After throwing Wei Ming under the bus, Jiang Ling was in a great mood as she returned to the office.

Lu Jianjun and Wei Ming loved to smoke in the office, filling the room with a thick, choking haze.

Section Chief Tang was extremely fond of drinking, but he didn’t care much for smoking.

During their usual smoke break, Jiang Ling noticed that Lu Jianjun, who sat across from her, was smoking Jinlu, while Wei Ming, instead of Zhonghua today, had switched to Hongtashan.

Jiang Ling rested her chin on her hand and asked, “Deputy Section Chief Wei, I remember you usually smoke Zhonghua. How come you’ve lowered the grade today and switched to Hongtashan?”

The words “lowered the grade” rubbed Wei Ming the wrong way. It sounded like she was implying he couldn’t afford better.

“I got tired of smoking Zhonghua every day. Gotta change things up now and then.” In truth, the Zhonghua cigarettes were a gift from his brother-in-law, Factory Director Ding. Once they ran out, he simply switched back to Hongtashan.

Jiang Ling gave an “oh” in response. “It still takes someone as well-off as Deputy Section Chief Wei to afford that.” As long as she hadn’t misled Xie Lang, she was satisfied.

That afternoon, Xie Lang came to question Wei Ming.

Even among the factory leadership, there weren’t many who smoked Zhonghua—only Factory Director Ding, Deputy Director Wu, the Head of Security, and Wei Ming, the deputy section chief of the Accounting Section.

The questioning was straightforward—just asking where he was and what he was doing that night, and whether he had an alibi.

Aside from Wei Ming and Factory Director Ding, everyone else had been at home asleep, with their alibis being their own wives and children.

Wei Ming and Factory Director Ding vouched for each other.

Considering these men were all factory leaders and financially well-off, the public security officers began to question whether their investigative angle was flawed.

Thieves commit theft for financial gain, and factory leaders had no need to resort to such things.

So the team began to speculate that the cigarette butt might have been left behind by a factory leader during a previous inspection and just happened to be discovered and mistaken for evidence.

But aside from this cigarette butt, there were no other pieces of physical evidence found at the scene.

The investigators found themselves in a dilemma—if they abandoned this piece of evidence, the investigation would once again hit a dead end.

On the way home from work, Jiang Ling and Song Guanshu ran into Xie Lang. It was almost the same scene as in the morning—Xie Lang unlocking his bicycle at the bike shed. “Wait for me, let’s go together.”

Song Guanshu and Xie Lang rode side by side, while Jiang Ling sat on the back seat of Song Guanshu’s bicycle, listening to the two of them chat.

“Brother Song, where are you and Jiang Ling living now?”

“In the steel factory’s family housing area.”

“The steel factory, huh? I heard the environment over there isn’t so great.”

“That’s right. The steel factory has a lot of pollution, and there’s always dust.”

The window glass was always foggy, and every morning they had to wipe down the bike seat and handlebars with a cloth.

“But I heard there’s a small homestyle restaurant that opened near the steel factory’s family housing. The food’s supposed to be pretty good. My treat, okay?”

Having just had braised pork the night before, Jiang Ling wasn’t too excited about eating out.

Xie Lang was enthusiastic. “Don’t turn me down so fast. It’s been a while since we all hung out together.”

“Well, alright then.”

Xie Lang had only gotten a rough idea of the location from a coworker, and after winding through several alleyways near the steel factory’s family housing, he still couldn’t find the place.

It was Song Guanshu who, based on the description, finally located the restaurant tucked away in an alley.

There was no signboard or banner—just a dim yellow light at the entrance, the kind that perfectly fit the depiction of a shady establishment in film and television.

Even Xie Lang, an intern at the substation, felt a bit uneasy. He really hoped they weren’t about to run into another Sun Erniang^[1]孫二娘 (Sun Erniang) is a character from the classic Chinese novel Water Margin, known for running a tavern where she drugged and killed guests to make meat buns..

As they approached the entrance, everyone’s earlier concerns were eased a little. Inside, two tables of customers were already eating and drinking. The owner, seeing new patrons walk in, greeted them warmly and handed over a simple menu.

Under the planned economy, hints of market economy were beginning to emerge.

Just like the black market where Song Guanshu had bought pork belly the day before, this small eatery hidden within a residential neighborhood was another example.

It was run out of the owner’s own home during mealtimes, with just two tables set up. Most of the usual patrons were workers from the steel factory treating themselves. There weren’t many outsiders, and two or three tables were enough to handle the crowd.

In recent years, though there was still talk of cracking down on private enterprises, the social environment had improved significantly compared to before.

Even if the surroundings were a bit rough, Xie Lang nodded approvingly and whispered to the other two, “The service here’s not bad—better than what you get at a state-owned restaurant.”

Though it was called a simple menu, it listed fewer than ten dishes. Xie Lang, having been tipped off by a coworker, said, “Let’s get the oil-poached fish, and also this one…”

The owner wasn’t a local and spoke with a southern accent.

The dishes didn’t come out quickly, and while they waited, Xie Lang asked the owner for a small bottle of Erguotou^[2]Erguotou (二锅头) is a type of strong, clear Chinese liquor (baijiu) made primarily from sorghum. It is particularly popular in northern China, especially in Beijing. The name literally means … Continue reading.

He poured a cup for Song Guanshu, then poured one for himself. “When you two got married, I really couldn’t get away. Hope you’ll understand.”

Song Guanshu took a small sip of the liquor. “Work comes first. It’s understandable.”

As the first dish Xie Lang ordered was brought to the table, the owner also served three bowls of steaming hot rice. “Please enjoy. The rest of the dishes will be out soon.”

Jiang Ling tried a bite of the fish and her eyes lit up. “This fish is really good. You two shouldn’t just focus on drinking—eat more.”

When the owner brought over the soup, Jiang Ling didn’t forget to praise the cook’s skills. “This is the best fish I’ve ever had in Beicheng.”

Come to think of it, this was also the first fish Jiang Ling had eaten since arriving in this era. With nothing to compare it to, calling it the best didn’t seem like an exaggeration.

The warm century egg and minced pork soup slid down into her stomach, and Jiang Ling suddenly felt that there was nothing in the world that couldn’t be healed by good food.

Song Guanshu wasn’t much of a drinker. He only took occasional sips when Xie Lang clinked glasses with him. Most of the time, he was focused on drinking soup and eating rice.

Xie Lang, on the other hand, drank a lot and fast. He seemed drunk already—his face was flushed red, from his neck all the way up to his forehead.

He sighed emotionally. “It’s been a while since we got together like this.”

“Brother Song, ever since you got into university, we haven’t had a meal together. It must’ve been four or five years now. Back when we were sent down to the countryside, I was young and clueless. I really owe you and the old educated youths in the village for looking after me. All my thanks are in this drink.”

He downed another cup of Erguotou in one gulp. Under the table, Jiang Ling nudged Song Guanshu with her hand. “Drink less,” she whispered. If he got too drunk, they’d have to carry him home—what a hassle.

Xie Lang couldn’t hold his liquor and was badly drunk. He had only drunk about half the small bottle and was already slurring his words. “Out of all our classmates, the only ones I still keep in touch with are you and Zhao Liang.”

He reached out, wanting to clink glasses with Jiang Ling, but all she had in her hand was a soup bowl.

Song Guanshu lifted his own cup and clinked it with Xie Lang’s. “Jiang Ling doesn’t drink. I’ll drink on her behalf.”

Sure enough, in front of others, he acted perfectly proper.

“Jiang Ling, I really didn’t expect you’d end up with Brother Song.” Seeing the girl he once liked married off, the more he thought about it, the more bitter he felt. He even wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “But… as long as you two are happy…”

His words were starting to get incoherent. Jiang Ling took the wine cups off the table. “Alright, no more drinking. Eat more instead. The food’s really good today.”

Jiang Ling ended up eating half the fish by herself, along with two bowls of soup and two bowls of rice—and that didn’t even include the other stir-fried dishes.

Even in his drunken state, Xie Lang couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Song, are you not feeding her enough at home?”

On that point, Jiang Ling felt she had to defend Song Guanshu. They had only been married for two days, and they’d already had meat for dinner two nights in a row. Even in a factory leader’s household, that wasn’t guaranteed. When it came to food, Song Guanshu hadn’t shortchanged her in the slightest.

Jiang Ling rubbed her round belly. “He’s been great. We eat meat at home pretty often too. I just don’t dare eat too much because I’m afraid of gaining weight. But since you’re treating us today, of course I had to indulge a little.”

After taking a few more bites of food, Xie Lang, perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, managed to speak more coherently. “Brother Song, do you still remember Xu Youlan?”

Song Guanshu’s expression remained calm. “I remember. One of the educated youth from the village. Why?”

Jiang Ling perked up her ears, thinking she might dig up some juicy romantic history on Song Guanshu.

Xie Lang used his chopsticks to flip the fish over. “Turns out she also got into university. She’s at the teachers college right next to our public security school. I went back to school a couple of days ago for some paperwork and happened to run into her. We chatted for a long time. When she talked about those days in the countryside, it felt like a whole different lifetime.”

Xie Lang had been sent down later than most—he didn’t go until 1975. His father had arranged the location, just a village near Beicheng, so he could even go home for meals on weekends.

Because he went down later and didn’t stay long in the village, he hadn’t formed close relationships with the other educated youths.

Even though his time in the countryside had been short, the experiences had left a deep impression on him.

Back then, while living through it, it felt bitter and unbearable, and he longed to escape. But once he left it behind, he found himself missing it intensely.

Song Guanshu listened to him speak with a calm expression.

Xie Lang turned to Jiang Ling. “You wouldn’t know how hard it was. In spring we sowed seeds, in summer we weeded and applied manure, in autumn we harvested corn, and in winter we dug irrigation ditches…”

Jiang Ling asked, “Why did you go to the countryside?”

Back then, Xie Lang’s father was on the Revolutionary Committee, and his mother was the director of the Personnel Section at a factory. With a mother in that position, she could have easily arranged a job for him so he wouldn’t have to suffer in the countryside.

When she had read the novel, Jiang Ling couldn’t figure this part out either, so she just asked directly.

“My dad wanted me to work in his office back then, but I didn’t want to. I went against my family.” He shrugged. “I signed up to go to the countryside behind their backs.”

So it had been a matter of teenage rebellion.

Jiang Ling glanced secretly at Song Guanshu. If she had guessed correctly, he had chosen to go down to the countryside either to escape the political campaigns in the city or to get away from the place where he had lost his family.

Song Guanshu’s expression revealed nothing—no joy, no sorrow, no anger. He remained as calm as ever.

“Xu Youlan also said that ever since you left Qijiatun, she hasn’t seen you again. When she heard I still run into you now and then, she asked how you’re doing.”

On the plate, only the fish head and bones were left. Xie Lang dug out the fish eye and popped it into his mouth, chewed it twice, then swallowed.

“Oh right, she also mentioned the militia captain from Qijiatun—Wang Tieshan. You remember him, don’t you?”

Song Guanshu nodded. “I remember. He was killed by wolves.”

Xie Lang patted his chest. “That was the first time I saw a dead person—and he died so horribly. I got sent to Qijiatun in September, and right after the Winter Solstice in December, he was mauled to death by wolves. I’d only ever seen wolves on TV, never thought they’d come into a village and eat people. Not gonna lie, I was so scared I almost asked my dad to pull some strings to get me transferred back home.”

Song Guanshu smiled faintly. “It really was terrifying. You were just unlucky. We spent years in the countryside and only ran into wolves that one time. You were there three months and already ran into them.”

Xie Lang shook his head. “I only found out from Xu Youlan that Wang Tieshan wasn’t a good person. He harmed quite a few female educated youth. If you ask me, getting eaten by wolves was just what he deserved—heaven has its way of dealing with the wicked.”

“Oh? So that’s how it was. Then he really got what was coming to him.”

Jiang Ling, rubbing her full belly, felt like the two of them were speaking with some hidden meaning.