Yan Xue hadn’t originally planned to stay for a meal at Shan Qiufang’s house, especially with so many people arriving unexpectedly.
But Qi Fang had taken an unusually long time at the supply and marketing cooperative, and with noon approaching, Yan Xue tentatively suggested leaving. Shan Qiufang immediately vetoed the idea. "Leave? Why? Your Qi Fang hasn’t even returned yet."
With that, she grabbed a vegetable basket and prepared to head to the small market. "Wait here, I’ll be back soon."
Yan Xue couldn’t just sit around at home, so she went along, insisting on buying a few ingredients herself—including some fresh wood ear mushrooms from a nearby seller.
In this era, wood ear mushrooms were all wild and even more expensive than frozen mushrooms, costing fifty cents per pound for fresh ones. Shan Qiufang looked pained. "Why buy something so expensive?"
Yan Xue, of course, wanted to get a sense of the market price for when she sold them later. She just smiled. "We have these at home too. I’ll bring you some later, and then you won’t think they’re expensive."
Shan Qiufang assumed she meant they had gathered them from the mountains. "Why give them to me? It’s not easy for you to collect things like this. Keep them to sell—you’ve got Yan Jigang and your grandmother to think about."
In the end, they bought the groceries, ate the meal, and even Yan Jigang, unable to resist the drowsiness of summer, took a nap with Shan Qiufang’s children. Only then did Qi Fang finally return.
The man’s pale complexion was flushed from the journey, his short-sleeved shirt slightly damp with sweat and clinging to his body. His hands were full of things Yan Xue didn’t recognize.
Shan Qiufang was equally surprised. "What on earth did you buy? Did you haul half the supply and marketing cooperative back here?"
"There was a part the town didn’t have, so I went to the county." Qi Fang set the items down and asked Shan Qiufang, "Can I wash my hands?"
"Of course, of course." Shan Qiufang hurriedly directed him to the washbasin and even fetched fresh water for him. "What are you planning to do with all this?"
Qi Fang thanked her and took the basin to the stand. "Fixing some things for people at the lumberyard."
"You know how to do that too?" Shan Qiufang marveled.
Yan Xue seized the chance to praise him a little, lest he hold a grudge later. "After the flood at the lumberyard the other day, a lot of people’s belongings got damaged."
"That rain was heavy—water even got into houses here in town," Shan Qiufang agreed. Then, glancing between the room and Qi Fang, who was washing up, she asked, "Can you fix radios?"
She explained, "It’s not a big issue—just a knob that doesn’t work right. Never got around to having it looked at."
"I’ll take a look." Without confirming whether he could fix it, Qi Fang dried his hands and went inside.
Shan Qiufang brought out a small, battery-operated transistor radio—more portable than the larger models, though it picked up fewer stations.
Qi Fang examined it and asked, "Do you have a screwdriver?"
"Yes, yes!" Seeing that he might actually be able to fix it, Shan Qiufang immediately rummaged through drawers and handed him one.
Qi Fang lowered his gaze and quickly disassembled the radio. Soon, he replaced a small part. "Try it now."
Shan Qiufang did, and it worked perfectly. She showered Qi Fang with praise and even offered him the watermelon they had saved for him.
But as Yan Xue studied the parts he had brought back, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t just about fixing a few things for the lumberyard. On the way home, she asked him, "Are you really planning to open a repair shop?"
"No." Qi Fang helped the Second Old Lady onto the small train first. "I’m going to assemble a few radios myself."
"Y-yourself?" Yan Jigang, walking behind them, gaped. The moment they got home, he didn’t even go to his own room—instead, he followed Qi Fang, eager to see how his brother-in-law would assemble a radio.
"That fast? Don’t you need a welding tool or something?" Yan Xue eyed Qi Fang uncertainly.
"A soldering iron." Qi Fang set the items down and glanced at her. "You seem to know a lot."
What modern person who had lived through the information explosion wouldn’t? Yan Xue couldn’t pretend ignorance about everything.
Meeting his probing gaze, she maintained an expression that said, As long as I don’t look guilty, no one can say I’m suspicious. "I just picked it up after coming to the lumberyard."
Qi Fang had no way to verify that. He lowered his peach-blossom eyes and showed Yan Jigang the key components. "This is the speaker. This is a transistor."
Yan Jigang nodded at each one, though it was unclear whether he actually understood.
Just then, Liu Weiguo arrived. He walked in without greeting anyone, sat down on the kang, and kept his head lowered.
Yan Xue studied him—something was off. His expression was downright twisted.
If he was unhappy, why did his mouth keep twitching upward? But if he was happy, why were his shoulders slumped?
After failing to decipher it, she nudged her brother.
Yan Jigang took the hint and retreated to his room. Only then did Yan Xue ask, "What’s wrong with you?"
At that, Liu Weiguo’s lips twitched into a smile—but then his eyes drooped, and he sighed, making his expression even more complicated.
Qi Fang cut to the chase. "Did you sleep with the window open and catch a draft?"
Yan Xue nearly laughed but held it back at the sight of Liu Weiguo’s twitching face.
Liu Weiguo struggled for a moment before finally bursting out, "Can’t you wish me well for once?"
Qi Fang said nothing, waiting for him to explain his bizarre expression himself.
When no further questions came, Liu Weiguo caved. "So, my mom went to Zhou Wenhui’s house two days ago to discuss our wedding. Her dad said there’s no rush—their factory director’s father is turning seventy soon, and he’s busy figuring out what to give him. He’ll talk about it after that’s settled."
Even if it were common for officials to celebrate family birthdays (which it wasn’t in this era), how could a factory director’s father’s seventieth be so pressing that it delayed his daughter’s wedding?
Yan Xue and Qi Fang weren’t wrong—Zhou Wenhui’s father, having tasted the benefits, wouldn’t let this go.
His words were clearly a hint: If the Liu family doesn’t help me with a gift for the director, I’ll keep dragging my feet on the wedding.
He didn’t respect the Lius at all, seeing them as country bumpkins desperate for this marriage. If they were someone like the Jiang family, would he dare say such a thing to his own superior?
"My mom was furious when she got back, cursing him for being shameless." Liu Weiguo buried his face in his hands, voice muffled. "Do you think this wedding’s not happening?"
When no one responded immediately, he peeked up. "And that ginseng we gave—probably wasted."
Still no reaction. Qi Fang even lowered his eyes and started fiddling with his parts.
"This is your reaction, Qi Fang?" Liu Weiguo fumed. "I might lose both my wife and the ginseng, and you’re just sitting there? Are we even friends?"
"Then maybe stop grinning first?" Qi Fang said mildly, glancing at him. "Your hand didn’t cover it earlier."
Liu Weiguo’s act crumbled instantly. "How are your eyes so sharp? Can’t you let me have my dramatic moment?"
Qi Fang didn’t answer, but his look said it all: If you can’t hide it, that’s on you.
Yan Xue was also rendered speechless by his terrible acting. "So? Is it true or not?"
"There is some truth to it. Those were her father's exact words. My mom was indeed so furious her face turned green. She came back cursing him for being shameless and even told me to go demand the ginseng back."
If Huang Fengying said that, she must have been truly livid. Zhou Wenhui's father really was despicable—selling off his daughter like some habitual transaction.
"And then what happened?" Yan Xue played along perfectly, even pouring Liu Weiguo a glass of cold water.
It was precisely because of this trait that Liu Weiguo loved sharing gossip with Yan Xue. "When Zhou Wenhui heard about it, she immediately went back to her parents' home."
He paused here, his lips curling upward. "Guess what she told her dad?"
It was probably something about not letting him lose both the money and the person while still getting a sweet deal.
Yan Xue decided to indulge him further. "What did she say? That she’d marry no one but you?"
"Not exactly." Liu Weiguo lowered his voice. "She said she was already pregnant, and if her dad wasn’t in a hurry, they could wait until her belly got bigger before marrying."
That didn’t sound like something Zhou Wenhui would say at all. Yan Xue glanced at Liu Weiguo. "Did she get beaten for it?"
"She did." Liu Weiguo sighed at the memory. "Her dad slapped her right then and there. Her mother barely managed to stop him from hitting her again, but her face was already swollen."
Still, more beatings wouldn’t change anything. What was done was done—she’d already slept with him, and she was "pregnant." Would her father really risk public humiliation by accusing Liu Weiguo of being a scoundrel?
Not to mention, the two families were already engaged. Even if her father lost his mind and didn’t care about face, the truth was, they hadn’t even slept together yet.
It seemed the Zhou family hadn’t completely lost their minds. They were probably rushing to hold the wedding before Zhou Wenhui’s "belly" grew too obvious. Before, it was the Liu family who was eager for the marriage, but now the tables had turned—the Zhou family was desperate to marry off their daughter, afraid the Lius might back out.
Zhou Wenhui’s father was truly a piece of work, driving his own daughter to say such things.
Yan Xue was surprised, but not entirely shocked. Zhou Wenhui had always been strong-willed—she didn’t follow the crowd to gawk at Qi Fang, and she didn’t care what others thought about her relationship with Liu Weiguo.
But her moral compass was too rigid. She clung to the naive hope that her family cared for her, refusing to believe her father was only after a promotion until she heard it from Jiang Debao’s own mouth.
And because of that strong moral sense, she couldn’t stand her father accepting such an expensive ginseng from the Lius while still dragging his feet on the wedding and demanding more gifts.
Her mother had probably helped with the scheme. Otherwise, Zhou Wenhui’s father might not have believed her claim about being pregnant.
Regardless, Zhou Wenhui’s firm stance in siding with Liu Weiguo and the Liu family must have warmed his heart. Any lingering resentment was long gone—just look at the grin on Liu Weiguo’s face.
But while they were discussing Liu Weiguo and Zhou Wenhui’s wedding, why was Qi Fang staring at her so intently?
Yan Xue glanced at the man, then smiled at Liu Weiguo. "Congratulations."
Despite the bumps along the way, the young couple was finally going to make it official.
Qi Fang finally looked away and cut straight to the point. "When’s the wedding date?"
"The 29th of this month." Liu Weiguo was referring to the lunar calendar. "It’s less than three weeks away, so I came to ask if you’d be free."
Qi Fang already knew what he was getting at. "Just let me know when you start building."
"I’ll come too," Yan Xue chimed in cheerfully.
With no work at the forestry station lately, it was the perfect time. Besides, when her family was building their house, the Lius had sent both father and son to help.
Liu Weiguo thanked them both, then finally noticed the pile of parts in front of Qi Fang. "What’s all this for? Planning to open a repair shop?"
He’d said the exact same thing as Yan Xue. Qi Fang glanced up at him. "No, just assembling a few radios."
"You can assemble radios yourself?" Liu Weiguo was stunned. He’d thought his buddy was already impressive for being able to fix things. "No wonder you weren’t worried about that training opportunity. With skills like this, why bother being a chainsaw operator? Just sell a few radios and you’re set."
Secretary Lang had meant well, but once Qi Fang decided to pass on the training slot, he went to inform him. The forestry station had already submitted a replacement candidate—someone recommended by another work team, which was even more short on chainsaw operators after Li Shuwu got demoted.
No matter how secretly thrilled that person was, or what others thought, the chatter had been minimal. After all, Qi Fang had repaired most of the radios in the station, and plenty of people had sought his help fixing things.
The only one truly displeased was Secretary Lang, who felt slighted by the higher-ups and was sick of the constant back-and-forth over training quotas.
So when the list of performers for this year’s forestry station event was announced, he outright declared that anyone who doubted Yan Xue and Qi Fang’s suitability for the poetry recital could step up and compare themselves to the pair.
That would’ve been public humiliation.
Qi Fang was so handsome even the new female educated youths came just to catch a glimpse. Yan Xue was no less striking. Who would dare stand next to them and invite comparison?
Thus, regardless of any prior objections, everyone unanimously agreed they had no issues. The matter was settled—only the poetry script remained to be finalized.
Liu Weiguo couldn’t contain his curiosity. Rubbing his hands together, he asked, "You said you’re assembling a few. Think you could make one for me? I’ll pay."
It was perfect timing—for his wedding, the family would need to add some major items anyway. Buying from his buddy would be cheaper than the store, and no ration coupons required.
Qi Fang had indeed gathered enough parts for several radios. "What kind do you want?"
There were different types of transistor radios. The smallest was like the one in Shan Qiufang’s home—a single-tube model with just one transistor. Compact and battery-powered, it was easy to carry around, but it picked up fewer stations and had mediocre sound quality.
The larger ones, like the one in Secretary Lang’s house, were multi-tube models with wooden rectangular casings—locally called "radio boxes."
These could tune into more stations and had better sound, but they were bulky and required an outlet. Some could run on batteries too, but they guzzled them—four size D batteries at a time. Most people couldn’t afford that, especially when a flashlight only needed two.
Qi Fang’s question implied he could assemble more than one type. After some thought, Liu Weiguo gestured with his hands. "How about one of those radio boxes?"
"Sure. Come pick it up in three days," Qi Fang agreed without hesitation.
For the next few days, he practically lived in the repair shed, even at night. With his brother-in-law around, he couldn’t get anything done at home anyway.
By the time Liu Weiguo came to collect his radio, two transistor sets were already lined up on Yan Xue’s table, one of them crackling with voices.
Yan Jigang rested his chin on his tiny hands, listening intently despite not understanding a word. It didn’t stop him from practicing his English listening skills.
After a long while, he finally turned to his college-educated brother-in-law and asked, "W-what are they saying?"
"You think your brother-in-law knows everything?" Yan Xue couldn’t help but swat him lightly.
It was said that Qi Fang could speak Russian, which Yan Xue believed, given that Qi Fang's teacher had studied in the Soviet Union. But this was BBC Radio, broadcasting in an authentic British accent.
Unexpectedly, Qi Fang answered seriously, "They're talking about two football teams playing, and the fans got into a fight."
Yan Jigang's eyes immediately showed surprise. "F-football fans?" Clearly, he had never heard this new term before.
Liu Weiguo, who had just come in from outside, hadn't heard it either and teased Qi Fang, "You're just fooling your brother-in-law."
Liu Weibin, who had come with Liu Weiguo, didn’t even bother listening and ran straight to Yan Jigang’s side, wide-eyed. "Can you really assemble this yourself?"
Behind them were Liu Chuncai and Liu Chunni. With school on break, they finally had time to run around freely.
When Liu Weiguo accused him of fooling his brother-in-law, Qi Fang didn’t explain further. He simply pointed to another transistor radio nearby. "This one’s yours."
Only Yan Xue gave Qi Fang an extra glance.
She had at least taken proper English classes in school. Though she hadn’t used it in years and was rusty, she could still recognize words like "football" and "fans."
But with so many people visiting, she first smiled and asked Liu Chuncai and Liu Chunni, "What have you two been up to these past few days?"
Liu Chunni, the obedient student, smiled shyly. "Doing homework at home."
Liu Chuncai, on the other hand, had been busy—picking mushrooms in the mountains, catching fish in the river, and watching newborn puppies at home. Everything except homework.
Meanwhile, Liu Weibin was growing impatient. "What are they even saying? Isn’t there anyone speaking normal words?"
"There is," Yan Jigang said, embarrassed. He quickly turned the knob to switch off the broadcast, then turned on another radio and started tuning.
Qi Fang pointed to the knob Yan Jigang was carefully adjusting and explained to Liu Weiguo, "Medium wave—for domestic broadcasts." Then he pointed to the previous one. "Shortwave—for international."
That left two more knobs, and Liu Weiguo already knew their functions: one for power, the other for volume.
He picked up his own radio, turning it over in his hands, eager. "Can I try it?"
Before Qi Fang could even glance at Yan Jigang, the boy had already turned off the radio and obediently made way for his brother-in-law to open the back and insert the batteries.
Qi Fang had designed it to work with both electricity and batteries, with some minor adjustments to save power—using only three batteries instead of the usual four. Liu Weiguo couldn’t wait; he took the batteries before Qi Fang could install them himself. Once assembled, he turned it on and tuned the frequency, while all the Liu children watched eagerly.
When they finally heard a broadcast they could understand, they crowded around. "Let me try!" "Me too!"
"Try what? Test it at home tonight with electricity," Liu Weiguo said, removing the batteries once he confirmed it worked. He then asked Qi Fang, "How much?"
"Nothing. Consider it a wedding gift."
"That won’t do." Liu Weiguo immediately put the radio back. "Even brothers should settle accounts clearly."
A wedding gift was usually just two yuan, but a radio like this cost at least twenty.
A similar-sized radio at the county department store would go for over a hundred, and even then, they were hard to come by.
Since Liu Weiguo insisted, Qi Fang gave a price. "Then give me forty."
"Are you sure? Don’t sell at a loss for me."
"It’s enough." Qi Fang’s cost for assembling one radio was around forty.
In the end, Liu Weiguo left only forty yuan and took his siblings home.
With this radio, the Liu children would likely stay home waiting for the forest farm’s electricity supply. Huang Fengying wouldn’t have to worry about them running around and dragging them back to bed at night.
But just a few days later, as soon as the Liu family’s new house was finished, Liu Weiguo came back to ask Qi Fang, "Can you still assemble those radios? What’s the regular selling price?"
Yan Xue immediately understood and smiled at Qi Fang.
Qi Fang showed no surprise either, calmly asking, "Someone wants one?"
Liu Weiguo nodded. "You said you could make a few, right? I showed it off a bit and got you this price."
He gestured with one hand—seven, and the other—five. Seventy-five yuan, five more than Qi Fang had originally expected.
Yan Xue was curious. "How did you convince them?"
After all, while the price was cheap, it wasn’t a brand-name product from a store. Most people would question its quality.
Liu Weiguo grinned. "I told them not to worry—it’ll last. And if it doesn’t, we’ll fix it for them."
He was offering a warranty. Yan Xue was impressed. "You really thought of everything."
In those days, even brand-name products didn’t come with warranties. With Liu Weiguo’s promise and the low price, it was no wonder the buyer was tempted.
Qi Fang also gave his friend an extra glance. "Same as yours?"
"Exactly." Liu Weiguo nodded, settling on a delivery time before leaving.
After he was gone, Yan Xue couldn’t help remarking, "Liu Weiguo’s quite sharp."
"Mm." Qi Fang had just acknowledged when Second Old Lady called from the main room, "Xiao Qi, your medicine’s warmed up."
Yan Xue could swear the man’s usually indifferent face stiffened for a second.
No helping it—this batch of medicine was unbearably bitter. The first time Qi Fang drank it, he had to set the bowl down after one sip, pausing for two seconds before downing it all in one go.
And traditional Chinese medicine had a peculiar trait: when you were seriously ill at first, your taste buds were dulled, so it didn’t seem so bad. But the further into recovery you got, the worse it tasted, and the harder it was to swallow.
Yan Xue brought the bowl in, and Qi Fang took it, eyed it, then set it back down. "Still a bit hot."
Whether he drank it now or later, it was his problem. Yan Xue left him to it and went to fetch her brother Yan Jigang’s medicine.
The little boy had it much better—after his dose, he got candy. This time, however, he took the wrapper too, tucking it into his pocket as if saving the treat for later.
"Rinse your mouth after eating, and no candy under the covers at night," Yan Xue reminded him.
The boy nodded and ran off. Moments later, Qi Fang, finally ready to drink his medicine, found something hard pressed into his hand.
He squeezed it, about to hand it back, but Yan Jigang was already darting out the door. Peeking back from the doorway, the boy mouthed, "I-I won’t tell sis-sister."
Staring into those bright eyes, Qi Fang downed the bitter brew in one go—this time, he didn’t even taste the bitterness.
The candy was sweet, so sweet that when Yan Xue came back and asked if he’d finished the medicine, he almost answered but instinctively pressed his lips shut.
"Well? Did you drink it or not?" Yan Xue prodded.
This time, Qi Fang made a sound—a quiet "Mm" from his nose.
Yan Xue studied him. "What’s wrong? Is the medicine that bad?"
Should he confess to his wife or keep his brother-in-law’s secret?
As Qi Fang hesitated, Liu Weiguo suddenly returned, bursting in with a question: "Have you seen Chuncaí?"
Both of them turned to look, and Second Old Lady quickly asked, "What’s wrong with Chuncaí?"
Clearly, they hadn’t seen her. And since Liu Weiguo had only left a short while ago, it was unlikely anyone had.
Liu Weiguo’s expression darkened. "She told my mother she was going up the mountain to pick mushrooms, but she still hasn’t come back."
Qi Fang: I don’t even have one yet, and this kid Liu Weiguo already “has” someone!
