"You said your nephew never met her? Impossible!"
The two hurried to Shan Qiufang's house, but she refused to take the blame. "I personally picked her up from the station and saw her onto the train. How could they not have met? Besides, she came back later to deliver some gifts and told me she’d already met him. The canned food jars are still right there." She marched straight to the kitchen and pulled out a jar of pickled vegetables.
Her words were firm, showing no hint of guilt. Aunt Qi could only double-check with her nephew, "You really didn’t meet her?"
Only then did Shan Qiufang notice Qi Fang standing behind her. "This is your nephew? He’s grown so much—I hardly recognize him!" She remembered him being much taller as a child, with big eyes.
Shan Qiufang was known for her blunt and quick tongue, something Aunt Qi was well aware of. But was this really the time for such comments?
Seeing her nephew grow flustered under the scrutiny but still nodding in confirmation, Aunt Qi quickly steered the conversation back on track. "I know my own nephew. If he says he didn’t meet her, then he didn’t. What’s going on with your niece? Did she run off with our money?"
That immediately rubbed Shan Qiufang the wrong way. "She’s just a young girl barely out of her teens—where would she even go? And who would stoop so low over a measly hundred bucks?"
"You never know. She could’ve hidden in some remote valley, cleared a patch of land, and scraped by. It’s not like we don’t have undocumented folks from down south hiding out here."
"Then why would she come all this way to get married? She could’ve just stayed down south if that’s all she wanted."
Shan Qiufang led them straight to her neighbor, Sister-in-law’s house. "Sister-in-law, back me up here. Didn’t my niece visit before New Year’s and say she’d met the guy at the lumber camp? She even brought me two cans of food, remember?"
"You mean that petite girl with the big, pretty eyes?" Sister-in-law clearly recalled Yan Xue.
Shan Qiufang nodded. "Yes, her. She’s the only niece I have around here."
"I definitely saw her. She even came back after New Year’s with her husband."
"See? I told you they must’ve met." Shan Qiufang turned sharply to the Qi family, especially Qi Fang. "What’s your game here? You got married and now claim you never met her? Trying to back out?"
If this Qi boy was pulling some shady stunt, she wouldn’t let it slide. She’d demand answers from his family. Yan Xue was undeniably beautiful and hardworking—way out of his league. How dare he pull this nonsense?
Both women spoke with such certainty that even Aunt Qi, who knew her nephew’s character well, couldn’t help but glance at him doubtfully.
Qi Fang, never one for words, struggled under their stares before finally muttering, "I really didn’t meet her."
"You didn’t meet her? Then where did she go—vanished into thin air?"
Shan Qiufang scoffed, her temper flaring at his stubbornness. "You seem honest, but you’re just spouting lies!"
"I really didn’t," Qi Fang insisted, growing agitated.
Aunt Qi stepped in, shielding him. "You should double-check. Qi Fang isn’t that kind of person."
Just as tensions were about to boil over, Sister-in-law suddenly studied Qi Fang and said, "The man I saw… wasn’t him."
The room fell silent. Shan Qiufang gaped. "What? Not him? How could it not be him?"
Yan Xue had come specifically to meet him for the arranged marriage. Unless there was another Qi Fang at the Jinchuan Lumber Camp?
Seeing the grim expressions on everyone's faces, Sister-in-law scrutinized the situation more carefully. "It really doesn’t look like him. That guy was taller—about this much taller." She gestured with her hand, indicating a difference of two inches.
As for the other man being far more handsome, she tactfully kept that observation to herself, given the presence of the person in question and his family.
Shan Qiufang wasn’t just stunned—after a moment of shock, she grew frantic. "Oh no, what if Yan Xue has been kidnapped?"
Aunt Qi hadn’t expected the conversation to take this turn and had to reassure her instead. "That’s unlikely. What era are we living in? How could a grown person just vanish?"
"But you never know," Shan Qiufang countered. "What if someone really had ill intentions? There are plenty of undocumented folks hiding out in these remote valleys."
She even threw Aunt Qi’s earlier words back at her. "You don’t understand. My niece has never traveled alone before, and she’s beautiful. If something’s happened to her, how am I supposed to face her family?"
Pacing anxiously in the middle of the room, she declared, "I have to report this to the police station. Maybe they can track her down."
Her panic began to unsettle Aunt Qi and Qi Fang as well, though Sister-in-law remained relatively calm. "Really, though? If she’d been kidnapped, would they have let her out at all?"
That reasoning gave Shan Qiufang pause, but her worry lingered. "But didn’t you say there was a man with her? What if he was keeping an eye on her to make sure she didn’t run?"
"She came here alone just before the New Year, didn’t she?" Aunt Qi, now more composed since it wasn’t her niece, pointed out. "If something was wrong, wouldn’t she have taken the chance to escape?"
But if she hadn’t been kidnapped, why would she disappear after going to meet a potential match?
Shan Qiufang was overcome with regret. "I should’ve dragged her off that bus that day. I should’ve gone with her the next morning."
But what good were regrets now? The pressing question was—where had she gone?
And if Qi Fang hadn’t seen her, yet she claimed she had, who exactly had she met? A ghost?
Ugh! Superstitious nonsense had no place in modern times!
Aunt Qi forced herself not to dwell on old folks’ tales of fox spirits or weasel demons—though she’d heard such creatures could possess people, making them babble nonsense and mistake identities...
Finally, Qi Fang broke the silence. "Why don’t we check with her hometown?"
All eyes snapped to him, making him hesitate mid-sentence. "I just thought, since she came here, she might’ve written home. Maybe they have an address."
"Of course! How could I forget that?" Shan Qiufang smacked her forehead and rushed to find the address. "I’ll send a telegram to her family right away."
If Yan Xue had written home, they’d surely have her whereabouts.
But telegrams were expensive in those days, charged by the word, and a brief message wouldn’t explain much. Worse, her family lived in the countryside—even if the telegram arrived tomorrow, who knew how long a reply would take? So Shan Qiufang bought stationery, an envelope, and stamps at the post office and wrote a letter instead.
Slower, yes, but at least she could explain everything clearly. For now, it was the best they could do.
With all possible steps taken, all that remained was to wait.
Shan Qiufang was weighed down with worry, and Aunt Qi, seeing no opening to bring up the hundred yuan, excused herself with her nephew.
"What kind of mess is this?" she kept muttering on the way back. "A perfectly fine blind date, and now the person’s gone missing."
Qi Fang walked beside her in silence. Right now, all he cared about was whether that girl, Yan Xue, was safe. The rest didn’t matter much to him.
As for the whole marriage thing, he wasn’t as enthusiastic as he’d been when he first heard about the arranged meeting. As long as she was alright, it wouldn’t be a big deal if nothing came of it.
After spending another half a day at his aunt’s place, he finally said his goodbyes and prepared to return to the forestry station to wait for updates. Unexpectedly, as soon as he boarded the bus, he spotted the lover of that girl from earlier.
The man had short, neat hair and strikingly handsome features that carried a hint of sharpness. Though they were both dressed in the standard Zhongshan suits for going out, there was something about the way the man wore his—maybe because he was taller—that made him look far more poised.
Hesitating briefly in the aisle, Qi Fang was caught off guard when the man lifted his gaze. His deep-set eyes were calm and indifferent.
At this point, pretending not to see him would’ve been rude, so Qi Fang forced a smile. "What a coincidence, comrade."
The man gave him a slight nod. "Hello." As sparing with words as ever.
Qi Fang immediately recalled the awkwardness from their last encounter on the mountain path. He considered moving to another seat, but the bus was already full. If he didn’t sit, he’d have to stand—except no one else in the carriage was standing. It’d look too conspicuous if he had a seat but chose not to take it. With no other choice, he sat down across from the man.
The man glanced at the things in Qi Fang’s hands and shifted his own belongings on the small table to make space.
"Thanks," Qi Fang said quickly, a little embarrassed as he set his things down. "My aunt packed some food for me, along with a few pairs of shoe inserts."
Hearing him mention his aunt, the man actually looked at him. "Did you see her this time?"
Last time they’d met, the girl had asked if he’d managed to meet his aunt. Qi Fang elaborated, "Yeah, she came back on May 1st. I was up in the mountains patrolling, so I didn’t have time to come down."
The man nodded. "That’s good."
At least this way, they wouldn’t have to bring up Yan Xue again the next time they met. It was strange—they didn’t even know each other’s names, yet they acted like they were familiar.
After saying this, Qi Fang turned his gaze back to the window.
Maybe because the man’s attitude seemed slightly warmer, or maybe because sitting in silence was just too awkward, Qi Fang spoke up again. "I went to see my aunt because she set me up on a blind date."
The moment the words left his mouth, the man’s attention snapped back to him. "Did it work out?"
Qi Fang hadn’t expected the question and stumbled over his reply. "I don’t know. I haven’t met her yet."
"Haven’t met her?" The man across from him sounded puzzled.
Qi Fang nodded. "There must’ve been some mix-up. I didn’t see her, and her relatives don’t know where she went. They’re still looking."
"Don’t worry, they’ll find her." To Qi Fang’s surprise, the man actually offered comfort.
This left him a little flustered. "Thanks."
From their first meeting on the mountain, he’d noticed how sparing the man was with words, how aloof his demeanor was—especially toward outsiders like him.
During their hour-long walk last time, the man had barely spoken to him. Yet today, in just this short while, he’d said more than before—even offering reassurance.
Qi Fang couldn’t help stealing another glance at him. Maybe it was his imagination, but the man didn’t seem as distant as when he’d first boarded the bus.
Qi Fang secretly let out a sigh of relief. He wanted to ask if the other person had come out alone but felt it might be too abrupt. After hesitating for a while, he only managed to ask, "Heading to town?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how pointless they were—of course they were going to town, otherwise how would they have ended up on the same bus?
Luckily, the conductor arrived just then. Noticing the two sitting together, she gave them a curious glance. Qi Fang quickly greeted her, successfully steering the conversation away.
But the girl’s husband seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood today—or perhaps Qi Fang had misjudged him earlier. As the man got off the bus, he even wished Qi Fang luck in finding the woman he was set up with for the blind date.
Qi Fang could only say "thank you" again, scratching his head. "Her husband’s actually pretty nice."
The conductor, who happened to overhear the entire exchange while opening and closing the door: "..."
Well, it was better for him to think highly of the man than to assume the girl was unhappy and keep pining for her.
That evening, as soon as Yan Xue returned home, she noticed the bedsheets and quilts that had been drying in the yard were already taken down.
This could only mean Qi Fang was back. Sure enough, when she stepped inside, she found him rolling up his shirt sleeves, diligently starching the bedding.
Starching involved soaking the freshly washed sheets and quilts in a mixture of water and flour to make the cotton fabric more durable.
With the warmer weather, he wore fewer layers, often just a shirt tucked into his pants, his belt cinching a slender waist.
Yan Xue didn’t rush in. Instead, she lingered by the door for a moment, admiring the view.
This was the perk of having a good-looking partner. If she had to share her life with a stranger, at least his looks made it easier to accept.
In fact, if she had such a top-tier "little househusband" who did the laundry, cooked, and waited for her at home, she wouldn’t even mind being the breadwinner.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the "little househusband" glanced up. "Went up the mountain?"
Yan Xue hummed in response, setting down her basket in the main room. "Went with Aunt Liu to gather some wild celery, plus some Siberian ginseng and aralia shoots."
Wild celery grew quickly—just a few sunny days, and it’d turn tough. She’d picked hers from the shady side of the slope. The Siberian ginseng and aralia shoots, however, were at their prime: not too large to lose their tender texture, nor too small to lack flavor.
After washing her hands at the basin stand, she turned back to find Qi Fang had already wrung out the starched sheets. "I sold the gastrodia for you—23.60 yuan. The things you asked for are on the table."
She acknowledged him, first counting and putting away the money before unwrapping the two paper parcels.
The glucose was expected, but the local goods store had actually managed to get her some agar weed.
Though the quantity wasn’t as much as she’d hoped—only about six or seven catties—its gel yield was a solid 25%. This batch alone could yield over a pound of agar.
And to cultivate a single bottle of mother culture, she only needed 20 grams. One bottle could then produce dozens of cultivation batches.
Yan Xue rewrapped the items, planning to make the agar later. Before she could finish, Qi Fang came back inside, his hands still damp, and reached out to ruffle her hair. "I gave them a whole carton of cigarettes, just like you said. If this isn’t enough, they said they can get more."
She’d sent the carton precisely to keep the door open for future requests. Tilting her head away, she said, "It’s enough. At least for this year."
But this time, she didn’t dodge fast enough. He caught up and tousled her hair anyway.
This instantly made her feel half a head shorter, and she couldn’t help but glare at him. "Are you seriously this childish?" She quickly reached out to swat his hand away.
With both hands tugging at the man’s slender fingers, she finally managed to shake off his mischievous hand. Unfazed by her glare, he turned away, picked up the basin, and went outside to hang the starched sheets to dry.
Yan Xue had to stretch awkwardly to reach the clothesline, but he effortlessly hung everything up in a few swift motions. When he returned, he pulled over Yan Xue’s basket and began sorting the wild greens.
As Yan Xue came out of the inner room to put away a paper package, she couldn’t help but glance at him. "Why are you so unusually diligent today?"
He was doing everything without being asked—was he in a good mood because things had gone smoothly?
Qi Fang frowned slightly as he picked through the vegetables. "Am I usually lazy?"
"Well, not exactly."
Qi Fang washed dishes, did laundry, and even helped her with the greens. Compared to most men of this era, who came home expecting to be waited on like lords, he was already far better.
But Yan Xue still felt there was something especially industrious about him today. She just couldn’t quite put her finger on what exactly was different.
While she was still pondering, he changed the subject. "The supply train will arrive at the lumberyard tomorrow. I’ve already arranged for the freight car—Weiguo and I will take the small train down first."
He was talking about the delivery of bricks and tiles, so Yan Xue set aside her thoughts. "What time will you arrive? I’ll borrow the horse cart in advance."
The railroad tracks were quite far from the new house site, and carrying everything by hand wasn’t an option. They had already requested to borrow a horse cart from the lumberyard days ago.
But the next day, when she went to confirm the arrangement, she found that all the available horse carts had already been taken. Only one remained, and its shaft was broken, being reforged.
With so many favors needed lately, Yan Xue had gotten into the habit of carrying a pack of cigarettes. She immediately offered one to the craftsman working on the shaft. "Comrade, do you know who borrowed the others?"
Recognizing it as a good brand, the man tucked it behind his ear. "Old Zhao from the security department took one—said he needed mud to rebuild his kang stove. Yu Cuiyun borrowed the other two. Her fourth sister’s in-law is moving these days, so they’re all helping haul things over at Northwest Fork."
"You mean Yu Cuiyun’s sister-in-law is moving to Northwest Fork?"
"Exactly. As if Northwest Fork doesn’t have its own horse or ox carts! Must be showing off that they’ve got relatives in the lumberyard’s leadership."
The forestry bureau’s workhorses weren’t like the ones kept in ordinary villages—they had to be strong, enduring, many even retired from military service, still bearing numbered brands on their hindquarters.
Borrowing one was a sure way to impress, let alone taking two at once.
Yan Xue didn’t comment further. Instead, she went straight to Aunt Guo next door. "Auntie, isn’t Baozhi from nearby Dahuan Village? How far is that from here?"
"Not far," Aunt Guo said. "About two miles—a twenty-minute walk. Why? Do you need something?"
Yan Xue didn’t hide it. "The bricks and tiles are arriving today, but there’s not a single horse cart left at the lumberyard. I was wondering if we could borrow one from Dahuan Village—even an ox cart would do."
Aunt Guo immediately set down her needlework. "Let me see if Changping’s back from fetching water. He can run over. Baozhi went back to her parents’ this morning and isn’t home yet."
"No rush," Yan Xue checked her watch. "We’ve got an hour."
"Only an hour left and you're still not in a hurry? The round trip will take several dozen minutes."
The two had just hurried out the door when they spotted Jin Baozhi returning, a large bamboo basket strapped to her back.
Seeing Yan Xue, she pointed to the covered basket. "Should I take this straight to your room?"
Clearly, she had gone back to her parents' home early that morning to buy grain for Yan Xue.
Before Yan Xue could respond, Aunt Guo interjected urgently, "Perfect timing—you’re back. Run over to your third uncle’s place and borrow his ox cart. Yan Xue needs it."
Jin Baozhi didn’t ask any questions. She immediately set down the basket. "Is it needed right now?"
Aunt Guo nodded. "The bricks and tiles Yan Xue’s family ordered will arrive in an hour, and we still haven’t secured a cart."
Without another word, Jin Baozhi turned to leave.
"Baozhi, wait a moment." Yan Xue dashed back inside and emerged moments later with two packs of cigarettes. "For your third uncle. We can’t ask him to help for nothing."
If the Guo family needed the cart, relatives could lend a hand without compensation, but Yan Xue didn’t feel right accepting favors without reciprocation.
Seeing Jin Baozhi hesitate, Yan Xue added with a smile, "Even if we borrowed a horse cart from the farm, we’d still give the driver cigarettes. It’s the same principle."
Jin Baozhi said nothing more, accepted the cigarettes, and hurried off.
When the delivery locomotive arrived, Qi Fang and Liu Weiguo stood atop the last carriage loaded with bricks and tiles, immediately spotting Yan Xue and Guo Changping waiting below.
Guo Changping had come to help, pushing a wheelbarrow just like Yan Xue.
The wheelbarrow was a relic of an older generation—those who first ventured into the Northeast had pushed wooden wheelbarrows laden with belongings and children. Nowadays, some were still wooden, but the lumberyard, equipped with sheet metal and welding tools, had fashioned iron ones with tipping buckets.
Since the locomotive still had other deliveries to make, it detached the carriage on a seldom-used side track.
The group laid down a long plank, wheeled the barrows up to load them, then unloaded the materials onto a nearby clearing to wait for the ox cart.
As he worked, Liu Weiguo couldn’t resist boasting, "Your house design is great. When Zhou Wenhui and I get married, we’ll build ours the same way." His affection for her was never far from his lips.
Meanwhile, Qi Fang glanced at Yan Xue while waiting for the wheelbarrows to be unloaded. "Is there something else going on?"
"You can tell?" Yan Xue didn’t think she’d shown any signs of trouble.
But Qi Fang had grown adept at distinguishing her genuine smiles from polite ones. Scanning the area, he asked, "Couldn’t borrow a horse cart?"
Since he’d already figured it out, Yan Xue saw no point hiding it. "No, all three usable carts from the farm were already lent out. The fourth has a broken shaft and is being repaired."
She relayed the details neutrally—who had borrowed them and why—without bias.
When Liu Weiguo returned and heard, he frowned. "Her sister’s sister-in-law is getting married, so she rushed to borrow a cart? How convenient. You think she did it on purpose?"
Yan Xue chose not to comment. "It’s fine. Baozhi went back to her parents’ place to borrow an ox cart. It’ll be here soon."
Just then, the locomotive prepared to depart. Qi Fang and Liu Weiguo quickly stepped forward to offer cigarettes and express their thanks. When they returned, they found an unexpected figure standing by the clearing, grinning as he chatted with Yan Xue.
"You’ve got quite a haul here. Need me to tow it with my tractor?"
Liang Qimao pointed at the timber-hauling tractor parked not far away. "Perfect timing—the farm just got a new tractor, so they’ve got us running extra trips to break it in. Doesn’t matter where I drive."
Yan Xue smiled politely. "No need. We have our own transport."
"Didn’t the farm lend out all the horse carts?" Liang Qimao pressed. "Honestly, your Qi Fang shouldn’t have even bothered asking the farm. He could’ve come straight to me. This tractor can haul way more than a cart. Just lay down a plank and secure the sides—one trip would’ve done it."
Noticing Yan Xue loading the cart alone, he moved to help. "Where’s Qi Fang anyway? Leaving all this work to you by yourself?"
Liu Weiguo immediately hissed under his breath, "Shouldn’t he be helping his sister-in-law’s cousin move instead of lurking around here?"
Qi Fang stayed silent. Just then, Jin Baozhi arrived with her uncle’s oxcart. Spotting the two men, Liang Qimao exchanged a few more pleasantries with Yan Xue before hopping onto the tractor and driving off.
The group hurried to load the unloaded bricks and tiles onto the oxcart. After the first load, Yan Xue and Jin Baozhi rode along to unload at the new house while the others continued unloading from the truck.
Liu Weiguo had nearly forgotten the earlier exchange when Qi Fang’s calm voice cut through the silence. "Weiguo, keep an eye on something for me."
He turned to see the man adjusting his gloves methodically, his next words dropping like a bombshell. "Watch Liang Qimao and Cheng Yuzhen."
Present Qi Fang: No problem. We’ll find a way.
Later Qi Fang: JINXED IT!!!
