First date
The dim light of daylight streamed in through the window, illuminating the entire room.
As usual, a lunchbox was half-suspended on the table leaning against the door; further inside was a simple wooden cabinet with four doors, used to store clothes to be worn recently; next to the wardrobe were two large and heavy camphor wood chests, storing winter quilts and thick cotton clothes that were not yet needed.
A kettle and a cup were also placed on the camphor wood chest.
A small bed was hidden behind the wooden cabinet and chest. There was no one on the bed, only a small, bulging quilt that rose and fell rhythmically.
The first thing to emerge was a smooth, white thigh, followed by the other. After several months of not touching the ground, its skin gradually returned to its original color.
Then, Wang Shuitao slowly sat up, but her head was still covered by the blanket. She remained in this position for a while before quickly pulling off the blanket and rubbing her face with both hands like an otter to wake herself up.
She jumped out of bed, shuffled to the box in her plastic slippers, and poured herself a glass of warm water.
The plastic slippers were made from summer sandals. The back strap of the left shoe came off, so Wang Shuitao simply tore off the back straps of both shoes and wore them as slippers.
The rounded toes twitched. The trimmed nails had already grown a little white edge, so it could wait another three to five days before trimming them again.
The leftover water in the kettle was used for brushing teeth and washing face.
Take off the loose short-sleeved shirt and put on a cotton vest. That's my underwear now. It's very loose and doesn't provide much support. It only helps prevent nipples from showing. When the weather gets cold and I have to wear two layers, I don't need to wear a vest anymore.
This is also a way for women to save money nowadays; if they only wear it in the summer, they can wear it for several more years.
However, Wang Shuitao always felt insecure without wearing it, so she continued to wear it underneath as usual.
Wearing a white shirt with small floral print, a bright red cardigan, an ankle-length skirt, and white sneakers, Wang Shuitao opened the door.
"morning."
Seeing Meng Songying waiting outside the door for who knows how long, a smile unconsciously appeared in her eyes, and she greeted him.
Meng Songying was stunned for a long time, her gaze shifting from Wang Shuitao's face to her clothes and then to her shoes, before finally landing in a panic on Wang Shuitao's short hair.
After being properly nourished, her hair became even darker and shinier, and when she let it down, it was just the right length to her shoulders.
"morning."
It took Meng Songying quite a while to remember to greet him, her voice low.
Wang Shuitao had gotten used to his voice automatically changing when he was shy. A couple of days ago, he brought two movie tickets and stammered, asking if he wanted to go see a movie together.
It is "The Story of Liubao".
She naturally agreed; while the shy Ah Ying was adorable, she was always reluctant to tease her too much.
Even a movie ticket costing five cents is a luxury for most families with an income of only twenty yuan these days.
The two stood an arm's length apart as Meng Songying slowly recounted the history of the film.
It turns out that it was first released in 1957.
Wang Shuitao guessed, "Is it about revolutionary predecessors?"
Meng Songying blushed deeply and kept staring straight ahead, refusing to look at the curious eyes of the people around her.
"I guess so."
A barely audible voice sounded beside her, clearly concealing something, which made Wang Shuitao even more eager to see what the movie was about.
The dark screening room was nearly empty. Wang Shuitao's seat was number seven, in the fourth row, but the seat next to her was number nine.
Meng Songying's nose was slightly sweaty. After some investigation, she regretfully discovered that the odd and even seats were separated. Seats number eight and seven were not only separated by a narrow central aisle, but also by more than a dozen seats.
Before the movie started, Wang Shuitao tugged at his sleeve, stood up, put one leg on the chair, and whispered in his ear, "You go first, and I'll come back if no one's here later."
"Um."
The tone of the voice trembled slightly at the end, and the simple syllables sounded like a leaky balloon.
Meng Songying's ear immediately felt like it was on fire, and he obediently went over.
The words "August First Film Studio" appeared in white on the black screen, and a burst of rousing music began to play. It was unclear what instrument was playing, but the melody was very familiar.
The movie started.
A black-and-white painting featuring a large tree, white clouds, and houses hangs on the screen, with the names of the director, actors, and others appearing one by one.
Wang Shuitao glanced in Meng Songying's direction, but people were still coming in through the door, so she decided to wait a little longer.
A calm river, high white clouds, vast rice paddies, and soldiers marching in formation on the paddy field ridges—after a long prelude comes a narration, and the somewhat awkward filming techniques reveal a simple charm.
The soldiers who appeared at the beginning all had handsome faces like fair-skinned scholars.
Wang Shuitao gradually became engrossed in the text.
Surprisingly, the film's theme is love, a topic that has become cliché in later generations but is now considered taboo.
Suddenly, something heavy appeared beside me, and sunflower seeds wrapped in a newspaper rolled up like an egg cone were offered to me.
Meng Songying sat down in the dark at seat number nine: "Those coming in now don't have tickets."
The people behind him were either cinema staff or people sneaking in to watch the movie, so there was definitely no one in number nine, which is why he came over.
The movie only showed a short segment, but fortunately, the two could spend the rest of the time together feeling both sad and happy about the situation of the vice class monitor and the second sister.
In the spring of 1944, the Second Company of a certain unit of the New Fourth Army arrived in the Liubao Village area for training and reorganization. This was a newly developed area, and when the soldiers began their work of serving the people, the Fourth Platoon stayed at the home of an old man named Tian.
Old Tian had a young and beautiful daughter, Er Meizi, who became acquainted with Li Jin, the deputy squad leader of the fourth squad. During their interactions, their feelings for each other began to stir, and the seeds of love were sown. However, the struggle between the enemy and ourselves at that time was brutal, and falling in love would affect the morale of the troops and the discipline of the masses.
The fourth platoon and the company headquarters swapped housing, and for the first time, Li Jin overcame his personal feelings.
Second Sister was coerced by a traitor to seek help from Li Jin, hoping the army would rescue her. During the rescue, Second Sister was kidnapped, but Li Jin saved her, and the seeds of love between the two sprouted.
As the story nears its end and the troops are about to set off, Li Jin is caught in a painful internal struggle. With the help of his instructor, he overcomes his personal feelings for the second time and joins the troops on their southward expedition.
The familiar melody played once again, this time with lyrics—
"The bright sunshine of the ninth day of the ninth lunar month is here!"
I, your eighteen-year-old brother, told Xiao Yinglian
This journey involved crossing mountains and seas.
He's been gone for three or two years and hasn't returned.
On this journey, guns flew like a forest and bullets rained down.
"May we meet again after the revolution's victory!"①
Five years passed in the blink of an eye. Li Jin had been promoted to company commander, and Er Meizi had joined the Party and become a cadre. They reunited on a grain transport ship supporting the southward journey.
"The bright sunshine of the ninth day of the ninth lunar month is here!"
Eighteen-year-old brother, listen carefully to me, Xiao Yinglian.
Even if you go thousands of miles away
Even if you don't return it for ten or eight years"②
When she came out, Wang Shuitao was momentarily unable to adjust to the bright sunlight outside. A large hand was placed in front of her forehead to silently shield her from the sun.
The movie has a happy ending, but on the way to the state-run restaurant, Meng Songying is very silent and doesn't say a word. Wang Shuitao can easily tell the difference between them.
"What's wrong?"
As people walked out of the theater after the show, they passed by the two of them. Meng Songying's lips twitched, but she ultimately didn't say anything.
"It's nothing, let's go."
That day, he went to the farm to look for the jade pendant that the Song couple had hidden, but was discovered by Song's father. In the struggle, both of them were injured, but one was old and frail while the other was strong and healthy, so half of the jade pendant ended up in Meng Songying's hands.
Song's father lay on the ground, pondering the recent changes for a while, and could guess why Meng Songying had suddenly acted this way.
His face was clearly contorted with rage, yet he feigned concern: "Ah Ying, nothing stays hidden forever. You need to understand that some people can keep you in turmoil without any evidence. Do you really want to drag that girl down with you and live in fear for the rest of your life? Or are you planning to lie to her for the rest of your life?"
Meng Songying certainly wouldn't let Wang Shuitao be with him without knowing anything, so he quickly confessed everything.
But he had clearly resolved everything, and upon careful consideration, he had not overlooked any faults. Clearly, he was not the one in the wrong, so why was his heart always hanging in mid-air?
The film's portrayal of how personal love and affection cannot withstand the grand sweep of history and must yield to it once again stirred up his deep-seated anxieties.
"Ah Ying, we've arrived."
A hand reached out, past a safe arm's length, and patted his arm. Wang Shuitao frowned and looked at Meng Songying, who seemed lost in thought, reminding him that they had arrived at the state-run restaurant.
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