Chapter 4: A Letter from Home

The sun climbed higher, the mist dissipated, and the temperature continued to rise.

The June sun was no joke. Ye Xin finally gained a deep understanding of the lines from the textbook: “Who knows the food in the plate, every grain is hard-earned,” and “The scorching sun burns brightly in the sky.” Being a farmer was indeed hard work!

She was drenched in sweat, feeling miserable. Her feet, soaked in mud, felt somewhat better because of the coolness.

Moreover, having been bent over for a long time, she began to feel a soreness in her waist.

The people around her were almost done with their rows, while she was still moving slowly. She couldn’t even stand up straight to take a break.

The rice planting was done while walking backwards. Originally, both sides had left a gap for Ye Xin to work, with the left side planted neatly by Shen Zhuo in a straight line. However, the woman on the right didn’t have a great sense of direction and kept drifting off course, leaving a smaller and smaller gap, almost blocking Ye Xin’s path completely.

The scorekeeper saw from a distance, came over, looked at her, sighed, and shook his head before walking away.

Ye Xin’s face flushed with embarrassment again.

She quickly sped up, finishing one field and moving on to the next.

Finally, it was noon. Ye Xin was exhausted. Hunger wasn’t the worst part; thirst was unbearable. She licked her dry lips, craving water more than anything.

Shen Zhuo had already washed his feet and walked up the ridge. She hurried to catch up.

The midday sun was scorching, and when they returned to the house, Ye Xin felt her vision blacken.

Shen Zhuo drew up some cool well water, drank a couple of sips, and then walked toward the vegetable garden behind the house. It was his family’s personal plot, where he grew some vegetables for their own consumption. Lunch was prepared in the morning to save time, but he still needed to get some vegetables to make it taste better.

While Shen Zhuo was busy, Ye Xin was also searching for something inside the house.

But after looking everywhere, she despairingly realized that the original owner didn’t even have a cup!

Moreover, there was no supply and marketing cooperative in the village, so to buy anything, she would have to go to the town. She couldn’t even buy anything on the spot!

After spending the whole morning like this, she understood that in the heat of summer, it was impossible to survive without water. If she wasn’t careful, she might end up like the original owner—suffering from heatstroke and collapsing, falling into the muddy fields covered in dirt, which was no laughing matter.

“It’s time to eat,” Shen Zhuo’s cold voice came from the direction of the kitchen.

Ye Xin had no choice but to go out. Only then did she remember that in her rush to find a cup, she had let Shen Zhuo handle the vegetables by himself. He had been working hard all morning too.

Last night, she had said she would be more diligent in the future, but now she hadn’t been able to help at all. She hoped he wouldn’t develop a stronger dislike for her because of it.

Shen Zhuo had already sat down and started eating, not looking at her.

Ye Xin quickly served herself a bowl of sweet potato porridge and sat down across from him.

On the table was a plate of sweet potato leaves, also blanched and mixed with soy sauce, but they looked much better than the ones Ye Xin had prepared last night. Ye Xin picked up a piece and tasted it—it was much better, and she could actually swallow it.

She hurriedly ate, taking advantage of the break before they had to get back to work in the afternoon.

After finishing, Ye Xin couldn’t resist asking, “Do you have a cup at home?”

Shen Zhuo looked at her, a little confused.

Ye Xin explained, “I want to carry some water with me. It’s just so hot, and it makes me thirsty. I need to drink water regularly.”

As she spoke, her gaze drifted over the few pots and bowls stacked on the table, which were all old and some even had cracks. There wasn’t a single covered container—everything was just too poor.

Shen Zhuo did have an enamel cup with a lid in his room. It was the one he always used, and he sometimes drank from it at night. He did get thirsty during the day, but he was too lazy to carry it around and usually just waited until he came back home to drink.

However, he hesitated a bit, as it was a more personal item…

Seeing her somewhat wilted expression, he didn’t want to give it to her, but he also genuinely worried about her potentially suffering from heatstroke again in the afternoon, which would be even harder to endure than the morning.

In fact, Shen Zhuo was a little surprised by how she had persisted in working diligently all morning, even though her work was messy and her efficiency was low.

After a brief inner struggle, he convinced himself that it was better to give it to her to avoid her getting heatstroke again and having to carry her back himself, which would be embarrassing… so he decided to let her use it.

After washing the dishes, he spoke淡ly: “I have one in my room. If you want it, I can get it for you.”

Ye Xin realized it was from his room, so she understood. Still, considering how important it was to stay hydrated, she reluctantly said in a low voice, “I need it.”

hen Zhuo went back to his room to get it. When he handed it to her, he still felt a bit awkward and didn’t even look at her.

Ye Xin took it and sincerely thanked him.

Shen Zhuo didn’t say anything. Once she had taken it, he closed the door and went to rest.

Ye Xin quickly went to the well with the enamel jug. The jug was old, with a few chips at the bottom and the rim, but it still looked quite clean, clearly washed regularly.

However, she still drew some water and washed it a few more times, feeling a bit better psychologically that way.

She never imagined that one day she would have to borrow someone else’s cup to drink water…

In just one day here, the number and intensity of embarrassing moments had already far surpassed those of her past life.

After washing the cup both inside and out, Ye Xin filled it with water and returned to her room to rest.

She rested for about half an hour before heading back out to work. Before leaving, she grabbed the old, tattered straw hat hanging by the gate. Although it was worn out and a bit large, making her look somewhat silly, at least it could provide some shade.

After being exposed to the sun all morning, Ye Xin now just hoped to feel a bit better and couldn’t care about anything else.

Shen Zhuo glanced at her before silently walking out the door.

Ye Xin followed him closely, holding the cup of water.

Halfway out, she ran into a few female intellectual youths walking together, and she immediately felt uneasy, the back of her neck prickling.

Sure enough, one of the women, with a strong build and ear-length short hair, spotted her and immediately spoke up: “Isn’t this Ye Xin? I almost didn’t recognize you. Looking like this, you could easily pass for one of the local women. You actually went to plant rice this morning? It’s like the sun rose in the west today—finally decided to work hard?”

This female intellectual youth, Liu Hongxia, arrived with Ye Xin in March this year. She was efficient in her work and had a warm personality, but she was also quite talkative. She often gossiped when there was nothing else to do, and when it came to someone with a less-than-perfect reputation like Ye Xin, she didn’t hold back.

Ye Xin realized there was no way to avoid her, so she quietly responded, “Of course I need to work hard, otherwise, why would I be in the fields?”

Liu Hongxia scoffed and said, “Is that so? But I remember you went out yesterday too, and it didn’t seem like you were there to work. You even fainted in the field—such a delicate thing. We’re also from the city, but we’re not as fragile as you. Right, Jingyu?”

The other female intellectual youth, Jiang Jingyu, was also looking at Ye Xin. She didn’t mock her, but instead spoke calmly, “Hongxia, you should keep it down.”

Ye Xin glanced at Jiang Jingyu. She had arrived this year as well. With a slim figure, delicate features, and a graceful aura, she stood out in a crowd, drawing attention and envy from others.

She withdrew her gaze, thinking about how gaunt and unattractive she looked now, which made her feel a bit downhearted.

Liu Hongxia scoffed and said, “She doesn’t even mind embarrassing herself. What’s wrong with me saying a few words?” Then, she asked another female intellectual youth, “Xiaowei, do you think we got dragged into being scolded together yesterday?”

Wang Xiaowei, who came two years ago, was taller and more composed. When she saw Ye Xin, she only frowned slightly and didn’t respond to Liu Hongxia.

Another female intellectual youth named Zheng Wenwen looked even more brisk and appeared to be too impatient to deal with Ye Xin. Instead, she said to Liu Hongxia, “Why do you care about her?”

Liu Hongxia noticed that they weren’t engaging with her, so she lost interest but couldn’t resist asking Ye Xin again, “Aren’t you going to break off your engagement with Shen Zhuo? Why are you still working with him?”

Ye Xin felt really annoyed and didn’t want to engage with these intellectual youths any longer. She retorted, “None of your business!” and quickly walked away, putting some distance between herself and them.

She jogged a few steps to catch up with Shen Zhuo’s pace. He had walked so fast earlier that he left her behind.

In the afternoon, it was still field work.

The sun scorched the people working in the fields. At the hottest part of the day, the water in the paddy fields became warm from the heat.

Ye Xin was drenched in sweat, her head spinning from the exhaustion, and her efficiency was even lower than in the morning. She no longer cared about keeping up the pace, frequently stopping to straighten her back and rest. She couldn’t afford to strain her young body and wear herself out; it wasn’t worth it.

She was still growing, and if her body developed improperly and she became hunched over, that would be disastrous.

The farm work was really exhausting. When would it ever end…

As she sighed quietly, she suddenly heard someone calling her name.

“Ye Xin, there’s a letter for you!”

A mail carrier riding a bicycle arrived at the cool water pond and shouted loudly to the workers in the field.

Ye Xin was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly put down the seedlings in her hand and walked up to the shore.

The mail carrier walked to the edge of the field and handed her a letter and a package. “Ye Xin, there’s a letter for you! And your package! I saw it wasn’t too heavy, so I brought it over for you. Take good care of it!”

“Thank you!” Ye Xin quickly thanked him.

The mail carrier waved his hand and turned to continue delivering letters.

Ye Xin first placed the letter and the package on the dry embankment and finished drinking the water from the enamel jar. Then she went back to continue working.

By the time evening came and work ended, she felt like her waist might snap from the exhaustion.

“Are you okay?”

Shen Zhuo asked when he saw her weak and wilted, like a drooping bitter herb.

Ye Xin looked up, revealing a face covered in dirt mixed with sweat, a mess of exhaustion. Her tone was unfocused, “Oh, still alive.”

Shen Zhuo glanced at her again, pressed his lips together, and turned his eyes away without saying anything more.

The scorekeeper came over with a notebook and began recording the day’s work points for everyone.

Ye Xin, after nearly breaking her back all day, looked at the result: four points.

……

What does four points even mean?

She dredged up the relevant memories from her mind: earning ten work points in a day would ensure enough food, maybe even some leftover to save; eight work points meant enough food, but no extra savings; six work points, and she’d only be eight-tenths full at each meal; four work points… she’d be starving.

In other words, after all this grueling work, she couldn’t even feed herself!

Ye Xin was hit with a heavy blow, feeling despondent and defeated.

After recording the work points, everyone scattered to go home and eat.

Ye Xin was also starving, but she stayed behind. As she picked up the letter, package, and the enamel jar, she discreetly grabbed a few of the wilted seedlings that had been left on the embankment when no one was looking.

She had planned to grab some seedlings at noon, but it wasn’t a good time then.

Now, she could take them back and try planting them in her space…

Shen Zhuo was probably used to her following him around all day. After walking for a while, he realized she hadn’t kept up, so he turned around to look.

Ye Xin quickly caught up with him and flashed a smile. “Thank you for waiting for me!”

Shen Zhuo turned his head back. He didn’t understand why she had seemed so listless earlier, yet now she was full of energy. She’d only earned four work points, less than a child’s worth, and she wasn’t even embarrassed…

After they returned, Ye Xin made an excuse to go back to her room to put away the letter and package. She took the opportunity to enter her space and plant the rice seedlings.

Rice likes water, so she planted them by the stream where the spring water flowed. They’d be nourished by the water and wouldn’t be washed away. As for whether they’d grow, she’d see. It was just an experiment for now. If it worked, she could compare it with the outside crops.

She didn’t even open the letter, quickly heading out to help with dinner.

Shen Zhuo had cooked breakfast and lunch, so she couldn’t slack off for dinner. If she did, she might get kicked out!

Dinner was still sweet potato porridge and vegetables. After a long day of heavy labor, the feeling of not being full was even more intense. This wasn’t because her stomach wasn’t full, but because there was no oil or fat, leaving her feeling unsatisfied.

After eating so many meals of sweet potato porridge, Ye Xin was starting to lose patience—she wanted to eat meat!

After dinner, she washed up, and by the time she was able to sit down and read the letter, it was already dark.

At that moment, she realized she didn’t have an oil lamp…

In the village, electricity was rare. Even when it was available, it was seldom used because of the high electricity costs. Most households still relied on oil lamps for lighting. Of course, even when using oil lamps, people were frugal because kerosene cost money. As a result, most tasks were done during the day, and people went to bed early at night.

Ye Xin couldn’t help but lament her poverty.

Luckily, she had the space.

There was no night in the space—only bright daylight, a fact she had already confirmed.

Ye Xin entered the space and sat down in the study on the second floor of the wooden house to read the letter.

The letter was sent from Changshi, in Su Province, and addressed to her here at Gui Province’s Nanshi Hongze Commune, Fengshui Dui, Liangshuitang. The two places were separated by three provinces and over a thousand kilometers, a vast distance, truly a long journey.

The original owner, a sixteen-year-old teenager, had come here alone, which could be described as a hardship.

This also reflected the experience of many educated youths during that era. Before and after this time, more than ten million educated youths, either voluntarily or by force, went to the countryside as part of the “Down to the Countryside Movement.”

Ye Xin opened the letter and began reading.

The letter was written in the tone of her older sister, Ye Huan, who began by asking why she hadn’t written back home, why she hadn’t replied to her letters. Then, she asked about Ye Xin’s situation, whether she had adapted to life in the countryside, and if she had encountered any difficulties.

The letter then mentioned the items sent this time: a pair of cloth shoes, a shirt, a jar of salted meat sauce, and two feet worth of cloth ration tickets. It asked her to check the package to see if anything was missing. Additionally, there was a remittance slip for thirty yuan, which she needed to exchange at the town.

At the end of the letter, Ye Huan expressed her hope that Ye Xin would write back to update her on her situation. The family was very concerned about her and also expressed their guilt for sending her to the countryside. They hoped she wouldn’t resent them and encouraged her to stay in touch and let them know how she was doing.

Had the original owner never written back?

Ye Xin thought about it and realized that indeed, she hadn’t.

Before leaving home, her family had asked her to write once she arrived to report her safety. But she arrived in early March and didn’t write. The family waited for a month and didn’t hear from her, so in April, they wrote a letter asking for news. The original owner didn’t reply. Now, it was June, and they had sent another letter with some items for her.

As for why the original owner didn’t write back, this letter actually hinted at it a little. The original owner resented her family for not helping her stay in the city by finding her a job.

Her parents both worked, and their situation was decent. However, at this time, there was still a strong preference for boys and a tendency to have many children. The original owner had an older sister, who, although not a boy, was still somewhat cherished as the first child. The second child, the original owner herself, was less favored; and the younger brother, of course, was the most beloved.

The sister graduated from junior high school, and the parents spent a considerable amount of money to help her find a job, allowing her to stay in the city.

The original owner also graduated from junior high and was accepted into high school, but she couldn’t continue her studies. Her parents didn’t help her find a job or any connections. Instead, they directly enrolled her in the rural work program. At just sixteen, thin and small, she was sent to the countryside to work the fields.

That aside, before leaving, aside from two quilts and a few sets of old clothes, the original owner was only given thirty yuan, because the money had to be saved for the younger brother’s job search!

The precious son, of course, had to stay in the city—how could he suffer in the countryside?

Thinking about this, Ye Xin almost felt the original owner’s unresigned and resentful emotions, and a wave of discomfort washed over her.

She quickly pressed her hand to her chest and took a few deep breaths to calm down. Since she had already left her family and moved to the countryside, there was little contact with them now, and all those things in the past were no longer her concern, so she didn’t need to dwell on them.

However, this money could be borrowed for now.

Ye Xin picked up the remittance slip and looked at it carefully, revealing a smile.

The original owner’s thirty yuan, which had been used to buy a basin, soap, and other necessities during the journey, was nearly spent. Now, with another thirty yuan coming in, she could finally buy some things.

Ye Xin counted on her fingers: a water cup, a kerosene lamp, seasonings… and maybe some tasty food to replenish her body.