Chapter 004

After staring into the mirror for a while, Zhenzhen gently removed the red scarf from her neck.

She spread it out on the writing desk and delicately folded the corners over and over again until it was no bigger than a handkerchief.

Then she placed it back into the camphor chest for safekeeping.

She blew out the lamp and lay back down in bed.

The ink-dark night washed over her face, and a faint chill seeped into her skin.

Zhenzhen blinked up at the ceiling, took a deep breath, and finally closed her eyes.

That night, her dreams were filled with sweetness.

She dreamt of her childhood, when Shi Huaiming climbed a tree to pick locust blossoms for her to eat.

The blossoms were white and fragrant. She had held them in her hands, reluctant to take even a bite.

When she woke the next morning, the dream had faded.

There was no scent of locust blossoms in the air, only the crisp, chilly stillness of a winter morning.

Fully awake, Zhenzhen got dressed and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

She had just lifted the wooden lid of the water vat when Zhong Minfen walked in.

Zhenzhen set the lid aside and, her voice slightly nasal, asked, “Mom, why didn’t you sleep a little longer?”

Zhong Minfen’s voice was nasal too. “I’m getting older—can’t sleep in anymore.”

Since both women were up, they began preparing breakfast and feeding the chickens together.

While mixing chicken feed, Zhong Minfen said, “Zhenzhen, you don’t need to go to the production team today.”

Zhenzhen, squatting behind the stove and pumping the bellows, turned to her, “Are we getting ready to sell roasted snacks?”

Zhong Minfen nodded. “New Year’s coming, after all.”

Every year as the New Year approached, Zhong Minfen would prepare roasted seeds and nuts to sell at the market.

Since the land reform, it was mostly Shi Huaizhong and Chen Qingmei who went to the production team. Zhenzhen usually helped Zhong Minfen with small business—selling bean sprouts when it was warm, and roasted snacks when it turned cold.

In Zhenzhen’s eyes, her mother-in-law was a very capable woman.

So that day, Zhenzhen didn’t go out to work. She and Zhong Minfen spent the whole day roasting peanuts and sunflower seeds at home.

After that, she began taking the roasted goods to market on market days.

Of course, each day before setting up her stall, she had to pay the production team 20 cents.

As the end of the year approached, more and more people flooded the market to buy supplies for the New Year.

Afraid that Zhong Minfen and Zhenzhen couldn’t manage the workload on their own, Chen Qingmei stopped going to the production team too and joined them in selling the snacks.

They kept selling until the very end of the year, and then, like everyone else, began shopping for their own New Year’s goods.

Even though people in the countryside were poor, they always prepared for the New Year—after a whole year of hard work, every bit of savings was meant for that celebration.

One day, the women from the production team arranged to go to market together.

Each household had already bought fabric earlier and taken it to the tailor to be made into New Year clothes.

Now, at the market, everyone was buying food.

For rural folks, going to market was a big event. The women got up early to wash and dress, put on their best clothes, styled their hair neatly, slung baskets over their arms or carried bags, and brought along their schoolchildren on winter break.

Before dawn, they were already walking toward town in small groups.

Chen Qingmei and Zhenzhen were among them.

Chen Qingmei pulled a cart filled with roasted snacks, while Zhenzhen walked behind, shoulder-to-shoulder with Cuilan.

They chatted and laughed as they walked the ten or so miles, not feeling tired at all.

The children ran ahead in a noisy pack, shouting and chasing each other.

Amid the clamor, someone called out to Zhenzhen, “Now that the troops are pulling out and there’s no more war, will Huaiming come back?”

Zhenzhen turned to the woman and replied calmly, “Yes, but military discipline is strict—he can’t come back just yet.”

The woman said, “Oh, being a soldier is really not easy.”

As members of the Shi family, they naturally understood this more deeply.

Chen Qingmei followed up, “Exactly. Huaiming now belongs to the country—he’s under the state’s command. He can’t just do whatever he wants anymore. The country comes first, and family comes second.”

Everyone could understand that. After all, the peace and stability of the nation were won by people like him on the battlefield.

When compared with national safety, one’s personal home life naturally takes a back seat.

The women didn’t dwell long on serious topics.

After just a few comments, the conversation shifted back to daily life and trivial matters.

Then someone asked Zhenzhen, “Zhenzhen, what about the red scarf Huaiming bought you? Why haven’t we seen you wear it?”

Zhenzhen had indeed never worn that red scarf.

She kept it carefully folded, square and neat, tucked away in the camphorwood chest.

She smiled and said, “I can’t bear to wear it.”

Everyone could understand that.

To them, that red scarf was a luxury.

Even if they had one, they might not be willing to wear it either.

But Zhenzhen’s situation was different now.

So someone chimed in, “Oh, what’s there to be stingy about? If it gets worn out or ruined, just ask Huaiming to buy you another one. You’re lucky—he’s an officer now, you’re going to live a good life.”

Zhenzhen only smiled in response, neither boastful nor discouraged.

She knew they were all watching to see whether she truly had that kind of fortune—whether she could enjoy that life.

The topic soon passed, and the women moved on to other things.

Cuilan, walking beside Zhenzhen, kept talking about Shi Huaiming. She lowered her voice and asked, “Since Huaiming can’t come back, why don’t you go to the army to see him? Why not spend the New Year with him?”

Then, in an even softer voice, she asked, “Don’t you miss him?”

At that last question, Zhenzhen’s face warmed without her realizing it, and a pang of sorrow tightened in her chest.

She did miss him—a lot. She really wanted to see him.

But…

He probably didn’t miss her quite as much.

Zhenzhen still smiled and said, “He must be really busy. I’d better not bother him.”

Cuilan seemed to understand what Zhenzhen was thinking. Her voice softened with reassurance: “Don’t worry. They’ve just withdrawn troops—there’s probably a lot going on, and he hasn’t had time to think about anything else. Once things settle, either he’ll come back, or he’ll ask you to go to him.”

After all, they were husband and wife. A reunion was inevitable.

It was just unclear when they would see each other—or what things would be like when they did.

Zhenzhen didn’t dare to be too hopeful just yet, so she merely smiled at Cuilan and nodded, saying no more.

The group reached the town market, and their chatter came to a natural pause.

The others went off to the meat and fish stalls. Chen Qingmei helped Zhenzhen set up her stall, then took Shi Danling and Shi Xingguo with her to buy meat.

They had grown some vegetables and fruits in their own small plot, and stored some for winter—so there was no need to buy any greens.

Originally, the Shi family had been preparing for Huaiming to come home for New Year’s. But when they found out he wouldn’t be back, they stopped counting on him.

Still, because Huaiming had sent home quite a bit of money and ration coupons—along with rare and valuable foods they couldn’t get in Hongqi Town—the Shi family could enjoy a much more prosperous New Year than in past years.

Chen Qingmei, using the money and coupons given by Zhong Minfen, bought more New Year goods than most households.

She didn’t just buy pork and fish—she even brought home some lamb.

Her generous spending drew envy from those around her.

But all they could do was admire from afar—not every family had someone become such a high-ranking officer.

It was like their ancestors’ graves had started smoking—a stroke of rare and extraordinary fortune that most people would never encounter.

After buying the meat, everyone wore satisfied and joyful smiles.

Carrying the fish and meat, they then went to the shop to buy snacks for the New Year.

Though Huaiming had sent a lot of food, Chen Qingmei still bought some extras, taking the children along.

Since they’d made the trip to town, they intended to enjoy it fully, staying until the market closed.

When the market finally wound down, Chen Qingmei came back to find Zhenzhen, helped her load the unsold roasted goods onto the cart, and added her own purchases too. Together, they pulled the cart home.

On the way back, every family gave each child two pieces of candy.

The children, with sweets in their mouths, chatted gleefully and walked with even more energy than before.

By the time they returned to the village, the sun was already leaning west.

With their stomachs empty, they needed to cook something—even a simple meal meant lighting a fire. Thin trails of smoke began to rise from chimneys across the village.

Zhong Minfen had cooked but waited to eat, holding off for Chen Qingmei, Zhenzhen, and the two children.

When the four returned, she lit the fire and reheated the food, and they all sat down to eat together.

Shi Danling and Shi Xingguo couldn’t stop talking, excitedly sharing everything about the trip to the market with Zhong Minfen.

They only went to the market a few times a year, so each visit felt like a big event.

What thrilled them most was all the delicious food bought for the New Year.

This was how the festive atmosphere gradually took shape.

For poor families, being able to eat something tasty and wear a new outfit during the New Year was the happiest moment of the year.

The joy that radiated from their faces was genuine and heartfelt.

The children were still full of energy. Even after running around all day, they didn’t feel tired.

After dinner, Shi Danling and Shi Xingguo immediately ran out again to play.

Zhenzhen, Chen Qingmei, and Zhong Minfen stayed in to steam buns and dumplings, and fry radish fritters.

The proofed dough was covered in a quilt to retain warmth. By now, it had risen well—lifting the cover revealed a fluffy honeycomb texture.

Chen Qingmei brought out the dough basin, added alkaline water, and began kneading, smiling as she said, “The dough proofed really nicely today.”

Well-proofed dough meant soft, delicious buns.

Zhong Minfen and Zhenzhen were beside her, picking vegetables, washing radishes, mincing meat, and preparing the filling.

The buns would be stuffed with cabbage and pork cracklings, and the radish fritters would be made with shredded green and red radish mixed with minced meat.

The cabbage, pork fat, and meat were all finely minced, while the green and red radishes were shredded into thin strips.

All the delicate knife work was done by Zhenzhen.

She was skillful with her hands—her cooking always tasted better than others’, and her knife skills were top-notch.

The three women—Zhenzhen, Chen Qingmei, and Zhong Minfen—chatted cheerfully as they worked in the cramped kitchen, their faces bright with joy.

As they talked, they first steamed two baskets of steamed buns.

Once the buns were wrapped, they steamed a basket of dumplings.

While the buns and dumplings were steaming, Zhenzhen fried radish fritters in another pot.

By the time the steaming was done, the fritters were perfectly golden and crispy.

Just then, Shi Danling and Shi Xingguo came running back. Ignoring how hot the freshly steamed dumplings were, the siblings each grabbed one, devoured it in a few bites, then each took a fragrant fritter to munch on.

With nothing else to do, they soon ran back out to play again.

Once the food was done, most of the day’s chores were taken care of.

Zhenzhen packed the buns and dumplings into baskets, while Chen Qingmei cleaned the used steaming trays and cloths.

After tidying up the kitchen, the two sisters-in-law went out to the courtyard to hang the cloths to dry.

Lifting the cloths onto the clothesline, Chen Qingmei smiled and said, “Even though Huaiming can’t come home, this New Year still feels warm and joyful for our family. Don’t worry, Zhenzhen—Huaiming will come back sooner or later.”

Zhenzhen’s face lit up with a smile too. “Sister-in-law, I’m not worried.”

As they talked, they finished hanging the cloths.

Just as they were about to head back into the kitchen, they suddenly heard a knock at the front gate.

They both turned to look—and saw a man they didn’t recognize standing outside.

The man looked to be around fifty or sixty, with graying hair, wearing a worn cotton coat. His cheeks were slightly sunken, and he looked quite thin.

They exchanged glances—neither of them knew him.

Still puzzled, Chen Qingmei asked, “Who are you looking for?”

The old man didn’t seem shy or nervous. He cleared his throat and said calmly, “Isn’t this the Shi family home?”

Chen Qingmei looked at him, still confused. “Yes, it is.”

The old man walked in with his hands behind his back. “I’m the head of the Shi family.”

The head of the family?

Where did this “head of the family” suddenly come from?

Chen Qingmei and Zhenzhen were stunned.

Before they could react, a harsh voice came from the kitchen doorway: “What are you doing here?”

They turned around to see Zhong Minfen standing at the kitchen door.

She looked as if she’d just seen a sworn enemy. Her face darkened, her brows furrowed, and her eyes burned with fury—like a lion on the brink of attack.

Chen Qingmei and Zhenzhen were frozen in confusion.

The old man stood calmly in the courtyard, hands behind his back, and said in a steady tone, “I heard Huaiming didn’t die, that he earned merit on the battlefield, and now that he’s returned, he’s been promoted to an officer—a regimental commander.”

“Huaiming becoming a general still has nothing to do with you!”

Zhong Minfen’s voice turned sharper, her eyes blazing.

But the old man maintained his composure. “Huaiming is my son. How could it have nothing to do with me?”

Shameless!

Zhong Minfen didn’t reply. She turned around and went into the kitchen.

Moments later, she came back out holding a rolling pin nearly a meter long.

She pointed it at the old man, her expression fierce and her voice harsh: “Are you going to leave or not?”

Seeing the rolling pin, the old man’s confidence wavered.

He let his hands fall from behind his back and took two steps backward. “You shrew! Vicious woman! It’s been over twenty years, and you haven’t changed a bit—you’re still the same old hag! What kind of man would ever want you?”

Zhong Minfen’s face flushed with rage.

Without another word, she charged at the old man, swinging the rolling pin.

The old man didn’t wait for her to reach him—he turned and ran.

Zhong Minfen chased after him, waving the rolling pin.

Zhenzhen and Chen Qingmei snapped out of their daze and rushed out too.

They saw Zhong Minfen chasing the old man all the way to the edge of the village.

Hearing the commotion, the villagers came out to watch, murmuring among themselves:

“Hey, old Shi’s back.”

“Looks like he heard about Huaiming.”

“Well, with Huaiming becoming such a high-ranking officer, who wouldn’t want to bask in that glory?”

“You think Sister Shi’s going to let him? He abandoned the family when Huaiming was four and ran off with a mistress. Sister Shi raised three kids on her own and suffered through so much.”

“He didn’t raise them but wants to enjoy the rewards now? Shameless!”

…

The shameless old Shi was huffing and puffing as he ran with his old bones.

But he tripped on an uneven patch of ground and fell flat with a loud thud.

“Ugh!” he groaned, still lying on the ground.

Before he could get up, Zhong Minfen caught up.

She swung the rolling pin down on him hard, snarling with every blow, “You dare come back? You dare come back? Who told you you could come back? Who told you?!”

All the old man could do was cry out, “Ow! Ow!”

The crowd watched but didn’t interfere. No one stepped in.

Since both were getting older, and fearing something serious might happen, Chen Qingmei and Zhenzhen came over and pulled Zhong Minfen away.

She had vented enough and didn’t continue. Gasping for breath, she growled, “Get out of here!”

After catching her breath, she added, “If you dare come back again, I’ll break your legs!”

The old Shi was beaten so badly he felt like his bones were falling apart.

Still groaning in pain, he struggled to get up.

Seeing how wild Zhong Minfen looked, he didn’t dare linger another second and hurried off.

Limping and wounded, he dragged himself to the edge of the village.

Still fuming, he spat on the ground and cursed, “Crazy old hag! Savage shrew! Lunatic!”

He thought that after more than twenty years, her temper might have changed. But to his surprise, she’d only gotten even more ferocious and unrestrained with age!

If it weren’t for hearing that Shi Huaiming had become an officer and was being welcomed like royalty, he wouldn’t have even thought of coming back!

In the Shi family’s kitchen, Zhong Minfen sat at the table, still gripping the rolling pin and breathing heavily.

Afraid she’d worked herself up too much and might harm her health, Zhenzhen quickly brought over a bowl of water and gently rubbed her back to help her calm down.

By now, Zhenzhen had already guessed who the old man was.

The Lin and Shi families were close, so she had heard bits and pieces about the Shi family’s past.

Chen Qingmei, on the other hand, didn’t know, and was still puzzled.

Whenever Shi Huaizhong’s biological father was brought up in the past, Zhong Minfen would bluntly say he was dead. So Chen Qingmei had always assumed he’d passed long ago—never expected him to suddenly show up like this.

She asked curiously, “That was Danling’s grandfather? But Mom, didn’t you say… he died a long time ago?”

“He is dead,” Zhong Minfen snapped, still catching her breath.

She set down the rolling pin, picked up the bowl, and took a long gulp of water.

Setting the bowl down again, she said, her breath still unsteady, “He’s not Danling’s grandfather. And he’s no father to Huaizhong, Huaxia, or Huaiming either!”

It was clear from her tone that Zhong Minfen loathed Shi Dafu with a deep, bitter hatred.

Chen Qingmei didn’t ask any more questions and instead glanced at Zhenzhen.

But Zhong Minfen seemed ready to finally speak about the past.

As her fury gradually cooled, she began, her voice still tinged with scorn: “He’s not dead, no. But I’ve treated him as dead all these years. Back then, Huaiming was only four when he started fooling around with some opera singer in town. He even brought her home, claiming she was going to be his concubine. After she moved in, he spent all day holed up in her room.”

At this point, Zhong Minfen’s anger began to boil again.

Zhenzhen continued rubbing her back, and after a moment, she managed to press on: “That little tramp was younger than me, spoke in that soft, sugary voice that could hook a man. That coward Shi Dafu was completely smitten with her. I’m not someone with a big heart—I couldn’t tolerate them. One night, when they were fooling around in the room, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I grabbed the rolling pin and barged in, gave them both a good beating. That rolling pin was nearly a yard long, and I snapped it into three pieces! I should’ve beaten them to death back then!”

Hearing all this, both Zhenzhen and Chen Qingmei held their breath and said nothing.

Zhong Minfen drained the rest of the water in her bowl and continued, “Shi Dafu called me a shrew, a madwoman. Fine—I am one. He didn’t dare divorce me, afraid of my family backing me up. And he was too scared I’d beat him again. So he took that little whore and ran off to Zhaocheng. He had relatives there, so they settled down and started a new life. Never came back. Thought he could hide from me forever. But I wasn’t done—I stormed off to Zhaocheng and gave them two more beatings!”

At this, Chen Qingmei muttered quietly, “Mom, you’re amazing.”

Zhong Minfen gave a snort through her nose. “If I wasn’t tough, those two dogs would’ve trampled me to death! Luckily, I’m strong and sturdy. Shi Dafu couldn’t win against me in a fight. Otherwise, I’d have been the one getting the short end of the stick.”

She took a deep breath, her tone still firm: “Meeting a man like that—just my rotten luck. I raised three kids all on my own, worked my fingers to the bone. He never sent back a single cent. Every bit he earned went to his little wife and her children. And now that Huaiming’s made something of himself, now he wants to come back? Shameless bastard!”

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Author’s Note:

The story is set in the late 1950s, but the background deviates from historical reality—specifically, the three-year famine will not be addressed.