Chapter 52 Traveling Together
At five o'clock in the morning, Cheng Ying woke up from her dream on time, as she was still licked awake by Da Huang.
When I woke up, the moon was still hanging in the sky, and it was still quite dark.
Cheng Ying reached out and patted Da Huang's head, indicating that she knew it was time to go to work.
She quickly got out of bed to wash up, went to the kitchen to cook something for her and Da Huang, then went back into the room, grabbed a change of clothes, put them in her mailbag, filled her water bottle with cooled boiled water, put the brocade pouch given to her by Zhuo Zuilan and the sachet given to her by Long Buxi into her pockets, and then quickly put the chili bottle given to her by Cheng Xue, the dry food given to her by Wan Shuhui, and all the other things she had bought into her crossbody bag, before slinging her mailbag over her shoulder and heading out.
She entered through the back door, and just as she was about to leave, she saw two bright green lights on the wall, staring at her.
She looked up and called to the little green light, "Little Black, I'm leaving now. I have to deliver the mail. I'll be back in three days. While I'm away, you have to keep a close watch on the house and don't let any thieves in."
The little black cat standing on the wall meowed and nimbly jumped down. It walked to Cheng Ying's side, rubbed its head against her leg, and meowed softly, as if asking her, "Human, where are you going? Are you going hunting outside?"
Big Yellow enthusiastically approached Little Black, wanting to lick it, but Little Black didn't hesitate to raise its paw and slap Big Yellow across the face.
There was no loud 'bang' sound, so the hit wasn't hard; it seems the intention was just to warn Big Yellow to stay away.
Big Yellow whimpered twice, took two steps back with a wronged expression, and looked at Cheng Ying with its dark dog eyes, as if it wanted to complain.
Unfortunately, there were no lights in the backyard, and the lighting was dim, so Cheng Ying couldn't see its expression at all. She just bent down, reached out and touched the little black furry head, then straightened up, opened the backyard gate, and called for Big Yellow to come.
After Dahuang walked out of the courtyard gate, Cheng Ying locked the back door and headed along the quiet alley in the backyard to the post office near the old street.
September has arrived, marking the beginning of autumn. The weather is gradually turning cooler, and Qingqu Town, located near the river, carries the cool, damp air of the riverbank early in the morning, along with a thin layer of mist.
Cheng Ying walked through many quiet, unlit alleys, with Da Huang following beside her. The alleys, paved with bluestone, were so quiet that only the sounds of the two of them walking could be heard.
Soon, she arrived at the old street where the post office was located. Nearby, many families who were about to go to work, or had to work, study, or open a shop to do business had already gotten up early and were busy in their kitchens, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys.
Some of the shop owners on the street recognized Cheng Ying and greeted her, saying, "Good morning, Comrade Cheng. You're up so early. Have you had breakfast yet? If not, why don't you have something to eat at my house before you leave?"
Cheng Ying stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. It was a hunchbacked old man who looked to be about sixty years old.
She remembered Cheng Jiantong telling her that this old man surnamed Ren had run a small restaurant before the founding of the People's Republic of China, and his cooking skills were absolutely superb.
His master was a famous chef in Rongshi who passed on his culinary skills to him. Later, due to war, he had to return to his hometown of Qingqu Town to work as a cook and support his family.
A few years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, reforms were carried out all over the country, and the collective system was implemented, prohibiting private restaurants from being opened. Old Man Ren was originally to be assigned to a state-run restaurant as a head chef, but because he was a hunchback and had a somewhat eccentric temper, the other head chefs in the restaurant could not get along with him and almost came to blows. He knew some lock picking skills, so the neighborhood committee assigned him to a locksmith shop near the post office, where he was responsible for making and replacing locks for the people in the town.
Because key duplication and repair was a state-owned enterprise, he earned a fixed salary. Since people in the town didn't need key duplication or lock replacement every day, he was quite idle and wanted to find something to do, so he secretly started taking on jobs as a private chef.
That shop was his storefront, and behind it was his house. He opened the shop before dawn every day and didn't close it until very late at night.
If someone came to his house for a meal, he would lead them to his backyard and cook whatever food he had on hand. There was no menu, but the food tasted great and was cheap. He didn't need meal tickets or meat coupons, making it much more cost-effective than eating at state-run restaurants.
Many diners would secretly go to his house to eat, and over time, the story of his private kitchen cooking spread throughout the entire Qingqu Town.
Of course, during those turbulent ten years, he was reported by many envious people for engaging in speculative activities, and was seized upon by the Red Sleeve Army to make trouble for him, causing him great suffering.
He was locked in a cowshed with those bad elements who were classified as the lowest of the low, and did hard labor for nearly five years before being released last year.
He was already sixty years old when he came out, his hair was white from the torment, his body was thin and his back was more hunched than before, making him look like a seventy or eighty-year-old man.
Cheng Ying remembers that when she was little, her father would bring her and her two daughters back from his mail delivery every year during festivals. He would secretly take them to Old Ren's place for a treat while the Cheng family was out on market day.
Old Ren always cooked very generous meals for them. Sometimes, when Cheng Jiantong wasn't home, Cheng Xue and Cheng Xue were so hungry that they came to town to study. When they passed by his shop, they would deliberately walk back and forth in front of his house a few times. If he saw them, he would ask if they had eaten. If they said no, he would give them two hot cornbread buns without charging them.
Now that Cheng Ying has grown up, perhaps knowing that she has taken over her father's job, Old Ren recognized her when he saw her hurrying to the post office early in the morning and asked her if she had eaten breakfast.
A warm feeling washed over Cheng Ying. Life is so bitter, and living is so difficult. But in the long years, there are always some people who, unintentionally, warm her heart and make her feel that the world is not so bad.
Whenever she suffers hardship, she always thinks of these warm people and warm things, and that gives her the courage to keep moving forward.
This is also one of the reasons why she did not regret giving up her promising future in the army and resolutely chose to return to her hometown to take over Cheng Jiantong's postman job and serve the villagers.
"Uncle Ren, it's been a long time." Cheng Ying walked towards the entrance of Old Man Ren's shop and greeted him with a smile, "I've already had breakfast. How are you doing, sir?"
"Hehe, I'm in good health." Old Man Ren, with his hunched back, walked out of the small shop, looked Cheng Ying up and down, and smiled kindly, "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, you've grown up so much, so beautiful and pretty, you can even do your father's work now. I still remember how you and your sister were when you were little, those skinny little yellow-haired girls."
"Uncle Ren, thank you for taking care of my sister and me back then. If it weren't for you often bringing us food, my sister and I would probably have starved to death."
Cheng Ying took out five yuan from her pocket and put it in Old Man Ren's hand. "Uncle Ren, please accept this money. It's a small token of my appreciation. I hope you won't find it offensive. Once I've finished my mail delivery and have some time, I'll definitely come here to try your cooking. I've been missing your cooking skills so much."
"Oh dear, why are you giving me money? Back then, all I gave you two sisters were some coarse grain cakes. I didn't give you anything good to eat. Why are you complaining?" Old Man Ren pushed the money back into her hand. "The reason I took care of you back then was because your father often delivered mail to me and helped me a lot. He helped me catch thieves, pulled strings, found someone to take my daughter-in-law who had a difficult childbirth to the county hospital, and helped me with my mother's funeral. Your father was a righteous man and helped me a lot. What's a little something for you two sisters? Take the money back."
Cheng Ying was somewhat surprised. She thought that Old Man Ren was kind to her and her sister simply because he was a good person, but she didn't expect it was because of Cheng Jiantong.
She put the money back into Old Man Ren's hand. "Uncle Ren, please keep this money. I remember how kind you were to my sisters and me. This is a token of my appreciation. If you don't accept it, how can I dare to come to your house for a meal again? A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. One should not forget one's roots, right? From now on, I will be running the mail in town. Every time I finish my mail run and don't feel like cooking, I will come to your house for a meal. Please cook something delicious for me."
"Come eat at my place, and I promise I'll cook your best meal." Old Man Ren couldn't refuse, so he had no choice but to accept.
Of course, he wouldn't take Cheng Ying's money for nothing. Seeing that Cheng Ying was about to leave, he told her to wait. He turned around and ran into his house behind his shop. He quickly ran back, carrying a small burlap sack containing five tea eggs, two pieces of dried sausage that he had made himself and which were already steamed, and two hot meat buns that were bigger than his face. He handed them to Cheng Ying.
"Take it with you on the way. The weather isn't so hot now, so these things won't spoil in a day or two. If you like the taste, I'll make it for you again next time."
"Uncle Ren..." Cheng Ying really didn't want it. These things would cost five yuan in total. Old Man Ren had taken her money and only gave her so many things. He really didn't want to take advantage of her at all. His honesty and kindness made her feel helpless.
"Don't tell me you don't want it or not. If you come to my place for dinner in the future, I won't cook for you." Grandpa Ren interrupted her, pretending to be angry, and told her, "Take it and eat it. Be careful on the road."
Helpless, Cheng Ying could only accept the food and put it into her crossbody bag.
When she arrived at the post office, the branch manager was still waiting for her and handed her all the mail belonging to her line.
This time there's a large package, weighing about ten kilograms. The branch manager said, "This is a package for an elderly couple in Ma'anshan. Their son, who has settled in the city, sent them canned goods, malted milk powder, clothes, dried meat, and other things, totaling about twenty kilograms. Normally, packages weighing over five kilograms should be picked up by the recipient in town, but one of the couple is lame and can't walk that far through the mountains, and the other is mentally challenged and can't come to town on his own. So the postman has to deliver it for them. In previous years, their son would send something this heavy every six months, and your father would always help deliver it to the elderly couple. This time it's your turn. Including other mail and packages, you'll be carrying over a hundred kilograms of mail on the job. Comrade Cheng, can you handle it?"
“No problem. I used to train in the army, and I often carried a pack weighing 100 or 200 pounds during marches. Carrying a mailbag weighing a little over 100 pounds is nothing to me.” Cheng Ying said, putting the heavy mailbag on her back and turning around in front of the branch office chief. “It’s alright, not heavy.”
The branch manager smiled and said, "As long as you can carry it, that's fine. If you can't carry it anymore, find a place to rest. There's no need to rush. Your own health is the most important thing. It's not a big problem if you come back half a day or a day later."
Cheng Ying thought to herself, "That's a big problem. She has to deliver mail twice a week, and if she comes back half a day or a day late, she'll have to use her own weekend rest time to make up for it."
In that case, she wouldn't be able to rest peacefully; she has to be in a hurry.
As I walked out of the post office with my mailbag on my back, the sky was already faintly turning light, and it wasn't so dark anymore.
Cheng Ying carried her mailbag and hurried towards Aimen Mountain. Just as she stepped out of the path outside the post office, she heard someone calling her.
"Cheng Ying".
Cheng Ying turned around and saw Wei Muchen running towards her, wearing a white polyester shirt and military green trousers, his hair disheveled and panting.
She frowned, pretended not to hear, and turned to continue walking.
"Cheng Ying, I called you, didn't you hear me?" Wei Muchen ran up to her quickly, reached out and grabbed her thin arm to ask.
"What are you doing here?" Cheng Ying impatiently shook off his hand.
Wei Muchen sensed her impatience and said breathlessly, "I've been thinking about this all night. I know you're stubborn, and I know you won't be happy to change your mind and come back to the army with me to file for marriage. I have to leave now to go back and persuade my mother. If you don't want to marry me, all my efforts will be in vain. So I thought I'd stay here for a while to let you see my feelings and sincerity, to let you understand my true love for you. After you change your mind, I'll take you with me to see my mother and ask her to agree to our marriage."
Cheng Ying clicked her tongue. "Did you even listen to what I told you yesterday? I said there are too many obstacles between us, and we can't be together anymore."
Wei Muchen: "No matter what you say, I will not give up on you. I haven't agreed to break up, so we're still dating."
Feeling extremely agitated, Cheng Ying decided to take a risky approach. "There's something I've never told you before, and I think it's time to lay it all out on you."
Wei Muchen's eyelids twitched, and he had a bad feeling.
Cheng Ying said without changing her expression: "When I was very young, my father arranged a marriage for me. When I came back this time, the other party brought the token that he gave me back then and asked me to marry him. I will marry him in the future and will not go with you."
Wei Muchen's expression froze instantly. He stared intently at Cheng Ying, his deep eyes burning with rage, his whole body filled with murderous intent. He gritted his teeth and said, "You dare to marry another man!"
Cheng Ying said expressionlessly, "My father owes someone a huge debt of gratitude. He can't repay it, so I have to do it."
Wei Muchen's expression shifted between anger and unease, his chest heaving with rage. It took him a while to calm down before he coldly looked at her and said, "Whether what you say is true or false, do you think I'll let you off just because you said that?"
Cheng Ying shrugged indifferently, "Believe it or not."
Wei Muchen was burning with rage, yet his mind remained calm as he considered whether Cheng Ying's words were true or false. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze filled with a dangerous glint. "Cheng Ying, this is a new era. Arranged marriages by parents are a thing of the past. I don't care who your father has betrothed you to, you are not allowed to marry him, and he can't take you away from me! Whatever his name is, where he lives, whether he wants money or power, or any other conditions, I can provide them. Take me to see him, and I will break off your betrothal with him!"
Cheng Ying cursed him under her breath, not wanting to waste any more words on him, and turned to leave.
Wei Muchen reached out and grabbed her wrist again. "If you don't tell me who he is, I'll keep following you until that person appears."
"Let go!" Cheng Ying's eyes flashed, and she coldly rebuked, "Don't interfere with my work!"
"I won't let go unless you tell me where that person is." Wei Muchen held her hand tightly, refusing to let go.
Cheng Ying was furious and wanted to chop off his hand; she felt nauseous whenever he touched her. She also wanted to call Da Huang to bite him, but she was afraid of provoking him and causing the opposite effect, which might kill Da Huang.
He could only swallow his anger and say, "Even if I tell you, there's nothing you can do about it. He's a Miao, the young chief of the Miao village, the future chief and Miao king. He knows how to concoct and use Gu poison. Do you want to die from his Gu worms?"
Wei Muchen was stunned for a moment, never expecting that her so-called childhood betrothal partner was actually a member of the Miao ethnic group.
He frowned. "So what if the other party is the Miao King? I will never give up the person I love! I don't believe that in this era of the rule of law, he would dare to use a curse on me. You shouldn't have said anything, because now that you've mentioned it, I'm determined to confront him."
He had already inquired about Cheng Ying's job duties and knew that the last place she arrived at on her mail route was a Miao village called Pucangzhai.
In the entire Qingshi County, there is only one Miao village and only one ethnic minority. Therefore, the betrothal Cheng Ying mentioned should be the future Miao king of Pucang Village.
He wanted to see what kind of charm or ability the other person possessed that made Cheng Ying willing to abandon him to be with that person.
Cheng Ying felt a lump in her throat. She had originally brought up the matter of the arranged marriage in the hopes that Wei Muchen would back down.
Who knew this lunatic would insist on getting to the bottom of things and even follow her to find someone.
She couldn't possibly refuse his company at this crucial moment. If she did, Wei Muchen would definitely realize she was lying, and it would be even more troublesome for her to get rid of him then.
But if Wei Mu actually went to the Miao village, he could easily expose her if he asked any Miao person a question. Besides, she hadn't even discussed pretending to be Long Buxi's childhood sweetheart yet...
Cheng Ying tried hard to suppress her frustration and make her voice sound normal. "Wei Muchen, I advise you not to go to him. Pucang Village does not welcome outsiders. If an outsider accidentally enters their village and violates their taboos, you will be tortured to the point of wishing you were dead."
“With you by my side, what can they do to me? Do you think I’m wearing this uniform for nothing? My skills are no worse than yours. If I really encounter a dangerous situation, are you just going to watch me die?” Wei Muchen said confidently.
He always felt that Cheng Ying loved him, whether in this life or the last. She had feelings for him, otherwise she wouldn't have forgiven him after knowing about his infidelity in the last life.
He didn't cheat on her in this life, nor did he do anything to wrong her. She just couldn't stand his mother's disapproval of her, so she broke up with him because of a fight. In fact, she loved him to death. How could she bear to see him being bullied?
Cheng Ying gritted her teeth and blurted out, "I warned you, but you didn't listen. You insisted on following me and brought this upon yourself. If you encounter any danger, see if I'll take care of you."
He turned and walked forward.
This lunatic, how dare he! Who cares if he's dead or alive? She wishes he were dead right now!
Wei Muchen followed behind her, unconvinced. "My fighting skills have won awards in military exercises. They're just some ignorant Miao people who only know how to play with insects. I'll just bring some insecticide powder. What can they do to me... Is your package heavy? Let me carry it..."
"Don't touch me, my package is very important, every single piece of mail inside must be accounted for, don't lose my mail."
"Okay, okay, you carry it, you carry it. Call me when you can't carry it anymore, and I'll carry it for you. I promise I won't lose your emails."
**
The mountain road was rugged, and the weather was gloomy.
In the southwest region, once autumn arrives, the weather is either sunny or cloudy, and it rains significantly less than in summer.
After autumn arrives, the mountains also show obvious changes. The grass and trees on both sides of the road are no longer lush and green. Many plants and trees gradually show signs of drying and turning yellow. The autumn wind blows the fallen leaves, creating a desolate scene under the gray sky.
Cheng Ying carried the heavy mailbag, walking and stopping intermittently. Da Huang walked in front of her, and Wei Muchen walked behind her.
Whenever she needed to rest, Wei Muchen would try to walk up to her and help her carry her pack, but Da Huang would always bark and howl at him.
It could sense that its little owner disliked this strange man, and it could also smell that the man was not very friendly to it.
After taking two breaks, Wei Muchen couldn't help but say, "Cheng Ying, what's the meaning of this dog? Every time I get close to you, it tries to bite me. Did you bring this dog to target me on purpose?"
Cheng Ying leaned against a haystack by the narrow mountain road to rest. Da Huang sat beside her, its bright eyes fixed on Wei Mucheng, looking very wary of him.
Cheng Ying reached out and stroked Da Huang's fluffy head, saying, "Why would I target you? Da Huang is my dad's dog. It's always been with him on his mail runs and has been a great help. I took over my dad's job, so of course I have to bring his dog with me. The first time I ran a mail run, I didn't know the way, and it was Da Huang who led the way. Da Huang is a very intelligent and perceptive dog. It can tell good people from bad people. If it doesn't like you, don't go near it, or it might bite you."
Wei Muchen's face darkened: "You mean, I'm a bad person?"
Cheng Ying raised her eyes: "I didn't mean that. It's just that the beast doesn't like you. Why bother arguing with a beast? If you do, you're not even as good as a beast."
Wei Muchen's expression changed. "Cheng Ying, don't you think you're going too far with your words?"
They even dared to indirectly call him a beast; it seems he had spoiled her too much in the past, making her forget what kind of person he really was.
Cheng Ying gave a forced smile. "I'm sorry, I've always been the kind of person who speaks the truth. I used to give you some face because you were Chief Wei's son, but now that we've broken up and are strangers, I'm too lazy to pretend anymore. I'm just a woman with a sharp tongue and a hard heart. If you can't accept my true personality, I advise you to leave as soon as possible and find someone else."
Wei Muchen sneered: "I know very well what kind of person you are. Don't think that just because you say some harsh words to me, I will give up on you. Let me tell you, don't even think about it."
Cheng Ying shrugged indifferently, put the mailbag back on her shoulder, stood up straight, and called to Da Huang: "Let's go, Da Huang, we're almost at the village committee of Aimen Village. Go to the ravine ahead and call out to the villagers that I'm here."
Da Huang gave her a soft "woof" and ran quickly to the mountain path ahead. Far away from Cheng Ying, it stood on a rock by the roadside in a mountain hollow and barked loudly a few times towards the village committee of Aimen Village, which was near the top of the mountain.
The call echoed through the valleys, and soon the villagers of Aimen Village heard it. Those with letters or packages flocked to the village committee.
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