“You’re Amazing, Girl!”
When the noise outside had completely died down, leaving only silence, Qin Shi finally stepped out of the room. Following the path she recalled from her memories, she found her way to the village latrine.
The short, dirt-built outhouse reeked with a putrid stench. Qin Shi’s expression twisted even before she got close. Instinctively, she held her breath through her nose and switched to shallow breathing through her mouth.
Once she had mentally prepared herself and stepped inside, she was greeted by two uneven wooden planks and maggots crawling everywhere. The sight made her stomach churn, and she fought back the urge to vomit.
Having grown up in the city, Qin Shi had never seen such a horrifying scene. Her face turned pale as a sheet.
But the urgency of the situation didn’t give her the luxury to back out. She forced herself to endure the disgust, carefully stepping onto a spot without any maggots, finishing her business as quickly as possible, and bolted out the door.
The moment she exited, she nearly collided with someone.
“Sorry,” Qin Shi reflexively apologized in perfect Mandarin. Immediately, she realized how out of place it sounded.
Fortunately, the person wasn’t a member of the Qin family and didn’t seem to notice her standard Mandarin.
“Qin Shi?”
Looking up, Qin Shi saw a sloppily dressed man staring at her. Already nauseated from the latrine, her expression grew colder.
It was none other than Lu Cai.
The village latrine was communal, and anyone could use it. Typically, people would cough to signal that someone was inside. Qin Shi shivered at the thought—if she hadn’t gone early, she might have run into him inside.
Even if she had coughed, Lu Cai probably wouldn’t have cared. On the contrary, he might have taken advantage of the opportunity.
Memories of him constantly “accidentally” running into the original owner and harassing her came flooding back. Qin Shi’s gaze turned icier.
She didn’t want to engage with him and moved to leave, but he blocked her way.
“Don’t be in such a hurry,” Lu Cai said with a grin, his tone oozing self-satisfaction. “Did you know I had my mother go to your family to propose? When are you going to marry me?”
Qin Shi’s voice was cold. “I won’t marry you.”
Lu Cai’s expression shifted briefly before he plastered on a smile again. “Why are you suddenly so fierce? It’s more attractive than before, though.”
Qin Shi frowned and spoke bluntly, “I won’t marry you. My parents and grandmother can’t decide for me, so give up.”
With that, she shoved his arm aside and dashed back to the Qin family courtyard.
Watching her retreating figure, Lu Cai continued to grin. She seemed even prettier after a few days apart.
Turning to leave, his eyes glinted with determination.
…
Back in her room, Qin Shi sat down with a furrowed brow, deep in thought. She considered finding another way out of her predicament.
It was 1980, and with college entrance exams reinstated, she could focus on passing them to escape this place. Once she got into college, she’d have control over her life.
Stepmother?
Qin Shi hesitated, wondering if not following the “stepmother” route would truly lead to her death.
The moment the thought crossed her mind, her entire body began to tremble. Within three seconds, she collapsed beside the bed, her face pale.
Just imagining it felt like being electrocuted.
After finally recovering, Qin Shi quickly dismissed any rebellious ideas. She didn’t dare test the waters again—dying here would be a huge loss.
Feeling frustrated, she sat for a long while before finally getting up to search through the original owner’s belongings.
The original owner had been incredibly naive, handing over all her earnings from work. She was left with only five cents in her possession.
Qin Shi found a diary among her things and flipped through it carefully. Reading it gave her a clearer understanding of this world, this family, and the original owner’s past.
In the afternoon, her Eldest Aunt asked her to help with cooking, but Qin Shi couldn’t be bothered. She coughed lightly and claimed she still wasn’t feeling well to avoid it.
During dinner, her aunt made snide remarks, but Qin Shi didn’t even lift her eyelids. She focused solely on eating.
Grandma Qin, concerned about the marriage and the promised job opportunity, didn’t dare confront Qin Shi. She simply told her eldest daughter-in-law to stop talking and finish her meal.
After dinner, everyone retreated to their respective rooms, whispering and plotting their next moves.
Since Sini was sharing the room with her, Qin Shi didn’t do anything unusual. After washing up, she went straight to bed.
Sini, feeling ignored, sat with her water jug and stared at the sleeping Qin Shi, her expression puzzled. Something about Qin Shi’s behaviour seemed off today—she was acting strangely.
But Sini didn’t press the issue. She turned and left the room, heading to Qin Shi’s parents’ quarters.
Hearing the sound of the door opening and closing several times, Qin Shi smirked and let out a quiet chuckle.
—
The next morning.
Before dawn broke, Qin Shi got up swiftly, preparing to head to town.
The noise woke Sini, who groaned in annoyance. “What are you doing? So noisy! Can’t you keep it down?”
Qin Shi rolled her eyes with exaggerated disdain but didn’t respond. She continued her preparations as usual.
Last night, when she’d been asleep, Sini had made plenty of noise upon returning. Did she care about being quiet then?
When Qin Shi finished tidying up and closed the door at a normal volume, Sini’s irritated voice drifted out from inside the room.
Out in the courtyard, Grandma Qin and her stepmother were already busy with chores, as they were the earliest risers. Hearing the noise, Grandma Qin called out, “What’s going on now?”
“Sini’s talking in her sleep,” Qin Shi replied casually, her expression calm as she walked into the kitchen and grabbed a freshly warmed corn pancake.
Grandma Qin glared at her, but Qin Shi ignored it, simply tossing out, “I’m leaving,” before walking out of the courtyard.
Once she was gone, Grandma Qin began muttering as she worked. “She’s not even married yet and already acts like she’s a city girl! The saying is true—once a daughter’s married, she’s like water poured out, gone for good!”
“If it weren’t for Lu Cai…” Grandma Qin caught herself and quickly corrected, “If he hadn’t taken a fancy to her, do you think she could marry so well?”
Sini’s mother, scrubbing laundry nearby, glanced up at Grandma Qin with a cold sneer in her heart. If not for the temporary job at the machinery factory offered by Lu Cai’s family, would this stingy old woman have handed over the bride price? She’d probably have pocketed part of it for herself!
The more Sini’s mother thought about it, the angrier she became. Her scrubbing grew more vigorous, and a calculating glint flickered in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Qin Shi, with her satchel over her shoulder, made her way to the edge of the village. Seeing that a donkey cart was already partially filled, she jogged over to secure a spot and handed two cents to Old Li, the cart driver.
Old Li took the coins with a grin. “Feeling better? My grandson was asking about you yesterday. Said you haven’t been back to school yet—he’s been talking about you.”
In this era, people held great admiration and respect for those with higher education, especially in a village where high school graduates were rare. Qin Shi, having been accepted into college, was practically a celebrity.
“Really?” Qin Shi replied with a polite smile. “I’ve been recovering from an illness. I’m heading to town today to check on things. Once I’m better, I’ll return to school.”
Lu Cai’s family had secretly sent someone to feel out her parents, but no one else in the village knew about it yet. Naturally, Qin Shi didn’t want this to become public and offered a casual excuse.
“Ah, the village barefoot doctor can only handle minor ailments. It’s better to go to town.”
“Erni, come here. Sit with us.”
The women on the cart greeted Qin Shi warmly, making space for her in the best seat—the back corner, where it was least bumpy.
Qin Shi accepted the offer graciously, smiling as she thanked them, which made the women beam even more, showering her with compliments.
The enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming for Qin Shi. To escape, she yawned and feigned exhaustion, closing her eyes to rest. The women, seeing this, toned down their chatter.
Before long, the cart was packed, and Qin Shi, squeezed into the corner, was jolted so much that her body felt like it might fall apart.
Two hours later, just as Qin Shi thought she couldn’t take any more, they finally arrived at town.
The women bustled off the cart, and Old Li called out, “Be back by four in the afternoon! Don’t be late—I won’t wait for anyone!”
“Got it, got it!”
Qin Shi got off last, taking her time to observe the 1980s townscape as she strolled in.
It wasn’t too different from what she’d seen on TV—full of character, but undeniably poor.
After wandering around, she realized there weren’t many shops and ended up at the supply and marketing cooperative. Inside, she found the selection disappointing. The fabrics were dull and drab—grey, dark, and not even a hint of red.
The sales clerk, with an air of superiority, rolled her eyes at Qin Shi. “Red fabric is scarce. Are you buying or not? If not, move along and don’t hold up the line.”
Qin Shi turned and left without a word. Behind her, the clerk spat disdainfully at her retreating figure. “Poor thing.”
Pretty face or not, if she couldn’t afford a piece of fabric, what did it matter?
Having experienced the “arrogant service” and “limited goods” typical of this era, Qin Shi decided against wasting any more time browsing and headed to the state-run restaurant instead. She was hungry.
Inside, the staff ignored her, simply pointing to the menu board and saying, “Order for yourself.”
Qin Shi saw that today’s specials were “braised pork” and “pork dumplings.” Without hesitation, she chose the dumplings.
Braised pork cost four yuan—far too expensive. Dumplings were just one yuan and much more affordable.
“Wait over there,” the server said dismissively before returning to her book.
As Qin Shi was about to find a seat, she heard a commotion from the restaurant’s only occupied table.
“Cong Cong! Cong Cong, what’s wrong?!”
Qin Shi turned to see a woman frantically trying to help her child, whose face was red from suffocation. The boy’s mouth gaped open, but no sound came out. He clutched his throat desperately.
The woman was panicking and shouting incoherently.
Qin Shi’s expression turned serious. She rushed over, picked up the child, and positioned him face-down over her forearm. Using her other hand, she delivered firm, rhythmic blows between his shoulder blades.
After a few strikes, the child coughed up half a dumpling that had been lodged in his throat. He took a deep breath and burst into tears.
Qin Shi set him down gently, opened his mouth to check that his throat was clear, and finally let out a sigh of relief.
The boy’s mother, having regained her composure, yanked him over and began hitting and scolding him. “What’s wrong with you?! How do you choke while eating?! You scared me to death!”
The boy, already shaken, now cried even harder under her barrage of scolding and slaps.
Seeing him kicked to the ground, Qin Shi couldn’t hold back. She picked him up, patting his back gently to soothe him, then turned to glare at his mother.
“What’s wrong with *you*? How does a child choke while eating? You’re his mother—why weren’t you watching him? During the incident, all you did was scream, and now all you can do is hit him. Is this how parents are supposed to act?”
Her cold, sharp words left the woman stunned.
The server, who had been quietly reading, snorted in agreement. “Isn’t that the truth?”
Embarrassed and furious, the woman grabbed the boy and stormed out of the restaurant after finishing her soup in one gulp.
Qin Shi watched her leave, then glanced at the now-empty bowl, momentarily speechless.
At the door, an older woman who had witnessed everything approached Qin Shi, her eyes shining with admiration. “Young lady, you’re amazing!”
Before Qin Shi could respond, the woman leaned in closer. “What do you do? How old are you? Are you seeing anyone?”
Qin Shi: “…?”
What?
—
**Author’s Note:** Qin Shi (stunned): So no matter the era, aunties are always this enthusiastic about matchmaking?
Leave a Reply