Xin Zhiying and Zhuang Ping ran around for a whole day, but still couldn’t get the procedures completed.
Lingzhou City was very strict about enforcing the one-child policy. Having an overquota child meant a fine of twenty thousand yuan, equivalent to nearly five years of wages. This was especially true in state-owned enterprises; besides the fine and the cancellation of employee benefits, in serious cases, one could even be directly fired.
Because of this, in recent years, many families with more than one child delayed registering their second child’s household registration, telling outsiders it was “a relative’s child being fostered here” in an attempt to exploit a loophole. But without a household registration, the child can’t attend school, and without an ID card, they won’t be able to get a job when they grow up, effectively blocking all paths.
When Xin Zhiying suddenly brought back a child, the factory’s family planning office’s first reaction was “disguised overquota birth.” They argued with the couple for most of the day, making Xin Zhiying so angry she almost slammed the child’s mother’s death certificate and father’s absence proof onto the director’s forehead.
The director snorted twice, straightened his glasses, which were as thick as the bottom of a wine bottle, and pushed the mandarin duck enamel cups on his desk. “Xiao Tang, go brew me a pot of Longjing tea.”
As soon as the office door closed, the director spoke to Xin Zhiying with great earnestness.
“The excuse of ‘dependent relative’ definitely won’t work…” He tapped the household register Xin Zhiying had brought. “The household registration policy is so strict, and this child was born to an agricultural household registration…”
He deliberately tapped the specific wording.
Director: “Xin Zhiying, I know you. You were an outstanding graduate from the health school back then. It was the power plant hospital that requested a targeted assignment quota from the health school. Otherwise, according to the assignment principle of ‘from where you come, to where you go,’ your job would have been assigned back to Licheng. You went through this yourself; you know perfectly well how strict the urban-rural household registration restrictions are.”
Xin Zhiying looked like she was on the verge of collapse, and Zhuang Ping put an arm around her shoulder.
“My sister only left behind this one child! How could I possibly not take care of her?!”
The director sighed. “Every family has its difficulties, every family has its own sutra that is hard to chant. So many of the educated youth from Lingzhou who went down to the countryside found jobs, got married, and settled down there, and just couldn’t come back! In recent years, the policy relaxed a bit, and they sent their children back. Parents and children separated, just for the sake of better education conditions. But with so many children arriving in Lingzhou, don’t they all still have to queue and wait for household registration?”
“How about this, for now, let’s wait another two years. Maybe the urban-rural household registration policy will loosen up, and then it will be fine.”
Xin Zhiying: “No! If we wait any longer, the child will be about to start elementary school. Wasting two years for nothing? How dare I gamble on when this policy might change?”
Zhuang Ping thought for a moment and said earnestly, “Director, Zhiying and I are also handling this for the first time. We just want to ask your opinion. If registering the child as ‘nephew’ on the household registration isn’t possible, would writing ‘adopted son’ work?”
The weather was cold, and the director rubbed his hands. “Alright, you go first…”
………
With a “ha”, the window pane was covered with a white mist.
Two upright ears, one oval nose, two bean-like eyes.. and that was the big yellow dog at Grandma’s house in Licheng.
Xin Hexue pursed his lips. He sat by the window, hugging his legs tightly under the quilt.
Xin Zhiying and Zhuang Ping were busy for many days but still didn’t finish the procedures. However, the post-New Year holidays were already over. Starting two days ago, adults went back to work, children went back to school, and every household threw themselves into the bustling life of the new year.
Xin Hexue didn’t understand the addresses his aunt and uncle were talking about…what office, what street office, and they also needed Grandma to send over the village committee’s seal.
He had not seen Grandma and Grandpa for several days, nor Da Huang (big yellow dog), and he missed Licheng a little.
Xin Hexue let out a breath.
It wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t really want to stay in Lingzhou City that much either. If he couldn’t stay, it would be just fine to go back and keep Grandma and Grandpa company.
Da Huang seemed to like Xiao Hua at the village entrance. He wondered if he had become friends with Xiao Hua during this time he was away from home for so many days…
But before leaving, Grandma had repeatedly told him to go to school well and study hard. If he couldn’t stay, Grandma and Aunt would probably be even more upset than he was.
And besides…
Aunt’s salted vegetable with small fish was delicious, her stir-fried lettuce with sausage was delicious, Uncle had taken him on the back of his bicycle to many places in Lingzhou City, and Brother Tongguang even told him stories before bed.
“Sigh!”
He sighed like a little adult.
A child’s worries were so many.
Zhuang Tongguang pushed the door open. “What’s wrong? Are you up?”
“Big Brother.”
He naturally buried his face in the crook of Zhuang Tongguang’s neck.
[Kiss.]
Xin Hexue secretly pricked up his ears.
He hadn’t misheard. This voice was Zhuang Tongguang’s, but Big Brother clearly hadn’t opened his mouth.
[Kiss.]
He tentatively touched Zhuang Tongguang’s cheek with his lips.
Zhuang Tongguang kept his lips pursed and patted his back. “If you’re awake, then get up. Mom just got back from the night shift. I’ll help you put on your sweater.”
Xin Hexue snorted to himself. He thought there would be some interesting reaction.
Like praising him for being a Mind-Reading Hero who could participate in next year’s Spring Festival Gala.
So boring.
Xin Zhiying had bought him a new sweater a few days ago, the same style as Zhuang Tongguang’s New Year sweater. It seemed to be a very fashionable style in Lingzhou City this year.
Xin Hexue’s sweater was red. Zhuang Tongguang helped pull the two sleeves over his arms. His head popped out from the collar, his thick hair smoothed by static electricity, clinging to his cheeks, like a kitten just out of the nest.
After putting on another thick cotton-padded jacket, he became round from the clothes, and struggled to put on his cotton socks himself before stepping into his shoes and hopping down to the floor.
The power plant worked in three shifts. Xin Zhiying was recently scheduled for the night shift, so she had to collapse into bed as soon as she got home. Zhuang Ping was on the morning shift, so he simply left money for the two children to buy breakfast at a breakfast stall.
“Mom, I’m taking Xiao Xue out.”
Xin Zhiying was lying in bed under the covers, exhausted from working in the emergency room at night. “Mhm, go on.”
………
It was still early, but the world was already bustling with activity.
The clatter of pots and pans could be heard in the tube-shaped apartment building, and clear birdsong accompanied the morning sunlight. The “ding ling ling” sounds of bicycle wheels turning and “du du du” of motorcycles starting rang out crisply.
Zhuang Tongguang held his younger brother’s hand as they walked through the streets and alleys.
The power plant was in the eastern suburbs of Lingzhou City. In this flat plain, the three tall cooling towers were particularly conspicuous; that was the Lingzhou Power Plant.
After the reform and opening up, the factory area was no longer enclosed. The walls were knocked down and rented out to individual businesses to open shops. Various small shops sprung up around the power plant like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
These small shops didn’t require coupons to buy things, and the prices were cheap. The plant’s employees all came here for their daily necessities, which was very convenient.
Naturally, there were many breakfast stalls too. When the stall lids were lifted, they released a large cloud of white steam.
“Do you still want fried dough sticks and soybean pudding today?”
Zhuang Tongguang, who was holding the breakfast money Zhuang Ping had left, looked down and asked Xin Hexue.
“Mhm!”
This breakfast stall had very brisk business. Zhuang Tongguang told Xin Hexue to go find a small stool and sit down first, while he queued up.
The queue soon reached him.
“Boss, two bowls of sweet soybean pudding and one fried dough stick.”
“Alright, two bowls of soybean pudding, eighty cents, one fried dough stick, twenty cents, total one yuan.”
Exactly the amount Zhuang Ping had left.
The boss skillfully wrapped the golden fried dough stick in coarse grass paper, scooped out steaming tender soybean pudding from a wooden bucket, served it in two blue-rimmed coarse porcelain bowls, adding a spoonful of white sugar to each bowl.
“Here, take it carefully!”
Xin Hexue stepped forward to take his own bowl of soybean pudding. “Big Brother, over there.”
They sat at a low square table in front of the stall, on two small stools.
The fried dough stick was placed in front of Xin Hexue.
Zhuang Tongguang: “Eat.”
Xin Hexue glanced at him, tore the fried dough stick in half from the middle, and soaked the other half in Zhuang Tongguang’s bowl.
Zhuang Tongguang said anxiously, “I had some yesterday, I’m not having any today.”
“You eat it.” He wanted to use his spoon to mix it back into Xin Hexue’s bowl.
“No.” Xin Hexue blinked his eyes. “I don’t like fried dough sticks soaked in soybean pudding, they get all soft. Are you going to eat it or not? If you don’t, it’s wasteful, and I’ll tell Aunt.”
It was Zhuang Tongguang who liked them soaked soft, while he himself preferred them crispy and fragrant.
Besides, soaking a salty fried dough stick with sweet soybean pudding, wouldn’t that mix the flavors up?
He liked one bite of the fried dough stick, chewing and swallowing it down, then adding a spoonful of soybean pudding.
Although Xin Hexue was only five years old, he already had his own set of principles about good food.
………
“Brother is going to school. Do you know how to walk back the same way?”
Zhuang Tongguang’s expression was serious. He took more after his father, Zhuang Ping, and was not good with words.
“Watch TV by yourself at home. ‘Black Cat Sheriff’ has a rerun in the morning. Wait until noon, and Mom will get up to make lunch.”
The power plant affiliated elementary school had a cafeteria. Zhuang Tongguang had meal tickets and didn’t come home for lunch. During the day, only Xin Zhiying and Xin Hexue would be at home.
“Oh.”
Xin Hexue nodded.
Zhuang Tongguang: “Go back now.”
Carrying his schoolbag, Zhuang Tongguang walked towards the direction of the affiliated elementary school. After a few steps, he looked back at his younger brother’s retreating figure to confirm that Xin Hexue was taking the correct path back.
After confirming, Zhuang Tongguang continued walking to school.
He was in second grade now. The power plant affiliated elementary school wasn’t as strict as outside schools, which insisted children must be seven to start first grade. He had started elementary school just after turning six.
The affiliated middle school was right next to the affiliated elementary school. On the road, there were older students pedaling bicycles.
Halfway there, Zhuang Tongguang suddenly let out a sigh like an old man.
He turned around abruptly and ran, and in a few quick moves, pulled out a little tail from behind a tree.
Zhuang Tongguang’s face was tense as he questioned, “Why are you following me?”
He was two years older and a head taller than Xin Hexue, so grabbing him was as easy as lifting a kitten.
Xin Hexue said softly, “Big Brother, I want to go to school too.”
Grandma had told him that being uneducated put you at a disadvantage. You could only face the yellow soil with your back to the sky, and the farthest you’d ever go in your life being the town. When you grew up, you could only marry someone from the village and continue having kids who played in the yellow earth.
So at home, Grandma and Grandpa never took him to work in the fields. During the day, they sent him to the house next door to play with Great-Uncle, who used to be a village teacher.
He could recognize characters and had even memorized the multiplication table. Great-Uncle praised him for being smart and said he could take the college entrance exam in the future.
Xin Hexue still wanted to stay in Lingzhou City because of school. He was afraid that if he couldn’t stay, he would have to marry Xiao Hu from the village when he grew up, and then have several little Xiao Hus.
Thinking of that image, Xin Hexue shivered.
“Your household registration hasn’t been settled yet, but it will be soon.”
Zhuang Tongguang carried him back, and Xin Hexue struggled a bit. “I know, Big Brother, you go to school.”
“I’ll wait for Aunt to send me to school,” he said. “When the time comes, you have to take me to school with you.”
The two little hands linked their pinkies, and their shadows on the ground swayed.
“The liar is a little dog.”
………
Xin Hexue shuffled his steps back. This area was full of power plant employees and nearby small businesses, so there was no need to worry about kidnappers who snatched beautiful children.
He didn’t know if Aunt was still asleep yet… if he opened the door now, it might be noisy again.
He slowed his pace walking back, occasionally stepping on yellow leaves and looking at morning glories, effectively splitting one step into two.
“Little friend, why are you wandering around outside?”
Xin Hexue looked up. It was an uncle with regular features, a square face, thick black hair, and wearing glasses. He looked quite scholarly and refined.
He was carrying a briefcase, and there were others dressed similarly accompanying him.
The uncle asked him, “All the other children have gone to kindergarten. Where are your adults? Have you had breakfast?”
‘Why so many questions?’
Xin Hexue put his hands behind his back, twisted his fingers in a circle, and frowned at the stranger. “I don’t have a school to go to. What about you, Uncle, don’t you have a job to go to?”
The followers behind the middle-aged man stifled their laughter.
