Axolotl Translations

This year’s college entrance exams were unique—everything was rushed: the exams themselves, and the admissions process that followed. Many waited anxiously for their admission letters, only to receive them, at last, just before the New Year.

Because both Xiangyang and Qian Li applied to universities in the capital, their letters arrived over ten days later than most. The distance, paired with snowy weather and poor road conditions, delayed the mail. Xiangyang, confident in himself, remained calm. Qian Li, however, was a bundle of nerves. She lived in fear of not being admitted. Even when Xiangyang reassured her—saying that if she didn’t make it this year, she could try again next—her anxiety didn’t ease.

She knew that being with Xiangyang felt like reaching above her station. Aside from a pretty face, she wasn’t particularly outstanding compared to the other educated youth. Her family were ordinary factory workers in a small town, and she had never been cherished at home. After middle school, she’d been sent down to the countryside and left there, her parents treating her as if she no longer existed.

But Xiangyang was different. He came from the dazzling city of Shencheng, the kind of place people dreamed of. He was tall, handsome, broad-minded, and worldly. Even after losing his parents, his family’s background remained far beyond what most people could imagine—and he had siblings who loved and supported him.

Had it not been for the Down to the Countryside Movement, their lives would likely never have crossed.

She knew many girls secretly liked him. He seemed to radiate light, attracting attention wherever he went, completely unaware of it. At sixteen, he was already remarkable, and as a grown man, he drew admiring glances wherever he passed.

She didn’t know when she’d fallen for him—only that one day, without realizing it, she had tucked him deep into her heart. She’d felt jealous when he grew close to others, and quietly elated when he showed even a shred of care for her.

And so three years passed.

Until the day he came to her and said he wanted to be with her. In that moment, it felt like a thousand flowers bloomed in her heart.

Her secret love had ended. He had seen the heart she hid beneath her calm surface—and walked toward her.

She masked her vulnerability behind a fiery temperament, refusing to let herself be hurt again. Yet in front of him, she couldn’t help but feel a little inferior. She buried those feelings, determined to work hard and become someone better—someone worthy of him. She wanted him to know he’d made the right choice. And she wanted to prove to the world that she had every right to stand by his side and see the world with him.

When she finally received her acceptance letter, Qian Li burst into tears. She threw herself into her husband’s arms and cried out, “I did it!”

Xiangyang held her close. As her partner, he knew how much pressure she’d been under. But all the hard work had paid off—three years of effort had secured her a brilliant future.

And now, with him by her side, she would never fear being left behind again. He cherished the woman who fought so hard to rise above her past. With their child, he would help her build a home—a place that belonged only to her.

Just before the New Year, every student received the letter they had dreamed of. From that moment on, their backgrounds no longer mattered. Whether they had been poor farmers or labeled “black elements,” now they were all college freshmen—architects of a bright future.

By the time Wei Jiajia found out that Xiangyang and Qian Li had received their admission letters, it was already the twelfth lunar month. Hearing the excitement in her younger brother’s voice over the phone, she was genuinely happy for them.

At last, he was about to start fighting for his future—even if his passion was simply making money.

Wei Jiajia still remembered the bold declaration Xiangyang had made back when he was first sent down to the countryside, saying he’d lead everyone to prosperity.

After receiving the admission letter, Xiangyang brought Qian Li back with him to Shencheng. He planned to spend quality time with Aunt Fen and her family, meet up with Nuannuan, and then head off to Beijing after the New Year.

Speaking of Nuannuan—she was now a rising star. Her striking face and mature acting often graced the silver screen, and the characters she portrayed had deeply touched audiences. On the streets, people frequently sang her praises, and every time Wei Jiajia heard it, she couldn’t help but feel proud.

Nuannuan hadn’t taken part in this year’s college entrance exam. First, the drama programs she had her eye on weren’t being offered this year, and second—she was pregnant!

She had met her current husband at eighteen, and the two had quickly fallen in love.

By the time Wei Jiajia found out, they had already been secretly seeing each other for nearly half a year. It was only when the man began urging marriage that Nuannuan, unable to resist his pleas, finally wrote to tell her sister.

When Wei Jiajia asked why she hadn’t told her sooner, Nuannuan replied, “I wanted to see how things would go first. If I thought it was right, I’d tell you.”

“And now?” Wei Jiajia asked.

Blushing, Nuannuan nodded shyly and said she wanted to marry him.

Later, the man came all the way to the northeast to fetch Nuannuan—and to meet Wei Jiajia. He personally asked for her blessing, promising to cherish Nuannuan and take responsibility for her happiness.

In the years that followed, he kept his word. He loved Nuannuan dearly, put her first in everything, and even endured three years of family pressure to delay having children so she could focus on her career.

……

As the Spring Festival approached, Beijing was buzzing with joy. Everyone wore smiles, and even those shopping on the black market walked with less caution.

Although private trade was still technically forbidden, the inspection teams had loosened up. People eager to celebrate their new lives couldn’t resist buying a few good things. At the department stores, ration coupons were still required, but on the black market—so long as you had money, anything was possible.

It was the 27th of the twelfth lunar month. Wei Jiajia had arranged to go New Year shopping with sister-in-law Qiao. With six kids trailing behind them, they walked down the street turning plenty of heads.

The three older boys had no interest in tagging along with their mothers to go shopping. They would’ve much rather been on the playground playing basketball. But the moment they tried to protest, they were immediately shut down.

“If the three of you don’t come, who’s going to carry all the stuff we buy?” Eldest sister-in-law raised her eyebrows and asked.

Wei Jiajia added with a chuckle, “The two of us adults will be lining up to make purchases—if you three don’t come, who’s going to look after An’an and Nannan? Aijia can’t watch them both by herself. It’s almost New Year’s, the streets are packed—what if they got lost?”

With their own mother putting it that way, the three boys had no choice but to agree. Each of them carried a large floral fabric tote and walked ahead, with little An’an trailing behind like a small tail. As the eldest sister, Aijia lovingly held Nannan’s hand and followed closely beside their mother.

The group made their way in grand procession to the nearby department store. Once inside, they split up and headed to the counters they were each assigned to. Aijia stayed with her younger siblings in an open area, waiting for the others to return.

She watched as her older brothers were swallowed up by the dense crowd, and a chill ran down her spine. Thank goodness she didn’t go in there—judging by how packed it was, she would’ve ended up getting squashed flat. Better to just stick to watching the kids. That was something she was good at.

Wei Jiajia handed off the elbowing and crowd-wading duties to the three big boys. Meanwhile, she and Sister-in-law Qiao strolled through the quieter counters with great enthusiasm. If they found something suitable and happened to have the right coupons in hand, they bought it. It wasn’t much, but they weren’t going home empty-handed either.

About forty minutes later, the three brothers finally squeezed their way back out of the crowd, looking thoroughly disheveled. Their bags were stuffed full, and due to the poor ventilation, a light layer of sweat clung to their faces.

Third treasure (Youkang) stood in front of his sister, panting heavily as he straightened his messy hair. Every so often, he’d ask, “How do I look? Not ugly, right?”

His vanity was practically etched into his bones.

After more than a year together, the rest of the Qiao family had all come to know this about him. Even little Nannan knew that when she saw her fourth cousin, she had to tell him he looked handsome—that was the only way to make him happy.

Ignoring her youngest son’s antics, Wei Jiajia took stock of the items they’d gathered. It seemed they had most of what they needed, so she and Sister-in-law Qiao led the children up to the third floor.

“Mom, why are we going up to the third floor? Is there something else we need to buy?” Youzu asked, curious.

All the big-ticket items in the department store were on the third floor—things like bicycles, radios, watches, and sewing machines. But their family already had all of those. And even if they didn’t, it was only because they didn’t need them.

The two sisters-in-law said nothing as they led the children up to the third floor and headed straight for a counter tucked away in the corner. When the kids saw the square-shaped items displayed on the large shelves, their eyes widened, jaws dropping in surprise. The look they gave their mothers was filled with excitement.

You’an suddenly jumped up and grabbed his mom’s hand, shaking it eagerly. His voice was filled with anticipation.

“Mom, are we getting a TV?”

All the kids stared fixedly at the two women, not even blinking.

After all, who didn’t like televisions? Especially in this era, when children had very few sources of entertainment—just owning a radio at home was already considered precious. A television, which was almost like having a movie theater at home, was a dream come true. Even if it only broadcast for a few hours a day, it didn’t dampen their enthusiasm in the slightest.

Sister-in-law Qiao smiled and said, “It’s not for our home.”

Noticing the flash of disappointment in her son’s eyes, she added, “It’s for your grandparents.”

“Really?” You’an asked, uncertain.

When he saw his mother nod, he immediately brightened again. After all, their grandparents’ house wasn’t far from their own. Worst case, he could just go over on the weekends to watch TV—it would be the same.

Buying a television wasn’t exactly a spur-of-the-moment decision. A few days earlier, Qiao’s eldest brother had received a welfare benefit from the Public Security Bureau, and he’d been lucky enough to draw a television voucher.

Sister Qiao never intended to buy a TV for their own home. Now that college entrance exams had been reinstated and academics were once again a priority, she didn’t want the younger two kids to be distracted and neglect their studies. Besides, they already had a radio at home—after studying, they could still enjoy a storytelling program.

Later, she discussed it with Wei Jiajia, and the two of them quickly came to an agreement. They would split the cost of the TV fifty-fifty, and place it at Father Qiao’s home. It would be a gesture of filial piety from both families, and the children could go there on weekends. This way, they wouldn’t feel jealous of others having a TV while their own home didn’t.

As for the TV voucher, Wei Jiajia initially offered to reimburse her in cash, but sister-in-law firmly refused. In the end, Wei Jiajia didn’t press the matter. Instead, she decided to buy some useful things for the children to make up for it.

After some discussion, they decided to purchase a black-and-white Panda-brand television. Once they paid and the salesperson finished packing it up, Youzu, being the eldest, volunteered to carry it himself.

The other kids, burning with excitement at the sight of the TV, urged everyone to hurry home. Since they’d more or less bought everything they needed, they didn’t delay. With bags of all sizes in hand and the younger children in tow, they made their way back.

As they entered the courtyard, someone noticed the wooden box in Youzu’s arms and asked curiously, “What’s Youzu carrying? Look at the poor kid—he’s drenched in sweat.”

In truth, the TV itself wasn’t that heavy, but the outer wooden crate added significant weight. After getting off the commuter bus, the ten-minute walk to Grandma Qiao’s place had left Youzu thoroughly exhausted—no wonder he was soaked.

Though the youngest, Nannan knew exactly what her brother was carrying. Hearing the question, she happily piped up, “It’s a television! Mom and Auntie bought it for Grandma.”

“Oh wow, your parents are getting a TV? Your mom’s really blessed to have two such thoughtful sons.”

In the courtyard, several families already owned TVs, but most had bought them for their own homes. It was rare for daughters-in-law to willingly chip in for such an expensive item and gift it to their in-laws.

Compared to the daughters-in-law of other families, these two really stood out as considerate and filial, and their whole family seemed so close-knit and loving.

Watching them walk away, the onlooker couldn’t help but feel a little envious. Thinking of her own disappointing sons, she sighed helplessly and headed home with hands clasped behind her back.

……

That year, on New Year’s Eve, the three generations of Qiao women were already busy in the kitchen from morning onward. By evening, the table was filled with chicken, duck, and fish. Using ten pounds of lamb that Qiao Haoyu had brought home, they’d made a fragrant lamb soup. Add to that dozens of pork dumplings made from fine white flour—this year’s New Year’s feast was truly abundant.

Wei Jiajia took out two bottles from her storage space—one of rice wine for the men, and one of red wine for the women. She also gave the kids some soda. As the voices from the new television filled the room, each person raised their glass, offering blessings in turn before digging into the aromatic feast.

After dinner, Youzu led his siblings outside to light firecrackers. Qiao Haoyu, somehow having gotten hold of a deck of playing cards, gathered the whole family for a team card game.

This Spring Festival marked the first step toward a new openness in people’s thinking.

At least, it was for the Qiao family. Father Qiao readily embraced this new way of life and even joined in the fun—though honestly, it would’ve been better if he didn’t cheat so much!

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