Chapter 48 Hidden Hand

A light rain had fallen the previous night, and the morning air carried the damp, earthy scent of wet soil. A large group of villagers had already gathered by the experimental plot in the backyard of the pharmaceutical factory. Erzhuzi was the first to arrive, carrying a hoe on his shoulder, his trouser legs stained with mud from his own fields. From afar, he shouted, "Comrade Su, we must plant these 'space babies' properly today so that all the villagers can harvest big tomatoes next year!"

Su Ya squatted by the ridge of the field, sorting the seeds. The plump seeds in her porcelain bowl glistened, moistened by the morning dew. She looked up and replied, "We couldn't do this without everyone's help. Thank you all for your hard work today!" With that, she took a few sheets of paper out of her cloth bag—the sowing diagrams she had drawn last night. "The row spacing should be twenty centimeters, and the depth three centimeters. Too shallow and they'll scorch in the sun; too deep and they won't sprout. Let's follow this."

Lu Zhanyue walked over carrying a military-green canvas bag, which held a tape measure borrowed from the unit's logistics squad—far more accurate than the wooden rulers at the village supply and marketing cooperative. He placed the tape measure on the field ridge, squatted down, pulled out one end, and handed it to Erzhuzi. "Erzhuzi, help me hold this. Let's mark the lines first so the planting doesn't go crooked."

Erzhuzi took it and gave it a tug. "Military gear is always sturdy! Once we mark these lines, it'll be neater than a city girl's embroidery." Everyone around laughed. Widow Li walked over carrying an enamel mug filled with cooled boiled water. "Drink some water before you start working. It's chilly in the morning, don't catch a cold."

Lu Xingchen was already squatting beside the marked line, clutching a small trowel made by Lu Zhanyue from a piece of scrap iron, its edges smoothed down so it wouldn't hurt his hands. He imitated the way Su Ya had taught him, digging small holes of as consistent size and depth as possible. The sweat that had just formed on his forehead was instantly dried by the morning breeze.

"Brother, I'll help you!" Lu Qingmao ran over holding a small mud ball she had squeezed together. Taking advantage of Xingchen's inattention, she dropped it right into a freshly dug hole. "Brother, I planted a 'mud tomato'! It's going to be even bigger than the space tomatoes!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Erzhuzi straightened up and slapped his thigh. "Qingmao is a quick-witted kid! By autumn, you might actually grow mud-flavored tomatoes!" Qingmao looked even prouder and ran off to roll more mud balls. Su Ya called out, "Qingmao, stop making trouble. You've occupied your brother's hole, and now the seeds have nowhere to go."

Qingmao stuck out her tongue and ran off to play nearby, still clutching her mud ball, occasionally glancing over at the experimental plot, hoping to find a way to help. Lu Shihhan stood on the field ridge holding Lu Suisui, watching the lively scene and humming a newly made-up nursery rhyme: "Plant a seed, grow a sprout, a round red tomato will come out..." Suisui kicked her little legs in Shihhan's arms, her small hands clutching Shihhan's clothes, her eyes sparkling.

The villagers went about their respective tasks—some digging holes, some dropping in seeds, and others covering them with soil. The clanging sound of hoes striking the earth, the chatter, and the children's laughter blended together, filling the backyard with vitality. Su Ya moved back and forth among the field ridges, occasionally helping to adjust the depth of the holes. "Don't put too many seeds in; just two per hole is enough. Any more and they won't have room to grow."

No one noticed Su Wan standing on the outer fringe of the crowd, clutching an old rag, her gaze constantly drifting toward the porcelain bowl holding the seeds. She had come specifically upon hearing Widow Li mention the planting this morning—partly out of a desire to make amends for her previous mistakes, and partly because she kept remembering the peddler's words: "Space seeds are rare. If you take them to the county town, you can trade them for a good sum of money, enough to buy your mother a new cotton-padded jacket."

Seeing that everyone was busy—Su Ya guiding the digging on the east side and Lu Zhanyue measuring lines on the west—she noticed the porcelain bowl of seeds sitting on a stone in the middle of the ridge, with only Uncle Wang's young grandson nearby, playing with pebbles and completely absorbed in the ground. Su Wan's heart began to race. Her fingers clenched the cloth rag so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Wan girl, what are you daydreaming for? Come over and help cover the soil!" Widow Li shouted, turning back and waving her hoe. Su Wan hastily replied, "Coming!" Yet her feet didn't move, her eyes fixed on the porcelain bowl—the seeds inside were plump, glowing with a pale yellow light under the sun.

She took a deep breath, pretended to reach for a small trowel, and slowly crept toward the porcelain bowl.

The surrounding chatter was loud. Erzhuzi was joking with Lu Zhanyue, "Zhanyue, your measurements with this tape are way too precise, finer than the calculations of the best accountant in our village cooperative!" Lu Zhanyue replied, "It's drilled into you in the army. Being off by even a fraction isn't allowed."

Now was the moment. Su Wan darted out a hand, pulling out a handful of ordinary tomato seeds she had prepared beforehand—harvested from her own vegetable plot a few days earlier, smaller than the space seeds by a margin and slightly darker in color. She grabbed a handful from the porcelain bowl, swiftly snatched ten space seeds from inside, and stuffed them into the fold of her cloth rag. The movement was as fast as a gust of wind, yet her hands couldn't stop trembling, the sweat on her palms dampening the seeds. She hurriedly turned, squatted down to cover the soil, burying her head low so she wouldn't have to look at anyone around her, while her ears pricked up, terrified that someone might notice.

Uncle Wang's young grandson looked up at her. "Aunt Wan, why are you squatting here?" Su Wan felt a jolt in her chest. She picked up the small trowel and shoveled earth. "Auntie is helping your grandfather cover the soil. Go play with your pebbles." The child didn't think much of it and lowered his head to play again.

Su Wan let out a sigh of relief, though her heart felt as heavy as if it were weighed down by a stone. As she shoveled earth over the holes, she felt a nagging sense that the soil wasn't packed down securely enough, as if the seeds would pop right out the next second to expose her.

"Wan girl, go easy on the soil. Don't crush the seeds." Su Ya walked over and squatted down beside her, helping to adjust the thickness of the earth. "These seeds are precious; we have to take good care of them." Su Wan nodded hastily, not daring to meet Su Ya's eyes, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum. "I know, Sister Su."

Su Ya didn't notice anything amiss and turned to guide people elsewhere. Looking at Su Wan's retreating back, Su Wan felt an even deeper pang of distress. Su Ya clearly trusted her and had even recommended her for a job at the stationery factory, yet she had done such a thing. She touched the fold in her rag; the hard space seeds pressed painfully against her palm.

The sun slowly climbed higher, the morning dew had long since dried, and sweat beaded everyone's foreheads. Widow Li brought out water, handing a bowl to each person. "Take a break before you keep working, don't get heatstroke." Su Ya took a sip and looked over the half-planted experimental plot. "At this rate, we'll finish planting by noon, and sprouts will come up in just a few days."

Lu Xingchen also took a break to wipe the sweat from his brow, looking with a deep sense of accomplishment at the holes he had dug, which lined up flawlessly with the lines Lu Zhanyue had measured without a single millimeter of error. "Dad, look at the holes I dug. Are they as straight as the lines you measured?" Lu Zhanyue nodded. "As straight as your dad's platoon drills back in the army. You've got a bright future."

Su Wan also took a break, but she didn't dare drink any water, keeping her hand clamped tightly around her rag for fear the seeds would spill out if she let go. Sitting on the field ridge, watching everyone laugh and talk, she felt as if a lump of cotton was stuffed in her chest, making it hard to breathe. She remembered what her mother had said yesterday: "Wan girl, work hard alongside Comrade Su, and your life will surely get better in the future." But if her mother found out what she had done today, she would surely be furious.

"Back to work! Let's try to finish planting by noon. We're stewing mung bean soup at home, so everyone come over later to have a taste!" Erzhuzi stood up, patted the dirt off his trousers, and shouldered his hoe as he walked back into the field. The villagers stood up as well, full of vigor as they continued sowing.

Su Wan quickly stood up to join in covering the soil, but her movements were slower than before, her eyes involuntarily drifting toward the porcelain bowl, terrified someone might notice the seeds were missing. However, everyone was too busy working to notice the subtle change in the bowl.

Finally, right around noon when the sun beat down most fiercely, the very last seed was planted. Everyone straightened their backs, looking at the newly turned soil across the field, marked with neat rows of indentations, their hearts filled with anticipation. Su Ya walked along the ridge, gently tapping the soil with her foot. "Once the sprouts come out, our lives will have even more to look forward to. When the tomatoes ripen, we'll divide them among everyone so each person can taste what space seeds are like."

The villagers all chimed in. Erzhuzi said, "Comrade Su, I'll come help harvest them when the time comes, I guarantee not a single one will go to waste!"

Widow Li added, "I'll make tomato paste so everyone can still taste tomatoes in the middle of winter."

Su Wan stood at the very back of the crowd, keeping silent. The hand clutching her rag was still trembling, the seeds in the fold pressing hard against her palm. Looking at the vast expanse of newly turned soil, she couldn't help muttering anxiously to herself: If these seeds fail to grow, would Sister Su blame her? If she were discovered, would anyone ever trust her again?

"Wan girl, come on, let's go to my house for mung bean soup!" Widow Li walked over and pulled her by the arm. Su Wan quickly tucked her hand behind her back and shook her head. "No, Aunt Li, my mother is waiting for me at home to make lunch, I have to head back first." Without waiting for Widow Li to respond, she turned and hurried toward home, her steps so fast it looked like she was fleeing.

Watching her hurried figure, Su Ya furrowed her brow and said to Lu Zhanyue, "Wan girl seems a bit off today. Is she not feeling well, or is something the matter?" Lu Zhanyue glanced over. "She's probably just tired. Let her go home and rest; she can come back and help tomorrow."

Su Ya didn't dwell on it further and turned to the villagers. "Come on, let's go to Erzhuzi's place for mung bean soup. Thank you all for your hard work today!" The villagers responded enthusiastically, clustering together as they walked toward Erzhuzi's home, leaving behind the freshly tilled soil in the backyard, accompanied only by the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the canvas.

Su Wan hurried all the way home, locked the door, and leaned against the wooden panel, breathing heavily. Carefully, she drew the ten space seeds from the fold of the rag and placed them in her palm to examine them. Every single one was plump, gleaming with a pale yellow light, completely different from ordinary seeds.

Recalling the peddler's words and contrasting them with Su Ya's unwavering trust, large teardrops suddenly welled up in her eyes and fell directly onto the seeds resting in her palm.

Not knowing what else to do, she buried the seeds deep inside a wooden box beneath her bed, covering them over with a layer of clothes. Yet the unease in her heart did not diminish in the slightest; she felt certain that sooner or later, this deed would come to light. Sitting on the edge of the bed and looking out at the sky through the window, she was left with only one single thought: If only she had never done this.