Chapter 16: A Maiden's Fancies

Zhang Tiejun and Zhao Ningning exchanged some grain, and Zhang Tiejun then traded for a few shovels and hoes, spending seven or eight yuan. Han Youcai was also generous, giving the two of them a wheelbarrow. The two walked along the winding mountain ridge, the wheelbarrow piled high with dense sacks of grain.

Zhao Ningning kept her hands tucked inside her sleeves as she watched Zhang Tiejun’s fairly sturdy back. This young man, about her age, was already capable of supporting a household. Thinking of this, Zhao Ningning hesitated. She did not know when her future beloved would come into her life.

After covering roughly two-thirds of the journey, Zhang Tiejun let out a long breath. “Shall we rest for a bit?”

“Sure, sure,” Zhao Ningning nodded without hesitation and sat down beside him on a large rock.

“This time we prepared over a hundred jin of grain. It should be enough to last until the New Year, no problem,” Zhang Tiejun said with high spirits, glancing at the several sacks of sorghum and wheat on the wheelbarrow.

If these goods were in another household, they would already be overjoyed. Food coupons and meat coupons were scarce commodities; only by having these coupons could one qualify to buy such items—and the money spent on them was another matter entirely. It was easier in the plains, but for indigenous people like them in the deep mountains, coming and going was exceedingly difficult.

“Brother Tiejun, thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s nothing, really. Besides, if it weren’t for your ginseng, I wouldn’t have had the money to buy so much food. My mother and little sister will be very happy when they find out.”

“Brother Tiejun, it’s amazing that someone so young can shoulder the responsibility of a family.”

“To be honest, if I had a choice, I’d rather not be so ‘amazing.’ Sometimes when I see other kids playing in groups, I’m really envious.”

“Get married then,” Zhao Ningning said eagerly, casting a hopeful glance at Zhang Tiejun. “My grandfather says that once you grow up, you can start a family, and having a family means having your own man and children. That’s what gives life meaning.”

Zhang Tiejun looked at Zhao Ningning and laughed out loud. “You’re so young and already thinking about marriage.”

Thinking he looked down on her, Zhao Ningning straightened her back, her curvaceous figure making her simple cloth clothes look especially full and round. Zhang Tiejun couldn’t imagine how beautiful she would be in a qipao.

Zhang Tiejun’s daze made Zhao Ningning suddenly lose a bit of confidence. “Brother Tiejun, am I not pretty?”

Realizing this, Zhang Tiejun quickly nodded. “Pretty, very pretty. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

What was originally just polite words sounded to Zhao Ningning like a confession. Unsure how to respond, she nervously played with her two braided pigtails by her ears, her voice shy. “Are you really saying that?”

“Of course I am. You’re beautiful, you can cook, you keep the house neat—any man would be lucky to find someone like you, even with a lantern.”

Perhaps it was Zhao Ningning’s simple heart, or maybe because there were no tricks in the sixties, only sincerity. Her cheeks flushed as she suddenly sat up like a spring, and before Zhang Tiejun could react, she ran off to one side.

“Brother Tiejun, you’re teasing me. I’m not as good as you say.”

Zhang Tiejun couldn’t tell if she was pretending to be coy or truly expressing her feelings.

“I’m telling the truth. I never lie.”

“I know. So, do you want to get married?”

Zhao Ningning pressed on, but Zhang Tiejun shook his head helplessly. “No way. My mother’s health is poor, my sister isn’t grown yet. There are still school fees, medical care, support for the elderly, and marriage to consider—I have none of that figured out yet. How could I think about those things now?”

“But you can’t not think about yourself at all,” Zhao Ningning said, a trace of disappointment in her tone.

“These are my own concerns,” Zhang Tiejun replied straightforwardly.

Zhao Ningning laughed and cried at once—laughing because she never thought there could be such a simple child in the world, crying because she worried about how Zhang Tiejun’s future would unfold.

“All right, our rest is enough. We have to hurry; if it gets dark, we won’t make it home.”

The two hurried along and finally returned home before nightfall.

Zhao Youde had been worried that Zhang Tiejun would be blinded by money or leave immediately after the trade, but to his surprise, Zhang Tiejun even brought Zhao Ningning back. After helping the grandfather and granddaughter carry the sorghum and vegetables into the cellar, Zhang Tiejun, too busy to drink water, wiped his sweat and prepared to take his leave.

“It’s so late now. Why don’t you stay here tonight?” Zhao Ningning looked reluctant.

Zhao Youde also unusually insisted, “There are many wild animals on Guandong Mountain—lynxes, wolves, wild boars—they like to come out at night. You’ve been traveling all day; you should rest.”

“No, I haven’t been home for over a day. My mother and sister must be worried. Besides, I plan to find a place early tomorrow to clear some land. There are only a few months until the New Year. After the New Year, when it warms up, I’ll plant something,” Zhang Tiejun said, shouldering the hoe and shovel as he prepared to leave.

“All right, come back in a few days. When my leg heals, I’ll take you hunting wolves,” Zhao Youde said with a reminder.

As Zhang Tiejun turned to leave, Zhao Ningning wanted to linger a bit longer but was stopped by Zhao Youde. Seeing his granddaughter’s slight disappointment, Zhao Youde chuckled, “What? You miss him already after just one day? Sometimes I’m gone for days and you don’t think about me. That’s what they say—grown daughters are hard to keep.”

“Grandpa! What nonsense are you talking about!” Zhao Ningning feigned displeasure.

Zhao Youde laughed heartily. “Anyway, I know what’s in some people’s hearts.”

“Grandpa, you’re the worst! I’m not talking to you!” Zhao Ningning shyly ran inside.

Zhao Youde gazed at the full moon overhead and murmured, “But if this boy became my grandson-in-law, that wouldn’t be so bad.”

The moonlight guided the traveler. Zhao Youde, traveling under the stars and moon, felt no hardship—instead, he enjoyed the vast earth free from worldly dust. The quiet forest occasionally echoed with the call of an owl. Unknowingly, he had been in Guandong Mountain for over half a month. Some things had become clear. Though life now lacked many modern conveniences, he felt no annoyance, only relief. No longer needing to respond to messages or worry about waking up for work in the middle of the night, he only needed to find a piece of land for himself next.