When Yang Xiaoye heard the words “Provincial Committee,” she felt her scalp tingle.

Things had gotten so serious that even the provincial committee had been involved.

Thanking her luck for the body she now occupied, Yang Guoyao calmly opened the door.

“Hello, what can I do for you?”

“Hello, we received a report and are here to investigate. It’s regarding your daughter, Yang Xiaoye.”

So, it was about her.

Yang Xiaoye straightened up, trying to think of a strategy.

“About Xiaoye?”

Chen Yu, with tears still in her eyes, became nervous when she heard her daughter mentioned.

“What happened to my daughter? What do you plan to do?”

“Relax, comrade^[1]a title used to refer to colleagues in a communist context, we are only here to ask a few questions.”

The people from the provincial committee were wearing neat Mao suits ^[2]standard formal wear in China during this period with pens in their pockets, giving them a professional appearance.

“Hello, comrade. I’m Director Yang from the meat processing factory, and this is my wife, who also works there. Xiaoye’s uncle is Chen Dakang. Perhaps you’ve heard of him?”

Yang Guoyao sensed the seriousness of the situation and introduced himself quickly, even mentioning his powerful brother-in-law.

“Oh, Secretary Chen. I don’t know him personally, but even if he were here, I don’t think he’d stop us from asking questions.”

The man didn’t change his tone despite the mention of Yang’s uncle. It seemed this matter was truly serious.

Yang Xiaoye had a few ideas but stayed quiet.

“Excuse me, which one of you is Comrade Yang Xiaoye?”

“I am.”

Yang Xiaoye raised her hand weakly, speaking in a small voice, trying to appear as fragile as possible.

“Hello, Comrade Yang Xiaoye. My last name is Wang, and we’re here to ask you a few questions.”

Comrade Wang, the leader, sat down next to Yang Xiaoye’s bed while others behind him took out pens and notebooks.

“A while back, to respond to the country’s call [[referring to a national movement encouraging people to work in rural areas]], you voluntarily went to the countryside to help with farming, contributing to the nation’s prosperity. Is that correct?”

This was exactly what Yang Xiaoye had boasted about before to let Brother Song know. So much  that her neighbors across several blocks knew about it.

“Yes… yes…”

Her heart pounded, but she nodded hesitantly.

“Then the organization approved your request and sent you to Qingshan Village in Qingshan County. Is that true?”

Comrade Wang checked his notebook while others were busy writing down her responses.

Yang Xiaoye nodded again, unable to lie.

“Yes, it’s my hometown. The organization approved it, and it’s a very poor mountain village.”

Her father, Yang Guoyao added in concern.

“Comrade Yang, please don’t interrupt. We are asking about Comrade Yang Xiaoye.”

Comrade Wang adjusted his glasses with obvious irritation.

It was clear he wasn’t pleased with how the Yang family was handling things.

“The information we have says you left five days ago and arrived in Qingshan Village two days ago, so why are you lying at home today?”

There it was the critical question.

Yang Xiaoye grew more nervous. The investigation was more detailed than she had anticipated, meaning the situation was more serious than she thought.

“Comrade, that’s Xiaoye’s grandfather’s house. She went there and came back. This… this…”

Chen Yu was confused, thinking her daughter had only gone to visit family and didn’t realize it was a bigger issue.

“Comrade, that’s not how it works. You should understand that responding to the country’s call is a great, honorable task. Going to the front lines of poverty is meant to help the nation, but it cannot be used as a way for people to seek personal gain or selfish desires.”

The investigator stood up, clearly aware of what the Yang family had in mind.

Comrade Wang, a very principled person, was selected by the organization for this investigation because of his strong sense of justice.

Comrade Wang glanced at the girl on the bed with disdain.

She looked so weak and delicate, her skin even paler than people who worked in offices. How could someone like her want to go to the countryside to farm?

“Alright, I see…”

The person asking the questions didn’t want to stay any longer and was ready to report back, exposing the ugly truth about the family.

“Wait a moment.”

Yang Xiaoye interrupted.

“Can I… can I say something?”

“Go ahead!”

Although Comrade Wang was dissatisfied, he stopped because of his respectful upbringing.

“I admit that my return was irresponsible and wrong,” Yang Xiaoye said, tearing up as emotions built up.

“I’m sorry to the country and the people. I didn’t understand myself properly.”

Tears started falling as she spoke.

Yang Xiaoye straightened her body.

“I know the poor working people are the ones we should respect the most. I truly want to join 

them, become one of them, and work on the front line.”

Yang Xiaoye tried hard to recall the political quotes she had read in her previous life.

“But… I didn’t understand my own limits. I made progress spiritually, but my body couldn’t keep up. I couldn’t set a good example. Plus, I received a telegram^[3]a message sent quickly over long distances using telegraph wires from my mother, saying she was seriously ill and bedridden, missing me… I ended up leaving my post and coming home without permission. But, comrade, I was so worried about my mother. I was afraid I wouldn’t see her one last time.”

At this point, Yang Xiaoye began to cry even more.

She also secretly gave her father, Yang Guoyao, a knowing look.

“Yes, my wife fell ill after our daughter went to the countryside. She just barely recovered 

enough to cook a bowl of rice for her,” Yang Guoyao added, quickly understanding what his daughter was signaling.

“Oh, I see.”

Comrade Wang seemed unsure, but Yang Xiaoye’s emotional state and Chen Yu’s pale, tired face didn’t look like they were lying.

“I know it was wrong, but filial piety comes first. Comrade Wang, you have a mother too, so you understand how I feel, right?”

Seeing that Comrade Wang’s expression softened a little, Yang Xiaoye cried even more dramatically.

“This… it is understandable,” Comrade Wang said, starting to think of his own elderly mother at home.

Indeed, if his mother was seriously ill, he would rush back to see her too.

“Now…”

“My mother is much better, but I fainted. But don’t worry, I’m fine now, and my heart is already back on the front line. I’m planning to leave and return to my duties immediately.”

Not daring to drag things out further, Yang Xiaoye quickly expressed her determination, saying 

she would buy a ticket and return to the countryside the very next morning.

“So that’s how it is. It seems we misunderstood you. Don’t worry, the organization will not punish those working hard, but it won’t let the bad guys off the hook either. Comrade Yang Xiaoye, on behalf of the organization and the people, I salute you!”

Hearing that she came back only because of her mother, Comrade Wang’s attitude changed quickly.

His eyes became kind, and he shook hands with Yang Guoyao excitedly, praising him for raising such an excellent daughter.

Yang Guoyao, not wanting to over-speak, simply nodded.

However, Chen Yu’s face grew worse when she realized her daughter would need to go back again.

“Comrade Yang Xiaoye, while the country needs you, your family does too. I see that Comrade 

Chen is in poor health, so I’ve decided to grant you two days of leave on behalf of the organization, so you can stay with your mother.”

Seeing Chen Yu’s sickly face, Comrade Wang felt guilty.

Given his position, he could make decisions like this.

“In addition, I’ll report your excellent behavior to the organization, so others can see and learn from you.”

…

After the inspection team left, Chen Yu couldn’t hold back her tears anymore and began to cry.

Yang Guoyao didn’t look much better.

The problem had been solved, but his daughter still had to go back to the countryside. Thinking 

about the injuries she had when she came back made his heart ache.

“Alright, Mom and Dad, don’t be sad. We’re lucky the issue is resolved. But we still need to make sure Uncle clears up that telegram, so no one can investigate further,” Yang Xiaoye calmly pointed out.

She was very aware of the dangers of politics in this era. She didn’t want her family to suffer because of her mistakes.

“Don’t worry, my daughter. Leave it to Dad.”

Yang Guoyao sighed. After all this, it seemed his daughter had matured a lot.

“But do you really have to go back to the countryside? Can’t your uncle help us out with some money instead?”

“Mom, you saw how powerful that investigator was. Dad mentioned Uncle earlier, and it didn’t faze him at all. We shouldn’t drag Uncle into this; it could cause even more trouble for the whole family.”

Yang Xiaoye interrupted her mother.

“The only way now is for me to go back. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of myself. It’s not that far. Come visit me when you can. And don’t forget, we still have grandparents and my uncles’ families nearby.”

She said this to comfort her mother, though she didn’t believe it herself.

Compared to their previous attitudes, the Yang family likely hoped to see them fail, especially her cousin, Yang Xiaoxiang.

…

Meanwhile, it was dinnertime in Qingshan Village, Qingshan County. 

Every household was busy preparing meals, and smoke rose from chimneys.

The Yang family had a decent meal today, thanks to the autumn harvest and good crops. After paying their grain taxes, each family had enough food, so they weren’t worried about going hungry.

Even though the food was filling, it didn’t compare to the egg custard and shredded chicken porridge served in the city.

“We’re eating sweet potato and corn pancakes again. Isn’t this supposed to be a good harvest year? Can’t we at least have pancakes made with white flour once?”

Li Shujing, who came from the older side of the family, was known for being stingy and greedy.

She knew that her mother-in-law kept the family’s grain supplies, so she often tried to get some for herself.

“If you don’t like sweet potatoes, then don’t eat them. Your son could eat the extra food,” Old Mrs. Yang replied, unwilling to give in. She ignored her daughter-in-law’s complaints and focused on dividing the sweet potatoes.

She gave the biggest piece to her eldest grandson, who worked hard every day, and the next biggest to her younger grandson, who was also helpful. For her granddaughter, she just gave a small piece enough so she wouldn’t go hungry.

“Fine, Mom. If you’re not eating it, I’ll take it,” Li Shujing’s son, Yang Jiaxiang, said eagerly, reaching to grab her portion of the sweet potato. He had taken after his mother’s penny-pinching nature.

“You little pest! Snatching food from your own mother!” Li Shujing scolded her son loudly, unwilling to let him have her share without a fight.

The two bickered over the sweet potato, but the rest of the family barely reacted as they were used to it.

Meanwhile, Yang Xiaoxiang, who was also from the eldest wife’s side of the family, paid no attention to the fuss. She knew Yang Xiaoye would soon be reported and taken away to a poorer, more remote mountain village. And she herself would go to the city, living with Chen Yu in Yang Xiaoye’s place.

Then she wouldn’t need to eat sweet potatoes anymore. She’d be having rice and white flour buns at every meal.