Chapter Eighteen: Spending the Night in a Haystack

As Han Li was fretting over how to sleep, one of the educated youths sharing the room rolled up his bedding and headed out.

Han Li asked, "Are you going somewhere else to sleep?"

"It's just too hot in here. I'm going to sleep on the firewood pile in the backyard."

Sleeping outside meant there was none of that stifling smell, but Han Li ended up covered in mosquito bites. At first, the itching kept him awake, so he picked up his flashlight and began writing a letter to his family. Once the letter was finished, he scratched at his bites for a while, but soon sleep crashed over him with such force that he slept more soundly than anyone.

He was only roused by the urgent ringing of bells, rubbing his eyes and realizing that he had indeed arrived in the countryside. Dawn was only beginning to break; Han Li checked his watch—it was just half past four. Someone nearby, still groggy, asked, "What's going on?"

"The brigade leader is ringing the bell to call everyone to work."

"So early? It's still dark."

"You new arrivals get to rest today, but tomorrow you'll be up at this time, too. At least you'll have a break at noon."

"Ah... Didn't they say the fields aren't busy right now? Why do we have to get up before dawn?"

"Not busy? There's never a time when the fields aren't busy, but compared to the harvest, it's not so bad."

Sun Yong called out, "Han Li, if you're going to the county to buy supplies, you'll need to head to the village entrance soon."

"If you miss the ox cart, you'll have to walk the forty-plus li. And if you want to eat with us, bring some grain to give to Xiao Qin, who's cooking today."

Han Li replied, "Thanks for the reminder, Brother Sun. I'll get up now, but I'll skip breakfast."

"I'm buying a wok today to cook for myself. Once my house is built, I'll move in."

At this hour, everyone just grabbed a quick bite; corn porridge was the fastest breakfast. If the day's work was heavy, they'd save two steamed corn buns the night before to warm up. But that was a harvest-time privilege; now, a bowl of porridge was enough to tide people over.

Han Li didn't eat with the others. He took his cup and squatted in the yard to brush his teeth.

At that moment, Hao Hongmin and Yang Xiuying came to find him. After last night's rest, they were much more energetic.

"Han Li, let's go to the county together to buy things," Hao Hongmin suggested.

"You're not going with the other girls?"

"On the way, we want to ask your advice about building a house. The others wouldn't care to hear about that, so I didn't ask them."

Han Li thought... Well, that actually made a lot of sense. After all, building a house certainly drew envy. He had already received several jealous glances today, along with two looks that seemed to say, "Spinach for your troubles."

The three of them went to the crossroads to wait for the cart, only to find several others who had gone down to the countryside were already there. They exchanged awkward nods and smiles, as if marking out their own allegiances. But since they hadn't really spoken before, Han Li felt unexpectedly relaxed.

The fare to the commune by ox cart was two fen, to the county five fen. Han Li paid his share and found a place to sit, with Hao Hongmin and Yang Xiuying beside him. With so many people on the cart, it wasn't the time to discuss house-building. They kept quiet, but the aunties and older ladies on board rarely let their mouths rest.

Whatever they had been talking about before, Han Li didn't know, but now the new educated youths were their topic. They probed into everyone's background, focusing especially on Han Li. The young man was strikingly handsome, tall, and clearly never lacked for food at home. Not a single patch could be found on his clothes, and most importantly, he wore a wristwatch.

That wristwatch was one of the "three must-haves and one sound," and many educated youths had come and gone over the years. Few had ever worn a watch; it was clear he was doted on at home.

Han Li chatted affably with the aunties, making small talk and dodging questions. He revealed little about his own life, but learned a great deal about the village from their gossip. For example: Old Zhao, the fourth son, often beat his wife and children; Old Liang, the fifth, was so lazy that he wouldn't work if there was a bite to eat; Old Li's wife frequently mistreated their daughter, raising her merely so she wouldn't starve; and Zhang Liu, the pockmarked bachelor, nearly thirty, still had no wife, and liked to spy over people's walls. Last time, he peeked at Old Liang's wife bathing and nearly got beaten to death by the Liang family... and so on.

Listening to the village's petty stories, Han Li and his companions soon arrived at the county. Fortunately, their driver was an old hand—he expertly guided the ox cart past most potholes, so Han Li's backside hardly suffered at all.

After getting off, the old driver told everyone when the cart would return in the afternoon, and the group dispersed.

Han Li's first priority was to mail a letter home; he considered this the most important task. Hao Hongmin and Yang Xiuying wanted to visit the supply and marketing cooperative first, since so many educated youths would be shopping today. If they happened to arrive on market day, coming late meant missing out on what they wanted.

The three agreed to meet for lunch at the state-run restaurant in the county. With their plans set, everyone went their separate ways. Han Li headed straight to the post office to mail his letter. Now that things were settling down, he had time to appreciate his surroundings as he walked.

There wasn’t much to say about the construction of houses in this era—most were rammed earth, few were brick and tile, and two-story buildings were rare in the county.

But something else surprised him. If you didn’t look closely, you wouldn’t notice; but if you did, it was startling. Many northeastern women were smoking large pipes, chatting, walking, and puffing away. Some weren't smoking at the moment, but their pipes hung from their waistbands. This truly opened Han Li’s eyes.

(In this context, "market day" refers to a scheduled gathering of goods and people. Supplies were scarce then—even the supply cooperative couldn't keep its doors open with unlimited stock. Ordinary folks had little money or free time and couldn't come to town whenever they wished, so county leaders set market days according to the lunar calendar: some on even dates, some odd, some on certain weekdays, some every ten days for a big market, every five days for a small one, forming regular trade fairs. These were much like the old temple fairs in villages, but most temple fairs had been forcibly canceled due to special circumstances.)