Chapter 1 This is Xinjiang? The Xinjiang of the 1960s...
The pungent smell of grease and tobacco, mixed with sweat, suddenly assaulted Shu Ran's nostrils, jolting her awake and causing her heart to pound.
Her vision was dim and blurry, with only a shimmering dark blue blur in front of her. She blinked hard a few times before she could focus. It was the back of a thick, oily cotton-padded coat, just inches from the tip of her nose.
The cotton-padded coat was soaked with a lingering, mixed odor—the sour smell of sweat, the pungent smell of burning cheap tobacco, and the stench of livestock, all mixed with the rusty smell of the freight car itself, filling her nostrils.
Acid reflux uncontrollably surged up her throat. Shu Ran gritted her teeth, forcefully suppressing the churning sensation.
No. None of them are correct.
Three days ago, she was a teacher at a top high school in Shanghai. Every day after work, she would walk into a coffee shop in high heels and order a hot latte. Life wasn't leisurely, but it was peaceful.
Three days later, she became one of the people in the freight car—a female educated youth who was said to have "not a good class background".
Shu Ran's urban life came to an abrupt end in the 21st century. Memories of the 1960s flooded her mind—she was once a pampered young lady of a capitalist family, had studied at a teachers' college for a few years, and seemed to have some complicated and unclear class background.
Finally, there was this registration notice, which was almost soaked with sweat in her hand.
She looked down, using the light filtering through the gaps in the carriage roof to see the printed words "Livestock Company, Xth Regiment, Xth Division, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps" on the notice, and felt like crying but had no tears.
A piercing whistle suddenly blared, followed by a jolt beneath me. Clang! Clang! The iron wheels rolled over the rails with a sharp, grating sound.
"We've arrived! We've arrived! The Xth Division! Those getting off, hurry up!" A male voice with a heavy accent shouted at the connection between the carriages.
The carriage instantly came alive. Curses, urging voices, the clattering of luggage being searched for, and the cries of children being awakened filled the air.
Shu Ran felt the wall of people around her begin to loosen, squeeze, and push. She was swept along, moving forward involuntarily.
That heavy, red lacquered camphor wood chest, her only possession in this unfamiliar era, had now become her greatest burden.
The corner of the box hit her shinbone, making her gasp in pain. Then, someone's elbow bumped into her waist without her noticing.
"Make way! Make way! Don't block the way!" someone shouted impatiently behind her.
In the chaos, Shu Ran felt someone step on her foot. She instinctively pulled her foot back in pain.
In that instant, a very slight yet abrupt sense of unease came from the side pocket of her coat.
The bag was deep, made from an old Lenin suit. Inside, besides the registration notice, were a few national food coupons and a few yuan that she had secretly slipped in before leaving—her means of survival in this world.
Just as she lost her balance by pulling her foot back, a hand swiftly withdrew from her deep pocket.
Shu Ran's hair stood on end. In that split second, she didn't even get a clear look at the person's face, only catching a glimpse of the gray-blue cuff that quickly disappeared into the crowd.
"There's a thief!" she blurted out, her voice trembling with nervousness.
Countless eyes were focused on her face. The gray-blue cuff disappeared into the crowd. The carriage remained incredibly crowded, the pushing and shoving continuing; her shout hadn't even caused a splash.
Shu Ran's cheeks burned. She clenched her fists tightly. Money! That was her money! Without it, she couldn't get by in this unfamiliar place!
No! I can't let this go! She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Her eyes quickly scanned the several faces huddled together around her.
On the left was a young woman holding a child, her eyes timid. On the right was an old farmer with a face full of wrinkles. In front of her was the owner of the shiny old jacket, a burly man, who was impatiently glaring at her, as if she was in his way.
Neither of them seem like it.
Her gaze passed over the man's broad shoulders and landed on a small, thin figure in gray-blue overalls diagonally in front of her. The person was slightly hunched over, struggling to move forward through the crowd, their movements stiff and unnatural.
Shu Ran's heart was pounding. She decided to take a gamble!
She gritted her teeth, and taking advantage of another violent jolt in the carriage, she cried out "Ouch!" and pretended to lose her balance, then stumbled and lunged towards the small, thin figure diagonally in front of her. Her right hand darted forward, and with her full weight, she pinched the arm near the gray-blue cuff hard.
"Ouch!" A cry of pain rang out. The thin figure turned around abruptly.
A thin, sallow face with prominent cheekbones. He looked to be in his thirties, with a cunning and fierce look in his eyes.
That's the face! When I was squeezed to her side just now, those eyes inadvertently glanced at her bulging pockets!
"What are you doing!" the man growled menacingly, his eyes darting around, instinctively trying to hide his hands behind his back.
All eyes turned to them again, mostly with the intent to watch the show.
Shu Ran steadied herself and shouted, "Comrade, why did you bump into me just now? You knocked all the things out of my pockets!"
As she spoke, she glanced into the man's trouser pockets.
The man's eyes widened in panic, and he stiffened his neck with a fierce but ultimately weak expression: "Nonsense! Who pushed you? Whose fault is it if you can't stand up? Don't slander an innocent person!"
"Whether it's a frame-up or not, you know perfectly well!" Shu Ran retorted, "The little money and food coupons I have are what my mother scrimped and saved to give me! If I lose them here, I'll go to the leaders! I'll go to the security department! I refuse to believe there won't be an explanation!"
Upon hearing the words "Security Department," the man's fierce expression froze, and his eyes filled with panic. The surrounding onlookers' gazes also became somewhat subtle, carrying a hidden pressure.
The standoff lasted only a few seconds. The man glared at Shu Ran, quickly reached into his pocket, rummaged around haphazardly, and then forcefully threw the man to the ground near Shu Ran's feet.
Several crumpled pieces of paper lay on the carriage floor.
"Hmph! What bad luck!" The man spat, and taking advantage of the moment when Shu Ran looked down, he suddenly ducked down and disappeared into the more crowded crowd ahead without looking back.
Shu Ran's heart was still pounding, and her palms were covered in cold sweat. She quickly squatted down and grabbed the scattered pieces of paper from the ground.
The food coupons were hers, but the money... two one-yuan notes were missing. Thankfully, the most important thing, the registration notice, was still in her pocket.
She clutched tightly at the few possessions she had managed to recover. The surrounding gazes were still mixed, and whispers could be heard: "This young lady is quite formidable."
Shu Ran ignored her. She carefully stuffed the food coupons and money back into the deep pocket. She slowly stood up, her legs still a little weak, but her back was ramrod straight.
This place is a completely different world from the respectable city she knows, a city with police and surveillance.
Finally, the flow of people in front of us loosened up a bit, and light shone through the train car doors.
"Hurry up! What are you dawdling for!" The shouts of those maintaining order at the door rang out again.
Shu Ran took a deep breath, bent down, and used all her strength to drag the heavy camphor wood box. Gritting her teeth, she moved step by step with the flow of people toward the car door.
Stepping out of the car felt like falling from a sealed can into a giant bellows.
This place is completely different from her experience when she traveled to Xinjiang in the 21st century.
Gravel scraped against her face. Beneath her feet lay the hardened, salt-alkali soil, cracks spreading like tortoise shell patterns, with a few clumps of camel thorn struggling among them, and a cluster of tamarisk branches curling up close to the ground.
A kilometer away, the low roofs of the dugouts were almost level with the ground, and a Dongfanghong tractor covered in mud was parked next to the scattered adobe houses, with its rusty plowshare half-buried in the sand.
Suddenly, the wind carried the intermittent strains of a song: "...The motherland wants me to guard the border, so I'll shoulder my gun and go..."
A group of soldiers were plowing through the wasteland, their backs covered in salt frost. Beside a newly dug drainage ditch, a wooden sign proclaimed: "Not taking a single inch of the people's land, building a garden on the Gobi Desert!"
This is Xinjiang? Xinjiang in the 1960s?
The dazzling lights of the Bund flashed through Shu Ran's mind at an inopportune moment. Exquisite, convenient, respectable... all those things she took for granted had become illusions here.
She instinctively reached into her coat pocket, where she used to habitually keep a pack of tissues. Her fingertips touched only rough fabric. Embarrassed, she withdrew her hand and vigorously wiped her face with the back of her hand. A voice screamed in her head: What kind of place is this! I have to go back! I must go back!
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar, striking the hardened saline ground.
Shu Ran looked in the direction of the sound.
A chestnut horse galloped through the dust. The rider ducked low, skillfully controlling the reins. In an instant, horse and rider were upon each other.
"Whoa—!" came a low shout. The rider tightened the reins. The chestnut horse reared up, kicking up a cloud of dust, before coming to a steady stop. It snorted hot air and paced restlessly.
The person on horseback straightened up.
He wore a dark blue uniform that accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Shu Ran only felt that the man's facial features were very strong.
He dismounted, his long legs landing with a small cloud of dust, and then, leading his horse, strode towards them.
He stopped a few steps in front of the crowd, scanning them with his eyes.
Shu Ran subconsciously straightened up and pulled the heavy camphor wood box closer to her.
Shu Ran felt the man's gaze sweep over her flushed cheeks, her disheveled hair, and the bulky box.
Then, he asked her, "Name?"
Shu Ran reached into her pocket for the registration notice. Her fingers rummaged around inside for a few moments before she finally pulled out the crumpled piece of paper.
She took a step forward, her movements somewhat stiff.
The man didn't take it, but lowered his gaze and glanced at the paper.
He raised his head, his gaze returning to Shu Ran's face, and clearly stated her destination: "Shu Ran. Livestock Company."
After finishing, he succinctly added his identity: "Chen Yuanjiang, Special Envoy from the Division Headquarters. I'm here to pick you up."
Before Shu Ran could react, he had already turned his gaze to the huge camphor wood chest at her feet.
Chen Yuanjiang stepped forward and took the handle of the suitcase in Shu Ran's hand. Without him exerting any effort, the suitcase that Shu Ran had been struggling to drag was lifted off the ground as easily as a bundle of hay.
"Keep up." Chen Yuanjiang uttered two words, his voice still flat.
He carried the suitcase in one hand and led the chestnut horse with the other, then turned and walked towards the regimental headquarters.
Shu Ran remained frozen in place, clutching the crumpled registration form in her hand.
The winds of the Gobi Desert shattered her urban sophistication.
She licked her chapped lips and stumbled after the figure ahead.
A note from the author:
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[Background Tips]
This story takes place in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in the 1960s.
Q: What is a military corps?
A: It's special. Although it's called a "corps" and uses military terms like "division headquarters," "regiment headquarters," and "company," it's not primarily a fighting force.
Q: What do they do?
A: Clearing wasteland for farming, building homes, and guarding the border.
Q: Who are the people inside?
A: Mainly veterans and young people who came to the border regions in response to the national call, also known as border support youth. They are disciplined and obedient, and are also farmers and workers, doing farm work and construction every day. They work, live, marry, and have children here, forming a very special big family and community.
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