Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

Two days after Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen had packed their things, Yang Guanghui was the first to arrive. But his eyes were dull, and it seemed his trip home had dealt him a heavy blow. He wasn’t his usual lively self, nor was he talkative. He had become much more withdrawn and wooden.

Hua Yusen was curious and asked, ”Yang Guanghui, you were so happy when you went home. Why have you come back looking so downcast? Did something happen to your family?”

Yang Guanghui, who had spent a bland and utterly depressing New Year at home, said with a bitter smile, ”Sigh, my childhood sweetheart was sent to the countryside, just like me. I just wanted to see her on this trip back. She had returned, earlier than me. I thought we could finally pour our hearts out to each other, but I never expected she would break up with me. She’s engaged to one of my old classmates, all because his father can get her a spot to stay and work in a factory, so she won’t have to go back to the countryside. And here I am, unable to even get myself back home, let alone her.”

Hearing this, Hua Yusen felt a sense of helplessness. The cruelty of this era forced so many people to give up on love and compromise with reality.

”You have to keep looking forward,” Hua Yusen said, unsure how to comfort Yang Guanghui. ”Keep working hard. I have a feeling things can’t stay this way forever.”

”But when will things change?” Yang Guanghui sighed. ”I’m completely disheartened now. I’m just afraid I’ll be stuck here for the rest of my life, with no hope, no goals, like a zombie.”

Hua Yusen didn’t know when things would change, so he couldn’t answer.

”I’m just as lost as you are,” Hua Yusen said, empathizing with Yang Guanghui. ”But compared to the other villages, I think our Nianqiao Village isn’t so bad. At least we can get enough to eat. Village Chief Miao and the others are also relatively lenient. Don’t rush it. We’re young; we can afford to wait.”

Yang Guanghui nodded. ”Yeah, I guess that’s all we can do. But I’m going to be more careful this year. I can’t let those bastards scheme against us poor young people again.”

”Right. If we stick together, they won’t dare to bully us,” Hua Yusen said solemnly. ”Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you. Wang Dadan’s and Li Siming’s positions as village cadres have been revoked. Wu Dazhu is the new director, and Dong Sanshu is the accountant now. For us, this is much better than having Wang Dadan and Li Siming in power. At least we don’t have to worry about them constantly making things difficult for us.”

”Huh?” Yang Guanghui was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. ”What goes around comes around! I knew they wouldn’t get a prison sentence—they obviously have connections. But they still messed up, so of course they have to be punished!”

Seeing Yang Guanghui’s reaction, Hua Yusen was also surprised and asked, ”So you think so too?”

”Hmph!” Yang Guanghui scoffed, a look of contempt on his face. ”Forget everything else. Just look at my trip back to the city. A lot of people didn’t want to return here, so they used all sorts of connections to stay in the city. My family doesn’t have the power to pull strings for me, so as soon as my time was up, I had no choice but to pack my bags and leave. I couldn’t stay.”

Having his childhood sweetheart fall for someone else had shown him the ugliness of the world and the helplessness of reality. He understood a lot more now and no longer thought about things so naively.

Seeing Yang Guanghui’s perspective, Hua Yusen nodded. ”Yes. Don’t worry, things can’t stay this way forever. Those old folks living in the courtyard behind us are in a pitiful state too. Even if we don’t help them, we shouldn’t frame them or look down on them. After all, we have elders in our own families. We can’t be too ruthless.”

”Huh?” Yang Guanghui was taken aback, then quickly nodded. ”Yes, they’re pitiful people too. If they spent a whole winter in that shack, they’d probably freeze to death. Hua, while I might not be a saint, I’m not a heartless, unsympathetic bastard either. Maybe, like you said, I won’t help them—after all, I’m not that capable—but I won’t harm them.”

”Haha, spoken like a true man,” Hua Yusen laughed. ”Come on, let’s get our tools ready. We’ll go catch some fish tonight and have Comrade Zhao make us some fish soup.”

”Alright. Once I’m settled, I’ll go catch fish with you,” Yang Guanghui said with a smile. After talking with Hua Yusen, he was no longer as listless as when he had first returned; his spirits had lifted a bit.

That evening, Yang Guanghui went to the village to collect his grain ration from the previous year. Looking at the grain, he saw that while it wasn’t much, at least he wouldn’t starve. He thought of his family back in the city—even with the whole family gathered, they couldn’t get enough to eat. The thought saddened him.

’Actually, leaving home is pretty good too. At least I’m not making the tight food situation at home even worse with my big appetite. And I don’t have to listen to my sister-in-law’s snide remarks.’

’Peace and freedom!’

Yang Guanghui thought that this wasn’t so bad after all.

Hua Yusen and Yang Guanghui returned with the fish they’d caught, and Zhao Nuanyue made fish head and tofu soup.

She had learned to make the tofu from one of the village women, using the few pounds of soybeans she had been allotted. Zhao Nuanyue was clever with her hands and made a large batch, which left a lot of okara. This residue could be stir-fried with radishes or mixed with a little flour to make okara balls, both of which were delicious.

After Yang Guanghui finished eating, the sleeping medicine in the soup, combined with his exhaustion from the overnight train ride, sent him into a deep and sound sleep back in his room.

Hua Yusen and Zhao Nuanyue quietly slipped out of the Dragon King Temple and went to the mountain cave. There, they began preparing tasty, long-lasting food for the old folks. Things like scallion pancakes, which could be soaked in porridge even when cold; fish balls and meatballs, which could be put directly into soup; and roasted flour, which Zhao Nuanyue made by stir-frying flour with oil and scallions. Stored in a ceramic jar, it could be eaten straight from the pot or mixed into porridge to add nutrition.

After several hours of busy work, Hua Yusen noticed beads of sweat on Zhao Nuanyue’s forehead. He took out his handkerchief to wipe them away for her and said, ”Rest for a bit. There isn’t much left to do anyway.”

With her hands covered in oil and flour, Zhao Nuanyue shook her head. ”I’m fine, I’m almost finished. I’ll rest later. It’s getting late, and we should head back soon.”

Hua Yusen nodded and helped Zhao Nuanyue finish up.

Once everything was done, Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen packed up, hoisted the baskets onto their backs, and walked one behind the other back to the Dragon King Temple. Hua Yusen climbed over the wall, gave the food to the group, and told them to divide it amongst themselves and hide it well. Only then did he climb back over, entering the temple grounds to open the gate for Zhao Nuanyue.

Zhao Nuanyue was exhausted. After returning and washing up, she collapsed into bed and fell asleep instantly. When she woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. Hua Yusen, Zhao Nuan Yang, and Yang Guanghui had already eaten, but they had left three steamed buns in the pot for her.