Two days later, Su Rui went to the security office again to wait for news.

Brother Chen Haiyan had told her that if the letter was found, it would be placed in the security office. If not, then it truly was lost.

Su Rui returned home empty-handed and spent the next few days feeling down.

What was strange was that the more she wished not to receive letters from Ye Chifang, the more frequently they arrived. Even with her usual carelessness, she could sense the concern hidden between the lines.

This kind of thoughtfulness made her uneasy. She was afraid to imagine what was written in the letter she had lost.

She held back for days, unable to write a single word. In the end, she decided to set it aside for now and not rush to reply.

Soon, spring plowing began in Xiaoba Village. The women worked like draft animals, pushing themselves to their limits.

Unwilling to lag behind, Su Rui rolled up her pant legs to her knees and stepped into the icy water of the rice fields to plant seedlings.

Rising at dawn to the sound of crowing roosters and returning home at night accompanied by the chorus of frogs, they toiled from sunrise to sunset. The spring plowing season passed in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, the ideological study class finally began.

During class, Wu Dan brought people over twice to cause trouble. However, the soldiers teaching the class wouldn’t allow them to disrupt things. They made it clear: “Resources cannot always be tilted toward one side. If you want to attend the literacy class, focus on learning there first. The ideological study class prioritizes those without access to education. If you continue causing trouble, we will report it directly to the People’s Commune.”

Wu Dan was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. Realizing that the people of Qingnan Village wouldn’t be able to attend the ideological study class, he never showed up again.

When Sister Zhao heard about the situation, she told Su Rui, “Wu Dan probably even holds a grudge against the army now.”

Su Rui didn’t care whether he resented them or not. As long as one stood upright, there was nothing to fear. Xiaoba Village had finally secured a valuable opportunity, and she wasn’t about to hand it over just because someone else was unhappy.

As Guo Qingwang put it, “If you don’t look out for yourself, heaven and earth will destroy you.”

Now that she was a cadre of Xiaoba Village, she naturally had to consider everything for the benefit of the village.

Despite their exhaustion, everyone juggled both farming and studying, working hard with one hand while learning with the other.

While Su Rui was busy and immersed in her work, thousands of miles away at the new recruit camp, Fang Chiye finished his run and sat on the steps, gazing at the bright stars overhead.

“What’s on your mind?” Qin Shan handed him a bottle of soda and asked tentatively, “Why do you look like you just got dumped?”

Fang Chiye stared into the distance, as if trying to see someone through the starry sky. He hadn’t fully grasped his own emotions yet, but said calmly, “Comrade Su Rui must really be angry this time.”

Qin Shan sat down beside him, studied his expression, and asked in confusion, “Logically speaking, you already explained things to her, so it shouldn’t have anything to do with you anymore. Why are you still thinking about her?”

Fang Chiye withdrew his gaze, turning the soda bottle in his hand as he said, “I hope she can forgive me. I missed too many chances to be honest with her.”

Qin Shan chuckled. “That expression on your face doesn’t look like someone just waiting for forgiveness.”

Fang Chiye looked at him. “Then what does it look like?”

Qin Shan smirked. “Like a man scared that the girl he likes is ignoring him.”

Fang Chiye frowned. “Don’t talk nonsense. There’s nothing between us.”

Qin Shan patted his chest and said, “Come on, Old Fang, you’re old enough to figure this out. How do you always teach the soldiers about ideological understanding? Analyze yourself for once. What is it you truly want from her? An apology?”

Fang Chiye lowered his gaze, seemingly deep in thought.

Qin Shan sighed. “You’re twenty-eight already. Give it another couple of years, and you’ll be thirty. Look at Old Zhang’s little daughter—she can already recite Tang poems. We’ve got to step up our game.”

Seeing that Fang Chiye remained silent, he asked, “So, what did she say?”

Fang Chiye replied, “She didn’t say anything.”

Qin Shan asked again, “Then what did she write?”

Fang Chiye answered, “I sent her six letters, and she hasn’t replied to a single one.”

Hearing the frustration in his friend’s voice, Qin Shan suddenly laughed. “Old Fang, you finally have a taste of your own medicine. Tell me, what kind of reply are you hoping for? What do you want to hear from her?”

Fang Chiye was silent for a moment before saying, “It doesn’t matter what I want to hear. I just want to know what she’s willing to say.”

“That’s all I needed to hear to know you’re not made of stone,” Qin Shan said, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.

Having done his part as a brother, he got up, dusted off his pants, and said, “Alright, this year’s recruitment went smoothly, so we’ll probably be heading back early. When that happens, talk to her in person. From what I’ve seen, that girl’s eyes never leave you when you’re around. I think she’s got feelings for you. Take this time to sort yourself out.”

Fang Chiye stared at the training field, feeling as if his heart had become more alive ever since he met Su Rui.

***

Chen Haiyan felt a bit uneasy upon arriving at the Su family’s home.

Every time he returned to Xiaoba Village, he was warmly welcomed by the village women and elders. But today, as he stepped into the Su family’s courtyard, he noticed their gazes carried a hint of teasing.

Su Rui with her sleeves rolled up as she chopped chicken feed, saw him and instinctively called out, “Big Sister, Brother Chen is here! Take him inside to talk, I’m busy.”

Before she even finished speaking, Su Hongpei had already stepped out, fully dressed and ready.

Chen Haiyan flashed a bright grin and handed over two bottles of Yanghu Daqu liquor and a box of peach crisps to Su Hongpei.

His military uniform was neatly pressed, clearly ironed in advance. Even his Liberation shoes were spotless, with perfectly tied laces.

Su Hongpei accepted the gifts politely. “You didn’t have to go through all this trouble. Just coming over is enough.”

Chen Haiyan stammered, “They’re… they’re for Uncle and Auntie. And this… this is for you.”

As he spoke, he fumbled through his shoulder bag and pulled out a pack of raisins. Embarrassed, he added, “I remember Su Rui mentioning that you like raisins. A comrade from Xinjiang brought these over. You can keep them and eat them slowly.”

Chen Haiyan only wanted Su Hongpei to accept the raisins. He had gone out of his way to ask a fellow soldier stationed in Xinjiang to get them, even owing a favor in the process.

The raisins he brought back were worth the trouble. They were larger than usual, each one glistening and translucent, carrying a rich grape aroma.

“Thank you. Come inside and have a seat. I’ll pour you some water.”

Su Hongpei felt a little uneasy in front of Chen Haiyan. She arranged for him to sit in the main room and quickly ran out to call Su Rui. “Come quickly. It feels inappropriate for me to be here alone.”

Su Rui was deliberately dawdling outside. Since Su Yuqin and Su Chang’e had gone to the market and hadn’t returned yet, she was more than happy to create an opportunity for them to be alone.

“I’m still cooking. You should chat with Brother Chen.” After feeding the chickens, Su Rui called into the house, “Brother Chen, is there anything you’d like to eat?”

Chen Haiyan walked to the doorway and said, “If it’s not too much trouble, could you make stewed white kidney beans? I can never get enough of that.”

Su Rui responded, “Should I stew them with potatoes? And add some pork belly for you?”

Chen Haiyan gratefully replied, “Then I’ll bring you two meat ration tickets next time.”

Su Rui laughed and said, “I get meat ration tickets now too. Today, it’s on me. Eat as much as you like.”

Chen Haiyan chuckled. “Then I’ll take advantage of your generosity.”

Su Hongpei noticed that Chen Haiyan didn’t stutter when talking to Su Rui. She quietly smiled to herself.

When she looked up again, she found Chen Haiyan gazing at her. Their eyes met, and both of them blushed furiously.

Su Rui saw this and thought that these two were just too innocent. It was also a sign of the times—men and women being alone together always felt awkward.

She enjoyed watching them get flustered over the smallest things and cheerfully shared a meal with them.

Chen Haiyan knew the noodle soup was made by Su Hongpei, so he drank three bowls in one go.

After dinner, they sat together and chatted. Seizing the opportunity, Su Rui said, “Then you should come over for dinner again next week. I’ll make white kidney beans for you, and my big sister can cook you some more noodle soup.”

The key part of that sentence was, of course, the second half.

Chen Haiyan was grateful for Su Rui’s matchmaking but had to refuse. “A batch of reformed prisoners is about to be released soon. There are a lot of procedures to go through, so I probably won’t have time.”

Su Rui tensed up and asked, “Where do they go after their release?”

Chen Haiyan replied, “They are supposed to return to their registered household locations.”

Su Rui asked, “What if someone doesn’t want to go back and prefers to stay with relatives or friends?”

Chen Haiyan said, “That situation is actually quite common. After being released, many former prisoners face discrimination and rejection from their hometowns. Some of them, with no way to make a living, end up committing crimes again. But if they can find a stable environment and someone willing to help them, they can relocate to another area through certain procedures.”

Hearing about the upcoming release of prisoners, Su Rui couldn’t help but think of the increasingly urgent letters she had been receiving.

At the gate, Su Hongpei walked with Chen Haiyan as she saw him off. Before he left, she asked, “What are the necessary conditions you mentioned?”

Chen Haiyan explained, “They need an official invitation from another location, usually issued by a commune or neighborhood committee. In our case, it would be the village committee. Once they have the proper paperwork, we can issue a transfer letter.”

Su Hongpei whispered, “With a transfer letter, they can go to the inviter’s home, right?”

Chen Haiyan was momentarily stunned before smiling. “That’s right.”

Su Hongpei forced a smile and said, “Thank you for everything lately. I keep having to ask you so many things.”

Chen Haiyan scratched his head and said, “As a soldier of the people, I’m always happy to help. If there’s anything else you’re unsure about, feel free to ask me anytime.”

After watching him leave, Su Hongpei had barely stepped back inside when the postman arrived on his bicycle, carrying two green mailbags.

“Another letter for Su Chang’e?” she asked.

“No,” the postman replied. “This one is for Comrade Su Rui—an urgent letter.”

After washing the dishes, Su Rui sat down in the west room.

She had ignored several letters from Ye Chifang, and deep down, she felt uneasy. Now, knowing that a batch of prisoners was about to be released, her fear only grew stronger.

She tore open the envelope. Inside, there were only two lines:

There are some things I need to tell you in person.

Please reply.

Su Rui’s face turned pale. She didn’t think there was any need for a meeting.

She pulled open the drawer, found some letter paper, and saw the ration coupons Ye Chifang had sent through Fang Chiye neatly arranged in front of her. Steadying her nerves, she wrote a breakup letter.

The letter was straightforward. She emphasized that they were not meant to be and that some feelings simply couldn’t be forced. She returned all the ration coupons and asked him to specify if there was anything else she owed. If there was, she would send it back immediately.

At the end of the letter, she wished him a happy life, full of children and grandchildren, and asked him not to insist on meeting.

Once the letter was sent via registered mail, Su Rui spent the next few days feeling nervous.