After seeing off Bai Xinsheng and the other old fellow, Xu Qiguang didn't just head back. He stayed out a while longer to catch up with the old-timers on patrol duty tonight.
He worked away from home for years on end and was barely home all year, so he'd grown distant from everyone. 'If I don't even show my face more often during the wheat harvest, what then?'
No matter how strong a friendship, it can fade with time. Even the most good-natured people will start to feel distant. In life, everyone needs a helping hand now and then.
'So, was Mom wrong?'
'No!'
'She was also just finding a way to survive.' With this complex thought in mind, Xu Qiguang returned home and saw his daughter, Changqing, sitting all alone outside the courtyard gate.
In the dim light of the evening, she sat there silently, emanating a strange sadness. 'This child worries too much. Isn't the matter already resolved?'
'Look at that. She didn't even notice me approaching. What kind of awareness is that?' Xu Qiguang shook his head to himself and coughed. "What's wrong? Can't sleep? Having regrets?"
'Regrets?'
"No!"
'With that stubborn streak of yours, I'm sure you don't.' Xu Qiguang glanced through the half-open courtyard gate. It was pitch-black inside; everyone who was going to sleep was already asleep.
"I don't regret it."
'If things had gone like they did in the dream, I'd be on my way to the hospital right now...' Xu Changqing suddenly shivered and rubbed her arms.
"Cold?"
"It's July."
'Silly girl. Who says you can't be cold in the middle of summer? There's a kind of cold that chills you from the inside out.' "Scared, now that it's over?" Xu Qiguang sat down beside her.
Xu Changqing turned her head to study her dad's face—thick brows, large eyes, a high nose bridge. 'You know, the "her" in my dream, the one who later dressed as a man, was a dead ringer for him—more than an eighty percent match.'
Staring off into the distance, Xu Qiguang gently patted the back of his daughter's head. "What, you don't recognize your old man anymore?"
"Dad, are you about to get a promotion?"
"Did you go see your Master?" Xu Qiguang wasn't the least bit surprised that his Changqing had figured it out. "It's not a promotion, it's a job transfer. And Dad hasn't made up his mind yet."
Xu Changqing froze. 'I didn't hear this from Master at all. It was from the dream.' 'No one knows that after Dad goes back to work from this vacation, a bright future is waiting for him.'
'The position of section chief in the coal mine's sales department is already waiting for him. Not only that, but Master also successfully recommended him for a job in the logistics and dispatch office at the county train station. He just has to go back to his unit to handle the paperwork.'
"Transferring to a job in the county seat has its pros and cons. The biggest advantage is that it'll be more convenient for me to come home, and you won't have to board at school. The only bad thing is that the new department is rife with conflict."
'That's why I've never worried about not having a son. In Baizigou, dominated by the Bai and Xu families, no one would dare point at my nose and curse me for not having an heir.'
"If I stay at my current job, the downsides are obvious. The best part is that I know a lot of people there. If any problems come up, everyone pitches in to help solve them. There are fewer headaches."
'No, that's not right. It's not nearly as simple as you think. The deputy section chief in sales, the one who's always been against you, is just waiting to take over as chief. Plus, his wife is Master's youngest daughter.'
'If that man hadn't been secretly causing trouble for you, Master—who's afraid of upsetting his wife—would never have given you such a golden opportunity. You were only sent to the county station to "lend a hand" so the higher-ups would notice you.'
'For years, he's been afraid that his precious son-in-law would push you too far, and you'd finally snap and burn that bridge. After all, that's his own son-in-law, who he treats like half a son.'
'You only see a person's true colors in a crisis.'
'It's just like in the dream. The family of that person you saved this afternoon? They gave us a hundred yuan at first, but then they disappeared without a trace, afraid of getting dragged into more trouble.'
'And Master... in the dream, he didn't try to keep the things you'd stored with him. But his wife was another matter entirely. She immediately started grumbling about how much Master had already helped you.'
'The "her" in the dream felt so humiliated. If it hadn't been her parents' last possessions, "she" would have walked away without a second thought. And the worst part? When "she" got home, she discovered that half of the gold she'd brought back was fake.'
'Could "she" dare to cause a scene? Impossible! Not only was the gold's origin impossible to explain, but if word got out, it would have been a catastrophic disaster for the parentless "her".'
"Dad."
"Hmm?"
"What time did you leave today?"
"Wondering if your dad would have gotten rough if he'd arrived earlier?" Xu Qiguang shot his daughter an amused, sidelong glance. "Something came up and delayed me this morning. Otherwise, I would've been home last night." 'And would that have given you the chance to strong-arm your uncle into secretly harvesting the wheat behind everyone's back?'
"I left around nine o'clock and hitched a ride back on a truck hauling goods from our county up to the mine. And wow, you really kept it a secret. When I got back and saw your grandma, she didn't even know you'd fainted."
"Oh, so you were helping out at Grandma's place before you came home?"
"Not for long."
'That explains it.'
'In the dream, Dad got off the truck, grabbed his bag, and went straight to the threshing ground to help. It was Grandma who sent him home, using the excuse that she was worried about Mom being home alone while so heavily pregnant.'
'Later, in the dream, "she" finally pieced together the full truth from scraps of information. Her grief-stricken grandmother blamed herself for sending her dutiful son home ahead of everyone else.'
'As a result, Dad came home and found her unconscious in the west room. He went to the east room to get money to take her to the hospital, only to find that their secret hiding spot had been disturbed. The money was gone.'
'He immediately recalled what an older man carrying wheat had said on the road: "I saw your son-in-law on my way back. He was rushing out of the village in a panic, didn't even say hello. I didn't dare to make a scene."'
'So Dad ran out the door after him. He chased him all the way to the county seat and, after asking around, found out that bastard had bought a ticket to the Provincial City and had already been gone for half an hour. So he jumped on a truck that was just about to leave for the Provincial City himself.'
'But he never made it to the Provincial City train station to catch him. On the way, just as two vehicles were about to collide, her dad pushed the driver—an old acquaintance who was driving exhausted—out of the way to save him. But in doing so, he was the one who got hit.'
'I can't think about it anymore!'
Xu Changqing shut her eyes and shook her head hard.
"Is your head hurting?" Xu Qiguang turned his daughter by the shoulders and pressed his hand to her forehead. "This is no good. Get up, quick. Dad's taking you to the county hospital..."
Hearing those two words, "county hospital," Xu Changqing's face went deathly pale. She shook her head in terror. "No, no! I'm not going! It's not a headache, I'm already better."
In the darkness, Xu Qiguang couldn't get a clear look at his daughter's face. He stood up and asked in a serious tone, "Are you sure? Don't you dare lie to me!"
"I'm sure." Letting her dad pull her to her feet, Xu Changqing nodded emphatically. "It couldn't be more true. I just had heatstroke, and I felt better after a nap."
"This is no time for jokes."
"I'm not," Xu Changqing said with a small smile. "I'm really okay. If I still had a headache, would I have had the control to beat someone up like that? Didn't you hear? Even my eldest uncle said it was just a coincidence."
'And to think your grandpa says you're not good with words. He should hear this!' Seeing that his daughter was dead set against going to the hospital, Xu Qiguang looked up at the night sky and finally relented.
"Tomorrow, you're coming with me to the county seat to meet someone."