Chapter 78
The afternoon sun filtered through the office building's windows, casting a gridded pattern across the floor. Xiao Ming's marriage application lay on Xiao Li's desk, three yellowed pages neatly stacked. A smudge of ink lingered in the upper right corner—where he'd made a mess the previous night, his pen carelessly held. The edges curled slightly, the mark of his repeated caressing. The words emanated an irrepressible solemnity.
The application circulated between battalion and regimental headquarters for three days, bearing numerous red seals. Finally, like a heavy feather, it landed in the drawer of Brigade Commander Xiao Li. Xiao Li pinched the corner of the paper and flipped it over twice. His fingertips paused on the words "Applicants: Xiao Ming, Qian Fangyan." He called to the door, "Communicator, call Xiao Ming." His fingertips caressed the paper, feeling its rough texture. In his heart, he pondered Qian Fangyan's transformation, wondering if it was a spur-of-the-moment impulse or a genuine realization.
The poplar trees outside the window rustled in the wind, their leaves casting swaying shadows on the glass. As Xiao Ming pushed the door open, his military boots clicked crisply on the concrete floor. "Report!" His chest was straight, and his face beneath his military cap was flushed, as if he had just run five kilometers. Beads of sweat still covered his forehead and trickled down his cheeks.
Xiao Li pulled out the application form from the drawer and put it on the table: "Have you discussed it?" When he raised his eyes, his gaze swept across Xiao Ming's tightly pursed lips - the joy in this kid's eyes could hardly be hidden, but he insisted on putting on a serious look, with his hands pressed against the seams of his trousers, his knuckles a little white, and he was even more nervous than during normal training.
"Yes! Comrade Qian and I have already agreed!" Xiao Ming's voice was filled with uncontrollable joy, and the heels of his military boots almost knocked against each other again. He stared at the paper, his Adam's apple rolling up and down. It was obvious that he had been waiting for this day for a long time, and even his breathing was faster than usual.
Xiao Li tapped the edge of the application form with his fingertips and suddenly smiled: "Leave the application form with me first. Your sister-in-law is on vacation this weekend, so bring Comrade Qian home for a simple meal in the evening. Let her talk to Xiao Qian about the rules of marriage, so that you two young people won't be confused." He looked at Xiao Ming's nervous and expectant expression, and his worries were slightly relieved. Perhaps after meeting her, he would be able to understand this girl's thoughts better.
Xiao Ming's eyes lit up instantly, like a lit torch, and he saluted with a standard military salute: "Yes! Thank you, Brigade Commander!" He turned around too quickly and his military cap fell to the ground. He picked it up and put it on his head, then ran out with the brim still tilted. The footsteps in the corridor were getting farther and farther away, and he could faintly hear his uncontrollable laughter, like a child who got candy.
Xiao Li looked at the empty doorway and locked the application back in the drawer. The enamel pot on the table was filled with dried tea, and the water reflected his thoughtful face. I hope the girl has really thought it through. Xiao Ming is a simple-minded boy, don't let him fool her.
The adobe house at the educated youth settlement was coated in yellow dust, and last year's wheat husks were stuck in the cracks at the base of the wall. Qian Fangyan was squatting over the stove, baking corn tortillas. The griddle was scorching from the fire, and the tortillas were puffing up with golden edges. The rising heat blurred her eyes, and her hair, wet with sweat, stuck to her face. "I'll pick you up on Sunday," Xiao Ming's voice came through the doorway, a touch of ingratiating caution, as if afraid to disturb the flames in the stove.
She flipped the pancake with a spatula, and the griddle made a slight sizzling sound: "No need, I can go there by myself, you wait for me at the gate of the military district family compound." During this period of time, she was always thinking about the meaning of rebirth. She thought it was probably not for her to pursue some "General Xiao". Ershi asked her to live in the present, so now when she was talking to Xiao Ming, her eyes were firm, unlike before when she was always a little erratic.
Xiao Ming wanted to say more, but the seriousness in her eyes stopped him. They were clear, unlike the fog that always clouded them. "Well... I'll be leaving first." He scratched his head and smiled, revealing two rows of white teeth. As he turned, he bumped into the doorframe, drawing laughter from the educated youth in the room. He didn't get angry, but ran away with a chuckle.
The days slipped away in anticipation, counted on the fingers. The Sunday afternoon sun made the dirt road of the military district family compound so hot that blisters would appear if you walked on it barefoot. The air was filled with the aroma of scorched wheat. Xiao Ming changed into a new military uniform that was washed white, with a shiny red star pinned on the collar. He had saved up three months' allowance to buy it. It was ironed so smoothly that there was not a wrinkle on the corners. His comrades in the dormitory surrounded him and made a noise: "Hey, Xiao Ming, remember to bring back a bag of candy to share in the good luck!" "Don't let your future wife get you drunk!"
He turned and waved, his steps brisk as if he were walking on the wind. Passing by the supply and marketing cooperative, he even went in to buy a bag of fruit candy. The paper-wrapped candy clung to his pocket, and the sweetness seemed to have seeped into his heart through the fabric, making his steps even lighter.
In the courtyard of the educated youth settlement, Qian Fangyan was trading mountain goods with fellow villagers. Ten plump pheasant eggs, their shells faintly pink, lay in a bamboo basket, along with a handful of freshly picked daylilies, lush green, damp, and dusted with dirt. "I told you not to answer it..." Her words suddenly caught in her throat as she looked up. Her heartbeat inexplicably quickened as she took in Xiao Ming's crisp military uniform.
Xiao Ming stood at the courtyard gate, the sunlight gilding his features. The red star on his uniform shone blindingly in the light. In his hand, he held a wild rose he'd picked from somewhere. Its petals were as pink as rouge, and the thorns on the stem had been carefully pinched off to avoid pricking her. "I'm free anyway, so this is a good time to get some exercise." He thrust the flowers into her hand and took the basket naturally. His fingertips accidentally brushed against the back of her hand, and they both flinched as if burned. The air seemed to be filled with a sweet scent.
"It's so corny!" Li Aifang poked her head out of the house and deliberately covered her eyes, "Qian Fangyan, you have to control Comrade Xiao. He's behaving like a hooligan in broad daylight!" Her tone was full of joking, but there was a smile in her eyes.
Qian Fangyan's face flushed bright red. She tucked the flowers into the basket and pushed Xiao Ming out. Behind her, the educated youth's laughter echoed, mingled with jokes about leaving early and returning early. Her steps grew steadier, and her heart felt like a piece of candy soaked in warm water, sweet and warm. Even the weeds by the roadside seemed much more pleasing to the eye.
As the two of them left the educated youth site, they heard a discussion coming from the well. "I don't know why, but I feel like Fang Yan has changed a lot since she got sick." It was Sister Zhang's voice. She was squatting on a rock, beating clothes, the rhythmic sound of the hammer rising and falling.
"I think so," Xiao Liu, standing nearby, chimed in, the mallet hitting clothes with a thud. "She used to act so arrogant, saying she couldn't get used to our adobe house and that the well water smelled like mud. But last time I saw her helping Aunt Wang fetch water, she managed to hold the bucket without spilling anything. I was surprised. She was even more composed than the other young men in the village."
"That's right." Li Aifang leaned closer, her voice lowered. "Back then, she looked at us like we were no match for her, always saying things like 'should be this' and 'should be that', shouting slogans loudly. She'd stay away if she had to do any real work. Now, she goes picking wild vegetables with us, and says my pickled cabbage is delicious and wants to learn from me. Last time, she even gave me two of her baked tortillas, and they were really good."
"Comrade Xiao is a down-to-earth person. I hope she can live a good life with him." Sister Zhang wrung the water from her clothes, and the water droplets fell to the ground, splashing fine dust. "In life, being down-to-earth is the most important thing. Those empty things are not worth it."
Qian Fangyan paused, and Xiao Ming turned around to look at her: "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She shook her head, but her heart felt like it had been gently bumped. So she had been like that before, even the educated youth she'd spent every day with saw it. All that pretense she'd maintained was just self-deception.
The mud walls of the military district family compound were covered with morning glories. The blue-purple petals swayed gently in the wind, like countless small trumpets blowing, and the air was filled with a faint floral fragrance. As the two walked to the alley, they ran into a group of children running around. Leading them was Xiao Li's daughter Xiao Nuo, whose hair was messy and her army green jacket was covered in mud. "Dad! Dad! Another uncle Xiao Ming is here holding the hand of a beautiful sister!" The little girl shouted at the top of her voice, her voice penetrating half of the military compound with the unique crispness of a child, "They are holding hands! Roar!"
Xiao Ming's hand loosened as if he had been electrocuted, his military boots scraping a half-inch dirt mark on the ground. His face was redder than the sun above his head, and even his ears were red. Qian Fangyan buried her face even lower, twisting her fingers around the corner of her clothes, and even her neck was stained with a layer of powder. Xiao Li's son Xiao Yuji, on the other hand, was sensible. He pulled his sister to run to the yard: "Don't shout nonsense, let the uncle and aunt come in quickly, or you will be spanked by your dad."
The Xiao family's courtyard was swept so clean that one could walk barefoot. The blue brick floor was damp. There were a few sunflowers planted in the corners, and the flower heads were heavy and drooping. Next to the newly dug well, Xiao Ming was struggling with a grass carp. He held his head with his left hand and grabbed the tail with his right hand, but the fish twisted suddenly, splashing water all over his face. The front of his white shirt was mostly wet, as if he had just been pulled out of the water, with a few fish scales hanging on his hair. "Come on, brother, do you know how to kill a fish? Come and help!" He saw Xiao Ming and shouted as if he had seen a savior, the fish in his hand was still jumping around, making him very busy. At this moment, he was very busy because of the fish, and he was even more embarrassed when he saw Qian Fangyan. His eyes were a little evasive. Thinking of the way Qian Fangyan looked at him in the past and his inexplicable thoughts, he always felt uncomfortable.
Before Xiao Ming could even move, Qian Fangyan had already walked over. She snatched the fish from Xiao Ming's hands and slammed it onto the muddy ground. The fish twitched twice. Then she grabbed a nearby kitchen knife and smacked it across the fish's head. In just three seconds, the fish, which had been flailing about, was completely still, without even a flick of its tail. It was so clean and efficient that everyone present was stunned.
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