The weather was getting colder and colder, and the New Year was fast approaching, but the production team still had work to do every day. These days, farmers were much busier than factory workers; factory workers had weekends off, but farmers had no rest all year round. When Zhao Jinyun was the director, everyone had to work on the first day of the Lunar New Year to demonstrate his authority as director.
Do farmers really have that much work to do? Certainly not. It's more of a formality; production efficiency is low, and productivity is extremely low. They work year-round without rest, yet the harvest isn't even enough to feed everyone.
Even if there's nothing to do, you still have to go to work. If you don't work, you don't get paid. Even if you're just going to dawdle or fill in the numbers, you still have to show up. The busy winter in Moon Bay was meaningful. Everyone spent more than a month resting and repairing the entire tea mountain. The originally messy tea mountain has been given a new look and has become full of vitality, just waiting for the spring to come and for the tea to sprout and be picked.
That day, Zhao Mingyue was working at a restaurant when one of her colleagues said, "Tonight, they're showing a movie at Luoshuiwu, a new film called 'Soaring Eagles,' which tells the story of the air force during the Korean War. Anyone want to go see it?"
The movie "Lower Water Dock" wasn't too far from them; young people are fast walkers, so it would only take about an hour to walk there. Since it was a new movie and not too far, most young people definitely wanted to see it. Therefore, everyone enthusiastically signed up, and a large group was quickly gathered.
Yu Youfen asked Zhao Mingyue, "Mingyue, are you going?"
Zhao Mingyue glanced at Yu Youfen and shook her head: "I don't plan to go." She was very familiar with these kinds of old movies, so she wasn't interested and would rather stay home and read a few more pages of a book.
But when she went back at noon, Zhao Mingyue was stopped by her brother: "Mingyue, let's go see a movie together."
"What? Are you trying to drag me along to be your cover again?" Zhao Mingyue glanced at her brother.
Zhao Minglang chuckled: "Good sister, go ahead."
Zhao Mingyue thought for a moment: "You still haven't solved that function problem for me. When will you solve it?"
Zhao Minglang scratched his head: "I'll definitely find a way to help you solve it. As long as you come with me to see a movie." Zhao Minglang usually asks Shen Xuyue for help with problems he can't solve himself. However, recently, as the year draws to a close, the commune has been holding frequent meetings to formulate plans for the coming year. Shen Xuyue is so busy that he can hardly find anyone, so the problem remains unsolved.
"Have you prepared a torch?" Zhao Mingyue asked. It was pitch black, and there was no moon. Walking such a long way in the dark was too dangerous.
"Don't worry, I've found the sunflower stalks," Zhao Minglang assured him, patting his chest.
"Where did this come from? Didn't we run out of ours a long time ago?"
Sunflower stalks refer to the stalks of sunflowers. In autumn, when sunflowers are harvested, the sunflower heads and stalks are kept together. After the sunflower seeds are removed, the stalks are soaked in a pond for one or two months to fully ferment. Then they are taken out and dried thoroughly, becoming excellent torches. Sunflower stalks ignite exceptionally well; ordinary winds cannot extinguish them. A single sunflower stalk can burn for more than half an hour, making it far more effective than ordinary bundles of straw.
Zhao Minglang chuckled, "I asked Shitou to come with me; his family planted a lot of sunflowers this year." Not many people grow sunflowers here, so sunflower stalks have become a hot commodity.
Zhao Mingyue said, "I'll agree for the sake of the sunflower stalk."
Before it got dark, after dinner, Zhao Mingyue went out with her brother. As usual, Zhao Mingyue went to call Yu Youfen. Yu Youfen was quite surprised when Zhao Mingyue called her, because she had asked Zhao Mingyue that morning, and she said she wasn't going. If Zhao Mingyue wasn't going, Yu Youfen naturally wouldn't go to the movies either. The girls her age in the village looked down on her family background and refused to associate with her too closely. Only Zhao Mingyue didn't mind and was close to her. Although Yu Youfen wasn't really going to the movies with Zhao Mingyue, but rather to go on a date with Zhao Minglang, these days, without a close female friend to cover for them, single men and women going out on dates alone would be the subject of gossip.
Zhao Mingyue called from outside the door, and Yu Youfen sweetly answered, quickly tidied herself up, and went out. As soon as she came out, Yu Youqing followed. Zhao Mingyue saw Yu Youfen and was about to say, "Let's go," when she saw Yu Youqing: "Youqing, are you going to the movies too?"
Yu Youqing nodded: "I'll go take a look too."
Zhao Minglang said, "Let's go together then. Shi Tou is waiting for us at the village entrance."
The people going to the movie were mostly young people and teenagers, at an age where they love to play and have fun. They laughed and joked as they left the village. Zhao Mingyue and her friends were walking behind when they heard someone else chasing after them: "Are all the people in front going to the movie? Want to go together?"
Upon hearing the voice, Zhao Mingyue realized it wasn't the standard Mandarin spoken by the educated youth. Turning around, she saw three or four educated youth approaching. The one at the back was very tall, and his build somewhat resembled Shen Xuyue. Her heart skipped a beat. Shen Xuyue was going to the movies too? The group quickly caught up, and upon closer inspection, Zhao Mingyue realized it was none other than Shen Xuyue.
Zhao Minglang was already greeting them: "Are you going to see a movie too?"
“Yes, I heard it’s a new movie, about the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. I really want to see it,” said one of the educated youth.
Shen Xuyue laughed and said, "Wei Guo's biggest dream is to become a pilot, so of course he can't miss a movie like this."
Hearing Shen Xuyue's voice, Zhao Mingyue's heart pounded wildly. She was both excited and nervous. She secretly turned her head to look at Shen Xuyue, only to find that he was also looking at her. Their eyes met, and they both smiled shyly before turning their heads away.
Because they were rushing to see the movie, afraid of being late and it already starting, everyone walked very fast, almost running. Fortunately, they were all young and had good stamina. In those days, there were few means of transportation, and walking was the main mode of transport. Walking dozens of miles was no problem at all. The men walked faster and were usually in front, while the women walked slower and lagged behind. There were usually a few men at the back to bring up the rear. Zhao Minglang consciously stayed behind to protect his sister and girlfriend. Yu Youqing followed him, and a few other educated youths, for some reason, also fell behind.
As Zhao Mingyue hurried along, she listened to their conversation. One of the educated youth, Liu Weiguo, said, "This might be the last time we watch a movie together. I'll be going back home after the New Year."
His companion said enviously, "I really envy you. By then, only a few of us will be left. I wonder when I'll get to have such a good opportunity."
Liu Weiguo said, "Isn't your family helping you find a job?"
The man shook his head: "I don't know when it will be implemented."
Shen Xuyue said, "Don't worry, no one will leave later than me. I'll be the last one to leave."
The group fell silent. Shen Xuyue's family situation was quite different from that of these ordinary educated youths. While others were busy finding ways to return to the city, Shen Xuyue's family members were scattered all over the world, with no one helping to make arrangements unless his father's problem was completely resolved.
As Zhao Mingyue listened to their conversation, she felt a mix of emotions. She hoped that Shen Xuyue could go back soon, but she also hoped that he would stay a little longer. She didn't know when this conflicting feeling had started.
Just as she was lost in thought, Yu Youfen nudged her, saying, "Mingyue, my brother is asking you a question."
Zhao Mingyue suddenly woke up with a start: "Huh? What's wrong?"
Yu Youqing said, "I'm asking you how you usually study English?"
Zhao Mingyue tried to cheer herself up: "First memorize the words, then recite the text."
Yu Youqing said, "I didn't learn the International Phonetic Alphabet well before, so I don't pronounce many sounds accurately and I'm not very confident in reading them." These days, there are quite a few boys who struggle with English. Many subconsciously harbor aversion and hatred towards British and American imperialism, and are subjectively unwilling to learn it. Of course, some genuinely lack language talent. Yu Youqing belongs to the latter group. He excels in science subjects, but struggles with humanities, especially English.
Zhao Mingyue said, "I think you should learn the International Phonetic Alphabet first, and then you can rely on memorizing more words and texts to gradually improve your sense of language." Zhao Mingyue's English is actually based on her past life. She later studied English specifically to deal with foreign clients, and her listening and speaking skills are not a problem at all. Now she mainly needs to strengthen her writing skills, which is not difficult either.
“But the International Phonetic Alphabet is a big problem,” Yu Youqing said with some difficulty.
Yu Youfen said, "Mingyue, why don't you teach my brother? I've almost forgotten everything."
Zhao Mingyue looked at Yu Youqing, hesitated for a moment. If this were ten years from now, there probably wouldn't be any problem. But in this era, the boundaries between men and women were too clear, which would definitely attract gossip. Zhao Mingyue was still prepared to agree; she didn't care about anything else, so why should she be afraid of a few rumors? Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly heard Liu Weiguo say, "Is Yu Youqing planning to learn English? He can ask Xu Yue any questions. His English is fluent; he can even read original English novels. Xu Yue, right?"
Shen Xuyue turned to look at them: "What did you say?"
Zhao Mingyue looked at Shen Xuyue with a slight surprise. He was actually that good? “My classmate Yu Youqing wants to learn English. He said he doesn’t know how to pronounce the International Phonetic Alphabet and wants to find someone with a more standard pronunciation to teach him.”
Shen Xuyue nodded: "It's a good thing to love studying. I'm usually in the dorm at night. You can come find me if you want." Shen Xuyue wasn't necessarily a very enthusiastic person, but he was willing to help Zhao Mingyue with this favor.
Yu Youqing had originally wanted to find an opportunity to get closer to Zhao Mingyue, but he didn't expect Shen Xuyue to offer to help him. Since the other party was the village party secretary, he naturally had no reason to refuse: "Then I'll trouble Secretary Shen. I'll come to you for advice next time I have a question."
Shen Xuyue smiled and said, "No problem. If you have any questions, just come to me. I will answer them to the best of my ability."
As darkness fell and the road became obscured, the people ahead lit torches, and Shi Tou lit his sunflower stalks. The bright, warm firelight illuminated the path beneath their feet. They hurried along, and by the time they arrived, the movie had already started ten minutes earlier. They found a place to sit on the outskirts, and the men ran to someone's haystack and pulled out two large handfuls of dry grass, which they spread on the ground. Everyone huddled together to sit down.
Zhao Mingyue looked up at the movie screen, engrossed in the film. A few moments later, several men got up and left. Zhao Mingyue glanced up; her brother had also left, presumably to buy sunflower seeds. She resumed watching the movie, and soon the men returned. One of them sat down next to Zhao Mingyue and whispered in her ear, "Want some sunflower seeds?" His breath warm against her ear.
Zhao Mingyue turned her head and, in the light of the movie screen, saw the other person clearly. It was Shen Xuyue. The person who had been sitting next to her earlier seemed to be Yu Youqing. Before she could think any further, Shen Xuyue asked again, "Zhao Mingyue, want some melon seeds?"
Zhao Mingyue quickly replied, "Okay, thank you."
Shen Xuyue put his hand in his pocket and grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds: "Here you go."
Zhao Mingyue had no choice but to quickly reach out to catch it. Shen Xuyue was holding a larger handful of sunflower seeds, and worried that Zhao Mingyue's small hands wouldn't be able to handle them, he placed his left hand under hers, protecting her palm. Zhao Mingyue felt a jolt of electricity travel from the back of her hand to her heart, a tingling, numb sensation—it was like being electrocuted. Shen Xuyue clearly felt the same thing; his hand trembled, and he dropped some of the sunflower seeds.
Both of them felt a little hot and their hearts were pounding. Shen Xuyue forced himself to calm down and said in a low voice, "Take it."
Zhao Mingyue quickly reached out her other hand, cupped both hands together, and Shen Xuyue placed the melon seeds in her palm. Zhao Mingyue's ears turned slightly red: "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
When Yu Youqing returned, he found that his seat had been taken by Shen Xuyue, and Zhao Mingyue was eating the sunflower seeds that Shen Xuyue had given her. She was in a bad mood. He held the two bags of sunflower seeds in his hand and thought to himself, "I should have just poured them into my pocket instead of asking that person to wrap them in paper. I could have just poured them into my pocket and taken them back without wasting time and having my seat taken."
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