Chapter 14

“You two don’t look alike.”

Chen Nongmo nodded. “My eyes are like Dad Zong’s, the rest look like Mom’s. Big Brother, except for his eyes, looks just like Dad Zong. It’s just about right.”

Cao Qiuhua handed over another group photo. Chen Nongmo focused his attention. The 2-inch photo was a bit old, with its edges already faded. In it, a beautiful woman wore a serious expression, holding a pink bundle in her arms.

“…Who is this?”

“That’s Wuwen’s one-year-old photo. At that time, your dad was still out fighting the Japanese, and we didn’t know when he would come back. That little rascal changed every day, so I thought I’d take a photo to mark his first year…” As she spoke, she took the dozen or so photos in her hands and neatly arranged them in order of age.

“He looked more like me when he was younger. The older he got, the more he resembled Demao.”

It really was true… Chen Nongmo looked through the photos one by one, from the chubby little bun to the sharp-eyed young man.

She flipped to the last photo. The back was marked with “June 1955.”

“Only until 15 years old?”

“That little rascal became more rebellious as he grew. Later, he refused to take photos no matter what. It wasn’t until he went to the Military Unit to enlist that, after he grew up a bit and became more sensible, he finally sent a few back.” Though her words sounded full of disdain, the way Cao Qiuhua lovingly caressed the photos showed how much she cherished them.

Chen Nongmo noticed her gesture and smiled, “Mom Qiuhua must miss Big Brother.”

Cao Qiuhua also smiled, as she put the photos away. “I do, especially during the New Year.”

Every place has its own customs and traditions, and Chen Nongmo understood that the feeling of wanting family together for the Spring Festival was something that had persisted among the Chinese people for generations. She helped Cao Qiuhua tidy up the photos and changed the subject, “When will Dad Zong and Second Brother be back?”

Just before, after tidying up the photos of Third Brother and Fourth Brother, Dad Zong had gone out carrying a lot of food with Second Brother.

They said they were going to deliver food to the elderly and widowed in the village.

At first, Chen Nongmo thought this was something every village did, but upon asking, he learned that only Shanshun Village had this custom, and it wasn’t very old, having begun during the disaster of 1940.

Cao Qiuhua packed all the photos into an envelope and, upon hearing this, calculated the time. “At least an hour or more.”

“Then let’s start making dumplings. Dad Zong and the others will be back just in time for lunch.” On New Year’s Eve, the village had slaughtered a New Year pig, and each family had been given a large piece. Today’s dumplings were filled with cabbage and pork.

“Okay!”

After the meal, the snow started to fall heavier and heavier.

Since it was a holiday and there was no school, Chen Nongmo was wrapped up like a dumpling by Mom Qiuhua and, along with her brothers, set off for the production team’s communal house.

The communal house was where the autumn harvest’s grain was temporarily stored and also served as the place for collective labor. It was very spacious, with high walls.

Every time the commune’s projectionist came to show a film, they would choose this place.

For the New Year’s Eve celebration, the Old Secretary had to argue a lot before he managed to get permission for today’s movie screening.

In this information-isolated era, news spread much faster than Chen Nongmo had expected. By the time the siblings, wearing their new leather boots and carrying small stools, arrived at the communal house from the foot of the mountain, it was already packed with people.

It wasn’t just people from their village; quite a few villagers from neighboring villages had also come. Everyone was wearing their best clothes and chatting joyfully, even though there was still more than half an hour until the movie would start.

Looking at the crowded room, Chen Nongmo tilted her head and asked, “Did we arrive late?”

“No, not late. Walk this way.” Cao Liu lifted the stool above his head, signaling for his petite little sister to follow him. At the same time, Chen Huai, who was just as big and sturdy as a mountain, immediately followed, and the two brothers moved forward, protecting her as they squeezed through the crowd.

“We’re here.” Chen Nongmo, not at all bothered by the crowd, looked up when she heard and saw a few teenage boys waving at them from a spot not far away, where there was some empty space.

“Did Second Brother make arrangements ahead of time?”

“Mm, your legs are too short to run fast.” The response came from Third Brother, Chen Huai.

Chen Nongmo turned her head and, seeing her third brother’s serious face, which didn’t realize the sharpness of what he had just said, politely rolled her eyes.

Then she lowered her head to focus on the path ahead and walked directly toward the empty space.

Chen Huai scratched his head and uncertainly asked, “Did Sixth Sister just roll her eyes?”

Cao Liu gave his younger brother a helpless glance and answered with certainty, “She rolled her eyes at you.”

“Why?”

Cao Liu shook his head and quickly caught up with his little sister. He positioned himself between the little sister and his third brother, ensuring that Chen Nongmo was protected in the middle as they settled into their seats.

It was only when she had just sat down that Chen Nongmo realized the row ahead of them was occupied by the village’s Educated Youth. The girl named Tong Xiuxiu was sitting right in front of her. Without thinking, she glanced over to her left at Second Brother.

Cao Liu didn’t notice the look his little sister gave him. He pulled a walnut out of his pocket, cracked it with a couple of sharp snaps, and skillfully handed the nutmeat to her.

Just as Chen Nongmo reached out to take it, someone on her right offered her a handful of sunflower seeds. Without hesitation, she pulled out her pocket and motioned for Third Brother to place them inside.

It wasn’t much, but to the others watching, it seemed like the little girl was pampered—having someone crack her walnuts and serve her seeds. It was clear to them that she was a city girl, spoiled and used to being taken care of.

Most people only muttered about it quietly in their minds, but a few couldn’t hold back and half-jokingly scolded, “A girl should behave like a girl. How can you expect the men to serve you?”

At first, Chen Nongmo didn’t even realize they were talking about her. It wasn’t until Second Brother turned around, his face full of honest humility, that she understood. “My dad usually takes care of my mom like this. As sons, we learn by example. Please don’t make fun of us.”

When he finished speaking, Chen Nongmo turned around to see the dark-skinned aunt with drooping eyelids, her face even longer than before, as if someone had just owed her money.

“That’s Aunt Xiuying from the neighboring village. I heard she once wanted to marry her sister off to our dad, but our dad liked our mom instead. Later, Xiuying’s sister ended up marrying a bad man, and she’s been holding a grudge against our mom ever since. Every time they meet, she looks like she’s got something against her.” Chen Huai whispered to his little sister, explaining the situation.

Chen Nongmo snickered. She hadn’t expected to hear gossip about Dad Zong, but it made sense. He was such a considerate man with good looks. It wasn’t surprising that people liked him when he was young.

What amused her even more was Second Brother Cao Liu’s clever reply.

Always humble, yet sharp in his words, it was no wonder Aunt Xiuying looked so displeased.

“Crack… crack…” For the next few minutes, the four brothers cracked walnuts together, giving all the nutmeat to their little sister.

Chen Nongmo, of course, didn’t refuse the food. Even without looking back, she could feel the growing tension in the air behind her.

But… who cared? To be frank, her life wasn’t bad. While others might feel sorry for her, what did that have to do with Mom Qiuhua and Dad Zong?

Aunt Xiuying didn’t blame her sister’s lousy husband, but instead took out her anger on someone else. It didn’t make much sense to her.

“Do you want some? These were sent from my home.” Tong Xiuxiu, having heard the noise behind her, knew exactly what was going on. She had been in the countryside for more than half a year now, and there were no secrets here. Naturally, she was aware of Aunt Xiuying’s subtle remarks. She couldn’t stand people who acted superior because of their age, so she pulled out a packet of cookies she had been reluctant to eat and turned to offer them.

Chen Nongmo was a bit surprised. Her gaze shifted from the cookie box to the girl’s slightly flushed cheeks.

She had already heard from Third Brother that about a month ago, when Second Brother went to the town to sell some game, he had accidentally ended up in the black market and was noticed by Tong Xiuxiu.

Because of that incident, Tong Xiuxiu had started to develop feelings for Second Brother.

This wasn’t unusual. Many girls had a “hero complex.”

Chen Nongmo, being just an ordinary person, thought that if she were ever saved by a handsome young man in a dangerous situation, she might feel the same way.

But, as Second Brother had said, he planned to join the army after the New Year and wasn’t interested in dating right now. So, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to get involved with Second Brother at this time…

However, with so many eyes on her, refusing the girl would probably cause embarrassment.

With that thought, Chen Nongmo, not wanting to get involved in others’ feelings, first pulled out a few pieces of candy from her pocket and handed them to the girl. Then she took a few biscuits from the box and politely said, “Thank you.”

Tong Xiuxiu glanced at the large, mountain-like man beside her, her face turning even redder, and handed the remaining biscuits to her. “Comrade Cao, please have some, and thank you for your help last time.”

Cao Liu replied, “Thank you, but it’s fine. You’ve already thanked me for that.”

Upon hearing this, although Tong Xiuxiu looked a bit disappointed, she didn’t say anything more. She sighed and turned back to her friends, quietly whispering with them.

“Second Brother is really popular,” Chen Nongmo teased, winking at Third Brother.

“Of course, in a couple of years, I’ll be just as popular,” came Chen Huai’s confident response.

Chen Nongmo… should she tell Third Brother that, although he was a bit naive, he and the “not-so-naive” Second Brother were on completely different levels?

The movie was great, an old film that had been released in the early 1960s.

It was Chen Nongmo’s first time watching it, but the others had all seen it no less than ten times.

Still, the enthusiasm for the animated film couldn’t be contained. Even after the 110-minute movie ended, many villagers were reluctant to leave. They gathered together, excitedly discussing it.

It was already four o’clock in the afternoon, and Chen Nongmo and the others had to head back to help with dinner preparations. After saying goodbye to familiar faces, they grabbed their small stools and left.

Inside the communal house, there had been hundreds of people, and it had been very warm.

Once outside, the cold air immediately rushed in from all directions.

Chen Nongmo shrank her head, burying her face in her scarf, trying to hold onto some of the warmth from the communal house.

“Running will warm you up,” Cao Liu said, tightening the scarf around his little sister’s neck. After making sure she was bundled up properly, leaving only her eyes exposed, he gently pulled her into a light jog.

When they got home, Dad Zong took Second Brother to paste up the New Year’s couplets.

Chen Nongmo and her three other brothers joined Mom Qiuhua in preparing the evening meal.

There were small chickens stewed with mushrooms, pork and cabbage with vermicelli, stir-fried meat… a total of eight hearty dishes, each one a substantial portion.

When it was time to eat, Dad Zong poured rice wine, giving each person a large bowl. Even Chen Nongmo was allowed to have a couple of sips.

The taste was smooth and fragrant, completely different from the spicy flavor she had expected. If she weren’t being watched so closely, she might have had a few more sips…

After they were full, the sky had already turned completely dark.

The restless boys dragged Little Sister outside to play with firecrackers.

Chen Nongmo wasn’t particularly fond of firecrackers, but since it was the New Year, throwing a few to join in the fun felt just right.

Once they finished with the firecrackers, the whole family gathered together to play cards and stay up late, until after midnight, when everyone finally returned to their rooms.

Chen Nongmo thought the last day of 1970 had come to an end.

But when she changed into soft clothes and crawled into the warm bed, adjusting her pillow, she found a stack of heavy red envelopes placed underneath.

One, two, three, four…

…a total of six.