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Rural Generation of the Eighties
墨書 Inktalez
"Beautiful lady, do you want Goode Glasses?"
Yezhi glanced around the deserted area, her gaze landing on the Silver-Haired Old Man across from her, dressed in a Black Trench Coat and wearing sunglasses. It was midnight, and they were the only two people on the cold street, creating an inexplicable sense of eeriness that made Yezhi shiver.
"Fully solar-powered, can connect to the internet, take photos, make videos, play music...!"
The old man rambled on loudly in the silent night, and Yezhi's sixth sense told her to leave quickly. Just as she was about to act on that instinct, the old man moved in front of her and grabbed her arm. Yezhi's heart raced, and she wanted to scream but couldn't make a sound.
"Beautiful lady, this is much more stylish than Google Glass, with powerful features... only 100 bucks!"
The old man grinned at Yezhi, pulling out a pair of Black-framed Glasses and placing them on her face as if performing a magic trick.
Forced selling! Anger and panic surged within Yezhi. She wanted to run, but one of her arms was firmly held by the old man. Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, she used her free hand to throw some money at him and took off running towards home while he bent down to pick it up.
"Wait, beautiful lady!" The old man shouted after her as she ran. Hearing him call out made Yezhi run even faster! Suddenly, with a splash, she fell into an open sewer without a cover, sinking like a stone.
"Why are you running? I haven't finished explaining how to use it yet! What a troublemaker!" The old man muttered to himself as a blue light began to expand from his black coat, eventually enveloping the entire street. In an instant, both he and the light vanished! A gust of wind swept through, lifting a few dry leaves; it was as if nothing had happened on the street, which returned to its usual tranquility.
The foul-smelling sewage mixed with garbage quickly engulfed Yezhi. She struggled in the water, desperately hoping to grab onto something or find solid ground. Water rushed into her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, filling her lungs as her consciousness began to fade. The thought of dying like this filled her with unwillingness and regret... With her last ounce of strength before losing consciousness completely, she somehow managed to rise from the water. Coughing up a few mouthfuls of water and ignoring the sharp pain in her chest like thousands of needles stabbing at her, she greedily inhaled fresh air as if it were the most wonderful thing in the world! The surroundings looked unfamiliar; she didn't know if she had been washed out of the sewer's exit. Before she could take a closer look around, a shadow darted in front of Yezhi.
"Girl, what are you thinking?!"
What am I thinking? Yezhi was filled with confusion. In the moonlight, she looked at the Aunt who tightly held both of her arms with an anxious expression and felt something was off.
Seeing Yezhi dazed and unfocused, Aunt shouted even more urgently: "This is a big deal; your life is more important! There's no obstacle you can't overcome; even The Four Heavenly Kings have fallen! Good days are ahead! You're still young; why are you heading down such a dark path? Come on, let's go back with Aunt!"
"The Four Heavenly Kings have fallen!" Yezhi murmured. Upon hearing her words, Aunt nodded vigorously.
The coarse burlap coat in front of her, baggy pants with rectangular patches at the knees, and black cloth shoes all told Yezhi something! She felt light-headed and unsteady on her feet as Aunt tightly held onto her hand and led her along the winding river path toward the lights ahead.
"Bark bark bark—" A few deep barks from dogs snapped Yezhi out of her daze. Her soaked clothes clung to her skin as a chill seeped down her spine.
"Big Yellow, go away."
Aunt stood in front of Yezhi and commanded the large yellow dog in the yard, which was as tall as a calf. The initially fierce dog obediently stepped aside and lay down in the corner.
Aunt quickly pushed open the wooden door, lit a candle, and pulled Yezhi towards the earthen bed. Yezhi felt embarrassed to sit down, especially with water still dripping from her. Aunt noticed Yezhi's discomfort but insisted that she sit. Unable to refuse, Yezhi carefully perched on the edge of the bed, feeling warmth beneath her.
Aunt climbed onto the bed, opened a small red-painted cabinet at the head of the bed, rummaged through it, and handed clothes to Yezhi.
"Change into these; I’ll go make you something to eat."
With that, she hurried out. Holding the clothes, Yezhi looked around at the newspaper-covered shelves and walls, the heavy cabinet, and the white porcelain figurine in the center of the cabinet lid. Everything felt surreal. She pinched her thigh hard; the sharp pain confirmed that this was all real.
Letting out a deep sigh, the pain and heaviness in her chest seemed to lessen a bit. After changing into dry clothes, Yezhi shyly wrapped her lace underwear and panties inside her wet clothes. She shook her damp short hair and caught a glimpse of the black-framed glasses she had taken off when changing.
Yezhi touched the oval frame, feeling that these glasses were quite magical; they hadn’t come off despite her struggles in the water. Remembering the strange old man who sold her the glasses, she realized everything had started to twist since meeting him.
The glasses might be key to her return. Such important glasses should be kept close; she decided to put them back on.
Outside, Aunt's voice called out, "Dinner's ready!" Yezhi quickly lifted the floral blue curtain and saw Aunt entering with a large tray.
Aunt instructed Yezhi to set up a small table on the bed. Yezhi sat on the left while Aunt sat on the right, both cross-legged facing each other. From the tray, Aunt brought out two bowls: one filled with golden dry food and another with soup that wafted a strong ginger aroma.
Aunt handed one piece of dry food to Yezhi.
"Eat it while it's hot!"
Yezhi examined the dry food closely; it was golden and fluffy, flat on one side and round on the other. She broke off a piece and put it in her mouth; it was fragrant with a slightly coarse texture that scratched her throat.
Aunt served her soup in a large bowl similar to those used at Yezhi's home. The soup had more vegetables than broth. After taking a sip, Yezhi felt the spiciness of ginger burning in her stomach, dispelling any chill. She picked up some greens with chopsticks; they were fresh and tender with a sweet aftertaste.
Yezhi never liked eating vegetables. She remembered seeing a hot post on her social media: "So what if I got fat and love eating meat! I spent millions of years climbing to the top of the food chain not to eat vegetables." This resonated deeply with her, even becoming a motto she admired.
One bite after another, she finished a large bowl of vegetables, overturning her 27 years of belief. It wasn't that she didn't like vegetables; it was that the vegetables of the 21st century lacked the nourishment from lush green mountains and waters, replaced instead by pesticide and fertilizer pollution, resulting in a different taste.
"Girl, you must be a sent-down youth!"
Sent-down youth! Does the offspring of sent-down youth count? Seeing Yezhi remain silent, Aunt continued to ask. Yezhi could only mumble an agreement to avoid answering, burying her face in the bowl and pretending to eat vigorously when she couldn't respond. Aunt scrutinized Yezhi again—round face, almond eyes, plump body, fair and tender like a Northeast scallion. In fact, Aunt had never seen such a fair-skinned sent-down youth.
"Aunt, where is this?"
"Zhoujiatun."
What is Zhoujiatun! With poor geography skills, Yezhi wanted to ask but feared exposing herself, so she buried her face back into the bowl. However, based on Aunt's accent, she guessed it might be in the Northeast. Seeing Yezhi burying her face in the bowl again made Aunt smile broadly.
"Girl, what's your surname? How old are you?"
Yezhi chewed on her vegetables and replied softly, "Yezhi, twenty..." Before she could finish saying "seven," she choked and began coughing violently.
Aunt quickly patted Yezhi on the back and poured her a glass of warm water to soothe her throat.
"Twenty? That makes you a big girl!"
Twenty—a beautiful misunderstanding. Should she correct it? Yezhi felt conflicted; as a woman nearing thirty, who wouldn't reminisce about their flower-like youth? The temptation to relive being twenty and shed the label of "Leftover Woman" was immense! Whatever, twenty it is; after all, heaven knows, earth knows, and I know!
Seeing that Yezhi remained silent, Aunt, with heartfelt sincerity, continued: "Girl, what's troubling you? Life is not easy; once you're dead, there's nothing left. The Four Heavenly Kings have fallen; the special period has ended. You've endured these days—how come you're still struggling now? I won't ask about the past; don't dwell on it either. Just settle down here for now. If you want to go home, I'll take you back."
Listening to Aunt's simple words made Yezhi want to laugh and cry at the same time. She wasn't someone who jumped into a river to commit suicide; she had climbed out of it. How could she explain this misunderstanding? Carrying the label of suicide—sigh!
Fortunately, she hadn't encountered that special period; otherwise, she would have died without knowing why. If only... time could turn back several decades and return her to before the mountain village.
Yezhi approached Aunt's gaze with a sorrowful expression and said, "I can't go back... I have no home! What year is it now?"
Aunt was clearly taken aback, gently stroking Yezhi's head as she replied, "It's 1980 now. My surname is Zhou, you can call me Aunt Zhou. From now on, my home is your home."
1980, Yezhi wasn't even born yet! Now she truly had nowhere to go, having crossed over to this impoverished era, feeling lost and without any identification. She could only stay here and take things one step at a time.
"Aunt Zhou, thank you for your help in the future," Yezhi said sincerely, her voice choked with emotion.
Aunt Zhou quickly waved her hand in response, saying, "No need, no need!"
After finishing their meal, Yezhi and Aunt Zhou worked together to clean up the dishes. Aunt Zhou picked up a pile of wet clothes from the chair and prepared to go outside. Yezhi blushed and hurriedly took them from her, saying, "Aunt Zhou, I'll do it myself."
"Auntie, what's the big deal about washing a piece of clothing? It's pitch dark out there; you don't even know where the well is!"
"Then tell me where it is, and I'll know. I can wash it myself!" After saying that, Yezhi held onto the wet clothes tightly. Aunt Zhou helplessly picked up a candle and smiled, saying, "Come with me then!"
Squatting by the well, Aunt Zhou drew water while Yezhi scrubbed the clothes. After quite a bit of effort, they finally managed to hang the clothes on a bamboo pole.
After washing the clothes, they lay on the kang chatting casually. Most of the conversation was led by Aunt Zhou while Yezhi listened. She didn't know how long it had been when Aunt Zhou's voice gradually faded away into soft snores.
Perhaps it was because she wasn't used to the bed or because Yezhi was originally from the south; lying on this warm kang made her head feel heavy. She kept thinking about that day before she crossed over—pondering all the "what ifs." What if she hadn't gone out for dinner and a movie? What if she hadn't gone to check on the stores? What if she hadn't gone back to work overtime... then she wouldn't have met that old man.
Amidst all these "what ifs" and random thoughts, Yezhi drifted off into a deep sleep!
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