RBI1960 Chapter 17

“Grandma.” A girl wearing a dark blue padded jacket and with two long braids walked in and called out toward the kitchen.

She looked about thirteen or fourteen, small and thin, with a slightly sallow complexion and delicate features. Her cheeks were flushed red from the biting wind outside, and her breath turned into white mist in the cold air. After stepping into the house, she stomped the snow off her shoes, set down the patched-up satchel slung over her shoulder, gently touched the younger siblings curled up under the blankets on the heated brick bed, and then turned to head into the kitchen.

This was Jiang Dani. Time flew—five years had already passed. Jiang Yiliu had now been reincarnated in this era for a full five years.

Jiang Yiliu and Jiang Sini had already been awake for a while but were still curled up in the cozy warmth of the heated bed, unwilling to get up. Five-year-old Jiang Yiliu looked nothing like the scrawny, red-faced monkey he once was.

Perhaps it was from all the time spent nestled on the warm bed—his little face was rosy and tender, with delicate, refined features. Aside from his nose, which resembled his father Jiang Dahai, the rest of his appearance took after his uncle Gu Xiashi, and in fact, he was even better-looking. He was a living example of the old saying: “A nephew takes after his uncle.”

No one in the Jiang family minded. The men in their family had always looked plain at best, so having a grandson with such striking looks made them feel nothing but proud. Around the village, no one else’s kid was as handsome as their precious little grandson. According to Granny Miao, the way he looked meant he was destined to become a city dweller one day, though no one knew where she got that logic.

Over the past five years, the Jiang family has gone through quite a few changes.

Jiang Dani was now a fifth-grade student. Jiang Erni, who started school two years later, was in third grade, and Jiang Sanni had just turned ten this year. Granny Miao had never been keen on spending money for the girls to go to school. Since Dani and Erni were already attending, she tried to keep Sanni at home to help with chores. It took a lot of coaxing and pestering from Jiang Yiliu to finally get Granny Miao to allow Sanni to start school. But shelling out six yuan in one go nearly made the old woman’s heart break.

The school was in the neighboring village’s Red Flag Commune, and the round trip took two to three hours on foot. Every day after morning classes, Jiang Dani would come home to help Granny Miao with chores, while Erni and Sanni stayed at school with their dry lunch and didn’t return until evening.

Jiang Yiliu had tried more than once to talk his eldest sister out of making that long trip back every day. He pointed out that it wasn’t worth the time or energy just to help out for a couple of hours, especially since he was there to help Granny Miao too. But Dani insisted on coming home at noon. She said she only felt at ease when she contributed more at home. With three daughters now attending school, the household had a lot of mouths to feed. If she worked harder, their grandmother might stop thinking about pulling one of them out of school.

Jiang Dani truly cherished the opportunity she’d fought so hard for. Jiang Yiliu understood how she felt and could only grow more protective of his eldest sister. He didn’t try to persuade her anymore.

It was late autumn, and the weather in the northeast had already turned bitterly cold. Jiang Dahai and Gu Dongmei were both key members of the production team, which meant they couldn’t afford to take time off. The team was rushing to harvest sweet potatoes before the deep freeze set in. These sweet potatoes would be the village’s staple food for the next six months. Some of them would be steamed and dried into powder for easier storage. If used sparingly, the amount each household received would be enough to last the whole winter. That way, the rest of the grain could be traded with city folk for industrial coupons and other tickets the village didn’t have access to.

Everything from screws to bicycles required industrial coupons—precious things only factory workers had access to. Families with relatives working in factories would use grain to quietly trade for tickets. With the government tightening regulations in recent years, private exchanges were banned. If caught, it could even lead to public denunciation. So villagers handled such matters very carefully, only trading with trusted acquaintances, just in case they needed to claim it was a normal exchange between relatives.

The Jiang family had been doing relatively well these past few years. Jiang Dahai and Gu Dongmei were both diligent and earned good work points. Plus, Grandpa Jiang received a monthly stipend.

Ever since that falling-out, the Jiang family’s second branch had never returned to the old house. They didn’t even show up for holidays—just went straight to Fan Xiaojun’s side of the family. It seemed they intended to sever ties. But Jiang Yiliu knew better—his second uncle wasn’t someone who would give up so easily. He remained vigilant.

Now that the weather had turned chilly, Jiang Yiliu’s hands and feet were always cold—probably a lingering effect from his weak constitution before birth. During the cold season, he spent most of his time bundled up under thick quilts on the heated bed.

In these days, firewood—corn stalks, wheat straw, cotton stems, bean husks, and sweet potato vines—was rationed. Because of Jiang Yiliu’s condition, their family always ran short. Eventually, they pulled some strings through Meng Pingchuan in the city and managed to buy some coal briquettes. They burned longer than corn stalks, but they were also much more expensive.

“Let me help you get dressed, little brother,” Sini said as she burrowed closer under the covers. Her little head poked out from the thick quilt, her voice full of reluctance.

Every time their big sister came home meant it was almost lunchtime—and that meant it was time to get out of bed. Since she was closest in age to Jiang Yiliu, Granny Miao had appointed her to care for her precious grandson. She was allowed to stay in bed with him until he got up.

Sini was a bit of a slowpoke—always a little behind everyone else. Maybe it was because she was weaned too early, but she was small and thin, and looked about the same size as her younger brother. Outsiders might even think they were twins.

Despite her small size, she had a strong sense of duty as a sister. Every morning, she’d try to help him get dressed. But Jiang Yiliu—an adult mind in a child’s body—always refused. No way was he letting his seven-year-old sister dress him.

He had to wear a lot of layers in this weather. Getting sick was no joke—medicine was scarce at the village clinic, and a fever meant a trip to the county hospital, which was both time-consuming and a hassle. So he always dressed warmly, just to be safe.

The innermost layer was a shirt repurposed from his dad’s old clothes. Over that, a sweater knitted from salvaged yarn. This was standard for the time. His clothes were in relatively good shape compared to others who wore garments covered in patches because fabric coupons were so scarce.

After putting on four shirts and three pairs of pants, he finally pulled on a thick cotton coat, remade from Grandpa Jiang’s old one. He’d asked his mom to tailor it to ankle length so he could be completely wrapped up. It looked ridiculous by modern standards, but it was warm.

Once fully dressed, Jiang Yiliu looked like a little round ball. His armpits stuck out from the layers, and he couldn’t even rest his arms against his sides. He waddled like a penguin.

Thankfully, people back then didn’t know what penguins looked like, so no one could tease him for it. Looking down at his clumsy self, he sighed. He’d have to get stronger—he couldn’t let his body hold him back this time around.

“Xiaobao, Grandma made steamed egg custard just for you. Don’t go sneaking it to Sini again—you need to build up your strength, got it?”

As soon as Granny Miao came out of the kitchen and saw her beloved grandson, her face lit up like a flower. She took his hand affectionately and chattered away. Her grandson was perfect in every way—except he was too soft-hearted. Anytime he got something nice, he’d try to secretly share it with his sisters, which she couldn’t stand.

But in her eyes, it just meant he was too kindhearted. She was afraid he’d suffer if she didn’t keep a close eye on him.

Jiang Yiliu smiled and nodded. What he did with the custard was another matter.

Facing the grandmother who treated him with such warmth, his feelings were complicated. Over the past five years, he’d grown used to the affection from his grandparents and parents. But deep down, he knew it was only because he was a boy this time. If he were still the girl Jiang Laidi from his past life, his fate would likely have been just as miserable as before.

That’s why he couldn’t fully accept their kindness, not from the heart. All he could do was smile and play along. For now, he focused on winning the favor of the real decision-makers in the family—his grandparents—so that his sisters could live a better life.

And his efforts were paying off. Granny Miao, who adored him, basically did whatever he asked. Under his influence, she had become less harsh with his sisters. Though she still scolded them from time to time, they were now in school and eating better than before.

While Granny Miao wasn’t looking, Jiang Yiliu quickly scooped up a spoonful of egg custard and popped it into Sini’s mouth. It was a move the two had practiced many times and pulled off with perfect coordination.

He took a bite himself, savoring the soft, rich flavor. Sharing a smile with his sister, Jiang Yiliu silently vowed: In this life, he would make sure the five of them lived a different kind of life together.