She took out the mung bean cakes she had bought two days ago, arranged them on a small plate, and placed it in front of him. After washing her hands, she sat at the table and began to focus on writing a letter to her parents.
Chi Yun’er first went over the events since her arrival in Bian Family Village in her mind. She decided to change her usual tone, starting the letter by mentioning that Jiang Yihua would be delivering it for her. Only then, in a dejected voice, did she write about how she had been dragging everyone down.
"Mom, Dad, I was young and foolish before. I went down to the countryside to support the development efforts with my peers, full of youthful passion, but I never truly considered what I would be facing."
"I’m so sorry that it’s taken me over a year to think through this simple issue."
"There are many ways to contribute to our country and its people. You don’t have to blindly follow the crowd; you have to consider your own situation."
"I’m too delicate. I can’t handle hardship or exhaustion, and I’m completely useless in the fields. Rather than making everyone else feel resentful, it would be better for me to return to the city, find a proper job, and do my part in an ordinary position. That’s a contribution too, isn’t it...?"
She then expressed how much she missed her parents, hoping they wouldn’t hold her past willfulness and immaturity against her.
Chi Yun’er thought of her own little bed, her pink bicycle, the locust flower pancakes her mother used to make, and the small wooden cabin her father had helped her build...
As she wrote about these deeply emotional memories, she began to sob. Clutching a handkerchief, she lost herself in her sorrow, crying pitifully.
Jiang Yihua sighed silently.
’The sent-down youths assigned to the farms are all driven and outstanding individuals. Even the female comrades never complain about the hardship or exhaustion; they’re like perpetual motion machines that never tire.’
’This was the first time he’d seen a girl her age cry over being homesick. She really is as delicate as they come.’
However, he couldn’t help but turn his head slightly. Not daring to let his gaze linger on her, he let his peripheral vision rest vaguely on the schoolbag hanging on the wall.
’The young woman lives a refined life; everything she has is neat and tidy. Her army-green backpack is ordinary, and a year of use has washed it to a faded white.’
’But in the pale yellow threads mending the holes and the faint white paint dabbed around them, he could still see dandelions and wildflowers blooming vibrantly on a green hill!’
Chi Yun’er couldn’t stop herself and ended up writing four full pages. Her arm, wrist, and neck were all faintly sore.
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