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

Zhao Min's photo was tucked into the deepest part of the drawer. Zheng Shuyun glanced at it while dressing An'an, but didn't ask. Some things don't need to be asked.

On page three of the provincial newspaper, Zheng Shuyun's article took up the entire page. The village party secretary called, saying he wanted to put a copy on the village bulletin board so everyone in the village could see it. Her father's voice trembled on the other end of the phone: "Shuyun, you've really brought honor to the Ye family."

"Dad, Bingwen helped me revise the manuscript."

"Either way is fine. Both of you are doing well." The father chuckled twice. "Can An'an call me Grandpa yet?"

"Sometimes the word 'Master' will pop out."

"Okay, okay. I'll teach her to say it when she gets back."

After hanging up the phone, Zheng Shuyun read the newspaper again. Behind those words were the days of not having enough to eat in Daxing Village, Ye Bingwen's back bent low from exhaustion in the fields, and the hardship of not even having a clean diaper when An'an was born. Now all that is in the past.

An'an crawled on the ground, grabbed Zheng Shuyun's trouser leg to stand up, and reached for the newspaper. Zheng Shuyun held the newspaper up high, and An'an couldn't reach it, so she pouted and was about to cry.

Ye Bingwen pushed open the door and came in, carrying two bags. He also carried a red wool coat with a fur collar and brass buttons, and a pair of black leather shoes with thin straps on the upper.

"Why are you spending this money?" Zheng Shuyun asked, her hands trembling as she held the coat.

"Let's celebrate." Ye Bingwen draped his coat over her shoulders. "Try it on."

Zheng Shuyun stood in front of the mirror. The red woolen coat made her skin look even whiter, and she looked radiant. An'an reached out to touch the fur collar, touched it once and withdrew her hand, then reached out again to touch it.

Ye Bingwen went to the provincial newspaper's editorial department. The editor's surname was Liu; he wore black-rimmed glasses and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"You are Zheng Shuyun's lover? The article is well-written, full of genuine feelings."

"What awards can I apply for?"

"The province has an annual selection of outstanding news articles; your piece is eligible. Go back and wait for news."

Emerging from the editorial office, Ye Bingwen stood by the roadside, watching the people come and go. Some rode by on bicycles, their baskets filled with vegetables. Others hurried along, carrying children. His life was getting better day by day.

Zheng Shuyun was trying on her new leather shoes, the heels clicking on the floor.

"Apply for the evaluation? Is there any chance of being selected?"

"I don't know. But it can't hurt to try."

Zheng Shuyun took off her leather shoes, wiped the soles, and carefully put them back in the box. "These shoes are too expensive; I can't bear to wear them."

"I bought it to wear."

"Old is new." She closed the box and put it in the cabinet.

"You're the kind of person who can't bear to part with anything."

"It's not that I'm reluctant to part with it, it's that I cherish it." Zheng Shuyun walked over and leaned on his shoulder. "Bingwen, don't you think our lives are getting better and better?"

"Yes."

Will things get better in the future?

"meeting."

An'an was already asleep in her crib, her little hands clutching the corner of the blanket. Moonlight shone in through the window, falling on the three of them.

Ye Bingwen went to the train station and bought a ticket back to Shenyang. Zheng Shuyun packed her luggage, filling two large bags with An'an's clothes, diapers, and formula. She folded the red wool coat and put it in the luggage bag, then thought for a moment and took it out to hang it on the hanger.

"Not bringing it?"

"Even if I brought it, I'd never have a chance to wear it. If I wore something this nice in the countryside, people would gossip."

"Who cares what others say?"

"You don't understand. If you dress well, people will say you're showing off. If you dress poorly, people will say you're shabby. It's better to dress somewhere in between."

The train was packed with people heading home for the Chinese New Year. Ye Bingwen, carrying An'an, and Zheng Shuyun, carrying the luggage, finally found seats. An old man across from them handed them a handful of sunflower seeds.

"Comrade, how old is your child?"

"One and a half years old."

The old man looked at An'an and smiled. "This child is lucky. She has thick eyebrows and bright eyes. She'll definitely amount to something when she grows up."

An An smiled at him, revealing four tiny teeth.

The train journey took more than ten hours. After arriving in the county town, they hailed a horse-drawn carriage and headed towards Daxing Village. It was cold and windy, so An'an was wrapped in a quilt, Zheng Shuyun held her, and Ye Bingwen sat outside to shield her from the wind.

A lamp shone at the village entrance. The father stood at the door, shining his flashlight onto the road. Seeing the carriage approaching, he went to meet it. The flashlight beam shone on An'an's face; she squinted, but didn't cry. The father stared at her for a long time, his lips moved, but he didn't speak. He tucked the flashlight under his arm and reached out to take An'an from his arms.

An'an looked at the unfamiliar old man, blinked, and suddenly smiled.

Tears welled up in the father's eyes. He held An'an in his arms, his voice hoarse. "Okay, okay."

The mother ran out of the house and cried too.

The family went inside. The stove was burning, making the room warm and cozy. The father put An'an on the kang (heated brick bed), where An'an crawled around. The mother held Zheng Shuyun's hand, asking her all sorts of questions, while the father sat on the edge of the kang, smoking his pipe, his eyes fixed on An'an.

"Dad, is the house finished?"

"It's finished. All the money you sent back has been used, and there's some left for you to save."

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

"I can't afford it. I'm too old."

An'an crawled over and reached for the tobacco pouch. Her father quickly took it away, and An'an's lips trembled as if she was about to cry. He hurriedly pulled a piece of candy from his pocket and handed it to her, and An'an put it in her mouth and smiled.

The mother watched from the side and laughed. "Look at you, you've stopped smoking as soon as your granddaughter came."

The father chuckled twice.

Li Sanguang arrived. He was carrying a chicken and two bottles of wine, and he kept his head down, not daring to look inside.

"Bingwen, I..."

"Brother Sanguang, come in and have a seat."

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

Ye Bingwen poured him a glass of water. "Let's not talk about the past."

"I'm not here to ask for your forgiveness. I just want to say that I was wrong."

Ye Bingwen looked at him. "Everyone makes mistakes. Just correct them. Don't do anything you'll regret in the future."

Tears streamed down Li Sanguang's face. He wiped them away, turned, and left.

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

"I've hated him. But hating someone is too exhausting. He was wrong, and he's admitted it. Let it be."

It was snowing again outside the window. An'an was crawling on the kang (a heated brick bed), her mother chasing after her to feed her, while her father watched from the side, grinning from ear to ear. Ye Bingwen watched this scene and couldn't bear to think about Zhao Jianguo anymore.

The village committee called him to answer the phone. It was Chen Zhiyuan calling from Harbin.

"Bingwen, the prototype from the motor factory is finished. Professor Qian has drawn up the complete circuit diagram, and it's being tested. If you don't come back soon, it will be too late."

Ye Bingwen gripped the microphone, his fingers slowly tightening. "I understand. I'll go back tomorrow."

He hung up the phone and stood in the yard. The snow had stopped, but the wind was strong.

Zheng Shuyun carried An'an over. "What's wrong?"

"The prototype from the motor factory is finished. I need to go back ahead of time."

"What about An'an?"

"You stay with her in your hometown for a few more days. Once I've settled in, you can come to Harbin."

Zheng Shuyun looked down at An'an. An'an was biting her fingers, completely unaware of the impending separation.

Ye Bingwen touched An'an's face. "An'an, Daddy's leaving now. I'll come pick you up in a few days."

An'an raised her head, called out "Daddy," and then lowered her head to gnaw on her fingers.

Ye Bingwen turned and left, leaving a trail of footprints in the snow. Zheng Shuyun stood at the door, holding An'an, watching his figure grow smaller and smaller until it became a black dot and disappeared into the vast white snowfield.