Chapter 60

Beicha was a vast but sparsely populated place. Most of the locals were descendants of people who had fled famine and sought refuge here during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republican era. The rest were those who had moved in after the founding of the country, recruited from other provinces to work in factories or manage the forestry station. The land at the foot of the mountain where the Li family lived was not only spacious but also had plenty of unused plots. When Li Muwu went to the neighborhood office to request land for his son’s marriage, they approved it immediately. After all, getting married and having children was a big deal—Beicha had a small population, and without more births, how could they contribute to socialist development?

Seeing how accommodating the officials were, Li Muwu hesitated for a moment before asking, “My third son is getting married next year, but my fourth son will be graduating soon too. And my second son, though he’s in the military now, could return at any time. Why don’t you just approve a plot big enough for all of them?”

The neighborhood officer gave him a look, a little speechless. “Old Li, do you know how much it costs to build a house? Your salary is enough to support your whole family, but building houses is another matter. Just look at how much empty land is around your area—it’s not that people don’t want to build houses, they just can’t afford to. Don’t just ask for land without thinking it through. If it ends up sitting idle, I won’t be able to back you up.”

Li Muwu, not the best with words, simply grinned sheepishly and tried to explain, “I plan to build for my third son first and then for my fourth at the end of next year. Besides, it’s not just my salary covering the cost—my eldest brother and fourth brother send money for our mother’s retirement, and my second son’s military pay isn’t small either. Otherwise, how could I afford to build three houses?”

At the mention of Li Mingxi’s military stipend—nearly 600 yuan every six months—the official’s eyes lit up with envy. “Your second son is really something, earning such a high salary right after graduating. That’s a first for our neighborhood! By the way, what does he do in the army? Does he have a fiancée? I have a niece who just graduated high school—she’s very pretty. Want me to introduce them?”

“I don’t know exactly. He said it’s classified, and he hasn’t been back for years. No point in setting him up—it’d just waste the girl’s time,” Li Muwu replied with a good-natured laugh. “So, about the land—do I get it or not?”

“Approved!” The official stamped the document decisively. “As long as you have the means to build, we’ll grant the land.”

Li Muwu had attended literacy classes and could recognize some characters. He struggled through reading the document but found no issues. Carefully folding it up and tucking it into his coat, he pulled out a cigarette pack from his pocket and offered one to the officials. “These were brought back from Ice City by my fourth son last New Year. You can’t buy them around here.”

The officials quickly accepted, some lighting up immediately while others sniffed the cigarette before tucking it behind their ears.

With the paperwork secured, Li Muwu rushed home and handed the approval letter to Granny Li. She shot him a glare and smacked his backside with her tobacco pipe. “Forgot your old mother can’t read? Read it out loud for me.”

Li Muwu stammered his way through the document. Only then did Granny Li take it, carefully placing it inside a used notebook in her wooden chest. She patted the kang bed and signaled for him to sit. “It’s already autumn—snow will be falling in a month. Get people to start building now, or else the ground won’t thaw until after Qingming Festival. Also, go to the carpenter today and order a large wardrobe, two big trunks, and a kang table. He should have them finished by winter.”

Li Muwu memorized the instructions and hurried off to handle the tasks.

—

Mingnan worked at the power plant of the hydrolysis factory. The power plant was in the same area as the public bathhouse, barber shop, clinic, supply and marketing cooperative, and fire station—all part of the logistical support unit.

As soon as lunchtime rolled around, Mingnan quickly washed his face and tidied his short hair in front of a mirror. Feeling pleased with himself, he made his way to the hospital.

Tall with thick eyebrows and large, expressive eyes, Mingnan was always polite when speaking, so the young nurses at the hospital all remembered him. When he arrived, one of the bolder nurses approached him with a smile. “Engineer Li, what brings you here? Picking up some medicine?”

Mingnan absentmindedly shook his head. “No.”

The nurse was about to ask if he was visiting a patient when he suddenly spotted Meng Xiaoxi walking out of the office. His eyes instantly brightened, and he rushed over.

Meng Xiaoxi looked up at him, her cheeks turning slightly pink. “You’re here?”

“Mm!” Mingnan nodded enthusiastically. He stared at her for a long moment before finally remembering why he had come. “Uh… I came to pick you up for lunch at the cafeteria.”

Meng Xiaoxi nodded, her large, bright eyes flickering toward him before shyly turning away. “I’ll go change my clothes.”

Watching her leave, Mingnan couldn’t help but grin widely. Meanwhile, the nurse who had tried to strike up a conversation with him stood awkwardly to the side. Trying to act nonchalant, she returned to the nurses’ station but couldn’t resist asking, “Are you and Meng Xiaoxi dating?”

At the mention of “dating,” Mingnan’s excitement was impossible to hide. His head shot up eagerly.

Just then, Meng Xiaoxi emerged and caught sight of his expression. She playfully rolled her eyes at him. “Silly.”

She had taken off her white coat, revealing a blue-and-white striped sailor shirt underneath. The look was both stylish and flattering. As she walked past him, she hesitated slightly before moving forward. Mingnan quickly followed. Once they stepped outside and saw that no one was around, he lowered his voice and said, “That shirt looks great on you. I have a sailor shirt too—let’s wear matching ones tomorrow.”

Meng Xiaoxi giggled, her large eyes crinkling into crescent moons, dimples appearing on her cheeks. “Who wants to match with you? Isn’t that embarrassing?”

Mingnan grinned sheepishly, feeling his heart pound so fast it was about to leap out of his chest.

The hydrolysis plant occupied more than half of Beicha District’s town area. As a result, not only did each branch have its own cafeteria, but there were also shared cafeterias in different areas. Although the food in each place was similar, every chef had their own unique flavor. Changing locations from time to time still brought a sense of novelty.

The two of them took their meal boxes and lined up at the window. It was autumn, and the cafeteria had a good variety of dishes. Ming Nan craned his neck to look for a while and saw that today’s menu included braised pork with green beans, braised pumpkin with potatoes, and braised catfish with eggplant. Being a young man of twenty with a hearty appetite, he ordered a large portion of the catfish with eggplant and the pork with green beans, along with two whole-grain steamed buns. Meng Xiaoxi, who had a small appetite and preferred sweet dishes, only got the braised pumpkin with potatoes and two ears of corn.

Ming Nan glanced at her meal box, then placed both pieces of fish he had bought into Meng Xiaoxi’s meal box. “They say ‘Braised catfish with eggplant could stuff an old man to death.’ This is the first time the cafeteria has made braised catfish this year. Try it and see if it’s any good.”

Meng Xiaoxi looked at her meal box, a little troubled. “But I’m afraid I won’t be able to finish it. It would be such a waste.”

“No worries, isn’t that what I’m here for?” Ming Nan grinned at her. “Whatever you can’t finish, I’ll eat.”

Meng Xiaoxi blushed again. She took a bite of the fish and smiled at Ming Nan. “It’s delicious!”

In that instant, Ming Nan felt like his soul was about to fly away.

Back in school, Ming Nan had always been an honest and straightforward guy. Unlike Ming Dong, he had never read any romantic love stories. To him, love was the simplest and most sincere thing—if he liked someone, he would give them his whole heart and wish he could offer them the entire world.

Meng Xiaoxi, experiencing her first love, encountered Ming Nan’s direct and passionate approach, and it didn’t take long before she fell deeply for him. She found herself thinking about Ming Nan all the time—looking forward to eating with him, taking walks by the river together, and even smiling to herself while washing dishes at home in the evening.

Madam Meng watched her daughter’s frequent daydreaming and sighed in concern. She nudged Master Meng, motioning for him to look at Meng Xiaoxi, who was knitting a sweater. “Look at your daughter. She’s only been with Li Ming Nan for a month, and it’s like she’s lost her soul.”

Master Meng saw that although Meng Xiaoxi’s hands were busy knitting, her eyes were gazing into space, and she occasionally pursed her lips in a smile. He cleared his throat lightly. “Well, that’s why the country promotes free love these days. Marriage built on emotional foundation means they’ll live a sweet life together in the future.”

Madam Meng scoffed. “Wait until they have a bunch of kids and spend their days worrying about food, oil, and firewood—then we’ll see how sweet it is. It’ll be no different from drinking bitter water. But at least Xiaoxi is better off than I was…” She shot a glance at Master Meng, then turned her face away in mock disdain. “At least she’s had a taste of sweetness. I’ve spent my whole life drinking bitter water.”

Master Meng felt indignant. “What do you mean ‘drinking bitter water’? Since the day we got married, my wages have never stayed in my pocket for more than half a day. I put them in my wallet in the morning, and by noon, I had to bring them back to you. If that’s bitter water, then what are the other wives drinking? Arsenic?”

Madam Meng couldn’t help but laugh and scolded him playfully. Master Meng himself couldn’t hold back his laughter either. “Alright, stop with the nonsense. We should pick a day to invite Ming Nan over for a proper meal. They’ve been together for over a month, and he walks Xiaoxi home from work every day, but he hasn’t had a formal meal at our place yet.”

“Why not invite his whole family?” Madam Meng clapped her thigh, making the decision. “You can chat with his father, and I can talk with his mother and grandmother. Let’s do it this Sunday—neither of you have work then.”

Master Meng tapped a cigarette on the table. “We don’t have much pork left from last month. Will we be able to buy more this week?”

“It should be fine. I’ll talk to the neighbors and see if they can lend us some meat for a month. We have to make it look decent at least.” Madam Meng said, “Last time we visited Ming Nan’s house, they had fish, meat, and even a whole pot of flying dragon—it smelled so good! I haven’t had one since I gave birth to Xiaowei.”

“That’s because his family is good at hunting,” Master Meng muttered. “I’m not skilled in that. But we don’t have to match their dishes exactly. Since it’s the son-in-law’s first visit, we should at least slaughter a chicken and make a batch of pork and celery dumplings. You should also go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some canned goods—it’ll look more presentable.”

After discussing the plan, the next day, when Ming Nan walked Meng Xiaoxi home and reached the building entrance, Madam Meng called out to him from the second floor. “Ming Nan, come up for a bit. I have something to say to you.”

Hearing his future mother-in-law call for him, Ming Nan quickly straightened his clothes and eagerly followed Meng Xiaoxi upstairs.

Madam Meng sized up Ming Nan and liked him more the longer she looked. The young man was energetic, treated her daughter well, and had no burdens at home—this marriage seemed like a perfect match.

“Ming Nan, how’s everything at home lately?” Madam Meng seated him at the dining table and brought out a bowl of sweet soup with poached eggs. “You must be tired after work. Have a few poached eggs to fill your stomach.”

Ming Nan looked into the large bowl and saw five whole eggs, which startled him. He quickly said, “That’s too much, Auntie! Bring another bowl, and I’ll give two to Xiaoxi. She didn’t eat much at lunch, and she must be hungry by now.”

Seeing how much Ming Nan cared for her daughter, Madam Meng grinned widely. “Dinner’s coming up soon. You should just eat them yourself.”

Ming Nan pushed the bowl toward Xiaoxi out of habit. “You eat first. I’ll have whatever you leave.”

Meng Xiaoxi smiled at him, picked up a spoon, and under Madam Meng’s stunned gaze, ate one egg and drank half a bowl of sweet soup. Then, she pushed the rest toward Ming Nan.

Madam Meng was momentarily speechless. She tapped Meng Xiaoxi’s forehead with her finger. “You silly girl! When someone offers you food, you just take it? How can you let Ming Nan eat your leftovers?”

“It’s nothing, Auntie. We do this in the cafeteria too.” Ming Nan quickly helped Xiao Xi cover her hand, worried that her forehead might have turned red from being poked. Aunt Meng took one look and realized that these two were perfectly willing participants in their antics, so she didn’t say anything more. Watching the young couple flirt with each other, she found it both amusing and exasperating. Then she glanced at her own daughter—her eyes were so full of Ming Nan that she had practically forgotten about her own mother.

After finishing his poached egg, Ming Nan drank up the sweet soup, leaving the bowl completely clean. He got up to go wash the dishes, but Aunt Meng snatched them away and placed them on the table, pulling him back down to sit. “Don’t bother with that. Listen to me about something important. You and Xiao Xi have been together for a while now, so it’s time for your family to come over and meet us. This Sunday, bring your whole family over for a meal so we can all have a proper talk.”

Ming Nan immediately understood—his future mother-in-law was satisfied with him! Overjoyed, he nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll tell my grandma as soon as I get home.”

“Good. You should head back early before it gets dark.” Having said her piece, Aunt Meng didn’t keep him any longer. Ming Nan quickly stood up to say goodbye, but his gaze lingered on Meng Xiaoxi, reluctant to leave.

Meng Xiaoxi blushed and stood up as well. “I’ll walk Ming Nan out,” she said shyly. Aunt Meng watched them leave, feeling both happy and bittersweet. “Daughters grow up, and you just can’t keep them by your side forever.”

As soon as Ming Nan’s mother-in-law extended an invitation, the entire Li family sprang into action. Grandma Li, who was usually reluctant to waste electricity, rummaged through her trunks late into the night, pulling out their best clothes and carefully inspecting each piece for moth holes.

Zhenzhen sat on the kang in Grandma Li’s room, playing with sheep knucklebones while teasing her. “Grandma, can you even see in this dim light?”

Grandma Li squinted and felt each garment inch by inch. “Whether I can see or not, I have to check! If there are moth holes, I need to patch them up quickly. Otherwise, they’ll just get bigger, and it’ll be a waste of good clothing. Ah, all our fabric ration coupons have been used up by your eldest brother and his wife. What’s left is barely enough for some patches. I still need to save more for your third brother’s wedding—who knows if it’ll be enough by then.”

The more Grandma Li spoke, the more worried she became. Zhenzhen sighed right along with her. Grandma Li was worried about the lack of fabric, while Zhenzhen was troubled by the fact that her storage space had plenty of high-quality cloth—she just needed a good excuse to take it out.

After sighing three or four times, Grandma Li finally noticed something was off. She looked at Zhenzhen and chuckled. “Why are you sighing? You’re the only one in the family with plenty of clothes!”

“I’m just thinking about the fabric issue,” Zhenzhen said, resting her chin on her hands. “Third Brother’s wedding—Meng Jie(Sister) should have a new, bright dress for the occasion. She should look good when she’s picked up. And we should make at least two new quilt covers.”

“Of course,” Grandma Li agreed, looking even more distressed. Then Zhenzhen suddenly remembered something. “Grandma, I heard that people used to spin their own fabric. What did they use? Could our family do it? At the very least, we could make quilt linings.”

Grandma Li perked up. “Now that you mention it, I almost forgot! Cotton is all we need. But our spinning wheel broke ages ago. Still, that’s not a big deal. It’s not hard to make—I’ll ask your carpenter uncle to build us a new one.”

Wang Sufen walked in, carrying a basin of hot water for Grandma Li to wash her feet. Hearing their conversation, she casually asked, “What are you making now?”

“A spinning wheel,” Grandma Li said excitedly. “Zhenzhen wants to spin fabric for bedsheets and quilt linings. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this when she was growing cotton these past two years.”

Wang Sufen was immediately interested. “I know how to spin thread! Winter’s coming, and we won’t be able to go out much anyway. I can stay home and spin.”

Grandma Li nodded in agreement. “Cotton-spun fabric is soft. It’ll be great for making diapers when Ming Nan has kids.”

The conversation was straying further and further, so Zhenzhen quickly steered it back. “But what about the fabric for Third Brother’s wedding clothes?”

“We’ll save up more coupons and borrow some from other families. That’s how everyone does it nowadays.” Grandma Li soaked her feet in the hot water and sighed in satisfaction. “Bring me another pot of hot water later. I’ll soak a bit longer.”

As Wang Sufen went out to fetch more water, Zhenzhen finally came up with a plausible excuse. “Grandma, I might be able to get some fabric.”

Grandma Li gave her a skeptical look. “Fabric is so scarce right now. Even your third aunt’s niece’s classmate, who works at the supply and marketing cooperative, says that even defective fabric requires ration coupons.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Zhenzhen hurriedly said, afraid that if she explained too much, Grandma Li would keep questioning her. She quickly got off the kang, stretched, and faked a yawn. “It’s not certain yet. We’ll see later.”

Once back in her room, Zhenzhen locked the door and, with a flicker, entered her storage space. She went to the farthest Western-style mansion and searched through the stockpiled fabric. The former owners of these mansions were all capitalists, and their wives loved wearing qipaos. But in the current climate, wearing a qipao would get you publicly criticized, and even bright-colored clothing could be condemned as a sign of “feudal, bourgeois, and decadent” living. Fortunately, the men in these families mostly wore gray, black, and dark blue, so there was plenty of high-quality woolen fabric in storage—soft and thick to the touch.

Zhenzhen found a bundle, packed up three or four meters of gray wool fabric, three meters of dark blue wool, and added ten feet of blue silk on top. The wool fabric could be used for winter coats, but since Ming Nan’s wedding would be in the summer, she figured she should visit the capital’s department stores to look for better fabric.

But the wedding was still a long way off. For now, the Li family’s focus was on their visit to Meng Xiaoxi’s home. Zhenzhen thought about her big family—especially Ming Nan and Ming Bei, who could eat a shocking amount of food. Just the two of them could probably eat three pounds of grain in one sitting! It wouldn’t be right to go empty-handed.

Grandma Li prepared a basket of eggs and ten pounds of white flour. Meanwhile, Zhenzhen went into the mountains and caught two wild rabbits, two pheasants, and brought back two big fat fish. Mingnan had originally planned to hunt some game himself, but since he worked during the day and returned home after dark, he had no time to go into the mountains. Seeing the large haul that Zhenzhen brought back, he was so excited that he picked her up and tossed her into the air.

“My dear little sister, you’re amazing!”

Caught off guard and suddenly two meters off the ground, Zhenzhen panicked and smacked Mingnan on the head. “If you dare throw me again, I’ll stew all of this tonight!”

Mingnan grinned sheepishly and set her down. “I just got too excited and forgot you’re a grown young lady now. How about this—I’ll take you to the movies next Sunday. A new film just came out this month, and it’s really good.”

“Sounds great!” Zhenzhen agreed cheerfully. “I’ll sit right between you and Sister Xiaoxi.”

Mingnan immediately swallowed his words. “Uh… how about I just give you the money, and you take Fourth Brother instead?”

“Sure, sure, sure!” Mingbei was thrilled. “Zhenzhen, bring Sister Wanqiu along too. You can sit between the two of us. I don’t mind.”

Mingnan couldn’t help but tease him. “As if your opinion even matters. If Zhenzhen doesn’t go, do you think Yu Wanqiu would agree to watch a movie with you?”

Mingbei’s face instantly turned green. “I haven’t even graduated yet! But once I do, I’m sure things will work out between me and Yu Wanqiu. She knows I like her.”

“Oh, she definitely knows. Even a blind person could tell.” Mingnan smirked. “But that girl is strong-willed. With your simple mind and well-developed limbs, she might not even take a liking to you.”

Seeing Mingbei’s face darken, Mingnan quickly added, “You still have over half a year. You can’t keep acting like a kid. At the very least, make sure she sees you as someone reliable.”

Mingbei calmed down upon hearing that. He scratched his head, looking confused. “But I’m as tall as you. How am I not grown up?”

Mingnan threw an arm around his brother’s shoulder. “Being grown-up isn’t about height. It’s about maturity in your mind and actions. Tell me, do you really like this girl and want to marry her?”

Mingbei blushed and nodded.

Mingnan chuckled. “Then you need to make sure she sees you as dependable. Stop jumping from one thing to another without consistency. At the very least, start preparing to apply for a job at the factory. That way, she’ll know you have a solid plan for the future.”

Mingbei nodded but then looked worriedly at Mingnan. “But ever since you joined the factory, the hydrolysis plant hasn’t hired new workers in two years. What if they don’t hire next year either?”

“Then you can take over Dad’s position.” Mingnan ruffled Mingbei’s hair. “You’re so focused on getting married that you forgot about your own job prospects.”

Mingbei grinned sheepishly and nodded. “Then I won’t worry anymore. Once my job is settled, I’ll tell her.”

Mingnan smirked and leaned in conspiratorially. “No need to wait the full six months. When you get a chance, quietly tell her that you have a guaranteed job lined up. That girl is sharp—she’ll understand what you mean. Give her some time to think it over.”

Mingbei nodded seriously, then looked at Mingnan with admiration. “Bro, you really are my dear brother!”

—

—Sheep knucklebones (astragalus bones) have been used in various cultures for games, divination, jewelry, and rituals. They were used like dice in ancient Greek and Roman games, in Mongolian Shagai, and for fortune-telling. Some cultures also carved them into ornaments or tools.

—Qipaos (cheongsams) are elegant, form-fitting Chinese dresses with a high collar and side slits. Originating in the Qing Dynasty, they became a fashion staple in 20th-century Shanghai. Now, they’re worn for formal events and come in various fabrics with intricate designs.