Chapter 2: Going to the Countryside

Life went on as usual, and everything seemed unchanged. Lin Mo remained as quiet and reserved as ever. Father Lin had a cloud of frustration knitted between his brows. Mother Lin looked like she constantly had something she wanted to say but held back, and a few painful blisters had appeared at the corners of her mouth.

Lin Qi took all of this in and felt even more determined to leave.

Second Sister Lin was still out early and back late, never to be seen around the house. She had also sneaked two more bottles of ketchup from Lin Qi, saying she needed them to ask someone for a favor.

That night, Lin Qi had already lain down when Second Sister finally crept into the room, sneaky as a thief.

“It’s done. Pack your things tomorrow. The bus leaves at five the morning after, so wake up at four. I’ll take you to the gathering point then,” she whispered, leaning close to Lin Qi’s ear.

Lin Qi responded with a soft “Mm,” then turned over and went back to sleep.

Lin Miaomiao stared at her sister’s thin back. Under the worn vest, her sharp bones jutted out. For a moment, a flicker of guilt and pity welled up inside her—but it was just a flicker. “You leaving… it’s better for all of us.”

It was a way to comfort herself—and to comfort Lin Qi too.

Lin Qi gave no reply, neither agreeing nor objecting.

The next day, Lin Miaomiao unusually stayed home to help her pack. But Lin Qi had only three or four sets of clothes, a toothbrush, an enamel cup, an enamel basin, and an aluminum lunch box. There wasn’t much to pack.

“There’s only one blanket. If you take it, I’ll have nothing left to cover myself with,” Lin Miaomiao said, tugging at the corner of the blanket with a conflicted look.

Lin Qi lowered her eyes and looked at the blanket too. “In the mountains… it’s very cold.”

Silence.

Awkwardness.

Neither of them said another word.

In the evening, Second Sister Lin stayed home for dinner. Rarely, she picked up some food and placed it in Lin Qi’s bowl. Mother Lin was surprised at first, then her face filled with relief and emotion. Her eyes turned red as she said, “Now that your sister’s no longer foolish, take her out with you when you go out. Let her spend more time with people her age—maybe she’ll fully recover in time.”

Mother Lin spoke with sincere hope. Lin Miaomiao didn’t dare meet her eyes and replied vaguely, “Got it. Starting tomorrow, I’ll let her meet lots of people.”

Lin Qi neither agreed nor disagreed. It was true—she would meet a lot of people tomorrow, and even more in the days to come. All thanks to Second Sister Lin.

Lin Mo’s gaze shifted between his two younger sisters. He furrowed his brows slightly. His words sounded both like a reminder and a warning: “You can take Qiqi out, but you’re not allowed to bully her.”

At any other time, Lin Miaomiao would’ve definitely talked back. But this time, with a guilty conscience, she simply mumbled an “Mm” and lowered her head to eat in silence.

After dinner, the family washed up and returned to their rooms.

Lin Qi hugged a small gray bundle and went to knock on Lin Mo’s door.

“Come in.” Lin Mo was sitting on his bed. Beside it was a small desk with only a few books on top, each carefully wrapped in book covers, showing how much he treasured them.

“Brother~” Lin Qi pushed the door open clumsily.

As soon as Lin Mo heard her voice, he looked up, stood, and stepped over to her in just one stride.

The room had originally been part of a larger space that had been split into two small bedrooms—one for Lin Mo, and the other shared by Lin Qi and Lin Miaomiao. Both were very narrow.

Lin Mo took the bundle from Lin Qi’s hands. “What’s this?”

“Ketchup. For… Brother.” It was a fresh batch Lin Qi had made just a few days ago. Lin Miaomiao had already taken one bottle, and now the remaining three were all in this bundle.

“You keep it. No need to give it to me,” Lin Mo said, pushing the bundle back into her hands.

Lin Qi refused to take it back. “Second Sister… stole.”

“It’s not called stealing between family,” Lin Mo corrected her. But seeing that the little girl still wouldn’t take it, he didn’t insist. “Then I’ll keep it for you. If you need it, just come find me.”

“No… it’s for Brother,” Lin Qi said, looking steadily into Lin Mo’s eyes.

Lin Mo was stunned for a moment by how serious she looked. Somehow, his heart softened completely. He raised his hand and said, “Alright, Brother will accept it. We’ll eat it together.”

After handing over the ketchup, Lin Qi turned to leave, but Lin Mo called her back. She turned around and saw him unlock a drawer and take out a small tin box.

He handed it to her and instructed, “Hide it well. Don’t let your second sister find it.”

Lin Qi stared at the small tin box. She could vaguely guess what was inside, but still asked, “What’s… inside?”

“Money and ration coupons. Use them when you need something. If you run out, come to me and I’ll give you more,” Lin Mo said boldly, wearing his torn vest.

Lin Qi looked down at the tin box. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have accepted it. But now was different—she was going to the countryside, and she urgently needed money and coupons to buy essentials.

The next day, before dawn, Lin Miaomiao shook her awake. She whispered in Lin Qi’s ear, “Get up quickly. Move quietly. Don’t make a sound.”

Lin Qi rubbed her eyes. Though she tried to move fast, her clumsiness slowed her down. In the end, Lin Miaomiao had to pack up for her and drag her out the door.

Just before leaving, Lin Qi silently plucked a small seedling from the flowerpot by the window.

The two sisters sneaked out of the house and headed straight to the assembly point.

There were quite a lot of people going to the countryside. Lin Miaomiao led Lin Qi through the crowd. They checked in with the staff first, then followed the group to the bus station.

Lin Qi moved slower than others—even her walking pace lagged a beat behind. To keep her from falling behind, Lin Miaomiao had to pull her the entire way, using quite a bit of effort.

Lin Qi let herself be pulled, while her eyes wandered curiously. Most of the educated youths were very young, around sixteen or seventeen years old, still looking somewhat childish. Only a small number were over twenty.

“Guizhi, you signed up to go to the countryside too?”

“I didn’t want to, but what choice did I have? There are five kids in my family. My dad’s a permanent worker at a food factory, my mom’s a temp. Their wages aren’t enough to feed us all. Now, aside from my eldest brother who’s married and my youngest brother, the other three of us all have to go down to the countryside, and we’re even being sent to different places.”

“My family’s about the same. Four siblings—only one has a job. The rest of us had to draw lots. My second brother and I were picked.”

“Go to the mountains and the countryside, respond to the call, head to the hardest and poorest places, make your mark, and realize the meaning of life!”

“……”

At the train platform, everyone else was carrying bags on their shoulders or backs. Lin Qi, holding only a small bundle in her arms, stood out like a sore thumb.

“This is the train for educated youth. You’re in Car No. 2. Be careful on board, and don’t let your things get stolen,” Second Sister reminded her.

Lin Qi wanted to roll her eyes but held back. She reminded her dear sister, “No… things… to steal!”

Second Sister’s face stiffened. She gave an awkward cough and, after a moment of hesitation, gritted her teeth and pulled a few mao bills from her pocket, stuffing them into Lin Qi’s hand. “Don’t say your sister doesn’t care about you. This is all I have. If you get hungry, buy something to eat.”

Lin Qi held the mao bills. “Tha…nk you.”

Second Sister waved her hand. “Don’t thank me. Just don’t blame me. Even if you do, it’s no use. If you stayed at home, your big brother and I would’ve had our lives ruined.”

Lin Qi ignored her words and lowered her head to look at the bills: two 0.2-yuan notes, three 0.1-yuan notes, and some in 0.01 and 0.02 denominations—together, not even one full yuan!

“Do you even recognize the characters on them?” Speaking of reading, Second Sister frowned. This little sister had been “foolish” for fifteen years, had never gone to school, and knew nothing of the world. Could she even reach the countryside safely?

From the moment the plan was made to send Lin Qi to the countryside, to now sending her off on the special train for educated youth, Second Sister Lin felt regret for the first time.

But the name had already been submitted, and it was too late to turn back.

Lin Qi didn’t understand what Second Sister was thinking. She stretched out her thin, chicken-claw-like little hand toward Lin Miaomiao. “Food coupons!”

“No,” Second Sister blurted out, but when she met Lin Qi’s doubtful eyes and saw her small, palm-sized face, her heart softened for a moment. She took out a four-liang (a unit) food coupon. “How do you know there’s no food coupons? You don’t know how to read, do you?”

“Brother taught me,” Lin Qi replied.

“How many characters do you recognize?” For a sister who was suddenly no longer foolish but still dull and clumsy, Second Sister thought it would be good enough if Lin Qi could recognize some numbers. She figured Lin Qi must be distinguishing the food coupons by their pictures, not the words.

Lin Qi refused to answer. She wouldn’t tell Second Sister that she could recognize every single character in their family books.

Second Sister helped Lin Qi onto the train, found her a seat, pressed her down onto it, and stared into her eyes. “Don’t blame your sister. I really have no choice. For my sake, for big brother’s, for our parents’—this is the best arrangement.”

She no longer wanted to be mocked for having a foolish sister, or to be despised.

Lin Qi pressed her lips together. “No, I blame you!”

From then on, they were sisters in name only.