The Qing Mountain Commune had two marketplaces. One was located at the commune's seat, called Qing Mountain Street; the other was five li to the south, named South Ridge.
These two markets held their market days on alternating days. On this day, it was South Ridge's turn to open. Chuntao and Wang Xiaohong, pulling a flatbed cart loaded with watermelons, set off early for South Ridge Street.
Next to South Ridge Street stood an oilfield residential compound, housing several thousand oilfield workers and their families.
These oilfield workers were all regular employees with good wages and benefits. Farmers from the surrounding villages who came to the market to sell fruits, vegetables, chickens, ducks, fish, and eggs mostly aimed their business at these workers.
By the time the two women arrived, stalls had already lined both sides of the street.
They walked along the street edge for most of its length before finally finding an empty spot under an old locust tree, where they parked their cart.
Chuntao picked up a watermelon from the cart, split it open against the cart's sideboard. The flesh was sandy and ripe, with glistening juice beading at the edges of the rind.
The sweet, refreshing scent carried by the breeze immediately caught the attention of several passersby.
"How much per jin for the watermelons?" a young woman carrying a vegetable basket walked over, her gaze fixed on the split melon.
"Two fen per jin, sister!" Wang Xiaohong answered first, picking up a half and pinching off a small piece with her fingernail to offer. "Have a taste. This melon has sandy, sweet flesh. It's guaranteed good!"
The woman took the piece, put it in her mouth, gave a light chew, and the corners of her mouth immediately turned up. "Mmm, it really is sweet! Pick a good one for me!"
Chuntao selected a melon of moderate size with clear markings from the cart, placed it on the steelyard, and the beam tipped high. "Ten jin and six liang! Let's call it ten jin, that's twenty cents!"
The woman paid promptly and left with her watermelon.
Before long, a crowd of about ten people gathered around the cart. Some asked prices, others picked melons, and some waited for a taste.
The two women were busy—one handing out melons, the other weighing and collecting money—working up a sweat with no moment to spare even for wiping their brows.
The sun rose gradually, and the day grew hotter. Chuntao, carrying watermelons, made trip after trip delivering them to the residential compound. Wang Xiaohong stayed behind to mind the stall and sell.
They had eaten little in the morning, pulled the cart on empty stomachs, and now Chuntao was running back and forth under the blazing sun. Her stomach had long been growling, feeling utterly hollow.
Each time she returned from a delivery, her legs felt weak and her head swam with cold sweat. Seeing the watermelons on the cart dwindling, she gritted her teeth and pushed on.
After delivering a watermelon to a middle-aged woman's home, Chuntao had just set it down and turned to leave when suddenly her vision went dark, her body went limp, and she collapsed.
When she came to, Chuntao found herself lying on a snow-white hospital bed. Everything around her was white, and the sharp smell of disinfectant hung in the air.
A needle was inserted into her left hand, connected to a glass IV bottle hanging from a metal stand above.
The middle-aged woman she had delivered the watermelon to was sitting by the bed. Seeing Chuntao open her eyes, her face immediately lit up with relief. "Young lady, you're finally awake! You poor thing!"
"Where... is this?" Chuntao struggled to sit up. The woman quickly reached out to support her, tucking a pillow behind her back so she could lean against the headboard.
It turned out that after she fainted, the woman and her son, who had just returned from work, had rushed her to the oilfield's own staff hospital located within the compound.
"This is the Oilfield Workers' Hospital. The doctor said you have hypoglycemia from long-term malnutrition. Your body is too weak; you need an IV drip for some nutrients."
As she spoke, the woman picked up something wrapped in oiled paper from the bedside table and offered it to Chuntao.
"Have a steamed bun first to settle your stomach. I've asked my family to prepare chicken soup. I'll bring it to you after the drip. You need to nourish yourself properly."
Looking at the two meat-filled buns, Chuntao's tears welled up instantly. Her throat choked, she could only manage a few words after a long moment: "Thank you, Auntie..."
She suddenly remembered her childhood, when she fell ill, her grandmother would always boil her an egg. Even while drinking bitter medicinal broth, her heart felt warm.
But ever since marrying into the Wang family, she toiled from dawn till dusk, yet could only eat coarse food and pickled vegetables.
Even when she was sick, she never saw a doctor, just endured it. Having a cornbread bun to fill her belly was considered good enough; she never dared hope for even an eggshell.
These bitter days were like chewing bitter coptis root—swallowed silently, not to be dwelled on, much less spoken of.
If she had fainted at home today, her mother-in-law, Liu Cuilan, would surely have pointed at her nose and cursed her, calling her a useless jinx pretending to be sick to avoid work.
But here was this complete stranger, who not only brought her to the hospital but also bought her meat buns and prepared chicken soup. This warmth caused the long-pent-up grievances within her to burst their banks all at once.
She wiped her tears, then suddenly remembered Wang Xiaohong was still minding the stall. She had been gone so long; Xiaohong must be worried.
Moreover, seeing a doctor and getting an IV must cost money, and she didn't have a single cent in her pocket.
"Auntie, I'm not hungry," Chuntao struggled, wanting to get up. "My sister-in-law is still selling melons on the street. She can't manage alone; I need to go find her!"
"Don't rush off," the woman pressed her gently back. "I've already sent my son to help your sister-in-law. Don't worry, there aren't many watermelons left; they'll sell out soon."
"Sister-in-law!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the hospital room door was pushed open. Wang Xiaohong rushed in, her face sweaty, her eyes red—clearly from crying. "Sister-in-law, you're finally awake! You scared me to death!"
Following her in was a young man, the white shirt on his upper body mostly soaked with sweat. He was the woman's son.
He nodded to Chuntao and said softly, "Good that you're awake."
It turned out that after Chuntao fainted, the mother and son had rushed her to the hospital while also sending word to Wang Xiaohong at the market.
Upon hearing the news, Wang Xiaohong, frightened, quickly entrusted their stall to a neighboring vendor and ran all the way to the hospital. Seeing Chuntao's pale face and the IV needle in her hand, she couldn't help but cry.
When the woman asked about Chuntao's situation, Wang Xiaohong couldn't hold back and told her everything about Chuntao's circumstances in the Wang family.
Hearing this, the woman sighed repeatedly. "How can such things still happen in this new society?"
Both mother and son were kind-hearted. The woman stayed at the hospital to look after Chuntao during the IV, while her son returned to the marketplace. He helped Wang Xiaohong bring the remaining watermelons into the residential compound and sold them to workers he knew.
"Xiaohong, our melons... are they all sold?" Chuntao asked quietly.
Wang Xiaohong took her hand, her eyes reddening again. "Sister-in-law, don't worry about that. They're all sold, and I have the money."
She glanced at the young man beside them and added, "Thanks to this big brother's help. I really couldn't have managed alone."
Chuntao looked at the mother and son before her, her heart warming intensely.
In this seemingly endless stretch of bitter days, she had actually encountered such heartfelt warmth from strangers.
She tucked this heavy, warm feeling deep inside her heart, as if seeing a glimmer of light again.
By the time the IV drip finished, the sky was completely dark. The woman had Chuntao drink the warmed chicken soup.
She then had her son bring a flashlight and pressed it into Wang Xiaohong's hand. "The road is dark at night. Take this to light your way. Be careful walking home."
After expressing their profuse thanks, the two women bid farewell to the mother and son and began the journey home, pulling the now-empty cart.
The cart of watermelons had sold for a total of nine dollars and eighty cents. The IV for Chuntao, plus the tonic the doctor prescribed to build up her strength, had cost one dollar and twenty cents. Thinking of that more than one dollar made Chuntao's heart ache.
When they returned home, Liu Cuilan and Wang Haichao were sitting by the stone table waiting, their faces dark and frightening.
Seeing the two of them pulling the empty cart into the yard, Liu Cuilan shot to her feet and started yelling, "Where have you been gallivanting off to? Not a sight of you all day!"
Wang Xiaohong was already seething with anger. Hearing Liu Cuilan's unjust accusation, her temper flared. "We went to sell melons at Nangang! We've been working since morning, and sister-in-law even fainted from exhaustion! Instead of asking what happened, you just start shouting!"
"Sell melons?" Liu Cuilan's eyes bulged as she pointed a finger at Wang Xiaohong. "Where's the money then? Hand it over, now!"
"Those melons were grown by my sister-in-law's hard work! The money is for Xiaoming's schooling, why should we give it to you?" Wang Xiaohong retorted, her neck stiff with defiance.
Seeing this, Liu Cuilan rushed over to Wang Xiaohong, snatched the cloth money pouch from her hand, and tore it open, scattering the loose change inside.
She counted while cursing, "For Xiaoming's schooling? That's a fine tune to sing! I reckon this money's been gobbled up by that greedy glutton! I wasn't home a few days ago, and she bought pastries, bought brown sugar! She'll eat this family into ruin sooner or later!"
"That's a lie!" Wang Xiaohong cried out. "My sister-in-law does the most work in this house, eats the worst food, her health is so poor she fainted, and you still bully her like this!"
Liu Cuilan pointed at the few pieces of pastry and the packet of brown sugar on the stone table and snorted coldly. "Look at this! Searched from her cupboard!"
Chuntao looked at the brown sugar and pastries on the stone table. Her heart sank with a thud, and she instantly felt a pang of guilt.
That was bought by Zhou Zhijun. She hadn't thought Liu Cuilan would still find it. This was something she could never, ever tell.
She stood rooted to the spot, her hands clenched tightly on the hem of her shirt, her lips bitten pale.
Humiliation, grievance, and bitterness surged up all at once, but she could only force it all down her throat, unable to utter a single word.
Seeing her silence, Liu Cuilan's fury burned hotter.
She turned and charged at Chuntao, raising her hand to slap her across the face. "You jinx! You drove your own man away, you brought death to your father-in-law, and you dare steal food in this house! If I don't beat you to death today, my surname isn't Liu!"
"Liu Cuilan, you stop right there!"
Just then, an authoritative voice came from outside the courtyard. Liu Cuilan's heart jolted, and her hand froze in mid-air.
