Snowflakes whirled and fluttered down, as if goose feathers were being scattered.
When Wang Ying got up in the morning, she saw the outside world dressed in silver and white. A thick layer had already piled up in the courtyard.
Xu Shuang took a shovel and cleared all the snow from the courtyard, piling it into a little pyramid with a sharp tip. Then he dug a hole in the middle, put a wooden box inside containing the meat and fish hung in the kitchen, and buried the whole box in the snow.
This kind of simple, natural refrigerator could last until spring thaw.
Wang Ying washed her face with a ladle of hot water. A gust of cold wind hit her, and instantly she was wide awake.
“What are we eating for breakfast?”
With no work to do, it seemed like each day had been reduced to just three matters: what to eat in the morning, what to eat at noon, and what to eat in the evening.
Xu Shuang said, “Hot dry noodles.”
A few days ago, when the family’s peanuts were pressed for oil, Xu Shuang had also pressed some sesame oil on the side. Then, after some thought, he put aside a jar each of sesame paste and peanut butter.
Originally, he had planned to save them for hotpot, but when he saw the snow that morning, she decided to make hot dry noodles instead.
It was cold, and if you only ate thin porridge in the morning, you’d be hungry again in less than half a day.
“Great, great! Put in more pickled long beans and peanuts.”
He kneaded the dough with lye water, then let it rest. While it was resting, Xu Shuang made a winter melon and kelp soup. After the lye noodles were boiled halfway, there was a step called “shaking the noodles”—scooping them out, adding a bit of sesame oil, and tossing them repeatedly with chopsticks.
Xu Shuang found a spot under the eaves sheltered from the wind to toss the noodles. With the cold air, in no time the noodles cooled down.
The shaken noodles took on a slight golden hue, each strand distinct. Xu Shuang put aside a portion, then mixed up a sauce—sesame paste loosened with sesame oil, plus half a spoonful of peanut butter.
The lye noodles were boiled to doneness, then mixed with the sauce, topped with spicy radish, pickled long beans, crushed peanuts, and chopped scallions. A spoonful of the braising broth simmering on the small stove was added in too. The hot noodles had to be eaten while still steaming.
The rich sesame paste coated every strand, while the winter melon and kelp soup was fresh and mild.
That breakfast left everyone utterly satisfied.
After eating, Xu Shuang went out to join the group—this year, they were still rotating between snow clearing and patrol duty. Wang Ying, meanwhile, put on the thick cotton shoes made by Old Lady Xu and trudged step by step through the snow to find her mother-in-law so they could go together to the brigade’s meeting hall.
Just as they reached the educated youth quarters, they happened to run into Zhang Ping and Jiang Li coming out, so the four went together.
Old Lady Xu had a good impression of Zhang Ping, so they chatted as they walked.
Old Lady Xu asked casually, “Why is it just you two? Aren’t the others going to listen to the radio?”
Listening to the radio was the most fashionable thing now, and every household in the brigade was very enthusiastic. The brigade had decreed that broadcasts would be played for four hours every day: two in the morning, two in the afternoon.
That way, even those on patrol or snow clearing could take turns to come listen.
These days, apart from talking about family gossip, people’s favorite pastime was discussing whatever they had heard on the radio.
After breakfast, they’d listen to the radio, then hear reports from meetings. In the afternoon, first they’d watch the children’s skits organized by Wu Guihua, then another two hours of radio.
What a fine life!
Zhang Ping said, “They’re busy.”
Busy with what? Naturally, busy with the primary school teacher positions and the university recommendation slots.
Zhang Ping explained, “I don’t study well, so I’m not joining the crowd. They’re all holed up studying. The exam is just a few days after the New Year.”
Brigade leader Tian Youfu kept very tight-lipped about the university recommendation quota, but the primary school teacher positions were something to work for.
Although the requirements for primary school teachers weren’t very high, of course the villagers wanted the best students. So they arranged for an exam before spring started. From the first batch, they would pick out two teachers—one for Chinese, one for math.
Zhang Ping knew she had come late, didn’t have enough seniority, and besides, her family conditions were good—there was a chance they might get her sent back home within a year or two. So she didn’t bother to compete.
Old Lady Xu turned to Jiang Li. Jiang Li said, “I’m not up for it either.”
She had been sent down earlier, and much of what she had once learned she had already forgotten, so she too simply didn’t participate.
The two of them had given up, but others certainly hadn’t.
Inside the educated youth quarters, Bai Ling slept in until she woke naturally. After getting up, she threw together something casual to eat, then wanted to look for Yu Pengcheng, only to find he was still asleep.
Bai Ling noticed several of the female educated youths already gathered together, studying, and she felt anxious.
“Have you seen Comrade Jiang?” she asked.
The moment she asked, one of the female educated youths was about to answer, but another quickly tugged her sleeve and gave her a look.
“No, haven’t seen him.”
Bai Ling was very displeased. She knew her reputation among the educated youths wasn’t very good—but did they really have to treat her like this?
They clearly knew where Jiang Lei was, yet refused to say. Such petty behavior! Obviously, they were just jealous that she had the means to keep hold of a man.
Bai Ling simply hugged the elementary school textbooks she had painstakingly procured and went to the male educated youths’ room to look for Jiang Lei.
As soon as she left, the remaining female educated youths began whispering among themselves.
“Were you just about to tell her that Jiang Lei is in the empty house over there?”
“I—I-I… forgot…”
“Stupid! From now on, don’t go sticking your nose into Bai Ling and Jiang Lei’s business. Don’t let yourself get dragged into their mess.”
“Mm, mm. Sister Song, I definitely won’t say anything.”
“Enough about them. Let’s hurry up and review. The exam’s only a few days away.”
“Sister Song, I don’t have any confidence… Sister Yang Hong’s Chinese is so good, and Jiang Lei’s math is excellent. Can we really compete with them?”
“Of course we can’t beat them.”
“Then what’s the point of studying? I’d rather go listen to the radio…”
“See? I told you you’re silly, and you still don’t believe me. The village school our brigade is opening—who knows, maybe kids from the surrounding brigades will also come study there in the future. Surely they won’t hold an exam every single time they need teachers, right? If we do well this time, when they pick more people next time, won’t we have a chance? Besides, even if there really is an exam every time, the more we study, the better we’ll be compared to others.”
Educated Youth Song clenched her fist. “As long as you study, the knowledge is yours! Even if we never become teachers, what we’ve learned will still be our own accumulation!”
Hearing Educated Youth Song’s words, the other female educated youths were also roused with ambition. They lowered their heads and began earnestly reading their books.
Meanwhile, Bai Ling went from house to house around the educated youths’ quarters until she finally found Jiang Lei in the very last empty room.
This empty room was being slowly renovated by the brigade to serve as a future classroom. Funds were tight, so the brigade had only installed a few windows and plastered the walls. Just a few days ago, they had even splurged on glass windows.
Desks and chairs wouldn’t be built until spring; in the middle of the room there was only one old table, which had originally been in the meeting hall. Since the meeting hall wasn’t used often, the table had been moved over here.
Poking her head in, Bai Ling saw Jiang Lei, bundled in thick clothes, sitting at the table—clearly studying.
Bai Ling felt rather displeased. Jiang Lei had promised before to tutor her.
In Bai Ling’s view, since there was only one slot for a math teacher, if Jiang Lei was going to tutor her, then he himself shouldn’t still be studying. Otherwise, when the time came, with just one spot, she’d never be able to beat him.
She felt Jiang Lei had no sense of loyalty to old classmates. The matter was plain as day, and she had already spelled it out clearly enough. If Jiang Lei had any sense, he ought to give up the slot to her, think hard about how to help her surpass the other educated youths. How could he hide away and study for himself?
“Jiang Lei, are you reading?”
Bai Ling stepped in and made a stiff attempt at small talk, then impatiently steered straight to the point: “Didn’t you say before you’d tutor me? I just happen to be free today, so let’s start.”
Though that’s what she said out loud, what she was really thinking was how to steer the conversation so Jiang Lei would give up on taking the exam.
Honestly—he was a man. Shouldn’t he be out working in the fields? Why was he competing with her, a female educated youth, over this slot?
So petty. No wonder she didn’t like him.
Jiang Lei was bent over solving problems. With no heated kang in the room, he was chilled to the bone, breathing into his hands for warmth as he scribbled calculations on scrap paper.
When he heard her, he only replied, “No rush, just wait a moment.”
Bai Ling was about to ask what he was waiting for when suddenly someone else walked in from outside.
Educated Youth Zhang Hong came in, carrying a tall stool, along with paper and pen. She was bundled up in a thick cotton coat, even wearing a heavy hat on her head.
It was obvious she had arranged this with Jiang Lei beforehand and knew exactly why she was here.
Bai Ling immediately grew unsettled. Zhang Hong was also an educated youth from Beijing, though she had arrived a year earlier than the two of them. They were about the same age, but both Bai Ling and Jiang Lei had never thought much of Zhang Hong, since she was stingy in daily life and sometimes liked to take little advantages within the educated youth quarters.
The people were warm and welcoming, but both Bai Ling and Jiang Lei felt that Zhang Hong embarrassed the reputation of people from the capital.
Zhang Hong walked in and, quite naturally, handed Jiang Lei a cup of hot water.
“Comrade Jiang, have a sip of water. Shall we get started?”
Bai Ling’s voice nearly whistled with indignation: “Jiang Lei! What do you mean by this?!”
He had said he would tutor her—so how could Zhang Hong suddenly be involved?
Throwing aside her usual pretenses, Bai Ling hurriedly demanded, “Didn’t you promise me first?”
How could he agree to one person and then bring in another halfway through?
Jiang Lei said, “Oh, Zhang Hong is also from our hometown. She wanted to study, so I let her come. Bai Ling, the three of us are all from the same place—teaching one or teaching two, it’s all the same. Don’t you agree?”
Agree, my foot!
There were only two teacher positions in total. The competition for the Chinese slot was fierce, while for math, Jiang Lei had the best chance. Now that he had brought Zhang Hong into the picture, wasn’t he just making things difficult for her?
Bai Ling bit her lip, tears glistening in her eyes.
If Zhang Hong weren’t here, she could still have had a proper talk with Jiang Lei, laying things out and analyzing the situation. After all, that fool probably hadn’t yet figured out what was really going on. She could have tricked Jiang Lei into tutoring only her for now. Then, on the day of the exam, by whatever means necessary, she would interfere with Jiang Lei and prevent him from attending. That way, the math teacher position would be secured for herself.
But with Zhang Hong present, Bai Ling could only resort to her old tactic—looking at Jiang Lei with eyes full of unspoken grievance, as though harboring a thousand injustices.
In the past, this trick had always worked best. Every time Jiang Lei saw her like this, he would leap up to defend her, demanding justice on her behalf.
But this time, it was clearly ineffective. Jiang Lei didn’t even glance at her; instead, he turned to Zhang Hong and began speaking.
“Where should we start? Which part do you feel you’re weakest in?”
Zhang Hong pointed at the borrowed third-grade elementary school textbook in her hands. “Let’s start from here. The first two years are all addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Starting here, new concepts get introduced. I know how to do them myself, but I always feel like I can’t explain them clearly.”
Jiang Lei: “Alright, then let’s start from here.”
“Jiang Lei…”
Bai Ling’s voice twisted around in eighteen turns, as if filled with endless affection and grievance.
Jiang Lei: “You sit down and listen too. I’m going to go through everything from the beginning for both of you.”
Bai Ling: …
Seeing that Jiang Lei was about to start teaching, Bai Ling could no longer care about anything else. She hurriedly sat down, opened her book, and pretended to listen.
In her heart, she still felt wronged, but she also knew that for now she had no other choice. Who told her to have so cleanly ditched Jiang Lei before, just to hook up with Yu Pengcheng?
Clearly, he was angry at her now.
But Bai Ling had no mind for the lesson; all her thoughts were on trying to figure out Jiang Lei’s attitude. She could hardly sit still.
And to make it worse, Zhang Hong seemed to be deliberately going against her. Not only was she studying seriously, she even asked questions from time to time.
“Comrade Jiang, I don’t really understand this part. Could you explain it again?”
“Alright, here you need to pay attention to the completeness of the concept, and build up the framework for the students…”
“You explained it so well. I’ve written it down. Oh, by the way, this is a fur hand muff my family sent me. You use it to warm your hands. You don’t need to keep holding things up—I see you’re not dressed very warmly. Just keep lecturing, no need to write it out for me.”
“Thank you. Let’s continue then…”
…
Bai Ling saw this and thought: This won’t do!
She quickly interjected herself: “Comrade Jiang, I have a pair of rabbit-fur gloves. I had Auntie Xu sew them on her machine just the other day. Gloves are much warmer than a muff. Wait here, I’ll go fetch them right now!”
Bai Ling darted out quickly.
As soon as she left, Zhang Hong and Jiang Lei—who had been sitting quite close—instantly shifted apart.
Watching Bai Ling’s figure run off, Zhang Hong sighed: “What’s she trying to do? She doesn’t even listen, yet insists on staying here.”
Jiang Lei snorted coldly: “Of course she acts this way when you’re around. That’s just her nature—she can neglect real work, but she’ll never allow another girl to outshine her.”
Zhang Hong asked, “So what’s your plan? She doesn’t seem like you said—running off the moment she sees me.”
Jiang Lei replied, “Then let her come. I bent over backward for her for so long, didn’t I? Isn’t it only right that she’s the one coming back now? You just help me play this act well. I won’t even take part in the math exam—then the math teacher position will be yours!”
Zhang Hong was astonished: “Is that really necessary? You’re giving up being the math teacher, just to spite her?”
Jiang Lei looked aggrieved: “Why shouldn’t I? She tricked me before—cheated me out of all the money I brought when I first came down here. And when I confronted her, she still tried to deny it. So why can’t I turn the tables on her?”
