Chapter 43: Three Years Passed in a Flash (Part 1)

Early July 1967.

The air was thick with the stifling heat of summer. Standing at the edge of the fields, one could almost see the waves of hot air rising above the vegetation.

In the afternoon, the shallow waters by the river were once again filled with children. Some people had come to wash clothes, but before long, they ended up washing themselves as well.

Aside from the riverbank, the mountains were also a good place to escape the heat.

Some elderly men and women who had been gathering firewood one moment were dozing off in the shade the next.

Birds in the trees chirped occasionally, as if complaining about the unbearable heat.

At the same time, in a secluded corner of the southwestern mountain, three young girls, all in their early teens, crouched by a rabbit hole, blocking its entrance. A large black dog stood beside them, looking particularly imposing.

From their skillful movements, it was clear they had done this countless times before.

After sealing the hole, they grabbed a handful of half-dried branches and set them on fire.

When branches are only partially dry, the smoke they produce is especially choking. If it were hard for people to bear, it would be even worse for the rabbits.

Not even half a minute after stuffing the branches into the hole, there was movement inside. A grayish figure bolted out in a panic—only to dive straight into the waiting sack.

Xu Lele, who had grown significantly taller over the past three years, swiftly tightened the sack’s opening.

She had not only grown taller but also stronger.

No matter how the rabbit struggled inside, the sack remained firmly in her grasp.

Unlike before, she no longer needed her Sister Mianmian to help knock the rabbit unconscious.

Xu Lele lifted the sack triumphantly, shaking it a little as she laughed loudly. “Hehehe! Gotcha!”

Almost at the same moment she spoke, another gray figure suddenly shot out from the hole right in front of her.

This time, there was no sack at the entrance, and the large rabbit sprinted forward at full speed.

Shi Xiaolian’s eyes widened as she instinctively reached out to block it, but failed. “There’s another one!”

At the same time, Mu Mian shouted, “Shiyi, go!”

Almost before she finished speaking, the large black dog had already darted several meters ahead.

The three girls stood in a row, watching as the dog chased after the rabbit.

Xu Lele sighed regretfully. “I packed up the sack too soon.”

Mu Mian had full confidence in her dog. “Shiyi will definitely catch it!”

After all, over the past two years, the dog had helped her catch countless rabbits.

At three years old, the dog was in its prime. It ran through the mountains every day, making catching a rabbit an easy task.

Sure enough, within two minutes, Mu Mian had barely finished stamping out the fire and covering the embers with soil when she saw her dog returning with a rabbit in its mouth.

The gray figure hung limp, clearly dead from the bite.

Mu Mian’s smile was as bright as the sunshine. “Shiyi!”

The big black dog trotted over, only setting the rabbit down when it reached her feet. Its fur was slightly stained with blood around its mouth.

Mu Mian casually handed the rabbit to Shi Xiaolian, then reached out to rub the dog’s head. “You’re amazing! Such a good boy! I’ll reward you with a rabbit head tonight.”

Shiyi seemed to understand the words “rabbit head,” as it happily nuzzled against its owner’s hand.

It was a large dog, even bigger than Grandpa Tang’s yellow dog. In fact, they said it had grown larger than its own mother.

Mu Mian had never seen Shiyi’s mother, but seeing how well the dog had turned out, she felt she could proudly say—

She had played a huge part in raising it!

Raising a dog was just like raising a child. Give it good food, let it run around often, and it will grow up strong.

She had done both.

Beside her, Shi Xiaolian had already placed the rabbit into the sack. She looked up at the sky and said, “It’s getting late. We should head down the mountain.”

They had ventured quite far today, and the walk back would take a while.

Xu Lele excitedly carried another bag and said, “Let’s go, let’s go home. Tonight, I’ll have my mom make me some braised rabbit. Who wants this wild chicken?”

This afternoon, they had gone up the mountain. Although they walked quite far, their efforts paid off—they managed to catch three rabbits and one wild chicken.

Mu Mian quickly said, “Give it to Shi Xiaolian. My family will definitely be slaughtering a chicken in a few days.”

Xu Lele nodded. “Oh, right, Brother Zhuo is coming back.”

The three of them walked in a line with the dog following behind. The next second, Xu Lele continued, “Brother Zhuo hasn’t been back for so long. I almost forgot what he looks like.”

Mu Mian curled her lips. “Tell me about it. Being so far away is really inconvenient.”

Her older brother was supposed to come home last year for the New Year. He had already arranged his leave, but right before his departure, a snowstorm blocked the roads.

In the end, he couldn’t make it back and had to wait another six months to get another break.

But this time, he could stay at home for over two months—almost three.

She wouldn’t forget what her brother looked like, but after nearly five years without seeing him, she seriously doubted that he would recognize her.

She had changed a lot.

She had grown taller, and her face had slimmed down, but she was still just as pretty. She was even known as one of the most beautiful girls in the area!

Xu Lele suddenly thought of something and turned to Mu Mian. “Since you and Aunt are going to the city to pick up Brother Zhuo, don’t you need a letter of introduction? Are you coming to my house later to find my dad?”

Their county didn’t have a train station. If they wanted to take a train, they had to go to the city.

Mu Mian shook her head. “My mom said she’ll take care of it. I don’t have to worry about it.”

Xu Lele let out an “Oh” and then grinned. “After dinner, I’ll come and find you. I still have two yuan left. Sister Mianmian, help me buy some pretty hair ties in the city. The ones there must be much nicer than what we have at the commune!”

Mu Mian nodded. “Sure, I’ll pick the prettiest ones for you!”

Then she turned to Shi Xiaolian. “Do you want me to bring anything back for you?”

Shi Xiaolian shook her head. “I don’t need anything.”

Mu Mian raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? This is a rare opportunity.”

Shi Xiaolian replied, “I don’t have enough hair to tie up anyway.”

Mu Mian glanced at her hair. It seemed like Shi Xiaolian was addicted to cutting it short. Every time it grew out a little, she would trim it again.

Right now, her hair was about the same length as it had been back in 1963.

Xu Lele also glanced at her. “I like long hair. You can wear pretty hair ornaments.”

Mu Mian agreed, “I like long hair too.”

Shi Xiaolian asked, “Isn’t it a hassle to wash?”

Mu Mian saw right through her. “You’re just lazy.”

This girl only cared about making money and thought everything else was a waste of time.

Her parents always said she was a little money-grubber, but in Mu Mian’s eyes, Shi Xiaolian was an even bigger one!

Shi Xiaolian simply gave a nonchalant look.

The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked, and soon, they reached the foot of the mountain. They ran into an old woman collecting firewood.

Mu Mian greeted her warmly. “Grandma Yang, gathering firewood again?”

The old woman smiled. “Yes. It gets too hot at home, and it’s cooler up in the mountains. What are you girls doing up there again? Didn’t your grandma say you’re taking the high school entrance exam?”

Mu Mian grinned. “The exam is tomorrow.”

Grandma Yang let out an “Oh” and laughed. “Then I must have mixed up the dates.”

They didn’t chat for long. After exchanging a few words, they each went their separate ways.

At the fork in the road, Mu Mian turned to Shi Xiaolian and said, “Come early tomorrow.”

They were taking the exam together and would ride her father’s bicycle, so they wouldn’t have to wake up too early.

Shi Xiaolian waved. “Got it.”

Then she headed home.

—

A lot had happened in the past three years.

First, the atmosphere outside had grown visibly tense, though life in the countryside remained mostly unaffected.

Other than being a little more cautious, people still ate and drank as usual.

Then, the college entrance exams were canceled. Universities now admitted students through recommendations, but junior high and high schools remained the same as before.

During these three years, Mu Mian had finished elementary school and gotten into junior high school.

Shi Xiaolian hadn’t attended elementary school, but she also took the entrance exam for junior high.

Xu Lele’s grades weren’t great, but with Mu Mian and Shi Xiaolian dragging her along, she barely made it in.

For Mu Mian and Shi Xiaolian, who had already learned the material once before, junior high was quite easy.

So, in the second semester of their first year, both of them skipped a grade, jumping straight to the second semester of their second year.

A few days ago, they had received their junior high school diplomas, and now they were about to take the high school entrance exam.

It wasn’t a standardized exam but a test for temporary enrollment, and only the two of them were taking it.

Educational regulations weren’t as strict in those times. As long as you had the ability, you could get a diploma.

Temporary enrollment wasn’t common, but it happened every year.

For example, in their village, there was Shi Xiaozhu.

Over the years, thanks to Shi Xiaolian’s constant persuasion, Shi Xiaozhu had gone back to study for high school. But she couldn’t let go of her family responsibilities or give up the work points she earned as an elementary school teacher, so she chose to enroll as a temporary student.

This meant she didn’t have to attend classes but had to take all the school exams.

As long as she met the school’s passing requirements, she would get a diploma.

Shi Xiaozhu had already received her high school diploma.

Mu Mian and Shi Xiaolian were aiming for the same thing. After all, even if they completed high school properly over the next two years, when the college entrance exams resumed in ten years, they would still have to study on their own.

So, in essence, it made no difference.

Compared to them, Xu Lele was much more by-the-book. Just getting into junior high had already taken her an enormous amount of effort.

Skipping grades? That was absolutely impossible for her. There was no way she could manage it.

But the little girl had a great attitude. She had long been used to her two best friends being incredibly smart since childhood.

She never once felt like she was falling behind. Instead, she was simply happy. After all, weren’t these two amazing people her closest friends?

Didn’t that mean… she was just as amazing?!

—

On the small path leading through the brigade, Xu Lele linked arms with Mu Mian as they walked along, muttering, “Are the high school entrance exam papers really hard?”

Mu Mian thought for a moment. “I’ve seen the ones Sister Xiao Qiu took before. They don’t seem too difficult.”

Xu Lele immediately beamed. “Then you two will have no problem at all!”

Mu Mian smiled. “After Shi Xiaolian and I finish the exam, we can tell you what was on it. Maybe it’ll help you next year.”

The moment she heard that, Xu Lele shook her head like a rattling drum, looking horrified. “No way, no way! I’m not taking that exam! I wouldn’t pass it anyway. Once I finish junior high, I never want to look at those awful textbooks again.”

Just keeping up with her junior high classes was already giving her headaches. Before every exam, she needed Mu Mian and Shi Xiaolian to highlight the key points for her, just so her scores wouldn’t be a complete disaster.

Going to high school? That was out of the question. She simply wasn’t cut out for studying!

Mu Mian chuckled but didn’t try to convince her otherwise.

Though people often said that more education meant more opportunities, studying wasn’t the only path in life.

After all, there were countless trades, and every trade had its masters. Lele just wasn’t suited for academics, that was all.

The two girls chatted and laughed all the way home.

Xu Lele waved goodbye as she headed toward her house.