Conscience 

In winter, it snowed in Houtouwan Brigade. In the difficult years past, people freezing to death was a common occurrence. 

First, the houses were made of earthen walls and thatched roofs, which let in the wind easily. Second, the cotton inside their clothes had been worn for many years and had clumped together. Without fresh cotton filling, the clothes were stiff, cold, and poorly insulated. 

On top of that, there were no heated brick beds. At most, a brazier could be placed in the room. 

Lin Miaoyin was very afraid of the cold, so she had long since bought cotton and fabric, and paid to have cotton-padded clothes, quilts, and shoes made through the black market. 

When they had free time, she and Meng Yuanzheng went up the mountain and chopped a lot of firewood. They turned it into charcoal to use in the brazier once the snow came. 

Lin Miaoyin felt a bit conflicted. She didn’t know which night it had happened, but somehow she had ended up rolling into Meng Yuanzheng’s bed—and even kicked him in the face. 

The fact that he didn’t kick her out just proved he was a good man. 

After living together for so long, Lin Miaoyin felt she had already blended into this world. Many things started to feel natural. 

Since they weren’t getting divorced anymore, they might as well just get by together. 

Winter was so cold. Wasn’t having someone to warm the bed a good thing? 

After comforting herself with this reasoning, she started sharing the same quilt with him without guilt, and even naturally slept leaning on one side. 

She thought, if Meng Yuanzheng ever took the initiative, she wouldn’t resist too much either. 

But what happened? 

The result was—this man always just went to sleep when it was time to sleep, got up when it was time to get up, and never laid a hand on her. 

Over time, she began to see him as just a simple “bed companion.” 

At the end of the year when food was distributed, thanks to Lin Miaoyin’s hard work over the past six months, her share was enough for one person to get through winter. Adding money from selling design drafts, life shouldn’t be hard. 

In the end, Meng Yuanzheng didn’t become the chief director but took a position as assistant director. He didn’t have much to do—he only showed up for important scenes. He even said that if there were any awards given by the organization later on, he didn’t want any credit—they should all go to He Tian. 

The actors really liked him. Usually, He Tian was very strict, even overbearing, but when Meng Yuanzheng was around, she wouldn’t dare act that way. 

Thanks to this, rehearsals went smoothly. 

As New Year’s approached, Lin Miaoyin felt both happy and worried. 

The first thing she worried about was—would Meng Yuanzheng go back to his family for the new year? 

She knew that his father had been “taken away” and hadn’t been cleared of charges yet. His mother had taken his grandmother and moved out of the military compound into a small rundown house. 

This winter, his grandmother would pass away due to illness. 

No matter what, she felt she should push him to go back. But should she go with him? 

First, there wasn’t a place for her to stay. Second, they didn’t have that much money. One more person meant a big increase in expenses. And if they had to treat the elderly woman’s illness, the money the two of them had wouldn’t be enough. 

Also, Meng Yuanzheng only remembered some basic things. He might remember who his parents were, but he didn’t recall many things from his childhood. She wasn’t comfortable letting him go back alone. 

When it came down to it, the issue was money. 

If they had enough money, then she could go with him. 

Thinking it over, she thought of someone—her old classmate, Zhao Shengli. 

Back in November, when she went to the county town, she happened to run into Zhao Shengli at the black market. 

The two chatted and were surprised to find that they were in the same business. Zhao Shengli was also dealing in fabric—specifically raw materials. He collected cotton and such from the villagers and resold it. 

This cotton went to secret small workshops to be made into cloth, then reached people like Lin Miaoyin who sold ready-made clothes. 

He told her raw material work was tiring and earned less money than making clothes. The clothing market was dominated by a few stores with popular designs. Every time new products came out, everyone rushed to buy. 

Lin Miaoyin wondered if it was the store she worked at. 

Thinking that making clothes had no competitive advantage, she considered making other products like shoes or bags. 

She felt this was doable. Besides, although she had promised the boss that her clothing designs would only be provided to his shop, there was no such restriction for shoes or bags. 

Why not open a leather goods shop? 

They agreed to start when the situation eased. 

So this time she borrowed money from Zhao Shengli and asked him to help buy two train tickets. 

… 

It was New Year’s Day, and everyone was busy and cheerful. There was going to be a performance tonight. 

This kind of performance rotated between nearby brigades, and this year, it was Houtouwan Brigade’s turn. 

The weather was nice today. The sun even came out. 

The stage was set up starting in the morning and continued until sunset. Almost all the men in the team helped out. 

Meanwhile, the women stayed home roasting pumpkin seeds and peanuts, preparing snacks for the children to take with them when they went to watch the show in the evening. 

In winter, it got dark early. By around six o’clock, it was already half dark. 

Villagers from nearby brigades all came to watch the performance. They brought their own small stools and snacks. The actors were backstage, changing clothes and putting on makeup. 

Leaders from the commune and the county had also been sent to attend, as a way of supporting this kind of performance that promoted the revolutionary spirit. 

The costumes were borrowed from the county’s cultural troupe. Even the makeup, background music, and lighting were guided by people from the cultural troupe. 

The area in front of the big stage was packed with people. It was estimated that over a thousand people had shown up. 

Even if those in the back couldn’t see clearly, they were happy just to be part of the lively atmosphere. There weren’t many entertainment activities in the countryside. 

Soon, the stage lights came on. The big lights lit up, and the loudspeakers were ready. 

Secretary Li was the first to speak, giving an opening speech. After that, other leaders gave speeches as well. They summarized the work done over the year, praised everyone’s hard work, and encouraged them to keep striving forward. 

The speeches lasted about half an hour. By then, it was completely dark, but the crowd remained enthusiastic. Everyone turned their eyes to the stage. Some people even climbed onto rooftops or trees to get a better view, while children sat on their fathers’ shoulders. 

Zhu Wanqin had a camera. She had brought it from home, but because film was rare, she usually didn’t use it often. 

Since today was an important event that needed to be documented, she was asked to help take some photos of the stage, the leaders speaking, and later a group photo of all the performers. 

After taking a few shots of the leaders, the performance officially began. 

It opened with a scene of a young couple getting married, but Zhu Wanqin’s gaze was fixed on Lin Miaoyin not far away. 

Lin Miaoyin had said something to Meng Yuanzheng and then left by herself. Meng Yuanzheng was the assistant director, so he couldn’t leave. He turned his attention back to the stage. 

Zhu Wanqin frowned and called over her close friend. She greeted her and said she wasn’t feeling well and would go rest for a while. She asked her friend to explain to any leader who might ask, and that she would return to take more photos after the show. 

The play was going to last about two hours. Leaving for a while wasn’t a problem. Her friend didn’t suspect anything and agreed right away. 

At that moment, Lin Miaoyin was hurrying up the mountain. 

Just a few days ago, she had nearly forgotten that, according to the novel, a rape case had taken place in the team’s pig pen on New Year’s Day, during the busy festivities. 

It was Zhang Hui, the woman who had a questionable relationship with Meng Yuanzheng before he lost part of his memory. 

After her public criticism, Zhang Hui had been assigned to raise pigs. 

Raising pigs was tough work—dirty, exhausting, and poorly paid. She also had to live next to the pig pen in case someone tried to steal the pigs at night. 

Six months of this harsh work had broken her spirit. She looked like she had aged several years, and her body carried a foul stench. 

Her life felt hopeless. 

The other people raising pigs with her came from families with bad class backgrounds, but at least they still had relatives. She was all alone. 

Today was New Year’s Day. If she could just endure a bit longer, she could go home during the New Year holidays. 

Everyone else had gone to watch the performance, but she was at the pig pen, chopping and boiling feed for the pigs. 

She had watched these pigs grow up. When she arrived in the summer, they were still half-grown. Now they were fat and round. 

Thinking that the team would soon slaughter them for the New Year made her feel bitter. She poured in a few more scoops of feed. 

“Eat up. Eat more.” 

Amid the pigs’ munching noises, she heard an unusual sound. Looking up, she saw a man staggering along the small path. 

The man seemed to be the team’s old hooligan. He was in his forties, still unmarried, and spent all his money on alcohol. He wore a worn-out cotton jacket full of holes. His beard was scruffy, and he looked like a vagrant. 

He was drunk and probably lost his way. 

Zhang Hui frowned and tapped the pig pen railing with her scoop. “Comrade, you’re lost. Your home isn’t here!” 

The man raised his head, and hearing Zhang Hui’s words, something snapped in him. He angrily smashed the bottle on a stone and shouted, “This is my damn house! Who the hell are you, b*tch? How dare you stop me?” 

Zhang Hui was in a bad mood too, shouting back, “If you don’t leave, I’ll call someone!” 

“Call someone? Heh heh, call all you want. They’ve all gone to watch the opera. Call all you want—let’s see who’ll come.” 

The man’s eyes were glassy, mumbling incoherently, then suddenly lunged at her. 

Zhang Hui screamed and tried to run, but there were only pig pens around, no houses. The man quickly caught up to her and knocked her to the ground. 

“Run, run! I told you to run!” The man slapped her hard several times, the smell of alcohol and filth spraying on her face. 

Zhang Hui struggled desperately but couldn’t break free, only screaming to resist. 

His hand reached inside her collar, but before he could touch her, suddenly he was hit hard on the head by a stone. 

At that moment, a faint camera shutter sound came from nearby. 

The man didn’t react right away. His vision went black, and he collapsed with a thud on top of Zhang Hui. 

Sensing someone had come to save her, Zhang Hui gathered all her strength and flipped the man over. His head hit a stone step with a thud again, blood slowly flowing out. 

In the distance, fireworks exploded in the sky, lighting it up completely. 

Zhang Hui stood up and kicked the man’s motionless body several more times. 

Lin Miaoyin had picked up a big stone on the road before arriving and hadn’t held back when hitting him, only thinking she had to knock him out. 

Now she immediately stopped Zhang Hui, saying, “Stop hitting him. Check if he’s dead. If he’s dead, neither of us will get away.” 

Though Zhang Hui didn’t understand why Lin Miaoyin was saving her, that wasn’t the important thing now. She crouched down and checked his breathing, nodding, “He’s still alive. What should we do next?” 

Still shaken, she instinctively looked to Lin Miaoyin. 

Lin Miaoyin said, “You go find Secretary Li immediately and say this guy was drunk and came to cause trouble but fell and hit his head on a stone. Later, I’ll throw this stone into the pond.” 

She raised the stone in her hand, “I don’t need to tell you what to do next, right? Don’t mention that I was here.” 

After saying this, she turned to leave, but Zhang Hui stopped her. 

“Wait, why did you save me?” 

Lin Miaoyin turned back and smiled. “Because of my conscience.” 

Author’s note:  

They will never become friends. The female protagonist just wanted to ease her conscience.