78: Bringing his wife and children to Harbin Institute of Technology

Ye Bingwen stared at the unlicensed jeep across the street, his palms sticky with candied hawthorn berries. He tossed the candied hawthorn stick into the trash can, didn't go over, and turned to enter the school gate. That car had been following him ever since he waited for his ride in front of the Provincial Industrial Bureau. The old man said Zhao Jianguo had sent people to monitor his movements, and this car was the prime suspect.

He walked back to the lab through the back door of the main building. Chen Zhiyuan was winding coils and looked up when he saw him come in. "Why did you come from that side?"

"I took a detour. Keep an eye on that unlicensed Jeep near the school gate and see who's driving it."

Chen Zhiyuan put down what he was doing. "You suspect someone is watching you?"

"It's not doubt, it's certainty."

In the afternoon, Ye Bingwen went to the store. An'an's milk powder was almost finished, and milk powder required coupons; money alone wasn't enough.

The store was near Central Avenue. He walked to the grocery counter, where a middle-aged female sales clerk was knitting. "Milk powder? Do you have coupons?"

Ye Bingwen handed over the four bags of milk powder coupons that Ma Kui had helped him. The sales clerk took out four bags of milk powder from under the counter. "Four bags, two yuan each, eight yuan in total."

Just as he was about to pay, an elderly voice came from behind him. "Comrade, could you spare a bag for me?"

An elderly couple stood behind them. The old man was over seventy years old, wearing a faded cotton-padded jacket. The old woman was holding his arm, her eyes were red-rimmed, and she was clutching a few crumpled bills in her hand.

"Sir, are you buying baby formula too?"

"I bought these for my grandson. My daughter-in-law doesn't have enough milk, and the baby is only three months old. We've been to several stores, but they all said they were out of stock. You have four bags here, could you spare one? I'll pay double the price."

Ye Bingwen glanced at the bills in the old lady's hand; the largest denomination was one yuan. He took two bags of milk powder from his bag and handed them over. "Here are two bags for you. No need for double the price, just the original price."

The old man was stunned, and the old woman's tears welled up instantly. The old man took the milk powder, his hands trembling violently. The old woman counted out four yuan from the stack of bills in her hand and stuffed it into Ye Bingwen's hand.

"Comrade, what's your name? Where do you live? We'll return the money to you another day."

"No need to pay it back. I'm a father too, and I know what it's like for a child to have no milk."

The elderly couple left, profusely thanking her. The saleswoman snorted. "You're quite generous. Four bags of formula, and you only have two left for yourself. How many days will that last for your child?"

"Enough to last for a while. We'll figure something else out when it's gone."

When they got home that evening, Ye Bingwen placed the milk powder on the table. Zheng Shuyun was taken aback to see there were only two bags. He recounted what had happened at the store. Zheng Shuyun was silent for a moment, then smiled. "You're generous to others, but stingy with yourself."

An'an crawled on the floor, grabbed the table leg to stand up, and took two unsteady steps. Ye Bingwen picked her up, and An'an wrapped her arms around his neck, drooling all over his face.

The next day, Zheng Shuyun received a call from Sister Lin. "Shuyun, your article has been published! It's on page three of today's provincial newspaper, a whole page! The title has been changed to 'A Year in a Rural Family,' and it's credited to you!"

Zheng Shuyun hung up the phone, her hands still trembling. The two went to the school's newsstand and bought a provincial newspaper. Turning to page three, the entire page was filled with Zheng Shuyun's articles. Holding the newspaper, tears streamed down Zheng Shuyun's face.

The old man at the newsstand poked his head out. "Young lady, did you write this article? It's well-written! I've read it twice!"

In the afternoon, retired Section Chief Sun called. "Comrade Shuyun, I've read your article. It's well-written. I was wrong about your judgment before, I'm sorry you didn't appreciate it."

Zheng Shuyun held the microphone. "Section Chief Sun, it's all in the past."

Days passed. Ye Bingwen taught classes during the day and wrote the feasibility report at night. By the end of December, the report was finished, a thick stack of over thirty pages. Liu Deben flipped through it. "Well written. It will be discussed at the school affairs meeting next Wednesday; you'll be an observer." He took an envelope from his drawer. "The school's research start-up funding for you, two thousand yuan. You don't need to pay it back."

Winter vacation has arrived. Ye Bingwen bought two train tickets and took Zheng Shuyun and An'an back to Daxing Village for the Spring Festival.

The train was packed with people, so crowded you couldn't move an inch. It was An'an's first time on such a long train ride, and she looked around curiously. A young woman sitting opposite her took a piece of candy from her bag and offered it to An'an. An'an took it, popped it into her mouth, and smiled so broadly her eyes narrowed into slits.

The train journey took more than ten hours, and it was already late at night when they arrived in the county town. Ye Bingwen hailed a horse-drawn carriage, and the family of three rode in it towards Daxing Village. It was very cold and the wind was strong. An'an was wrapped in a quilt, with only her little face showing.

In the distance, he saw a light shining at the front door. His father stood there, holding a flashlight. Seeing the carriage approaching, he went to greet it. The flashlight beam shone on An'an's face, and An'an squinted, but didn't cry.

Father stared at An'an for a long time, then reached out and took her from Ye Bingwen's arms. An'an looked at the unfamiliar old man, blinked, and suddenly smiled. Father's tears welled up instantly. "Good, good," Mother ran out of the house, saw An'an, and also cried.

The family went inside. The house was warm and cozy with a stove burning. An'an crawled around on the kang (heated brick bed), her mother chasing after her to feed her. Her father sat on the edge of the kang, smoking a pipe, his eyes fixed on An'an.

"Dad, is the house finished?"

"It's finished. We've used all the money you sent back, and there's some left over, which we'll save for you."

"No need to save. You can spend it yourselves."

An'an crawled to her father's side and reached for his pipe. Her father quickly took the pipe away, and An'an pouted, about to cry. Her father hurriedly pulled a piece of candy from his pocket and handed it to her. An'an took it, popped it into her mouth, and immediately smiled. Her mother laughed beside her. "Look at you," she said, "you've even stopped smoking as soon as your granddaughter came."

The next day, Li Sanguang arrived. He stood at the door, carrying a chicken and two bottles of wine, his head down, not daring to look inside.

Ye Bingwen looked at him. Li Sanguang had lost a lot of weight, and most of his hair had turned white. "Brother Sanguang, come in and sit down."

Li Sanguang entered the house, placed the chicken and wine on the table, and didn't know what to do with his hands. "Bingwen, I'm sorry. I'm not human."

Ye Bingwen poured him a glass of water. "Brother Sanguang, let's not talk about the past."

"I'm not here to ask for your forgiveness. I just want to tell you that I was wrong. I shouldn't have reported you, and I shouldn't have been so ungrateful."

Ye Bingwen was silent for a moment. "Everyone makes mistakes. It's okay to make mistakes, as long as you correct them. Just don't do anything you'll regret in the future."

Tears streamed down Li Sanguang's face. He wiped his face and nodded. "Bingwen, thank you."

"Go back now. I've accepted the chicken and the wine, but don't bring them next time."

Li Sanguang left. Zheng Shuyun walked over and leaned on his shoulder. "You don't hate him anymore?"