Chapter 12

Jiang Jiang followed He Guijuan through the door.

Inside, people were seated around a large round table filled with candy, tea, and fruit.

They appeared to be relatives of Wang Shuwen’s family, and there was a plump little girl sitting at the edge of the table, secretly sipping orange juice.

Wang Shuwen was holding a child when she saw He Guijuan leading a little girl inside. Without needing to guess, she knew that the girl was her newly adopted daughter.

She handed the child over to her husband standing nearby and smiled warmly, bending down to say, “So, this is Jiang Jiang? She looks like a well-behaved and understanding child.”

On the way, He Guijuan taught Jiang Jiang how to greet people. After a moment of hesitation, Jiang Jiang finally remembered and cheerfully called out, “Aunt Wang, hello.”

“Such a good girl,” Wang Shuwen replied, giving Jiang Jiang a handful of candy to hold. “How old are you?”

“Auntie, I’m five years old,” Jiang Jiang answered clearly.

Jiang Jiang was soon captivated by the chubby little boy in Shi Qianjin’s arms. The child smiled at her, revealing two cute dimples on his face.

“This is my brother; his name is Dongsheng,” the little girl who had been drinking orange juice approached and introduced herself to Jiang Jiang.

“Hello, I’m Shi Xiaoyang.”

“I’m Jiang Jiang.”

The two children, who were of similar ages, quickly became friends. Shi Xiaoyang even suggested they go to her room to look at picture books.

“I have many picture books that my dad bought for me from the city. Let’s go see them together.”

Jiang Jiang had never seen books before, and a look of envy crossed her face. She turned to seek He Guijuan’s approval. “Mom, can I go?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Watching the two children’s backs as they walked away, Wang Shuwen couldn’t help but comment, “Jiang Jiang seems to have a good temperament and is quite well-behaved. You should raise her like a daughter; when she grows up, she’ll be considerate of you.”

“I think so, too,” Guijuan agreed.

Lunch was served at Wang Shuwen’s house, featuring oily cakes and white bread, along with the orange juice that Shi Qianjin had bought from the supply and marketing cooperative.

However, the orange juice was ice-cold, and since it was winter, He Guijuan worried that her daughter might feel unwell if she drank too much. So, she only let her have a few sips to taste.

After having lunch at Wang Shuwen’s house, He Guijuan took Jiang Jiang home.

Once they returned, He Guijuan spoke with Lin Youqing about the new batch of educated youth being sent to the countryside. The cave house at the educated youth point had collapsed six months ago and was still under construction, so it was uninhabitable. They might need help accommodating two of them.

“There’s still an unused cave at home; let them stay there,” Lin Youqing suggested.

“The thing is, Mom doesn’t want to. She complains every year about how many people we have to take in…” He Guijuan explained.

The last educated youth who had stayed with them had only just moved back to the educated youth point, and now they were being sent two more.

He Guijuan didn’t mind much, but Lin Laotai didn’t seem very willing. She had grumbled about it, but He Guijuan felt it inappropriate to speak too freely about her mother-in-law in front of Lin Youqing.

Lin Youqing replied: “What’s there to be unhappy about? The educated youth living with us can help guide Zhuanzhu and Fengzhen with their studies. I’ll talk to my mother about it later.”

He Guijuan shrugged it off; after all, they would return to the county after the New Year, so it wasn’t their concern.

The next morning, breakfast consisted of black bean porridge, along with several steamed sweet potatoes. After everyone had a simple meal, they began their respective tasks.

The village head, Zhou Youquan, brought two male-educated youths to their home. One of them was dressed in a white shirt and leather shoes, appearing to be just over seventeen or eighteen, looking like he had just graduated from high school.

“Auntie, these two are educated youth from the city here to receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants. Sorry for the trouble,” he said.

“If you know it’s trouble for us, then why do you keep sending so many people our way?” Lin Laotai shot him a glance and replied with irritation.

Zhou Youquan’s expression turned awkward, and the two educated youths felt the same; they probably understood that this family wasn’t exactly welcoming.

“Well, Auntie, your house has a spare cave house. The other cave houses in the village are all in terrible condition, like old water caves—drafty in winter and leaking in summer; they’re not fit for anyone to live in,” Zhou Youquan explained, trying to defend his decision.

Noticing Zhou Youquan’s predicament, He Guijuan stepped in with a smile to ease the tension. “The living arrangements have already been made; you two can follow me.”

“Doctor He?”

The educated youth in the white shirt recognized her and called out her name.

He Guijuan was slightly surprised. “You recognize me?”

“I saw you when I was treated at the county hospital. You were the one who diagnosed my illness. Hello, Doctor He, I’m Zhong Xing, a student from Qingjian Province High School.”

He Guijuan had seen countless patients—if not a thousand, at least eight hundred—each month, so she didn’t have a clear impression of him. She nodded slightly. “Hello.”

“Hello, Doctor He; I’m Yu Hangyuan, also a student from Qingjian Province High School, just graduated from the third year,” the other young man introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you.”

It was obvious that the two were city kids, given that they managed to come here and join the work teams.

He Guijuan sighed; life in the countryside would certainly be tough for them.

The Lin family’s house was much better than the educated youth point, featuring a dug-out pit, and only the two of them lived there. Unlike the educated youth point, where the beds were merely makeshift wooden planks crammed with a bunch of people, it would be stuffy and crowded.

The house had been cleaned beforehand and was quite tidy. Zhong Xing placed his bedding and suitcase on the floor and pulled out five yuan from his pocket, trying to press it into He Guijuan’s hand.

“Thank you for your trouble, Doctor He. Here’s five yuan; you can take it as our rent.”

“There’s no need for that,” He Guijuan firmly refused. “This place isn’t occupied by anyone, so you can just stay comfortably without any burden.”

Seeing that she wouldn’t accept, Zhong Xing could only take the money back.

“Doctor He, is this your daughter?” The two young men’s gazes fell on the little girl standing nearby.

She had large, bright eyes with long, curly eyelashes, her hair styled into two neat braids. Dressed in a floral cotton jacket and deep purple corduroy pants, she looked adorable, although she was a bit too thin, with slender arms and legs.

“Yes, this is my daughter, Jiang Jiang. Quickly say hello to your brothers.”

“Hello, big brothers.”

The child was incredibly well-behaved and cute, instantly evoking affection in those who saw her. Zhong Xing pulled out the few pieces of chocolate he had from his bag. “Jiang Jiang, here’s some candy for you.”

“Thank you, big brother.”

Jiang Jiang unwrapped the candy and popped a piece into her mouth. The taste was unlike any candy she had tried before; it started off a bit bitter but gradually became sweeter, fragrant, and rich, melting in her mouth.

He Guijuan smiled and said, “Why don’t you two tidy up your things? I’ll head out for a bit.”

“Thank you, Doctor He.”

“Mom, this candy is really delicious; you should try some!” Jiang Jiang exclaimed.

When He Guijuan tasted it, she was surprised to discover it was chocolate. This was quite a rare treat; a box of it could cost dozens of yuan, and to put it in perspective, an ordinary worker earned only thirty to forty yuan a month. Moreover, such chocolate could only be bought in the provincial capital. “It’s delicious. You can keep the rest for yourself; Mom doesn’t need any…” He Guijuan said. “Jiang Jiang, why don’t you go find Sister Fengzhen to play? I need to start preparing dinner.”