Chapter 43: A Letter of Peace

Jiang Xiaoman swallowed hard and continued, "I was on my way back after using the latrine when I suddenly heard what sounded like... well, something coming from the woodshed behind our educated youth quarters."

"That shed is just full of junk. Who would be there in the middle of the night?"

"I felt a chill, but I was curious, so I gathered my courage and crept over there."

She leaned in closer, her breath brushing against Zhou Yichen's ear.

"When I got close, I realized... I realized..."

She seemed to find it difficult to speak, her face flushing bright red.

"Realized what?" Zhou Yichen pressed.

Jiang Xiaoman gritted her teeth, steeled herself, and blurted out, "I heard the sounds of a man and a woman together in there!"

"What?"

Although Zhou Yichen possessed the mature mind of someone who had lived two lifetimes, he was still taken aback by this revelation. In an era where social mores were extremely conservative, if an unmarried man and woman were caught together in a woodshed, it would be a colossal scandal. At best, they would face public denunciation and being paraded through the streets; at worst... the consequences were unthinkable.

Seeing the shock on Zhou Yichen's face, Jiang Xiaoman rushed to add, fearing he didn't believe her, "I heard it clearly! There is no way I could be mistaken about that woman's voice—it was Sun Fang."

She took a deep breath and added with firm conviction, "I am absolutely certain."

Zhou Yichen set down the steamed bun in his hand and asked seriously, "Are you saying... that Sun Fang is messing around with a man?"

"Yes!" Jiang Xiaoman nodded heavily, her adorable, baby-faced expression still etched with shock.

Zhou Yichen’s brow furrowed tightly, but he was concerned with a different matter.

"Did anyone see you?"

This was the most critical point. In this day and age, stumbling upon such a situation was no different than inviting disaster upon oneself.

Jiang Xiaoman shook her head like a rattle.

"No, no. I was terrified. As soon as I heard those sounds, I tiptoed away as fast as I could and eventually fell asleep without knowing how."

Hearing this, Zhou Yichen finally let out a sigh of relief. He gave Jiang Xiaoman an approving look and nodded.

"You did the right thing."

He then said in an unquestionable tone, "Xiaoman, treat this as if it never happened. Don't say a single word to anyone. Just pretend you had a dream last night and that you heard nothing and know nothing."

While Zhou Yichen was somewhat surprised, he was far less shocked than Jiang Xiaoman. After all, having lived two lives, he had seen plenty. It was perfectly normal for hot-blooded young men and women, sent to this desolate, impoverished place with no entertainment and empty spirits, to act on impulse and make mistakes. It was just that in this era, the price of such a mistake was heavy enough to crush a person.

Hearing Zhou Yichen’s words, Jiang Xiaoman nodded in immediate agreement.

"I understand, I understand!" She lowered her voice, still shaken, "If this got out, it would be a massive disaster, someone could even die! I’m not getting dragged into that mess!"

However, the fire of gossip in her heart was not entirely extinguished.

"Hey, Yichen," Jiang Xiaoman nudged him with her elbow, asking curiously, "Who do you think the man was?"

"It has to be someone from our quarters; otherwise, an outsider wouldn't be able to get in at that hour." She began counting on her fingers. "Was it the team leader Li Weidong? Or that guy Wang Qiang who’s as sturdy as an ox? Or maybe Liu Jianhua? It couldn't be that stern, humorless Zhang Guoqing, could it?"

Seeing her desperate need to get to the bottom of it, Zhou Yichen shook his head helplessly.

"Curiosity killed the cat," he said flatly. "Don't go digging into things that don't concern you, or you’ll end up getting burned."

"Oh." Jiang Xiaoman pouted. Though she was still itching with curiosity, she knew Zhou Yichen was right and forced herself to suppress it.

They stopped discussing the topic and finished their breakfast in silence. Zhou Yichen efficiently cleared the bowls and chopsticks, and when Jiang Xiaoman tried to help, he shooed her away, citing her status as an injured person.

Once the dishes were washed, the two locked the courtyard gate and headed toward the brigade headquarters.

The morning village was still veiled in thin mist, the air biting cold. On the dirt roads, small groups of commune members were already heading out, carrying their farm tools.

As he walked, Zhou Yichen had already made his plans. Once at the headquarters, he would borrow their bicycle. The mountain road from the Xiangyang Brigade to the commune was over ten miles long; if he walked, it would take half the day just for a round trip. Riding a bike would be much faster.

The two walked one behind the other, treading over the morning frost, and soon reached the threshing floor of the brigade headquarters.

The floor was already packed with a dense crowd. Commune members stood together, carrying hoes and shoulder poles, their exhaled white breath quickly dissipating in the cold wind, feet stomping continuously to ward off the chill rising from the ground.

Brigade Leader Gao Jianjun stood on a high platform built of stones. His face, etched with the ravages of wind and frost, looked exceptionally stern in the dim morning light.

"...Carry forward the revolutionary spirit of fearing neither hardship nor fatigue... guarantee the completion of the task!"

The standard mobilization speech was brief and forceful. Zhou Yichen had long been immune to such platitudes and stood quietly on the edge of the crowd.

As soon as Gao Jianjun finished, the leaders of the production teams began shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Team Two, gather here!"

"Team Three, come over!"

"Team Four, follow me!"

"Team Five, keep up!"

...

Jiang Xiaoman turned to Zhou Yichen and said, "Yichen, I'm heading up the mountain now. Take care of yourself."

"Mn," Zhou Yichen nodded.

Jiang Xiaoman grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, before turning and jogging to join the group from Team Five led by Wang Zhenshan.

Zhou Yichen watched her yellow scarf bobbing in the crowd until it disappeared around the corner of the mountain path, his expression calm and unruffled.

The crowd on the threshing floor quickly dispersed, leaving only a few elderly or frail people behind. Only then did Zhou Yichen turn and walk unhurriedly toward the brigade office.

Inside the office, Accountant Li sat at a desk by the window, wearing reading glasses and head bowed, clicking away at an abacus with a crisp, rhythmic sound.

"Accountant Li," Zhou Yichen called out.

Accountant Li looked up at the sound, and upon seeing it was Zhou Yichen, his face immediately broke into a smile.

"Oh, it's Medic Zhou." He set down the abacus and stood up warmly.

Zhou Yichen got straight to the point: "Accountant Li, I'd like to borrow the brigade's bicycle to go to the commune to buy some things and mail a couple of letters."

Accountant Li didn't hesitate for a second, waving a hand. "No problem! A small matter!"

He smiled and fished a key covered in copper rust from his drawer, handing it over. "Team Leader Wang already told me that if you needed the bike, I should just give it to you."

There was a shrewd glint in Accountant Li’s eyes as he looked at Zhou Yichen. The bike was indeed brigade property, but it was rarely used. Letting Medic Zhou have it was a significant favor. What was a doctor? Someone who snatched lives back from the King of Hell! Who didn't have the occasional ache or fever? Who could guarantee they would never get sick? By building a rapport now, he could ensure that if his own family were ever in need, Medic Zhou wouldn't be indifferent. Accountant Li was well-versed in such social nuances.

"Then many thanks, Accountant Li," Zhou Yichen said, taking the key.

"Don't mention it!" Accountant Li waved his hand. "It's all for serving the people! The bike is in the shed out back, just lock it up when you're done."

Zhou Yichen nodded and stepped out of the office. He went to the backyard, opened the locked shed, and found a half-old "Twenty-Eight Bar" bicycle standing quietly in the corner.

Zhou Yichen wheeled the bike out, threw a long leg over it, and sat firmly on the seat.

With a powerful push of his feet, the bicycle shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

The biting cold wind whipped against his face like a knife, but Zhou Yichen felt remarkably at ease. The ten-plus miles of mountain road would have taken half a day on foot, but with this "iron horse," the time would be cut by more than half.

The wheels spun, leaving the fading village further and further behind.

In less than half an hour, the neat rows of red brick houses of the Qingshan Commune appeared at the edge of his vision.

Zhou Yichen headed straight for the commune post office. He slid two letters filled to the brim through the window—one for his parents, and one he was mailing on behalf of Jiang Xiaoman.