Chapter 419: Going Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside

On the morning of December 22, 1968, the sound from the loudspeaker tore through the quiet of a Beiping winter.

"The highest directive—educated youth must go to the countryside to receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants; it is very necessary!"

The sound came from the loudspeaker on the roof of the street office, carrying a buzzing electric noise, like a dull saw cutting wood, over and over, sawing into everyone's heart.

In the siheyuan, all the doors and windows of each household were shut, but behind the windowpanes were pairs of frightened eyes.

Bang Geng was sleeping in late, wrapped in his quilt, when he heard the broadcast and jerked upright.

"What the hell is this?"

Jia Zhangshi cursed in the next room: "Making a racket first thing in the morning! Won't you let people sleep?!"

Qin Huairu was boiling porridge in the kitchen when her spoon fell into the pot.

She stood there dazed, looking out at the overcast sky.

The broadcast continued, over and over.

"Educated youth go to the countryside……to receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants……"

Each word was like hail, striking the windowpane, striking her heart.

In the afternoon, Director Wang of the street office came.

She was a woman in her forties, wearing a faded blue cotton jacket, a red armband on her sleeve, and holding a notebook.

She stood in the central courtyard of the siheyuan and cleared her throat.

"All households, come out to hear the notice!"

Doors opened one after another.

People came out, hunching their necks, hands in pockets, standing in a circle in the cold wind.

Director Wang flipped open her notebook.

"According to superior directives, the street office has compiled a list of all educated youths in the district who meet the conditions for going up to the mountains and down to the countryside. Now we will announce the names from our compound."

She read out the names.

"Jia Geng, eighteen, junior high education."

Bang Geng stood beside Jia Zhangshi, his face turning pale.

"Liu Guangtian, nineteen, junior high education."

"Liu Guangfu, eighteen, junior high education."

The Liu brothers glanced at each other, both seeing fear in the other's eyes.

"Yan Jiefang, seventeen, junior high education."

Yan Bu Gui stood at the back of the crowd, head bowed, his hands trembling in his sleeves.

There were also several half-grown youths from the compound, their names read out one by one.

With each name read, a family's heart sank a little further.

"Those listed must report to the street office within three days to complete procedures and prepare to depart." Director Wang closed her notebook, "The destination is Dongbei, the Heilongjiang Production and Construction Corps. Specific arrangements will be announced later."

Having said that, she turned and left.

Her steps were hurried, as if she feared being chased.

The courtyard fell dead silent.

Only the north wind howled past, sweeping up the fallen leaves and sending them swirling.

Bang Geng rushed back inside and slammed the door so hard it shook the house.

"I won't go! Beat me to death, I still won't go!"

Jia Zhangshi rushed in after him, slapping her thigh as she wept.

"My dear grandson! In that Dongbei place, winter can freeze a person into an icicle! How will you survive if you go?"

Qin Huairu stood in the doorway, looking at her son, then at her mother-in-law, her hands and feet turning icy.

She turned and walked out.

"Where are you going?" Jia Zhangshi shouted.

"I'm going to think of a way."

Qin Huairu didn't look back.

In the office of the revolutionary committee chairman of the Steel Rolling Mill, Li Huaide was sipping tea.

The door was pushed open.

Qin Huairu stood in the doorway, her eyes red.

"Director Li..."

Li Huaide furrowed his brow and set down his teacup.

"How did you come here?"

"Bang Geng… Bang Geng is being sent down to the countryside." Qin Huairu stepped inside, closed the door, "Dongbei, Heilongjiang. Director Li, could you… could you think of a way?"

Li Huaide said nothing.

He lifted his teacup, then put it down again.

"Qin Huairu, this matter… I can't help."

"But you're the head of the revolutionary committee!" Qin Huairu exclaimed, "Just one job slot! If you issue a note letting Bang Geng enter the factory, wouldn't that spare him from going to the countryside?"

Li Huaide smiled.

It was a cold smile.

"Do you know how much a job slot costs these days?"

Qin Huairu froze.

"Twelve hundred!" Li Huaide raised a finger, "Official! Even temporary workers cost eight hundred! And it's a case of price without supply—no amount of money can buy one!"

He stood up and walked to the window.

"Who do you think I am? I'm just a lowly factory revolutionary committee head! For such a big matter, I have no say!"

Qin Huairu's legs went weak, and she leaned against the wall.

"What... what should we do?"

"What should we do?" Li Huaide turned, looked at her, "Just go. Respond to the call, accept re-education—how glorious."

"But that's Dongbei! Winter temperatures drop to minus thirty or forty degrees!"

"Others can survive, but your son can't?" Li Huaide waved his hand, "Go back. I truly can't help with this."

Qin Huairu stared at him for a long time.

Then she turned and left.

Her steps were unsteady, as if walking on cotton.

Returning to the siheyuan, Jia Zhangshi was sitting at the doorway crying.

Seeing Qin Huairu return, she sprang to her feet.

"How did it go? Did Li Huaide agree?"

Qin Huairu shook her head.

"He didn't agree?" Jia Zhangshi's voice turned sharp, "How dare he refuse! You and he... you two are like that! He won't even help with this small favor?"

Those words were like a slap across Qin Huairu's face.

She bit her lip and said nothing.

"Useless thing!" Jia Zhangshi cursed, "Following others, you can't even get this little benefit! What use are you to our Jia family? If Bang Geng goes to Dongbei and something happens to him, I'll fight you to the death!"

Qin Huairu closed her eyes.

Tears streamed down, icy cold.

She turned and walked toward the back courtyard.

"Where are you going?" Jia Zhangshi shouted.

"I'm going to ask someone else."

In the west wing, Li Ping'an was repairing a bicycle.

The bike chain had loosened; he held a wrench and turned it repeatedly.

Lin Xueqing was sewing a padded jacket inside— the weather had turned cold, and she needed to make the children's clothes thicker.

The door was knocked.

It was light, hesitant.

Lin Xueqing went to open the door.

Outside stood Qin Huairu, her eyes swollen like peaches.

"Jia's sister-in-law? Come in quickly."

Qin Huairu entered, stood in the courtyard, and looked at Li Ping'an.

Li Ping'an set down the wrench and stood up.

"Anything?"

"Ping'an..." Qin Huairu spoke, her voice hoarse, "Bang Geng is being sent to the countryside. Dongbei, Heilongjiang. I... I want to ask you, could you..."

She couldn't continue.

Li Ping'an looked at her, saying nothing.

The courtyard was very quiet.

Only the north wind blew past the eaves, making a wooing sound.

"I know this is difficult." Qin Huairu wiped a tear, "But I only have this one son. If he goes that far away..."

"Jia's sister-in-law." Li Ping'an interrupted her, "I can't help with this."

Qin Huairu froze.

"If even Li Huaide can't settle this, what can I, a mere Head of the Security Department, do?" Li Ping'an said calmly, "And if I open this door for you, what about the others in the courtyard? Liu Guangtian, Liu Guangfu, Yan Jiefang... they'll all come to me—who do I help, who do I not?"

He paused.

"This is policy, the prevailing trend. No one can change it."

Qin Huairu looked at him for a long time.

Then she laughed.

It was a grim laugh.

"Yeah... nobody can change it..."

She turned and walked out.

Her steps were light, like a leaf that could be blown away at any moment.

Lin Xueqing wanted to call out to her, but she opened her mouth and made no sound.

Li Ping'an picked up the wrench again and continued fixing the bike.

The sound of turning screws was especially clear in the quiet courtyard.

One turn, another.

Like a pendulum, counting down time.

The day of departure arrived.

Beiping train station, a sea of people.

Red flags fluttered, gongs and drums roared.

But beneath the red flags were pallid faces; amid the drumbeats lay suppressed sobs.

Bang Geng wore the newly issued green military uniform — actually not a uniform, just an ordinary green cotton padded jacket, wore a cotton cap, and carried a huge luggage bag.

The bag was stuffed full: a thick cotton quilt, cotton pants, cotton shoes, and a packet of dry rations.

Qin Huairu stood before him, repeatedly adjusting his collar.

"When you get there, listen to the leaders and don't cause trouble."

"Hmm."

"It's cold; wear more clothes, don't freeze."

"Hmm."

"Don't overwork yourself; rest when tired."

"Hmm."

Bang Geng kept his head down, answering each sentence.

Jia Zhangshi cried beside him, snot and tears streaming.

"My dear grandson…… you must take good care of…… Grandma is waiting for you to come back……"

Qin Huairu took out a small cloth bag from her bosom and shoved it into Bang Geng's hands.

"Inside are fifty catties of national grain coupons and 120 yuan. Hide it well, don't let anyone see."

Bang Geng took it, gripping it tightly.

Liu Haizhong's family also came.

Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu brothers both wore green cotton padded jackets and carried luggage.

Er Da Ma held her two sons' hands, crying so hard she could barely catch her breath.

Liu Haizhong stood to the side, face dark, not saying a word.

He had just been toppled from the deputy director's position, and now his son was going to the countryside.

Truly, when it rains, it pours.

He took out two small cloth bags from his pocket and gave them to his sons.

"Each gets twenty catties of grain coupons and twenty yuan. Spend it sparingly."

Liu Guangtian took it, saying nothing.

Liu Guangfu, on the other hand, broke into a grin.

"Dad, rest assured! We're going to build the frontier—it's glorious!"

He said it loudly, but the fear in his eyes couldn't be hidden.

Yan Bu Gui also came, seeing off Yan Jiefang.

His son's cloth bag was the smallest.

"Ten catties of grain coupons, ten yuan. You…… you just do your work well."

Yan Jiefang took it, weighed it in his hand, and said nothing.

The train whistle blew.

Sharp, piercing.

Like a death-summoning horn.

"All aboard! All aboard!"

Staff wearing red armbands waved small flags and shouted loudly.

The crowd stirred.

Cries, shouts, farewells blended together.

Bang Geng turned and walked toward the carriage.

After a few steps, he turned back and glanced.

Qin Huairu stood in the crowd, waving her hands, her face streaked with tears.

Jia Zhangshi sat on the ground, slapping her thighs as she cried.

Bang Geng gritted his teeth, turned, and boarded the train.

The green-painted carriage was packed with people.

They were all young people like him, male and female, their faces showing bewilderment, fear, and also a hint of inexplicable excitement.

The Liu Guangtian brothers squeezed over and sat beside Bang Geng.

Yan Jiefang also came, huddling in a corner.

The train slowly pulled away.

On the platform, those seeing them off chased after the train, waving their arms and calling out names.

Their voices were drowned out by the roar of the wheels.

Bang Geng leaned against the window, watching the platform recede, watching Beiping City fade away.

The houses turned into tiny black dots, finally disappearing over the horizon.

Outside the window lay barren fields, bare trees, and a dull gray sky.

"Are we…… really going to the Northeast?" Liu Guangfu whispered.

"Nonsense." Liu Guangtian glared at him. "Can we not go?"

"I hear it's bitterly cold there in winter—your piss freezes into icicles." Yan Jiefang interjected.

"What do we do then?" Liu Guangfu's face turned pale.

"What can we do? Just endure it." Bang Geng said. "Anyway, we're already here."

The carriage grew quiet.

Only the sound of wheels striking the rails remained.

Clang—clang—

One thump, one thump.

Like a heartbeat, heavy and slow.

Three days and three nights.

The train was like a green long snake, crawling across the North China Plain.

After passing Shanhai Pass, the scenery changed.

The fields grew wider, the sky grew lower.

Trees grew fewer, snow grew more.

The train car grew colder.

Some began to cough, some began to run a fever.

When the carried dry food ran out, they gnawed the hard steamed corn buns.

On the morning of the fourth day, the train stopped at a small station.

Get off! Switch to trucks!

Again crowded, again queuing.

Several hundred people piled onto a dozen Liberation-brand trucks.

The truck beds were open, without tarps.

The north wind was like a knife, scraping the face.

Bang Geng lowered the ear flaps of his cotton cap, wrapped his cotton coat tightly, but still felt cold.

Even the bone seams leaked cold.

The trucks jolted across the snowy plain.

The road was bad, full of potholes; those on board shook like beans in a winnowing basket, up and down.

Someone vomited.

The vomit instantly froze into ice.

They drove all day long.

At dusk, the trucks finally stopped.

We've arrived! Get off!

Before them lay an endless snowy plain.

Several rows of low earthen brick houses, their chimneys belching black smoke.

In the distance stretched barren mountains, blanketed in thick snow.

The sky was a dull blue‑gray, hanging low, making it hard to breathe.

Fall in! Roll call!

A middle‑aged man in an army overcoat grabbed a loudspeaker and shouted.

The young people dragged their luggage, forming a crooked line.

Welcome to the Heilongjiang Production and Construction Corps Third Division Sixth Regiment!" the man shouted loudly, "I am Instructor Zhao Tie Zhu! From today on, you are soldiers of the Corps! Take root in the frontier, build the frontier!

No one clapped.

Only the wind sounded.

Now assign dorms! Male comrades live in the eastern row of houses, female comrades in the western! Drop your luggage and head straight to the canteen for a meal! After eating, attend the meeting!

The crowd dispersed.

Bang Geng followed the crowd eastward.

The earthen brick houses were very low; the doorframes were so low you had to bend to enter.

The inside was a open sleeping platform, with two rows of brick‑beds covered in straw mats.

There was no stove, only fire burning in the brick‑bed cavities; the room smelled of smoke mixed with mildew.

Bang Geng tossed his luggage onto the brick‑bed and sat on the straw mat.

The straw mat prickled his rear.

Liu Guangtian and his brother also entered, sitting beside him.

Yan Jiefang huddled in the corner of the wall.

People kept coming in; over twenty young men crowded into the room.

No one spoke.

Only the sound of heavy breathing.

The canteen was a makeshift tent, leaky on all sides.

Dinner was corn‑stubble porridge, black‑brown steamed buns, and a pot of cabbage‑stewed potatoes—few potatoes, lots of cabbage, the broth clear enough to see a reflection.

Bang Geng held his bowl, squatting in the corner to eat.

The porridge was warm, the buns hard.

He bit into a bun, and it hurt his teeth.

Is this all we get to eat?" Liu Guangfu muttered quietly.

If you don't eat, you'll go hungry." Liu Guangtian said.

As they were eating, Instructor Zhao Tie Zhu entered.

Comrades! After eating, go to the meeting room to study the supreme directive!

Another meeting.

Bang Geng lowered his head and gulped down several mouthfuls of porridge.

The porridge is bitter.

I don't know if the porridge is bitter or my heart is.

At night, I lay on the kang.

The kang is warm, but the quilt is cold.

The cotton quilt is too thin; covering myself feels like paper.

Bang Geng curled up into a ball, still cold.

My toes went numb from the cold.

Someone was crying in the room.

It was very quiet, held back.

Bang Geng didn't cry.

He kept his eyes open, staring at the pitch-black ceiling.

There was a crack in the ceiling through which the outside stars could be seen.

The stars were bright and cold.

Like ice chips scattered across the sky.

He thought of the siheyuan.

He thought of his grandmother's steamed corn buns, and his mother's porridge.

He thought of the alleys of Beiping, and the fried sauce noodle stall at the entrance of the Steel Rolling Mill.

Those images played over and over in his mind like a movie.

Playing them made his heart feel sour.

"Bang Geng." Someone beside him called his name softly.

It was Liu Guangtian.

"What are you doing?"

"You say... can we still go back?"

Bang Geng didn't speak.

He didn't know either.

Outside the window, the north wind howled.

Like a beast running across the open wilderness.

That night, many people couldn't sleep.

Eyes open, waiting for dawn.

But after dawn, what awaited them?

No one knew.

All we knew was that from then on, our homeland became a distant place.

And that distant place was an endless snowy plain, an endless winter.

It was youth, swept up by the times, rushing toward the vast unknown.