Chapter 7: Persistent Longing, Certain Response

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An Ruoxue stared at the "September Fables" in her hands but didn’t read a single word. She carried an air of understated elegance—an oval face with soft contours, flat cheekbones, and smoothly arched brows and eyes. At first glance, she appeared striking yet carried a hint of chilly aloofness. Upon closer inspection, her delicate features revealed themselves in exquisite detail.

Having practiced dance as a child, An Ruoxue’s posture and temperament were exceptionally graceful. She wore a white knitted sweater and jeans, her shoulder-length hair falling casually without any extravagant styling. Yet, seated there, she gave an impression of breathtaking beauty, as if she had stepped out of a painting.

Back when they both enrolled at Hanxi Jiaotong University, Li Dongling and An Ruoxue were of the same year. Many sought to win An Ruoxue’s favor, but her cold elegance deterred them. Moreover, rumors about her family background circulated from the outset, causing even more suitors to retreat, fearing rejection.

It wasn’t until their sophomore year that Li Dongling began to pursue An Ruoxue. By then, he was something of a campus celebrity, much like other youth of the era, publishing a few obscure poems that he himself felt were deeply meaningful and forming a rock band with several friends.

Though neither his poetry nor band made much of a splash, Li Dongling at Jiaotong University was confident and proud. Like many young people of his generation, he believed he could carve out a place for himself, that he could change the world.

Once together, Li Dongling discovered that beneath An Ruoxue’s icy facade burned an intense passion. She paid no heed to his family or social standing, and their connection sparked like colliding flames.

Their disputes often stemmed from An Ruoxue’s wish for Li Dongling to stay in Xiyuan, the provincial capital’s western district, hoping her father could arrange for his work transfer there.

But young and impetuous, just out of school and unscarred by life’s hardships, Li Dongling was not ready to yield. After enduring scornful remarks from An Ruoxue’s mother during a visit to her family home, he stormed off against her pleas and resolutely returned to Pingyang.

What followed was predictable: upon arriving in Pingyang, he faced setbacks and had to rely on the An family’s connections to return to the provincial capital. From then on, the proud young man began to bow his head in the presence of the An family.

Youthful courage allows one to face all fears and accomplish what many only dare to dream, but failure can shatter one’s worldview and outlook on life.

Li Dongling was exactly that kind of man. Returning to the provincial capital, his sharp edges gradually softened. Meanwhile, the An family’s fortunes rose steadily, and An Ruoxue’s career flourished. Over time, the rift between them deepened.

An Yueguo looked at An Ruoxue. “Xiaoxue, how’s it going at the provincial station?”

An Ruoxue paused, then put down her book and quickly responded, “Pretty well. Director Kong at the provincial station has been very supportive.”

An Yueguo nodded. “Old Kong was my secretary for many years. He’s prudent and capable. With him around, you’ll learn a lot at the provincial station.”

An Yueguo now served as the head of the propaganda department for Hanxi Province, a local rooted in Xiyuan City for many years. At the prime of his career, further advancement seemed likely.

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“And what about Dongling? Does he still want to stay around Pingyang?” After a few words, An Yueguo steered the conversation toward Li Dongling.

An Ruoxue didn’t want to discuss it, but she knew it was unavoidable and nodded slightly.

“Xiaoxue, I don’t want to interfere too much in your affairs with Dongling. Young people are ambitious and passionate, proud of themselves. It’s good that you have dreams to chase—without that, can you even call yourselves young?”

“But,” An Yueguo’s tone shifted suddenly, “adults must take responsibility for their choices, whether good or bad. There’s no regret medicine in this world.

“Your mother and I just want you to have a good life. That’s the essence of being parents. Sometimes, it’s not about controlling your lives but hoping you can avoid the detours and hardships we endured in our youth.”

“I don’t want to meddle in your relationship with Dongling. I just hope both of you think it through clearly, so you won’t regret it later.”

As An Yueguo returned to the bedroom, An Ruoxue’s mother, Du Fengying, hurried over, closing the door behind her. “Well? Did you manage to make that girl see reason?”

An Yueguo glanced at her and shook his head. “Xiaoxue’s always had her own mind. Some things can’t be forced. She’ll come around when she’s ready, but I fear she may pay a price.”

“You know she’s stubborn. If we let this go now, she’ll definitely suffer losses later. What’s so great about Li Dongling anyway? She’ll regret it someday.

“No, I have to find Aunt Xiong from the Personnel Department—she’s retired now but still holds a lot of influence over the younger folks…”

An Yueguo watched helplessly as Du Fengying began making calls again. He was lenient with his children—whether An Ruoxue or her brother An Yanjun, he let them pursue their own paths without treating them as pawns in his political career. Still, he hoped his children would fare well, and if necessary, he wouldn’t hesitate to employ certain means.

After spending a day at home, Li Dongling returned to West City Wireless Factory No. 1 the next day. Upon arrival, he heard the news that the factory was about to introduce a color television production line.

For the entire factory, this was big news. Everyone knew that the old products—radios and black-and-white TVs—could hardly be sold anymore. They could only rely on old stock to keep afloat; if things continued, they wouldn’t even be able to pay wages.

Rumors circulated that if nothing changed, the factory might have to buy out seniority and lay off some workers. Other provinces had already done this, leaving people anxious.

With the introduction of the color TV line, the factory’s future production could become more prosperous, and layoffs might be avoided. Li Dongling saw hopeful expressions everywhere.

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The factory even organized groups of technicians and production staff to learn from other TV factories in different regions. Naturally, the diligent old hand Zhou Wenyan wasn’t among them. Despite being the best technician in the department, such trips with subsidies and potential promotions were reserved for others—not for a workhorse like him.

Opening the door, Li Dongling saw Zhang Ao lying on the bed, nervously stuffing something under the blanket. Seeing Li Dongling, he heaved a sigh of relief. “You scared me!”

“Dongling, I’ve got something good. Want to take a look? This thing was hard for me to find!”

Zhang Ao stealthily handed over a magazine. Li Dongling glanced at the cover—it was a Hong Kong entertainment gossip magazine filled with celebrity rumors and some risqué lingerie model spreads. These provocative images were deliberately included to attract buyers, especially the avid older male readers.

Such magazines were common in Hong Kong but were rare and highly coveted in inland cities. Seven or eight years earlier, such material would have been outright banned.

Throwing the magazine back to Zhang Ao, Li Dongling chuckled, “There’s plenty of this kind of stuff in Hong Kong. When you get the chance, visit places like Japan, Hong Kong, or Siam. If you have money, maybe you can even experience some local ‘massage’ specialties.”

“Massage?”

“What’s that?”

Zhang Ao looked at Li Dongling with wide, curious eyes. Though he didn’t know what it was, his instincts as a young man sparked curiosity.

Even Zhou Wenyan, buried in his documents, glanced toward Li Dongling a few times from behind his glasses.

Li Dongling was momentarily speechless. People of this era were passionate yet innocent, wild and bold but still conservative. Hong Kong cinema culture hadn’t fully spread yet, and many of these vices hadn’t taken root.

“I’ve just heard about it—it’s a local delicacy of sorts. When you go, you’ll understand!” Li Dongling evaded the topic.

After tidying up the bed, Li Dongling sat down and overheard Zhou Wenyan muttering and sighing repeatedly, “They shouldn’t have introduced this production line…”