During the Spring Festival of 1972, a light snow was falling in Haicheng.
The streets of Haicheng were much quieter than usual. Zhan Chunlan pasted a red paper-cut window decoration on her dormitory window as a fitting gesture.
This was the first time she had spent the Lunar New Year away from home alone.
Earlier, she and Wang Wenfeng had rehearsed their "love story." They met when he went to Jiangcheng to visit his aunt, and they reunited when she went to Haicheng to study. Meeting an old friend in a foreign land, the two lonely souls were drawn to each other. When Zhan Chunlan was about to return to Jiangcheng, the pain of separation and the fear of never seeing each other again made the two finally confess their feelings and confirm their relationship.
Zhan Chunlan is portrayed as a modern woman who dares to love and hate. For her and his future, she works hard in Jiangcheng and travels thousands of miles alone to Haicheng.
This is the love story between Zhan Chunlan and Wang Wenfeng, a story of "bitter affection," "separation and reunion," and "long-awaited reunion."
This dramatic story easily touched everyone in this era that values genuine emotions. When the female workers in the factory saw her, they would always joke, "It's really rare for Xiao Zhan to travel all the way to Haicheng for Dr. Wang."
Before the Spring Festival, the Wang family specially invited her to spend the holiday with them. Zhan Chunlan prepared generous gifts for their visit—newly produced assorted candies from the Haicheng Food Factory, peach slice cakes brought from Jiangcheng through a friend, and a scarf she had knitted herself, as she knew Ms. Fang Li loved them. Ms. Fang Li, Wang Wenfeng's mother, took her hand and said, "Xiao San has to work at the hospital on New Year's Eve. It'll be lonely for you all alone. Come and spend the New Year at our home."
She smiled and politely declined.
Since she knew the relationship was going to end, why interfere so much in the other person's life? As she left, she saw a potted orchid on the coffee table in the Wang family's living room. It must have been the one she had given to Wang Wenfeng before; it was growing well, its leaves glossy. At that moment, her heart softened inexplicably. She felt happy that her feelings had been appreciated, but she still left without looking back.
On New Year's Eve, the factory did not give employees a holiday. The factory was required to "grasp revolution and promote production" and people were asked to "change customs and habits". Even during holidays, they had to continue working and producing.
Of course, that's what the policy requires, but it's people who implement it. It's not so rigid after all. It's not explicitly stated, but everyone tacitly knows that they can leave work early today. Usually, by 4 pm, most people have already left.
She also left early and returned to the dormitory, dragging the coal stove from the corridor into the room. She set up a small iron pot, where cabbage, vermicelli, and half a can of luncheon meat were bubbling happily. She had bought a pound of pork belly early, frozen it solid, and painstakingly sliced it into thin slices. She then put the slices into the not-so-spicy "hot pot," where the meat slices curled slightly in the hot broth. She pretended that she was cooking beef, and this little self-deception made her laugh.
Listening to the occasional laughter and chatter coming from outside the window, it sounded like the background noise from television during the Spring Festival in the past, so fitting for the occasion.
Zhan Chunlan suddenly remembered the bustling scene at the Jiangcheng pastry factory. Li Xiuxiu and Fan Hongying should be having their reunion dinner at home, right? She wondered if they were thinking of her.
She tapped the edge of the pot with her chopsticks, as if to mark the passing of the New Year.
Suddenly, she heard a knocking sound at the door. In the quiet night, Zhan Chunlan was startled, but remembering that this was in the factory and there were security guards on duty at the gate who wouldn't let anyone in casually, she mustered up her courage and opened the door.
Outside the door, Ms. Fang Li was wearing a long black coat over a gray turtleneck sweater, and a beige scarf that Zhan Chunlan had knitted for her before the Lunar New Year was wrapped around her neck. She was carrying a heavy food box, and unmelted snowflakes still clung to the ends of her hair.
"Auntie!" Zhan Chunlan was both surprised and delighted, and quickly stepped aside to let her into the house. "Why did you come on such a cold day? Come in and warm yourself by the fire."
Fang Li walked in with a smile, her gentle gaze sweeping over the tidy staff dormitory: "On New Year's Eve, I was worried about you, a young girl, spending the New Year away from home for the first time." She walked to the coal stove and warmed her hands by the fire. "I brought you some dishes and wanted to keep you company."
As she spoke, she walked to the table and opened the food box: "This is braised pork. I heard from Xiao San that you like it very much. I just don't know if Auntie's cooking is to your liking. It got cold on the way here, so you have to heat it up before eating. This is Haicheng smoked fish. It's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a perfect balance of sweet and salty. You probably haven't had it before, so you can try it."
Finally, she took out a plate of golden egg dumplings and looked at the bubbling soup pot on the stove: "These are perfect for adding to your soup, consider it an extra dish for you."
As Zhan Chunlan looked at the dishes gradually filling the table, she was about to speak when Fang Li brought out a plate of glutinous rice balls: "These are freshly made sesame-filled glutinous rice balls. We'll save them for tomorrow morning to wish for a happy reunion."
Looking at the steaming food on the table, and then at Fang Li's cheeks, which were slightly red from the cold wind, Zhan Chunlan suddenly couldn't speak.
No matter how hard life was at home, she never cried; no matter how much injustice the original owner suffered, she never shed a tear. But ever since she left that home, even though life was getting better day by day, her tears became uncontrollable.
The white glutinous rice balls still had a little bit of dry flour clinging to them, like snowflakes falling on tender buds just sprouting in spring. Zhan Chunlan stared at that speck of flour, and suddenly her vision fogged up—the fog gathered thicker and thicker, enveloping Fang Li's gentle face, the flickering flames in the stove, and the aroma of the hot soup filling the table.
She wanted to say "Thank you, Auntie," but something seemed to be stuck in her throat, and she could only manage to squeeze out a nasal "I...I'll go pour you some tea."
As she turned to grab the cup, two tears fell in quick succession. She ignored them, forcing herself to remain calm as she picked up a small pinch of tea leaves and put them in the cup. Then, she slowly poured out boiling water from the thermos, the rising steam calming her emotions.
When she turned around, apart from her slightly red eyes, she had returned to normal.
Ms. Fang Li pretended nothing had happened, took the teacup handed to her, and sat by the stove, sipping water slowly.
"Auntie, now that you've come, what will happen to the family?" Zhan Chunlan suddenly remembered that Wang Wenfeng's family should now only have his father, two older brothers, and a younger brother, four men at home.
"With a bunch of grown men at home, what do I need to worry about?" Ms. Fang waved her hand dismissively. However, she seemed to have forgotten something, but looking at the well-behaved little girl in front of her, she thought, "Never mind, it probably doesn't matter."
Seeing that she didn't care at all, Zhan Chunlan felt a little sorry for ruining their reunion, but... she really couldn't bear to part with her now. Some warmth is fine if you've never had it, but once you have it and then suddenly lose it, the feeling is just too painful. Let her be selfish this once.
“Well then, Auntie, let me get you another set of chopsticks and a bowl, let’s eat together.” With that, Zhan Chunlan got up to get the bowls and chopsticks. Although the dishes at her place couldn’t compare to the lavish spread at Ms. Fang’s house, at least Aunt Fang had brought the food herself; surely there were some she liked to eat…
“Okay, tonight my daughter and I are reunited. It’s perfect to have a family dinner!” Ms. Fang Li smiled broadly and thought that Zhan Chunlan was a poised and good girl.
Upstairs, a mother and daughter, who are not related by blood, enjoyed their meal immensely. Their conversation ranged from Wang Wenfeng to women and careers, filling the room with warmth and laughter.
Downstairs, Wang Wenchuan stamped his feet, turned his coat collar up high, and his breath condensed into white mist under the streetlights. He looked up at the yellow-lit window on the third floor of the dormitory, where red paper-cut plum blossoms were pasted. Two figures could be vaguely seen standing close together, and laughter could be heard from time to time.
"Didn't Mom say she was just bringing some vegetables to my sister-in-law and then coming down? How come they're chatting like this..." he muttered, his fingers red from the cold, and he couldn't help but breathe on his palms again.
He spun around twice, unable to bear it any longer, and shrank to the stairwell entrance to avoid the wind, muttering under his breath, "What 'come down immediately'? You really can't trust women's words..."
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