Chapter 42: The Tractor from the Neighboring Village

Qiu Yinuo and the others arrived at the entrance of the village before sunrise. An old man stood next to a worn-out ox cart, hunched over as he squatted on the ground puffing on a pipe.

The tiny flicker of tobacco glowed faintly in the dark. When he saw them approaching, he smiled and said, “Jinzi and Yinuo heading to town too?”

“Yeah, it’s almost New Year, so we’re going to buy a few things,” Jinzi replied cheerfully, as if he could strike up a conversation with anyone.

Old Zhang glanced at the unfamiliar He Ziqing. “And this young lady is…?”

“She’s a distant cousin from my brother-in-law’s side. Came especially to help my sister take care of the kids.”

“That’s great.”

Qiu Yinuo looked half-asleep, yawning as she greeted Old Zhang.

“Yinuo, haven’t seen you in a while. You three get on the cart and wait.”

Not long after, two young women came walking down the path from the educated youth quarters. They wore the trendy twin braids of the time, arms linked and chatting in hushed voices.

Qiu Yinuo’s younger brother, Qiu Qianjin, became a little excited and tugged at his sister’s sleeve, lowering his voice. “Sis, did you see the one wearing the red scarf? What do you think of her appearance?”

Qiu Yinuo glanced over. The girl had a rosy complexion, white teeth, and sparkling eyes, looking nothing like a rural sent-down youth. She seemed more like a city girl raised in luxury.

“She’s pretty!”

Qiu Qianjin grinned. “I think she’s pretty too.”

“Do you like her?” The young boy was infatuated, and as long as his feelings were respectful, Qiu Yinuo generally supported her brother’s affections.

The two girls were getting closer. One of them, who had an ordinary appearance, tugged at the girl with the red scarf, whispering something. When they looked toward Qiu Qianjin, they both frowned in unison.

Unaware of this, Qiu Qianjin waved at the girl in the red scarf. “Qian Zhiqing, I have a spot here, come sit with us.”

Li Fangfang snorted, saying bluntly, “Who wants to sit next to you?”

“I’m not asking you to sit. I’m asking Qian Zhiqing to sit,” Qiu Qianjin frowned. He had no idea when he had offended Li Zhiqing. Every time they met, Li Zhiqing seemed to be opposing him.

Qian Zhiya took a deep breath, shook her head, and coldly replied, “It’s fine, we can sit here.” After saying that, she smiled apologetically at Qiu Yinuo.

They chose a spot as far from Qiu Qianjin as possible, sitting between Li Fangfang and He Ziqing.

At 6:00, Old Zhang began to urge the ox cart to move.

The weather was very cold, so everyone bundled up in their cotton coats and tried to keep the conversation to a minimum, afraid that speaking would let in the wind.

Qiu Yinuo leaned against He Ziqing, half-closed her eyes, and listened to Qiu Qianjin’s incessant chatter in her ear.

“Qian Zhiqing, my family just built a new house. Come over for dinner the day after tomorrow!”

“My room is really big, it was designed by my sister. Oh, I haven’t introduced you to my sister. Her name is Qiu Yinuo. Together, we’re called ‘Yinuo Qianjin.'”

“It was named by the teacher who used to teach in the village. Isn’t it a beautiful name?”

“By the way, I heard you like the Village Head’s little grandson. Do you want to meet my two little nephews? They’re the cutest kids I’ve ever seen. You’ll like them for sure.”

Qiu Qianjin had already imagined that when they got married, their children would have to look like Qian Zhiqing.

Qiu Yinuo could no longer bear the noise and glanced at Qian Zhiya with half-closed eyes. Apart from the distant and aloof smile on her face, there were no other noticeable emotions.

It was hard to imagine that the other person, with such a good temperament, could listen to all this chatter without getting angry.

Qiu Qianjin was about to say something else when Qiu Yinuo sharply twisted his arm. “Ouch, sis, what are you doing, pinching me?”

“You’re so loud. Can’t you just be quiet for a moment?”

Qian Zhiya gave Qiu Yinuo a curious look, but quickly turned her gaze away.

“I’m not being loud. I’m just talking to Qian Zhiqing. I was afraid you’d feel awkward on the way if you didn’t know each other.”

“Not at all. I just want to rest my eyes. If you keep talking, you can walk the rest of the way yourself.”

Qiu Qianjin, always afraid of his sister’s black face, didn’t dare to keep talking, even though he really wanted to chat more with Qian Zhiqing and build a better connection.

“Alright, I won’t talk. You can lean on me, just don’t lean on Cousin Qingqing. I’ll block the wind for you. When we arrive, I’ll wake you up.”

Seeing how thoughtful and caring her younger brother was toward his sister, both Qian Zhiya and Li Fangfang were momentarily stunned.

In their minds, Qiu Qianjin was just a rascal who played with the troublemakers in the village and showed no ambition.

They didn’t expect him to have this side, being considerate, thoughtful, and even a bit timid with his sister.

It completely overturned their usual perception of him.

By 6:30, the sky had started to lighten with a hint of dawn. As they passed the neighboring village, they saw a tractor parked at the village entrance, and their hearts filled with envy.

Qiu Yinuo couldn’t help but quietly murmur, “I wonder when our village will have a tractor. It must be faster than an ox cart.”

To be honest, she had once driven a tractor.

When they were acquiring a farm, she met the owner, who was unwilling to sell the family property that had been passed down for generations.

To persuade him, she stayed there for three months, living with the farm workers, eating and drinking with them, and even learned to drive a tractor.

It was said that the tractor was old, and the owner cherished it dearly. Though it had no major issues, there were small problems here and there, so she learned how to fix it.

Old Zhang said, “That’s right. Our village’s Village Head dreams of owning our own tractor.”

He sighed, adding, “But our village is poor. We can’t afford something like that. The harvest this year wasn’t great, and we don’t know when we’ll be able to afford a tractor. That thing could easily transport people and grain.”

Thinking about this year’s autumn harvest, Old Zhang sighed again. “You wouldn’t believe it, but the neighboring village used a tractor to transport their grain. They were done five days earlier than us.”

“Five days! If we encounter bad weather, those five days could make a big difference. What they’ve managed to harvest will be the food for the people here.”

Old Zhang looked longingly at the tractor, wondering if there would ever come a day when he would get to drive one. He imagined the envy it would stir in the villagers.

They continued for another ten minutes, and as they heard the rumble of the tractor behind them, they knew it was about to overtake them.

The people riding it looked down from their elevated seats, expressions full of pride and smugness that they didn’t even try to hide.

Qiu Qianjin snorted, “So what if they have a tractor?” He then tried to comfort Old Zhang, “Don’t worry, Old Zhang. One day, our village will be able to afford a tractor.”

“Hope so.”

The rumbling sound gradually faded, and in no time, the tractor was out of sight. Old Zhang, feeling a bit sour, said, “You can’t tell by just how fast the tractor goes, but when it speeds up, it gets even colder.”

Everyone nodded and laughed. “Definitely. It must be freezing.”

A cold gust of wind blew by, and the people on the ox cart wrapped their cotton coats tighter.

No, maybe it was just as cold.