Bending down to enter the chess game

Chapter 27 The Old Bachelor

In the winter of 1995, Huanghou Village in Lihe County was covered in three feet of ice. Yu Dongdong was throwing a tantrum at home: "Grandma, I don't want to marry that old bachelor! If you force me any further, I'll jump into the river!"

"Go ahead, go ahead. I'd rather see if you freeze to death than actually crash into the ice and die." Yu Dongdong's mother, Liu Hong, deftly tucked her short hair behind her ear. Ever since her youngest son, Yu Qiuyu, turned twenty-five after the New Year, she had become increasingly anxious. She watched as eligible young women from nearby villages got married one after another. The remaining two unattractive girls, let alone Qiuyu, she wouldn't even consider. Finally, through a matchmaker, she found her twenty-one-year-old unmarried daughter, Liu Yalan. Not only was she beautiful, but her father was the village accountant, receiving a salary from the brigade. Yalan was also ambitious, studying nursing after graduating high school. In any case, it was a case of her family marrying above their station. However, the bride price in Xinghu Village was high, and Liu's family said that a bride price of six thousand yuan was acceptable; otherwise, they shouldn't even dream of it.

But where am I supposed to conjure up six thousand yuan?

For three years, her eldest son, Yu Xiasheng, had taken a liking to Liu Die from Liujia Village. To marry Liu Die, her husband pulled some strings, and someone agreed that if their eldest daughter, Yu Chuntian, married Liu Die's cousin, Liu Ji, she would be willing to come. Although Liu Ji was disabled, he ran a small restaurant in the county town; Chuntian would be the restaurant owner! Chuntian was the eldest child in the family and knew best how hard her family had worked. For her brother's sake, she didn't hesitate. From having this idea to marrying Liu Die, less than a month had passed. Now, with Qiu Yu's wedding, the old story inevitably resurfaced. Sun Da from the next village, having somehow gotten wind of it, sent a matchmaker to their door, offering eight thousand yuan if they married Yu Dongdong to him! Didn't she feel sorry for Yu Dongdong? She had already said that besides the six thousand yuan dowry for her second brother, she could take the remaining two thousand back with her. This brat was still ungrateful!

It's their fault too. As the youngest girl in the family, Yu Dongdong was spoiled and pampered, which led to her developing a personality that doesn't know how to care for others!

"How has your second brother always treated you? He never goes west if you tell him to go east. You've grown up so well, and now when I ask you to help your second brother, you refuse. Don't you feel guilty?"

"Is that helping out?!" Yu Dongdong's voice trembled with tears. "Sun Da is already forty! And so ugly! I'm so young, and you still want to marry me off to him? Who's really the one who's wronged?! How has my second brother ever been good to me? Did you hide those two chicken legs and give one to me or something? You expect me to trade my whole life for his happiness? Don't even dream about it!"

She became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, and couldn't help but cry.

The eldest sister, Yu Chuntian, was also called back to persuade her. Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Yu Chuntian stood up and said, "Grandma, you go out. I'll talk to Dongdong. If you two argue so fiercely, it's not good for her to go on a hunger strike."

"Alright then." Liu Hong pounded her chest. "Your sister is going to drive me crazy. You try to talk her out of it, I still have to go to the team to cook for the guesthouse."

Liu Hong sighed and went out the door. Yu Chuntian moved in front of Yu Dongdong and sat down next to her.

"Sister, don't try to persuade me. No one can help me."

Yu Chuntian was silent for a moment. Yu Dongdong was almost twenty years younger than her, and she had raised her since birth, treating her like her own child. But looking at her today, she looked so much like herself back then.

No, it's still different.

She lacked talent, ability, and even a pretty face; she barely graduated from elementary school. Back then, she didn't feel bitter, but now she feels exceptionally wronged.

"Dongdong, why don't you run away?"

Yu Dongdong stopped crying and stared wide-eyed: "Run? How do you run? Where do you want to run to?"

Yu Chuntian had only graduated from elementary school, so she shouldn't know as much as Yu Dongdong, a high school student. But she had seen the prosperity of the county town. Liu Ji's restaurant was next to the county bus station. Year after year, she chatted and talked with countless people coming and going, broadening her horizons and enriching her knowledge. Every day made her realize her past ignorance, and every day made her more fulfilled.

"The world is so big, Dongdong. You can't even imagine how big our country is. You've never left Huanghou Village, never seen the county town, never been to the city, never even seen Tiananmen Square. Getting married is like trapping your whole life in this small room. That's how I've been through it, and I don't want your life to be like that. Run away, go anywhere. I'll give you money, go far away and see the world, and see the world for me too."

That was the first time that the seed of freedom sprouted in Yu Dongdong's heart.

When Liu Hong returned, Yu Dongdong, contrary to her usual behavior, asked for dinner.

"Oh, it seems your sister is closer. Your grandma can't compare at all."

"I'll get married sooner or later anyway." Yu Dongdong shoveled her dinner into her mouth. "Grandma, remember to give me that two thousand yuan."

"No problem!" Liu Hong said with a beaming smile, "When has your nanny ever gone back on her word?"

Seeing her happy, Yu Dongdong casually inquired, "By the way, did you cook for the guesthouse today? Did some people from the village come again? Where are they from?"

Liu Hong put the vegetables back on the stove to keep warm, waiting for the men in the family to return from the fields before eating. "They're here to arrest...that kind of person," she said, sticking her head out. "Infanticide cases are so terrible these days, the news all said they'd investigate thoroughly. I heard it's from a newly established unit, what's it called again? Oh right, the Ministry of Education!"

"His accent doesn't sound like someone from around here. If he can come to this remote mountain area, he must be from a neighboring county at most. They wouldn't send someone of a higher rank to investigate."

Linxian County, that would be perfect.

Ever since her sister brought it up, Yu Dongdong felt like she'd opened a door to a new world. Being a quick-thinking and action-oriented girl, she immediately thought about what her nanny had been doing that day. When she found out that the group had indeed arrived in a sedan chair truck and would be leaving by the day after tomorrow at the latest, she was even more satisfied.

The next day, Yu Dongdong secretly followed Liu Hong to the guesthouse.

The sun warmed the car to a cozy temperature, and Yu Dongdong hid under the truck, oblivious to the danger of the vehicle starting.

"Captain, what do you need? I'll get it for you."

"No need, no need," Xing Wude waved his hands repeatedly. "I must have left my pen in the car. I'll go get it."

"Isn't there a pen here?" the other person muttered.

Xing Wude smiled sheepishly and started talking about the village's current situation. When he reached for his pen to take notes, he realized his fountain pen was missing from his notebook. The village had brought out a nearly worn-out pencil, which they didn't want to sharpen, and he wasn't used to using it. He decided to check the car to see if he'd left it there.

"Huh?" He turned the corner of the car and saw a small face, no bigger than a palm, peeking out from under the truck. At that single glance, Xing Wude's heart skipped a beat.

"What's wrong?" the village secretary asked, heading this way with a puzzled look.

Yu Dongdong's tears trembled slightly as her eyes reddened, her gaze pleading as she shook her head repeatedly.

"It's alright, it's alright," Xing Wude said loudly. "Please go inside and wait for me. It's not convenient for me to get something."

Upon hearing this, the other person stopped walking in this direction. "Okay, I'll go back first. Call me if you need anything."

After the other person left, he finally looked down at the girl. Her blue cloth dress was soaked with sweat, leaving dark, cloud-like patterns, and her neck was as white as jade. Her almond-shaped eyes were brimming with tears, her eyelashes casting butterfly-wing-like shadows beneath them, and the tip of her nose was slightly red. "Hello, are you Captain Xing? I heard you're leaving today. I... my brother is getting married. The old woman said she has to give me up to a forty-year-old bachelor in the next village in exchange for a dowry before he can get a wife, but I..." Tears welled in her eyes, but she forced a smile: "Please, could you let me hide for a bit? I want to go to the county town to stay with my sister. Could you give me a ride?"

He saw the dirt clinging to the girl's eyelashes, and her eyes looked like black grapes soaked in well water. "No, I..." He glanced at the Wuling truck without realizing it.

This is the car the brigade assigned to us for our patrol. It wasn't originally his turn, but this mountain area isn't even accessible by bus yet. It would take a whole day just to drive in. If we relied on walking or motorcycles, we probably wouldn't even make it inside before running out of supplies. There were so many of us and so many villages to visit along the way.

So, if he rejects her, this girl probably won't be able to escape. She's so young, and so beautiful.

Just then, something was said, and a burst of laughter erupted from the men in the room. He saw the girl under the car flinch.

"What's your name?"

"Yu Dongdong".

"Wait for me a moment."

Xing Wude went back inside, this time taking much longer. Yu Dongdong shrank back under the car, her neck aching and numb from squatting. She had arrived close to noon and waited for about an hour before Xing Wude came over with a bunch of keys.

She leaned out again.

Xing Wude had just discreetly inquired with the village secretary and found out that what the girl said was actually true. Was there really such a thing? The village secretary was used to it and even thought she was going there to enjoy a life of luxury because he had given her some dowry.

"I'm not a very good driver, and I'm short on time. I can only take you to the neighboring county on the other side of the mountain, is that alright?"

The girl under the car nodded vigorously, flashing an innocent and lively smile.

Holding the large sum of money her sister gave her, Yu Dongdong waved goodbye to Xing Wude at the border of the neighboring county. Having already graduated high school, she used her silver tongue to become a shampoo girl at a hair salon in the neighboring county, earning a commission for each shampoo she washed. Initially, she was overjoyed to have escaped her family. She used the money to rent a room in an urban village and lived a monotonous life, going back and forth between work and home. But she quickly grew tired of this dull existence. There were so many beautiful clothes and so much beautiful jewelry. The meager earnings from washing hair couldn't mask her glamorous lifestyle.

In 1998, she met her new roommate, Ye Ke, who was involved in the highly profitable trade of antiques and gold. Seeing that Yu Dongdong was pretty and had a silver tongue, Ye Ke offered to take her along. Yu Dongdong didn't care about the source of the goods; she simply used her innocent face and quick wit to sell them—or rather, to sell them. That spring, she went to a major client's house to meet his wife. While waiting for the door to open, she ran into Xing Wude again.

Yu Dongdong was grateful to him for saving her years ago and insisted on treating him to a meal. Sharing a life-saving bond, the two quickly became acquainted. Xing Wude, now thirty-six, had been promoted again in the Ministry of Education; he was mature, steady, and refined. He was interested in her and pursued her earnestly. No woman could resist him, and Yu Dongdong willingly followed him. At Xing Wude's request, she gave up her rented apartment and moved into his house to live with him. Although they couldn't register their marriage immediately, they publicly appeared as husband and wife.

As they lived together, more and more problems surfaced. She disliked being restricted and preferred to earn her own money. Xing Wude disliked her doing business and being in the public eye, and he also didn't want her to be close to Ye Ke. Yu Dongdong disliked the way his colleagues looked at their relationship and hated the disdain of the students and teachers, but Xing Wude was enthusiastic about taking her to meet all sorts of people and to various dinner parties. As the arguments increased, she wanted to leave, but then she discovered she was pregnant. However, she felt she was still a child herself, so how could she want to be a mother? She couldn't care less about or see Xing Wude's happiness. While he wasn't looking, she secretly contacted a clinic where the doctor was said to be a retired gynecologist from the city hospital.

She secretly contacted the clinic again during the time Xing Wude was away on a business trip to Taipei. But whether it was telepathy or she had given herself away, Xing Wude didn't board the train and rushed back to find her before her surgery.

In the operating room, Xing Wude grabbed a scalpel and chopped off his left little finger.

"If you don't want it, I won't stop you. I'll wait for you outside." Xing Wude's eyes were filled with pain: "I'll chop off a finger every ten minutes."

How could she bear to part with it?

She loved him so much!

Yu Dongdong shed all the tears she would ever cry that day.

A year later, she gave birth to a daughter at the county hospital, whom she named Xing Ge.