Axolotl Translations

Wei Xiangyang was ultimately assigned to Zhangjiaying Brigade of the Hongqi Commune, not too far from their family compound—it was right next to the village where Wei Jiajia had once bartered for eggs.

In the Northeast, land was vast and sparsely populated. Though the two villages were technically neighbors, the actual distance between them wasn’t small. And from the family compound, it was even farther—just walking one way took nearly two hours. So unless there was something urgent, Xiangyang didn’t usually return to his sister’s place.

Besides, he’d arrived just in time for the autumn harvest. For the past two weeks, every day left him exhausted, collapsing on his bed at the end of the day like a dead dog. He was so tired he could barely move, let alone walk all that way back home.

Now, he finally understood the look his older sister had given him before he left—that silent “Good luck, you’ll need it” expression. But it was too late for regrets now. He’d chosen this path himself. He could only grit his teeth and see it through.

He couldn’t very well give up after just the first step of his Long March. That’d be humiliating. His siblings would never let him live it down.

“Comrade Wei, I have some ointment. Would you like to try it?” a soft female voice asked with concern.

At the dining table, the other female sent-down youths noticed how Comrade Xu looked at the new guy with dreamy eyes, and immediately started exchanging knowing glances and exaggerated winks. Some looked amused, others rolled their eyes—clearly unimpressed. In their view, she relied entirely on her pretty face and a few acts of kindness to string the boys along.

Now it seemed she’d set her sights on Wei Xiangyang.

Xiangyang glanced at his hands, raw and blistered from using the sickle, then looked up and declined politely but firmly, “Thanks, but I brought my own.” With that, he lowered his head and continued eating, completely unaware of how his rejection had turned her face green with embarrassment. It was the first time anyone had ever brushed her off like that.

“Pfft—” one of the girls who usually didn’t get along with Xu Yanni couldn’t help laughing.

“What are you laughing at, Zhong Xiaoting? What’s so funny?” Xu Yanni snapped, already in a foul mood from being rejected and now having to endure public ridicule from a known rival.

“And why can’t I laugh, huh?” Zhong Xiaoting shot back, unfazed. “Something funny crossed my mind, that’s all. Isn’t it allowed?”

She thought to herself—So even Xu Yanni gets rejected sometimes. Looks like not every guy’s as blind as Fang Tao, falling for her little tricks. Then she glanced across the table at one of the male youths whose eyes were still glued to Xu Yanni and, with a scowl, bent her head down and shoveled her rice paste quickly—out of sight, out of mind.

“Xiaoting, Comrade Xu only meant well. It’s just that some people didn’t appreciate it, that’s all. Why make things harder for her? You’ve really changed, Xiaoting. If Uncle Zhong knew about this, he’d be very disappointed in you,” Fang Tao said, shaking his head disapprovingly at Zhong Xiaoting. He never expected that after just a year in the countryside, the girl he’d grown up with would change so much—becoming so bitter and full of jealousy.

Zhong Xiaoting could hardly believe that the boy who’d always protected her would publicly side with Xu Yanni, that fake, insincere woman, and embarrass her like this. Fighting back tears, she glared at Fang Tao and snapped, “You don’t need to lecture me about whether my dad would be disappointed in me. Who do you think you are?” With that, she slammed her chopsticks down, stood up, and stormed off to her room.

On the side, Xu Yanni pretended to look down in shame, but her lips curled into a smile. She thought to herself: Look at that, I didn’t even need to do anything. Someone else is already sticking up for me. As for you, Zhong Xiaoting, you just make me look even more gentle, considerate, and understanding. If the men don’t like me, surely they’ll like you—the wildcat.

The real troublemaker, Wei Xiangyang, hadn’t been paying attention to the argument. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have gotten involved.

His sister had told him before he left for the countryside—focus on your own business, don’t get mixed up in all the other chaos at the youth commune. You’re too young for anyone to take your opinions seriously anyway, and Xiangyang firmly believed that.

He knew he needed to first get used to the hard labor here and learn how things worked before thinking about helping everyone get rich. At the moment, with the youth commune’s food rations, he figured he’d starve to death before coming up with any brilliant ideas.

Since it wasn’t his turn to wash dishes today, he quickly finished his meal, stood up, and addressed the group. “You guys take your time, I’m heading back to my room,” he said before putting his bowl away in the kitchen and walking past everyone without looking back.

“He… is he just pretending to be stupid, or is he really that clueless? Does he think we don’t matter to him?” Fang Tao asked, pointing toward Xiangyang’s room in disbelief. He nearly wanted to shout that the whole mess was his fault, yet Xiangyang still acted like nothing was wrong.

“Don’t be like that. If he doesn’t care about anyone, it’s only you. Don’t drag me into it,” said Qian Li, who couldn’t stand Fang Tao’s attitude toward Zhong Xiaoting. She shot him a quick, sharp reply. “So what? The guy’s new here, and you’re already jumping at the chance to make enemies for him?”

“And he just turned down Xu Yanni, didn’t he? Xu Yanni’s just hiding there, not saying a word. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?”

“You… You’re just being unreasonable! A gentleman doesn’t argue with women,” Fang Tao said, flustered after Qian Li exposed his real motives. But Qian Li wasn’t like Zhong Xiaoting—she wouldn’t let him boss her around.

“Hmph!” Qian Li snorted with disdain. At least if you argued back, I’d give you a shred of respect. I really don’t understand what that fool Xiaoting sees in you. Just an empty show of strength, all bark and no bite. Even if he were given to her for free, she’d think he was more trouble than he’s worth.

Xu Yanni watched as Fang Tao was easily shut down by Qian Li and couldn’t help feeling disappointed. After all, aside from Zhong Xiaoting, Qian Li was the one she liked least. She was not only prettier, but also hot-tempered and hard to deal with. Ever since she’d been put in her place the first time they clashed, Xu Yanni had been avoiding her for fear of coming out second best again.

Back in the room, Qian Li rolled her eyes as she saw Zhong Xiaoting still lying on the bed, crying.

She walked over and placed the bowl she was carrying onto the table. “Oh come on, stop crying already,” she said. “Even if you cry yourself to death right now, Fang Tao wouldn’t know. And even if he did, as long as Xu Yanni’s around, your tears mean nothing to him. Don’t you get it yet?” She pulled Zhong Xiaoting up off the bed, annoyed that she didn’t have more fight in her, and handed her a towel.

“Wipe your face. I brought your dinner—hurry up and eat. Do you know how rare food is these days? And you dare waste it? If you go hungry, how are you going to have the energy to work tomorrow?”

“Tell me,” Zhong Xiaoting asked, looking at Qian Li, “what exactly is so great about Xu Yanni? Why would he throw away over a decade of friendship just for that woman?”

“Because to him, you’re right there, always have been. He knows no matter how he treats you, you won’t leave. But Xu Yanni? She’s something he hasn’t gotten yet. Haven’t you heard? People always want what they can’t have,” Qian Li said, analyzing the situation.

“So… if I give him the cold shoulder for a while, he’ll start treating me better?” Zhong Xiaoting’s eyes lit up, filled with hope. She stared at Qian Li, waiting for her to confirm—ready to act the moment she did.

“Uh…” Qian Li was speechless for a second. Wait, is that what you got from what I just said? What she had meant was that Fang Tao was the type of man who always chased after something new—a shallow, unreliable guy. The smartest thing would be to stay far, far away from him.

Besides, Fang Tao and Xu Yanni—what a pair of scum, a trashy man and a petty woman. Putting them together so they can be lovey-dovey is probably for the best. Why make things harder on yourself? It’s not like all the men in the world are gone.

Still, when Qian Li saw how fragile Zhong Xiaoting looked, she chose not to say more. She simply nodded, and Zhong Xiaoting gave her a relieved smile in return. Watching her pick up the bowl and start eating, Qian Li could only shake her head helplessly.

Fine. Let’s leave it for now. Maybe while she’s giving Fang Tao the cold shoulder, she’ll figure it out on her own and realize he’s not worth it.

Meanwhile, in the male dormitory, Xiangyang returned to the house, grabbed a basin, and headed out back for a bath. After that, he washed his dirty clothes, then came back inside to take out the ointment his sister had given him. He carefully applied it to his wounds, gently smearing it over the raw spots. For the blisters, he had to prick them first with a needle before applying the medicine.

Growing up, aside from helping his sister plant vegetables and cooking simple meals, Xiangyang had never felt life to be so hard. Back then, the hardest thing he’d done was waking up early to train with his older brothers. But since coming to the countryside, it felt like he had exhausted a lifetime’s worth of suffering in just half a month.

“Hey Xiangyang, where’d you get that ointment from? It works really well. I used some yesterday and the wound is already starting to heal today,” asked Liu Lishun, the fellow male zhiqing (sent-down youth/ educated youth) who shared a room with him and had come down to the countryside earlier than most.

Over the years, Liu Lishun had developed thick calluses from hard labor and rarely got blisters anymore. But yesterday, he’d accidentally sliced his hand with a sickle. The cut was deep, and it was Wei Xiangyang’s medicine that had stopped the bleeding.

This morning, seeing the wound already healing, he was overjoyed. The autumn harvest might be tiring, but it was also the easiest time to earn work points. His family didn’t have much, and they couldn’t support him, so he relied entirely on work points to get by. If he’d had to take time off because of that injury, the loss would’ve been significant.

Looking down at the ointment his sister had specially prepared for him, Wei Xiangyang felt a pang of guilt. Such good medicine—who knows how much it cost her, or what kind of favor she had to call in to get it? He missed her… and he missed his three nephews too. He wondered if they were behaving while he was away.

In a low voice, he replied, “My brother-in-law works in the military district. They know a traditional doctor there—very skilled. My sister asked him to make this especially for me.”

“Wow, your sister treats you so well!” Liu Lishun said with envy. “Not like my sister—she went behind my back and signed me up to be an educated youth just so she wouldn’t get picked herself. Never mind the fact that I was three years younger than her and not even sixteen at the time.”

Back then, she made it sound so nice—said she would take over their mother’s job and send him ten yuan every month as compensation while he was living in the countryside. But it’s been four years now, and aside from the occasional bit of money in the first year, he hadn’t seen a single cent since.

“Yeah, my sister’s really good to me,” Xiangyang said. “Our parents died when I was little, and she’s been taking care of us ever since. Even after she got married, since my younger sister and I were still small and couldn’t be left alone, she brought us along with her. We’ve never been apart all these years.”

For some reason, Xiangyang suddenly felt a need to confide in someone. Looking back now, he realized that his insistence on coming to the countryside must have really hurt his sister.

Wei Jiajia (in her mind): I would never! That’s not me! I was totally fine with it…

“But didn’t your brother-in-law’s family mind?” Liu Lishun asked, a little confused. Was this one of those legendary sister-devotees who support their brothers no matter what?

“No, my brother-in-law’s family and mine go way back—we’re old family friends. Uncle Qiao and Auntie Zhang never said a word about it. My brother-in-law treats us really well. Honestly, in my heart, he’s more of a father to me than a real one would be.”

In Xiangyang’s memories, his father was a blank. As far back as he could remember, the men in his life were Uncle Zhuzi and his older brothers. Later, when he got older, there was Qiao Haoyu.

To him, a father was someone like his brother-in-law—tall, knowledgeable, wise, and, most importantly, loving. Of course, he and his sister could never compare to the place his wife held in Qiao Haoyu’s heart, but that didn’t affect his admiration in the slightest.

As Xiangyang spoke, a warm image of a close-knit and loving family began to form in Liu Lishun’s mind. Xiangyang might have lost his parents, but he had relatives who truly cared for him. He was lucky.

Unlike himself. Whether he had a family or not made no real difference. His sister had deceived him, and his parents had other sons to depend on. Whether he existed or not, no one was missing out.

Forget it. Best not to dwell on it. Better to rest up early and focus on earning more work points to support myself—that’s what really matters.

“Wife! Nuannuan sent a package!” That evening, Qiao Haoyu came home from work, carrying a large parcel on his shoulder.

“Dad! What did Auntie send? Is there anything yummy?” Qiao Aijia, who had been doing homework at her desk, immediately perked up. The thought of food made her abandon her schoolwork in an instant. She threw down her pen and ran outside.

Seeing his daughter’s eagerness, Qiao Haoyu frowned and stopped her. “Wait till your mom gets back, then we’ll open it. I don’t know what’s inside either.”

“I’ll go get Mom!” Qiao Aijia wasn’t upset at all. She spun around and ran toward the vegetable patch in the backyard.

Dragged into the house by her daughter, Wei Jiajia washed her hands and sighed helplessly. “You could’ve opened it yourself—why’d you have to drag me? Don’t you know your daughter’s a total foodie?”

“Ahem… Didn’t you say we should do everything together to have a proper family vibe?” Qiao Haoyu rubbed his nose and gave a sheepish little cough.

Wei Jiajia: …

Such commitment—she had only joked about that two days ago, and now here he was, putting it into practice.

She called their two sons out from inside, and the family ceremony began: Qiao Haoyu with the scissors, Wei Jiajia supervising, and the triplets watching eagerly.

“Wow! Auntie bought me new shoes!” Qiao Aijia was the first to spot and pull out a pair of red leather shoes, hugging them happily to her chest.

Then, one by one, the items in the package were revealed—five pairs of stylish leather shoes, one for each member of the family. After that came piles of food: two large bags of White Rabbit milk candies, two cans of malted milk, and an assortment of exquisite snacks.

“Where on earth did that girl find all this stuff? It must’ve cost a fortune! I wonder if she still has enough left over from her salary,” Wei Jiajia muttered, though the smile in her eyes betrayed her true feelings. After all, being remembered and cared for by her younger sister was a kind of happiness in itself.

Qiao Haoyu didn’t call her out on it and simply nodded along. “We’ll call her later and tell her not to spend so much. We’ve got everything we need at home. If she’s short on money, we’ll send her some.”

Wei Jiajia nodded in agreement. She decided she’d call her sister’s work unit tomorrow.

Then she began sorting through the contents again. There were also some items Nuannuan had sent for Yangyang. She decided she’d take the kids to visit him this weekend, bring him a few things—some snacks, some necessities.

He hadn’t taken much with him when he left. She’d told him to come home when he had time and pick up the rest, maybe get a few decent meals in too. But he hadn’t shown up once. She didn’t know how he was doing—and she wouldn’t feel at ease until she saw him herself.

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