Chapter 9
The story begins in late autumn of 1987. As the north wind whips through the red-brick dormitory building of Huaxing Machinery Factory, Qiao Kexin is squatting at the tap, washing her husband Li Junsheng's blue work clothes. The soap suds dissolve in the cold water, reflecting the fading sunlight hanging precariously on the clothesline. Aunt Zhang from next door passes by, clicking her tongue in disapproval: "Kexin, not that I'm criticizing you, but if a man has made a mistake, you shouldn't touch those clothes anymore! Just throw them away, lest they bring bad luck..."
This was originally a neighbor's well-intentioned concern, but Qiao Kexin felt a chill run down her spine. She remembered that morning when Li Junsheng was taken away by the security department, he was still clutching half an unfinished mechanical drawing in his hand. In the enamel mug on the table, the overnight tea had long since gone cold, the tea leaves sinking to the bottom like a crumpled ball of unresolved worries. Li Muxue, who had just turned eight, stood in the yard holding her doll, watching her father being shoved into the tricycle, and suddenly burst into tears: "Daddy! Where are you going?" Qiao Kexin rushed over and covered her daughter's mouth, the sobs leaking through her fingers like pieces of paper torn by the wind.
Qiao Kexin was originally a quality inspector in Workshop Three. With a keen eye, every product in the workshop had to undergo her rigorous inspection before it could be labeled with a large certificate of conformity. She didn't tolerate even the slightest flaw; any product found to be defective was immediately disposed of as scrap. Therefore, her coworkers jokingly called her "Living Yama." She was such a meticulous and resolute woman…
Two years passed quickly. Winter of 1989 arrived as scheduled, seemingly colder than usual. The leaden sky hung low over the city, and the cold wind, like tiny knives, swept across the red-brick dormitory buildings of Huaxing Machinery Factory. Qiao Kexin wrapped her faded old cotton-padded coat tighter around her waist; the collar was frayed, but she still tried to tuck her neck in, attempting to ward off the pervasive chill.
She had just finished work, the lingering buzz of the machines still echoing in her ears, along with a persistent smell of engine oil and rust. The dim streetlights cast a long shadow of hers, which swayed with her weary steps on the thin layer of ice on the pavement.
Although they still lived in the same red brick building, Li Junsheng was no longer a workshop director but a prisoner. His spacious apartment was reassigned to Han Liming, the deputy secretary of the Party Committee, because his wife had just given birth to twins, and their original housing was no longer sufficient. After careful consideration, the organization made this seemingly unfair decision, while Qiao Kexin was forced to move to the most secluded small room on the fourth floor. That small room had originally been used only for storing miscellaneous items, and even the heating was inadequate.
Pushing open the creaking wooden door, a warm current mixed with a faint musty smell flowed out. The room was small, only one and a half rooms in total. The inner room was where the mother and daughter slept, and the outer room served as both the living room and where Qiao Kexin occasionally did odd jobs. A fifteen-watt light bulb hung overhead, emitting a dim, yellowish light. The small house didn't have a separate kitchen; to cook, they had to go to the communal kitchen on the east side of the corridor. There were only two households living on the entire fourth floor: her and Luo Mei.
"Mom, you're back!" Hearing the noise, a small head immediately peeked out from the edge of the bed in the inner room. It was Li Muxue. She was wearing an old sweater with patches, and her hair was combed into two neat little braids by her mother. Seeing that her mother had come home from work, she ran over in a pair of old cotton shoes with her toes sticking out.
"Slow down, be careful not to fall." Qiao Kexin quickly put down the canvas bag she was carrying; it contained a few cold steamed buns left over from the factory canteen that evening. She reached out and touched her daughter's hand; it was icy cold. "Why didn't you cover her with more blankets?"
"I'm waiting for my mom."
Li Muxue looked up at her mother's red, chapped cheeks and cracked lips, and whispered, "Mommy, your hands are so cold." She took her mother's hands and warmed them in her own. Those hands, calloused from years of working in the factory workshop, constantly handling hard metal components, were now as cold as ice. A month after Li Junsheng was no longer the workshop director, Qiao Kexin had voluntarily applied for a transfer to the quality inspector position in Workshop 3. Now, Qiao Kexin had been transferred to the assembly workshop, where the workload was significantly heavier than before. Some said she was deliberately making things difficult for herself, but she preferred to do the manual labor herself rather than face the newly appointed, beaming Xu Zhenguo…
Qiao Kexin's heart warmed suddenly, then ached. She forced a smile and ruffled her daughter's hair: "Mom's fine, it's not cold working at the factory. Look, Mom brought you some steamed buns."
Li Muxue nodded, without saying she wanted anything else. She knew things had changed at home, that things were harder now; her father was gone, and it wasn't easy for her mother to earn money alone. She didn't have the candy or new clothes that other children had, but she didn't cry or make a fuss. She knew her mother was already very tired.
Qiao Kexin, disregarding her need to rest, hurried to the electric stove. She saw the coiled steel wire just glowing red, with a worn aluminum kettle resting on it, the water barely steaming. She knew Li Muxue had just filled the kettle; she needed to boil water for her mother to wash her almost frozen feet. In the December chill, Qiao Kexin had to weigh the pros and cons of warmth against the expense of electricity, as the indoor heating only averaged 17 degrees Celsius…
"Were you good at school today? Did you finish your homework?"
“Honey, I finished my homework a long time ago. Today, Uncle Zhao from the second floor picked me up again, and I came back with his son Dagang. Uncle Zhao rode his bicycle with one in front and one behind. I sat on the back shelf because I was afraid to sit on the crossbar because I was afraid of falling.”
"Okay, Xiaoxue, remember to thank Uncle Zhao. Be polite."
Qiao Kexin's voice was a little hoarse.
"Okay, Mom."
In the dim light, the mother and daughter looked exceptionally frail. Qiao Kexin watched her daughter intently studying her textbooks at the small table, her heart filled with mixed emotions. The two years Li Junsheng had been in prison had been the darkest time of her life. She worked three shifts at the factory, her back aching from exhaustion. Her meager monthly salary had to cover electricity, coal, rice, and Li Muxue's tuition and fees; every penny had to be carefully managed.
"Junsheng..." she would sometimes murmur to herself, staring at the empty walls in the dead of night. She had hated his foolishness, hated him for plunging their family into despair, but deep in her heart, the unbreakable bond between husband and wife and the longing for a complete family had never been extinguished. She only hoped that he could reform himself properly inside, get out soon, and that their family could start anew.
(To be continued)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
