Volume One, Chapter Four: Leaving Home

And so, I shared the bed with my cousin-in-law until we woke up the next morning. When we opened our eyes and saw each other, we both chose to remain silent. With a tacit understanding, we rose, left the guest room, and returned to our respective homes in silence.

I had assumed that after that night, she would no longer want anything to do with me. Although nothing had happened between us, the mere fact that we had shared a bed made me fear she must be angry with me. To my surprise, however, after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, she came to my house.

When I saw her upon returning from outside, I felt a mix of nervousness and excitement. It was a feeling, how should I put it, like recovering something precious that I thought I had lost.

"Yanfeng! Come here quickly." Seeing her, my father called out to me loudly.

"Sister-in-law!" I greeted her with a smile as I walked into the main room.

"Yanfeng! Your cousin passed away in the line of duty, and there is an opening to take his place at the factory. You are nineteen this year, and your cousin-in-law intends to give this spot to you..." My father explained in a low voice. I was slightly stunned at first, followed by a surge of wild joy. I looked at her in disbelief; I never imagined she would offer her late husband’s vacancy to me. In the nineties, becoming a state-employed worker meant lifelong security, which, for a rural person, was a life-changing event.

"Yanfeng! Do you want to go?" She asked softly, looking at me with a faint smile, as if she had forgotten everything about that night.

"Sister-in-law! I do..." I answered without a second thought.

"Very well. Tomorrow, come with me to the state-run farm to process the paperwork." She nodded, stood up, gave some instructions, greeted my parents, and then left our home.

After my parents and I saw her out, my mother looked at me and cautioned, "Xiaofeng, now that she has given you this opportunity, you must be diligent if she ever needs help at the farm in the future..."

"I know, Mom! Don't worry, I will."

At that moment, my excitement was beyond words. I didn't need my mother's advice; if my cousin-in-law needed help, I would do anything for her without hesitation. After returning home, my father gave me some profound advice on how to conduct myself once I arrived at the farm.

...

The state-run farm was primarily an economy based on rubber production. It functioned as an enterprise while simultaneously carrying social and livelihood responsibilities, possessing semi-military characteristics—part city, part country, part farm, part factory, part government, and part business.

My cousin had been a forest ranger before he died, and by taking his place, I was to become a ranger as well. The main duty of the forest ranger team was to patrol and prevent the theft of rubber latex, protect the assets of the farm and its production units, and assist the local police station in maintaining order. With over fifty production units, surrounding rural areas, and numerous transient workers, the farm housed hundreds of thousands of people, and with limited police resources, the ranger team was essential.

My paperwork was processed quickly, and I was assigned to the Thirteenth Unit, where my cousin-in-law worked.

"Yanfeng! The farm is chaotic. As a ranger, you must be careful no matter what you encounter. Don't be foolish and rush to the front; those rubber thieves are ruthless thugs. Your safety is the most important..."

The unit was small, housing only a few hundred people in rows of tile-roofed houses. I was assigned two rooms—one kitchen and one bedroom—located right next door to hers, with our doors facing each other. At noon, she prepared a table full of good food to celebrate my new position as a worker. During the meal, she told me much about the farm and the unit. Finally, she admonished me with a serious expression, worried that my youthful impulsiveness would lead me to the same fate as my cousin.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law! I will definitely be careful..." I was delighted by her concern and nodded with a smile.

"Yanfeng! You're a man and don't know how to cook. From now on, when you're not working, just come eat here at my place." Seeing me agree, she stopped her warnings, smiled slightly, and began arranging my daily life.

I was more than happy to spend more time with her. "Okay, sister-in-law! Once I get my first paycheck, I'll pay for my meals."

"I can afford to feed you; you don't need to pay," she said with a playful glare.

It was the first time I had seen this side of her, and I was somewhat mesmerized. Her charming dimples, her bright, lively eyes, her oval face—every expression she made was intoxicating.

"Are you full? If so, go report for duty. I need to rest; I have to go out and tap rubber tonight." She was a rubber tapper and had to wake up in the middle of the night to work the trees.

Hearing this, I quickly pulled myself together, stood up, and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm full. You rest, I'm off to report."

"Good! Go on, and remember to come back for dinner." She instructed, then stood up to clear the dishes. I stepped out of the kitchen and headed toward the ranger team office.

"Reporting to the captain! I am the new ranger, Zhao Yanfeng." Finding the office, I stood at attention and introduced myself in a clear, loud voice.

"Hmm! A spirited young man. Since you're new, join the first group on the day shift for now..." The ranger team consisted of five squads, each patrolling ten units. Each squad was divided into two groups, alternating between day and night shifts. My squad was the second, led by Han Feng, a man in his early forties, stout and strong, though not as tall as me.

I bowed my head respectfully. "Understood! I will follow your orders, Captain."

"Yanfeng, no need to be so formal. Since you're new, just focus on familiarizing yourself with the work. Watch more, listen more, and learn more..." Perhaps because of my cousin, Han Feng was very polite to me and smiled as he gave me advice. I listened intently. Ten minutes later, he called over a man in his early thirties with dark skin and a short stature to take me away. This was Hu Yong, the leader of the first group.

"Yanfeng! Welcome to the first group. This is our office. Everyone gathers here at six every morning, and then I will assign patrol tasks..."

Hu Yong brought me into a small office filled with desks and explained the rules. I listened carefully, my heart racing with excitement, especially at the thought that I would be seeing my cousin-in-law every day.

"This is Li Da, also from our group." Hu Yong pointed to a man in his early thirties sitting at a desk with his legs crossed. He was thin, and his face was pockmarked.

Each group had six people, split into two shifts. The first group was no different: three people patrolled while the other three remained in the office. With my cousin gone, there were only five left, and the other three were already out on patrol. Only Li Da and Hu Yong were in the office.

"Hello, Brother Da! My name is Zhao Yanfeng." I greeted him with a bright smile.

Li Da glanced at me with his triangular eyes, lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and asked with a sneer, "So you're the new guy who took the place of that dead ghost, Zhao Fei?"

Hearing this, I immediately realized that he and my cousin must have had a bad relationship; otherwise, he wouldn't be so snide upon our first meeting. However, I didn't get angry. My grandfather once told me that one encounters all sorts of people in life. It's impossible for everyone to like you, and as long as they don't cross your bottom line, there's no need to care about those who don't. So, I ignored his tone and just nodded with a smile.

"Kid! Su Wan has a nice body, very curvy. Zhao Fei still owed me money, and now that he's dead, Su Wan must be feeling lonely at night. Why don't you get her to come out so we can go for a drink?" Seeing I didn't respond, Li Da raised his chin, looking at me sideways.

Su Wan was my cousin-in-law's name. I could ignore how people treated me, but I would never tolerate disrespect toward her. My face darkened. I stepped forward, stared sharply at Li Da, and demanded in a stern voice, "What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly. Say it again."

"Oh! You little bastard, you dare to get aggressive with me?"

I was right—Li Da had held a grudge against my cousin, and seeing me, he thought he could bully me because of my age. He didn't expect me to stand up to him. He flew into a rage, cursing as he stood up, ready to strike.

Hu Yong, who was standing nearby, immediately stepped in to block him. "Li Da! Don't be reckless..."

"Group leader! I'm not being reckless, this little bastard is the one acting out!" Li Da glared at me, shouting at Hu Yong.

Hu Yong knew about the bad blood between Li Da and my cousin, and he was also angry at his behavior. However, Li Da was a relative of the unit's production captain, so he didn't want to provoke him too much. He pushed Li Da back into his seat, turned to me, and said softly, "Yanfeng! It's just a joke between colleagues, don't take it to heart. We'll be working together for a long time..."