Chapter 76
The June sun had already gained scorching power, scorching the dirt road to a gleaming white. The corn by the roadside barely reached knee-high, its leaves rustling in the wind like countless small hands waving. Xiao Ming, clutching a cloth bag, walked along the ridge of the field toward the educated youth settlement. The hems of his military trousers were stained with fresh dirt, stirring up fine dust with every step.
He hadn't seen Comrade Qian for over a month. When they last parted, he'd slipped her two national food coupons, and she'd blushed and said "thank you." That image lingered in his mind for days. Now, catching sight of the figure in green military uniform at the entrance to the educated youth settlement, Xiao Ming's face flushed, his pace slowed, and his hand rubbed the cloth bag repeatedly.
"Comrade Qian." He walked forward, his voice a little tense. Looking at Qian Fangyan's cheeks flushed by the sun, he scratched his head embarrassedly, his mouth wide open, revealing two rows of white teeth. "I... I'm taking a day off today."
Qian Fangyan was gazing blankly at the distant cornfield, only to be snapped out of her thoughts by the sound. For a while now, she'd been completely focused on "intercepting" Xiao Ming—she'd squatted in the Corps' pigpen, guarded the hospital's back door, even followed villagers through the woods as they picked wild vegetables. But he seemed to have super hearing, always slipping away before her time. If Xiao Ming hadn't sent her two banknotes through someone else's pocket, she would have nearly forgotten about this "real target."
Looking at Xiao Ming's goofy smile, Qian Fangyan suddenly felt lost. This man was truly foolish, so foolish that she couldn't bear to continue his deception. These days, she'd been living a comfortable life: Xiao Ming's banknotes were enough for her to occasionally buy a steamed bun, and there was always someone to do the heavy work at the educated youth camp—all secretly entrusted by Xiao Ming. But in her eyes, this "good" was as insignificant as a feather.
"Comrade Xiao, actually, I..." Qian Fangyan clutched the corner of her clothes, wanting to say, "We're not suitable." Someone like her, accustomed to scheming in her past life, didn't deserve such pure goodness. Xiao Ming should find a woman who lived a genuine life, working from sunrise to sunset, as stable as the old locust tree at the village entrance. But she, in both her past and present lives, only had eyes for the ladder to climb.
But the words were on the tip of her tongue, but the light in Xiao Ming's eyes stopped her. He was staring at her intently, the joy in his eyes almost overflowing. It was an unconditional desire she had never seen in Xiao Ming before. Qian Fangyan swallowed, thinking to herself, let's wait a little longer. Once she conquered Xiao Ming, Xiao Ming would understand.
"I brought you something." Xiao Ming handed over the cloth bag with the words "Agriculture Learns from Dazhai" printed on it. "My mother asked someone to bring me some dried sweet potatoes. They're very sweet when steamed."
Qian Fangyan took the cloth bag, feeling it was heavy in her hand. She could imagine Xiao's mother drying sweet potatoes under the lamp, and a strange feeling welled up in her heart. Aside from the slight guilt of "taking advantage," being with Xiao Ming was actually quite comfortable—he never said harsh words, always saved the best for her, like a rare treasure.
The two of them walked slowly along the ridge of the field, corn leaves scraping against their trouser legs, leaving tiny green streaks. Xiao Ming stole glances at Qian Fangyan several times, his Adam's apple bobbing as he finally managed to utter, "Comrade Qian, I... I want to be your revolutionary partner. You... you... you..." He said "you" three times, his face flushed to the roots of his neck, but he still didn't dare to say, "Do you agree?"
Qian Fangyan was stunned and stopped in her tracks. She had never expected this seemingly dull man to suddenly propose marriage. In her previous life, she had seen many marriages that involved weighing the pros and cons, so Xiao Ming's sincerity, without any preparation, caught her off guard. "Isn't it too soon?" She avoided his gaze and looked at the smoke from the cooking stove in the distance. "I'm not ready yet."
The light in Xiao Ming's eyes dimmed, like an oil lamp blown out by the wind. He suppressed his disappointment and forced a smile, "I think it's a little fast, too." He scratched his head and lowered his voice, "How about... we report our relationship first? Once you've thought it through, we can get married, okay?"
In fact, in this day and age, many people get engaged within a few days of a blind date. They had known each other for almost half a year, which Xiao Ming felt was slow enough. But he couldn't bear to force her, even though he felt as uncomfortable as if he had been scratched by a cat.
Qian Fangyan looked at him pretending to be relaxed, and suddenly felt her throat tighten. She nodded without saying anything.
Xiao Ming's leave was only half a day, and he had to return to camp soon. Before leaving, he reminded her, "Eat the dried sweet potatoes steamed; they're hard to chew if left cold." Qian Fangyan grumbled, "Hmm," and watched him run away. His army-green figure shrank smaller and smaller against the yellow earth, like a leaf blown by the wind.
She walked towards the educated youth camp with her cloth bag in her arms, feeling confused. Just as she reached the village entrance, she heard voices by the well: a few women sewing shoe soles.
"Hey, have you heard? The younger brother of the new Brigade Commander Xiao, the reporter who carries a camera all day, is on a blind date with the girl from the Qi family!" A fat aunt lowered her voice, but did not stop sewing.
"Which Qi family?" another person asked.
"Who else could it be? It's Qi Xiaoxue, the nurse at the military hospital! She's a college graduate, and I heard her blind date is from the capital!"
"Are you interested? What do you say, girl?"
"Of course he's attracted to her!" The fat aunt smiled until her eyes narrowed into slits. "Someone saw today that young man staring at Nurse Qi with such fixed gaze that he couldn't take his eyes off her! Although the girl from the Qi family is petite, she's pretty, with eyes and eyebrows like in a painting. Who among the young men in our village wouldn't be attracted to her? Now that's great, I'm afraid everyone is going to be heartbroken!"
"Is Brigadier General Xiao's family from the capital? Tsk tsk, this Qi girl is going to be a city lady in the future, different from us peasants." Someone sighed, "Studying is really useful, otherwise how could she get into the military hospital and meet Brigadier General Xiao's wife?"
"That's right!" The person next to him said, "We have to make sure our child studies hard and doesn't learn from those wild boys. How can studying be useless? Look at Nurse Qi, she's already found a good family!"
Qian Fangyan didn't hear the rest of the conversation clearly; her ears were buzzing. She gripped the cloth bag tighter and tighter, her knuckles turning white. Was Xiaoming on a blind date with Qi Xiaoxue? The nurse who changed Xiaoming's dressings at the hospital? Xiaoming's wife from a previous life?
Something in her head seemed to snap, and she turned and walked towards the Qi family. She didn't know what she was going for, she just wanted to see the girl who could make Xiao Ming's eyes go straight.
The Qi family lived in a neighboring village, across a small river. Qian Fangyan walked along the path beside the river, her sandals scratching the cobblestones. Just after crossing the small bridge, she saw two figures ahead of her—a man and a woman, walking slowly forward from a distance of two steps. The man was carrying a camera, and the woman was wearing a modified green military uniform. Qian Fangyan didn't need to see their faces to recognize them as Xiaoming and Qi Xiaoxue.
The setting sun stretched their shadows so long that they almost overlapped. She saw Xiaoming fumble with his hands as he tried to pick the poplar fluff from Qi Xiaoxue's hair, his hand pulling back halfway, and he blushed first. Qi Xiaoxue lowered her head, her lips curled up, and she clutched a neatly folded handkerchief.
"Are they a good match?"
Suddenly someone spoke in her ear, and Qian Fangyan shuddered with fear. She turned around and saw Xiao Li standing behind her. He was wearing a neat military uniform, and his eyes under the brim of his hat were as calm as a deep pool, staring at the young couple in front of him.
Qian Fangyan's heart was beating like a drum. How could she not notice this person? His aura was so strong that even though he was standing in the shadows, he felt like a mountain, pressing down on her.
"Do you think they are a good match?" Xiao Li asked again, his voice not loud but with unquestionable power.
To be fair, they were a perfect match. The man was talented, the woman was beautiful, and the shyness and joy in their eyes couldn't be hidden. But Qian Fangyan gritted her teeth and refused to admit it. The place by Xiao Ming's side was her only obsession after her rebirth, the spiritual support that had helped her endure the hardships of her previous life. How could she give it to someone else?
"A good match." Finally, she squeezed out two words from between her teeth, her voice so light that it sounded like a sigh.
"Every step in life is new." Xiao Li looked at the sunset in the distance, his voice floating on the wind. "It's like crossing a river by feeling the stones. No one knows if the next step will miss. But some people, like you, have clearly changed the river, but still want to follow the same old path. The result is not missing a step, but falling."
Qian Fangyan's scalp suddenly went numb, and the hairs on her body stood on end. What did he mean? Did he know? Impossible! She had hidden this secret so deeply, she didn't even dare to tell it in her dreams!
She opened her mouth to retort, but heard Xiao Li continue, "Aren't you curious? As Xiao Ming's brother, why didn't I sacrifice myself? Why didn't Xiao Ming join the army and become a reporter?"
Qian Fangyan's heart felt like it was being gripped by a hand, nearly stopping. She pondered these questions day and night, racking her brains but unable to figure them out! The biography clearly stated that Xiao Li had died many years ago, and it was precisely because of the loss of his brother and family that Xiao Ming resolutely joined the army, rising step by step to become a general...
"Life is like a script." Xiao Li's voice was calm, but it rang like thunder in Qian Fangyan's ears. "But when the characters in the script have their own ideas, the plot will change. Some people can live their lives like a comedy, but some people always stare at other people's scripts, ignoring the good life in front of them and insisting on going down a dead end." He turned his head and his eyes fell on her pale face. "You say, it's not easy to be reborn, right?"
"Why?" Qian Fangyan's voice was trembling, her teeth chattering. She didn't understand how he could make such a big secret sound so light-hearted. She lived cautiously every day, afraid of being treated as a monster, but he...
"I don't want you to go astray again." Xiao Li's tone was unremarkable. "You know what will happen in the future, which is a huge advantage. Use it well, start a small business, and live a stable life. It won't be difficult to become rich and noble. But you insist on targeting Xiao Ming. Even if you succeed, you won't become the general's wife."
"Why?" Qian Fangyan asked again, her mind was blank, with only these three words left.
Xiao Li looked at her with a hint of pity in his eyes: "Because I'm still alive." He paused, and said word by word, "Xiao Ming wanted to join the army because he had no one at home and he had to shoulder the responsibility. But now, I'm alive and our whole family is doing well. He chose to be a journalist. It's a stable path. He doesn't have to fight on the battlefield. It's also good."
He took a step forward, his boots crunching on the stones. "If you insist on pestering him, not only will you lose Xiao Ming, a man so devoted to you, but you'll also end up in a terrible situation." Xiao Li's voice was low, like a cold wind across ice. "This place is deserted. It's not difficult to make someone disappear quietly. Even though I'm a brigade commander, I still have some power."
Qian Fangyan was completely panicked. She looked at Xiao Li's calm face and knew he wasn't joking. In those days, without surveillance and omnipresent eyes, a missing educated youth might simply be recorded as "missing." She had no doubt that the man before her had the power to make her vanish forever from this fertile land.
She began to back away, first in small steps, then faster and faster, not even noticing her shoelaces had come loose. Finally, she turned abruptly and ran toward the educated youth station as if being chased by wolves. The dried sweet potatoes in her backpack fell out and scattered all over the dirt road, rolling the long way like abandoned tears.
Xiao Li stood there, watching her staggering figure until the green completely disappeared into the cornfield. He bent down, picked up a piece of dried sweet potato, weighed it in his hand, and then threw it into the creek beside him.
Ripples rippled across the water, then quickly returned to calm, as if nothing had happened. In the distance, Xiao Ming was clumsily taking a photo of Qi Xiaoxue, the shutter clicks distinctly in the twilight.
The setting sun stretched Xiao Li's shadow long. He gazed at the last glimmer of red in the sky and sighed softly. Everyone has their own path. Choosing the right one leads to a smooth road; choosing the wrong one can lead to a bottomless abyss. I hope the reborn girl can see the path clearly this time.
The wind by the river gradually grew cooler, making the corn leaves rustle, as if whispering the secret of this summer.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
