think the two of them arranged to meet here? Oh right, they were supposed to go to the county to watch a movie together.”

Fu Mingze expressionlessly looked at the man who was supposedly a technical worker at the textile factory. He watched him barter with the lady beside Shen Mo’er for a while and finally trade two tangerines for the seat next to her. Then that man sat down beside her, the top of his head now visible above the seatbacks, seemingly chatting with her… though the piercing sound of the horn drowned out his words.

Fu Mingze’s expression grew darker and darker.

Zheng Jiamin was still whispering, “Maybe we shouldn’t go to the movies? Otherwise, Comrade Shen might feel awkward.”

Fu Mingze gave him a cool glance. “Is that the extent of your resolve to embrace revolutionary cultural enlightenment? You shrink back at the slightest obstacle or unexpected situation?”

Zheng Jiamin: “…”

So this movie absolutely has to be watched, huh?!

Fu Mingze turned his head away and ignored him. His gaze unconsciously drifted to the gap between the front seats and the car window. Through the narrow slit, he could just barely make out the outline of the person sitting there. She seemed to be looking out the window the entire time, as if there were something especially fascinating in the passing scenery.

The restlessness in his chest inexplicably eased a little.

It wasn’t until the air was filled with a sweet and refreshing citrus scent that Fu Mingze heard a man’s voice: “Have a few slices of tangerine. It’ll make the ride a bit more comfortable.”

Fu Mingze’s brows furrowed tightly.

After a brief silence, he heard Shen Mo’er’s voice again: “No need, thank you.”

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but her tone carried a hint of cold indifference.

Fu Mingze’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly.

Zheng Jiamin nudged him again with his elbow and whispered almost inaudibly, “That technician sure is proactive.”

Fu Mingze simply closed his eyes.

Up front, Shen Mo’er turned her head again to look out the window. In fact, she could’ve just closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, and Zhang Junliang probably would’ve been too embarrassed to talk to her again. But this was her first chance to see other parts of the world with her own eyes, and she wasn’t willing to waste this rare opportunity just because of Zhang Junliang.

The vehicle sped down the road, kicking up a trail of dust. On either side of the road were patches of green-yellow farmland, and in the distance were villages scattered across uneven terrain.

Gradually, the buildings outside the window became more densely packed. There were more and more houses made of blue bricks and tiled roofs, and the houses looked increasingly grand. Then the farmland disappeared, replaced by bustling, wide streets. At one point, the bus suddenly screeched to a halt, and the conductor raised their voice: “End of the line, time to get off—”

Zheng Jiamin had dozed off and was startled awake by the shout, leaping up in fright. After a moment, he finally came to his senses. “Oh, we’re here!”

Then, without thinking, he called out, “Comrade Shen Mo’er, we’ve arrived.”

Zhang Junliang, who had just stood up, froze slightly. He turned to look at Zheng Jiamin and recognized him as that educated youth from before, and his expression instantly darkened.

Zheng Jiamin, completely unaware of the situation, greeted Zhang Junliang in a friendly tone and asked Shen Mo’er, “Should we get the movie tickets first or buy the crayons?”

In his mind, since the movie was definitely happening today, they would bump into Shen Mo’er’s group no matter what. So he figured they might as well be upfront about it.

Zheng Jiamin didn’t notice that as soon as he said that, both Fu Mingze—who had just stood up—and Zhang Junliang—who was still in the front—immediately darkened their faces at the same time.

Shen Mo’er had already stood up. She glanced at Zheng Jiamin and quickly understood that he had misunderstood the situation. Realizing this, she couldn’t help but look at Fu Mingze.

Mm, Comrade Fu looked as expressionless as ever.

So she said, “Let’s get off the bus first.”

After getting off, Shen Mo’er coolly said to Zhang Junliang, “Comrade Zhang, goodbye.”

Zhang Junliang hesitated for a moment. When he saw Zheng Jiamin getting off right behind her, his expression turned a bit awkward. Finally, he said, “Comrade Shen, I didn’t expect you to be this kind of person.”

With that, he turned around and walked away without looking back.

Shen Mo’er: “……”

Zheng Jiamin asked in confusion, “Why did Comrade Zhang leave?”

Shen Mo’er replied, “He went to visit relatives.”

Zheng Jiamin was surprised. “Huh? Weren’t you two going to see a movie?”

Shen Mo’er gave him a look like he was spouting nonsense and shot back, “Weren’t you the ones going to see a movie? To be bathed and tempered in revolutionary culture?”

She looked at Fu Mingze, who was walking behind Zheng Jiamin, her gaze clearly indicating: who exactly are the two who look like they haven’t slept all night but are still determined to go into town to watch a movie?

Zheng Jiamin: “……”

Although what Comrade Shen said was perfectly normal, for some reason, it felt like a low-key jab.

Thankfully, he wasn’t the only one on the receiving end.

He threw an arm over Fu Mingze’s shoulder like a buddy and said, “Exactly. We have firm ideals and convictions and are always ready to temper our willpower.”

Fu Mingze, who had been sullen and sleepy the entire ride, seemed to suddenly wake up after stepping onto the county town’s soil. The morning autumn sun shone on his fair, handsome face, making his eyes seem a bit brighter too.

He curled his lips and said, “We can buy the movie tickets later. Let’s go with Comrade Shen Mo’er to buy crayons first.”

Zheng Jiamin turned to him, puzzled. “Buy crayons?”

Fu Mingze replied matter-of-factly, “As educated youths of Yangliu Brigade, we should also contribute to the elementary school’s work.”

Zheng Jiamin: “……”

Something felt off, but it also kind of made sense.

None of the three had ever been to the county town before, so they didn’t know their way around. Luckily, Dongfanghong Elementary School was well known in Jiangbei County. They casually asked a local auntie for directions, and she enthusiastically showed them the way.

They soon found the supply and marketing cooperative near Dongfanghong Elementary, and sure enough, there were crayons and drawing paper for sale. The twelve-color “Red Tassel” brand crayons came in a box featuring a proud young boy holding a red-tasseled spear.

The brigade had approved a budget of three yuan. Crayons cost ten cents a box, so Shen Mo’er bought fifteen boxes—two per student, with three as extras. The remaining money was used to buy drawing paper, pencils, and erasers.

Once the crayons were bought, their main task for the day was complete. Zheng Jiamin suggested strolling through the department store, and neither Shen Mo’er nor Fu Mingze objected.

The department store stood tall on the county’s main street, four stories high, and was considered a “landmark building” in Jiangbei County.

Unlike the commune’s supply cooperative, which often had empty shelves due to shortages, the department store’s shelves were fully stocked on every floor—truly a dazzling array of goods.

Zheng Jiamin had just received a bunch of packages from home, so he was well-stocked and didn’t need anything. Shen Mo’er and Fu Mingze, on the other hand, were the type who—even if they had money—wouldn’t dare spend it freely or recklessly. So even though they said they were “browsing,” they really were just browsing.

Soon, they reached the bicycle section.

A row of seven or eight shiny black “28-bar” bikes were on display, attracting many passersby. Some whispered that these were the latest batch of “Forever” brand bicycles just delivered to the department store—a big-name brand and definitely top quality. Others said that despite how many bikes there were now, they’d probably sell out in just a few days. After all, bicycles—especially branded ones—were always in high demand.

Shen Mo’er was very tempted. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a precious bicycle ticket, nor did she have enough money to buy one. All she could do was take a few extra glances to satisfy her cravings.

Fu Mingze noticed that she had been standing in front of the bicycle counter for a long time without moving. He opened his mouth to say something but ultimately said nothing.

The department store wasn’t far from the cinema. With Zheng Jiamin’s enthusiastic invitation and Fu Mingze’s subtle encouragement, Shen Mo’er agreed to join them for a movie.

Mainly because the return bus to the commune didn’t leave until four in the afternoon, and watching a movie was a good way to pass the time.

The three of them first each had a bowl of noodles at a nearby state-run restaurant. Then they strolled over to the cinema. The afternoon screening was about to start in just over ten minutes, so they quickly bought tickets and entered the theater.

It was an old film, but Shen Mo’er watched with great interest. The original host had seen it before, but watching from memory and experiencing it firsthand were completely different. Besides, this was Shen Mo’er’s first time watching a movie—it was far more exciting than the shadow puppetry she had seen in Daliang.

Zheng Jiamin had no idea how many times he’d seen it before, but seeing Shen Mo’er so focused, he suddenly felt that his own ideological awareness wasn’t quite up to par. So, gradually, he too became very absorbed in the movie.

Only Fu Mingze, amid the flickering light and shadow, kept turning his head to steal glances at the person sitting next to him.