Chapter 39: The Apology Letter

Zhang Qiang felt uneasy.

This little girl was more capable than he had expected.

If the di huan (land lease) business didn’t work out, he could always switch to growing peanuts, corn, or potatoes. But if all the things he had done to Jing Xi were exposed… And now that she was the center of attention in the village, if his past actions came to light…

If what Xie Aiguo said was true—that the Long family held Jing Xi in high regard—then he really couldn’t afford to take this risk.

Seeing Zhang Qiang’s eyes darting around, Xie Aiguo knew that he had already figured things out. Zhang Qiang was a bad person, but at least he had some sense of self-preservation—unlike his wife, who was all temper and no brains.

“I’ve said what I needed to say. Think it over. I have business at the village office, so I’ll be leaving now.”

With that, Xie Aiguo left the Zhang household and headed straight back to the village office.

Zhang Qiang stood in the courtyard for a while before going back inside.

Meanwhile, just outside the Zhang family’s walls, Jing Xi stood in the space corridor, eavesdropping on the entire conversation.

She had initially hoped to hear something about the land dispute.

Could Xie Aiguo really be unaware of what had happened to her aunt’s land?

Was it really not the Zhang family who had taken it?

After the Little New Year (a prelude to the Lunar New Year), every household started hanging lanterns, buying Spring Festival couplets, and frying festive snacks.

Jing Xi still had a few hundred yuan left unspent. Combined with the meat, rice, and flour she had “retrieved” from the Zhang family, she had plenty of supplies.

She decided to prepare some traditional New Year’s dishes.

She spent an entire day making and frying tofu balls, preparing kou rou (braised pork belly), and stewing a large pork knuckle.

Many families in the village were slaughtering pigs and chickens for the New Year. Every time she stepped outside, she could smell the scent of fresh blood in the air.

Jing Xi bought a free-range meat chicken from a local farmer and brought it to Grandpa Xia’s house.

She owed him a debt of gratitude for that divination.

Although Grandpa Xia had said that she was simply following her fate, Jing Xi believed that fate had worked through the Long family to help her rescue Liu Chun and build a stronger reputation in the village, which would make things easier for her in the future.

No matter what, Grandpa Xia had pointed her in the right direction.

Visiting him was the least she could do.

When Jing Xi arrived at Grandpa Xia’s house, the old man was sunbathing in the courtyard.

Though it was still deep winter, the weather was beginning to warm. He was bundled up in a cotton hat and shoes, occasionally getting up to move around and stretch his limbs.

As soon as he stood up, he saw a familiar figure carrying a chicken at his doorstep.

“Come in quickly!”

Hearing the commotion, Xia Lidong came out of the house. He saw the freshly slaughtered chicken in Jing Xi’s hands and then turned to the old man.

“No wonder you were talking about wanting chicken this morning!”

Grandpa Xia chuckled. “Hah! Pure coincidence!”

Jing Xi greeted the two of them before getting to the point.

“Grandpa Xia, I came to thank you. I brought you a chicken.”

“Haha, have a seat. You really didn’t need to spend money on this—I didn’t actually do much to help.”

“You helped me a great deal! Everything went smoothly this time. And you called it an ‘ominous’ fortune, but it didn’t feel like one at all!”

The old man let out a soft chuckle.

“The natural order of things is like that—full of variables.

That’s why, no matter how many setbacks or hardships you face, no matter how deep the valley you fall into, you must never give up easily.

You have to believe that one day, you’ll climb out of the mire and onto the main road.”

“A divination only shows one possibility. In the end, everything depends on human effort.”

Though Grandpa Xia’s eyesight was poor, his words seeped into Jing Xi’s heart like a warm spring.

“Grandpa Xia, you’re absolutely right! Everything depends on human effort.”

The old man laughed. “I’ll accept this chicken, but don’t make a habit of bringing me gifts. Otherwise, I’ll owe you a favor, and favors must be repaid.”

Jing Xi laughed as well. “I don’t have much to give you anyway—maybe just some steamed buns…”

The old man’s face immediately lit up with a smile at the mention of steamed buns. “Speaking of steamed buns, child, how do you make them? Teach my son. The ones he makes are as hard as rocks—too tough! But yours are soft, chewy, and don’t hurt the teeth…”

After saying this, Old Man Xia even asked Xia Lidong to bring out the steamed buns he had made for Jingxi to see. The moment she looked at them, she immediately knew that the fermentation process was incorrect.

“Uncle, when fermenting the dough, place the mixing bowl on a warm spot on the kang and cover it with a blanket. When the dough rises to fill the bowl, that means it’s ready.”

Xia Lidong quickly took out a notebook and jotted it down.

In truth, the reason Jingxi’s steamed buns were delicious was because of the water she used—it had a special trick to it. However, there was no way she could explain that to Xia Lidong.

The three of them chatted for a while longer before Jingxi got up to leave.

Just as she stood up, the old man grabbed her arm. “Come visit often when you have time!”

Jingxi agreed.

But the old man didn’t loosen his grip yet and added, “When dealing with difficult people, you have to be a bit ruthless. Don’t always try to reason with them. The more reasonable you are, the more they will take advantage of you. Sometimes, if you just want to open a window, they won’t agree; but if you say you’re going to break open a door, they’ll suddenly be fine with the window.”

Jingxi turned her head. Old Man Xia was small in stature, sitting there with his gaze lost in the distance, his eyes clouded as if covered in mist.

Blind in sight, yet clear in mind.

He was teaching her how to protect herself and navigate the world.

Confucius once said: “At fifteen, I set my heart on learning; at thirty, I stood firm; at forty, I had no doubts; at fifty, I understood the mandate of heaven; at sixty, my ears were attuned; at seventy, I could follow my heart’s desires without overstepping the boundaries.”

Having already passed seventy, Old Man Xia had reached the stage of living as he pleased, seeing through life with clarity.

Jingxi felt as if a light had been lit ahead of her, guiding her path.

She understood now.

---

On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the weather was clear. The daytime temperature surprisingly reached above ten degrees Celsius. The sun hung high in the sky, and a light breeze blew. Jingxi decided to do a thorough cleaning of her home, then washed all her clothes and bed covers. A new year should begin with cleanliness.

As she was busy, she saw Xie Aiguo and Wu Jun hurrying toward her, their faces carrying an expression that suggested good news.

Jingxi stood at the door.

“Xiao Jing!”

“What brings you two here?”

Xie Aiguo took a couple of deep breaths and said, “The Zhang family has agreed to apologize to you—through the village loudspeaker. Is that acceptable to you?”

Jingxi nodded. “That’s fine, but I want a sincere and remorseful apology, not something perfunctory or insincere!”

Xie Aiguo slapped his thigh. “I thought of that! Zhang Qiang isn’t very literate, so I personally wrote the apology letter for him. Take a look and see if it’s acceptable!”

Jingxi took the letter and read it:

Dear Comrade Jingxi,

I, Zhang Qiang, on behalf of my wife Wang Cuihua and my son Zhang Jianjun, sincerely apologize to you! Due to my personal misjudgment, I have caused serious damage to your reputation and honor. I deeply regret and feel ashamed of my actions.

Moreover, I have received criticism and guidance from the village leaders, making me fully aware of the harm my behavior has caused to you, to our village, and to society as a whole.

Here, I formally clarify that the incident of theft in my home had nothing to do with Comrade Jingxi. My previous suspicions were entirely unfounded! Once again, I sincerely apologize and hope for Comrade Jingxi’s forgiveness. I also hope that all villagers can unite and support one another.

Lastly, I repeat: Comrade Jingxi, I am truly sorry! I sincerely hope to earn your forgiveness!