Chapter 71: Journey to the Imperial Capital

As soon as Li Muwu finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter. Grandma Li shot him a look, half annoyed, half amused, not sure what to say to him: “You think we’d leave you at home? You’re only a few months away from retirement. Don’t drag it out—go get your retirement paperwork done early and have Mingguang from Old Third’s family take over your job. If he can get into college later, great. If not, at least he’ll have a proper job.”

Li Musen scratched his head awkwardly and gave Li Muwu a sheepish smile: “Well, then, I’ll thank you on behalf of my second boy, Fourth Brother.”

Li Muwu still hadn’t fully processed it: “So I’m just… done working?”

“Yep, you’re done!” Zhenzhen chimed in cheerfully. “Just follow your daughter to the capital and enjoy life!”

Li Muwen’s family had just gotten home and hadn’t even had a chance to talk about the courtyard house when they were already stunned by the group of university students in the family. Li Muwen kept saying “Good, good!” over and over, looking just as excited as if he’d been admitted to college himself. After all, university—especially National University and Imperial Capital University—had long been childhood dreams for many in the country.

Li Muwen had grown up in hard times and never went to school. It was only during the war that he picked up some literacy following a political commissar. After liberation, he attended night school, and later, military school.

Back in the war, you couldn’t tell the difference education made, but once he got to military school and started studying strategy and research, the gap became painfully obvious. That’s why, when he returned home years ago, he transferred Mingxi to the best high school in Bingcheng, hoping he’d be able to get into a military engineering school. His own two sons had both graduated from military academies and were now university graduates holding solid positions with bright futures in the army.

Mingjun and Mingji, Li Muwen’s two sons, were both born after the liberation, by which time Li Muwen held a fairly high position. As a result, the brothers had grown up with good living and educational conditions. Li Muwen figured that the five children from Li Muwu’s family definitely didn’t have it as good growing up or in school. And yet, all five of them had gotten into university—a testament to their diligence and hard work.

Li Muwen pulled out a bottle of Maotai Mingjun had brought: “This is the biggest cause for celebration in our Li family—we have to celebrate it properly today. After the New Year, when we return to the capital, Mom, you and Third Brother’s family can stay at my place, and I’ll finally get a chance to show you some real filial piety.”

Hearing this, Li Muwen’s wife, Xue Wenhua, furrowed her brow slightly but didn’t say anything. It wasn’t that she disliked the family from back home, but six or seven people of all ages under one roof… whether the house could even fit them was questionable. And living together would be absolute chaos.

Grandma Li didn’t catch Xue Wenhua’s expression, but still firmly declined: “No need. We’re a big family with both old and young. Staying at your place would tire Wenhua out, not to mention we wouldn’t feel comfortable. Last year during New Year’s, when you came home, Zhenzhen gave you two big yellow croakers dug up from the mountain to buy a house. Did you get it?”

Of course, when Grandma Li’s family arrived in the capital, they’d need a place to stay, and she decided to be upfront about it: the courtyard house was Zhenzhen’s. Better to make it clear now than let any unspoken expectations fester and ruin the peace later on.

Before Li Muwen could say anything, the whole family exploded: “Big yellow croaker? You mean gold bars, right?” Li Musen stared in disbelief. “We’ve only ever heard of those—never seen one. Mom, why didn’t you let us see what it looked like?”

“What’s there to see? It’s just yellow and shiny—nothing special.” Grandma Li snapped back. “Besides, Zhenzhen’s the one who dug it up. What’s it got to do with you? Let me make this clear right now: those gold bars were already exchanged by Eldest Brother for cash and used to buy a house, and it’s under Zhenzhen’s name. No one’s to get any funny ideas, or don’t blame me if I come at you with my tobacco pipe.”

Zhang Chunhua looked at Grandma Li’s stern expression. Her lips twitched as she struggled to swallow her words—but she just couldn’t let it go: “She’s just a kid. Even if she found gold bars, shouldn’t it still belong to the family? You’re really giving it to a child?”

“And what if I am?” Grandma Li sneered. “If you’re not happy about it, go dig on the mountain yourself. Whatever you find is yours. We won’t ask for a share.”

Seeing Zhang Chunhua’s darkened face, Wang Xinwen, cuddling Mian Tiao, chuckled and joined the ribbing: “Mingbei, quick, find an iron shovel and a basket for your aunt—she’s about to head up the mountain to dig for gold!”

Li Mulin shot Zhang Chunhua a glare and quickly tried to smooth things over: “Mom, you know how Mingshu’s mom is. Don’t take her words to heart.”

Zhenzhen, seeing her Fourth Uncle’s awkward expression, quickly changed the subject: “Granduncle, is the house you bought one of those courtyard-style ones?”

“Yes, right by a lake in the capital—really spacious,” Li Muwen said. “It’s already been cleaned out. I just didn’t expect you all to arrive so soon, so there’s no furniture or bedding set up yet.”

Zhenzhen was thrilled and tugged at Grandma Li’s sleeve excitedly: “Grandma, when are we going?”

Grandma Li thought about it—Zhenzhen’s semester would start in March, so they’d need time to get the place ready. She had Mingdong grab the calendar and, after studying it for a while, said, “Let’s head out early—leave on the tenth. That way we won’t delay Zhenzhen’s schooling.”

When the tenth came, the Li family packed up more than a dozen burlap sacks—grains, flour, oil—everything had to be brought along. After all, their grain ration contacts were back home; in the capital, grain was hard to come by. Each person had to carry their own bedding too. These days, you couldn’t buy ready-made cotton quilts anywhere. Although Zhenzhen was overwhelmed by the mountain of bags, she didn’t dare stash anything in her space—not with so many people around. Even if no one could guess it was a dimensional space, someone might start speculating.

Everyone hauled their bags onto the train, even Mingjun and Mingji each helping carry a sack of grain. When they arrived in the capital, Mingxi took Mingbei, Wang Xinwen, and Mian Tiao back to his place, while Grandma Li brought Li Muwu, Wang Sufen, and Zhenzhen to temporarily stay at Li Muwen’s house.

Knowing Li Muwu and his family were just staying for a bit, Xue Wenhua regained her warmth and enthusiasm. As soon as they arrived, she had the orderlies help move their things into the basement, then took them all to the compound’s public bathhouse for a proper wash-up.

After a short day of rest, Zhenzhen couldn’t wait to go see her own siheyuan. In her previous life, she could only squat outside the gate of one and drool; now in this life, she actually owned one herself—it was like a dream come true.

The military compound wasn’t far from Houyang. Li Muwen led Grandma Li, Li Muwu, and the whole family in a grand procession over to Houyang. It was still the first lunar month and the weather was cold, so there weren’t many people strolling around. Grandma Li looked at the elegantly curved lake and smacked her lips. “This is way narrower than our South River back home, and doesn’t look very deep. Think there are any fish in there?”

Li Muwen chuckled. “Our Yongcui River eventually connects to the Black River—this can’t compare.”

Grandma Li sighed with some disappointment. “My Zhenzhen doesn’t have many hobbies, just likes climbing mountains and playing in rivers. But the mountains and water in the Imperial Capital don’t look very impressive. What will she do if she has nowhere to play?”

Zhenzhen blushed and hooked her arm around Grandma Li’s. “Grandma, I’ll be going to school properly from now on. I can’t keep skipping school like before.”

“Aha! See? Slipped up! I knew you used to play hooky.” Grandma Li laughed heartily like she had caught Zhenzhen in a trap. “There was one time I went to your school and peeked through the window—I didn’t see you.”

Zhenzhen gave a sheepish laugh and quickly pretended to be curious about everything around her. “Uncle, which one’s our siheyuan?”

Li Muwen pointed ahead. “That one right there.”

Grandma Li stared at the tall gate and gaped. “Wow! Such a big gate. There must be four or five rooms inside.”

Li Muwen smiled as he opened the gate with a key, then handed the key to Zhenzhen. “You’ll have to add a zero to that number. This courtyard used to be part of a princely residence. What’s left inside now is a central four-section residence and a small garden in the back.”

Grandma Li’s legs went weak the moment she heard that. “A princely residence? Are we even allowed to live here?” She glanced around nervously and whispered to Li Muwen, “Will we get in trouble for this?”

“No, Mom.” Li Muwen supported her as they walked through the decorated archway. “Those days are over. There won’t be any more of that nonsense. Just live here—life’s going to get better.”

Grandma Li finally relaxed. She took Zhenzhen’s hand and walked through the corridor. The residence hadn’t been damaged and everything was well preserved. Even the floral patterns above the walkway were still clear, and although the wooden pillars on both sides had faded, they still looked grand.

They opened the main room. Inside, the antique display shelf and canopy bed had already been wiped clean. Zhenzhen immediately threw herself onto the bed, stroking the intricate carvings with wide eyes. “This is a genuine antique!”

Li Muwen laughed. “Zhenzhen, you’re not that old but you sure know a lot—even about antiques.”

Zhenzhen blushed again. “I used to scavenge a lot of books from the recycling center, and I read about these. Uncle, do all the rooms have furniture?”

Li Muwen shook his head. “Only this main room has such an impressive canopy bed. The other rooms are mostly empty. There is one more canopy bed in the rear wing—it’s even more exquisite, just a bit smaller. Probably meant for a girl’s bedroom.”

Li Muwu stood inside looking a bit lost. “There are too many rooms in this courtyard. In winter, how many stoves do we need? And there’s no mountain here to gather firewood. Do we have to buy coal?”

Wang Sufen, who had been excitedly looking around, calmed down at this. “Then what do we do? We don’t have coal coupons.”

Hearing this, Li Muwen quickly said, “Actually, I was about to mention this. Some of the siheyuans here were requisitioned by the state, some assigned to individuals. Since this area is special, they issued a document before the New Year asking if people wanted to have central heating installed. With that, no need to burn coal or heat kangs in winter—it’s warm inside. But with this many rooms, heating might be expensive.”

Grandma Li hadn’t made up her mind yet, but Zhenzhen immediately said, “Install it—install heating in every room. How much will it cost?”

“The piping is free, but you’ll have to pay for the heating bills afterward,” said Li Muwen. “There’s still some money left from buying the house. I’ll give it to you later.”

The whole family toured the grand house from top to bottom. When Zhenzhen saw that the rock garden made of Taihu stones in the backyard was still perfectly intact, she was so happy she was speechless. “Uncle, you didn’t just buy a siheyuan—this is a full-blown mansion!”

Li Muwen laughed. “This was the best one left at the time. You just happened to catch the opportunity.”

As they left the siheyuan, Grandma Li was eager to move in and quickly asked, “Do you know any carpenters who can build furniture—hopefully without needing coupons?”

Li Muwen had only been in the capital for two years and wasn’t too familiar with these things. He turned and asked an orderly, who shook his head. “People just buy from department stores or supply cooperatives.” At that, Grandma Li’s heart sank—neither place worked without coupons.

Zhenzhen’s eyes lit up. Walking beside Grandma Li, she suggested, “I’ll wander around and see if there’s a secondhand market selling old furniture.”

Grandma Li immediately grabbed her hand. “No way. What if you get lost? It’s your first time going out in the capital.”

“Grandma, I’m a college student now. I’ll be going to school alone anyway. I might as well get familiar with the city so I can take you guys around later.” Zhenzhen said with a smile, “Besides, everyone knows where my uncle lives—I won’t get lost.”

Hearing this, Li Muwen spoke to the orderly, who then talked to a few others. Several orderlies and guards pulled out some “Big Unity” bills from their pockets and handed them to Li Muwen. He counted around 500 yuan and gave it directly to Zhenzhen. “You’re a grown-up now, and you were the top scorer in Heilongjiang’s college entrance exam. I trust you. Go look around—it’ll be good training. If you really can’t find anything, I’ll come up with something.”

Zhenzhen happily accepted the money and playfully gave Li Muwen a military salute. “Mission guaranteed to be accomplished.” Li Muwen smiled, left a service soldier to guide Zhenzhen, and led the rest of the group away.

Watching Li Muwen and his group walk off into the distance, Zhenzhen finally began contemplating the layout of the siheyuan. A proper ancient courtyard home needed to be matched with antique furniture. But since her family background was modest, bringing out those flawless huanghuali, nanmu, and zitan pieces from her personal stash would be too eye-catching. It’d be better to start with some pieces from the local junk collection stations and save the rest for later.

She swept through a few local salvage stations with her spiritual awareness and spotted a few places that had furniture. Pretending not to know anything, she asked the service soldier beside her, “Where’s the nearest scrap collection station?”

The soldier honestly pointed in the exact direction she had already checked out.

The two spent an entire day going through the nearby scrap stations. Since Zhenzhen hadn’t wandered around the capital for two years due to the college entrance exams, she ended up finding quite a few good things. By the end of the day, she had bought five chairs with broken legs—some huanghuali, some nanmu—and a few chunks of zitan and nanmu wood of unknown origin, all brought back home.

She had expected to only find things like that, but to her delight, she found a dark purple bronze censer in a pile of wood. Based on the color, the base markings, and the detailing, it looked like a Xuande censer.

Among the Bai family’s collection she bought in Bingcheng was also a Xuande censer, but that one was dark brown. This one was simply dark purple. Carefully wiping off the grime with her sleeve, Zhenzhen’s eyes sparkled like they were glowing. “Comrade, I’ve made my selection.”

After a full day of running through alleys and streets, the service soldier returned to the Li household with Zhenzhen in the evening and reported to Li Muwen, “She only bought some broken tables, rickety chairs, and a pile of useless junk.”

“Useless junk?” Li Muwen leaned back in his chair. “What kind of stuff?”

“A grimy bronze censer, chunks of old wood, a bunch of random seals, inkstones and such… Luckily, it was all from scrap stations, so it didn’t cost much.” The soldier replied honestly.

Li Muwen chuckled lightly. “Just make sure she’s safe. Don’t worry about the rest.”

He thought everything was under control—until the very next day, when Zhenzhen ditched the soldier. According to him, she ran faster than a rabbit and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Zhenzhen spent the next seven or eight days wandering the streets and alleys of the capital, and finally finished tidying up the main house and the east and west wings of the courtyard. The canopy bed already in the east room of the main house was set up for Grandma Li. The west room was for Li Muwu and Wang Sufen, and Zhenzhen placed a redwood bed from the Republican era taken from the Western-style house—it looked classy but not flashy. Several redwood trunks from the Western-style house were also brought over, two for each room.

The east wing was prepared for Mingbei’s family, and it was furnished with the Western-style bed Su Weiran’s family had used for ten years in the mountain village. Though aged, the bed was actually an imported piece brought back from overseas by a Bingcheng capitalist. It was soft and comfortable to sleep on.

Zhenzhen took the west wing for herself. Aside from a canopy and two trunks, she didn’t place much else in the room. She planned to move the canopy bed from the rear covered room into her space for personal use.

When the family heard Zhenzhen had cleaned up the place all on her own, they eagerly came over. As soon as Grandma Li saw that there were beds and trunks, she immediately decided, “Move the bedding and grain over—we’re sleeping here tonight.”

Li Muwen hurried to persuade her, “Mom, you’ve only been staying at my place for less than ten days. If word got out, people would think I was being unfilial. You should at least stay a full month.”

“But I don’t feel comfortable staying there,” Grandma Li said bluntly. “Even though your place has a small courtyard, it’s tiny—barely enough space to grow vegetables. I don’t like it. Look how great this place is! There’s a big patch of land out back. Once spring comes, I’ll plant all kinds of vegetables.”

Zhenzhen imagined the scene of a bunch of cabbages growing beside the Taihu stone and silently covered her eyes.

Li Muwen was completely defeated by his mother. “We don’t need to grow vegetables—people deliver them to us.”

Grandma Li pouted. “Homegrown tastes better.”

It wasn’t really about the vegetables. Grandma Li just didn’t feel comfortable living with her eldest daughter-in-law, whom she barely knew. They were overly polite with each other, and it made her feel awkward. Wang Sufen, on the other hand, was different. The two had spent a lifetime together. They were used to each other, had matching personalities and similar tastes, and got along like real mother and daughter.

Since she insisted on moving, Li Muwen had no choice but to have people transport over the bedding and food. They also brought a gas stove, pots, bowls, a warm water bottle, enamel mugs, a coal stove, and other daily necessities, along with a few bags of coal and some vegetables.

That night, Grandma Li lay in her big bed under a thick quilt, too excited to fall asleep. The next morning, she woke up with her eyes barely open. “I was so excited thinking I was sleeping on a prince’s bed that I couldn’t fall asleep. Say, Zhenzhen, how about we move this bed and build me a heated kang bed instead?”

Zhenzhen: “……”

—

With the whole family settled in, it was almost time for school to start. Mingbei, Wang Xinwen, and Zhenzhen headed to the university together to register. The capital had streetcars, and since both their home and school were in well-known areas with station stops, transportation was very convenient.

The west gate of National University and the east gate of Capital University were diagonally across from each other, so Mingbei wasn’t in a hurry to head to his own school. He decided to help Zhenzhen and Wang Xinwen with their registration first. As they walked through the campus, Zhenzhen curiously took in everything around her. Compared to her previous-life visit, the current Capital University looked a lot more timeworn, but somehow that only added to its charm.

Zhenzhen and Wang Xinwen were in different departments, so their dorms were on different floors. Zhenzhen’s dorm was Room 201, a south-facing room. It was noon, and the warm sunlight poured in, making the whole room feel cozy and snug.

Zhenzhen chose the lower bunk by the window. She fetched a basin of water and wiped the bed clean. While the room was still empty, she took out a goose down mattress from her space and laid it underneath, then placed her own quilted mattress on top, finishing it off with a plain-colored bedsheet. The fresh hue made the whole setup look simple yet elegant.

Once the bed was made, Zhenzhen took out a floral bedsheet with a pink base from her space and repurposed it into a fabric curtain, enclosing her bed. That way, she could draw it shut at night and have more privacy no matter what she was doing.

After tidying up her space, she found that Wang Xinwen had also finished settling in. The three of them bumped into each other in the stairwell and decided to head over to National University together for a look around. They had just walked a little past the dorm area when a boy in a Zhongshan suit, carrying a duffel bag, hurried over and asked, “Excuse me, which way is it to the Law Department registration?”

Wang Xinwen immediately smiled, “We’re in the same department! I just registered—head this way, turn toward the lake, and you’ll see the registration desk.”

“Thanks, classmate.” The boy thanked them and hurried off with his luggage.

Wang Xinwen and Mingbei walked a few steps before realizing Zhenzhen hadn’t caught up. “Come on, what are you thinking about?”

Zhenzhen swallowed nervously and said, “It just hit me—some of the students in our year are probably going to become huge figures in the future.” Seeing the confused looks from Mingbei and Wang Xinwen, she silently added to herself, “Even the future second-in-command is my classmate… what do I have to be afraid of?”

By the time the three of them entered National University’s west gate and were still on their way to the registration area, another extremely familiar-looking person came into view. Zhenzhen couldn’t help but daydream: maybe in the future, she too would become just as incredible.

———————

Author’s Note:

You’re asking how much more incredible she wants to be?

Haha, seriously though, that batch of students really did produce so many outstanding people. But the male lead still hasn’t shown up—don’t worry, he’s on his way!

———————

—In 1970s China, orderlies were personal aides to military officers or Party leaders, handling errands, messages, and daily tasks—often loyal, young, and politically trusted.

—A censer is a vessel used for burning incense. In Chinese culture, it’s often made of bronze or ceramic and used in temples, ancestral halls, or homes for rituals, offerings, or creating a sacred atmosphere. Traditional censers often have a lid with holes to let the fragrant smoke rise gracefully.

—A Xuande censer is a high-quality bronze incense burner from the Xuande era (1426–1435) of the Ming Dynasty, prized for its craftsmanship, simple elegance, and rich patina.

———

when Chinese universities reopened in 1977 after being largely shut down during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), the resumption of the gaokao (national college entrance exam) marked a turning point. Among the first wave of students admitted in 1977 and 1978, many later became influential figures.

Here are a few notable students from that cohort:

1. Li Keqiang – Former Premier of China, entered Peking University in 1978 to study law.

2. Zhang Yimou – Acclaimed film director, admitted to the Beijing Film Academy in 1978.

3. Chen Kaige – Another leading film director, also admitted to the Beijing Film Academy in 1978.

4. Liu Xiaobo – Later a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, entered Jilin University in 1977.