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Chapter Two

When the eldest sister didn’t respond, her expression shifting—first like she was constipated, then suddenly amused as though watching monkeys perform at the zoo—Bi Xiahe and Bi Qiuguo exchanged bewildered glances, frowning in confusion.

Bi Chunliu patted Qiuguo’s head, smiling at the corners of her lips.
“Little girl, if you tell me where the cameras are—no, if you tell me where that brat Liu Xu, the one paying your wages, is hiding, I’ll give you a little extra performance fee. Really, I don’t know where he found you two. You and the girl beside you actually look quite a lot like my younger sisters from back then.”

Qiuguo stared blankly, eyes full of confusion as she turned toward her third sister.
Performance fee? Who’s Liu Xu? And what’s this about sisters she ‘used to have’? Other than me and Third Sis, does Big Sis have more sisters?!!

Xiahe also looked utterly baffled. Thoughts flew through her mind one after another.

Oh no, oh no. I already thought Big Sis was acting strange this morning, kind of dazed. Now it’s serious—something’s wrong with her! Could she have gone stupid? I heard from my classmate once, her classmate’s aunt’s cousin’s in‑law’s younger brother used to be a drooling fool. But then one day he just woke up normal again, even smart enough to skip grades straight into middle school! If some people can suddenly get smarter, then others can suddenly get dumber. Could Big Sis have turned into the dumb kind…?

Xiahe gazed at her big sister with growing worry. If Big Sis really turned foolish, what would they do…?

“Little miss, are you sitting or not?” The woman in the yellow headscarf cut in, annoyed. These three had just been staring wide‑eyed at each other—what for?! Having big eyes didn’t mean you had to waste them like this.

Xiahe gave the woman a polite smile.
“Sorry, Big Sis, we’re not there yet. My eldest sister’s probably just got numb legs, she needs a moment. Eldest Sis, I think we still have a bit to go, right? Don’t we have to cross a small hill before we arrive?” As she spoke, Xiahe carefully observed Bi Chunliu’s expression.

The headscarfed woman nodded.
“Alright then. From the sound of it, you’re close. Cross a hill and you’re there. So you’re from Dashi Commune? Not far from us. My mother’s family is from Lingping Commune, and my eldest sister married into Dashi Commune.”

Xiahe put on a polite smile and nodded in response.

But Bi Chunliu, overhearing, felt her throat tighten.
Dashi Commune? Lingping Commune? Commune?!

“Big Sis—” Tears welled in Qiuguo’s eyes, as if she’d suffered some huge grievance, her mouth opening to cry.

Don’t!!

Bi Chunliu immediately pinched Qiuguo’s mouth shut. She could not handle crying right now. Clearing her throat, she said,
“I’ve got a bit of a reaction to crying lately. Please don’t cry, alright?”

Qiuguo forced her tears back, nodding quickly though still full of fear and worry. What do we do? Since just now, I haven’t understood a word Big Sis is saying…

Bi Chunliu sat back down, secretly pinching herself.

Hiss—so painful!

What was going on? This didn’t feel like some prank Liu Xu could pull off—he couldn’t possibly know what her long‑deceased sisters had looked like. And she had never told anyone about Dashi Commune either.

A chilling thought struck her: Could the dead hallucinate? No… unless… I’m not fully dead yet?!

Now what was she supposed to do?!

“Little miss, are you girls going home? Which production team in Dashi Commune are you from? Maybe I even know someone. My eldest sister married into Dashi’s Tongxi Production Team. My brother‑in‑law’s surname is Zhang—Zhang Dazhu. Do you know him?” The woman in the headscarf patted Bi Chunliu’s shoulder, speaking with warm enthusiasm.

Xiahe replied:
“We’re also from Tongxi Production Team, but we don’t really know the people you mentioned. We don’t go back often, so we’re not familiar with most of the villagers.”

Tongxi was indeed their family’s home village—but not exactly where Bi Chunliu herself had been born or raised.

It was their father’s village. Their grandfather had died young, leaving their grandmother to raise three children alone. Times were hard. The eldest aunt had been married off at sixteen. Later, at sixteen or seventeen, their father had gritted his teeth, taken a gamble, and left home determined to make it—or die trying. By some twist of fate, he landed a job at the city’s textile factory, and that became his lifelong work.

She still remembered her father often saying while he was alive: “Back then, it was so hard. Just a country boy from a backwater village, and I became a city worker. That brought honor to the whole family! The day I was hired, our ancestors’ graves must’ve smoked with pride!”

Her thoughts drifted back. Even if this was a hallucination, why would she dream of going home? She was never the type to enjoy suffering.

It didn’t make sense!

Meanwhile, the headscarfed woman kept chatting enthusiastically.

“Really? What a coincidence then! Hah, you do look like city kids—it’s no wonder you don’t know everyone. Let me give you a clue. My brother‑in‑law has a huge mole right here—like this. You must know him then, right?” She gestured at her face. Inwardly, she sighed. No wonder these girls look so fair and clean. City kids are different from village kids. But moving to the city has its downsides too—young folks don’t recognize their own roots anymore. That’s not right. One mustn’t forget where they came from. Forgetting your roots is no good.

Qiuguo, sitting in front, was still a little upset at being ignored by her big sister, but she was quick to let things go. Seeing that Third Sis wasn’t upset, and Big Sis treated both of them the same, she decided it was fine. Turning to the headscarfed woman, she asked:
“I do think I remember someone like that. Big Sis, are you going back to your mother’s family, or to your elder sister’s home?”

“I’m heading back to my mother’s family. It’s been a while—last time was in February when my niece‑in‑law gave birth. Back then, my husband borrowed the brigade’s ox cart. This time the brigade needs the cart to fetch the educated youth sent down from the city, so I had to take the bus. It’s only ten li, really. I thought of just walking early in the morning, but my husband insisted I take the bus. The fare alone cost me thirty cents! I wanted to save it, but he refused to let me.”

Bi Chunliu: “……”
She was just ambushed by a mouthful of dog food.

Qiuguo twitched her lips, giving an awkward laugh.
“I see…”

Others nearby joined in.

“Oh my, sister, your man treats you really well!”

“Exactly! Ten li on foot takes two hours—he didn’t want you to suffer.”

The bus full of women launched into a lively discussion about whether their husbands treated them well or not.

“Isn’t that the truth? Being cared for is a blessing. Mine? Forget sending me, forget bus fare—he’d be thrilled to have me walk on my own. Always afraid I’ll spend money! My daughter just gave birth, and no one to care for her during confinement, so I had to go help. If my eldest girl hadn’t secretly given me a yuan of private money, I’d have been stuck on the road with swollen legs and no way to make the trip.” said the woman holding the rooster.

“Ah, so your daughter treats you well! A filial one. But why didn’t she let her mother‑in‑law care for the baby? Why make you look after her? Didn’t your daughter‑in‑law complain?”