Zhou Zhijun had grown increasingly cold toward Zuo Jinhui. Every little thing he did struck painfully at her heart, yet she simply could not let go of her obsession.
Her parents had asked around and found her a potential match—a section chief at a county government office, with an excellent, respectable background. But she had no desire even to meet him.
Mrs. Zuo had no choice but to make a special trip to Qingshan Street to see her. She told her that the man had been sincerely recommended by an old acquaintance and that, no matter what, she had to meet him at least once.
But Zuo Jinhui was determined not to go. Seeing how stubborn her daughter was, Mrs. Zuo could only shake her head and sigh helplessly.
Knowing that Zuo Jinhui was close to Wu Mingwei, Mrs. Zuo sought him out before leaving and asked him to persuade Zuo Jinhui whenever he had the time. She did not want her daughter to trap herself in a dead end.
How could Wu Mingwei not know that all of Zuo Jinhui’s feelings were focused on Zhou Zhijun? Still, he did not say it outright. He agreed to find Zuo Jinhui when he had the chance and talk some sense into her.
“Jinhui, you’ve always been a clearheaded girl. How did you manage to get so hung up on this one matter?
“Zhou Zhijun already has a family. He has a wife and children. If you keep wasting your time like this, you’ll only end up delaying your own life.
“Why do you like Zhou Zhijun? Isn’t it because you admire his upright character and his devotion to his feelings?
“If he were really the kind of man who had one woman on the side while keeping another at home, a man who cast aside the old for the new, you wouldn’t have fallen for him in the first place…”
Wu Mingwei’s every word struck the tenderest place in Zuo Jinhui’s heart. Her eyes reddened, and she choked back a sob.
“Brother, I understand everything you’re saying. But the colder he is toward me, the more I can’t let him go!”
“Feelings can’t be forced. You understand all these truths already, so I won’t keep going on about them. Just calm down and think it over carefully.”
…
At the end of October, the annual winter military recruitment drive began as scheduled.
The morning mist had not yet lifted when the loudspeaker at the entrance to Wangjiazhai Village began to buzz.
The voice of Zhou Dana, the village Party secretary, carried across every courtyard in the village.
“Listen up, everyone! The township recruitment team is coming to our village today! Any young man between eighteen and twenty-two who meets the requirements, hurry over to the brigade headquarters and sign up! Serving the country and defending the people is a great honor!”
Wang Xiaoming was squatting in the kitchen, stoking the fire as he cooked breakfast. When he heard the announcement, he jumped up from the stool in excitement.
Ever since he was a child, he had envied the soldiers in uniform. He had once dreamed of finishing high school and applying to a military academy, but that path had long since been cut off. Enlisting directly had become his only remaining hope.
He no longer had any interest in cooking. He scooped up a ladle of cold water and doused the fire in the stove, pulled his faded, old cotton jacket tighter around himself, and hurried toward the brigade headquarters.
When he arrived, the recruitment officers had not yet shown up, but the courtyard was already packed with villagers who had come to watch and sign up.
In those days, there were only two ways for a rural child to escape the countryside and change his fate:
The first was to pass the entrance examinations and continue his education. The second was to enlist in the army.
Getting into school was harder than climbing to the heavens, and joining the army was not something anyone could do simply because he wanted to.
Although family background was no longer scrutinized as strictly as before, there were still countless requirements for the physical examination and political screening. Passing the selection process was no easy matter.
The sun had already climbed high into the sky when the recruitment officers from the township Armed Forces Department finally arrived at the Wangjiazhai brigade headquarters.
Two comrades came—a young man and an older man. They sat behind the desks that had been set up in advance and loudly explained the recruitment policies to the villagers, calling on eligible young men to sign up bravely and dedicate themselves to military service.
There were quite a few young men of the right age in the village, and a long line soon formed. Standing among them, Wang Xiaoming’s heart fluttered anxiously. He was terribly nervous.
“Comrade, take a look at me. Do you think I’m tall enough to qualify?” one young man asked nervously, his hands clenched together.
“Register first. Everyone’s height will be measured during the physical examination!” the officer replied loudly.
When it was Wang Xiaoming’s turn, he wanted to ask whether his family background met the requirements for the political screening. But with so many people gathered in the courtyard, he was too embarrassed to bring it up.
He decided to register first and take things one step at a time.
A few years earlier, Zhou Xiaowei had also considered joining the army, but Zhou Zhiguo and his wife had firmly opposed the idea.
They were afraid that, like Zhou Zhijun, their son would return from the army with broader horizons and become even harder to find a wife for.
In the eyes of rural parents, they did not expect their sons to become rich or powerful. As long as they married, built a career, and lived a safe, ordinary life, they would be satisfied.
At the time, Zhou Xiaowei still could not let go of Chuntao, so he had not insisted on enlisting.
But now Chuntao had become his second aunt, and the last trace of hope in his heart had been completely shattered. That was when he made up his mind to go to the army and temper himself.
He was a high school graduate, after all. Perhaps he could take the military academy entrance examination while serving and fight for a better future!
He was already twenty-two years old. This was his last chance to enlist, and he could not afford to miss it under any circumstances.
Without consulting his parents, he ran to the brigade headquarters and registered.
Apart from the young men who had come to enlist, most of the people at the brigade headquarters were villagers who had come to watch the spectacle.
A group of women squatted in the sunshine along the base of the wall. Their needles and thread never stopped, and neither did their chatter as they sized up and judged the young men in line.
“That boy from the Wang family is too short. There’s no way he’ll pass the physical examination!”
“Exactly! I heard the height requirement is even stricter this year than it was in previous years!”
“Wang Xiaoming is just the right height… Now that Wang Jieshi, that burden, is gone, and no one knows where Wang Xiaohong ran off to, he’s the only one left in the family. If he can join the army, it’ll at least give him a way out!”
“Ah, but with Liu Cuilan having committed that offense, Wang Xiaoming won’t be able to pass the political screening!”
“Zhou Xiaowei will definitely make it. He has a decent appearance, and he’s a high school graduate. His qualifications are excellent!”
Hearing several women say that Zhou Xiaowei would be selected, Huang Meili approached with a half-finished shoe sole in her hand. She immediately felt irritated.
“He’s already twenty-two. He’s too old for the age limit. How could he possibly get in?”
“Twenty-two is still within the limit. It’s next year that he’ll truly have no chance!” another woman replied.
A third woman chimed in, “Didn’t Zhou Xiaowei help someone from the military compound before? If you ask me, he’s sure to be accepted this time!”
After registration ended, the young men immediately went to the township clinic for their preliminary physical examinations.
Twelve people from Wangjiazhai had signed up. Four were eliminated during the initial examination, leaving eight to undergo political screening.
Among the eight, Zhou Xiaowei was outstanding in both physical fitness and education.
It was only when the political screening officers came to their home to verify his background that Zhou Zhiguo and his wife learned their son had secretly registered.
They had always firmly opposed Zhou Xiaowei joining the army. Now that he had concealed his plans and signed up behind their backs, they were both angry and bewildered.
Zhou Zhiguo wanted the screening officers to cancel Zhou Xiaowei’s enlistment qualification.
During the political screening stage, a parent’s objection could indeed result in a candidate losing his place. But Zhou Xiaowei refused to give in. He was determined to join the army.
The couple knew their son’s stubborn temperament. Once he set his mind on something, not even nine oxen could pull him back. With no other choice, they could only let him go.
Of the eight candidates undergoing political screening, five more were eliminated. In the end, only three earned the qualification to go to the county hospital for a comprehensive physical examination.
Wang Xiaoming ultimately failed the political screening because of his mother Liu Cuilan’s criminal record. He was now destined to have no chance of joining the army in this lifetime.
He huddled against the wall in the inner room, both hands clutching his head tightly, his eyes red as though they might bleed.
His father had died young, Chuntao had left, his mother had gone to prison, his older brother had poisoned himself and died, and his older sister, Wang Xiaohong, was nowhere to be found. An otherwise happy family had been torn apart, yet he had gritted his teeth and endured it all, never once bowing his head to life.
But when he learned that he had failed the political background review because of Liu Cuilan, the sky inside him collapsed completely.
Could it be that he would never have a chance to rise above his circumstances in this lifetime?
He was unwilling to accept it—truly, deeply unwilling!
Wang Xiaoming clutched his head tightly. The winter cold seeped into his bones, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably as his teeth chattered.
He clenched his teeth, desperately trying to force down the bitterness and grievance in his heart, but his tears still poured out like a spring, impossible to stop.
Suddenly, a biting northern wind began to howl outside. Snow as white as goose feathers fell thickly with the wind, turning the world into a vast expanse of white. Yet he remained completely unaware of it.
Huddled against the cold wall, he wrapped both arms tightly around his knees and buried his head deep in the crook of his legs.
His silent tears eventually became heart-wrenching sobs.
Just then, a voice filled with concern called out, and a warm padded coat was gently draped over his shoulders.
“Xiaoming!”
