Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Reason for the Midnight Gathering

Han Li shook his head at Hao Hongmei’s words and replied, “I’m tilling the yard. In a little while, it will be time to plant winter vegetables. If I prepare the ground every day now, I won’t be scrambling when the time comes.”

Yang Xiuying said, “I was wondering why you walked towards the warehouse after work earlier—were you borrowing tools?”

“Let us see what you borrowed. We’ll borrow some tomorrow to start working on our own yards.”

“I’m using a mattock,” Han Li replied. “It’s quite heavy, I’m not sure you’ll be used to it.”

“Let me give it a try,” Yang Xiuying said, unconvinced. She grabbed the mattock and swung it, nearly bringing it down on her own foot.

Her face turned pale from fright. If she’d really struck herself, she might have lost a toe.

Hao Hongmin quickly grabbed her arm. “Don’t worry, we won’t use the mattock. We’ll borrow a shovel and work slowly instead.”

“Hongmin, my legs have gone weak...” Yang Xiuying muttered.

Han Li said, “Take your time and don’t really hurt yourselves. There’s still a while before planting. Once I’m done with my yard, I’ll help you both.”

After seeing them off, Han Li continued swinging his mattock, breaking up the ground until night fell and the yard was nearly all turned over. Sweaty and flushed from head to toe, he went to the water jar, scooped up some water, and poured it over himself, the heat vanishing instantly.

After washing up, he returned indoors, lit the kerosene lamp, and set two dried rabbits to stew on the stove, lowering the heat to a simmer.

Han Li sat on the kang and took out the letters he’d received that day, opening his mother’s first. The letter briefly described the family’s situation, mostly urging him not to overwork and to take care of his health.

Inside his eldest sister’s envelope was a ration ticket for canned food. His second sister’s contained a tea voucher. His youngest sister’s letter held nothing but described in detail how their parents had reacted after Han Li left.

The other two letters were from classmates he’d met on the train, filled with complaints and talk of not fitting in, and hopes of returning to Beijing one day. One of them even subtly hinted at borrowing money from Han Li.

After reading the letters, Han Li started eating. He had just finished washing his dishes when he heard voices shouting in the village. Normally, he would avoid such things, but having nothing else to do after dinner and not feeling sleepy, he thought he might as well go take a look.

He had only just stepped into the yard when the distant sound of a bell rang out, and someone began pounding on his door.

“Comrade Han, Comrade Hao, Comrade Yang—the village head wants everyone to bring a flashlight or a lamp and gather at the grain-drying ground, quickly!”

“Understood, I’ll be right there,” Han Li replied.

Sensing something had happened, Han Li hurried inside, changed into his rubber boots, grabbed his flashlight, and headed out.

As he was closing the street gate, Hao Hongmin and the others were coming out as well. The three of them walked together towards the drying ground. As they passed the gate of the youth dormitory, everyone inside was already coming out.

The older educated youths looked calm, but the new arrivals were visibly nervous.

Yang Xiuying whispered, “Han Li, do you know what’s going on, calling us out in the middle of the night?”

“I have no idea,” Han Li replied. “But whatever it is, stay close to me when it’s dark.”

By the time they reached the drying ground, quite a few people had gathered. A bonfire blazed in front of the warehouse, with most of the other light coming from kerosene lamps. Those with flashlights turned them off after arriving, since batteries weren’t cheap.

The team leader was counting their group and reporting the numbers to Village Head Zhao.

“Quiet down, everyone,” the village head announced. “Since nearly everyone’s here, let me explain. We’ve just received an urgent report from higher authorities: two criminals are suspected to be fleeing in our direction. We are required to secure Shanghe Village’s borders and not let them slip past us.”

“These criminals are ruthless and have already hurt several people, but they don’t have guns, so there’s no need to worry about that.”

“When we split up, there should be at least three people in a group. You’ll each pick up something handy for self-defense from the warehouse.”

“Each team leader will tell their group where to patrol. If you see anything, call for help immediately.”

Han Li picked up a shovel from the warehouse, weighing it in his hand—it would do as a makeshift spear. Hao Hongmin and the others chose sickles, while some picked hoes or rakes; everyone grabbed what they could.

Han Li thought to himself that, whatever they picked, it might just end up helping the criminals if things went wrong.

He, Hao Hongmin, Yang Xiuying, and Aunt Zhang were assigned to patrol a stretch of riverbank, each bringing a pile of firewood from home to light a fire in their area.

Seeing this, Han Li silently gave the three village leaders his approval—those who understood would know why.

If one looked down from above at that moment, they would see the whole village encircled by bonfires.

In the middle of the night, no one could sleep, and they couldn’t speak loudly. Only the distant sound of wood crackling in the fire could be heard.

Han Li spoke up, “Aunt Zhang, Hongmin, Xiuying—you all take a nap. I’ll keep watch; nothing will go wrong.”

“Comrade Han, are you sure?” Aunt Zhang asked.

“It’s fine. I’m young and strong; staying up all night is nothing. If you don’t rest, how will you work tomorrow?”

“You have a good heart, Han,” Aunt Zhang said. “I’ll close my eyes for a bit, then.”

“Thank you, Han Li,” the others added.

Han Li waved off their thanks, but in the end, only Aunt Zhang could relax enough to sleep. The other two had never been through anything like this before, and they fidgeted restlessly where they sat, unable to rest.

Yang Xiuying whispered, “Han Li, do you think we’ll ever get back to the city?”

The hardships of the last few days had been more than she’d experienced in years, and she was at her limit. If it weren’t for meeting Hao Hongmin on the way and encouraging each other, she wouldn’t have made it.

Hao Hongmin looked up at Han Li as well. She was just a teenage girl, and though she was clear-headed and strong-willed, that sense of reliance on a male figure was natural, especially since they got along well with Han Li.

Han Li asked, “Are you homesick, or do you feel like you can’t take it anymore?”

“Both,” Yang Xiuying admitted. “Especially after getting a letter from home today—it made me feel really awful inside.”

Han Li said, “Actually, the moment we boarded the train, we all already knew the answer to that question in our hearts. I don’t know your family situations, but from what I’ve seen these days, they’re not bad. You just need to adjust your mindset—have faith in the country and in your families.”

“I don’t know what you’re really thinking, but for me, life here in Shanghe Village isn’t so bad.”