Chapter Thirty-Four: Have I Been Possessed by a Lucky Spirit?

Han Li opened the door to find Hao Hongmin and her companion standing outside. They told him they were planning to visit the county the next day to purchase some necessities for their households. The three compared their respective lists and found that their two courtyards needed much the same things.

Han Li had planned to go as well, and now that his house was finished, he thought he ought to inform Aunt Liu.

“We need pretty much the same things, especially a water jar—we absolutely must have one, and it’s not easy to carry back,” said one of the women.

“If we go together, maybe the vendor will deliver them for us. If not, hiring a cart would still save us some money,” said the other.

Yang Xiuying agreed. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. We’ll need your strength when it comes to loading and unloading.”

Han Li nodded. “Then let’s go together tomorrow. But I have to visit an elder in the morning.”

“Let’s set a time and place to meet, and then buy the water jars together—how about that?”

Yang Xiuying was about to speak when Hao Hongmin tugged her sleeve and jumped in. “Let’s do that then—tomorrow morning we’ll come call for you. We’ll need your help with lifting those jars!”

The two women headed back inside and flopped down on their kang. Yang Xiuying rolled over with a look of utter contentment.

“Ah, nothing compares to living in your own house. I can roll around as much as I like!”

“And there aren’t any weird smells. The girl who slept next to me, Niu Lihong, would fart all night—I thought I’d suffocate,” she complained.

“Oh, by the way, why did you pull me just now? I hadn’t finished talking.”

Hao Hongmin stretched out on the kang as well, her figure more curvaceous than Yang Xiuying’s.

“Were you about to ask about his relatives?”

“Yes! Back at the county youth office, he was away from the group for ages and asked us to watch his luggage. I figured he must have relatives or friends here, but when I asked, he just claimed he was using the toilet. Outrageous!”

“You know,” Hao Hongmei replied, “some things are better left unsaid. If Han Li doesn’t want to talk about it, don’t press. We’ve already benefited enough from knowing him—otherwise, how would we have gotten such a big courtyard?”

Yang Xiuying admitted, “That’s true. Having our own yard is such a luxury. In the youth dorm, we could only wipe ourselves down. I felt like I was starting to stink.”

“It’s so much better now. As long as we bar the gate, we can do whatever we want inside.”

“Not only can we bathe comfortably every day, but we can even lounge in the yard in our underclothes if we wish.”

Hao Hongmin warned, “It’s fine in the house, but be careful outside—what if someone sees you? Would you marry him then?”

“No way! I’m counting on my family buying me a job so I can return to the city.”

“Jobs are scarce now—if getting one was so easy, we wouldn’t be out here in the countryside.”

“True enough. I really envy Han Li’s little sister. Why can’t I have a brother like that?”

Hao Hongmin just sighed.

After bidding farewell to his two neighbors, Han Li took a moment to compose himself and started preparing a meal. It was the first time he could properly cook in his own home. Up to now, his meals had been makeshift affairs. Today, he was determined to eat well. He still couldn’t make steamed buns, lacking starter dough, and would have to borrow some from the village another day.

But he could make rice. Unfortunately, the rice he had was all broken and of poor quality, much like his so-called “golden finger.” He washed the rice, checked the water level with his finger, and set it over the kerosene stove. Next, he took out a piece of preserved pork and some eggplants he’d traded from Aunt Zhao.

He chopped them swiftly to his liking, lit the firewood under the stove, stir-fried the pork until fragrant, then added the eggplants to simmer. The meal left Han Li stuffed and unwilling to move after he lowered the table from the kang.

The next morning, Han Li was awakened by the village bell. He asked the team leader for leave, then made his way to the crossroads to catch an ox cart to the county. The morning air was mild, and lulled by the cart’s gentle swaying, Han Li soon dozed off again.

“Han Li, wake up—we’re here,” called Hao Hongmin, and he realized they had arrived. He jumped down and stretched, shaking off sleep.

“Sorry, I dozed off. Let’s split up and meet again at the agreed time.”

Once the three parted ways, Han Li hurried to the Youth Office, carrying a basket with four halves of dried rabbit. As he took out the rabbits, he couldn’t help but silently complain about his “golden finger” once more. He reported his recent situation to Aunt Liu, but when it was time to leave, the dried rabbits were returned to him, and he found two tea coupons, two pastry coupons, and an abundance of nagging in his pockets.

Han Li left the Youth Office as if fleeing, finally breathing easy only when he reached the supply and marketing cooperative. There, he bought some straw paper, which he desperately needed.

He wandered over to the recycling station, rumored to be a treasure trove where people sometimes mistook valuables for trash. Han Li chuckled at the thought—surely such gold was rare—but he entered with a bit of hope.

The recycling station was, after all, a formal state-run enterprise, tidy and orderly, nothing like the jumble he’d expected. The old man on duty sat behind a desk at the entrance, sipping tea from an enamel mug, looking for all the world like he was in an office.

“What do you want?” the old man asked lazily.

“Uncle, I’d like to buy some old newspapers to paste on my walls.”

The old man set down his mug, glanced at him, and pointed at a nearby shed. “There are stacks in there—twenty cents a bundle, no picking through, and don’t use them for anything else.”

Han Li went to the shed as directed. Inside, bundles of newspapers were stacked on the floor. He couldn’t be bothered to sort through them, so he picked out two newer-looking bundles. Beside them was a pile of unsorted old books and papers. Han Li rifled through, hoping to find a couple of interesting books to while away the time.

To his astonishment, a whole sheet of vivid red stamps fell out from between the pages of a book. Han Li stared dumbfounded at the familiar image of the three representatives of workers, peasants, and soldiers, with the words “The Whole Country Is Red” printed over a map of China. Even in his previous, ignorant life, he knew what these were. Hastily, he stuffed the stamps back into the book.