Chapter 8: A Way Forward

The man was very tall, at least over six feet, but he was too thin—like a fragile autumn leaf ready to drift away at any moment. If he were to collapse on the bus, it would cause trouble, so Yao Zhizhi voluntarily gave up her seat.

However, the man seemed a bit shy; he lowered his eyes to look at this kind stranger and softly said, "Thank you, no need."

Yao Zhizhi frowned. His voice was weak and hoarse, much like her condition half a month ago. If it were her, she would have sat down long ago, not stubbornly enduring discomfort just for pride’s sake.

She decisively grabbed his arm and coaxed, "Please sit. Don’t be polite. I’m almost at my stop."

The man was clearly surprised. His stiff body was gently pressed down onto the seat by a stranger. He looked up in astonishment, stealing another glance at her.

He had never seen such a beautiful girl before, but fearing it might be too forward to stare, he quickly averted his gaze.

Something had fallen on the seat, pressing uncomfortably, so he picked it up and looked at it.

An introduction letter?

Yao Zhizhi, Baicao Commune, Medicine King Manor.

No wonder she was so kind; rural girls were indeed simple and sincere.

He handed the letter back to the kind girl. "Is this yours?"

"Yes, thank you," Yao Zhizhi took the letter and tucked it back into her pocket.

The man remained silent, staring down at his hands, lost in thought.

Yao Taotao, standing nearby, also rose and said, "Is this Aunt Tang? Please sit; my sister and I are almost there."

Tang Fengyuan recognized Yao Taotao and, with a good memory typical of a police officer, smiled and declined, "Little Tao, no need. We have just three stops left."

Yao Taotao wanted to accompany her sister by standing, so she moved out and, imitating her sister, gently pulled the man to the seat.

The man silently sat down inside.

Tang Fengyuan had no choice but to sit. "You’re the niece of the Zhu family, right? You came last year."

"Yes, Aunt Tang, your memory is excellent," Yao Taotao was surprised; they had only met once, yet this police aunt remembered her. She quickly introduced, "Aunt Tang, this is my fifth sister, Yao Zhizhi. Fifth sister, this is Aunt Tang."

Yao Zhizhi smiled politely, "Hello, Aunt Tang."

"Oh, so this is your fifth sister, truly handsome," Tang Fengyuan looked at Yao Zhizhi twice. This girl was really nice—beautiful, kind-hearted, with a sweet smile.

No wonder her son’s ears were red.

He had never been pulled and tugged by a girl before, let alone with such goodwill to offer him a seat.

Compared to some arrogant city girls, she was much better.

But it was a pity...

She glanced at her own frail son and sighed.

She asked Yao Taotao, "Little Tao, did you come to the city on business?"

"Yes, visiting relatives," Yao Taotao replied, not wanting to discuss family matters on the crowded bus.

Tang Fengyuan nodded and glanced at Yao Zhizhi again, asking, "How old is your sister?"

"Eighteen, Auntie," Yao Taotao stood beside the seat, holding her sister’s arm. "Auntie, is this your son here?"

"Yes, his name is Changxiao. Why didn’t you greet your two sisters?" Tang Fengyuan knew her son was introverted but felt the need to be polite.

The man reluctantly looked up, "Hello, sisters."

"Hello to you too," Yao Taotao smiled and asked, "Aunt Tang, are you taking him to the hospital?"

"Yes, there’s an expert here. We’re taking him to see the doctor," Tang Fengyuan sighed, thinking of her son’s health.

Yao Taotao comforted her, "Don’t worry, take it slow. Illness fades like pulling silk; it will get better. Aunt Tang, you look so fortunate—you’ll surely have many descendants."

Though formal, such words were comforting.

Tang Fengyuan was delighted, "Thank you, Little Tao. We’ve arrived, see you again."

"Wait, Aunt Tang, be careful," Yao Taotao pulled Yao Zhizhi aside.

The inside seat was special—Qi Changxiao had to bend down to get off.

The rear seating area was designed with a slightly raised floor.

Being ill and cramped in such a tight space, bending down and watching his step, he almost fell.

Yao Zhizhi was close by and quickly supported him, "Careful!"

Qi Changxiao never imagined he’d one day be rescued by a beauty.

Her hand held his, her arm against her waist—an intimate gesture.

In that moment, he caught a faint scent of gardenia from her.

His face flushed with heat; stiffening his neck, he quickly looked away, as if burned, and straightened up.

He wanted to withdraw his hand but feared sudden movement would knock her down, so he turned back and softly said, "Thank you."

Yao Zhizhi let go. "Take it slow; there are steps at the door."

"Mm," Qi Changxiao looked at her deeply, clasped his hands, and got off the bus.

The bus started moving again, and the sisters sat down once more.

Yao Taotao leaned against the window, waving goodbye to Tang Fengyuan with a smile.

Qi Changxiao turned away, lost in thought.

Yao Taotao looked at Yao Zhizhi. "Fifth sister, you saw it, right? How handsome her son is. I wasn’t lying."

"Yes, handsome." Too handsome, in fact.

Thankfully, his illness deterred many suitors; otherwise, it wouldn’t be his mother accompanying him to the hospital.

Yao Taotao sighed, "It’s a pity. I heard he won’t live beyond three years, so he hasn’t found a wife yet. Aunt Tang is so kind; it’s hard to see her so sad."

Yao Zhizhi said nothing. When she supported Qi Changxiao earlier, their hands had touched.

That cold, dry touch lingered in her palm.

He really was a sickly boy. Such a shame.

Yao Taotao noticed her silence and curiously asked, "What’s wrong, Fifth sister?"

"Ah... nothing. I’m just thinking about how to persuade eldest sister when we get back," Yao Zhizhi quickly changed the subject.

Yao Taotao hadn’t figured it out either. "Anyway, we have to tell eldest sister the truth, but I’m worried she listens too much. So does third sister."

"We do our best and leave the rest to fate," Yao Zhizhi rubbed her hands again, trying to dispel the strange feeling but to no avail.

Even when they reached the bus terminal, the lingering sensation remained.

It was as if a man’s hand was still tightly holding hers.

A broad palm, long fingers, well-defined knuckles.

Hands perfect for playing the piano.

Yao Zhizhi couldn’t play but greatly admired those artistic geniuses like rare flowers on a high peak.

Suddenly, she felt like laughing. With her current status, even if there was such an artist, she wouldn’t dare reach for him.

This damn society.

She decided not to think about it.

She looked back at the bus station. "Sister, are you in a hurry to go back?"

"Not really. What do you want to do?" Yao Taotao was curious.

Yao Zhizhi took out the thirty yuan the system had given her. "Let’s go to the state-run store, buy some decent soap. Washing with just water every day is unbearable."

"But we don’t have soap coupons," Yao Taotao shook her head and sighed.

She didn’t ask where her sister got the money.

It was probably from basket weaving wages. She wasn’t envious.

Since her sister earned it herself, it was best to hide it; otherwise, their stingy parents would surely take it.

She herself also hid some pocket money.

But soap...

Yao Taotao grabbed Yao Zhizhi’s arm. "How about we look for the black market?"

"Alright, let’s go." Yao Zhizhi was action-oriented. Since they were here, why not take a look?

Soon, the two sisters found the black market vendors in a small alley a few streets away.

"This is the no-man’s land," Yao Taotao explained. "I heard from Uncle that this place is chaotic, full of idle people and many ex-convicts live here. Several jurisdictional districts pass the buck and don’t want to manage it."

Yao Zhizhi didn’t care; she just wanted to buy soap.

After circling around, she spent five yuan to buy two soap coupons and turned to leave.

"That’s so expensive! Soap costs only fifty cents; they’re really ripping us off!" Yao Taotao was heartbroken.

Yao Zhizhi pinched her cheek. "As long as we can wash comfortably, don’t worry so much. Come on, let’s buy the soap."

After buying the soap, they passed by a newspaper office, and Yao Zhizhi stopped.

Yao Taotao didn’t know what she was thinking and tried to pull her away.

But Yao Zhizhi pulled her inside.

"Comrade, do you accept submissions here?" Yao Zhizhi casually asked a woman in a white shirt.

The woman, Li Jing, was an editor intern. Seeing the two plainly dressed girls, she thought, “Here come more poor migrants seeking a way out in the city. So pitiful.”

She kindly replied, "We do accept submissions, but the standards are high. If you bring a sample manuscript, I can take a look."

Yao Zhizhi was relieved. "Good, I’ll bring a sample next time. Thank you."

Li Jing stopped her, "Wait, I’ll give you some back issues to take home and study."

"Thank you, thank you. What’s your name, sister?" Yao Zhizhi was touched; there were still good people in the world.

Li Jing smiled and handed over the newspapers. "I’m Li Jing, Young Pioneer Jing. And you?"

"I’m Yao Zhizhi, Zhizhi of the gardenia flower. This is my second sister, Yao Taotao. Can I mail the manuscripts directly?"

Yao Zhizhi had found another way to earn money and was determined to seize it.

Li Jing nodded smiling, "Of course. Wait a moment, I’ll write down the newspaper’s address."

Yao Zhizhi gratefully took the address, pondered for a moment, and took out some soap from her pocket, offering a piece to Li Jing.

Li Jing refused, "No need. The newspaper treats me well; I don’t lack these. You keep it for yourself."

Yao Zhizhi insisted, and Li Jing finally accepted, then handed back two half-soap coupons, "A gift for a gift. If you don’t accept mine, I won’t take yours."

Yao Zhizhi smiled, "Then I won’t be polite!"

After leaving the newspaper office and boarding the bus, they coincidentally met the mother and son coming from the hospital.

The bus wasn’t crowded, so there were plenty of seats.

Yao Zhizhi politely greeted them and sat across the aisle.

Her sister took the window seat, and she sat by the aisle, right next to Qi Changxiao, separated only by the aisle.

Yao Zhizhi played with the soap in her hands, occasionally glancing at the scenery outside.

Yao Taotao chatted nonstop, telling her about city anecdotes she heard from Zhu Ben last year.

Yao Zhizhi smiled and nodded occasionally in response.

From the corner of her eye, she always caught sight of a figure.

The handsome but frail man sat there with drooping eyelids and long, thick lashes trembling, lost in thought.

When it was time to get off, the man stood steadily this time, not falling.

He paused briefly before Yao Zhizhi and softly said, "Goodbye."

Yao Zhizhi looked up, meeting his deep eyes, momentarily dazed.

In that instant, it was as if she saw an endless, vast starry sky, brilliantly shining.

She smiled, "Goodbye."

Qi Changxiao turned and got off the bus carrying medicine.

The air stirred with the scent of disinfectant mixed with the bitterness of medicine.

Yao Zhizhi followed his retreating figure and suddenly asked, "Sister, how old is he?"

"About twenty-two, a bit older than my birthday," Yao Taotao yawned, tired from waking up early.

The bus moved forward. After getting off, the two sisters found a noodle shop nearby and ate a simple meal.

The noodle shop near the terminal didn’t require ration tickets, and they ate their fill before heading home.

The sun was setting as Yao Zhizhi returned home. Seeing eldest sister busy in the kitchen, she pulled Yao Taotao aside to try and persuade her.

But Yao Yingying said, "No need to persuade me. I have no choice. Rather than marry that old widower from the commune, I’d rather go to the city."